Julie woke with a start and found herself still in Sammy's chair. The bed was empty so she assumed that Sammy had gone down to the media room to watch cartoons since it was a Saturday morning. Groaning as she stood up and stretched, she quickly righted Sammy's bed and headed to their suite.

She desperately needed a hot shower to work out the kinks. Julie went to knock on Ari's still closed door but stopped herself until she was a little more awake. Seeing their own bed still made from yesterday made Julie stop, her breath hitching slightly as all the memories from last night washed over her.

Julie guessed that Jon took her at her word and slept in the office. With a heavy sigh Julie stripped off yesterday's clothes and stepped under the hot shower letting the water wash away her tears and pain as well as loosening her cramped back muscles.

Meanwhile downstairs, Sammy was wandering the house looking for Jon. She found him on the couch in his office. His mouth was hanging open and he was snoring lightly.

"Daddy?" Sammy whispered and shook him a little, "Daddy, wake up."

Jon's eyes cracked open against the sunlight and focused on his youngest daughter nose to nose with him. He wiped away the dried drool from his chin and cheek with his shirt, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Morning, Sammygirl," he grunted, stretching out his neck.

"Why are you down here, Daddy?" Sammy asked as she snuggled into him on his lap. "Mama is sleeping in my chair."

"It was a long night, baby," Jon said with a kiss to her forehead, "Where's mama now?"

Sammy shrugged and tucked her legs into Jon's lap. "She was still sleeping when I got up. I got woken up last night by a thump thump outside my window."

"Maybe it was just the wind, baby?" Jon shrugged, still half asleep, "You didn't hear anything else?"

"Lots of shouting but I thought it was the TV," Sammy said. "Kinda sounded like you and Uncle Lema."

"Ah baby... I'm sorry you got woken by that," Jon stroked Sammy's hair, "It probably was us. We had a lot of stuff to sort out about Ari and Ethan. Things got a little out of hand."

Sammy sighed and looked up into Jon's eyes. "Oh daddy, can't you see that Ari is Ethan's princess, like in the Disney movies? I've seen it for years...it's about time everyone could!"

"You can see that, huh?" Jon studied his youngest daughter, "What makes you say that, baby?"

"The way he looks at her is like Aladdin when he took Princess Jasmine on the magic carpet ride. He kisses the back of her hand like a true prince," Sammy listed off, "The way Ari smiles when Ethan says something funny or about her, the way he sticks up for her in front of kids at school for bullying Ari. Did you know he got detention for hitting another boy for doing that?"

"How do you know all of this, baby?" Jon looked down, curious, "You're in different schools."

Sammy blushed and averted her eyes. "Her diary and times that she's had to babysit me and Ethan's been by."

"Have you been snooping, little one?" Jon raised his eyebrow and tweaked her nose.

"I wouldn't call it snooping, Daddy," Sammy giggled. "I would call it finding enlightenment through a bit of research."

"Well look who has found some big words," Jon snickered a little, "You sound like your mama."

"Oh oh," Sammy grinned and lightly slapping her fingers against Jon's chest. "...and she even got a carriage like Cinderella!"

"Huh? What do you mean, Sammy?" Jon questioned, a little distracted. He'd been thinking about what Sammy had said and if he pushed himself, he could see it also. He'd been blinded by his father's love for his child to notice the changes between the two young adults.

Sammy frowned and spread her arms out. "Uncle Lema pulled up with Ethan last night. Ari's carriage arrived and she ran to it like Cinderella going to the ball."

"JON!" Julie yelled from upstairs, "Ari's not in her room!"

"Off you go, Sammygirl," Jon kissed her head and she jumped off, "I'll deal with your snooping later." He watched Sammy scurry off to the media room and cursed to himself.

Julie raced down the stairs, hair still wrapped in a towel, and clutching her phone. "Baby, I don't know where she is. She sent this text at 4 this morning," she passed her phone to Jon, "It's now almost 9."

Jon read the text and swallowed the panic that rose in his throat. "Sammy said she saw Ari running to Lema's car and Ethan was in it with him."

"So she's at David and Leesha's?" Julie asked, starting to calm a little.

"Call and find out. I'll call Lema," Jon said, trying to push the thought of him and Dorothea from his mind. He left his wife to grab his phone from the desk, scrolling to David's number and hitting the Call button. It rang and rang...voicemail. "C'mon, fucker, pick up..." He redialed. Voicemail again.

"Ari's not answering, Jon," Julie stepped into the office, trying her daughter's phone again too. When she got no answer, Julie called Leesha's phone and was met with her voicemail as well. "Hi you've reached Alicia Bryan. I'm currently out of the country right now. Your call is very important to me. Please leave your name, number and a brief message or you can send an email to [email protected]"

"SAMMY!?" Jon yelled and stalked out of the office, "Sammygirl, where's Ari's diary?"

"Am I in trouble, Daddy?" Sammy asked when she came out of the room.

"No, baby," Jon reassured the girl, "Can you go get it for me please?"

Julie ran from the office, her hands shaking and exclaimed, "Leesha's voicemail said they're out of the country!"

Sammy rushed off up to her sister's room. A moment later she leaned over the banister, "Daddy, it's gone."

"Where is she, Jon?" Julie cried, dropping her head into her hands.

Jon pulled Julie into his arms, feeling tears falling into his neck. Goddamnit, you've really done it this time, Lema. "Shh baby, she'll be okay," Jon soothed Julie, "We at least know she's with the Bryans. They'll keep her safe."

"It's okay, Mama," Sammy said from above, swinging on the banister rail, "Ethan is Ari's Prince Charming. They're gonna be happily ever after."

God I hope so, Sammygirl, Jon thought to himself, I hope you're right and I'm wrong.

*~*Sambora Residence, Calabasas CA*~*

"Uncle Mookie!" Ari jumped out of the car and ran into Richie's outstretched arms, feeling herself being swung in air and giggled like a little girl.

"Hello Princess," Richie held the girl tight, burying his nose into her hair, "Baby, you've grown so much!" He still managed to swing her around though. "Hey Squirt, how you doing?" Richie said over Ari's head.

Ethan set their bags down and smiled at Richie. "Pretty damn good, Uncle M," he nodded and gave Richie a one-armed hug. "Thanks for doing this."

"Don't thank me just yet," Richie looked serious for a moment, "Come inside first. We need to talk."

"Another talk?" Ari whined, taking Ethan's hand and following him into the lavish home. "Last one didn't turn out well."

"I just wanna say my piece," Richie shut the door behind him, "Then I'll say no more. Go, sit!" He indicated through the archway to the kitchen, "Do you want a cold drink, something to eat?"

Ethan pulled out a chair for Ari and kissed her before taking the chair beside her. "Toast and cereal, please," Ari requested.

"Just orange juice for me," Ethan piped in.

"That I can do," Richie fussed around in the kitchen as he spoke, "Now...Ari, honey, you know I don't like keeping secrets from your parents-"

"But Uncle Mookie- " Ari started and rose from her chair when Richie held up his hand to shush her.

"Sit your ass back down and listen," Richie scolded, "I understand why you're doing it though."

Ethan and Ari exchanged looks of relief. "You do?" Ethan asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I do...and so should your Dad, princess," Richie passed the bowl of cereal to her, "Now I'm not saying you two went about it the right way. Honestly, the photos were a little inappropriate and both your parents had their reasons to be angry. I'm not gonna preach, though, since I've had my share of it as well. But you two do need to be aware of the public and the weight that your names hold. After you're married, the photos and videos stop and the ones you have are deleted...deal?"

"Deal," they chorused.

"One more thing, Ari," Richie said, "Call your parents. Or at the very least, your mama."

"But Uncle Lema said not to until after we're married...that way they can't stop or change it," Ari replied after swallowing a spoonful of cereal.

"Babygirl, you're her firstborn," Richie walked around to her and looked at the young woman who had stolen his heart as a baby, "She'll be hurting and out of her mind with worry. I'll leave you to decide the when." He kissed her forehead. "As far as your Uncle Dave, he's on his third wife. What does he know about marriage?"

Ethan chuckled and took a sip of orange juice. "Yeah that's Dad for ya."

"Now! I've got someone I think who can help you out," Richie changed the subject, "When you're done, I'll give them a call to come over."

"Who is it?" Ari asked after a bite of buttered toast.

Richie poured himself a cup of coffee, looking out over the glistening pool as he poured in cream and sugar. "A buddy of mine, Nikki Sixx," he said, "and his wife Courtney."

"Nikki Sixx? From Motley Crue? Are you kidding me?" Ethan gasped, wide eyed, "He's fucking awesome!"

"The one and only," Richie smiled, "You know him, huh?"

Ethan fanned his hands in front of his face like a 13 year old fangirl. "Oh my fucking God yes! Holy shit I'm gonna meet THE Nikki Sixx!" He shook up his head so it was a little disheveled. "How's my hair look? Does it look badass?"

"We can call him now, if you want?" Richie offered and looked at Ari with a smirk. Ari snorted at Ethan.

"I think my..." Ari swallowed thickly, "Fiancee...just went a little gay on me."

"Ya think?" Richie shook his head and reached for his phone and scrolled through the contacts and hit the call button.

"Yello.." came the deep grumble after a few rings.

Ethan jumped up and down in his chair, biting his bottom lip and grinning like an idiot. "Hey brother, how are you man?" Richie asked.

"I'm good, I'm good," Nikki replied, "What's happening, dude?"

"Hi Richie," Courtney's voice rose up over Nikki's as though she'd pulled the phone away from him.

"Hey darlin', how are you? Listen, I've got some family with me at the moment," Richie glanced at the kids, "They're planning to elope day after tomorrow..."

"Oh yeah? That's cool, man," Nikki said, "So how can I help?"

"Fuck, man, I love you!" Ethan blurted out. "Holy fucking shit! You're a badass!"

Nikki's grumbling laugh came over the speaker as did Courtney's giggle, "Thanks dude, how they hanging?"

Ari facepalmed and shook her head, giggling at Ethan's excitement. "Probably more than Shaggy's are right now," she laughed as Ethan jumped from the chair and rushed over to Richie's side.

"I proposed to my girl...I love the shit outta her and I'd really really really really love it if Nikki could do the photography because you're the fucking shit, man. And Courtney, you do wedding stuff for that old lady, don't you? Still think you should have stuck with modelling but here we are!" Ethan rambled off without taking a breath.

Courtney giggled and said, "Aww you're so sweet."

"You hear that? She said I'm sweet. Nikki Sixx's wife said I'm sweet," Ethan gushed to Richie.

Richie shook his head and tried to suppress his laughter as Ethan ran back over to his chair and kissed Ari who giggled. "That is Ethan, David's youngest son," Richie said, "And he's proposed to Arielle...Jon's eldest with Jules."

"No shit! Oh dude, you're messing with Jon's little girl?" Nikki snickered, "You got some balls, man!"

"That's what she said," Ethan joked with a sideways smirk to Ari.

"Shaggy!" Ari squealed and swatted his arm, allowing him to pull her onto his lap. She ruffled his hair and let herself be swept up in a long tender kiss, Ethan's arms around her waist and fingers trailing up her back.

Richie looked away with a chuckle and shook his head. "So we could probably help you guys out, right babe?" Nikki asked his wife.

"Sure thing," Courtney agreed.

"Can you make it over this evening?" Richie asked, "We'll do a barbeque by the pool and work out the details."

"Absolutely, man," Nikki replied, "We'll see you then."

The line went dead and Richie turned around to see Ari and Ethan engaged in a fierce lip battle. "Oy! Time out!" The two parted and looked over innocently. "Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be staying," Richie said, gesturing over with his head.

Ari climbed off Ethan's lap and they followed their uncle through the lounge and up the staircase. Richie pushed open the third door on the left to reveal a spacious suite that could only be described as BoHo chic. Colorful tapestries and abstract paintings decorated the walls while a Queen bed was draped in vibrant blankets and soft bedding.

"It's beautiful, Uncle Mookie," Ari gushed, running her fingers over the delicate wall hangings.

"I'll let you two get settled in then we can go ring shopping," Richie smiled and left the two alone. Ethan started unpacking their bags when Ari jumped in the shower. He listened to the steady waterfall and her quiet singing, plugging their phones in to charge.

"Shaggy, can you toss me my shampoo?" Ari yelled out.

Ethan found the bottle and wandered through the steamy room to the shower. He pulled back the curtain a little and peeked in, watching Ari shake her hips. "Lookin' good, Scooby," he whistled.

Ari jumped a little and pulled him under the water. "There you go," she laughed and ruffled his soaked hair. "There's that badass hair you were trying for!"

"You little shit," Ethan growled and disappeared into the shower, his shirt and pants tossed onto the floor one by one. "You've been a horny one since the beach house."

"Is that normal?" Ari asked as Ethan nuzzled her neck.

"Mmm very," he replied. "You don't hear me complaining, do you?" His breath hitched when Ari pinned him against the shower wall, her blue eyes sparkling and she dropped gracefully to her knees.

Ethan gasped as her tongue darted out to taste him for the first time, lightly around the head at first then a little more down and up the large vein. "Sorry, Shaggy...never done this before," Ari whispered, grasping his length in her hand.

"Don't take in more than you can handle and fold your lips back over your teeth," Ethan guided. "Just like you're sucking back on one of those delicious strawberry popsicles you love." Ari followed his instructions and soon had Ethan closing his eyes and groaning.

She switched between her mouth and hand, stealing a glance or two up at her handsome fiance. After several minutes of her sweet assault, Ethan gripped her hair and moaned, "I'm gonna come, babygirl."

Ari barely had time to register his words and her eyes widened in shock as a warm, gloopy liquid shot into her mouth. She gagged a little and quickly spit it into the shower. "Ugh...why do they rave over that shit??" She sputtered and Ethan laughed.

"You'll get use to the taste, Scooby," he said kindly and helped her up. "Maybe next time we can share it." They lathered each other up and exchanged quiet kisses under the water. Ethan entwined their fingers and held out their hands. "You ready to go find your perfect ring, gorgeous?"

Ari turned and wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck. "Our rings," she corrected. Turning off the water, they quickly dried off and dressed. Ari pulled her hair back in a ponytail and slipped on a yellow and turquoise sundress with yellow sandals.

Richie and the two teens hopped in his Hummer and cruised the California highway into Beverly Hills. "Okay, are you two looking for bling, glam, or hippie?" Richie asked, pulling up to one of the parking valets and handing over his keys.

"Could we look at rings first?" Ethan asked and Ari nodded excitedly. The first store they browsed didn't have any selections that caught their eye with Ari being the pickier one of the two. In the second store, they both took one look around and quickly exited calling it, "Uppity" and "Frou Frou".

One store, however, caught Ari's attention. It wasn't large and upscale like the rest, but rather a smaller colorful shop with beautiful handmade crafts and clothes. She didn't bother even asking the men and simply crossed the street, ignoring their loud questions.

She pushed the door open and heard the clinging of the tiny bell. It smelled of vanilla and sandalwood, and she took a moment to inhale the intoxicating fragrance. "Hello, sweetie," the older shopkeeper greeted her. "What brings you here today?"

"I'm...well...I'm getting married and looking for the perfect ring," Ari explained, feeling Ethan's arms around her waist. "This is my husband to be, Ethan."

"Oh why don't you two make a cute couple," the shopkeeper said, "Please, call me Thelma. Oh oh and this is my daughter, Emily. She helps me run the place."

A short woman with gray and blonde hair smiled and shook Ari's hand. "Nice to meet you. So what is it you're looking for in a ring?" Emily started putting out several cases of rings ranging from silver and gold to platinum.

Ari looked over each one in detail with Ethan, asking questions about the material. Richie pointed out a large three karat diamond but Ari dismissed the choice. "I want something a little...different. A little softer than what the other stores are selling around here. Not with a huge diamond," Ari told Emily.

"I think I have something you might like," Emily said, going into another case and showing them a ring in 24k rose gold with a princess-cut middle diamond and three small diamonds on each side. The band had intricate lace detailing down the middle, front and back.

"It's beautiful," Ari gushed. Emily asked for her hand and slid the ring onto Ari's finger. It was a perfect fit. She showed Ethan who smiled and nodded. "This is the one. It's just...perfect."

Ethan kissed her softly and they picked out white and yellow gold band for him with silver detailing. "You all don't happen to sell wedding dresses, do you?" Richie asked half joking.

"We have a few eccentric styles if you'd like to see them," Thelma offered. Ari followed the woman excitedly and gasped at the strappy, lacy white dresses that were hanging up on display. "It's not a big selection since the dresses are handmade."

"Handmade is perfect. I like things that are a little different," Ari said, running her fingers over each dress and feeling how the fabric slid over her skin. One in particular caught her eye. It was lace bodice with spaghetti straps. From the waist the sheer skirt flowed down to her toes with a split to the waist to reveal sheer mesh and lace embroidered pants over lace camiknickers to match the bodice underneath. "Can I try this one on?"

"Pants? You don't wanna wear a dress?" Ethan asked

Ari shook her head as Emily got the dress down. "I can't see myself in any of those foofy dresses. This is more me."

Ethan and Richie paid for the rings while Ari tried on the dress for size. Ari felt it was meant to be when it needed no alterations. She changed back and came out with Emily a few minutes later who was also carrying a flower veil and garter. "I'll leave you to imagine how you'll take that off me as my husband," Ari whispered to Ethan.

Ethan had a hard time controlling himself through the rest of their shopping and even attempted to reach over in the backseat once they'd gotten back in the car and pulled onto the highway. "Squirt, if you don't want me to call off tonight's meeting with Nikki, I'd behave if I was you," Richie sternly and Ethan blushed, pulling his hand back sheepishly.

"Yeah watch it, Shaggy, or I'll get the whip out like your mother did last night," Ari taunted and stuck out her tongue.

Ethan licked his lips and replied, "You gonna make me beg for it like Dad does?"

"What the fuck?" Richie piped up and staring at them in the rearview mirror, "What's all that about?"

"Oh doesn't matter, Uncle Mookie..." Ari started.

Ethan shrugged. "It was during the whole family meeting fiasco. I asked them about hearing Dad screaming in pain down the hall from his office. Mom and Dad kinda glossed over her inflicting pain on him and using tools to control him. Shit hit the fan later on."

"Oh did it ever!" Ari added. "Dad punched Shaggy in the face and Uncle Lema stepped in. I've never seen them physically fight."

"Then Mom comes out of the kitchen and cracks a whip in the air like she's in the rodeo! Started beating Uncle Jon but Dad just knelt there with his head down. She has this strange husky tone she takes on with Dad and holds him in some strange places like his hair or neck. Do you know about that?"

"No shit, huh? Knew it would come out eventually, even though they've been really careful until now," Richie said, "Yeah we all knew about your parents and Tico."

Ethan furrowed his brows, looking exactly like David at that moment, and asked, "If they've been careful for so long, what do you think caused Mom to snap like that?"

"Oh I dunno, Squirt," Richie scoffed, "Maybe you might need to think a little harder. Use your head brain instead of the one in your pants."

"You can think harder with the one in your pants too," Ari murmured.

"I'm guessing the stress that you two have caused everyone lately might have just made her snap," Richie offered, "So what do you wanna know?"

Ethan and Ari looked at each other for a moment before Ethan asked, "What is it they do? Is she hurting Dad maliciously?"

"It's called BDSM. Bondage Discipline Dominance Submission and Sadomasochism," Richie said with a sigh. Ari and Ethan blinked at each other then looked back at their Uncle. "Your parents take part in most of the aspects and I can promise you, your Dad's asked for anything she inflicts."

"So Uncle Lema is a...what? Her bitch?" Ari snorted.

Richie couldn't help but laugh. "Not quite, princess. Discipline is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, and using punishment to correct disobedience. Bondage would be the physical tools your Dad was referring to: handcuffs, collars, chains and rope. Things that will bind and control a person's movements."

Ethan tried to take in all the information but only found his head becoming numb. "What...what about the dominance?"

"...and Submission, yeah. They go hand in hand, Squirt. It's an equal give and take. That's where the tables turn," Richie said, his voice trailing off.

"How so?" Ari asked.

Richie scrubbed at his face as he pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. "Your parents are what we call Switches. They exchange power and your Dad will control your mom. She becomes more subservient, at his beck and call sexually. She accepts his authority and commands without question."

"Sounds like fun," Ethan joked.

Richie turned around in his seat and glared at the two. "You two need to understand something. The things involved in BDSM can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. In many cases, you can even kill someone if you hit them in the wrong place or cut off their airway."

"We just appreciate you being open with us, Uncle Mookie," Ari said with a smile.

"Well you two are still on your training wheels where sex is involved...you can't go from a tricycle to a Harley without knowledge and practice," Richie finished and climbed out of the car. "Looks like Aunt Becca's home too."