Your Biggest Fan

Part 1

Devotion

By Nick Maro

Susan Drake walked out of her apartment building and double checked the papers she held. She cursed under her breath and re-entered the apartment complex. She went back to her apartment and found the missing resume sheet. Filing it back in with the rest of the papers, she left the building again and started walking towards the train station.

A young man with black hair followed her. He stayed behind her for a few feet and then followed her down the stairs to the subway below. Susan got on board the waiting subway car. The man waited a few moments then got on before the doors closed. They rode the subway car for roughly fifteen minutes. Susan got off the car and started up the stairs. The young man hurried off the car and followed after her.

Looking at her watch Susan slowed her pace. She stopped in a coffee shop and ordered a coffee to go. The young man waited by the door. Susan came out a few minutes later and sipped the coffee. She began walking again, the man jogged up beside her. "Excuse me," he asked politely. Susan stopped and turned to look at him. "I feel foolish for asking this because I might be wrong, but are you Susan Drake the soap opera actress, right?"

Susan let a smile slip then giggled. "Yes. You're not mistaken so you can relax. What can I do for you, Mister…?"

"Vincent. Just call me Vincent." He took Susan's hand and kissed the back of it. He smiled inside as she blushed. "Well, if you have the time, I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me. I know a nice place a few blocks from here. You seem to be in a hurry though. Then perhaps I could get an autograph?"

"I am way ahead of schedule, so lunch would be nice." Susan walked next to Vincent. "So tell me, Vincent. Is everyone in New York as friendly as you or are you just the only one?"

"Oh, I'm just nice to those who I admire." Vincent stopped in front of an alleyway. "The café is down this way. It's a nice place off of the alley."

Susan followed Vincent as he led her further down the alleyway. "Sounds wonderful, I love these out of the way places." She stopped by a door where Vincent was waiting. "Is this the place?"

Vincent smiled wide. "Yes, after you." Susan tried to open the door. It was locked. She gave him a confused look. Vincent grabbed Susan by the back of her head and smashed her face twice into the wooden door. She fell to the ground unconscious. "Like I said, I'm only nice to those who I admire. It's too bad for you that I don't respect you at all." He unlocked the door and dragged Susan's limp body inside.

Jetta ran down the field as fast as her legs could take her. She checked over her shoulder, most of her pursuers were taken care of except for one. Jetta saw that the goal was a few yards ahead of her. She smiled to herself and felt the fire pump through her legs. Gripping the prize she carried she leapt for the goal. She was suddenly brought down to the ground hard by the woman who was chasing her.

"Dammit, Roxy! This was supposed to be touch football. Not grind the Brit into the ground," Jetta yelled rolling over on her back and looking up at her roommate.

Roxy helped Jetta to her feet. "Aw! What's the matter? Little Miss Action Hero can take being shot at but not a little tackle?" She made a raspberry noise with her lips. "Get over it. Nothing's broken other than your winning streak and your pride." She smirked and winked as she walked away from her best friend.

Jetta brushed the grass and dirt off her pants then caught up to Roxy. She tossed her the football. "Good game though. I've been thinkin' about what Thorn said to you. About her brother killin' himself sayin' that you're to blame, what do you think about it?"

"I think her brother killed himself out of depression. He never was the most stable person. Thorn is just in denial that he couldn't have done something like this on his own. I feel kind of sorry about that but not really. Patrick was a world class tool." Roxy threw the ball to Eiji who was walking to the poolhouse. "I'm not giving it a second thought. If she wants to hate me for thinking that, fine. No skin off my ass."

"No skin off my ass? You've been hangin' out with Ken too much." Jetta brushed some more dirt and grass off her pants. "Did you want to head out to a club or somethin'? Or are you going to be glued to your computer again?"

"Let's bring Yukio along. She still needs to get used to America." Roxy looked back at Jetta. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not, she really needs to loosen up a bit. You go get her. I'm gonna talk to David and Phyllis for a minute." Jetta jogged up to where the other players of the game were gathering.

Roxy ran slowly to the mansion and entered through the patio door. She first went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, then started searching the house for Yukio. She went down the stairs to the basement training room. Yukio was practicing with her katana and wakizashi. Roxy had seen David practice the daisho technique when he first came back to America. It still fascinated her.

Yukio brought her katana around and stopped it short of cutting through Roxy's throat. "Baka! Ki o tsukete! I almost cut your head off, Roxy. Gomen, ne for yelling at you. But next time clear your throat when I'm practicing like that." Yukio put the swords back into their scabbards. "Now what can I do for you?"

Roxy self-consciously felt where the sword would have struck and swallowed. "Sheila and I are going out to a few clubs tonight and wanted to know if felt like joining us. You know, just get out and relax a bit. Observe American culture, that kind of crap."

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for that just quite yet. I'm still adjusting to living here in the mansion." Yukio wiped the sweat from her face and neck. She walked to the shower room and Roxy followed closely waiting for an answer. Starting the shower Yukio stripped and stepped inside. "I'll go. David-san told me I need to get out more anyway. Besides, this just means I can protect you and Sheila better."

"Great! I'm going to shower and change myself. Meet us by Sheila's car. See you there." Roxy ran up the stairs to the guest bathroom to shower and change into some clean clothes.

Yukio squirted shampoo into her hair and massaged it in. Nice going, Yukio. Now you have to go out and deal with people. Just remember that not everyone is the enemy. Forget your training and be a regular person for one night, she thought to herself as she rinsed the shampoo out. She grabbed a towel off the hook and dried off.

She went up to her room and looked in the closet for something to wear. Nekobaka was asleep on his back enjoying the sunbeam he was in. Yukio turned around and posed for her lynx. "[What do you think of this?]" Nekobaka gave a light purr. "[I like it too.]" She scratched him under his chin and went outside to wait for Roxy and Jetta.

Pizzazz rubbed a small scrape on her elbow. She watched the road construction going on outside of the Misfits Music building. "You should've seen Mary today. She was almost unstoppable. I honestly think she uses that warning sense to figure out who's after her. I have no idea how that thing works."

"It's a sense that just warns her when she or someone close to her is in trouble. It's all a matter of perspective," David said without looking up from a report he was reading. "I wanted to go over the summer tour with you again."

"Not again! I thought we agreed to tour Japan again and then it's on to Europe. What else do we have to possibly discuss?" Pizzazz looked at her brother out of the corner of her eye.

"How do you feel about Bulgaria?"

Pizzazz gave David a confused look. "How do I feel about it? I don't even know where it is. Why?"

David put the report down and looked up from his chair. "Turns out you're huge there. So I was thinking of including Bulgaria into the tour. What do you think?"

"You gotta be kidding me. You want us to play in country I've never heard of?"

"I am kidding you. You just looked tense is all, anything wrong? Not still upset about Illegal Limit are you?"

Pizzazz sat on the couch and looked at the floor. "Do you remember Susan Drake?"

"Yeah, she impersonated mom back when I first came back here."

"Well," Pizzazz began speaking slowly, "I find out on the news today that she was murdered in New York. Police found her body crucified in an abandoned warehouse. They had to find her identity by checking her dental records. There was no note, no prints, no anything. The police are baffled. Hell, I'm baffled. I never knew someone who was involved in a murder like that." She looked up at David and started pacing the room. "Well, anyone outside of Monica."

David sat there mildly stunned. "Wow. That is a shock."

Pizzazz looked at her watch and sat forward a bit. "I gotta run. I'm meeting Jerrica and Rio for dinner. They want to discuss something. I have no idea what. Hope it's not another damn benefit concert. I want to rest up before the world tour. Guess it's the price of being a star."

"There is an awards show next week," David smirked when Pizzazz glared at him. "Joking again. Go on. Get outta here. Don't want to be late with meeting the future in-laws."

"I'm still not used to thinking of her that way." Pizzazz grabbed her purse and pulled the strap loosely over her shoulder. "I'm leaving my car in the parking garage for the night. Jerrica told me to meet her at Starlight Music." She opened the door and began to leave. "Tell mom not to wait up. I have no idea how late I'll be out." She waved as she shut the door.

Pizzazz said good night to Rose and walked quickly to the elevator. She rode the elevator car down to the ground floor and exited the silver building. Once outside, she waited by the crosswalk for the sign to change, a woman recognized Pizzazz and asked for an autograph. She smiled and signed the small notebook the woman handed her.

From the hole in the street where construction was going on, a man in all black jumped out and grabbed Pizzazz's purse. He ran across the street dodging a car that was turning. The man vanished into the rush hour crowd before she could do anything.

"Aren't you going to call a cop or anything?" the young woman asked just as shocked.

Pizzazz looked at her blankly for a moment and then gave a small smile. "He didn't get away with much just my driver's license and maybe a few dollars. My keys, phone and credit cards are in my jacket pocket. It's not really worth it." The light changed signaling for the pedestrians to cross. She walked with the young woman across the street. "I'm late for a dinner date." The young woman started to walk past Pizzazz. "Oh! Thanks for listening."

The woman smiled wide. "You're even nicer than I imagined. I knew you weren't a bitch for real." Pizzazz smiled and laughed and waved to the fan. She entered Starlight Music hoping she'd get her license back.

The three young women watched the mass of people dance in erratic rhythms. Roxy joined the crowd almost immediately while Jetta went to get herself and Yukio a beer. Yukio patiently waited for Jetta to return when she felt a hand tap her shoulder. She instinctively grabbed the hand and twisted.

A man muffled a scream of pain. Yukio turned to face a young man trying not to scream. She let go and squinted her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

The man rubbed his hand and tried to smile. "I, ouch, I just saw you standing there alone and was wondering if you wanted to dance. This is a dance club after all."

"Gomen nasai," Yukio apologized as she bowed slightly. "I'm still getting used to the customs of the United States. And no I'm afraid I'll have to turn down your offer. I'm here as a favor for two of my friends, but thank you for asking."

Jetta handed Yukio a beer as she watched the man walk away. "Wot's was that all about, luv?"

Yukio took a sip of the beer. "Nothing he just wanted to dance."

"Just wanted to dance and you almost break his bloody hand?" Jetta turned and watched the people dancing and took a sip of her drink. "Hate to see what you would've done if he asked you out. Probably run him through with a sword or disembowel him." She saw that Yukio was hanging her head slightly. Jetta rolled her eyes and nudged the young Japanese woman. "It was a joke, luv. It's okay to laugh at yourself. Haven't you learned that yet?"

"Sorry, just realizing how disconnected I am from civilization. I am somewhat jealous of everyone else. They can at least joke and make fun of themselves. While I am so serious and…and," Yukio looked up at Jetta. "What is the word I'm looking for?"

"Uptight?"

Yukio thought about it a moment. "That's close, but it will do for now. I need you and Roxy to help me loosen up. Hell I want everyone to help me. David has even said that I should learn how to fit in. I've been too proud until now to ask." She gestured at the dance floor. "Please Sheila, help me fit in."

Jetta smiled as Roxy came off the dance floor and stole the bottle of beer from her hand. "What's going on here? Heard talk on the floor of some crazy woman breaking hands if anyone asks her to dance." Roxy looked at Yukio with suspicion. "Have you joined Cobra again while we weren't looking? This time their plan is to break all the hands of everyone in the United States so no one can write or use a computer?" She winked letting her know she was kidding.

Letting a small giggle escape Yukio smiled at Roxy's joke. "I have a confession to make. I don't know how to dance. Never had any use for it. Could one of you teach me?"

Roxy and Jetta both let out a small laugh. Roxy grabbed Yukio's arm and pulled her towards the dance floor. "Come on it's easy. Just pretend you're doing your kata but a lot less organized." She paused for a moment. "Odd. Before I met David I would've never thought of dancing and martial arts were similar."

Yukio followed Roxy's lead on the floor and started to slowly get the idea. Jetta soon joined her two friends. They danced and laughed into the morning hours going from club to club.

The constant ringing of the phone woke Pizzazz from her deep sleep. She blindly reached for her nightstand as she looked for it. When she finally found the phone she cleared her throat quietly. "H'llo, G'bor Residence. Phyllis speakin', how can I help you?"

"Ms. Gabor, this is the office of Howard Sands calling. Are you free this afternoon? Mr. Sands would like to have a meeting with you," a young woman's voice said cheerily.

Pizzazz yawned quietly thinking about what the woman had just asked. She glanced at the clock to see what time it was. She cleared throat again and spoke more clearly. "I just checked my schedule and I'm free this afternoon. What time did Howard want to see me?"

"How does two this afternoon sound?"

"Great. Tell Howard I'll see him then. By the way, why didn't you call Misfits Music?"

"We did. David Gabor told me to call this number. He also had a message: It's time to get up anyway. I'll let Mr. Sands know that two o'clock is fine." The receptionist hung up on her end. Pizzazz hung her phone up and looked at it for a moment.

"Dammit, forgot to ask what Howard wanted me for," Pizzazz said quietly getting out of bed. She put on her robe and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. After the shower she put on a casual business suit. She went downstairs to eat before leaving.

Kimber and Hitomi were talking in the kitchen. Each young woman turned when Pizzazz entered. "Morning, Phyllis. Whatcha dressed up for?"

Pizzazz finished pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "Well, Spazz, I was just woken up by Howard Sands' secretary. He wants to see me for some reason. So I decided to show him that I can be a professional business woman and look the part."

"Well, I for one, am impressed, Phyllis. You clean up good." Kimber poured herself another cup of coffee. "Hitomi and I were just going over some songs for our new album. She was telling me that many Japanese rock and pop bands put an album out on an average of once a year. I figure since Suzaku is mostly a Japanese rock band so we should follow suit, but if you're going to the studio, mind if I tag along? I've been meaning to bug Jeff."

"Not at all. Hitomi, want to come as well?"

"No thanks, I have to talk to Eiji and Ken about these songs. You two have fun. Bond." Hitomi got up to leave the room but she first filled a bucket with warm water. "It's time Ken got up as well." She looked at Pizzazz over her shoulder. "Don't worry I'll wash the sheets myself." Hitomi left the kitchen while giggling evilly to herself.

Kimber and Pizzazz watched Hitomi go up the stairs. "God, she's evil. I thought I was bad to The Holograms." Pizzazz got her keys out of her pocket. "Ready to go? I have a few errands to run first. Hope you don't mind."

"Nope, David is going to be at the office all day so I'm free." Kimber finished her coffee and followed Pizzazz out the front door. "So how did dinner with Rio and my sister go? They didn't torment you, did they? Last thing I need is you trying to get revenge on them for that."

Pizzazz let out a quick, soft laugh. "No, we just had dinner. We discussed a possible tour with Jem and The Misfits together, but we mostly just talked. Oh, did you hear? I was mugged outside of Misfits Music. Damnedest thing too, I was talking to a fan at the crosswalk and this guy in all black grabs my purse and takes off. Only thing I had of value in there was my license. So I was careful driving home last night." She tossed Kimber her keys to her car. "So, you get to drive."

Kimber smiled and got into the driver's seat. "Now I see why you asked if I wanted to come, you needed a chauffeur." She asked Pizzazz where they were going first and drove through the gates of the Gabor Estate.

Pulling up to the gatehouse of New World Pictures, Kimber told the guard they were there for Howard Sands. The guard gave the same monotone instructions he told everyone. He handed Kimber and Pizzazz each a studio pass. Kimber clipped her pass on her collar and drove into the studio. She parked the car in a guest spot.

Pizzazz and Kimber got out of the car. Pizzazz checked her watch, they were five minutes early. "Well, I'm going to Howard's office. Are you going to look for Jeff or what?"

"I can go with you. I'm kind of curious with what Howard wants to see you for. We can both make Jeff's life hell afterwards." Kimber giggled.

"True. I haven't seen poor Jeff in awhile. Okay, let's go." Pizzazz and Kimber walked to where Howard Sands' office was located. On the walk there, both of the women saw a few of their friends. Pizzazz spotted Howard standing outside of his office building talking with a young star. She ran up and tapped Howard on the shoulder. "You wanted to see me, Howard?"

Howard Sands turned around with a wide smile. "Pizzazz! Right on time!" He looked at Kimber and gave another friendly smile. "And it's lovely to see you again, Kimber. Congratulations on your engagement to David. I've been meaning to call but running a studio and all takes a lot of my time. Why don't we walk and talk about my proposal." The two women agreed and walked next to Howard slowly. "Pizzazz, I was wondering if The Misfits could do the soundtrack to a movie we're shooting. It's a science fiction thriller and I thought The Misfits new sound would be perfect. What do you think?"

Pizzazz walked in silence thinking it over. "I don't know, Howard. We're getting ready to tour this summer and I don't know if we can do a quality album that fast. I'm going to have to talk to the rest of the band and David about this. It's too big for me to decide alone."

"Fair enough, but come, I'll show you the movies that are being filmed today. We have a few that are on location, but some that are filming here later." Howard led the two young women around the studio. He explained the plot of each movie that was being filmed at the time. Kimber was impressed that he could keep each movie straight in his head.

They were walking past a crew and cast who had just arrived from being on location, when both Kimber and Pizzazz heard a voice they would both rather forget. "I don't know Harold. I think I could've done better on that cliff."

"Quit being a damn perfectionist, Sean. We were burning daylight as it was. If we can fit it in tomorrow, we will. We start shooting in studio eight in an hour and a half. Go eat," the director said motioning to stage hands where to put equipment.

"Fine." Sean Harrison began walking to his trailer when he spotted the backs of Kimber and Pizzazz's heads. He ran up to Howard and tapped him on the shoulder. "Howard, I was hoping to reshoot a scene tomorrow. Could you possibly convince Harold to do it tomorrow?" He then acted as if he noticed Pizzazz and Kimber for the first time. "Oh hello, Pizzazz, and hello, Kimber. Finally dumped that idiot David?"

Kimber stared daggers at Sean as she looked at him past Howard and Pizzazz. "I'm going to find Jeff, Pizzazz. It was nice seeing you again, Howard." She started to walk away. "Go to hell and eat shit, Sean." She then walked away with a satisfied smile on her face.

"What a bitch she is," Sean swore under his breath.

Pizzazz shoved Sean back a few feet. "Hey! That's my future sister in law! If you have a problem with her then you have a problem with me. Got that?"

Sean looked at Pizzazz stunned. "What happened to you moonin' over me, Pizzazz? I guess you really have gone soft like I've heard."

"Not soft, just matured. My eyes are open and I see you for the asshole you always have been. Now why don't you go back to your trailer and your little disease ridden groupies?"

"Why you bitch!" Sean went to slap Pizzazz but she blocked him and slapped him across the face. He stumbled back and fell down after tripping over his feet. "You'll regret doin' that! No one ever slaps me! You understand? Howard, throw her off the lot!"

Howard looked down at Sean and sighed. "Just go to your trailer, Sean. I'll forget this ever happened if you do." Sean opened his mouth and was about to say something but then shut his mouth. Howard watched Sean leave while yelling at the onlookers. "I'm sorry, Pizzazz. Sean has been drinking a lot lately. It's all due to him not being the big star he was used to be."

"It's okay. No harm done. Listen, I'm going to find Kimber and Jeff. I'll talk to the rest of the band about this offer." Howard agreed with Pizzazz and she left in search of her friend.

Sean smiled and ordered a drink for a woman across the bar. The bartender smirked and gave the woman the drink. He told her it was from an admirer. She giggled and gave Sean a little smile of gratitude. Sean picked up his drink and moved down by her. "Excuse me?" he asked in his English accent. "Is this seat taken?" The woman shook her head no. Sean sat down and smiled at her again. "Name is Sean Harrison. How are you?"

The woman giggled again. "I know. I'm a big fan of yours. I'm Annette. Thank you for the drink. I was nervous to approach you and ask your autograph."

"What the devil for? I'm a nice guy despite what some would say. Take for example my spineless ex-fiancée Kimber Benton. Silly bitch thinks I'm the bloody Anti-Christ because she caught me with my personal assistant. I admit it I was stupid but that doesn't make me a bad guy. It was a moment of weakness." Sean looked up at Annette only to find that she was gone.

The bartender walked over to Sean and took Annette's glass. "Sorry pal, lady left when her husband came in. Better luck next time, eh?"

Sean finished his drink. "Yeah, better luck next time." He paid for the drinks and left the bar. He hailed a taxi and gave the driver his address. The taxi drove off and disappeared into the traffic.

The Misfits were still undecided on whether they should do the soundtrack. They'd been casually discussing an album concept for the past few days. Stormer wasn't sure she could write what the album needed on short notice. David liked the idea but hated the timing. It was too close to their world tour.

Pizzazz was discussing the album again with David with V-TV on for background noise. An announcement on V-TV caught their attention.

"…V-TV has just learned that missing actor slash singer Sean Harrison has been found dead. Harrison had been missing since last Friday. He was last seen in a bar near the New World Pictures studio production lot. Police discovered Harrison's body in an alley in East L.A., California. Harrison appeared to have been strangled to death. Sean Harrison, dead at twenty-four."

David turned off the television and looked at a stunned Pizzazz. A single tear fell down her cheek. Rose knocked on the door and gave Pizzazz a bouquet of flowers. The card read: To help you through the shock, Your Biggest Fan.

TO BE CONTINUED IN "FEAR"

PART 2 OF YOUR BIGGEST FAN