"...speech..."
...thoughts...
Nothing but a Shadow
prologue
Ashleigh Mason and her young teenage daughter, Bianca, sat cramped in an over packed sedan speeding down a nearly empty highway somewhere in southern Arizona. The radio commercials ended and My Chemical Romance's new single roared over the speakers. Bianca quickly flicked off the rock music before muttering "God, I hate that shit."
"Bones! Watch your mouth!" Ashleigh scolded her 13-year-old. Bianca rolled her ever-changing hazel eyes. "When are we stopping?" she asked, peering out her passenger window at the setting red-orange sun. "Patience, my dear. We're almost to St. George." her mother's voice twinged with slight annoyance. Ashleigh was also aware of the night that was rapidly approaching and planned to stop at the nearest motel to prepare for the last day of driving that await her.
Meanwhile
"Thank you! We love you! We are: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!" Gerard Way screamed to the crowd of satisfied fans at the end of a Los Angeles concert. "We'll see all of you tomorrow for our encore performance!" he shouted before following Ray Toro and Bob Bryar off stage.
"Great night guys!" Gerard complimented his exhausted band backstage. Frank Iero poured a bottle of water over his sweating head before muttering an out-of-breath "Thanks."
The band managed to make it to their tour bus in one piece before collapsing in their bunks around 2:00AM. Gerard, slipping into his pajamas, noticed he had missed a call on his personal cell phone. Flipping to the "missed calls" he discovers its from an old friend he hadn't spoken to since he graduated from college. She had called while they performing. She hadn't left a voicemail, so he thought nothing of the call, flicked off his phone, and fell into a deep sleep in his bunk above Mikey's.
About 24 hours later
"I'm sorry, this is to be, our last song for the night!" Gerard screamed to the over-flowing stadium of MCR fans. The crowd roared in disapproval. While Frankie, Ray, and Mikey started jamming, Ashleigh Mason approached the two large bodyguards preventing crazed fans from getting backstage with her daughter at her side.
"Excuse me, I need to see Gerard Way at the end of this set. I'm a friend of his from college." She told the two heavily muscled men. The both glanced each other briefly before cracking up laughing.
"Right, Lady! You're just trying to get your daughter to meet her favorite band." The one on the left said after 30 seconds of hearty laughter. "What the fuck? You actually think I like those fags? Dream on!" Bones shouted at both body guards.
The muscle-heads were both taken back by the sudden outburst from the small girl. Bones glared up at both of them fiercly. Finally, after a 30 seconds of firery stares, the two guards stepped aside and let the Ashleigh and Bones pass.
"What are we doing here anyway?" Bones inquired once they reached backstage. Ashleigh just sighed deeply and replied "I need to speak to a friend."
"We are: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!!!" Gerard wailed into the mic as he followed Bob and Ray off stage. Once backstage, the band began speaking amongst themselves, unaware of their company. "Frankie, you are insane! You could've killed yourself!" Ray gasped. "Seriously, Iero. No more climbing the rafters." Mikey told him before chugging down a bottle of water.
"Pfft! That's weak!" Bones muttered disgustedly. "Shh!" Ashleigh chastised her.
"Oh..my..god. Do my eyes decieve me or is that Ashes Mason backstage at one of our concerts?" Gerard said, amazed.
"You're not drunk, Gerard. It's really me." Ashleigh replied, giggling slightly, approaching him. They hugged, exchanging "How are you's" and "Its been so long's."
The rest of the band exchanged confused glances before Ashleigh asked him "Do you mind if we talked privately?"
Gerard quickly shooed out the remaining rockers and offered Ashleigh and Bones a seat on the couch.
"So, who's this?" Gerard asked, motioning to Bones. "Oh, this is my daughter, Bianca." Ashleigh replied, giving her daughter a "Be nice" look. Bones simply rolled her eyes in response and said to Gerard. "The name's Bones."
"So, what brings you to LA?" Gerard asked her. Ashleigh sighed heavily. There was no avoiding it, she had road-tripped all the way from Wisconsin to tell him and she wasn't about to back out now.
"Gerard, there is something you need to know. A few things, actually." Ashleigh said very seriously.
"Um...okay, shoot." Gerard replied, unsure.
"I'm dying. I have 3 weeks."
Gerard was taken back by the sudden announcement.
"Oh my god. F-from what?" Gerard managed to stammer.
"Cancer. But that's not why I'm here."
"Th-then why are you here?"
Ashleigh was silent for a good five minutes before answering.
"Bones is your daughter."
*You'll have to excuse the typos, I know theyres a few ^.^" Thanks for reading!-MyChemMouse
