NOVEMBERS IN NEW YORK WERE SHIT. I wrapped the grey woolen coat tighter around my body, trying to cover my face in the red scarf I had decided to put on when walking out of my home. It turned out to be a good idea since I was shivering even now.

Well, at least it isn't raining.

I swore out loud when I stepped in the large puddle on the pavement. The muddy water splashed all over my shoes and I felt the urge to scream so loud, that people all over Manhattan get to hear it. Still, I pulled the scarf over my mouth and continued down the street.

I sighed in relief when I entered the familiar building where Bill's office was housed in. The warmth of the lobby wrapped around me like a hug and I smiled.

The elevator took me to the twelve floor of the building and I walked out, looking around to find the room. Soon, I noticed one of the doors had a big board on it with the name 'Bill Aucoin'. I knocked and after I heard his voice from inside, I softly pressed on the door handle.

"Ah, Lillian come in," I heard him say and I turned around to see him walk out of another room, waving his hand for me to follow. I walked into what seemed like a conference room, judging from the huge round table in the middle of it. In one of the chairs around it was Gene Simmons, sprawled like a cat with one of his legs resting over his leather-clad knee. A cup of coffee was resting on the table in front of him. A grin stretched on his face when he saw me.

"Hello darling," he purred, making me roll my eyes. Some things never change.

"Hey Gene," I answered, taking off my coat and putting it on the hanger next to the door. I fixed the collar of my burgundy turtleneck and sat on the chair next to the bassist.

"Do you want something," Bill asked, " water, coffee, anything else?"

"A coffee would be nice," I answered. Bill nodded and walked out of the room. I looked around. I had never been to his office before, so I didn't really know what to expect. The room was far from luxurious, yet it had everything needed. I noticed a pile of files on one end of the table, probably the plans for the tour.

"You seem different," Gene said, his voice pulling me back to reality. "But in a good way different. The shirt color is nice. Is your skin tanned?"

"Yeah, I went to Miami with my family for a couple of weeks. Sorta treating them for my new job. Which wasn't that new at that point but... you know," I explained, looking up at Gene. He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Why didn't I know you went to Miami?"

"Because you don't care? You didn't even call once during the break! I'm starting to doubt that friendship of ours at this point," I teased, making him roll his eyes. He looked at me then and smirked.

"Rock stars aren't usually the ones that call back, you know," he said, and now it was my turn to roll my eyes. We talked for a while until Bill arrived with a big coffee mug in his hand. He placed it in front of me and I thanked. A knock was heard on the door and Bill hurried to open it and let the person in.

I raised the cup in the air and sipped the dark liquid. When I felt the taste of it, I had to fight the urge to spit the mouthful right back into the cup. I swallowed with effort. I heard a quiet laughter and turned to Gene, who was barely keeping his voice down. Then I noticed his own coffee was barely touched. I scowled at him and was probably going to hiss something at him when Bill walked back into the room with Paul following close behind. He greeted us in his quiet and polite manner, choosing the spot next to Gene. He seemed tired, his chocolate eyes about to close any moment. When I asked him why he explained he had been working on a few songs until late that night.

"Working my ass," Gene grumbled, turning to look at the singer, mischievious flames dancing in his black eyes, "is that how we call having your girlfriend over now? Working?"

Paul punched his shoulder, making Gene laugh hoarsely , shaking his head.

Peter and Ace arrived soon and the room filled with laughter and talks. They had worked together on their new album, 'Rock and Roll Over', during the break between the two tours and I seemed to be the only one who they wanted to catch up with.

"You look different," I heard Ace say, and I didn't even bother to hide my groan. He didn't seem bothered by it, because he continued, squinting his eyes. "Are you wearing makeup?"

"Yeah, maybe it's that or the fact that half my hair is gone," I stated. It was true, I had my hair done a few days ago, the auburn strands now а little longer than shoulder lenght.

The four men nodded, looking at me closely, as though they were trying to imagine how I had looked a few months ago. I rolled my eyes.

We couldn't discuss it, however, since the new tour manager arrived and we were ready to start the meeting. The man's name was Frank, and I found out he was hired by Bill rather than him and the whole band as I was. He seemed like a quiet guy who was going to be easy to work with — if you don't mess up something. Considering my previous experience with Kiss I wasn't ready to promise anything.

The meeting ended sooner than I had expected, so I gathered my things in a hurry, took my folder and put on my coat.

"Hey, L, wanna go get a drink somewhere?" I heard Peter ask. "Lydia is coming too."

"Sorry, a friend of mine is celebrating his birthday tonight," I explained, heading for the door.

Ace let out a relieved sigh. "That explains the makeup. Oh, thank god, I was starting to worry."

I shoved his shoulder and he laughed quietly to himself, happy he had managed to piss me off.

I looked back at the rest of the men in the room and said my goodbyes. Poor Paul looked like he was about to fall asleep on the table. His brown eyes were closed as he was resting his head on one of his palms. He had finally managed to find a comfortable position, since Gene had poked and nudged him during the whole meeting, probably finding the situation hilarious.

"Hey Paul, " I called as I was opening the door. He grumbled quietly in response, still without opening his eyes.

"Don't overwork yourself tonight, " I shot myself out of the room, followed by Gene's laughter and Paul's words — 'Funny, very funny'.

✵✵✵

I had gathered my luggage the previous night so I could sleep late. I had been so calm the last couple of months and I was so proud of myself for that. I was a professional, after all, touring wasn't that big of a deal. However, I hadn't been able to fall asleep for hours.

I had talked to Jenny a lot during the two-month break, at least when she was home. She had stated that I needed to overcome my hate for shopping and that she was ready to sacrifice herself for that mission. I did miss her a lot and I couldn't wait for her to torture my lifeless body with her endless fashion advice.

I had a mission too. Kiss were performing in Madison Square Garden at the end of February and my cousin Heather had been begging me to meet them. I knew why she had that wish and I deeply regretted it. When I remembered the whole situation once again, I could feel my cheeks redden in the darkness. I rolled on my stomach and buried my face in the pillow. Bringing over her, my aunt and my uncle over wasn't a good idea. Telling Ace were I lived was an even worse one.

I turned to the other side of the bed. I doubted Ace or Peter would say no. Gene and Paul were the bigger problem. Even though I had grown closer to the singer, I had my doubts he would just allow a teenager to wander backstage, no matter who was she related to. Gene was calm but calculating, probably able to give me a hundred reasons why that wasn't going to happen. I was still going to give it a shot when they were in a good mood -- who knew.

✵✵✵

I arrived at the airport on time, quick to find the right way through the corridors. When I reached the plane we traveled with I noticed Gene, Paul, Peter, and Lydia standing in front of the stairs. Next to Paul was a short, unfamiliar figure I hadn't seen before. When they saw me, Lydia separated from the group to walk to me, giving me a hug once she approached.

"Good, now we're waiting for Ace and Bill and we'all be ready to go, " she stated with a smile, leading me to the rest of the group.

"Are they coming together?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows.

Lydia chuckled. "Yup. Peter told me that Ace called him to complain that Bill wanted to pick him up from his place. He didn't say why, but Ace suspects that he just wants to make sure we won't be late again."

We chatted a little before we got to the others. Everyone seemed rested and in a good mood, Peter and Gene were actually having a rather pleasant conversation, both with smiles on their faces. Paul, on the other hand, had wrapped his arms around the small figure I had seen earlier and it seemed to have his whole attention. There, pressed against his side was by far one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.

Her blond hair was falling over her shoulders in soft waves, which framed her delicate face. The color of her baby blue eyes was soft and lovely, compared to Heather's, whose electric color was more disturbing than calm. The woman's other facial features were perfect too like she was a statue of some ancient Greek goddess, created to be adored by the mortals.

She noticed me and her lips curved into a small, friendly smile. Paul lowered his head to say something in her ear and her eyes widened.

"So you must be the famous 'Lady Spitfire'!" she said, her blue eyes shining on the background of the dark November sky. She reached out her hand for me to shake and I took it gladly. "My name is Amanda."

"Lillian. But Lilly is fine too, I guess."

"Great. I have heard a lot about you. I hope I get to know you, " she said smiling and I nodded my head politely.

"Likewise."

"Ace and Bill are coming, " I heard Peter say, interrupting our small conversation.

"Want to get in?" Paul asked the blonde and she nodded. They turned around and walked the stairs up to the jet, the woman still holding his arm.

I approached Gene and nudged him softly. He gave me a questioning look and I motioned for him to lower his head so I could whisper in his ear.

"'Lady Spitfire'?!" I hissed, making him chuckle quietly. I did remember the nickname now, Ace had called me that the day I met them, after I almost picked a fight with the other candidate for the job.

"Yeah, Paul called you that a few times after you screamed at his face. He must have used it in front of her too."

"So you're discussing me together, are you?" I realized, giving him a blaming look. He rolled his eyes.

"Like you and Jennifer aren't gossiping for hours."

"Touché."

He laughed at my confession and turned to follow his friend inside. I waited for a little longer, as I noticed Ace was approaching. He hugged me tightly and we walked up the stairs. I jumped on the seat next to Lydia, Peter and Ace sitting directly in front of us, but still far enough to leave us to chat freely, speaking to each other. I shared my plan for my cousin with her and even though she calmed me that Ace and Peter wouldn't be against it, she shared my opinion about Gene and Paul. She assured me, however, that she would stand on my side if they disagreed, which calmed me down a little.

It wasn't a long flight and a couple of hours later, we arrived at the airport. We managed to get to the hotel without delay, where the rest of the crew was waiting for us.

We walked into the lobby in a long column and the diversity between each member of our group was probably making us look ridiculous. The band was wearing their sunglasses and scarves, doing an unexpectedly good job at hiding their faces. Bill had his suit on, the color of it contrasting with the black leather each Kiss member was dressed in. Lydia and I were wearing coats and jeans, probably looking like a pair of tourists who had lost their way around the city. When I pointed that out to her, she laughed, adding a few hilarious remarks to my theory.

We were getting to the reception to get our keys when suddenly, a large shadow hovered over me, almost making me trip and fall down on the marble floor. Jen let out a squeal and wrapped her arms around me, pressing a wet kiss to my cheek.

"Oh God, please don't get nasty, " I tried to sound harsh, but I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. She let me go and walked a few steps away from me, looking me up and down.

"Dude, you're even taller than the last time," she said, crossing her hands in front of her chest. I rolled my eyes. Even though she was an inch or two shorter than me, she didn't stop whining about it. I loved teasing her about it.

"Am I stuck with you again?" I asked jokingly. She grinned, raising the key in the air, moving her wrist from side to side. I grinned back.

Jen looked over my shoulder and smiled. "Hi, Lydia."

The other woman answered with a polite, yet stuff smile, making me wonder if separating the two of them during the last tour was some genius move from Bill's side. Deciding I had no place in their relationship, no matter what it was, I promised Lydia to see her at dinner and got inside the elevator with Jenny.

✵✵✵
Okay, I have a few things to say:

1. I'm travelling right now, so feel free to ask me stuff to keep the boredom away.

2. Do you guys want to see some other things, not just the chapters. I could make a few headcanons or some aesthetics, playlists maybe even try some fanart?

Thanks for being here! 💕