Fallen Embers

With in a half hour, Sabrina, her band, and Green Day along with the SNL cast was walking towards the bar that was rented out for the after party. The paparazzi followed along snapping pictures as the crowd moved along the sidewalk. Sabrina and Beth were at the head of the line and bits of their conversation filtered through the night air to the next two people walking. The more they walked the friendlier Beth and Sabrina became. They became comrades in arms over the 'rock stars' in their lives.

Mike and Tre could hear that both women were bitching about men and "god damn asshole rock stars who think they can grope a woman anytime they feel like it." Tre was upset that Sabrina wasn't as friendly as he had hoped. She still was upset about the LA incident. Mike on the other hand couldn't fathom why Beth was so angry at him. He racked his brain to see of he had met her before and dissed her somehow, but nothing came to mind.

Billie and Adie followed behind his Green Day band mates. The sour looks on both Mike and Tre's faces showed that they were not happy with what the females in the front were saying about them. "Geez, Bill..." Adie began to say as she snuggled up closer to her husband, "Do you think that those crazy kids will ever figure it out?"

"I hope so before the tour starts or it is going to be a powder keg." Billie said as he nuzzled his wife's neck.

"Hey Mike..." Tre said as he nudged the taller man's arm.

"What man?"

"Amy was right; she does have a rockin ass." Tre laughed and pointed at Sabrina's behind swaying as she walked.

Mike cocked his head and watched the scenery in front of them, "Yes Tre, actually they BOTH do." He admitted with a chuckle. He turned serious again, "You know Tre," he said while nodding his head towards the women in front of them. "Those two could be dangerous together. We should send in the reinforcements." Tre nodded his agreement and they both turned behind them and looked at Billie and Adie and gestured to Beth and Sabrina.

Adie and Billie looked at each other and Adie smiled and started walking faster. She quickly went by Mike and Tre who slowed down to let Billie catch up. She walked until she met up with Sabrina and Beth. Soon all three women were commiserating together, which made Billie raised an eyebrow since his wife was supposed to be on their side.

Suddenly a man sprinted past the Green Day men. Jimmy Fallon ran up to the women and draped an arm around Sabrina and Beth. The giggles of the females drifted back to the men. Tre frowned and wondered why those women wouldn't giggle for him. Mike on the other watched Beth treat Jimmy completely differently then she would treat himself felt hurt. The further they walked, the hurt changed to anger.

Beth's laughter kept grating on Mike's nerves and the more she laughed the angrier he became. All of a sudden Mike started to walk faster and faster gaining on the group ahead of him. When he got alongside of them he grabbed Beth's arm and propelled her forward. He continued to walk until he and Beth were well ahead of everyone.

"Unhand me asshole!" she shouted as she tried to wrestle her arm from his viselike grasp.

"What the fuck is your problem? He snarled. "What have I ever done to you?"

"I know your kind, you fucking rock stars... and that goes for your little drummer buddy back there too!" Beth hissed under her breath.

Mike heard her words and pulled her face till it was just scant inches from his own. "I don't know what your problem is bitch, but I have had it up to here with you."

Beth glared at him with such a burning intensity that made him drop her arm from his grip. She automatically moved her hand to rub the sore spot and growled when she saw Mike's red hand print against her white skin.

Mike heard her growl and glanced to see what she was looking at and saw the result of his grip on her arm. His shoulders dropped as he felt bad for giving her a mark and when he raised his head to apologize, her second slap to his face sounded like a gunshot through the night air. He stopped dead at her force and watched her walk away from him. Sabrina, Jimmy, and Adie walked past him with confused looks upon their faces as they booked it to catch up with Beth who hadn't slowed down. As Billie and Tre came up behind him, Mike fell into step with them.

"What was that all about?" Tre asked sounding puzzled.

"I have no fucking idea, she's been like this since day 1 of meeting me, and it's now beginning to piss me off. No more Mr. Nice Guy... I'm tired of finishing last!" he growled rubbing his still stinging cheek.

When they arrived at the bar, Mike led the way to the bar and bellied up to it barking his order to the bartender. A double shot of Jack Daniels appeared in front of him, which he downed neatly with a slight flick of his wrist.

"Damn, Mike... I haven't seen you drink like that in ages," Billie said before nudging the drummer beside him, "Now Tre... we see like that everyday." He laughed.

"Ass... " Tre muttered before placing his own order, "I'll take a shot of tequila" he said to turning to the bartender.

"What, no cheech?" Mike inquired.

"Nah.... I'm not in the mood. I need something much harder tonight, since also like you... a certain woman has an effect on me." he said as he watched Sabrina and Beth move across the crowded room to the band which was playing at the stage area which sat along one wall of the bar room.

Sabrina and the girls entered the bar and looked around to see what was going on. Thankfully, Toby had let SNL know that a DJ would be killed on sight and with a smile she saw a band taking a break at the front of the room. Beth moved up along side of Sabrina, "Want a drink?" she asked the older woman.

"Yea, but I'm heading to the see the band first." came the reply from the blonde.

"Okay, I'm following you Sab." Beth answered back.

The two musicians walked across the room to the stage where the band was relaxing on a break. After introductions, in which the band was very happy to meet the two women, Sabrina gestured for a waitress and ordered up a round of shots for everyone. She gave their order to the waitress who then made her way through the crowd and to the bar next to where Mike and Tre sat drinking shots.

"Hey I need five shots of JB, a shot of JD, and a shot of SOTB." She rattled off her order to the bartender who had developed a puzzled look on his face.

"SOTB?" he asked.

"Yea, Sex on the beach for the Snow White looking chick with Sabrina Sanders."

"Ok. Five shots of Jim Beam, one shot of Jack Daniels, and a sex on the beach shot for Snow White... there you go." He said as he placed the drinks on a tray for the waitress.

"It's Beth Pritchard god dammit, not fucking Snow White!" Beth said smartly as she came up behind the waitress to relay another order. "And oh, Sabrina said to make her JD a triple and just put it in a rocks glass."

Tre and Mike looked at each other in surprise of Beth's comment. They watched her take her shot from the tray, and give them a quick salute and toss back the shot and then slam the empty glass to the counter. "How about another one for Snow White." she muttered as she turned around to go back to where Sabrina was.

"Did she say her last name was Pritchard?" Mike asked with an odd look on his face.

"She did; 'Pritchard', you are so fucked dude." Tre muttered as he motioned for another shot for him and Mike.

"What was that?" she said turning around to glare at them.

"Nothing, I didn't say a thing." Tre stuttered quickly. With one last glare, Beth walked away.

As the young woman went away Mike watched her move across the floor. He was lost in thought until Tre jolted him back to earth, "You got it bad for her don't you?"

"Now, why would I have it bad for her? She treats me like dirt... " Mike muttered into his shot glass.

"She treat's you like dirt, that's why. You've become a masochist." Tre suggested, "Cause I can see it in your eyes... man, you got it bad."

"I wouldn't fuckin' talk, Tre... you're the same way with Sab." Mike barked back to his friend.

"Sab? Since when are you calling her Sab?" Tre asked with an annoyed look on his face.

"Since we went to Plattsburgh... remember..." Mike replied.

Tre didn't answer as his mind wandered back to the fact that Mike and Sabrina got it on with each other after the divorce was finalized. About a half hour later as he still pondered that thought, a wailing guitar sound emanated from the stage area.

They crowd turned to the sound and saw Sabrina onstage with an electric guitar slung around her shoulder. After a few power chords she got onto the mic, "This is going out to my friend Billie." She gestured to the drummer who began a kick drum beat, and she started the notes for 'Gimmie Three Steps'.

Billie started laughing at Sabrina and her throwing down of the gauntlet. "I'll be right back, got to take the dare, Adie." He said with a smile as he started to make his way to the stage. He ended up running to the stage, where he jumped up and grabbed a guitar and joined the band playing the Lynyrd Skynyrd song with more zest them Sabrina thought he could muster up.

The song ended with a bang and Sabrina threw her arm around Billie and pulled him toward the mic. "Damn, I didn't think you had it in you Armstrong, but you sucked it up. I bow to your greatness..." she laughed as she sunk to knees and touched her forehead to the ground in front of Billie.

The crowd went wild at the sight of Sabrina on her knees in front of Billie. "While you're down there... " he said with a smile playing across his lips, "I heard that is talent of yours."

"Oh?" she said with a smile of her own, "I thought that's what Tre said about you." She winked at the crowd who roared at the retort.

Billie's eyes went wide as he realized his plan backfired so he just shrugged his shoulders, smiled and winked back to the crowd himself and pulled her up to stand next to him.

Beth made her way to the stage with her drink in her hand. Somehow she got up there and stood next to Billie and Sabrina, "Let's hear it for the duet!" She said as she grabbed a guitar. "I wanna duet... " she muttered not realizing the mic had picked up her words. She stood up and said louder, "Any takers?"

The room grew quiet as the young woman stood there, "Anyone?"

Mike was going to speak up but say that Tre had beaten him to the punch and was wondering toward the stage himself. "I will Snow White."

She blinked at the drummer standing in front of her with a sly smile on his face. She smiled at him and gestured him to come closer, "Call me Snow White one more time and I'll cut off your last ball!" she whispered to him.

Tre's eyes just about bugged out of his head at her words and as he backed away a hand snaked down to cover his remaining ball, "Ahh never mind, I just had the sudden urge for another shot." He said as he turned and high tailed it back to the bar where a laughing Mike awaited him. "Man, she IS vicious." Tre said to Mike as he ordered yet another shot.

Beth watched him walk away and kicked herself mentally. She frowned and set the guitar down and left the stage. "Another one abandons me." She muttered as she blindly walked or rather stumbled into Horatio. She looked up at him and blushed and excused herself as she headed out the door. The large man followed her outside and stopped her from walking away from the bar. After about 10 minutes, Beth re-appeared inside and snagged a waitress, "More drinks!"

A little while later that night; Beth and Sabrina were discussing the finer points of asshole men. "God damn Tre, how dare he leave me? The asshole!" Sabrina said as she raised her shot glass for a toast with the younger woman.

"Here's to Tre being an asshole!" Beth agreed raising her glass to clink it with Sabrina's.

"Excuse me? What the fuck did you say?" Sabina said as she eyed the younger woman.

"I was only fucking agreeing with you, don't jump down MY throat! God Dammit!" Beth shouted back.

"Well just because you have issues with Mike.... don't push that onto Tre, Beth."

Beth blinked and grew angry with the words being said, "Issues?? I don't have fucking issues! You're the one with issues! Still googly eyed in love with a man you're...still in love with!" she turned back to nurse her shot. "Fucking do something about it already..."

Sabrina lost it then, "What the fuck... Who the FUCK are YOU to tell me....ANYTHING little girl?" she stood up and got into Beth's face.

Beth didn't back down as she stood and got nose to nose with the taller woman. "Little? Oh don't get all condescending with me! 'Miss I'm So Great Because I'm 45 And Dressing Like I'm 25'!!!"

Mike and Tre were already moving through the crowd towards the fighting women and were in earshot at the last comment Beth said, "Shit." Mike said as he said as Sabrina puffed up and got ready to mop the floor with Beth.

"Sab is going to kill Beth," Tre said as he pushed people out of the way, "You grab her and I'll get Beth." Tre slid in between the two women and gently moved Beth off to the side and away from Sabrina. Mike stood in front of Sabrina waited until she saw him standing there.

"Sab?" he said quietly in order to get her attention.

She blinked a few times, before realizing that Mike was front of her instead of Beth, "Wow what just happened?" she asked as she tried to get her bearings.

"Booze..." he said with a smirk. "Come on... let's go over here for a minute." and the two of them walked back toward the bar.

Tre had successfully moved Beth out of Sabrina's reach, but the younger woman was still angry, "Fucking woman... Jesus... You know she is still in love with you?" she said to the man trying to lead her to the other end of the room. Tre ignored the woman until he moved her way out of Sabrina's eyesight. "HELLO... earth to drummer.... did you fucking hear me?"

"Yea, but I am not going to respond." He said as he kept her moving.

"What is it with you fucking rock stars..." she said as her voice rose in tone. "Jesus are you all condescending assholes or what?"

Tre blinked at the woman and laughed, "Umm, my name is Tre... not Mike." he said with a smirk which grated on her.

Beth just seethed at his words and turned and walked away from the drummer and headed back toward where Sabrina and Mike were. Tre was still laughing until he realized WHERE she was heading... and quickly tried to get to her before she got to them.

Beth reached Sab and Mike and with a delicate arm shoved Mike in the back as hard as she could, "FUCKING ASSHOLE!" she screamed.

Mike was caught off balanced and flew into Sabrina knocking them both to the ground. Tre finally arrived on the scene and when Sabrina saw him, "I thought you were babysitting her."

"Well I was... and then she moved too fast." he complained.

"You fucking weren't playing attention I'm sure..." Sabrina grumbled at her ex-husband.

"Who the fuck pissed in your Cheerios this morning, Sabrina?"

"Fuck off Tre... "

Mike finally stood back up and watched the scene unfolding before him. Sab and Tre were nose to nose arguing... and Beth was poking him in the chest. "All you fucking rock stars are all the fucking same. 'Mr. I'm a Big Fucking Shot'."

"What the fuck is your problem?" Mike asked Beth.

"You; you arrogant cocksucking motherfucker... " she spit back at him. Mike just threw his hands up in the air and turned around to walk away from the crazy woman screaming at him. "Don't walk away from me!" she screamed at him. "Don't you fucking walk away from me!"

She grabbed his shoulder and tried to spin him around. Mike stopped and tried to look at her as if she was a pest but was actually memorized by how she looked at that moment. Her face was pale except for two bright read spots on her checks from the anger; her lips were pursed as she looked at him. She was breathing a little heavy and he saw her ample chest rise and fall.

Mike closed the distance between them and grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss. Her eyes went wide as she got caught by surprise but Beth quickly closed them and gave into the kiss for a quick moment; until he pulled back from her and turned and walked away.

She shook her head and saw he was leaving her again. She quickly followed him and grabbed his arm. "No one walks away from me anymore."

He turned to look at her again, and she grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him in for a kiss. After allowing herself to enjoy it for a moment, she pulled away and said "I walk away..." Beth spun on her heel and walked back toward the crowd that had formed to watch the soap opera being preformed right in front of them in the middle of the bar room. Mike watched her walk away and he still could taste her lips on his own.

Beth walked over to where Sabrina and Tre were still bickering back and forth. She grabbed the blonde by her arm, "We're leaving this place."

Sabrina allowed the younger woman to pull her away from Tre and propel her outside where the cool summer air hit her face. The woman started to sober up a little, "Wait! What the fuck just happened? I have never argued with Tre before... EVER! What the fuck?" she turned to look at Beth, "Whatever you have Beth it's contagious."

"Whatever... I'm not contagious Sab." She replied.

"I have to go apologize to Tre; I have never fought with him before." Sabrina said while she tried to turn around.

"There's a first for everything," Beth said as she pulled the blonde back to face away from the bar. "You can do it later. I want to go back to the penthouse and you're walking with me."

Sabrina sighed as the younger women continued. "Besides it's not like we all aren't going to be staying in the same house or anything."

"Fine..." Sabrina said with once last look toward the bar. "Let's go... " she said defeated.

Meanwhile back in the bar the crowd was stunned and didn't know what to say, especially Mike or Tre. Mike went back to the bar and was nursing yet another double shot of JD while Tre just sat at a table stunned at the first fight that he and Sabrina had just had. Mike picked up his glass and one for Tre and moved over to where the drummer was sitting. "Here... you look as though you need this." He said as he pushed a shot glass towards Tre waiting hand.

"Wait... what happened with you and Beth?" Tre asked, "Did you two kiss?"

"Yup" the bass player said calmly, looking up from the table top.

"Did she then pull you back for another kiss?" he asked again.

"Yup." was the answer again from Mike.

"Was she any good?"

"Yup."

"Did you get a woody?" Tre asked starting to sound like normal Tre.

"Yup... " he said.

"Want to kiss her again?"

Mike sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know.... she hates me so, and I have never felt so much anger toward a woman as I feel towards her. She says these horrible things and then I just want to throw her on the nearest flat surface and show her other wise." the man admitted.

"I know that feeling..." the younger man sighed.

"Tre my friend, we are two of a kind... both fucked up by these wild women."

"Yup... they draw us to them like a moth to a flame."

"I'll drink to that." Mike said and raised his glass to Tre's. They clinked glass and drank the alcohol both lost in their own thoughts.

When everyone else made it back to Sabrina's home, Tre wanted to check up on the woman to make sure she was ok. Tre knocked lightly at her door and when hearing no answer, he pushed it open to peer inside. He could see the bed was empty, so he pushed the door open and quietly moved into the room. He glanced around and finally spied her. She was sitting at a small table on her private balcony drinking from a bottle of wine.

Sabrina was lost in her musing until she heard the click of the door. She looked up and saw Tre standing there watching her. She gestured for him to join her and pushed over the bottle of wine to his grasp. She saw him bring it to his lips and swallow. He passed it back to her and she once again held it almost lovingly in her hands. She glanced over at him and smiled, "Your hair... I didn't notice it before. It's blonde... I like it."

He touched his hand to his head and smiled back as he settled into the chair across from the woman. They sat there in the early morning air listening to the sounds of the just wakening city filter up to where they were, when Sabrina broke the silence, "This is it, isn't it... the end... "

Tre glanced at her words and nodded his agreement. He saw her tilt her head back against the chair back and close her eyes. Tears began to leak out from her tightly closed lids and run down her face.

"For what's it worth, I'm sorry Tre. I know it means nothing now... everything has already been said and done, but I'm sorry. We weren't supposed to end like this; hell... we weren't supposed to end at all."

"I know, I'm sorry too." He replied to her. He watched her tears fall and turned back into his own thoughts, "Did you really mean what you said in the MTV interview?"

"About what?"

"About us," he said quietly as he looked back to her, "Did you really mean what you said about us?"

"Yes, I meant every word. I saw forever in your eyes Tre, and it scares me 'cause that's not there anymore. You are my one true love and always will be. That first dance in your room, something came over me and I knew. You were the one. You still are for me although I know that's not true for you anymore." She said as she ducked her head and played with her hands in her lap.

"Sabrina... "

"No let me finish, I need to say these things, Tre." He nodded and she continued. "I love you so much. That feeling has never changed for me. It won't ever change. I know that in this real world, we're done and you will go on to find somebody new." She shook her head, "I know that when that happens, I will be crushed, but such is life. I love you Tre, for now and for always."

Tre was speechless at the woman's words. He took a deep breath and said the words he knew he had to say to her, "I love you too Sabrina, but I can't be with you." He knew those words would cut her like a knife, but he had to say them.

She nodded and hung her head again. In her heart she knew him to be telling the truth and was glad that he did and not lead her on or give her false hope. She turned back towards him, "I know Tre, I know."

"You'll find someone... " he began in a vain effort to make her feel better.

"No, Tre. I won't. I'm done looking. Nothing will compare to what I feel for you and it's not worth the effort of failing yet again. I had what I wanted, and that will have to last me for the rest of my life."

"Is that story about your mom true?"

"Yes, it is. I never understood until now. She lived another 11 years without my father. Looking back, I think she was like a squirrel, storing away the memories for another time. To bring them out and relive them as needed." She smiled and glanced toward the sky, "I get it now Mom, I get it."

Tre hung his head at her words, "We need to move on, both of us..."

"You're right."

"Mike told me about you two... " he began, "but it's cool... I mean... I have gone on some dates as well."

Sabrina nodded her head at his statement but didn't say anything. They sat and the silence wrapped itself around the star crossed lovers. They sat and enjoyed each other's company and a new relationship began to form in those quiet moments as the grey night sky turned into the bright colors of dawn. They watched the sun come up over the water to begin its journey into the sky.

When Tre got up to leave the balcony, Sabrina broke the silence one more time, "Hey... Tre?"

He stopped and turned to face her and saw that she was looking at the floor rather than him. "Yea?" he asked her.

"Can you sometimes... you know... throw me a bone?"

"A bone?" he asked with eyebrows raised as a smile played on his lips.

"No, not a lay you dirty minded man." She smiled with affection to her ex husband. "I mean throw me a bone, as in maybe give me a hug here and there or stop and talk to me or something like that." She explained.

"Ohhh, I understand. Yes, I can do that Sabrina."

"And a t-shirt, can I have a t-shirt once and a while?" she said so quietly that he almost didn't hear her request.

"What?"

Sabrina blushed as she tried to explain what she meant. "A t-shirt. One day at the farm, I came across a t-shirt of yours that hadn't been washed yet. I smelled it and it still smelled of you; the mix of you and your cologne and your man-ness. I love that smell, I always have. I smell you when you hug me and I feel as though I'm safe, like nothing can harm me." She ducked her head and blushed harder. "I fall asleep with that t-shirt at night when I feel really alone. I hold it and I somehow don't feel so lonely anymore. It's been a couple months and the smell is disappearing... "

Tre smiled at his ex-wife, "Sure Sabrina, I can do that for you." He walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. Before he moved away he pulled something out of his pants pocket. "Open your hand." He said softy and he dropped her necklace with the two wedding bands into her hand, and closed her fingers around it with his own hand. He then turned and left her sitting there on the balcony.

Sabrina sat for a little while longer holding the rings tightly in her hand until finally deciding she was ready for bed. When she walked into her bedroom she smiled at what was laying in the middle of her bed.

A t-shirt.