Water Ch. 241 - Nobody Wanna Fade Away

                                                   

"Babe, I have to get going." Jon says to his best friend, that's laying on the beach in her red bikini.  

 He scans her body and then the surroundings and thinks I could make love to her right here. But he saves that.  He hates the thought of leaving her, but he swore to himself that he wouldn't make any major changes while they are getting their feet re-wet. He wants nothing more than to be with her forever, but history has a way of repeating it's self and he wasn't going to let it happen.  His guard is up, his shield is weak though. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I would love to have you with me."

"No babe, I'm here for some R&R, I'm gonna stay here and finish my vacation.  Maybe I'll join you later." She tells him, taking her sunglasses off and looking up at him.

"Will you go upstairs with me while I grab my things? I want every possible minute with you."

"Of course" she says as she gets up from her chair.  "Let's go." And she leads the way into her room. "Do you want to shower first?"

"I do, but all of my stuff is upstairs.  Will you join me up there for a shower?"

"I would love to!" She grabs her bathroom bag and a clean bathing suit and they go upstairs to take a shower.  In his room, there is a vase with flowers on the table, having no idea who they are from, Jon takes the card and reads it.  It simply says, I'm not letting her go without a fight.  

 

Reading that Jon looks at Beth and says, "I'm not leaving you here alone.  Please pack your things and come with me?" he pleads.

 

Beth takes the card from Jon's hand and reads it.  A little chuckle is followed by, "He's really harmless Jon.  I'll be just fine."

 

"You don't think this is creepy?" he asks.

 

"No.  He might be a big guy, but he's really just a teddy bear."  dropping the card on the table, next to the vase, Beth walks into Jon's personal space and says, "He's harmless babe, really.  Let's get you packed."  Looking around, she sees that he really didn't have the chance to unpack.  He never really bring enough that needs to be unpacked.  The majority of what he wears is already loaded in trucks and on the way to his next venue. 

 

With his arms around her neck, he pulls her in and kisses her head, "I've seen enough crazy over the years and trust me, this isn't going to end well.  Think about it." he kisses her again.  "It's only been a few hours since he caught us and he's sent flowers to ME?  Babe, that's crazy."

 

"Stop already." Beth asks. 

 

"Please just come with me for the rest of the week and then go back on vacation, when he's had time to calm down."  Lifting her face to look at her, "Please?"

 

Beth stretches and kisses the dimple that is perfectly placed in the middle of his chin, "Will you stop whining if I go?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Okay.  How long do I have to get ready and packed?" she grabs his wrist and looks at his watch.  "It's 3:00 now." 

 

"The cars will be here at 4:00."

 

She turns to go to her room and pack when it hits her, "I'm only doing this because you're worried about Dalton.  I don't think we're ready for it, but I'll go just to keep your mind at ease."

 

"We're not ready for it, but I couldn't do the rest of the tour with you here and then Fuji.  I'd be a basket case."

 

"I know." she exhales, "I'll meet you downstairs, okay?"

 

"Well hang on a second, I only need to grab my stuff from the bathroom and I'm done in here.  I'll go down with you." he says as he's grabbing his things.

 

Beth waits at the door and together they go downstairs.  Once they are in her hotel room, she reminds him, "Call the kids before it's too late.  I'm jumping in the shower."  She runs her fingers across his face and says, "Join me when you're done."

 

She starts her shower and Jon calls home.  It's 8am in New York, Jon calls the house knowing that the kids are getting ready for school.

 

Stephanie answers after 4 rings.  "HI dad!"

 

"Good Morning honey, how are you?"  Jon asks his only daughter.

 

"Not as good as you apparently."  The cocky teenager rags on her dad.

 

"What do you mean?" he questions.

 

"Well, let me see, you and Beth were just on the news.  Is she with you?" she asks, excitedly.  Stephanie loves Beth, and thinking that she is back with her dad, Stephanie can't wait to see her.  "Is she with you did?"

 

He can't help laugh at her, he can picture her sitting at the island having her breakfast bouncing in her seat, "I am with her. She's in the shower."

 

"I want to talk to her when she's done."

 

"Steph, I don't have time to talk right now.  The cars are on their way to get us and we need to get ready.  I called to let you guys know that I was with her, so you wouldn't find out about it like you did.  I guess I wasn't fast enough."

 

"Will you have her call me, dad?" she asks her dad, wanting to really talk to Beth.

 

Laughing again, he tells her, "Yeah.  Where is your mother?"

 

"Right here, hang on."  He can hear the receiver hitting the counter top and Stephanie yelling, "Mom, dad wants to talk to you."  The next thing he hears is, "Bye daddy.  I love you."

 

"I love you too honey.   Hey, how are the boys?"

 

He can hear that she's excited and in a hurry to get going to school, "They're good.  Here's mom."  Stephanie hands the phone to Dorothea.

 

"Couldn't stay away, huh?" she asks, without even saying hello.

 

"Good Morning to you too Dot.  How are the kids?" Jon asks, not wanting to really even talk to her.

 

"The kids are fine Jon, how's Beth?" she asks with a large does of sarcasm and anger.

 

"She's fine.  Listen, I got to go.  I wanted to tell the kids about Beth, but I see I'm too late."

 

Dorothea clears her throat and says, "Yeah, you made international news; laying on top of her on the beach.  That's just what the kids need to see." Jon can hear the disgust in her voice and it quickly turns to disappointment.  "I thought that maybe you had grown up a little over the last year.  I see I was wrong."

 

"Dorothea, I didn't call to debate you or hear a lecture.  I tried to get to the kids before the news did.  Sorry, that I didn't.  Please hug and kiss them all for me." he no longer tries to hide his aggravation with her.

 

She had one more jab to get in, "Is it true that Dalton caught you?" 

 

"What?" he snaps, how could she know?

 

"He was interviewed and that's what he said." She laughs now, because she knows Jon enough to know what his silence means.

 

"What did he say?" Jon has to know, "What did he say on camera?"

 

"Just that he arrived early to surprise Beth and you answered her door wrapped in a blanket.  Is it true, Romeo??"

 

"Where was the interview at?" 

 

"He was standing out front of the Hilton.  Are you at the Hilton?"

 

"Yes!" Jon snaps at her, "What else did he say?"

 

Laughing some more at Mr. Cool, she tells him, "Just that he caught the two of you and that he wasn't going to let Beth go without a fight.  You might be Jon Bon Jovi get but you won't get what you want."

 

"Whatever.  I have to go."

 

Laughing even harder now, because she can hear that Jon is upset by something that he can't control, she says, "Bye."  And hangs up.

 

Jon processes the conversation that he just had with Dorothea and heads into the bathroom.  As he drops his jeans to the floor, he tells Beth, "Well, we made headline news in the states." 

 

"WHAT?" she can't believe what she just heard.  "What do you mean?"  She asks him as he steps in the shower with her.

 

"I called the kids and Steph already knew.  Then I talked to Dot and she said that Dalton gave an interview downstairs.  He was on the news."