Might as Well Face it, You're Addicted to Love (Joe Perry/Nikki Sixx)

Chapter 141: Retrospective III (I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing-Part 1) (Both POVs)

-Joe-

Where do I begin? But begin I shall, starting with looking back on 1998 after mine & Nikki's 10th wedding anniversary/2nd Honeymoon. I remember very well our arrival home that May 26, 1998, date. Our five children: Josephine, Amara, Frankie, Tony & James are waiting for us at our home along with the Adler-Lee clan who stayed around for a little while after. Anyway, Nikki cried...I cried, we all cried, hugging one another just TOGETHER and then we realized or SAW rather what the kids had done (having help of course): The house was spotless, vases of Nikki's favorite roses & my favorite flowers (their coloring reminding me of my beloved's eyes), A gift basket containing mine & Nikki's favorite foods, things we liked (Josephine's idea), and all the pictures she'd taken of her & her siblings while we were gone. All of it was SO fucking special, meant so much & that evening we spent together as a family....

After the date of our homecoming passed, things began to get busy.... There was the premiere of 'Armageddon' on June 31, along with the soundtrack release. And sure, enough just as Nikki had predicted, 'I don't Wanna Miss a thing' went to no. 1 on the charts, Aerosmith's first ever number 1. It was huge, so fucking huge & became one of the greatest love songs of all time & I can't give ENOUGH credit to my husband, its cause of HIM. Nikki was & Is always the inspiration......The rest of the year after June was spent doing a little tour (Mӧtley for 'Saints of Los Angeles'), taking a family vacation to the house I'd rented for mine & Nikki's 2nd honeymoon. And as always our family came first thru EVERYTHING. We celebrated birthdays: mine, followed by Amara's 6th, then Josephine's 10th....10th!! Her birthday was memorable, just the seven of us...and it hit Nikki & I hard just HOW MUCH she was growing up.... then after the birthdays we had the greatest Thanksgiving & Christmas & then came New Years, which leads us into 1999....

-Nikki-

Before getting into 1999....now, burrowing deeper into my Jo-Jo Bears embrace feeling the beat of his heart, breathing in his much-loved scent of Sandalwood & roses....I feel Joe gently squeeze me tighter, murmuring to me..., "I remember, you turning 40....me 48, and it didn't scare me like I'd thought it would when I was young. Hell, I didn't THINK I'd live to see those ages.... but YOU, YOU changed all that, as I have said many times.... changed it all the night we met all those years ago. We were alive & together, and I truly mean it when I say...you only get more beautiful every year. It's how I see you, how I always have really."

I feel the onset of tears before I answer with, "It was amazing then & now, I wouldn't have lived either if you hadn't had saved my life more than once Joe. Really, we saved each other."

Truer words have never been spoken...

Now, on to 1999: This would be the year my band took another kind of sort of hiatus of sorts not that we didn't work together or begin to work on projects etc. For instance, we collectively as a band started to work on our band's autobiography which you know as 'The Dirt' the Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band', which would be released May 22, 2001 & be a HUGE bestseller. I'd hesitated initially, because of the whole reliving the past and what a HUGE asshole I was & all that bullshit. Before anything happened, I talked to Joe who would tell me, "Nikki.... I know how hard a lot of things are or were, but I think it would be amazing, something to be proud of sharing the story of your band. I believe in you honeybee." Those words stuck with me. And indeed, Joe was behind me every step of the way during writing & the book would also include a lot of parts dedicated to him, or rather US I should say.

1999 would also be the year Aerosmith took a 'breather' of sorts in that at LAST Mick & Brad had their 2nd & last child. Their daughter was born on June 21, 1999. Brad & Mick named her Jade Andromeda Mars. Brad had had a hard time after Bobby Mars conceiving again which I know just how much that hurt. Still, she was healthy despite birthing complications, and all turned out well.... As always for our extended families and our own, they came first.... our children did.

So, 1999, a breath away from a new millennium.... a year filled with tears, music, FAMILY & the joy & thrill of being ALIVE. It also meant The Hollywood Vampires would be formed officially, and Tommy Lee would form a rap-metal band...so everyone kind of did their own thing music wise this year. Course all of us did have playdates, got together etc.

Every moment I had my Joe, and our children.... i treasured each & every moment......

Speaking of children, I'd like to talk about them & of course the 'year' we are currently on. The triplets turned 4 years old, and James had gone from wanting to learn drums to...BASS. Which fucking thrilled me to no end, so I started to teach him, and it turns out Frankie, my youngest twin was the one who wanted to learn drums. So not only did I teach or start Bass to James, but Tom Hamilton also taught him, and Frankie had Steven Adler-Lee, Joey Kramer AND Tommy Lee. Tony, well he loved music....and was obsessed with cars & motorcycles & wanted to design guitars as he said.

As for Amara & Josephine? Amara turning 7 & Josephine would turn 11 this year, they both continued to grow into their playing.... already really fucking talented at their ages. Their favorite thing to do, was all of us jamming together with Joe & I. Josephine took more art classes in school & skipped a few grades or she had for she would be in 6th but 8th. Seriously fucking smart, which Joe insists she got from me. But she would come to graduate high school early, she was so grown up, growing up faster & faster & I loved being there for it all.

"It paid for our children to be constantly surrounded by music, to learn it..." Joe muses before his eyes find mine, "Despite the storms in Josephine's childhood..." His voice cracks, "She thrived and all five of our children.... We gave them the childhood overall, the childhood we never had. Always encouraging each of them, to always follow their heart...go with their gut, to talk about their mental health. We LISTENED. And they knew then and now, they were never alone.... never are & now our grandchildren know. Its fucking beautiful."

"Each of them.... are the greatest expressions of our love Anthony Joseph Perry...always & forever." I whisper, as Joe now gently brushes away my tears & once more gently claims my lips....

There is so much more to come in our Retrospective here: Everything from entering the new millennium, new albums, tours to well as my Jo-Jo Bear says, 'You'll see.' Don't wanna give too much away here.

However, I will give you a TASTE of what we're leading to & I am not just talking about Aerosmith's VERY well deserved 2001 induction into the Rock Hall of Fame but 2002 & the Icon Awards....where in our oldest daughter's: Josephine & Amara would surprise & touch deeply their father & I, for they would make their grand debut as it would turn out.

A/N: Oh I loved writing this chapter!! And there will be at least 2 more parts, so stay tuned for the next chapter!