Rikki sat in her mother’s lawyer’s office, still stunned by her mother’s death. She’d only been fifty one years old when a car crash had taken her life, stripping Rikki of the only family she had. Now she sat here, waiting for the lawyer to read her will. The attorney told her they had to wait for two more people to arrive before they could begin. So she sat and waited, still nearly in tears thinking about her mother.

There was a knock on the door and his secretary quietly stuck her head in. She announced, “They’re here, sir.”

“Send them on in,” he answered.

Two men were escorted in to the room. Rikki recognized them immediately. “Jesus, you’re Joe Elliott and Rick Savage!”

Surprised, Joe nodded. “That’s us. And you are?”

“Rikki Damon,” she said, extending her hand. Each of them shook it without a word. She went on, “My mother was a big Def Leppard fan. She started taking me to see you when I was ten years old! Every time you guys got within two hundred miles of home, she drug me to the concert. She even flew to Houston to see you just before she...” Rikki stopped, tears welling in her eyes again.

Sav and Joe stared at her, wondering just who she really was. They hadn’t know Caroline had a daughter! They’d only been told that Caroline had died and left one of them something in her will. But it was necessary for both of them to be there at the reading of the will.

“Gentlemen, before we begin, Ms. Damon left a letter for you. I’ve been instructed to give it to you now,” he said somberly as he handed the envelope to Joe. Joe ripped it open and read it quickly. Then he sat stunned and looked at Rikki. Then he handed the letter to Sav, who read it a bit more slowly.

“My dearest Joe and Sav,

If you’re reading this, then I must be dead. I regret that I never got to see the two of you again, except from a concert stage. But I couldn’t come any closer without letting you know my secret. You’ve probably just been introduced to my daughter, Rikki. Her full name is Rikki Josephine Damon. She is a sweet, beautiful girl who has been left completely alone by my death. It’s time for her to know who her father is. I kept it secret, even from her, because I didn’t want to hurt anyone. But now you have to know, too. Her father is one of the two of you. She was conceived during that night I spent with you. And she needs her father now. I’ve made sure that she’ll never want for money, so all she needs is her father’s love. Please forgive me for not telling you sooner. You were both so young when she was born, that I couldn’t bare to burden you with that knowledge. Then your careers took off, and you were on such a wild ride, I knew there was no room for a child. She’s seen you in concert more than a dozen times, but never knew that I’d even met you. I apologize for keeping her from you until now. Please forgive me.

I love you still,

Caroline”

Sav sat as stunned as Joe at the news contained in the letter. The girl sitting by them might very well be his daughter. He studied her now, seeing traces of Caroline in her face. But instead of the ice blue eyes that he remember Caroline having, Rikki’s were a blue green color. And instead of Caroline’s blond hair, Rikki’s was a chocolate brown. Considering both he and Joe had naturally dark hair that they dyed, she could belong to either of them. Sav looked at Joe and realized that the same thoughts were crossing his mind.

The attorney nodded as he saw Sav finish the letter. “Well,” he said quietly, “first off, Rikki, there’s the matter of your mother’s estate. It’s valued at about five hundred thousand dollars. She made some wise investments over the years and wanted to make sure you were taken care of if anything ever happened to her. Everything she owned is now yours. There’s also a life insurance policy. It was in the amount of one point five million dollars, but because she died in an accident, it’s doubled. So that’s about three million before taxes. So, she’s made sure you won’t need money for a very long time.” He paused then, not quite sure how to continue.

She looked at the lawyer and asked curiously, “If mom left me everything, then why’d she need to have them here.”

“Well, I’m getting to that next. I’m just not quite sure how to handle this. One of these two gentleman is your father, Rikki,” he said quietly.

“This is a joke, right? Mom was a big fan of theirs, but she never even met them!” Rikki jumped from her seat and walked to the window. “This kind of thing just wasn’t Mom’s style. God, she worked for an advertising firm! She wasn‘t some groupie!”

“She didn’t always work for an advertising firm, Rikki,” Joe said softly. “Didn’t she ever tell you about her job with the record label?”

“Mom never worked for a record company, Mr. Elliott,” Rikki snapped.

“I’m sorry, Rikki, but yes, she did,” Sav added. “I’ve got some pictures at home that were taken of her on the set of our High’n’Dry videos with us.” Jesus, she’d never even told the girl about her past? “That’s how we met her.”

“You must be mistaken,” she said flatly. “Mom wasn’t some groupie to be banging a bunch of rock stars!”

“No, actually, she was pretty much a big shot with the record company. She was there to evaluate us for the record company when we met her,” Joe said. He wasn’t sure how much to tell the girl standing in front of them.

“And she slept with both of you! You really want me to believe that?” the girl asked in an angry voice. “Mom said the last man she’d ever slept with was my father! That’s twenty years of celibacy, only to find out she whored herself out to two rock stars? I don’t believe it.”

“She didn’t ‘whore herself out’ to anybody. Your mother was very much in control of her sex life,” Sav said hotly. “She decided who she would and who she wouldn’t sleep with. According to her, what happened between us was something she’d never done before. Or obviously since. You’ve got to remember, that was a different time then. Sex was a lot, well, freer then.”

“Great,” she said as she slumped back into her seat.

Joe looked at the lawyer and asked, “Is there anything else you needed to tell us?”

“No, Rikki just has some papers to sign,” he said quickly. “Then she’s free to go.”

“Listen, Rikki,” Joe said gently, “when you’re finished, go out to lunch with us. It’ll give us a chance to get to know you and you a chance to know us. If you decide you don’t want to get to know us any better, we’ll respect that. But, to be honest, I’d like to know you even if you couldn’t be my daughter, because I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about your mother over the years.”

Her eyes broke away from Sav’s angry gaze and found herself staring into Joe’s gentle eyes. She sighed and said, “Okay, we’ll give this a try.”

Sav and Joe walked out into the waiting room, waiting for her to finish her paperwork so they could take her to lunch. They sat silently for a moment, then Joe spoke up. “I can’t believe Caroline hid her from us! Why’d she do that?”

Sav turned to Joe, his anger flaring again, “I think her letter said it all. You were what, twenty one when we met her? And I was barely twenty! Do you really think either of us could have been a father at that age?” Joe shook his head as Sav continued, “And could you imagine having a toddler around during the Pyromania tour? Or a young child who was all eyes and ears around during Hysteria?”

“Point taken, mate,” Joe said resigned. “I just wish I would’ve known she existed. Maybe I would have done a few things differently.”

“Don’t tear yourself up over it, Joe,” Sav said, starting to calm down a bit. Sav wondered if he was the only one who understood why Caroline had done the things she’d done. Of course, he had his son Tyler waiting at home for him. Joe couldn’t have children now, thanks to the mumps he’d caught during the Hysteria recording sessions. Rikki might seem like a chance to go back and reclaim the chance to have a child for Joe. If only she’d let them get close to her.

Rikki took a deep breath and walked out into the waiting room to meet Joe and Sav. At least Sav seemed to have calmed down, because he’d been angry when he walked out of the office. Joe looked up at her with a calm smile, then he stood up and offered her his arm. “Shall we go?”

Rikki couldn’t help but laugh as she took his arm. Sav stood up and offered her his arm on the other side, though she was a bit slower taking it. Then they walked down to the car that waited below.

They decided to eat at the restaurant in their hotel. Rikki had been quiet for the whole ride there. Sav helped her out of the car and kept his hand on the back of her waist as they entered the building. The waiter seated them quickly and they sat in awkward silence as they looked over the menu. After they ordered, Rikki gave a small laugh and said, “Well, now I know why Mom was so relieved when I told her I had a thing for Rick Allen!”

Sav gave a weak laugh and Joe smiled at her. Rikki continued, “Well, for a while there I thought Phil Collen was totally hot, but there’s just something about Rick!”

“So, Rikki, you said your mom took you to see us in concert a couple of times?” Joe asked.

“No, I said a lot of times. Let me think. Five times during Adrenalize, five times during the Slang tour and six times during the Euphoria tour. Plus Houston. So, seventeen times in ten years,” she said. “Mom was crazy about the two of you and I never knew why.” Then her anger reappeared and she asked, “So’d Mom nail you guys one at a time or do you both together?”

“Aw, shit,” Sav said quietly. Neither of them wanted to tell her the truth.

“Um, ah, well, you see...” Joe started.

Suddenly, Rikki knew the answer. “Jesus, I can tell by the looks on your faces! She did both of you guys at once, didn’t she?”

“She invited both of us back to her room, Rikki, and figured one of us would back out,” Joe started.

“Probably me,” Sav said softly. “I was really quite shy then.”

“Anyway, neither of us did. I guess we were too young to get turned off by the other being there. We all laid on the bed, just watching the telly.” Joe said and Sav interjected, “I’ve never been able to watch Benny Hill without thinking of her.”

“That was one of Mom’s favorite shows,” Rikki whispered.

“Well, one thing led to another and we ended up spending the night with her,” Joe finished. “But in the morning when we woke up, all there was was a note and Caroline was gone.”

“We were both a bit devastated that she’d left us,” Sav added, “but we tried to respect her wishes.”

“She cried a lot of tears over you guys that I never understood. When you got married, Joe, that kinda threw her. Then, when Steve Clark died, she cried for a week. The time that I always thought was strangest was when she heard you’d ended up with Bell’s Palsy,” she said to Sav. “Mom was frantic, worrying about you. She kept saying, ‘I hope he’s okay. God that must be rough on him’.”

Tears came to Sav’s eyes as she spoke of Caroline’s concern for him. He could remember thinking of her when he sat in the doctor’s office awaiting the verdict on his condition. “Listen,” Sav said softly, “Come back to Ireland with us.”

“What? Why?” she asked, baffled.

“It’ll give us all a chance to get to know each other and the time to find out...” Sav trailed off and Joe finally spoke up. “To find out which of us is your father.”

“Yeah, well, I’d like to know that too,” she said with a slight smile.

They finished their meal while Rikki told them what her life had been like. Her mother had made sure she’d never wanted for anything. Except her father.

She flew to Ireland with them the next day. When they landed, Joe and Sav had the difficult task of explaining who Rikki was to their girlfriends. Rikki planned to stay at a hotel for a while, until Sav and Joe could decide what to do. They each wanted her to stay with them at their houses, but waited to see how their girlfriends would react.

Sav’s girlfriend Paige sat stunned at the news. “You mean to tell me you knew nothing about this girl until yesterday? And you really believe her story?”

“Yes, I believe it. Joe and I had to convince her it was even possible, because her mother never told her what her life had been like before Rikki’d been born,” Sav sighed.

“She’s just going to go after your money, Rick,” Paige said impatiently.

“She just inherited three million dollars, Paige. She doesn’t need the fucking money,” Sav explained exasperated. “But the kid’s alone. Her mother just died and both her grandparents are gone. She needs her father and by God, if that’s me, I’ll take care of her!”

“Where does that leave Tyler?” she asked in a heated voice.

“He’s still my son, Paige. Millions of people have more than one child. And they’re at totally different stages of their lives. It’s not like we’re going to be competing to see whose diaper I change first!” Hearing himself starting to yell, he took a deep breath and said, “I’ve got plenty of room in my life for her.”

Paige stormed out of the room, leaving Sav to sit and think about the girl who was possibly his child.

Across town, Joe was having better luck with Bobbi. He sat her down and told her from beginning to end what had happened the day before. He even told her about Caroline, which he’d never done before. Knowing that deep inside his inability to have a child hurt him, she found herself hoping that Rikki turned out to be his daughter. She walked across the room and picked up the cordless phone, bringing it back to Joe. “Call her and tell her she’s staying with us tonight.”

Joe looked up at Bobbi and found her smiling down at him. He took the phone without a word and dialed the number to her hotel. He was connected quickly to her room. “Rikki?”

“Hello?”

“This is Joe. Want to come stay at my place?” he asked hopefully.

“Um, is that a good idea? I mean, what about your girlfriend?” she asked uncertainly.

“It was her idea,” Joe replied.

“Okay, should I just grab a cab?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’ll work,” Joe said and gave her the address. “See ya soon!”

After he rang off, he called Sav’s place. “Hey mate, Rikki’ll be at my house.”

“Good. I hated leaving her alone in that hotel, but Paige is pitching a fit. She’s insisting we get the test started tomorrow,” Sav said. Joe could hear the frustration in his friend’s voice.

“That’s fine with me. I’ll let Rikki know as soon as she gets here,” Joe said, then he hung up.

Rikki agreed to do the test the following day. So off they went to Joe’s doctor, who took blood samples from all three of them. Caroline had the foresight to provide her DNA information with her will, knowing Rikki would need it to find out who her father was. The doctor told them it would take six to eight weeks for the test to be completed and sent them home to wait.

Rikki spent a week getting to know Joe and Bobbi before Paige finally calmed down enough to let her stay with Sav. She ended up switching between their houses every other week and found out that she got along fantastically with both of them. Paige even warmed up enough to her to take her shopping. Rikki bought a tiny sailor suit that looked absolutely adorable on Tyler. Joe and Sav took her to Sheffield and showed her around, then took her sight seeing in London.

The week before the test results came back, the rest of the band flew in to get back to work on their next album. Rikki sat in the studio playing with an acoustic guitar when she heard a racket in the hallway that sounded like a bunch of teenage boys. Phil, Vivian and Rick bounced into the room like children let out to play. Phil spotted Rikki first and said, “Oh, my, Joe’s been keeping secrets again!” He walked over and introduced himself to Rikki. Vivian came up next and kissed her hand like a true gentleman. Then Rick walked up to her. From the first look into his liquid brown eyes, Rikki knew she was lost. And Rick felt a pull at his heart as he looked back at her. He completely ignored Phil and Vivian and sat down next to her, asking, “Your last name sounds familiar. Who are your parents?”

“Well, my mom was Caroline Damon. I guess you guys met her a long time ago,” Rikki started. Then Joe and Sav walked into the room and Sav took one look at Rick and said, “Mate, step the fuck away from our daughter.”

“Sav!” Rikki exclaimed, “Settle down!” Meanwhile, three jaws dropped open far enough to catch flies.

“Your what? I don’t think I heard you quite right,” Phil said, pretending to clean the wax from his ears.

“You heard him right, Phil,” Joe said with a smile. “We don’t know which of us yet, but one of us is Rikki’s father.”

Rick started to slide away from Rikki, but she put a hand on his leg to stop him. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite and they won’t either!” she said, shooting Sav and Joe a dirty look. Joe raised an eyebrow in her direction and Sav started to speak, but Rikki cut him off, “Hey, I’m allowed to get to know your friends, right?”

“Just not that well,” Sav muttered, looking down at her hand on Rick’s thigh. Rikki’s stubborn streak flared and she left her hand where it was.

Rick suddenly remembered the pain of a punch Joe had connected to his jaw during a fight at a soccer match. He wondered how much harder he’d hit if it was concerning his daughter and involuntarily flinched. He started to move away from her again, then looked down at her. Her eyes were pools of blue that nearly drowned him and he was rooted to the spot. Well, he thought, he’d survived more than one punch up with Joe. Rikki smiled up at him and he suddenly thought that incurring the wrath of two of his best friends wasn’t too much to ask.

Rikki spent the rest of the day in the studio talking to Rick as much as Sav and Joe would allow. Joe and Sav exchanged looks and decided they would have to talk to Rikki and Rick separately, if they could.

Everybody in the band except for Sav were staying at Joe’s house that night. Before he left, Sav pulled Rikki aside and said, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Going to bed, why?” she asked, hoping to avoid a conversation about Rick.

“You know what I mean, Rikki,” his tone suddenly very fatherly.

“I like him, Sav. He’s sweet,” she said defensively.

“Don’t forget, he’s lived the same life that Joe and I have. He’s no monk. And his girlfriend just walked out on him a few weeks ago, so he’s probably on the rebound,” Sav continued.

“Don’t worry, I can handle myself,” Rikki said confidently. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “Night, daddy!” she said in sugar sweet tones.

“We’ll see about that!” Sav said as he walked out the door.

Meanwhile, in the studio, Joe had cornered Rick. “Take it easy with Rikki, man,” Joe said quietly. “She just lost her mum and she’s pretty vulnerable right now.”

“Joe, you know me better than that, I hope,” Rick said quickly. “Do you really think I’d use your daughter, or Sav’s for that matter, for a quickie one night stand?”

“I hope not!” Joe said emphatically.

“I promise, I’ll try not to hurt her. There’s just something about her...” his voice trailed away and Joe found himself thinking of Caroline.

“I just don’t want to see her get hurt,” Joe said finally.

“I wouldn’t, Joe,” Rick said quietly. “Listen, I’m heading for bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

As Rick made it to the hallway outside his room, Rikki was just coming out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a thin t-shirt for bed. She stopped cold and breathlessly said, “Hi!”

“Hello to you too, beautiful,” Rick said with a soft smile. She walked shyly up to him as he said, “Off to sleep?”

“I guess,” she said as she stopped in front of him. Rick leaned his back against the wall and looked down at her, knowing what he wanted to do. But did he dare? Then she looked up at him slowly and he lost the last of his self control. He reached for her and pulled her against him, wrapping his arm around her waist. Her arms went quickly around his neck as he stared at her. “Joe and Sav are going to kill me!” he whispered.

“I’ll handle them,” she said softly and pulled his lips to hers. Her body fit perfectly against his as his hand wandered over her back. Then he pushed her away. “We can’t do this. At least, not yet.”

“I know,” she said regretfully. He could hear the disappointment in her voice. She gave him another quick kiss before saying “Goodnight!”

As the door to her room closed behind her, Rick thumped his head against the wall in frustration. That girl had him wrapped around her finger in less than a day! Phil came out to head to the bathroom and saw Rick still standing against the wall. “What’s up, mate?” he asked curiously.

“Shit, you don’t want to know!” Rick sighed.

“Ah, fuck, it’s little Miss My-Daddy’s-Gonna-Kill-You, isn’t it!” Phil exclaimed.

“That obvious, huh?” Rick asked, looking at the floor.

“Yeah, you could say that!” Phil laughed. “When they find out which one of them gets the privilege, you’re a dead man.”

“I know,” Rick sighed, “but I just can’t stop it! Every time I look at her, I want to...”

“Whoa, big guy! Don’t think I want to know that!” Phil laughed.

“I didn’t mean THAT!” Rick said with an exasperated sigh. “I just want to hold her.”

“That better be all!” Rick spun around as Joe’s voice rang out in the hallway. Rick jumped and spun around guiltily.

“Ah, shit,” Phil said quietly. He headed quietly for his room, leaving Joe glaring at Rick.

“I’m warning you, Rick...” Joe started, but Rick cut him off. “I know, Joe, I know. Listen, I just told you, I don’t want her to get hurt either. I don’t know what I’m doing,” Rick said desperately.

“Well, until you do, I’d advise you to stay away from her,” Joe growled. Rikki heard the commotion in her room and sat and listened to Rick say, “God, Joe, I’m trying! But I just can’t help it! She looks at me and, God, I’m a fucking pile of goo on the floor at her feet.”

“Jesus, that’s the way I felt about her mother!” Joe said in a rasping voice. “She could melt me with a glance!”

“Yeah, I remember Caroline. She had all of us melting almost everywhere! And stiffening in some places!” Rick laughed. Joe turned serious again, “Rick, she’s got that same kind of magic tension that her mother had, only she’s a good bit more innocent then Caroline was. Don‘t ruin it for her, okay?”

“I won’t, Joe,” Rick said honestly. He looked up at Joe and said, “But what if something real does come out of this? Am I still gonna get killed?”

“I’m warning you, Rick, just don’t hurt her!” Joe snapped and walked away. Rick went into his room and threw himself down on the bed. His head was spinning and he’d only had to deal with Joe. When Sav and Joe ganged up on him, he was going to be in big trouble! “Why’d her father have to be one of the two biggest guys in the band?” he groaned.

He laid in bed and gave in to a fitful night’s sleep, tossing and turning as he dreamt of Rikki all night long. Unknown to him, she lay in bed having the same problem.

The next morning, Rick woke early from a crappy night’s sleep, gave it up as a bad job and headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. Bobbi sat at the table and looked up at Rick, then laughed. “You look like hell!”

“Good, then I look just like I feel!” he said, throwing himself into a chair.

“You sure got Joe fired up last night!” Bobbi laughed. “He must have paced that room for an hour last night!”

“Ah, fuck! He’s gonna kill me!” Rick wailed. “Why’d she have to be his fucking daughter!”

“We’re not sure about that yet, Rick,” Bobbi said, trying to comfort him. It didn’t work.

“Oh, great, if not him, then Sav! Either way, they’ll both kill me. If you haven’t noticed, they’re pretty tight!” Rick groaned.

“And pretty protective of Rikki, too,” she added.

“Oh, thanks for the reminder, Bobbi,” Rick groaned again. Just then, Paige walked in holding Tyler.

“What the hell happened here last night?” she asked.

“Oh, God, not him too,” Rick said, getting up to pace the floor.

“Sav was pissed when he came home last night, that’s for sure,” Paige said quickly. Rick’s head snapped up. Suddenly, he exclaimed, “Fuck!”

“Hey, not around the baby if you please!” Paige said quickly.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help it. What’d Sav say, anyway?” Rick asked, hoping that maybe he’d been pissed about something other than Rikki.

“He just kept mumbling, ‘I’m gonna kill him if she gets hurt’ over and over.” Paige said with a laugh that Rick didn’t appreciate.

“And the hits just keep on coming!” he said with a sigh. “I take it they’re in the studio already.”

“Well, Phil, Vivian and Joe are still asleep,” Bobbi said. She could see the relief on Rick’s face. “Sav’s already in the studio.”

“Maybe I can just sneak out of here..” Rick mumbled.

“Morning, Rick,” came Sav’s voice from the doorway. “You look like shit, man. You better have had a bad night last night.”

“Trust me, I did,” Rick said quickly.

“Alone!” Sav said just as quickly.

“It was, okay? Did you think I’d bang your little girl like that man?” Rick said a bit testily.

“Well, never know,” Sav mumbled. Just then, a groggy Joe walked into the kitchen. He took one look at Rick and asked, “Where’s Rikki?”

“I don’t know!” Rick said far too fast. Paige and Bobbi busted out laughing at his nervousness. “Last I saw of her, she was heading for her bedroom! Honest!”

“Better be!” Joe said in a grumpy voice.

“Jesus, I’ll be glad when you find out who her father is! Then there’ll only be one of you to deal with!” Rick burst out anxiously.

“Don’t count on it, mate,” Sav and Joe said in unison. Phil stumbled into the room and busted out laughing at the picture he saw there. He looked at Rick and asked, “Still in the hot seat, mate?”

“You could say that,” Rick mumbled. “UGH!” He jumped up from his chair and took off out the door, heading into the back yard.

A little later, Rikki made it downstairs. Sav and Joe were still in the kitchen with the others and she gave them each a peck on the cheek before asking, “So, how are my two dads this morning?”

“Let me introduce you to grouchy and his partner grumpy,” Phil laughed. They both shot him a look to make him shut up, but Phil only laughed even harder.

“Are you guys still up in arms over Rick?” she asked in a flat voice.

“What do you think?” Joe asked.

“Oh, lay off it, Dad!” she said sarcastically. “My god, it’s not like he landed in my bed and ravished me last night or something!”

“Damn good thing,” Sav said crossly.

“For who?” she asked flippantly.

“Him,” Joe and Sav spoke at the same time.

“Oh, please, can this stop now? I am twenty years old. If I want to sleep with the entire British navy, I can!” she said, getting annoyed.

“Not if we can help it!” Sav said angrily.

“Jesus!” she said, getting frustrated. She stormed out of the house and into the back yard, where she nearly bumped right into Rick. She looked up and said, “Oh, hi.”

“Hello. Done getting the third degree yet?” he said quietly.

“No, but they’re going to get it if they don’t knock this shit off!” she said angrily. She stalked away to the back of the yard and Rick followed her. She blew up and said, “Why can’t I just get to know someone I think is really interesting?”

“Cause one of them is your father and fathers don’t want their little girls to grow up. Especially not with one of their friends who’s nearly twenty years older than her. And not when they just found out about her either,” he added with a soft smile at her. Her heart melted with that smile.

“Am I wrong for wanting to be with you?” she asked quietly.

“If you are, then I’m just as wrong, because I really want to be with you right now,” he whispered. He put his arm over her shoulders and said, “Mind if we’re wrong together?”

She turned and put her arms around his waist and whispered, “Not at all.” Then she kissed him full on the mouth. She heard a groan escape his lips as she kissed him. She pulled back and said, “I’m sorry, was that a mistake?”

“No,” he growled. “If it was, please, make the same one again!” His strong fingers wrapped through her hair and he pulled her mouth back to his. His tongue explored her warm mouth as her hands moved over his back. Then they heard two throats clearing over Rick’s shoulder. Rick pulled back from her a bit and asked, “So, how pissed do they look?”

She glanced over his shoulder without moving her hands from his body and said, “Um, really pissed?”

“What the fuck are you doing with her, Rick?” Sav asked angrily.

“Um, well, CPR wouldn’t be an acceptable answer right now, would it?” he asked without turning around.

“I don’t think so,” Joe said in a flat voice.

“Fuck, been nice knowing you, Rikki. Now it’s time to die,” he groaned. He turned around slowly to face his friends. Fire blazed in both their eyes as they looked at him and Rick wanted nothing more than to run the hell away from there. Scratch that. He wanted to grab Rikki and then run the hell out of there. Suddenly, Rikki lit up on them.

“What the fuck are you doing following me around?” she screamed.

“What do you think?” Sav said loudly as Joe said, “Trying to keep you out of trouble!”

“Ya know, if I want to get into trouble, I damn well will!” she yelled at them. A hurt look crossed both their faces and she suddenly felt horrible for yelling at them. “Listen,” she said as calmly as she could, “let’s make a deal. Let us alone and if he ends up acting like a total jerk towards me, then you can kick his ass!” She could hear Rick gulp loudly behind her as she continued, “Until then, leave us alone, okay?” She walked over and gave each of them a hug. “I love you both. But you’re driving me crazy!”

“Um, can we talk about this?” Rick asked. Both Sav and Joe said “NO!” far to fast to be argued with. Sav turned back to Rikki and said, “Are you sure about this?”

“Please, Sav, it’s my mistake to make.” Rick flinched at that. Some how he didn’t like to be thought of as a mistake. “If it is one,” she went on. “Please?”

“Alright, alright,” Sav said grudgingly. Joe merely stood with his arms crossed staring at Rick, who was trying to look anywhere but Joe’s face. She walked over in front of Joe and said, “Do we have a deal?”

“I suppose,” he said, though he looked like he’d rather say something else. She gave Joe another hug and then asked, “Can I please be alone with him, now, Daddy?”

“Ah, shit, would you quit saying that that way?” Joe said.

“Okay, Joseph, can I please have a little privacy now?” she asked again.

Sav grabbed Joe’s arm and pulled him towards the house. “Our little girl is growing up!” he said quietly, for all the world sounding like a father talking to a mother. Rikki giggled at the thought and turned back to Rick. His hand rested on his hip as he looked at her. “Do you realize you just gave them license to beat the hell out of me if you get upset about anything?”

“Then you’d better not upset me, huh?” she laughed. Rick gave another loud groan at the thought of Joe and Sav ganging up on him and beating him to a bloody pulp. “Listen,” she said quietly, “would you rather they nail you now, or get the chance to prove them wrong?”

“Um, since the thought of getting the shit kicked out of me somehow just doesn’t appeal, I guess you’re right.” She put her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly to get his mind off Sav and Joe. It worked and within seconds, the only thing he could think of was her. His hand wandered down her back, coming to rest on her ass. She wrapped her fingers through the short hair at the back of his head, holding his lips to hers. Her other hand rested on his chest gently. They stood there kissing for a long time, until they heard Vivian holler, “Rick, we’re heading into the studio now!”

“Shit, they always have such perfect timing!” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry,” she laughed. “I won’t forget where we were if you don’t!”

“Deal!”

They held hands as they walked back into the house and the studio. Sav shot Rick a dirty look, but said nothing when he saw their hands. Joe just shook his head, biting his tongue. All Phil and Vivian could do was giggle as they saw their reactions. Phil laughed, “Who’d have ever thought those two would suddenly turn into the ultimate FATHERS?”

Both of them turned to stare at Phil, bringing another laugh from him. Rick and Rikki sat down together and he put a tentative arm around her shoulders. Joe smoldered, but still kept silent, bringing a smile to Rikki’s face. He was really trying to do as she asked. Rikki wanted to kiss Rick again, but didn’t feel like pushing Joe and Sav that far yet.

The band started working and Rikki sat watching them, fascinated. When Rick sat down at his kit, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He never missed a beat as they ran through a couple of the new songs they were trying out. When they broke for dinner, Rick and Rikki sat together as they ate. Joe looked at her forlornly. He wasn’t sure he was her father, but he felt like he was losing her already. He looked over and saw the same expression on Sav’s face. Rather than sit idly by and let it happen, Joe walked over and sat next to Rikki, giving her a big smile and trying not to notice Rick’s arm around her.

“So, how’s it going?” Joe asked her quietly. She looked up and gave him a brilliant smile before saying, “Great, Joe. It’s amazing to watch you guys work.” She laid her head on Rick’s shoulder with a smile. As he saw Rick smile back down at her, Joe tried to relax. He knew Rick wouldn’t intentionally hurt Rikki, he just hoped it didn’t happen when Rick wasn’t looking.

Sav saw Joe trying to relax with Rikki and knew just how hard he was struggling. Sav was going through it himself and he wasn’t quite ready to make up with Rick yet. He noticed as she laid her head on Rick’s shoulder and winced. He didn’t trust the situation and didn’t want Rikki to get hurt if things didn’t work out between her and Rick. Rick was so much older than her and she was such an innocent! Then he saw Rick’s tender smile at her and looked away. He really wasn’t sure he liked the idea of this whole fatherhood thing!

The band finished working late that night and Sav grabbed Rikki to say goodnight. “Sleep well, sweetheart,” he said as he hugged her tight.

“You have a good night, Sav. I love you!” she whispered.

“I love you, too, babydoll,” he said and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Paige stood by silently, holding Tyler and waiting for Sav to be done. Looking at him with Rikki now, she really hoped for the first time that Rikki was his daughter. He cared about her so much already. He turned to Paige and said, “Let’s go.”

As they headed out the door, Rikki went upstairs. She was just climbing into bed when there was a knock on her door. She opened it and there stood Rick. Surprised, she said, “Why, hello!”

He leaned against the door frame and said, “Hi. I just wanted to say good night.”

“You can come in, you know?” she said with a laugh. She stood back and let him in the room.

“I don’t think Joe’s going to like this,” he said nervously.

“But I do,” she whispered and put her arms around him. He keep back from her and she said, “You know, I don’t bite.”

“But I do,” Rick blurted out, then laughed.

“Hmm, that could be interesting,” Rikki laughed. He put his arm around her and placed his lips against hers softly. Her hand went to the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Slowly, his hand moved from her back to her breast, rubbing tenderly over it. She groaned quietly, kissing him more passionately than before. They tumbled onto the bed, tangled in each other. He ran his hand over her young body, wishing he could allow himself to take it further. He laid on his side and felt her hands move over his chest. “Jesus, you’re going to drive me insane!” he murmured.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I better get back to my room. If Joe finds me here, he’s gonna kill me!” Rick said quickly. As luck would have it, there was a knock at the door. Then they heard Joe’s voice say quietly, “Rikki?”

“Just a second!” she replied. She pushed Rick into a chair and rearranged her clothes, then opened the door. Joe stood there and stiffened when he saw Rick. Rather than start another fight with Rikki, he asked Rick, “Could I talk to Rikki alone, Rick?”

“Sure,” Rick said quickly and sprinted out the door.

“What’s going on here, Rikki,” he asked and immediately regretted it.

“Nothing more than you saw in the back yard earlier, Joseph,” she said shortly. A hurt look crossed his face and she whispered, “I’m sorry. I just want to get to know him, okay, Joe? I’ll be careful.”

“I know you will and Rick had better unless he’d like his ass kicked!” Joe said quickly, then gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, well, I just found out that you even existed, and now it looks like Rick might be taking you away.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Joe,” she said quietly.

“Listen, I know that this is a little early to say, but if, well, if it turns out that I’m your father, I’d like you to move in with us,” Joe said, hoping she didn’t think he was pushing her too fast.

“Joe, are you sure?” she asked uncertainly. “I mean, that’s a big step for you.”

“No, it’s not, cause even if it turns out that Sav’s your father, my offer still stands. I love you like a daughter, even if you’re not mine. I don’t want to see you have to go back to the States alone,” he said, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. “Bobbi and I have talked about it, and she wants you to stay, too. We both really like having you here with us.”

“I’ll think about it, Joe,” she said honestly. “It’s a big step for me, too. But I’ll really think about it.” She walked over and put her arms around Joe, laying her head against his broad chest. He wrapped his arms around her and ran a hand over her hair. Tears ran down Rikki face as she said, “Do you have any idea how many times in my life I’ve missed being able to get a hug from my father?”

“I only hope that it’s me, sweetheart,” Joe said as he kissed the top of her head. His own eyelashes glistened with unshed tears. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Well, goodnight, babydoll.”

“Good night, Joe,” she said softly. She crawled into bed and slept without dreams.

Rick hadn’t been so lucky. He spent the next three nights tossing and turning again, dreaming of Rikki, Joe and Sav. Every time he’d get close to her, one of them showed up to pull them apart. When he headed downstairs the third morning, he found Joe on the phone in the kitchen. He hung up just as Rick came in. “Morning!” he said, turning and dialing the phone.

“Sav, it’s Joe. Yeah, sorry to wake you, but the doctor just called. Yeah, about the tests. Um, the results are in. Well, he’s just waiting for us to get there to give us the results. Okay, we’ll wait for you here and ride over together. See ya then.” Joe hung up and turned to Rick, looking almost upset.

“Joe, what’s wrong?” Rick asked.

“I guess we’ll get to find out today,” Joe said quietly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

“Why?” Rick asked.

“Well, what if she’s not mine? That’s gonna hurt,” Joe said, not sure what to do.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Rick said. “Does Rikki know yet?”

“No, she’s still asleep,” Joe said.

“I’ll go get her up,” Rick volunteered and headed up the stairs to her room. He knocked at her door softly, but she didn’t answer. He opened the door quietly and saw her still sleeping on the bed. Slipping quietly into the room, he sat gently on the edge of the bed. She stirred a bit, but didn’t wake. He lay down quietly beside her and ran his hand lightly over her back. She turned and found him laying looking at her with a smile on his face. “Now, I know you went to your own room last night!” she said quickly.

“Yeah, I did, but you need to get up now. They’ve got the results from your tests and Sav’s on his way over to go to the doctor’s office.” His hand lingered on her back as she put her hand to his face. His lips came down roughly to hers, burning her soul.

“Though you were just coming to wake her up, mate?” Sav inquired quietly from the doorway. Rick leapt from the bed, cursing himself for not closing the door when he’d come in. Rikki looked up at Sav and said, “He did wake me up!”

They’d looked innocent enough when Sav entered the room, so he let Rick off the hook for the moment. Soon enough, he’d know whether it was his right or Joe’s to protect the young girl lying on the bed. “Come on, Rick, let’s let her get dressed,” he said, grabbing Rick by the arm.

She got dressed quickly and walked into the kitchen. Joe, Sav and Rick were waiting for her there. Rick put his arm over her shoulders and said, “Are you ready for this?”

“Yeah, let’s do it!” she said brightly. “Um, Rick, why don’t you stay here and wait for me? I think I need to do this with just Sav and Joe.”

“Sure, I’ll be waiting,” Rick said quietly and bent to kiss her without thinking. Sav looked away as Joe started to smolder again. Joe cleared his throat and Rick backed away from Rikki quickly. He whispered, “Damn, I hope Sav’s your dad, cuz Joe’s looking to kill me.”

“Don’t worry, he’s all bark and no bite,” Rikki laughed. Rick grimaced and said, “Sorry, babe, but I’ve felt his bite before!” He gave her another kiss before she walked out the door with Joe and Sav.

When they reached the doctor’s office, they were shown straight into the doctor’s inner sanctum. Rikki reached out and took each of their hands as they waited. Joe looked at her and said, “Listen, I’ve already told you, no matter what happens, you’re welcome to stay with me and Bobbi.”

Sav spoke up, “Paige and I were talking last night, and you’re welcome with us as well.”

Tears bloomed in her eyes as she said, “Thank you both. It means a lot to me that you’ve said that.”

The doctor walked in and looked at the three of them. “Well, the results are right here,” he said, holding up an envelope. “Who’d like to read them first?”

Sav’s hand shot out and he pulled the results out quickly. Then he read them slowly. He slumped into his chair, tears running down his face. He leaned around Rikki and handed the paper to Joe. “Well, mate, she’s always going to be named for me, too, but you get the privilege of beating Rick back with a stick.”

She looked at Sav’s tears and realized he was really disappointed. She gave him a hug and said, “So it’s Joe?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, looking up to see Joe’s broad smile through the tears on his face.

“Well, I guess you just get to be Uncle Sav, then, huh?” she said with a smile at him.

He looked at her and smiled, “Really? You still want me around?”

“Of course! I love you too much to turn you away because of those results!” Still smiling, she turned to Joe, who immediately folded her in his embrace.

“My God, you’re my daughter!” he whispered, holding her tightly.

She pulled back and looked him straight in the eye. “And you’re my father!” she cried. They held each other for a long time while Sav watched them.

When they got back to the house, Rick was waiting for them along with the rest of the group. Joe had his arm around Rikki, while she was holding Sav’s hand. Confused, he asked, “So, who is it?”

Joe walked up and said, “Rick, we must have a discussion now about my daughter.”

Rick slumped onto the couch and whispered, “Oh, shit, it had to be the big one!”

Sav pulled Rikki into the kitchen and everyone else followed them in, leaving Rick and Joe alone in the sitting room. She turned to Sav and asked, “Do you really think that’s a good idea? Leaving them alone, I mean?”

“Yeah, let Joe have his time being a father, Rikki. He’s worried about you!” Sav said.

“Oh, alright, Uncle Sav,” she said with a smile.

“So, what happened at the doctor’s office?” Paige asked.

“Well, Joe’s the lucky one,” Sav answered. “And I get to be Uncle Sav, instead of Dad. That about sums it up, right, Rikki?”

“Yep!” she said, and gave him a quick hug. Paige handed Tyler to Bobbi and went over to Sav, giving him another hug. “I’m sorry baby,” she whispered.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll still be over her shoulder as much as her father anyway,” he said with a smile at Rikki. “But thanks for understanding.”

Phil looked at Rikki and asked, “So, what’s going on with you and Rick anyway?”

“I’ll let you know when we’ve had enough uninterrupted time together to find out,” she said, shooting Sav a look that said he was at least partially to blame for that situation. He had the decency to look a bit ashamed as she looked at him. Rikki looked around nervously and said, “I’m going outside for a bit. I need to get out of here before I go in and tell Joe, I mean, well, Dad, to ease up on Rick!”

She walked quietly out the back door and sat down in the grass towards the back of the yard. She looked around as everything that had happened that morning started to sink in. She knew who her father was after all those years! She wondered what her mother would have thought about it. Rikki knew she’d have been happy that Joe, and Sav, had accepted her so well. And what about Rick? How would her mother have felt about him, she wondered. Knowing Caroline, she’d have said that whatever made Rikki happy, made her happy.

Just then, she heard the door open behind her. She didn’t turn around, because she wasn’t sure the person coming out was coming for her. She sat still as she heard the person walk up behind her and stop almost immediately behind her. She looked up over her head and saw Rick standing behind her. He looked a bit shook up, but as he looked down at her she could still see the fire burning in his eyes because of her.

“How’d things go with Joe,” she asked quietly.

“Well, he said that he’d go along with whatever you wanted, but that if he saw so much as one tear from you, I’d better run and never stop, cuz he’d kick my ass into the next week,” Rick said, not knowing what to do next. Rikki stood up and walked over next to a tree, leaning against it and looking at him. He followed her and put his hand on the tree next to her head. Then he asked, “So, what do we do now?”

“Wait and see what happens next, I guess,” she whispered. Her hand went to his neck, pulling his mouth to hers. Slowly, she felt his tongue probing against her lips and she let them part. His tongue darted into her mouth, sending fire through her body in waves. His body fell against her as his hand moved slowly down her face. His eyes threatened to swallow her as he gazed do at her. Resting her hand against his chest, she looked up at him and said, “So, can you handle Joe?”

“You know, for you I think I could handle Joe and Sav together. They wouldn’t hurt me too bad. I mean, they don’t want to have to look for another drummer, now do they?” he laughed. Rikki felt his body all the way down hers, including the hardness that showed just how far he was willing to go for her. Her hand went down his back and grabbed his ass, pulling him harder against her. Her eyes wandered away from him for a second and she looked at the door into the house. Joe stood there, watching her but not interfering. She gave him a smile before turning back to Rick. Rick looked at her confused for a moment. He asked, “What are you smiling about?”

“Joe’s standing in the door, just watching us,” she said quietly.

“Oh, fuck,” he said and started to back away, but she held him against her. She said softly, “Don’t worry, I don’t see any tears yet, do you?”

He laid his forehead down on her shoulder and whispered, “Thank god, no!” She ran a hand over his hair and said, “Maybe you should go back in and get back to work? They’ll be waiting on you.” His hand wound through her hair as he kissed her one last time before turning back towards the house. He pulled her by the hand along with him into the studio. Sav watched quietly as they walked in. Joe turned his back and looked over the mixing table intently. Phil looked at Rikki with a huge grin on his face and Vivian looked at Rick in awe. Then Rikki took a seat in the corner to watch them as the awkward moment passed and they got back to work.

Rikki helped Bobbi make dinner that night and Bobbi showed her how to make a couple of vegetarian dishes for Rick and Phil. The guys sat down and ate quickly before heading back to the studio for the rest of the night. Rikki headed for bed before they were done and was sound asleep when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it and found Rick standing in the hallway. “Hello,” she said sleepily.

“Hi,” he said, suddenly bashful. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“No, that’s okay. Come on in,” she said, moving to let him in the room. She walked over to her bed and sat down, patting the bed beside her. “Have a seat,” she said with a shy smile.

Rick sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. “Sorry, I should have let you sleep. I just wanted to say goodnight.”

She turned into his body and said, “No, I wanted you to come in tonight. I just got sleepy, waiting for you guys to get done!” She put her arms around him and kissed him gently. They laid back on the bed and Rick’s hand ran over her back as she wrapped her arms around him. He looked at her and said, “This may not be the best idea in the world, you know that?”

“Just because you’re here, doesn’t mean we have to DO anything,” she whispered. “If you’d feel better, we can just sleep.”

“You know, that might be a good idea,” he said, still thinking of Joe and Sav.

“Okay,” she said and pulled away from him, climbing back under the covers. She held the blanket up and let him climb in beside her. She unbuttoned his shirt for him quickly and helped him out of it. Then she snuggled up against him, laying her head against his chest. He held her close as her breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep. Then he lay there, wishing he’d had the guts not to sleep.

The next morning, Joe knocked at Rikki’s door. He had already been to Rick’s room and found the bed still made, so he knew where Rick was. He was upset, but couldn’t let it show. Rick answered the door in seconds, still wearing his jeans from the night before. He saw Joe standing there and leaned back against the wall, saying, “Ah shit, it’s not what it looks like, mate!”

“Yeah, well the only thing saving your ass is the fact I know it takes you longer to get your pants on than that and she’s still in bed so she couldn’t have helped you with ‘em!” Joe said hotly.

Rikki sat up groggily and said, “Come on, Joe, calm down. All we did was sleep!”

“Yeah, well, the rest of the band is ready to get to work, so come on down, okay?” Joe asked, the expression on his face unreadable. Rick looked down at the floor as Joe turned around and stalked away. Rikki jumped out of bed and charged after him. “Joe!”

He kept walking until she finally screamed, “Dad! Wait a minute!”

Joe stopped in his tracks and turned around, saying, “What is it, Rikki?”

“That wasn’t fair! Rick didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you giving him so much shit?” she asked angrily.

“Because it’s my daughter that he’s with!” Joe shot back. “Rikki, please, let me handle Rick, okay?” he pleaded.

“No!” she said quickly. “Let me ‘handle’ Rick. If I decide to sleep with him or just have him sleep in my room, that’s my choice! If you don’t like it, I’ll go stay at a hotel til I can head back to the States!”

Joe’s face showed his devastation. He looked at her sadly and said, “It means that much to you, huh?”

“Yes, it does! Please, Joe, let me do this my way. I care a lot about him, okay?” she said softly. Rick could hear every word she said as she defended her actions to her father, and it brought a smile to his face. She cared about him, huh?

“Okay, on one condition,” Joe said finally. “You call me Dad from now on, okay? I guess part of me has always wanted to hear that.” He sighed and said, “I just never let myself admit it.”

Rikki walked up to Joe and said, “Well, to be honest, it’s something I’ve always wanted to say, okay Dad?”

He smiled at her and said, “Thank you. Now, can you get his butt downstairs so we can get to work?”

“Yes sir!” she said and turned back to her room. Rick was waiting just inside the door and she walked straight into his waiting arm. She kissed him briefly and said, “They’re waiting for you in the studio.”

“Okay, guess it’s time to get to work,” he said with a laugh. “Thanks for what you said to Joe, by the way.”

“I meant every word. Now, get back to work!” she laughed.

Rikki spent the day in and out of the studio. After dinner, Bobbi and Rikki went to out shopping, leaving the men the run of the house. When they returned late that evening, the guys were still in the studio. Rikki walked in and said a quick goodnight to Joe, Sav and Rick, then headed for her room. She tossed and turned, wondering if Rick would come in again that night or if Joe had scared him off.

She got her answer two hours later, when she heard the knock on her door. She stayed in bed and said, “Come in!”

Rick opened the door slowly and saw her laying on the bed in the light from the doorway. The sight took his breath away for a second before he closed the door behind him. He didn’t turn on the light, just made his way to the bed in the dark. He sat down and said, “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah,” she said sleepily.

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to quit doing that!” he apologized.

“Yeah, from now on just come in instead of knocking, okay?” she said quietly.

“You sure?” he asked. She sat up, pulling his shirt off over his head and said, “Yes, Rick, I’m sure. Now, coming to bed or not?”

“Hmm, well, I guess I’m coming to bed!” he said as he slipped under the covers. She was laying on her back as he moved next to her. Her arm slid under his body as he came closer to her. His hand wandered over her body as his lips met hers. He could feel every inch of her through her thin t-shirt and shorts. He left his hand on her ass as his tongue probed deep into her mouth. Wrapping her leg over his, she moved her body closer to his, feeling all of him against her. She could feel as his hand moved again, this time going under her shirt. Cupping her breast tenderly in his strong fingers, his thumb moved gently over her nipple bringing it to immediate attention.

His lips broke away from hers as he lifted her t-shirt up to her throat and captured her nipple in his mouth. She moaned his name softly and arched her back in pleasure at this new sensation. Pulling her body closer to his, he ground his pelvis into her slowly, feeling his cock rubbing against her through the denim of his jeans. Her fingers dug into the flesh at his waist, holding him against her. Then she leaned back and pulled her shirt off over her head. Rick stopped for a moment and asked her in a concerned voice, “Baby, have you ever, um, done, well, ah shit how the fuck do I ask this?”

She peered at him in the darkness and said, “What’s wrong, Rick?”

“It’s just, well, you’re so young! Damnit, I don’t know how to ask this!” he groaned in frustration. “Well, I guess maybe I need to just ask it. Rikki, honey, are you a virgin?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve only had sex once though,” she said honestly.

“Aw, shit. Honey, are you sure you want this to go any further?” he asked gently.

She groaned against his throat and said, “God, yes! Please?” Her hand went to the button on his jeans and she pulled at it impatiently. She got it unfastened after a moment and pulled the zipper down slowly. Her hand found it’s way into his briefs and clasp his cock carefully. She moved slowly, not sure if what she was doing was right until she heard a guttural moan escape his throat. His hand went down to her shorts and lowered them slightly, giving him better access to her tight young ass.

She released him and quickly skinned her shorts off, then lay naked next to him. Then she returned her attention to his rock hard penis, stroking him slowly once again. Her leg wrapped around him again, giving him access to her hot mound. His fingers moved surely between her thighs and began to rub her hard clit. She ground her body against his hand, moaning softly. She tugged at his jeans, trying to free him from them. He rolled over on his back and let her remove them quickly. As he lay there naked next to her, her hand wrapped around him again and she realized he was much larger than the teenage boy she’d slept with before. She gasped in surprise and he pulled away from her, worried. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You’re just, well, just kinda big, aren’t you?” she asked shyly.

“Well, that’s what I’ve been told,” he said. “Are you going to be able to...”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we,” she laughed anxiously. She pulled him over onto her and said, “I want to.”

“Okay, baby, we’ll try. But if it hurts you, I’m going to stop,” he said and bent to kiss her. After a moment, he pulled back and sat up on his knees. He positioned himself carefully at the opening of her body and pushed into her gently. She gasped at the size of him, feeling him tear into previously unused parts of her body. She whimpered and he froze in place. “I don’t want to hurt you, Rikki,” he said gently and started to pull away from her. She stopped him and said, “Rick, please, don’t stop. Then pain should go away in a minute, okay?”

“Are you sure, baby? You don’t have to do this,” he asked, still not moving.

“I want to, Rick. Please!” she begged. Without another word, he slowly pushed back into her body, feeling her tense beneath him. He whispered, “You’ve got to relax, honey.”

She made an effort to relax as he continued into her body. It seemed an eternity before he was completely inside her, pushing against the opening of her womb. He stopped where he was and asked her gently, “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine, just give me a second,” she said, pulling his body down to hers. She felt his hips move as he pulled out of her a little bit, then moved back into her. The pain faded and she felt an amazing sensation building in her body. He moved slowly, not wanting to hurt her but unable to stay still any longer. Gradually, her hips began to met his gentle thrusts and soon they were increasing to a faster and faster motion. She could feel her body building to her first climax as she moved against him. Then she was calling his name as an orgasm washed over her. Rick continued to pump into her, finally reaching his own summit and whispering her name softly as he came. “Oh, God, Rikki, I love you!” he panted. His lips claimed hers and he kissed her gently, never wanting to leave her.

“Really?” she asked him, not sure if it was just the heat of their passion speaking for him.

He moved to her side and pulled her back against his stomach, whispering, “Yes, I mean it. If I didn’t, your father would kill me right now!”

“I love you, too, Rick,” she said softly, snuggling back against his warm body. They lay like that as they both fell fast asleep.

The next morning, they woke up before Joe could make it to Rikki’s room. Rick headed for the shower while Rikki went down to the kitchen. Her body was sore all over and she moved with difficulty as she sat down at the table with Bobbi. Bobbi took one look at her stiff movements and realized immediately what had happened.

“Um, honey,” she asked gently, “are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Yeah, Bobbi,” Rikki answered quickly. “Just don’t tell Joe, okay?”

“Rikki, if you don’t want Joe to know, you better not let him see you move. He’s been around the block enough to know what it means when a woman suddenly turns up stiff and having trouble sitting right!” Bobbi gave a small laugh as she said it.

Rikki made a face just as Joe walked in the room. She tried not to move much, but eventually Joe noticed how hard it was for her to move. He eyed her suspiciously and walked to her side of the table. Putting his arms around her from behind, he whispered, “Um, Rikki, looks like there’s something we need to talk about.”

“Dad, somehow, I don’t think you really want to talk about this, do you?” she said uncertainly.

“Yeah, come in the other room with me, okay,” Joe said softly. As she stood and walked through the door, Joe watched her and knew exactly what had happened. Not long after they left the room, Rick came downstairs looking for Rikki. “Um, Bobbi, where’s Rikki?”

“Her father wanted to talk to her, Rick. About what happened last night,” Bobbi said quietly.

“Shit, how’d he figure it out already?” Rick wailed.

“Well, she’s moving around like a ninety year old woman, Rick. Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out,” Bobbi continued.

“I’m going for a walk. Somehow I don’t think I really want to be here until Joe calms down!” Rick said, heading for the door.

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t want to be here when Sav gets wind of this either!” Bobbi said in warning.

“Oh, shit, yeah, I’m outta here. See ya later, Bobbi,” he said, heading out the front door.

An hour later, Joe and Rikki walked back in the door, with Sav following. He’d come in while they were talking and Rikki’d spent quite a while calming him down when he found out what happened. Rick still hadn’t returned when they were done talking, so Rikki headed for her room to get a shower.

When she got finished in the shower, she glanced out the window of her room and saw Rick standing there talking to a leggy brunette. She watched in horror as the brunette walked up to Rick and wrapped her arms around him. Rikki saw her put a hand on Rick’s neck and kiss him deeply before she let the curtain fall. Tears fell down her face as she ran out of her room and out of the house into the back yard. Bobbi saw her tearstained face as she ran by and went to find Joe. Something had the girl very upset and Joe needed to find out what.

Joe and Sav found her in the backyard, leaning against a tree sobbing. Joe pulled her into his arms and said softly, “What’s wrong, honey.”

“Oh, God, Joe, I don’t think I want to talk about it!” she said, turning away from him. Sav knelt beside her and whispered, “Please, Rikki, what’s wrong?”

She looked up into Sav’s blue eyes and said quietly, “He was out front with her!”

“Who, Rick?” Joe asked, getting worried and a trifle angry already.

“Yeah,” Rikki said between her tears. “She kissed him and he let her!”

“Who?” Sav asked angrily.

“I don’t know,” Rikki said softly. “Some brunette.”

“Shit, Lauren!” Joe said, pulling Rikki tight to him. “I was afraid she might show up!”

“I’ll kill him,” Sav said irately. He stood and stalked into the house. Joe pulled Rikki to her feet and said, “We’ll figure this out, okay, sweetheart. You just go in and stay with Bobbi while we, um, talk to him.”

“Okay,” she said in a small voice.

Joe left Rikki in the kitchen while he headed after Rick. He found him in the sitting room, where Sav had him jacked up against the wall, screaming, “How could you do that to her, Rick!”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Sav?” Rick said, honestly baffled. Joe came into Rick’s view and Rick swallowed loudly. Sav’s hand was on Rick’s throat as he gasped, “What’d I do?”

“She saw you kissing Lauren outside!” Joe said in a menacing voice. “We found her bawling her eyes out in the back yard!”

“Jesus, is she okay?” Rick asked, worried about Rikki now.

“She’s devastated, Rick!” Sav hissed, still holding Rick against the wall.

“But, but, I told Lauren to go away!” Rick said quickly. Sav pulled back a little, releasing Rick’s throat but not letting him go completely.

Joe went on, still angry, saying, “Then how come my daughter saw you kissing Lauren outside?”

“She wanted me to take her back, Joe! She came up and kissed me and I pushed her away! Honestly!” Rick squeaked. “Listen! I love Rikki! I wouldn’t do that to her!”

Sav finally let go of Rick and stepped back. He hissed, “You’d better not be lying to us, Rick! Next time, I’ll let Joe have you!”

Rick gulped loudly. Joe still looked none too happy. Then Rick realized that Rikki still thought he’d wanted to kiss Lauren. He asked, “Where’s Rikki?”

“She’s in the kitchen with Bobbi. She’s still pretty upset,” Joe said quietly. Rick bolted for the door with Sav and Joe following close behind. Rick stopped in the door of the kitchen and saw Rikki sitting there still crying. She looked up and saw Rick standing there. She stood up and started out of the kitchen, but Rick grabbed her and stopped her. “Rikki, please, listen to me!”

“No, Rick, it’s obvious what happened here! You just needed a quick lay and that’s where I came in, isn’t it!” Rikki hissed.

“No, baby, it’s not like that at all! I love you, Rikki! You’ve got to believe that,” he said, his voice choking back his tears.

“Then who was the fucking brunette, Rick?” Rikki said in a low voice.

“That was my ex-girlfriend, Lauren. She showed up here trying to get me back, but I told her I wasn’t interested.” He pulled Rikki close to him and said, “I told her I was in love with someone very special and didn’t want her anymore.”

“Really?” Rikki said, hope returning to her voice.

“Yes, baby, really,” he said, lifting her chin up so she had to look in his eyes. He brought his lips down on hers and kissed her gently under the watchful eyes of her father and Uncle Sav.

Two years passed quickly for Rikki. She’d rented out her mother’s old house and moved in with Joe full time. In the studio, Joe, Sav and Rick had taught her how to work the mixing table and she now worked with them all the time in the studio. She and Rick had gotten engaged, but Joe insisted she stay with him until they were married. After they finished touring on their newest album, they went back to Ireland for the wedding.

Joe stood next to Rikki, waiting for her cue to head down the aisle. Joe looked at her and asked, “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Dad, I’m ready,” she said softly. They heard the music start and Sav walked in, saying, “It’s time!”

She took each of their arms and headed down the aisle to her fiance. Rick smiled up at her as Sav and Joe moved away and sat down. The ceremony was short, but lovely. Afterwards, Joe and Sav caught up to them before heading to the reception.

“Now, Rick, there is one thing I need to talk to you about,” Joe said seriously. “I have no intention of becoming a grandfather til I’m at least fifty.”

Rick looked up at Joe, mysteriously terrified, then turned to Rikki and whispered something. Rikki laughed as Rick crept away from Joe, trying to put some space between them.

Rikki took Joe by the arm and led him away from Rick. “Um, Dad, there’s something we need to talk to you about. Shit, I’m sorry, Dad, but it doesn’t look like you’re gonna make it to forty five before you become a grandfather.”

“You mean...” Joe trailed off.

“Yeah, I’m pregnant.”

“RICK!”