A few months had gone by and things were still generally good. The band was picking up popularity at a high rate and loving it. They were officially about to start recording their second album after writing for weeks on end.

On the downside: the apartment was still messy, Mick's relationship was falling apart, and Nikki had gotten a girlfriend- Lita Ford. He and I were going about our everyday lives like nothing had ever happened between us, and it felt almost normal, but I was honestly surprised at how fast their relationship was moving. They had pretty much moved in together, so I didn't see him as much. I never heard them having sex if they were at the apartment- which was great, as I had taken over what used to be Nikki's room and I didn't want that in my bed, and they were always really nice.

It had been two weeks since I had seen him last, and I honestly missed him. He had been acting a little strange the last time I had seen him- almost like he was paranoid... He acted as if something was after him, and kept looking around in worry, playing with the red streak he had dyed into his hair.

Yesterday Tommy had gone out to see Nikki, saying that he had called him about "flying silverware" or something crazy like that.

"I worry about his mental health. Who knows what the fuck he and Lita are up to... I think he said something about some... 'Necronomino,' er something like that."

"Necronomicon? Tommy, I don't think that's a real thing. It's from some science fiction book or some shit."

"I don't know, Sadie, he seems really freaked out, whether it's real or not... I mean, yeah, they could just be doing some fucked up drugs, but this is Nikki we're talking about; he can handle it. He doesn't react that bad to anything ever."

Tommy hadn't come back to the apartment last night, but I elected to ignore it. He had probably found a girl that was willing to put him up for the night. Hopefully his girlfriend wouldn't find out. The guys had nicknamed her "Bullwinkle," as she was huge like a moose, and holy shit did she have a temper. Most of the time Tommy only slept with her because he like her car, but when she was feeling pissed off, she would literally break down doors and shatter windows.

I thought about all of this as I thumbed through my records, and the next thing I knew, Nikki stood in front of me, bloody and bruised. His hair was a matted mess and blood had dried in some of it. His face was pale, his eyes were dark, and he looked tired- sick even.

I accidentally let out a little shriek, as he not only caught me off guard, but he looked like a zombie.

"What the hell happened to you?!" I asked, shooting up to look at him.

"I got in a little... altercation."

"Sweet fucking Christ, ya think? Come here," I demanded, dragging him to the kitchen and pushing him into a chair. "Stay."

I rushed to my room and grabbed what little first aid items that we had. When I returned to the kitchen, Tommy was lighting  cigarette and sitting on the counter across from Nikki, his long legs crossed and sticking out into the walkway.

"Scoot," I ordered, making him move his legs momentarily before swinging them back into place.

"Now, what the hell happened to you?" I asked as I moved Nikki's hair out of his face and examined the damage.

"Long story short, got my ass kicked by a couple of cops... they kept me over night. Lita... well, I'm sorry for her."

"Why?"

He paused, a wistful look on his face. "She had to sell her new car to make my bail."

I felt an involuntary gasp leave me. "Nikki Sixx, if you weren't already bloody and bruised, I'd slap you. You can be a real ass, y'know that?"

"I know," he mumbled shamefully. "I think I ruined that relationship."

The air was stale for a moment as I filled a bowl with warm water and dipped a washcloth in before I started to wipe the blood from under his nose and around his face. Of course Tommy decided that this was the time to pipe up.

"Dude, when I went to see him last night- it was the funniest thing I've ever seen," he started with a chuckle, " he totally got his ass handed to him- he had no chance."

"Oh yeah, like you were any help," Nikki muttered. "I'm fine; I can handle myself." He tried to brush me off but I merely ignored him and pushed his hand down.

"Well, I'm glad that you think so, but you're both wrong and I need you," I pointed to Tommy, "to stop talking," I muttered as I went back to wiping the dried blood from his eyebrow. "Jesus, did they just throw you in a cell?"

"Pretty much," he hissed in pain when the cut over his eye opened again.

"God, I'm sorry!"

At that moment, Mick and Vince shuffled into the kitchen, Mick with his guitar, and Vince with a case of beer.

"What did we miss?" Vince asked.

"Seems our bassist got his face a little banged up," Mick mumbled as he set up his guitar case against the wall.

"Don't worry, I'll make him pretty again," I teased as I opened the rubbing alcohol and prepped some gauze. "Here, you're gonna want some of this." I handed him a bottle of Jack and let him down a bit of it. "Okay... don't hate me," I mumbled with a nervous smile. "Deep breath in... and... out." I quickly touched the alcohol pad to his face, making him hiss and curse.

"What the hell are you doing to my face?" he asked, holding my wrist in a death grip.

"Gee, I dunno, trying to poison you," I said sarcastically, shooting him a look that screamed 'you're stupid.' I lightly blew on the cut. "Hold still, you big baby. It's not that bad."

"I'm sorry, have you ever been hit with a billy club?"

"Nope, but I've been beaten up by a grown ass man many-a-time before, so if I can handle it, so can you."

He went silent, looking at me with sad, apologetic eyes. I could also feel Tommy looking at me, and the awkwardness filled the air. Vince kept opening and closing his mouth, and I knew he was confused but he knew better than to ask; he and Mick didn't know, but Mick was smart enough to figure it out himself.

"Just fucking ask," I grumbled.

"I mean, is it okay to ask?" Vince asked.

"Yeah, if you want to know."

"How... how bad was it? I mean... was that why you ran away?"

"Yes. A couple days before I met Tommy, it was so bad that I couldn't move off of my floor. I would go to school with broken ribs and stuff," I mumbled as I tried to wipe the fresh trickle of blood from Nikki's face. "That was the last time I could take it. I left after that."

"I remember that black eye," Tommy murmured as he watched me help his best friend.

I nodded. It was hard to forget; I had thought I had fractured my cheek bone or something- which at this point, I was sure that Nikki had done the same- and I could hardly open my eye. I remembered being lost in a strange city, not knowing anyone, only being able to see out of one eye, and having nothing, just a shitty hotel room in a sketchy part of town.

Things were so drastically different now, and for the most part, I loved it. Sure, the guys could be a pain in the ass, and Nikki being with Lita kind of hurt, but I wasn't about to throw a fit. I was tougher than that and I had dealt with worse shit than having a crush not work out.

After I had cleaned up Nikki and put everything away, the guys started drinking, but Nikki was busy scribbling down some lyrics on a notepad in the kitchen. Out of nowhere, I got tired, so rather than hanging out with the guys, I headed to my room.

I guessed it was from seeing Nikki so beat up and remembering my past. Sure, I had seen them all get into fights and get bloodied up before, but for some reason, this was different. I felt drained, so I climbed into bed and curled up into a ball, closing my eyes and trying to sleep.

I felt myself start shaking, but I ignored it, grabbing onto my pillow.

Soon there was a light knock on my door.

"Sadie?"

It was Nikki.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for taking care of me," he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, I've been awake. Just... tired."

"Well... Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, noticing that I was shaking when he came closer.

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm just tired."

"Oh, honey."

He said nothing more before climbing into bed with me and holding me close to him. Quicker than I could believe it, I had calmed down and relaxed enough to fall asleep.

Hey, guys! Obviously my updating is lacking, but I really, really want to finish this story. I think the updates will be shorter for a bit, as sometimes I exhaust all of the possibilities for the chapter, haha. Anyway, enjoy. I know it's short, and not great, but I'm working on it.

- H