Sad_Girl
Blue Crack Supplier
**The following is a work of fiction. No offense intended to anyone, it’s all meant in good fun. Strong language, semi-adult themes
Chapter Thirty-four
Larry could hear the yelling, the screaming, the sounds of someone pounding on walls and doors from the stairwell. He frowned at the thought of Alyx having to put up with neighbors who were obviously rude and probably violent. As he drew closer to the door to the flat he shared with Alyx, however, his heart began to race. The noise was not coming from some nameless faceless neighbor but from his own home.
“Alyx?” He called out her name, dropping his bags on the hall floor and fumbling with his keys. He finally managed to open the lock and threw the door open, rushing in to defend his family. He was prepared for robbers of some sort, someone who had underestimated Alyx’s will to defend herself and her home. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.
Alyx was sitting on a heavy armchair which she’d apparently dragged over to block the bedroom door. Her face was streaked with tears, her hair longer and uncombed, a riotous mess of auburn roots and bleached blonde ends. She was thin, too; thinner than Larry had ever seen her. He felt his mouth and throat dry up at the sight of her, frightened for her health and that of the baby.
“Alyx?” He managed to say her name, the countless questions in his mind somehow being articulated with just one word. She looked up at him, obviously shocked and dismayed to see him and his blood grew chill. His breath stopped; in fact, the entire world felt as if it had come to a grinding halt for a long moment.
Then the simplest thing happened, like a tiny ray of light shining in a dark tunnel. Alyx smiled.
Larry’s system rushed with relief and he hurried forward, dropping down onto his knees in front of his lover, sweeping her into his arms and holding tight. She clung to him like a drowning woman would cling to a life preserver. He kissed her at least twenty times; on the cheeks, the forehead, the lips.
“What the fuck is going on?” He finally managed to ask. The banging on the bedroom door came at irregular intervals, along with strings of words strong together nonsensically. Most were curses, some plaintive, pleading cries for help.
“My brother… Jimmy…” Alyx replied weakly, gesturing to the door which she was guarding. “It’s the second time in since St Patrick’s day that he’s tried to get clean.”
“Heroin?” Larry sighed, his words more of an answer than a question. Alyx nodded weakly. “He shouldn’t be here. It’s not your responsibility to take care of him, and fuck, Alyx… what about the baby?” He wondered, his silvery eyes darkening to a steel blue as they turned downward toward her belly in concern. His hands reached for her automatically and found her firm, slightly rounding stomach beneath her dirty cotton shirt.
“The baby’s fine. I know it’s a lot of stress, Larry but he’s my brother. I thought I could leave him behind, but I can’t. He’s my brother, and if we’re going to be a family, you and I, he’s your brother as well.” Alyx told him, stroking his handsome face and running her fingers through his blessedly soft hair. She’d practiced this speech a few thousand times, in her mind, as she sat up last night with Jimmy.
He’d been clean for more than a week, the first time. A few days ago, when he’d gone out and not come back she’d known he was shooting up. She’d been ready to lock him out. Ready to move away, to call the police, to do whatever she had to do to get away from him and the proverbial monkey on his back. When he’d shown up the day before Larry was to return home, begging for her help she had opened the door for him again. She couldn’t watch him killing himself without at least trying to help. If she’d learned only one thing from Larry, it was that family was meant to be cherished.
Larry rested his forehead against Alyx’s shoulder as he considered her words. When he lifted his head to look into her eyes, she was ready to keep fighting in Jimmy’s defense, but was silenced when he nodded.
“We’ll do what we can, ok? Everything we can,” He assured her, and she felt like a balloon with a pinhole, losing all of the air which had kept her firm. She melted into Larry’s embrace gratefully. “I’m going to call some people though, see that he’s helped without putting you through all of this. You have more than just yourself and your brother to care for,” he told her with a long kiss pressed to the side of her face. She nodded in agreement, certain that if not for his strength she would have been defeated by her life already. He leant to her his strength, his protection and she promised herself to always do the same for him.
“I love you, Larry.” She told him softly as he led her into the nursery and to the small sofa upon which she could rest. He tucked her in and grinned down at her.
“I know.” He told her with a wink.
****************************************************************
“I’m not sure I’m up for a concert tonight. Why don’t we just hit the pub?” Bono suggested as he and Edge walked across the campus of the University which Bono had attended very briefly just a few years ago. Edge glanced over at his friend and shook his head. Bono, with his hands tucked up in the sleeves of his windbreaker, just the tips of his fingers showing at the cuffs, was probably the best friend he would ever have. Outside of A’Marie, of course. But there was such a difference in the kind of friendship he had with Bono from that with A’Marie.
Beside the obvious physical attraction and romantic love he felt for her, of course.
Bono was very much like a brother to him. Closer, sometimes. More annoying, as well, on occasion, he thought with a smirk.
“We’re going to meet A’marie and then we’re going to the concert. You’re not backing out on us now,” Edge replied gently. Since the end of their October tour, any semblance of happiness Bono had managed to create had vanished. He’d found some happiness in his love of being on stage, his love of the music itself, as well as the fans. Now that they were on holiday, between the tour and the summer festival concerts they were scheduled to perform at, he had nothing to distract him from her memory.
“When did she get into Dublin?” Bono asked, and Edge could sense an argument building.
“Last night,” he replied carefully. “Why?”
“She’s got to be tired. Jet lagged, tired from moving in to the dorm. Maybe she’ll want to take it easy tonight.” Bono suggested with a too-casual shrug of his shoulders.
“She’s been looking forward to this for months,” Edge told him firmly. Bono scowled.
The truth of it was, in fact, neither A’Marie nor Edge had even known about the concert until a week earlier. A’Marie had been making her final preparations to attend University in Dublin, the two of them eager to be reunited at last, but they’d made no plans to go out anywhere specific. It was Natalie who had come to him with the tickets. If Edge had not seen how much Bono missed her, he would never have agreed to bring him along without telling him that the tickets were from her.
She had something planned; Edge didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was obvious that she was trying to make a gesture of reconciliation. For Bono’s sake, he had agreed to do his part and bring him to the show. After that, Natalie was on her own.
“Edge!” He heard A’ Marie’s voice calling out to greet him, and all thoughts of Natalie flew away like dust in the wind. He barely caught a glimpse of her running toward him before she was in his arms; kissing him with such enthusiasm he barely kept his feet. When their kiss broke and she drew back to smile up at him, he could feel his cheeks burning even before she giggled and asked him why he was blushing. He smiled shyly and chuckled, his mind still whirling, his heart still beating too fast for him to form the right words to reply.
*ahem*
“Hi, Bono.” A’Marie turned to greet Bono in response to his less-than-subtle throat clearing. She surprised them both by reaching out to wrap him up in a friendly hug, but Bono was quick to recover from his surprise. He kissed her firmly but chastely, making her laugh out loud and drawing Edge out of his silence.
“Hey!” He objected playfully, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around A’ Marie’s waist. “You’ve got to watch yourself around this one,” he warned her. Bono’s grin should’ve warned his friend, but Edge’s usually fast reflexes were overwhelmed by being so close to A’marie again.
“You didn’t know he was the jealous type did you?” Bono asked, leaning in and planting a loud, comical kiss on square on Edge’s mouth, which made A’Marie double over with laughter. Edge tried to scowl but could not fight the smile which took over his face. He was too happy to even pretend otherwise. A’Marie was here, in his hometown, in his arms and his best friend was smiling for the first time in days.
**************************************************************
“Are you waiting for someone?” Bono asked when Edge turned around in his seat to scan the crowd for the twentieth time.
“No. Maybe.” He replied vaguely, his sea green eyes distant as he glanced quickly over the thousands of faces in the audience.
“All right….” Bono said, arching an eyebrow at A’Marie who could only shrug and shake her head in response. She had no more knowledge about Edge’s strange behavior than Bono did. Bono inquired about her course of study and A’Marie told him of her plans to study Sociology or Anthropology. She was surprised by the interest he took in both areas and was thrilled by the depth of the conversation they had on the subjects. Edge mostly listened and kept watch for the person who may or may not have been planning on joining them until the lights went down.
He seemed so disappointed that A’Marie worried he would not enjoy the show, even from the front row seats. She couldn’t say she was a big Elton John fan, but she loved music and had been glad to accept Edge’s invitation to sit front row. It was the first time she’d ever been so close to such a big show. It wasn’t long, however, before his worries seemed to have been forgotten or at least pushed to the back of his mind and he was swept up into the music.
Elton left the stage once, wishing the crowd a good night and thanking them, but Edge told her to wait. There would be at least one encore, he assured her, and within a few moments the lights rose on the stage again. Elton was seated at a beautiful grand piano in the middle of the stage, in the center of a bright spotlight. Once the cheering died down a bit he began to play a familiar tune, sending the audience into a round of applause again.
“Blue jean baby… L.A. Lady… seamstress for the band…”
Bono seemed to be the only person in the entire building who remained seated, a flash of painful memory keeping him from moving. If he had been capable of moving, he might have rushed out at the sound of the song which he had used to convince Natalie to give him a chance. If he had, he might never have believed what happened next.
A second spotlight appeared on stage left, a beautiful woman in jeans and a t-shirt with ballet slippers on her feet in the middle of it. For a moment she seemed to freeze from stage fright, but in the time it took to draw a deep breath she was moving. Bono stood, his heart racing as he recognized her.
“Is that?” A’Marie leaned in close to ask Edge, but he was already nodding, staring at the scene as it played out. She moved with a sense of grace as light, airy and flowing as the song itself, around the stage, circling Elton at the piano as he sang until finally she stopped beside him at the exact moment which they had rehearsed.
“Natalie.” Edge confirmed with a stunned nod.
“Pretty eyes, a pirate smile… she wants to marry a music man…” Elton sung, playing a few chords in the background as his words trailed off and he interrupted the usual pattern of the song. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Natalie.” He said into the microphone, and the audience applauded her politely. “She’s here tonight because someone asked her a very important question and she wanted to share her answer with the world.” He said, and Bono was at the front railing, climbing over it even before the security guards came to get him. He was nearly on stage before he heard Natalie’s voice.
“Bono?” She said, turning to look in the direction of his seat, her heart feeling heavier than lead when she found it empty. The crowd roared as she blinked back tears, and she thought they were reacting to his name. She didn’t notice him until he was right behind her, one of his familiarly large hands closing over her shoulder. She turned to him, crying out in relief at the very sight of him. Her voice was extinguished like a flame as his mouth closed over hers, her body crushed against his, the two of them turning in circles in time to the music and the thunderous roar of the crowd.
“I think it’s safe to say that’s a yes.” Elton quipped into his microphone at the piano. ”She’s gonna marry a music man!” he sang, making the crowd roar again as Bono swept Natalie up into a broad, sweeping dance, the two of them still in the second spotlight as Elton finished the song. “Hold me closer, Tiny Dancer…”
A’Marie squeezed Edge’s hand, neither of them able to look away from the scene as Bono and Natalie took a bow during the last chorus and hurried off stage. Finally turning to look at each other finally, Edge couldn’t help but blush when A’Marie smiled coyly at him.
“I think we’re on our own for the rest of the night.” She told him, tilting her head to one side flirtatiously.
“I don’t know if that’s an act I want to follow.” Edge replied jokingly.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed,” She told him, leaning in to kiss him softly. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” She whispered, sending a rush of heat through his whole body and making him moan in anticipation as she kissed him again.
“So have I,” he told her softly, surprised at how shy his voice sounded. “I love you.” He told her, and she beamed up at him happily.
“I love you.” She replied. Holding each others hands they made their way back to the underground, neither one of them knowing or caring where they were headed.
“What do you want to do?” He finally asked when they had to decide what train they needed to take.
“Everything!” She told him gaily.
“That’s a lot of stuff,” He laughed.
“We have time,” she informed him. “This is only the beginning.”
~~ The End ~~
there's a post-script coming soon 
Chapter Thirty-four
Larry could hear the yelling, the screaming, the sounds of someone pounding on walls and doors from the stairwell. He frowned at the thought of Alyx having to put up with neighbors who were obviously rude and probably violent. As he drew closer to the door to the flat he shared with Alyx, however, his heart began to race. The noise was not coming from some nameless faceless neighbor but from his own home.
“Alyx?” He called out her name, dropping his bags on the hall floor and fumbling with his keys. He finally managed to open the lock and threw the door open, rushing in to defend his family. He was prepared for robbers of some sort, someone who had underestimated Alyx’s will to defend herself and her home. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.
Alyx was sitting on a heavy armchair which she’d apparently dragged over to block the bedroom door. Her face was streaked with tears, her hair longer and uncombed, a riotous mess of auburn roots and bleached blonde ends. She was thin, too; thinner than Larry had ever seen her. He felt his mouth and throat dry up at the sight of her, frightened for her health and that of the baby.
“Alyx?” He managed to say her name, the countless questions in his mind somehow being articulated with just one word. She looked up at him, obviously shocked and dismayed to see him and his blood grew chill. His breath stopped; in fact, the entire world felt as if it had come to a grinding halt for a long moment.
Then the simplest thing happened, like a tiny ray of light shining in a dark tunnel. Alyx smiled.
Larry’s system rushed with relief and he hurried forward, dropping down onto his knees in front of his lover, sweeping her into his arms and holding tight. She clung to him like a drowning woman would cling to a life preserver. He kissed her at least twenty times; on the cheeks, the forehead, the lips.
“What the fuck is going on?” He finally managed to ask. The banging on the bedroom door came at irregular intervals, along with strings of words strong together nonsensically. Most were curses, some plaintive, pleading cries for help.
“My brother… Jimmy…” Alyx replied weakly, gesturing to the door which she was guarding. “It’s the second time in since St Patrick’s day that he’s tried to get clean.”
“Heroin?” Larry sighed, his words more of an answer than a question. Alyx nodded weakly. “He shouldn’t be here. It’s not your responsibility to take care of him, and fuck, Alyx… what about the baby?” He wondered, his silvery eyes darkening to a steel blue as they turned downward toward her belly in concern. His hands reached for her automatically and found her firm, slightly rounding stomach beneath her dirty cotton shirt.
“The baby’s fine. I know it’s a lot of stress, Larry but he’s my brother. I thought I could leave him behind, but I can’t. He’s my brother, and if we’re going to be a family, you and I, he’s your brother as well.” Alyx told him, stroking his handsome face and running her fingers through his blessedly soft hair. She’d practiced this speech a few thousand times, in her mind, as she sat up last night with Jimmy.
He’d been clean for more than a week, the first time. A few days ago, when he’d gone out and not come back she’d known he was shooting up. She’d been ready to lock him out. Ready to move away, to call the police, to do whatever she had to do to get away from him and the proverbial monkey on his back. When he’d shown up the day before Larry was to return home, begging for her help she had opened the door for him again. She couldn’t watch him killing himself without at least trying to help. If she’d learned only one thing from Larry, it was that family was meant to be cherished.
Larry rested his forehead against Alyx’s shoulder as he considered her words. When he lifted his head to look into her eyes, she was ready to keep fighting in Jimmy’s defense, but was silenced when he nodded.
“We’ll do what we can, ok? Everything we can,” He assured her, and she felt like a balloon with a pinhole, losing all of the air which had kept her firm. She melted into Larry’s embrace gratefully. “I’m going to call some people though, see that he’s helped without putting you through all of this. You have more than just yourself and your brother to care for,” he told her with a long kiss pressed to the side of her face. She nodded in agreement, certain that if not for his strength she would have been defeated by her life already. He leant to her his strength, his protection and she promised herself to always do the same for him.
“I love you, Larry.” She told him softly as he led her into the nursery and to the small sofa upon which she could rest. He tucked her in and grinned down at her.
“I know.” He told her with a wink.
****************************************************************
“I’m not sure I’m up for a concert tonight. Why don’t we just hit the pub?” Bono suggested as he and Edge walked across the campus of the University which Bono had attended very briefly just a few years ago. Edge glanced over at his friend and shook his head. Bono, with his hands tucked up in the sleeves of his windbreaker, just the tips of his fingers showing at the cuffs, was probably the best friend he would ever have. Outside of A’Marie, of course. But there was such a difference in the kind of friendship he had with Bono from that with A’Marie.
Beside the obvious physical attraction and romantic love he felt for her, of course.
Bono was very much like a brother to him. Closer, sometimes. More annoying, as well, on occasion, he thought with a smirk.
“We’re going to meet A’marie and then we’re going to the concert. You’re not backing out on us now,” Edge replied gently. Since the end of their October tour, any semblance of happiness Bono had managed to create had vanished. He’d found some happiness in his love of being on stage, his love of the music itself, as well as the fans. Now that they were on holiday, between the tour and the summer festival concerts they were scheduled to perform at, he had nothing to distract him from her memory.
“When did she get into Dublin?” Bono asked, and Edge could sense an argument building.
“Last night,” he replied carefully. “Why?”
“She’s got to be tired. Jet lagged, tired from moving in to the dorm. Maybe she’ll want to take it easy tonight.” Bono suggested with a too-casual shrug of his shoulders.
“She’s been looking forward to this for months,” Edge told him firmly. Bono scowled.
The truth of it was, in fact, neither A’Marie nor Edge had even known about the concert until a week earlier. A’Marie had been making her final preparations to attend University in Dublin, the two of them eager to be reunited at last, but they’d made no plans to go out anywhere specific. It was Natalie who had come to him with the tickets. If Edge had not seen how much Bono missed her, he would never have agreed to bring him along without telling him that the tickets were from her.
She had something planned; Edge didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was obvious that she was trying to make a gesture of reconciliation. For Bono’s sake, he had agreed to do his part and bring him to the show. After that, Natalie was on her own.
“Edge!” He heard A’ Marie’s voice calling out to greet him, and all thoughts of Natalie flew away like dust in the wind. He barely caught a glimpse of her running toward him before she was in his arms; kissing him with such enthusiasm he barely kept his feet. When their kiss broke and she drew back to smile up at him, he could feel his cheeks burning even before she giggled and asked him why he was blushing. He smiled shyly and chuckled, his mind still whirling, his heart still beating too fast for him to form the right words to reply.
*ahem*
“Hi, Bono.” A’Marie turned to greet Bono in response to his less-than-subtle throat clearing. She surprised them both by reaching out to wrap him up in a friendly hug, but Bono was quick to recover from his surprise. He kissed her firmly but chastely, making her laugh out loud and drawing Edge out of his silence.
“Hey!” He objected playfully, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around A’ Marie’s waist. “You’ve got to watch yourself around this one,” he warned her. Bono’s grin should’ve warned his friend, but Edge’s usually fast reflexes were overwhelmed by being so close to A’marie again.
“You didn’t know he was the jealous type did you?” Bono asked, leaning in and planting a loud, comical kiss on square on Edge’s mouth, which made A’Marie double over with laughter. Edge tried to scowl but could not fight the smile which took over his face. He was too happy to even pretend otherwise. A’Marie was here, in his hometown, in his arms and his best friend was smiling for the first time in days.
**************************************************************
“Are you waiting for someone?” Bono asked when Edge turned around in his seat to scan the crowd for the twentieth time.
“No. Maybe.” He replied vaguely, his sea green eyes distant as he glanced quickly over the thousands of faces in the audience.
“All right….” Bono said, arching an eyebrow at A’Marie who could only shrug and shake her head in response. She had no more knowledge about Edge’s strange behavior than Bono did. Bono inquired about her course of study and A’Marie told him of her plans to study Sociology or Anthropology. She was surprised by the interest he took in both areas and was thrilled by the depth of the conversation they had on the subjects. Edge mostly listened and kept watch for the person who may or may not have been planning on joining them until the lights went down.
He seemed so disappointed that A’Marie worried he would not enjoy the show, even from the front row seats. She couldn’t say she was a big Elton John fan, but she loved music and had been glad to accept Edge’s invitation to sit front row. It was the first time she’d ever been so close to such a big show. It wasn’t long, however, before his worries seemed to have been forgotten or at least pushed to the back of his mind and he was swept up into the music.
Elton left the stage once, wishing the crowd a good night and thanking them, but Edge told her to wait. There would be at least one encore, he assured her, and within a few moments the lights rose on the stage again. Elton was seated at a beautiful grand piano in the middle of the stage, in the center of a bright spotlight. Once the cheering died down a bit he began to play a familiar tune, sending the audience into a round of applause again.
“Blue jean baby… L.A. Lady… seamstress for the band…”
Bono seemed to be the only person in the entire building who remained seated, a flash of painful memory keeping him from moving. If he had been capable of moving, he might have rushed out at the sound of the song which he had used to convince Natalie to give him a chance. If he had, he might never have believed what happened next.
A second spotlight appeared on stage left, a beautiful woman in jeans and a t-shirt with ballet slippers on her feet in the middle of it. For a moment she seemed to freeze from stage fright, but in the time it took to draw a deep breath she was moving. Bono stood, his heart racing as he recognized her.
“Is that?” A’Marie leaned in close to ask Edge, but he was already nodding, staring at the scene as it played out. She moved with a sense of grace as light, airy and flowing as the song itself, around the stage, circling Elton at the piano as he sang until finally she stopped beside him at the exact moment which they had rehearsed.
“Natalie.” Edge confirmed with a stunned nod.
“Pretty eyes, a pirate smile… she wants to marry a music man…” Elton sung, playing a few chords in the background as his words trailed off and he interrupted the usual pattern of the song. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Natalie.” He said into the microphone, and the audience applauded her politely. “She’s here tonight because someone asked her a very important question and she wanted to share her answer with the world.” He said, and Bono was at the front railing, climbing over it even before the security guards came to get him. He was nearly on stage before he heard Natalie’s voice.
“Bono?” She said, turning to look in the direction of his seat, her heart feeling heavier than lead when she found it empty. The crowd roared as she blinked back tears, and she thought they were reacting to his name. She didn’t notice him until he was right behind her, one of his familiarly large hands closing over her shoulder. She turned to him, crying out in relief at the very sight of him. Her voice was extinguished like a flame as his mouth closed over hers, her body crushed against his, the two of them turning in circles in time to the music and the thunderous roar of the crowd.
“I think it’s safe to say that’s a yes.” Elton quipped into his microphone at the piano. ”She’s gonna marry a music man!” he sang, making the crowd roar again as Bono swept Natalie up into a broad, sweeping dance, the two of them still in the second spotlight as Elton finished the song. “Hold me closer, Tiny Dancer…”
A’Marie squeezed Edge’s hand, neither of them able to look away from the scene as Bono and Natalie took a bow during the last chorus and hurried off stage. Finally turning to look at each other finally, Edge couldn’t help but blush when A’Marie smiled coyly at him.
“I think we’re on our own for the rest of the night.” She told him, tilting her head to one side flirtatiously.
“I don’t know if that’s an act I want to follow.” Edge replied jokingly.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed,” She told him, leaning in to kiss him softly. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” She whispered, sending a rush of heat through his whole body and making him moan in anticipation as she kissed him again.
“So have I,” he told her softly, surprised at how shy his voice sounded. “I love you.” He told her, and she beamed up at him happily.
“I love you.” She replied. Holding each others hands they made their way back to the underground, neither one of them knowing or caring where they were headed.
“What do you want to do?” He finally asked when they had to decide what train they needed to take.
“Everything!” She told him gaily.
“That’s a lot of stuff,” He laughed.
“We have time,” she informed him. “This is only the beginning.”
~~ The End ~~
there's a post-script coming soon 
