dont-look-away-ficlets

Snowflakes

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:26:53 +0100

Title: Snowflakes
Characters: Audrey, Alec, Cady & Pete Townshend, John & Queenie Entwistle
Rating: PG-13 [innuendo, drinking]

Summary: Fresh off a US tour, Pete's Christmas spending has Cady on edge, especially with two young children in the house.

December 24, 1971
London, UK

With an eight-month-old son and a two-year-old daughter, Cady expected the holidays to be hectic, especially since Pete was newly returned from tour. Normally she toured with him, but with two young children and Keith being completely uncontrollable, she did not think it prudent. This meant many, many hours on the phone with Pete before and after shows, some of those hours drunken. But now he was home, still flush with tour excitement. It was certainly better than his bouts of depression with his failed Lifehouse project.

Yet she was still concerned. He was already being a bit more careless than she would like, making her grateful she always made certain to keep him away from their household bank account. She still could not believe he bought a hovercraft for his brothers. She worried what he could have bought for her and the children.

Heading towards the kitchen, enticed by the smells from Queenie’s cooking, Cady stepped over Towser. The dog’s head snapped up and he happily barked. She paused and patted his head, before continuing towards the heart of the home.

“I really appreciate this,” she stated, stopping near John’s mother.

Queenie looked up from the stove, “It’s my pleasure, Cady. No one should be forced to eat at a restaurant for the holidays.”

Cady smirked, “We’re kinda used to it.”

The older woman shook her head, “That’s nonsense, Cady. We’ll get you a nice dinner for your family tonight and get you set up for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Queenie, that’s too much.”

She waved the younger woman off, “Not at all. You have a young family to worry about. Let this old girl take care of things for you.”

“Queenie…”

“Mum?” John stepped into the kitchen. “I could smell you here.”

She smiled at her son as he quickly kissed her cheek, “Had to make certain Cady’s family was taken care of this holiday.”

“Admit it, you just love hearing everyone’s praise,” he winked, before turning to Cady. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hello, John,” she smiled as he kissed her cheeks as well. “Where is your wife?”

“She’s feeling a bit… pregnant today and decided it would be best to stay home for the night.”

Cady nodded, “The last few weeks are hard.”

“You’re telling me,” John murmured.

“The kids are probably ready to get up from their naps. Wanna come get some daddy practice in?”

“Of course,” he quickly kissed his mother’s cheek once more. “Keep up the good work, Mum.”

Heading upstairs with Cady, John discreetly grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. She glanced at him and smiled, squeezing his hand back. They reached Audrey’s room first. The two-year-old squealed and giggled upon seeing her godfather. Without pause, John scooped her up and tickled her. Leaving the two to their own devices, Cady continued down the hallway to the nursery.

Entering the room, she grinned at her son. The eight-month-old had pulled himself up in his crib. Upon seeing his mother, he giggled and let go, causing him to fall back down. Before he even had the chance to sob about it, Cady scooped up the little boy and kissed him loudly. He continued to giggle as she changed his diaper and dressed him in the little red outfit Queenie gifted him.

“Look at that handsome fella,” John commented once Cady stepped out of the nursery.

The infant instantly reached for his godfather, ignoring the fact his older sister already sat on John’s hip.

“Not now, Alec,” Cady said, pulling him closer. “You can play with John after dinner.”

The four headed back downstairs. John set down Audrey, allowing her to go over and annoy the dog for a moment while Cady settled Alec in his high chair. Without pause, the bassist set the table and started to take food into the dining room. Audrey joined in, carrying a basket of rolls for him.

“Well,” Queenie set the last dish on the table, “everything is ready. Where is that husband of yours?”

Cady set up Alec’s baby food on the table in front of him, “I have no idea. And that concerns me some.”

“Why is that? Get the drinks, John.”

“He has been rather…manic in his spending since returning,” she replied, helping her daughter up into her chair.

“I’m sure everything will be fine, Cady,” Queenie commented.

As everyone settled down at the table, the front door opened. Without pause, Audrey wiggled out of her chair and hurried down the hall. Squealing in excitement, she wrapped her arms around his leg, causing him to laugh and walk awkwardly down the hall. The toddler giggled as she rode her father’s leg down the corridor until he could stop and set down his packages and pick her up.

“How is my beautiful little girl?”

“You late, Daddy,” she declared.

“Late? For what?”

Audrey pointed down the hall to the dining room, “Dinner!”

His eyes widened, “Oh no! Did you leave anything for me?”

“We not start yet,” she declared.

“Well we better hurry up then!” Pete walked quickly down to the dining room.

Settling Audrey back in her seat, he approached his wife and kissed her forehead before heading to his own seat. Cady grasped his hand before he walked away, making him stay by her side. Her eyes searched his, silently asking where he had been. Pete merely smiled, leaned down, and kissed her reassuringly before pulling away to his seat.

“This looks wonderful, Queenie. You have outdone yourself, yet again,” Pete commented as he sat down. “Shall we?”

Sitting on the loveseat, sipping a glass of wine, Cady watched as Pete slid wrapped package after package under the tree. No matter how much she pushed, he would not tell her what he purchased that day — nor would he allow her outside. She attempted to peek out the front window, but he quickly interceded and kissed her. His secrecy set off all kinds of alarms in her mind.

“Pete, what did you—”

“No,” he quickly interjected. “I’m not telling you. That’s what makes them Christmas surprises.”

“At least tell me what’s outside,” she stated.

Pete shook his head, stashing a small package in the branches of the tree, “Tomorrow. Can’t you wait just a bit longer, Cady?”

Her blue eyes glanced at the clock, “It’s after midnight now, Pete. That means it’s now Christmas.”

He started to object, but quickly smiled, “That it is. Shall we wake the children?”

“No!” her eyes widened. “Are you bloody insane?”

Pete chuckled and approached her, leaning down to kiss her lips, “I love when you let a little bit of Brit slip out.”

“Maybe you’d prefer it if a little bit slipped in,” she countered.

He grinned, “Maybe more than a little bit.”

“And now it’s time for me to leave,” John finished his whiskey and got to his feet, wavering slightly.

Cady’s eyes snapped to him, “Oh I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, I do. You and Pete have… things to do.”

She pushed her husband aside and stood up herself, “You are not driving in your state.”

John smirked, “I’m fine, Cade. Just fine.”

“When is my birthday?” she quickly asked.

“Um…um… more wine?” he smiled sheepishly.

As the bassist had never once missed her birthday that was enough sign to Cady that he was too inebriated to drive. Yet John continued to fight with her about it, insisting he was fine. Plus he lived nearby, so he did not have to worry about driving all that far. They continued to argue while Pete continued to unpack all of his gifts, figuring if anyone could handle John it was Cady.

“If you walk out this door right now, I am never spe—”

Before Cady could finish her threat, John quickly kissed her mouth, “Bollocks, Cade. I’m fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Just stay, John,” she pleaded softly, her eyes locked with his.

“I’ll be back in the morning,” he kissed her cheek and pulled open the front door. “I promised Audrey, too.”

Sighing, she watched him head towards his Rolls Royce. He waved once he reached the vehicle and slipped inside. Shaking her head, Cady closed the door and returned to the living room. It had not occurred to her to look for whatever Pete was hiding out front while convincing John to stay. The thought crossed her mind as she sat back down on the loveseat.

Pete turned to ask her about John’s whereabouts. Before he could even utter a single syllable, the loud sound of two vehicles colliding cut through the softly playing Christmas record. Pete’s eyes widened and he bolted towards the door, Cady not even a meter behind him. As he flung open the front door, a slur of profanities left his mouth.

Halting at the end of the walk, wrapping her arms around herself, Cady surveyed the scene. John’s questionable sobriety no longer mattered. Whether from the booze he drank or something else, the bassist had not noticed the Mercedes parked behind him. He must have slammed on his gas, because both cars were very much crunched. From Pete’s yelling, she surmised the ruined vehicle was part of his Christmas gifts to the family, the one he had not wanted her to spy out the window.

“John?” she approached his vehicle while swearing Pete went to assess the damage to his own. “Are you okay?”

He slowly pivoted out of the car, “I think I should stay the night here.”

She glanced at her husband, “If Pete will allow it now.”

The bassist slowly moved towards the guitarist, “Sorry, mate. I didn’t see it.”

Pete yelled and railed at his best friend for a few minutes, until Cady stepped up to the two men. Turning towards her husband, she placed both hands on his shoulders and kissed his angry mouth. Pete resisted, mumbling against her mouth.

“Pete, relax. It’s just a vehicle. No one was hurt,” she glanced at John. “You’re not hurt, right?”

The bassist shook his head.

“Let’s just go inside, have a nightcap, and go to bed. We can take care of this in the morning,” she stated calmly, shivering in the cold night’s air.

“But he ruin—”

“He did not. Now come inside,” she instructed, grabbing his hand.

Holding John’s hand with her other one, Cady headed back towards the house slowly. Pete’s anger was as palpable as the snowflakes fluttering down sky.

Snowflakes.

Cady stopped just outside the house, making both men stop as well. Releasing their hands, she turned and looked up to the sky. Both men followed her lead, doing the same. Pete’s anger waned slightly, though he could easily see the wrecked Christmas car. Cady turned to her husband and kissed him gently, smiling as snowflakes clung to their eyelashes.

“I love you, Pete. Merry Christmas,” she muttered.

His face softened even more, “Happy Christmas, love.”

Turning, she grabbed John’s hand and squeezed it once, “Merry Christmas, John.”

“Merry Christmas, Cade,” he glanced at Pete. “You too.”

Pete grunted in response.

“Pete,” Cady warned, her eyes meeting his.

“Happy Christmas, John,” he grumbled. “There, you happy?”

She shook her head, smiling slightly, “Come on, guys. Let’s get back inside before I freeze to death.”

Sleep Tonight

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:23:02 +0100

Title: Sleep Tonight
Characters: Pete Townshend, Cady Kersey
Word Count: 607
Rating: PG [innuendo]

Summary: Pete & Cady spend their first Christmas together, in London. Inspired by The Christmas Song.

December 24, 1967
London, England

Staring at the package of chestnuts in his hand, Pete wondered exactly how one roasted chestnuts — and more precisely, what one did with them once roasted. But he wanted this Christmas to be absolutely perfect, since it was his first one with Cady. They had weathered touring with the band and making a new album. This was the perfect time to prove to her how much he loved and appreciated her already. If only he could figure out the bloody chestnuts.

“Hey, Pete, I was thinking we could — what are you doing?” Cady entered the living room.

“Well, um,” he glanced at her before focusing on the package again, “I thought maybe we could roast some chestnuts.”

She stared at him blankly for a long few minutes, “Um why?”

“Because it’s a traditional Christmas… thing.”

“Have you ever done it before?”

“Well no.”

“So, how are we going to roast them? And where? We don’t have a fireplace.”

His blue eyes glanced around, “Oh… right.”

Crossing over to him, Cady slipped the bag of chestnuts from his hands and set it on the coffee table. Framing his face with her hands, her lips touched his. Her lips touched his closed eyes and then his nose, finally bringing a smile to his face.

“We have dinner reservations, Pete,” she remarked.

“We do?”

She nodded, “Did you really think I was going to try and cook Christmas Eve dinner?”

“Well… I’m sure you would…”

“Come along, Pete. Let’s get dressed and head out.”

Nearly an hour later, the couple sat in booth in the back of a restaurant. Cady quickly abandoned her side of the table and snuggled up against him while traditional English Christmas fare filled the table. They chatted happily while Pete attempted to explain the significance behind each dish. Cady finally rolled her eyes and slipped a fork into his open mouth.

“I don’t need to know anything about the food, Pete, real or made up by you,” she declared. “I’m just happy to be with you.”

Chewing and swallowing the mouthful, he quickly leaned over and pecked her lips, “I’m happy to be with you too.”

“Good, because I’m not going anywhere… without you,” she smiled brightly.

Pete sighed, “Are you happy here?”

“Of course I am,” she quickly responded. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Don’t you wish you were back home with your family?”

Cady struggled to not spray out her mouth full of wine, “No, not at all.”

“No? What did you do last Christmas?”

She snorted, “Same as every day with Jimi: got drunk and high.”

He frowned, “This year is—”

“Already different,” she flashed him a smile. “Already perfect.”

Slipping keys out of his pocket, Pete unlocked the door to their apartment while Cady nibbled on his ear. With a husky chuckle, he dropped the keys before inserting them into the lock, causing her to giggle. As he bent down to retrieve them, Cady slipped her key out of her purse and unlocked the door. Before he could protest, she pulled him into the apartment, kissed him, and closed the door.

“That was the best Christmas Eve dinner ever,” she muttered before kissing him. “Especially the mulled wine.”

He smirked, kissed her again, and turned to lock the door, “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Shall we roast some chestnuts now?”

“Well, I was thinking about something else involving nuts…”

“The Nutcracker Suite?”

“No,” her pointer finger trailed down the buttons of his shirt. “Something… naughty.”

His eyebrows rose, “Oh really?”

“Mmmmhmm,” she nodded, turning around and heading towards the bedroom. “I think you’re going to find it hard to sleep tonight…”

Turn It Up

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:49:55 +0100

Title: Turn It Up
Characters: Pete and Cady Townshend, Roger Daltrey
Word Count: 1,695
Rating: PG-13 [language, violence]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Inspired by Roger's comments in recent interviews about the state of Pete's hearing. Fic takes place during the first concert of The Who's 2011 tour (date and location unknown, but not really necessary).

It really was true what Roger had said to press months before, Pete’s hearing was mostly okay except when post-show. In addition, as Roger said, Cady fully knew that it had everything to do with the fact that Pete was caught up in the moment and turned up the volume on stage. They had planned the tour with enough dates in between for Pete’s ears to recover, but she knew it was unlikely to be enough. As per usual, it would be up to her to keep Who tours from getting out of hand.

Having survived through wreckless Keith tours and depressed Pete tours and even John-less tours, she fully believed this tour would be easy to navigate. She would host a few gallery openings during the tour, but spend most of the time taking care of Pete and especially his hearing. She truly believed that was what any good rock wife would do.

Roger pulled her aside as she headed towards the dressing room before the first show, “You sure about this?”

“No. But Pete is. So I’ll do what needs to be done so that this isn’t the last tour or the last time you make and play music,” Cady responded.

He nodded, “Okay good. You think Pete’s in a good mood tonight?”

She smiled crookedly, “I don’t know yet, Roger. I haven’t spoken with him since arriving here at the arena. But I’ll do my best to see to that too. Did you check on the graphics? I know they were having some difficulties with some of the pics.”

He nodded again, “I really like the additional John photos that you provided. I hadn’t seen some of those before.”

“Thanks,” Cady smiled again. “I’m going to go check on Pete now. If I don’t see you before the show, have a good one.”

“Thanks, Cade,” he commented before turning away.

She froze for a moment, hearing her name not in Roger’s voice but in John’s. Eyes squeezed closed, she took a deep breath to silence her emotional reaction to being called ‘Cade.’ Pushed aside, Cady opened her eyes and went looking for her husband. Not unexpectantly at all, she found him in the dressing room, dozing on the sofa, his arm draped over his eyes. Motioning Pino and Zak out of the room silently, Cady crept up to Pete and knelt next to the couch. Ever so carefully, she leaned forward and kissed his slack mouth.

Lifting his arm from his eyes, Pete’s fingers dug into Cady’s hair, keeping her in the kiss. Smiling her lips parted and allowed him to deepen the kiss. They kissed for a few moments before she gently pulled back. She kissed him quickly once more and leaned fully back, her blue eyes looking into his.

“Feel like putting on a show tonight, Mr. Townshend?” she asked softly.

“With you? I didn’t know we were in Amsterdam. And who likes geriatric sex anyways?” he responded.

She playfully slapped his chest and stood up, “Just because you’re old doesn’t mean I am. Get your fine ass up. There’s a couple of kids out there who sent in two cents to pay for your retirement.”

“You’re still giving me shit about that?” he slowly sat up.

“Pete, you told the world you thought that wearing band merch was stupid and that you would never and had never done so… and then thousands of fans came back with pictures showing you in Who shirts,” she stated. “So no, I’m not letting it go.”

His arms slipped around her and pulled her close, squeezing her ass briefly before kissing her, “God, I love you, Cady.”

She smiled, “I love you too. But you still need to head to the stage.”

“But I was having the most remarkable dream during my nap.”

She kissed his nose, “We’ll re-enact it back at the hotel. Come on, my love.”

Holding her hand, Pete followed Cady to the door. She stopped, turned, and motioned to his ears. Sighing, he turned his ears to her, showing that he did in fact have his hearing aids in. Cady kissed him once more and headed to the stage. She slipped the on-stage monitors over his ears, plugging them into his regular aids, and kissed his frowning mouth. Hands clasped again, Cady headed up the steps to the stage, her blue eyes glancing out at the screaming crowd.

With a smile, she released Pete’s hand and accepted his red guitar from his guitar tech. As was custom, she turned to her husband and slipped the guitar strap over his head. Pete cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply, smiling as he pulled away and headed onto stage. Turning to the tech, Cady accepted her earpieces from him and barely inserted them into her ears before the band erupted on stage.

Bill joined her in the wings, watching the band blast through their first song. The dynamics were certainly different. Not only because they were keeping it quieter on stage to preserve Roger’s and Pete’s ears, but also because half the band was no longer with them. Maybe newer fans of the band did not feel it, but Cady felt it palpably. Her eyes kept flicking to his side of stage. No matter how talented Pino was, she felt a big, empty, gaping hole on stage. She knew Pete did too.

But before long, the music swept over the stage, taking on a different aura. It had a life of its own and as long as she did not glance at the images on the screens behind, Cady could focus on what was on stage, not what was not there. She closed her eyes, feeling the musical euphoria wash over her. Even after decades with him and his band, Cady still loved Pete’s music.

However, with her eyes closed, she did not see Pete step back over to his equipment and adjust the volume on stage. But she certainly heard it. Eyes flying back open, she waited until he stepped away from his stack and discreetly stepped forward. Roger glanced over and noticed her presence on the stage. He smiled as she quickly re-adjusted Pete’s volume and then disappeared into the darkness again.

Pete played for a few minutes before realizing it was not as loud as he thought. Mid-song he returned to his stack, his fingers going to the knob. Noticing it was not at the level he set it not ten minutes before, his brows knitted before he turned it again. As soon as his back turned to the stack, Cady stepped out again and re-adjusted it.

This continued throughout the entire concert. Though Roger knew it was Cady’s doing, he said nothing at all. He merely smirked at her every now and then. Once the concert completed, Pete threw his guitar onto the stage, much to the crowd’s glee, and stomped off. Cady pulled off her hearing device and attempted to cut him off, but was not fast enough and fell in behind him again.

She chased after him, closing the door to the dressing room behind her, “Pete?”

He tore the on-stage monitors and hearing aids from his ears and threw them across the room, “I AM NOT BLOODY WEARING THOSE AGAIN!”

Cady rushed over and scooped up the now broken hearing aids. She shoved them into her jean pockets before turning back to her husband. Watching him kick and throw things, she folded her arms over her chest, waiting out his tantrum.

Once he chucked the last thing he could get his hands on, Cady stepped forward. Her hands went to his shoulders, turning him to face her. His wild eyes went to hers. Ignoring the anger, she framed his face with her hands and guided him into a kiss. He fought and struggled to be released, but she remained strong, holding his mouth to hers. As soon as his anger subsided slightly, Cady leaned back, but her hands remained on his cheeks.

“Pete, you will still wear your hearing aids. Remember how glorious it was to hear the birds sing and the waves crash on the beach again?” she spoke evenly, very aware he was reading her lips to fill in any gaps he missed.

“THE SOUND WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE TONIGHT,” he responded. “EVERY OTHER MINUTE IT WAS A DIFFERENT LEVEL. IT’S DEFECTIVE!”

“No, baby, it’s not,” Cady replied. “Not at all.”

“CADY, I HEARD IT. YOU DIDN’T. I CAN’T PLAY LIKE THAT.”

Ignoring the fact he still shouted at her, she calmly said, “Baby, it was not defective. In the heat of the moment, you turned it up past the acceptable range. I snuck on stage and turned it down.”

His mouth fell open in surprise, “YOU DID THAT?”

Cady nodded slowly, “And I will continue to do so. I want you to be able to hear our grandchildren and make and enjoy music until the end of our days. I will do what I need to in order to protect you, Pete. I always have.”

His shoulders slumped, “You did it.”

She nodded again, “Because I love you.”

Pete quickly circled her in his arms, holding her tightly. He kissed her ear, whispering an apology. She nuzzled his neck, kissing his still racing pulse. Holding his wife for a few minutes, he inhaled deeply, soaking in her love and essence. Married for more than forty years and he still believed she was more than he deserved. But oh, he was ever grateful for her.

“Thank you,” he muttered. “For everything. I’ll make it up to you.”

Cady turned his face to hers so he could read her lips, “You have nothing to make up to me, Pete. You know that. Just love me as you always do.”

“I will always love you,” he stated and quickly kissed her.

“Come on, love. Let me go excuse you from stupid post-concert press and go back to the hotel. I need to call Alec and make sure he can sends the five pairs of backup hearing aids we ordered,” her fingers weaved with his. “I have a feeling we’re going to need them.”

Long Live... Part II

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:48:40 +0100

Title: Long Live... (continued)
Characters: Pete Townshend, Cady Townshend, and family
Word Count: 2066
Rating: PG-13 [innuendo, language]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Pete, Cady, and the family head to Miami for the Super Bowl. February 2010. Canon. Lots of spoilers.

Sitting in the rehearsal tent, Cady sighed and fanned herself. Pete and Roger moved about on the stage, making certain it all came together how they wanted. Sipping on her iced tea once more, she sighed, wishing she had stayed back at the hotel with the kids. Even if she had not been involved with the very design of the stage, Pete would have asked her to come. Therefore, when the wakeup call woke him to head down to the stadium, Cady dressed and dutifully headed there with him. Without anyone speaking to her for the past hour, she almost considered slipping through the crowd and making her way back to the hotel.

As she stood to do just that, Pete trotted towards her, “Baby, you need to come and see this from where I’ll be.”

Her eyes met his and she smiled, “All right, Pete.”

Taking his hand, she followed him through the crowd of technicians. Up on the stage, she smiled as he pointed out things excitedly. She found it worth everything just to have him smile and laugh like he was. In the very least, he was not stuck trying to break through his latest rock opera.

“We’re going to do a dress rehearsal to make sure all the lights work. Stay up here with me?” Pete requested.

“Anything you want,” she agreed.

Having been on stage with Pete less than a dozen times in the past forty years, she was not quite certain what to expect. Standing outside of the band’s immediate space, her eyes danced around as the light crew ran through the different effects while The Who tore through their twelve-minute medley. She was still glad Pete deferred to Roger on the medley, agreeing that it would expose more people to more of The Who’s genius than just playing a couple of songs all the way through. As the lights danced around, her eyes lit up even more. This was going to be quite the spectacle.

Once the last note hung in the air, the light crew scrambled about to make adjustments and Pete approached his wife. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly. Chuckling he squeezed her once more, before excusing himself to discuss the rehearsal with the rest of the band. She could not wait until that night when they would do another run-through – inside the stadium. Even the children planned to attend, getting to see a sneak peek of what millions of people would see the following night.

Lying in bed, Pete turned on his side, “Cady? Are you still awake?”

Rolling towards him, she touched his cheek softly, “Of course I am. Your tossing and turning is keeping me awake.”

“I’m… I’m sorry. I just… I can’t sleep,” he admitted.

Kissing him softly, her hand left his cheek to grasp his hand gently, “You’ve never been nervous before a show, Pete. Why this one?”

“Have you seen the size of that stadium? And I’m not exactly a young guitarist anymore.”

“So? You bring wisdom, experience, and so much more to the table, Pete. Thank god they didn’t ask Hannah Montana or the Jonas Brothers or someone else who has no music in them. You are going to blow… well not the roof off since there isn’t one… You are going to blow the minds of so many people, Pete. Tomorrow will be excellent,” she assured him.

“But–”

“You will be excellent, Pete,” Cady kissed him again. “Now sleep.”

“But–”

“Okay, on your stomach,” she instructed.

“What?”

“And take your shirt off.”

Doing as she instructed, he groaned as she straddled him and began to knead his back. In between her deep rubbing, Cady leaned down and showered his back with kisses. Between that and her long hair tickling his skin, he began to relax about the show.

He certainly was not fully relaxed at all. In fact, he was becoming aroused. With little effort at all, he rolled her off his back and quickly leaned over her. Cady giggled as he leaned down and kissed her. His hands pawed at her nightgown, working it up from her hips.

As his hand cupped her breast, Cady breathed, “See? Not too old at all.”

He chuckled, kissed her, and replied, “You make me feel years younger.”

“Mmmm, let me make you feel even younger,” she purred.

“I like the sound of that.”

Sitting in the media room, Cady smiled to herself as Pete and Roger entertained the gathered media with their guitars. She loved seeing Roger with a guitar in hand almost as much as Pete. It seemed to remind everyone that he was more than just a singer, though he certainly was still a powerful singer. She could even hear the murmurs in the crowd, commenting about that and about how impressed they were with The Who’s mere presence. She wished the others were there with them, but that was a daily wish that went unfulfilled.

As the guitars were set aside, Cady tensed. She knew questions were coming and just knew the lies of the so-called children’s groups were going to come up. Within moments, she wanted nothing more than to run up onto the small stage and hold her husband, protecting him from everything.

“Pete, there are a lot of people who are very excited about you being here. However, there are a number of children’s groups that are not. Could you address the issue in England and some of their concerns here about you guys playing at the Super Bowl at halftime?” an anonymous voice questioned in the back of the room.

Holding her breath, Cady listened to his answer.

“I’ve… it’s… I’ve been really saddened by it. And… and… concerned about it. It’s an issue that’s very difficult to deal with in sound bites. It’s a big thing. And um… it’s sad. I kinda feel like we’re on the same side. And um, that’s kinda really what I can really say. I think… I think… for a family that has suffered the issue of childhood abuse or anything of that sort… that um… vigilance, common sense, vigilance is the most important thing, not vigilantism. And I’m not trying to make a you know, pre-arranging statement here, but you know, I’ve been working as an advocate and uh, an agent in this kind of area of uh, of uh, research and fundraising for over forty years. It’s something… I have my own story, that some of you know and I would say that anyone who has any doubts about whether I should be here or not should investigate a little bit further. Everything that you need to knew, to know, is funnily enough is out there on the internet,” he answered, waving his hands around some.

Slowly she released her breath, though she still chewed on her bottom lip. The questioning continued, leaving that issue alone. They played another song acoustically before calling the media circus over so they could go prepare for the actual event. Cady rushed to Pete’s side and kissed him lovingly. He squeezed her tightly for a moment before they turned to head out of the media room.

“I love you, Pete,” she breathed, causing him to stop and look at her.

Their eyes met and he grinned, sneaking another kiss, one he was certain the media caught. Holding her hand, they left the room, onto bigger and better things.

Audrey leaned forward in the skybox, her brows knitted, “I think Dad forgot something.”

Refilling his beer, Alec turned around, “Shit! Why didn’t you tell me it started!?”

Zooey rolled her eyes, “Are you seriously on something tonight, Alec? There was only aloud announcement.”

“I know. I’m kidding,” he sat back down next to his younger sister, sipping his beer. “So what’s Dad missing?”

“Really? Just look at him,” the eldest sibling motioned at the stage.

Leaning forward Alec, squinted, “Nope. I don’t see it.”

“Look at the screen,” she instructed.

Sipping his beer, he looked at the large screen. He still did not see what Audrey was going on about. Shrugging he leaned back into his seat to enjoy his beverage while watching his dad condense forty years of a career into a few minutes.

“Do you think he’s gonna smash his guitar?” Alec asked.

Zooey responded, “Really? He hasn’t done that in a long time, Alec.”

“Since 2004,” he declared, “I think. He should do it tonight.”

“Will you just shut up and watch?” Audrey piped in.

All three of the children watched the rest of the performance without speaking. Watching their father set down his guitar at the end of the short performance, the three of them clapped along with the Daltrey family whom they shared the skybox. With little spoken, they decided to go down and meet up with their parents and head out of the stadium.

“Don’t mention his shirt,” Audrey commented as they entered the elevator.

“What? Why?” Alec asked.

Zooey rolled her eyes, “Because it was half-unbuttoned the whole show.”

“Oh. Well you try to windmill and see if your clothes stay perfect,” he instantly defended Pete.

Before the girls could say anything in response, the elevator reached the ground level and they headed out into the crowd to meet up with their parents. Everyone was talking about The Who. It made all three walk a little bit straighter, prouder right then. They were proud to be a part of The Who family.

Sitting in their parents’ hotel suite, Alec realized their luggage was still unpacked. His eyes went to his mother as she stepped out of the bathroom and smiled sweetly at him. While he knew she was used to packing quickly, he did not think she could pack their luggage in fifteen minutes. It would take any normal person at least an hour. Why was she not ready?

“I thought you were leaving today,” he commented.

Cady shook her head, “No, your father and I decided to stay a couple of days before heading to New York, especially since it’s cold and wintery there.”

“Oh,” his shoulders slumped.

“You can stay too, unless you wanted to hurry back to London?” she teased.

“Well I do have reason to get back there as soon as possible, but the weather is really nice here…”

“Call the front desk and extend your stay then,” she stated, sitting down to tie on walking shoes.

“Are you going somewhere?” he asked.

“You really do have to know everything, don’t you?”

Pete entered the living room from the bedroom, “He always has, love.”

“True,” her eyes went to her husband and she smiled. “Alec wants to stay with us for a bit longer.”

“You don’t have a date with Scarlet or anything?”

Alec flushed and shrugged.

Cady rolled her eyes, “If you’re staying you need to let the front desk know right away Alec. And change your flight. And let your older sister know that she’s flying alone.”

“Maybe Audrey will stay too?” Pete asked.

“If you’re inviting her to stay longer, Pete, you should invite Zooey too,” she pointed out.

“Yes, of course,” he picked up the nearest phone and rang the girls’ room.

A few minutes later, all the rooms were extended and flights changed. Waiting for the girls to arrive at their parents’ suite, Pete sat and pulled on his own shoes. Alec definitely knew something more was planned.

“Okay, tell me. What’s going on?” he asked.

A knock at the door interrupted the need to answer. Instead, Cady let the girls in. Alec barely let them sit before repeating his question to his parents.

Smiling, Cady sat on the armrest of the chair Pete was sitting in, “Well we figured since we’re here…”

“What?” Alec questioned.

“We’re going to Disneyworld,” she grinned.

The three adult kids looked at their parents, blinking and not saying a thing.

“You’re more than welcome to come with us,” Pete spoke up, “if you want, of course.”

“Come on. It’ll be fun,” Cady claimed.

A few minutes later, all five adults headed to the elevator. They were on their way to Disneyworld.

“I don’t know what got into Mum and Dad,” Audrey whispered to her siblings, “but they certainly seem half their age. At least.”

Alec scratched his head, “Do you think Dad’s gonna want his picture taken with Mickey Mouse?”

Long Live.... Part I

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:47:44 +0100

Title: Long Live...
Characters: Pete Townshend, Cady Townshend, and family
Word Count: 3853
Rating: PG-13 [innuendo, language]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Pete, Cady, and the family head to Miami for the Super Bowl. February 2010. Canon. Lots of spoilers.

Dutifully packing Pete’s luggage as well as her own, Cady clicked the locks on the suitcases. She pulled both down the hallway, leaving them at the top of the stairs before returning to the bedroom. Cady returned the extraneous clothing to their closets and bureaus and quickly checked over their bathroom supplies once more. Satisfied that all was packed, as it should be, she changed into her travelling clothes and pulled her snowy white hair back into a low ponytail. She left the bedroom and headed down to Pete’s studio. Checking her watch, she nodded before reaching for the door handle.

Slipping into the studio, Cady leaned against the wall for a long moment. She watched as Pete strummed furiously on one of his guitars. From the erratic pace, Cady was certain he was struggling with whatever he was writing. It had already been a long process; he spending days in seclusion writing the story behind his latest rock opera. He seemed to have hit another block. While it concerned her, she knew he could break through it, as he had so many times before. She had every confidence in him.

However, they needed to be leaving for the airport. Therefore, she pushed away from the wall and slowly approached him. Her finger reached out and pushed down the button that cut off all sound to his headphones. His hand instantly froze on his guitar, his attention going to the soundtable first. Seeing his wife’s dainty hand, he removed his headphones first before turning to look at her.

Cady leaned forward and kissed him softly, “We need to go, Pete.”

He sighed, “All right.”

She kissed him, “Do not worry, love. The music will come when it is supposed to. It always does.”

“I… know. I had just hoped to have more by now,” he declared, moving to put away his guitar and turn all of his electronics off.

“It will come,” she declared, holding out her hand.

Slipping his hand into hers, Pete’s other hand went to her waist. He gently kissed his loving wife, still amazed every day that she loved him. He had to be the luckiest geezer in all of the United Kingdom, perhaps even the world. She allowed the kiss to deepen ever so slightly before pulling back and briefly kissing his nose. Smirking, he pulled her out of the studio, flicking out the light on the way.

They parted briefly; Pete heading upstairs to retrieve the suitcases, Cady going to check if the cab had arrived yet. Pulling the suitcases out the front door, he stole a kiss from his wife before she turned to lock the door and set the alarm. They quickly settled in the cab and headed towards the airport.

Still feeling Pete’s nerves, knowing they were likely coupled with the beginning of performance anxiety, Cady shifted over in the back of the car. Her right hand reached for his left. Weaving her fingers with his, her thumb spun the titanium ring he recently began wearing. Pete’s eyes dropped to her hand and he smiled slightly. Her simple actions spoke far more than any words could in the moment; he knew she knew that as well. Married for nearly forty-two years, she could read him like no other. However, that certainly was nothing new. Moreover, he was ever grateful for her.

“Cady,” he breathed and lifted her hand to his mouth, “thank you.”

She smiled slightly and squeezed his hand, “You are remarkable, Pete. In every way imaginable.”

“I… Cady, how am I going to do this? Why do I even think that–”

“You’re a very talented man, Pete. You will write the music in your head. You always do. And this Super Bowl thing? Sure, you and Roger decided to do it before you were ready, but it will be good for you too. Every time you get blocked like this, the best solution has always been getting you off doing something else, somewhere else,” Cady interrupted. “You know that, Pete. Everything will be just fine once you focus on something else.”

“But–”

“After Miami, we’re going to spend some time in New York,” she stated.

“Why? What if I’m suddenly able to write ag–”

“Then you’ll write in the studio there like you have before,” Cady answered. “And because we haven’t been to the New York house for awhile. That and Zooey has a performance at the end of March.”

“We’re staying until March?” he frowned.

“Oh stop,” she nudged his shoulder with her own. “And I think we should go see Eric and Roger too.”

“Woman, you will be the death of me.”

Cady grinned, “I haven’t yet. You’ve got at least twenty more years with me before I let that happen.”

Pete’s eyes went to hers, “You really think we’ve got twenty more years?”

She snorted, glancing up and noticing they had reached the airport, “I think we’ve got thirty. You’re not dying on me until you’re at least ninety-five.”

“My father died when he was–”

“You’re not your father, Pete. And your mother is still alive,” she interrupted. “Don’t you dare start planning your death on me now.”

“Stastically speaking, women outlive–”

“Ugh,” she pushed open the cab door. “If you keep this up, Pete, you will drive me to an early grave. Now come along. You know security is going to be a bitch.”

The benefit of Pete sequestering himself in his studio to write meant he was fairly unaware of much of what was going on in the rest of the world. He hardly even read the paper during his writing days and Cady preferred to keep it just that way. The local paper had not noticed the silly American hoopla before they departed for the States, or at least she had not seen it, but she knew once The Who set foot on American soil, someone was going to bring it up. It was part of the reason she and Roger decided to travel separately. And it was certainly the reason she asked all three kids to meet them at the airport in Miami.

As soon as their plane landed in Miami, Cady powered on her cell phone and texted all three kids. Pete glanced at her and shook his head. Though he understood her reasoning of it being a way to keep in touch with their tech savvy children, something she blamed on him as Pete always seemed to like technological advances, he still chided her about how most people their age did not have cell phones, much less plans so expansive for text messaging. As it was never meant as a serious argument, Cady always took it lightly, usually pointing out that his first synth did the job just fine and he had not needed to fill an entire room with another one or five. As she replied to the responses, he stood and retrieved their carryon bag from the overhead compartment. Cady tucked her phone away and accepted his hand, departing the plane with her husband.

They couple headed down the covered ramp and Cady slowed as they neared the entrance. She knew that the press would not be right at the gate, but that they were in fact camped out at the airport regardless. The children had all arrived earlier that day and remained in the terminal proper to meet their parents at the gate properly. Cady knew exactly the face they were going to present to the American public.

“Pete,” she stopped, “I have a surprise for you.”

“Right now?” his eyes went to hers.

Cady nodded, “Well almost. There’s someone special waiting for us. Actually three someones.”

Not entirely sure what she meant, he turned and slowly continued. His eyes brightened as they stepped out of the gate and their three grown children waved at them. Grinning he released Cady’s hand and embraced each one, kissing the girls softly. He inquired about their health and happiness before allowing them to greet their mother. Finding Cady’s hand again and looping his other arm around their eldest daughter, Audrey, Pete headed towards baggage claim. The family of five chatted happily, catching up on the various things going on in their lives.

Stopping Pete just inside the last security gate, Cady kissed him, very aware the photographing public had seen them, “Pete, there’s something you need to know.”

Concern instantly filled his eyes, “What?”

She sighed, kissed him quickly again, “Some groups proclaiming to be protecting children here in the States apparently decided you were a threat to the Miami families and tried to raise hell about you being here.”

His eyes instantly darkened, “What?”

“I handled it for the most part. We did not issue any statements and everyone who requested an interview who mentioned it in their submitted questions was instantly denied. I just want you to know that when we step out there, the press will likely ask you about it. I don’t want you to be completely unaware but I also don’t think we should comment on it at all,” she explained steadily.

Pete held her gaze for a moment before glancing at his children. While he had known they were going to attend the Super Bowl with him from the very announcement of the performance, the fact all three met him and Cady at the gate suddenly made sense. He could not be upset with his wife for how she handled whatever was going on. She protected his creative process from the fuckery going on and clearly understood how to present themselves to the American public. Nodding once, he kissed his wife lovingly once more, before silently encouraging everyone forward.

Buffered from the paparazzi by his family, Pete’s mouth remained closed, his eyes refusing to look at anyone. Cady held his hand tightly, squeezing whenever it seemed like someone was going to push Pete into responding. At one point, one of the paparazzi said something that made all three of the children bristle, their son, Alec, nearly jumping forward to take a swing. But he did not step out of line, his younger sister, Zooey, stopping his actions by touching his hand. It was enough for the family to reach the awaiting car without incident.

However as soon as the car door was closed and in motion, Pete angrily began to rant. No one spoke, letting him get it all out as the car headed away from the airport. Only Cady ventured to touch him, her hand easily slipping into his once he stopped thrashing his about. His eyes dropped to the hand holding his and instantly his temper began to subside.

His eyes slowly went to hers and he leaned over to kiss her, “How did I get so lucky to have you love me?”

“Mmmm. I’m not sure,” Cady responded before he kissed her. “But you certainly are a lucky man.”

“Um, it’s great that you guys still love each other and all but, um, can’t you wait until you get to the hotel room?” Alec spoke up.

Audrey shoved his shoulder, “It’s not like he was shoving his tongue down her throat like someone did to a certain Scarlet not two days ago.”

“Can it, you nit,” he responded though he was grinning.

Pete’s attention went to his son, “Scarlet? Do you have a new girlfriend?”

“You could say that.”

Pete glanced at his wife, “What’s he going on about?”

“Don’t worry about it, love,” she responded, patting his knee before returning to her conversation with Zooey.

Not about to let it go, his eyes returned to his son, “Who is this girlfriend?”

“You know her, Dad,” Alec responded. “You’ve met her before. Just… not recently.”

“Stop being bloody evasive and tell me what you mean.”

“Don’t worry about it, Dad,” Audrey chimed in. “Really. Just focus on kicking ass tomorrow.”

Crawling into the king-sized hotel next to his wife, Pete sighed. Cady looked up from her book and pressed the bookmark into the spine. She pivoted and placed the book on the nightstand before turning her full attention to her husband. He shifted in the bed until he was mostly settled, his eyes only going to hers then. Without much thought, Pete reached over and tucked a long white curl behind her ear, smiling slightly. She kept her hands folded neatly in her lap, her eyes watching his movements, waiting for Pete to speak what was on his mind.

When another silent minute passed, she asked, “What’s on your mind, love?”

“Who is Alec dating?” he asked.

She laughed, “Really? It’s bothering you that much?”

“Perhaps not the actual not knowing, but more of the fact I realize I have missed out on life again by locking myself up in the studio,” he answered.

Cady grasped the hand that touched her hair and kissed it, “You have not missed much. Zooey is working, putting the final touches on her latest album and attempting to decide on what film project to agree to next. Audrey is doing well at the publishing house and I believe might have some news for us soon about… well I won’t give up her surprise. And Alec has a couple of shows coming up in the next few months and he’s back with Scarlet.”

“Why don’t I remember this Scarlet?”

She leaned over and kissed Pete’s temple, “Scarlet Page.”

He froze, “Page? Did you say Page?”

Cady sighed, “Pete, let it go.”

“Let it go? Let it go? He has been after my life since–”

“Pete,” she warned. “This has gone on for forty-five years. Let it go.”

“How can you say that? He wanted my band, my wife, and now my son? What–”

“No,” Cady cut him off darkly, releasing his hand. “Alec and Scarlet have absolutely nothing to do with James. They are childhood sweethearts who have recently reconnected. It has nothing to do with James. In fact, he does not want them together any more than you do. Bury the fucking hatchet, Pete. These are our kids, our family. James is not taking anything from you.”

“But–”

“No. Drop it. Right now.”

“But–”

“If you don’t drop it, I will go and sleep on the couch in the other room.”

He stared at her for a long moment before his shoulders slumped, “Please don’t.”

“Promise me right now that you are going to be happy for Alec and not interfere.”

He continued to stare at her, hardly blinking.

“Say it, Pete. Or I’ll–”

“I promise to be happy for Alec and to not interfere with his relationship with Page.”

She sighed and threw back the blanket, pivoting out of the bed. His hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist. She glared at him and snapped her wrist free. Rubbing her skin, she stood and headed towards the living room space of the hotel. Pete quickly got out of bed and trailed after her. His arm snaked around her trim waist, pulling her back to his chest. His other arm curled around her as well, his hand reaching up to turn her face to the side. His lips touched the side of her mouth, feeling her resistance instantly disappear. She leaned back against his chest, her arms covering his.

“I will be happy for Alec and not interfere with his relationship… with Scarlet,” he vowed softly before kissing her again.

Cady sighed, “Thank you.”

“I just get so worked up… and it’s not fair to you or anyone else. I need to let it go. I know that. But…”

“I married you, had three children with you, and loved you for more than four decades. I chose you.”

“I know… I just… I just…”

“I chose you, Pete.”

He slowly loosened his embrace and turned her fully to him, “I do not know for a reason why you did, but thank you, Cady. And for standing by my side through all of the shit years. I do not know what I would be, where I would be, without you. Thank you for making the worst choice of your life and sticking with it.”

Cady rolled her eyes, “You are not the worst choice of my life. Not then, not now.”

Pete pulled her close again, kissing her softly, “Thank you, my true love. Thank you.”

While they did have seats in skybox, Cady spent not a moment up there. Instead, she remained with Pete, with the band. They ran through a few things, rehearsed, and slowly made their way to the stadium. Notorious for not being nervous before shows, to the point he often napped backstage, Cady was a bit surprised to feel nerves emanating from Pete. Her hand inched over and grasped his. He covered it with his other hand, patted, and smiled weakly at her.

She quickly leaned over and kissed him, “You’re going to be amazing, Pete.”

“I… thank you, love,” he stated softly. “It is not that which worries me.”

She switched hands in his lap, allowing her other hand to reach up and touch his face softly, “Do not worry about the other shit. It is not true and you, your family, all your friends, and I know it. Do not give them the satisfaction of working you up. They are cowards and very misguided. All the money they have spent on defaming your name could have gone towards actually saving and helping children who need such. You are an amazing and strong man. Put them out of your thoughts. Focus on this fantastic performance you are about to showcase.”

His eyes searched hers for a brief moment, “How do you always know what to say?”

“Hmmm… years of knowing you,” she responded with a smile. “And the whole being in love with you thing.”

“Oh yes. Such a trifle thing.”

Cady nodded and kissed him quickly, “Come, love. It’s time to show these pesky Americans what rock and roll really is.”

As had become their tradition many decades before when she traveled with him, Cady accepted his red Strat from his guitar tech. She slipped the black strap over his head and softly kissed his mouth. Pete’s hands surrounded her face, holding her in the kiss a bit longer than normal. While there certainly was press around and the image of the couple would likely circle about the internet, she could feel that Pete’s kiss was not about his image, but rather his need for validation and support. Her lips parted slightly, allowing him to deepen the kiss briefly. Cady pulled out of the kiss and softly kissed his forehead. He smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling.

“I love you,” she muttered, before stepping back to allow him to hurry onto the temporary stage.

On stage, Pete was a man possessed. Cady knew that, always had. She never expected him to look at her or smile or make any indication at all that he knew she was near. Yet oddly during a shift he looked directly in her direction and locked eyes with her briefly. Cady’s heart fluttered in a way it had not in a very long time. She grinned, placing her hand over her heart. Pete turned away and continued with the short show.

Triumphantly leaving the stage much too soon after jumping onto it, Pete quickly made his way to his wife. Even with his guitar still slung about his shoulders, though now across his back, he embraced her quickly. Her fingers pulled the guitar free as soon as he released her from the embrace, handing it over to his guitar tech. Pete slipped his arm around her waist, leading her to meet the children so they could leave the stadium. None of them cared about the game at all, only in attendance to support their father.

“That was fantastic, Dad,” Zooey chirped as they made it through the small crowd from the skybox elevator.

“Thanks,” he smiled.

“I did notice…” Audrey spoke up “…that you locked eyes with someone.”

“Did you now?” he responded with a sparkle in his eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.”

Cady grinned, “He hasn’t done it in many years.”

“Am I missing something here?” Alec asked.

“You usually are,” Zooey declared.

“Now children, that’s enough of that,” Cady interjected. “Let’s go have dinner with Roger and his family. Peacefully.”

Walking out of the bathroom, toweling himself off, Pete opened his mouth to say something to Cady about the night. His eyes went to his wife, already in the hotel bed, and he froze. He could tell, even with only the single lamp on the bedside illuminated, that his wife was completely nude under the crisp white sheet. Her long white hair curled about her shoulders and over the edge of the sheet. If he did not know better, he would think the woman in his bed, looking at him with heavy bedroom eyes was half her age.

He dropped the towel and hurried over to the bed. Lying on top of the sheet and half on her, Pete kissed her passionately. Her arms curled around him briefly, before pushing him away slightly. Their eyes met and he instantly knew what she was asking without words passing her lips. His fingers reached for the lamp and clicked it off. A moment later, he slid under the sheet and pulled her into his arms.

“I love you more now than I did forty years ago,” Pete commented softly before kissing her once more.

Cady smiled, “I love you more every day, Pete. More every day.”

Sitting across from Cady at breakfast, Alec wondered aloud, “Where’s Dad?”

“Still in bed,” she commented casually before sipping her tea.

“Did the performance really take that much out of him? Roger’s been up for awhile now,” he motioned to the singer across the room.

“Not the performance,” she responded.

“What?”

Audrey immediately began to laugh, “Really, Mum?”

Cady glanced at her eldest child and nodded once before turning her attention back to reading the brief review of Pete’s Super Bowl performance.

“What?” Alec repeated, glancing at his sister.

“Wow,” Zooey spoke up. “Sometimes you really are dense, Alec. You sure you weren’t dropped when you were little?”

“He wasn’t,” Cady interjected, but did not look up from the paper.

“What am I missing?” he asked, looking around the table of four. “Really.”

Before Audrey could answer, Pete appeared in the dining hall and headed directly to their table. Cady looked up from her reading and smiled at him. Without pause he leaned down and kissed her deeply. Sitting beside her, Pete continued to smile as he poured his breakfast tea. Watching Pete’s movements, his son slowly figured out why his father, normally an early riser, was the last to join everyone for breakfast. A bright red filled his cheeks and he instantly looked down, causing both of his sisters to break out laughing.

“What are you laughing about?” Pete asked.

Cady leaned over and kissed his cheek, “Nothing for you to be concerned about… lover.”

Too Late the Hero, Part II

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:46:09 +0100

Title: Too Late the Hero
Characters: John Entwistle, Cady Townshend, Pete Townshend, Audrey, Alec, and Zooey, Queenie, Chris
Word Count: 9,596
Rating: R [language, violence, alcohol, innuendo]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Losing the Ox is a hard thing to face...

“Thanks, Mum,” he stated before running up the stairs.

Returning to Cady, he paused in the doorway once again, listening to the sounds of his bedroom. His heart sank once again, hearing her crying. Stopping to pull his boots off, John climbed into bed with her, slipping his arms around her shaking body, his lips touching hers. Before long, his tears joined her and they mourned their loss together. They spoke in sobs about Marlene, eventually deciding against a public funeral. Their soft words came to a natural conclusion, John’s arms tightening slightly about her. As he leaned forward to kiss her again, the door opened, his mother clearly her throat.

“Betty has the children,” she announced loudly. “And apparently Pete left her house over four hours ago after visiting them. Commented something about getting a drink before going home to Cady.”

“Fuck,” John mumbled. “Pete’s drinking again? I should go find him.”

“No,” Cady interjected softly. “Please don’t leave me, John.”

He glanced at his mother who turned and left, closing the door behind her, “I’m never going to leave you, Cady. Never.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he declared, sealing it with a kiss.

Cady was silent for a long moment, before her face once more filled with pain, “John… the baby…”

His arms tightened around her again, “Shhh, love.”

“The baby… I lost the baby…”

His lips touched the corners of her crying eyes, “Shhh. Don’t focus on that, love. You’re a wonderful woman. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But I told her I was pregnant and then she… and then I… and the baby…”

“Shhhh. It wasn’t your fault, Cade. It wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, snuggling closer to him. “I’m sorry.”

He kissed her forehead, his hands rubbing her back. He knew how loaded her apology was, not only because she was blaming herself for something she should not, but also because he knew her better than anyone did did. Cady was not just apologizing for Marlene’s death, which he certainly did not blame her, but for something greater. In that very moment, he completely shared in her pain. Her body would heal, but her soul and heart were forever scarred. He wished he could take away all her pain, take it on himself. Holding and kissing her would have to suffice for now.

January 1990 – New York
Leaning closer to the mirror, Cady wiped off her lipstick and crinkled her nose. She was going to have to do it all over again. Pulling open her drawer, she shifted items around, searching for the makeup remover cloths instead of scrubbing her face. Not finding the package, she sighed and slammed her drawer closed. Turning to go ask Audrey if she had any, Cady turned towards the door. Her eyes widened and she froze where she was. As her gaze met eyes of a similar shade, her lips curved into an excited smile and she quickly jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms quickly encircled her waist, holding onto her as her legs kicked up and her lips touched his briefly.

“There you are, beautiful,” he muttered and kissed her just as quickly.

“I didn’t expect to see you until the party,” she declared.

“I couldn’t wait that long.”

“Silly,” she rolled her eyes, leaning out of his embrace. “And in the way as normal.”

He didn’t move, “And what are you going to do to get me out of the way?”

“Scream?”

“And who would hear you?”

“Pete? The kids?”

He smirked, “Try again.”

“Tickle you?”

“Wouldn’t mind it, but still not moving,” he folded his arms across his chest.

“But, John,” she whined, “I need out.”

“Why, love?”

“To get rid of this,” she motioned to her face.

John’s eyes quickly looked over her face, “Yes, I can see why you wouldn’t want that face any more. It’s beauty will clearly outshine everyone else tonight.”

She flushed slightly, “I need to wipe it off and start over.”

“Why? You’re beautiful.”

“It doesn’t look right.”

“You’re beautiful,” he repeated, reaching up to caress her cheek.

Downcasting her eyes, she flushed softly, “How is it that you always make me feel like a little girl?”

“I have no clue. What are you wearing to the party?”

“If you move, I’ll show you,” Cady responded.

John stepped aside, allowing her to step out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She crossed over to her walk-in closet, opened the door and stepped in. A moment later, she returned with a short, flirty black chiffon dress on a padded hanger. With his hand on his chin, John looked over the garment, taking it from her to turn it around.

“Oh no. This won’t do,” he declared.

“What? Why?” she gasped. “I don’t have anything else I can wear, John. And there’s not enough time for me to go find something else.”

He slipped the hanger over her head, causing the dress to cover the front of her silk robe like an apron, “Because you’ll be so beautiful that no one is going to be paying any attention to the three of us geezers getting accolades.”

Her cheeks once more flushed and she looked down at the dress, “You really think so?”

“I know so,” he kissed her nose quickly.

“Then I suppose I should find something else to wear. It’s your night to shine,” she commented softly.

His finger on her chin, he tilted her face back up to look into his eyes, “Nonsense. Go put it on and let me see.”

Nodding she returned to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. When she stepped out a moment later, Pete stepped into the bedroom. His eyes flicked to his best friend briefly, before both men focused their gazes on the woman. Neither said anything as they looked over the form-fitting bodice that flared out into a flirty skirt. Cady tugged a bit self-consciously on the strapless top and chewing on her nude bottom lip.

“Cady, you look amazing,” Pete stated.

She smiled at him, “Thank you.”

“Cade…” John muttered.

“Is it okay?” her eyes went to his.

“Pete, you realize we can’t take her with us to the Waldorf, right?” John commented to the man he stood next to.

Pete glanced at his mate, “Because she’s so gorgeous?”

The bassist nodded.

“Yes, it would appear to be a problem,” he agreed. “I would leave her here but the children might find it odd.”

“Perhaps if she wore slippers, not the boots she has set out…”

Pete’s eyes flicked to the black boots next to the closet, “We wouldn’t want people to think she has gone crazy like Yoko though.”

Before John could respond, ten-year-old Zooey rushed into the room and gasped, “Mum, you’re beautiful!”

Stepping aside, Pete smiled at the young girl as she hurried to Cady and embraced her.

“Mum, Dad,” Audrey stepped into the doorway, “and John. The car’s here.”

“Bloody hell,” Cady muttered, peeling her youngest daughter from her. “Find mummy’s shoes please?”

“Okay!” she skipped over to the closet, not even glancing at the pair of boots outside it.

A few minutes later, John held up Cady’s winter coat. As she slipped her arms into the lined sleeves, he subtly kissed her ear. Her hands covered his briefly, squeezing, before she moved to button the coat. As she turned to make certain Zooey had her coat on, her eyes glanced over John, noticing he wore the large spider necklace she gifted him. How she had missed it before, she knew not. However, seeing the glittering arachnid made her grin.

Noticing her locked gaze, John leaned over and whispered, “Of course I’m wearing it, love. I couldn’t very well not on the day The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

September 2001 – New York
Waking with a start, Cady sat straight up in bed. Rolling out of the bed, her bare feet touched the thick carpet. Not sure why she had woken with a start, she wandered confused down the hallway. The SoHo flat was empty, as Pete was in London, the children in their own homes. She was in the States, developing a gallery show in New York and supporting John while he toured about with A Walk Down Abbey Road. He was due to return to the city that afternoon, after spending a week in California doing something secretive. None of that did not matter right then. Something was wrong. Something had shaken her out of bed.

Finding nothing amiss with the large family apartment, Cady frowned and headed into the living room. Having moved to the top floor of the SoHo building three decades before, the large expanse of glass windows afforded her a view towards the south of the city. As her eyes flicked to the windows, she froze in place. Though she did not have a clear view of the source, she could see thick, dark smoke drifting from the financial district. Regaining her thoughts once more, she snatched up the TV remote and clicked it on.

A second later, the device dropped to the hardwood floor, the back and batteries falling out with the collision.

Eyes glued to the screen, Cady nearly did not hear her cell phone ringing. Shaking herself free from the TV, she hurried to the phone left on the breakfast table, barely picking it up before the caller went to voicemail.

“Cady? Cady, are you okay?”

Though she heard his voice, she did not process his words.

“Cady? Cady, baby, are you there?”

His panic cut through her dazed thoughts, “I… I’m fine. I’m okay… I think.”

“Baby, you need to get out of there.”

“And go where, Pete? How?”

He sighed, “I don’t know. I just want you out of there and some place safe.”

“I’m safe, Pete. There’s just a fire at one of the towers in the financial district. I’m safe,” she assured him.

“Cady… Cady, I love you. Please try to get out of there. I don’t think this is just a fire, baby. I really don’t.”

She went silent for a long moment, listening to the report on the TV, “Pete?”

“Yes, baby?”

“They’re saying… they’re saying the fires were started by planes hitting both towers,” she said softly.

“Cady, I’m going to call John. We’re going to get you out of there.”

Her eyes widened and she gasped, “Oh, god, Pete. He was supposed to be flying here today. What if… oh god…”

“I’m sure he’s fine. You and I both know that he wouldn’t get up early enough to be arriving in New York this early. He wasn’t on either of those planes. I’m certain of it. I’m going to call him right now and we’ll figure this out, Cady.”

Her phone beeped, indicating an incoming call. Pulling it away, she glanced at the displayed number, her heart skipping a beat.

“He’s calling me right now, Pete.”

“Good. Take his call and tell him to call me after you talk, okay? I love you, Cady.”

“I love you too, Pete,” she responded, took a deep breath, and switched to the other call. “Hello?”

“Cady, love? Are you okay?”

“J-John…”

“Love, I’m on my way. I took an early flight because I couldn’t wait any longer to see you. But they’ve grounded planes everywhere. I’m in Chicago now, but a few blokes are getting a car and we’re going to drive the rest of the way. The best estimate is twelve hours to get there,” John quickly explained. “If I could get to you any faster, I would, love.”

“I… This is bad, isn’t it?”

He sighed, “Baby, pack anything that you can’t live without. Fill all the tubs in the flat with water. Turn off the air and close the vents. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I promise.”

“Pete… Pete wants you to call him.”

“He can bloody well want whatever he wants. I don’t give a lick about him right now.”

“John…”

He took a breath, “Thank god Zooey’s not in New York with you, like she was considering. I don’t think I could handle worrying about both of you.”

“John… I…”

“Sweetheart, I have to go. We’re heading out now. I’ll ring you as soon as I can. I love you, Cady.”

“I love you too.”

“I will be there soon. Promise.”

As soon as she disconnected the call with John, Zooey rang. Drawing on John’s words for strength, she spoke calmly to her youngest daughter, promising that she was safe over a mile from the plane crash. The young girl did not relax or agree to anything until Cady mentioned that John was on his way to her, apparently driving with a group of men. Making her promise to check in periodically, the young actress hung up and Cady’s phone immediately began to ring again. Sitting on the couch, she spoke with both of her older children, who apparently had been lunching together when the news of the crash in New York came through. As they were en route to her and Pete’s house, she was certain to hear from her husband as well, to inform him of John’s plans.

Her eyes flicked to the TV as Alec mentioned they were pulling into the driveway. Cady went completely silent. Struggling to not drop her phone, she jumped to her feet and rushed over to the window, looking south down the street. A large, white-gray cloud of dust screamed down the street. Eyes wide with fear, but unable to move, Cady remained focused on the pyroclastic cloud, no longer hearing the words of her children in her ear.

“Cady!? Cady!? CADENCE!?” Pete shouted.

She flinched as dust and debris hit the window in front of her, “P-Pete…”

“Oh good. Baby, you’re okay. You’re going to be fine.”

“P-Pete…” her bottom lip trembled, pressing her palm to the now dirty window.

“You’re going to be fine. John’s coming for you, right? Audrey said that you told her he was. You’re going to be fine.”

She glanced over to the TV and realized the power had gone out, “Pete…”

“John will be there soon, baby. I know it. I’ll stay on the line with you as long as possible, Cady. Oh, thank god you have your satellite phone. The news is saying power is out in that part of the city. And phone lines are jammed. Oh god. Cady…”

“Pete, if I don’t make it…”

“Nonsense. Don’t say such things. You’re going to be fine. John will be there soon to ensure it. Everything is going to be fine.”

“Pete…”

“I’m writing you a new song. I think you’ll like it. When you come home, you can help me with the lyrics.”

They spoke until her phone died, Pete trying to distract her from the horror of the city outside the window. Once her phone died, she curled up in an armchair, staring down the dirty street, her legs pulled to her chest. Tears dripped down her face as fear enveloped her in the dark and silent apartment.

The TV blared on a few hours after suddenly going out. Cady slowly pulled away from the window and mechanically went to the sofa. However, before sitting she headed into the bedroom and opened the closet. Her fingers instantly pulled one of John’s shirts out. Pulling the button-down over her nude body, she grabbed one of Pete’s sweaters and pulled that over her as well. Returning to the sofa, she curled up around a pillow, her blue eyes blankly watching the TV screen.

This was exactly how she was when a key jiggled in the lock on the door after ten in the evening. Stepping into the top floor apartment, John quickly dropped his bag and removed his dirty jacket, leaving it on the floor next to the bag. He closed the door and glanced around, trying to figure out where Cady was. Seeing her curled up on the couch, John quickly stepped forward, blocked her view of the TV, and squatted. Her vacant eyes slowly focused on him.

“John,” she muttered as she sat up.

“Cady,” he breathed, reaching for her.

“Oh god, John, I thought…”

“Shhh,” his arms folded around her. “I’m here now.”

“John…”

“Have you eaten today, love?”

“…no…”

“Let’s eat something and then I’m going to take a shower. No, wait. I’m going to take a shower first. I’m covered with filth,” John declared.

“Can I… can I…”

“Of course, love,” he released her, stood, and helped her up. “I don’t want to lose sight of you either.”

Holding her hand, John led Cady to the bathroom. She leaned against the granite countertop as he pulled open the large glass shower door and turned on the water. Turning once more to face her, John cupped her face, turning it towards his to kiss her lips softly. He shed his dirty clothes before helping Cady remove hers. Hands clutched again, he stepped into the large shower enclosure, pulling her in. They washed each other tenderly, Cady stepping into his embrace once completed. John held her for a long moment before reaching behind her to turn off the water. Kissing her wet forehead, he guided her from the shower and toweled her off. After she returned the favor to him, they left the bedroom, dressed before John gathered his clothing, and shoved it into a rubbish bag.

Silently the two headed to the kitchen. Mechanically Cady removed items from the fridge, handing them to John, until her eyes caught a glimpse of the windows. Though night had long fallen on the city and dust caked her windows, she could still easily see glow from the fires that still burned, interspersed with large white lights from the rescuers. Slightly more than a mile away from the site, she still felt shaken. Her sense of security was certainly gone, even with John there with her.

Noticing where her eyes focused, he stepped around her and pulled the curtains closed. John paused to turn on the stereo and returned to her side, helping her prepare a light meal for the two of them. They ate quickly, John trying to keep her spirits up by telling her silly stories about his visit to California. Though she smiled, he could tell she was still greatly haunted by the day’s events. He quickly cleared the table, rinsed the dishes, and shoved them into the dishwasher before pouring two more glasses of wine and asking her to join him in the living room.

Seated on the couch, curled around each other, the pair did not speak. They sipped wine and bathed silently in each other’s presence. Every now and then, John would kiss Cady or his arms would tighten briefly about her. It was exactly what she needed in that moment; he understood without an utterance at all.

“Why… why were you in California?” Cady softly asked.

John smiled and sat up, taking her wine glass from her, “I’m glad you asked. Wait here.”

She watched as he deposited their glasses in the kitchen before returning to his dirty abandoned bag by the door. Squatting, he carefully opened it and reached in. With a small box in hand, he returned to her side. Rather than return to sitting on the couch beside her, John sat on the coffee table and held the box up to her. Her eyes went from the box to his, asking what she did not mutter. He smiled and nodded once, holding it a bit closer. Slowly Cady reached up and accepted the box. She opened it and gasped, her fingers reaching inside. Glancing to him for confirmation that she was allowed to touch it, Cady lifted the silver-toned cuff bracelet from the box. Rather than a large silver plate with etchings and embellishments, the fill of the cuff was a delicate spider web-like pattern. Where the webs crossed, a small diamond or smoky sapphire glimmered. Mouth falling open in surprise, Cady looked to his eyes.

Not saying anything, John lowered the box and removed the bracelet. He reached for her hand and kissed each knuckle before slipping the bracelet about her wrist. His lips touched her palm before he released her hand. Cady held up her hand, twisting it slightly to see the details glitter in the light.

“John…”

“I know… I know. You’re going to tell me that I shouldn’t go around spending my money on you,” he smiled crookedly. “But… I wanted to give you something special, something just for you. It should have been completed last year… to mark our thirty years together. But every single sketch they sent me, I didn’t like. Then it took awhile finding the right stones… They called me a day, a day, after your birthday to tell me it was ready. Anyways, this is just to show you how much I care for you. I would… I would…”

“It’s beautiful,” Cady commented before shifting forward on the couch to kiss him. “Thank you.”

John smiled before she kissed him again, “I love you, Cady.”

“I love you too, John,” she muttered against his mouth. “Thank you for… coming for me… for this beautiful gift… for loving me… Thank you, John.”

“Come, my love. It is late. Let us go to bed,” he slowly stood, his hands helping her to her feet.

Cady kissed him again softly and followed him from the living room, pausing with him to turn off the stereo and then the lights. Guided to the bedroom, she paused in the doorway, forcing John to stop. He turned, confusion shining in his blue eyes. Quickly kissing him, she asked him to fetch the bottle of wine they left open in the kitchen. He quickly smiled, nodded, and hurried back to the kitchen. Without John present, Cady changed from her shirt and jeans into slinky satin nightgown.

As she was pulling back the blankets on the bed, John returned and whistled, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known.”

He set down the bottle of wine, slipped up behind her, and pulled her into his arms. His lips touched her neck as her arms folded over his. He muttered how much he loved her, always had. Turning in his arms, Cady kissed his mouth gently at first. Their kiss deepened briefly before becoming sweet once more.

Her glittering eyes went to his, “John…”

“I’m always going to be here for you, baby. Always…”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Her eyes dropped to the bracelet about her wrist. Releasing Pete’s hand, Cady covered the sparkling bangle, pressing hard. She could feel the spider web marking both her wrist and her hand. A part of her wished she could push it hard enough to bleed. However, Pete noticed her actions and gently lifted her hand from her wrist. He quickly kissed her knuckles before slipping his arm around her shoulders. Without any shame at all, she buried her face on his shoulder and cried through the rest of the service.

“Why, Pete? Why?” she muttered softly.

“I don’t know, love,” he responded, squeezing her a bit tighter. “I don’t know.”

If she had the choice, she likely would not have joined Queenie and Chris in the lawyer’s office that afternoon. It was enough to her that she and Pete had an urn of John’s ashes to scatter where they wished. However, John’s lawyer rang Pete and told them when to be at his office for the reading of John’s will. The couple arrived discreetly and slipped in a back door, not that they expected there to be press outside; it was really more of a habit than anything.

Shifting uncomfortably in the seat next to Pete when John’s last girlfriend entered the room, apparently believing she belonged there as well, Cady fiddled with the hem of the button-down white shirt she wore. Queenie, who sat on her left while Pete was on her right, reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly before sending a glare in Lisa’s direction.

The man in a three-piece suit cleared his throat, “Well now that everyone is here, shall we get started?”

Paying little attention to the boring aspect of the will, Cady played with her hem until Pete reached over and pulled her hand away. Little surprise registered on her face as John’s estate was split evenly between Queenie and Chris. She struggled to not snicker when the lawyer read the clause purposefully denying any provisions to Lisa. Believing that to be the end of the will, Cady reached for her purse as the former girlfriend rushed out of the office in tears.

“To my best friend, Cadence Emerson Kersey Townshend, I leave my 1967 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, my Boris bass, my collection of Boris necklaces, and the contents of my safety deposit box. To my other best friend, Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend, I leave my first bass.”

The lawyer handed Cady an envelope with the bank’s address scrawled on it in John’s hand. Her fingers gently ran over the envelope, feeling the shape of the key. Her eyes flicked to Pete and he shrugged. They remained through the rest of the reading, embracing John’s kin and promising to visit soon. Once out in the car again, Pete asked if she wanted to go to the safety deposit box then or later. Struggling with the decision for a moment, she asked to be taken to the bank, but to go in alone.

They arrived at the bank and Cady hurried in alone. Ripping open the envelope, she shook the key out and smirked at the number imprinted on it. Waiting in line to speak with a teller, Cady glanced around. Though she had no reason to think so, she believed he had been there not long before, perhaps before leaving for the tour. It made her feel sad and yet closer to him in the same moment. Finally stepping up to the counter, she produced the key, handing it to the young woman.

The girl’s eyes brightened briefly before she frowned, “I am sorry for your loss, ma’am.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come with me,” she stated, closing her line and heading to the end of the counter.

Following the younger woman into the room with safety deposit boxes, Cady asked softly, “Did you know John?”

“I did. I was the only one he entrusted with his safety deposit box… for the last twenty years,” she responded, leading Cady over to the correct one.

Cady watched as she pulled the box out, carrying it to a small room with a table, “Do you… do you know what’s in it?”

“No. He was very pleasant but almost ridiculously business-like. Only… on his last visit did he give me any indication about its contents,” she declared, setting the box on the table.

“What did he… what did he say?”

Her kind brown eyes went to Cady, “That he loved you very much.”

Cady quickly bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

“Take as much time as you need,” the teller declared, touched Cady’s shoulder gently, and left the room. “Ring the buzzer when you are through.”

Glancing at the now closed door, she pulled the chair out and sat before reaching for the large box. Inserting the key, she turned it slowly and pushed the hinged top up. Her eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth. Neatly stacked in rows were dozens of folded papers, which she presumed were letters. Partitioned from them was a stack of photographs, some of them just of her, many of them of the two of them together. A few reels of film, a couple of video cassettes, and an envelope of negatives were also tucked into the box. Her fingers traced over everything but did not lift any of the contents out. She did not think she was at all ready to read whatever John felt necessary to write to her.

Just before closing the lid, her eyes noticed a small black velvet box underneath the reels of film. Pushing the lid back open, she reached for the small box, biting her bottom lip once more. Cracking it open, tears instantly ran down her cheeks. She recognized the diamond ring, instantly recalled seeing it in a shop in America while out shopping with John. Though she wanted nothing more than to try it on, seeing it made her heart ache even more. She only hoped one of the dozens of letters held an explanation behind the ring. Once she found that, she would try it on, not a moment sooner. Closing the ring box, she returned it to the metal box, closed the lid, and locked the box. She stood from the chair, the wooden legs scraping on the floor, and pressed the button near the door.

The teller opened the door a moment later, “All done?”

“I… I will return at a later time. I cannot…”

“I understand, ma’am,” she responded and picked up the box.

Cady watched as the box was slid back into place before turning to head out of the secure area with the teller. Neither woman spoke, though Cady wished to ask how John had looked when he was last there, what he wore, what he smelled like. Oh how she missed him.

Stopping outside the entrance to the secure area, the teller quickly embraced Cady and whispered, “He loved you. He will always be with you. Always.”

Too Late the Hero, Part I

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:44:59 +0100

Title: Too Late the Hero
Characters: John Entwistle, Cady Townshend, Pete Townshend, Audrey, Alec, and Zooey, Queenie, Chris
Word Count: 9,596
Rating: R [language, violence, alcohol, innuendo]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Losing the Ox is a hard thing to face...

June 2002
Picking up the phone again, Cady once more dialed the hotel’s number. Connected with the hotel switchboard, she sighed and asked to be connected to his room once more. Each ring that he did not answer punctuated the very fact she should have been on tour with the band once more. She should not have fought with him. She hated fighting with him. If only he would answer the phone, she could apologize and they could work at getting back to good. She would even fly to wherever the band was, be on the first flight she could. She just needed to hear his voice again.

When the call once more hit his voicemail box, she sighed and canceled it, bouncing back to the switchboard. It was not like him to not answer calls. She knew he was back at the hotel, had confirmed that with the front desk with the second callback. He always answered the phone. And it was certainly time for him to be up. As it was nearly suppertime in London, it had to be breakfast time in Las Vegas. Why wasn’t he answering?

“Front Desk. How may I help you?”

“Yes, hello. I’ve been trying to reach John Entwistle for the past … four hours. He hasn’t been answering his phone and I’m worried,” Cady explained. “Could you send someone up to his room to make certain he’s okay?”

There was a long pause, “I’m sorry, ma’am. Let me transfer you to my manager.”

“All right,” Cady responded, catching a weird vibe but thinking nothing of it.

Once on the phone with the manager, Cady once more explained the situation. Again, she was met with a long, heavy pause. When he sighed, her heart sank. She absolutely knew the next words the manager spoke would confirm her greatest fear.

The whole world went instantly black. She managed to mutter a thank you before hanging up the phone. Instantly she crumbled to the floor, holding her legs tightly to her chest. Her entire body went cold and began to tremble with sobs held inside. She could hardly breathe, could not think, and certainly did not hear the phone ringing. Complete darkness consumed her. She could not… she could not…

“Mum? Mum?” Audrey called as she stepped into the Townshend house.

She checked each of the ground floor rooms, even Pete’s studio, but found each room empty. Hurrying up the stairs, she began to feel the worry she heard in her father’s voice. However, neither had any indication that Cady knew, the lack of answering the phone as well as no sunny greeting troubled the eldest daughter. Glancing through open doors, she neared the master suite, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. Biting her bottom lip, she tried to remain strong upon finding her mother crumpled upon the floor.

Slowly approaching her, Audrey knelt, “Mum?”

Cady slowly turned her head, though did not even bother to push up from the plush carpet. Her swollen, red eyes went to her daughter but her lips did not move in speech. Large tears spilled out of her eyes, running in rivulets over her cheeks. Audrey reached for her, slowly easing Cady up and into her arms.

“Dad is… Dad is on his way home, Mum,” she stated softly. “Alec and Zooey are too.”

“T-tell m-me its-s n-not t-true,” she muttered.

“Oh Mum,” she tightened her embrace of the older woman, “I wish that I could. I really, really do. But… he is really gone.”

Crying in her daughter’s arms for a few moments, she struggled to find her voice again, “T-take m-me t-to Qu-Queenie?”

“Of course, Mum. Whatever you need,” she declared, helping her mother to her feet.

The two women arrived at the Entwistle estate within the hour. Cady did not speak on the drive, merely sobbed softly. Before the car came to a complete halt in the driveway, John’s mother rushed out. Enveloped in the older woman’s arms, Cady was led inside, her daughter following quickly behind. Of the three women, Cady seemed by far the most devastated, unable to complete full sentences or thoughts. Without saying much, Queenie retreated from the room, returning a moment later and pressing two pills in Cady’s hand. Without even pause, Cady downed the pills, swallowed with a cup of tea.

“Why don’t you go lie down, Cady?” the matriarch suggested.

Nodding, she slowly got to her feet, wavering slightly. Audrey jumped up to help her mother, but was waved off. While she could have gone to one of the guest rooms, and that might have even been the prudent choice, Cady ascended the staircase, passing suits of armor and skeletons, and headed directly to John’s bedroom.

Opening the door, she nearly crumbled to the floor once more. Everything about the room spoke of the man she loved so much. She could see his hands on everything, could feel his very essence in the room. Taking two steps in, she closed the door and locked it, not that she expected anyone would bother her. She wandered about the room, touching items lightly, making her way to his closet. Pulling the door open, she ignored the feminine clothes in the back of the closet, knowing well that they too held such dark feelings to her as they had to John. Her fingers closed over one of his shirts, yanking it off the hanger. Pressing the soft fabric to her face, Cady inhaled John’s scent deeply. With little care, she stripped off her clothes and pulled his shirt on. Stepping over her discarded jeans, she headed towards his bed and crawled in.

Clutching his pillow to her, Cady once more began to cry in earnest. She silently cursed herself for the last words spoken to him being in anger. Her fingers balled up, grasping the blanket upon which she lay. Slowly the pills began to work their magic, numbing her mind and body. Drugged oblivion embraced her.

Stepping into John’s house, Pete took a deep breath. Even though he expected to find John’s family grieving, feeling his own grief in that house nearly brought him to his knees. Audrey, Alec, and Zooey quickly surrounded him, embracing their father. He kissed each of them, letting them lead him fully into the house. After a round of greeting John’s family and other friends, he noted poignantly that his wife was not amongst those gathered.

“Alec,” he pulled his son aside, “where is your mother?”

“Um…”

Pete sighed, “Where is Cady?”

“She’s upstairs, Dad,” he stated.

Sighing, he nodded. With a quick glance around the room, he noticed John’s latest girlfriend was present. She glanced at Pete, the grief in her eyes briefly shifting into jealousy and anger. Not entirely certain what that was about, he focused on the stairs and headed up. He glanced in a couple of rooms before his gaze landed on John’s bedroom door. Ignoring the rest of the rooms, Pete headed directly to that door. Finding it locked, he knew without a doubt it kept the world away from Cady. While he would have liked to kick the door in, Pete headed in search of a screwdriver.

Though Chris had questioned his need for the tool, Pete shrugged him off, asking that everyone stay downstairs. Alec followed his father upstairs regardless, holding another screwdriver. The two of them quickly picked the lock. Wishing his father luck, Alec headed back downstairs with the tools. Taking a deep breath, Pete slipped into the room. He stopped a few steps in, his blue eyes focused on his wife’s back as she curled around a pillow on the bed. Her pain was so palpable it nearly brought him to his knees. Closing his eyes, Pete asked John for the strength to help the woman they both loved.

“Cady?” he muttered softly.

Though she heard her name, she did not recognize his voice, did not process his presence. The drugs had long worn off, but she still felt just as numb. John was gone, gone forever. And she wanted nothing more than to join him right then.

“Cady, love?” Pete slowly approached the bed.

When she still did not react, he climbed on behind her, his arms slipping around her. The moment he touched her, Cady once more awakened. She inhaled quickly, her hands covering Pete’s and squeezing tightly. Her body began to tremble with sobs, her breaths becoming ragged. His lips kissed her ear softly.

“Cady…” he breathed.

“P-Pete,” she uttered.

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

“He p-promised he w-would n-never leave, P-Pete,” she stuttered.

“I know, baby.”

“Why, P-Pete? Why?”

He sighed, “God, baby, I wish I knew. I should’ve… I should’ve…”

“P-Pete…”

His arms tightened around her again, his lips touching her ear once more. They lay in John’s bed, holding each other and crying for longer than likely was acceptable. Neither cared, they needed it more than whatever people thought. They did not speak at all, letting their exchanged breaths and sobs speak what they could not. While he felt intense grief himself, losing his best friend far sooner than he should have, the pain Cady felt seemed greater. He did not quite understand it, but Pete did not push it. Now was not the time, at all.

Holding his wife’s hand, Pete slowly left John’s room. She resisted for a moment, before swallowing and taking a step out of the room. While she had pulled her own jeans back on, Cady adamantly refused to take off John’s shirt and Pete had not fought it at all. They nearly made it down the open staircase without being noticed, at least openly. However, John’s last girlfriend spied the couple and jumped to her feet. Before Queenie could intersect her, the woman stomped up to the Townshends.

Pete instantly positioned himself between Cady and the American girl, “Lisa, we all–”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” she spat at Cady. “He was my lover, not yours. You have no ri–”

“Lisa!” Queenie barked. “Leave her alone.”

“But–”

“Leave her alone,” she declared darkly. “You know bloody well Cady was the most important woman in John’s life. You have absolutely no right to address her like that. You know just as well as I do that my son told you to be gone before he returned. It is only out of courtesy I allow you to remain now. After the funeral, you will be gone from this property. Just as John wished.”

The woman stared at John’s mother for a long minute before breaking into tears and running from the room. Slowly John’s friends and family stopped focusing on Cady, turning back to their previous conversations. Queenie quickly took Cady’s hand, leading her into a quiet side room, Pete trailing behind. The older woman embraced Cady briefly, kissing her forehead.

“I meant what I said. You are the most important woman in his life,” she claimed.

“After you, of course,” Cady corrected.

Queenie shook her head, “No. He always defected to your opinion. Always.”

Cady’s blue eyes dropped to the rug the three of them stood on, “The last words we shared… were in anger…”

John’s mother kissed her forehead again, “He loved you dearly, Cady. You know he did. I am certain he forgot all about the argument before the plane touched down in the States.”

“It’s true,” Pete spoke up, drawing both women’s attention to his presence. “Before he went to his room, he told me how much he missed you and wished you were with us, that he was going to call you straight away and fix everything so you could be with us like you belonged.”

Her eyes glimmered with tears again, “He did?”

He nodded, “He did, love.”

“Was he… was he alone when he…”

Pete reached up and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks once again, “Love…”

Reading the answer in his eyes, her face once more filled with pain and she fell into his arms, “I should have been there, P-Pete. Then he… he…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Cady. Please don’t blame yourself,” he responded softly, holding her tightly.

“P-Pete…”

“I know, baby. I know,” he kissed her forehead.

Seated between Pete and Queenie, Cady bit her bottom lip as John was eulogized. Her eyes were glazed over, her face completely impassive. She did not hear a word spoken, struggling to not stare at the images of him flashing on the screen. Slowly her thoughts drifted away from the funeral, sinking into memories of his blue eyes.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

September 1967 – Hawaii
Sitting in the grass, Cady leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky. She smiled as a butterfly fluttered over her. It wiggled down and landed on her nose, causing her blue eyes to cross. She giggled as it flapped its wings twice before launching back into the blue sky. It had been quite awhile since she actually was able to sit in the sunshine and enjoy it. She did not have any pressing band worries or paintings begging to start. Pete was busy in the studio, laying down demos for something he was calling a rock opera. Life was calm and serene for the moment. And oh how she loved the sun.

Hearing the click of a camera, Cady sat up straighter, eyes opening and looking for the source. Spying John, she grinned brightly, flushing slightly when he snapped another picture before heading over to her. Plopping down on the bright green grass next to her, the bassist leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“How are you, beautiful?”

She smiled, “Excellent now that you’re here.”

He lifted the camera up again and snapped another photograph, “Is that so?”

She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear, “I’m always excellent when you’re around.”

“Well than I’m glad I found you.”

“Me too,” Cady smiled again. “What are you up to?”

“Just visiting my best friend.”

“Oh. Well Pete’s writing back at the hotel.”

“I know. I meant you, love,” he responded, returning the lens cover to the camera.

She flushed again, “Well now that you’ve found me…”

“Well we could just sit here for awhile… or we could walk through the park,” he suggested. “Hawaii is beautiful and even better with pleasant company.”

“I’d like that.”

With a grin, John got back to his feet, slung the camera over his shoulder, and offered his hands to her. Pulled up, Cady hopped slightly, her nose bumping into his chin. John quickly steadied her and kissed her nose. Hands clasped the two turned and made their way to the gravel path. They walked mostly silent for about an hour. Weaving into a flowering garden, John guided her to a bench.

Seated on the marble seat, he pulled up his camera again and snapped pictures of the tropical flowers. Completely at ease with him, Cady did not notice he turned the lens towards her again a couple of times. Turning her gaze towards his just as he snapped another photograph, she shook her head and motioned to camera. He screwed the cap back on and lowered it.

“How’s… Alison?” she asked softly.

John shrugged, “I don’t know. Haven’t spoken to her all week.”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Cade, you know that talking to her is what bothers me.”

“Then why are you still married?”

He smirked, “You know the answer to that too.”

“Do you really have to be in England to start divorce proceedings?”

“Would you really leave that in someone else’s hands?”

“I would stay behind in London to do it for you,” Cady responded.

He half smiled, “Now that would never do.”

“Why not?”

He reached up and tucked a flower behind her ear, “I would miss you too much.”

She flushed slightly, “We would still talk on the phone all the time. And then you’d be free when you came back…”

“But would you?” John asked, leaning in so that he was a breath away from kissing her.

Cady closed her eyes, but said nothing. His lips brushed across hers briefly, before he leaned back. His hand dropped to clasp hers. Dropping their clasped hands down to his lap, he spread her fingers out on his thigh, gently tracing her handprint invisibly on his leg. Her fingers tightened gently, squeezing his thigh.

“John…”

“I know, Cade,” he breathed, leaning over to kiss her ear. “Some day. When it’s right, it will happen.”

April 1968 – New York
Sitting on the couch in her flat, Cady flipped through a magazine. Pete was out with Kit, discussing how the band’s shows would be adjusted because of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. the day before. As the band manager was not allowed in her apartment, the meeting was scheduled across town in the second hotel the band checked into since arriving the day before. Cady casually wondered if Keith would manage to get them ejected once more.

As she flipped to another spread of photographs of wedding things, a knock sounded at the door. Tossing the magazine on the coffee table, Cady got to her feet and opened it without glancing through the peephole. Her eyes met John’s, a smile lit her face, and her arms quickly circled his neck. He grinned and embraced her, stepping into the apartment, practically carrying her. Kicking the door closed, John set her down, their sparkling blue eyes locking. With no one around, he quickly kissed her and twirled her around until she giggled.

“Where’s Pete?” he asked as her toes touched the floor again.

“With Kit, trying to figure out what to do about the shows. I, of course, have been forbidden to leave the building alone, not that I see much rioting out the windows,” she answered.

“Pete was right. It’s not safe out there right now,” John declared.

She sighed, pulling out of his embrace, “Well it doesn’t matter because I have nowhere to go anyways.”

“Then it’s rather good that I have nowhere else I would rather be either,” he commented, following her to the couch. “Or more precisely, nowhere to go either.”

“Did you get kicked out again?”

John smirked, “He blew a door off its hinges.”

Cady rolled her eyes, “Thank god that’s not something I have to worry about when we’re in New York. But if he gets us thrown out of a single hotel on the rest of the tour…”

“He won’t, love,” he stated with a wry smile, glancing at the coffee table. “Working on wedding plans again?”

“No,” she replied.

“Then why the magazines and catalogues?” he asked, reaching for the one she tossed aside with his arrival, idly flipping through it.

“Pete.”

With the magazine open to an article about wedding dresses, his eyes went to her, “Huh. I never thought of Pete as the cross-dressing type.”

“Ha. He’s not.”

“Then…?”

She snatched the magazine from his hands, “He seems to think that while he works on this rock opera on the road, I need something to do as well. But I thought he knew me better than that.”

“What do you mean, love?”

“All those magazines inspire me to do is to cut them into pieces and create some collage showing how silly it all is,” she declared.

John chuckled, “So I suppose it will be a small wedding?”

“Yeah, I suppose. I’m far more focused on his birthday.”

“How is that going?” he grabbed the magazine back.

“Okay, I guess,” Cady responded.

His eyes left the page full of china patterns, focusing on her face. Seeing that the instant happiness upon seeing him had faded from her eyes, John tossed the magazine back onto the table with the others. He shifted over on the couch slightly until their legs touched. Picking her hand up, he placed their clasped hands on his leg, his other hand reaching over idly to spin her engagement ring around her finger.

“What’s wrong, Cade?” he asked softly.

“I… I don’t…”

John stopped playing with her ring, “What’s wrong, Cady?”

“What if this isn’t right?”

“What, love?”

“Getting married.”

His eyes instantly dropped to the ring, “Do you love Pete?”

“He has treated me better than anyone ever had before. He caters to every whim and desire I voice. He treats me like a goddess…”

“Because you are,” he stated. “But you didn’t answer the question.”

She sighed, “I thought so. He seems to think that get married would be good for us. I don’t… I don’t understand it. I just…”

“Love, you’re just getting cold feet. It happens to us all. Trust me. Pete loves you very much. There is no one else in this world I would entrust with you. It’s okay to be afraid. This is a very big step in your life,” John stated, his eyes going to hers. “But don’t marry Pete… merely because he wants you to.”

“But…”

“Don’t marry Pete because people expect you to. Marry him because you love him, because you want to. That is the only reason you should marry him, Cade. Don’t marry Pete to meet some made up obligation in your head.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sighing, Cady glanced away from John’s image and to her husband. Pete’s teary eyes moved away from the speaker a moment later, catching her gaze. His lips twitched in a tense smile and he squeezed her hand tightly, patting their clutched hands with his other one. Closing her large blue eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks. Pulling his hand free, Pete looped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. Cady reached across his body for his other hand, holding it as tightly as she had his other hand. Closing her eyes, she focused briefly on the words spoken about John, before once more drifting off into her own memories of the man.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

December 1982 – London
Standing in the doorway, John sighed. With the curtains closed, it had taken him a moment to adjust to the darkness, but now he could clearly see the outline of Cady’s curves as she lay upon her side, clutching a pillow. He stepped fully into the room and closed the door. Slowly shuffling over to the bed, he knelt on the thick carpet, bringing him eye level with the melancholy woman. His fingers gently reached up and touched her cheek. She gasped in surprise, her eyes flying open.

“Shhh, love, it’s just me,” he stated softly.

“J-John,” she croaked hoarsely.

“Shhhh. No more crying, Cade,” his thumb wiped away her quick tear. “I’m here now.”

“J-John,” she repeated.

Without hesitation, he leaned forward and kissed her mouth gently. The moment his lips touched her mouth, she began to sob once more. She gasped in pain, her hand shooting down to press against her abdomen. John quickly pulled away and clicked on the bedside lamp. Seeing the bottles of pills and half glass of water, he snatched them up and squinted at the labels, trying to find whichever one was supposed to dull her pain. Shaking a few pills out of the bottle, he turned and guided her into sitting up, helping her swallow the pills. Setting the glass back on the table, he glanced at her and briefly considered his options.

Turning the light off, John eased himself onto the bed, slipping behind Cady and gathering her in his arms. He kissed her ear and began to whisper anything positive he could think of, though he did not think she would actually hear his words. Though it took a few moments, she relaxed, her fingers no longer clutching tightly around his wrists. Slowly her hand guided his to press against her abdomen. She did not need to speak for him to understand what she meant.

“The b-baby…”

“Shhhh,” he whispered, kissing her ear. “Everything is going to be okay, Cade. I’m here now.”

“She… she… I…”

“Shhhh,” John repeated. “I’m here now. Relax. I’m not going to let anything happen to you now. You’re safe.”

“P-Pete?”

“I don’t know where he is, love. But I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he can,” he declared. “Who brought you home from the hospital?”

“P-Pete.”

“And then where did he go?

“I d-don’t know.”

He kissed her again, “Well I’m here now. So don’t you worry about a thing.”

“J-John… sh-she… h-here…”

His body tensed, “Cade? What do you mean?”

“In the b-bathroom. I f-found h-her in the b-bathroom.”

“Fuck,” he muttered and quickly rolled away. “We’re leaving. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Wh-where?” she asked, but did not move.

He turned on the overhead light before opening her closet and pulling out her suitcase, “My house. You’ll stay with me at my house.”

Watching him shove clothing into the suitcase, Cady softly asked, “J-John? Aren’t all her th-things there?”

He froze, his eyes going to her. Drop the shirt in his hand, he snatched up the nearby phone and quickly dialed his house number. Glancing at Cady, he smiled reassuringly while waiting for someone to answer the phone.

“Hey, Mum,” he smiled a bit more. “I’m bringing Cady home with me. I don’t think she should stay here and certainly not alone. I’m a bit concerned about… her things…”

Queenie evenly responded, “I have already boxed up her things in the rest of the house, son. By the time you return here with Cady, I will have removed her things from your bedroom as well.”

“Thanks, Mum. You’re the best. We’ll be there soon,” John stated before hanging up.

He returned to packing up Cady’s things. Disappearing into the bathroom, he filled a smaller bag with toiletries before returning for her medications. Pausing he leaned over and kissed her gently and told her he would take the bags down to the car before coming back for her. After closing the trunk, he hurried back into the house, skipping up the steps to reach her. Pausing in the doorway, he sighed, noticing she cried once more. As he approached the bed, she slowly sat up. Without pause, he sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. His lips touched her temple lovingly.

“Shhh, my sweet, sweet girl,” John breathed. “Everything is going to be all right. I’m going to take care of you, Cade. I promise.”

“J-John…”

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

Once her crying ceased, his arms tightened around her, lifting her from the bed. His left arm eased under her legs and he headed from the bedroom, pausing to turn out the light. After seeing that Cady was sitting comfortably in his green Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, John returned to the house to find her house keys and locked up. With little pause, he rushed to his house, speeding more than he should have but as they arrived safely he thought not of it. His mother met them at the car, taking Cady’s things from the trunk while he slowly guided her from the car and into his large house. While she walked slowly and a bit woodenly into the mansion, John could not bear her attempting to climb the stairs to the bedrooms. Once more sweeping her into his arms, he passed guitars, suits of armor, and an occasional skeleton as he hurried up the stairs.

With Cady settled in his bed, as he did not want her anywhere else in the house, John returned to the main level to speak with his mother. He confirmed that all the arrangements had been made for Marlene, save for a funeral, as Queenie had been uncertain if he or Cady would be up to it. Deciding that he would discuss it with her before deciding, he thanked his mother once more, turning to head back upstairs.

“Where are the children, John?”

He stopped midstride and turned on one foot, “I don’t know. They weren’t at the house. But neither was Pete.”

Queenie sighed, “I’ll call Betty and see if she knows the location of either. I’ll come and let you know what I find out.”

Tag Team

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 02:10:53 +0100

Title: Tag Team
Characters: The Townshends and The Entwistles
Word Count: 4,605
Rating: R [nudity, alcohol, language, angst]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Father's Day, 1980. The Who are on tour and Pete is very lost. Cady flies to California to surprise him and John for Father's Day. Things don't go as planned at all. Contains spoilers.

June 15th, 1980

With her five-month-old daughter on her hip, Cady trailed behind her two older children and Chris as the three tried to pick out gifts for their fathers. Their very presence in California was a bit of a surprise, as she had not previously told anyone in the band that she and the children would be joining them on tour. School was out for the summer, so she gathered up all four children and booked a flight and a hotel suite in Los Angeles. In her mind that was enough of a gift for the two men, but the children wanted to surprise their fathers with wrapped gifts, so Cady followed the eight-, nine-, and eleven-year old children in and out of stores in Hollywood.

“Mum?” Audrey stopped, her fingers on silk shirt.

“Yeah?” her blue eyes looked to her daughter.

“Do you think we can go to the beach?”

Cady smiled, “Absolutely. We will be here for about a week, so I do not see any reason we should not spend time at the beach. Did you pack a suit?”

The eleven-year-old girl instantly frowned, “No.”

She turned to the boys, “Did you guys bring your swim trunks?”

“No,” they replied in unison.

“Hmmm. Well once we find presents for your dads, we better get new swimwear too. What do you guys think about that?”

“We get one for Zooey too?” Audrey asked.

“Absolutely.”

The children found gifts within the hour. Audrey even picked out an additional one to be from Zooey. They headed to a trendy children’s boutique in Hollywood for the children to find swimwear. The boys chose matching trunks before spending the rest of the time in the store chasing each other in and out of clothing racks. It took twice as long for Audrey to find something suitable for herself before insisting she help choose one for her little sister.

“Good?” Cady asked, taking the pile of swimwear to the cash register.

“What are you going to wear, Mum?” Audrey asked.

“I packed my suit,” she winked. “Go find your brother and Chris for me?”

“Okay!”

Returning to the hotel suite, Cady left the children to their own devices. Audrey chose to work on wrapping the gifts while the boys sat down in their room in front of the TV, flipping through channels. Retreating to the living room, Cady sat down to nurse the baby. Once Zooey happily latched on, her little fingers gently kneading Cady’s breast, Cady picked up the phone. Without pause, she dialed the band’s hotel and waited for it to ring through to Pete’s room. It continued to ring without answer, making Cady frown. Once it was bounced back to the front desk, she asked to be routed through to John’s room.

“Hello?”

“Hello there, handsome,” she smiled. “Are you enjoying the California sun?”

“Oh you know…”

“You miss dreary old England.”

“Something like that. What’s up, beautiful?”

Cady smiled again, “Well… I do miss you… and…”

“And what, love?”

Her smile disappeared, “Pete didn’t answer.”

John remained silent.

“John, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. Pete’s in… touring form.”

“How much is he drinking now?” she frowned.

“Don’t worry about it, Cade. I can take care of Pete.”

She sighed, “John, you’re not all that sober yourself. I know that.”

“I promise to take care of Pete. And myself. We’ve got beautiful children to watch grow up,” he declared.

Cady smiled, her free fingers reaching down to caress the top of Zooey’s head, “We do.”

“Are you holding Zooey right now?”

“Yes,” she responded, gazing lovingly down at the baby. “She’s nursing right now.”

“Is she crinkling her nose like she does when she’s happy?”

Cady chuckled softly, “That she is.”

“Adorable. Just like her mother.”

“I think she looks at lot like her father.”

John remained silent for a moment, “I’m really glad you called, Cady. I needed to hear your sweet voice today. How’s Chris?”

“Well…”

“Is he okay? Did Alison–”

“Alison is just fine, I guess. Chris is with me, as always. Would you like to talk to him?”

“Absolutely.”

“Hold on. Let me get him.”

Slowly shifting the baby off her breast, Cady got to her feet and went to the door of the boys’ bedroom. She called Chris over, telling him his father was on the line. The young boy happily jumped up and hurried over as Cady covered herself. He plopped down in the seat she had just vacated and quickly began to chat with his father.

“Mommy?” Alec’s large blue eyes went to hers as she laid the baby on her shoulder.

“Yes, sweetie?” she rubbed Zooey’s back, trying to get her to burp.

“I want to talk to Dad.”

She approached her son and hugged him as well as she could with a baby on her shoulder, “I’ll try him again later. He was probably out at an interview. We’ll talk to him soon.”

“You think so?”

She kissed his forehead, “I do. And remember, tomorrow morning we’re going to surprise him with a Father’s Day brunch.”

“Mum?” he asked softly. “How come Dad doesn’t love us anymore?”

“Audrey? Can you take your sister?”

The older girl quickly accepted the baby from her mother, hushed her softly, and sat on the couch. Cady instantly pulled her son into her arms. Her lips touched his forehead and she held him tightly as he began to cry.

“Shhhh, my love, there’s no need to cry. Your Dad loves you very much. He loves us all very much. He’s just… a little lost right now,” she stated softly. “That doesn’t mean for a moment he doesn’t love us.”

“But, Mum, he wasn’t even around when Zooey was born!” Alec pointed out.

Cady squeezed him a bit tighter, “Alec, your dad loves us. He does.”

“Cady?” Chris’s voice interrupted. “Dad wants to talk to you again.”

“Tell him I’ll call him back. And tell him to find out where Pete is,” she commented softly over her shoulder.

“Okay.”

“Alec,” she pulled back and looked into his eyes, “do you know how much I love you?”

He bit his bottom lip and nodded.

“And your father loves you just as much, Alec. He does.”

“Mum…”

“I love you, Alec. I love you.”

With all of the children sleeping, the older children in their own rooms and the baby curled up on the king bed in master bedroom, Cady sat back down next to the phone and dialed the band’s hotel again. A part of her wanted to talk to Pete, a big part of her, but instead she rang up John. It rang three times before he answered.

“Hullo?”

“John?”

“Cade… is everything okay?”

She instantly broke into tears, “…n-no.”

He sighed, “Did you talk to Pete?”

“I h-haven’t t-tried yet.”

“Cade… what happened?”

“Alec th-thinks… Alec th-thinks Pete doesn’t love him. I d-don’t…”

“Cade, hold on for a moment.”

Agreeing, she tried to get her sobs under control. Her empty hand reached over and caressed her sleeping baby’s face, trying to find solace in the child. She heard quiet words on the other line and quickly ascertained that John was directing someone out of his room. Even though she was friends once more with Marlene, his longtime girlfriend, it did not bother her at all that he was sleeping with someone on the road, or at least that was what she told herself. Her soul was aching. Her son believed he was unloved by his father.

“Cade, you still there?”

“Uh huh,” she muttered.

“Cade, love, you know Pete loves you. You know Pete loves his kids. You know this.”

“Then why is he doing this to us?”

“Pete is… He needs… Fuck, I don’t know what to do or to say… Cade… I don’t know.”

“We flew all this way to surprise him and… and… Alec doesn’t even think he loves him. John, what…”

He sighed, “Cady, are you in California?”

“Yes! I brought Audrey and Alec and Chris and Zooey so that we could be with you on Father’s Day. I thought… what if it was all a mistake? What if I should not have–”

“Where are you?”

“The Four Seasons.”

“I’m going to go and talk to Pete. And he’s going to call you.”

“He can’t know we’re here. John, if–”

“Worry not, Cade. I’ll dial it and he won’t know. I’ll handle this, Cade. I promise.”

“I… thank you, John.”

“You’re welcome. Oh and Cade?”

“Yeah?”

“I do love you.”

“I love you too.”

Hanging up the phone, Cady reached over and caressed her baby’s cheek. Zooey instantly rolled her face towards her mother. With a smile on her face, Cady leaned over and kissed the infant softly. The baby cooed, her small eyes opening.

“Your daddy loves you, Zooey. Never forget that. Your daddy loves you.”

With little pause, John pushed in Pete’s door. A naked girl fell off Pete, scrambling to cover herself until she realized it was the bassist who interrupted her attempts to get through to the drunken guitarist. She got to her feet and rolled her hips suggestively, winking at him.

“Oh for Christ’s sake, get the fuck out,” he pointed to the door.

“But–”

“Get out.”

She scooped up her clothes and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. The bassist stomped over to the bed and glared down at the drunk. His pants were gone, but his shirt remained. John knew without asking that nothing had actually happened with the groupie, but she wanted Pete to believe something had. He knew his best mate well enough to know he likely passed out as soon as he hit the bed, especially since John had seen Pete knocking back over a bottle of brandy earlier that evening.

Shaking his head, John headed into the bathroom and filled the ice bucket with cold water. He did not pause and returned to the bed. With little pause, he emptied the entire bucket of water on Pete’s head. The guitarist instantly flailed about, tossing out a thread of unrelated string of swearwords. His wild, bloodshot eyes searched for the source of his sudden awakening.

“John! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?”

“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?”

“Why does it bloody matter to you?”

John stared at his best mate.

“It doesn’t matter!”

The bassist reached down and yanked Pete up by his shirt, “It bloody does matter. It matters to Cady and it fucking matters to your children. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It’s none of your fu–”

He threw the guitarist back down on the bed, “Get yourself together, Pete. You have a beautiful wife and family that loves you and you’re fucking pissing on everything.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh don’t you even,” he paced away and lit a cigarette. “You have until I finish this cigarette. Then we are fucking calling your family. Sober up. And put on some fucking pants.”

The phone ringing woke Cady from her dozing nap. She quickly rolled over and answered it, smiling when she heard John’s steady voice. He spoke softly, words she needed to hear. It soothed her soul, enough that she knew she would be able to speak with Pete once he was placed on the phone. She thanked him, took a deep breath, and sat up as he put Pete on the phone.

“Cady?”

“Pete,” she responded without emotion.

“Cady, Iloveyou.”

“Oh fuck, Pete. You’re drunk,” she groaned. “I’m not doing this.”

“But, baby–”

“Don’t you dare baby me,” she retorted. “ You’re drunk and I have told you before that I don’t want to deal with you when you’re like this. And I sure as hell am not letting you talk to the children.”

“Cady… but Cady, Iloooooooooooveyou.”

“Put John back on right now,” Cady ordered.

“ButCadyIloveyou.”

“Now.”

A moment later, John spoke, “Cady?”

“John, I don’t even want to speak to him in that condition and I sure as hell am not about to wake up the children to listen to his shit. Don’t–”

“I’ll make sure he gets sober and stays sober in the morning, Cade. We’re going to fix this.”

“John, this isn’t for you to fix.”

“Like bloody hell it isn’t. I will see you in the morning.”

“John…”

“Good night, Cade. Kiss those beautiful children good night for me. And remember… you are loved.”

Hanging the phone up, she turned and caressed Zooey’s head. The baby did not stir. Smiling slightly she leaned down and kissed the girl before getting up and heading to the other bedrooms.

First, Cady slipped into Audrey’s room. Previously when touring with the band or really any time outside of their home in London, the older girl shared a room with the nanny. However, with all three being in grammar school, Cady found little need for a nanny any more. Esme had been treated well during the 70s and retired a very happy and financially stable nanny once released from serving the Townshends and Entwistles. So on this trip, Audrey had a room to herself, something even Cady thought important as the girl got older. Quietly she approached her daughter’s bed and leaned over. Before she could kiss Audrey’s forehead, the girl woke and met her mother’s eyes.

“Mum? Did you talk to Dad?”

Cady sat on the edge of the bed, watching as the girl rolled fully onto her back to look at her, “I did, briefly.”

“He was drunk again, wasn’t he?”

She sighed, “Audrey… you know how your father gets when he’s working. I don’t… I don’t really understand it. I think it has to do with losing Keith and… I don’t know. That might have just… Grandma has a drinking problem too. I…”

The young girl grasped Cady’s hand, “Well as long as we have you, I know we’re going to be all right. You’re a very good mum.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she leaned down and kissed Audrey. “I do love you very much.”

“I love you too, Mum.”

“Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well.”

After another kiss, Cady left the girl’s room and headed to the boys’ room. She pressed her ear to the wall to see if the two were still up and chatting. Hearing nothing, she carefully opened the door. Unsurprisingly the light was still on between the two queen beds and both boys sat in their respective beds. Clearly, she had listened in on a lull in the conversation.

“Uh uh. Now boys, what did I tell you,” she glanced at the clock, “an hour ago?”

They both sighed and lay down.

“That’s better. Now tomorrow we’re going to see your dads, aren’t you excited?” she sat on Alec’s bed.

Chris instantly chimed in with a yes, but Alec did not. Cady frowned and turned to him, leaning over to kiss him lovingly.

“Your father loves you, Alec. I know he does.”

“My dad loves you too, Alec,” Chris offered. “And he loves your sister too.”

“I know…” the older boy sighed. “I just… I just wish…”

“I know, sweetheart,” Cady caressed his cheek softly. “But things are going to get better. You’ll see.”

“I guess.”

“It will,” she glanced over at Chris. “Can you boys keep a secret?”

“Uh huh!” John’s son chirped.

“Alec?” her eyes went back to her son.

“I guess.”

“Well… I wasn’t going to tell you guys until Monday but… we’re all going to go somewhere special…”

“Where, Mama?” Chris asked excitedly, reverting to what he used to call her.

“It’s up to you boys and Audrey of course. We can either go to Disneyland or SeaWorld.”

The boys’ eyes widened.

“You think about it,” she stood up, tucking the blankets around Alec. “We’ll discuss it with Audrey on Monday.”

“Why not in the morning?” Alec asked.

“Because,” she kissed his forehead, “tomorrow is Father’s Day and we’re going to try and focus on that, okay?”

Cady moved to Chris’s bed, tucked him in and kissed his forehead as well. She clicked off the lamp between the two and headed to exit the room.

“Good night, boys. I love you.”

“I love you too,” they replied at the same time. “Good night!”

After closing the door, she took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She wondered if Pete had any idea at all how his behavior was affecting his family – and if he even cared. At this point, she did not think he cared any more. It was easier to drink himself into a stupor and not feel anything, than it was to be a husband and father. And that hurt more than he probably knew.

But she attempted to push those thoughts out of her mind as she crossed the living room to the master bedroom. Zooey gurgled and wiggled on the king-sized bed, awake but not crying. Cady scooped her up, kissed her loudly, and quickly moved to change her diaper. With the baby dry and swaddled again, she nursed her back to sleep before nestling her into the makeshift bed made of pillows on the large bed. Cady turned out her own light and slipped into bed beside the baby. With the blankets tucked around her body and no one awake to hear her, Cady cried until she felt asleep.

“Christopher! Do you have your shoes on yet!?” Cady called as she shoved baby items into the diaper bag. “Alec, make sure your socks match!”

Audrey poked her head into the master bedroom, “Mum, we’re all about ready.”

Her eyes looked up to her older daughter and she smiled, “Gifts all wrapped?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Do you want me to take Zooey?”

Cady closed the diaper bag and turned to Audrey, “Come here, Auddie.”

The girl stepped closer, smiling as her mother wrapped her arms around her.

“You are such a blessing to me,” she kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “You’re always helping out around the house and making me smile. You’re such a good, good girl. I am so very proud of you.”

“Mum…”

“So proud,” she kissed her again before pulling back. “Let’s get everyone together and head out.”

Pulling away from her eldest, Cady picked up her baby and rested her on her hip. She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and followed Audrey into the living room. With the boys carrying their gifts, the family headed from the penthouse to the elevator. The boys eventually passed the gifts off to Audrey and bolted out of the elevator, chasing each other through lobby. While Cady probably should have told them to stop their horseplay, she smiled and let them have their fun.

When they reached the door, Cady whistled for the boys, who popped out of their hiding places and ran to join the girls. Cady held open the door, waiting for the children to pile into the back of limo. The boys wrestled for who got to sit by the window. Sliding in with the baby, Cady shook her head.

“You can each sit by the window,” she pointed out. “Sit across from each other.”

With the boys settled in their seats and their seatbelts fastened, the limousine headed to the hotel across town. The drive was not long, only taking approximately thirty minutes, but it was enough for the boys to settle down. Cady could see that Alec was beginning to get nervous. With a smile, she leaned over and tickled the boy, eliciting happy giggles from him. He was grinning when the car stopped at the band’s hotel.

“Okay. Remember what we talked about? Pete and John should be sitting in the dining room, probably back towards the back of the restaurant. We’re going to sneak in real quietly, okay?” she smiled.

With the baby on her hip, Cady followed the three older children into the restaurant. They paused to look around and for a moment she thought John had not come through with sobering up Pete. However, as her eyes panned about, Cady spotted the two men in the back corner. Pete had a half-finished Bloody Mary in front of him. She hoped it was his first or else this visit would not last long.

“There,” she pointed for the children, “in the corner.”

The children slowly made their way over to the table, hoping to sneak up on the two. For whatever reason, Pete glanced up and in their direction. His bloodshot eyes widened and he grinned in shock.

“DADDY!” all three of the children exclaimed and rushed over to the table.

John turned at the exclamation, a grin on his face. His arms opened as Chris leaped into his lap. Audrey quickly embraced Pete, kissing his cheek, but Alec stopped short of reaching Pete. He glanced sideways at John who was already in conversation with Chris before glancing over his shoulder at Cady. She nodded, encouraging him forward silently.

“Hi, Dad,” Alec held out the three presents to Pete.

“What are these?”

“It’s Father’s Day,” he stated softly, setting them on the table.

“Is that why you guys are here?” he asked, glancing to Cady.

“We miss you, Daddy,” Audrey proclaimed.

John opened his arms as Cady stopped near the table, “Let me hold that beautiful baby girl.”

With little pause, she handed the baby over, smiling slightly as John pulled her close and began to speak softly to the infant. Her eyes returned to Pete’s, but she remained silent. He pulled his attention away from her, focusing on his children, mostly Audrey as she told him stories.

During a lull in the storytelling, Pete shifted in his chair, “Well since you are all here, why don’t you join us for breakfast?”

The two shifted to a larger table to accommodate all of the children. Cady purposefully chose to sit next to John, not only because he still held Zooey, but also to be away from Pete. Wisely, the guitarist did not finish his Bloody Mary nor did he order any more alcohol. Instead, he sipped orange juice and stole food from his children’s plates. By the end of the breakfast, both of the children were happy and at ease with their father.

Towards the end of the meal, Zooey began to fuss. John attempted to silence her but it continued. Cady set down her fork and reached for the baby. Without saying much, she excused herself from the table with the baby and the diaper bag. She stopped in the restroom, changed her diaper, and then headed out to find a quiet, secluded location to nurse the baby.

With a light pink blanket draped over the baby’s head and covering her breast, Cady sighed and looked down at her daughter. She took a deep breath and tried to chase away her negative thoughts and feelings. She did not need that to transfer to the baby.

“Beautiful,” a familiar voice stated. “There is nothing more beautiful than a mother and her child.”

Cady glanced up, “What are you doing out here, John?”

“Checking on my girls,” he sat next to her. “Pete’s really happy that you and the kids are here.”

“Sure.”

“He is,” he reached over and rubbed the baby’s covered head. “So am I. It was such an unexpected thing for you to do. I think that… I think it shows Pete more than anything else could, that his family should be the most important thing to him. You’ve shown him how important he is. He’s not going to forget this.”

“Until the next bottle of brandy. Or is he drinking vodka on this tour? I can never keep track anymore.”

John sighed, “Love, talk to him. If anyone can get through to him, it’s you. He lovesyou.”

“I can’t, John. I can’t do this. I have two children and a baby to take care of. I cannot be responsible for Pete as well. I can’t,” she declared.

He sighed, “You came all this way for someone you no longer want to try with anymore?”

“I…”

“Love,” he reached for her hand, “come back, once Zooey is done with her breakfast, and show Pete what he’s missing. I think it will make a bigger impact than you think.”

“But John–”

“We don’t have a show today. Would you rather have him spend that time with the kids at the beach or in his hotel room drinking and whatever else?”

She sighed, “Okay. I’ll try.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, “I’ll head back and make certain the kids haven’t overwhelmed him.”

Lounging under an umbrella with the baby, Cady watched as the children buried Pete in the sand. He laughed and wiggled his toes, trying to get free from the sand. Alec noticed and quickly jumped on Pete’s sand-covered legs and attempted to re-bury his father’s toes.

“Hey! What happens if I need to piss?” Pete asked.

Chris sat down on Pete’s stomach, “Just pee, Uncle Pete! You’re in sand!”

“Ew,” Audrey crinkled her nose. “You can’t do that, Daddy.”

“Oh I think I’m going to have to…”

Chris jumped off Pete and ran towards Cady and John who played with Zooey under the cover of the umbrella, “Mama! Dad, Uncle Pete is peeing in the sand!”

As both adults looked over at the guitarist and the children, Pete broke up out of the sand and chased both of them into the water. Cady smiled as he lifted both children up and waded deeper in. From their frantic wiggling, she was certain he was threatening to toss them into the water.

“Maybe you should go rescue them,” John suggested.

Cady shook her head, “And leave you here with the baby?”

He glanced over at the sleeping baby in her baby bikini, “I think I can handle it.”

“I don’t know about that,” her eyes flicked back and forth between Pete and the kids and Zooey.

“Go on. Go have some fun with Pete and the kids. I’ve got this.”

Cady slowly got to her feet and pulled the wrap off, “Why don’t you come with me, Chris?”

“Okay!”

Holding Cady’s hand, the boy pulled her towards the water. They quickly joined the other three, splashing and giggling. Soon the children were focused on each other and Pete’s arms circled Cady. Her eyes locked with his. As they stared into each other’s eyes, she saw the man she married, the man she fell in love with.

“Pete, I miss you,” she muttered.

“Oh, Cady…”

“MOMMY!”

Cady quickly pulled away from Pete and turned away. Her eyes fell on Chris and Alec collapsed on the beach, Audrey standing over them. Without pause, Cady hurried out of the water to the children. She collapsed down onto her knees, reaching for the boys.

“What’s happened?” she asked, panic in her voice.

Alec quickly sat up and touched her, “YOU’RE IT!”

Taking a few seconds to process what had happened, Cady allowed all three kids to quickly escape. Pete glanced down, confusion in his eyes. Slowly she got back up, tugging her bathing suit back into place. Her eyes met his and with a wink, Cady leaned forward and quickly kissed him.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Mmmhmmm,” she nodded, stepping away from him.

“Then what just…?”

“Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re it!” she announced and hurried away.

Chuckling he glanced around the beach, wondering which of the children to chase after. In that moment, he realized Cady really had given him the greatest gift that year for Father’s Day. She made him realize what family was all about – again.

Courtin'

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:41:55 +0100

Title: Courtin'
Characters: John and Chris Entwistle, Cady, Audrey, and Alec Townshend, Marlene Richelieu
Word Count: 1975
Rating: PG-13 [romance and love]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: John spends Valentine's Day at the Townshend house with Cady and the children before going on a date with former French model Marlene Richelieu.

February 1979, London

Intending to spend the day with Cady while she attempted to bake sugar cookies for the kids before they got home from school, John woke in a rather good mood. He likely had things he should be doing that Wednesday, like working on some of the masters from the Quadrophrenia film, but he did not intend to do so. Valentine’s Day may be an insignificant holiday, but it was one all the same. He intended to take the day off.

Rolling out of bed an hour after waking, John showered and dressed. He considered brewing a pot of coffee, flavoring it with whiskey, but discarded the idea. Instead, he fed his dogs, briefly conversed with housekeeper, and headed to the garage. Lighting up a cigarette, he stared at his cars, trying to decide which to drive that day. As it was the day to celebrate love, he opted for his black 1975 Mercedes Benz with the red leather interior and slipped behind the wheel.

Arriving at the Townshend house another cigarette later, John parked in his usual spot and headed into the house. Not the least bit surprised to be informed of Pete’s absence by the man cleaning out the house’s gutters; he wished he had the forethought to pick up a bundle of flowers for his best friend on his way over. Perhaps, he could pick the kids up from school and make a side trip to do just that.

Finding Cady in the kitchen, her hair tied messily from her face and her hand on her hip as she stared a cookbook, John smirked and leaned on the archway leading to the room. His blue eyes glanced around and he could not help but chuckle. For just baking sugar cookies, Cady certainly had destroyed the kitchen.

Turning around, she frowned, “I can’t do this, John.”

He stepped forward, brushed the flour from her nose and cheeks, and kissed her forehead, “Of course you can, love. You baked a wonderful cake for Chris’s birthday. You can bake cookies.”

“Look at this,” she motioned to the kitchen. “I’m a complete failure.”

“Not at all,” John moved towards the counters. “We’ll just clean this up and start over.”

“I… okay.”

After picking the children up at school, as well as a bouquet of flowers for Cady, John returned to the sugar-smelling house. The children happily smothered Cady with kisses and handmade valentines before giggling happily about the plates of decorated cookies left out by her and John. They played games and music, filling the house with happiness and love. John hated that Pete missed every moment, but there was nothing he could do about it. He did not even know where the guitarist was any more than Cady did.

Moreover, he hated leaving her alone that evening. While she would have the children surrounding her, showering her with love, John still felt guilty because of his dinner plans. He remained silent about them, though he kept checking the time, hoping she did not notice. Naturally, she had and pulled him aside while the children watched a movie.

“Are you going to turn into a pumpkin or something, John?” she asked.

He smirked, “What makes you think that?”

“You keep checking the clock.”

“Oh, um, well,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I kinda have dinner plans.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’m sure Pete will be home for dinner,” John quickly added.

Cady shook her head, “Doubt it. But that’s fine. I’ve got my kids.”

“Cade…”

She turned away from him, “Go have your romantic dinner, John. I’ll be fine.”

“Cade, don’t–”

“Come on, kids,” she faux-cheerfully called for them. “Let’s put our nice clothes on and go out for dinner.”

All three of the children jumped up, excitedly asking where they were going for dinner. Tousling Chris’s hair as he stopped, waiting for a response, Cady informed him that it was a surprise and reminded him to wash behind his ears before putting his nice shirt on. Not entirely sure what to do or say, John watched as she turned off the television and herded the children out of the room. Her eyes barely flicked to his as she passed by, heading up to change herself.

Chris glanced down the stairs as Cady passed him, his eyes finding his father, “Are you coming with us too, Dad?”

John motioned for his son to come back down to speak with him. The young blonde boy bounded back down the steps, jumping the last three to land in front of his father. His big eyes turned up to John, waiting an answer.

“I have dinner plans with Marlene tonight, remember?” he stated softly as he squatted to put him at his son’s level. “So I need you to promise me something.”

“What, Daddy?”

“Tell Mama you love her lots tonight and that you want her to be your valentine,” John said. “She misses Pete a lot tonight. So it’s up to you to make her smile, okay?”

The boy nodded eagerly, “I’ll take good care of Mama.”

“Thank you, big guy,” he messed the seven-year-old’s hair as he stood up.

His son quickly hugged him, “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, Chris,” he embraced the boy briefly. “Now go put on your good clothes so you can take Mama out, okay?”

“Okay!” the boy turned to head back up the stairs.

“Wait,” John pulled out his wallet and fished out a few notes. “Make sure Mama does not pay for dinner.”

The young boy looked at the money his father held out, “Okay, Daddy.”

“Thanks,” he smiled. “I’ll pick you up tonight.”

“Bye, Dad,” he shoved the money into his pocket and hurried up the steps.

Sighing, John headed out of the Townshend house, hoping to find Pete pulling into the driveway at that precise moment. He frowned, as that was not the case. Slipping behind the wheel of his car, John drove away with a heavy heart.

Standing outside the restaurant, smoking a cigarette, John waited for the Frenchwoman to arrive. Shifting his thoughts from worry about Cady spending the lovers’ holiday without her husband to his impending date seemed near impossible. He was certainly going to have a word or many with Pete next time he managed to corral the guitarist. His behavior towards his wife and family was becoming…

All of his thoughts arrested as the beautiful redhead approached him. Her long locks curled about her nearly bare shoulders in soft waves, drawing his attention to the asymmetrical neckline of her flirty dress. His eyes quickly swept her body, absorbing the way the dress skimmed her womanly curves.

“Gorgeous,” he muttered before kissing her cheeks.

“Good evening, John,” she smiled.

He offered his arm, “Shall we?”

“Absolutely,” her arm slipped into his.

The pair headed into the restaurant and were led directly to a secluded table in the corner. Marlene grinned in delight upon seeing the large bouquet of roses dominating the center of the table. Pretending he had no clue how they managed to be there, John smiled as she sniffed them appreciatively and kissed his cheek quickly. The maitre-d swept the flowers from the table, setting them nearby but out of the way, and politely suggested a bottle of wine and appetizers.

Though they met every time she came to London and talked on the phone occasionally, neither ran out of things to chat about. There was an ease and familiarity and yet not with each other. John felt as if he was getting to know Marlene all over again. She was different, so different. Her life no longer revolved around drugs, sex, and booze. It was admirable, really. She was no longer a vacant model, but a fully realized woman with ideas, goals, and aspirations. She was real.

Fingers creeping across the table to grasp hers as they waited for the dessert course, John smiled and asked, “How long will you be in London?”

She chuckled, “You already know that, John. I leave tomorrow for New York.”

“Oh,” his face fell and he pulled his hand free from hers.

“John,” she warned, “we are just friends, though I do appreciate your romantic gestures tonight.”

“Ah well,” he pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, “it is standard procedure for this holiday and all.”

Marlene eyed him for a moment, “John, mon amour, you have to be home with your son in any matter. It is not a night to bring home a strange woman.”

He shrugged, “Chris knows who you are.”

“Even if he does remember who I used to be, I am not that woman anymore,” she declared, smiling at the server as a single slice of chocolate cake was placed between them. “Perhaps when I am done with business in New York, we may be able to see each other again.”

He nudged the cake plate towards her, preferring his cigarette to the sweet, “I would like to see you tonight.”

“Do you not see me now?” she teased, cutting into the cake with her fork.

“I was hoping in private.”

Her eyes went to his as she slipped the cake into her mouth and shook her head, “I cannot.”

“Why?”

“You have your son tonight, John.”

“He can stay the night with Cady,” he declared.

Marlene shook her head again, “No.”

“Why?”

“Because,” she leaned across the table, offering him a bite of the cake, “I like you tres beaucoup to hop in bed with you so quickly.”

“But we have–”

She interrupted his protest by shoving the cake into his open mouth, “If we go that path again, I want to do it right. I do not want another fling, just a sexual thing. I deserve more. You deserve more. If we are to be together, we shall do it the right way.”

He swallowed the mouthful of cake, “But–”

“I will not be anyone’s easy lay anymore, John. Not even yours.”

John looked at her for a long moment, trying to separate his feelings from her words. Watching her eat three more bites of cake, he finally understood what she was saying. He may have publicly preferred loose women and fast cars, but faced with the challenge of a changed woman, John knew he no longer wanted that life. He wanted something real and true, something like what Pete had with Cady. The Frenchwoman seated across from him, might just be the one to provide such.

“I accept your conditions,” he declared softly. “May I court you, Marlene?”

Offering another bite of cake, she smiled, “You already are.”

The Only Gift

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:40:49 +0100

Title: The Only Gift
Characters: Pete, Cady, Audrey, Alec, Paul, and Simon Townshend, John and Chris Entwistle
Word Count: 4,167
Rating: R [language, inebriation, alcohol]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Pete is struggling with life after Keith's death. Cady wants the best possible holiday for her family. John supports his best friends.

"The Only Gift"

I was making my list
I was checking it twice
In the middle of this
I got tears in my eyes
For in my foolish heart
There was one simple truth
The only gift I wanted was you
I was trimming the tree
I was stringing the lights
While the radio played "Silent Night"
There were present you sent
Though there were quite a few
The only gift I wanted was you

You need to be home with me
Alone with me
Holding me next to the Christmas tree
Kissing under the mistletoe
As candles blow
Please come home soon
It's not the same without you

As the bittersweet night
Had come to an end
I was saying goodbye
To our family and friends
And they all wished me well
And I knew that I knew
The only gift I wanted was you

You need to be home with me
Alone with me
Holding me next to the Christmas tree
Kissing under the mistletoe
As candles blow
Please come home soon
It's not the same without you

Deck the halls with boughs of holly
(la la la la la la...)

The only gift I wanted was you
You need to be home with me
Alone with me
Holding me next to the Christmas tree
Kissing under the mistletoe
As candles blow
Please come home soon
It's not the same without you

I was making my list
I was checking it twice
In the middle of this
I got tears in my eyes
For in my wishful heart
There was one simple truth
The only gift I wanted was you

December 1978

It had been months since Keith’s death and Cady felt like she was losing her husband as well. Losing the drummer had been hard on everyone, in and outside the band, but Pete… seemed to be taking it worse than the everyone else. His drinking had increased, as had his irritability. Their fighting had doubled, perhaps even tripled. Pete rarely stayed home any more, per a directive from Cady that if he was drinking, he was to stay away from the kids.

Cady hated it.

Her children deserved to have a father. And hell, she deserved to have her husband. However, she was not about to compromise on the issue. If Pete was going to drink, he was not going to be around the children. Plain and simple. This very fact was increasingly difficult to explain to the children, especially the closer they got to Christmas. Something needed to be done.

“Cady? Love, are you home?” a voice echoed down the hallway.

Setting down the paintbrush that was not colored with any pigment at all, Cady left her easel and leaned out of her studio door, “John?”

“‘Ello,” he grinned and kissed her cheek. “Working on something new?”

“Yes… no. I pretty much just hide in here to think without the children asking me questions.”

He frowned, “No Pete this week?”

“Not since Sunday. But it’s only Wednesday…”

“I’m sure he’ll be home for supper.”

Cady met his eyes and shook her head, “I’m sure he won’t be.”

“Oh… well, perhaps Chris and I could join the three of you tonight?”

“Marlene?”

He shook his head, “At a shoot in Paris.”

“Ah… well I guess I better go figure out something else for dinner then. We were just going to have leftovers,” she stated, stepping fully out of the studio and closing the door behind her. “Is Chris already here?”

“Yeah,” John fell in step with her. “He’s with the other two and Esme.”

“Ah okay,” she nodded. “So what should we have for dinner?”

He reached for her, stopping her at the top of the stairs, “Cade, love, talk to me.”

Her eyes went to his, wavering slightly, “There isn’t anything to say. Pete’s out boozing because he cannot come to grips with Keith’s death. And I’m trying to hold together life without him around.”

John sighed, “Cade…”

“I can’t even ask you to go find him, because I don’t want him to even step foot near the children in any stage of intoxication. I just… I just don’t know what to do about Christmas.”

“What do you mean?”

“The kids are already asking what we’re going to do. We don’t have a tree or any decorations up. I just can’t celebrate it without him,” she declared softly.

“I’ll help you get a tree and put things up,” John offered.

Cady smiled slightly, “I appreciate the gesture but…”

“What?” he stepped closer, his fingertips brushing hers.

“I think I’m going to take the kids to New York.”

“I’ll come with you,” he quickly declared.

“You can’t take Chris and I know you don’t want to be apart from him for the holidays. And there’s Marlene. And your mum. It’s okay, John. The kids and I can have a perfectly splendid Christmas alone in New York,” she claimed.

“And Pete?”

“He can figure out Christmas on his own.”

John sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, “Well if this is what you want, I won’t stop you, Cade.”

“Thanks.”

“But you’ll have to explain it to Chris.”

She nodded and turned back to the stairs, her fingers naturally breaking free from John’s. He trailed down the stairs after her. They casually chatted in the kitchen as she browsed, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. After minimal teasing from her best friend, Cady relented to allowing him to go out and pick up food. He kissed her cheek before leaving; letting Cady interrupt the children’s play in the living room.

“Hey, guys,” she sat on the couch, her soft voice drawing all three’s attention.

Chris immediately dropped the toy and hurried over to her, “Hi!”

The six year old sat next to her on the sofa and hugged her tightly. Cady smiled and returned the embrace, kissing the top of his head. He muttered how much he missed her, though it had been only two days since he was over, trying to get her to promise to never go away. She chuckled and kissed the top of his head again.

“I will always come back to you, Chris, but sometimes I have to go places that I can’t take you.”

“Why?”

“Because your mother says.”

“Why?”

“Because she likes to spend time with you too,” she declared, though she did not believe her own words at all.

“That’s not true. She said she’d give me to you.”

“Excuse me?”

“When I was at her house last weekend, she said if you wanted me, you could have me. Do you want me?” his big blue eyes looked up at her.

Without a second thought, Cady pulled the young boy into her lap, “Of course, I do, Chris. But it’s not that simple, buddy.”

“Why?”

“It just isn’t, sweetheart,” she brushed his hair across his forehead and kissed it. “We’ll figure something out. I promise.”

Setting down the vodka bottle, Pete took a step back from the crooked Christmas tree and squinted. All the lights were strung with care but something was not quite right with the tree. He could not process what it was. Shrugging, he grabbed his bottle, took another swig, and turned to find the ornaments. He stumbled about with the box of ornaments, managing to get about half of them on the tree before dropping the box and shattering the rest. Staring down at the broken box at his feet for a few long moments, Pete began to cry. Cady was going to kill him for breaking the ornaments. She would never forgive his clumsiness. He had failed her in decorating the tree, just as he had failed saving Keith from… himself.

Wobbling through the glass shards, crunching them into the carpet, Pete headed into the kitchen to find a broom and dustpan to clean up his mess. Once he reached that room, everything halted immediately. His eyes instantly went to the crumpled paper on the counter where he left it two hours ago. When he arrived home, sober, three hours earlier, Pete discovered a brief letter from Cady, explaining that she had taken the kids to spend Christmas in New York since he was never home. Briefly inspired to make their house a home once more and bring Cady back, Pete hurried out and found a Christmas tree. However, on that brief foray out into the public also included a stop at the liquor store, which led directly to his current predicament: drunk and unable to bring back his wife and children for the holidays.

Hearing the notes from “Silent Night” from the radio in the other room, Pete screamed and grabbed the nearest object, hurling it across the room. He paid no attention as the small saucepan slammed into the refrigerator. Instead, he ignored his task and went to find his bottle of vodka. Stopping at the end of the counter, he decided that drinking away his sorrows was not working. He needed something else, something stronger.

Turning on his heels, Pete headed to his studio. He fumbled some with the doorknob, panicking at the thought it could be locked. Managing to get it open, he stumbled in and looked around, unfamiliar with the space. Realizing he needed light, Pete’s fingers fumbled for the light switch. Keeping one hand on the wall, he made his way to the back of the studio. Once there, he looked around quickly before pulling out his stash. Flipping open the false book, his blue eyes looked down at the contents. He quickly decided against smoking any of the already-rolled joints in the box and moved to something harder.

After cutting two lines and snorting them, Pete pushed his stash away but did not conceal it. He sat on the floor for a few minutes, waiting for the drug to combat his drunkenness. Once his blood coursed with euphoria, Pete got back to his feet. His eyes glanced over his studio. Normally a drinking and drugging-induced mood could lead to some beautiful music. But not that day. His thoughts, heart, and soul were still spiraling around the fact his wife and children were gone.

He needed to clean up the living room for when they returned.

Because he was certain Cady was just kidding and would be home that evening. He needed everything to be ready for her. Therefore, he weaved out of the studio, leaving the door uncharacteristically open, and headed back to the living room. Stopping in the archway, Pete looked over his handiwork. He thought Cady would be pleasantly surprised that he had decorated the tree. It would be beautiful, once he cleaned up the glass. There could not be glass under the tree around the children. He would have to clean that up immediately.

His eyes landed on the half-empty bottle of vodka. Despite his brain’s protests, Pete headed directly to it, picked it up, and lifted it to his lips. He would clean up the glass after he finished the bottle… maybe.

Stepping into the Townshend house, John paused. There was someone in the house. He was only there to pick up Alec’s favorite teddy bear that got lost in the packing, before heading to New York with his son as well. It had been some time since Cady and Pete had to deal with unfavorable people, but did Pete have a stalker no one knew about because he was never around? Or had someone just randomly broken into the house?

On edge, he picked up a heavy vase near the entrance, though he knew Cady would kill him for breaking it. Keeping his footsteps as silent as possible, he headed down the hallway, towards the back of the house where the sounds of life emanated. Stopping in the archway to the living room, his eyebrows knitted. A Christmas tree had been covered with lights and haphazard ornaments. It certainly had not been there two day ago when he picked up Cady and the kids for the airport. Who would break into a house and erect a tree?

Shattering glass in the kitchen drew his immediate attention. Cautiously heading into the kitchen, he lowered the vase and shook his head. John set his weapon down and moved over to the drunk on the floor, his boots crunching the glass as he approached him.

“Dammit, Pete,” he hoisted his mate up to his feet, “you smell like a bloody still.”

“Joooooooooooohn?” he muttered.

“Come on, mate. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Caaaaaady?”

“No, Pete. She isn’t here.”

“Fuuuuuuu…”

“I know,” he looped the guitarist’s arm around his neck. “Goddamn, Pete. I don’t really have time for this.”

With considerable struggle, John practically carried Pete to the guest suite on the main floor. He stripped the guitarist and pushed him into a cold shower before gathering up the booze-soaked clothes and heading to the laundry room. Part of him wished someone else were around to take care of Pete. He had a plane to catch. While he knew Cady would understand the delay, his six-year-old son would not. John considered calling Noreen, but she was paid to take care of the children, not Pete. Besides, the nanny was on her yearly holiday wherever that was. Pete’s mom was no good, as she was usually half-drunk herself. Maybe he could get one of Pete’s brothers to come over; they did not tend to drink as much.

Heading back to the guest suite, John paused and rang up Paul and Simon. Both agreed to come over and take care of their brother, something that honestly surprised John slightly. He hung up the phone and continued in to check on his best mate. Pete was slumped against the tile, the water running down his back. Shaking his head, John pulled open the shower door, turned the water off, and pulled Pete from the shower. Haphazardly drying him, he assisted Pete to the bed, making certain the man remained on his side.

“She…sh-she left m-me…” Pete muttered.

“No, mate, she didn’t.”

“Then where is sh-she?”

John sighed, “You read her letter, Pete. She and the children are in New York.”

“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?”

“The children deserve a wonderful Christmas. And you cannot provide that when you’re drinking. So Cady took them to New York.”

“Whyyyyyyyy?”

John shook his head, “Because your wife knew you would come home sloshed and your children do not deserve to see that. Ever. She’s doing what is best for you and the children.”

“Buuuuuuuuuuuut…”

“Oh shut the fuck up and go to sleep. Your brother will be here to take care of you soon. I have to go,” he turned and headed to the door.

Pete mumbled something unintelligible. While John normally would have stopped and talked more with his mate about everything, he really did need to go. So he stepped out of the guest room and hurried up to Alec’s room. Finding the teddy bear on the floor near the bed, John scooped it up, sighed, and headed back downstairs. Pausing to check on Pete once more, he shook his head, frowning. As he reached for the front door a minute later, Paul knocked. He let the boys in, thanked them for their help, told them where Pete was, and asked them to check for any damage in the house After shaking their hands, John headed out to his car to go pick up his son from Alison. They would make the flight to New York – barely.

Stepping out of the cab in front of the building, Cady reminded the children they had packages in the trunk to take up to the flat. Dutifully, the young children filled their arms with bags filled with Christmas decorations while Cady gathered the few food bags after tipping the driver. She balanced bags as the family made their way up to the front door of the building. Instructing Audrey to pull her keys out of her purse before she dropped the eggs, she froze when a much older and much more masculine hand snaked around her and reached into her purse. Her blue eyes followed the arm up and she instantly grinned.

“John!” she exclaimed.

“‘Ello, Cade,” he grinned, slipping her keys out of her purse.

He quickly unlocked the door and slipped some of the bags from her arms. His son held open the door for everyone to get inside before running down the hallway to the elevator. The two other children hurried as much as they could with their bags to join their pseudo-brother as he pushed the lift’s button. Both adults smiled at the children’s actions.

“I’m glad you were able to convince Alison to let you bring him – and that you chose to join us,” Cady commented softly as they stepped into the elevator.

“Of course I’m here. Someone forgot his teddy bear,” he winked at her.

“You brought it? Oh thank god. He’s had to sleep in bed with me the past two nights,” she whispered, chuckling a moment later when the children hurried out the elevator to the front door of the penthouse flat.

“That’s what godfathers are for,” John proclaimed before unlocking the apartment and letting everyone in.

“I WANT TO DECORATE THE TREE!” Alec exclaimed.

“We don’t have a tree, dummy,” Audrey declared, slugging her brother in his shoulder.

“Children,” Cady warned as she pulled groceries out of bags, “Santa is still watching.”

“Besides, I’m here now. So we can go and pick out a tree after supper,” John suggested, stepping around Cady to put the eggs in the refrigerator.

“Really?” all three kids piped up, a mess of decorations spread out around them in a halo.

Both adults looked at them and started to laugh. Shaking her head, Cady finished putting away the groceries while John instructed the children to at least organize the mess while he retrieved his and Chris’s luggage from the mailroom downstairs. Receiving assistance from Cady, the children quickly sorted out the decorations. Once returned to the flat, John put on a Christmas record and the five set to decorating the apartment for the holiday. They supped after that task before bundling up and heading out in the New York cold in search of the perfect Christmas tree.

“Pete was home when I stopped by for the bear,” John declared as he sat next to Cady with a beer in hand.

She shifted on the sofa to face him, “Oh.”

“He misses you, Cade.”

“Yeah, of course he does.”

“He is punishing himself enough. Give him a break, Cady.”

She sighed, “I have given him all the breaks in the world. I only ask one thing of him and that’s being sober around the kids. That’s it. I don’t think that’s too much to ask at all.”

“Spend Christmas with him, Cade.”

“John, Pete knows that he is welcome to join us here if he sobers up. Those are the conditions. Period. I am not budging on them. I want my husband to be here as much as the kids do, as much as you do. But if he’s going to be here, he needs to really be here,” she declared.

“I understand but…”

“John, my decision is final. Pete can join us here when he’s sober. Period.”

Squatted in front of Chris, Cady made a face at him before zipping up his winter coat. The young boy instantly erupted into giggles and embraced her. John stood nearby, watching her interact with his son. Though he did feel bad that Pete was absent, he could not argue against her reasoning. He knew she was protecting Pete as much as she was protecting their children. She loved so deeply and shared it with everyone. He admired it. And was grateful she included him and his son in her life.

“Looks like we’re all ready to go see Santa,” Cady got to her feet.

“Nuh uh!” Alec exclaimed.

She glanced to her son, “No? Why not?”

“You don’t have your boots on yet, Mum!” he pointed at her sock-covered feet.

“Oh no! How could I forget such a thing!?”

“I’ll get them!” he proclaimed and ran down the hallway to the master suite.

Once Cady’s boots were on her feet, with the assistance of both of the boys, the five headed out of the flat and down to the waiting car. Before making it to the vehicle, the boys started a snowball fight. The two adults stood nearby, watching the three children chase each other around in the snow. It continued for a few minutes until they all simultaneously decided John was now their target. Each hit him with a snowball before the fight abruptly ended with him bending over to scoop up snow. Three pairs of blue eyes went wide and they all scrambled to hide behind Cady. She merely opened the car door and stepped aside, motioning the three in. John stood back up, no snow in hands, and climbed in with them.

“How is Santa going to know we’re here instead of London?” Alec asked while the adults got situated in the back of the car.

“We’re going to go see him, dummy,” Audrey rolled her eyes.

“Audrey,” Cady warned.

“Oh,” Alec responded. “So that’s why we got stockings?”

“Of course, sweetie,” Cady said. “Even if we weren’t going to see him today, Santa would know. He’s magical, remember?”

Alec looked to John, “Is that true?”

“Of course it is,” he nodded. “He’ll use his magic to get back to the North Pole tonight so he can use the reindeer to fly out tomorrow night.”

“Can I have a reindeer, Dad?” Chris asked.

John considered it for a moment, “We’ll discuss it when we get home.”

“Yes!” he grinned.

Cady just shook her head and leaned over to John, “You better not tell him yes.”

“Baby, I’m a rock star. I’m allowed to have eccentric pets,” he responded with a smirk.

Grinning as Audrey hugged her for her Christmas gifts, Cady glanced around at the war zone the living room had become. Everyone seemed happy with the morning’s events and the gifts unwrapped. Despite Pete’s absence, it seemed to be a good holiday. Flying to New York to get away from the negativity had been the right choice.

Kissing her daughter, Cady got to her feet and headed into kitchen to prepare breakfast. As she stepped onto the tiled floor, a knock sounded at the front door. Tying her robe closed over her PJs, Cady headed to answer the knock, completely confused as to who it could be. Her fingers quickly unlocked the deadbolt and turned the doorknob. As she opened the door, her eyes widened.

“Pete?” she breathed.

He reached out tentatively for her, “Happy Christmas, baby.”

Without pause, she stepped forward and embraced him. Her arms circled his neck tightly and inhaled deeply. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, burying his face on her shoulder. They remained embraced like that for a few long minutes until Pete’s presence was noticed.

“Daddy?” Audrey’s soft voice spoke up.

Cady pulled out of Pete’s embrace and stepped backwards. Their daughter’s eyes lit up and she squealed while running towards him. He squatted and opened his arms to her, standing back up with her in his arms. His eyes flicked to Cady to make sure he could enter before stepping in with his daughter clinging to him. It was not until the door closed that the boys and John realized Pete was there. Alec jumped up and ran towards him as well, wrapping his arms around his legs.

Once the children released Pete and paused their happy babblings, Cady headed back to the kitchen for breakfast. The kids pulled him into the living room, to show him all their Christmas presents. As she scrambled eggs, Cady glanced over into the living room where the kids and Pete were. Even Chris bubbled happily to the guitarist. John had greeted Pete before heading towards Cady.

He poured a mimosa and slipped his arm circle her, offering the glass. Turning slightly, she accepted the glass, clinked with John’s and sipped it. She smiled at him and set it down, glancing into the living room. The kids had opened up their Operation game and sat on the floor with Pete, playing it.

“He came,” she breathed softly.

John grinned, “That he did.”

“I’m… I’m surprised.”

He sipped his drink, “I’m not.”

“Why?”

“He loves you. A man always goes to the woman he loves, regardless.”

She said nothing, hearing more than the words he uttered. Instead, she nodded and turned her attention back to breakfast. Smiling, he set down his glass of mimosa and moved to help her with breakfast. The family gathered around the table not much later, Pete sitting next to Cady so he could grasp her hand and kiss it.

“Cady, I’m sorry.”

She smiled crookedly at him, “We’ll talk about it later.”

He nodded and turned to breakfast, “This looks wonderful. You did this?”

“With some of John’s help.”

He glanced at his best friend, “Thanks for stepping up for me, mate.”

“Any time,” he responded, scooping a small spoonful of eggs onto Chris’s plate.

The three adults and three children happily ate breakfast, discussing their plans for the rest of Christmas day. Once ice skating was decided upon and plates were cleaned up, the children headed to play with their toys while the adults sat down with after breakfast tea. Pete’s arm slipped around her shoulders and he leaned over and kissed her temple.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such an arse,” he declared softly.

“I know that it’s been hard for you since Keith died, especially since he died in your flat, but Pete, you’re still alive and have so much going for you. Look around and see how blessed you are,” she responded in the same soft tone. “I’m just glad that you’re here now, really here.”

He squeezed her slightly, “I get it, Cady. I really do. I got it when I came home and you were all gone. I owe more to you, more to the kids.”

“Pete…”

“I love you, Cady. Being here with you is all the gift that I need this Christmas. I’m not going to lose sight of that,” he declared.

She glanced briefly at John before kissing Pete softly, “I love you too, Pete. We’ll work on all these issues in the new year. For now, let’s just enjoy this sober holiday with our family.”

He kissed her back, “I can agree to that.”

“Happy Christmas, Pete.”

“Happy Christmas.”