“Katie! Are you ready to go yet,” Kim hollered up the stairs. “Come on, your mum’s waiting for us!”

Seventeen year old Katie Monroe peeked around the corner at the top of the stairs and said, “What are you in such a hurry for? The match doesn’t start for two hours yet!”

“I want to get a good seat! You know how much I love sitting right behind United’s players!” Kim said. “God, that Tommy just sends me!”

“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” Katie sighed, walking slowly down to meet her.

Kim grabbed her arm and pulled her friend out to the car. Katie’s mother took them to the field and left, since the girls were supposed to catch a cab home. They took their seats, just behind the players for Sheffield United and Kim immediately started drooling over her favorite player. But Katie was more interested in watching across the field to the Sheffield Wednesday camp. She still hadn’t figured out why she always gave in to Katie during these yearly grudge matches between the city’s rival teams. Katie felt very out of place among the enemy fans.

“Jesus, I wish Wednesday would just kick United’s ass, so I can get out of here!” Katie finally said, getting dirty looks from several of the spectators.

“Good God, girl, you know there’s no way Wednesday’s gonna win this!” Kim laughed. “Their team always sucks!”

“You never know!” Katie laughed. “We might just surprise you!”

“Yeah, right,” came a voice from in front of them. A tall young man with dark curly hair turned around, laughing at what Katie had said. “Wednesday’s team isn’t very good this year at all.”

“I keep trying to tell her that!” Kim said to him, smiling broadly at the attractive young man. “I’m Kim and this is Katie.”

“I’m Pete,” the taller man’s companion said, “and this loud mouth is Joe.”

Katie was staring off at the field as the match started, while Kim was engrossed in conversation with Pete and Joe. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she cheered, Wednesday was down by three goals half way through the game. The game was going so badly for Wednesday that United decided to put in some of its younger players to give them some time on the field.

Completely dejected, Katie stared as the players were substituted in. Then she noticed one of them, a very good looking young man with dark curls and a body Katie thought she could die for. She elbowed Kim and said, “Oh, my, looks like United might have its good points after all. Damn, who is that guy?”

“Um, let me see,” Kim thought about it for a minute, then said, “Oh, that’s Richard Savage!”

Neither of the girls saw the look that Pete and Joe exchanged. Joe spoke up and asked, “Are you two going to the party after the game?”

“No,” Kim sighed, “we weren’t invited.”

“Then come with us!” Pete said. Katie wasn’t paying attention to them or the match any longer, simply watching Richard Savage do his thing on the field. Kim looked at her and said, “Hey, earth to Katie! You want to go to United’s party after the game? Maybe you’ll run in to that guy!”

“I can just about guarantee it!” Joe laughed.

“Sure,” Katie said, still half in a daze. She was too busy at that second to pay attention to anything they were saying.

After the game, which Wednesday lost much to Kim and Joe’s glee, Katie followed the group over to a local pub where the team was going to be celebrating. As soon as they arrived, Joe grabbed them a booth and Kim slid in next to Joe, leaving Katie with Pete. The other three kept up a steady stream of conversation while Katie kept looking around, waiting for the team to arrive. She just wanted to catch a closer glimpse of Richard Savage, a name that was tumbling through her head over and over.

Her breath caught as she saw him walk in and look around, obviously trying to find someone. Her heart fell. Of course a guy like that would have a girl waiting on him. Joe spotted him and yelled, “Hey, Rick! Over here!”

Suddenly butterflies had taken up residence in Katie’s stomach as he turned towards the sound of Joe’s voice and waved. Then he headed right for them. He looked around the table and said, “Hey, that’s not fair! Both of you already have birds and I get stuck by myself.”

“Well,” Joe said with a laugh as he put an arm around Kim, “I’m hoping I’ve got one, but I think Katie here would much rather be with you than Pete.”

“Yeah, I was just keeping a spot warm for you, mate!” Pete laughed. “She’s been looking for you since she saw you on the field!”

Katie was turning fifty different shades of red and trying desperately not to look up at him after his friends’ comments. He looked down at her and said, “Oh, really? Well, hey, scoot over!”

Katie moved over and let him sit down beside her, but she was still too embarrassed to look at him. Rick looked around at the rest of the group and asked, “So, what’d you guys think of the game today?”

Everyone else chimed in with their approval of United’s win, but Katie murmured, “It stinks!”

Rick looked at her, surprised by her answer. He leaned over to her and asked, “Wednesday fan, huh?”

She nodded silently, figuring she’d probably just killed any interest he had in her by admitting she’d wanted his team to lose. He leaned next to her ear and said, “Me, too, just don’t tell anyone on United, okay?”

She looked up at him finally, completely surprised by his admission. Then she asked quietly, “Then why’d you sign with United?”

He threw his head back and laughed, saying, “Well, to be honest, I thought they were fielding a better team at the time. Guess they still are.”

“These two didn’t bother to tell us they knew you!” Kim said, giving Joe a dirty look.

“Well, didn’t want to scare her off!” Joe laughed. Katie blushed again, giving Joe her own dirty look that made him bust up laughing. Pete spotted someone else he knew and made Katie and Rick move so he could get out of the booth. Katie slid back in, followed by Rick who cautiously put an arm over the seat behind her. They sat there, talking about the game and other things for a while before Joe suggested, “This place is too crowded, let’s get out of here!”

Everyone agreed and they headed out into the evening. Katie made a stop to call her mother and let her know where they were at, then they took off walking around the town. They talked all along the way and Katie found out Sav was only a month older than her and probably more football-crazed than Katie herself, which shocked her. Joe, it turned out, was a few weeks younger than Kim.

Joe kept his arm around Kim as they walked in front of Rick and Katie. Rick had suddenly turned shy and couldn’t quite bring himself to hold Katie’s hand. She was equally shy, marveling at how Kim managed to be so forward with Joe. When they stopped to decide where they were going next, Katie blushed for Kim when Joe kissed her. Rick and Katie didn’t look at each other until Joe pulled back from the kiss. They passed a store and saw the clock inside, reading nearly ten and the girls decided they really needed to head home. Kim was staying at Katie’s, so they walked slowly to her place.

When they got there, Rick and Katie stood in awkward silence while Joe and Kim kissed good night. Rick looked at her and asked, “So, what are you doing tomorrow?”

“Oh, not a lot, I guess,” Katie answered shyly. “Kim will probably still be here, so I’ve got to see what she wants to do.”

“Think we might be able to stop over?” he asked

“Um, well, I’d better ask her,” Katie said, shooting a look over at Kim and Joe.

“If they ever come up for air!” Rick laughed, though a blush was creeping up his cheeks as well. Finally, after torturing their friends for a while, Joe looked over at Rick and said, “Did you have any plans tomorrow, mate?”

“No, I was just asking Katie what they were doing,” Rick said quietly.

“How bout we drop by in the morning?” Joe asked, looking down at Kim questioningly.

“Sure!” Kim said without a thought.

“Well, I’ve got football practice in the morning, until noon,” Rick said quickly.

“We’ll see you after that!” Joe said enthusiastically.

“Great!” Kim said, giving Joe another kiss. She turned toward the door and went inside, leaving Katie there with Rick and Joe. Rick looked at her and said, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.”

Katie looked at the ground, scuffing her foot and said, “I had a good time too.”

“Oh, God, Rick, just kiss her!” Joe laughed. Rick looked at him, wanting to hit Joe at that second for being so rude about it. Then Katie looked up at him and he changed opinions about what he wanted to do. He leaned down and kissed her gently, his soft lips brushing over hers quickly before he pulled away. The blush had crept back into his face as he looked down at her. All he could say was, “Have a good night,” before he turned and started to walk away.

Katie stood on the porch, watching them walk away. She could hear Joe teasing Rick, saying, “Damn, mate, if it takes you that long to kiss a bird, no wonder you’ve never...” His voice faded away as Katie watched them, then she turned and headed straight to her bedroom. Kim was already laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling dreamily. She looked over at Katie and said, “Oh, my God, Joe is sooooo cute! And he kisses a lot better than Nigel as well!”

“I wouldn’t know,” Katie said quietly. Her mind was still on Rick, the imprint of his lips still on hers.

“I want to do it with him already, God I don’t believe it!” Kim said excitedly.

“Oh, please! You just met him today!” Katie said in shock.

“So?” Kim answered. “I’m not little miss purity like you, okay? I’ve done it before AND I enjoy it! And why shouldn’t I? This is 1978, not 1878!”

“God, I couldn’t!” Katie said, getting totally embarrassed by the tone the conversation was taking.

“UGH! Sometimes, Katie dear, you’re just too much!” Kim said, throwing on her pajamas.

Katie got changed and climbed into bed, muttering, “No, sometimes, I guess I’m just not enough.”

The girls climbed into bed and after a bit more teasing from Kim, fell asleep.

Katie was just helping her mother finish cleaning up after lunch and Kim had gone back up to Katie’s room to get ready when there was a knock at the door. Katie ran to open it, just beating her father there, and found Rick and Joe standing on the front steps.

“Hi!” she said breathlessly.

“Hello,” Rick and Joe said together.

“Um, I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes. I’ve got to help Mum put the dishes away,” Katie said quickly. “Joe, Kim’s upstairs in my room. Top of the stairs on the right!” Joe bounded up the stairs without another word, while Rick followed Katie into the kitchen. Her father was right behind them.

“Mum, Dad, this is Richard,” Katie said as she headed for the drain board.

“Have a seat, Richard,” her father said, motioning to the table. Rick sat down on one side while her father sat across from him. Mr. Monroe asked, “So, how did you meet my Katie?”

“At the United party last night, sir,” Rick said nervously.

“Oh? How did you manage that invitation?” he asked curiously.

“He plays for United, Daddy,” Katie interjected.

“So, does this mean you’ve finally given up on Wednesday, sweetheart?” her father laughed.

“No,” she said stubbornly. “It just means that I won’t know who to cheer for when they play each other next year!”

Mr. Monroe talked football the whole time Katie finished her chores. She looked at Rick, who was completely engrossed in discussing United’s team that year with her father, and said, “Ready to go?”

“Um, yeah, let’s,” he answered. He stood up and shook Mr. Monroe’s hand, saying, “It’s been nice talking to you, sir!”

“My pleasure, Richard!” Katie’s father answered as they head for the bottom of the stairs. Katie hollered up, “JOE! KIM! We’re ready to go now!”

Without sticking his head out the door, Joe yelled, “Rick, you’ve got to see her room!”

Katie groaned as they walked up the stairs.

Rick walked into the room expecting pink frills and maybe a giant stuffed Wednesday owl. The first thing he noticed was Kim still buttoning her blouse from an obviously heavy make out session with Joe. To cover his embarrassment, Rick looked around and was pleasantly surprised by the decor of the room. The bed was covered by an American Indian style blanket and three lava lamps stood sentry in the corners. He could see a black light pointing down at one of the posters on the wall. But the posters themselves were the biggest surprise. Led Zeppelin and Queen stared down at him from all four walls, while a small David Bowie poster hid in the corner. Rick looked at her, stunned, and said, “I thought girls our age were into David Cassidy and the Bee Gees.”

“Sorry,” Katie apologized. “I know I’m a strange bird.”

“Please, don’t say you’re sorry! I love it!” Rick explained. “The last girl I dated, God, if I’d have heard the name Barry Gibb one more time, someone would have gotten hurt!”

“I happen to like him, thank you sir!” Kim huffed. Joe just rolled his eyes.

Katie looked at her friend in disgust and said, “Sorry, no, it’s Jimmy Page for me! The way he plays that guitar! Goodness!”

“Rick here plays the guitar as well, luv,” Joe offered. “Matter of fact, we have a band we put together last summer. Savage is our bass player.”

“What do you play, Joe?” Kim asked.

“Me?” Joe laughed. “Screeching into the mic is my gig! I’m the lead singer.”

“Would you like to come to our rehearsal tonight?” Rick asked the girls.

“We’d love to!” Katie said.

They headed out and the guys took Katie and Kim to a local fish and chips stand for lunch.. Then they decided to head over to the abandoned spoon factory where the band practiced. Pete and the other guitarist would be there later.

Rick finally got up the courage to take Katie’s hand as they walked down Bramall Lane to the factory. When she felt his gently touch on her fingers, Katie smiled up at him bashfully. Their fingers twined together as they reached the factory. Rick showed Katie where they practiced and his favorite spot to get away from stress. When they made it back to the practice room, Joe and Kim were no where to be found. Rick sat down against the wall, pulling Katie down beside him with a laugh. “So,” he said, “you like Queen and Led Zeppelin, eh?”

“Oh, yeah,” Katie answered. “They’re both awesome and....” Katie and Rick both froze as they heard Joe moaning, “Oh God, Kim, OH!”

Rick looked at Katie and they both blushed furiously. They both knew what came along with that kind of moan and Rick could feel his body responding at the thought. He slammed his head back into the wall in frustration, then put his hand on the back of it and said, “OOWWW!”

Katie looked over at him, concern he might have hurt himself overriding her embarrassment. She got up on her knees next to him and leaned over, asking, “Are you okay?”

He leaned his head back more carefully this time and whispered, “Yeah, I think so.”

Katie moved in closer and placed her lips gently against his. Butterflies put more pressure on a flower when they landed than she did on his lips. Rick reached up and eased Katie into his arms as the kiss started to deepen. They sat for a long while, simply kissing and holding each other.

Pete and the other guitarist walked in quietly, looking around for the others. The second guitarist stopped dead in front of Pete when he saw Rick with a girl, causing Pete to slam into his back. Frustrated, Pete yelled, “What the hell did you do that for?”

His blond companion turned to Pete and whispered, “Sav’s got a girl here!”

“No shit?” Pete said, looking around and seeing the pair just as they were pulling apart. Rick’s face blazed red as he said, “If you’re looking for a show, guys, go find Joe! He’s in the other room!”

“Holy crap!” the blonde said, heading for a room almost all of them used for the same purpose. Girls. He peeked in through a window high up on the door and said, “Damn! She’s got one hell of a body!”

Pete didn’t even try to look, knowing he was too short to see what was happening. Frustrated, he asked Rick, “The girl from yesterday?”

Rick nodded and Pete let out a curse. Then Pete said, “Yeah, she was hot!”

Katie was staring at the blond and said, “Steve?”

He turned around and said, “Oh, my God, Katie!”

Rick looked at both of them and said, “You two know each other?”

“We went to Wisewood together,” Katie laughed. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

“Yeah, I play guitar in the band,” Steve said.

“I knew you were really good, I just didn’t know you were in this band,” Katie laughed.

Steve looked around and said, “Wait a minute. You met them at the Wednesday/United game, sitting in the United stands?”

“Yeah,” Katie said, wondering where he was going with this.

“There’s only one person who could get you to sit there,” Steve said slowly. He turned back to the door and looked in as Katie said, “Yeah, that’s who’s in there with Joe.”

Steve moved away and sat down next to the wall, looking near to tears. Then he got back up and took off out the door. Pete and Rick just stared at him, but Katie jumped up and went after him.

She found him halfway down the building, leaning against the wall crying. Katie looked at him and said, “I’m sorry, Steve, if I’d have know it was your band, I wouldn’t have let Kim come here.”

“That’s okay,” he said through his tears. “She doesn’t even know how I feel about her anyway. And she’s obviously interested in Joe.”

“Well, I still hate to see you get hurt,” she said quietly. “I should have told her, no matter what you said.”

“NO!” Steve said forcefully. “I didn’t want her to know, so she can’t find out!”

“Are you still going to be able to play with Joe?” Katie asked.

“Yeah, it’s not his fault. He doesn’t even know I know her,” Steve said. Katie slid her arm around him and led him back into the factory. Rick saw how close she was to Steve and frowned, wondering if Katie and Steve had something going. Then he saw the look on Steve’s face as he stared at the door that hid Kim and Joe again. It hit Rick suddenly that Steve had feelings for Kim. As Katie crossed the room back to his side, Rick muttered, “Oh, shit.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll all work out,” Katie said quietly.

“Yeah, just like Yoko Ono fit right in with the Beatles, right?” Rick said with a humorless laugh.

“Well, I don’t see Paul McCartney or John Lennon here, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Besides that, I know Steve well enough to know he’s not going to let anything stop him from being in a band,” Katie answered softly.

Joe and Kim came stumbling out of the back room at the sound of everyone’s voices. Kim saw Steve and ran over to him, giving him a huge hug.

“Stevie! Oh, my God, luv! What are you doing here?” Kim exclaimed.

“He’s our second guitarist,” Joe said with a smile. “I take you it know him?”

“Yeah, he went to school with me and Katie!” she said, turning back to Joe. Rick looked around uncomfortably and suggested, “Maybe we should get to work?”

“Sounds like an idea,” Steve mumbled. He strapped on his guitar and plugged it in, running his fingers over the strings while he wait for the others. “Hey, ah, shit, where the hell is Tony?”

“Bet his girl is giving him trouble again,” Pete muttered.

“Well, let’s get on without him,” Joe said. “Just do the best we can.”

Katie and Kim took up seats along the wall while the guitarists warmed up. Just as they were about to start, the final member of the group burst into the room. Tony was all apologies as he said, “You know how Ann gets!”

“You know, mate, one of these days you’re going to have to make a decision about what YOU want,” Steve finally said.

“Yeah, I know,” Tony mumbled. He sat down at the kit and asked, “What do you want to start with?”

“Well, we’ve got to get ready for the gig next week, so let’s do ‘Suffragette City’,” Joe suggested.

“Leave it to him to start with Bowie,” Pete laughed.

“Ugh, I can’t stand David Bowie,” Kim hissed under her breath.

“Shh, I like this song, thank you,” Katie said quietly.

The band tore into it, Katie wiggling in her seat in delight. In her opinion, they sounded great! Kim simply rolled her eyes and stayed silent. As they finished the song, Katie said, “Man, that was awesome!”

“Yeah, you sound pretty good,” Kim said begrudgingly. “Bowie’s just not my thing.”

Joe looked at her like she’d just shot him. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘sorry’, then turned to talk to Katie.

The next song, Steve tore into with a vengeance. This was one they’d written themselves called ’Wasted’. Kim sat up and watched Steve play, totally amazed as his fingers flew over the strings. Joe could see who she was looking at and left her to it.

Meanwhile, Katie’s eyes rarely left Rick. She couldn’t believe the way he moved with the guitar, even better than he was on a football field. She was totally in awe of him all of a sudden.

Joe watched Kim for just a moment before deciding she just wasn’t worth the trouble in the band she could cause. He started singing to Katie, though Kim barely noticed the difference. Katie smiled at him, knowing something had just happened there.

All Katie could say as ‘Wasted’ finished was “WOW!”

“Hey, guys, can we do one for Katie?” Rick asked.

“Sure, what did you have in mind?” Pete asked.

“Stairway to Heaven’ right, Rick?” Joe laughed.

“That’s the one!” Rick said, looking at Katie for a response. A huge grin was all Katie could give him, unable to talk at that moment. Rick moved over to the keyboard as Steve switched to an acoustic guitar for the beginning of the song, the quiet melodic starting pouring from the guitar as Katie swayed to the music. As the percussion came in, Pete moved forward, taking over the lead. When the song moved into its heavier part, Rick swung his bass around and left the keyboard behind. By the time the song had ended, Katie was beyond speechless. Rick smiled at her as the band moved on to the next song.

Katie leaned over to Kim and asked quietly, “So, what’s going on with Joe?”

“Nothing major,” Kim answered.

“What do you mean? You just slept with him, for God’s sake!” Katie said, completely astonished by Kim’s casual manner.

“So? It was a nice shag, but it’s not like we’re in love or something,” Kim answered.

“How can you do that?” Katie asked quietly.

“It’s easy, just spread your legs...” Kim started, but Katie silenced her, saying, “Never mind! I don’t want to hear it, Miss Woman of the 70’s.”

“Well, you did ask,” Kim said finally.

“Forget it, okay?” Katie said, dropping the subject. The band went through several songs before deciding to call it a night. They put their instruments back in their cases and Rick walked over to Katie with a smile. He asked, “So, what’d you think?”

“I think you guys are going to be huge!” Katie said as Rick took her hand. “You’re wonderful!”

Meanwhile, Joe walked over to Kim and they talked for a moment, but neither of them seemed terribly interested in each other all a sudden. Steve suggested hitting a nearby pub and everyone quickly agreed that it sounded like a great idea.

Katie watched Joe and Kim in disbelief. They acted like they barely knew each other now. How could you sleep with someone one minute, then act this way the next, Katie wondered. She looked up at Rick and hoped that if they ever got that far, he wouldn’t do this to her. Suddenly afraid, Katie shivered and Rick looked down at her, asking, “What’s wrong, Kate?”

“Oh, nothing. I just can’t believe the way Joe and Kim are acting,” she sighed.

“Well, to be honest, Kim didn’t even pay attention to Joe during the rehearsal. She was too busy watching Steve,” Rick said quietly. “I don’t think she was terribly impressed with Joe.”

Katie just shook her head. Even if the band had sucked, she couldn’t have done such a complete one-eighty on Rick. Then again, everybody seemed to think Katie was a bit strange, so she chalked it up to that and left the subject alone.

When they reached the pub, Joe took off and left them for a while. Kim and Steve seemed engrossed in their private conversation and Tony had to leave before his girlfriend got angry. Katie and Rick sat talking to Pete until Joe showed up. Only Joe didn’t show up alone. A young blonde was hanging all over him. Kim looked up and was shocked for half a second before she realized she just didn’t care. She smiled at Joe, who gave her a puzzled look for a moment before returning the smile.

After a couple of beers, Katie decided it was time to head home before her father came looking for her. Pete offered to drive her, but she decided she would just walk rather than make him leave his friends. She said good night and gave Rick a smile before heading out the door. She’d made it halfway down the block when she heard the door to the pub open again. She glanced back, wondering who was leaving now, and found Rick standing on the sidewalk looking for her.

She waved to him and he ran to catch up to her. “Sorry,” he said, “I just couldn’t let you walk home alone!”

“My thanks,” Katie replied. Rick took her hand and they headed off. It was only ten blocks to her house, but they walked very slowly because they weren’t ready for the night to end yet.

“So, did you really think we were good tonight?” Rick asked uncertainly.

“You were wonderful!” Katie enthused.

“We really want to make a go of it,” Rick said quietly. “All of us. We’ve got our first gig in a week and we’re hoping to blow them away. Except maybe Tony, he’s too caught up with Ann to be really serious about it.”

“Yeah, well, love does strange things to people,” Katie said softly. Rick paused and looked down at her, but she was still looking straight ahead. She asked, “Why’s his girl so against the band?”

“She says he’d rather be with us than her,” Rick answered.

“That’s hardly fair, you guys are trying to make something of yourselves!” Katie said, wondering what this girl of Tony’s problem was.

“Bloody well right!” Rick laughed. “It’s just a bit unusual to find a girl who understands that.”

“Well, I’m a bit unusual, I’ve been told,” Katie said quietly.

Rick stopped and looked at her, then said, “I happen to think you’re fantastic!”

Katie blushed at the praise and said, “Thank you!”

Rick leaned down and kissed her quickly before they resumed walking. After a moment, he said, “We really just want to be the best, is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Katie said. “And you can do it.”

“Listen,” he said as the reached her lawn, “I’d really like to see you again. Want to come to rehearsal with me again tomorrow? The guys love an appreciative audience.”

“I’d love to, Rick,” she said with a smile. “I had a lot of fun today.”

“So did I,” he said, looking down into her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her again, his lips moving softly over hers as his hand went to her neck. When he pulled away, he said quietly, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Over the next week, Katie saw Rick every day, sitting in on every rehearsal. Kim showed up to one practice, watching Steve carefully. Joe didn’t even notice, because the young blonde showed up that day as well.

Finally, the night of their first concert arrived. Katie stood backstage, watching them all pace and swig at the bottles they’d smuggled in inside the bass drum. By the time they got onstage, they were all buzzing a bit. Katie made her way to the side of the stage to watch as they ran around, playing their hearts out. The crowd of about a hundred fifty young girls, with a few boys scattered here and there, went crazy. Katie could only smile as she saw the band’s broad grins.

Every time the guys tried to come offstage, the audience called them back out, until the DJ’s finally pulled the plug on them. They came off and practically bounced around the backstage area. Katie made her way back and Rick grabbed her, kissing her hard in his excitement. Katie returned his kiss and felt his tongue probing against her lips. She’d never kissed with tongue before, so she let her lips part uncertainly, not knowing what to do. He searched her mouth gently as she reached out tentatively with her own tongue. He pulled her body to his, holding her tightly for a moment before he broke away from her.

The band was still whooping and hollering as they headed for a nearby pub. Kim was seated in a booth and Steve headed straight over to her, telling her excitedly about the gig. Tony’s girl showed up, though they didn’t stay long. Rick put an arm around Katie as she smiled up at him.

The group partied together for a few hours before Katie had to call it a night. Rick walked her home, still pumped up from the show.

“God, that was fantastic!” Rick enthused.

“You were terrific, Rick. Those kids really dug you guys,” Katie said with a smile.

“They did, didn’t they?” he said, bouncing along the sidewalk. “We’re gonna do it, Katie! I know we will!” He picked her up off her feet and swung her around before kissing her again. She felt his tongue again and let him into her willingly, finding that she really enjoyed the feeling it gave her. His hands ran over her back and landed on her backside, much to Katie’s surprise. He’d never tried that before. She felt him pull her body closer and she didn’t resist him. Suddenly, Rick realized what he’d done and pulled back, embarrassed at his actions.

“I’m sorry, Kate, I didn’t mean to do that,” he apologized.

“That’s okay, I kinda enjoyed it,” she said quietly.

They walked together slowly, hands still entwined, until they reached her house. At the door, Rick leaned down and kissed her again before asking, “Listen, why don’t you come to football practice in the morning?”

“Really? Can I?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, all the guys have their girlfriends there,” he answered.

Katie’s foot scuffed the sidewalk as she asked, “Am I your girlfriend, Rick?”

Looking into her eyes, he whispered, “Most definitely, if you want to be?”

“Oh, yes!” she said, kissing him again. “I’ll see you in the morning!”

Katie practically floated inside the house.

Over the next few weeks, Rick and Katie spent all their time together. Then, a month later after the band had done their second gig, Rick took her out to lunch but was very quiet.

“What’s wrong, Rick?” Katie asked.

“Um, well, I just have something on my mind,” he said quietly.

“Can I help?” Katie questioned.

“Maybe,” he said after a long pause. “United just offered me a contract.”

“That’s great, Rick!” Katie said with a smile.

“But if I take it, I’ll have to give up the band,” he said slowly.

“Oh, no! You can’t do that!” Katie gasped. “You guys are too good to do that.”

“I think I’m going to reject United’s offer,” he sighed.

“That’s terrible!” Katie said quickly. “But I can understand it.”

“Really?” he asked. “I was afraid you’d be upset. I mean, I know how much you like football, so I figured you’d be mad at me for giving it up.”

“Rick,” she said, squeezing his hand tightly, “You’ve got to do what you want to do. And I know you love the band.”

“I do,” he sighed. Then he gave her a smile. “Well, that’s easier, knowing you won’t break up with me over this.”

“Never!” Katie exclaimed.

“You want to go to my house? Mum’s still dying to meet you,” he asked with a shy smile.

“Sure,” Katie said, though a bit nervously. Rick’s parents meant a great deal to him and Katie knew it. If they didn’t like her, she was doomed.

They went outside and caught a cab to his house, finding his mother in the kitchen.

“Hello, Mum,” Rick said, giving her a quick kiss. “This is Katie.”

“Ah, so you’re the wonderful Miss Kate!” Mrs. Savage said with a smile. “I’ve heard a great deal about you!”

“Oh, well, I hope it was good!” Katie said with a nervous giggle.

“Indeed it was,” Mrs. Savage smiled.

“Listen, Mum, we’ll be up in my room, okay?” Rick said.

“Okay, but tell Brian to come down, please? I need him for a moment,” she answered.

Rick lead Katie upstairs, stopping to knock at his brother’s door and let him know he was needed downstairs. Then he led Katie into his room. She looked around and found many of the same posters on the wall as what she had in her room. She smiled at him and said, “Gee, looks like my room!”

“Yeah, that’s why I thought it was so cool to find these posters there,” Rick said, pulling her down on the bed with him since there was no place else to sit.

“So, I’ve got a question I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Katie laughed as her backside hit the bed. “Why does Steve always call you Sav?”

“Obviously, it’s short for Savage. He just thought it sounded cool, so he always uses it,” Rick laughed. Katie looked at him and said, “It does sound cool. It suits you!”

Looking down at her, he smiled and said, “Thanks.” He leaned down and kissed her, gently at first, then with more force as time passed. Soon they were wrapped in each other’s arms. Katie felt herself falling, landing softly on the bed with Rick’s arms still around her. She heard him whisper something, but couldn’t make out what he said.

“What was that, luv?” she asked.

“I love you, Katie,” he repeated softly. She looked into his eyes, shocked by his words. Even more shocking, but completely truthful, were her next words. “I love you, too, Rick.”

His hands started wandering over her back as their lips stayed locked. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hand landed on her butt. He pulled her leg up over his hip, the two of them settling in comfortably together. The heat of his hand through her thin shorts tested her resolve to remain a virgin. Then his hips ground involuntarily into her and she felt the hard lump that had risen there. His shorts did little to conceal his arousal.

She pulled away, frustrated with herself. Rick looked at her in confusion, asking, “Did I do something wrong, Kate?”

“No, God, no,” she said quickly. “That’s my problem! You’re doing everything right! But I’ve never, I just can’t, well, do that!”

Rick slumped back on the bed, his own frustration apparent. Then he looked back at her and said, “Luv, we don’t have to if you don’t want to. And you’re not the only one here who’s never, well, you know!” His face flushed at the admission.

“Really?” she asked, totally surprised.

“Really,” he muttered. “I’ve never let myself get that close to a girl before. I’ve been with United since I was fifteen and in the band for the past year, so I never really had the time. And I’ve never found a bird interested in almost everything I like. Until I met you, that is.”

She found herself in his arms again as she whispered, “I just always wanted the first time to be with someone I knew I loved.”

“Well, I do love you,” he said softly, “but I can wait til you’re ready.” He kissed her again, moving her body back against his gently. Soon, they found themselves in the same position they’d been in before she’d pulled away. After a few minutes, she pulled him over on top of her, no longer caring what might happen. But Rick was cautious, not wanting to push her too far, too fast.

Even with that, he couldn’t resist grinding his hips into hers through their clothes. Katie groaned as sensitive nerves got stimulated for the first time in her life. She thrust her hips against his as his lips met hers. His hands went to her breasts, touching them for the first time. Every nerve in her body cried out as his fingers teased at her nipples through her shirt.

Impatient to really feel his hands on her, Katie pulled her shirt off over her head, laying there now in only her shorts. Rick groaned, afraid he might not be able to control himself after all. His hands wandered over her chest, then he lowered his mouth to her breast, gently sucking at her nipple. She moaned again as her fingers tangled into his curly hair. She tugged at his t-shirt, needing to feel his skin against hers. His t-shirt came off easily and she felt his heated flesh burning into hers.

He rolled away, pulling her over on her side and said softly, “Listen, I know you don’t want to do anything THAT serious now, but can you help me? I need you now!”

“What?” Katie asked, confused by what he meant.

“Please,” he begged, “I need you to touch me!”

“Show me what you want, Rick,” she said, wanting to do whatever he needed.

Her hand was resting on his chest and he took it gently, leading her down to his shorts. Then he whispered, “Just touch me there, please!”

Embarrassed at first, her fingers wandered tentatively over the swell in his shorts. She didn’t know what to do, but his hand guided her over his hard cock. She rubbed him gently, afraid she was going to hurt him with her ignorance. She laid her head on his chest as she watched her hand moving over him. Then she got curious, wondering what it felt like. She couldn’t look at him as she asked, “Can I touch it?”

“Oh, God, I was hoping you would,” he groaned. He helped her pull his shorts down enough to expose himself to her.

“What should I do, Rick?” she asked, not sure how to proceed.

“Here, like this,” he said, taking her hand and putting on his manhood. Then he wrapped his hand around hers, guiding her up and down the length of him. He moaned at the feel of her unfamiliar hand on his most sensitive body part. She looked up and into his eyes as her hand continued its motion over him. The look of pleasure on his face stunned her. She kissed him as she felt his body start to tense under her touch. His tongue thrust into her mouth as a shudder wracked his body. Then she felt his hot fluids pour out, going up her arm. He moaned, relaxing back onto the bed with a whispered, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said quietly. He pulled her tightly to him and whispered into her ear, “I really do love you, Katie.”

“I love you, too, Rick. I’m sorry, I just wasn’t ready to...” she stammered.

“No, luv, you did fine. I just couldn’t take any more,” he said finally. They pulled themselves together as Rick helped Katie clean herself up. Then there was a knock on the door just as Katie was tucking her shirt back in.

“Richard,” came his mother’s voice, “It’s time for dinner.”

“Okay, Mum!” he replied. Taking Katie’s hand, he said, “Come on, let’s go eat.”

They made it to the table just as Rick’s older brother Brian sat down. Brian raised an eyebrow as he saw a girl with Rick and was about to say something when Mrs. Savage shot him a silencing look.

“So, Katie,” Mrs. Savage asked, “what are your plans now that you’re out of school?”

“Oh, I’m going to University right now, or rather, again this fall,” Katie said with a smile.

“Really? What are you studying?” Brian questioned.

“Photography,” Katie answered.

“Hey, Rick, you really know how to pick them, don’t you? You get a girlfriend and a publicity machine!” Brian laughed.

“What?” Rick asked him.

“You mean to tell me you’re not going to take advantage of having a photographer for a girlfriend and have her do your advertising photos?” Brian said quickly.

“Um, well, we hadn’t talked about it, no,” Rick answered.

“If you guys want me to try and help out, I can,” Katie said quietly.

“It’s a great idea!” Rick said enthusiastically. “I’ll have to get the others thoughts on it, but they’ll probably love it! I’ll ask them at rehearsal tonight.”

Katie smiled as Rick tore into his food, obviously in a hurry now. He waited impatiently for Katie to finish eating, then practically ran out of the house, dragging Katie by the hand.

“You think you can do our pictures for us, Kate?” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m sure I can, if you guys want me to,” she said confidently.

“Oh, they’ll want you to, I’m sure,” Rick answered. They nearly ran to the factory, where Joe and Tony were already waiting. Rick started telling the guys his idea and the part that Katie played in it while they waited for Pete and Steve to arrive.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were a photographer?” Joe asked, amazed at the good fortune that had just dropped in their laps.

“Well, I didn’t think about it, honestly,” Katie said with an apologetic smile.

“Listen, we’re playing the Limit Club in a week, you’ve got to bring your gear and take pictures for us,” Joe said enthusiastically.

“I can do that, but are you sure Pete and Steve will go along with it?” Katie asked.

“Go along with what?” Steve asked walking in with his arm around Kim. Pete came in the door right behind them and looked around curiously. Then he asked, “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Katie didn’t bother to mention she was a photographer to us before,” Joe said quickly.

“Well,” Rick said, scuffing at the floor, “she told me, but I just didn’t think of it until Brian said something.”

“Fucking brilliant, mate,” Joe laughed. “Well, bring your camera to the show next week, eh luv?”

“Certainly,” Katie said with a smile.

The boys got their instruments on and started to rehearse while Kim and Katie sat close together talking.

“So,” Kim asked, “what’s going on with you and Sav?”

“Rick? Oh, God, he’s wonderful!” Katie said with a smile.

“So, did you do the deed yet?” Kim asked with a smirk, figuring that was a given.

“NO! God, no! We haven’t, well, done that yet,” Katie stammered.

“You’re joking!” Kim laughed quietly. Then she looked at Katie and said, “Oh my God, you really haven’t yet? I figured he’d talk you into that in no time flat!”

“Actually, he’s been really understanding,” Katie said quietly.

“Have you even given him head yet?” Kim probed.

“What’s that?” Katie asked, wondering what her friend was talking about now.

“Oh, God, you are just way too innocent. What have you done?” Kim asked, getting frustrated with her friend’s lack of sexual knowledge.

“Well, we’ve fooled around a little,” Katie said, blushing furiously at the admission. “I, well, I touched him, um, there, but that’s it.”

“When you give a guy head, you touch him down there, all right, only you use your mouth!” Kim laughed.

“Oh, disgusting!” Katie grimaced.

“Actually, luv, it’s just like licking a big warm lollipop,” Kim giggled. “You’ve got to do at least that if you want to keep Sav. I’m mean, he’s not gonna want to wait forever to have sex with you!”

“UGH! You’re sick, Kim, truly twisted,” Katie shuddered. “Don’t tell me you did that with Joe!”

“No, Joe wasn’t that lucky,” Kim laughed. “But Stevie, now there’s a boy who knows what he enjoys and he loves it when I do that.”

“You mean, you and Steve? Oh, wow!” Katie said, changing the subject.

“Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that, didn’t I,” Kim said with a laugh. “We’ve been together since the day after we met up again!”

“Wow! So you guys have been together for a month now and I didn’t know it?” Katie asked in astonishment.

“Well, I didn’t feel like throwing it in Joe’s face or anything, that’s why we’ve kinda kept it quiet,” Kim said, finally getting serious. “But Stevie has been wonderful as well! Finally found someone worth giving up my wild ways for!”

“That’s wonderful, Kim!” Katie smiled. The girls sat and talked about their boyfriends for the rest of the rehearsal. Joe’s new girl showed up at the end and he finally introduced her as Melissa to the rest of the group.

Rick walked Katie home, but now it was her turn to be quiet. Rick looked down at her and asked, “What’s wrong, luv?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something Kim said,” Katie said evasively. “Did you know she and Steve are, well, rather serious now?”

“Oh, really? Steve hasn’t said anything about it!” Rick laughed. “Of course, he never says much about his girlfriends.”

Katie looked up at Rick, wondering if he would really want her to do that thing Kim had told her about. It sounded really nasty, but the last thing Katie wanted to do was lose Rick. She knew she’d have to think about it for a while before she could actually do it. When they arrived at her place, Rick gave her a lingering kiss that made her realize she would probably do whatever he wanted.

At the band’s next gig, one they were doing with another Sheffield group called the Human League, Katie brought her cameras along. She shot off several rolls of film as the group played, plus another roll backstage after the gig. Since University was back in session, she took the film with her to school and developed it the next day. After her classes were over, she raced to the spoon factory to show them to the guys.

“Oh, man, Katie, these are terrific!” Joe enthused. “We’ve got to use this one of Steve, he looks a bit like Jimmy Page here!”

“And Joe, this one of you is fucking brilliant, mate!” Pete went on.

“It was rather hard to get any decent ones of Tony behind his kit,” Katie said quickly. “Where is Tony, anyway?”

“More problems with his bird, luv,” Rick said quietly.

“What are you guys going to do?” Katie asked in a soft voice.

“Well, if he doesn’t want to make it as much as the rest of us, then he’s out,” Pete said quickly. The rest of the band nodded slowly. They didn’t want to fire their friend, but if he was holding them back he had to go.

Kim showed up towards the end of the rehearsal, but she wasn’t her usual outgoing self. Katie finally pulled her back out to the street and said, “What’s going on, Kim.”

“I’m leaving,” Kim said bluntly.

“But what about Steve?” Katie asked amazed.

“It’s better if he doesn’t know why, it’ll only interfere with his future. I know how he’ll react if I tell him what’s going on,” Kim said with tears in her voice.

“Well, you can at least tell me,” Katie said softly.

“Katie, I’m pregnant. And no, I don’t know if it’s Joe’s or Stevie’s. Please don’t give me the lecture about my loose morals, I’ve been hearing it all day from my mother,” Kim said, her tears finally flowing. “I’m just telling Stevie that I’ve got to go stay with a sick aunt for a long time.”

“I’m so sorry, Kim,” Katie said, pulling her friend into a big hug as Kim cried.

“Listen, you can’t tell Sav, okay? I don’t want Stevie or Joe to find out, it’ll just put a damper on their career just as it’s taking off,” Kim said finally.

“But what are you going to do?” Katie asked finally.

“I’ll put the baby up for adoption. I can’t raise it on my own and otherwise Daddy will insist I get married. I’m not ready for that yet and neither is Stevie,” Kim sighed. “Now, let’s get back in there, I’ve got a bomb to drop on poor Stevie. Stick with me on this, Katie!”

“I will,” Katie said firmly.

The band was just finishing up as the girls walked back in. Kim pulled Steve off into the back room, while Katie slipped an arm around Rick. He could tell she was upset and pulled her in for a hug, asking, “What’s wrong?”

“Kim is leaving,” Katie said quietly. “She’s got an aunt who needs her to go stay with her, they don’t know how long it will be for.”

“Oh, no!” Rick said quietly. “She’s telling Steve that now?”

“Yeah,” Katie said, burying her head into Rick’s chest.

Steve stormed out of the back room and headed straight out the door. When the others caught up to him, he was heading to the pub closest to the factory. He drank himself into oblivion that night and Joe ended up taking him to Joe’s place, where he could keep an eye on him.

Over the next few weeks, Steve ended up in the pub every night after rehearsal. And inevitably, one of the other’s in the band ended up taking him home with them for safe keeping. They made one decision that no one wanted to at this time. Tony was fired because of his lack of ambition. The others simply wanted to make it as musicians more than Tony did.

Rick had made his final decision about the contract with United. He turned it down and took a day job at British Rail so he could still practice with the band at night. Katie sat in for their rehearsals every night, then she and Rick would take off alone for a couple of hours. What had happened to Kim had made her even more leery of having sex with Rick, though she wanted to desperately.

One night when they’d gone for their usual walk, they found themselves in the park after dark. He pulled her down under a tree and they started kissing again. She felt Rick move on top of her in the dark, grinding his body into hers. Her hands wandered over his shoulders, then her fingers wrapped through his hair. Feeling his hardness thrusting at her through his jeans, Katie had never been so tempted to give in as she was at that moment. Then she remembered what Kim had told her. She pushed Rick over on his back as her hands fumbled at the waist of his jeans. He looked down at her and said, “Kate, luv, what are you doing?”

“Well, Kim told me about something, but I’ve always been too afraid to try it before,” Katie started, then she said, “Help me get these open, luv.”

Intrigued, Rick undid his pants and let her pull his cock out into the night air. Her hands clasped him for a moment before the chill of the October night was replaced by the warmth of Katie’s mouth. He gasped at the sensation, never expecting her to actually do such a thing. She moved clumsily at first, not knowing what to do. Then Rick’s hands came down and started to guide her up and down over him, letting her know exactly what he wanted. She felt his body tense, then he gasped, “Oh, God, KATE, I’M GONNA, Oh my God, OH!”

His hot fluids spilled into Katie’s throat as she tried desperately not to gag. He finally pulled her away from his crotch and back up to lay beside him as his body started to return to normal. He managed to choke out, “Thank you, Kate, my love.”

“Your welcome, Rick. Kim told me that guys liked that,” Katie said, still a bit bashful after all this time.

“Well, I’ve never had that before, but I must say it was quite nice!” Rick chuckled. Then he got serious and said, “I didn’t bring you out here for that though. We need to talk.”

Suddenly on edge, Katie gulped and asked quietly, “What’s that, Rick?”

She could feel him digging into his pocket and then move up on his knee. Then he whispered, “Katie, I know we’re both a bit young for this, but will you marry me?”

Shocked, Katie sat for a moment, making Rick wonder if he’d made a mistake. Then Katie threw her arms around his neck and said, “Yes, of course I will!”

“You had me worried, luv,” Rick sighed as he pulled Katie close to him. “I love you, Kate!”

“I love you, too, Rick,” she said through her sudden tears. Then he slipped the ring on her finger and said, “Now, you’re mine forever!”

“Forever,” Katie whispered.

He pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her, finishing their walk to her house. He kissed her passionately before letting her go into the house. Her parents were already in bed, so Katie headed upstairs, though floated would have been a better word for it.

The next morning at breakfast, her mother immediately noticed the small diamond gleaming on Katie’s finger. When she asked about it, Katie fairly well bubbled over as she told her parents the news.

“So, I’m gonna have a future football star as a son-in-law, eh?” her father smiled.

Katie stared at the table and said, “Actually, Daddy, he’s not going back to United next spring. He’s taken a job with British Rail so he can concentrate on his musical career.”

Her father’s face fell as he stared at her. “Is he insane?” her father asked. “I know he was offered a contract with United!”

“He turned it down, Daddy. He can’t do football and music both,” Katie explained.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Katie,” her father said slowly. “You’ll be returning that ring, young lady.”

“WHAT?” Katie asked, stunned at what her father had just said.

“A footballer, even a mediocre one with a contract, can afford a wife. A musician will end up in some run down hotel, drinking and probably even beating the hell out of you. I won’t have that for my daughter!” he said forcefully. “You’ll tell him tonight that you won’t be seeing him any more! That’s my final word on the subject!”

Katie stormed out of the house and Rick found her sitting outside his workplace when his shift ended. She was crying and he immediately pulled her into his arms. Then he whispered, “Kate, luv, what’s wrong?”

“Daddy says I’m not allowed to see you anymore!” she bawled into his shoulder. “But he can’t stop me, he WON’T stop me!”

“Shh, what brought this on, luv,” Rick asked, confused at her father’s demands.

“I told him you weren’t going to be playing for United anymore,” she cried. “That you and the band were going to try to make it. He said all a musician will do is get drunk and beat me up!”

“Kate, you know I wouldn’t do that to you!” Rick whispered softly.

“I know that, but he doesn’t!” Katie answered.

Rick sat down on the stoop next to her, his head in his hands. He looked down at the ground and said, “God, Kate, what are we gonna do?”

“I’ll figure something out,” she said softly. “I’ve got a couple of friends who will probably help cover for me for a while.”

“Are you giving me back my ring?” he asked with tears in his eyes.

“Never!” she said emphatically. “I won’t always be under my father’s thumb.”

Rick pulled her close to him, holding her tightly. He whispered into her ear, “I love you, Kate.”

“I love you, too, Rick,” she said softly.

Katie pulled in some favors and got several of her friends to cover for her over the next couple of weeks. She moped about the house, just so her father wouldn’t get suspicious. Finally, she ran out of friends. Rick was the one who finally came up with a plan to throw her father off. They set it up so that Joe would pose as her new boyfriend, only telling her parents that he was working at Smith Widdowson and Eadem Ltd, a local ironmongery. He would pick her up and head straight for the factory, where they met up with Rick. They managed to keep it up for two months, long enough for the band to finally record their own EP and hire a new drummer. The drummer’s name was Rick Allen, a fifteen year old boy from Sheffield. To avoid any confusion, the band all started calling Rick by Steve’s nickname for him, Sav. Even Katie got into that habit, which helped keep her from slipping up in front of her father.

Sav and Katie spent almost every night together, making grand plans for what they would do when his band, Def Leppard, finally made it big.

Then late one night, Katie walked in to find her father waiting for her. He looked furious and told her roughly to sit down.

“To think, a daughter of mine would lie to me!” he growled.

“What are you talking about, Daddy?” she said innocently.

“I know about your little game, young lady,” he yelled. “One of my friends saw you and your little musician at the pub last night. Said the two of you looked quite cozy, sitting there talking to a big blond bloke I would assume is your red herring, Joe!”

“You’re not keeping me from Sav, Daddy!” she screamed. “I’m going to marry him!”

Her father crossed the room in three long strides and backhanded her. “You’ll never see him again, young lady. You’re going to live with your Aunt Eleanor!”

“She lives in the States, Daddy! You can’t do that to me!” Katie screamed.

“I can, and by God I will!” he yelled. “You’re leaving day after tomorrow!”

“No, I won’t!” she screamed, then she ran crying to her room. She paced furiously, not knowing what to do. Then she realized there was only one way out.

When Mrs. Monroe went to wake Katie for school the next morning, she found Katie’s bed still made. She screamed for her husband, who immediately called the police. Then he called Sav’s house. Mrs. Savage said that, no, Richard wasn’t there, he was at work. She hadn’t seen Katie and hoped she was okay, she was a lovely girl. Then Mrs. Savage hung up the phone and prayed they didn’t find Katie until Richard did.

The police interviewed both Joe and Sav as they got off work that day. Sav broke down in tears, wondering if Katie was alright. A kindly officer took pity on the boy, knowing that from the way he acted Sav didn’t know where she was. Both young men were released and headed for the factory where they were due for practice. On the way, they walked through the park and visited several pubs that Sav and Katie had gone to, but she was no where to be found.

When they reached the factory, Sav sat and cried while Joe tried to calm him down. He didn’t know where she could be hiding and it tore him up.

“Sav?” came her voice from the back of the room and barely above a whisper.

He spun around and saw her standing in the doorway at the back of the room. He ran across and pulled her into his arms, saying, “My God, you had me so worried!”

“He’s sending me to the States, Sav,” Katie said as fresh tears sprung to her eyes. “I couldn’t let him!”

“Kate, luv, he’s called the police in. They’re looking for you everywhere,” Sav said quietly. “They said they even checked here in the factory.”

“I was in your hiding spot,” she whispered. “I watched them as they checked all around me.”

“God, luv, what can we do now?” Sav asked in confusion.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “If Daddy finds me, I’ll be on the next plane to the States.”

Sav pulled her back to his secret place while the band rehearsed without him. He took her into his arms and said, “We’ll work this out, baby.”

“Sav, if he’s going to make me go, there’s one thing I want before I leave,” Katie said, looking up at him with tearstained eyes.

“Don’t talk that way, luv. We’ll figure something else out,” he said softly.

“No, Sav, if he gets a hold on me, I’ve got to go,” she cried. “But I’m not leaving without, oh, I don’t know how to ask you for this...”

She reached up and kissed him, her tongue searching for entrance into his warm mouth. She moved against him, trying to suggest what it was she wanted. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, hoping he saw what he thought he did in them. She nodded and Sav felt himself tense.

“Are you sure, luv?” he asked softly.

“I’m not leaving until I’ve made love to you,” she said finally.

Sav groaned. He’d wanted to hear those words for more than six months, but now that she’d said them he was scared. He didn’t want to hurt her, so he hesitated. Katie pulled away from him and locked the door. Standing away from him, Katie slowly took off her clothes. Sav stared at her, her image burning into his brain. She walked slowly back into his arms and kissed him again. His hands ran over her naked flesh, raising goose bumps along her skin as he looked down at her.

“I need to have this before I leave,” she whispered, pulling his shirt off over his head. He took her back into his arms, feeling her skin against his, her breasts crushed against his chest. He laid her gently on the ground, ending up on top of her. His hips ground into her as she moaned against his throat.

“Please, Sav, I need you,” she begged.

“Luv, I’m going to ask one more time, because if I take off my jeans, I’m not going to want to stop. I don’t want to as it is. Are you sure you want to do this?” Sav whispered.

“I’ve wanted to since I met you,” she said quietly. “I was just afraid. But I’m not any more.”

Nodding, Sav pulled away from her and slowly took off his jeans and underwear. Then he moved back into place between her thighs. He moved awkwardly, terrified he might hurt her. She braced herself, knowing the first time was supposed to hurt.

He managed finally to find the place he was looking for and pushed into her slowly. She felt him hit her hymen and then he paused.

“Please!” she pleaded.

Looking into her eyes, Sav got up his courage and pushed through that final barrier. Katie gasped at the sudden pain and Sav stopped.

“Are you okay, luv,” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, I will be,” she said. He pushed all the way into her and stopped, laying down against her body. He held her close as her body adjusted to his. Then she leaned up and kissed him, her hands wandering over his back. She said quietly, “I love you, Rick.”

“I love you, too, Katie,” he said roughly. Then he started to move into her gently, every thrust increasing their pleasure. Soon Katie was gasping his name as unfamiliar sensations took over her body. She felt her body tense as a climax took her over for the first time.

“OH, SAV,” she cried, “I love you!”

His body shuddered with his orgasm as he gasped, “I love you Kate!”

He collapsed down onto her, his young body spent. Then he took Katie into his arms and held her close against him. They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The band was still playing when she woke an hour later. Katie snuggled into Sav’s warm body, not wanting to lose him yet. She looked down his body, studying every detail of him. Her hands wandered over him, down his chest and over his thighs, though she didn’t make a move towards his cock. As he started to come around, his body responded to her gentle touch. She could see the fresh arousal stirring him back to life.

Sav pulled her close to him, his lips moving slowly down her body. She felt his lips close over her sensitive nipple, sucking at it carefully. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he teased her flesh. He rolled over on top of her, his hips parting her thighs easily. He looked up at her and she nodded silently, wanting to feel him inside her again.

He thrust into her gently, moving slowly as their bodies continued to learn each other. Now her hips rose up to meet his every time he pushed into her, moans coming from deep in her throat. They rocked together, carrying each other to their final destination. Sav looked down into her eyes as he felt her body clamp down on his, her orgasm helping him reach his own.

As their youthful bodies came together, they cried each other’s names. They collapsed as one, limbs tangled as their breathing returned to normal. Sav held her as Katie started to cry.

“Shh, luv, we’ll get through this,” he said softly. “But, you have to go back, your father’s got the coppers out all over looking for you.”

“I know, Rick,” she said quietly. “I just had to be with you one last time.”

They got dressed and walked out to the rehearsal room hand in hand. Katie said a tearful goodbye to the others, apologizing to Joe for his encounter with the police that afternoon. Then Sav led her out into the night, heading towards her house. They walked silently, not knowing what to say. When they reached Katie’s house, Sav stopped and said, “I’d better not go any further. Your dad might have me arrested.”

“But you were the one who talked me into coming home,” Katie cried. “Maybe he’ll see reason and let us be together.”

“I don’t think so, Kate, luv,” Sav whispered. “But we’ll be together again, I promise.”

He turned and walked slowly away, tears streaming down his face. His head was bowed as Katie turned for one last look at him. Then she walked quietly into the house.

“OH my God, Katie!” her mother said quickly. “Thank God, you came home.”

“Rick talked me into it, Mum,” Katie whispered. “I didn’t want to.”

Her father roared into the room, saying, “See what happens when I turn my back! Your flight leaves first thing tomorrow, so you’d best get upstairs to pack!”

Katie ran to her room crying as she heard her mother try to stand up to her father. The last thing she heard as she closed the door was her mother say, “Rick brought her home, Jack!”

Her father bellowed, “If not for him, she never would have run away in the first place!”

Katie closed the door and looked around her room. Her father had brought her suitcases in for her to pack, so she set about it slowly. She packed her clothes and records, then with special care put her autographed copy of Def Leppard’s EP and the photos she’d taken of the band into her case. When she’d finished packing, she lay on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, her father bundled Katie onto an airplane bound for Cleveland, Ohio. Her Aunt Eleanor was waiting for her when she disembarked. Katie was still crying when they reached her aunt’s home outside of Canton. Eleanor showed the weeping teenager to her room and let her cry herself back to sleep.

Over the next two months, Katie was reclusive and barely left her room except at mealtimes. Eleanor barely knew the child was there, though she was worried because Katie had started throwing up all the time. She made an appointment with her doctor and waited to take Katie in.

Meanwhile, Sav walked through his life like a ghost. The band went into the studio and laid down tracks for a new release to the record companies. Good things were happening for the band, yet Sav could never shake his feeling of loss.

Katie stumbled out into the sunlight, her aunt following closely behind her. She was in shock at the doctor’s news. Two months pregnant.

Her father would have to let her go back to Sav now, she thought. She could marry him and they’d raise their child together.

Her father exploded at the news. There was no way he was letting his little girl marry a musician, but she would be getting married. Her father would see to that to preserve his family’s reputation.

A month later, her father showed up with an American friend. According to her father, his friend James was a good man who, when he was thirty five, had been in a motor vehicle accident that had left him unable to have sex. James had always wanted children, so he was willing to take Katie’s child as his own. According to Katie’s father, if she didn’t marry James, he would see to it that she had to give her child up for adoption.

Katie couldn’t bear the thought of losing Sav’s child to some stranger, so she agreed to her father’s terms. On her wedding day, she cried constantly. James led her into her new home quietly and let her get settled in.

James took care of Katie over the next few months, making sure she made it to the doctor’s office for her appointments and fixing her meals for her. The day Katie went into labor, he was there with her, supporting her the whole time. At six in the evening, Katie gave birth to a healthy baby boy that she insisted they name Richard.

Across the ocean, Sav felt a tearing pain in his abdomen, then an unexplainable feeling of happiness. The band was rehearsing when Sav feel to his knees, then looked up at Joe with tears in his eyes. Joe went to his friend and asked, “Are you okay, man?”

“I don’t know, mate,” Sav whispered, “I just suddenly felt a pain. But now I feel better than I have since, well, since Katie left.”

In a moment of spite, Katie made sure Sav’s name was on Richard’s birth certificate. James was hurt, but let it slide because he knew he would lose to the child’s real father in court. He took Katie and her son home and doted on the boy constantly. No one who knew them ever thought that James wasn’t the child’s real father.

Katie refused to speak to her father as the years passed. She collected every bit of information about Def Leppard and when Pyromania hit the number two spot on the charts, Katie had her revenge on her father. She clipped several articles about the band, put the in a envelope and mailed them to her father with a note saying:

“I’m so glad you saved me from that horrible, ill-fated life as Sav’s wife. I can see he’s just so penniless and broken down that I would have been miserable!”

She sent it off to her father, who tried to call and apologize. But she refused to listen to him. Four years later, when Hysteria topped the charts, she once again sent her father a package of their clippings, saying:

“I can never forgive you for what you took me away from!”

Her father fell ill soon afterwards and died without ever speaking to his daughter again.

In 1997, James fell ill. He been good to Katie and she’d grown to care about him over the years, once she got past her first resentment of him. And he’d never said anything to her when she disappeared alone to go to Def Leppard concerts. When they discovered James had terminal cancer, Katie cried. Seventeen year old Richard was torn apart. James was the only father Ricky had ever known.

James died in late 1998. He’d left them both very well off, so Katie didn’t have to find work and Ricky was able to go off to college that fall. Katie wondered what to do now. She needed to tell Ricky the truth about his father. He looked too much like Sav, as he got older, to never know where he’d come from. When he came home at Christmas, Katie sat him down and started to tell him the truth.

“You mean, Dad wasn’t really my father,” Ricky asked as she finished.

“No, I’m sorry, Ricky. He wasn’t. Even though he always wished he was,” Kate said. She pulled out his birth certificate and point out the name on it.

“Who’s Richard Savage, Mom?” Ricky asked quietly.

“He was a young man I loved very much,” Kate sighed. She couldn’t quite bring herself to tell him what Sav had done since she’d been taken from him. “Your grandfather insisted that I couldn’t marry him when I got pregnant with you. He told me if I didn’t marry James, I would lose you to adoption. I couldn’t do that, so I went along with what your grandfather had planned. But James always loved you, as much as he would have his own son.”

“I’m sorry you had to do that, Mom,” Ricky said quietly.

“So am I, son, so am I,” she said softly.

Ricky had grown up listening to his mother’s Def Leppard tapes and CD’s and was a huge fan himself. Kate made a decision, that it was time to take a chance on introducing Ricky to Sav on the upcoming tour. She booked their reservations at a hotel the band was known to stay at and managed to get them front row tickets for one of the early concert dates.

Def Leppard was playing the Dade County Coliseum when they came off stage before their encore. Joe looked at Sav and said quietly, “Sav, you need to wear your glasses during the encore.”

“Why? What for?” Sav asked, confused by Joe’s suggestion.

“Because, I might be mistaken, but I think there’s someone out there you’ll want to see,” Joe answered. “And I know you haven’t spotted her yet only because you’re blind as a bat at a distance!” Joe chuckled as Malvin headed for the dressing room, returning just as they were about to go back onstage. Sav slipped his glasses on and put his guitar strap over his shoulder, following Joe out. Joe turned as they walked out and said, “Your side, front row.”

Kate sat in her seat with her head down, her hair hiding her face. She’d figured Sav wouldn’t recognize her, but didn’t realize how bad being forgotten would feel. Ricky grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, saying, “Come on, Mom, the band’s coming back out!”

Kate’s eyes immediately went to Sav as he searched the crowd in front of him. When she saw his glasses, she could only laugh as she remembered now the incident in Sydney when he’d fallen off stage and his later comment that he wore glasses now because “I’ve gone short sighted in me old age.” Wondering who had told him to put on his glasses, she looked around the stage and found Joe staring at her. They exchanged a quick smile before Kate turned and looked back at Sav. She found him staring at her as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. From his stunned expression, Kate couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He glanced at Ricky and stunned changed to completely shocked. He turned slowly and headed to the side of the stage, saying a few words to Malvin before retaking his place. He looked back down at Kate and a smile slowly crossed his face. Only then could Kate smile in return.

There was a commotion as Malvin made his way to Kate’s seat. “Ma’am?” Malvin said to Kate, “Sav would like you and your young guest to join him backstage, if you would?”

“Certainly,” Kate answered, grabbing her jacket and pulling Ricky through the crowd.

Malvin led them to the catering room, promising Sav would be down as soon as the show ended.

Ricky turned to her as Malvin exited the room and said, “How’d you manage this, Mom? You know I’ve always wanted to meet them!

“I’m sorry, luv. I didn’t tell you the whole truth about your real father. I know I told you he was a young man I knew back in Sheffield, but later his rock band really took off,” Kate said softly. “The band that’s onstage right now.”

“This is a joke, right?” Ricky laughed.

“No, son, it’s not,” Kate said as she heard running footsteps in the hallway. Then she realized the band wasn’t playing any longer. Sav burst through the door and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw her. He was still dripping with sweat from the show as he said, “Kate?”

Tears started to run down her face as she nodded silently. He crossed the room with a few quick strides and looked down into her eyes, his hand running gently over her cheek. Then he asked, “What happened to you, luv? I could never find you!”

“It’s a really long story I’ll have to tell you later,” she said with a tear filled smile. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck as his lips took hers. After a moment, she pulled away and said with a laugh, “First, there’s someone you need to meet. Rick Savage, this is our son, Ricky.”

Sav and Ricky stared at each other, neither one sure what to do next. Just then, Vivian, Phil and Rick came sauntering into the room. Phil took one look at Ricky and asked with a chuckle, “Who’s the Savage clone?”

Sav turned to them slowly and said, “My son.”

Two sets of jaws dropped open as Rick finally recognized Kate. He walked up to her and said, “Kate, luv, how are you doing? I assume you’re this young man’s mother.”

Kate moved away from Sav and gave Rick a quick hug, saying, “You always were brighter than they gave you credit for!”

Ricky watched what was going on in absolute amazement. Here was his mother, the woman who’d raised him quietly and, other than her infatuation for Def Leppard, normally, being greeted like a long lost friend by the band. He was in shock.

Phil looked at Kate closely and said, “So, you’re the famous Katie?”

“Um, I guess so,” Kate said uncertainly.

“When I first joined the band, Sav was still talking about you,” Phil said with a smile. Kate looked at Sav, who could only nod at what Phil said.

Joe walked into the room, his hair still damp from the shower, and went straight over to Kate. He pulled her in for a hug as he said, “Kate, luv, you haven’t changed a bit in twenty years!”

“Sorry, can’t say the same for you, Joe,” she laughed. “The blond hair really threw me the first time I saw it!”

Ricky was now completely blown away. Joe was his absolute favorite member of the band, because he’d always looked so cool onstage. Joe looked at the stunned young man and said, “Should I assume there’s Savage blood in this young bloke? He’s the spitting image of Sav twenty years ago!”

“Yeah, Joe, this is my son Ricky,” Kate said softly. “Ricky, this is Joe Elliott.”

Dazed as Ricky was, he still managed to shake Joe’s outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Elliott.”

“Please, call me Joe, Ricky. I’ve known your mum far to long to ask you to be so formal,” Joe said with a smile. Joe watched as the boy took a deep breath and tried to relax unsuccessfully. Sav walked over and put an arm around Kate, saying, “Kate, luv, you’ve got to come back to the hotel with us.”

“Certainly. We’re actually staying at the same hotel as you, so we’d have been heading there anyway,” Katie smiled. Sav leaned down and kissed her again, then heard a screech from the door way.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, RICK?” Paige screamed. “You know, it’s bad enough that you guys all pull this shit when your wives aren’t here, but I’m standing right fucking here!”

“That would be Paige, wouldn’t it,” Kate grimaced. Sav nodded, but didn’t move away from Kate. Then Paige spotted Ricky sitting down next to Joe and did a double take. She looked back to Sav for an explanation, wondering now what the hell was going on.

“Paige, this is a very dear friend of mine, Katie,” Sav said softly. Motioning to Ricky, he said, “And this is my son, Ricky.”

“WHAT!” she shrieked. “Your WHAT?”

“My son, Paige,” Sav repeated.

“Like you can’t bloody see it?” Vivian mumbled, “Looks just like him, he does!”

“Then I can assume she’s more than just a ‘friend’, Rick,” Paige said, but at least her voice had come down a few octaves.

“Indeed, Paige, she always has been,” Sav said, smiling down at Kate. Paige started to cry and couldn’t believe Sav wouldn’t even come over to stop her. She looked around at his band mates and saw them staring at her in complete disapproval. Sav stepped away from Kate finally and walked over to Paige. He took her in his arms and said quietly, “Give me sometime to work this out, okay, luv? There are things you don’t know about happening here, I’ll have to explain them later.”

Kate stepped over to Sav and said quietly, “I think we’ll be going now. I didn’t come here to cause problems for you.”

Sav looked at her, not wanting her to leave, but not knowing what else to do at the moment. Joe rescued him by asking, “Are you going to be at tomorrow night’s show, luv?”

“Well, I don’t have tickets, so we hadn’t planned on it,” Kate said with a sigh.

Rick jumped into the conversation with a sidewise glance at Sav and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll have front row waiting for you at the will-call box. We’ve really missed you, Kate.”

Paige gave each of them a nasty look, but said nothing, focusing instead on Sav’s face. She wondered just what was going through his mind at that moment. Sav turned back to Kate and said, “Here, let me walk you two out.”

He took Kate by the arm and when they made it to the hallway, he said softly, “Don’t worry, luv. I’ll get this straighten out by tomorrow night. Just be there, okay?”

“I shouldn’t have come here, Rick,” Kate said, stepping away from him. He stopped her and asked, “Why not? Paige and I haven’t been getting along very well lately anyway, so don’t worry about it. I‘ve spent the last twenty years missing you, please don‘t make me lose you again!”

He pulled her into his arms, her head coming to rest against his chest. He held onto her like he never wanted to let go.

Finally though, Kate pulled away and Sav turned to Ricky. He said quietly, “I hope we get to know each other better, Ricky. I’m sorry I missed out on everything up to now.”

“Well, don’t worry about it. You didn’t know who I was, now, did you?” Ricky asked with a smile. They started to shake hands, but Sav pulled him in and hugged him tightly. Then Kate led Ricky out of the venue quickly, heading back to the hotel as they talked about everything that had happened that night.

The following night, Rick was as good as his word. Two front row tickets awaited them, again on Sav’s side of the stage. Sav smiled down at them as soon as he walked out onstage, wearing his glasses again to insure that he saw her this time. After the show, Kate and Ricky headed under the stage and met up with the band. Sav pulled Kate aside and said quietly, “Paige went back to Ireland.”

“I’m sorry, Rick, I didn’t want to cause you any trouble,” she whispered.

“You didn’t. She started a screaming row as soon as we got back to our hotel room and I’d finally had enough of her shit. She pulls this stuff all the time, when she thinks she’s not getting enough attention. Well, she did it one time too many, so I sent her packing. She couldn’t see this was the one topic NOT to piss with me on,” he said with a sigh. They gathered the others up and headed back to the hotel bar.

Ricky chatted with Joe and the others, finally relaxing enough to have a conversation, while Kate and Sav talked quietly. Joe told him all about the first time his parents were together, down to his own role in helping them stay together after her father’s unreasonable demands had been made. Then Kate finally told everyone exactly what had transpired after she’d left Sheffield. Sav was stunned. He asked, “He made you marry one of his friends?”

“Yeah, James wanted to have kids, but had an accident a few years before that left him, um, impotent. He could never have sex, so therefore, no kids,” Kate said.

“You mean, you and Dad never, um, you know?” Ricky said awkwardly.

Kate answered, “No, Ricky, he couldn’t.”

“So what did you do?” Joe asked.

“Nothing,” Kate said quietly. “I stayed faithful to him because he was so good to me. I didn’t want to hurt him. That’s why I never tried to get backstage when I saw you guys in concert before. I didn’t trust myself, but I just had to see you,” she said to Sav. She kissed Sav quickly, then changed the subject, asking, “Did Kim ever come back to Sheffield?”

Joe and Sav looked at each other uncomfortably before Sav finally said, “Didn’t your mum ever tell you?”

“Tell me what, luv?” Kate asked, worry creeping into her voice.

“She came back a few months later and she and Steve tried to work things out. They were even talking about moving in together after a couple of months. But,” Joe paused, not sure what to say next.

“Kate, Kim died in a car accident three months after she came home,” Sav said quietly.

Tears came to Kate’s eyes as she thought of her friend. Then she realized nothing had been said about Kim’s child. They still didn’t know, twenty years later. Sav had pulled Kate into his arms to comfort her when she said quietly, “Sav, could I talk to you alone for a minute?”

Puzzled, Sav got up and led Kate to a secluded alcove in the bar. Kate looked at the floor, then said, “Sav, there never was a sick aunt.”

“What do you mean? Kim was gone for a long time for a vacation,” he said quietly.

“She made me promise not to tell, but she’s gone now and so is Steve, so there’s no one left to hurt. And I always thought she should have told Joe and Steve anyway,” she said, still not sure how to put this. Finally, she said, “Her aunt wasn’t sick, it was Kim with the problem. She was pregnant.”

“WHAT? Are you sure?” Sav asked, in for his second shock of the night. “Who was the father?”

“Either Joe or Steve, she never knew. She was supposed to have given the baby up for adoption,” she whispered.

“Jesus, we’ve got to tell Joe,” Sav gasped. “Even if it’s not his child, then it’s Steve’s and, God, we all need to know!”

“I wanted to say something to you in private, to see what you thought, before I said anything to Joe,” Kate said softly. “I wasn’t sure if he’d want to know.”

Sav grabbed Kate’s hand and took her back to their table. But rather than sit down, he walked over to Joe and said, “Mate, we need to talk to you. Alone!”

Ricky started to get up, worried something was wrong with his mother. But she smiled at him and waved him back into his seat.

Kate grabbed Joe’s hand and took him over to a table a few feet away. They all sat down and Kate repeated what she’d just told Sav. Joe looked at her in shock. Then he said, “She was pregnant?”

“Yeah,” Kate said quietly. “She was supposed to give the baby up for adoption.”

Joe ran his fingers through his hair and whispered, “God, I’ve got to find that child! Whether it’s mine or Steve’s, it’s important that we all know about it.”

“That’s what I said,” Sav said quietly. After a few minutes, they returned to the group. Ricky was yawning already and Kate said, “Sweetheart, why don’t you go on up to our room?”

“Um, Mom?” Ricky said, looking down at the table. “I won’t get mad if I don’t see you until tomorrow morning.”

It was Kate’s turn to be shocked. Ricky had just given her permission to stay with Sav if she wanted to. And God knew, she did.

Ricky walked over to Kate and gave her a hug, saying, “I just want you to finally be happy, Mom.” Then he patted Sav’s shoulder and said, “Looking back now, I know she’s missed you.”

Sav turned and said, “Thank you, Ricky.”

“You’re welcome, um, should I call you Sav or Dad?” Ricky asked uncomfortably.

“Whatever you want to,” Sav smiled. He knew none of this could be easy on Ricky and didn’t want to push him.

“Well, for now, goodnight, Sav,” Ricky said quietly. Then he turned and headed for his room.

Sav turned to Kate and said, “Are you ready to go to sleep, luv? I know it’s been a long day for you.”

She stifled a yawn and said, “I guess I am. I guess we’ll see you all in the morning!”

They said good night to the others, then walked hand in hand up to Sav’s room. He pulled Kate into his arms and whispered, “I’ve missed you, my love.”

“God, I’ve missed you, too, Rick,” she said softly. Then something dawned on Sav and he had to ask, “Kate, did you mean it when you said you were faithful to your husband?”

“Yes, Sav. I’ve only ever had sex with one man,” she said shyly. “You. And don’t worry, I know you haven’t exactly been a monk over the years. It didn’t bother me.”

“Are you sure, luv?” he asked, afraid she might hold his lifestyle against him.

“I’m sure,” she smiled. “How can I hold it against you, when you didn’t even know if I was still alive?”

Sav pulled her down on the bed with him and held her against his body for a long time. She pulled away long enough to slip out of her jeans so that she could sleep better. Sav went to his suit case and tossed her one of his shirts, saying, “I think you’ll be more comfortable in this.”

While she changed into his shirt, he went into the bathroom and put on a pair of sweats. Then he came back into the room and laid back down beside her. His arms wrapped around her and they lay there, slowly drifting off to sleep together for the first time.

Just before sleep claimed her, Kate felt his hands slowly moving over her side, following the curve of her hip. She moved slowly back against him, feeling his hot breath on her neck. He shifted her sleepy form against his body, molding her to him and holding her tightly. Her hand covered his as he caressed the flesh of her stomach through his shirt. He nuzzled gently at her neck, kissing and sucking her skin tenderly. She moaned his name softly, guiding his hand slowly up to her breasts.

Kate turned slowly to face Sav, looking at him in the near darkness of the room. The light from the window was enough that she could see his eyes shining down at her, the love there evident in their blue depths. Her hand ran softly over his cheek as she whispered, “It’s been so long, luv.”

“Too long, Katie,” he said quietly, bringing his lips down to hers roughly. She could feel his hands going under the shirt she wore, running up the bare flesh of her back. He hadn’t worn a shirt to bed, so her fingertips went freely over his skin, his shoulders, his back, as his tongue relearned the warm recesses of her mouth. He wanted to feel all of her against him, so he slipped the shirt off over her head. Then he pulled her close to him, crushing her breasts to his bare chest.

His kiss lit a long extinguished fire in Kate’s soul. After twenty years, she’d forgotten what being held by Sav did to her body and soul. At that moment, Kate wanted him so badly it ached.

Sav’s head lowered to her breasts, his tongue flicking out to touch her nipple with extreme care. Her fingers snarled in his long blond curls as his lips closed over her nipple, bringing a moan from deep in her throat. Trailing his fingers slowly down her stomach, Sav slipped his hand into her panties and kneaded her tender flesh. A finger ran lightly over her clit, causing her to shudder at the sensation.

Sav moved slowly down her body, light kisses meandering over her stomach as he went lower. He slipped her panties over her legs, then looked up at her with a smile, saying, “There’s one thing I never got give you back.”

He parted her thighs gently and used his fingers to separate the outer folds of her mound. Lowering his head cautiously, his tongue ran lovingly over her clit. Another moan tore from Kate’s throat as his lips closed on her sensitive nub. Swirling his tongue over her clit, he slipped a finger into her hot, wet sex. He moved slowly, driving her to distraction. When a second finger joined the first, Sav felt her body start to tense. Her leg went over his back as her climax overcame her.

“OH, God, Sav, I love you, Sav!” she gasped, her body grinding down against him. As she started to relax again, Sav came back up her body and kissed her soundly.

“I’ve always wanted to do that for you, Katie my love,” he whispered roughly. Looking down in to her eyes in the moonlight, Sav entered her body slowly, savoring every second of their coming together. He kissed her softly as she moaned against his lips. Every lingering thrust brought them closer together, neither of them ever wanting the moment to end. Again and again they moved as one, her hips coming up to met his gentle thrust. Building with each moment, their movements became more passionate, more forceful. Kate screamed his name as her body went over that final edge. Her tight channel contracted on him, taking him to his own climax. She heard him whisper her name roughly as his body collapsed onto hers.

She lay under him, savoring the weight of him on top of her. Her fingers ran through his hair, fighting her body’s urge to go to sleep because she was afraid she would wake from this beautiful dream. Sav looked up at her and whispered, “Good night, my love.”

They curled into each other’s body and fell quickly to sleep.

The next morning, Kate woke first and looked down at Sav’s sleeping form. She smiled for a moment, then turned sad. She couldn’t just storm into his life and ruin everything he had going. She pulled her clothes on quietly, put a short note on the dresser and left him sleeping on the bed.

Going to her own room, she went in and woke Ricky.

“Luv, it’s time to go,” she said softly.

“What? Why? Did you guys have a fight?” Ricky asked, confused at her behavior.

“No, Ricky, but I can’t do this to him. It was a mistake for me to come here,” she said, tears betraying her churning emotions.

“He didn’t look like it was a mistake last night, Mom,” Ricky said firmly.

“Richard, I said we’re leaving and that’s it!” Kate said harshly. She threw their things in their suitcases as Ricky got dressed, then chivied the boy out of the room.

“Did you even say goodbye, Mom?” Ricky asked.

“I couldn’t. We said good bye a long time ago. I should have left it at that and let him go on with his life instead of bringing up ghosts from his past,” Kate stated quietly. As they hurried out of the lobby, the tears trying to fall from Kate’s eyes kept her from seeing Joe and Phil coming out of the restaurant. She hailed a cab and they drove off just as Joe hit the sidewalk.

Joe turned to Phil and asked, “What the fuck? Did they get into a fight or something?”

“Don’t know, mate,” Phil said, equally confused. “Guess we better ask the bloke she left behind.” They headed for Sav’s room and knocked loudly at the door. Sav stumbled over and opened it, still wrapped in just a sheet.

“What the bloody hell do you want?” Sav asked groggily.

“What happened with Kate, Sav?” Joe asked quickly, wondering now more than ever why she’d left like that. Sav had still been asleep, so it couldn’t have been an early morning fight.

“What? What are you talking about, Joe?” Sav asked. “She was just here. She stayed with me last night.”

“Well, mate, I hate to say this, but your bird just flew out of here,” Phil said quietly.

“Now, what the fuck are you talking about, Phil?” Sav asked, getting angry and confused.

“She and Ricky just left here like the devil himself was on their heels,” Joe said quietly. “She was crying like crazy when she dragged Ricky out of here.”

Sav looked around the room and his eyes finally fell on the note Kate had left on the dresser. He crossed the room quickly and tore it open, then sat down on the bed to read it.

My dearest Rick,

I’m sorry I left you like this. I just realized I couldn’t come back into your life and expect us to pick up where we left off. You have your own life now, one that doesn’t include me. Make up with Paige and get back to living. My coming here was a mistake.

I’m so sorry,

Kate

Sav stared down at the paper as he crumpled it in his hands. How could she leave him AGAIN! He couldn’t believe it. She really thought he’d just been carried away by the heat of the moment, not thinking straight when he’d seen her. He looked up at Joe and Phil and said, “I’ve got to find her! I can’t lose her again!”

Sav dressed quickly, then realized he didn’t even know what her last name was since she‘d married. It had never come up in conversation the night before. He slumped back onto the bed he’d shared with Kate the night before and looked to Joe, saying, “Did she say what her last name is now?”

“Um, oh man, no she didn’t!” Joe gasped. “Fuck, what are you going to do now?”

“Call Peter and get him on it,” Phil said quietly. “He’s not exactly knocking himself down promoting us, this is the least he can do for what he gets paid.”

While Sav still sat stunned on the bed, Joe went to the nightstand and dialed out to Peter’s number. Between the three of them, they gave Peter every detail about Kate and told him Sav needed to find her. Then all Sav could do was wait.

Nearly a month later, Kate came home from the grocery store and pulled into her garage. Ricky was staying with friends, so Kate had the house to herself. And it was damned lonely. She now had far too much time to think about Sav. She sighed and picked up her grocery bag, then headed for the house. She headed into the kitchen and put the food away. Knowing she was alone in the house, she tried to shake off the feeling of being watched but couldn’t.

Just as she was about to head into the living room, she glanced out onto the patio and nearly screamed in fright. Sav was leaning against the door frame, watching her through the pane glass of the sliding door. He smiled at her as she leaned back against the refrigerator to catch her breath. Then she walked slowly to the door and slid it open, letting him into the house.

“You just scared the hell out of me!” she gasped.

“Well, paybacks are hell, luv,” he said slowly. “You scared me when you left me again.”

“Why?” she said, turning her back on him and starting into the living room. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him, asking, “Why the hell did you leave me, Katie?”

“I think my note said it all, Sav. I couldn’t tear your life apart again,” she said slowly.

“The only thing that’s ever torn me apart was losing you!” he said, pulling her close to him. “When you left me again, I thought I’d lost my last chance to finally be happy after all these years.”

“Oh, come on, Rick! You’ve managed to live without me this long and done quite well at it, I must say!” Katie said quietly. “You will keep right on going with your life and forget all about me soon enough!”

“I’ve never forgotten you, Kate,” he said quickly. “I just couldn’t find you. I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to find you again this time.”

“Come on, Sav! I’m nothing more than a ghost from the past, you’ll get over it. Paige is probably waiting for you to call her right now,” Kate said, turning away before he could see her tears. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried to push him back into his own life, he wouldn’t go. He turned her face back to his and asked, “If you really think coming there was a mistake, then why are you crying while you try to push me away?”

“Because I don’t want you to go,” she blurted out, then pulled away from him and ran for her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and threw herself down onto the bed. She was sobbing so hard she didn’t hear the door open. Sav crossed the room quietly and pulled her into his arms, saying, “Katie, I can’t live without you now. It took me a long time to get over you the first time, I can’t go through that again. And as for Paige, I’ve already talked to her and told her it’s over. She didn’t mean half as much to me as you do.”

“Really?” Kate asked hopefully.

“Really, luv,” he whispered, bringing his lips down on to hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck of their own accord, pulling him closer to her. His hands ran over her body, his lips never leaving hers as he quickly removed their clothes.

As they lay on the bed, their bodies tangled together, Sav looked down at her and whispered, “Katie, I love you!”

She quietly replied, “I love you, too.”

Then he moved between her thighs and entered her quickly, his need for her too great for anything else at that moment. He looked down into her passion soaked eyes, finding a desire there to match his own. They moved together, hard and fast, wanting nothing more than the sweet release of each other’s bodies. They found it together, the climax taking both their breath away.

It the warm afterglow of their lovemaking, Sav turned to Kate and said, “Come with me on the road. I want us to have a real chance this time, no outside influences trying to keep us apart again.”

All Kate could do was nod, knowing she there was nothing she could have ever wanted more than to be with him.

Kate called Ricky and let him know where she would be, then she headed out with Sav to the band’s next gig. Sav wanted Kate to stay with him all the time, afraid he might lose her again. Or that she might try to take off again. But this time, Kate wasn’t going anywhere.

One thing that surprised him every time it happened was how Kate handled the fans that clambered all over the band. Most nights, she would sit there patiently, talking to a few of them and mostly keeping in the background. When the fans got really bad, Kate removed herself from the table and sat across the room where Sav could see her if he wanted to. More than anyone other than the band members, Kate was aware that these people were the life’s breath of a band. She simply couldn’t interfere. Only once did Kate take any action, when a pair of girls tried to drag Sav out of the bar and to their room. He looked at Kate with a plea for help, not wanting to have to hurt the girls.

Kate crossed the bar and sat on his lap without preamble, leaving the two young women staring at her in dismay. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. It was obvious to the girls Sav wanted Kate to be there, so they backed away and tried the same thing on Phil. After a while, they simply got frustrated and left.

They’d been back together nearly two months when, one night after they’d made love, Sav whispered, “Katie?”

“Yes, luv,” she said softly.

“I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You won’t, I promise,” she replied. She kissed him gently, then wiggled out from under him a bit, turning on the bedside light. She grabbed her purse from where it had fallen on the floor and rooted through it, looking for something. With a grin of triumph, she pulled something small from the bag and returned it to its place on the floor. Then she handed the tiny object to Sav.

He looked down at his hand in amazement. There in his hand lay the engagement ring he had given her twenty years ago, its diamond chip glinting in the bedroom’s light.

“You kept it all these years?” he asked quietly.

“Of course. It was all I had left of you,” she said with tears in her eyes.

“You need something better, but this will have to do for now,” he said, taking her left hand in his. He slipped the ring on her finger and asked, “Katie, will you marry me?”

“Um, wait a minute,” she laughed. “Last I heard, you already were married!”

“The divorce is final next April. I want you to marry me as soon as it is!” he said finally.

“Then, yes, I’ll marry you,” she said, slipping back under his body. They snuggled down together and quickly fell to sleep.

The week after Sav’s divorce was finalized, he decided to throw a party at his house in Dublin. He invited the band and his family, plus a few of their friends. And he made sure Ricky was there as well. Katie walked around quietly, speaking to everyone in the house. She saw Sav, Joe and Ricky exchange glances, then Ricky walked over to his mother and asked, “Why didn’t you wear the dress Dad got for you?”

“What dress is that, luv?” Kate asked curiously.

“The one he left sitting on the bed. It was gorgeous!” Ricky said

“Hmm, well, I’ll go check it out,” she said quietly. Ricky followed her to her room and pointed out the large white box laying on the bed. “Go ahead and change. I’ll wait out here for you!” Ricky said with a smile.

Kate opened the box and pulled out a lovely white dress, its mid-calf length skirt covered in frothy lace. The sleeves came down to her wrist and the back was almost not there. She slipped the dress over her head, then decided to change into her white high heels to match it. She checked how she looked in the mirror and realized this dress looked just like a wedding dress, so she took the heads off some white artificial roses and rearranged her long dark tresses. Then she walked out and spun around for Ricky’s approval.

He gave a low whistle and said, “You’re gonna knock’em dead, Mom.”

“I feel a bit over-dressed for this party though,” she said self consciously.

“Nah, you look great,” he said, offering her his arm. He lead her back down the stairs and found Sav waiting for her. He had put on a suit jacket, which caused Kate to do a double take. He never worn those around the house!

As Kate reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a few things changed around in the room. There were flowers covering on corner of the room and everyone sat facing that corner. They all turned to look at Kate as Sav took her hand and asked, “Kate, my luv, will you marry me? Tonight?”

He brought her fingers to his lips as she stood, nodding and crying. Then she threw her arms around him and said, “I love you, Rick!”

“I love you too, Katie,” he whispered. He led her over to the makeshift altar among the flowers, where Joe stood waiting as Sav’s best man. Sav had managed to sneak the Justice of the Peace and a photographer into the house while Kate had changed clothes. The elderly justice took his place in front of the couple and asked, “Who gives this woman to be married?”

Ricky stepped forward and said, “Her son!”

Kate turned and smiled at him, then turned back to Sav. The ceremony went quickly and afterwards Sav pulled his new wife into his arms, whispering, “Welcome home, my love.”