Chapter 37

They'd been on the move since 7:00 that morning. They were never alone. Tiny and Skizzy were with them every step of the way. If it wasn't the bodyguards, it was a reporter, a radio DJ, an on-air news personality or a record label executive; not to mention the fans. The fans were everywhere, in droves.

Reuben didn't consciously realize it until he was leading Keith down the hallway of the arena toward the stage; he'd never taken the opportunity to tell Keith that his mother was coming. In hindsight, he realized that he may have been unconsciously avoiding it all day. Making sure he was never alone with Keith. He could have pulled him into a conference room at the radio station or pulled him into an empty recording studio at the record company. He'd always had some excuse. The fans were screaming for one more appearance by their idol. The record executive wanted Keith to meet just one more family member who was a 'huge' fan. All things Reuben had previously strategically removed Keith from before to keep his star from over-doing it between shows.

Thankfully, Keith hadn't appeared to notice. To him, it was just another busy day.

The crowd noise was getting louder and Reuben almost talked himself into stopping and telling Keith right then and there. But then realized it might distract him right before he went on stage. 'Convenient excuse Kincaid', Reuben chastised himself internally.

"Give 'em hell, kid." Reuben found himself saying instead of 'Keith, your mother is flying in tomorrow'.

"Thanks Reuben." Keith gave him a thumbs up and a big grin before grabbing his guitar and bursting onto the stage; already a seething ball of energy. Reuben was always amazed that he had so much energy after a long day of other engagements. Yet, night after night, Keith gave his all as soon as he stepped foot on that stage.

It was the energy he received from the crowd. Who could have that much adoration thrown at them, screamed at them, and not return it tenfold? It was a phenomenon that needed to be experienced from on stage just once. If not directly on stage, at least from backstage. It was truly electrifying.

"You alright?" Skizzy noticed the slight frown on Reuben's face.

"Yeah, fine. Fine." Reuben assured him and gave him a quick, weak smile before forcing the issue with a slight reprimand. "Watch the crowd; not me."

Skizzy raised an eyebrow at the manager's unusual surly response but did as instructed. He'd barely taken his eyes from the crowd actually. It's just that Reuben's facial expressions were kind of hard to miss. The guy had a face made of rubber.

xoxo

"Reuben?" Shirley's voice floated over the transatlantic line later that night.

"Shirley, do we have a bad connection?" Reuben thought she'd be calling him from the airport.

"No, we're still in San Pueblo. My mother slipped and fell. She sprained her ankle. They won't be getting here until tomorrow. I'm looking for alternatives as we speak, but Mrs. Monahan is visiting her sister in Des Moines and Mrs. Kornegge isn't answering her phone right now." Shirley knew she was babbling, but she was devastated that she would likely miss her flight.

"It's alright Shirley. I'll just get Trish to push your tickets out a couple of days." Reuben tried to reassure her.

"But I need to be there for Keith." Shirley reminded him. "You need to talk to him about Olivia being out. He has to know for sure. Have you increased security?"

"Security is tight. I can't make it any tighter until you talk to him or he'll know something is wrong for sure." Reuben insisted.

"You can't wait for me. Reuben, you'll have to talk to him yourself. I'm sure Laurie would agree to help." Shirley tried again to get him to address what she thought was the most important part.

"I was hoping to wait for you." Reuben reminded her.

"Yes, I know and I'm very sorry. I'd be there if I could. But, I don't think you can wait. Keith's safety may be at stake. I will not let that girl get her hands on him again. She can't." Shirley could feel the hysteria rising.

"You're right. I had already contacted Henri, Genny's uncle. You remember he was in charge of her security. He's going to loan us some men. People we can trust. I didn't want to risk picking up security people who didn't start with us. I don't know how far reaching Olivia's wealth might be. Who she might have bought." Reuben explained how seriously he'd been taking this potential threat.

"Oh, Reuben, that was a great idea. Genny's security people were the best. They did a wonderful job keeping Keith and Genny safe the last time." Shirley could feel a small bit of relief rushing through her system when she recalled the one security guard who had taken a bullet meant for her son.

"Yeah, but how do I tell Keith?" Reuben knew he sounded like he was whining.

"You'll figure it out. You always do." Shirley trusted Reuben to do what was needed.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Reuben felt a smile tilt his lips upward. Too bad it slipped almost immediately.

xoxo

"Keith, Dina, could you come in the study? We need to talk." Reuben caught the couple coming downstairs the morning of the second day after his call with Shirley. He'd put it off time and time again, but finally realized he couldn't wait any longer. He had been pushing it as it was.

"There's no time Reuben. We're late. Why'd you let me sleep so late?" Keith had flown through his morning routine thinking he'd already missed several appointments. It was going on noon. The extra sleep had felt great and he'd obviously needed it, but it wasn't like Reuben to let a little loss of sleep come between Keith and his fans.

"No, it's alright. I cancelled the morning interviews." Reuben explained and waved them toward the door to the study.

"You did?" Keith frowned. "Why would you do that?"

"Because something else has come up." Reuben said evasively. "Please. The study?"

"Come on. It sounds important." Dina too was frowning. Her worry meter had just spiked.

"Alright." Keith finally agreed and headed toward the room.

When he entered, he immediately noticed that Laurie was sitting in one of the chairs. As soon as she noticed them, she hopped up and appeared nervous herself.

"What's going on?" Keith asked suspiciously.

"Keith." Reuben started and then stopped. The silence stretched.

"Spit it out. You're driving me crazy. Is it Mom? One of the other kids?" Keith turned from Laurie who wouldn't meet his eyes to an even more nervous looking Reuben.

"Keith, it's Olivia." Laurie blurted causing Keith's eyes to swing back to her. As soon as she had his attention she continued. "Reuben just found out recently that she escaped from the sanitarium."

"You don't look surprised." Reuben remarked when Keith's face had stayed blank instead of showing the shock he'd expected.

"I'm not." Keith admitted with a sigh.

"What do you mean, you're not?" Laurie moved closer to him not wanting to miss any facial expressions.

"I saw her. A few days ago in Spain, she was in the crowd at one of the radio station interviews." Keith admitted even though he left out his previous sighting in Italy.

"You saw her and you didn't tell me?" Reuben could feel his anger rising.

"I wasn't sure. Besides, what would telling you have accomplished?" Keith reasoned.

"I would have increased security. I would have called the police. I would have…." Reuben sputtered to a close. I would have called your mother – sooner - he finished in his head.

"There's nothing more you can do than what you're already doing. You already know that if she wants to get close to me, she will. She's done it before." Keith said fatalistically.

"No!" Dina said emphatically from beside him and grabbed his arm as if to stake her own claim.

"Dina, it's alright. I'll be fine." Keith assured her and shook off her hand to turn back to Reuben.

"He's right." Reuben agreed with Keith, but not for the same reasons. "I'm adding more security."

"Reuben, security is already as tight as I need. There's nothing more to do." Keith tried to talk him out of it.

"No, you don't understand. I've already done it." Reuben explained.

"Done what?" Keith was hoping he hadn't understood correctly.

"I've added more security." Reuben repeated himself.

"No." Keith shook his head in denial.

"Keith, Reuben is right. You need more protection." Laurie piped in.

"I have enough security. No one can get to me unless they go through Tiny, Skizzy and any number of other people who surround me all the time; the band, Reuben, you." Keith reminded her.

"It's not enough." Laurie worried.

"Laurie's right. That's why I contacted the Princess's head of security. They're loaning us some men to beef up security. I'm putting Valentine directly on you." Reuben said quickly.

"No! In fact, hell no!" Keith said vehemently. After a few nights ago, the last person he wanted near him was Valentine. The guy just rubbed him the wrong way.

"She'll go through anyone; hurt anyone to get to you." Laurie reminded him.

That seemed to make him pause. "You're right."

His answer shocked everyone. He'd been so opposed and all of a sudden he was agreeing, why?

Keith turned to Dina and grabbed her hand. "Dina, Valentine will become your personal bodyguard."

"Me? I don't need a bodyguard, you do." Dina reminded him.

"No, Keith's right." Laurie quickly agreed. "Reuben, Dina's probably in more danger than Keith. Especially after this morning's newspaper story."

"What was in the paper?" Keith had been glad to have someone finally support his ideas, but then got blind sided by something new.

"Pictures of you and Dina, after the first time we performed 'Damned'. They caught the two of you kissing. It's front page." Laurie picked up the paper.

"It happened in another country." Keith said in exasperation.

"But, you're performing here now, so they want every story they can find. You're a hot commodity." Reuben reminded him. After all these years you'd think Keith would realize that it didn't matter how old he thought the news was or even if he didn't think it was news. Every little thing he did was news.

"Then you agree with me. Valentine becomes Dina's bodyguard." Keith made the question sound like a statement.

Reuben nodded. He had no other choice. He had to agree that if Olivia tried to hurt Dina and was successful, it wouldn't matter if she got to Keith or not. He'd be lost. He wouldn't be able to handle it happening again.

"Can you give us a few minutes?" Keith asked Reuben and Laurie to leave he and Dina alone.

"Sure." Laurie quickly headed toward the door, Reuben close behind her.

"I'm not leaving." Dina said just as the door closed. "I know that's what you want to talk about."

"Dina, please. You don't understand what she's capable of." Keith tried to reason with her.

"Yes I do. I know exactly what she did. And, I'm still not leaving." Dina turned more fully toward him.

"I need you to be safe." Keith brought his hand up to her face.

"That's what the bodyguard is for." Dina reasoned.

"I'd still feel better if you were far away. Far away from me. Safe." Keith closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I will not leave you just because some crazy woman thinks she can have you. You're mine. Haven't I told you that often enough?" Dina tried to make light of the situation.

"Dammit Dina." Keith had yet to open his eyes. He was dying inside thinking he might lose her too. "If you love me like you say you do, you'd leave."

She'd known he would use that argument. She could feel it coming yet hadn't been able to stop him from saying the words.

"You son of a bitch!" Dina pushed him away from her and watched his eyes open in surprise. "That's not playing fair. You can't ignore all the times I said I love you and then use it against me when it suits your purposes. It doesn't work that way."

"Dina, this isn't a game. I don't care if you think I'm playing fair or not. I'm trying to keep you alive. She's killed someone I cared about before just because I did care." Keith was almost glad she'd put some space between them. He was really angry now.

"So, you admit it." Dina said almost triumphantly.

"Admit what?" Keith just could not follow her argument.

"You care." Dina began to advance on him and he backed up.

"Oh no, not this again. This argument is not about what I feel or don't feel. Whether I care or don't care. You are leaving and going back to the States today. Now." Keith stopped backing up. It had been an unconscious decision to keep space in between them, but suddenly he realized that so long as he was retreating physically, she would think she was winning the argument. And, he had no intention of losing this one.

"No. I'm staying. Right here. With you." Dina said firmly.

"Go upstairs and pack. You're leaving." Keith countered.

"I'm staying." Dina shook her head.

"I'll help you, but you are packing and you are leaving." Keith grabbed her arm to turn her toward the door. She balked and struggled against him dragging her.

Keith stopped. He didn't want to hurt her. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Please, Dina." Keith thought the simple words might work.

He was wrong. She shook her head and pulling her arm away from him, crossed them in front of herself obstinately.

Before Dina knew it, her world was turned upside down. He'd picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder like he'd done on his tour bus. She felt her frustration come out in a primal scream that she knew had carried throughout the downstairs of the house.

It took her a minute to reconcile herself to the situation she found herself in and she was just about to counter his actions with the same reaction she'd given him the last time when he opened the door and walked into the hallway. Their appearance was met by at first stunned silence, then catcalls and tossed out suggestions from the whole group sharing the house. Most of them had no idea what the argument was about, they just figured that the public aspect of this particular argument was fair game.

Dina rethought her original strategy not wanting to do something so sexual with a large audience. Before she could reformulate a plan, the stairs appeared beneath her head. She quickly decided that trying anything on the stairs was foolhardy to say the least, so she simply waited until they were once again in private to put her plan into action.

Keith totally ignored the catcalls and suggestions and was soon at their bedroom door. He slammed it behind them and was quickly across the room to the bed, tossing Dina down on its surface. She'd had no time to put any plan into action and didn't get her bearings back until Keith was headed toward her suitcase in the old antique armoire.

She scrambled off the bed and was soon in hot pursuit. She reached him just a few steps short of his goal and grabbed his belt loop tugging as hard as she could. He slowed, but didn't stop.

"Stop!" Dina yelled just to make sure she got his attention.

"You're leaving." Keith opened the door and grabbed her suitcase.

"I'm not." Dina slid past him and sat down on the suitcase.

"Dina, I'll just pick you up again." Keith said reasonably.

"Fine." She said as if she was giving in and started to stand up. At the last second, she launched herself full force at him. As she'd hoped, she over balanced him and they went down in a heap on the floor.

"Ouch." Keith said as he hit his head on the thickly carpeted floor.

Dina, once again, with the softer landing made herself comfortable atop her boyfriend. "Oh, quit complaining. I didn't give you a black eye this time."

"You are not going to distract me with sex this time." Keith said in what he hoped was a disinterested voice.

"Oh really." Dina reached down between them to find that he was already responding to their situation.

"Stop it." Keith instructed and quickly changed their positions, pinning her to the floor.

"Why? I'm sure you'd enjoy it." Though she was now on the bottom, her hands were still trying to unfasten his jeans.

Keith grabbed her hands and brought them up next to her head, pinning them to the floor. "We are not going to find out whether I would or not."

Dina, her hands unable to continue their quest, made sure to wiggle and squirm as much as possible. She slid her body against his in every tantalizing spot available. She tried to hide her grin when she could feel just how successful she was being. "I'm staying."

"You're leaving." Keith said and made to get up and off of her.

As soon as she felt him start to push away, she wrapped her legs around his hips, holding him close. "I'm staying."

"God, Dina, don't do this." Keith begged.

"I'm staying because I love you." Dina thought the reasons bore repeating.

"Fine." Keith said and Dina thought she'd won until he continued. "If you won't leave, I will."

"What do you mean?" Dina frowned up at him.

"You stay here. I'll move into a hotel. Hell, I don't know. Maybe I'll just cancel the rest of the tour and go back home myself. You stay here and deal with Olivia. Just don't put me through this. I can't go through this again." Keith seemed to give up the fight.

"No." Dina wasn't exactly sure what she was saying no to, she just didn't agree with what he was saying. She loved him. She knew he loved her even if he hadn't actually said it yet. They belonged together and no crazy stalker fan was going to keep them apart. She'd make sure of that.

"No what?" Keith really was tired of this game.

"No to all of it." Dina clarified. "You're not leaving, you're not stopping the tour, she's not going to win. I won't let her."

"Don't you get it? You can't stop her. She's going to keep coming after me. No matter what happens. She's never going to leave me alone. Not until either she's dead or I'm dead. Don't you get it?" Keith was starting to lose his precarious hold on sanity right now too.

"No, Keith. She's never going to get you. I won't let her. I love you. Oh, God, how I love you." Dina pulled his head down and kissed him. Her tears were sliding down into her hair, but she didn't even realize she was crying. "I love you. So much. I can't leave you. I love you."

Keith had returned her kisses to soothe her. She was close to becoming hysterical and he was caving. He could feel himself starting to give in. While still kissing her, he mentally girded himself to continue the battle. He needed to remain firm on this. She had to leave. She just had to.

"Please don't send me away. I'll do anything you ask. Anything. Just let me stay." Dina was begging in between kisses.

"Dina." Keith was silenced by her lips settling over his solidly. At some point, he'd stopped holding her hands down and she now had them tangled in his hair and was kissing him senseless.

Dina wasn't thinking about their argument any more. She just felt a need, a compulsion, to be closer to Keith than she'd ever been before. She needed it physically and emotionally. She needed to be one with him.

When she finally realized that he was just as involved in the kiss and she no longer had to hold his head to make sure he continued, her hands began to wander. She reached between them to unfasten his jeans while his hands began to tunnel under her clothes. The only sounds in the room were their heavy breathing and wet kisses.

She had just brought her legs down from around his hips so that he could lower her pants when there was a knock on the door.

They froze, breathing heavily.

"Keith?" The sound of Shirley's voice floated through the door to be followed by another knock.

"Oh, God, please tell me you locked the door." Keith whispered.

"What? I was upside down. Of course I didn't." Dina reminded him.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Keith let his forehead drop to the floor next to Dina before leaning back and praying his voice sounded halfway normal. "Just a second."

He began to scramble up from the floor, righting his jeans as he stood and reaching a hand down to Dina to pull her up beside him.

"Ready?" Keith glanced at Dina to make sure she was fully clothed again and watched her nod her assent.

"So long as you're next to me, I'm ready for anything." Dina tried to give that phrase as much meaning as she could. Hoping he'd believe it once they went back to their original argument.

Keith pulled the door open to find a worried looking Shirley on the other side.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"