Radiant Eclipse

"You almost ready in there babe?"

Johnny asked, as he thumbed through one of Ash's lyric books. It was the day after the girls had filmed the video, and the couple were about to have a date night.

"Just about. What do you think?"

Ash asked, as she emerged from her bathroom, in a plaid, strapless skater style dress.

"I'm thinking that I wouldn't mind spending a night in."

He replied, as he wrapped his hands around Ash's waist.

"Nuh, uh mister. I didn't spend all this time getting ready for nothing."

She pecked his lips, and slipped into black platform wedges. Grabbing her clutch, Ash let Johnny lead her out of Vengeance Manor and into his car.

"So, when do we get to see the video?"

He asked, as they stopped at a red light.

"When X sends the final cut to us, which should be in the next few days."

Later that night, Ash and Johnny sat in his car at the drive in while the first Friday The 13th movie played on the giant screen in front of them.

"Just out of curiosity, exactly how many times have you seen this movie?"

"Too many to count. But never with a lady as beautiful as you."

Ash rolled her eyes at him, but leaned over to kiss him anyway. Johnny deepened the kiss, while lowering his seat back at the same time. Once it was down as low as it would it go, Johnny pulled Ash over him, and slipped his hands under her dress. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip, and tugged on it before running her hands through his mohawk.

A couple cars over, Jess and Zacky were in the backseat of his car, a forgotten bag of twizzlers on the floor in front of them. Zack had Jess on her back, their shirts having just joined the candy. He was busy sucking a hickey into Jess' neck, when a knock on the window startled them.

"Um, excuse me?"

Came a squeaky voice from outside.

"Yes? Is there a problem?"

Zack replied.

"Um, the people in the cars around you, have reported, suspicious activities going on. And, I'm here to tell you that if it doesn't stop, that you will have to vacate the premises."

"I promise you nothing suspicious going on here. But if you insist ..."

Zack sat up and started to pout, waiting until the drive in worker walked away to let his opinion be known.

"Why do stupid pimply faced teenagers always have to ruin all the fun?!"

"You do realize that we were once in their place right?"

Jess replied, as she pulled her shirt back over her head. Zack said nothing in response, as he picked up the bag of twizzlers and angrily started munching on one. Once the movie was over, Jess and Zack stopped in the Carls JR drive thru while Ash and Johnny went back to Vengeance Manor.

"So, did you guys have as good a night as I did?"

Johnny asked Jess, when she sat on the couch next to them. When Jess said nothing and just pouted, Ash studied Jess for a few moments before she busted out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Zack asked.

"The fact that Jess is always the one that gets caught."

The red flushed both their faces, before Zack asked what she meant by always.

"You mean you haven't told him?!"

"Told me what?"

"Remember the night you guys surprised us, at the El Mo and I implied that Jess and I were known to police?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, one of her charges is indecent exposure. And that's why her and one of her exes are banned from the drive ins at the Polson Pier."

Ash finished in a fit of giggles.

"Now that we know one of Jess' charges, you have to spill one of yours."

Zack told Ash.

"Aside from all the drunk and disorderly's?"

"All of them? Exactly how many did you have?!"

"Enough to have a reserved spot in the drunk tank."

It was Jess' turn to giggle.

"Are you banned from anywhere?"

"A Subway restaurant on Queen Street. Bogus ass assault charge; I was defending myself and Jess from creepers. It got pleaded down but I'm still not allowed to go in there."

They sat and talked for awhile until both Ash and Jess started to nod off.

"Hey short shit!"

"What?"

"For the love of god, not a damn word to anyone about tonight."

"What's the magic word?!"

Ash smacked Johnny's chest, but he still stood there staring down Zack.

"Are you fucking serious you little shit?!"

"I could just go tell everyone right now."

Zack and Jess both narrowed their eyes at Johnny, before mumbling the word please at him. Johnny smugly thanked them, and narrowly missed getting hit by the throw pillow Zack had lobbed at him. The next few days passed, uneventfully, until the girls were in the studio to finish recording their album.

"What's going on?"

Mateja asked Ash, after she heard her gasp.

"X sent us the final cut of the video."

Excited, the girls hooked up Anne's laptop to the monitor in the studio, and screened it for everyone.

"I can't help but think, how the guys are going to react, when they finally see this."

Corinne whispered, as a disclaimer/warning flashed on the screen, before the start of the video.

"I would definitely climb that like a tree."

Jess remarked, when Ash's scenes with Austin came up. Ash just smirked, and said something about Zack and his not so secret jealous streak.

"I'm not sure, I want to even go home right now. The guys are not going to be happy."

Mateja saidm as she messed around on her guitar, once the video had come to a close.

"They're going to insist on getting script approval for every video that we do from now on. And make sure they get to supervise filming."

Corinne snorted, before she started on her vocal warmups. She had just nailed their reactions dead on. As soon as Larry forwarded X's email to the guys, Dan the Body, made an excuse to leave Vengeance Manor, and get as far away from the guys as possible.

"WHY THE HELL IS THERE A DISCLAIMER ON THE VIDEO?"

Zack yelled, as soon as they had pressed play. Over the next four minutes and thirteen seconds, the guys' mood had changed from jovial to royally pissed.

"He is so going to get it from me, in a few weeks."

Matt muttered, referring to George Ragan, aka Johnny 3 Tears, and the fact that the Nightmare After Christmas tour was due to start soon.

He didn't say anything, but it was quite obvious, that Johnny wasn't the least bit happy, when he saw Ash all over Austin Carlile. Johnny clenched and unclenched his fists, as he watched her tongue lick a trail from his belly up to his neck.

"I ought to hunt that punk down, and give him a piece of my mind."

Brian growled, as he saw Mike shotgun the smoke into Anne's mouth. Zack looked like he wanted to pick up his laptop and throw it into the pool. He said nothing as the camera panned up, Jess dropped her robe, and climbed into the shower with Craig. The second Padge had even looked at Mateja, Jimmy muttered darkly, about buying a flight to Wales, and paying the guitarist a visit.

"We need to go have a talk with Larry about this."

"Stupid question, but why?"

"Think about it Z," Jimmy replied. "He's in charge of our schedule and theirs. He obviously knew what was going to happen. Why do you think we were loaded down with pointless photo shoots and interviews that day?"

"We should probably have a talk with the girls too."

Johnny piped up, finally.

In an effort to quell the homicidal thoughts, the Brian, Johnny, and Jimmy raided Zack's liquor cabinet, while Matt and Zack fired up the Xbox. As she did her own vocal warmups, out in the hallway, Ash spied a picture of some very familiar faces.

"Can you imagine if the tour with them actually happened?"

Anne asked, as she came to stand beside Ash. The girls had been due to tour with Three Days Grace and Theory Of A Deadman, but due to health reasons on behalf of Three Days Grace, the tour had been cancelled. The girls however, had quickly been added to the Simple Plan cross Canada tour, at the last minute.

"Does Brian know anything?"

"Nope. Johnny?"

"Nope. It'd probably be best, for now anyway, that it stays that way."

Anne quietly agreed, as they were called back into the studio.

"I Get Off?! Really Ash, really?"

Mateja raised an eyebrow at her, when she picked up her bass.

"I would like to take this time out to clarify something. I only helped with some of the lyrics. The ginger over there is actually responsible for the bulk of it. And to think she wanted no part of Fuck You To Death."

Ash mock shook her head at Corinne, and laughed as she took her place to start recording the rest of her bass parts. A long thirteen hours later, and the girls had finally wrapped the recording of their major label debut. After a celebratory drink, their gear was locked up safely in the studio, and the girls were ferried home by taxi.

"What do we have left to do, now that everything is off for mastering?"

Jess asked, as she and Ash crept into the kitchen at Vengeance Manor for a late night snack.

"Relax, rehearse, and wait for the beginning of the NAC tour."

Ash replied, as she reached for the box of Ritz Bitz crackers and the jar of cheez whiz. Jess grabbed the open bottle of red wine and two glasses; and the girls settled into watch A Nightmare On Elm Street, on the living room couch where they eventually fell asleep. Later that day, the girls headed back to the studio, so they could pack up their gear, and move it over to their tour rehearsal space. The guys had volunteered to help with the move; all having decided to corner the girls, Dan and Larry at the space, while they demanded an explanation for the video.

"I think that's everything, gear wise. Should I check on the merch?"

Ash asked, as she sat on a couch in the rehearsal space, laptop in hand.

"I think you should wait. We have a question to ask you all."

Zack replied, as he motioned to himself and his bandmates.

"Alright, then. Shoot."

"DOES ANYONE WANT TO EXPLAIN THAT VIDEO? AND HOW THE HELL COULD YOU TWO LET IT HAPPEN?!"

Brian spoke for all of them, directing most of their ire towards Dan and Larry; both of whom had tried to avoid their gaze.

"How could you not tell us about all of that?!"

This time, Matt directed the band's ire towards the girls.

"Because we knew this is how you guys would react. But seriously though, I think you all need to calm the fuck down."

Ash replied.

"Give us one good reason why we should!"

Johnny challenged her.

"Because it was just for a fucking video. That's it. But if you guys still want to stand there and pout, then go do it somewhere else. We have a tour to rehearse for."

Ash rolled her eyes and scoffed, as she abandoned her laptop and headed straight for her gear. The girls followed suit, and eventually Larry forced the guys out to give the girls space to breathe and get set up. After the girls ran through their proposed set twice, the guys returned, proverbial tails between their legs. After a talk, which included Larry giving them a tongue lashing, the guys had agreed that they had overreacted and planned to make it up to the girls. Each couple went their separate ways, which included Ash to Johnny's place for the first time to enjoy each other, and the rest of their time off.