Part 2- This is Your Pilot Speaking

Chapter14

Griffin pulled into a parking spot near Alice's apartment complex. He hadn't seen her since their disastrous date with Bruce and Paddy, and that had been a week ago. They had spoken on the phone and through text, but that was it. Griffin wanted to see her. He wanted to show her that he cared about her, that no matter what his parents thought, he wanted to be with her. His parents were just going to have to get used to the idea of her being around, like it or not. This was the first time Paddy had ever been outright mean to one of his girlfriends. Alice was also the only girlfriend he had ever had that had been in a relationship with his Dad. There were a few girls in the past that Paddy didn't approve of, she saw the hunger in their eyes when they would come to the house. They were attracted to the wealth and fame that being part of Bruce Dickinson's family brought along. Griffin wanted to show Paddy that Alice was different.

Griffin got out of his car and walked toward the building Alice lived in. He felt nervous. She had told him that she wanted to see him, that she missed him...he hoped that it wasn't too late for their relationship. He could see himself falling in love with her. She was funny, laid back, easy going...she was perfect. Why couldn't his Mum see that?

"Fucking hell...." he said to himself and he rang the buzzer to her flat, "...why do I feel like a school kid on his first date?"

"Hello?" Alice's sweet voice sounded like a breathe of fresh air to Griffin's ears. Just what he needed. A huge smile split his face into two.

"Alice? It's me, Griff."

Alice let out a small giggle, "Griffin! You're really here! Please come in."

Once in the building, Griffin took the elevator to her 5th floor apartment. He looked himself over in the mirror, making sure that he looked good for her. He usually didn't care what he looked like, he wasn't one to try to impress girls. He was a lot like Bruce. He used his sense of humor and sharp wit to attract girls, and it usually worked. For Alice though, he wanted to look his best. The elevator slowly stopped and the door opened up. Griffin looked up and saw Alice waiting in front of her apartment door, a huge smile on her face. Griffin smiled back, seeing her smiling face put him at ease.

Alice walked up to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. She had missed him terribly.

"Hey love..." he wrapped his arms around her waist, taking her in. Alice pulled away from him and smiled, kissing him softly.

"I missed you. Thank you for coming over..." she kissed him again. She could spend the whole day kissing him.

Griffin smiled at her, now that he was with her again it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I missed you too darling. I missed you so damn much...."

Alice grabbed his hand and led him into her flat. She sat down on the couch, Griffin sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him.

"How have you been?"

Alice looked up at Griffin and smiled, "I'm better now that you are here with me. I'm glad you decided to come."

Griffin smiled back at her, "I had to see you. I wanted to apologize for my Mum's behavior. She isn't usually like that...."

Alice shook her head, "No....it's OK. There's no need to apologize. She was right to be mad and to not trust me. I get it."

"I don't agree. She has no right to be mad. Regardless of what happened between you and Dad, that was in the past. Mum should be happy for me."

Alice sat quietly, thinking about everything that had happened, "Have you spoken to your parents since?"

Griffin shook his head, both Bruce and Paddy had texted him, had tried calling him, but he was still upset at them. He hadn't responded to any of their attempts. Kia and Austin had both relayed messages to him from his parents, but he had nothing to say to them in return."No, I haven't. Dad left me a lengthy voicemail the other day. In true Dad form, he had to give his opinion on the situation, what he thinks the best course of action is....and how I should remember that my Mum should be the most important person in my life."

Alice nodded, she was never close to either of her parents, and she didn't want Griffin to lose that close relationship with his because of their relationship. "I don't want to be the cause of you and your parents having a rift in your relationship. I'm sorry Griffin, I really do want to be with you. But I don't want it to cause any further issues..."

Griffin looked away from Alice, he ad thought of everything that had happened, and everything that could happen if he stayed with Alice. He was willing to risk it.

"Alice, love...I promise you that our relationship will not cause any further issues with my parents. I love them, but I can assure you that neither my Mum or Dad are willing to lose their Son. I want to be with you. They're just going to have to get used to it."

Alice sighed, she pulled Griffin into a kiss, "I hope we're not making a mistake...."

——————————————————————————————————————————————————Austin was spending the day with Paddy. She had called him earlier asking him if he would come and see her. She hadn't seen Bruce or Griffin since she lashed out at Alice at the restaurant. She didn't know what had possessed her to do it. She was happy that Griffin had met someone. Her baby boy was finally happy. After years of anxiety and depression he was now had that smile that she loved seeing on his face. Alice seemed to really love him. Why couldn't she see that? Why did she have to rehash the past?

"So Mum, have you thought of maybe calling Griffin or Dad and apologizing?"

Paddy looked up at Austin, he was in the kitchen preparing lunch for the two of them.

"I've tried Son, but neither of them are answering me. I don't know what else to do. I've left voicemails, I've sent texts....I've tried going to the flat where your Dad is staying at. Neither of them want to see me. I really think I've messed up big time."

Austin walked over to Paddy and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry Mum. Both Griffin and Dad love you. I know they do. I've spoken to Dad. As proud and as hardheaded as he is, he misses you terribly"

"If he misses me terribly, why doesn't he answer my phone calls? Why doesn't he try to get ahold of me?"

Austin sighed, he knew how Bruce was. Paddy was the one that messed up, so she should apologize...but on Bruce's terms. Paddy was doing everything possible to show Bruce how sorry she was, but Bruce wanted her to know that she really crossed the line this time. She wanted to make her "suffer" a bit longer.

"How about you call Alice? I think if you get ahold of her, and apologize to her, both Dad and Griffin will come around. Maybe you can invite her over. You, Alice, Liz, and Kia can have a girls day. That way it's just not you and Alice and things won't be awkward. I'll hang out with Dad and Griffin. If you get to know her, you'll see what an amazing girl she is and that she really loves Griffin."

Paddy gave Austin a shy smile. He was such a level headed young man. She was proud of the man he was becoming.

"You know, that's a good idea. I think I will give her a call. Thank you Austin." she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you Son."

Austin hugged her back, "I love you too Mum. Go call Alice. I'll let Liz and Kia know to keep their schedules free for the next couple of days."