Stone and Eddie (a Pearl Jam-ish fanfiction)

Chapter seventeen

Stone Gossard

It's been four weeks since our first gig and things are starting to blow up. We're getting calls asking us to play, and when we do play it's packed to the brim. We're rehearsing like crazy and already have ten songs done.

"Release meeeeeeeeee..." Eddie sings and we finish playing our eleventh song for the first time. I start to compliment him on his singing, but he only happens to run out of the room in a hurry. I follow him and when I get into the hallway I look around, and finally see him hugging his knees to his chest, eyes glazed over with tears.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I ask, my voice concerned. I sit down next to him and rub his back.

"I'm just thinking about my dad...."

Oh right. His dad, who died before he knew he was his dad. His dad, that convinced him that he was just a friend of the family. His dad, which is why he ran away only at the age of fourteen. Now I think about the lyrics in that song and realize that that song is really deep and must be difficult for him to sing.

"It's okay", I tell him comfortingly, mainly because I don't know what else to say. Tears roll down his cheeks and I wipe them away with my thumb. He buries his head in his knees and quietly sobs, and I stroke his head. "Baby, it's okay. You can get through this." He looks up and smiles through his tears, though the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.

I hear the door creak open and see Jeff come out, only to back away. "Whoa, sorry, looks like you guys need some privacy." Then he goes back into the room as I burn holes in the back of his head with my eyes.

"You wanna go home?" I ask Eddie, and he nods his head yes. "I'll be right back, okay?" He nods again as I go inform the guys, and when I come back out with both of our guitars strapped to my back he's in the same spot. Without saying anything we walk out the door and climb into the truck. "You okay?" I ask him a few minutes later. He shrugs his shoulders and scoots closer to me.

"Better now that you're here", he says with a sweet smile. When we get home I set down our guitars and when I come out of our rooms he's on the couch. I'm about to go into the kitchen to get a drink when he says my name.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come here?" He asks. I go over like he asked and he pulls me onto the couch with him so my head is on his chest and I'm hugging his waist. He strokes my hair and I bury my head deep in his chest and breathe in his smell. One thing I absolutely love about him (well there are many things, but this is particularly awesome) is: he's a huge cuddler.

"I love you Eddie", I reassure him, and he tells me the same back. After a while the phone interrupts our silent cuddling from the kitchen.

"Just let it ring", I say quietly, and it stops ringing a moment later but as we go back to our peaceful cuddling it rings again. I sigh and get up.

"Hello?" I ask after picking it up.

"Hi, my name is Mark from Sub Pop record company. Is this Stone or Eddie?" A fuckin' record company?!

"Hi, uh, yes this is Stone", I stammer, trying to keep my voice calm but failing epicaly.

"Yes, we'd like to check out your band. Is there any time we could see you play live and meet with you?"

"Uh, yes, but I need to talk with the others first. Can I call you back no later than Tuesday?"

"Yes! Yes that would be great. Thank you Stone." Then the line goes dead.

"Eddie", I sing-song while going back to the living room. "We're going to make a record."

~*~

"Hi", Mark says as he extends his hand. "I'm Mark. And you are...."

"Stone", I say as I grip his hand and he gives it a firm shake. I release his hand and say, "And that's Eddie, Mike, Jeff, and Dave." But by the time I say that Eddie is already walking over. They introduce themselves as I go and set up my guitars. We're all nervous as hell, since Mark is here. We could screw up and not get a record deal or play flawlessly and have a chance to get bigger.

But I'm not sure if I want to get famous. Me and Eddie have actually discussed this, and we just want to be a band that tours out of a bus and has a slow, natural life. We don't want overnight success. Plus everyone would know everything about us. So far we've kept our relationship secret except for the rest of the band, but that would most likely change if we got famous.

But tonight, tonight we will go rock the place.

"Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies...." Eddie sings an hour later and I look out to see people in the crowd headbanging. Mike goes into another one of his epic guitar solos and Eddie takes this opportunity to go to the side of the stage and start climbing up one of the rafters. I watch in shock just like I do every time, amazed that he doesn't fall with his sweaty hands and the greasy metal.

He shimmies his way to above the middle of the stage and clings onto the metal with both hands. Then he starts swinging back and forth, back and forth, and eventually catapults himself into the crowd, barely landing in the crowd of people instead of the ground. But I see him stick his tongue out at be so I know he's okay. Somehow he makes his way back to the stage and arrives just in time to sing the last lyrics.

After the song, he says, "We're Mookie Blaylock, and we are out." Then he hops backstage. I follow him. "You did great", I say, beaming at him.

"Thanks. You did too Stoney." He smirks at my growing anger from him calling me that. I try to knee him in the balls like I did the other day but he quickly moves out of the way. "Oh, feeling a bit feisty tonight?" He laughs. I punch him, not lightly, but not hard in response. He hobbles over to where his water bottle sits and takes a long drink.

"Why are you walking so weird?" I ask with a chuckle.

He grins at me. "Fucker stole my shoe", he says with a laugh. I look down and, sure enough, his Scooby-Doo sock is exposed to the world. I crack up uncontrollably and he takes his sock of and throws it at me, landing it right in the middle of my face. I cough dramatically from the god-awful smell and kick it under the curtain and into the stage. Oops.

"The hell...?" Jeff mumbles as he comes backstage with the sock dangling in between the tips of his thumb and index finger. Me and Eddie crack up and Eddie grabs it from Jeff and starts smacking him with it and Jeff flees from backstage. We just laugh at each other.

~*~

"Eddie?" I mumble into his shirt.

"Mmhmm..."

"What do you think is gonna happen when we release our album?" He plays with my hair.

"I don't know. It'll be okay though, don't worry. Whatever it is, we'll get used to it." I tilt my head and see his comforting smile.

"I just don't want this to get ruined. Our relationship, I mean. Not like I would really know, but getting famous can do a lot to a person."

"I know sweetie", he says and I notice how he calls me sweetie for the first time ever and it makes me smile. "But like I said, we'll be fine. I love you, will love you forever. I promise."

"I love you too. I'll never leave you." I sink smaller into his arms and his arms wrap around me, like a protective cage. He twirls my long hair around his finger like he always does when we cuddle. God I love him. So fucking much.