Title: Learn to Fly: Chapter Five, The After Party
Rating: PG-13 [language, references to drugs]

Summary: What to do after the show? Go to the after party of course.


Her eyes went to the wrist he had held. She could feel his fingers about it and really had no clue what that meant. Raising her dark eyes to him, her eyes narrowed. He was still smiling.

"Don't you ever stop that?" she asked.

"Stop what?" he replied.

"Smiling like a goon," Mel stated.

"Nope," his grin increased, if that was even possible. "Now come on. We're all going back to my house for the after party. Hey, you didn't drive, did you?"

She shook her head, falling instep with him, "Kara wanted to, but we just walked from my place."

"Good. You can sit in my lap on the way over there," he stated.

Mel stopped in her tracks, "Like hell I will."

Dave chuckled, "Lighten up, Mel. The world won't end if you sit in my lap."

She narrowed her eyes, "I think it's better if I go home. Tell Kara I walked home."

Once again she turned to leave, his hand going to her wrist. He pulled her bodily to him, grinning down at her. Before she could object, he kissed her hard on the mouth. She stiffened even more, resisting it. But he didn't relent. The kiss softened before he pulled away, grinning.

"Let me go," Mel requested, an edge in her voice.

"Just relax, Melanie. Come with us for a little while. If you don't enjoy yourself, I'll take you home," he stated.

"Dave, I don't wan—"

"Please."

"No."

"You know you want to. Just as you knew you wanted to come to the concert tonight. Just for awhile," he pleaded.

Her hard eyes focused on his, "Fine. But if you kiss me again, I'll kick you."

"Promise?" he grinned, his hand slipping from her wrist to hold her hand, pulling her with him.

Just as he predicted, Mel ended up in Dave's lap in the car. Giddy Kara was squished between Dave and Taylor, giggling nearly everytime Taylor said anything. Mel could swear the girl had already drank a fifth of something, though she knew her friend just wasn't handling the fan thing all that well. Mel herself had her arms crossed over her chest, clearly unhappy with the seating arrangements, which she totally thought Dave had rigged. They could have gone in another car, one had even been offered. But noooo, he insisted the band all travel together. And would not allow Mel out of his sight, thinking she would bolt.

The car pulled into the driveway. And for whatever reason, Dave held onto Mel's waist, not allowing her to climb out first as she wanted. Instead everyone else exited, heading into the house that was all lit up already. She wiggled, trying to get out of his lap, but the wiggling did not create the desired effect. Instead of releasing her, he held her more tightly. His lips brushed her neck and she could tell wiggling hadn't been the best thing to do, feeling a certain familiar pressure poking her. Her fingers went to his and she laced her own with his. The fashion in which she did this caused Dave to relaxed his embrace of her, thinking he had won her over.

Instead she used her new advantage to peel his arms off of her, turning to face him in the same series of movements. She leaned close, close enough to seem as if she was about to kiss him. Instead her hands released his and pushed him back into the car seat.

"You might want to take a few calming breaths, dear Dave," she declared in a breath. "Because I'm not going to help you with your pants."

Pulling completely off of him and out of his reach while he still reacted to her words, Mel clammored out of the car and headed up to the house. A wry smile touched her mouth as she revelled in the moment of shock passing over his face at her words.

"Where's Dave?" she was asked as she entered the house, the smell of beer already assaulted her senses.

"Recovering in the car," Mel answered, knowing full well what the next assumption would be.

Kara had heard Mel's answer and stalked over to her, a beer in her hand, "You had a quickie with Dave Grohl in the car!?"

She smirked, taking the beer from her friend and downing it before replying, "Yes. I had a minute long quickie with Dave in the car, Kara. Goodness! If I'm going to fuck anyone, he better last more than a minute!"

Her brows knitted, "Then what happened?"

"Ask him," Mel replied, deciding to go in search of the beer, knowing she would need another drink if she was going to handle a night of this rock lifestyle.

Two beers later Dave finally approached her. He said nothing, taking the cup of beer from her hand and setting it on a counter. His hand grasped hers and he pulled her out of conversation with someone she had been discussing the shape of a gallery with. When her mouth opened to object, he quickly silenced her with a kiss. In her heightened state of inebriation, as she rarely drank, Mel did not resist his kiss, even returned it slightly before her muddled mind realized what she was doing.

Pulled out in the backyard away from the small clusters of people out there, Mel did not attempt to question what he had in mind. Her two and a half beers had loosened her mind enough to know she liked his attention and the way he did not relent in pursuit of her. That and his smile, the way he always smiled. Stopping some distance from people, but still in view of the house, Dave stopped, turning to face her. He kissed her brusquely for a moment, before pulling to look down into her eyes.

"Explain yourself," he stated.

"Huh?" she replied.

"Why the hell do you drive me as wild as you do?"

"I do?"

"Do you think I normally find excuses to see more of a girl I saw sitting alone in a coffeeshop?" he asked.

"You're a rock star. Don't you do things like that all the time with your groupies?" she retorted.

He pulled her closer to him, kissing her once again, though not nearly as harshly. For a moment she even relaxed in it, liking the brush of his facial hair on her skin. His hands wandered from the small of her back, allowing her to take a step back and part from his kisses.

"I don't have groupies," Dave finally answered.

"Sure you do."

"Fine. But I don't... partake of them," he declared, desire clear in his eyes.

She was going to ask why. But somehow her fuzzy brain managed to pull up some information Kara had given her prior to the concert. And her eyes narrowed.

"And you're not getting any more from me. You're married," Mel declared, taking another step back so that his hands could not touch her.

"I.... She.... I...." he struggled to explain anything to her.

"I won't be someone's other woman," she declared. "So you'll just have to live with me driving you wild."