Author's Note: I'm sorry this first chapter turned out to be so long. I didn't mean for it to be. I'll try not to make the others this long, but no guarantee! They never really said much on how Rufus and Lily met, so I decided to write my own story on it. This is my take on it, and I hope you all enjoy it. When I heard the song Need You Now, it reminded me of Rufus and Lily, so I decided to make it the title. So, here is the first installment. Enjoy! :) - Xoxo Rufly Girl
Need You Now
Chapter 1: First Meeting
"We really picked a bad time to come over for dinner. Look how badly it's pouring out!" Dan said, looking out the window of Lily and Rufus' apartment.
Jenny came up behind him and peered over his shoulder. She saw that it was indeed a full blown downpour. She smirked. "At least Eric and I don't have to go out in it. We live here."
Eric grinned, and raised his glass. "Amen to that!"
Serena sighed, and threw herself down onto the couch. It figures it decides to pour like that only when we're ready to leave."
"Well, it was nice to have some family time. We haven't had a family dinner in a long time," Rufus stated.
A loud clap of thunder hit so loud it made Jenny jump and scream.
Eric snickered, and playfully nudged her arm with his fist. "Chicken much?"
Jenny rolled her eyes and walked away from the window. "Shut up, Fag Boy."
Eric shrugged. "Whatever, Bitch."
Lily was appalled. "Hey, you two, there's no need to get nasty. I thought you guys were finally getting along again."
Eric and Jenny both laughed.
"We're just joking around, Lily," Jenny assured her.
Eric nodded. "It's all in good fun."
"Kids sure have a different idea of fun nowadays than we did as kids," Rufus commented.
Lily nodded.
Another loud clap of thunder hit, and moments later, lightning struck as well.
"I picked a heck of a night to come down to see you guys," Scott stated. He got up from the dining room table, and sat down on the floor.
Jenny sat down next to him, and Eric sat on his other side.
Dan sat down next to Serena on the couch, and Rufus took Lily's hand, leading her over to the love seat to sit down with him.
"It looks like we're going to be stuck here for a while, Scott. Sorry," Dan said to his half-brother. Scott was supposed to stay the night at the loft with him, but there was no way Dan was going to head out in the pouring rain—taking a taxi or not.
Scott shrugged. "It's all right. It's kind of nice hanging out with my family and getting to know them."
Chuck came out of the bathroom then, and sat down with the others, choosing a plush chair near Rufus and Lily. "It's nasty out, isn't it? Blair can be happy she is visiting her fathers in France. She hates the rain—can't stand getting her hair and clothes wet."
Jenny smirked. "Heaven forbid the former queen ruin her Christian Louboutins."
Chuck shot her a look. "Be nice," he said in his monotone—serious even though it sounded like he didn't care.
Jenny just smirked, and gave him a shrug.
Chuck turned his attention back to Rufus and Lily. "I appreciate you inviting me tonight. It means a lot that you still consider me family."
Lily smiled at him. "Of course I still consider you family! I adopted you, remember? I don't care if you're an adult now. You are still my son."
Chuck smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
"Well, since none of us seem to be too keen on leaving, what should we do?" Serena asked, tucking her legs underneath her and getting more comfortable on the couch.
"Well, we could play some boardgames. Those are always fun!" Lily suggested.
"How 'bout no?" Jenny smirked. "Sorry, Lily, but teenagers don't like to play boardgames anymore."
"Well, then what do you suggest we should do?" Rufus asked, secretly missing the days where Jenny was his sweet little girl without the teenage attitude.
Jenny shrugged. "Anything as long as it's not as cheesy as boardgames."
"I have an idea," Scott spoke up before Rufus could condone Jenny for being so rude about Lily's idea.
Lily smiled. "What's that, honey?"
Scott looked a little embarrassed to be asking, but he did anyway. "Well, I'd like to hear how you and Rufus met. Was it love at first sight? I want to learn more about you guys, and about how I came to be."
Rufus and Lily looked at each other and smiled.
Rufus placed a hand overtop of Lily's thigh and gently rubbed it. "It was love at first sight for me."
Lily smirked at Scott. "For me, it took a little while. But when I finally did fall, I fell hard."
"Now this is interesting! You've never even told us this story!" Jenny said, leaning forward in anticipation.
Eric nodded. "Tell us! I know about how you met your other husbands, but not how you met Rufus."
"Tell us!" Serena chimed in.
"This should be interesting," Dan stated.
Chuck nodded. "Indeed," he agreed.
Rufus took Lily's hand and kissed it. "You want to start?"
Lily smirked. "All right."
And so, with her husband's hand in her own, Lily began the story of how she met her soul mate.
"Well, my mother was basically the same way when I was younger as she is to this day. She was overbearing, and I was determined to do whatever I could to break free from her..."
"What are you wearing?" Cece asked as Lily walked into the kitchen.
"What's it look like?" Lily asked; annoyed. She couldn't do anything without her mother questioning her anymore.
"Don't get smart with me!" Cece snapped. "Why are you wearing that to school? It's not appropriate school attire!"
Lily looked down at her outfit, which consisted of black vinyl knee-high boots, black tights, a very short leather skirt that went just below her butt, and a half shirt that was a black Nine Inch Nails T-shirt only cut at the bottom; exposing her stomach, which was adorned with her new belly chain. She wore a black leather jacket to finish off the look. "I'm going to a concert after school. It's in Trenton. Jenny is going to drive us there straight from school."
Cece shook her head. "No, she's not. You're only seventeen. You don't need to be going to another state to see some vile rock band. I won't have it!"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Please! You make it sound like it's in California! It's only a half hour away. Give me a break! Anyway, I'll be eighteen in a few months. I'm not a kid anymore, mother. I have great seats besides! I'm going to get some great shots for the school paper." She was a photo journalist for In The Know, the school paper. She was a damn good one in her opinion. She had never once had a complaint. All the cool kids loved Nine Inch Nails, and would totally be worshiping at her feet if she got some nice shots of the band—particularly of Trent Reznor. She smiled at the thought.
"You're still not going. I expect to see you home right after school," Cece said, her arms crossed over her chest. She was clearly not open to discussing this any further.
Lily rolled her eyes, and grabbed her leather backpack. "Whatever. I'm going." She took off out of the house then, slamming the door behind her.
Jenny beeped, just pulling up in her red convertible. The top was down. "Hey, Sexy Chick! You ready to rock tonight?" She leaned over and opened the door for Lily.
Lily grinned, and threw her bag in the back before sliding into the passenger side and shutting the door beside her. She put on her seatbelt as she answered. "You know it!"
"So, how did your mom take the news?" Jenny asked as she drove away.
Lily rolled her eyes. "First, she said my outfit wasn't appropriate for school, and then she said I couldn't go."
Jenny smirked. "So, what'cha tell her?"
Lily smirked. "I told her, whatever, I'm going anyway."
Jenny laughed. "Way to go! Standing up to your mother!" She held out her hand, and Lily high-fived her.
Jenny briefly glanced over at Lily. "You look pretty smokin' hot to me!"
Lily grinned. "Which is exactly why my mother didn't like it! Oh well. She'll get over it. You look pretty smoking hot too, you know." She admired Jenny's pink mini dress. It was a cotton candy pink with an open back. The front had a peep hole that went from below the breasts to the bottom of the belly button. It was lined in black, and had a black belt with gold-lined holes all along it. She wore no tights, but her legs appeared to be freshly waxed. On her feet were clear platform shoes.
Jenny shook her blond, spiral curls. "Why thank you! I hope Chris thinks so." Chris Vrenna was the Nine Inch Nails' drummer, and Jenny was completely gaga over him. It was okay, because Lily was completely gaga over Trent Reznor.
Lily licked her lips and pulled down the makeup mirror. "Don't worry. He'll be eating out of the palm of your hand, just as Trent will be eating out of mine." She kissed the air in front of the mirror.
Jenny grinned. "Hell yeah, sister!"
They both laughed, then Jenny turned up her Nine Inch Nails CD.
"I love this song!" Jenny exclaimed as "Down In It" began to play.
"Me too!" Lily said excitedly.
The rest of the way to school, Lily and Jenny sang along as the CD blasted Nine Inch Nails' latest album, Pretty Hate Machine.
Lily was happy that she at least had the coolest best friend even if she had the lamest mother.
"So, you had a friend named Jenny? Cool!" Jenny said with an appreciative grin.
"You were named after her," Rufus piped in.
"Really?" Jenny asked in surprise.
Dan raised an eyebrow. "You named your daughter with mom after Lily's best friend?"
Rufus blushed. "Well, Jenny had a big part in Lily and I getting together." He smiled at Lily, who smiled knowingly back at him. He gently rubbed her thigh again.
"How so?" Jenny asked with a grin.
"And mom had no problem with this?" Dan asked with surprise and disbelief.
Rufus grinned. "Well, she just thought I really liked the name. What she didn't know, didn't hurt her. It wasn't a total lie. I do really like the name. I started liking the name when Jenny brought Lily and I together. Don't get me wrong—you both were conceived in love—but Lily was always number one in my heart. As horrible as it sounds, I was just settling with your mother."
"Yeah, let's not talk about Jenny and I being conceived, all right?" Dan asked.
"I'm just glad I'm over the whole wanting you and mom together thing. Otherwise, that would have hurt, you telling us that," Jenny said.
Rufus shrugged. "I'm sorry! I'm just being honest."
"Are you going to answer Jenny's original question about how Jenny brought you together, or not?" Chuck asked, again in his usual nonchalant tone. Anyone who didn't know him might have thought he was being rude. Rufus and Lily knew he was just curious.
"We'll get to that later. Right now, let's get back to the concert," Lily said with a smirk. "Everyone at school was so jealous that Jenny and I were going to the Nine Inch Nails concert—especially since we had front row seats. Tickets were hard to come by as it was. But, lucky for us, Jenny had a cousin who happened to be an usher at the arena, and her cousin had won the tickets at an employee raffle at the Christmas party a few months before. Also lucky for us, he wasn't a Nine Inch Nails fan, so the tickets went to Jenny and I."
After school, Lily and Jenny hopped into Jenny's car and left for the concert right away.
"Let's wait until we get there before we get dinner. I'm surprised my mother didn't come to school to escort me home herself!" Lily said to Jenny as they pulled onto the highway.
Jenny laughed. "I hear ya! Everyone is so jealous of us. Did you see the look on Tammy's face when she heard we had front row seats? She looked like she was going to scream."
Lily laughed too. "I don't even think she is a Nine Inch Nails fan. She just thinks she has to have everything the popular kids have."
"Yeah, well, she'll never be popular. She has to lose at least a good ten pounds first, and then get rid of the braces and the acne. Is that her face or a pepperoni pizza?" Jenny asked.
Lily laughed. "You're so bad!" She took out a cigarette from her purse and lit it.
Jenny glanced over at her. "Does your mom know you smoke yet?"
"No, and she never will. It's none of her business," Lily said nonchalantly.
"At least your mother cares. My mom stopped caring once my dad died." Jenny held out her hand. "Let me have some of that."
Lily handed her the cigarette, and Jenny took a puff, closing her eyes and inhaling. She opened her eyes and blew the smoke out slowly before handing the cigarette back to Lily.
"I really wish you wouldn't close your eyes when you drive. I'd at least like to make it to the concert before we get killed," Lily teased. She took another puff of the cigarette.
Jenny rolled her eyes. "It was just for a second. I find I can savor it better if I close my eyes."
Lily shook her head. "You're so weird."
Jenny shrugged. "What? The other senses are intensified when you go without one of the senses."
Lily just smiled, and smoked more of her cigarette. "Who's the opening band anyway?"
"Some band I never heard of before called Lincoln Hawk. They're probably lame, but whatever. They aren't who we're going for anyway. Give me some more." Jenny held out her hand.
Lily handed over the cigarette. "Finish it. Yeah, as long as I see Trent, I don't care if the Muppets open up for them."
Jenny giggled. "Yeah, and Trent can sing while Animal plays the drums and Rolf the dog plays the keyboards."
They both laughed.
"Are you sure this isn't pot instead of a cigarette?" Jenny joked regarding their laughing at the idea of the Muppets opening up for Trent Reznor.
"I wish!" Lily said with a grin.
An hour and a half later, they were there. They picked up a quick dinner at Burger King, then headed to the arena.
They went to the bathroom to touch up their makeup and hair. There was a line of girls primping in the mirror, but Lily and Jenny pushed their way through them.
"Most of these girls can primp all day and night and still wouldn't have a chance of looking as good as we do," Jenny mumbled in Lily's ear, just loud enough for Lily to hear.
Lily giggled loudly, then covered her mouth in embarrassment.
A few of the girls looked at her strangely.
"Well, we both look amazing, so let's go to our front row seats!" Jenny said to Lily, making sure everyone in the bathroom heard where their seats were.
Every girl in the bathroom, well the ones that weren't in the stalls anyway, gave them jealous looks.
Lily and Jenny both grinned, then walked out arm-in-arm to head to their seats.
They ran into Jenny's cousin Chuck, who was ushering that night. "Hey, you look hot!" Chuck said with an appreciative glance up and down at Lily's outfit.
Lily grinned."Thank you! I know." She primped her hair.
Jenny rolled her eyes. "Dream on. Her heart belongs to Trent."
"Your seats are straight down this way," Chuck said, using his flashlight to point to the pathway.
"Thanks, Cuz!" Jenny said, clapping him on the back then grabbing Lily's hand and practically dragging her down the aisle.
Lily laughed. "Relax! They aren't going to go on for another half hour."
"I still want to make sure we are right there looking hot when they do finally come on." Jenny said.
They found their seats, which were right in the middle of the front row.
"Perfect! I'm going to be able to get some amazing shots for In The Know," Lily said, pleased with herself.
Jenny smacked the air beside her. "Yeah, yeah. I just want a clear shot of Chris' crotch when he comes out from behind that drum kit!" She raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively.
Lily grinned at her. "I'll make sure to get some shots of that too."
Jenny laughed, and high-fived her. "Right on!"
During the next five minutes, Jenny talked with fans around them while Lily made sure her camera was loaded, and that she had her extra ten rolls of film with her—just in case.
Finally, the opening band came on.
"What's up everybody? It's Lincoln Hawk!"
Lily looked up just out of curiosity as to what this Lincoln Hawk band looked like. Her heart did a little jump when she saw the lead singer, who had apparently been the one who asked the fans what was up. He was of average height and had hazel-colored eyes. He had dark hair that was long enough to be in his eyes, but not quite as long as Trent's. He was a little more pretty boy than Lily liked, but he was definitely good looking. She couldn't deny that! He wore a black T-shirt and ripped blue jeans with a leather cuff around his right wrist. On his feet were black low-top converse. Style-wise, he almost looked like he was from the fifties mixed with the eighties. He looked no older than her age though.
"This first song is about a woman who is no good, and saying goodbye to all her drama! It's called 'Bye, Bye, Babe.'"
Lily smirked. "Bye, Bye, Babe?" Well, that was a lame title. But, when he began to sing, she decided that she really shouldn't judge a song by its title. The guy was not only good looking, but a pretty good singer as well. She scanned the rest of the band. They were okay looking, she guessed. None of them were as good looking as the lead singer though. She snapped a few pictures of him just for the heck of it. Some people at school might be curious who the opening act was. It had nothing to do with how hot he was. Of course not. She was there for Trent and nobody else.
The song ended, and the lead singer bowed. "Thank you! Before, we do another one, let me introduce you all to the band. Once again, we are called Lincoln Hawk. I am Rufus Humphrey. He turned to his band behind him. "On keyboards, we have the very talented John Adams—in no relations to the former president. On drums, we have the rockin' Jerry Berkhime, on base guitar we have the handsome Andy Taylor, and on electric guitar, we have the infamous Bobby Baker." He turned back to the crowd. "If you ever get a chance to meet him, ask him why he's so infamous." He raised an eyebrow. "You'd be surprised." He smirked, then stroked up his acoustic guitar. "Now, back to the music. This one is called, 'I Want Your Sex.' I think the title says it all."
Lily watched Rufus in awe. She had no idea why. She was just drawn to him.
He caught her staring at him, and he smiled at her.
She felt her heart jump, and she quickly looked away; blushing. She risked a glance again after a moment, and saw that he was still staring right at her.
He licked his lips as he continued to sing, his eyes not once leaving hers. "On the bed, on the floor, I don't care where. All the time you're in my head; got me craving so much more."
Lily bit her bottom lip, feeling slightly turned on. What's my problem? He's not that cute. He thinks he's cuter than he is. What kind of name is Rufus anyway? It sounds like dufus!
He shook his pelvis in an almost Elvis like manner, and Lily felt that turned on feeling again.
Lily, get a grip. He looks at all the girls that way, I'm sure. He's just showing off now. You hate showoffs, and you know it!
Lincoln Hawk finished the song, then Rufus announced that they would just be singing one more. "Were going to leave you with a ballad, but don't worry. We know Trent and the boys will bring it bak up once they get out here. This one is called 'Taking Back You.' We hope you enjoy it as much as we love playing it."
They began the song, and Lily was impressed. She couldn't deny it. Rufus' ballad voice was just as nice as his up-tempo voice, if not nicer. It was a little raspy, but it was hot. Not as hot as Trent's voice though. Of course it certainly wasn't. She wasn't crushing over the opening act's lead singer. Please! She had better taste than that!
"You don't even have a clue. You don't see me coming, but here I am. I'm taking back you."
As Rufus sang, his eyes were on her again, and Lily again found herself enthralled. For some reason, she couldn't take her eyes off of him.
When the song ended, he winked at her, then turned his attention back to the crowd in general. "Well, I want to thank you all for coming out tonight, even though I know you are here for Nine Inch Nails, and not Lincoln Hawk. However, we will be touring with them for the rest of the tour, so hopefully eventually some of you will start coming out to see Lincoln Hawk as well! If you like what you heard tonight, our self-titled album is for sale with the Nine Inch Nails merchandise for ten dollars. Thank you all again! Nine Inch Nails will be on in just a few minutes!"
The crow cheered, and the band walked off stage, but not before Rufus smiled at Lily and winked at her again.
Lily shot him a half smile in return, then Rufus headed back stage and the stage lights went out, leaving the stage in darkness for the set switch.
"So, how did you like him?" Jenny asked, gently nudging Lily.
"Hm? Like who?" Lily asked, a little embarrassed. Had Jenny seen her staring?
"No! I said, how did you like them? As in Lincoln Hawk!" Jenny corrected her.
Lily blushed, hoping the dimly lit arena hid her blush. "They were all right. They're a far cry from Nine Inch Nails though. Did you like them?"
Jenny nodded. "They were pretty cool I guess. Is my makeup still good?"
Lily nodded. "Mine?"
Jenny nodded. "Perfect, Sista!"
They grinned at each other, then waited for their favorite band. They hoped it wouldn't be too long.
"Well, I know I couldn't have been named after Jenny's cousin," Chuck said with a smirk.
Lily smiled. "No, that was a complete coincidence. Not that your parents would have ever named you after my best friend's cousin. Your father and I didn't even meet until four years ago. I never knew your mother."
Chuck nodded.
"So, is anybody hungry for dessert yet?" Rufus asked. Everyone had been too stuffed after dinner to try out his double chocolate cake he had made. And here he had been so excited about making his first cake from scratch.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Not yet. Please, tell us more," Scott begged.
Jenny nodded, and rested her head on Scott's shoulder. "Tell us!"
Lily and Rufus smirked at each other.
Rufus nodded at her. "Go ahead and tell them, I like hearing you tell it. I'll tell some of it later."
Lily nodded. "All right, all right. Nine Inch Nails came on shortly after, and Jenny and I had a blast, dancing on our chairs and singing along. We kept getting asked to get off the chairs. We would at first, but we kept getting back on the chairs, and security finally gave up. I think everyone ended up dancing on their chairs. They couldn't kick us all out! I took five rolls of pictures. I knew they'd never all make it into the school paper, but I didn't care. I was crazy about Trent, and Jenny was crazy about Chris."
"That concert was awesome!" Jenny said, grabbing Lily by both arms after they had made their way back onto the street.
Lily grinned, and grabbed Jenny's arms in return. "I know, right?"
They both screamed with excitement, and jumped up and down.
Jenny then nodded towards the back where the tour buses were. "Come on, let's go see if we can catch them coming out!"
Lily nodded, and ran after Jenny towards the back of the arena.
They found the buses, and waited not so patiently with the rest of the fans who had the same idea.
"Make way, coming through!" Jenny said, pushing past the fans to the front, and ignoring their complaints. "We're media." She nodded towards Lily.
"Where's your camera?" a chubby girl of the African decent asked Jenny.
"I'm here for interviewing, she's here for photographing. Now back off!" Jenny snapped. Jenny could get vicious when she wanted something bad enough. The poor girl must have sensed it, because she backed right off.
The first to come out was Lincoln Hawk.
Jenny didn't even bother with them. Most of the teeny boppers were all over them already anyway.
However, one lone member walked right over to them.
Lily watched in surprised and half in horror as Rufus walked right over to her with a big smile on his face. "Hey, you. Did you enjoy the show?"
Lily hesitated for just a moment. Who was he to act like he knew her? Just because she was pretty and in the front row didn't mean he could get something out of her. She was no groupie. At least not for Lincoln Hawk. She had seen his type before many times. "I enjoyed it once Nine Inch Nails came on."
He laughed. "And You didn't enjoy it when Lincoln Hawk was on?"
Lily shrugged. "You guys were decent. You have a long way to go though. I mean, after all, you are just an opening act."
Rufus made a face. "Ouch!"
Lily shrugged. "I just say what's on my mind."
He grinned. "I like that in a woman. Are you coming to any of our other shows? We have the day off tomorrow, but we're doing a show in Hartford."
Lily shrugged. "Sorry, but no. I only had tickets for this show."
"Well, lucky for you, I happen to have these." Rufus pulled two tickets out of his pocket and handed them to Lily over the barrier. "I'll also tell security to put you and your friend on the list so you guys can get backstage afterwards if you'd like."
Lily eyed the tickets, but didn't take them. They were front row. She kept her calm. She didn't need anything from him. She wasn't going to turn to putty in his hands just because he was cute. He was probably used to girls falling at his feet, but she was not going to be a statistic. "No thanks, I'm good."
"Aw, come on! Don't tell me you don't want to see Nine Inch Nails again." He gave her a knowing smile.
Jenny elbowed Lily. "Lily, don't be a fool! It's front row again to Nine Inch Nails! Imagine how jealous everyone will be of us! And, you'll get to see Trent again, and I'll get to see Chris! He's getting us backstage too, hello!" she muttered through her teeth in Lily's ear.
Rufus grinned; apparently having heard anyway. "Listen to your friend, Lil. It's too good of an opportunity to pass up!"
Lily rolled her eyes, and took the tickets. "Fine. But My name is Lily; not Lil. I'm Lily Rhodes, and this is Jenny Franklin. Thanks for the tickets." It didn't come out too sincere.
Jenny nodded. "Thank you so much!"
Rufus smiled ay Jenny. "You're welcome, Jenny!" He turned to Lily and grinned. "You're welcome, Lil. See you in two days." He winked at her, then took off, laughing at the annoyed look on Lily's face at being called Lil despite what she had just told him.
Jenny smirked. "It looks like someone has the hots for you."
Lily rolled her eyes at her friend. "Yeah, well the feeling's not mutual. I only accepted the tickets so we can meet the band. And by the band, I don't mean Lincoln Hawk!"
Jenny smiled. "I don't know. He's kind of cute!" She playfully nudged Lily.
Lily gently pushed her away. "Shut up! He's not that hot. Trent's much hotter."
Jenny nodded. "And Chris is even hotter than Trent!"
Again, Lily rolled her eyes. "Dream on!"
Jenny playfully pushed Lily, who playfully pushed her back.
They laughed, and waited a half hour more in case Nine Inch Nails came out, but the band never came out.
With a sigh, the girls gave up and headed back to the car.
"Well, there's always the day after tomorrow, thanks to Rufus," Jenny said with hope.
"If he comes through with his plans. I'll believe it when I see it!" Lily said, cynically.
"He has the hots for you. He'll come through," Jenny said as she pulled the car out of the lot.
"Stop saying that!" Lily complained.
Jenny smirked. "What? That Rufus has the hots for you?"
Lily turned up the Nine Inch Nails CD. "I can't hear you!"
Jenny laughed. "Well, at least if Trent doesn't happen, you have a backup plan."
Lily ignored her and started singing along at the top of her lungs to "Sin."
Jenny glanced over at her with a smirk. Then, she gave up. She put her eyes back on the road then sang along just as loudly with Lily.
"Sheesh! You were harsh, mom!" Eric said.
"Tell me about it! It gets worse! Just wait for it!" Rufus said. He looked at Lily. "You were so mean. I'm surprised I even bothered. You were too beautiful to give up on though."
Lily blushed. "I was headstrong at that age. I was in denial," she said to Eric. She then turned to Rufus, and gently stroked his cheek. "I'm glad you never gave up on me."
Rufus smiled at her. "I'd never give up on you." He kissed her.
"Okay, gross! No one wants to see their parents making out," Serena complained. "Keep going!"
Rufus broke the kiss to grin at her. "Keep going? All right." He went back to kissing Lily.
Lily smiled, and wrapped her arms around him.
"No! Keep going with the story!" Serena said with a laugh, knowing Rufus was teasing her.
"Yes! It's getting so good. Please?" Scott pleaded.
Lily broke the kiss this time. "All right."
Rufus rolled his eyes, and sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. "Party poopers," he teased.
Lily smirked, and continued the story. "I had almost forgotten that my mother was against me going to the concert. I got a big reminder once I arrived home."
"Lily, wake up! Why are the police at your house?"
"Hm?" Lily slowly opened her eyes at the sound of Jenny's voice. She must have fallen asleep, because the music was off, and they were now at her house. "Hm? The police? What?"
"Look!"
Lily sat up straight, and looked to where Jenny was pointing. Sure enough, there was a cop car in the driveway, its red and blue lights flashing. "Oh my gosh, mom!" She jumped out of the car.
"Do you want me to stay?" Jenny asked.
Lily shook her head. "No, it's all right. Go home before you're too tired to drive. I'll call your cell later."
"Are you sure?" Jenny asked.
Lily nodded. "Go. I'll call you, I promise!"
"You better!" Jenny called after Lily as Lily ran into the house.
Jenny took off then, and Lily found her mother and two officers sitting in the living room. The two officers were sitting on the couch with a pad of paper and a pen. There was a tray with two mugs of coffee, creamer, and a container of sugar on the coffee table, along with two mugs filled with coffee. Cece was sitting on a chair in front of the couch, her hands wringing together.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Lily asked, coming into the room.
The officers looked up at her at the same time Cece did.
Cece jumped out of her chair. "Lily! Where on earth were you? I was worried sick when you didn't come home from school!"
"I told you I was going to the concert. You called the cops?" Lily could hardly believe it.
"I told you you couldn't go! When you didn't come home from school, I expected the worst! You could have been kidnapped for all I know!" Cece exclaimed.
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Kidnapped from school?"
"It could happen!" Cece snapped.
"Well, I told you I was going anyway," Lily reminded her.
"I don't remember you telling me any such thing!" Cece insisted.
"Well, then you're either deaf or senile," Lily quipped.
"Don't get smart with me young lady!" Cece snapped.
"So, she's not missing then," one of the officers said. It was a statement; not a question.
Both officers stood up.
"I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Officers. I honestly thought someone had taken my daughter," Cece said; clearly embarrassed.
"It's all right. It's always good to be safe rather than sorry. Just make sure next time, all right? We get a lot of calls, and we really can't be showing up places we really aren't needed when there are people who really do need us," the other officer said.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm so sorry," Cece said.
"Have a good night, Ma'am," the officer said with a nod.
"Thanks for the coffee," the first officer said with a nod as well.
"You're welcome. I'll see you to the door," Cece said.
She walked the officers to the door, wishing them both a goodnight. Once they were gone, she shut and locked the door, then turned to Lily. "You're grounded for a month!"
Lily gasped. "What? No way! It's not my fault you weren't listening!"
Cece slammed her first down on the lamp stand. "Watch your tone! And it is your fault for going to the concert even after I told you no! I hope it was worth it because you're not going to another concert for a very long time! No go to bed! Get out of my sight. I can't even stand to look at you now, I'm so angry."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Whatever, Mother." She stormed off to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
She threw herself down onto her bed with a frustrated cry, then took her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. She dialed up Jenny's number.
"It's about time!" Jenny said, having picked up on the first ring. "What happened?"
Lily rolled her eyes even though she knew the motion would go unseen. "My mother called the cops because I didn't come home from school. I told her I was going to the concert anyway, and she just chose to ignore me! I swear I'm moving out of here the minute I turn eighteen."
"We can get our own apartment," Jenny said.
"Sounds good to me!" Lily agreed.
"Gosh, your mother's so psycho!" Jenny stated. "I can't believe she called the cops!"
Again, Lily rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it! She grounded me for a month for going to the concert after she told me no. What am I, thirteen?"
"Well, what are you going to do about Hartford?" Jenny asked. "Are you going to let her keep you imprisoned?"
"Heck no!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm going. She's not going to stop me—especially not from seeing Trent."
"Are you sure you don't men Rufus?" Jenny teased.
Lily laughed. "Shut up!"
"Lily, you better not be on the phone after I just grounded you!" Cece's voice came from down the stairs.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I better go. The warden knows I'm on the phone."
Jenny laughed. "Tough break. All right. I'll see you in school tomorrow then. You are still allowed to go to school, right?"
Lily smirked. "Yeah, right! Like she'd ever let me skip out on my education. See you tomorrow. Have a good night. Sweet dreams of Chris!"
"And sweet dreams of Rufus—I mean Trent!" Jenny teased.
"Good night, Jenny!" Lily said, unamused. She hung up the phone, then got off the bed and got ready for bed. She went to the bathroom, then came back in her room. She shut her door and turned off the lights, then climbed into bed, the moonlight through the widow now providing her only light. She hugged her pillow and closed her eyes. It had been an amazing night before the whole cop fiasco. And now she got to meet Trent in two days! That is, if Rufus came through. She smiled to herself. At least Rufus was good for something.
"She actually called the cops on you? Priceless!" Scott said with a laugh. "Is your mom still psycho?"
"Yes, she is," Rufus said, answering for Lily.
Lily laughed, and gently shoved Rufus. "Stop!" She turned to Scott with a smile. "She's a piece of work at times, but she's gotten better."
"Well, I say we take a break from the story and get some of that chocolate cake. You all have had enough time to digest. It's my first cake from scratch, and it's not going to waste!" Rufus said getting up from the couch before anyone could protest.
"Yeah, instead it will go to waist," Lily joked, her hands over her waist.
"Please! You don't have an inch of fat on you," Chuck said to her.
Lily smiled. "Why thank you, Charles! Boy am I glad I adopted you!"
Chuck grinned.
"I am kind of hungry now, now that you mentioned it," Serena said, getting up to help Rufus.
"I have to pee," Jenny said bluntly. She headed to the bathroom.
"Charming," Dan said sarcastically. "I'll be right back. I'm going to call Vanessa and wish her goodnight."
"On that note, I'll go get the plates and cups," Eric stated, getting up.
"I'll help you," Scott said, getting up and following him.
"I'm gonna call Blair. She told me to call her tonight. She said at any time, so I think I'll call her now, even though it's about four in the morning there," Chuck said.
Lily smirked. "You're evil."
He grinned. "Thank you! I take that as a compliment."
Lily shook her head, but smiled in amusement.
As Chuck walked off to call Blair on his cell phone, Lily headed over to Rufus and hugged him from behind. She kissed his neck. "I love you."
He looked back at her and smiled. "I love you too." He turned around and took her in his arms. They kissed. "I can't wait to get to the good parts." He raised his eyebrows up and down.
Lily shot him a warning look. "Toned down for the kids of course."
Rufus shrugged. "I don't know about that. They wanted the story, so they are going to get it—the good parts and all." He raised his eyebrows up and down.
Lily rolled her eyes. "You're so bad."
"Mm, but I feel so good." Rufus pulled Lily closer to his body and kissed her.
Lily closed her eyes and sighed as she kissed him back. Indeed he did.
