This chapter is super long! 7 pages! :)
A MILLION thanks to: Mrz Letty Ortiz-Toretto, xXBXx, Rue Dawn, xsparklesthemagicalunicornx, VincesDirtyGirl, Mrs Dominic Toretto Aus, and sweetist sin! THANK YOU ALL! You guys are amazing! I really appreciate the time you take to review! :)
I'm loving all the Ronnie love too! He's a blast to write so I'm glad you like him! :)
The chapter title is from my ALL TIME favorite Rolling Stones song with the same title (which I also don't own). The song has nothing really to do with this chapter but I thought the title fit. ;)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex, Mickey, and Ronnie
Diamond in the Rough
Chapter 47: You Can't Always Get What You Want
By: LoveInk
After a three our drive, Alex was happy to finally pull into the prison parking lot. She got out of the Jeep and looked up at the massive cement building before her and felt a jolt of excitement. She was that much closer to Vince. After locking her doors, she skipped towards the front desk. The prison guard behind it was a big, dark man with a bald head and light brown eyes. His name tag read "Ben". He looked at her with an eyebrow raised; it was rare people were so excited to come to prison. "Can I help you, Miss?" he asked, eyeing her up and down.
"Yes. I'm here to visit my fiancée," she stated, trying to keep her smile at bay. Looking like a crazy person was only going to make getting into the prison more difficult.
Ben nodded, typing something up on his computer. "Who are you visiting, Miss?"
"Vincent Catella," she said, the name sending another wave of excitement through her.
He typed in his name, no doubt bringing up the list for allowed visitors. "Now what's your name?"
"Alexandra Salvatore," she stated, rolling up on the balls of her feet to see over the counter better.
A frown turned down the corners of the big man's mouth. "Hold on a moment," he said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "You don't happen to go by Mia, do you?"
"No sir," replied Alex, starting to get nervous. The sad look on his face did not bode well for her. "Is there a problem?"
"You're not on the visitor's list, Miss," Ben answered, his frown deepening.
Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Excuse me? There must be some mistake."
He turned the computer screen towards her, showing her a handwritten list that had been copied into it. "Is this your fiancee's handwriting?"
The dark, scratchy looking thin lines and angles of his handwriting glared back at her. Only two names were listed there neither of which were hers. "Yeah, that's it."
"Are either of those two names yours?"
She was tempted to tell him yes, but she knew they checked I.D. and there was no way she could pull of being Mia. The girl was almost five inches taller. "No," she said, trying to hold back her tears. "Please, sir. I just drove three long hours and I'm pregnant and I just want to see him. Please." She hated playing the pregnancy card, but if it would get her anywhere near Vince, she was willing to try.
"Miss, if it were up to me, I'd let you in, but I can't. There's a strict protocol and even if I let you past me, the next guards won't be as nice. We'll let him know you came by. The inmates can use time cards to call family members. Maybe he'll call and explain."
Alex nodded, feeling overwhelmed by everything. "Thank you, Sir," she said on a breath.
"You're welcome." Ben gave her a sympathetic smile and a nod. "Drive home safely, Miss."
She nodded again before heading out the door, feeling like a deflated balloon. She hopped up into the driver's seat and sat there for a minute as angry tears clouded her vision. How dare he not put her on the list! She was his fiancée! Didn't he want to see her? Slamming her palm against the steering wheel, she let out a frustrated growl. Damn him for being so selfish! Damn him for leaving her like this! How was she supposed to go a whole year without seeing him?
Turning the key in the ignition, she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. It would be fine. She'd talk some sense into him the next time he called and he'd add her to the list. Simple as that. "Papi's being silly, Grem," she said to her unborn child as she drove. "He'll come around. We'll make him come around, huh?"
Leon and Ron were sitting in front of the television on the floor of the living room, racing each other on the Playstation when the front door flew open. Leon's eyes followed Alex's small form as she stormed into the house, throwing her purse on the ground before heading straight to her room. He looked at Ronnie who had one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
They paused the game, standing up at the same time and running towards Alex's room, shoving each other out of the way to try and get there first. Leon got there first. "Shorty? You all right?" he shouted through the locked door.
"Go away!" she yelled, her voice muffled by what Leon assumed was a pillow.
Ronnie pushed Leon out of the way. "Let me try," he murmured quietly. "Lexi, open the door!"
"Leave me alone!" she shouted back.
"Nice," Leon shot back in response, rolling his eyes at Ronnie. Apparently, they were equally not wanted. "Baby girl, you know we ain't leavin' 'til you open this door."
He heard Alex sigh before the door opened. She wasn't crying like he had assumed she was, instead she looked furious. "What do you want?" she growled, glaring at both of them.
"What the hell happened? I thought you'd be in a good mood after seeing your man," Ronnie commented pushing past her and into the room. There were no boundaries between the two. Ronnie would go into her room whether he was invited or not. Leon was more respectful and waited outside.
"I would be if I got to see him," she muttered through gritted teeth. She stepped back to let Leon in. "He didn't put me on the list. He doesn't want to see me."
Ronnie chuckled from where he was spread across the bed, his hands underneath his head, the picture of relaxation. "What an asshole!" he stated, shaking his head slightly.
Leon glared at Ronnie as he sat down on the bed, watching Alex pace back and forth in front of him, her hands clenched into tight fists. "Did he tell you about that before?"
She shook her head. "I knew he didn't want me at the sentencing, but I'm not allowed to see him ever, Lee. That's not right. It's not fair! You're on the list, Lee! He put you on the list over me! What the hell!"
"Is it just me or are Mickey and Mia on the list too?"
"You and Mia."
Leon's eyebrows raised in surprise; he definitely wasn't expecting to hear Mia's name. He thought for sure it would be him and Michaela. "Really?"
"He doesn't want the two people he loves the most to see him in prison," Ronnie said as though it was obvious. When they gave him questioning glances, he shrugged. "No offense, Lee, but he probably doesn't give two shits if you see him in the slammer and Mia said she used to go see her brother all the time, so she's used to it. But you and Michaela…you're different. Neither of you have ever seen the inside of a jail or know what it's like. He's protecting you."
She stopped pacing and just looked at him. Sometimes it was hard to believe such insightful things came from his big mouth. "Huh," said Alex, pensively.
"I know. I surprise myself sometimes," he shot back, a teasing smile on his face. "It makes sense though, right? I mean, I don't really know the guy, but I get the feeling he wouldn't want his little sister and his fiancée around other prison inmates. Not exactly the nicest of guys."
"Stupid over protective asshole," Alex cursed under her breath. "Why couldn't he have just let me in! I can handle it! What is it with him and this alpha male business?"
Both guys just shrugged in response which only served to make her more frustrated. In the distance, the house phone was ringing loudly. Leon heard Michaela grab it and sighed thankfully. He had to admit, he wasn't surprised that Vince hadn't put either of the girls on the list. When he had adamantly demanded she not be at the sentencing, Leon had gotten the feeling that she wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the prison if Vince had a say in it. "Just write him a letter."
"Yes, Leon, because that's the same thing as seeing him," she shot back at him sarcastically.
"Write him a dirty letter," Ronnie suggested. "Bet he'd like that."
Alex threw a pillow at his face. "Shut up, Ron."
Michaela walked in holding the house phone to her ear. She held it out to Alex. "Phone call."
She shoved her hand away. "I don't want to talk to anyone right now," she answered, miserably.
"Yes you do," Michaela insisted, shoving the phone back into her friend's hand. "Go ahead."
She glared at Michaela before pressing the phone to her ear with a heavy sigh. "Hello?"
"Hey Tiny," a familiar gruff voice answered back.
The feelings of anger and sadness battled inside of her as she sat down on the bed, the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder. She didn't know whether to yell at him or cry. "You didn't put me on the list," she choked out, tears falling from her eyes. "I came to visit and they said I couldn't. Why wouldn't you put me on the list? You don't want to see me?"
His sad sigh sent shivers down her spine. "I want to see you, but not like this, Tiny."
"Mia gets to see you.
"I only put her on there so she can tell fill me in on stuff Leon can't," he explained easily. He'd obviously thought through the plan before putting it into action. "Plus, she's a pro at this. She had to do it with Dominic."
Alex took in a deep breath, trying her hardest to stop crying like a baby. "Big guy, a year is a long time…"
"I know, baby. Believe me, I know," he said, pausing briefly after his sentence as though a thought had just occurred to him. "You'll wait, right? You're not gonna go find a new man."
"Vincent Cash Catella," she exclaimed, making the other three people in the room wince at the volume of her voice. "I have your ring on my finger, your freaking baby inside of me, what the hell else do I need to prove to you that I'm not going anywhere! You're stuck with me now, you idiot!"
"Ladies and gentlemen check that out, the first pregnancy mood swing. Auh-mazing!" Ronnie commented with a laugh. She leant over to pinch his arm as hard as she could. He stopped laughing then.
Vince's soft chuckle relaxed her a little bit. "Good," he said, still laughing. "Listen Tiny, I got to go. My phone time's running out."
"No!" she exclaimed before she could stop herself. They'd barely had a chance to really talk. "No, don't leave yet. Talk to me, big guy."
"I can't right now. Be good, Tiny. Take care of Grem. Say hi to Lee and my sisters and try not to kill anyone. I love you."
"Vince!" Alex tried to stall him. It was too late; the other end had already gone dead. She threw the phone on the ground in frustration. "Stupid."
Leon waited for a moment, knowing what was coming next. Tears. Sure enough, two minutes later they were falling from her eyes while she angrily tried to swipe them away. "Stop being such a sap, Lex. He's fine. Stress is bad for the baby," Ronnie commented, lazily throwing a pillow in the air.
Michaela grabbed it before he could catch it. "That's our cue to leave, Mr. Insensitive," she said, grabbing Ronnie's wrist and trying to pull him off the bed. He was too big for her to budge, but her point was clear and he got up on his own.
"I was just sayin'…" he started as he followed Michaela out of the room. "She wasn't being very sensitive when she pinched me."
Leon shook his head at them. He reached out an arm and wrapped it around Alex's shoulders, pulling her in closer to him. "You can cry all you want, Shorty."
"I hate crying," she managed to get out between sobs. "This sucks."
He chuckled and kissed her temple. "You look pretty hot while doing it," he teased, smirking when she sent him an evil glare.
"Shut up," she said, a smile turning up the corners of her lips. Leon always knew what to say to make her smile. She let out a heavy sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I have my first doctor's appointment tomorrow. Vince was so excited to go with me, but now Mia's going instead."
Leon fought the urge to make a disgusted face. He'd gone with his older sister to a doctor's appointment once when she was pregnant with the twins. He knew how they checked on babies. Knew exactly what they put and where they put it. "You don't want me to go, do you?" he asked, his disgust bleeding into his voice.
"Not with that face, I don't," Alex shot back, wiping at her eyes. "No, I don't want you to go. I didn't even want Mia to go, but she said it was either she go or she'll tell Ron and he'll go."
"You don't want Ron to go?"
She shook her head exaggeratedly. "Hell no! My baby is about the size of a pea or something. According to the baby books, you can see its freakin' heartbeat. I don't need him there to comment on what it looks like. I love him to death, but he's a little more than I can handle sometimes."
"So exactly how far along are you?"
"First trimester, seventh week, five weeks after conception," Alex rattled off. She'd been lying when she told Ronnie she didn't know how far along she was. For some reason, she hadn't wanted to get into it with him, knowing he'd be upset that she was pregnant the last time he saw her and still went off-roading with him.
Leon whistled. "Want to be more exact?" he teased. "How many hours? Minutes?"
"Fuck off," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Why do you even care?"
"Adri wanted to know. She's a nurse or a midwife or something."
"Your sister?"
He nodded slowly. He had yet to discuss his sister with Michaela, but he felt like telling Alex would help get her mind off of other things. "I told her all about everyone. She's coming to visit soon. She wants to make sure Jesse is being taken care of properly."
"That's exciting!" Alex commented with a wide smile. "Is she bringing the kids?"
"Yeah. It's the twins' summer vacation so they don't have to worry about school."
"How old are they?"
He shrugged a shoulder in response. "Leah and Hope are twelve. Almost thirteen. Mattias is just turning three. Is it bad I'm worried about Mickey's reaction?"
"To the kids?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised. At his nod, she sighed. "You're worried she'll see you with them and want one too?"
"I swear you can read my mind sometimes," he mumbled with a shake of his head. He had yet to discuss kids with Michaela. He had a feeling it was going to be an issue since she wanted them and he…well, he didn't. "I know I have to deal with it sooner or later…I just thought I could wait 'til you popped your little demon child out."
Alex rolled her eyes at him. "Okay first, I'm not having a demon child. Second, they don't just pop out; it's not that easy. Third, you have to be honest with her. Lying about what you want isn't going to do anything but make you miserable."
If he heard her, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he changed the subject, an act Alex took to mean he didn't want to talk about that subject anymore. "My nieces have heard of you," he said with an amused smile. "Hope is in love with Eddie."
"That poor misguided child," she mumbled in response, shaking her head. She never understood the fans who obsessed over Eddie rather than Ronnie. It was true their publicist always made it seem like Ronnie was the "bad boy" what with his tattoos and muscles while Eddie was marketed as the heartthrob, but Alex always felt you could tell that both images were fake. Ronnie couldn't be the "bad boy" if he tried. "I bet you'll be the coolest Uncle when she sees Ronnie here."
He shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. The other one, Leah, was actually more excited to meet you and Mickey. She's a dancer too. I told her about the dance studio and she flipped."
Alex smiled proudly. "Cool."
He could tell he hadn't distracted her very much. Leaning over, he pecked her temple. "He's going to be fine, baby girl. This isn't his first time."
She groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. "Don't remind me." She let out a long sigh before sitting back up. "You really think he'll be okay?"
"I promise you he will be," he answered with a nod.
She studied him for a brief moment, checking to see if he was lying. She found he wasn't. She sighed again, her eyes reluctant to accept his promise. After a moment, she shrugged her shoulders. "If you say so."
So did you like it? Would you rather have had Vince let her see him? Did his choice not to make sense?
Let me know what you think! Any critiques, suggestions, etc. are appreciated! :)
~Love Ink