Chapter 5 - Final Chapter

Jon stepped off the plane in Florida to speak to his parents and his heart felt heavy, the pain he felt filled his soul where his love used to be. He was about to do something he never thought would be his curse in life. To tell his parents that Dorothea was no longer in his life, that in order for him to stay any form of sane that she can no longer be in their lives either. He couldn’t possibly move on if the places he called safe, the places that he could let his guard down, weren’t safe of all things painful and seeing Dot again after she signed those papers would be like lying down on a bed of nails instead of a bed of roses.

A week later it was almost as hard to walk off the plane back in New Jersey as it was in Florida. It had been so hard to tell his parents that they needed to cut Dot out of their lives. He actually had to remind his mom who she gave birth to. She cried of course, after all Dot had truly been the only daughter she’d ever had. Matt’s wife just never really clicked so to ask her to cross her off the welcome list if she signed that paper hurt. It hurt her which in turn hurt him. As he stepped up to the waiting car and dipped inside, he laughed at how easily his dad immediately took his side. There was no doubt there at all that Jon had unconditional support from him and he understood at somewhat of a fundamental level that Jon needed to know even before it became official, even before he was single again that his family was in his corner. After a decade of having been a couple and having his parents act like her parents too he needed that separation in order to be able to walk away from her in his heart. Choices sucked, hers especially made him sick to his stomach.


Phone calls had been placed, and the time set. Jon woke up that Tuesday morning with a rock in his stomach. As he looked at the wedding ring he put on his hand last night before going to sleep in hopes of somehow it magically making a change he knew that today was going to be the worst day of his life.

When he walked into his lawyer’s office he immediately got a cup of coffee before finding Jack. “Where is she?”

“Well good morning to you too Jon.” Jack tried to joke with him but he knew it was useless. “She’s in the boardroom with her lawyer. Is there anything else you want before we walk in there?”

“No she follows the pre-nup or I don’t sign and I don’t sell her the dojo.” Jon told him trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall when he caught a glimpse of his wedding ring.

“Why are you wearing that?” Jack caught his expression never having known Jon to get this emotional about anything before.

“Just because” He couldn’t admit to the real reason. Turning on his heal he walked into what he felt was the firing squad.

“Jack, Jon.”
Dot’s lawyer greeted them and Jon shook his hand cordially, there was no need to take it out on him, he didn’t cause this pain. His eyes looked up at Dorothea, seeing her in black drove him nuts, “So you realize it’s a funeral too huh?” He asked her.

“It’s not a funeral Jon, it’s giving us a new start.” She tried to justify but he was having none of it. “you can’t exactly start over without a heart Dorothea.”

“Let’s get started, since you had two prenuptial agreements drawn up in light of a potential severance of the marriage, we are forced to use them by state law. Dorothea you contacted your lawyer therefore by what you agreed to, your prenuptial agreement that you wrote and signed takes precedence here.” Jack began as Jon stared at her then his coffee cup and back to her. Not believing that he’s here, that he’s living this life – this can’t be true, it just can’t.

“By virtue of what you agreed upon, at the end of this meeting you will have no credit cards attached to Jon’s name, no accounts at all with his financial backing. Your DoJo is under a separate purchase agreement because Jon bought it and it was not part of the original agreement, you will be allowed to keep your Navigator and Jon will provide today a one-time check of $50,000, all this is contingent on going back to your maiden name of Hurley. Are we in agreement?” Jack asked formally.

“I want to keep my name.” Dot said softly.

Shocked completely by the fire that flew from Jon’s eyes. “Then fucking stay married to me, if you sign that paper you are no longer a Bongiovi.”

“Jon I’ve been a Bongiovi for almost 1o years.”

“I don’t care. You will not carry my name if you aren’t wearing that ring and holding true to the commitment you made to me. Jack sell the Dojo to the Laundromat guy.” He stood and walked out of the room, the cord in the back of his neck throbbed from tension. Standing and looking outside in lobby area he bit back the tears knowing he’d get his name back solely because she wanted out but it pissed him off she fought it.

“Jon why are you doing this?” Dot asked from his left.

“Me? You’ve got to be kidding me right? I’m doing this? Who petitioned Dot, who called her lawyer and asked for this? I didn’t, I was happy coming home to you and knowing you were there for me. You can’t seem to live up to any agreement can you? First you agree to marry me, and you agree with me that there should be some consequences to us wanting to break that first agreement. You signed the fucking pre-nup Dot, had I wanted out I’d owe you what was it 1 million dollars for every year we’ve been married – but I didn’t want out, I never wanted out you did, now be a real woman and accept the consequences of your actions.” The tears couldn’t be held back anymore, “You have a contract with me you are breaking, and our marriage and the consequences of that is you lose my name, my money, my cars, my houses, and my influence. You’re losing the man, the lover, the friend – I warned you if you make me sign that agreement Dot it’ll be like you never existed to me.”

She changed topics in order to see if she can get anywhere. “Why are you wearing your ring?”

“Because you’re going to take it off me. You put it on its only fitting I think.”

“Jon that’s cruel.” She said softly.

“No Dot, what’s cruel is making a guy love you by being so amazing that he has no option, what’s cruel is being his everything, his best friend, his girl, his wife and then taking his hear and pouring acid on it because you got a bug up your ass to be single. What’s cruel is making your man sign the one piece of paper he’s never ever wanted to put his autograph on. If you want this over, take the ring off my finger and agree to the prenup.” He held his hand out to her, one last touch, the last feel of her hands on him will be one of vile contempt if she does this. His skin will crawl at the thought of touching her instead of yearn for the way she could tease him to insanity.

Dot’s fingers reached out and slid his ring off his and his breath involuntarily stopped.

“Fine, lead the way.” He said coldly. She’s made her decision perfectly clear.

Once inside the boardroom the hand Jon the paper, without signing it he slid it across the table to Dot. “If you sign it, its forever Dorothea, it’ll be like you never existed to me. You lose the name and everything I provide. You’ll lose me forever. Make your choice.” He warned her hoping from the bottom of his soul she’d back down but she didn’t.


Dorothea Rose Hurley


She slid the paper to Jon her decision in black and white. He didn’t say another word.




John Francis Bongiovi Jr


He was done, it was over. He stood up, patted Jack on the back handed him the check from his pocket to give to Dot and took two steps towards the door. “I’m sorry Jon.” Dot said from behind him but he couldn’t turn around he had to leave her with her choice. He’d be ok, he knew that. Not now, not tomorrow or even next year but eventually he’d be ok and he’d find love again. Nothing would ever equal this love though, nothing could ever equal the intensity but as he put the key in the ignition of his car, he started down the lost highway of life to find something new, discover a way to be single again.

Chapter 4

Sorry I lost my voice for this fic for a bit, but I got it back now :)

Chapter 4

Exhaustion finally won, Jon walked out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist a few droplets of water still resided on his chest. Pulling the towel away and dropping it to the floor his body fell to the bed. Muscles he forgot he had hurt, even the finger he used to push the power button on the remote hurt. As he flipped through the channels Jon begged for something to make the whole last month make sense. He knew that eventually inside his mind, it’d click; he’d understand that his life as he knew it was never going to be the same. His mind got that, his mind was even ok with that, but his heart still hasn’t caught up.

His finger finally stopped clicking when he found a typical chick flick; he had no reason to watch only that he knew one of the actresses in it. Not well of course but still. Jon watched the picture on the TV change not listening to the words being said or the action happening, it was on more or less to silence the voices in his head.

Jon reached over to his cell phone and called Jack. Once it connected he asked, “When’s the hearing date?”

“It’s not for 2 weeks Jon, I’m sorry I pulled every string I could.” Jack answered unable to not hear the pain in Jon’s voice. “Jon you seriously need to find a way to accept this, I can hear what it’s doing to you.”

“Its ok, I’ll get some great songs out of it. Is she moved out?”

“Yes and I advised her of the cost to keep the dojo.”

Jon sat up, unable to put her through the ringer even though he wanted to.

“If she can’t swing the $50,000, give it to her for $10,000 just don’t tell her we’re going to.”

“Jon you bought the building alone for $75k. It’s a massive loss then.”

“Jack it’s not like I can’t afford it, even if I hate her right now I still love her. Pretty fucked huh?”

He laughed at himself, if he didn’t he was about to cry.

“Actually Jon, I’d be worried if that wasn’t your frame of mind, after all she’s been the standard by which you’ve judged every woman in your life.” Jack admitted, he hated seeing his boss go through this. Jon was an upstanding guy, even if he had his hotheaded moments, he loved that woman with all of his heart and soul so for her to pull this, for her to have nothing short of a midlife crisis really made him want to burn her at the stake; but unfortunately he knew that wouldn’t help Jon come to terms with being divorced any easier.

“Thanks Jack, call me with when and where ok?”

“You got it.” The call ended.

Chapter 3

It took days, days for Jon to even notice if the sun came up or not. How he ended up alone in a hotel room at 30 was beyond him. He thought he did everything right. Looking around the hotel room he knew he needed to get out so maid could pick up the ½ eaten sandwiches and 20 empty Pepsi cans. Damn his teeth hurt from all the sugar but he just didn’t care.

All he has managed to do this week is cry in his drink or run on the beach. In fact that seemed like something good to do now. He grabbed his Ipod and changed into running shorts and shoes. He hung the please clean me tag on the door as he left.

There really wasn’t much else in his mind as he stretched other than the pain. It was so hard for him. ‘I was never going to get a divorce this fucking sucks’. Jon tuned in to his Jersey Boys playlist and 10th av. Freezeout came on setting a good intro pace he could easily lose his mind to while running. He needed this steady beat to set the pace because his heart had stopped pumping when Dot actually called her lawyer. I’ve been working to hard was next to play which helped Jon keep a steady pace, the feel of the sand hitting under his feet soothed him somehow. The one thing of all this he could control was exercise. He ate like shit, didn’t care how he looked but he liked the burn in his legs after a good run. Southside and Bruce weren’t what most guys would run to but to Jon they represented a time when things were simple and made sense. Finally, after about 30 minutes at an unrelenting pace Jon stopped, not because he was tired, more because he didn’t want to run anymore. Looking out at the ocean he saw what he felt, nothing. There were no signs of life in the ocean which echoed his lack of life inside. It seemed eerily quiet. At least it no longer hurt to breath. It still hurt to smile though, not that he’d be doing that in the near future. “Why Dottie, why” of course no answer came from around him, the only answer he heard came from within, ‘because she could.’

Jon turned around and started running back towards the hotel, as his feet caressed the sand his mind twirled around the different reasons for the end of his marriage. Per his soon to be ex, he just wasn’t there for her. Was he, was he truly available to her when he was on the road or when he came home. Did he exclude her from things in his life? Of course he did, men do that, they don’t go whining to their wives every time something didn’t go right or every time the world seemed a little mean. They just dealt. Why all of a sudden though wasn’t that enough for her? It’s not like he changed the rules, why did she? The hotel came into view on the left but his mind wasn’t at rest yet so he kept running, enjoying the steadiness in the rhythm of his feet in the sand, his need to breathe deeply to endure the pace he was setting actually helped calm his soul. Deep breathing was a great stress reducer he knew that from touring. He welcomed mile after mile of the beach, finally the knots in his stomach and the pain in his heart lessoned.

Finally he realized he still had to get back to the hotel which was a good 4 miles in the other direction, slowing his pace he turned around and started back. Still letting the peace of the ocean settle in his soul he came to realize the only way for him to get over Dot was to get rid of her completely from his life. That meant cut ties completely, emotionally and financially. He had to walk away, it was the only way for his heart to ever feel safe again, as long as he talked with her or saw her he’d yearn for her to regret her choice and ask him back. Finally after a good 3hours running on the beach he managed to get back to his hotel suite and into a hot shower. The scalding water he used couldn’t burn away the rest of the pain but it helped to direct him to push the rest of the pain deep inside to be dealt with another day.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the front desk agent secured Jon room 818 he thanked him and walked to the elevator in a daze. The journey to his room was done with no conscious effort on his part. He slid the electronic key in the slot, opening the door as the light turned green and dropped his bag on the bed. His jacket hit the chair on the right and he sat in the one on the left looking out at the ocean. He didn’t want to admit this to anyone, he didn’t want to say Dot was leaving him, it just wasn’t true until he said the words verbally but he had to respond to his lawyer, Jack had texted him 10 times so far saying ‘call me now’.

“Better get this over with.” He mumbled under his breath. He dug into his pocket with something likened to hatred for his phone and pushed the button that would make this all to real.

“Jon holy hell tell me Dot’s lawyer is smoking something?” Jack rambled into the phone quickly.

“I take it Scott called you.” He said trying to hold the emotion back.

“Yes Scott called me tell me this is a lie Jon. What the hell is going on?” In all the years he’s worked for Jon he’s seen and heard a lot, never in his wildest nightmares would his client and friend get a divorce.

“Jack, she wanted out. We fought about it for days and I finally just gave in. Don’t file a damn thing, make her be the petitioner, she wants a” Jon swallowed hard. “She wants a di” fuck he muttered under his breath. “divorce, then she has to file because I’m not going to make this easy for her.”

“Jon should I brace for a nasty time of it.” Jack asked.

“No, Jack she signed a pre-nup. In the effect that she petitions for divorce there are rules set aside to how much everyone gets. She knew the rules, I warned her of them when I left and besides she helped me set the rules so I feel no pity for what’s going to happen.”

“What is going to happen Jon? What do I have to prepare for?” Jack needed clarification.

“You have the pre-nups. You know she’s going to instantly go from a billionaire to a mere mortal. She is going to have to really be nice or I’m selling her fucking Do-jo since I bought it with my money and it wasn’t in the pre-nup. She’s getting only 1 car and a one-time payout. She sure as hell isn’t keeping my name.”

“You are going to go by the letter of it then huh?”

“You damn right I am. You don’t make a promise to me, a promise of forever and then walk away. Nope she wants to walk away then she’s walking away from the good and the bad. From everything. Can you run by the house and advise her tomorrow she has 1 day to vacate or she’s going to be charged with trespassing. When she leaves, and she will, have the gate code changed to 818 and text me when it’s done.”

“Wanna tell me what 818 is?”

“My room number at this hotel. Goodnight.” Jon closed his phone hanging up a sign mentally that said beware to his ex wife, the more he thought about her walking away the angrier he got. Good think this hotel didn’t have any wine in the room or he’d be a hurting unit tomorrow. “I need my guitar.” Standing he walked out to retrieve the guitar from his car, he’s never without one these days.

Choices - Chapter 1

Fic is set shortly after Blaze, ages might not match but that's because my math is off :) enjoy.

Mean no disrespect to anyone involved.




Chapter 1


Dot hit 30 and it came with a mid life crisis of epic proportion, she decided that she just can not be Jon's wife anymore. She wants out. She's been Jon's wife, girlfriend, significant other for the better part of her life and its not enough, she wanted to be the most important thing in the world to someone not 2nd best.


She sat Jon down when he walked in the house one day and explained that she wanted out of the marriage.


"No" Jon told her flat out. He throws her a temper tantrum. In his world there is no getting out of a marriage. That’s the whole point. "Dot you don't walk out on marriage. You don't turn off this commitment an walk away."


"Jon I can't do this anymore."


"Can't or won't?"


"Won't. I can’t continue to live the lie, Jon I'm done. I want out."


"This is not something you give up on." He told her looking into her eyes and trying to find the reason.


“Jon, just walk away, let me walk away I can’t be 2nd most important in your world anymore I need to be first, I need to be with a man that can put me first so I can have children with him.”


“Dot what are you talking about, we are planning on having kids or did you forget?”


“Jon I won’t stop taking birth control with you, you’re never here and I won’t raise kids alone. Baby don’t tarnish what we had just let me walk away.” She almost begged him.


“No, you fight for a marriage, Dot we took vows, we pledge forever to each other, I’m not letting you throw forever away, what do you really need? Obviously this is a midlife crisis or something - I’ll let you have anything you’re just not getting a divorce, you’re my wife.”


“Jon I need a divorce I don’t want to be your wife anymore. I don’t want to be in your world anymore, I’m done having to watch everything I wear and everything I say because some fan might be around the corner and they’ll hate me forever. I don’t anymore Jon. Give me my freedom.”


It took 3 days of them arguing and Jon begging, offering her an affair without recourse, he offered her his retirement from music, nothing worked finally on the eve of the 3rd worst day of his life he looked at her with tears falling from his eyes. “Call your lawyer.”


“You’re letting me out?” She asked not believing the words she’s finally hearing.


“You know the pre-nup arrangement, but know this Dorothea, if I sign that paper, if you make me sign that paper, you are dead to me, it’ll be like you never existed. I won’t be nice, I won’t be cordial, I won’t ever give you another chance to even speak to me. If you take everything we’ve ever shared and throw it away you’re throwing away not only your marriage, your husband, your lover but also your best friend, your sounding board and everything that comes with being my wife. The money, the houses, the cars the unlimited credit cards. You remember the prenup you signed? I’m not calling my lawyer you call yours.” He picked up his duffle bag and turned and walked out of the house jumping in his Chevelle he drove out of the driveway heading south. He had to get away, he couldn’t believe she wanted out. Yeah he wasn’t the best husband in the world, he made mistakes and he was gone a lot but damn he provided a good life for her, he provided her with everything she’s ever asked for financially and he was devoted and true to their marriage. As he hit Asbury Park exit his cell phone text alert went off. Knowing that was probably his lawyer he took the exit to Asbury Park without a thought, knowing he’s found happiness on this shore and he needed to speak to his lawyer. Pulling the car to a stop at the Empress Hotel in Asbury Jon didn’t even notice the sunset over the ocean as he walked in carrying only a duffle bag full of jeans and t-shirts. After his whole life of wanting to be no where but near her, he needed to be away from her right now, as he pushed the button on his cell to see the text from his lawyer. ‘Dot has filed for divorce? - WTH Jon?’


“Ocean-view suite please.” He said to the young female clerk behind the counter, handing her his gold card to assure the name would help him get his way.


“Sure Mr. Bongiovi. Room 429 is available.”


“I’m sorry any room but that number.” Talk about irony.