⚠Warning: Mentions of slight relapse, ️a slight mention of violation (metaphorically), and also of past suicide attempts If affected in any way, please read with caution. ⚠️

~~~~~

*Mallory*

"I have to ask you again, Mallory..." the lawyer said as I stood by the kitchen window, Nikki resting against the counter. "Are you sure you want to continue with these charges??"

"And I am answering again," I said, blowing smoke out the window before slamming the cigarette down on the nearby ashtray. "Do your fucking worst!! I want her buried for what she did to me, to Razzle's family, to everyone hurt by this!!!! Get a restraining order, drain her of whatever money she has, lock her up, hire a fucking hit if you have to, I don't fucking care!! Just get fucking rid of her!!!!"

"Baby, baby, please, calm down," Nikki said, walking over and holding me. "Don't say stuff like that.... I know this is difficult, but Dina's just doing her job."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as he kissed my head. "I-I'm sorry... This is... This is just too much...."

He pulled me into a hug, letting me rest my head on his chest. "I know...."

Nikki and Mick looked into it and confirmed that a Louise Garner made the call in exchange for some money.

Garner was my mother's maiden name before she became Bennett, and Louise is my mother's middle name. It was a dead giveaway.

It made sense. Alexis said my father's company was running that Ponzi scheme that went down, the whole shit was going bankrupt, and he left no money for my mother.

Probably figured that exposing my own dirt would win her a lottery or something. Considering she's unfortunately still my blood, it probably wasn't hard to obtain them, but still stole them since she was desperate.

Once it was confirmed, I asked for a lawyer to do whatever can be done, lock her up if it was possible, and Nikki immediately called the band lawyer.

Apparently in family disputes like mine, lawyers must triple check that the person pressing charges wants to proceed.

On top of all that's going on, I fell back on cigarettes. Thankfully yet somehow, I'm still clean from drugs and alcohol, though I have been getting little urges.... I don't even know where I'm getting the strength to avoid a drink.

"Hey... Look at me, look at me," he said, turning me to face him before gently holding my face in his hands. "I know you are upset, and angry as hell, and you have every damn right to be, but you also haven't eaten in days, you're practically running on fumes, and you're also dehydrated I'm betting."

I sighed, holding my throat a little since he was right and sighed.

"Let me get you some some water and something to eat" he said. "I can take care of this and make sure this bitch pays for exposing you like this."

I gulped as I wrapped my arms around myself, pursing my lips as I looked down.

"Dina, do you think you can give us a few minutes?" he asked.

"Of course. I'm gonna make a quick call if it's alright," she said.

"Yeah," he nodded as Dina stepped out of the kitchen and then Nikki faced me as I looked away, wiping some stray tears that I tried to hokd back but fail.

"What's wrong?" He asked, making me look up at him.

"She didn't just release about losing my baby, Nikki.... She released my whole damn file.... Everything that I am, everything that makes me, everything I went through in the past.... My assault, my overdose, every check up, every blood test, everything..... Its all out there!! God only knows who's seeing it over and over again, and God fucking knows what they can do with all of that..." I whimpered. "I... I feel so exposed a-and violated and... A-And....."

He quickly wrapped his arms around me as I cried into his chest.

"Sshhhhh," he murmured softly as I clung to him, feeling his strong arms hold me and his hand rubbing my back.

"I promise, she is not getting away with this," He said. "But no matter what, those records out there, those change nothing about you. You are still Mallory... You are still MJ... You are still Lory, Mallie, Mal, you are still you.... And she can never change that... Nobody can, no matter what."

I looked up at him.

"You are still the woman I fell in love with in that diner 10 years ago, who looked out for me and ended up giving me the greatest adventure I could ever ask for," he said.

I sniffled, smiling up a little at him as he wiped my tears away with his thumb

"Why are you so good to me?" I asked. "All of you?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" He smiled at me.

I smiled as he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, kissing me softly but lovingly.

We pulled back and I looked up at his blue-green eyes, then looked back behind me.

"What?" he murmured.

I sighed, pursing my lips. "I think I'm about to do something stupid...."

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, gripping his hand before walking towards the front door.

"Mal? Mal, what are you doing?! Mal!!" Nikki panicked, Dina with him as I opened the door.

I walked out and see the reporters shoot up from where they sat and ran up to me, snapping pictures, pointing cameras at me, holding out microphones.

"Hey, there she is!!"

"Mallory!! Mallory over here!!!"

"Mallory, over here!!"

"Mallory, what caused the miscarriage!?

"Mallory, is it true you were pregnant with Razzle's baby?!"

"Where you going to have a boy or a girl?"

"Nikki, what do you have to say about Mal's miscarriage!?"

"Mallory, is it true its Vince's fault you lost the baby!?"

"Was the baby Razzle's or Nikki's?!"

"Mallory, are either of them even the father at all!?"

"Nikki, will this affect your future with Mallory!?

I pursed my lips as I took a deep breath.

Hell is too kind for these assholes.....

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!" I screamed as loud as I could, silencing them and spooking them.

I sighed as I calmed myself, already feeling the pain in my throat come back from that.

"If I may, I want to release my own statement," I said calmly. "Is that enough for you fucking piranhas?"

They stood awkwardly and some nodded as I spoke.

"Thank you," I said. "Now...."

*Vince*

"Vin... A bunch of reporters just left..." Sharise said, looking out the window through the blinds.

I frowned and looked up from the couch.

"Seriously?" I asked, confused. "How come?"

"I don't know, I.... Oh my god....." She said, then froze as her eyes fell on the TV and went wide, and I quickly turned to see....

"MJ!?" I exclaimed as I saw MJ on the screen.

"Turn the volume up, quick," Sharise said as she rushed over to sit next to me.

I quicky got the remote and turned the volume up.

"To answer your questions, yes.... At the start of 1985, I was pregnant... The father of my child was Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley of Hanoi Rocks.... I was with him after Nikki Sixx and I divorced at the time," MJ spoke out. "I did not know about this pregnancy until after Razzle was buried that I suddenly lost the baby..."

"What is she doing?" Sharise asked.

"I... I don't...." I said, having no words as we continued to watch.

"However, though Vince Neil was responsible for the crash that took Razzle's life, he was in no way whatsoever responsible for the miscarriage I suffered," I said. "He is innocent of that.... My miscarriage happened because of a genetic condition that greatly affects the fertility of the women in my family, from my mother's side...."

I gulped, looking nervously at Sharise and then back at the TV as we kept watching.

"If I do ever manage to become pregnant, to even carry a baby for a month is a miracle..... I was never aware of this condition until the doctors told me that day... And .... I was broken, ever since... I felt like I lost everything... I felt that, as a woman, I was a failure... I felt like I was a curse..... Despite there being times that I was at my breaking points.... I made it... And I'm here...." I said.

*Nikki*

"Despite the ups and downs in my whole life, I survived whatever came at me.... I survived abusive parents.... A bashed in skull that lead to life support.... Losing a growing family..... Two suicide attempts....A total of 30 relapses..... I survived almost losing the man I love.... I was in a really bad place at the time..."

I pursed my lips, but then furrowed my brows...

Two...?

"People see me as they want to see me... They can see me for my past or my medical records or whatever they percieve, I don't care... Because no matter what.... I'm still Mallory," she said, pulling me from my thoughts.

I smiled at that.

"I'm still Mal... Mallie... Lory.... MJ.... Point being, I'm still me, and nobody can really change that.... And my records being out there, it won't change anything," she said, the sighed. "The reason, of course, that they are out there, is because my mother sold my medical file for money.... She wanted me to think she still had control over my life, well... She doesn't..."

I watched as she continued.

"I can't reveal anything else... But what I said is the truth... Its up to you if you want to believe it...." Mal said. "Today... I'm happy... Upset with what's going on, but... My life is good," I said. "No further comments, you can all be on your way..."

Mal then backed away as the reporters stood there, processing everything as she took my hand and me, her and Dina walked back inside.

I smiled and pulled her into a hug as she wrapped her arms around my torso.

"I'm so proud of you," I murmured.

She looked up and kissed me passionately, then pulled back.

"I love you..... I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," she said.

I smiled, then remembered some of the words she said and frowned.

"You said two suicide attempts out there," I murmured at her. "Not one..."

She furrowed her brows then pursed her lips and looked away.

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

She sighed. "It came back to me a while after I had woken up that day... My cocaine overdose, it.... It wasn't an accident..."

My eyes widen. "Mal...."

"I purposely bought all of that supply and all those pills," she mumbled. "At the time, I went to a really dark place. I was scared.... I had lost you, I lost Razzle, I lost his baby, I was losing my best friend.... I felt like it was all pointless.... I kept it secret during our confessions to not hurt any of you, Vince especially since he found me, and... I scared him so fucking badly..... Almost as bad as the second time... And him knowing about the miscarriage was bad enough..."

I took a moment to sit down.

"I'm sorry.... I just didn't want to scare anyone else...." She whimpered.

I reached over and pulled her close and hugged her close.

"Be honest with me.... Did you get those feelings recently?" I asked her.

She pursed her lips. "Yes... But I swear I didn't do anything, no matter the urges..."

I nodded as I looked up at her, my hands on her waist.

"If you ever get those feelings again, please," I said. "Talk to me... Okay? I'm always gonna be here for you."

She sniffled. "Promise?" she said.

"I swear... I am never gonna leave," I assured her. "Ever..." I said.

She took a deep breath as a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest with you..."

I shook my head. "Its okay..." I murmured, pulling her into a hug. "I understand why..."

She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face into my shoulder.

"We're gonna be okay," I assured her.

She let out a soft breath and clung to me tighter.

"Now let's get you something to eat," I said. "I don't want you to get sick."

"Okay..." she mumbled. "After that, though, I want to call Sharise and Heather... Get back to planning the wedding."

"You sure?" I asked.

I nodded. "I think this can help get my mind off all of this," she said.

She made a good point, and I nodded. "Okay. If you need any help, just let me know."

She smiled. "Of course," she nodded, and we headed to the kitchen.

I'm so glad to have Nikki in my life....

~~~~~

Will pause here for a while so I can draft and also catch up on my other stories.

Hope you are all enjoying the story so far, and also staying safe!! 🌻

📻 Currently in Sapph's playlist:

Enrique Iglesias
"I Like It"

♡~ sapphire.