Chapter 126 - Livin' On A Prayer

The guys in the band were surprised to see their Sunday Funday football game in the film.  

They looked at one another with the memory of that day fresh in their minds, all are smiles.  The voice on the film asks Jon, "What are you looking forward to in the next year?"

He stops his play on the field and looks at Monica, "I'm looking forward to being a daddy."  He tells the camera with a huge smile on his face.  The crowd in the theater goes crazy, hooting and hollering.  

"You are?"  the off scene voice asks him.

"More than anything in this world." he replies being slightly distracted by his band mates and crew, running up and down their makeshift football field.  The night is perfect.  Not too hot, but comfortable enough for the guys to be running around with their shirts off.  

"What about your next album, are you looking forward to getting that finished?" she continues with her 'interview' as long as she has his attention.

"We'll have that done as soon as we get home." he informs her.  She knows that they have most of it written and some of it recorded, but she didn't know that they'd have it finished so soon.  

"I'd like it to be done before the baby gets here."

"Think it will be?" she questions him, still off camera.  "You have plenty of time."

Alec pops into the shot, "Can't your interview wait?  The crew is kicking our ass.  We need Jon out there."  he pleads with heavy breathing.

"Maybe you need a break Alec.  You're breathing pretty hard."  Monica states, irritated by the interruption.  "Maybe smoke another cigarette."  Hating the fact that any of them smoke.

"Mon, not now." Jon jumps in saving her ass, knowing that Alec bites back.

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The screening of the film is over.  

The band members and their people are escorted backstage where they will wait for the audience to clear out.  In the midst of waiting everyone raved to Monica about her film.  "Babe, you did a great job.  I'm so proud if you."  Jon tells her, nibbling the crook of her neck.  "I loved it."

Monica,  leaning into his nibble gives a giggle, "Thanks for letting me do it."  She turns into Jon and kisses his nose, "I know it was hard for you to give me full access and creative authority, but I think it came out great."

"Monica,  that was great."  They hear from behind them.  They turn around and are face to face with David.  He's smiling from ear to ear, "That kicked ass."

"Thanks Dave." She replies, smiling.  "It wasn't easy to do, but I'm pleased with the end result."

"What was so tough about it?  You had great subjects and all access." Dave jokes.

"You have no idea what was left on the cutting room floor."

Jon shoots her a look, "How much did you not use?"

Monica is a little shocked by Jon's question, "You seen the reels I had, plus the photographs.  There are several hours that have been cut."

"Can you use it on something else?" David questions Beth,  wondering what she could have cut. "It looks like you grabbed a little from just about every show."

"I tried.  But you gotta remember there are a few I missed."

The group hung around backstage,  waiting for the coast to be clear so they could leave.  As soon as they were able to leave, they said their goodbyes and all parted ways.  

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Jon and Monica start finding their way back home.  Going through the city at night was one of their favorite things to do.  The night is clear and the streets are full of people.  The lights in the skies and the lights from the skyscrapers make Monica smile, "I can't wait to have this baby and take her to places like this."

"Don't rush it."  Jon responds, reaching over taking Monica's hand in his, "She'll be here before you know it."

"She?  You're pretty sure that it's a girl, aren't you?" Monica takes his hand, raising it to her lips - gently she kisses it, "I think it's going to be a boy."

"Girl."

"Boy."

"Let's just agree to disagree on this one." he tells her, "Even though I think it's going to be a girl."

Monica looks at him and gives him a playful wink.  She's still on the high from the documentary and the thought of being a mommy only made her higher.  "What did you really think of the film?"  She turns sideways in the passenger seat, resting her hand on Jon's thigh.

He gives her a look that's followed by his innocence smile, "I loved it."

"Loved it?" she can't believe that.  "Come on, what did you really think?"

"Babe, I think you did a great job with it.  Really."

"Then what was the look for?" she has to know how pissed her really is.  She knows that she used his song without his permission, so she assumes that's what he shot her the stink eye for.

Jon wiggles a little in the drivers seat, fixing his gaze on the road ahead, "I was pissed that you used that song.  You used it without permission from anyone, Monica."

"So."

"You know how I feel about stuff like that." he blurts, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.  

Monica sits up a little straighter, giving him her full attention.  "I could say the same thing Jon.  You used my thoughts and feelings that I expressed to you in a letter, for lyrics in THAT song - without my permission."

"That's different."

"How?" she barks back, "How is that any different?"

"I don't want to argue with you about it now."

"Who's arguing?"

His right hand goes on the steering wheel as he cranks down the driver side window.  With the air whipping through the car, he lights a cigarette and puts his left arm out the window.    "We haven't had the chance to record that and now it's going to be out there, bootlegged."

"What's so bad about that?" she questions him, not really seeing what the big deal is.  "It's a beautiful song, if I do say so myself."

"Other than playing it that one night live, I did't want it heard again until we recorded it and released it."

"What do you think is going to happen since it was in my film?  The film isn't ready to be released for sale, so no one will hear it again before you release it."

"You don't think that there were tape recorders in the theater tonight?"  he takes a long drag off of his cigarette - holding it in.  "I have no doubt that there were a few."

"What does that matter?  No one else can release it like you can.  No one else can put it on an album. It's your song."

"My song that was played in public without the proper permission."

"Are you really going to do this now?  It was a film about you and your band, why would I not use your music?" she snaps at him, feeling slightly irritated that he's being so pissy about this little thing. She looks out the passenger side window, watching lights as they whisked by in his hurry to get home. "Or is all of this simply because I used something without your permission."

"That's exactly it, Monica.  You used my intellectual property without my permission and plan to profit from it."

"Um, Jon....you used my intellectual property without my permission and WILL profit from it.  You fucked up first."

"The words you used in a letter are not considered intellectual property."

"Says who?"

"Monica, the things you say in a letter can't be copyrighted." he tried to tell her.  Wants to convince her that he's right on this matter.  "Why do you think we only record things that we write?"

"You recorded She Don't Know Me."

"After buying the rights to it.  That was a pain in the ass."  He takes another drag off his cigarette, focusing on the road ahead.  "And we'll never do that again."

Monica focuses on the road ahead too. "I still don't see the big deal, Jon.  You took what I said to you, from my heart and turned it into an amazing song.  No one else could have done that.   Who gives a shit if someone recorded it tonight."

"I do.  You took my control away."

"Control of what?" She flippantly asks, knowing the answer would leave her feeling the same way.

Jon, finishing his cigarette and flicking it out the cracked window tells her, "You took control of who hears it and when."

"Will the world end if it was recorded tonight?  Or will the moon and earth collide if it was recorded the night you guys played it?  You're being extreme."  Monica is feeling like she's pre battle, already knowing the end result of the war.  "Regardless, it's in the film and I'm not cutting it out before it goes into production."

"Yes you are."  He replies, giving her the stink eye.