Animal in Me

If You Leave Me, You Will Kill Me Now

December 8th, 1984

I pull up to Vince's place and a valet appears. I smile at the man before killing the engine. He gives me a ticket in exchange for my keys. As he drives off in my corvette, I walk into the party. The music is loud and there are a ton of people in the house as well as the pool area in the back.

But despite how big the party is, it didn't take long to find Nikki. He was in the living room with Mick, Mick's girlfriend Lena, and Tom Zutaut from Elektra, Mick and Lena are talk amongst themselves. Tom is looking around awkwardly. And Nikki? Nikki is snorting a giant pile of cocaine, licking the surface clean. A sigh escapes my lips and I shake my head. Since meeting him, I've seen the drug use go to new levels. At first, he was doing it ever so often. Now we can barely have sex without him snorting a line off my ass or chest. I fear his drug use is going to get worse before it gets better.

"Aria!" Lena announces my presence prompting both Mick and Nikki to look up at me. I shoot a smile before making my way towards the group. "It's about time you got out here."

"How did Mick convince you to come out?" I question her. Since meeting her, I question how someone like her can be the girlfriend of a rockstar. She very rarely comes out, she rather sit at home with a good book. I often envy her. Being with Nikki, I feel like I have to constantly be the life of the party or he'll get bored of me and find another blonde. Which is stupid. We're not even together.

Lena shoots Mick a glare but when her attention returns to me, she's wearing a smirk. "I'm starting to ask that very same question myself. But hey, at least I'm not alone now."

I let out a laugh as I sit down to Nikki. He leans over and kisses my cheek before preparing yet another line of cocaine. He offers it to me and I just shake my head. He shoots me a questioning look before snorting up the line and licking the surface clean once again.

"You're really getting your money's worth, huh Sixx?" I question him. "How about you take a break, yeah? You've got all night to be coked up." He shoots me a glare.

"Last time I checked you weren't my mother." He sneers. "And since when you care about my drug use? You're not going prude on me, are you?"

"Let's not fight, please." I urge him. "How about you take me to the kitchen so I can get a drink?" I press my body up against his and bat my eyelashes. A smirk grows on his lips as he gets up off the couch and drags me with him. Hand in hand, we head to the kitchen.

"What does the fine lady want to drink?" He asks as he pulls out the bottle of Jack Daniels for himself.

"Jack and Coke." I reply. "Heavy on the Jack my love."

"How else would I prepare it?" He smiles. "So what gives? Since when do you refuse drugs?"

"I'm trying to be a good girl tonight." I shrug. "This morning I woke up with a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can't explain it."

"And what does that have to do with not doing lines of cocaine with your favorite rockstar?"

"I kinda what to keep myself in my right mind." I explain further. "I want to be hyper aware in case something actually happens; which I pray doesn't."

"You're being paranoid, babe." He hands me my drink and kisses my cheek. "Come on, let's head outside. I think I need some fresh air." With this free hand, he takes mine and guides me through the crowd and towards the back patio. .

Just as we pass through the living room, I notice Vince and Beth arguing over something. Razzle is standing off to the side looking around awkwardly. "Should we save your boy?" Nikki whispers in my ear.

"I'll be right back." I kiss his cheek before breaking away to head over to the Brit. Once over there, he perks up and pulls me into a hug.

"It's so good to see you, love." He gives me one last squeeze before releasing me. "Please save me from this?" He points to the fighting couple behind us.

"I refuse to get in between Beth and Vince." I inform him. "Beth doesn't like me much. Apparently she doesn't believe me when I say nothing has happened between me and her husband."

"But you don't like Vince."

"She doesn't believe that." I shrug. "Whatever they are arguing about, it's going to stay between them. Wish I can save you, but I can't."

"If you don't listen to me, at least listen to Aria!" I hear Beth yell. I silently curse under my breathe before turning towards them. "Aria tell him, he doesn't need to go out. Tell him that he's too drunk to get behind the wheel."

"Beth, he's not listening to you," I start. "He definitely won't listen to me. It'll be stupid to even try to talk Vince out of doing something." She just glares at me before turning towards her husband.

"Do whatever you want!" She yells. "I don't care anymore." She storms off in a huff. Vince just looks at me with a sympathetic expression.

"Sorry, Summers."

"Don't worry about it." I shrug it off. "Your wife hates me, I get it. But if you are going out, please be safe okay? Just because I don't like you, doesn't mean I want to see you dead." He nods at me before turning towards Razzle.

"Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Razzle smiles before walking up to me and kisses my cheek. "See you in a bit, love. Save a dance for me, will you?"

"Of course Razz." I smile. "Be safe, both of you."

"Yes mother!" Vince rolls his eyes but there is a playful smirk on his lips. "See you in a bit Summers." I watch both Vince and Razzle stumble outside. Deep down, the bad feeling I woke up to intensifies. I let out a sigh before going to find Nikki outside.

I sit down next to Nikki and another sigh escapes, earning the attention of the bass player. "You okay, babe?" Concern is actually dripping from his words. "What was the fight about?"

"Vince wanting to go out with Razzle." I reply. "Both of them are way too drunk to be behind the wheel. Should I have sided with Beth? Or just allowed Vince to whatever he wants."

"Vince isn't a child." Nikki shrugs. "Even if you sided with Beth, he wouldn't have listened."

"I just have a bad feeling about this." I mutter. Nikki sighs before taking my hands and pulling me over into his lip. He wraps his arms around me but it does nothing to kill the bad feeling growing in the bit of my stomach.

**

"Has anyone seen Razzle and Vince?" Andy McCoy, Hanoi Rocks lead guitarist, asks. "They've been gone over an hour."

"They probably made a detour to a strip club." Tom chuckles. I shoot him a look, knowing that wasn't the case.

"I really haven't been drinking," I inform him. "Let's get in my car and we'll drive up and down the streets. Vince's car is very hard to miss."

"You sure?" Andy looks at me then at Nikki, who's glaring at him. "I would hate to pull you from your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend." I say before getting up off of Nikki's lap. "And I'm worried too. Come on, let's get out of here." I lean down and kiss Nikki's cheek. "I'll be back, okay?"

"Be safe." He smiles before leaving a chaste kiss on my lips. "I expect you back in one piece."

"Aye, aye captain." I smile at him before leading Andy outside to my car.

**

"How can you be so sure that they aren't at a strip club instead?" Andy asks, breaking the silence. "Isn't Vince always at a strip club?"

"Vince wouldn't leave his wife alone with a house full of drunk rockstars." I reply. "Plus, I've had a bad feeling in the pitch of my stomach since the two left."

"So what kind of car am I looking for?" Andy asks as I come to a stop. Up ahead, I see the bright lights of police lights. I get out of my car and notice, I'm not the only person doing so. Very person stuck in this parking lot traffic is doing the same. An officer comes close to us.

"Please get back in your cars." He orders us. "There was an accident and we are currently working on getting the passengers to the hospital." Fear washes over me.

"What kind of car was involved?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"An orange Pantera." He replies. I can feel everything drain from my body. "Now please get back inside of the car.

"No." I simply say before rushing past him and heading straight towards the accident, completely ignoring the yells of the officer and Andy.

I get to the accident just in time to see the EMTs put Razzle's body in the ambulance. I scan the area until my eyes land on Vince. Vince is sitting on the curb with his arms behind his back and are in handcuffs. I rush over to him, sliding on the concrete, until I'm kneeling in front of him. "Vinnie, what happened?" I ask the blond in front of me. He looks up at me with bloodshot eyes. He looks scared; beyond scared. "Vince, what happened?"

"H-he f-f-f-fell asleep." Is the only thing he manages to say before he starts bawling his eyes out. I immediately pulling him into a hug. He just sits there crying into my chest.

"Aria, what happened?" Andy's voice asks behind me. I turn around, tears in my eyes. "Aria, where's Razzle?"

"On his way to the hospital." I croak out as tears flow freely from my eyes. "The closest hospital is about a couple miles away. Get in my car and go. I'm going to stay here with Vince."

"Are you sure?" He questions me. "What about Razzle?"

"I'll be there shortly." I assure him. "If he wakes before I get there, assure him I'll be right there with a pint of beer and a porno." He shoots me an uneasy smile, knowing the inside joke me and the drummer share, before doing as I say. I just cling onto Vince for dear life; praying to whoever is in charge in the skies above. Please let that excitedly puppy be alright...