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The Rose and Thorn	By : FlameWolf666 Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Marilyn Manson Views: 3123 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I still don't know Marilyn Manson, Johnny Depp or any of the other famous people in this fic in real life. Needless to say, this is a work of fiction. I make no profit from this and this is just for fun.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Author’s Note: “We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and - in spite of True Romance magazines - we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely - at least, not all the time - but essentially, and finally, alone.” - Hunter S. Thompson
Sorry for the bad pun with the title.

Chapter Eleven: ‘Depp’ Charge
    Raven had been snuggled against a lightly snoring Manson when the first of two bombs arrived. “Where the fuck is she?” came a panicked, all too familiar baritone from outside the bus, jolting her awake. Sitting up with a groan, the extra large t-shirt clad female pinched her nose in frustration as nervousness and irritation fought for top spot.
    “Sounds like your friend found you,” the rock star grumbled in a strained voice, pressing the heels of his palms against his closed eyes as he seemed to be fighting off a headache.
    “I asked him not to do this,” the pale female gritted out and she flung herself to her feet and threw on a pair of black jeans. Then she was striding to the door, only stopping when she felt a calloused hand close around her small wrist.
    Turning her head slightly, she saw the singer giving her a concerned look through his ebony hair. “Let me go with you,” he offered, pulling himself to his feet despite being heavily hungover.
    “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. If he sees you with me he might just go nuclear,” she sighed, inwardly grateful for the offer. Still, the look on his face told her it had been anything but optional.
    “Please, please. Just stay here for me. It’ll make this go so much smoother,” she pleaded before she left the room and headed for the door of the vehicle.
    “Jay calm down. She’s been doing fine,” Davis reassured the panicked looking actor as the man paced the parking lot nervously. The normally well put together man looked disheveled, his clothes rumpled and wrinkled and a severely ungroomed goatee. Even his hair was scraggly, strands of it hanging loose from his ponytail.
    “You don’t know what he did to her. He slept with multiple women during their relationship, each one chipping away a bit more at her self confidence. You’ve been around her enough to know there isn’t much there to begin with,” the star protested, raking a shaking hand through his dark hair as he moved.
    “That is true but you really don’t have to worry so much. I may not always make the best decisions but I can take care of myself,” sighed an exasperated female voice from behind them, making both men jolt in surprise before they turned to look at her.
    “Raven,” Johnny gasped, relief clear in his face as his entire body sagged. All her earlier irritation fled for worry and she was running to the movie star to help him stay on his feet.
    “How long have you been awake?” the now worried Raven asked as she helped the weak male into Manson’s bus. It wasn’t ideal but it was the closest area with a place to sit and she doubted he would make it to Davis’ vehicle.
    “Four days,” he sighed, avoiding her gaze as he leaned back on the couch she deposited him on. Raven only stared at him, unsure of how to feel about his admission. That had been pretty much as long as she had been back with Manson. Had he been that worried something awful would happen?
    She opened her mouth to scold the exhausted male but found it quickly snapping shut. After the way Manson had behaved for most of their relationship, she could truly blame him. So far the singer had refrained from even looking at groupies and was also managing to kept his contact with her mostly platonic. Right now, the past was just the past and she had to focus on what was going on now if they were ever going to move on. “Johnny, I know you don’t have much reason to trust Manson around me right now but I want you to hear me out,” the ebony clad female requested in a quiet voice, taking one of his tanned hands in hers.
    To his credit, despite how tired and stressed he was, Depp made a concerted effort to sit up and met her eyes with an attentive, sincere gaze. “Ever since I... had bit of a breakdown Manson has been like a different person. It’s like he’s determined to prove to me how much I mean to him and I’m willing to give him a chance. I know it’s hard to believe, but he hasn’t so much as looked at any other females since I agreed to stay with him for the rest of the tour. I guess you could call this a probationary period,” the artist explained, smiling at his effort as she rubbed his skin with her thumb.
    The grizzled male only gave her a searching look before slumping forward with a quiet sigh. “I need you to promise me something,” Johnny whispered in a gruff, unsteady voice as he leaned backward and closed his bruised looking eyes.
    “What’s that?” she asked, worry tinging her voice as she gently brushed a strand of his black hair out of his handsome face. A stab of guilt went through her at seeing the actor so worn out on her behalf. Whatever he asked of her, she would give it to him without question.
    “Don’t run away again. There’s always a safe place to escape to with Jonathan and Amanda. If you need to get away, go to them. Promise me,” he begged, his voice fading as he barely clung onto consciousness. The dark haired femme could only stare at him, stunned.
    “I promise,” she whispered, sadness weighing on her heart as the man slipped into sleep as soon as she finished speaking. The fact that he had put himself through so much made guilt rise within her in a sick wave. Growing up, Amanda had really been the only person she had allowed herself to get close to so having all these people caring about her threw her a bit off balance.
    “He’s really been watching out for you,” came a respectful, awed rumble by her ear, nearly making her heart jump out of her chest.
    Turning to look at Manson, Raven gave him a small smile as her heart clenched in her chest. “Yeah, when we broke up he pretty much became my anchor. He drug me out of a deep depression and even introduced me to Jonathan and his band. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be on tour with you. I’d be hiding from the paparazzi and honestly wishing I could just call you to hear your voice,” she confessed, allowing herself to be pulled into his arms.
    “Why on Earth would you be hiding from the paparazzi?” the taller man asked, looking down at her with confusion in his white-blue and brown eyes.
    Blinking, the stunned female looked up at the genuinely clueless celebrity. Had he been under a rock? There was no way he wouldn’t have at least seen a newscast that was looking for her. “You’re kidding me right?” she asked, honestly shocked when he only looked more confused.
    “I don’t pay attention to tabloids, especially when it pertains to someone I care about; remember? What happened?” he asked, concern replacing his befuddlement. Raven could only gape at him for a few moments before she mentally face-palmed. It seemed like it had been forever since he had told her that but now that he reminded her, she felt silly for not remembering it on her own.
    “When Johnny introduced Jonathan to me, he was at a concert. He decided to have me sing a song while I was there,” she explained, sincerely hoping he would be able to put the rest of it together himself. Thankfully realization briefly crossed his face before a scared protectiveness took it’s place.
    “Fuck. They’re after you because of me,” he rasped, fury quickly replacing his fear as he grabbed ahold of her hand and drug her out of the tour bus. As soon as they were outside, he was spinning her around and grasping her half bare upper arms in an urgent grip.
    “Stay close to me and don’t worry about Johnny. He’ll be fine on the bus but I bet he’ll have one hell of a crick in his neck when he wakes up,” the agitated rock star hissed, worry clear under the mask of rage. Then he was scooping her up in his arms and practically carrying her into the venue, as if he was afraid someone would try to steal her from him.
    “Marilyn, this is a bit excessive. I highly doubt there’s a group of them waiting in there for me. In fact, right now none of them know where I am. As long as I don’t put the spotlight on myself, it’s likely to stay that way,” Raven reassured, very slightly amused by how protective the superstar was. Just seeing him like this made what little misgivings she had left simply fly out the window. At this moment, she had never felt more protected or cherished.
    Manson only snorted at her comment, his grip on her tightening as he strode into the dressing room. Only when they were inside did he gently let her down before striding over to his make-up table. “Maybe I just wanted an excuse to hold you in my arms,” he husked, smirking at her over a tattooed shoulder as he reached for some lipstick to touch himself up. Then he was returning his gaze to the mirror, leaving the stunned female to gape like a fish behind him.
    His words had filled her with a warm, tingling feeling and she found herself walking forward to lean against the taller male, wrapping an arm around his bare shoulders as her chin came to rest on the crook of his neck. Pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek, she smiled lovingly at his reflection in the mirror; her heart jumping when he placed one of his black nailed hands over hers. A calloused thumb rubbed over the skin in small circles as his finished his lipstick and placed the metal tube on the counter of the vanity. “Good luck out there,” Raven whispered sincerely, filled with love for the singer who looked at her so intently.
    Lifting the hand on his shoulder to his lips, the rock star gave the top of her hand a light kiss before pressing her palm against a make-up coated cheek. “Before I go out there I need you to understand something. I may act like a complete jerk to you, I might grind up against my band members, I might invite someone on stage just to sexually abuse them but none of that is actually me,” he whispered, his kohl surrounded eyes squeezed shut as if he was afraid of her response.
    Instead of being afraid like he had feared, Raven only chuckled before pulling back slightly to give his hair a ruffle with her free hand. “Did you forget I was a fan of yours for years before we ever met? I already knew this and sorta know what to expect, though I never thought I would see it in person,” she reminded him, giving him an amused grin as he straightened and turned to face her. The rock star smirked back, his arms coming up to wrap around her and pull her close against him.
    “Never thought about some of the perks of dating a fan. You already know all the dirty secrets the paparazzi have uncovered, let alone the ones you see while I’m on stage,” he rumbled, bending down to capture her lips in a chaste but no less passionate kiss. Then he was breaking it to rest his painted forehead against hers, his mismatched eyes staring down at her solemnly.
    “I want you to stick close to Jonathan and Amanda while I’m performing, okay?” he asked, a tinge of fear in his baritone voice as his hand moved from her back to her shoulders.
    “I’ll be fine! I seriously doubt anyone knows I’m here. Besides, I doubt they’d let me out of their sight anyway,” the black clad female soothed, feeling a bit flustered by his outward concern for her. It almost felt as if the bad shit had never happened and she found herself easily falling back into their relationship.
    “Just humor me and promise okay? It’d make me feel a bit better about leaving you,” he pleaded, his hands twitching on her shoulders as his hair fell into his face.
    “I promise,” she whispered sincerely, lifting one of his hands to place a kiss on it in an effort to calm the distraught singer. Thankfully the gesture had the intended effect, causing him to relax visibly as affection shone clear in his heterochromic gaze.
    “I love you Raven,” he whispered, removing his hand from her loose grip to cup her cheek as he bent down to give her one last kiss. It was full of love and lust and he even gave her lips a brief lick before he pulled away to spin her to face forward.
    Giggling a bit as her heart soared at his words, the pale female turned her head back to give him a smile. “I love you too Mare,” she whispered, reaching down to grab one of his hands and lace their fingers together. The singer returned her bright smile, bringing their joined hands up to his lips before leading them out the open door. They only made it a few steps before they heard a voice calling for them from the direction they were heading. Tilting her head a bit, Raven tried to discern where she had heard the voice before.
    “That almost sounded like Twiggles,” she whispered, blushing a bit at her accidental use of the embarrassing nickname. Manson only chuckled before he nodded in agreement.
    “Yeah, it really did,” he remarked, continuing to lead her forward. As they walked, the voice came again; much more clear and much closer.
    Once again, the ebony clad woman stopped in her tracks; tilting her dark haired head as she listened. “Jeordie?” she called in a hesitant voice, her heart leaping in her throat at the possibility that the ex-musician could be here.
    “Raven!” came the excited response as the dreadlocked male skidded around the corner from the direction of the stage. As soon as the trio locked gazes, they had very mixed reactions. Twiggy and Raven immediately ran for each other’s arms while Manson hung back with a very guilty look on his decorated face. As soon as the pair was done embracing, Jeordie was giving the abashed looking rock star a studying look.
    “Sweetie, would ya mind going on ahead without us? Bri and I have a few things to talk about,” he requested, giving her a small smile as he returned his focus to her.
    “Take it easy on him okay? He’s been doing a lot better,” the artist pleaded before she ran off towards the stage.
    As soon as she was out of sight, Manson looked extremely concerned; like it was taking everything within him not to follow her and make sure she was alright. “Her running away really did a number on ya,” Jeordie whispered sympathetically, striding forward to close the distance between them.
    “I was going to make sure you were going to treat Raven right from now on but I don’t think I have to. Now all I want to do is ask if I can come along,” the former band member sighed, pulling his ex into a hug.
    “Where’s Jay?” Jonathan asked as soon as the concerned looking female showed up. Jolting at the question, Raven gave a sheepish grin as she looked up at the metal singer.
    “He, uh, fell asleep in Manson’s trailer,” she replied, her gaze traveling to the backstage area nervously. A large hand on her shoulder nearly made her heart stop and she whirled around to see Davis smiling down at her gently.
    “Twiggy wasn’t pissed, just worried. Now then...,” the dreadlocked performer trailed off before picking her up in his well muscled arms and twirling her. Raven burst into giggles despite her somber mode and was smiling by the time he set her on her booted feet.
    “That’s better,” chirped the ever jovial rock star, giving her midnight locks a fond ruffle. Amanda, who had been watching the entire exchange, only raised her eyebrows at her childhood friend teasingly. Raven stuck her tongue out in return before going to stand by her amused roomie.
    “How have things been with Ginger? You guys always go off on your own when you come to visit him,” the black clad female asked, fiddling with the hem of her Marilyn Manson shirt. Her pal only blushed heavily, clearing her throat as she avoided Raven’s gaze.
    “Things have been going great! Ging is a really sweet guy,” the curly haired woman replied, her green gaze looking the slightest bit bothered under her happiness. This didn’t go unnoticed by the dark female watching and she instantly turned all of her focus to her roommate.
    “What’s bothering you Mandy?” the concerned artist asked, placing a hand on the shorter female’s shoulder. Her friend gave her such a tortured, confused look that her heart instantly sank. Then the blue clad female was clinging to her, beginning to cry softly.
    “Oh Meagan... I don’t know what to do anymore. I love Ginger, I really do but I can’t stop thinking about Tom. As soon as I saw him it was like something... clicked,” the thin journalist whimpered, clinging to a stunned Raven like she was a lifeline.
    Giving Jonathan a worried look, she moved Amanda to a dark, secluded corner of the stage before wrapping her in a tight hug. “How does it feel when you’re around Tom?” the ebony clad woman asked, an uneasy suspicion brewing inside her. If what she suspected was happening, she truly felt bad for both of her dear friends right now.
    “I don’t know how to describe it. I just feel almost like I’m coming home,” the curly haired writer sighed, running a shaking hand through her semi-tight curls. Hearing that only made Raven’s heart sink further. It almost sounded like her roomie felt the same way about the actor as she did about Manson.
    “I can’t really tell you what to do here Mandy. Just do what makes you happy. Whatever you decide, I’m sure Ginger will understand,” the pale woman assured her shaken companion, her heart aching for both people involved. It would more than likely end up with Amanda choosing Tom but not without a fair amount of hardship. This event was sure to break both of them in some way and she suddenly wished Welling had never shown his face.
    Amanda only looked at her miserably before looking at the hem of her Superhero emblazoned shirt. Ginger was a fantastic person and treated her like she was precious but Tom... She had never experienced anything close to the spark she had felt between them and she barely knew the guy. Nibbling her lip as tears continued to pour down her ivory cheeks, the distraught woman found herself torn in two directions. She would have to make a decision soon but no matter what she chose, her heart would be broken. Frustrated at her dilemma, the journalist found herself silently cursing the unfairness of life.
    The somber moment was interrupted by the untimely appearance of Pogo and Ginger coming back from setting up on stage. Just seeing the drummer was enough to send Amanda into a whirlwind of misery, something the empathic blonde noticed right away. Giving the keyboardist next to him a warning look, the musician strode toward his distraught girlfriend; a questioning glance on his painted pace as his gaze shifted to Raven. The casually dressed female only shrugged before getting up and moving to rejoin Jonathan. After what was said, she knew the pair would need some privacy.
    While the pair talked in the hidden alcove, Manson and Twiggy came striding up to the stage; the rock star taking the stunned female into his arms as soon as he saw her. Then he was pulling back to look her over, as if afraid something terrible had happened in the few moments they had been apart. Then he was turning his mismatched gaze to Jonathan, a frown quickly coming across his decorated face. Davis only narrowed his dark eyes, a tense silence stretching between the two singers. “We’re gonna have a bit of fun while Manny boy performs!” Jeordie announced, breaking the tense silence like a soap bubble and wrapping his arms around Manson and Raven.
    Thankfully that did the trick and the taller superstar relaxed significantly. Davis, being the jolly person he was, immediately followed suit; a smile replacing the apprehensive anger of earlier. “Would you guys mind hanging out by the side of the stage?” Manson asked, his heterochromic gaze returning to Raven as anxiety began to take over his expression.
    “Awww, she won’t disintegrate if she leaves yer sight,” Pogo teased, causing a mask of fury to slam over Manson’s face in a split second.
Then he was capturing Raven’s lips with a possessive snarl, pressing her against the wall while their small audience watched. The only thing that saved the temperamental male from getting yanked off her bodily by Davis or Amanda was the fact that his ‘victim’ didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, she began returning the kiss with a fervor that embarrassed the small group that was watching. After a few seconds, the ‘Antichrist Superstar’ broke the embrace with a threatening noise before he simply stalked off onto the stage. “Did he have to be so aggressive?” Amanda groused, breaking the tense silence.
“It’s just part of his stage persona. Pogo appearing out of the blue like that shocked him into it,” Raven explained, moving into a position where she could watch the preparations. Ginger came to stand beside her, Amanda right by his side and the other two not too far behind.
    “He doesn’t mean anything by it honestly,” the pale female continued, smiling wistfully as the rock star gestured for Ginger to join him. The drummer jolted in place beside her before giving Amanda an apologetic look and joining his bandmates.
    “How can you stand the constant, unannounced changes in demeanor?” her lifelong friend sighed, sounding sympathetic and terrified.
    “As weird as this sounds, it helps that I watched a lot of his concerts. I sorta already know what to expect from him so it’s really not that much of a surprise when he turns on a dime like that. It can be a bit confusing sometimes but you have to take his actions with a large grain of salt when he’s like this,” the black haired artist replied, her smile growing slightly as she watched Manson give Ginger an almost affectionate looking bonk on the head with the microphone.
    Amanda, on the other hand, failed to see the humor in the action. In fact, the curly haired woman puffed up like an angry cat; looking like she wanted nothing more than to storm onto the stage and tear the offending performer into confetti sized chunks. Thankfully Jeordie broke the building tension but throwing himself between the two females and slinging his arms around their shoulders. “How you gals been?” chirped the dark skinned male, squeezing them in such a way that their cheeks met his in a light touch.
    “It’s been a bit rough but things seem to be looking up for once,” Raven replied, grinning at the former guitarist gratefully. She was sure that if he hadn’t intervened, she would have had to have stopped her roommate from killing her boyfriend.
    “I’m having a bit of a dilemma,” Amanda confessed with a sigh, all the fight going out of her as her shoulders sagged. Jeordie and Raven only looked at her sympathetically before the dreadlocked male released the ebony clad woman to lead off her friend. The curly haired female only had a second to realize just what was going on before she was yanked out of the venue.
    The amused artist only watched, barely holding back giggles as she imagined Twiggy and Amanda having ‘girl talk’. In all honesty, Jeordie seemed to have a knack for helping those in emotional distress and her friend could certainly use him right now. Assured that her precious acquaintance was going to be safe, Raven returned her gaze to the stage in time to see the lights come up and a spotlight focus on the figure standing in the middle of the platform. As she watched, he positioned the mic in front of his mouth and began to sing. While he sang, Jonathan came to stand beside her; smiling down at her as the concert got underway.
    The effeminate male lead her to Manson’s tour bus, only stopping for a second when he saw Johnny asleep on the couch. Shrugging it off and motioning her to be quiet, the former band member led her back out and to Davis’ bus. Once inside, he sat her down and began to rummage in the cupboards above the sink until he found some hot cocoa. With the box in hand, Twiggy got to work making two mugs. “What’s on your mind?” the dreadlocked man asked gently as he popped their beverages in the microwave and set a time. Amanda took a deep breath before spilling the whole story to the ex-guitarist.
    “We can’t haunt this home! Home anymore! No, no, no, no, noooo,” Manson belted, his voice ragged from a half hour performance of hard singing. Sweat streaked the white make-up on his face and his lipstick was smeared from all the water he had drank and spat out at the crowd. Used condoms, empty water bottles and debris from broken props littered the stage but the rock star didn’t even seem to notice the items. Instead, he simply panted as he basked in the wild applause of the rabid crowd surrounding the raised platform.
    Raven watched from the shadows, barely aware of the fact that Jonathan was standing next to her. The only time she became aware of him was when Manson started stalking towards the side of the stage with a familiar fire in his eyes. Just seeing his fellow singer like that made Davis’ protective instincts kick in and he was shoving Raven behind himself out of sheer reaction. This did not sit well with the taller male. In seconds, he closed the distance and was ripping the metal singer away from a stunned Raven; slamming the much more muscular male against a wall by his throat.
    The pale female could only watch for a few seconds, not quite comprehending just what had happened in the span of a handful of seconds. Then her body was moving forward as she grabbed Manson’s tensed forearm, giving him a pleading look. “Marilyn! Let him go! What the hell are you doing?!” came her panicked voice, almost seeming to come from someone else. The rock star under her hand turned his glare to her, relaxing instantly as he let go of Davis to back away from both of them. In a split second, he was defused and giving her a fearful, guilty look. Unfortunately the peace was soon broken by Jonathan giving the ‘Antichrist Superstar’ one hell of a right cross.
    “I know he deserved it but did you really have to punch him,” Raven scolded as she dabbed the mustached male’s torn knuckles with alcohol soaked swabs. Manson held a cold compress against his spectacular black eye but didn’t seem the least bit angry. In fact, he seemed quite contrite.
    “Man, I’m sorry about that,” the goth rocker sighed, giving Davis a sincere look of apology as he extended his free hand. The dreadlocked singer looked down at the offered hand for a second before he shook it.
    “It’s all good. You were just trying to protect Raves,” the metal star conceded, a smile on his tanned face.
    “Are you going to be done with your tour soon?” came a tired baritone, causing the large group turn to a sleepy Johnny who was rubbing his neck. Even though he had been asleep for most of the day, it looked like he hadn’t slept at all.
    “Only a few more venues, then we’ll be going back to Raven’s house,” the superstar replied, keeping the compress against his eye. Just hearing that filled the black clad female with both happiness and apprehension. Having him home with her would force them to be closer together, spend more time together. Just the thought of it made her heart race with nerves and excitement.
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The Rose and Thorn