FicWad

“Sheri, I told you, I can’t!”
Vanessa was wrist deep in soapy suds in her kitchen sink, washing dishes, and talking to Sheri on her cell phone at the same time. Brandon was still at school, and Aura was taking a nap in the next room.
“Oh, come on girl! We haven’t had a girl’s night out in forever!” Vanessa rolled her eyes at her perky best friend.
“Sheri . . . I don’t know. Maybe when Duff gets home, but then again . . . I just don’t know. What king of party is it?” Sheri coughed, sounding like she was either getting ready to say something really long, or didn’t want to tell her. Vanessa voted for a mixture of the two.
“Well . . . it’s a birthday party.” Vanessa nodded.
“Oh, sounds mysterious. Who’s is it?” Sheri stayed silent for a long while, and Vanessa thought for a split second that her cell phone dropped her call. It was in the habit of doing that at the most inopportune times. “Sheri, ya there?”
“Its . . . Tommy Lee’s.”
Vanessa fell into a stunned silence. She stopped washing dishes, just staring off into space, stunned. Oh no . . . she just did not . . . no way! When Sheri spoke again, her voice was small and mouse-like.
“Vanessa . . . ya there?” Vanessa replied with a shrill-like laugh.
“No, Sheri, oh God no!” She could hear Sheri let out a noise similar to a whine.
“But ‘Nessa!” she whined. “You don’t even have to see Tommy! Do you know how crowded that place will be? You could get lost in there all night, and not even see him once!” Vanessa chewed at the inside of her cheek.
“No, Sheri, I repeat, no. I promised myself that I would never see Tommy again when we–”
“But ‘Nessa, you and Tommy’s relationship was before you and Duff! It was so long ago! I bet he doesn’t even remember it.” Vanessa snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Sheri, you don’t know Tommy that well.” I told her bluntly and Vanessa could hear her huff on the other side of the phone. Uh oh. She was about to bring out the big guns.
“Vanessa Hudson McKagan, if you don’t go to the hottest party of the year with me tonight, I will personally call up Duff, and make him make you go.” I laughed.
“And how will you do that?” She could see Sheri’s triumphant grin on her face.
“Simple. I’ll tell him you’re overworked, and need a break.” Vanessa’s eyes widened.
“Oh, you wouldn’t!” Sheri was gleeful now.
“Oh, yes I would!” Vanessa sighed and bowed her head, her fingers drumming the metal side of the sink. She was deep in thought. She didn’t want to go but then again . . . she didn’t really want Duff to force her to go either.
She sighed in reluctant giving in. “Fine Sheri, I’ll go with you,” Sheri squealed in happiness. “But under one condition!” Sheri immediately became serious.
“Of course!”
“If I see Tommy, or if he see’s me, I have automatic immunity, to drag our asses out of that party, got it!” She could see Sheri nodding her head energetically.
“Oh, yes, yes of course! I’ll pick you up at eight!”
**
“Oh God, I can’t believe you dragged me into this!” Vanessa groaned as they walked into the Cathouse, a club that was located in Seattle. Sheri looked back at her and grinned.
“Oh come on, you know you want to have a good time!” Vanessa looked skeptical.
“This isn’t exactly my idea of fun Sheri. Never really was.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
“Oh come on Vanessa, have a little fun!” Vanessa rolled her eyes back.
“I’ll be sitting over here!” she gestured to a booth over in the corner, and Sheri nodded.
“I’ll get us drinks. What do you want?”
“Water.” Vanessa answered but Sheri grimaced.
“Come on, you got to have at least one alcoholic drink!” Vanessa rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Fine. White Russian.” Sheri smiled and nodded as she headed off through the crowd. She moved to a seat in the back and sat down tiredly. God she was tired. Her modeling job was really starting to get to her.
“Haven’t seen you around in a long time!” she looked up and beamed when she saw the club’s owner, Riki Rachtman. She stood and they hugged tightly.
“Oh God, I haven’t seen you in a long time!” he nodded as they broke apart and sat down, him across from her, where he put a glass of White Russian in front of her. She thanked him.
“What are you doing here? Your one of the world’s top Supermodels. Your out there with-with Jerry Hall and Naomi Campbell and all those other models. Why are you here with the rogues and the thieves and the peasants?” Vanessa winced at the metaphor. She gently reached across the table and gently took his hand.
“Riki I’m sorry that I haven’t talked to you in a while, its just that I’ve . . . been busy.” he smiled weakly.
“Yeah that’s the thing. We’ve all been busy ever since this damned Grunge era came along. Now tell me baby doll, what goin’ on with you?” She shrugged.
“Same old same old. Modeling, acting.” He nodded, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
“There’s something else isn’t there?” she gazed at him in confusion and his eyes darted to the faint writing on her hand, hinting to her at what he really meant. She glanced down at it and nodded, blush tinging her cheeks.
“Yeah. I . . . I met Kurt Cobain.” he nodded sagely.
“Yeah. The Stray?” she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
“What do you mean?” he shrugged and leaned forward.
“There are three men that you need to stay away from in this day and age, unless you want to lose your sanity of course. The first one, is Nikki Sixx. Heavily on drugs, heroin and cocaine in particular, and I don’t want, nor particularly need you on drugs and fucking up you and Duff’s live, not to mention, your children’s as well. The second the Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice in Chains. He’s also on drugs, but not as heavily as Nikki is. Also, he’s dangerous. Cocksure, arrogant as the day is fucking long! Almost to the point of it being sickening. He’s also mean as a fucking Doberman, and sly, vindictive and manipulative as the Devil himself. Also had the good looks too. Definitely one to stay away from if you can help it. The third is Kurt I hate to say it. He’s what we ex. Glam rockers call ‘A Stray’. He looks innocent, helpless, which draws in girls. Then he uses them for his own little selfish needs.” he shrugged and Vanessa grinned and laughed a little.
“Which are . . .” Riki raised his eyebrows but complied nonetheless.
“Sex, food, shelter, and possibly drugs. Depends on how strung out he is at the time.” she looked down at her hand, at the faded scrawl.
“He didn’t seem like that at the time . . .” Riki scoffed and laughed.
“That’s because Vanessa, that he probably needed–”
He was interrupted by a guy over by the bar. Riki groaned and turned around. “What!?”
“We need more liquor!” Riki rolled his eyes and turned back to Vanessa, where he smiled sweetly.
“Gotta go baby. I’ll see ya later. And stay out of trouble got it!” he warned her playfully as he hugged her. She smiled and hugged him back tightly.
“Oh I will Riki. I’m not as young as I once was.” he laughed.
“We all aren’t baby girl, we all aren’t. Glam era wiped us clean out.” they said their goodbyes one last time before he walked off through the crowd. She smiled a little and looked down at her undrunk glass of White Russian and laughed a little.
“Vanessa!”
She turned and saw a bewildered Tommy Lee fighting through the crowd towards her. She rolled her eyes and groaned before she yanked up her purse and marched towards the front doors. He called after her, struggling through the crowd to keep up.
“Vanessa! Hey, Vanessa wait!”
She walked hurriedly through the doors into the almost bitter cold of Seattle, and walked to the edge of the sidewalk, where she tried in vain to hail a cab. Didn’t work to her pleasure though, for Tommy soon caught up to her. “Vanessa, wait up please.” he gently touched her arm, and she whirled around to meet him.
“What Tommy? What do you possibly have to say to me?” he stood there, rooted to the spot in speechlessness.
“I-I . . . you look great.” she rolled her eyes again.
“Of course that’s the first thing out of your mouth. Here he is, ladies and gentleman, Tommy Lee, always looking to get laid!” he visibly flinched at her snappy tone, but he quickly recovered.
“Look, Vanessa, I’m sorry! I never meant to hurt you–”
“Then what was it Tommy?!” she screamed at him and they both caught a flurry of movement in their peripheral vision. Four men were standing on the street corner, one stood shockingly more taller than the rest, and their faces were turned towards them. Tommy’s face paled, and his eyes widened in fear as he grabbed her arm.
“Vanessa, can we resolve this inside?” she yanked her arm out of his grip, and stumbled back.
“No! We will resolve this now!”
“Vanessa–!”
“Hey! You heard the lady! Now do what she says before we have rough you up!” They stopped talking as the man that was significantly taller than the others, in the group, came walking quickly towards them. He was huge, about Duff’s size, which was around 6"4'. He had long blonde dreadlocks, hanging down to his shoulders, and sparkling blue eyes. His face was handsomely chiseled, and had a cigarette dangling loosely from his first two fingers. His hands were large, the fingers long and beautifully made. Tommy swallowed.
“This is none of your business Layne!” Vanessa gasped, twirling around to gaze at the man. This was the Layne Staley that Riki was talking about only a few minutes earlier!? Layne smirked and took a drag off his cigarette before he threw it to the cement, where he stepped on it.
“Your pushin’ around a woman on my turf Lee. I don’t allow that, I don’t care who it is.” Tommy didn’t seem like he was in a pushing around mood though.
“What are you doing here Layne? This is my party.” Layne shrugged his broad shoulders. He seemed infinitely more taller than Duff was, even though they were the same height!
“Thought about crashin’ it, then forgot about it, and decided to get high instead. Seemed like a much better idea than crashing some aging glam rocker’s lame party.” Tommy opened his mouth to retort, but Layne interrupted him, by gazing at Vanessa and smiling warmly.
“Come with me sweetheart, I’ll show ya a good time.” Vanessa didn’t know why she said it. But she said it anyway.
“You are talking . . . to the wife of Duff McKagan!” One of Layne’s eyebrows rose, and she could Tommy shield himself from a fight.
“Really? Hmm. Well, Mrs. McKagan, if you ever want a good time or need protection . . . call me.” He picked up her other hand, and wrote his number on it.
Great.
Now both of her hands had the numbers of two totally different guys!