Becoming

Back In The Village

Dave and Ade both made it through the holidays as well as their official moves to their new flats with minimal stress from their families, mainly thanks to their plans to have their respective mums help furnish their new places. Both women threw themselves into the process and therefore didn't take the time to draft unattached young women as potential girlfriends for their sons.

Recording in Nassau went as usual, as did their rehearsal schedule. Bruce surprised everyone at their second rehearsal, letting them know he'd married his girlfriend Jane once they'd returned from the Bahamas. Since Steve and Lorraine's baby was due in the middle of summer, the band put off the start of the tour until August. Little Lauren arrived in early July, giving Steve nearly a month to enjoy fatherhood before they set out for Europe, kicking off the tour in Poland.

The first few months of the tour passed quietly. Jane Dickinson often came out to visit with Bruce, the two of them hiring a car and driver so they didn't have to try to find space for a woman to sleep on the bus. Lorraine Harris visited a few times as well, when she was able to leave Lauren with her parents for a night or two. They all appreciated returning to the UK, especially their five shows in London, where Rod permitted them all to stay in their own homes.

Dave and Ade immediately set up answerphones in their separate flats, returning to them each night long enough to check for messages, then walked the short distance to the old flat they continued to maintain, grateful to have their nights together. Ade did have the obligatory family dinner at his parents' house on a night off between shows but managed to fob off his mother's inquiries about his social life by showing a Polaroid picture of himself with a girl he'd met in Spain. Not that he was actually dating Constanza, but Nicko had been pursuing her friend and had asked him to play wingman that night. Both girls had Polaroid cameras and taken several pictures of each other with the two men, so Ade pocketed one of the pictures for just this purpose.

Trouble started brewing when they headed back to Europe; Jane insisted on coming along once more, but whinged and complained when Bruce, already starting to have trouble with his voice due to the frequency of the shows, preferred to go back to the hotel and sleep rather than go out and party. She started going out without him, further shortening his already notoriously short temper. Then he and Dave, exiting the venue after the show in Milan, saw an obviously drunk Jane stumbling out of Mötley Crüe's bus, blowing kisses over her shoulder and calling out, "I had a great time, Nikki, shee you again tomorrow night!"

Dave had to grab Bruce as the singer's eyes flared in rage. "Don't," he told the singer urgently. "She's not worth getting arrested over and neither is that bastard of a bassist. We got two more shows before the break. You can do what you need to, kick her out, file for divorce, whatever, soon's we're home again. I'll get her to the car you hired, you go sleep in your bunk on the bus. She can sleep in the back of the car well enough, especially with how drunk she is."

Bruce closed his eyes for a long moment, his fists clenched at his side. "Right now, I don't know which of them I want to kill more," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "Yeah, better you deal with her, Davey, cos I don't trust myself to be within arm's reach of the bitch at this point." He gave his wife a scathing glance as she stumbled in circles in the car park, obviously unable to find the car. "Just... let Harry know I got some shite going on and not to give me any bollocks about my vocals tonight, cos way I'm feeling right now, I'm way too likely to throw fists."

"Yeah, I will," Dave said. "Go on, then, get your arse on the bus. If you think you need it, I still got a six-pack of that German lager I picked up in Rüsselsheim, tell Ade I said you can have it."

"You're a good mate, Davey, thanks," Bruce said, giving the guitarist a wan smile. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, heading for Iron Maiden's bus and swinging aboard.