Chapter 25

It's wasn't but a few minutes after hanging up the phone with Lexie that there was a knock on the door. Going over he looked through the peephole to see Stephanie and Aaron. Opening the door he was nearly mowed over by Stephanie who launched herself into his arms.


"Oh daddy, I missed you so much." She cried.

Jon knew how dramatic Stephanie was, she was at that age that where everything was upped to the nth power where feelings were concerned.


"I missed you too princess, but it's only been a few weeks." he tried to get her to laugh.

"It feels like ten years. Please daddy don't make me go back." She looked up at him with big blue eyes and he caved.


"Why don't you and Jakey go put your stuff in the bedroom on the right and let Aaron and I talk." he ruffled Jakey's hair and smiled down at him.

"Sure daddy." She said taking Jakey's hand and then turned to Aaron and grabbed their suitcases. She didn't look back or thank Aaron for bringing them to her dad.


Aaron waited until the door closed between the rooms he walked into the room and handed Jon an envelope.

"I got my lawyer on this, it was hard, but Doro signed it, giving you custody."


Jon shut the door and followed Aaron into the living area. Motioning him to be seated he went over to the desk and pulled on his reading glasses. Opening the envelope he read the legalese...

"This says this is just temporary." Jon said closing the papers and putting them back into the envelope.


"Doro and I talked it over and it was her idea this change...temporary as it is." Aaron told him watching him get up from the desk and walk over and sit opposite of him.

"She wants to see if I can handle it." he said. It was a statement not a question. They had been together so long he knew how she thought, and in the last two years of their marriage, how she felt. "She thinks that once the new CD is done and promotions and tour, I will fail at this the way she thinks I failed our marriage."


Dorothea had warned Aaron about his temper. That it would flair up faster than normal. Trying to defuse the problem he moved the subject away from The custody and to Jesse.

"I'm trying to get my parents to drop the charges against Jesse." He told Jon.


"My lawyer is at the Detention center as we speak, working with J.J." Jon informed him.
Jon had called his lawyer to get the ball rolling so he could get his son out as soon as possible. A quick call as he was loading the car to head up here, Hank had told him that it was all taken care of.

"Do we need to bring lawyers in on this Jon?" Aaron had been told that Jon worked fast when it concerned his kids and his band. "Doro said..."


"J.J. has been booked and processed and sitting in Juvenile detention, he has a record that will follow him through the rest of his life. Yes I think we, or I need to bring in my lawyer to get this removed off his record." Jon interrupted him. "Your job is to get your parents to drop all the charges...I doubt they will ever see them again so i am sure they;ll see that dropping the charges is for the best."

"Now Jon, they are the kids step grandparents and they''ll see them on holidays..." He started to make his stand on what was happening.


"I doubt J. J. or Steph will ever want to see them again and Jake is traumatized enough." Jon told him not mixing any words.

Graham had to agree that things got off to a really bad start. Not a great way to start a marriage or a family.


"Let me go tell Steph we're leaving I want to head to the detention center to see my son and check on what the lawyer has come up with." Jon got up and left the room not giving Graham any option but to agree.

He knocked on the bedroom door and walked in when he heard Stephanie tell him to come in.

"Listen princess, Graham and I are heading to the detention center, you make sure the door stays locked until I get back. We can have dinner when I get back." he went over and sat on the bed beside them.

"Daddy, you going to bring J.J. back to us?" Jakey asked his father.


"I'm going to sure try sport If not today then tomorrow after it's all done." he rubbed Jake on the back.

"Daddy, He only grabbed that cane to keep her from hitting me with it. He wasn't going to hit the woman with it, just trying to save me he ends up in jail." Tears started funning down Stephanies face.


"Honey it isn't your fault and I am sure Hank will want to talk to you about what happened." Jon pulled her into his arms. "Romeo is waiting for you all to come home."

"Okay daddy." They both said.


The ride to the detention center was quiet. Jon looked around at the homes that the Soul had built in the area and the playground that had been finished just last month.

Hank met them in the receiving room and he filled Jon in on what he had accomplished. J.J. was being released into his custody and will be in court for the hearing. Jon handed him the paperwork that Graham had given him. Then they were allowed to see J.J.


"Dad!" Jesse said softly as he was escorted from the holding room. Keeping himself in check, not wanting to look like a little kid and run into the shelter of his fathers arms, he walked to stand in front of his father and his new step father. The emotions he felt looking into his step fathers eyes, he could feel the disappointment radiating from him.

Jon took the next step and pulled him into the shelter of his arms.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this J. J." Jon spoke softly so only his son could hear.

"Dad, I wasn't going to hit her, just didn't want her to hit Stephie." Jesse told his father. "Don't make me go back to that house dad."


"You won't, Your coming home with me tomorrow. Steph, Jakey and you will be with me for a while." he told him.

"Jesse, I need you to sign some papers for me." Hank spoke breaking the tention in the room.
While Jesse and Hank were in the Wardens office, Jon turned to Graham.


"Thanks for bringing me here. I'll make sure he is at court tomorrow. Will you and Dorothea be attending the session?" Jon shifted through the folder that Hank had handed him when he got there.

"Yes, we'll be here. I have to bring my parents to testify." Graham seemed un easy about his parents and Jon being in the same room.


"Good." Jon said as he turned as the door opened. "Hank will take us back to the hotel, I know he want's to talk to Stephanie. We'll see you tomorrow then." he turned his back on Graham and went over to where Hank and Jesse waited.

Graham knew he had been dismissed. It still hurt that Jesse ignored him the whole time he was in the room. They had started to get close before the honeymoon and now that was distroyed. He left the Juvinal Hall and headed back to his parents to tell Dorothea what had happened.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The car arrived back at the hotel. Hank and Jesse were headed to the elevator with Jon following when the Hotel clerk called out to Jon.


"Mr. Bon Jovi, this letter came for you while you were gone." He held up the envelope for Jon to see it. "We signed for it and held it for your return."

Jon walked over and took the envelope and handed the clerk a tip. The envelope was plain with no return address on it. As he followed his lawyer and his son into the elevator he slip the envelope open and pulled out the single sheet of paper. What he read caused him to stop short almost being left in the lobby by the closing elevator door.


"What is it Jon?" Hank asked him as he and Jesse stepped out of the elevator to wait on Jon to read his letter.

"Blackmail Hank...I'm being blackmailed." Jon said looking up at the lawyers shocked face and that of his oldest son.