FicWad

It was nearly 5:00 when the van pulled up next to the tour bus. Gerard and Monica got out first followed by Ray and Bob. The rental car with Alicia at the wheel pulled up along side the van. They got out and joined the others. Jerry hurried them towards the bus. "You guys need to get in to the sound check," he told them in no uncertain terms.
Gerard gave Monica a quick kiss, "Tell Bert I said "Hey" He told her before leaving. The rest of the band members followed him off the bus and towards the E Center. Jamia and Alicia had already made themselves comfortable on the sofa.
"Should we see what's on T.V.?" Jamia asked.
Monica and Alicia shrugged their indifference. Jamia flipped the T.V. on to the news.
"Shit, I hate watching this it is always so depressing." Alicia complained. "Never anything but doom and gloom."
The bus door opened and Bert walked in. "Hey look three beautiful, unattended women. This must be my lucky day."
Jamia rolled her eyes "Hey McCracken, how goes it?"
"Not bad, what's new?" He had always liked Jamia. She was a no nonsense woman who seemed to be the perfect match for Frank.
Jamia sighed, "Just working and missing my Frank" she told him honestly.
Alicia flipped the T.V. to another station "Shit, more depressing news.
"So Alicia, got any new cats?" Bert asked her with a grin. He had recently seen her Buzznet page, lets just say there were lots of cat pictures.
She grinned, "Me and Mikey have just three but I'm thinking another kitty might be nice."
Monica shook her head "You will need a bigger apartment at this rate."
Bert smiled at her "And here is the newly engaged woman. Man, I really didn't think Gee would marry but when I saw you two together I knew his freedom was doomed."
"Thanks a bunch. So he's doomed to a life of misery being chained to me?" She tried to sound serious but she knew Bert was really happy for them.
"Ah, I didn't day that honey. I would've tried to marry you myself if you hadn't fallen for Gee. You know it's not fair I saw you first."
She laughed "And we know how that turned out, don't we?"
Bert giggled. "Yep, I remember. It cost me a fortune in flowers. Man, that florist loved me."
He looked at Monica and gave her a slight nod. She understood he wanted to talk to her alone. "Hey guy, I'm gonna go with Bert for a drive. I should be back before they are done with the sound check."
Alicia and Jamia nodded and tried not to look curious. Bert put his arm around Monica and led her out. Jamia spoke first "So what do you think that's all about?"
"I have no idea but something is definitely up. I haven't seen Bert since our New Years party. As a matter of fact it was that night that he told Gerard about Liv having the child she claims is Gerard's."
"You don't think him being here has something to do with that, do you? Shit I hope it doesn't, I mean Monica and Gerard just got engaged. I would hate for anything to tear them apart." Jamia said "I just wonder why Monica was asking about Liv today. Do you think she is worried that Gerard would go back to Liv if the child is really his?"
Alicia shook her head, "I don't know. Mickey doesn't think there is anything that could make Gee leave Monica. He says Gee would be lost without her."
Jamia signed, "That is how he was when he was with Liv. She would treat him like shit and he would take it cause he didn't think he could make it without her. He was afraid to be alone. She hurt him so many times and he just kept staying with her."
"But Monica is nothing like her. She really loves him you can tell by the way she looks at him. It's like fucking true love, so sweet." Alicia giggled "And he looks at her the same way."
They both tried to turn their attention to the T.V. but neither really could. They were wondering just what Bert and Monica were discussing.
Bert drove away from the E Center and turned towards a parking lot he had seen not too far from where they were. He waited until he parked before speaking. "Shit, Monica I feel like a fucking spy with top secret information. I just don't feel right about all this."
Monica turned in her seat to face him. "Look Bert I'm sorry I brought you in to this. Sending you to see Liv was stupid. I should have just stayed out of it. I know Gee would be pissed if he found out. I was just worried about a child in a bad situation. If Liv is heavy into drugs again her little girl could be in danger."
"Are you worried only because you think she might be Gerard's daughter?" Bert asked trying to understand her logic.
Monica thought a moment before answering, "I've asked myself the same question. Truthfully I want to believe that I would be concerned for any child in a potentially dangerous situation."
He smiled "Monica you would be worried about any child. That's just your nature. You are such a fucking good person it drives me crazy."
She laughed, "Well thanks Bert that is quite a complement."
"I mean it you know? You are a good person, probably one of the best I've ever known. How many women would have come to the Tick Tock to help me? Especially after I had been such a shit to you."
"Bert, you are a good person too, you just try to hide it." She tried to lighten the mood "Under that scruffy exterior is a softy."
He took out a cigarette and lit it, "Oh shit I am so not." He tried to sound tough but was secretly touched she thought that about him.
"So what do you need to talk to me about?" she asked hesitantly.
He took a deep drag off his cigarette than began, "Like I said the apartment Liv is living in is a shit hole. But the inside of the apartment is pretty decent. When she first let me in she was the same venomous Liv I've always known. She wanted to know why I was there. Wanted to know if Gee had sent me to talk to her. When I said that he hadn't she actually look sad."
Monica looked away. This is what she had feared. Liv was still interested in Gee.
"Anyway, we talked for a few minutes then Elena came in the room. The change in Liv was so fucking unreal. Suddenly she was a different person. Her whole face changed. She picked up the kid and hugged her. I just stared at her. She must have realized it cause she got up and got Elena some juice and put her in front of the T.V. to watch some stupid talking fish before she came back to talk to me."
Monica interrupted him "So she is a good mother?"
Bert nodded, "Yea, I guess she is. I mean it shocked the hell out of me. Liv has always been a hard kind of person to figure. When we started talking again she didn't even curse. Guess she thought the kid would hear or something."
"So what else did she say?" Monica was getting a sinking feeling.
"Well suddenly she was asking me all kinds of questions about you. She wanted to know if you and Gerard were in love. She asked me if I thought you and Gerard would stay together.
"What did you say?"
"Couldn't see much point lying. I told her you two were in love and that I thought you and Gee would stay together. At the time you guys weren't engaged yet."
"Does she want Gee back? Is that what she's after?"
He snuffed out the cigarette, "Shit I have no idea. Like I said Liv is a hard one to figure out."
Monica thought a moment "So is she using?"
"I thought so at first but now I'm not so sure. As much as she seems to love that kid I don't think so. But she does look like hell. Maybe she was going through withdraw. I could have come right out and asked her but the way she kept glancing at her daughter I knew she didn't want me to day anything like that. Not that the kid would have understood but sill she sort of kept looking at me sort of asking me not to say anything bad. I swore once and she flinched."
"Bert, do you think her daughter is Gerard's?" Monica asked quietly.
He sighed, "Gut feeling, yea, I think she is. I mean the kid looks like him for fuck sakes. I'm sorry that's not what you want to hear. But you know she and Gee were together once and that it's been over a long time. He won't go back to her, Monica. He loves you and you need to remember that."
"I know that Bert. But I also know that if the little girl is Gee's then he should be a father to her. If he and I marry than he will never have another child of his own."
Bert was surprised, "OK first off you said, "If we get married". Fuck Monica don't start doubting that will happen. Second, why can't you and Gerard have a child?"
"I can't have anymore children" she told him honestly. "And I didn't mean to sound like I doubted Gee and I will get married. We'll get married." She said with conviction.
"Good, that what I want to hear."
"So is there anything else?" Monica knew they needed to get back because Gee would be looking for them.
He shifted in this seat, "Yea, the weird part. I stayed and talked to her a bit more just sort of trying to see where her head was and all. We talked about old times and it was sort of nice. She didn't say anything bad about the past only talked about the good times we had. After a while Elena came over and crawled up on her lap again and snuggled up to Liv. I told her I need to be going and she asked me why I had really come to see her if it wasn't Gerard who had sent me."
"What did you tell her?"
"Fuck I couldn't think of what to say. I just sat there looking like the idiot that I am. Finally she looked up and asked me if it was you who had sent me."
Monica looked over at him waiting.
"I shook my head no but she just laughed. She told me that I was a terrible liar. Why does Monica want to know about me she asked. Once more I just looked at her. She hugged Elena, smiled then said she guessed you wanted to know about her daughter. I really thought she would turn back into the old bitchy Liv. Instead she looked me in the eye and said she understood."
"She understood?"
"That's what she said. Then she got really quiet like she was thinking about something very important. I decided to take off. When I got to the door she smiled at me and said, and I quote, "Tell Monica I want her to meet Gee's daughter. Tell her to stop by and meet Elena. I told her I didn't think that was a good idea. For a minute she just looked at me with a sad expression. Then she did something I had never heard Liv do before."
"What did she do?" Monica asked
"She said the word please. Liv looked me and said "Please Bert, ask Monica to come and see Elena, and tell her I need to talk to her."