Chapter 63 - I'd Be Right By Your Side

Their time home was spent with loved ones, friends and working long and crazy hours.  Their 2nd album was pressed and ready for release.  

 

Poly Gram Records decided to have a launch party for the album at the MTV studios, allowing a few local fans to join in on the fun.  The drawing for the fans was done through a local radio station, giving everyone equal opportunity to join in.  Two hundred of the biggest Bon Jovi fans were selected and ready to party with the boys from New Jersey.

MTV being fairly new themselves had no idea what they were in for.  A new and fresh rock band was about to storm their studios and allow fans to join in, this will set the tone for Bon Jovi as a band.  The fans that they have are loyal and die hard, so the release party is sure to be one for the record books. 

Monica had thrown together some story boards for their next video, as she was asked to shoot it, not only by Jon - but the whole band was on board for that.  They loved her earlier videos and the photo shoots that she has done for them have been stellar.  She has an eye for it, and her subjects are easy to work with.  The lens loves them, all of them 

The band was at Monica's getting ready to have dinner before they headed out for a night on the town.  They only have a few nights home, before they embark on a PR tour, doing a few shows at smaller venues along the shore to boost 7800 once it's released.  At the table, the 6 of them broke bread, drank a few drinks and talked about what they were going to do when the hit the big time.

"I'm buying a house in California, I am getting sick of the winters." states Richie.

"You're a sissy." Alec pokes at him.  

"I'm paying off my parents house and buying one for myself." David boasts, being very close with his family.  He's always wanted to take care of his mother and father.

Monica looks at all of them and asks, "Is anyone going to put money away or are you all going to piss it away."

They all say that they will have some saved up for rainy days, but they're honest when they tell her that they're buying this and that and doing this and that.  She knows that's what they'll do, because that's what she's doing. But she was addicted to baby items. 

 

They all ate, laughed and talked as a family.  Jon and Monica let the cat out of the bag that they were expecting.  Everyone took it pretty good, except Alec.  Alec never wanted or thought that it was possible for people to be truly happy and he rained on every parade that he could.  "Why do you want to have a baby now?  Don't you want to be rich and famous?"  Alec shallowly asks.

 

Jon sits up in his chair and says, "Having a baby means that I can't be rich and famous?"

 

"It's going to be harder now."

 

"How?" Monica jumps in, "How is it going to be harder?"

 

"Think about it, you remember what it was like when we were in Europe.  On a plane, off a plane, on a plane off a plane - you want to do that with a baby?"

 

"If we have to." Jon adds, "This is a blessing Alec, not a curse."

 

"That's not what I mean." Alec tries to defend himself, but sees that the topic isn't one that he wants to keep talking about.  He looks to Tico for help, and Tico just smiles.

 

Richie has to add his two cents in, downing his bottle of beer, "Ya know Alec, if you're not careful you could be faced with the same thing."

 

"Screw that.  I don't want any baby weighing me down."  Alec gets up and grabs everyone another drink, it hits him as he's counting the beers that he needs, "That's why you haven't been drinking!"

 

"Bingo!" Monica says, smiling at Alec.

 

He sits back at the table and passes around the 5 beers that he grabbed, "How long have you guys known?"  He raises an eyebrow.

 

Jon leans back in his chair and reaches over and rests his hand on Monica's leg, "We've known for a while, we just didn't want it out there for the world to know until we told our folks."

 

"How did they take it?"  Tico wonders, knowing how Jon's mom was with Jon and he's heard how Monica's parents are.  "I bet they were thrilled." that he says with sarcasm. 

 

Monica had thought about the reactions of their parents and when she analyzes her parents reaction, she thinks that her mom thought that maybe she would stay put and not travel while she was pregnant.  Well, she hoped that anyway.  Monica has a career path of her own, one that she'll take with Jon at her side.  And in return, Monica will be at Jon's side helping him reach the goals that he has in life.

 

They finish eating and get ready to head out.  Since they ate so much at dinner and had a few beers, they all didn't want to go too far, so they headed to the Starland Ballroom.  There was a local band playing, so they tucked themselves away in a corner and continued to act like they did at Monica and Jon's.  Everyone, except Monica, had a few more beers and  as the buzz got better, the cockier they got. 

 

They had heard enough of the local band.  Jon looks at his band mates, his friends and says, "Let's show them how it's really done."  And he motions for his brothers to follow.  They, all five of them, step up on the stage and politely take the instruments from the band and tell them to go get a drink.  Bon Jovi tunes in and starts to play Runaway.  The crowd absolutely loved it and when they were done with Runaway, they wanted more.  They played a couple more songs and graciously leave the stage, with egos the size of New Jersey.  They had a great night together, as friends and as a family.  Monica was sure to capture a few moments on film and she looked forward to seeing what she develops in the morning. 

 

The release party at MTV studios was the first of it's kind and the most watched show on MTV the day that it aired.  They had a stage set up in the studio, that also went out over the street.  A stage over a NYC street was not done before and to have fans on each side made Jon smile.  "I'll have them on the inside and the outside, that's cool."  Monica laughs at him as she kisses him cheek. 

 

"Are you sure that's what you want to wear?" she asks Jon, in his private dressing room.

 

He looks down his body and says, "Yeah, why?"

 

"I just wondered, I threw other clothes in my bag, just incase."

 

"Should I change?" he asks, a little panicked.  "Or is this good?"

 

"Babe, you look great.  I just wasn't sure if you wanted to wear that jacket.  I have your jean jacket, if you want that instead."

 

"This one matches my gloves." he states.

 

She chuckles, "Yeah, I guess it does.  Sit down, I'll fix your hair." 

 

Jon sits in front of her and she teases his hair and sprays it in place.  She has her breasts in his face and he can't help it, he has to touch her.  With the slowness of a scared child, he creeps his hands up her shirt and grabs her breasts.

 

"Jon!"

 

Laughing, "Monica." he squeezes her boobs.

 

"Careful, they're a little tender." she looks down at him, "That happens when you're pregnant."

 

"I know that." he winks at her, "I didn't mean to hurt you sweetie."

 

"I need to get you pretty for your fans, will you sit still?" she scolds him, with a smile on her face.  He's had enough of her breasts in his face.  He puts his legs between hers, and pulls her down on his lap.  She laughs and fights a little bit, but she didn't really want to get away.  "We are running out of time."  He slides his hands up her back, up under the back of her hair, cupping the nape of her neck he pulls her to him.  Her lips land on his.  Swiftly, he parts her lips with his tongue and the two of them are in a passionate kiss.  She can hardly resist this guy at home, when they're alone and need to do something - it's even harder to resist him when his hair is done and he has the tight jeans on.  They continue with the hot and heavy kissing until there is a knock at the door.  Monica is startled and Jon is irritated.  They look at each other, neither says a word.  Jon gives her a look that tells her not to say a word. 

 

There is another knock and then they hear, "Jon?"  They recognize the voice as being Richie.

 

"It's open." Jon yells back to Richie.

 

Richie comes in and sees Monica on Jon's lap.  "Ha ha, busted."

 

"What's up?" Jon asks Richie as he walks over to them. 

 

"Man, they had to shut the streets down.  The 100 that are supposed to be outside has easily turned into 300 or more."

 

Monica stands up, and Jon is right behind her.  They walk over to the window and look out.  There are people as far as he eye can see.  The three of them stand there with shocked looks on their faces.  "They really shut the streets down?"  Jon smiles the biggest smile, "How many streets?"

 

"A few man, can you believe that?" Richie replies, with all of his ego on his sleeve, "They love us."

 

"Are they still going to let you go on?  No one permitted this or got permission to shut the streets of NYC down."  Monica adds, hoping that the fan support doesn't thwart their effort or desire to play.

 

"They better not stop us."  Jon says, walking towards the door, "I'll go see what's up."  He disappears, leaving Richie and Monica standing there watching the craziness that is taking place just one floor below them.  The stage goes over a part of Broadway that has been closed to car traffic for years.  When they put this plan into play, no one took into consideration the following that this band had in the beginning. 

 

"I hope we can play.  This kicks ass."  Richie is pumped, he's very stoked and ready to make history.  "We are going to tear this place up."

 

Monica watches Richie and she can't help but love him more than she already does.  "I'm so happy for you Richie." she reaches over and puts her arm around him, her head rests on his shoulder.  "I love you."

 

Richie wraps his arms around her and kisses the top if her head, "I love you too baby cakes.  And I'm pretty happy for you."

 

"Are you really?" she questions, looking up at her big brother.

 

He kisses her again and holds her tighter, "I'm very happy that you're happy.  I can see that you're happy and if I had to pick who you had a baby with, I would pick me and then Jon."  he laughs at his comment, knowing that she knows what he meant.  She was his little sister and he has always been very overprotective of her.