Patience (d.m)

2.7: No More Fights

More Than A Feeling by Boston

{Recap}

"Hey bastard!" I hear Duff yell from the stage. Before I know it he's standing beside me. He rips my wrist away from Nikki and puts me behind him. "You'd better get the fuck away from her or I will kill you."

Henley's P.O.V

"Go ahead and punch me, you pussy!" Nikki yells glaring at Duff. "You ain't gonna do fucking shit! Even if you did I'm sure that you hit like a goddamn girl!"

Duff tries to lunge at Nikki, but I grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to me.

"Let me go, Henley," Duff demands, trying to free himself of my grip.

"No," I respond. "I'm tired of all of the fighting, Duff." He looks back at me, a sad look in his eyes. "I know that's how we became friends, but I can't stand it anymore."

He sighs, turning all the way to me. He moves a piece of my hair out of my face. "You really don't want me to beat the shit out of him?"

I shake my head, looking down at the ground. "I'm tired of the violence, Duffy." That's the truth. I just want everyone to talk things out instead of hitting each other. Besides, sometimes words hurt more than fists.

"Okay," Duff responds, tilting my head up to look at him. "What do you want me to do?"

I look over at Nikki who looks awful, but guilty. He's feeling remorse for what happened. "I want you to go back on the stage with your band and let me talk to Nikki. That way, Nikki can talk to me in private, but you can still keep an eye on us incase something goes awry." Duff sighs, looking hesitant about leaving me. I smile as best as I can at him. "I'll be fine, Duffy. Besides, you could get over here pretty damn quick with those giraffe legs of yours."

Duff laughs, shaking his head at me. "It's amazing what you could convince me to do." He leans forward and places a kiss on my forehead. "Come meet me as soon as your done. I have a surprise for you."

I raise my eyebrows since he can't see my eyes. "Oh? Is this the surprise you ignored me for?"

He grins, winking at me. "The very same."

I nod. Duff takes this as a signal to walk away. I watch him get back onto the stage. He immediately goes over to Steven who was banging a random beat on the drumset. I'm so happy that me leaving Seattle didn't ruin their relationship. I turn to Nikki who is surprisingly standing right in front of me. I jump, letting out a little gasp. Jesus, he's like a fucking cat or something.

"What did you wanna talk about?" I ask, looking down at the ground.

Nikki draws in a breath before he answers. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I never wanted to hurt you. I think I just got used to you always being around and the fact that you wouldn't leave me, no matter what I did. I think my subconscious was just wanting to test you, to see how far I could push you. I'm really, really sorry, Henley. You were the only one willing to put up with my bullshit and I ruined that."

I put my hand on his arm. I give him the best smile that I can give without wincing. "I'll always be by your side, Nik, but I don't think that I'm the best person to help you get clean. You need to go to a rehab facility. You need help from someone who knows what the fuck they're doing."

Nikki smiles softly, despite his injuries. He didn't flinch once. I guess that's a perk of sticking a needle into your skin nearly every day. You end up with a very high pain tolerance. "I think that I can get clean on my own. There's a former Hell's Angel that's willing to help me. You did help me a lot, Henley. You really did." He's quiet for a moment, his eyes looking behind me. I've no doubt that he's looking at Duff. "So, you and McKagan, huh?"

I shrug, taking a glance back at the blonde that found his way over to Izzy. "I guess it was always meant to be. I should've known that based on the fact that I never really hated him." I look back at Nikki. He has a frown on his beautiful face. "Do you have a problem with that, Nik?"

Nikki shakes his head. "I guess I just kinda wanted to date you once I got clean." Before I can answer, Nikki starts talking again. "I know there's never going to be a chance for that, though. It's always going to be Duff."

I nod, knowing he's right. "I'm sorry Nik."

He smiles. "It's all good. I guess I still need to do some more healing over Angel. Hell, I carry a little shrine for her everywhere I go. And when we're home I go visit her grave once or twice a day just to talk to her." He looks down at the ground. "She was the love of a lifetime."

Nikki still loves her so much. I bet if she hadn't passed, they'd be married by now. If she hadn't have taken too much that day, they could be getting clean together. If she was still alive, Nikki wouldn't be such an abusive ass. But, I don't hate him. Not one bit.

"You two were supposed to last forever," I say, thinking back at their relationship over the years. "I always wanted the love you two had."

Nikki looks behind me again. He doesn't say anything for a while. His eyes look tired and he looks like shit. I bet as soon as I left the hotel room he shot up. "It pains me to say it, but I think you've found it. Duff is a great guy and he's doing everything he can to make up for his mistakes. You've got a keeper there, Hennie."

I look back at Duff who's eyes are now locked on Nikki and I. "I think so." I turn back to Nikki. "Take care of yourself, Nik. I'll see you around, later." I start to walk away, but stop in my tracks. I look back at Nikki with a slight smirk on my face. "Go bang a chick. I bet it'll make you feel better."

He laughs, walking off towards Mick. I'm sure he's gonna get an earful from the old man. I turn back to the stage, Duff's eyes locked on me. He smiles, waving slightly. I wave back.

He is a keeper.

And I wanna know what this damn surprise is.