Avery's Desire Pt. 10

The last gift that he opened was from Cole. It was small and thin, about the size of a composition notebook, wrapped in children's birthday paper, with a big orange and black bow on the top. "My wife wrapped it." Cole smirked when he saw Avery admiring the bow.

"Thank her for me." Avery said as he tore the paper off, being careful not to damage the bow. He raised an eyebrow once he saw what it was; the room became quiet as they waited for him to speak. Avery turned the item over in his hands, carefully inspecting every detail of it.

It was a notebook, as he'd suspected, but not just any ordinary notebook. It was a song writer's journal. The inner pages were parchment and resembled a music score, and at the bottom of each page were tips and quotes from famous musicians. "This is really...awesome." Avery said finally, "Seriously, I love it. Thank you so much Cole."

Cole shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pants pocket. "I decided to break with tradition so to speak, instead of getting you some novelty thing I figured I'd get something a little more practical. Rick said you write songs a lot and keep them in an old notebook, so now you have a proper place to write them down."

"It's really great." Avery smiled at everyone as he wiped at his eyes. "Really, all of you thank you so much. You've made this the best birthday ever."

"What did you get him Rick?" Trash looked over at his friend, noticing that Rick hadn't brought anything with him.

Avery blushed some. "He bought me a bouquet of black roses." He told them.

"Oh Nice..." Kat playfully punched Rick in the arm. "You can't go wrong with flowers."

"I have something else planned too." Rick said. He pulled out the chair next to Avery and sat down. "It's a surprise though and not really something he can unwrap."

"It doesn't count as a gift if he can get it any night of the year." Trash smirked.

"Not that you horn dog!" Rick wadded up a ball of discarded wrapping paper and bounced it off Trash's head. "It's something special, romantic. I think he'll like it."

Avery felt himself flush. "I really don't need anything else Rick. This party, the gifts, it's all so wonderful, more than I even expected. You're all really great, I can't even put into words..."

"Then don't..." Trash popped open a beer and took a swig. "I hate mushy stuff and besides, I'm starving. Let's dig into this cake."

"Pig." Kat giggled.

Trash made a pig face and snorted at her.

"Oh charming." She laughed.

Boomer passed out some plates as Rick sliced and dished out the cake while Kat scooped the ice cream. Everyone sat around the table smiling and laughing. Rick passed the plates of cake around the table starting with Avery.

Avery thanked everyone again. He just couldn't believe how great they all were. No one had done anything so nice for him in such a long time; he almost forgot what it felt like. He laid his head against Rick's shoulder and Rick kissed his forehead as he put an arm around him. It was shaping up to be a really great night.

___________________________________________________________________ By nine-thirty that night, Shaggys was packed. Boomer stood behind the bar just about ready to burst. He couldn't believe the turn out, it was amazing. He had to call in Nick to help him tend bar and two extra waitresses. Maureen was busier in the kitchen than she'd been in six months, but she wasn't complaining. Her seasoned, bacon, cheddar fries were a real hit with the crowd, and the line of hungry patrons was unending.

Boomer knew that he had Darla and the kids to thank for the advertizing, but it was the band ultimately that drew the crowd in. Most of them were die hard Cole Rhoads fans, eager to hear him play again after a decade of silence, but there were quite a few fans of Desire themselves.

This would be their first live gig since Mikey left, and with the addition of two new members, the anticipation was building. Everyone wanted to know who was now on guitar, and most importantly, how well she fit into the band.

Kat knew that while the spotlight would be on Avery, a lot of the attention would be on her as well. She was used to playing in front of big crowds, but the thought of her standing up there, playing her hardest while being judged and scrutinized did cause her to be somewhat nervous. If the fans didn't warm to her after their first gig, the band had less than a great chance of winning the battle of the bands.

The majority of party-goers were wearing Halloween costumes; there were a few in regular street clothes, one guy, a scroungy looking middle aged man with long, dirty blonde hair and a beard, was dressed in a blue business dress with black heels, but no one really knew if he was in costume or if that was his regular attire.

Avery was having the time of his life though, the rest of the band decided against dressing up, but Avery was in full Goth, complete with black nail polish, eye liner, and dark black eye shadow. He had the sides of his hair pulled back, leaving the length of it down so that it fell over his shoulders and back in long, silken, black locks.

His clothing was elegant; skin tight leather slacks, a studded belt that hung loosely over his right hip. His shirt was a deep crimson, button down dress shirt that he left open at the neck. Over the shirt he wore black, leather, vest that was also left open, revealing the full front of his blood red top.

Avery didn't like to wear a lot of jewelry, and he hardly ever wore rings or bracelets, but for the occasion he did adorn himself with a silver, vampire fang choker, a silver cross, and skull ear rings. With his vampire like ensemble, long, jet black hair, offset by his pale completion, he truly looked like a creature of the night.

Rick was in awe of how beautiful and how natural Avery looked as he walked out on the stage, (which was little more than a raised platform) dim lights illuminating his form and creating an air of mystery about him. The Halloween decorations added to the spooky atmosphere and glamour. Boomer had even set up fog machines at each corner of the stage to add ambiance.

As more people crowded in, the small tavern became standing room only. The music, though having a dark and slightly creepy theme, was upbeat— good dance music. Although each band member had to approve it, Avery almost entirely made up the set list himself. His personal tastes and preferences made for a great Halloween performance which was what the fans were expecting.

From the back of the room, a mask devil approached. He blended well, being one of three men dressed in a Satan costume, so nobody really paid much attention as he walked to a table near the stage and seated himself; he was alone, nursing a bloody-Mary, and watching the band—particularly Avery—with spiteful condemnation.

A tall, wiry, youth dressed as a pirate, approached the table, and took the seat next to his devilish companion. He had dark brown hair, shoulder length, and piercing grey-blue eyes.

Beelzebub regarded the pirate with a slight nod as he continued watching the band while drumming his fingers angrily on the surface of the table.

"I didn't expect them to have Cole Rhoads with them." The pirate said.

"Yeah..." The devil sneered. "That was...quite a surprise."

"Gives them a leg up I suppose." The pirate sighed as he lit a smoke, "You think it will make a difference? In them being chosen I mean?"

The devil turned his red, masked, face towards the pirate. Though his features were hidden, his friend could feel the anger radiating out from his dark eyes. "I'd say it definitely gives them an unfair advantage."

"Man I hope not." The pirate sunk back in his chair. "It's going to suck if we have to go up against that." He said, motioning towards the stage. "Cole Rhoads is a freaking legend. How can we compete against that?"

"Maybe we won't have to." Satan turned to his attention once more to the stage.

"What are you thinking?" The pirate asked.

Devil man grinned beneath his evil mask. "Cole can play, there's no arguing that, but he can't sing. None of the others have as good of vocals as Avery does, and the band can't go on without a singer. So, we just have to remove the little faggot from the equation." The pirate raised an eye brow. "And, how are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't know yet." The devil said. "But I'll think of a way. You can count on that." He pulled off his mask and sat it on the table next to his glass. He leaned forward and stared at Avery, hard. Their eyes locked in an intense glare. He smiled. He'd wanted Avery to see him, he wanted to shake the boy's nerves, and it looks as though he'd accomplished his mission.

Avery didn't falter or stumble over the lyrics of the song, but he was definitely aware of the devil in the audience, and he wasn't happy about it, that much was clear.

"You did what you came here to do..." The pirate said as he rose from the chair. "Let's get out of here now."

Old scratch leaned back in his seat and grinned. That boy's going to rue the day he fucked with me." He said.

"Mikey..." The pirate tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. "There's a party a few blocks from here with some sweet ass chicks. Let's blow this place and go pick up some girls."

Mikey downed the rest of his drink and stood up. "Alright..." He told his friend. "Let's get the hell outta this dump. The entertainment here bites anyway."

As they were headed for the door, Mikey looked up and saw Boomer walking towards him. "Not tonight old man." He mumbled. "I ain't got the patience to deal with assholes tonight."

Mikey's pirate friend dragged him through the crowd to the front door of the bar. In a flash, they were gone, melting into the blackness of the night. ____________________________________________________________________ When the song had ended, Avery adjusted the microphone back onto its stand. "We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight," He said, addressing the audience. "We're going to take five, but stick around. There's more killer music to come when we return."

A mixture of cheers and boos rose from the crowd, Avery ignored them. His throat was dry and he needed to take a piss bad. He headed for the restroom while the others went out back to take a break. Boomer followed them out.

"What the fuck was Mikey doing here?" Rick growled as he slammed the door. "What's he doing? Fucking stalking Avery now? Is he that fucking warped?!"

"He was probably just here checking out the competition." Trash sat down and popped open a beer. "He probably shit a brick when he found out Cole was playing with us."

"He's got no business coming around here." Rick hissed. "I swear to God if I see him again..."

"You won't do shit!" Boomer stared at Rick, "Unless you want to blow your chances of winning the B.O.B."

"He's right." Cole spoke up. "Say we do get selected to play. You go after him and it's instant disqualification. If you want to beat him, do it on the stage."

Rick frowned. "So what, I'm just supposed to sit back and do nothing?"

"Exactly," Boomer told him. "You do nothing. Unless he comes after you first, then it's self defense."

"Just like in that movie, 'Road House.' " Trash smirked, "Be nice until it's time to not be nice."

Kat glared at Trash. "Bad advice there dude, he killed the guy at the end remember?" Trash blinked as he scratched his head. "Oh yeah, he did, didn't he?"

Boomer shook his head and laughed, "I know I should be worried about you kids, but somehow I'm not."

"Naw, we're okay." Trash chuckled. "We're all nuts, but at least we're nuts together."

"Looks like I joined the right band then." Cole cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "Yeah..." Boomer nodded, "I'd say you did."

The door opened and Avery peeked in. "We're ready to get back out there?" He asked. "The natives are getting restless."

"Yeah, we're ready." Rick looked at him, showing his concern. "Are you okay though?" Avery shrugged, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I just thought, with Mikey showing up like that..."

Avery frowned as he leaned against the door frame. "I won't let Mikey, or anybody else, intimidate me. Just because someone treats me like shit doesn't mean I have to believe them. It doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with me, it means there's something wrong with him. Normal people don't go around harassing others, or trying to bring them down; if I let him get to me, then he wins, and I won't allow that."

"Right on brother," Cole smiled warmly at Avery. "The best way to handle a jack-ass like that is to live your life and prove that they have no power over you. My dad always taught me to be the better man and walk away. It's not always the easiest thing to do, but in the long run, it's the smartest course of action."

"Exactly right," Boomer nodded to his son. "I'm glad some of what I've said sunk into that melon of yours."

Cole flipped Boomer the bird and laughed. "A lot of what you've said has sunk in over the years. I'm just picky about which piece of advice I actually use."

"Brat." Boomer snickered.

"Come on guys," Avery grinned. "This party ain't over yet, let's get our asses back out there, and give these people some music to dance to."

Rick and the others followed Avery back out to the stage, Boomer headed back to the bar, much to Nick's relief as he was getting swamped with drink orders.

Avery stepped up to the microphone and wrapped his hand around the neck. "Is everyone having a happy Halloween?" He asked.

Loud cheers and applause rose from the crowd in affirmation to his question.

"Awesome, that's just what I wanted to hear." He smiled as he looked out over the crowd.

Wild and imaginative costumed faces stared back at him. Avery was in Heaven. "Here's an old but kick ass tune by a little Band called 'Blue Oyster Cult' that I'm sure most of you know, 'Don't fear the reaper.' It's a timeless classic that no Halloween bash would be complete without."

Another round of applause.

The music started as the crowd roared with approval.

Avery's voice rang out high above the din and filled the room with a melody that was both ethereal, and haunting. A hush fell over the crowd so that all that could be heard was the music from the band. Couples began dancing, others sat listening while drinking, or chatting quietly. When the song ended, Avery and the others received a standing ovation.

'It's too bad Mikey ducked out early.' Avery thought as he blushed some, thanking the audience. 'I would have loved to see the look on his face right about now.'

As the night wound down, the songs got more mellow, and the once energetic and lively partiers became weary and tired, the nights festivities came to a close. Guests started filling out, one after another, till only a few stragglers were left behind. Avery and the other band members began tearing down the equipment, ready to call it a night. Avery was exhausted, and so was everyone else.

Boomer announced that Shaggys would be closing soon, much to the disappointment of a few drunks who were half passed out on the bar.

"You want me to stay and help clean up?" Cole asked as he sat himself down and opened a can of Pepsi.

"No, you get home to that wife of yours." Boomer told him. "We have everything under control here. You boys done good tonight; it was also good seeing you up on stage again."

"Yeah, it felt good too." Cole looked over at the rest of the band. They were just finishing up and Avery was sitting at one of the nearby tables with his head resting on his arms. He yawned, glanced around the room, and then closed his eyes, looking like he was about ready to pass out. "I think I'll give those two a ride home." Cole smirked, nodding towards Rick and Avery. "Avery's tiny, but I don't think Rick can carry him all the way back to their apartment."

"No, probably not," Boomer laughed. "It'd be funny to see him try though."

Both men chuckled. Cole finished his drink then tossed the empty can into the trash. "You're sure you can handle the mess on your own?" He asked.

Boomer nodded. "Nick and the girls are staying after to help me, we'll be fine."

"Alright then..." Cole slipped his coat on. "Hey Rick!" He hollered, "Grab sleeping beauty over there before he face plants the floor. I'll give you two a lift home."

"Hey thanks Cole." Rick wished trash and Kat a good night then walked over to where Avery was sitting and shook him gently. "Hey, you wanna go home or sleep here?" He asked.

"Umm..." Avery groaned and yawned again. "Sleep here..." He murmured. "Just lay me on the floor and toss me a pillow."

"You sleep here and I'll charge you rent." Boomer joked.

"Uh Oh, guess you better come home then." Rick smiled as he practically lifted Avery out of the chair and helped him with his coat. "You better wake up baby boy." He told him, "I ain't carrying you up two flights of stairs."

"Dump a bucket of water on him." Trash snickered. "That'll wake him up quick enough."

"Yeah," Rick laughed, "He'd probably kick me in the nuts too."

"Yes I would..." Avery sneered, "And hard too."

"See?" Rick laughed, slipped his coat on and he and Avery followed Cole out to his truck. It was still dark out, but morning was approaching fast. For Avery, it had been a great night, better than great, it had been phenomenal.

Avery was moved by the level of love and appreciation that his friends had shown him, he felt lucky that he was able to spend his birthday with the man that he loved, and then go home with him at the end of the night.

He was also thrilled at the response the band had gotten from the people who'd showed up to hear them play. It was the perfect ending to a perfect night, and one that Avery wouldn't soon forget. ____________________________________________________________________ Rick staggered into the kitchen wearing nothing but his underwear. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, trying to wake up. Avery wasn't up yet, but he'd set the timer on the coffee pot, so by the time Rick woke up, a fresh pot of coffee was waiting for him.

He poured himself a cup, then inhaled the aroma, and said a silent prayer, thanking God for coffee beans.

He'd just finished adding the milk and sugar when the phone rang. He turned around, picked up the kitchen extension, and answered it as he took a sip of his drink.

"Hello?" He said into the slick, black, wireless receiver. "Oh hey Boom, what's up? Yeah we get it; I haven't brought it in yet though. Yeah, I will, one sec."

Rick took the phone and his coffee with him as he walked into the living room, headed for the front door. He opened it, looked out onto the walkway, and frowned. For some reason the paper delivery boy had yet to figure out the purpose of a newspaper box. Most mornings, the paper was thrown haphazardly onto the walkway; some days it made it fairly close to the front door, and other days, not so close.

In recent weeks, the paper had been found anywhere from the inside of a rotting Jack-o-lantern, to the box planter attached to the railing. This morning, Rick found it thrown on top of the grill beside the door.

Rick picked up the paper and walked back into the house, kicking the door closed with his foot. He sat down on the couch, putting the coffee mug down gently on the coffee table, careful to remember the coaster.

"Okay, got it." He said, once he was situated. "What page am I looking at?" Rick flipped to the inside of the paper, page six, local events. He scanned the page till he found what he was looking for at the bottom of the page. There was a three by five section blocked out with a frame around it that listed the ten bands selected to play at the battle of the bands. He skimmed over the names of each band then stopped, his eyes growing wide. His heart was racing. Sixth from the top, in large bold letters was Desire!