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The Rose and Thorn	By : FlameWolf666 Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Marilyn Manson Views: 3180 -:- 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
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Author’s Note: ‘There is no inherent right or wrong in this world, those labels are just artificial constructs. Right and wrong are held by positions of authority. That is the way it's always been, so how then could anyone know this truth you speak of? Don't you see the reality is that truth long ago became nothing more than a shadow of itself; it's a mere echo of the past now... The world is one big moral gray area, it just makes you feel safer that it can be categorized into good and bad, but that's not how it actually works.’ - Stein (Soul Eater)

Sorry about the delays. I lost inspiration for a bit but I feel much better after my break.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Of Weddings and Tours

    The next few weeks passed in a blur of activity. Not only was everyone preparing for Ginger and Amanda’s upcoming wedding but Raven and Manson were preparing for their own musical obligations. While the former artist only had to put the finishing touches on her song and turn it in, the singer was preparing for yet another tour. He wanted to go to a few more places to promote his new album and even wanted to show off a few of the new songs he had come up with. In all honesty, it probably wouldn’t be too long until he wrote a new album and had to leave to promote that. Needless to say, things had been a bit hectic.
    Even the pets had stopped squabbling and laid low, watching the activity from safe spots. Thankfully the band, Jeordie and Johnny took things in stride; even helping where they could. Pogo even behaved himself for the most part, offering sincere opinions on wedding decorations and dresses. John 5 suggested a caterer and Tim good naturedly made sure everyone made it from point ‘a’ to point ‘b.’ By the time the day of the ceremony had rolled around, everything had inevitably descended into hectic chaos. “Mandy, please try to calm down,” the black clad female on the couch tried to soothe, only get an exasperated glare in response.
    “How can I calm down?! My dress has gone missing, Mystery threw up on my bouquet, the caterer hasn’t answered my calls and the church asked if they could delay the ceremony by two hours!” she hissed, anxiety clear in her green eyes as she paced the open living room. Raven only sighed before slowly getting to her feet and moving toward her distraught roomie. Then she was grabbing the other female’s upper arms to stop her movement and force the journalist’s focus onto her.
    “Take a deep breath and let it out,” the black haired female urged, watching her friend as she did as she suggested. Thankfully this helped her relax slightly, allowing a bit of rationality to return to her.
    “We have a few hours left, I’ll help you look for your dress upstairs. Manson can probably handle those caterers. No one can really ignore him when he’s pissed. As for your bouquet, let’s see what the damage is together,” she suggested calmly, earning a grateful look from her long time friend. Then the two women were moving upstairs, leaving behind the slightly relieved men.
    Letting out a small sigh, Manson placed a gentle hand on his drummer’s shoulder and urged the stressed looking man to take a seat on the shorter couch. “Just take it easy bud. Like Raven said, it’s pretty hard to ignore me,” the performer teased before pulling out his phone and punching in a number. A few minutes later and the ‘Antichrist Superstar’ was screaming into the device while pacing, gesturing furiously.
    “I don’t give a fuck how sorry you are! You just be where you’re supposed to at the designated time or there will be some serious trouble,” he snarled before closing the phone and taking a seat next to the acne scarred blonde.
    Ginger only gave his boss a stunned glance before a tentative smile began to spread across his pale face. “I’ve been on the other end of that temper before and, let me tell ya, I don’t envy those poor shlubs one bit,” he chuckled, trying not to show just how odd he felt about the other man acting so friendly. In his career with the violent singer, he was more used to having shit thrown at him rather that the rocker acting amiable. To be honest, he had no idea how to handle this new side of the temperamental performer.
    “The assholes tried to feed me some story about how they were really busy and that was the reason they hadn’t answered any of your guys’ calls. It was only after I told them who you were that they became apologetic. I fucking hate people like that,” he hissed grouchily, a muscle ticking in his cheek as he pursed his black lips.
    The drummer beside him could only stare, simply stunned by the other man’s words and actions. “You... you stood up for me... I don’t know how to thank you... Honestly, I never thought this would happen,” the bleach blonde murmured, feeling a strange urge to hug the rocker. An urge that he quickly stifled. The unpredictable male may be acting unusually nice but that didn’t mean he could entirely throw caution to the wind.
    “Well of course I did! I may bust your chops a lot but that doesn’t mean I don’t consider you family. No one messes with you but me,” snarled the taller singer, his mismatched gaze moving to give the musician to his right a slight glare.
    Ginger could only stare for a moment, his mouth hanging slightly open. Then a genuine smile slowly spread over his pale face and he began to chuckle. “No one but you, eh? What am I, a living stress ball?” the drummer quipped playfully, giving the taller man a light shove. This was enough to set off a light tussling match, a scene that greeted the two women when they came back down.
    “Try not to bruise his face?” Amanda requested, a slight grin on her pale visage. This caused the play fighting pair to look up at her, identical looks of shock on their faces. Then Manson was smirking as he slowly pulled himself to his feet.
    “Now why would I hurt such a pretty face on his wedding day? How did things go upstairs?” the rockstar inquired, stretching languidly as the drummer also got to his feet.
    “Well we found my dress and the damage wasn’t too bad on the bouquet. All it needs is a quick wash and everything will be good. I take it from the good spirits that your talk with the caterers was successful?” the curly haired femme asked as Raven walked further into the living room. The once artist gave her fiance a grateful smile before sinking onto the longer couch beside Jeordie and letting out a long sigh.
    “All this fuss for a ceremony containing a group of eight people,” the midnight haired twenty-nine year old teased, getting a chuckle from John 5 in reply.      Her long time roomie only blushed, shifting from side to side as she rubbed her arms with a shameful smile.
    “I just wanted it to be special for everyone,” she murmured in a small voice, her green eyes focused on the carpet beneath her feet. So she was utterly shocked when she was enveloped in a group hug. Even Manson was hugging her, making her wonder briefly if she had stepped into another dimension.
    “We all understand. Over the past few days we’ve all seen how important this ceremony is to you,” Pogo replied, giving her curly hair an affectionate ruffle.
    Hissing, Amanda flailed at the mohawked male before pulling out of the hug. Then she was giving the small group a large, tearful smile. “I can’t begin to tell you how much your patience and help has meant to me over these past few days. Its been truly amazing and it means a lot to me,” she whispered, wiping at the joyful tears rolling down her cheeks.
    “Of course! You, like Raven, are family now and we want to make sure you and Ging have the best wedding,” Jeordie assured. John 5, who was next to the former guitarist, gave an emphatic nod while smiling slightly.
    “We haven’t seen Fishy boy there so happy ever. We kinda see it as our duty to ensure you start off your new lives on as good a note as possible,” Pogo chirped before wrapping a muscled arm around Ginger’s neck and dragging him toward the front door.
    “Now let’s get going! Its bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress and I’m sure Manda Bear would like some time to change,” the keyboardist cajoled, leading the stunned looking band member out of the house. The other men followed close behind, with the exception of Manson and Jeordie.
    The dreadlocked male grinned at Amanda while the rocker moved to stand beside his fiance. “Alright girl, let’s get you all dressed up and ready. The two Johns should be here soon. When Jonathan Davis heard you were getting married from Johnny, he decided to come as well,” the former musician announced as he led the journalist. At the mention of the metal singer’s name, Manson’s mismatched eyes went steely and one of his t-shirt clad arms wrapped around her slightly pudgy waist.
    “Easy Mare, he just wants to show his support. After all, he is our friend too,” Raven murmured in a soothing tone, turning to place a kiss on his cheek near his painted lips.
    The ‘God of Fuck’ stiffened at first, then turned to capture her lips with his possessively; releasing a low growl as one of his hands came up to cup the back of her dark haired head. Then he was breaking the kiss to lock eyes with her, his lips pursing as he visibly tried to wrangle his broiling temper. “You know, its kinda weird you’re so jealous of Davis even though there’s nothing between us. While you trust Johnny to cuddle with me and even give me oral,” the artist unthinkingly pointed out, clapping a hand over her mouth in horror as soon as she finished speaking. Unsurprisingly, Manson stiffened before slowly releasing her and backing away.
    What did surprise her was that he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before meeting her eyes calmly. “I know it may seem strange but I’ve known Johnny for years and I trust him very deeply. He’s about the only person in the world I’m not worried about trying to steal you from me,” he replied calmly, the muscle still ticking in his cheek despite his neutral voice. The stunned female across from him opened her mouth to respond but he held up his hand to still her, his eyes flashing briefly.
    “I can’t say I have the same trust for Davis. When we were broken up, he clearly had a romantic interest in you. That fact only makes me less comfortable with you being around him but... I do trust you. Just... forgive me if I get a bit tense when he’s around you. I will do my best to keep in mind that he’s one of your friends,” the thin man finished quietly, running a black nailed hand through his shoulder length hair.
    Raven stared at him for several minutes, stunned. Then she was moving forward to wrap her arms around him, her hazel eyes meeting his brown and blueish white eyes. “You really have nothing to worry about. I feel a bit strange telling you this but the fantasy that I might meet you one day got me through a lot. Let alone the thought that you would even marry someone like me. I’m still trying to reconcile everything as reality. After wanting this for so long and fighting so hard for it, do you really think I’d be willing to throw you away for another man?” she announced, a fire in her eyes that the performer had never seen before. Then she was standing on tiptoes to give him a possessive kiss of her own.
    Blunt teeth nipped at his lipstick coated lower lip as her left hand came up to wrap in his ebony locks and gave slight tug. With a low growl that frankly surprised the superstar, the former artist broke the embrace to give him a look that made molten need fill his lower body. “Why do you think it hurt me every time you slept with a woman? I constantly have a small voice in the back of my head telling me I’m not good enough as it is. When I met you, that voice became very loud. Even now I’m scared to death of losing you to someone prettier and you’re worried about me leaving again? Its laughable,” she blurted, withering slightly at the glare he gave her in return.
    “Raven, I know your parents have done a number on your self esteem but you need to stop talking about yourself like that. You’re beautiful, loyal and very talented. It’s time to stop letting your parents’ opinions rule your life,” he urged as his arms wrapped around her tightly.
    “Easier said than done,” she sighed, resting her forehead on his black t-shirt clad chest.
    “I know, as I’m sure you’re aware. Just trust me when I say hanging onto that stuff won’t do you any good,” the goth rocker suggested, placing a gentle peck on the crown of her head before releasing her to lead her to the longer couch.
    A couple hours later and the entire group was driving down to the church, Ginger and the others already waiting for them there. The only people missing were Johnny and Jonathan. “The two Johns will be here in a sec. They’re just parking. Ginger and the others are already inside,” Pogo informed them as they parked, chasing down their car due to his extreme excitement. Amanda nodded in response before reaching over to Raven and squeezing her black nailed hand for support.
    “You’ll do fine Mandy. Besides, what’s so hard about getting married in front of your friends?” the black haired femme assured with a small grin before releasing her friend to open the door on her side. Manson followed close behind, pulling the black clad female to his side as the writer got out of the car as well.
    To everyone’s shock, the keyboardist offered her his arm; a cheery grin on his pale face. Blinking, the curly haired journalist took it and allowed him to lead her to the church. “Man you shoulda seen the look on the pastor’s face when we walked in. I thought the old dude was gonna start throwing holy water at us,” Pogo chuckled as he lead the way, his boss and his fiance close on their heels.
    “Aw, I wish I had been there to see that,” Raven groused in genuine disappointment, drawing an amused glance from the singer on her right.
    “Don’t worry, if I know Tim he’ll have started recording as soon as they left the house. Jeordie’s a sucker for weddings and will have bullied him into it,” Manson pointed out, getting a loud laugh from the keyboardist in return. Twiggy could only look slightly abashed as he ran ahead to the church, likely in an effort to take over the taping.
    “Yeah, you’re right about that. He’s almost been driving Ging nuts by shoving the thing in his face. Still, he’s happy to have everything on tape,” the mohawked musician replied, turning his head slightly to smile at the pair behind him and the bride to be.
    Within moments, the small group reached the doors of the church; two familiar men sprinting up to them before they could open them. “The traffic this time of day was insane! I’m so glad we actually made it,” Depp panted out as he tried to catch his breath while Davis didn’t even look winded.
    “Hey Amanda! I can’t tell ya how excited I am for you. I wasn’t around him much but Ginger seems like a good guy,” the metal star grinned, his brown eyes traveling to Raven and Manson.
    The goth rocker reacted instantly, stiffening as his fingers twitched on her waist as he seemed to grit his teeth. When the slightly shorter rocker began to walk toward them, the ‘Antichrist Superstar’ let out a quiet growl before he seemed to catch himself and subsided into a slight glare. “Hey Raves! Hey Sourpuss!” Davis called, smiling easily as he sauntered up to the pair. Manson stiffened at the nickname while the former artist next to him coughed to cover up her giggles.
    “Sour...puss...,” the singer deadpanned quietly to himself, his teeth grinding together audibly as his fellow musician rapidly closed the distance.
    Then the dreadlocked man was pulling his fiance into a tight hug, lifting her in the air and whirling her around. Seeing red, the rocker closed his eyes and took several deep breaths; forcing himself to recall their discussion earlier. While Davis may be a sort of romantic rival, there was no way he would ever take her. Still, as calming as this thought was, it didn’t stop his blood from boiling when he saw her in the other man’s arms. “Oh you’re a sight for sore eyes,” the mustached male sighed out as he set Raven on her feet.
    “I’ve missed you too Jonathan. How has your tour been going?” she asked, honestly happy to see the jolly performer again. Something about his happy energy was contagious and it made it hard not to smile along with him.
    Apparently this question was the right one as the kilt wearing rock star grinned even wider, his brown eyes sparkling with happiness. “Things are going great! We’re starting to wrap up and should be done by the end of the month. When I’m free I’d love to come visit! I miss talking to ya,” he gushed, his gaze travelling to the pissed looking celebrity behind her.
    “That is, if its okay with Sourpuss,” he continued in a teasing tone, chuckling when Manson let out a low snarl.
    Chuckling, Raven shook her head before backing out of her friend’s arms and slowly back towards her fiance. As soon as she was within grabbing distance, Marilyn was yanking her back to his side and a possessive hand curled almost painfully tight around her waist. “I would like that a lot. You’re always so much fun to hang out with,” she replied, allowing her left hand to come up to rest on his back in an effort to offer some comfort. Then they were turning and going into the church, Johnny, Jeordie and Amanda right behind them. Davis brought up the rear, a bittersweet smile on his tanned face as he kept his gaze on the black clad pair in the front.
    Soon, everyone was standing in their designated spots; staring down the aisle as the wedding march started. When the rear doors opened to reveal Amanda in her gorgeous gown, Ginger’s jaw very nearly dropped to the floor. The dress was made out of white silk and was shoulderless. The neckline scooped down just enough to show off a little cleavage, the corseted bodice clinging to her upper body and ending in a point just below her bellybutton. The bodice itself had an intricate but tasteful design on it and the skirt flowed around her legs like an ivory waterfall. A long, elegant veil was perched on her head, hiding her face from view as Jeordie lead her down the long corridor. “She’s beautiful man,” Pogo whispered to the drummer, snapping him out of his daze.
    “Yes, she is...,” the tux wearing percussionist murmured, his eyes never leaving his soon to be wife as she made her way down to him.
    Just as their hands touched, the heavy doors slammed open with a loud BANG, making the entire group turn as one to see what the commotion was. There, in the entry, stood a panting Tom Welling; a wild look in his sky blue eyes. “Why the fuck are you here?!” Ginger snarled in a shockingly venomous voice as Amanda let out an irritated and yet sad sounding groan.
    “I invited him... I don’t know why but... I just wanted to try to offer an olive branch to him. He seemed so nice in person and I loved his character in Smallville for so long. It seemed a huge shame to let our friendship end on such a sour note. It seems that was a big mistake,” the hidden woman sighed in a pained tone as the actor ran up the pew lined passage.
Before he could get any closer, the crazed male found himself blocked off by a wall of humanity. Even Raven was in the blockade, a hard, angry look on her pale face. “Amanda please... I can’t live without you. Ever since you cut off contact I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. I haven’t had any peace since you left my side. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try once more,” the square faced actor whispered, slipping to his tux clad knees as tears slid down his stubble coated cheeks. To his credit, the male did look pretty awful, dark rings around his haunted eyes and facial hair so thick that it was nearly a beard. Even his hair was scraggly, looking both uncombed and unwashed as it hung around his too thin face.
    Just seeing that softened Raven and she found herself breaking the line to kneel in front of the obviously broken male and pul him into a tight hug. As angry as she was at Tom for ruining the ceremony, she felt sympathy for him. In that moment, she saw too much of what Johnny’s fate could have been if he had been unable to let go of her and it tore her heart in half. “Raven, what?” came the confused voice of Manson and Ginger at the same time.
    “He’s not doing this because he’s crazy or wanting to ruin anything... He’s doing this because he’s hurting. He’s doing this because he can’t see his life without Amanda in it. He’s doing this in one, final, desperate attempt to show her he loves her,” she whispered, rubbing Tom’s back in soothing circles as he dissolved into ragged, heart wrenching sobs on her shoulder.
    Hearing how broken he was made the entire group relax slightly and they parted to look at Amanda to see what she wanted to do. To their shock, the gown wearing female lifted her veil before running to join her roommate in the hug. “Oh Tom... I’m so sorry things had to end up like this, I really am. But... I love Ginger. Really and truly love him. I can’t bring myself to break his heart for you or anyone. Please, just let me go,” she whispered, doing her best not to cry so her make-up wouldn’t run down her cheeks.
    “I can’t. I need you like I need water, like I need air. I don’t care if you marry him anymore, I just want you in my life somehow. Please... you don’t know what its been like for me. I don’t need you to love me or even have me around. I just... I need to know we’re okay in some fashion. That... we can be friends at least. That I haven’t fucked up something that means a lot to me,” he begged as Raven cautiously released him to allow him to turn to her friend. To her shock, the distraught male merely kept his head on the journalist’s shoulder.
    Before anything else could be said, Johnny was stepping forward to place a hand on each of their shoulders; his nearly black fixing on Raven briefly before he spoke. “I know how you feel Tom. I find myself in a position much like your own. The only difference I knew when I had lost the fight. Can you truly say you won’t try to ruin a happy marriage just so you can have a chance with her?” he murmured in a gentle but steely tone as he shifted his focus to his fellow thespian. The TV actor met his glare steadily, tears rimming his sky blue eyes.
    “I would never try to ruin her marriage. I’m not some fucking monster. Can you really blame me for trying so hard to make this enchanting female mine?” he whispered before slowly getting to his feet.
    Sighing wearily, the beaten looking man slumped as he offered his hand to Amanda. “I never did any of this to cause you pain. If being with Ginger will make you happy then I will have to learn to accept that. I just... I just want to be a part of your life in some way, even if its a small one,” the dark haired star continued, his voice getting quiet and shaky as he avoided looking at the writer across from him. Smiling gently, Amanda lifted his chin to see the celebrity was crying openly; his eyes full of pain, guilt and regret.
    “Why don’t you have a seat Tom? We’re about to start the ceremony,” she whispered before giving him a loose hug.
    The smile that came across his face almost lit up the whole room and Raven felt her heart soar despite herself. As much of a jerk as Tom had been, she honestly felt bad for him with the perspective she had recently gained. So, in moments, things went back to normal; the priest clearing his throat with a confused expression on his wrinkled face. “Er, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Amanda Winslet to Kenneth Wilson,” the aged man began as Twiggy began to act like a guerilla reporter, sticking his camera in the poor guy’s face. Still, at hearing Ginger’s real name, it was all Raven could do not to burst into highly inappropriate laughter.
    After what seemed like hours, the berobed man officiating the ceremony announced, “I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride.” Ginger responded with more gusto than the cleric probably found appropriate, bending the giggling woman backwards before planting a very passionate kiss on her lips. The room erupted into cheers and catcalls in response, Manson pulling Raven into a quick kiss so as not to be outdone by his drummer; something she didn’t mind in the least. “Are you always so competitive?” she purred, her response even shocking her for a moment. The singer holding her was just as surprised, blinking slightly before a smirk curled his painted lips.
    “Mmm, I think you know the answer to that very well my little fangirl,” he teased, nuzzling her nose as he simply held her.
    Amanda and Ginger headed down the aisle behind them, giving the content pair affectionate glances. So far things had been going wonderfully for the both of them and the curly haired femme found herself hoping her roomie would be getting married soon herself. After all, the artist had gotten engaged before she did. Shifting her gaze back to Ginger, she felt her heart swell with happiness at the thought she could now call him her husband. “I love you,” she whispered, kissing his painted chin before leaning into his shoulder.
    “I love you too,” he whispered, his brown eyes dark with happiness and more than a little lust. As fas as he was concerned, the reception couldn’t end soon enough.
    At what most of the band was calling ‘The After Party’ Manson was busy belting out one of his songs while Amanda and Ginger danced. As soon as that ended, Davis was mounting the stage to talk to him, nearly making Raven run up to stop the metal singer. Predictably, the goth rocker stiffened but soon relaxed; even began smiling before giving a nod and handing over the mic to his fellow performer. Then he was hopping off the stage, approaching her at a fast clip before scooping her into his arms and inhaling her scent deeply. “Goodness, you were just across the room from me. Surely you can’t have missed me that much,” she teased as he seemed rather reluctant to put any amount of distance between them.
    “You have no idea. I don’t know what I’ll do without you while I’m on tour. I will call you as often as I can but I doubt that’ll be much solace for either of us,” he rasped, tightening his grip slightly as a slow, yet sad song began to start.
    Recognizing the song as ‘Love is the Last Legal Drug,’ Raven gasped in delight as her fiance began to lead her in a dance. “So that was what that was all about up there,” she mused out loud, smiling up at the man who was her lover, her idol, her world and so much more.
    “Yeah, Butthead suggested he sing so we could dance. He doesn’t have a date anyway,” the rocker replied, his voice tinged with irritated humor as he swept them in a circle. Shaking her head slightly, the former freelancer allowed her head to fall on his chest as they continued to dance.
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The Rose and Thorn