Over the course of the evening and into the wee hours of the next
morning, they realized that Emmett had actually built two super
computers; Sibylline and Synergy. Sister machines that were designed
to work in synchronicity rather than interfere with each other.
Rio finally understood that the only reason he was attracted to Jem was because she reminded him
of the fun and carefree Jerrica before her father's death and the
pressures of all her responsibilities got to her. He never realized
the stress that she was under immediately after her father died. She
never realized that Rio, too lost a father figure and mentor.
Rio explained that he had full intentions of signing with Starlight Music
in the beginning but when Eric offered him half of Misfits Music, he
saw the opportunity to gain controlling shares and perhaps take over
the company in time. Rio signed with Eric to keep the charade going but
made sure that the contract made a large percentage of the profits
donated to a charity... Starlight Foundation.
A suddenly jealous Jerrica questioned him about his band mates who
turned out to be nothing but holograms themselves which is why they
were rarely seen off stage.
As the sun began to peak over the edge of the horizon, unspoken
forgiveness washed through the room. Neither of them could be angry
with the other for their deception. What they both agonized would pull them apart had brought
them closer together with a new understanding and appreciation. No
matter if it was Rio or Riot or Jem or Jerrica, it was always the two
of them trying to be together.
"It's always been you." Rio murmured against Jerrica's temple. "It's
always been us, Rio." She replied. "Always." She closed her eyes and
nestled closer to his body where they lay entwined on the couch in her
office.
Rio's hand splayed across Jerrica's back, pressing her closer to him.
His mouth captured hers in a kiss that quickly became heated. "Shall
we take this to the bedroom?" He whispered against her smile.
"We can't. The girls will be up soon." Jerrica shook her head. "And
besides, you came in as Riot. That's a whole other conversation I
don't need to have with anybody."
"We will have to tell the Holograms sometime."
"I know." Jerrica shrugged. "But just not yet. I'd like to keep a
secret with you for a bit instead of from you for a change."
Rio nibbled at the hollow of Jerrica's throat. "We could go to my
place." Jerrica untangled her legs and sat up next to Rio. "Jerrica
can't leave with Riot."
"No." Rio agreed "but Jem could."
She grinned. "Does Riot have his own place?"
Rio shook his head. "No, Riot has never had a need for his own place."
Jerrica's eyes grew wide. "You mean..." She put her hand to chest in
feigned shock. "That Riot's a.." Her voice dropped to a whisper "a
virgin?"
Rio laughed, then raised an eyebrow and turned to Jerrica. "Isn't Jem?"
Jerrica laughed. "I guess she is."
"We could fix that." Rio whispered suggestively as he ran his hand up
Jerrica's thigh.
She kissed the side of his neck. "Sounds like a plan."
She left him momentarily to straighten her desk, and scribble a quick
note to the holograms. She whispered her command to Synergy. When Jem
reached the door of the office, Riot was waiting for her there. Jem
stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love
you." She whispered. "Both of you." She smiled and pulled his mouth
down to hers.
"I love you." Riot replied huskily. "All of you." Then he kissed her
like he meant it.
Epilogue
The Stingers signed on for the next leg of the tour where Riot and Jem
had a full-on, public affair complete with an over-the-top romantic
on-stage proposal.
Jerrica and Rio got married on a beach with the holograms and
starlight girls in attendance. Three hours later, half a mile down the
beach, Jem and Riot exchanged the same vows at the social event of the
year.
Stinger Sound ousted Eric Raymond from the company and merged with
Starlight Music to become Starlight Sound Technology.
The Stingers and Jem & The Holograms toured together, co headlining
for six successful years. Eventually, keeping up a double life proved
to be too exhausting for Rio who wanted to concentrate
more on producing music and developing new talent - some of which came
from their very own Starlight girls.
Tragically, Riot, Rapture and Minx disappeared when a private plane
they had chartered went missing. Mysteriously, the wreckage was never
found and bodies were never recovered. Jem retreated into hiding to
mourn her husband in private. During which time Jerrica gave birth to
twin boys, Emmett and Estefan. The Holograms began to tour without Jem
and became quite successful in their own right.
After 18 months outside of the spotlight, Jem re-emerged with a Vegas
residency which was really Synergy and Sybilline working in tandem.
(Rio and Aja had upgraded both machines to amazing capabilities).
"Jem Forever" became one of the longest running Vegas shows in
history, paving the way for modern shows like Celine, Cher and Britney.
Jerrica and Rio's boys grew up to be quite talented musicians
themselves, but with their pedigree who would expect anything else?
Learning from the mistakes of their parents, they went on to create a
one-person show that allowed them to balance super-stardom with normal
lives by taking turns touring. After all, with two people pretending
to be one, what could possibly go wrong? Alas my friends, that is
another story for another time.
Authors Note: Ta-da! There you have it! I actually completed my first
NaNoWriMo project! And published my first fan-fiction piece in 14 years! (I
will never go that long without writing again!)
I know I hinted at a Stingers story. Yes...coming up. I make no
promises when but I will get it out of my head as my hectic life
permits.
Sorry for the wonky line-breaks. I write on my phone and it doesn't always translate through. I could re-format it but then it would be another 2 months before I could get to it.
