[IC] Remember When? |EasilyAmused & Mysterion|

[EasilyAmused]

A wistful Adriana Menzel allowed her paint brush to flow along her canvas in the middle of her studio apartment. Much like anyone else in the art field, the blonde haired girl didn’t make much but it was enough to get by. Music filled her apartment, a cd she had purchased from Walmart filled with the music of the Lords of Captivating Hearts. The band she knew very well and she supported with all of her heart, why you may ask? Well her best friend was the co-vocalist and the base player for the band!

Okay… maybe not ‘best friend’ anymore but she knew him. Yes, she knew Jack Stacera and grew up next door to him. Back in school they were rarely found without one another and she was almost always at his house because her parents weren’t home. Imagine the surprise of the parents, CEOs of major corporations, coming home to find their daughter not there. After the first three times of finding out she was gone they just assumed she was over at Jack’s but reminded her to write a note next time so they didn’t panic. They got along extremely well so, why wouldn’t she be over there?

But those were memories, just distant memories since his stardom took off and she stayed behind as the supportive home town friend with a charming wave and a ‘I can’t wait to see you when you come to visit’ smile. Now she lived in Los Angeles struggling to make her way as a painter. However the piece she was working on was to be featured in a show and if people liked it, much less bid to buy it, she would be able to get more into the shows that were put on and possibly, maybe, hopefully, her own show! Biting her bottom lip, her soft blue eyes scanned the painting as she put down her brush and got up from her stool. It was still missing something… something she couldn’t put her finger on…

“Ugh!!!” Her small hands ran through her down blonde hair before she paused. Pulling her hands out from her locks she stared at them. They were covered in still fresh, black paint. “SHIT!” With that she sprinted into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

After half a bottle of shampoo, a third of a bottle of conditioner and a lot of scrubbing, Addie saved her blonde hair from becoming a black mess! Hurray! However her phone buzzed on her kitchen counter and she made a mad dash for it. “Hello?”

“Addie you lazy bum! I’ve been calling and calling but you haven’t answered, what gives!” On the other end of the phone was Crystal, one of her friends who she met when she moved to New York, Crystal worked as a makeup and hair stylists for hire and her skills were beginning to become well known around the television and theater community, and always had inside scoops on things. After getting the explanation from Addie why she didn’t answer sooner she let out a laugh. “Sounds like you.” was the loving friend response she received. “Look I know you’re busy working on your piece but the Mark Taper Form wants a touch up on the backdrop they have for the band playing tonight. I recommended you as I’m doing their hair, and they told me to call you.”

“Do they have all the paint and supplies?” Addie asked looking up the address for the building.

“Yes they do.”

The girls briefly discussed the pay before Addie got dressed in her paint clothes and climbed aboard the public transportation system and followed the bus routes to get to the theater. The theater was huge and the blonde found herself staring out onto the chairs. The theater was huge and the home-bodied individual felt very small in a very large world. It’s okay, she was by herself. Taking in a deep breathe she turned her attention to the large backdrop that desperately needed its touchup. She began at the top on a ladder and worked her way down. Soon she ditched the ladder for a 3 leveled step stool so she could add some more details. The background was a forest in winter and even just the touch ups took time and from her arrival at 1pm, it was nearly 6pm before she was on the last portions.

Funny… this seemed familiar and she found herself humming Lords of Captivating Hearts new song about a snowstorm in a forest as her brush danced along the extension of a branch. With her mind pre-occupied and her focus on the painting she attempted to take a step that wasn’t there and didn’t catch herself soon enough. Oh no! The small bucket that held the black paint took off into the air above her as she turned; readying herself for the impact on her back from the 4 feet she happened to be falling from. Oh so graceful that Addie was as she closed her eyes tightly preparing for the pain.

[mysterion]

Who would've ever thought little pudgy Jack Stacera, the boy with the beautiful piercing brown eyes would've ever grown up to be the co-vocalist of one of the biggest bands in the charts. It seemed that any member of the band could go to any country and have a swarm of fans around them. THough that wasn't surprising since truthfully all the members of the band were pretty good looking though Jack and Robert often fought playfully amongst themselves being the heads of the band.

Jack Stacera currently sat in the limousine as it pulled its way into the town he was born in. The band had just gotten home after a European tour and Jack couldn't think of any place better to do their first American show this year in other than the town who had made him who he was, all of it had started here in his small garage with four original members Alexander and Markus Markovi, Adriana Menzel and Jack Stacera who was then known by his real name Jacob it had been quite some time since Jack had been home. Just because of how busy the band had been here of late.

As they pulled up to the building Jack waited until the car stopped completely before opening the door and getting out. Looking around he chuckled remembering all the times his band had played here when Mr. Lawrence Prince owned the place but that was ages ago so the old man had probably retired by now all he could think about was how last time he was here, he had long flowing dark brown hair down to his shoulders and wore an old raggedy wife beater, Chuck Taylor shoes and a pair of blue jeans with holes in them. Now he wore a fine white Italian Suit with black and white Oxford dress shoes, how medium length brown hair was messy as usual as he stepped out looking at the building "It's been too long since I've seen been home... Too long indeed. Let's head inside" he said making his way into the building looking at the beautiful paintings on the west wall and on the East wall was all the pictures signed by the rock stars, comics and others who had performed at the building in the past. Not long after entering the front lobby they were greeted by a beautiful redhead with emerald green eyes.

"So this is the place where Jack Stacera grew up," Robert asked with a laugh "Well it's a beautiful place though kind of too nice for one of the hottest bands in the place of the worlds origin don't you think" this was just how Robert was. He always picked at Jack the forming a very interesting friendship between the two Jack was the nice, kind soft spoken one and Robert, well Robert was the exact opposite sure he could be nice, and he was kind as well however, Robert wasn't afraid of being an asshole, partying, living the American Rockstar Lifestyle and saying whatever came out of his mouth without any second thought. As the group walked inside he shook his head happily "Well the further we get in the nicer it is. Especially now wow" he said as the beautiful redhead came in to greet them quietly Robert whispered "Dibs on that one."

Elizabeth Viduelle had gotten a call from the guards at the visitor's entrance to tell her that the Lords were finally there. So she made her way through the large building to meet them at the front Lobby she walked in moments after the band "Hello gentlemen it's a pleasure to have you all here. I am Elizabeth Viduelle I run the day to day operations for Mr. Prince. Listen I know this is going to sound unprofessional but may I ask what was that song Winter Love written about" Elizabeth asked the band curiously." Elizabeth Viduelle spoke in the best professional voice she could muster, it was hard for her not to squeal and scream like the fangirl she truly was. The Lords of Captivating Hearts was one her favorite band ever. Now here was all of them Alexander Markovi the original drummer from when they were a garage band and Robert Gaffinger, a longtime friend of Jack's from when he was doing modeling jobs as a child, the two had lost contact for a little while but right after the Lords got signed Markus Markovi had been in an accident which had caused his arm to be amputated which made it impossible for him to play lead guitar. At first, Jack and Alexander thought their dreams of being famous was over but as fate would have it Jack had been at a party in L.A when he bumped into Robert the two reconnected and after talking for quite a while Robert let it know that he played guitar. So after talking it over with Alexander, they hired Robert to be the lead guitarist since then, however, Robert had been a crucial part of the band's success becoming as large of a figure in the band as Jack who was most often the frontman of the band. "So Mr. Prince is going to be with us soon since he is the owner of this fine establishment. He was on his way to meet you and the Lords but he had a family emergency that took priority so until he is able to join us how about I give you all a tour of the building" with that said she didn't wait for their answer she just began walking as the tips of her heels clicked against the marble flooring as she showed them around the entirety of the building. It wasn't until they entered the room where the stage was going to be set up. "This is the room where the stage will be set up as you can see there is the artist who is painting the mural to go with your new song Winter Love.

"Wow it's hard to believe Lawrence is still around he was already an older gentleman when the Lords were nothing more than a garage band with big dreams now years later he's still running it mad respect for him," Jack said smiling "And it's a pleasure to meet you as well Miss Viduelle" Jack turned to look at Alexander and Robert as he heard the question about the song. "Well to be completely honest Miss Viduelle that song was written for a girl I knew a long time ago. I was secretly in love with her but afraid to act on it, she was an important person to me, my best friend and I was afraid that by telling her my true feelings I would only cause myself pain by losing her forever. However, now I wish I would've told her because it has been years since I've had any contact with her. But enough about my past personal life. I would greatly appreciate seeing the grounds and the stage where we're going to perform." After saying this Elizabeth began showing them around the building. As they entered the room where the concert was actually going to be put on he shook his head appreciatively "Well this is a beautiful place for a concert, very large with enough room to hold thousands of people, and an artist is painting a mural to go with Winter Love" Jack said placing his hands on his hips, the reaper rings he work shining as the lights hit it. After he said this he saw the artist painting the mural fall to the ground and so Jack being the kindhearted person he was rushed over to see if she were alright, he felt bad and wanted to help her in any way he could. As he got close though he saw that she was alright and noticed something else as well. The artist was Adriana his best friend and inspiration for the song Elizabeth had just asked about moments earlier though he could tell she hadn't noticed him yet "You now Ri-Ri you always were clumsy though... I thought you would've grown out of that by now."

[EasilyAmused]

Head spinning, body throbbing and the lights above her head glaring down at her, Adriana was far from in a pleasant state of mind as she laid out of breathe and seeing stars on the floor. The blonde gasped for air at the impact and flinched. Oh that hurt… that hurt a lot… Growing the blonde slowly sat herself up holding the back of her head and cursing under her breathe. That was until she heard a voice, and the voice said Ri-Ri.

Her soft blue eyes expanded as she stared down at her lap. Ri-Ri, no way… the moment those words left the person’s mouth she found herself unable to move just staring at her lap. There was only one person on this planet that every called her Ri-Ri. The nickname came from when they were really young, her neighbor and best friend had trouble pronouncing her name. Now she went by Addie instead of Adriana to her friends. So only one person the planet call her Ri-Ri.

Her head turn to look towards the side of the stage where the voice came from. “Ja—” Before she could finish her sentence the bucket that she had launched into the air on her face landed on her head before dumping its contents all down the front of her. Sure she was wearing a paint shirt, paints and shoes because… well it’s her job, she knows her stuff. But her blonde hair that was pulled back into a pony tail now was covered in black paint… again. Luckily she had put down a tarp on the stage so there was no damage to the floor.

A small defeated laugh left her as the brush clattered to the ground. “At least I’m done…” She said softly to herself as she got to her feet. However as she held her hand up to shield her eyes from the light she realized that standing across from her was just who she thought it was. “Me? Grow out of being clumsy? That will never happen.” It had been so long since she had seen him (well, in person) that she was tempted to run and jump at him in a hug but she stopped, realizing that she was covered in paint now. “What are you doing here?”

The question had barely left her lips when the rest of the band came into view and Adriana clammed up almost instantly. It wasn’t that she was star-struck or anything like most people would be, it was the simple fact that she honestly didn’t do good in crowds and more than three people excluding her was too much. Not to mention the woman that was with them was the one who was supposed to write her a check for the touch up work. Fumbling and picking up the paint supplies and using the spare towel to quickly get the wet paint out of her hair she stammered to speak to Elizabeth. “I… uh… finished the touch ups… I’m done—I can go…”

[mysterion]

Jack watched as everything went on in front of him, her getting up, realizing who he was and then the pain coming down and covering her. "Well, you never know surprising things happen every day. However, it seems that you were unlucky enough to continue to stay clumsy though you have stayed beautiful so at least there's an upside to the whole situation."

As she began talking to Elizabeth Jack stayed quiet listening to how she said that she could leave, this wasn't what Jack had wanted, he had wanted her to stay around so where the two could reconnect since it had been too many years since the two had even seen each other.

Elizabeth couldn't tell why but she was jealous that Jack Stacera was talking to this woman who she thought of as 'The Help' since the woman had been requested by another person who was working for the company to help out the Lords of Captivating Hearts. "The painting is amazing you are just as good as your friend described you, however, yes I do believe you should probably go, the band will be busy getting ready for their show tonight and per orders of Mr. Prince there should be no distractions with the band since this is the first homecoming they've had in years and this is the place that the band started getting their fame."

Jack actually kind of got upset with the way this woman had just talked to his Adriana. "No I don't want you to leave," he said with an upset tone to his voice which wasn't like him "Ri-Ri I want you to stay here hang with the band for a little while and possibly even come see the show in the front row, V.I.P section with my mom and my baby sister Ally who I guess isn't a baby anymore since she's fifteen" Jack said running his hand across the coarse brown facial hair that was just starting to thicken up and fill in. "As for the band going back to its roots, we couldn't officially go back to our roots without our original manager Adriana 'Ri-Ri' Menzel so I'd appreciate it if you apologized to my friend."

Elizabeth was surprised to hear the anger in Jack's voice, it was surprising because she'd met him a couple of times before as a fan at his shows and everyone knew that Jack was one the nicest, most kind-hearted guys she had ever met. So to hear the aggression in his voice Elizabeth realized that she had overstepped boundaries that shouldn't have been stepped over so she cleared her throat. "I apologize for coming off so rudely just moments ago. I had no clue of your importance to our guest of honor Jack Stacera."

Robert Gaffinger laughed as he heard Jack getting angry it surprised him as well that Jack had gotten this way since Jack never got snappy with anyone. Walking over he placed his hand on Adriana's shoulder with a smile "Well if Jack wants you to stay around so does the rest of the band. So it seems you're staying" he teased. "Elizabeth show us to our dressing room and miss please accompany us I'd like to hear stories of the good old days before I was around since Jack and Alex refuse to tell me any... You seem like the best person to do so since you worked so closely with them."

Elizabeth nodded her head as she heard Robert asking to be shown to the dressing rooms where they would be hanging out and getting ready for their show. "Alright follow me this way," she said turning to walk towards where the dressing room was, directly behind her was Robert and Alexander. Behind them was Jack who was almost pulling Adriana with him in a friendly way.

Jack held Adraina's hand in his pulling her along towards the dressing room "God, it's been too many years since we've seen each other Ri-Ri I want to apologize vehemently for not keeping in contact, I had every intention of doing so it's just that the band got a lot bigger than I expected much faster than I expected and we've been so busy touring until we were about to drop, taking a few days off and then getting back onto the road playing music again."

[EasilyAmused]

The praise for her work made Adriana beam at Elizabeth but being cut short from ‘hey you’re great’ to ‘leave’ caused that bright smile of hers to drop almost instantly. “Oh okay, I see I’ll just be g…”

Her statement was cut off by Jack’s sudden interjection. And not just any interjection; this was interjection that caused him to be upset and annoyed by Elizabeth and to this; Adriana gripped her supplies to her chest and listened to the conversation. When he called her the ‘manager’ she actually laughed aloud causing all the attention to be pulled to her. At that she closed her mouth tightly and muttered something like ‘I just made the posters’ before suddenly finding Elizabeth apologizing to her.

The blonde shook her head furiously, “Oh no it’s… it’s okay…” She attempted to say before Robert approached her. Again, a person she didn’t know outside of what the press made out of him; with his large hand on her shoulder she felt tiny and insignificant as she stared up at him. Holy shit he really was the guy from the band! “You… you can call me Adriana.” She said in a small voice to Robert as he turned to follow Elizabeth and the rest of the band did so as well.

This was finally a moment where she could breathe and a long breath of air left her lungs as she loosed the death grip she had taken on her supplies. Too many people! Too many people!! Her attention was jerked away – followed by her entire body as Jack snatched her free hand and started pulling her away from the stage to follow the others. “Jack it’s okay. Really! I visit your mom and sister all the time and they keep me up-to-date with what you have going on so I’ve known a lot. Jack just---Slow down—you’re going to rip my arm off!” While she attempted to hold a serious tone, her voice was laughing. A laugh she had never done around her other friends because only Jack could make her laugh by doing such, well silly things. “You’ve been busy I get it! Plus you’re doing a lot of charity work as well as your performances it is not the least bit surprising that you have trouble keeping in touch with us ‘little people’.”

Her voice was playful and kind and just before they hit the dressing rooms she gave him a small pull, the first resistances he had received since they started walking. “Jack, I have to drop off this stuff, it isn’t mine. That and I’d like to try to get some of this paint out of my hair before it dries. I’ll get my stuff situated and meet you at the dressing rooms okay?” When he finally let her go, she proceeded to do the things she needed to accomplish. Except when she was about to lean her head over the sink to clean out her hair, a voice came across the corner.

“There you are!” Crystal’s voice rang in her direction and Adriana turned to see her bleach blonde haired friend with blue highlights standing in the doorway in a pair of short shorts and a black Lords of Captivating Hearts t-shirt. Crystal was practically a walking billboard of her own talents as her makeup was flawless, her hair was perfect and her skin looked incredible. Then there was Adriana who was covered in paint. “Oh my god… what did you do to yourself?” After her statement she held up her hand quickly, “Never mind, don’t tell me. Just come with me.” With that she grabbed her friend and drug her out of the storage room and pushed her down in her styling chair. “I’m not letting you walk out looking like this, and the BAND is here! You can’t be walking around in paint clothes!”

“But but but!” Adriana desperately tried to protest but it was too late, her friend and begun her work. Thirty minutes and some arguing later Crystal announced she was complete and pushed Adriana towards the dressing rooms. Crystal knew that Adriana was friends with Jack but that didn’t mean she was going to let her friend look like rubbish while meeting up with an old dear person!

So there was Adriana, her blonde hair cleaned and curled in a knee length blue sundress with white daisies on it and a white soft little throw over her shoulders. Taking in a deep breath she knocked on the door to the band’s dressing room. Did they have groupies in there? Was it just the band? Were they getting dressed and ready to head out to get styled? Was it just Jack? Her heart pounded in her chest as she heard a call to come in and slowly opened the door. “It’s me…” Yes, that was her first sentence…

[mysterion]

Jack smiled as he took Adriana's hand in his own and pulled her down the winding hallways of the building as they talked. He was more than excited to see his dearest and oldest friend after all this time, they had much to talk about. Many years had passed since last the two friends had spoken to each other and it was time to remedy that. "Well I'm glad to know that you and my mother haven't lost your friendship sometimes as a child I was curious as to whether my mother was actually your best friend with me being the consolation prize," Jack said teasingly knowing that she would know he was playing with her. Though the friendship between Ariel Stacera and Adriana Menzel was something to behold almost rivaling that of Adriana and Jack's friendship.

"Well, Ri-Ri when you, Alexander, Markus and I started this band we always swore that if we ever made it in any form we would never forget what we learned growing up in L.A and that we would try to help in any way that we could. So once we were scouted and signed I began giving some back to charities and since we got so much larger and the income grew exponentially so did the donations to the charities. My favorite though is the Make-A-Wish Foundation" he said honestly with a smile. Right before they hit the dressing room though he felt her pulling away slightly and he stopped to look at her hearing what she was saying about needing to get drop off the painting supplies and also get cleaned up and so Jack just smiled at Adriana happily. "Fine, my dear friend I completely understand that after a hards day work we all need to feel clean. I insist though that once you finish you come back and join the band to hang out before the show. We have quite a few years to catch up on and I'd like to hear how you have been" he said with one of his heartwarming smiles before walking into the dressing room after Alexander and Robert.

Elizabeth stood by the door as the band walked inside of the dressing room all of them except Jack who continued talking to the woman who was obviously a great friend of his. She waited a little distance off from where Jack and Adriana spoke to each other and when the woman finally left she walked up to Jack "If you need anything, anything at all let me know. Mr. Prince has made it very clear that the band is to feel as comfortable as possible while you're here" as she said this a loud dinging noise emanated from her pocket and she pulled out her black and pink Iphone Ten using the facial recognition lock to unlock her phone. One unread message from Lawrence 'Larry' Prince Jr that said he was almost to Princes Castle Club which is where the building they were in. "Ah, it seems that Mr. Prince is almost here he'll most likely come to see you all once he arrives" with that said she walked off her heels clicking on the floor as she did and her hips swaying provocatively as she subliminally tried seducing Jack.

Jack looked at Elizabeth "Fine if he wants to come and see us let him" he said watching her walk away only momentarily he knew what she was trying but he could care less. Yes, Elizabeth was beautiful but his crush on Adriana was still strong and no other woman could hold up to her. Turning around Jack walked into the dressing room and went directly to the showers so where he could get cleaned up the stylist Mr. Prince had hired would be there soon and he wanted her to have a clean slate to work with.

Robert walked into the dressing and was thoroughly surprised at how nice it looked. Obviously whoever this Mr. Prince character he kept hearing about had gone all out decorating it with everything that the band would need. It was also obvious that whoever this Mr.
Prince knew the band because there were a few pictures of the original band's lineup with Alexanders brother Markus as well as newer pictures with Robert with them. "Wow, I feel like royalty in this room alcohol, food, television these things aren't normally something that is given to us by the establishment we're playing at. He said watching Jack walk past him towards the showers. As he looked around he hard a knock on the door and called out "Come in it's open" turning around to see who it was he heard a familiar voice calling out it's me. "Well hello me I'm Robert," he said in a teasing manner before seeing Adriana walking into the dressing room "Um, Jack's in the showers and Alexander is... Well, I'm not sure where he headed off too but he's got to be in here somewhere but if you'd like I'd be more than happy to keep you company until Jack is fini" he started only to hear Jack's voice from behind him.

"If you think for even one second that I'm going to let you try to seduce my best friend you're absolutely wrong. Go find someone else horndog" Jack said teasingly. Currently, he was dressed in only a pair of shorts that he had put on after his shower "If you'd like just take a seat real quick Ri-Ri and I'll be right back" with that said he walked to the back rooms where he found Alexander talking on the phone to his brother Markus. "Tell Markie I said hey Lex," he said as he began getting dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a black wifebeater t-shirt and a pair of old-school Chuck Taylors since they were some of his favorite shoes. After he finished getting dressed Jack made his way back to the sitting area where Robert and Adriana were before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Ah, all better. Robert our stylist should be here soon I've heard she's absolutely amazing" he said before turning to Adriana realizing that not only had she changed clothes but had a full make-over "My, my Ri-Ri you didn't have to get dolled up for me" he teased with a smile.

[EasilyAmused]

It’s important to remember that Adriana never met Robert, he was the new face in the band compared to what she grew up with and her nervousness showed as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Her small right hand running against the bicep of her left arm as she nearly stared down at her feet when he approached her. “I’m… Adriana…” She said softly, more to the ground than him as he approached her. The suaveness of his voice caused her face to slowly crawl red and it wasn’t until Jack’s voice echoed throughout the room that the blonde’s attention snapped up from the ground.

Jack stood behind his friend looking like a threatening tower of muscle which almost made her laugh. In fact she had to put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from cracking up as the shadow crept over the band member. “Okay.” She said behind her hand before he turned around and walked away. In case you need to ask, she did stare… she stared the entire way until he disappeared into the other room and Robert stepped into her view with a knowing smirk. A smirk which received a bashful look and an avoided gaze as a response.

Taking a seat down on one of the chairs, she placed her hands gently in her lap and tucked her ankles under the chair. Despite her lack of interaction with her parents, the CEOs instilled manners into her, and grace but her clumsiness tended to hide that little feature more often than not. The conversation was small between Robert and Adriana, simple because she looked like she was really nervous. That was until Jack finally returned and the room seemed to relax around her. Finally a face she knew.

His statement however, made her blush as she turned her gaze away. “My… friend is the stylist and she wasn’t going to let me walk away looking the way I was. My sense of style hasn’t improved since you saw me last and whenever I walk out of the house with something matching I’m praised by her.” Embarrassed that she had gone through such an intense transformation before returning to the group but she wasn’t going to leave and Crystal wasn’t going to let her return to them covered in paint.

The door opened from across the room and Adriana was on her feet. “Lex!” She called out to the young man who excited the back room.

“Little Ri- Ri!” Alexander said excitedly as the blonde jumped into his arms. To the ground, Marcus had always been the ‘big brother’ and when he left; Alexander took over the role and took it over well.

While Adriana’s reaction to Alexander was different than her reaction to Jack, it was purely and obviously a sibling thing as she began giving him a hard time for never responding to her text messages and the two rejoined the other members. The group finally began to chat, Adriana feeling more comfortable around Robert now that it was more than just them in the room and soon her laughter and smile began to fill the room.

Knock Knock, “Hello.” Crystal’s voice called out through the chatter as the door creaked open and she stepped inside. A bag over her shoulder holding all of her supplies and a star chair in her hands, “Hello everyone!” Her voice was as cheery and bright as her blue hair. “Who’s my next victim… I mean person? I already did Adriana.” With that she placed the chair down in front of the large mirror with lights and began to unpack her things.

“Yeah… we’re both drastically different.” Adriana admitted in a loud fashion as her friend shouted something like ‘love you too’, over her shoulder as she unpacked her things.

[mysterion]

Robert smiled as he interjected his own comment into the conversation that Jack and Adriana were having with each other. "This woman might be worth keeping on the payroll Jack we have been needing a new stylist after Maria left a couple of months, ago," he said honestly as he read the room slightly. "I mean look at what she did with your friend Adriana she did an amazing job taking a beautiful young woman and using just enough makeup to enhance her already present beauty nothing too extravagant" Robert said honestly as he looked at Jack who was eyeing him "Hey Jackie Boy you know me I'm gonna tell the truth no matter what" he said holding his hands up as if surrendering to Jack.

Jack sat straddling the back edge of the black leather couch that faced where Adriana was sitting listening to what she said before Robert began... Well being Robert, the two were great friends but Robert could be quite self-absorbed and pervy to any woman he met. The man was your stereotypical, handsome, self-absorbed, yet kind-hearted ladies man which is why he had called dibs on Elizabeth earlier and also why he would probably call dibs on Adriana's friend as well. As he heard Robert speaking about Adriana's friend he nodded his head "You're right we do need a new stylist after Maria left and we'll talk to Ri-Ri's friend whenever she get's here but you can't sleep with this stylist Robert I'm tired of us getting good employee's and you sleeping with them and them leaving" Jack warned honestly as he found himself growing slightly annoyed by the way Robert was able to so openly tell women how beautiful they were and being able to hit on them even knowing that there was a chance of failure. Jack had never been like that, always kind of being a shy person it took months for him to talk to Adriana who was now his secret crush and his best friend in the entire world. Hell even when the Lords of Captivating Hearts began Jack had been too shy to get up onstage and sing before Adriana gave him one of her inspirational 'You've got this' speeches that she later became known for. Sure Markus, Alexander, and Jack were the musicians but Adriana was the real powerhouse behind getting them their shows and pushing them to become what they now were. All of a sudden a door opened across the room and Alexander came out and Jack watched with interest as Adriana ran across the room and jumped onto the man knocking him to the floor. Jack laughed as he watched this going on "God Ri-Ri you're going to break the man before our show" he teased "Jumping at him like a wildcat taking down its prey" As everyone finally began chatting the stories of the good old days began coming out.

Robert stayed quiet until after the incident with Adriana jumping on Alexander as they all began speaking he finally spoke "You sleep with two employees and they quit and all of a sudden you're a bad guy" Robert said teasingly as he looked at Adriana "So you've obviously known Jack a long time let me ask has he always been this much of a party pooper. I mean we can't take this guy anywhere. Last party Lex and I took him to the man moped in a corner and refused to drink and indulge in all the fun that Rockstars normally have."

Soon there was a knock on the door and everyone watched as a beautiful blue-haired woman walked into the room.

"Well hello to you as well beautiful lady," Robert said standing up with a smile "I am Robert Gaffinger but you can call me Rob if you'd like," he said sticking his hand out towards her happily.

"Down boy" Jack called to Robert as if talking to a dog "We don't need you getting slobber all over her makeup equipment" Jack said making sure to move to sit right beside Adriana as he spoke "And hello to you as well Miss your friend Ri-Ri here has spoken quite highly of you and I must admit you did a damn good job on your friends makeup as well as her attire. Also depending on how well you do tonight I have a very generous offer to give you" he said taking a break from speaking for a second only to take a breath "And as for whose first I think you should work on Robert first since he looks like a Donkey's ass."

[color=red]"Bitch please you know I'm the sexiest in the band" Robert said teasingly as he ran his hand through his hair and struck a pose.

[EasilyAmused]

Robert’s question about why Jack wouldn’t be involved in any of the shenanigans that the rest of the men were involved in and Adriana spoke rather quickly about it. “It’s obvious,” She said speaking as if the answer was as plain as day. “That’s not who Jack is, He’s not someone who needs or wants the attention of being famous if it doesn’t have a positive use. Drinking and ‘partying’ doesn’t make the world a better place. Getting drunk just makes the world more foolish and indulging in the ‘perks’ of being a Rockstar can lead someone down the path of self-destruction. If he suffers a self-destruction than he can’t help make the world a better place; I doubt he’ll stop you unless you might kill yourself but he won’t stop you from enjoying your fun.”

Even after all this time, Adriana still felt like she knew Jack’s actions better than his band-mates. That’s funny.

Crystal turned on her heel and gaze Robert’s hand a quick but polite shake before she turned back to her supplies and began unloading once again. She did, however, listen to Jack’s comments before finishing laying out her tools and turning around. Her small arms crossed under her chest and pondered Jack’s words for a moment. “I’ll think about it, but I do like being a freelancing cosmetologist.” Her small shoulders rose and fell with a shrug as she gave the seat she had brought with her. “Come here Mr. Sexy; let’s see if we can attempt to get you to live up to that name.” Her eyes twinkled with playfulness as she looked over at her friend, “Though I don’t think anyone will be able to change Addie’s mind on who she finds to be ‘Mr Sexy’.” Her voice was filled with teasing as she shook open the cap she brought and draped it over Robert’s shoulder and clasped it behind his neck when he sat down.

Adriana’s face exploded, turning bright red as she glared down her friend in the reflection of the mirror who just proceeded to respond with a cheeky smile. Her face said ‘I hate you’ but that didn’t stop her face from boiling as she began to play with her hands in a nervous gesture. Desperate to change to the subject, she broke what she considered an awkward silence (though it was probably just moments), “I love your new song.” She said with a beaming smile as her cheeks calmed down, “There’s so much unexpected passion behind it I was surprised as it seemed more like a ballad than a song. I did help with those record breaking sales of the album though, I bought my own copy.”

[mysterion]

"Wow he actually let you know his personal thoughts and feelings," Robert asked honestly as he looked over at Adriana with a smile "He's very private with his personal life and yet you seem to know everything about him which surprises me."

"That's because she knows me better than anyone Robert. Adriana knew me back when I was pudgy-faced Jacob Stacera" Jack said honestly as he looked at Robert and then back to Adriana "Ri-Ri, Lex, and Markus were my only friends and we were very close we knew everything around each other no matter how deep or dark the thing was" he then smiled as he placed his hand on top of Adriana's patting it softly "You always will be my best friend as well no matter what Ri-Ri" Jack said honestly as he heard Adriana's friend Crystal talking about how she would think over Jack's offer to be the bands, full-time cosmetologist but ho she loved being a freelancer. "If you love being a freelancer, be a freelancer you have to do what you love because if you do you'll never work a day in your life and that's the best feeling in the world" however, as Crystal joked with Robert about actually making him beautiful Jack couldn't help as he burst out with a laugh people rarely put Robert in his place other than Jack so it was nice to have someone else doing it. Though as Crystal made the comment about Adriana thinking that another member of the Lords of Captivating Hearts was actually Mr. Sexy his eyebrows raised curiously wondering if she might feel the same way towards him as he felt towards her. But those thoughts were quickly pushed to the back of his mind because there was no way that his best friend could ever think of him the way he thought of her.

So when Adriana changed the subject Jack let out a sigh of relief as he looked over to where Adriana was sitting "I'm glad to hear that you liked the new song I took a chance by writing a song that LOCH wasn't known for but it seems that our fans have enjoyed it though I am upset that you had to buy your own copy. I am famous because you pushed me to fulfill my dreams and so you should reap the rewards of the perks that comes with it" he said smiling "Before we leave though we need to hang out just the two of us for old times sake it's been way too long."

"Ouch" Robert said teasingly to Crystal as she spoke about how she'd try to get him to live up to the name Mr. Sexy "I have never heard such hurtful words coming from such a beautiful mouth" he said making his way across the room to sit in the seat that Crystal had placed for him to sit in, as she placed the cape around his shoulders so she could begin her work "Do whatever you please, I love it when a beautiful woman is near" Robert said winking at her playfully.

Lawrence 'Larry' Prince JR had been late coming to meet the band that his father had helped years earlier. Larry was the same age as Jacob now known as Jack and Adriana Menzel he had actually gone to school with both of them and had hung out with them casually as young teens especially while the band was playing at the club which was then owned by his father.

Stepping out of the orange Nineteen-Sixty-Nine Miura P400 that his father had owned for years Larry looked at his watch and realized just how late he actually was. This was an important day for Larry it was the first homecoming of Jack Stacera and Alexander Markovi in quite a number of years and for their homecoming one of the biggest celebrations in the city was happening the day after the concert which was happening tonight. Quickly, Larry fixed his suit making sure that there were no wrinkles as he sped through the halls of the club as he made his way towards the dressing room. It took several minutes for him to get to the dressing but soon he knocked on the door twice before entering the room "Lords of Captivating Hearts" he said excitedly clapping his large hands together before rubbing them as well. "It's an honor to have you here at this establishment, my father wishes that he could be here but he has, unfortunately, had a heart attack tonight though the doctor's assured me that everything should be fine in just a couple of days which is why I was late tonight. I apologize vehemently for being late and I hope that you will understand."

As Larry entered Jack's eyes lazily went over towards the door as it opened, seeing a young man Jack remembered that Lawrence had, had a son which meant that the Mr. Prince Elizabeth had spoken about earlier was the son, not the father. Standing slowly he reached out and shook Larry's hand politely "Mr. Prince it's a pleasure to see you again, it has been a few years since we last stood in each others presence. I was a lot younger back then had long hair and a goofy mustache because I thought it made me look cool. And if I remember correctly you had long hair as well" he teased as he heard about Larry's father "Give your father our love he was a massive part of the success of this band, he was the only club owner in town who would give a chance to a bunch of misfit boys and a pretty girl manager. If it hadn't been for him we wouldn't be where we are now" he said honestly "Come in we're just getting ready" Jack said waving his hand towards the room. "It is your building after all."

Larry smiled as Jack came to shake his hand, politely he shook Jack's hand as well "Yes, yes I did have much longer hair back then, that and I also had a denim blue jean jacket with a Megadeth, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne and Anthrax patch sewn on them.
I also had braces and it's surprising you remember that after all these years Jack" Larry said teasingly as he walked in and sat on a chair.

Robert heard the whole thing going on and as Larry said he couldn't believe Jack remembered that Robert spoke, slowly as not to mess up Crystal who was working on him "One thing I've learned about Jack over the last few years of being on the road with him is that Jack has the memory of an elephant years later he'll throw out something that happened at a previous concert and it's mind blowing because Lex and I usually have forgotten about it.

[EasilyAmused]

His statement about her being the reason he became famous made the blonde roll her eyes dramatically, “You became famous because you are good Jack, I just gave you a kick in the pants. And with that kick you flew far and are doing good for the world. That’s what I want to support so I bought the CD so… ha ha.” She said in a playful tone as she settled back against the couch. “And yes, we will need to hang out before you leave town again. You can come over to my apartment. It’s nothing fancy but I’d love to show you some of the pieces I’ve been working on.”

“Jesus, inviting a guy over to your house Addie, that’s a first.” Crystal called out from her work station as she shook the bottle of moose and sprayed some in her hand. “I think the last guy you had over was when I brought my six year old nephew to visit and it that was at least five years ago.”

“Ssss….So!” Adriana barked back, her face bright red with embarrassment as she was getting called out for her lack of dating or… well anything for that matter. Her attention moved to her hands as a knock echoed on the door. The knock was a ‘saved by the bell’ moment for the blonde as her blue gaze turned upward towards the door to see Lary Prince walk in and her eyes went wide. Holy crap she hadn’t see him in years!

Except her reaction to Larry wasn’t the same as Alexander as she didn’t have the same familiarization as with Larry so she got real quiet and just watched and listened to their conversation.

“I don’t recall saying you could move,” She said in a playful and slightly threatening tone with a smile on her face. “If you want to pretty you need to hold still or you’re going to look bad, and hurt.” Her smile only got bigger with her threat. That was until her attention moved to her suddenly quiet friend. A smirk moved across her face as she began to run her fingers through Robert’s hair to begin her styling. “Pint of beer says Mr. Prince JR makes a pass at Adriana and she either doesn’t say anything or she misunderstands it and thinks it’s something entirely different.” She said in a whisper to him with a grin.

[mysterion]

Jack smiled at Adriana as he heard what she said about how they became famous due to their musical inclination. "Yes our talents obviously skyrocketed us to where we are now but if it weren't for your speech that night of our first show here the entire band was ready to walk out scared" this was something he had never told her Alexander, Markus and Jack had talked for hours before the show. They had played small venues with tiny crowds which were fine but as they peaked out at the large room and saw over two thousand fans waiting for them to play the biggest stage fright attack had hit the band. And the three originals decided they couldn't do it. Then like the Ring General she was Adriana had come in and given them a speech which changed their mind and from there the band was on the fast track to where they currently were at in the music industry. This was the first time that anyone other than the three original members of the band knew of what really happened but he knew that it was time Adriana knew just how important she truly was to the band's success.

"You know I've always loved your art," Jack said smiling as he pulled out his cell phone and he went to his gallery he still had old photos of Adriana and himself inside it. Slowly he scrolled through the pictures until he found the picture he was looking for in the front room of his home he had the three paintings that Adriana had signed and given to him hanging up so where anyone who came into his house could enjoy them "Three Menzel originals are hanging in my front room framed for the viewing pleasure of all who come to visit me" he said handing her, his phone so she could see. "I would love to see some of the paintings you are working on you know I've always loved your artwork Ri-Ri." Again, however, Adriana's friend Crystal pipe in with something he hadn't known and it made him feel special that he would be the first guy inside of her home other than her friends' six-year-old nephew. He was about to say something to Adriana but before he could say anything a knock echoed through the room and Larry Prince came walking in and Jack greeted him like the old friend he was.

"Wow you're kind of bossy," Robert said teasingly as she told him she didn't remember telling him he could move. "I kind of like it," he said in his own joking way but he sounded perverted as always. As he heard her saying that she bet a pint of beer that Mr. Prince would not only hit on but get shot down by Adriana he smiled always having been the one for a good bet Robert smiled at Crystal "I'll take that bet" he whispered back to her happily.

"It seems like the old gang is back together, let us try to keep ourselves out of trouble the last time you were all here I vaguely remember a farewell party that got a little wild." Larry said smiling "Jack and Alexander you're still as ugly as I remember," he said teasingly "Robert I don't know you so I won't say anything though I will admit Adriana you've really grown into your own. You are even more beautiful than you were before which should be an impossibility" Larry said smiling as he sat across from the couch where Jack and Adriana sat.

"Don't worry Mr. Prince we'll get to know each other really well before the show" he said staying still since Crystal was trying to get him ready.

Jack laughed as he heard Larry "Come on Larry you know as well as I do that the only reason the party got crazy is because you made it that way you were quite the troublemaker...Unfortunately though your craziness was like a disease because after we got rid of you we picked up ourselves the same kind of personality with Robert over there."

Markus Markovi Alexander's older brother and the original guitarist for the band had woke up that morning excitedly. As he woke up he placed on his prosthetic arm and readied himself for the day by showering and getting dressed. He was ready to meet the band at the club but in his excitement, he realized that he was four hours too early. So he waited and had now finally made his way to the place where it all started. Currently, he was making his way down the hallway leading to the dressing room. Casually he slipped inside and saw that the whole gang was there, due to the money that the band had made he had the best of the best prosthetic arm that money could buy and because of that he had taught himself how to play guitar again and he wanted to surprise the band because no one knew of his secret. "My dear God.
Jacob Stacera, Alexander Markovi, and Adriana Ri-Ri Menzel all sitting in the same room all grown up" being the oldest member of the band he had been like everyone's older brother and had taken care of everyone and he continued to do this until the accident that had taken his arm all those years ago.

[EasilyAmused]

It didn’t take long before young Mr. Prince popped off with a flirtatious remark and Adriana barely caught it. In fact she was so blind-sighted by his comment that she looked down at her clothes and laughed an honest laugh. “I don’t normally wear dresses but it does look pretty good. It’s probably the blue.” She stated before her brow pushed together and she called out to Crystal. “Blue right? Blue eye hazel eyes?”

“Yes dear.” Crystal responded as she grabbed the can of hairspray and gave it a few shakes before giggling and speaking to Robert. “I’ll take my beer after the show.” A victorious tone to her voice as she covered his eyes and nose with as she laid a layer of hairspray into his hair.

“That means I’m right!” She said sounding more proud of herself than she probably should have. But then her face dropped into one of shyness as she turned her attention back to her hands. She wasn’t good with this whole talking-to-people stuff, especially someone she didn’t know well. The blonde’s attention went to her feet until she heard the door open.

Unlike many of the other members, she kept in contact with Markus. Since they lived in the same town they made sure to get together once and a while to talk. Despite the fact that someone – side eye to Jack – never responded to her, she kept up with the bands whereabouts through Markus and… admitted exactly who she had a crush on for so long whether he was pudgy or built, Jack had owned her heart for quite a while. Many conversations came up about ‘how she should tell him’, ‘why she should tell him’ and ‘when she should tell him’; between Markus and Crystal, they were both sure the blonde should just admit her feelings but… she lacked the ability to open her mouth and spit them out.

As soon as her attention turned upward, she pointed directly at him. “YOU OWE ME A MEME!” She shouted int eh middle of the room before feeling her face flush red for being so direct. And to her blush was met with a roar of laughter and admittance that he was a fault.

Crystal gave a final spritz before pulling her hand away from his face and stepped back. “Meh, I can only do so much.” She said with a playful shrug before pulling off the cap and gestured for him to get out of the seat. “You don’t need to tell me how great I did, I know.” A playful shrug rose and fell her shoulders before she pointed at Alexander. “Pretty boy, you’re up.” A small hand patted the newly vacant seat waiting for her next vict—client.

“We’ve been exchanging Memes back and forth to keep us laughing during boring times. It works out pretty well…” Adriana admitted with a tiny shrug before she turned her attention back to Jack. “Hey, I’ve been wanting to ask… Why a ballad? And why that song as a ballad?”

[mysterion]

Larry had to admit that he was slightly shocked that his flirtatious remark had gone either unnoticed or ignored. He was a very kind-hearted, good-looking man who also had a lot of money he truly was what most women would consider the perfect man. The best thing about it was that no matter what Larry would never womanize or disrespect a woman in any way nor was he cocky about his looks or riches and so he cleared his throat slightly. Looking over to Crystal he shrugged his shoulders knowing that this woman was Adriana's best female friend.

Robert sat in the chair that Crystal had sat out for the members of the band to sit in so she could help make them look better for the concert tonight. "You'll get your beer I can't believe that someone so beautiful, and intelligent could also be so... Oblivious to real life events happening in front of her. You'd think being as beautiful as she is she'd be used to getting hit on with a string of heartbroken boyfriends behind her. But I guess certain people live their lives differently, I mean Jack get's hit on every single day of the year and in the years I have known him he's never had a girlfriend so I guess good-looking people can in fact stay... Pure at least in certain ways.

Markus smiled as he walked over and immediately hugged Jack who you could tell was extremely happy to see one of the founding members as well as the original guitarist for The Lords of Captivating Hearts for the first time in years. "My God kid you've gotten so big and so grown-up," he said placing a very soft tap straight to Jack's chin with his left hand which was his real hand. It was good to see everyone together again but somehow, being the only person in the room that knew of the mutual crush that Jack and Adriana had for each other he felt like it was going to be his job to eventually get the two together but not as of right now, right now they needed to get used to being around each other again. As Adriana shouted at him Markus actually jumped slightly before laughing "Fine, fine kid calm down... I currently don't have any memes to give you... How about instead I get you a boyfriend" he asked teasingly as he winked at her knowing she'd know what he meant not knowing that Crystal would also know what he was talking about.

Robert heard Crystals comment about only being able to do so much and sarcastically he said "Ha, ha you're really funny has anyone ever told you this" he asked curiously as he stood up slowly. "And cocky, my I'm telling you the more I get to know you the more you seem like my kind of woman," Robert said teasingly before walking away to go sit on the couch beside Adriana.

Jack looked over to Ri-Ri as he heard Adriana ask him about why their new song Winter Love was written and especially why it was a ballad since LOCH was normally not the kind of band to play a ballad. For once Jack was actually speechless, sure he had explained to Elizabeth Viduelle the woman who had shown them around the building why the song was written but he couldn't tell Adriana that the song was written for his love for her, that he was madly in love with her and had been since they were kids. And he began trying to think of an acceptable lie to tell her so where he wouldn't have to tell her the truth.

"Go on Jack just let her know that the song was written because you've not dated anyone since you were in middle-school and that the song is a representation of your own deep seeded hopeless romanticism and the wanton need to find your soulmate. Again you've known Jack you're entire life Adriana how is it that a man who spends his entire life singing and talking to the masses seems to find himself speechless around a person he's literally known his entire life?"

[EasilyAmused]

Robert’s complaints about Adriana left her providing him with a small simple shrug as a response. There was a lot about Adriana that most people didn’t understand, including but not limited to her love life. This ‘love life’ was practically didn’t exist. Her was oblivious to the point that anyone flirting with her would get a response like Larry received or she would assume it was for someone else and end up leaving when someone was giving her attention. That simple shrug from her best female friend said ‘This isn’t new’. And it probably will never be something that would continue.

Soon she had Alexander in her seat and she began to work on him. A smile on her face as she did so as she ease dropped on the conversation that was happening.

How about I get you a boyfriend? Markus’s words echoed through Adriana’s ears and her face exploded in the color of red seeming surprised that he would state something like that so… so bluntly! With cherry red cheeks she turned her gaze sharply away from the eldest of the group and proceeded to give the shoes at her feet extra attention before asking Jack her question.

His expression seemed to change and for some reason he didn’t seem to know what to say. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as her small head tilted slightly to the right, blonde hair falling off her shoulders like a curtain. He seemed a little perplexed and unable to discuss the topic. But… but he was the one who wrote it… so why wouldn’t he know the inspiration for it.

Head straightening and turning to look at Robert, she listened closely to what he had to say and when he presented her with the question of why she wouldn’t tell her she jumped to her feet. “I know why!” She declared as she dashed from the room.

“You’re about to owe me another beer.” Crystal called out to Robert as she sprayed some moose in her hand and began to wrack her fingers through Alexander’s hair.

As fast as she left, she had returned with a bottle of cold water and a wet towel. Sitting next to Jack she placed the bottle of water in his hand and wrapped the damp cool towel around hers. “You’re not getting sick are you Jack? Not enough water? Your face looks flushed…” Her voice was filled with concern as she leaned toward, gently dabbing the cool cloth against his face.

[mysterion]

Markus smiled as he looked at, Adriana, he could tell that she understood what he was saying, they had spent multiple hours talking about her secret love for Jack just as Jack and Markus had spent multiple hours talking about Jack's secret crush on Adriana. He was sure Adriana's friend knew about Adriana's crush but Markus was most likely the only person in the room that knew of both crushes. And he was going to have Crystal help him figure out a way to get two of his best friends together finally after years of denying the other the truth. Knowing that it was time to change the subject because of the way Adriana looked "I forgot to tell you Ri-Ri that Rachael just found out that she's pregnant you're going to be Auntie Ri-Ri, Alexander and Jack you're going to be uncles as well" he wanted to give them all good news. As Adriana asked Alexander what the song Winter Love was written about and why it was a ballad instead of the normal rock song that Lords of Captivating Hearts was known for Markus smiled waiting to see the answer that he gave her since the song was actually written about the time where Jack and Adriana had been walking in the snow and they had fallen and he nearly kissed her, the song was a way to right the wrongs so to speak lyrically by showing what would happen if he had kissed her that night.

"I uh" Jack stumbled as he tried his best to come up with a false story about what the song was truly about but he had never been able to lie to Adriana. As Robert came to his rescue which caused him to mouth the words 'Thank you' so where only he could see "Yeah the song was apart of a... Uh, time in my life where my hopeless romantic side bled through my rock star persona of being all together" though right after he said this she ran out of the room.

"It looks as if I am" Robert said with a smile watching as Adriana ran out of the room and came back moments later with a wet cloth and began dabbing Jack with it trying to take care of him and Robert knew then that these two kids truly were made for one another but neither of them was in a position to tell the other their feelings which actually made him sad. Robert up until this point had been the kind of person that believed one man should not settle down and that he should instead be with multiple women but now seeing Adriana and Jack together he knew that he had been wrong his entire life and that certain people in life were actually made to be with each other.

Jack smiled as Adriana touched his face the contact was something he'd missed, though it also made his heart skip a beat. "I'm...I'm fine Ri-Ri," Jack said both embarrassed and sad that he almost had to lie to her since he wasn't ready for her to know that he loved her just yet, the two had just been reconnected after years of being apart so there was no need to scare her away or ruin their friendship. "I'm not sick it's just a little warm in here."

[EasilyAmused]

When he said he wasn’t sick she let out a sigh of relief. “Oh good.” Her caring kind nature had taken over and her worry filled her because she didn’t want anything bad to happen to anyone; especially Jack. Pulling the rag back from his face she pulled it from her hand and began to fold it before her phone buzzed. “Oh!” She said excitedly. Sending a quick text in response she got to her feet. “Your mom wants me to join them for dinner before the show so I’m going to head out.” She gave hugs to the other members of the band except for Robert who she gave a polite handshake and Larry received the same response as she didn’t know him as well as the rest before giving Jack a longer-then-normal hug before leaving, having the last scent that she knew be Jacks.

Finishing up Alex she shooed him out of the seat before bringing Jack over. Pulling out a comb she began to work on his hair. “Look Mr. Stacera, I know you’ve known Adriana for a long time but… now that she’s an adult she’s different. Not different in a bad way but different in an Addie kinda way.” She explained as she ran the comb through his hair releasing all the tangles. “She is looking to find someone she can spend the rest of her life with and… she’s really picky. But so am I.” Her head rose and fell with a nod.

“As anyone in this room would be protective of you, I am protective of Addie and don’t bother dodging it, you’re in love with her. I can see it when you look at her. Don’t worry; I’m not one to meddle in someone’s love life. I’m not stupid. But I will tell you this,” She pulled the comb from his hair and picked up a bottle of hairspray. “You break her heart, I break your legs.” Her tone was sweet and kind which just made her choice of words all the more threatening. With that she covered his eyes and sprayed his hair.

“I’ve known her since you’ve been gone. Do you want some tips? Or have any questions? This will probably be the only time we can talk without her around.”

[mysterion]

Jack smiled as he looked at Adriana happily "Alright Ri-Ri go and have dinner with my mother I will see you later on" he said happily as he stood and hugged her before watching as she walked away, he couldn't help but feel though that a piece of him was missing, he was in his own world thinking of what would happen if the two finally got together, there was over a decade of friendship between the two, they knew each other better than anyone else in the world, they knew each other's likes and dislikes as well as dreams and the two would probably make the greatest couple because neither would hurt the other. But the fear that crippled Jack was that she was one of his only true friends, one of the very few people who knew every dark secret Jack had yet she didn't think of Jack as a monster which was weird to him because he saw himself as a monster quite often.

Allison 'Ally' Stacera was Jack's fifteen-year-old sister had just heard the great news that her brother was in town for a concert it meant that she would be able to see her brother who she had always idolized, her big teddybear of a brother who would turn into a grizzly whenever someone had hurt her and it had been too long since the two had seen or spoken to each other but she knew her brother still loved her because she'd always get gifts being brought to her at school and at home. Flowers, stuffed animals, among many other things. Though her brother always came home for Christmas which made her happy.

"Mom have you messaged Addie yet" she called out to her mother who was in the kitchen getting ready to go to the club where The Lords of Captivating Hearts were going to be playing a welcome home concert where everything began.

Ariel Stacera smiled as she worked in the kitchen getting dinner ready for Adriana, Ally and herself since Jack would be busy getting ready for the show that they were having. She also knew another surprise that Ally and Adriana didn't know just yet. Jack and she had talked and he was taking a couple of month hiatus from playing shows to write new songs since this was the last show on their current tour and he'd be staying in the town where he grew up in his mothers home. Hearing her youngest child Allison calling to her she answered her daughter "Yes sweet hard Addie is coming over now she said she'd be a few moments she just got done visiting with your brother."

As Jack was finished being made up by Crystal Jack too his position in the chair that the two other band members had been in already. Jack was curious as to what Crystal would do to get him ready for the concert since she had done different things with the two other members of the Lords of Captivating Hearts before he had time to say anything though he heard what Crystal said about how she knew Jack had known Ri-Ri but how she was different now and also she knew that Jack loved her "Yeah I love her like a friend" Jack said lying through his teeth since he had only admitted his love for Addie to Robert and Markus.

Robert heard what Jack had said and laughed to himself "Come on Jackie-boy we have eyes you are madly in love with Adriana you have been since you were kids and while I usually say that all men shouldn't get married or stay in a monogamous relationship with what I saw today between you and Addison I realize that I was wrong you two kids belong with each other and you've made me want to become a better one woman kind of man myself."

Markus couldn't help but laugh out loud as he heard Jack stating that he only loved Adriana as a friend. "Listen, buddy, all of us here in this room loves you. And every single one of us with the exception of the beautiful young lady has known you since we were kids which means all we want is the best for you and Addie so you need to quit lying to yourself first because all of us can see the truth about how you feel. Listen to Black Death, Bequeath unto you, and Deadman's tale all of them prove what you already know. There is a famous quote from someone who I cannot remember that said any artistic person, whether it be an author, painter or whatever puts their own feelings, personal life experiences, and a piece of themselves into their work even if doing so without knowing those songs I just spouted off all have the same underlying tone a man deeply in love afraid to tell the person they admire and I thought this even before you told me of your feelings. Now you've written Winter Love a song that is so unlike anything you've ever written it's an absolute surprise to have heard it. And this song was about an actual incident that happened between you and Addie so I'm surprised she didn't know you wrote it specifically for her."

Jack listened to what everyone had to say "Thank you all for your input, I'm glad to have heard it but..." Jack said taking a deep breath "You're all wrong Addie is my best friend always has been and nothing more. Even if I were to have feelings for her which I don't of course but even if I did. There could never be anything between us because I couldn't take the chance of losing the greatest friendship I've ever had. So please, please let us move onto a subject that doesn't make me want to rip every single hair out of my head one by one" Jack said still afraid to admit his feelings to the group of people. "And thank you, Crystal, for wanting to help me it means a lot that a complete stranger would do such a nice thing for me and also thank you for taking care of Ri-Ri in my absence I'm glad to know she has such a wonderful friend looking out for well being... Not to rush you or anything but how long will this take I uh... I need a cigarette" he said honestly not knowing whether or not you could still smoke in the club.

"Jack if you need too you can smoke in the dressing rooms I have no problem with that" Larry said having stayed quiet throughout the entire conversation. He also felt a little bad for having hit on Adriana now knowing that Jack had a thing for her.

"Good I really need one" Jack said as he reached inside of his pocket and grabbed an unopened pack of cigarettes before having them ripped from his hand.

"No you've not had a cigarette in six months, you promised to quit smoking and you're going to do just that. Especially since you can't just smoke one every time you get uncomfortable. It's time you started standing up and dealing with problems head-on instead of just hiding from them" Robert said knowing he was sounding mean but he did what he had because he cared for Jack.

Ally finished getting dressed and as she looked at herself in the mirror she couldn't help but grimace she had always hated her freckles and pale skin though she loved her red hair(she had dyed it to make it slightly darker than her normal orange-red hair) especially the way it was done now. "Mom is Addie here yet," she asked as she looked down where a picture of her mother sat on the table. It was a picture of when her mother was a child and she realized just how much the two looked alike.

Ariel smiled as she finished supper and began plating it so they could eat as soon as Adriana arrived "Not yet sweetheart but come down she should be here soon" she said finishing up putting food on the table.

[EasilyAmused]

The look on Crystal’s face could only be explained as one of being completely offended. “Excuse me? You don’t love Addie? How could you not?! She’s super pretty, really nice, incredibly sweet, always thinking of others before herself - - - though she could use taking her own happiness into account once and a while but! That’s beside the point. The point is that she’s an amazing girl and you’re telling me you only love her as a friend? Mr. Stacera, excuse me for saying this but you really are dense if you can’t see what everyone in this room can see.” She heard a little cough from the corner of the room where Larry seemed to be getting her attention to remind her that she was being rude and she merely shrugged. “What? It’s honest, not rude.”

As he pulled out his cigarettes she couldn’t help but that. “You shouldn’t smoke when you’re comfortable and I just put about a gallon of hairspray in your hair. You look amazing but you’re highly flammable right now. I would not recommend lighting a match at this point.” Of course she was joking as she shot a wink towards Robert but she than made Jack get out of the chair and brought in her last person.

The girl’s dinner was nothing to write home about but the three As were back together again (creative huh?). The laughter filled the house as Adriana explained about the painting she was working and how she was just… well stuck. And being stuck was never a good thing in her line of work. She had a show coming up and was supposed to make one more piece but she couldn’t find that extra push.

Ally looked up from her food with a bright smile. “Maybe seeing Jack in concert will bring up some inspiration for you… I mean you listen to his music all the time. You just need that in person boost.” The thirteen year old teased as she grinned at her friend. It was no mystery to even the dumbest of little sisters that Adriana had a crush on Jack but…

“I look forward to the day you stop teasing me.” Adriana retorted back to the young girl who giggled at her plate as she was shot a disapproving look.

“I wish you two would just date already.” Ariel said sounding disappointed as she buttered her roll. “I want grandkids.”

The word grandkids caused Adriana to choke on her glass of water as she coughed while Ally laughed uncomfortably. “Gra—ndkids?” She questioned sounding shocked.

“Of course dear. I can’t expect that for Ally so why not you, and Jack’s a good boy…”

And there began the speech of ‘pick Jack’ once again which Adriana merely brushed off as the older woman just wanting to see her child grow up and have a family.

Luckily the conversation drew to a close as Alley exclaimed they were going to be late and the three women left to the show. Parking was a breeze as Ariel presented a parking pass along with their VIP badges and they made their way to their front center row seats. The blonde felt uncomfortable being around so many people but as the light dropped and the crowd roared, she turned her gaze to the stage and felt her heart pound with the excitement of the people around her becoming almost contagious as she began to get excited for the show too.

[mysterion]

Jack looked up at Crystal as she was completely honest with him. He had to say that he was actually quite impressed with this woman not only for her talents but also because she spoke her mind which was something that most people refused to do around Jack because of his 'status' in society. Which was something Jack had always disliked, he was no different than any other person in the world, sure he played music for a living, sure he had won many very prestigious awards for his music but to him, he only saw himself as that little pudgy boy who lived next door to his best friend Adriana 'Ri-Ri' Menzel who grew up without a father but had an amazing mother and baby sister. "I love Addie as a friend nothing more, and I can assure you that I know how truly incredible of a person that Adriana is. It's been a few years since we've seen each other sure, but she is still as amazing of an adult as she was a child" he said looking at Crystal honestly through the mirror in front of him "And if you think I'm dense that is your prerogative good thing we live in a free country huh" he said hearing Larry coughing to almost nonchalantly tell Crystal she'd stepped over some boundary "Don't worry Larry I'm a big boy if she steps over the line I have no problem putting her in her place. And I respect her for being brutally honest with me even though she's wrong" Jack said with a wide-eyed grin before getting out of the seat that he had just been in before walking out of the room not to smoke but to get some fresh air.

"Wow you really got under his skin," Robert said scratching his chin lightly, hearing the scratching noise of his fingers running across the five 'o' clock shadow growing on his face, "I think he might finally be able to kick the bad habit of smoking finally" with this said Robert sat down on the couch before kicking his feet up and laying them on the table in front of him. "I must admit though miss Crystal it was kind of hot watching you take care of Jack the way you just did, so few people give him that and that's actually what he desires" Robert said lazily as he placed his arms behind his head as he relaxed "Jack is a celebrity who wishes to be considered a regular person instead of as a celebrity."

"It's because Jack was raised to work hard and not worry about compliments," Markus said honestly "He was raised by a single mother working two jobs to feed her and two children, she was very busy but no matter how tired she was she always had time for her children and that attitude in life soaked into Jack even though he's made it big he still see's himself as that little boy from L.A" Markus had known Jack since he was a small child since his brother Alexander, Adriana and Jack all ran around together.

Jack had walked around for half an hour finding it best to be away from everyone since he needed time to think. This was something Jack did quite often especially as of late. The man who lived slept and drank Rock 'N' Roll had begun to actually dislike the constant concerts as well as the life on the road which is why he was staying at home with his mother for the next few months after the show tonight. It was Jack's way of getting back to his roots so where he could hopefully reignite the love he had for music. Finally looking at his watch Jack made his way towards the stage since the show was about to start.

"Hey brother you were gone a while you alright," Robert asked curiously as he saw Jack walking back up after having been gone for over half an hour without telling anyone where you were going," Robert asked being genuine with his worry for Jack the two were good friends.

"Yeah I'm fine, let's just get to the music Robert I'm not in the mood to talk right now," Jack said walking over and to where all of his basses were sitting in a row, he wasn't sure which one he was going to play tonight until he heard Markus' voice behind him.

"Hey Jack I know your birthday isn't for another few weeks" Jack said honestly with a smile "But Alexander and I bought you something special for your birthday and I just cannot wait any longer for you to see it" he said pulling a beautiful Coffin Bass Case out and placed it on a table in front of where Jack stood "The case has you written all over it I know but the actual gift is inside... I know you'll love it brother" he said allowing Jack to open it.

Jack's eyebrow furrowed as a beautiful coffin bass case was placed on a table in front of him. Anyone who knew him knew he loved the macabre, the dark and scary. Halloween was his favorite holiday and he threw an amazing party every year on Halloween but then he found out that the case was only the beginning. So he opened the four latched on the case hearing them clicking as they were unlocked, reaching out he slowly lifted the case lid and his eyes lit up, his mouth dropped as he truly was in shock. Inside the case was a beautiful, custom-made Dragon Bass reaching out he touched the beautiful and cold metal of the bass as he pulled it from it's resting place as if lifting Excalibur from the stone. "Markie...This...This Bass I can't."

"Just shut up and take it," Markus said laughing as he hugged Jack "Now go get out there your fans await."

"Thank you," Jack said hugging Markus before attaching his shoulder strap to the bass before placing the strap across his shoulder "You're right I hope to see you out there" with that said the band walked onto the stage as the crowd erupted with cheers for the band that had come from this city. Jack walked up to the microphone a huge smile on his face as the city he was born in applauded him, this was all too surreal sure he'd played every major concert hall around the world but somehow being in this small club, with the people he'd grown up with was much more exhilarating to him. As the crowd died down he was still smiling from ear to ear "Wow, I can't even begin to explain how I'm feeling" he said scratching the back of his head gently "I'm honestly at a loss for words guys, I've played crowds at every single concert hall or location from one edge of the world to the next but being here on the stage where it all started for the first time in years has me feeling like that kid who took a chance all those years ago. Tonight we have some very special guests though, some that need introductions because they were a vital part of this bands success. First off my friend Markus' and Alexander's brother who was our original guitar player and also the chauffeur for us before any of us had our licenses, next baby sister Ally who is one of my favorite people in the world, third is my friend Adriana Menzel who not only painted the backdrop for this stage but was also the first manager of our band. She gave us a swift kick in the ass a few years ago when the band was afraid to go on stage so without her this band wouldn't be here. Then there's my mother, she let us use the garage to practice our music even though at first we were absolutely terrible, my God cats were screeching we were so bad and she never did anything but continue to tell us to keep going. I heard practice made perfect from her so much I would've thought that was her catchphrase but they all supported us even to this day and they're still very important to me so give them all a round of applause" he said listening to the crowd clapping. "Alright so let's stop getting all mushy and get to the part you came for the music" he said as he began playing the music, the setlist was twenty songs long, all of them the bands most well-known songs the show went on for three hours with them playing but finally Jack who was perspiring walked back up to the microphone once more "Alright everyone for our last song I was just told by Robert there was going to be a special surprise one that I don't know as we play our song Winter Love so I'll give Robert the microphone to talk" he said walking over to the piano which was waiting for Jack to play.

Robert smiled as he walked up to the microphone that Jack had been using knowing that Jack had one attached to the piano "So I know I'm not a hometown boy but I've been with the band for quite a while. However, we have a surprise for Jack since his birthday is coming up tonight we are not going to have Christopher Cotner to come play bass on the song Winter Love like we usually do instead I will be playing bass. But here is the real surprise tonight we have a very special guest coming up to play lead guitar on the song Winter Love and that person will be coming in right over there" he said pointing to the curtain "Come up special guest" he said smiling knowing the secret no one else not even Adriana knew.

As Robert called out for the special guest to come up and show himself to everyone Markus walked onto the stage holding the guitar he had originally played for Lords of Captivating Hearts using his real arm he waved to the crowd and smiled at Jack who looked utterly and completely shocked to see him with on the stage.

Soon the band began playing Winter Love which was one of the softest and most beautiful songs the band had ever played.