A/N: Ok. Please read this so that you can understand what I'm doing.
I changed my mind about the order of stories. Because I have so much inspiration for 'Due North', previously the THIRD instalment of Compass, and so little for 'Adjusting The Needle', I have swapped those two around. You now skip ahead nearly eleven years. I know it seems like I'm lazy, rushing things, or desperate to do this particular story, but bear with me. I've got a really good idea to work this through the story.
The 'Adjusting The Needle' instalment, which was always going to be shorter, will feature a series of prominent and important flashbacks from the childhood years of the Jareau-Reid family.
I hope you like the idea, and enjoy the first chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own CM.
Thwack!
Thump!
"What on earth...?" Spencer asked himself, giving up on attempting reading his book. Pulling himself up off the couch, he stepped out onto the landing, quickly glancing towards Kirby's room, where he could see JJ and Kirby laughing about something as they gave the room a thorough cleanout.
Quickly descending the stairs, Spencer stepped into the kitchen area, and took a right down the hallway. He stopped in Olivia's doorway, leaning against the frame with an amused smile as he watched Olivia thrash the living daylights out of a pair of pointe shoes.
"What are you doing?" he half laughed. Olivia didn't break her rhythm of hitting the shoes with a thick textbook as she responded.
"Breaking in my shoes. I have a big audition coming up, and I need the perfect pair of pointe shoes," she replied, heaving a sigh as she let the book fall back to the top of her desk. Picking up the new satiny shoes, she bent them in half as much as she could, before crossing the room to her wardrobe, her long, straight blonde hair sashaying behind her.
Ever since JJ and Spencer had enrolled her in dance classes when she was little, Olivia had shown a strong love for the sport. Her dancing had gotten serious when she was just eight years old, and while they didn't mind as long as Olivia was pursuing something she loved, JJ and Spencer spent a lot of time at competitions and performances, and spent a lot of money on dance clothes, costumes, and shoes.
Especially the pointe shoes.
"Ok...," Olivia said softly, grabbing a box from the top of her wardrobe and emptying the contents out across the carpet. Spencer watched with wide eyes as dozens of pairs of pointe shoes spilled out onto the floor. Some looked newer, while others looked thoroughly used. He knew he and JJ had forked out a fair amount of money for pointe shoes in particular, but he wasn't aware just how many pairs Olivia had needed.
"Are these all the shoes you've ever owned?" he asked. Olivia shook her head.
"Just the last two years worth. They all still fit me, my feet haven't grown," she replied, looking up at her father.
Spencer grinned. "I'll leave you to it, then"
Olivia watched as her dad walked away. Walking back over to her desk, she took the new shoes into her hand, running the tips of her fingers over the shiny satin. Looking up for a moment, she reached up with her free hand, placing her fingers against the dozens of photos of various dancers that she had stuck on the wall above her desk.
Anna Pavlova, Marie Camargo, Michelle Yeoh, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Olivia knew that dance was her life. She had even opted for low priority classes in her subject selection at school, so that her schedule could revolve more closely around her dance training.
She wanted to be a principle dancer. Nothing made her feel more alive than when she was lost in the music.
To get there was a long, hard road. But she was prepared to do it, and her family was prepared to support her.
Grabbing a cup of various coloured permanent markers, she went back to the pile of shoes, dropping the new ones in amongst her lightly and thoroughly used pairs. Pointing her bare foot out in front of her, she slid into a perfect split, before leaning forward onto her elbows and beginning to bend and press the shoes to try and decide on a pair.
"Die! Die! Die, you pig!" Saoirde yelled excitedly as he and Nathaniel faced off in Call of Duty.
"Hey. Watch your language, young man," JJ scolded lightly as she entered the theatre room. Stopping behind the boys, she watched the screen with an amused expression. "Why do your father and I buy these games for you?"
"Because you're awesome," Nathaniel laughed, tipping his head back and looking up at his mother.
"Thanks for the flattery, bud, but you're not getting any more games until Christmas...ten years from now," JJ laughed in reply, ruffling Nathaniel's dark brown hair.
"Seriously?" he whined, making her grin and nod. Turning to the leave the room, she rolled her eyes as Saoirde hurled more insults at the computerized players on the screen.
"Rade. Chill out, little bro. They're just computers," Nathaniel teased.
"But they're killing me!" Saoirde exclaimed, firing a machine gun until the round was empty.
"Easy on the ammo, we still have four levels left!" Nathaniel yelled, jumping out of his beanbag.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Saoirde cried out, firing his weapon in every direction. Despite the fact that they were going to lose their game, Nathaniel couldn't help but laugh.
Olivia smiled as she finally found a pair of shoes that were lightly worn, softened around the toe box, and comfortable to wear and dance in.
The tips of her fingers danced over the lids of the permanent markers. After discovering that buying coloured pointe shoes could often be more expensive, for god knows what reason, Olivia had bought a packet of permanent markers, and whenever she needed coloured shoes, would repair and shine up an old pink pair, before carefully colouring them in.
Choosing a sort of Caribbean blue colour, she popped the cap off and set to work colouring in the satin material of the shoes.
"Sure, I'll ask my mom," Kirby said excitedly into her phone as she leapt off her bed and walked out onto the landing, where her mother was exiting the theatre room. "Mom, can I go ice skating with Corey and some friends from school?"
JJ smiled, leaning on the railing. "Who's Corey?"
"Can I go?" Kirby asked, avoiding the question.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Saoirde's voice rang out from the theatre room, making them both roll their eyes. JJ turned to Kirby, asking the question that Saoirde had cut off.
"Who else is going?"
"Samantha, Alex, Bianca, Jesse, Alana, Noah, and a couple others," Kirby rattled off. JJ nodded to say 'Yes you can go', recognising a few of the names.
"Yeah, I can come...Friday night, 7:30?...yeah...ok, I'll see you then...bye," Kirby said into the phone, hanging it up and attempting to get to her room before JJ could ask questions.
"Wait up missy, you never answered my question," JJ teased, following Kirby into the bedroom. "Who's Corey?"
"Just a guy from school," Kirby shrugged.
"Do you like him?" JJ prodded, grinning.
"Moooom," Kirby whined, making JJ laugh.
"I'm just teasing, Kirb," she replied. Kirby grinned.
"I know. What time does Livy's class finish on Friday?" she asked. JJ thought for a moment, tucking her hair out of her eyes.
"Uh...8, I'm pretty sure. So I'll drop you off, and then go get Livy. And I might send Livy back to pick you up. Depends on how lazy I'm feeling," she admitted. Kirby laughed, shaking her head as they left the bedroom and walked downstairs.
"Ok. I've got the perfect shoes for the audition," Olivia announced, dropping the pair of shoes on the table. JJ looked over her shoulder to discover that they were now bright blue.
"Nice. Are you all set? Practised your routine?" JJ asked, leaning on the table. Olivia nodded, smiling.
"I'm more than ready," she affirmed, practically running across the room and hugging her mother tightly. JJ smiled, running her fingers through Olivia's hair.
She couldn't be more proud of her daughter.