Sad_Girl
Blue Crack Supplier
**Disclaimer – Though inspired in part by real personalities, this is meant in no way to represent reality or anything which has ever truly taken place. It’s just a fairy tale.
The promises we make chapter 23
“What the hell was I thinking?” Cat muttered irritably as she struggled to rise from the corner of her bed.
“You ok in there?” Trine called back and Cat sighed dramatically.
“No. I’m not all right. I’m pregnant. Very, very pregnant.” She replied, finding her feet finally and deciding she didn’t care shat she looked like, she was wearing comfortable shoes. Screw anyone who didn’t like what they saw when they looked at her, she wasn’t going to do anything that made her more miserable than she already was.
“Need help getting up?” Trine teased from the doorway. Cat snarled at the girl playfully.
“You know I’m not going to be like this forever. I’ll get you back if you’re mean to me.” She informed her. Trine grinned from ear to ear.
“You like me too much.” She said, and Cat fought a losing battle to hide her own smile. It wasn’t easy to be a stepmom and a friend at the same time.
“You look good.” She said, her eyes sweeping down over the young woman’s outfit approvingly. She had on a pair of jeans with patches in the knees and rear worn down to strings, revealing tiny glimpses of smooth skin. She also wore a black tank top which was not overly revealing but sexy at the same time. Her belly button showed when she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Her hair was still quite short, but it was very soft and reminded Cat of the fuzzy hair of a newborn baby. It was very flattering on Trine. Cat herself wouldn’t have worn so much black eyeliner, but then again, Cat wasn’t sixteen. All in all, Trine looked perfect for the event.
“Thanks. You look good too.” She offered and Cat laughed. “No, you do.” Trine added, laughter in her voice now, too. “Just, y’know, pregnant good.”
“That’s not the most encouraging compliment I’ve ever heard.” Simone said, hurrying down the hallway toward Cat’s room. Trine turned to look at her and whistled.
“Wow. Look at you!” She said, doing just that. Simone rolled her eyes at the girl playfully.
“All right, now you’re going a little overboard.” She told her gently. The truth was, Cat realized when Simone stepped into the room, Trine was dead on. She looked incredible.
“I hate you.” She said playfully. “Here I thought I could count on you tonight, being in the same condition as me and everything.”
“I’m just glad I could still wear this.” Simone confided, glancing in the full length mirror at the image of herself in the little red dress. “I spent way too much money on it to never get a chance to show it off.”
“C’mon ladies! We don’t want to keep the people waiting!” Shane’s voice called down the hall. This was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and Tequila Monster were the guests of honor at a party celebrating the immanent release of their debut album. It was also the day they had announced that Tequila Monster would be the opening act for the second leg of U2’s tour the next summer.
What Tessa, who had arranged most of the evenings details, did not realize was the others had been busy arranging a special sub-party afterwards. A bachelorette party for her, one week before her wedding.
The party was as extravagant as one would expect, considering the circumstances. They stood patiently for a million photographs, answered questions for the entertainment reporters, and smiled and nodded for the industry big-wigs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity playing their new role as the family of rock stars and emerging musicians, they managed to direct Tessa into the basement where the second party was waiting.
“What are we doing?” She asked as Simone and Cat led her down the dimly lit stairwell. The first thing she saw when they reached the bottom of the stairs was Laney, grinning like the cat-which-ate-the-canary. “Laney? What are you doing here? I thought you had to work?”
“I was working on something all right.” Laney told her, opening the door and standing aside for Tessa to enter the ballroom, in the middle of which hung a banner declaring her status as ‘going off the market’.
“Oh! Oh, no, you guys… I don’t need…” She started to protest as she realized what she was seeing.
“Well I never got one, so do it for me.” Cat said, pushing her through the door. The considerably smaller crowd cheered wildly for her as she entered, and Tessa could not help but grin shyly. She had never had anyone do anything of the sort for her in her entire life. She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes.
“Now we’ll have none of that!” Laney scolded gently. “There will be plenty of that on the wedding night.” She joked, earning a chuckle and a few whistles.
“What about the others?” Tessa asked, casting a glance back to the door which led to the stairwell.
“Trine and the boys have it covered.” Cat assured her. Tessa thought perhaps she was mad to trust Krash, Trine, Alex and Shane to host the remaining guests at the original party, but before she could give it too much thought, she heard a familiar voice.
“Tessa.” She turned to see Jolie standing a few feet away, looking as beautiful as ever, if not more so. She clutched a slender cane in one hand, but Madden was not with her, nor was anyone whom Tessa recognized. Jolie approached her all on her own, not clinging to anyone for assistance.
“Jolie?” She reached out and took her old friend by the elbow and led her to the table which had been clearly designated for Tessa and her closest friends. “How are you?”
“Better than ever.” Jolie told her happily. “I know you probably didn’t want to see me again, but I just had to tell you thank you.”
“Of course I wanted to see you, don’t be silly. Thank me for what?” Tessa asked, completely baffled. Jolie laughed out loud, her sweet little laugh like breaking glass or an old music box.
“For leaving. For telling me off the way you did. It changed … well, everything. I hated being so dependant on everyone. I just never realized I was the only one keeping me that way.” She explained. Tessa had no words to express the emotions rolling around inside of her all at once. Happiness, relief, pride. She drew the tiny woman into her arms and squeezed and Jolie did the same.
“I’m so glad.” She told her.
“And I’m happy for you, too. It sounds like you found a great guy. I remember the way he addressed you, that night. I was thinking he was going after you.” Tessa laughed.
“I’m not sure I remember it that way. It doesn’t matter though, it worked out well, however it happened.” She agreed, her attention drawn to the center of the room where Laney had taken up a microphone and was asking everyone for their attention.
“As some of you may know, one week from tonight, this lovely lady over here…” a spotlight clicked on, bathing Tessa in a warm golden light. “Will be known to the public at large as ‘Mrs. The Edge.’” The group laughed out loud and cheered for Tessa and she blushed and waved shyly.
“So tonight, we want to celebrate her independence. Celebrate her as an individual. As a single woman.” Another round of wild cheers. “Thank you all for being here to help us do just that.” Laney continued, “and I’d like you all to help me welcome some special guests who are here to help us get the party started.” She said, the lights shutting off completely for a moment, plunging the room into utter darkness.
The room was filled with a simple but addictive music, something meant to be danced to rather than seriously thought about, and a series of bright multi-colored lights snapped on at the far end of the room, revealing half a dozen young men in flashy costumes.
“Oh, no…” Tessa laughed, covering her face as they began to dance. “You didn’t!” She asked, turning to Cat and Simone who grinned guiltily at her.
“They’re young enough I could be their mother.” She argued, her eyes drawn back tot he activity on the dance floor.
“Not quite.” Simone rolled her eyes at her friend, turning to whistle at the men and cheer loudly. Tessa’s face was a deep crimson. “And don’t worry, they’re not going to strip all the way down or anything.” She re-assured her.
“They’re not?” A southern drawl asked from behind them, and the women turned to see Shane approaching.
“You’re supposed to be upstairs!” Cat told him hotly.
“Don’t worry, there’s only a handful of folks left up there. The others are on top of it. I thought you could use some real entertainment down here.” He told her with a crooked grin that made her stomach knot with worry. She knew that grin too well, and knew that it meant the odds were good that Shane would be wearing nothing but his cowboy hat by the time the party was over.
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“He’s wearing his hat!” Laney whispered to the others as she peeked out the door into the sanctuary. Edge stood waiting at the front of the church, his hands clasped in front of him, his head down and eyes searching the floor as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other anxiously.
“What?!?” Cat drew in a sharp breath and moved to see for herself. “He’s wearing his hat, but I had to wear this dress?” Simone chuckled and shook her head.
“They’re not so bad.” She said. “I think it was a nice idea to have us all wearing slightly different colors. At least in my experience, the bridesmaids usually all get to wear the exact same hideous dress.”
“You can say that because you look good in pale green.” Cat replied playfully. “I’m in pastel purple. Purple! I feel like a frickin’ Easter egg.”
“You look lovely.” Tessa said as she glided into the back room, her soft silver and baby blue dress looking elegant and perfect for the winter wedding. The chapel was decorated with fairy lights and holly, the light of day fading quickly outside the stained glass windows, and the ambience was like that of a dream.
“Look at you!” Cat gasped, her eyes widening. “Oh, Tessa! You are so beautiful!” She told her friend, holding out her arms in offer of a hug. Tessa hugged her, and then Simone, and Laney in turn. She was so happy, she seemed to have a glow about her.
“I can’t believe we’re here already.” She said, her lip quivering a little. “The last few months have gone by so quickly.”
“The good things seem to go that way. Don’t they?” Laney said, straightening her hair in the mirror and gathering up the bouquets of flowers for each of them.
“Why are our bouquets so much smaller than yours?” Cat asked Laney, arching an eyebrow suspiciously. “And why do you get to wear pale yellow? You look more like its your wedding day than Tessa’s.” Tessa and Laney exchanged a conspiratory smile and Tessa quickly moved to peek out the door herself.
“It looks like they’re ready for us. The organist is just waiting for the signal to start the march.” She said, and Cat glanced at Simone to see if she suspected something as well. Simone’s frown indicated that she did indeed, but was obviously as out of the secret as Cat herself was.
“Simone?” Tessa urged, and Simone nodded. She glanced back over her shoulder to make sure all of the others were ready before nodding to the organist. The chapel was filled with the first chords of the wedding march and every head turned to see Simone as she led the way from the back of the church to the front. Cat followed, feeling more self conscious than she could ever recall having felt before, and then Laney followed her.
The organist changed both key and volume to indicate the arrival of the Bride and everyone in the seats stood as Tessa appeared. Laney’s eyes were on Edge, however. She’d already seen Tessa, after all. She wanted to see his reaction when he saw her. She was glad she had. His green eyes shimmered, his mouth curling up in an instinctive grin. He looked like a child who had not expected much on Christmas morning, only to find the perfect gift waiting under the tree when he awoke.
She smiled to herself and tossed a glance past Edge to see Bono smiling at her. He winked and she felt herself blush, her cheeks aching she smiled so hard. Her stomach filled with butterflies, and she wondered if there would ever come a time when she no longer reacted to his attention that way. She doubted it.
They had gone with a relatively standard ceremony, though each had written their own vows. Most people could have recited everything else from the service as it progressed, right down to the ‘I pronounce you husband and wife’. It was immediately after the kiss that things changed. Edge and Tessa turned, not to exit the church, but away from one another, toward their bridal parties.
The applause, which had filled the church a moment earlier faded in the confusion as the congregation was asked to be seated again. Tessa and Laney smiled broadly at each other as they switched places, and Bono and Edge did the same. The murmur of surprise in the audience was nearly as loud as the applause had been.
“We’d like to ask you to stick around just a little bit longer, if you would.” Bono asked, turning on his microphone and smiling at them. “Y’see I don’t think I can wait a moment longer to marry this beautiful woman.” Cat clapped her hand over her mouth in shock and Simone nearly doubled over with laughter before she started to clap along with the others.
Bono turned back to Laney and smiled sweetly, his baby blue eyes shining brightly, the fairy lights twinkling in them. He was every bit the fairy tale husband she had dreamt of as a child. He was also so much more, Laney thought to herself as he took her hand in his and the ceremony they had secretly rehearsed was underway.
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“I cannot believe you didn’t let any of us in on that!” Cat complained playfully once the party had departed the church in the back of the limo. She smacked Bono playfully on the cheek, but then kissed him squarely on the spot and hugged him. He laughed out loud, obviously loving the moment.
“Yeah, trust him to steal the show at my own wedding.” Edge joked.
“Hey, careful what you say about him. He is family, after all.” Tessa joked, and Edge covered his eyes as if just now realizing that he was technically his cousin now. The limo was full of laughter and love as they were carried across the city to the reception, where, no doubt, the press was waiting in droves to try and spoil the day. Not that they could.
“You ok?” Adam whispered gently in Cat’s ear. “You look tired.”
“I am.” She sighed, turning to brush a whispery kiss over his lips and run her hand over his silver hair. She smiled as she looked into his handsome face and asked him, “Do you regret that we didn’t do it this way? With all the people and fancy party?”
“I wouldn’t change a thing.” He told her with a soft smile. She kissed him again and then closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the back of the leather seat. She grimaced slightly as if in pain.
“Cat?” Adam asked, looking worriedly across the way at Laney, who frowned at the sight.
“Cat, what’s the matter, lass?” Laney asked.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Cat assured her, opening her eyes and seeing that everyone in the limo was looking at her. “I’m fine!” She told them all. “I’ve just been on my feet too long. My back is killing me.” She rested her head back and closed her eyes again, and Laney and Simone exchanged knowing glances.
“How long has your back been hurting?” Simone asked.
“Oh… about nine months?” Cat laughed, but realized after a moment and a glance at her friend that she wasn’t going to let her blow this off with a joke. “I guess it hurt a little last night, but it was better this morning. Then it started again late this afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Laney demanded.
“It’s not that bad. It’s not constant or anything, it kind of comes and goes.” Cat told her dismissively.
“Oh my God!” Tessa gasped in utter disbelief. “Cat, your in labor!” she informed her, Cat’s eyes snapping open and everyone in the limo looking at Tessa and then looking to Cat as if waiting for confirmation. Laney told the driver to change his destination from the reception to the hospital.
“And once again, Cat steals the show.” Bono said, tossing her a playful glance.
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“Cat? Sweetheart, I need you to keep your eyes open.” Adam told her gently, squeezing her hand. Cat felt like a limp rag, every muscle in her body aching and tired. She barely had the energy to open her eyes and look up at him.
“I’m so tired!” She whined, and Adam kissed her forehead.
“I know, but if you can give it just a couple more good pushes the doctor says it’ll be over.” He assured her. She had already heard this more than once.
“I can’t.” She told him weakly. She was getting irritated with him, but she couldn’t bear to yell and swear at him when he was being so sweet and polite. The doctor had even commented on it earlier, complimenting her pleasant way of dealing with his presence while in labor.
“Most women are yelling and screaming words the fathers have never even heard come out o’ their mouths before. Wishing all sorts of pain and sufferin’ on them as well, blaming them for every single moment of pain.” She had said. Now, she was wondering is that wasn’t exactly what she needed.
“Cat, darlin’? C’mon, you need to get mad! You need to get mad and fight to get this over with. The baby’s heartbeat is ok now, but if this stays this way much longer we’re going to have to take you into surgery just to be safe. Now come on and push!” She urged. Cat tried but soon she was laying flat on her back with tears streaming down her cheeks out of frustration.
“Ok, let’s move her.” The doctor said to the nurses and aids in the room. “She’s not going to do this herself.”
“Wait!” Adam said, holding up one hand to stop the others, turning to the doctor. “Hold on, you need someone to help get her temper up, right?” He asked.
“That would be the best thing, but I don’t know…” the doctor was saying, but Adam didn’t listen any longer. He hurried to place a kiss on Cat’s lips and tell her he loved her, then he was out the door as fast as his long legs would carry him.
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They were quite the sight to see, milling around the waiting room in their wedding apparel, but none of them was willing to leave until Adam came to tell them that Cat and the baby were all right. So, when Adam burst into the waiting room, all eyes were immediately on him. It was clear from the look on his face that he was not there to share good news.
“Larry!” He called, gesturing immediately at the drummer to approach.
“What is it?” Larry asked, hurrying to Adam’s side.
“I need you to go in with her.” Adam told him seriously, looking the man square in the eye. Larry’s baby blues widened in disbelief and he took a step back in shock.
“What?”
“She needs to get mad, Larry, she needs to get worked up and angry and push the baby out or they’re going to be in danger. The doctor is talking about moving her into surgery.” Adam told him, a note of desperation clear in his voice.
“Oh, shite, Adam…” Larry replied, running a hand through his hair nervously. “Sure, sure. Of course.” He told him with a quick nod. Simone had already been asking him to be in the delivery room with her when their child was born, anyway. If Adam thought he could really help, then he would do everything he could, no matter how uncomfortable the thought made him.
Everyone wished them luck as Adam showed him back to the delivery room and explained to the doctor what he wanted to try. The doctor agreed, having a nurse help Larry with a special hand washing kit and gown while Adam told Cat that he would be right down the hall waiting. Only one extra person at a time was allowed to be in the room with her. Then he returned to the waiting room, where the other were quick to offer their support.
“All these years, I’ve listened to the three of you talk about God and justice and the meaning of life… You know I’ve had a hard time with believing a lot of what you believe.” Adam said to Bono and Edge as he lit a cigarette, despite the no smoking signs posted on three of the four walls. “You pray, now. I need you to pray right now that your God doesn’t let her be hurt any more than she’s already hurt. That he spares her and that baby. She’s just really living for the first time. I’m proud that I was able to give her that. I can’t live with the possibility that I could be responsible for it all being taken away, too.”
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With a shaky breath and a nod, Larry indicated to the nurse that he was ready. She led him into the room, and immediately, his heart began to race. He felt panic set in, making his chest tight, his nerves jumpy. He’d lost too many women in his life, it scared the hell out of him to be in here with her like this.
“Hey, Cat.” He greeted her, leaning over the bed. She was drenched in sweat, her face drawn and tired, her eyes swollen from crying. She turned weakly toward him, opening her eyes in shock.
“Larry?” She asked, blinking as if expecting him to disappear, to be a hallucination. He smiled slightly at her, reaching out awkwardly to hold her hand.
“Yep. It’s me.” He told her.
“Are you ready to try pushing again?” The doctor asked, quickly growing impatient with the emotional encounter.
“Ohhh I can’t!” Cat moaned, and Larry frowned down at her.
“Yes, you can Cat. You’ve got to. You can’t quit, not now!” He demanded, and she scowled back up at him.
“You have no idea how fucking tired I am! I’m not just being lazy!” she snapped, and the doctor glanced up at Larry, her eyes widening. She gave him the thumbs up gesture, urging him to continue.
“You can’t give up, Cat. Don’t take the easy way out. I thought you didn’t want to be like your own mother.” He prodded her, stepping way over the line of politeness. Cat propped herself up on her elbows and glared up at him.
“Fuck you! How dare you?” She yelled.
“That’s good! C’mon now, push!” the doctor urged.
“I told you I wasn’t going to let you break Adam’s heart, didn’t I?” Larry said, his hand behind her back now, supporting her as she strained to push the baby out and into the doctors waiting hands. “Now push, dammit. You can do better than that!”
“Fuck you, Mullen!” She screamed, her words turning into a long drawn out scream.
“That’s it, wait wait!” The doctor said, and Larry moved his arm, letting Cat fall back against the bed. She was panting for breath, obviously exhausted, but there was some color back in her cheeks now. “One last push to get his shoulders out, Cat.” She said, having cleared the baby’s mouth.
“Ohhh…” Cat started to complain, but she looked up into Larry’s frowning face and stopped. She leaned forward once more, crying out when the baby was finally free and gasping for breath. She reached up and clasped the back of Larry’s neck with one hand, drawing his face close to hers. She stared into his eyes for a long silent moment.
“Thank you.” She finally told him weakly. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile, and he nodded. She laid back once more and as the doctor finished up, a nurse brought the baby to her, resting it in her arms. Although he was crying a little, he sounded more like a mewing kitten than a wailing baby.
“He takes after his Da, already. Comin’ out of that experience all cool and calm.” Larry joked, and Cat had to laugh in agreement.
“He looks like him, too.” Cat added, staring down into her little boys face for the first time. He had closed his eyes and was already going back to sleep, smacking his lips softly.
“How do you feel?” Larry asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Tired.” Cat replied. “But so happy.”
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The tension in the waiting room hung in the air like a thick, clammy fog. Everyone standing or sitting there, dressed up beautifully, having planned on celebrating all night and now anxiously waiting for permission to, in a way. When Larry stepped through the door, all eyes swung to look at him, standing there with a tiny baby cradled in his arms and a grin crossing his face from ear to ear. Everyone began to smile at once, murmuring words of cheer, thanks and congratulation as Larry crossed the room to hand the baby to Adam.
“I think this belongs to you.” He said, earning a chuckle from everyone. Adam held the baby nervously, one of his large hands resting over him and covering most of the little body.
“I hope he belongs to him.” Trine joked, having brought Pauley to the hospital more than an hour earlier. This was her half-brother being born, after all.
“He’s Cat’s!” Pauley objected, and another chuckle spread through the quickly cheering group.
“He’s Adam’s, too.” Simone explained. Larry lifted the little boy and carried him over to get a closer look at the sleeping infant.
“What’s his name?” He whispered to Larry who smiled broadly once more.
“Oh that’s right. Cat asked me to introduce you all properly and I forgot.” He said. “His name is Lawrence Paul David Clayton.”
“Did you guys decide on that together?” Bono asked, moved by the gesture of naming Adam’s son after his three bandmates.
“Yeah. Only, It was supposed to be Paul Lawrence David, but I think under the circumstances, this order is much better suited.” Adam said, looking at each of his mates. They all agreed completely.
“Mr. Clayton?” a nurse asked from the doorway. “Your wife is asking for you.”
“Oh, right! Oops.” Adam laughed, standing cautiously. “Congratulations, you four.” He said to the newlyweds as he carried the baby toward the door.
“You too, dad.” Bono replied, patting Adam on the back. Edge did the same, and then Adam turned to Larry.
“Thank you.” He said seriously. “I don’t know how…” He started, but Larry interrupted.
“I do. You can go through this with Simone in my place. I’m never going through that again!” Larry joked, and Adam flashed him a toothy grin. He looked around the room once more before going to join Cat in her room, the baby beginning to squirm in his arms.
Just an hour ago, he had been having doubts about the meaning of life, about God’s love. He could hardly imagine that now. He was holding the proof of God in his arms, and he was surrounded by the meaning of life; family.
- The End
The promises we make chapter 23
“What the hell was I thinking?” Cat muttered irritably as she struggled to rise from the corner of her bed.
“You ok in there?” Trine called back and Cat sighed dramatically.
“No. I’m not all right. I’m pregnant. Very, very pregnant.” She replied, finding her feet finally and deciding she didn’t care shat she looked like, she was wearing comfortable shoes. Screw anyone who didn’t like what they saw when they looked at her, she wasn’t going to do anything that made her more miserable than she already was.
“Need help getting up?” Trine teased from the doorway. Cat snarled at the girl playfully.
“You know I’m not going to be like this forever. I’ll get you back if you’re mean to me.” She informed her. Trine grinned from ear to ear.
“You like me too much.” She said, and Cat fought a losing battle to hide her own smile. It wasn’t easy to be a stepmom and a friend at the same time.
“You look good.” She said, her eyes sweeping down over the young woman’s outfit approvingly. She had on a pair of jeans with patches in the knees and rear worn down to strings, revealing tiny glimpses of smooth skin. She also wore a black tank top which was not overly revealing but sexy at the same time. Her belly button showed when she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Her hair was still quite short, but it was very soft and reminded Cat of the fuzzy hair of a newborn baby. It was very flattering on Trine. Cat herself wouldn’t have worn so much black eyeliner, but then again, Cat wasn’t sixteen. All in all, Trine looked perfect for the event.
“Thanks. You look good too.” She offered and Cat laughed. “No, you do.” Trine added, laughter in her voice now, too. “Just, y’know, pregnant good.”
“That’s not the most encouraging compliment I’ve ever heard.” Simone said, hurrying down the hallway toward Cat’s room. Trine turned to look at her and whistled.
“Wow. Look at you!” She said, doing just that. Simone rolled her eyes at the girl playfully.
“All right, now you’re going a little overboard.” She told her gently. The truth was, Cat realized when Simone stepped into the room, Trine was dead on. She looked incredible.
“I hate you.” She said playfully. “Here I thought I could count on you tonight, being in the same condition as me and everything.”
“I’m just glad I could still wear this.” Simone confided, glancing in the full length mirror at the image of herself in the little red dress. “I spent way too much money on it to never get a chance to show it off.”
“C’mon ladies! We don’t want to keep the people waiting!” Shane’s voice called down the hall. This was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and Tequila Monster were the guests of honor at a party celebrating the immanent release of their debut album. It was also the day they had announced that Tequila Monster would be the opening act for the second leg of U2’s tour the next summer.
What Tessa, who had arranged most of the evenings details, did not realize was the others had been busy arranging a special sub-party afterwards. A bachelorette party for her, one week before her wedding.
The party was as extravagant as one would expect, considering the circumstances. They stood patiently for a million photographs, answered questions for the entertainment reporters, and smiled and nodded for the industry big-wigs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity playing their new role as the family of rock stars and emerging musicians, they managed to direct Tessa into the basement where the second party was waiting.
“What are we doing?” She asked as Simone and Cat led her down the dimly lit stairwell. The first thing she saw when they reached the bottom of the stairs was Laney, grinning like the cat-which-ate-the-canary. “Laney? What are you doing here? I thought you had to work?”
“I was working on something all right.” Laney told her, opening the door and standing aside for Tessa to enter the ballroom, in the middle of which hung a banner declaring her status as ‘going off the market’.
“Oh! Oh, no, you guys… I don’t need…” She started to protest as she realized what she was seeing.
“Well I never got one, so do it for me.” Cat said, pushing her through the door. The considerably smaller crowd cheered wildly for her as she entered, and Tessa could not help but grin shyly. She had never had anyone do anything of the sort for her in her entire life. She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes.
“Now we’ll have none of that!” Laney scolded gently. “There will be plenty of that on the wedding night.” She joked, earning a chuckle and a few whistles.
“What about the others?” Tessa asked, casting a glance back to the door which led to the stairwell.
“Trine and the boys have it covered.” Cat assured her. Tessa thought perhaps she was mad to trust Krash, Trine, Alex and Shane to host the remaining guests at the original party, but before she could give it too much thought, she heard a familiar voice.
“Tessa.” She turned to see Jolie standing a few feet away, looking as beautiful as ever, if not more so. She clutched a slender cane in one hand, but Madden was not with her, nor was anyone whom Tessa recognized. Jolie approached her all on her own, not clinging to anyone for assistance.
“Jolie?” She reached out and took her old friend by the elbow and led her to the table which had been clearly designated for Tessa and her closest friends. “How are you?”
“Better than ever.” Jolie told her happily. “I know you probably didn’t want to see me again, but I just had to tell you thank you.”
“Of course I wanted to see you, don’t be silly. Thank me for what?” Tessa asked, completely baffled. Jolie laughed out loud, her sweet little laugh like breaking glass or an old music box.
“For leaving. For telling me off the way you did. It changed … well, everything. I hated being so dependant on everyone. I just never realized I was the only one keeping me that way.” She explained. Tessa had no words to express the emotions rolling around inside of her all at once. Happiness, relief, pride. She drew the tiny woman into her arms and squeezed and Jolie did the same.
“I’m so glad.” She told her.
“And I’m happy for you, too. It sounds like you found a great guy. I remember the way he addressed you, that night. I was thinking he was going after you.” Tessa laughed.
“I’m not sure I remember it that way. It doesn’t matter though, it worked out well, however it happened.” She agreed, her attention drawn to the center of the room where Laney had taken up a microphone and was asking everyone for their attention.
“As some of you may know, one week from tonight, this lovely lady over here…” a spotlight clicked on, bathing Tessa in a warm golden light. “Will be known to the public at large as ‘Mrs. The Edge.’” The group laughed out loud and cheered for Tessa and she blushed and waved shyly.
“So tonight, we want to celebrate her independence. Celebrate her as an individual. As a single woman.” Another round of wild cheers. “Thank you all for being here to help us do just that.” Laney continued, “and I’d like you all to help me welcome some special guests who are here to help us get the party started.” She said, the lights shutting off completely for a moment, plunging the room into utter darkness.
The room was filled with a simple but addictive music, something meant to be danced to rather than seriously thought about, and a series of bright multi-colored lights snapped on at the far end of the room, revealing half a dozen young men in flashy costumes.
“Oh, no…” Tessa laughed, covering her face as they began to dance. “You didn’t!” She asked, turning to Cat and Simone who grinned guiltily at her.
“They’re young enough I could be their mother.” She argued, her eyes drawn back tot he activity on the dance floor.
“Not quite.” Simone rolled her eyes at her friend, turning to whistle at the men and cheer loudly. Tessa’s face was a deep crimson. “And don’t worry, they’re not going to strip all the way down or anything.” She re-assured her.
“They’re not?” A southern drawl asked from behind them, and the women turned to see Shane approaching.
“You’re supposed to be upstairs!” Cat told him hotly.
“Don’t worry, there’s only a handful of folks left up there. The others are on top of it. I thought you could use some real entertainment down here.” He told her with a crooked grin that made her stomach knot with worry. She knew that grin too well, and knew that it meant the odds were good that Shane would be wearing nothing but his cowboy hat by the time the party was over.
*****************************************************************
“He’s wearing his hat!” Laney whispered to the others as she peeked out the door into the sanctuary. Edge stood waiting at the front of the church, his hands clasped in front of him, his head down and eyes searching the floor as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other anxiously.
“What?!?” Cat drew in a sharp breath and moved to see for herself. “He’s wearing his hat, but I had to wear this dress?” Simone chuckled and shook her head.
“They’re not so bad.” She said. “I think it was a nice idea to have us all wearing slightly different colors. At least in my experience, the bridesmaids usually all get to wear the exact same hideous dress.”
“You can say that because you look good in pale green.” Cat replied playfully. “I’m in pastel purple. Purple! I feel like a frickin’ Easter egg.”
“You look lovely.” Tessa said as she glided into the back room, her soft silver and baby blue dress looking elegant and perfect for the winter wedding. The chapel was decorated with fairy lights and holly, the light of day fading quickly outside the stained glass windows, and the ambience was like that of a dream.
“Look at you!” Cat gasped, her eyes widening. “Oh, Tessa! You are so beautiful!” She told her friend, holding out her arms in offer of a hug. Tessa hugged her, and then Simone, and Laney in turn. She was so happy, she seemed to have a glow about her.
“I can’t believe we’re here already.” She said, her lip quivering a little. “The last few months have gone by so quickly.”
“The good things seem to go that way. Don’t they?” Laney said, straightening her hair in the mirror and gathering up the bouquets of flowers for each of them.
“Why are our bouquets so much smaller than yours?” Cat asked Laney, arching an eyebrow suspiciously. “And why do you get to wear pale yellow? You look more like its your wedding day than Tessa’s.” Tessa and Laney exchanged a conspiratory smile and Tessa quickly moved to peek out the door herself.
“It looks like they’re ready for us. The organist is just waiting for the signal to start the march.” She said, and Cat glanced at Simone to see if she suspected something as well. Simone’s frown indicated that she did indeed, but was obviously as out of the secret as Cat herself was.
“Simone?” Tessa urged, and Simone nodded. She glanced back over her shoulder to make sure all of the others were ready before nodding to the organist. The chapel was filled with the first chords of the wedding march and every head turned to see Simone as she led the way from the back of the church to the front. Cat followed, feeling more self conscious than she could ever recall having felt before, and then Laney followed her.
The organist changed both key and volume to indicate the arrival of the Bride and everyone in the seats stood as Tessa appeared. Laney’s eyes were on Edge, however. She’d already seen Tessa, after all. She wanted to see his reaction when he saw her. She was glad she had. His green eyes shimmered, his mouth curling up in an instinctive grin. He looked like a child who had not expected much on Christmas morning, only to find the perfect gift waiting under the tree when he awoke.
She smiled to herself and tossed a glance past Edge to see Bono smiling at her. He winked and she felt herself blush, her cheeks aching she smiled so hard. Her stomach filled with butterflies, and she wondered if there would ever come a time when she no longer reacted to his attention that way. She doubted it.
They had gone with a relatively standard ceremony, though each had written their own vows. Most people could have recited everything else from the service as it progressed, right down to the ‘I pronounce you husband and wife’. It was immediately after the kiss that things changed. Edge and Tessa turned, not to exit the church, but away from one another, toward their bridal parties.
The applause, which had filled the church a moment earlier faded in the confusion as the congregation was asked to be seated again. Tessa and Laney smiled broadly at each other as they switched places, and Bono and Edge did the same. The murmur of surprise in the audience was nearly as loud as the applause had been.
“We’d like to ask you to stick around just a little bit longer, if you would.” Bono asked, turning on his microphone and smiling at them. “Y’see I don’t think I can wait a moment longer to marry this beautiful woman.” Cat clapped her hand over her mouth in shock and Simone nearly doubled over with laughter before she started to clap along with the others.
Bono turned back to Laney and smiled sweetly, his baby blue eyes shining brightly, the fairy lights twinkling in them. He was every bit the fairy tale husband she had dreamt of as a child. He was also so much more, Laney thought to herself as he took her hand in his and the ceremony they had secretly rehearsed was underway.
************************************************************
“I cannot believe you didn’t let any of us in on that!” Cat complained playfully once the party had departed the church in the back of the limo. She smacked Bono playfully on the cheek, but then kissed him squarely on the spot and hugged him. He laughed out loud, obviously loving the moment.
“Yeah, trust him to steal the show at my own wedding.” Edge joked.
“Hey, careful what you say about him. He is family, after all.” Tessa joked, and Edge covered his eyes as if just now realizing that he was technically his cousin now. The limo was full of laughter and love as they were carried across the city to the reception, where, no doubt, the press was waiting in droves to try and spoil the day. Not that they could.
“You ok?” Adam whispered gently in Cat’s ear. “You look tired.”
“I am.” She sighed, turning to brush a whispery kiss over his lips and run her hand over his silver hair. She smiled as she looked into his handsome face and asked him, “Do you regret that we didn’t do it this way? With all the people and fancy party?”
“I wouldn’t change a thing.” He told her with a soft smile. She kissed him again and then closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the back of the leather seat. She grimaced slightly as if in pain.
“Cat?” Adam asked, looking worriedly across the way at Laney, who frowned at the sight.
“Cat, what’s the matter, lass?” Laney asked.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Cat assured her, opening her eyes and seeing that everyone in the limo was looking at her. “I’m fine!” She told them all. “I’ve just been on my feet too long. My back is killing me.” She rested her head back and closed her eyes again, and Laney and Simone exchanged knowing glances.
“How long has your back been hurting?” Simone asked.
“Oh… about nine months?” Cat laughed, but realized after a moment and a glance at her friend that she wasn’t going to let her blow this off with a joke. “I guess it hurt a little last night, but it was better this morning. Then it started again late this afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Laney demanded.
“It’s not that bad. It’s not constant or anything, it kind of comes and goes.” Cat told her dismissively.
“Oh my God!” Tessa gasped in utter disbelief. “Cat, your in labor!” she informed her, Cat’s eyes snapping open and everyone in the limo looking at Tessa and then looking to Cat as if waiting for confirmation. Laney told the driver to change his destination from the reception to the hospital.
“And once again, Cat steals the show.” Bono said, tossing her a playful glance.
************************************************************************
“Cat? Sweetheart, I need you to keep your eyes open.” Adam told her gently, squeezing her hand. Cat felt like a limp rag, every muscle in her body aching and tired. She barely had the energy to open her eyes and look up at him.
“I’m so tired!” She whined, and Adam kissed her forehead.
“I know, but if you can give it just a couple more good pushes the doctor says it’ll be over.” He assured her. She had already heard this more than once.
“I can’t.” She told him weakly. She was getting irritated with him, but she couldn’t bear to yell and swear at him when he was being so sweet and polite. The doctor had even commented on it earlier, complimenting her pleasant way of dealing with his presence while in labor.
“Most women are yelling and screaming words the fathers have never even heard come out o’ their mouths before. Wishing all sorts of pain and sufferin’ on them as well, blaming them for every single moment of pain.” She had said. Now, she was wondering is that wasn’t exactly what she needed.
“Cat, darlin’? C’mon, you need to get mad! You need to get mad and fight to get this over with. The baby’s heartbeat is ok now, but if this stays this way much longer we’re going to have to take you into surgery just to be safe. Now come on and push!” She urged. Cat tried but soon she was laying flat on her back with tears streaming down her cheeks out of frustration.
“Ok, let’s move her.” The doctor said to the nurses and aids in the room. “She’s not going to do this herself.”
“Wait!” Adam said, holding up one hand to stop the others, turning to the doctor. “Hold on, you need someone to help get her temper up, right?” He asked.
“That would be the best thing, but I don’t know…” the doctor was saying, but Adam didn’t listen any longer. He hurried to place a kiss on Cat’s lips and tell her he loved her, then he was out the door as fast as his long legs would carry him.
***************************************************************
They were quite the sight to see, milling around the waiting room in their wedding apparel, but none of them was willing to leave until Adam came to tell them that Cat and the baby were all right. So, when Adam burst into the waiting room, all eyes were immediately on him. It was clear from the look on his face that he was not there to share good news.
“Larry!” He called, gesturing immediately at the drummer to approach.
“What is it?” Larry asked, hurrying to Adam’s side.
“I need you to go in with her.” Adam told him seriously, looking the man square in the eye. Larry’s baby blues widened in disbelief and he took a step back in shock.
“What?”
“She needs to get mad, Larry, she needs to get worked up and angry and push the baby out or they’re going to be in danger. The doctor is talking about moving her into surgery.” Adam told him, a note of desperation clear in his voice.
“Oh, shite, Adam…” Larry replied, running a hand through his hair nervously. “Sure, sure. Of course.” He told him with a quick nod. Simone had already been asking him to be in the delivery room with her when their child was born, anyway. If Adam thought he could really help, then he would do everything he could, no matter how uncomfortable the thought made him.
Everyone wished them luck as Adam showed him back to the delivery room and explained to the doctor what he wanted to try. The doctor agreed, having a nurse help Larry with a special hand washing kit and gown while Adam told Cat that he would be right down the hall waiting. Only one extra person at a time was allowed to be in the room with her. Then he returned to the waiting room, where the other were quick to offer their support.
“All these years, I’ve listened to the three of you talk about God and justice and the meaning of life… You know I’ve had a hard time with believing a lot of what you believe.” Adam said to Bono and Edge as he lit a cigarette, despite the no smoking signs posted on three of the four walls. “You pray, now. I need you to pray right now that your God doesn’t let her be hurt any more than she’s already hurt. That he spares her and that baby. She’s just really living for the first time. I’m proud that I was able to give her that. I can’t live with the possibility that I could be responsible for it all being taken away, too.”
***********************************************************
With a shaky breath and a nod, Larry indicated to the nurse that he was ready. She led him into the room, and immediately, his heart began to race. He felt panic set in, making his chest tight, his nerves jumpy. He’d lost too many women in his life, it scared the hell out of him to be in here with her like this.
“Hey, Cat.” He greeted her, leaning over the bed. She was drenched in sweat, her face drawn and tired, her eyes swollen from crying. She turned weakly toward him, opening her eyes in shock.
“Larry?” She asked, blinking as if expecting him to disappear, to be a hallucination. He smiled slightly at her, reaching out awkwardly to hold her hand.
“Yep. It’s me.” He told her.
“Are you ready to try pushing again?” The doctor asked, quickly growing impatient with the emotional encounter.
“Ohhh I can’t!” Cat moaned, and Larry frowned down at her.
“Yes, you can Cat. You’ve got to. You can’t quit, not now!” He demanded, and she scowled back up at him.
“You have no idea how fucking tired I am! I’m not just being lazy!” she snapped, and the doctor glanced up at Larry, her eyes widening. She gave him the thumbs up gesture, urging him to continue.
“You can’t give up, Cat. Don’t take the easy way out. I thought you didn’t want to be like your own mother.” He prodded her, stepping way over the line of politeness. Cat propped herself up on her elbows and glared up at him.
“Fuck you! How dare you?” She yelled.
“That’s good! C’mon now, push!” the doctor urged.
“I told you I wasn’t going to let you break Adam’s heart, didn’t I?” Larry said, his hand behind her back now, supporting her as she strained to push the baby out and into the doctors waiting hands. “Now push, dammit. You can do better than that!”
“Fuck you, Mullen!” She screamed, her words turning into a long drawn out scream.
“That’s it, wait wait!” The doctor said, and Larry moved his arm, letting Cat fall back against the bed. She was panting for breath, obviously exhausted, but there was some color back in her cheeks now. “One last push to get his shoulders out, Cat.” She said, having cleared the baby’s mouth.
“Ohhh…” Cat started to complain, but she looked up into Larry’s frowning face and stopped. She leaned forward once more, crying out when the baby was finally free and gasping for breath. She reached up and clasped the back of Larry’s neck with one hand, drawing his face close to hers. She stared into his eyes for a long silent moment.
“Thank you.” She finally told him weakly. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile, and he nodded. She laid back once more and as the doctor finished up, a nurse brought the baby to her, resting it in her arms. Although he was crying a little, he sounded more like a mewing kitten than a wailing baby.
“He takes after his Da, already. Comin’ out of that experience all cool and calm.” Larry joked, and Cat had to laugh in agreement.
“He looks like him, too.” Cat added, staring down into her little boys face for the first time. He had closed his eyes and was already going back to sleep, smacking his lips softly.
“How do you feel?” Larry asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Tired.” Cat replied. “But so happy.”
****************************************************************
The tension in the waiting room hung in the air like a thick, clammy fog. Everyone standing or sitting there, dressed up beautifully, having planned on celebrating all night and now anxiously waiting for permission to, in a way. When Larry stepped through the door, all eyes swung to look at him, standing there with a tiny baby cradled in his arms and a grin crossing his face from ear to ear. Everyone began to smile at once, murmuring words of cheer, thanks and congratulation as Larry crossed the room to hand the baby to Adam.
“I think this belongs to you.” He said, earning a chuckle from everyone. Adam held the baby nervously, one of his large hands resting over him and covering most of the little body.
“I hope he belongs to him.” Trine joked, having brought Pauley to the hospital more than an hour earlier. This was her half-brother being born, after all.
“He’s Cat’s!” Pauley objected, and another chuckle spread through the quickly cheering group.
“He’s Adam’s, too.” Simone explained. Larry lifted the little boy and carried him over to get a closer look at the sleeping infant.
“What’s his name?” He whispered to Larry who smiled broadly once more.
“Oh that’s right. Cat asked me to introduce you all properly and I forgot.” He said. “His name is Lawrence Paul David Clayton.”
“Did you guys decide on that together?” Bono asked, moved by the gesture of naming Adam’s son after his three bandmates.
“Yeah. Only, It was supposed to be Paul Lawrence David, but I think under the circumstances, this order is much better suited.” Adam said, looking at each of his mates. They all agreed completely.
“Mr. Clayton?” a nurse asked from the doorway. “Your wife is asking for you.”
“Oh, right! Oops.” Adam laughed, standing cautiously. “Congratulations, you four.” He said to the newlyweds as he carried the baby toward the door.
“You too, dad.” Bono replied, patting Adam on the back. Edge did the same, and then Adam turned to Larry.
“Thank you.” He said seriously. “I don’t know how…” He started, but Larry interrupted.
“I do. You can go through this with Simone in my place. I’m never going through that again!” Larry joked, and Adam flashed him a toothy grin. He looked around the room once more before going to join Cat in her room, the baby beginning to squirm in his arms.
Just an hour ago, he had been having doubts about the meaning of life, about God’s love. He could hardly imagine that now. He was holding the proof of God in his arms, and he was surrounded by the meaning of life; family.
- The End
this was so good!! 
but you wrapped it up so good! and Bono and Laney getting married too was so cute! and the baby's name, aww! 
I actually have 2 ideas for new stories 
So, I don't think you'll be complaining for lack of my tales anytime soon. 
