A/N: First I want to give a major shout out to my friend chocolatebearturk who helped me plot this whole thing and encouraged me to make it more than just a one shot as well originally planned. Next I want to say that this whole series is based off of songs from Dia Frampton's album "Red". It's beautiful and deserves to have stories written about it. Lastly, I want to say that there will be Smitchie and Jaitlyn one shots that come from this also based on Dia Frampton songs. I've already posted one story in this universe that features Brown. It's called "The Broken Ones" and you should totally check it out! Happy reading!

Enjoy!

angellwings

Come Awake

By angellwings

Isabella

Don't you be afraid
It's never too late
You're a sleeping tiger, come awake
Isabella run away.

Now that Peggy and Ella were standing apart from Tess and on their own two feet more people were paying attention to them. For instance, the gang had noticed that Peggy was very close to her family, but just as they had noticed that they'd also noticed that Ella was very uncomfortable with her family. They'd argued as they dropped her off and argued as they participated in Parents' Day while Ella sat meekly next to them.

"You're the one that allowed her to attend this pointless camp! You've set her up for unrealistic expectations, Van!"

"I haven't set her up for anything! I sent her here for music! Arts have proven to reinforce an education! How was I supposed to know she'd start fiddling with a damn sewing machine!"

Ella gulped and flushed a crimson shade of red from her seat in the Mess Hall and looked away from everyone as Brown quietly asked Mr. and Mrs. Van Pador to lower their voices or take it outside. Her parents had the good sense to look embarrassed and mumble apologies, but that didn't stop Ella from fleeing the room and all of the pitying stares. From his spot across the room Nate glared at Ella's parents. He simply didn't understand this situation. At all.

"That poor girl."

Nate's head snapped in his mother's direction at the sound of her voice. She shook her head and went back to her lunch as she continued.

"No child should be put in that position."

"Mom?" Nate asked in a thoughtful tone.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever felt like that about what we do? That it's unrealistic?" Nate asked as he motioned to himself, Jason, and Shane.

"Maybe," She said with a small smile. "But I'd never discourage you from using your God given talent, especially when I can tell it's truly exceptional."

"And that's why you're the best," Shane said as he quickly kissed his mother's cheek. She smiled at him and chuckled.

"Well, thank you. I try."

"Ella's talent is exceptional," Jason said observantly. "She just figured out how to do pleats and she can already turn them out at record speeds."

"Sadly boys," their dad said with a sigh. "Some parents can't see past the end of their own nose."

Nate sighed and wordlessly stood from the table. He grabbed an extra plate of food and Shane and Jason immediately knew where he was going.

"Nate?" Their mother asked. "Where are you going?"

Nate cleared his throat and blushed lightly. "I, um, was going to take Ella a plate. Is that okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, that's okay. In fact, I think that's very sweet of you."

Nate chose not to say anything in return and continued out the door to find Ella. He found her sitting on a hammock inside the edge of the woods. He cleared his throat so she'd know he was coming and he heard her sniffle and let out a shuddering breath before she slowly turned to face him. Her eyes were red and looked a little puffy. It was obvious she'd been crying.

"I, um, brought you a plate," Nate said as he held the paper plate out to her. "I didn't want you to miss lunch."

"Thank you," She said as she took the plate from him and attempted to smile.

"For the record," Nate said as he carefully sat down next to her in the hammock. "I don't think you're 'fiddling' with a sewing machine. You're amazing at what you do, Ella. You're truly talented and it impresses everyone."

"Everyone but my parents," Ella said with a sigh as she pushed her French fries around on her plate.

"Well, no offense, but your parents are crazy," Nate told her plainly.

Despite her sad state Ella laughed softly. "Yes, they are."

"The good news is, you're 18 in a couple of months right?" Nate asked. He was almost half a year older than her so he was almost certain her birthday was coming soon. "So, you can move out."

Ella sighed. "Yeah, right. I'm going to college so close to home that they won't let me move into the dorms."

His brow furrowed. "But you'll be 18. It won't be up to them."

"I may be turning 18 but that doesn't mean they stop being my parents, Nate. They're expecting me to live with them."

"But, Ella, they make you miserable," Nate said as if it were obvious.

"For normal people things aren't that simple, Nate," Ella said with a huff.

"What does that mean?"

"You're a rich rock star. You have the means to strike out on your own. I don't. I have basically nothing that's strictly mine," Ella told him.

"Ella," Nate said with a sad sigh. "You can't—"

"Besides, they're not as bad as they seem. They just fight a lot. That's all," Ella told him. "Lots of couples fight."

"Not like that they don't," Nate said in a stern voice.

Ella reached over and patted his hand. "I'll be fine. I just have to get through four more years and then I'm gone. Don't worry about me, Nathaniel. I've been taking care of myself for a while now. I can handle it."

"You shouldn't have to be taking care of yourself. That's the point! They're your parents. They should take care of you," Nate told her as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "And if they aren't doing that then you should get away from them and find people who will take care of you."

Ella rested her head on his shoulder and readjusted to lace her fingers through his. "You're sweet, Nate. When you want to be anyway."

"You're not going to take my advice are you?" Nate asked with a tired sigh.

"I told you," Ella said. "It's just not that easy."

Out the window of your bedroom, climb on down the fire escape.
I left some money and a ticket.
For the first time in your life don't be afraid.

Two weeks before that summer ended Ella's dad had come to pick her up in the middle of the night. It was unexpected and nobody had liked waking up the next morning to find Ella gone. Camp seemed a little darker without her glitter and sequins to blind them all the time. No one knew why they'd come to pick her up but they all had their suspicions. Some thought it was because her parents didn't approve of Ella's passion for costuming and clothing, some thought her parents just didn't like Brown, and others thought they didn't like how close she'd gotten to Nate.

After Parents' Day Nate and Ella had suddenly become much closer. Nate had decided to just be there for her for whatever she needed. He could tell Ella needed that and to be honest he'd started to become attached to her. She smiled more than he did even if her family life wasn't as wonderful as his and she loved her friends with all her heart even if no one had ever really shown her how. She was unfailingly nice to everyone no matter how they treated her. And above everything else, he couldn't get over how she kept her dreams alive. She had no support from her family but that didn't stop her from setting the long term goals that she wanted. Time after time what she wanted for herself and her life was shot down by her parents but she just kept on working and hoping for it like she knew it would work out. Like she was absolutely certain that no one could stop her.

She was everything he wasn't and she hadn't had half of the opportunities he'd had. The minute he found out Ella had been picked up early he texted her and they'd kept in touch ever since. Over the last three months he'd over heard arguments through her phone and he'd even on occasion witnessed how they treated Ella. Ella was their scratching post. Whatever left over resentment her parents had from their last argument was turned on Ella. He'd overheard them berating her twice now. She hadn't meant for him to but she'd been pulled away from the phone before she could hang up and he'd overheard everything.

It was not a good situation and ever since Ella's eighteenth birthday Nate had been working on a plan. Ella didn't have the courage to just leave. From what he could tell she didn't think she had a choice. She seemed to think she was stuck with them and there was no way out, but Nate knew better. All Ella needed was a little push in the right direction, and he had just the plan to do that.

He dialed her cell number and impatiently waited for her to answer.

"Hey, Nate," She said in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"Everything, okay, Ells?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. The parents are arguing again. I'm in my room and staying out of the way," Ella said with a sigh. "How was your soundcheck?"

"It's was good. The further along we are in the tour the less time it takes," Nate said honestly. "How were your classes today?"

"Boring," Ella said with a huff. "Why did they make me go to a liberal arts school? I had scholarships lined up for so many design and trade schools. They wouldn't have had to pay for a cent, but no. I just had to go to a major university that only has a fashion merchandising program. That I'm not allowed to show interest in."

He frowned and checked his watch. "I'm sorry, Ella. I really am."

She was quiet for a moment and then he heard her sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have unloaded all of that on you."

"Ella, honestly, if you need to vent then I'm here for you," Nate said with a chuckle. "It's not a problem."

He checked his watch one more time. Any minute now his plan would be put into action. He heard Ella shift on the other end of the line before she said, "What in the world?"

"What?"

"I…I think there's someone on my fire escape," Ella said in a worried tone.

Nate smirked. "Go check it out, Ella."

"But what if it's a burglar or a murderer or something?" Ella asked in a nervous tone.

"It won't be."

"How do you know?"

"Because I sent her."

"Her who?"

"Just look out your window at the fire escape, Ells. Trust me," Nate told her.

"…Caitlyn? Nate, you sent Caitlyn to climb up my fire escape? Why?"

"To rescue the fair maiden," Nate said with a grin.

"What?"

"Pack a bag, and go with Caitlyn, Ella. She's going to bring you to our show tonight and then where you go from there is up to you," Nate said with a soft smile.

"Where I go from there? Where's your show again?" Ella asked.

"Houston," Nate told her.

"Houston? Nate, that's like three states away!"

"Exactly," Nate said as he took a deep breath. "This is your moment, Ella. You can choose to stay where you are and be miserable or go with Caitlyn and take a chance at a better life. If you come to the show and change your mind then you can go home. I won't stop you, but…if you come to Houston and want to stay there'd be a job available for you on the tour. Just think about it. It's your ticket out if you want it. I hope you take it, you deserve this chance, Isabella."

He waited anxiously for her answer and held his breath.

"I love it when you use my first name," Ella said with a happy sigh. "Alright, you win. I'll go with Cait."

Nate beamed into the receiver. "You won't regret it, Ella! I promise. Pack a bag and get out of there. I'll be waiting."

"See you in a few hours, Nathaniel."

"You better."

He knew Ella could do this. He believed in her more than he believed in himself, and he was certain that a better life was ahead of her. If only she'd let go of her fears and just take the leap. If she could do that then he'd be there to hold her hand the entire time. That was the plan, at least.

And baby I will be the first to say
You are stronger than you know, you'll find your way.
Isabella run away.

She'd done it. She'd joined their tour as a wardrobe assistant and dropped out of college. Normally, Nate wouldn't have encouraged such a thing, but as an unhappy as Ella was he knew it was what she needed. Every day she seemed happier than he'd seen her in a long time. He'd seen her filling out design school applications on the bus the other night as well as some scholarship forms. As hard as she worked at camp and on their tour he couldn't imagine she wouldn't get into one of her chosen schools.

She was taking the rest of this semester off so she wouldn't be able to start at another school until the fall. That was fine with him, though, because it meant he had two and a half months with her before things became crazy.

He walked toward the room where they kept the wardrobe for the tour and stopped in the doorway. He spotted Ella stitching away on the hems of several pairs of pants and humming to herself happily. She was glowing. He hadn't seen her glow in a very long time. She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned around to look at him expectantly.

"Well, are you going to come in or just watch me like a creeper?"

He laughed and nodded. "Both. Is that okay with you?"

Ella blushed and smiled. "Maybe a little. So, what's up?"

"Nothing," Nate said with a smile. "Just wanted to say hello."

"Okay," Ella said with a chuckle. "Was that all or…"

He rolled his eyes and grinned at her. "Yes, that was all. I was just going to say hello and then leave."

Ella smirked at him. "I never can tell with you."

"Ella?" Nate asked as his smile fell into a thoughtful frown. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," Ella answered immediately.

"Are you sure?" Nate asked.

"Yes, Nate, I'm sure that I'm happy," Ella said with a soft smile. "Can't you tell?"

He smiled and nodded. "I can. But you're not…worried at all? About what happens after the tour?"

Her smile brightened. "No. I know what's going to happen."

"You do?" Nate asked curiously.

"I'll go back to school. Only this time it will be the school that I want," Ella said with a determination he hadn't heard from her in a very long time. "And my life will finally begin."

"Your life, huh? Who's life has it been up until now?" Nate asked curiously. Sometimes the way she thought about things amazed him.

"No one's really," Ella said honestly. "I was going through the motions and doing what I was told. Nothing was truly mine, Nate. And now…well, now I can have anything I want. It's like you said the day Caitlyn came to get me. It's my choice. For the first time in my life I get to choose. And that ability to choose my life and my career is going to pay out and it's going to make for an amazing life. I just know it."

"How do you know it?" Nate asked with a furrowed brow. What if all of this didn't turn out to be for the better? What if he ended up making things harder on her?

Ella smiled at him and shrugged as if it wasn't important. "I just do."

And just like that the conversation moved on. She didn't dwell on it like he would have and she looked every bit as confident as she sounded. Who was he to doubt that? Who was he to tell her she might be wrong? Because what if she wasn't? She was so confident that she almost had him convinced. It was very possible that all of her predictions would come true and life would be exactly what she'd always dreamed of. If she believed it then he could believe in her. He was certain of that.