Chapter Twenty-five

Richie woke to someone pounding on his door. Hard. He glanced at the travel clock on the bedside table. 7am. Who in the hell would be stupid enough to knock on his door at such an ungodly hour? The answer immediately popped into his head. Jon. Richie also knew it had to be something important.

Rolling out of bed and pulling jeans on as he went, he hurried to the door. Jerking it open, he grimaced at Jon’s appearance. His friend hadn’t shaved, and he was wearing a pair of gray sweats and a faded t-shirt. Jon’s hair looked like he had raked his fingers through it several times in aggravation.

"C’mon in Bro," Richie told him, as he turned and walked over to plop on the sofa. After noticing the two styrofoam cups in Jon’s hands, he added, "I see you thought to bring me some coffee."

"Yeah," Jon replied, handing one of the cups to Richie. "I figured you were going to need it."

"So what’s your problem with Mac this morning?" the guitarist asked, assuming that the only problem Jon could possibly have this early in the morning would have to be about her.

"It’s not Mac," Jon replied, sitting down in the chair across from Richie.

"Okay, spill."

"Caleb went to the Council," Jon told him.

"What? Why would he do that?"

"He went to confess his crime," Jon explained. "But while he was at it, he confessed mine."

"And what crime did you commit?"

"I changed a human without her permission," Jon answered, flatly.

"Oh fuck."

"Yeah, my sentiments exactly," Jon told him.

Jon explained the situation to Richie quickly. Then said, "And the Council has demanded yours and Mac’s presence. You both are being called as witnesses." He paused, not sure how to tell Richie the rest. "Witnesses for the prosecution, Rich."

"Well, I guess they’re just shit outta luck," Richie proclaimed. "Cause there’s no way in hell I’m going to testify against you."

"Rich," Jon began patiently, "if you don’t show up, they will judge me guilty without having the benefit of a trial and being able to present any kind of defense."

"Well, fuck," Richie swore. "When are we leaving?"

"Kristoff said that the Council’s emissary would be waiting at my home for me to arrive. He was giving me the option of running if I was guilty. I intend to carry on as planned and go to Dallas with Mac, then on to Jersey. The emissary will be there in a hotel, waiting on me to arrive in town. Once he makes contact with me, he won’t let me out of his sight until we arrive at Kristoff’s home."

"So, I guess I’m traveling with you and Mac to Russia, by way of Dallas and Jersey," Richie said, resigned.

"I’m not going to tell Mac what’s going on until I have to," Jon told him, "I would appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to her. Just go along with whatever I end up telling her about why you’re traveling with us."

"I’ve got your back, Bro," Richie said. And he meant it. Somehow, he would figure out a way to get out of testifying against his best friend.



The flight to Dallas seemed to be way too fast to Jon, but then he was very conscious of time slipping away. He had gotten by with just telling Mac that Richie was traveling to Jersey with them because they wanted to work on some things for the European leg of the tour.

The trio retrieved Mac’s car from long term parking and rode to her home. Jon thought the little two bedroom apartment was quite homey, but Mac kept apologizing for everything. The size and the mess she’d left behind when she’d driven to the airport, what seemed like a lifetime ago, to start this assignment.

"Well, guys," Mac announced, "make yourselves at home, I’m going to run into the office and get this over with."

"I’m going with you," Jon told her.

"Do you know what kind of problem you arriving at my office is going to cause?" she asked him.

"Do you think I care?" he returned.

"Jon," she tried.

"Mac," he countered. He knew that Caleb wasn’t a threat anymore but she didn’t, and he decided to use it. "Caleb could still be out there."

Mac decided not to argue with him. She would just tell everyone that she’d explain why he was with her later. They left Richie flipping through the channels on her television looking for something to watch. Mac was hoping that Jon’s baseball cap and sunglasses would keep most people from recognizing him, but she knew if Sandy was in the office there would be no fooling her.

The discussion in Joseph’s office wasn’t nearly as hard as she’d thought it would be, and surprisingly her boss didn’t ask about Jon’s presence. Joseph looked at Jon questioningly when he entered the room with Mac, but that was his only acknowledgment that the singer was even in the room. He tried to talk Mac out of leaving and told her to think about at least continuing to work for the magazine on a free lance basis. She promised she would, then shook hands with Joseph before she left his office.

Mac was thanking her lucky stars that they hadn’t encountered Sandy, until she almost ran into her friend in the hallway.

"You’re back," Sandy exclaimed in surprise hugging Mac.

"Yeah," Mac replied.

That’s when Sandy noticed Jon. "Holy shit," she gasped.

"I get that a lot," he told her, smiling and sticking out his hand. "You must be Sandy. It’s very nice to finally meet you."

Sandy let Jon take her hand, but she stood with her mouth agape. "Holy shit," she breathed again.

"Sandy," Mac said, trying to draw her friend’s attention to her, "when you can get outta here today, come by my apartment. We need to talk."

"Sure, okay," Sandy said, never taking her eyes off Jon.

"I’ll see you then," Mac told her, pulling on Jon’s hand and leading him to the elevator.

"Sure, yeah, okay," Sandy said, still staring in shock at Jon.

"You’re friend’s funny," Jon told her as the elevator doors closed on Sandy’s gaping face.

Mac decided now was as good a time as any to tell Jon that she intended to tell Sandy the whole truth. "Jon, when Sandy comes to my apartment this evening, I’m going to tell her about us and that I’m a vampire now."

"Mac," he began, one eyebrow raised, "are you sure that’s a good idea? She’s a reporter."

"So am I, Jon," she reminded him.

"Are you sure she isn’t going to spill her guts?"

"She wouldn’t do that to me," Mac answered. "Girlfriend secrets are sacred."

"I’m not comfortable with this," he told her.

Mac couldn’t help the anger that crept into her tone. "Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you turned me."

Jon winced. "Mac," he tried to placate her before her temper went nuclear, "please. Let’s not go there now."

"I’m telling her, Jon," she replied, frowning. "I realize you don’t trust her, but I do."

"Fine," he conceded, "I trust you, so do what you think is best."

"I’m glad I have your permission. ‘Cause I was going to do it anyway," she said just as the doors slid open in the lobby.

They were both silent on the ride back to Mac’s apartment. Mac was trying to find the words to tell her friend, and Jon was trying to find the words to explain his actions to the Council.




Jon and Mac had only been back at her apartment for half an hour when there was a knock on the door. Mac was surprised to find Sandy on the other side.

"Sandy, what are you doing here so quick? You must've left right after we did."

"You’re shitting me right? Like I was going to hang around there after Joseph told me you quit! Not when I knew I’d get the explanation here," Sandy told her as she walked into the apartment. That’s when Sandy saw them. The Dynamic Duo sitting right there on her best friend’s sofa. "Holy fuck!"

Jon laughed, turning to look at Richie, "That must be you, I’m holy shit." Richie joined in his laughter. The two men were very used to this reaction from women. Mac looked at Jon, thankfully he had put the glamour back into place before she had let their guest into the apartment. Grinning at her friend, Mac led Sandy to a chair but had to push the other woman into it, since apparently all her friend could do was stare at the two men. Mac’s living room was arranged with the sofa facing the television and two comfortable overstuffed chairs on each end of the sofa, with a long coffee table in the center. The two chairs were facing each other, and Mac moved to sit in the other on Jon’s end of the sofa.

Richie leaned forward and reached out a hand to the newcomer. "You must be Sandy, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

Sandy managed to take his offered hand, but only managed to say, "Holy fuck."

"Don’t take it personally, Rich," Jon said, smiling, "she couldn’t say much more than that when she saw me at the office."

"I’m so sorry," Sandy finally managed to say, "you must both think me incredibly rude."

"Star struck, maybe, darlin," Richie said, smiling at her, "but not rude."

"Don’t know why everyone’s always star struck around us though, Rich," Jon added, "we’re just normal guys."

Richie looked at his friend and smiled, "Well, one of us is a normal guy."

"Not now, Rich," Jon ordered softly.

"No, now is the perfect time," Mac interjected. "I thought you were in a hurry to get to Jersey, Jon. We might as well get this over with now."

"Now?" Jon asked, "You mean right here, right now?"

"Can you think of a better place?" Mac demanded.

"Well, I was thinking you’d take her in another room and tell her, and I wouldn’t even have to be present for the actual telling," Jon told her, winking to lighten her mood.

"Coward," Mac accused.

"You bet," he laughed.

"Sandy, come with me," Mac said, as she stood up. "We’ll leave the cowards in here."

Taking one last longing look at the duo on the sofa, Sandy followed Mac to her bedroom. Mac was already sitting on her bed when Sandy walked into the room.

"Have a seat," she offered, and watched as Sandy sat on the edge of the bed.

"This sounds serious," Sandy said gravely.

"It is," Mac told her, even though she wasn’t sure where to start.

"Well," Sandy said, shrugging, "I think we should hurry up and get it over with so we can get back out there," she jerked her head toward the living room, "with those two gorgeous men."
Both women laughed softly.

"Sandy," Mac said when the laughter died down, "this is a huge secret, and you can’t tell anyone."

Sandy looked indignant. "I’ve never told a girlfriend secret in my entire life."

"Jon’s a vampire, and not really married," Mac blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer.

Sandy fell back on the bed laughing. "That’s a good one, Mac," she said between bursts of laughter. "So, what’s the real secret?"

Sandy got a real good look then at Mac’s expression. "Oh my God," Sandy gasped, "you’re serious!" Mac nodded in answer, and Sandy’s look of disbelief was priceless. "Spill the rest," Sandy ordered.

"The wife is a hired actress to give him the All-American boy look," Mac explained. "He’s really 444 years old, and I’m his life-mate."

"What?" Sandy gasped. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Long story short," Mac answered, "it means he needs me to survive. He says he loves me, and I believe him, but there’s so many things wrong in this whole thing. I just don’t know, Sandy."

"So that’s why you quit the magazine? So you could go with him?"

"There’s more to the story," Mac explained. Then launched off into the story about being kidnapped, and how Jon had turned her to save her life.

"Oh wow," Sandy breathed, "you’re a vampire too? How does that effect you being a witch?"

"It hasn’t seemed to effect it at all. Rhymes still cause the same kind of problems," she joked.

"What about drinking blood?" Sandy asked.

"I can only drink Jon’s," Mac answered, "it’s part of the life-mate thing. He does the hunting and I drink from him."

"I can tell you right now Mac, I wouldn’t mind drinking from that gorgeous hunk of man," Sandy told her. "Oh my God," Sandy exclaimed, "I just realized...this means you’ve had sex with Jon Bon Jovi!"

Mac rolled her eyes. Of course, the one thing her friend would get out of this whole conversation would be the sex aspect. "Sandy, you don’t get it. I have to stay with Jon, because if I don’t drink his blood every night, I’ll die."

"Sorry, Mac," Sandy said, "I’m not exactly feeling sympathetic here."

"Don’t you see, Sandy?" Mac tried to make her friend understand. "That means I can’t go out on assignment anymore or do anything that involves being away from him for very long."

"And you get that gorgeous, rich man in exchange," Sandy pointed out. "Sorry, girlfriend, but I’m not seeing a problem with this deal. In fact, where do I sign up? Is Richie a vampire too by any chance?"

"No, he’s human," Mac answered, shaking her head in disgust. Why couldn’t Sandy see the drawbacks to her relationship with Jon?

"Can I see your fangs?" her friend asked.

"I haven’t quite learned how to control them yet," Mac told her, "but I guess Jon could show you his."

"Cool," Sandy said excitedly, jumping off the bed.

Mac watched her friend hurry from the room and then got up to follow her. Hopefully, Jon wouldn’t freak out too much over Sandy’s request.