The Other Side
A fanfiction by wingsxwexcantxsee

Chapter One

"Hi, my name is Brooke Rush, and I'm today is not my day." The interview, like her day, started on a low point.

The American Idol producers looked at Brooke skeptically as she forced a smile for the camera. Around her was a perfect little circle of chaos. There was a dog and a toddler and an IV drip setup attached to the dog, and the toddler was grasping tightly to her mother's leg, smiling bashfully at the camera.

The interviewee didn't look too great, either. She did not look like the other contestants. She was not dressed up, and she wore no makeup. Her blonde hair was tossed up in a messy bun on top of her head, with pieces sticking out. It was obvious she was exhausted.

"I'm 21 years-old, and I'm a licensed veterinary technician from Long Island, New York, and this my 2 year-old daughter Judy." She looked down at her daughter. "Wave, sweetie." The baby took one hand off her mom's leg to wave quickly at the camera. Brooke smiled and ran her fingers through her daughters hair. "There's my girl," she murmured before looking back at the camera.

"And this next to me is a stray that came into work around 3AM this morning. We were about to close up and as you can see he's in pretty bad shape so he couldn't be left there. I had to take him because it was my turn to foster, American Idol audition or not."

She paused and looked at the producers. They asked her to give a back quick back story and explain her day.

"Well like I said, this is my daughter, Judy, she just turned 2 in June, and I had her when I was 19 years-old. I'm a single mom, and my babysitter had to call in sick today so Judy gets to play American Idol too." She smiled weakly. "I feel horrible because I didn't have any time to change or anything, I have to bring a dog and my daughter with me. I swear to God this isn't some stunt to get attention. I just hope that the judges can see past my appearance and my little tag-a-longs and just hear me sing…I want this more than anything in the world. It would mean so much to my family."

The producers turned the camera to Judy and Brooke rolled her eyes while she was off camera. She didn't want her child exploited, which is why she didn't want her here in the first place. Damn, damn, damn, damn you Jen, she thought to herself, cursing her best friend and babysitter.

"Hi Judy!" one of the female workers said in a super-sugary voice that made Brooke want to gag. "What's your mommy here to do today?"

Judy looked at her mom. Brooke forced a smile for her child and nodded. "You can talk to them, you're okay."

Judy waved to the camera again. "Singing," was her one-word reply.

"Does your mommy sing to you all the time?"

"Uh-huh," she mumbled, grasping her mother's leg again.

"And is your mother a good singer?"

Judy nodded again, this time with a big smile. "She sings ah-mazing!" she squeaked, and Brooke laughed, scooping her daughter up to take her out of the spotlight. She didn't want that kind of attention.

"Thank you, sweetie-pie," she said, kissing her daughter's cheek.

The camera moved back to them, and the producer mouthed to Brooke to "Wave goodbye". Brooke smiled and waved.

"Wave baby girl," she murmured to her daughter. "Say goodbye."

"Buh-bye!" Judy squeaked again, waving.

The cameras went off and Brooke thanked the producers. They pointed her in the direction where she would wait for a while.

"Baby girl, you're going to have to walk for a second," she murmured to her daughter. Her daughter grabbed tightly onto her mom's pants and Brooke had to work around her. She slung a diaper bag (which didn't contain any diapers, her daughter was potty-trained, it was filled with juice and crackers and a few things for her patient) over her shoulder and picked up the little dog's carrier in one hand, and managed to scoop her daughter up in the other. She walked down into a large room filled with people.

Holy crap, she thought to herself. Today is going to be a long fucking day.

ooo

Deep breaths, Brooke thought frantically to herself as she looked around the crowded room. You're here, you've made it. All around her, people practiced their vocal scales, sang bits of their audition pieces, and some even practiced what looked to be dance routines. It was loud, chaotic, and stressful. Despite the (mostly self-centered) chaos, Brooke still managed to draw attention.

It was the New York auditions for American Idol. And while most were dressed in comfy-casual to some sort of dress-casual attire, Brooke was sitting in the corner with her daughter in her lap, wearing only her scrub pants and undershirt. Her hair still looked a mess, and she wasn't able to get any makeup on her face. It was obvious she was exhausted.

It didn't help that she had set up a small IV drip line in the seat next to her. Occupying that seat was a small, scruffy-looking brown dog. It was lying down in an open-top carrier, looking absolutely pathetic and shaking slightly. At first, it had acquired quite a lot of attention to herself and was approached by many. However, as soon as the IV drip came out, most stayed away.

Brooke had hopelessly tried to enlist the help of a few self-proclaimed "animal lovers" in the group to assist her with the care of her latest patient. However, after two people trying to handle the dog to get attention, and one person nearly throwing the IV bag when Ryan Seacrest walked out, Brooke decided it was best for to handle the situation alone. With some help from the security personnel, she was able to find a thumbtack to hang the bag from, and stole an extra seat so the pup could comfortably lay in her crate without fear of stretching, twisting, or pulling the line out of its arm.

Today was just a bad day, and everything for Brooke was going wrong. She wasn't trying to attract attention with the dog or by having her daughter sit on her lap; she wasn't pulling some stupid stunt to get the judge's sympathy or to get more camera time. She was just doing her job as a mom, and also a veterinary technician. She couldn't leave her daughter with a sick babysitter, and she couldn't trouble a sick babysitter with a rambunctious two year-old. And for the dog, Brooke was more of an animal lover than a passionate singer, so she managed to find a way she could get both done at the same time. The only sacrifice was that forfeited the time she needed to do hair and makeup. So she looked about as scruffy and beat up as her patient.

At least I don't have my bloody scrub top on… Brooke thought ruefully to herself. I don't think they would have let me in the building.

She was extremely lucky that she had been let in at all. She had to sweet-talk a few of the producers and remind them that a few years back one of the contestants had brought in a puppy to try and bribe Simon Cowell into letting her through to Hollywood. After showing multiple pieces of identification and making a call to her boss' personal cell phone, she was let through.

Brooke was terrified. Between work and Judy, her life had become absolutely insane the past few days, and she hadn't been able to get in the practice she needed. She was originally going to audition with a Jason Mraz song, but hadn't even had the time to memorize all the words. So she was stuck in a very tight spot over a song. She knew that when she entered that room she was going to look and sound all sorts of crazy, and that her new song choice would be looked upon as the ultimate cliché.

I just hope they can judge me on my ability and not my appearance, she thought to herself frantically, humming the melody of her audition song as she bounced her baby girl on her knee. She bit her lip and tried to give herself a mental pep talk. You can do it, you can do it, you can do it. You were born for this stuff.

"Number 5-0-2-1-2, Brooke Rush?"

"Just a sec," Brooke squeaked. She took a huge, uncomfortable gulp of air. She placed her daughter on the floor, then turned to the dog. She quickly and carefully removed the IV from the stray's leg and closed off the line, wrapping his paw up quickly. She closed over the carrier, put the IV bag in the diaper bag and slung the bag over her shoulder. She scooped her daughter up into her arms and grabbed the carrier.

Here we go.

She walked up and was met by Ryan Seacrest. She was interviewed briefly—once again having to briefly explain her predicament—in front of the camera before walking into the room. Her knees were shaking and she felt a little nauseous. I look ridiculous, she thought to herself hopelessly. This is going to be so embarrassing.

"Are you Brooke?"

Brooke nodded to Jennifer Lopez and smiled. "Hi guys," she said as she placed the carrier down. She faced the front toward her, just in case she needed to act quickly. If the pup suddenly crashed without the assistance of fluids (even though he seemed pretty hydrated) or if he needed a boost of sugar, it could be fatal. She took off the diaper bag and stood her daughter next to her.

"Well who's this?" Steven Tyler asked, a bright smile on his face. Turning his attention completely to Judy. "Hi cutie!"

"This is my daughter, Judy," Brooke said with an exasperated smile. "Her baby sitter is sick and my parents are on vacation so she had to come with me today. Say hi, Judy!"

"Hi," Judy whisper, hiding her face behind her mom's leg. She waved and poked her head out when the judges said "Hi" in unison. And then all of a sudden, the focus was back on Brooke.

"Is…is that a dog?" Randy Jackson asked. Steven Tyler lowered his glasses onto his nose.

"And that's an outfit we haven't seen yet," he commented. "Nice tanktop."

Brooke flushed deeply and nodded. "I'm so, so sorry, today is not my day," Brooke apologized. "I'm so sorry for showing up dressed like this, and having to bring my daughter and one of my patients into the room," she said quickly. "But she came in just as I was leaving work and because of her I haven't had any time to change or anything, I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, baby," Jennifer Lopez said sweetly. "What's wrong with the little girl?"

"Yeah, and where do you work?" Randy added.

"I'm a vet tech in a clinic out on the Island," Brooke replied. "We're a partial emergency hospital, and we're open until 3A.M, and I had an overnight shift. This little girl came into the practice off the streets going into shock. She's only a puppy and since she's so small she's at a continuing risk of going into hypoglycemic shock so she needed constant care, and it was my turn to take a foster—American Idol audition or not."

"Poor baby," Jennifer Lopez murmured.

"And how old are you Brooke?" Randy asked.

"Twenty-one," Brooke replied.

"Nice," Steven Tyler commented, gaining raised-eyebrow glances from the other judges.

"Down boy," Randy chuckled.

"What are you going to be singing for us today?" Steven continued, winking at Randy. Brooke blushed again.

"I know this going to seem so cliché` but things at work have been so crazy I wasn't able to practice the song I had originally intended to sing, but there is this one song that played four or five times on the radio during work and my drive here…" Brooke realized she was rambling so she stopped herself and took a breath. "I only hope I can do it justice."

"Let's here it!" Jennifer encouraged.

Another deep breath and a last glance down at her patient and Brooke began, starting from one of the later verses of the song: "Lying close to you feeling your heart beating…" she started off slow, soft. "And I'm wondering what you're dreaming, wondering if it's me you're seeing."

The judges smiled, Randy Jackson nodded and Brooke was able to return the gesture as she continued, her voice slowly gaining power and volume as she went from the verse to the chorus: "Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together. And I just want to stay with you in this moment forever…forever and ever."

She brought a lot out as she sang the chorus, but her focus shifted from the judges to the little dog. She could see her in the carrier looking a little shaky. She kneeled down next to the crate, still singing. Judy took a step closer to her mom, now holding onto her arm. And even though it was meant to be powerful and driving, Brooke went into the next verse quietly as not to scare her pup or hurt her daughter's ear drums.

"I don't wanna miss one smile, I don't wanna miss one kiss…" she sang gently, removing a needle from a side compartment of the carrier. "I just wanna be with you, right here with you, just like this." Brooke withdrew a syringe-full of IV fluid and opened the crate. She then very carefully, still singing, injected 10CCs of LRS fluid in the subcutaneous layer of skin.

"I just wanna hold you close, and feel your heart so close to mine," Brooke then took a tube of "Nutrical" (essentially a sugar-and-honey mixture with a few vitamins tossed in) and squirted it into a little bowl. She gave it to the dog and put her back in the carrier. "And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time."

She stood back up and gave it all she got, intentionally skipping a verse so she could end the song within her time limit. "I don't wanna close my eyes," she sang, "I don't wanna fall asleep 'coz I'll miss you babe, and I don't wanna miss a thing. 'Coz even when I dream of you—" Brooke hit the high note in her chest voice with a sweet gravel tone, smiling with pride that she was able to accomplish it. "The sweetest dream will never do, 'cause I'd still miss you babe, and I don't wanna miss a thing."

She repeated the final chorus, slowing down and softening her tone. "And I don't wanna miss a thing, and I don't wanna miss a thing." She ended and bit her lip. She glanced quickly down at the puppy, who was attempting to lick every last bit of NutriCal off of the dish. Brooke sighed in relief and looked back at the judges.

"I think you just put Steven to shame," Randy chuckled. "That was something else Brooke, you've got a voice on you."

"Thank you so much!" Brooke replied enthusiastically.

"How long have you been singing for?" Jennifer asked.

"Besides into my showerhead at home? Not long at all, I just started singing in front of my family and friends," Brooke replied.

"No formal training?" Randy asked.

Brooke shook her head.

"You could've fooled me," Jennifer replied. "Baby, that was just beautiful. Of course there are a few things that you could do to improve, but—"

"That was the best performance we've heard so far," Steven interjected. "And you kicked my as—oh jeeze—my butt at my own song."

Brooke blushed and thanked them.

"Do we even need a vote?" Randy asked.

"I need to know what you were doing with the puppy in the middle of the song," Jennifer inquired instead, being that the vote seemed unanimous.

"I just gave him some fluids and a little bit of a sugar-vitamin mix," Brooke replied. "He looked like he was getting a bit shaky, so I really didn't want to waste time."

The judges nodded. Randy began to say something but Steven interjected. He turned his attention to Judy, who was watching the three strangers skeptically as they spoke with her mother. "Hey Judy-cutie," she said with a big smile. The little girl turned her full attention to Steven. Brooke's heart almost fell out of her chest when she saw Judy smile back at him. "Do you think you could come here for a second? I want to tell you something. He moved out from beside the judges table and kneeled down. Come here."

Brooke helped her daughter off the platform and told her daughter "Go on, go say hello. It's okay." Judy looked at her mom, looked at Steven, smiled, and toddled toward the rockstar.

"Well hi pretty girl," Steven said. "I'm Steven."

"Hi," Judy replied back shyly. "I like your feather."

"And I like your dress!" Steven replied. "You know, you look just like your momma, I bet you get all your good looks from her." Brooke smiled to herself and caught Steven's eye as he glanced up at her briefly. He looked back at her daughter, who was giggling, hysterically. "Can you tell your momma something for me? If I told you something could you tell her?"

Brooke was amazed how her daughter reacted to Steven. She watched him whisper something in her ear. "Did you get it?" He asked her. She nodded. "Can I have a hug?" Brooke almost cried when Judy wrapped her arms around Steven and gave him the biggest hug her little arms could. She had never been so comfortable with a stranger, and never so willing to be near a man in her short life.

Judy speed-walked over and Brooke kneeled down. "Mommy!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Brooke asked, genuinely excited.

"Welcome to Hol—Hollyworld!" she exclaimed. Brooke laughed and scooped up her daughter in a tight hug.

"Thank you so, so much!" Brooke said to the judges over her daughter's shoulder. She was smiling from ear to ear, and a tear ran down her cheek. "This means so much."

"Congratulations, Brooke," Steven said. He stood up and walked over to her, arms open. "I give you a lot of respect, you've got a lot of raw talent for 21 years-old with no formal training."

"Thank you," Brooke replied, placing her daughter on the floor and meeting the rock God in an embrace. "I owe it all to you and that beautiful song." Steven chuckled and pulled away, his hands grazing her hips slightly. Brooke's heart skipped a few beats.

"We'll be seeing you," Steven said with small smile. He turned his attention to Judy and waved goodbye. "Bye Judy-cutie, see you soon!" Judy giggled as her mother scooped her up into her arms, and waved to Steven and said "Bye!" excitedly.

"Thank you all, so much!" Brooke said one last time after she had grabbed the dog crate and diaper bag. Judy waved and said goodbye to the judges over her mother's shoulder and Brooke went to leave to claim her 'golden ticket'.

On her way out, Steven Tyler called out: "Look out, look's like a paper is going to fall out of your pocket."

"Oh, thanks!" She stuck her thumb from the hand that was holding the crate in her pocket, pressing whatever paper was in there deeper to prevent her from losing it. She had no idea what it was, and had no memory of a putting paper in her pocket, but she would figure that out later. All she knew was she had her arms full to capacity, and couldn't take the time to see what it was.

Once out of the room, Brooke was ambushed by Ryan Seacrest and the camera crew. Another quick interview and a back story on the puppy and Brooke was on her way out the door.

ooo

"Tonight we are young," Brooke sang softly about her apartment. She wanted to belt the words out as loud as she could, but her daughter had just fallen asleep. After a long day at auditions, Brooke was glad she had went to bed without a fuss. So despite her extreme excitement, she sang as softly as she could. "So let's set the world on fire, we can burn brighter than the sun, tonight!" She was practically skipping.

Everything was going good. The puppy had picked up it's energy, and seemed to be regulating her own blood sugar. Brooke's own Chihuahua, Lilo, seemed to not mind her temporary roommate, and was being very good around the puppy. Judy had been an angel the entire day, and was now sleeping peacefully in her room, snuggled up with her favorite teddy bear.

Not to mention, Brooke was going to Hollywood. Her head was swimming. She sang around her apartment, finishing up her chores for the day. She was never happier in her life. She had gotten such high praise from the judges, and she got a hug from one of her music idols.

She couldn't resist singing out of a pure joy in the shower. She pretended she was on stage at a huge concert, singing in front of millions of people. Washing her body and hair turned into dance moves. She was completely lost in her own world.

Brooke giggled as she slipped on an old Aerosmith tour shirt over a pair of red boxers. It was a usual pajama combination for her, but tonight it meant so much more. Still singing, she grabbed her scrub bottoms and tanktop and tossed them into the laundry basket. As the scrubs sailed through the air and toward their target, a piece of paper fell out.

Confused, Brooke picked up the paper. It was tightly folded into the smallest retangle. She certainly didn't remember ever doing something like that or writing a note to herself, so she opened it very carefully.

Be outside your apartment tomorrow night.
8 o'clock on the dot. Look sharp.
I'll show you the other side.
-ST
P.S. Judy can come too, if she needs too!

Brooke's mouth fell open and her hand shook. The hug, she thought to herself. His hands on my hips…he slipped me the note and then told me to check my pocket!

What did this all mean? Brooke knew that back in the day, in the prime of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler had quite the reputation. He had been married several times, and had only broken up with his fiancée Erin Brady a few months before.

He was also a 63 year-old rock star. She was a 21 year-old single parent.

But he's a sexy as hell 63 year-old rock star, Brooke thought to herself. She didn't know what to make of the note. What did it mean? What did he want? How did he know where she lived?

Brooke really wasn't concerned with details. She was feeling a whirlwind of emotions. She was still elated from the audition, she was confused over the note, and a little turned on by the fact she was being approached by the Demon of Screamin, a rock God, and a huge sex symbol in his own right.

Once she had gotten over the shock, and figured out some minor details, she was only terrified that she would have nothing to wear.

Author's Note:

I apologize for the craziness that is this chapter. I apologize for the length, and I apologize for all the information thrown out at once. I know it's got a weird concept, but I'm weird so…this what you get. All that matters to me is that it's written relatively well. If you liked it, leave a review, please! If you didn't, how about some constructive criticism? It's all appreciated, I sincerely mean that!

I hope you enjoyed!

xoxox
Eliza