Chapter 150

Bri watched the door slam, her friend on the opposite side and felt thee rigid set of her shoulders go even tighter as she fell to the couch. How dare she say such things? Didn't she know just how different and wonderful Richie was? How could she equate him to Jared of all people?

Then to be angry at her over a few days of no phone calls? It was their first moments as married couples to be alone! She'd thought Geena would relish having Jon all to himself, without Richie or anyone else interferring. Guess she was wrong about that.

Hell for all she knew Jon may have worked the entire time leaving Geena alone, but the few sneaky calls she'd made to firm up the birthday celebration had told her otherwise. What the hell was wrong with Geena? How could she....

She melted to the floor, and curled tight into her self. Geena hated her, and all because she was trying to help give her a party to end all parties. Geena didn't know that silly however. She just wasn't on call the minute G wanted her to be. Jesus she could have handled that, laughed it off somehow and still kept the secret, but Geena let it go at how she really felt about Richie. Had she believed all those stupid damn rumors the yellow newspapers and websites tried to hawk. How had she kept that to herself all these years?

She started to cry quietly as she held tighter to herself. Well fuck it all, she'd just not go to the party, she didnt want to ruin the damned thing by presenting her terrible friend self there. Richie would understand, she knew that, but God how she'd hate not seeing the girls and their reactions.

Richie opened the door. He'd just returned from the interview Jon asked to do for him because he had last minute preparations for G's birthday. He smirked at how into the preparations Jon was into. God he thought he had it bad for Bri . The birthday bash was fit for a queen from what he was getting from the grapevine.

"Baby I'm bac,k" Richie called out only to find his wife curled up in a ball crying.God here we go with the hormones again.

"What's wrong baby someone on your fave soap leave? " He teased her about something that usually brought her around.

She glanced up at him and wanted to laugh at their joke, but couldn't. "She, she. she hates me!"


Richie flicked up an eyebrow as he squatted down beside her.

"Who hates you darlin? "

She crawled up and pressed against him, not even laughing when he went OOOPH as he nearly fell over. "Geeeeeeena hates mee!"

Richie braced himself from completely falling over and held her with the other arm. " OH thats crazy G loves you. Why do you think she hates you ? "

She sobbed softly into his chest, "Cuz I didn't answer the phone! I tried to explain, I did, when she came over all mad. But she didn't listen. Then she just said I was all wrapped up in you, forgetting her for you. She..."

She pulled back as the anger sparkled and the cries got angrier, "She tried to say you were like Jared! I told her to tell me what was really wrong and she just kept on and on about that, and she doesn't even KNOW how sneaky I've had to be."


"She compared me to Jared? That doesn't sound like Geena. What's goin' on? Cuz you didn't answer the phone . Did you check your messages?" Richie was confused. The Geena he knew and had grown to love as family surely wouldn't say all this.

She shook her head, "No, but I'd bet you that you couldn't keep from talking to Jon, and I wasn't supposed to talk to her and," she sniffled, "I talked to Jon cuz it was important too but dammit she shouldnt have said you were like Jared. YOU are nothing like him, and so what if I didn't just jump and call her every second? She was alone with her husband, I didn't think she needed me, and I wanted to just be wtih you. But then she started about her parents and .." She snuggled closer to him, "Now she hates me."

"Could she be jealous ? I mean what about her parents hell I know Jon said he knows next to nothing about her . Could it have been that bad she needed to talk to you and not him?" Richie was upset at being compared to a psychotic but at the same time he was trying to figure out why she would lash out so badly on her best friend .

She shook her head, "I have no idea, I kept telling her to just talk to me, but all she did was her Jon impression. Yell and spit shit that was mean."

She struggled to her feet with a grumble, "After all I did, well I won't go tonight, Let her eat fuckin' crow when she sees how much she means, obviously I'm nothing to her now that shes with his royal highness."

Richie stood up pulling her into an embrace "That's not true and you know it . You're her 'sister' and she for whatever reason was hurt." He paused a moment at the look on his wife's face. "No that wasn't an excuse for what she said but think about you're long friendship. Is it worth losing over one fight? I'm sure she'll feel bad once she's cooled down and I'm sure Jon is talking to her as I am you darlin'."

She snorted and pulled away from him, "Yea the first major fight you guys had and you didn't speak for close to two years. Maybe that's what she needs. I can figure a way to not see her."

"You think that is what either of you need. C'mon Bri you need her as much as she needs you. Right now you are both touchy over things that wouldn't normally even faze you. Give her a chance to apologize, I betcha she will."

She grumbled under her breath, "Don't you get it? She can say all she wants about ME, but she attacked YOU. I won't allow for that. I'll just stay away from the stupid old party."

"Do you see it doesn't bother me because Bri, I know she didn't mean it. Geena is a lot like Jon but polar opposites if that makes sense. Jon has said things he didn't mean to you right ? You forgave him. Why can't you give G a chance? I love that you want to defend me, but baby its G we are talkin' about,not the wicked witch of the west and -- I think she is jealous."

She turned to study him, calm cool collected Richie and wanted to scream. "Jon said stuff in stupidity. He didn't know me, didn't know my past,didnt know the pain. Geena KNEW AND STILL USED IT AGAINST ME!" She heard her voice rising and throttled back. "She has nothing to be jealous of, she's got Jon, and a family now. All she had to do was tell me what it was about her parents that was getting too her."

She moved to the couch and settled in, "I'm just gonna avoid her." Her head tilted as she thought over all the ins and outs of the situation. "Id be almost tempted to go home...."

RIchie quickly joined her on the couch turned her to face him and sternly replied, "NO you're not. Don't go to the party, fine, but you'll regret it. I'm not gonna force you. But you will not go home." I'll just figure a way to charm you into going later.

She looked up, watched as his eyes fired angrily and almost winced. She was the master of vanishing when needed, always had been when she needed to nurse wounds; but there he sat and she knew she couldnt refuse him a thing.

She felt the pout rise as she muttered, "I'll go, just keep me away from her."

RIchie groaned, " Fine but its not gonna solve anything . It's just gonna make matters worse . But think on this she was there for you all those times right? How many times did she come to you and when she did was it really important? "

"Every birthday, christmas and holiday." She glanced away from his beautiful face to the balcony door, "Every time her parents left her alone, when her husband was cheating, I was THERE for her Richie. I always HAVE been. ONE time I'm not right at the phone and she starts throwing venom at a man I love more than I love to breathe?? I can't accept that."

Richie smiled tenderly. " I appreciate that but its been just you two like family right for years then Jon and I come in out of the blue blow into your lives and turn it upside down. Words can't hurt me baby . Think about all the good she has done too. She was gonna walk away from the man she loved for you . I'm not saying forgive her right this moment but still think of all the good she has been for you too is all I'm asking "

She sighed, "I seem to remember a lot better than her. I even helped Jo..." She shut up suddenly and frowned. "Don't try to make me not be mad!"

'You helped Jon with what? " Richie asked "What did you do ? "

She turned to move to the bedroom, more to avoid his curiousity, that stare that could make her admit to anything, even if she was innocent. "Umm, nothing. I didn't do anything."

He stopped her, the low growl in his voice signifying his want to know. " What are you hiding from me?"

She took a deep breath and pulled up every bit of innocence she still could, although after all his lessons in naughty, added to her forum life was rare and scarce. Reaching up to brush his cheek with the palm of her hand, she smiled. "Nothing?"

"Tell me what you helped Jon with. I am not letting this go," Richie growled again. He knew what pushed her buttons.

Goose-pimples raced along arms that suddenly felt nerveless as she shivered at the growl. "It wasn't anything, honest, he just wanted some info and ...."

As he pulled her closer, his growl rumbling in his chest and into her ear she sighed. "Ok Ok, I helped him with her birthday party. I had to call him a couple of times during our week off with addresses and ideas on presents and.. " She looked up her lip sticking out in a pout, "and then she yelled at me."

"He swore me to total secrecy, I couldn't call her, I woulda blabbed dammit."

"Let me get this straight you didn't tell me, you kept it all from me? He came to you ? You called him " Richie pulled back feigning anger as he tried to keep the grin off of his lips.

She let her hand drop as she quivered, "He said you had looser lips than a gossip reporter. Told me I couldn't even tell you." She winced at the arch of his brow, "And yeah, I had to, or the party wouldn't happen, I just waited until you were out with Ava or in the shower or..."

"Oh you wait til I see bossman , looser lips huh? Making my wife keep secrets from me." Richie tisked. "So now I know whats so special 'bout this party why is it so damned important? "

She huffed slightly as her brows rose. He didn't know either. God even she'd forgotten to tell him that much? "It's her birthday, and Jon wanted to show her that she was important by announcing he married her to some of her closest friends. It's tonight after the show. He's flown in friends from all over just to be here."

Richie's face went slack with an expression of shock. Jon was known to frown on any kind of public display. Holding hands was as far as it went usually. " Some of you're friends are comin' in and he is announcing to fans that -- wow can you explain why its so important for her to feel this way? " Richie partly knew why. Jon did talk to him a bit, but he was trying to get Bri to remember why Geena was her close friend and why she loved her .

She shrugged, "Cuz she was always a nobody to her family, not important. The girls on the forum became her family, the only one she cares about. It's his way of tellin her family."

She looked up at him and started to laugh, even as she stomped a foot. "STOP IT!"

Richie kept his face straight "Stop what? "

"Stop making it okay, It's not okay. She's not supposed to be all silly over stuff," her voice spluttered off into laughs as one more waggle of the brow along with a goofy face showed. "You are evil you know that?"


He grinned, " I've been told that a time or two."

She stepped closer, her arms going around him as she continued to giggle. "When you chose the Mr. Smooth It Over Job all those years ago you took too it with a passion huh?"

He chuckled "Yea guess I did. Had many years to perfect it too."

"You sure did."

He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. " Be mad you have a right too but just remember what brought you together in the first place. Jon and I have done that over the years hence some of our big hits."

She pressed a kiss to his chest before snorting, "but we don't write music, and I doubt this would make good fiction." She glanced up, "Honestly havent written since I found out the real was so much better, didnt wanna be using what I know even unaware."

"But maybe you should get all you're both feeling out. Doesn't have to be anything to post or whatever you do with it. I know you two written together. " Richie winked. "Don't stop writing cause you got the real thing I kinda like what your devivous mind comes up with."

She stepped closer, her hand slipping down to brush over his slacks, "but I can show you all my mind comes up with without writing it down."

He groaned "Yes you can but sometimes its hot to read. Jonny , Dave and I can tell you how many cold showers we had reading your girl's shit "

She grinned as she kept up the feather light rubbing, "I have so many stored on my laptop..."

"Just might have to do some reading later on." He smirked pulling her in clos.e "We're in St Paul for a couple days. "

She tipped her head back as a devious thought rose, "No reading unless you get rid of the baggy pants and tees."

"You got it."

She stared at him as her mouth dropped open. That was just way too easy. "I don't mean tight tees or those crazy semi baggy jeans Richard."


"I know what you're talkin' about . I will give a call to Nikki to express mail."

Her grin was wicked as she reached up to flick his nose. "So no reading in St. Paul."

"I will see what I can come up with. You are stubborn, you know that Mrs Sambora." Richie pouted a bit. His pouty face could usually win him anything.

She leaned up to slide her lips over his. "Learned it from two of the best Mr. Sambora."