A Tender Trap--Chapter Six--

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

LoveandLogic

Refugee
Joined
Nov 3, 2008
Messages
1,411
Location
BABY, WE'RE GOING TO NASHVILLE! 7/2/11 <3
A/N: Thank you again to my totally awesome, totally patient and totally wonderful beta WithoutSpeaking who has been not only my picture/brainstorming buddy, but my side kick in A Tender Trap.

Slowly Love
and Drifting will be put to the side for awhile. This one here is my baby.


Here are the links to the latest chapters in case you had forgotten what is happening. Thank you for being patient with me! It means a ton! :heart: Also, I will be adding a little description and a rating. Enjoy!


Latest Chapters:


A Tender Trap--Chapter One--



A Tender Trap--Chapter Two--



A Tender Trap--Chapter Three--



A Tender Trap--Chapter Four



A Tender Trap--Chapter Five--


Summary: Bono and Raven had the ideal marriage. But after the Joshua Tree tour, things start to go downhill. With Edge's own marriage hanging on a string and the tension within everyone involved, the band flees to Berlin to find artistic inspiration. Edge and Raven team together to escape the loneliness in their lives. How far will they go to feel complete again?


Rating (By Chapter):
PG-13 for language


Author:
LoveandLogic/AllAtOnce10 on Burning Down Love


Disclaimer:
Don't know, don't own. Not getting money for this. Although it'd be a lot cooler if I was! And I totally wish I owned Achtung Baby Edge. Talk about hot!
flamer.gif



* * * * * *



[FONT=&quot]Bono decided to leave his wife and best mate alone for the remainder of the day. Raven was furious with him, Edge was just as distraught. Bono was weary of fighting with her and everyone else as well. And with all the band mates absent, the house was abnormally quiet and lonely and there was no way he was going to spend the day trapped inside.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Grabbing his coat, Bono started out the house and began to walk without planning out which direction he was headed. All he really wanted was some time to think. And as a small drizzle of freezing rain sprinkled down upon him, his thoughts began to fall into place.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]During the last few weeks of the Love Town tour, a part of him dreaded going back home. He loved touring, meeting new people, seeing new places. This particular tour, however, was agonizing and he felt the raging inspiration he normally carried wither away like a frozen flower. Inspiration couldn’t be found here in Dublin. That was for certain.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]As for his marriage to Raven, things couldn’t have been rockier. It was almost as though they were hanging on because it was the moral and ideal thing to do. Often he caught himself staring at her, maybe even staring past her, questioning if getting married so quickly was a good idea. And, to top it off, Edge’s ending marriage scared the living hell out of Bono. Aislinn’s confession in the tattoo shop a few months ago followed him wherever he went. When he looked at Raven, a sudden wave of guilt and dishonesty coursed from his brain to his toes.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Their distance wasn’t her fault. Nonetheless, she would never know that – Bono would never allow himself to admit it. It was selfish of him, yes, to hold it all inside. Love, however, was at times stronger than the silly mistakes humans often carry out.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]* * * *

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Edge lounged on the leather settee in the lobby of Dublin Tattoo, engaging in small talk with Dan as Raven transferred a stencil onto the arm of her next client. He was small kid, no older than twenty, scrawny and punkish. At first Edge was worried that the kid would recognize him, but when he nodded a casual to him and followed Raven to the counter without a second look, Edge was relieved.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Watching still as Raven set up her machines and ink, Edge fell into a sort of hypnosis as she tested the needle, pressing down on the foot petal and adjusting the voltage on the power box. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration and, for the first time in a long time, Edge could practically feel the peace that Raven was feeling as she began the tattoo.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Dan proceeded to talk to the musician in hushed tones about the latest radio hits. Edge tried his damndest to listen and reply but found it nearly impossible. Raven was outlining the piece, her lips pressed in, her small hands steady and sure. It was fascinating to witness with his own eyes. In fact, if Edge didn’t know any better, he’d think that he was seeing her for the very first time. It was exhilarating.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]And, while gazing her direction, enjoying the curtain of her ebony strands of hair, he though back to the day when Bono had asked him a question that would change their lives forever.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“So…what do you think of her, mate?” Bono asked me, his voice speaking above the Celtic music playing in the background of the small Irish pub.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Of Raven?” I asked over the brim of my beer mug. Bono nodded, taking a hit of his cigarette. “I think she’s wonderful,” I answered honestly. “She’s smart ... creative. Did you know she sold her first painting when she was only twelve?”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Bono’s face twisted. Obviously he was never told about this until now.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Really?”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Again, I nodded. “Yeah. I guess it got sold to a residential art museum in the United States.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“How do you know this and I don’t?”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]I shrugged. “I figured she already told you. Don’t get the wrong idea, Bono. She’s just really easy to talk to. Besides, what does my opinion mean to you anyway? If you’re happy with her, then that’s wonderful.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Well,” he licked his lips nervously, leaning into the table on his arms as if to tell a secret. “I’m wondering because…I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]My heart could’ve exploded out of my chest. In a flash I was on my feet and pulling Bono into a tight, brotherly hug.. Truthfully, I never could imagine Bono with a woman who had so many tattoos and a nervous view of religion. But Bono was never one to judge on personal beliefs. Hell, the block could get along with Hitler himself.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Nevertheless, from the moment I met Raven I knew she was not like other women. Perhaps it was her American/Irish accent, or the colorful tattoos that made her stand out amongst the Plain Janes of Ireland? No, it was more than that. It was the way she could make anyone feel at home – the way she could turn your worst day into the best within the space of an hour.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]I first met Raven Dalton in this very pub; I remember the way the glass, green lamps that hung from the ceiling reflected off the surface of her ebony, velvet hair. She was exquisite looking; beautiful, pale, her nose and cheeks dusted with brown freckles that were barely visible in the low-lit pub.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]But, yet, I noticed.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Aislinn was with me that night and would later tell me how she found this Raven Dalton to be “misplaced in the U2 family.” I was so frustrated at her for saying such things. Raven showed no threat toward myself, or Aislinn, or the rest of the group for that matter.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]In fact, she fit in within minutes. A few moments after she shook my hand, we began a conversation of art and music and America. Bono radiated like the sun itself whenever he was near her. She bought us drinks, cracked jokes and joined into conversations that many of our non-musical friends never found interest in, partly because they didn’t know what it meant to be artists.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]From that day on, if I had a spare hour or two, Raven and I would go to art museums or guitar shops or the pubs. Bono would often join us, other times he wouldn’t. And it was in those rare days where I got to know this tattooed girl who was, at first, a stranger who turned into an acquaintance before turning into a best friend, a sister, companion and now…a wife.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“I couldn’t be happier for you,” I told Bono.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Do you think she’s the one? The one for me?”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Yes,” I answered. “I think she is.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“You really should get home to Bono,” Edge told Raven as they watched the sun set behind the skyline of Dublin, the grey clouds that crossed the sky earlier now a mixed pastel of pinks and purples. For the first time that day, the sky was brightly lit in oranges and yellows; it was too bad it couldn’t have lasted longer. It seemed as if their days were nothing but bleak and haunting, autumn being at its peak, desperately trying to shift into winter. Edge squinted towards the heavens; no doubt the weather was just a metaphor for his own life. Fall was ending and soon the blistering winds of winter would surely turn his heart to ice.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Then he looked at Raven.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]And he saw the sunshine climaxing through the mist in her eyes.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“He’s probably beatin’ himself up over what he said.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Raven snorted. “Right.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“I’ve known Bono my whole life, Rave. Trust me, I bet he’s a bigger mess than I am. C’mon, I’ll walk you home.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]She gave in and allowed Edge to take her hand; together they walked in silence back to her house. Aside from this morning, she had a somewhat decent day in the company of the scent of green soap, ink and the buzz of tattoo machines.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Dan and Raven explained to Edge how the machines worked and how they were made. He was deeply fascinated in the construction of the motors and by the end of the day, could take them apart and put them back together. He even fixed a broken machine and Raven tested it on a sheet on pig’s skin to detect its durability.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Amazing,” she awed at the guitarist. “It works better than when we first got it. I’ve been trying to fix this thing for years. It was my first machine.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Edge beamed.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]For him, it was nice to be around good people, to be freed of the chaos that his mates were earlier placing upon him, and themselves. He and Raven didn’t discuss their marriages or personal lives. Instead they talked of music and politics and shared a small lunch at the shop.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Deep down, the pain was still there and the cruel reality that he had to go home and pack his belongings hammered away at his brain, creating a terrible migraine. A craving for whiskey overtook his sober mood but Raven refused to help him in that department. He humored her, concluding that he would grab a bottle on his way to the hotel later that night.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]All in all, neither Raven nor Edge wanted to bid farewell, neither of them wanting to leave behind the peaceful company. And when they approached Raven’s driveway, Edge knew, better than most, that all good things must come to an end.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Where will you go?” Raven asked when Edge showed no intention of joining her inside.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Edge shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I’m just going to stay in a hotel for a couple of days until I can sort things out.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“I don’t feel comfortable with you being on your own. Please stay with us, Edge, I beg you. I promise Bono won’t be upset. I…I’ll worry about you all night.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]His lips thinned into a smile. “Don’t you worry about me, dear Raven. I’ll be fine. How about this,” he added when Raven huffed, “I’ll ring you as soon as I book into a hotel. I’ll give you my room number and if you feel the need to check up on me, you can ring at any time.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Raven looked to the ground and forcefully nodded. “Aye, that’ll do. For now. Just…promise me you won’t drink, eh? And if you don’t answer when I ring I will march up to that hotel and kick your Welsh arse personally. Understood?”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Edge snickered. “I, The Edge, grant thee, Raven Hewson, full permission to kick my Welsh arse if I get too pissed.”

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]“Good,” Raven grinned. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They held onto each other tightly, acting as if this was the last time they’d see one another.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Raven was the first to push back, planting a kiss on his cheek and proposing good night. He kissed the back of her hand before heading down the sidewalk, looking back only once at the withered looking woman that was Raven Hewson.

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]She waited until he was out of sight and then headed inside, her stomach knotting with the stress of Edge’s situation and how Bono would react when she stepped through the door. Was he watching as she and Edge parted? If so, why didn’t he come out to talk to Edge? Was he mad? Jealous?

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Or did he simply not care?[/FONT]
 
I am dying to know what Bono did. You write both Edge and Raven beautifully. And you seem to know quite a bit about tattooing.....

I love this story almost as much as Adrift - I think it has more layers.
 
And he saw the sunshine climaxing through the mist in her eyes.

If that did not sound like sex at all I don't know what does XD

Hmm, Raven and Edge...

anyways, this is what I'm reading instead of getting ready for school! Yay!
 
If that did not sound like sex at all I don't know what does XD

Hmm, Raven and Edge...

anyways, this is what I'm reading instead of getting ready for school! Yay!

:shifty:

I'm so happy that this forum is seeing some life. Doesn't do much for my productivity at work. :ohmy:

:hyper: I agree! I love me some fan fiction!

Thank you for the feedback, ladies!:hug::hug:
 
I liked it, but somehow wasn't quite satisifed.
More action is coming later?
And this is an odd thought, but parts of the story remind me of the song So Cruel. I don't know what that means...
 
I liked it, but somehow wasn't quite satisifed.
More action is coming later?
And this is an odd thought, but parts of the story remind me of the song So Cruel. I don't know what that means...

That might be precisely what we were trying to do ;)

In fact, the whole story is Achtung Baby personified ;)
 
I'm not sure, but I feel like So Cruel was the song that I figured out had 'tender trap' in it...? o_O (I don't remember which one, but it did make me think of this story)
 
I liked it, but somehow wasn't quite satisifed.
More action is coming later?
And this is an odd thought, but parts of the story remind me of the song So Cruel. I don't know what that means...

:sad: why weren't you satisfied? Not enough...erm..."action"?:shifty::D And that's crazy that you thought of "so cruel" in this chapter. :ohmy: i'm kind of hoping that Achtung Baby rings true in this story. So I like how you brought that up.

That might be precisely what we were trying to do ;)

In fact, the whole story is Achtung Baby personified ;)

What she said. :sexywink:

I'm not sure, but I feel like So Cruel was the song that I figured out had 'tender trap' in it...? o_O (I don't remember which one, but it did make me think of this story)

And yes, a tender trap is in so cruel. "desperation is a tender trap that gets you every time" and that song is a huge influence on this story. as is the rest of AB.
 
This is cool for me since I just finished reading U2 at the End of the World which starts with the tension in the band over the recording of AB. Hats vs. Haircuts.
 
Oh yeah. They were all changing so much as was the world. I remember how my life was during that era. ZooTv was my first U2 show. We had the crappiest seats in the house and on that tour they did a ticket upgrade. They offered front row seats to those who were behind the stage and so far up you need oxygen tanks. My friend heard about ti - so I went to the venue with my tickets. The woman looked at them and said, "Oh you are the 1st one here. I think you get front row." I collpsed right there. And I DID get front row.

Now I'm just giddy with nostalgia. Those were the days you slept out for your tickets.
 
Oh yeah. They were all changing so much as was the world. I remember how my life was during that era. ZooTv was my first U2 show. We had the crappiest seats in the house and on that tour they did a ticket upgrade. They offered front row seats to those who were behind the stage and so far up you need oxygen tanks. My friend heard about ti - so I went to the venue with my tickets. The woman looked at them and said, "Oh you are the 1st one here. I think you get front row." I collpsed right there. And I DID get front row.

Now I'm just giddy with nostalgia. Those were the days you slept out for your tickets.

...i f***ing hate you. :lol: ZooTV has always been my dream tour! OMG! Edge in that purple shirt! GRRRROOOWWWLL!!!!!
 
:sad: why weren't you satisfied? Not enough...erm..."action"?:shifty::D And that's crazy that you thought of "so cruel" in this chapter. :ohmy: i'm kind of hoping that Achtung Baby rings true in this story. So I like how you brought that up.



.
It was a good chapter, really, but I guess I was expecting more... but maybe some things can't be rushed...
Well now I'm glad I mentioned it too, because it seems I was right!
 
Back
Top Bottom