"And then we just... ran! This huge ass mob, I'm telling you! He took my hand and we just... ran, like they all had fucking AIDS or something," I was hiccuping from all the laughter, and so was Bret. He had an arm casually hanging around my shoulder as I told the story to the rest of his band mates, standing in a quiet corner backstage.

"I was so out of breath, and I asked Jon what the hell we were doing! He's super in shape, but I guess I'm not, because I told him I'd had enough. So he pulled me into this alley, and we literally hid there until the whole mob was gone. I swore I'd never hated groupies more than I had in that moment then," I finished, wiping a tear of joy from my eye. "I don't know, Bret," said the drummer, Rikki. "She's pretty in shape to me."

Bret winked down at me, nodding his head in agreement. "I think so too, but what about Jon?" C.C asked. "Yeah, you guys sound pretty close." Bret inquired. "Oh, well... we kinda used to be, for like... a little while. I think he felt a certain way about me, but I never did let him act on it. We don't... talk that much anymore."

"Oh, that's too bad." Bret said that just a little too quickly, tightening his arm around me even more. "Would you like some beer?" Rikki offered, but I turned his bottle down. "Nah, I never did like the taste of that stuff. Oh, I know! I'll tell you about the time me and Axl almost got arrested outside the Lincoln Memorial."

Bret stopped for a second, peering down at me curiously. "Axl Rose, you mean?"

"Yeah," I said cheerily, and the four band members exchanged wary glances. "What's wrong?"

Rikki leaned over and whispered to Bret, rather loudly I guess. "I heard he finally got a steady girlfriend, if you know what I mean. If this is her, we shouldn't." Bret glanced over both of his shoulders, running a hand through his almost whitish hair. "I don't see him," he almost laughed, and his hand dropped to my waist.

"Bret?" I said uneasily, and he looked at me like he'd almost forgotten I was there. "Go on with your story, doll. Have some of this." He handed me a red plastic cup that smelled strongly like alcohol. I had no intention of drinking it but I took it anyay, for the sole purpose of being polite to him.

"So we'd bought these really cheap bottles of Riesling, and we somehow thought it was a great idea to break into the Lincoln memorial at night, just to say we'd done it. I'm awesome at hacking security systems, so we got inside pretty easily." Bret's side was pressed against mine, and he was staring at the cup. "It's Lime Vodka Sour, you'll like it."

All of a sudden I felt like someone was staring at me. No, I knew someone was staring at me, so I turned my head to look.

It was Axl, looking like he was about ready to burst into flames for whatever reason. "Michaels!" He barked from across the room, and everything became still in an instant. Rikki's body jolted, and judging by his facial expression you would've thought that Axl was the devil or something. "Dude, let go of the chick!"

Bret seemed slightly disturbed, if anything. "I'm good. Aren't you gonna tell me the story, doll?"

Axl was there and wrenching me out of Bret's grasp before I could even open my mouth to respond. I stumbled backward, right into Slash's chest. He steadied me before moving aside to watch the scene before us unfold. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled, more fearsome than I'd ever heard him sound.

"Nothing, what's your problem?"

"Nothing? You call trying to get into my girlfriend's pants nothing?" I smiled for a brief second, proud of myself for knowing the figure of speech he used, before I remembered what was happening and sobered quickly. "I wasn't trying to-" "Don't fucking lie to me, bitch." Bret let out an airy chuckle, rolling those giant blue eyes of his. "Alright, so? I didn't know she was yours."

Well that was also a lie, but I didn't say so. I didn't understand what the problem was, we were just talking.

"That's a god damned lie!" Axl roared, and just about everyone in the room jumped. He was really good at being scary when he wanted to. "Relax man, it's a party. So what, there's plenty of other girls around here to bone." There was a split second in which nothing happened, Axl just stared Bret down. And then Axl's fist was quite forcefully connecting to Bret's jaw, and he was no longer upright.

Bret was on the ground, moaning in pain while blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. I just stood there wondering why the hell he would do that; to me it seemed extremely uncalled for. Axl turned on his heel only glancing at me angrily before he stormed past.

I took a step toward Bret, but Slash grabbed my arm before I could get far. "Don't," he warned me, nodding toward Axl leaving backstage. "You should follow him, unless you want to do more damage than you already have."

"Me? What did I do?" Slash seemed genuinely confused as he eyeballed me, then shook his head as if he was trying to rid himself of the thought. "Just... I would go, and leave well enough alone." Sighing I turned on my heel and penetrated the silent crowd, only catching up to Axl after we left the club completely. He didn't stop there, either; he didn't stop walking until we were both inside the privacy of our hotel room.

He slammed the door, and when it shut he turned to me with eyes deadlier than the sharpest of daggers.

"Tell me what I did wrong," I whined in an attempt to disarm him but it only made him angrier.

"Oh, don't play stupid Calliope! You've been with me long enough to know that I hate it when you're around other men! Either you're ignorant or you're just ignoring it, but they're all over you, and you let them! Guys like Bret feed off of nice girls like you to take advantage of, girls like you are his bread and butter! If I hadn't shown up, he would've doped you up and fucked your unconscious body!"

"You don't know that! He was just being nice." I crossed my arms while Axl laughed in my face, though he didn't look the least bit amused. He paced like a caged tiger.

"You're extremely fucking naive if you think that, Calliope! All men want one thing, one thing!" I wanted to ask him why we still hadn't done it then, because he was just as much a man as anyone else backstage or anywhere. "Axl please, just calm down. Nothing bad happened."

"But it could have! It fucking could have! Not all guys are like me, Calliope. There are people out there worse than the scum on the bottom of my shoes." I'd heard enough, and I really just wanted him to calm down, but it seemed like he was just getting started. His cheeks were flushed and his fists were balled, he was ranting for sure.

"They will wait until you're at your most vulnerable point, whether or not they're sneaking benzos into your drink or not, and then they will force you down, and rape you!" "Axl, please just stop!" I pressed my hands over my ears and turned away, but it was no use. "If you think telling them to stop will help, you're wrong! That'll only make them go even harder!"

I was thoroughly scared, if that's what he wanted. I whimpered, hugging myself with my eyes screwed shut. He was silent for a few seconds, I could feel the tension quickly easing.

"Calliope, please. You have to trust me, you're still new to this world, this fucked up place that I live and thrive in. I've been here for years, you have to trust that I understand the system and the people who work it. I'm only trying to protect you." I uncovered my ears and opened my eyes, but I couldn't face him. "I know. I know you're just looking out for me, but... I like Poison. I only wanted to talk to them, I... I don't think I could be happy with anyone other than you."

I felt his arms wrap around me from behind, and he placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "I know, Calliope. I feel the same way." I wondered if he meant that he knew I liked Poison, or that he couldn't be happy with anyone other than me. I didn't push it though.

"There was this after party tonight, but frankly... I'm tired as shit, and I just don't wanna be around people right now. I think we both need to get some sleep." He let me go and drifted toward the door leading to the bedroom part of the suite, looking back at me expectantly.

An idea flew into my head, and I was blurting it before I even thought it through. "Is it because you don't take your meds?" His head snapped to the side, and suddenly he was glaring at me. His demeanor completely morphed in a matter of seconds, and I wished I hadn't said anything. "What did you say?"

"Do you act this way because you're bipolar, and you don't take the lithium?"

He gripped the doorknob so hard I thought it might disintegrate beneath the sheer force of his fist. "I'm not bipolar, Calliope! I have bipolar disorder, but I don't let it define me as a person! I thought you of all people would understand that," he spit at me and went into the bedroom. His departure was followed by an earthshattering slam, and I knew I shouldn't go in there. We needed space that night.

I felt terrible with myself as I prepared to sleep on the couch, gazing out the big window at the California nightime sky. It was so starry and quiet, I only felt more alone. I knew I'd never mention the whole bipolar thing again, if I took anything away from the situation.

A few hours later when I was just drifting off, I heard the bedroom door open. Quiet feet slid across the carpet, even gentler hands lifted up my blanket just enough for someone to wriggle inside.

Axl used my chest as a pillow, pressing my body to his before he quickly fell asleep.

During the next show, he didn't bother leaving me alone backstage again. Instead he just locked me up in one of the dressing rooms with a case of Coke and some starbursts-I'd taking a liking to them. He told me that if Bret Michaels came knocking I should tell him to fuck off, but I doubted he would, or anyone else for that matter, after the nasty bruise that had grown on Bret's face after the fight.

****

We had this game we would play, it was quite enjoyable to say the least. When Axl and I were bored, he'd stand inches from me with his hands on my waist, and kiss me. Sounds simple, but it wasn't. Each time he went in, he'd have to find a new place on my skin to kiss, and then he'd ask how it felt on a scale from one to ten. He would do all that, but he still wouldn't seal the deal with me.

We went to the afterparty that next show, which was basically a room filled with alcohol, cigarette smoke and prostitutes. It was dark and smoky, with strobe lights and haze in the air. People danced wildly, grinding on each other, but Axl and I didn't. We stood in the corner and played our game, probably because Bret Michaels was brooding at the bar, glancing at us every five seconds.

Axl smiled as he kissed the space between my collarbone and my neck, sending a wave of goosebumps down my spine. I giggled, letting the pad pf my thumb run across his cheekbone. "How's that one feel?" He whispered to me in the warmest of ways, just as Bret was eyeballing us with his monster bruise.

"It feels... it feels like we should get a room." I yawned, gazing up at him. "Why, it's barely midnight."

I shrugged, placing my hands on his shoulders and rubbing slightly. "Well... it smells like sweat in here, and I'm pretty tired," I wiggled my eyebrows at him. Truthfully I was wide awake, I just wanted him to have sex with me already to be honest. He sighed, and gave me another kiss. "Alright, let's go." He lead me by the hand out of the Troubadour, across the street and back up to our hotel room.

We both went wordlessly to the bedroom, but instead of getting into bed with me he went straight into the bathroom. The door was cracked and I heard him turn on the shower, maybe he was preparing for sex, I didn't know. I took everything off excluding my underwear and a tank top, sliding into the bed to wait for him.

It wasn't long before he emerged again, smelling like soap and man shampoo. I was pretending to be asleep when he got into the bed beside me, all warm and still slightly damp from the shower. I opened my eyes and pulled him down to kiss me, smiling all the while. He laughed as a few wet strands of his hair lay across my chest. "You are something, Calliope."

I was sure things were getting sexual, he was touching me, kissing me everywhere I wanted to be kissed. After a while he just stopped and laid down beside me, spooning my body with his own. He placed a kiss against my shoulder, wriggled around until he was comfortable, and then started to doze.

"Oh come on, you've gotta be kidding!" I groaned, sitting up in bed to stare down at him. He sighed, rubbing his closed eyelids. "Go to sleep, I am."

"Okay, are you gay or something? Or one of those weird people who like... never have sex with anyone?"

His eyes were rather sensual when they flitted open. "No, I'm actually the exact opposite of both those things." I crossed my arms stubbornly, and moved to the far side of the bed. "You certainly show it in a weird way." He sat up and sighed, turning on the lamp next to the bed.

"I don't wanna ruin this. We've got a good thing going here, and... well, you're a kid! If I had sex with you, I could be arrested." I squinted at him, turning my nose up slightly. "You and I both know you don't give a fuck about what's legal and what's not. Sex brings people closer together, Axl. I'm not some... gentle flower who can't handle a god damned penis. I'm ready for it! It's been months!"

"Well... maybe I'm not." He turned off the lamp again and turned the other way, facing the window. I sighed, burrowing under the blanket a little. I didn't understand what the hell his problem was, but I knew prying would only worsen things. "Sometimes... I wonder if you're even attracted to me."

A long time passed, and I thought he either didn't hear me or was just pretending I didn't exist.

"Of course I am, Calliope. I just think we should wait." "We have been waiting."

"Wait some more."

I just couldn't stand the fact that Cap was the only person I'd ever had sex with, and I wasn't in love with him. I wondered if I was in love with Axl, there were very few things I wouldn't do for him, but I figured if I had to wonder then I already knew the answer.

****

I told Axl that there was no way I was leaving California without seeing the ocean. I'd had a huge swimming pool when I was girl, at the White House. Since then the fountain Jon and I swam in was the closest thing I'd had to the ocean.

On our last day in California, we skipped the Troubadour and spent all day at the beach. People came and went, the sun rose and set- I wasn't paying attention. I tired myself out fighting the waves, beating everyone in swimming races. I crawled out when the water got too cold and sat on the sand right beside Axl, listening to the push and the pull, watching the ocean's icy fingers spread across the surface of the sand and lap against my toes.

The sun went down, and there were bonfires. I didn't like the smell, so eventually I picked myself up and walked a few yards down along the water's egde, just staring up at the moon. It was a beautiful night.

Eventually I dropped down and took a seat, only tearing my eyes away from the waves when I heard someone approaching behind me. I figured it was Axl wondering what the hell I was doing, and I wasn't pleasantly surprised to find out who it really was.

"Beautiful, isn't it? The sound- it always calms me down after a stressful time." Bret Michaels sat in the sand beside me. Even in the darkness I could see the electric blue of his eyes. They were jaded, as were his facial features, I wondered what was going on inside of that white blonde head of his.

Immediately I was on edge, scooting away from him slightly. "Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything, I'm a real fan of yours... it's just that... I don't think I'm supposed to talk to you." He scoffed and laughed like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, shaking his head slightly. "Don't be so controllable, Callie. So Axl Rose dictates who you talk to now? It's all I'm here to do, just talk."

I let my shoulders sag down a little, exhaling deeply. "Alright, well... I guess that's okay." The corner of his mouth turned up a bit, then returned to normal before I could be sure it was actually there.

"You're not from around here, are you?" I shook my head no, grabbing a fistful of sand and watching as it leaked out from between my fingers. "Nah, I was born and raised in D.C. I met the band at Rock-stock." He chuckled, watching me grab some more sand. "Ah, D.C. Nice place, I've played there a few times." I looked back toward the bonfire to see what was going on, frowning when I noticed two girls in bikini tops chatting away with Axl and the band. He probably didn't even realize I was gone.

"See there? Tell me how it's fair that he can talk to those promiscuous women over there, but you can't even talk with a friend of yours who happens to be male?" That did sound pretty backwards to me. "Friends? We're friends?" He nodded knowlegeably, smiling at me. "Of course we are, Callie, and friends tell each other things. Can I ask you a question?"

"I guess."

"Are you the only girl he's seeing?" Immediately I nodded rigorously. "Yeah, we don't see other people." He considered this for a moment before continuing with a follow up question. "Are you having sex with him, Callie?" I froze up for a moment and then looked away, far too bashful to ever let him know the truth. "Ah, that means you're not the only girl he's seeing. All men want one thing, and if you're not giving it to him, then he's getting it someplace else."

That made sense too, but there was no evidence suggesting that Axl was cheating on me. It had crossed my mind a few times when he would talk to female fans, little notes of insecurity... but I never thought Axl would partake in them. I trusted him.

"That's crazy," I whispered halfheartedly. "You really think so?"

"I know so. And if you're not the only girl he's seeing, then why should he be the only guy you're seeing? Doesn't sound fair to me." I stared at him, and wondered what he was getting at. "I wanna show you something. Come with me." He stood and brushed the sand off of his legs, beginning to walk toward the shower rooms a few hundred feet from where we sat. I got up, and with one last glance at the band-they were so infatuated with those girls- followed Bret.

He opened up the shower room door and I went after him. It was large and open and empty, smelling strongly of ocean water. I reached for the lightswitch but I didn't have enough time before he was slamming me roughly against the tiled walls and reaching for the string holding my bikini top up. "Bret! What the hell!" I whimpered, swatting at his hands wildly.

"Calm down, Callie. I'm only trying to show you how a real man treats his girl."

"Stop, get off of me!" Axl was right, it only made his fingers hungrier for my skin. He pressed his lips against my neck and his body against mine, tugging at my bikini bottoms. "I'm seventeen, you jackass!" He laughed a slimly laugh in my ear before nibbling at it, "Do you think I really care?"

I tried to let out a scream but he clapped a hand over my mouth before the sound could issue. "Ssh, baby. It'll feel good in a second." I felt something hardening against my leg, and screamed into his hand even more. "What, is little miss Callie a virgin? I wouldn't be surprised, but this only makes things even better."

I guess some common sense finally flew into my head-something I'd definitely been lacking up until that moment- and I kneed Bret where I knew it would hurt, leaving him crumpled on the ground and clutching his groin in pain. "God damn, you fucking bitch!" I scrambled to the door, picking up a random beach towel from off of the floor to cover myself with. "You... rapist!" I yelled before I left the room, walking as quickly as I could to the bonfire without drawing attention to myself.

Axl looked up as soon as I made it over, and I felt truly despicable as obvious pleasure spread across his features. The girls looked up at me from their recumbent spots on the sand, and their smiles dissipated like salt in water. "Calliope, where have you... been?" His eyebrows knitted together as he stood, walking up to me before touching my cheek lightly. "You're crying."

Was I? I'd hardly noticed, but I figured that was why my throat ached like I was trying to swallow an apple whole.

"Get rid of them," Axl muttered to the guys over his shoulder. Izzy moaned in protest, "Oh come on-" "I said get rid of them!" The girls jumped to their feet and scurried off across the sand, whispering to each other their displeasure with the situation.

"Calliope," Axl gently whispered, holding his arms out to me. "Are you upset because of them?" I walked right into them and shook my head slowly, looking up at him in the orange light. "No, it's not them... you didn't have to do that," I sniffled, resting my head against his chest. "What, then? What happened?"

"Bret... he was over there, and... he tried to... he told me that you were cheating on me, and that it was unfair that I only got one guy, and... he basically... I didn't believe him, or I didn't want to but-"

I didn't have to tell him, he could probably see the finger shaped bruises forming on my forearms.

He transformed right before my eyes into something formidable. Suddenly the face that always seemed so comforting to me was razor sharp, those kind green eyes of his turned dark and harsh. He wasn't holding me anymore, he was cracking his knuckles loudly while looking back and forth for Bret. "Where is he?" His voice was so unfamiliar and raspy that it scared even me.

"Shower room." He stormed toward the dark building in the distance, fists at his sides. "Wait, Axl!"

"Stay here, do not follow me." "But... what are you doing?" He didn't respond.

I turned back to the guys, who were just staring up at me with gigantic eyes. "You'd better hope he doesn't go too far," Steven whispered as I sat down, hugging my knees to my chest. "Bret's gonna need a surgeon when all this is done," Duff sighed, but made no effort to move.

A few minutes later, a whole lot of screaming was heard, emanating from the shower room. A few minutes after that, flashing red and blue lights were ligthing up the night. The guys and I ran over to the scene just in time to see Axl in handcuffs, being tucked into the back of a squad car. His mouth was curled up into a sinister grin, and his fists were battered and bloody. Other than that, he seemed unscathed.

There was an ambulance there as well, and a body being wheeled toward it on a gurney. It didn't take a whole lot of brain power to know who that was.

The squad car pulled away into the night, and I stared up at Slash tiredly. "So... I think we'd better get down to the police station."

Jon groaned. "I've got the bail money."

~fin~