Love And Other Drugs

The spring air felt good on her legs as Luxe walked around the Farmer's Market that was set up three blocks down from her condo building. They had been back from the UK for little over a week and Luxe couldn't be happier. She was finally able to relax and her big K award was now lovingly placed on her mantel.

Andy kept his above the fridge and Luxe always thought it was funny when she would open the door and look up and see them. At the time she had never thought that she would have any herself, but now she was the proud owner of one, Char had one and Pixie and Lulu kept the other in their apartment. Everyone had been shocked by their sweep of the Kerrang Awards, especially Luxe.

It's not that she felt confident in herself, she just never realized that that many people liked their band. Luxe smiled as the bright sun beat down on her naked shoulders-her sleeveless Ironman shirt was tight across her chest and her ragged black highwaisted shorts were allowing her legs to get some color. Her feet were comfortably snug in a pair of soft leather boots and her long blonde hair was pulled back and out of her minimally made up face. Luxe was on vacation and so the stage makeup and costumes were put away and now she could just relax.

A beautiful stand of flowers caught her eye and Luxe smirked as she walked over and leaned down, sniffing at a long stemmed flower that kind of looked like a Lily. It was so nice to be out like this-around normal people who were just going about their lives and didn't seem to have a care in the world. Luxe only wished that she could feel like that, but in just a week she and the girls would be packing up and shipping out. They were being sent up to Seattle to work with Butch Vig-the man who produced Nirvana's second and best album Nevermind. The girls were all excited, but they were also dreading it at the same time.

Recording their first album had been fun, but now they were under a lot of pressure to get the same success. The record company had never expected their first album, All Dolled Up, to be the success that it was, but it had completely blown up and now there were high expectations. Also it didn't help that the girls were barely speaking, not to Luxe or to one another.

The road had gotten to them all-the drinking, the parties, and all of the drugs. Luxe had developed a nasty Coke habit, which she had broken but it had then been replaced by something much worse-Heroin. Luxe hated the drug and she wasn't completely dependent on it, but she still longed for the peaceful feeling that embraced her whenever she shot up.


"A lovely rose for my gorgeous girl." Someone said from behind and as Luxe turned she couldn't keep the smile from her lips. Andy was standing behind her, a huge collection of roses in his hands and he was covering most of his face with it. All she could see were his gentle blue eyes and his slim pierced nose.

"Gorgeous girl? You must be thinking of someone else." Luxe teased and then screeched as Andy grabbed her, his long fingers digging in to her back so that when he dipped her all of her weight was in his hands. Their lips met, briefly but it was just so perfect.

"Nope. Just you. Whatcha looking at?" He said as he righted her and Luxe just looked at Andy. His hair was short, but growing once again. He was keeping it short on the sides, near his temples, but the hair on top of his head was starting to get longer. It kind of looked like a mullet, but it worked somehow.

"Flowers...all the cute kids walking by." She said, sticking out her tongue as Andy's eye grew wide. This time last year the two of them hated one another and they had only met for half a day in the studio. Now here they were, walking down the sidewalk hand in hand as they joked around with one another.

"I hope you're not getting any ideas." Andy said with a wariness to his tone. Andy like kids, but he liked his freedom more and besides they both needed to focus on their careers.

"And why not? Don't tell me a little mini me wouldn't be stinking adorable!" Luxe said, laughing as she stopped and looked down at some tomatoes. She wanted to cook something tonight-she missed cooking and was getting kind of tired of eating take out all the time.

"I think a mini you would be simply precious, but you're already a pain in my ass...I don't need two of you." She stuck her tongue out at him before bringing a tomato up to her nose and giving it a deep sniff.


Luxe had always loved cooking-she pretty much kept herself fed and from starving when she was a kid and so she had learned at an early age. Luxe would come home from school, pass her father in the small side garage and try to ignore his leering stare and the ever present stench of alcohol that wafted off of him. Then she would go inside, pass her mother who was always passed out on the couch and put her things in her room.

The first thing she had ever made by herself had been a box of processed Mac and Cheese. It had been terrible, very bland and with little going for it besides the bright fluorescent color. The next time she made it Luxe cut the cheese powder with real cheddar cheese that she had found in the fridge and it had been much better.

Because she had been such a loner, Luxe spent a lot of her free time in the library and that meant she had access to the internet. An entire world opened up to her in the form of recipes and Luxe saved every penny she had just so that she could experiment. Sadly when Luxe had left home she had given up her ability to cook as the place she stayed in Cornerstown only ate the meals that the mother of the house fixed.

Of course she had barely been home more than a few days the past seven months, but now Luxe was home and she wanted to cook something for Andy. Quickly she bought the tomatoes, some onions, fresh basil leaves and then she made a mental note to stop at the grocery store to pick up some chicken. Neither one of them had much food in their condos-Andy never cooked and Luxe wasn't even sure he knew how.


"You making me dinner tonight?" Andy teased as he took the paper bag from her and peaked inside. Eh, he wasn't much of a veggie guy, but Andy would suck it up if it made Luxe happy.

"Actually I was. I'm getting kind of tired of takeout." She said and Andy only smiled as he carried the bag in one hand and wrapped his free arm around her bare shoulders. The sun was bright, shining and all felt right with the world-something was bound to happen.

"Oh but the salty goodness fills me with so much joy." Andy joked and Luxe only rolled her eyes at him before pulling her sunglasses down. They were walking in to the sun now and it had been blinding her.

"It also fills you with health problems." She stated and Andy scoffed at her-he was as healthy as a horse.

"I am beyond healthy thank you very much." He said and Luxe only shook her head.

"You smoke two packs a day."

"So?"

"So-that's incredibly bad for your lungs and your voice." Andy sighed-she gave him this speech at least once a week. His smoking didn't bother Luxe, but the amount and the coughing at night seemed to get on her nerves.

"It goes with my image." He stated, his voice low and then the snapping started. Fuck-they had been found by the paps and Luxe could only smile at them and silently wonder who tipped them off. The couple was hounded whenever they went out, especially together, but in Europe it had been a little less crazy.

"Yeah...lung cancer is so in these days." She said and Andy only shook his head at her as he pulled her closer.


The photographers were getting restless-they wanted something to happen and usually they did something to make it occur. Last time Andy had been home in LA and he and Luxe had been out getting coffee a pap tripped her and then proceeded to take photo after photo of Luxe laying on the ground. The next day the internet blew up with people saying that she was walking around drunk and had a problem. Luxe had refused to come out of the bathroom for an hour and Andy was scared that she was going to relapse. He had finally gotten her sober and he would do anything to keep her that way.

Andy was worried of course-he and the guys would be leaving soon to head out to Santa Monica to work with John Feldman-their record producer-on their new album. It was a concept album, something that had come to Andy in several dreams that still haunted him even in his conscience state.

There was even a song that he was planning to write for Luxe, something to chronicle her issues and trying to overcome them. Finally they were left alone, of course that was after Andy flicked them off and they got a nice picture of Luxe's furious face. This was all Alex McFadden's doing and Andy couldn't wait until they could be rid of that worm.


"So are you and the girls excited about going to Seattle?" Andy asked and Luxe only smiled. They had moved to holding hands and were now slowly strolling down the street, headed back towards their condo building where they would hole up at Andy's place until they were forced to come out.

"I dunno-the girls aren't really talking." Luxe admitted and Andy only furrowed his brow. They were stopped at a cross walk and so he turned to look down at her. The female singer looked sad and he knew that he could never replace her best friends.

"Still ignoring you?" He asked and Luxe sighed.

"Not just me...none of them are really speaking to one another. Except Pixie and Lulu but that's only because they live together." Andy knew this worried Luxe, but he had seen it before...he and the guys could be the same way sometimes.

"That can happen, but I bet when you girls get together in the studio it'll get back to normal. The guys and I went through that during our second record." He said and Luxe only smiled. It was nice having someone like Andy to talk to-he knew what it was like and he could relate and give her advice at the same time.

"You're probably right. So does that mean you're going to miss me?" She said, her typical smile back on her lips and Andy only grinned as they began to continue their walk down the sidewalk.

"Of course I'm going to miss you. But I was hoping that maybe we could have our night before we split up for God knows how long." He had a hint of a blush on his cheeks and Luxe could only look at him.


A lot had happened between the couple and there was a great amount of attraction between them, but they both agreed that making love for the first time on a crowded bus just wasn't going to work. Everything about their relationship had been public-Alex had forced it to be-and the two of them just wanted this one thing to be private. Truthfully they had come close a few times-Paris, New Zealand and then on the last night of tour, but it had just never felt right to them.

Perhaps now would be a good time, when they were both home and could really enjoy one another without having to worry about what the bands were going to think or hear.

With their condo building off in the distance and Andy looking down at her expectantly, Luxe knew she should probably give him an answer. She wanted to, more than anything and with a smile, Luxe opened her mouth to answer but a shrill ringing cut her off. It was her phone and with an apologetic smile Luxe pulled her slim phone out of her pocket and looked down.

There on the screen was a text from Alex and it was so simple and yet had the ability to make all of the air leave Luxe's chest.

Alex:Meet me and Jon at the record label ASAP. Andy is to attend as there is something we need to all discuss about the future of your careers.


Showing the text to Andy and then watching in stunned silence as he hailed a cab, Luxe could only think of one thing. Her music career was over...she had failed.

Notes

Aww look at the normal couple. But it seems like the Dolls are going through a rough patch and now Alex wants to talk to Andy and Luxe. What could it be about?

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