Love And Other Drugs

The California sun was shining down, the blue sky cloudless but if one looked off in to the distance they would see a dark cloud pattern beginning to roll in. An empty parking lot in down town Hollywood was filled with people-three buses, a big rig truck filled with instruments, stage pieces and merchandising all sat around as people ran around trying to get things in place. Two of the three buses had new laminate signs on the sides-Creepshow Tour, sponsored by Hot Topic and BlackCraft. Motionless In White was emblazoned on one side of a large black bus, while The Hollywood Dolls had the same on their large grey bus.

Alex McFadden was running around, passing out tour laminates, schedules and trying to make sure that the girls had everything they needed. The Dolls had all been on the bus-it was the same one they'd had over a year ago and so they were fairly familiar with everything, but the three cabinets filled with every booze imaginable had made a few of them very happy.

Except for Luxe.

She was standing over by the gate of the parking lot, her tattooed arms crossed over her chest as her tight black MIW shirt was making her hot under the sun. It was January, but still pretty warm and Luxe just wanted to get on the bus. Truthfully she wanted to turn around and go back to Andy's place, but then she would just get depressed all over again.

The couple had not spoken for almost two days-Andy had left his condo and went to stay with Jinxx, of course all while ignoring Luxe's calls. He thought she was cheating on him or that she was planning to, but what Andy failed to realize was that this was all Alex McFadden's doing.

The manager couldn't leave well enough alone and was hoping that Luxe and Chris would make a connection. The thing was that the two of them were friends, but really there was nothing else there. She had Andy and Chris-well he had other girls to worry about. Luxe looked around, smirking as she spotted her bandmates off towards the bus.

Mads was screaming at the guys who were loading her kit on to the truck, Char was flirting with Ricky-guitarist for MIW-, and Pixie and Lulu were off to the side, going through their bunk bags to make sure they had the essentials. Luxe had all of her stuff set-she'd had all of yesterday to get her things in order since Andy wasn't answering her calls or returning her texts.

She could see why he was mad at her, but his lack of trust and his disbelief stung and Luxe wasn't sure how she should feel about it. She was trying really hard to behave-to stay away from the drugs and partying and she was doing it for Andy. Luxe loved to party-she liked feeling numb, but Andy hated that about her and so she was doing this for him.

Suddenly someone ran past her, making Luxe jump but then a laugh escaped her lips as she noticed who it was. CC had run past her, heading towards where Pixie was standing and now the tiny guitarist was screeching as the drummer picked her up and swung her around. Luxe always thought the two of them would make a cute couple-like she and Andy had once been.

Now as she looked around, Luxe noticed that all of the BVB guys had shown up, probably to say goodbye to the girls before heading off to the airport. Their tour, The Church of the Wild Ones, was starting in Oregon and that was where the guys were flying to. Luxe stayed where she was, watching as the guys embraced her friends and then suddenly someone was standing beside her.

A pair of sad blues eyes, hidden behind a set of long bangs, were staring down at her while the lips that sat below those eyes were pulled into a slight smile. His lip ring shone in the sunlight, his silver nose ring moving slightly every time he breathed. Andy was wearing a long sleeved Henley, his tour vest pulled over it and his legs were covered in a new pair of skinny jeans. His crusher boots-old and lovingly worn in-were shuffling back and forth as he stood beside her and glanced down at her every once in a while.

It was the early morning, but Luxe still looked amazing with her short cropped blonde hair pulled back away from her face, her grey eyes lightly made up, while she looked comfy in a black MIW tee and a pair of black yoga pants.


"Hey." He said, his voice a low gravelly tone and it sent shivers up Luxe's spine. Andy had just gotten up-she could tell because he always sounded like that when he first woke up.

"Hi." She replied, her voice low and soft-a frightened look on her face. Was he going to yell at her again? Was he going to just stand there and stare at her with his arms crossed over his chest?

"You doing okay?" Andy asked, chewing down on his lip ring and Luxe only sighed. She was longing to just reach out, place her hands on either side of his face and place a light kiss on his lips. But she was too scared that he would push her away, so she stayed put.

"Yep. Great-everything is great...couldn't be better." Liar-she was fucking miserable and wanted to crawl in a hole this very moment.

"Don't lie Luxe..." Andy said and finally she looked back up at him. Don't you dare fucking cry...don't let him see how upset and devastated you are.

"I-I'm not. We're getting ready to start a really great tour-we're playing the Nokia tonight." Luxe said and Andy only chuckled. His arms were now down by his sides and he seemed slightly more at ease.

"I know-Alex texted me your schedule." Andy said, holding up his phone.

"Why?" Luxe asked, even though she was pretty sure Andy wouldn't know the answer to that question.

"Because I asked him to." He stated simply, that half smirk playing on his lips.

"O-oh?" She was speechless and Andy thought it was adorable.


He knew, the moment he had left his condo two nights ago, that he had been too harsh towards Luxe. The tweets between she and Chris were harmless, but it had been the reaction tweets from fans and others that had really set him off. What did he have to worry about? Luxe and Chris had worked together before and nothing had happened.

Andy just knew that Luxe was going to be vulnerable while on tour-the girls were partying more than ever, which he had seen himself the night before at Crow. Ashley had taken him out, trying to cheer him up, but what Andy witnessed only made him more concerned.

Luxe hadn't been there-she was still at his condo sulking-but the four other girls were out, celebrating their start of tour. Drugs, booze-the works-seemed to follow these girls around wherever they went and it made Andy nervous. Right now Luxe was behaving, staying clean and sober, but what was going to happen when she was alone on the road? Who was she going to turn to when she needed a fix?

Usually it was him and the two of them would crawl up on to the roof of his bus, cuddled together as they stared at the sky and talked about their dreams. But this time their touring would be on separate ends of the country and Andy knew Alex had done all of this on purpose.

The manager had wanted the two of them to end things almost a year ago, but they had refused and their lives had been a living hell ever since. He tormented Luxe while she was recording and now the two were being torn apart by competing tours. In less than a week two albums would come out-on the same day and Andy knew that that was intentional.

Alex wanted the girls to hate BVB now-he wanted them to fail because he knew that the BVB record would probably beat out the Dolls in sales. Not because it was better, but because it was their third and only the girl's second. Andy and Luxe had promised one another to not take it personally when the results of first day sales came back and he was intent on keeping that promise.


"You getting excited? It's quite a show you girls are trying to pull off." Andy stated as he watched a set of men moved a huge aerial apparatus in to the waiting truck. The entire concept was cool, but it didn't seem like the Dolls style.

"Yeah, yeah it's gonna be something alright." Luxe remarked and Andy only smiled. Alex was trying to turn these girls in to a spectacle, but that wasn't them. They were like BVB-getting on stage and performing for their fans with a hint of theatrics. This tour was revving up to be a full on stage production, with in air tricks by aerial artists while the bands were playing, clowns running around the venue and then of course there were pyrotechnics for the encore.

"You don't seem very excited." Luxe sighed, turning away from the circus that was this tour and faced Andy. She got lost in his eyes, their fight and his accusations lost on the table as she thought about why she loved him so much.

He totally and completely understood her in every way possible.

"Yeah well you guys just get to go on stage and play...with a few things thrown in there." Luxe stated and her tone held a hint of jealousy that was hard to ignore.

"And you?" Andy asked and Luxe only sighed further. He smile as he placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards his side and then he held her there.

"I get to dress up every night in my Ring Leader dress, tightly encased in my corset with my little top hat and professionally done makeup. The girls all get to put on their feathered skirts with the bustles and Mads has her tiger stripped bikini top and leather pants. Girls will be flying over my head as I sing, while twisted clowns will be harassing the audience. I am a show...I'm not Luxe anymore...I'm just the puppet." She said sardonically and Andy only smiled before placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"You sound so excited about that..." Andy laughed and then looked around.


People were finally getting the last bits of stage pieces on the truck and the Dolls were all crowded around, saying their goodbyes to the BVB boys. This was it, it was time to go and Andy found that he didn't want to. When he had been angry with Luxe, Andy had cared less that they would be a part for months on end, but now it seemed like the worst thing in the world.

Slowly he wrapped his other arm around her, bringing the tiny girl to his chest tightly, his large hands rubbing her back. Andy rested his chin on top of her head and he could feel Luxe trembling beneath him. She was scared of being without him and Andy knew...

He was terrified himself.


"I think it's time for you to head out baby doll..." Andy said softly and Luxe closed her eyes as she heard him call her by her old nickname. Luxe had been worried that she would never hear him utter that name again and hearing it now seemed to calm her slightly.

"Don't wanna..." She said, her voice muffled and Andy only smiled as he held on to her tightly. He didn't want to let her go, but he knew that it was now or never.

"But you have to..."

"I'm scared Andy..." She said, tears now rolling down her cheeks and Andy only smiled as he pulled away and looked down at her. She looked beautiful standing there-like the Luxe that he had first fallen in love with.

"I know and I am too, but I have faith that you'll be okay." He stated and Luxe tried to smile. He was always so confident in her-he believed in her.

"Will you call me?" She asked.

"Every chance I get. We'll talk, skype, text and see one another when we can." He vowed and it made her feel better to hear him say that.

"I love you so much Andy." Luxe said sadly. They had begun to walk towards the bus where everyone was congregated, waiting on the final member to come forward.

"I love you too Luxe...forever."


With that the couple shared in the last kiss they would have with one another in four months and as they pulled away something told them both that something was coming.

Something bad.

Notes

Up and down...up and down.

Anyone else feeling dizzy?

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