A Certain History

'Stefan!' said Jade in shock as she opened the door and saw the impossibly handsome face she had once known and loved smiling down at her.

'Hey Lucia' said Stefan, who had often called her by her middle name. He reached down and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek as she invited him into the room, then looked up at Jim, giving him an instant 'and who might you be?' look.

'Oh Stefan, this is my friend Jim, one of the members of Slipknot. Jim this is my ex Stefan' said Jade, watching the two men act cool around each other, and nod and shake hands quickly.

'Look you go, grab me something to take out and bring it to the venue, ill meet you there' continued Jade as she addressed Jim.

'Erm, yeah, yeah okay I'll do that. See you in a little while' replied Jim, giving her arm a squeeze and then completely without thinking reaching down and kissing her on the lips before walking out. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, if she really wanted to be alone with her ex but couldn't because of the obvious thing of said ex standing right in front of him. He thought about loitering in the lobby until Stefan left, but then thought better of it. Jade could look after herself, she was a tough cookie.

'Does he kiss all his friends like that?' asked Stefan as soon as the door was shut.

'Only the ones as pretty as me' replied Jade. Stefan laughed through his nose and sat down next to her on the bed after removing his long leather jacket.

'Still as modest as ever then JB' he said, giving her a little shove in the shoulder with his.

'I'll never change' she replied, not really knowing what else to say she was still so shocked at him being there. She could feel his eyes burning into her already, two minutes alone with him and already all the memories of what attracted her to him in the first place came flooding back. Except this time she wouldn't act on it. He was a married man after all.

'So how's Hilde?' Jade asked after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

'She's fine, she's at work right now' said Stefan to explain his wife's absence.

'Ahhh I see' said Jade, twisting her hands into a knot in her lap. She then felt Stefan take them in his.

'Stop being so nervous, it's just me and I'm just here to see how you are. What I said to you on the phone was idiotic of me, completely unreasonable and I want to apologise for that right now. I'm sorry if what I said made you feel uncomfortable, it wasn't my intention' he said softly.

'So what was your intention exactly?' asked Jade, her tone cutting. Stefan felt his insides wince, remembering the bile Jade could spew when pissed off he hoped this wouldn't be one of those occasions.

'To let you know that if it could have been you, it would have been you I married. I didn't want you to think I just got over you and married someone else. You have been at the back of my mind since you left, but that doesn't mean I should have just spilled my guts to make myself feel better. No doubt it pissed you off' said Stefan with a sigh.

'It was Hilde I felt for, to have her new husband tell me she was his second choice, I hurt for her when you told me that' said Jade truthfully.

'I love Hilde, I really do and I am happy being with her. But it isn't even one pinch of the love I felt for you, and I just thought you should know that' said Stefan as he let go of her hands and gave her a hug.

'Well, I am pleased you found someone you are happy with, you deserve it when you aren't being an ass' said Jade, pulling herself back from his arms and reaching for her cigarettes.

'Oh I'm an ass? How about the time I did all your laundry and you shouted at me like a goddamned harpy for dying one of your white tops baby blue?' said Stefan.

'Well it was a Versace!' said Jade in retaliation as she giggled, remembering how she had blown up at him over it, and how hurt he was since he had only tried to be helpful.

'Oh Versace! Kill me now for crimes against fashion' laughed Stefan, holding his hands up and smiling at her, before they spent an hour together reminiscing of their time as lovers. Speaking of the term lovers, it was then that Stefan brought the topic around to the current state of her love life.

'So, that Jim guy I met earlier, he wasn't just your friend was he? Was he?' he repeated when at first Jade just coloured up a little and didn't answer.

'He's a friend I fuck, nothing else' replied Jade, lifting herself up on her elbow on the bed to look at Stefan.

'And you are happy with that arrangement?' asked Stefan, before blowing three neat smoke rings from his mouth and looking back at her over the tops of his long eyelashes.

'Absolutely, with everything that went on with Phil I just don't want another relationship. Jim gives me the best of both worlds, great sex and great friendship' said Jade, noticing Stefan pull a face.

'Well, if you think about it, what really divides friends and lovers? Sex. So in actual fact you are with this man, and he's with you. But neither of you are labelling it as a relationship is all' said Stefan plainly with a shrug.

'But we aren't though Stef, really we aren't' Jade protested.

'If he didn't feel anything for you at all, he wouldn't have kissed you right in front of me. It was a defiance thing. He was showing me loud and clear 'She's mine'. Men notice these kinds of things you know skjønn piken' said Stefan. Skjønn piken was something he had always called her; Norwegian for 'Beautiful girl'.

'If you say so' said Jade nonchalantly.

'One day you will know I was right' said Stefan with a little knowing grin, before they went back to talking about their past together, and all the other times she hadn't believed him over something he had observed and been proved wrong. It was a nice walk down memory lane, and when Stefan left to collect Hilde from work Jade was glad their little chat had cleared the air. She could think of him more fondly again, and not loathe the comment he had made which, if she ever heard it, would no doubt break his poor wife's heart.

She knew Stefan wasn't a nasty guy, he didn't have a bad bone in his body. But now he had double proved that to her something inside her made her feel a lot more settled about her past with him, which meant she could carry on with her future all the more easily. But one thing that did bug her was over what Stefan had noticed with Jim, something the man himself was getting a grilling over right at that point in time too.

'Confess, you have feelings for her' said Shaun, who was becoming more and more agitated with the set up Jade and Jim shared each day. He made no secret of the fact he didn't like Jade at all, and didn't like Jim spending so much of his time with her.

'Shaun, what business is it of yours even if I do have feelings for her, which I don't?' asked Jim as they both stood at the bar at the restaurant they had attended to get food.

'It's my business because you are in my band brother, that's why. I wanna know if your pursuits off the stage are going to start affecting what goes on when we are on the stage, doing our job. It isn't your job to come on tour and find yourself a Helena replacement, it's your job to play guitar' said Shaun with a sniff. Jim could hardly believe his ears.

'Number one, if you were any kind of a friend or 'brother' to use your term to me then you would know straight off Jade and I are just friends, and you'd also know I don't want to replace a girl I broke up with like nine months ago now, and you'd also not talk to me like you own me because Shaun, you don't. So are you my friend? I did think so up until now but after what I just heard it’s making me think otherwise. And if you carry on getting on my back about it then I really don't want to associate with you at all unless it's on stage, and right now I see no stage, so fuck off' spat Jim. Shaun considered his words carefully before he replied.

'See, you have even developed the same shitty attitude she has. Go on Jim, keep lying to yourself' said the burly bearded percussionist as he walked away from his guitarist, who turned back to the bar and forced a smile at the pretty barmaid who put a drink in front of him. Sinking the drink in front of him and ordering another moments after was the only thing he could think of at that time to quell his rage. He knew that in his own strange little way Shaun was just concerned for him and looking out for him, but still Jim wouldn't be spoken to like that by anyone, be it self appointed leader of the band he was in or anyone else for that matter. He was 27 years old, old enough to make his own judgements on his own private life. Later on that night he found himself pulled aside again over his intentions towards Jade, but this time he wouldn't get quite so angry.

'Jade, you have two guests to see you. Can I show them in?' asked tour manager Malcolm as Jade re applied her sweated off make up back stage twenty minutes after the shows end.

'Yeah sure Mal' she replied, dotting her liquid blusher onto her cheeks and rubbing it in vigorously as Malcolm went back over to the dressing room door and let in Stefan and Hilde.

'Jade! It is, how to say, much pleasure to meet you. Stefan tell me so much about you, I feel like already I know you' said Hilde warmly in her broken English as she reached out and hugged Jade. Jade reciprocated the hug and smiled at Stefan over Hilde's shoulders. He had good taste, Hilde was not only stunning but seemed every inch the lovely girl he had told Jade she was.

'You stay in Norway long time? Or does tour go soon?' Hilde then asked, tucking a lock of her red hair behind her ear.

'Only until tomorrow, then we fly to Germany' said Jade.

'Oh! I have German cousins! They live in Munich, do you know?' asked Hilde, trying to ask Jade if she knew Munich at all.

'Not well no, I've only been once before' replied Jade, who ushered Hilde into a seat and fetched her a drink, attentive hostess that she was. She was just about to ask Stefan what he was drinking when she saw him over in the other corner chatting to Jim alone.

'She told me earlier what was happening with you two. I just wanted to say, please look after her. She's a very special girl' said Stefan kindly.

'Erm, well as I'm not her guy it isn't my job to look after her, but I do anyway because she is my friend' said Jim, really wishing people would just keep their noses out.

'Well, that much remains to be seen. She could use a guy like you, you seem...... level headed, together. She could do a lot worse' said Stefan, to which Jim just half smiled and nodded.

'I know that look, the way you look at her. I know it because it was the way I used to look at her too. That's why I'm asking you to look after her, because whether you know it yet or not, she's yours to look after. No one else’s' said Stefan. Jim was about to reply when he spoke again.

'I said this to her earlier, but stop and take a look at yourselves, I think you will see two people who are more than just friends' he finished, patting Jim on the shoulder and returning to his wife's side. Jim just snorted quietly and swigged his beer, still not understanding why in order for them to feel comfortable with it everyone else with two cents to say on the matter had to keep labelling him and Jade. They were happy with how they were, so why in the hell couldn't everyone else be? Yet for days afterwards, what Stefan had told him plagued his mind. The softly spoken Norwegian had suddenly given him a lot to consider. He found himself lying awake on the nights he spend by her side, just watching her sleep, trying to work out if it was a friendly affection and strong sexual attraction he felt for her, or something more. He didn't know, and whenever he asked himself 'is it a yes or a no?' he just couldn't answer.

So he at least tried to not think about it, before his actions no doubt reflected his thoughts. There was enough talk already out there, something various members of each band decided to do something about when several members of the rock press were invited to an after show party at a venue on the French leg of the tour. Of course, all the whisperings were stating they hoped to find out what was going on behind the scenes of the chaotic tour, and the state of Hellbound's singers love life was up there on the agenda; and didn't the bands know it.

'It's so gonna fuck with their heads, for real dude it's gonna be hilarious' said Jess as she, Charlotte, Jo, Jade, Joey and Jim all sat in a group spreading over two tables back stage after a gig, assorted press mingling. The noise was deafening as someone blasted out 'Slaughtered' by Pantera, and one journalist attempted to enter the circle of friends and talk to Jade, who suddenly decided their 'head fuck' plan had to swing firmly into motion. She got up out of her seat and took the four steps it was to get to where Sid was sat, then sat down astride him.

'Come here baby' she purred, before sticking out her tongue and feeding him an ecstasy pill. After he had taken it with his own tongue (the flash of a photographers camera capturing the moment) Sid just carried right on kissing Jade as anyone who wasn't in on the plan sat there with their jaws hanging on the floor. Slipknot and Hellbound -1, media - 0.

'Oh my god that's hot!' laughed Charlotte as she watched them kissing, things getting more steamy by the second as Sid pushed his hands to her chest and Jade raked her nails down either side of his shaved head. Jim was not amused. And he hated the fact that a huge green eyed monster called jealousy was lurking dangerously close to the surface of his being as he watched Sid and Jade come up for air.

'Okay so dude I've seriously got a boner, get off me now or I'm never gonna let you go!' hissed Sid in Jade's ear as they both started to laugh and she got up off him, giving one journalist she particularly loathed a sneer and sauntering off to fetch a bottle of vodka from a nearby table while Sid smirked. Jim watched Jade leave the dressing room once she had the vodka, and got up to follow her. Walking along the hallway of the venue behind her Jim suddenly surged forward and grabbed her by the top of the arm, using the other to open a door to the side and then swing her straight into what turned out to be a utility closet.

'Funny it was, but I hated watching you kiss Sid' said Jim, inches from her face, staring intensely at her.

'Jealous huh?' quipped Jade, licking her top lip. Jim went to speak, then changed his mind at the last minute and said something else.

'I don't like sharing my toys' he stated, then pressed his mouth to hers, grabbing so hard the bottle of vodka slid from her hand and smashed on the floor as he picked her up and slammed her body to the wall. He had to have her there and then, and went about it by firstly tearing her slashed up top off her and sinking his teeth into the top of one of her breasts, biting it so hard he drew blood and she screamed in pain.

'Shut the fuck up' he said, dark eyes staring into hers as he kissed her fiercely again, the stinging pain in her left breast making her feel light headed. It was so painful it felt like a snake had bitten her. He then broke the zip of her jeans in his haste to get them off her body, and only half succeeded in getting the skin tight garments halfway down her legs before deciding to duck underneath them.
She wrapped her legs, still half clad in jeans around his waist and felt his fingers push into her roughly as he sucked her neck and pulled her hair, balancing her weight on his one arm underneath her. Jade let out a long 'Ahhhh' as his fingers found her g spot and began to pummel into it hard, making her just wet enough to take his cock, which with the hand she didn't have around his neck had just been pulled free from his fly. He positioned himself at the entrance of her pussy and let her sink down on him, both groaning with gratification as he filled her completely. As he began to fuck her mercilessly against the cold stone wall, Jade could hear the song 'Animal' by a little known of band called Prick blasting loudly through the walls, and had to smirk at the irony.

'They're playing your song' she whispered, before he began to fuck her so hard no words could possibly come out. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled it hard as she felt his nails scratch into her side, and his teeth hard at her neck. She bucked her hips forward toward him more as each delicious thrust inside her hit her in all the right places over and over, digging the 4 inch heels of her boots into his bare ass cheeks, his jeans sliding from his body down his legs as he continued to pump into her body so hard she could feel her spine bruise as it crashed into the wall under the force he fucked her with. She tried to pull his shirt up over his head, but couldn't manage, so tore it straight down the front and pressed her chest to his, feeling the sweat from him mingle with hers across her clammy body.

'This is sex' she thought just as he pulled her head to the side and bit her neck hard again, fucking her faster and faster as he groaned deep in his throat and felt himself start to cum. She wasn't even close, but from out of nowhere a white hot heat tore up through her body, she slammed her head back against the wall as his body pounded against hers and screamed at the top of her voice, coming against him with a whole body shake, her nails tearing down his back as she felt him start to slow inside of her. How he felt about her exactly, he didn't know. But what he felt at that moment was one thing he could be certain of, and that was the pleasant muscle contractions from a very wet pussy he enjoyed sticking his cock in on a regular basis. At least he could always be sure of that much if nothing else.