Running

Chapter 29

"Did you really have to wear a skirt and those boots tonight?" Corey asked grinning at her. They were in his dressing room, as he was getting ready for the last show before they headed back home.

"Why? Don't you like it?" She asked, playing dumb.

He glared. "You know I like it. More than like it. I cant think straight. You did that on purpose." He said, moving closer to her, grabbing her waist.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She grinned.

He smiled. She had on a shorter black skirt and black knee high boots, with a lower cut tight pink t shirt. She knew what she was doing with that outfit, he thought.

"I have a surprise for you." He said.

"Oh yeah? Having Bruce Willis sit with me to go all Die Hard on some one if they come through the door?" She grinned, making him laugh.

"Nope. But there is someone here that is dying to see you." He grinned.

"Aww, you brought Mo?" She laughed.

"Asshole." He said, as there was a knock on his door.

He walked over to answer it, opening the door wide. He watched as her eyes lit up. "Marilyn!" She yelled, running up to him, hugging him.

"Hey sweetie!" He laughed, hugging her. "You look great. Nice outfit!" He smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"I gotta go babe." He said, pecking her mouth through his mask. She swatted him on the ass as he walked out, flipping her off laughing.

She sat down with Marilyn, who looked like he was worried. "What?" She asked confused.

"I'm worried about you. You're so thin Vyla." He said rather quietly.

"I know. The last month and a half has worn me out. I cant eat without feeling like there are hands on my throat, as dumb as it sounds." She said looking down.

"I think that's kind of normal, given what happened. When Sid told me what happened, I was shocked. I didn't realize what you were going through. I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't be. I'm sorry for what happened, but I'm here. I don't know how, but I am. I just don't know how to pick up and move on. I'm pissed or sad all the time. I get mad over nothing. I still can't relax. My whole life has been really fucked up for so long. I don't know how to change it." She said looking at him as he nodded.

"You don't get over something like that over night. Stop trying to rush it or act how other people think you should. Go with what you're feeling. Just talk to someone when you feel it. Try doing it right when you feel it. It's gonna take a while, but you'll figure yourself out." He said, hugging her.

"Now let me see this ring I heard about." He grinned.

"Corey told you?" She asked

"Vy, he told everyone." He smiled. "Twitter." They both said.

They talked for a long time about anything and everything. Marilyn looked up at the screen. "Last song." He said.

"Can you help me with something?" She asked.

"Yeah. What is it?" He asked.

"I need you to talk me through going up there. Side stage." She said. His eyes went big, as he pulled her up, and out the door. She laughed, holding his hand for dear life.

As they got closer, she started to feel the panic. He squeezed her hand more. "Almost there Vyla. No backing out. You've been through worse. You know you have." He said looking at her. He moved her closer, never letting go of her hand. The song was almost over, as she saw Corey do a double take, when he looked over at her.

The guys sensed something was a miss as well, looking over. They all stopped before the song was over, staring. "Maybe I should have stayed back." she said, nervously.

"No. This is where you need to be" Marilyn said.

Corey dropped the mic, and ran over to her, leaving the rest of them smiling as he did. "You're here." He said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I can go back?" She said as a question.

He undid his mask, pulling it off, tossing it aside. Shaking his head, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him hard. "No but, now you have to come out." He laughed, watching her eyes go wide.

Before she could protest, he kept his arms around her kissing her, as he walked backwards on stage. He pulled back laughing. She had never seen him that excited or happy since they met. She turned to her right avoiding looking out to the crowd, seeing Mick scoop her up into a big hug, followed by Sid.

Sid set her down as Corey moved in, hugging her, laughing. He kissed her hard, as they heard the crowd go wild. She laughed as he set her down. "Go finish." She said. He grinned and nodded. She grinned, letting go of his hand, walking back to Marilyn.

"Face paint sweetie. On your mouth." Marilyn laughed.

"Oh fucking hell." She laughed, wiping her mouth. "Ok. I need to go back." She said turning around. Marilyn laughed and followed her.

"That was amazing Vyla. Really it was. I'm impressed." Marilyn said as they got back to the dressing room.

A half hour later the door flew open, startling both of them. Corey ran over to her picking her up into a huge hug, lifting her off the ground.

"Well that's my queue to leave." Marilyn said making all of them laugh. Corey set her down.

"Thank you. So much." She said, with tears in her eyes to Marilyn.

"Nope none of that. I was happy to do it." He smiled hugging her close. He nodded at Corey, then closed the door behind him.

"Sorry. Didn't realize me standing there would cause all of that." She said blushing, as she turned to look at him.

He stood in awe. He shook his head slowly at her. "I don't care what it caused. No one else did either." He said pulling her into him. His mouth was on hers in an instant, kissing her frantically and hard.

He pulled back, smiling at the black face paint on her mouth. "Go shower, so we can head back." She said wiping her mouth.

"We're not heading back anytime soon, when I'm done with a shower." He said, running his hand up her thigh, inching her skirt up.

She laughed and smiled at him. "Why did you come out?" He asked.

She shrugged, "I knew it meant alot to you. And I wanted to try at least. I almost killed you when you pulled me out on stage." She grinned, making him laugh.

"Sorry. I got a little caught up in the moment." He laughed.

She nodded. "I know how hard that had to of been for you. Thank you. And it meant a lot to not just me, but the guys too." He said.

"Kind of a one time deal Taylor. Marilyn drug me most of the way, then held my hand, not letting me leave." She grinned, "But it was my idea. He didn't let me think twice after I said it." She laughed.

"I figured it would be a one time thing. But I don't care." He said.

"The look on your face was priceless, by the way, when you did a double take." She said making him laugh.

"You should of seen your face when I said you had to come out then." He smiled, making her blush.

"I can only imagine." She said.

He took her hand, leading her back to the shower. He stripped down, getting in the shower. "Joining me?" He asked from the shower.

"Nope. I'm making you wait." She said, grinning to herself. She heard him groan in disappointment.

"You're a tease." He yelled, making her laugh.

He showered in record time, stepping out with a towel on. She smirked at him, walking back to the dressing room. He followed her close behind. "Aren't you getting dressed?" She smirked.

He walked slowly over to her, eyeing her up, moving closer to her. She laughed, walking past him. "Playing hard to get?" He grinned.

"Maybe." She said coyly. She heard him growl, as he stalked towards her. "Someone's anxious." She grinned, as he got closer.

"Maybe if you hadn't worn a skirt, I could think straight." He said, reaching down running his hand up her thigh and under her skirt, as he closed the gap between them.

"Maybe I should wear them all the time." She said softly.

"Oh god... I would never leave you alone then." He groaned, moving his mouth to her neck. She closed her eyes, sighing softly.

"Maybe wear one as I did housework." She chuckled. She felt him pausing, moving up to look at her.

"Would you?" He asked excitedly.

She couldnt help but laugh. "I'll think about it." She said smiling.

He smiled, moving them to the couch. "I want you so fucking bad right now." He said, moving to lay over her. He ran his hand further up her thigh, pausing, he looked at her "You have nothing on under this? All night, you have been like this?" He questioned her, suprised.

She laughed. "Calm down. I took them off when you were in the shower." She said.

"Thank god." He said, sounding relieved.

He moved in kissing her roughly on the lips, making her moan. He quickly moved her skirt up, and she wrapped her legs around him as fast as she could. She pulled the towel from his waist, as she kissed him harder.

"I want you now." She moaned against his mouth. Happy to oblige, he thrust into her hard, making them both moan loud, as he moved quickly.

She lifted her hips, moving to match his pace. She whispered in his ear, "Lay down. I want to be on top." He stopped moving, looking at her grinning. He moved under her, allowing her to move on top of him, lowering herself down on him.

He tensed, closing his eyes, letting out a quiet moan. She rolled her hips slightly, watching him throw his head back and gasp. She pulled her shirt off over her head, tossing it aside.

She moved her hips more, making him grab her hips. "Shit. Don't stop." He panted out. She set the pace, leaning down to kiss his lips hard, before sitting up, throwing her head back.

She felt him move under her, urging her to go faster. She increased the pace, little by little, letting the heat build between them. His hands digging harder into her hips, as she felt his body tense under her more.

Unable to to hold out any longer, she moved faster, making both of them moan. She felt him tense hard under her, as she arch her back, digging her nails into his chest, before collapsing breathlessly on his chest.

"Holy fucking shit." He said, panting.

She moved to lay next to him, trying to catch her breath. "Yeah." She panted. She laid her head on his chest. She knew he would fall asleep soon. "Hey. Don't fall asleep." She said nudging him gently.

Sighing, he groaned, getting up. She sat up grabbing her shirt, putting it on. He grabbed his clothes, slowly getting dressed. Once dressed, he turned, walking over to her. "You are full of surprises aren't you?" He said grinning.

"I do what I can." She grinned, making him chuckle. "Come on. Let's head back before I have to hear the never ending sex jokes from the guys." She said, grabbing his hand.

They walked slowly back to the bus. "So how difficult was that for you to do?" He asked looking at her.

"You're going to think I am crazy saying this. But doing that, was harder than getting on the stand at the trial." She said.

"Babe, why did you do it?" He was concerned now.

"Because I needed to. I can't live in fear my whole life over something that happened 20 years ago at a concert." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked puzzled.

"I wasnt always afraid of crowds. I went to a Metallica concert back in '98. Everything was fine until everyone went to leave. People started pushing, and the next thing I know, I was trampled, and I couldn't get up. I can't tell you how many people stepped on me or how many times my head hit the concrete. All I know is, a bouncer noticed me finally, and pulled me from the crowd. After that, I never went near a crowd again." She said.

"Fuck. It makes sense now. That's fucking awful. I'm sorry, baby." He said, stopping to hug her. "Is that why you wanted me to drop you off on the side of the road that night?" He grinned.

"No. I was more scared of you taking me to the woods, asshole." She said, both of them laughing.

"Thank you. For what you did tonight." He said seriously.

"Stop with the piercing blue eyes into my soul Taylor." She grinned, making him laugh.

They walked on the bus, and Jim picked her up hugging her, the second they were in. He set her down and smiled, then walked away.

"Thanks Vyla." She heard Craig say, as he hugged her next. She nodded.

Two days later, they arrived back in Iowa. One by one, they were all dropped off at their homes. When they pulled up to Sid's, Mo was in the yard waiting for him. "Want to say hi to Mo?" He asked Vyla. She nodded, getting off the bus with him.

Mo took off running straight for Vyla, instead of Sid. They laughed as Mo happily kissed her face. "Alright Mo! Dick move man! I feed you, you ungrateful bastard." Sid said laughing.

"Call me soon, ok?" He said to Vyla. She nodded, hugging him hard.

"Sid. I couldn't have done this without you. Any of it. Thanks." She said, pulling back from him.

"Any time. You know that." He smiled, as she got on the bus.

They arrived at Corey's house a few minutes later. Grabbing their bags, they walked up the driveway. He opened the door, and they dropped their bags. She stretched her arms over her head, as he came up behind her, grabbing her waist. He moved in front of her, and his mouth was on hers in an instant.

"That didn't take long." She said against his mouth.

"No. I've had to sit and think about us being alone, inside this house for the last two days. It's killing me." He said, leading them back to his room.

Later that night, they laid tangled in the covers and each other. Corey was sleeping, as she was just dozing off. She heard a noise, jolting her from her sleep. He felt her jerk away, and woke up. "Hey, what is it?" He asked.

"I thought I heard something." She said looking at him. He nodded, getting up, throwing a pair of pants on. He walked to the living room to investigate. She heard him come back, and he got into bed.

"I didn't see anything, and I checked the door again. It's locked ok?" He said softly.

She nodded as they got settled again. He rolled over to hold her again. "You're heart is pounding Vy." He said.

"I got scared." She said.

"You don't have to be now. Why don't we find somewhere else to stay for a while? Start looking for a new house?" He asked.

She rolled over and looked at him. "I thought I was Ok being here. But he knew we were here." She said.

"Then we find somewhere that he hasn't been to. I don't really want to stay here either after everything. It just feels...i don't know..." He trailed off.

"Violated?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah it does. We'll go somewhere tomorrow, ok?" He said.

"Ok." She replied.

She fell into a restless sleep. She dreamed that Mason was in the house with them. This time he fulfilled his promise of having fun with her first. She woke up, unable to breathe. She was on the floor next to the bed shaking, sobbing quietly.

Corey had heard her, and moved to the other side if the bed in front of her. "Vy." She heard. Oh shit, he found me, she thought. She was trying to be silent, not wanting to make a noise. "Vy." Oh god, he's closer, she thought.

"Baby. Look at me, please." She heard. Corey? How did Corey get here? She wondered. Tattoo hands. Oh thank God, she thought.

"It didn't happen did it?" She asked, looking at him finally. He looked confused and worried.

"What didn't happen, baby?" He asked quietly, gently trying to move her to him.

"Nothing." She whispered, not moving. She was shaking so bad.

"Just tell me, please." He asked, placing a hand gently on her leg.

"He...he was here. With us in the house. And...and he..made good on his promise...." She sobbed, stopping.

Corey knew where this was going, but wanted her to talk about it. "What promise was that babe?" He asked gently.

" He....he fucking raped me!" She yelled out, her cries were harder, she had curled into a ball almost next to the bed.

He moved over her, holding on to her. "Ok....ok...he didn't, ok? That didn't happen. It was a dream, baby. He's in prison, and he's not coming here. I promise." He said.

She climbed on to his lap, almost like a cat. She wrapped herself around him. He held on to her tight. "It was so real." She whispered to him.

"I know. I'm sorry. Shhh. It's ok now." He said quietly. With her wrapped around him still, he stood, walking them to the bed. He sat down, holding on to her. "Let's lay down, and then we will leave first thing in the morning, ok?" He said.

"Where are we going to go?" She asked.

"Let me take care of it, ok." He said, as she laid down next to him. She nodded.

The next morning they got ready to leave. He opened the garage door, watching her smile. "Hello, princess." She said to her car. Corey laughed. "Maybe we should of brought your car with, if it meant you'd smile like that." She nodded at him.

She smiled, tossing him the keys. "You're only driving because you know where we are going." She laughed.

"I figured." He smiled.

They got in, and drove for almost a half hour. She noticed more country roads, the houses few and far between. He pulled down what looked like a long drive way, surrounded by trees. From the road, you would never see a house was there. They continued down the long drive way, pulling in front of a large white house. There was a car parked in front, one she didn't recognize.

Corey parked the car, and they got out. She gave him a questioning look, but followed him to the door. He knocked and waited.

Soon, a shorter man, with a lot of tattoos, bald, and a long grey and black beard answered. "Corey! How the fuck are ya man?" He asked.

"Alright I guess. Been a long few months man." Corey said.

"Yeah no shit. I heard about everything. Thats-" he stopped, turning his head to Vyla.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry. You must be Vyla, right? I'm Scott Ian." He said, extending his hand to her. She politely shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you." She said quietly.

"Come in guys. I'm almost finished grabbing my stuff." He said ushering them inside.

The house was huge. A large kitchen off to the right of the door, large living room off to the left. A winding staircase separated the rooms. There was marble flooring. He led them into the living room. They all took a seat. "So, all of my stuff is out. It's just the furniture. You guys stay however long you want. I am actually thinking about selling it. I haven't been here in almost a year." Scott said.

"How close is your nearest neighbor?" Vyla asked.

"About five miles down the road. Planning big parties?" Scott grinned.

Vyla smirked at Corey, shaking his head. "She, uh, likes to go shooting. She had a house way out where she could do that." Corey grinned.

"No shit? Fuck. Yeah there's plenty of room in the back yard for that. How many do you own?" Scott asked, intrigued.

"10. Pretty sure it's 10." She replied, watching his eyes go huge.

"No fucking shit! Goddamn! You don't look like the type who would want to blow shit up." Scott laughed.

"I like to think of it as therapy." She grinned. Scott nodded.

"When did you get the new car Corey?" Scott asked.

"Shit. That's hers." He said nodding at Vyla.

"Goddamn! That is a nice fucking ride." Scott said impressed.

"That it is." She grinned.

"So, make yourselves at home. Like I said, stay as long as you need. Let me know when you go, so I can see about putting it on the market." Scott said.

Vyla looked at Corey, and he knew she wanted the house. Corey grinned, knowing what she would say. "If your selling it, I'll buy it. Write your information down, and my investor will contact you tomorrow." Vyla said.

Scott stood stunned. "For real? You haven't even seen the rest of the place." Scott said.

"I don't need to." Vyla said.

"Well, yeah. You want to talk price?" Scott asked.

"Nope. I'll buy it for whatever you feel is fair. Just tell my investor when he calls you in the morning. His name is Shane Franklin. Here's his card." She said, handing it to Scott.

"Corey, how the fuck did you find someone like her? Jesus. Better hang on to her." Scott laughed.

"No shit. She's had multiple offers of marriage while we were on tour." Corey laughed.

"I can see why." Scott smiled.