Keep Me In Your Dreams (Steddie)

Start At The Bottom, Lick It To The Top (She Goes Down-Billy Squire)

Corroded Coffin ended the first show of their new US tour with a fan favorite, their cover of Metallica's Master of Puppets. They left the stage, hot, tired, and flying high on adrenaline. Everything had gone perfectly. There were no technical or lighting issues. Every one of them played flawlessly. And Eddie had finally hit that one high note perfectly that he'd been struggling with during tour rehearsals. They were arm in arm, excited and laughing, congratulating each other on an excellent performance. But they didn't make it very far before they were swarmed by fans, mostly women. That was nothing new. They'd gotten used to the women on their first tour. And none of them were opposed to it. In fact, they took advantage of it to the fullest extent possible.

As their security ushered them through the crowd, someone broke through and caught Eddie around the neck. She kissed him and Eddie kissed her back before his personal bodyguard pulled him away. The woman yelled that she loved him over the din backstage, and he told her he loved her too as dozens of hands reached for him and Jeff, Gareth, and Grant.

A face in the crowd caught his attention. He couldn't see the whole face, just the eyes mostly. They were dark and when the light hit them, it looked like there were green sparks in them. He froze for a half a second as they locked eyes and gazed deep into each other. For that split second, everything and everyone around Eddie disappeared and it was just him and whoever those eyes belonged to.

Eddie took a breath, blinked, and the spell was broken. The noise and the crowd and the reaching, grabbing hands were all back. Everyone was in a frenzy and Eddie breathed a sigh of relief as he was pushed into his private dressing room and the door was slammed shut behind him. For the first time in several hours, it was quiet.

As much as Eddie loved what he did for a living, he also looked forward to the quiet. He needed it so he could reel in his thoughts. Too much going on around him tended to kick his anxiety into overdrive. His senior year in high school, the third one, had been hell on him, and after that spring of eighty-six, Eddie needed peace and quiet to keep himself sane. It had been six years, but sometimes he still felt like he was back there, living that life again, surrounded by the chaos. That was why he always had a separate dressing room from the rest of his band. Mostly he shared theirs for the partying and good times, but immediately after shows he needed some time to himself, to ensure that he wasn't going to lose his mind.

Eddie grabbed a beer and a joint then sat on the couch, leaned his head against the back, lit the joint, and closed his eyes. He'd smoke, have a beer or two, then he'd join the guys next door in their dressing room, where all the girls would be. Because he never allowed girls into his private space. There was a light tap on the door then his bodyguard, Vic, stuck his head in. Eddie opened his eyes just a slit and peered at him.

"There's someone out here that says they know you."

"I need a few more minutes," Eddie said quietly. "Tell her to wait next door."

"It's not a woman," Vic chuckled, and Eddie sat up. "You want me to send him away?"

Eddie tilted his head and caught a glimpse of the guy behind Vic. The first thing that struck Eddie was that the guy was absolutely beautiful, like a Botticelli painting sort of beautiful. It was the eyes from a few minutes ago. Eddie was mesmerized again, transfixed by those beautiful eyes. He smiled at Eddie and there was something familiar about that smile and the two little beauty marks on his cheek, but Eddie couldn't place it. He'd seen so many faces touring the country for the last four years, he'd met so many people, he rarely remembered them unless there was something remarkable about them. This guy was remarkable looking though, that was for sure. But he had no idea why he looked so familiar.

"Nah," Eddie finally answered. "Search him, make sure he's not armed or something, then let him in."

"How thorough do you want me to be?"