Disclaimer: *singing* I DO NOT OWN REIGN, LA LA LA LAAAAA
AN: SO. Here's the modern AU I was on about. Thanks to my imagination, the premise of this came to me at the Beyonce and Jay-Z concert I saw last night. Yes, I think of Catherine and Henry even when I'm out at concerts. That's my dedication to this pairing…or maybe just evidence for my madness? Eh, oh well. Enjoy the read!
The crowd was cheering and the noise was deafening. Camera flashes were going off at an alarming rate, but that was to be expected. It was the final song of the night and the guitarist was shredding it up on stage. His fingers flying across the fingerboard and his pick dancing along the strings, to most everyone, he looked like a rock god. Done up in boots and leather pants with his chest bare and his muscles flexing as he played his guitar, the crowd was roaring for more. With a final strum of his guitar, he gave a kiss to his pick and threw it out into the audience. Knowing this was his way of showing his farewell, the fans at the front of the stage dived for the guitar pick, scrambling to be the one to catch it. Henry threw a smile and a wink at the lucky fan who caught his pick before taking his last bow.
"You've been an amazing crowd! We're The Valois Kings, thank you and good night!"
Slipping off his guitar and throwing a hand up in thanks to the audience, the lead singer and guitarist for the hottest rock band around strode confidently off the stage into the wings with the rest of his band at his back. Accepting the water bottle he was being handed from his manager, he swooped down and gave her a kiss. His chest was heaving from the adrenaline of a perfect concert and his nerves were still on edge from the energy of the crowd. Catherine caught the unexpected passionate kiss from her husband as the guys made kissing noises around them. Breaking from the kiss, Henry turned around and gave Max, the drummer, a playful shove.
"Hey, shut up will you? Can't a man give his woman a kiss?"
"Ya, sure, but man! You've got a dressing room, use it!" Max replied teasingly.
Henry opened his mouth to speak, but his wife put a calming hand on his chest before he could start. "Don't mind them, Henry." Catherine turned to the rest of the band. "Don't forget the meet and greet down stairs in Conference Room Two. You got that? Conference Room Two."
Max nodded as he stuffed his drumsticks into his back pocket. "Alright, alright, we've got it, Cat."
"We'll be there." Chimed in the second guitarist, Jack.
She snapped her fingers as she remembered, "Oh, I also had some food and drinks brought to your dressing rooms—yes, Kyle, I asked for gluten free stuff for you. Did you really think I'd forget?"
The bassist grinned at her. "You're the best. Thanks, Catherine." She shrugged.
"No problem. Now go on, all of you! You only have half an hour before—what was it?" She asked, testing them.
"CONFERENCE ROOM TWO!" They chorused, leaving their singer and their manager alone.
Henry came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing up and down the slope of her neck. "Hmm, thirty minutes to do unmentionable things to you…"
"Henry, we don't have time for all that." She replied practically, turning away from his kisses.
"You might not, but I do." Henry took up her small hands in his. "Come on, Kitty Cat, let's have some fun!"
She leaned in to lay her head on his chest. "We have to get you fed and ready for the meet and greet. You know most of them are coming out for you."
"But, Cat…" He whined, nuzzling her hair.
She gave him a quick kiss and a smile as she cupped his cheek. "Henry, you wouldn't want to disappoint the fans, would you?"
"I guess not…" He replied with a sigh.
She nodded before pointing out, "And then there's the after party at Jack's place, too."
"Oh, ya…" He placed his chin on the crown of her head.
She laughed at his antics. "See? These are the reasons why you need to keep your strength up." Catherine gave him a little push in the direction of his dressing room. "Thirty minutes then down to…?"
"Conference Room Two." He gave her a salute. "Got it, Miss Manager."
"And what's your name?"
The girl in front of him was shaking like a leaf. "Sarah—with an H."
Henry signed off on her concert shirt and handed it back to her. "Well, here you go, Sarah-with-an-H. Thank you for coming out tonight."
"Mr. Valois, I just wanted to say that I love you and your music and your band and I just—I love you!" Sarah called as she was pushed gently away from the table by security.
"Love you back, sweetness. Have a nice night!" Henry replied with a little wave.
"You too!" Catherine stepped up and the gathered crowd gave a sigh. The night was at an end.
"Alright everybody, apologies, but that's all we're going to have time for tonight, the band has another engagement they need to attend to. Thank you for coming!" Shuffling down the halls towards their waiting cars, Henry slipped his arm around his wife's waist as she typed away furiously on her iPhone and spoke into her Bluetooth. "Mina, Mr. Fluffles is in the library. It's fine. Yes. We're going to the after party. Yes. No, not right now. Yes, okay, just call me if you need something else. I'll call when we're going home, bye."
"Everything okay?"
"Mina couldn't figure out why Lizzy couldn't sleep."
"Mr. Fluffles was hiding again, was he?"
"Apparently so. I'll ask Hannah to make sure to return him to Liz's room if she finds him around the house when she's cleaning."
"Good idea, Cat." He looked down at the phone she was still messing with. "What are you doing?"
"Finalizing something." She replied with a slight grin.
He leaned down to try and get a better look at the screen. "What?"
"Just something, it's a surprise—stop looking at my phone!" Catherine clicked the power button and the screen went black.
"I can't help my curiosity!" Henry shrugged.
A smile at the corner of her mouth as she haughtily replied, "Well, try."
"Whatever you say, sweetness." He tried to give her a kiss to the head, but she shied away from him.
She rolled her eyes in irritation. "Don't call me that, Henry."
"Don't call you what?" His head cocked to the side.
Catherine turned her head and glared at him. "Sweetness." She shrugged herself away from his arm.
"Why?" What was wrong with calling her sweetness?
A sigh of annoyance. "It's the same thing you called that one fan two seconds ago."
"Aren't you my number one fan?"
"Of course I am, but…" He took her up once more around the waist.
"Nope, that's it." He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he opened up the door. "I love you, Kitty Cat."
"I love you, too, Henry."
Finally, they were outside where everyone was waiting at the cars. "There's our king! Pile in, everyone, the party's at Jack's place!"
It was reaching the first hour past midnight and Cat was looking for her husband. She'd schmoozed with all the necessary people, had a drink with Jack's girlfriend, Amber, and was now wanting to go home to her children and her bed. She hadn't seen Henry after the first hour they'd been at Jack's, he'd been called away for a little encore over by the piano while she'd been asked what the next move for the group was by some people in the business. Her feet hurt, she was tired and she wanted to get away from all this noise. Checking the time once more on her phone, she nodded to herself. They needed to get home soon, the kids would want to have Pancake Saturday tomorrow—today, and she needed to be rested for them. Circling back towards the kitchen, she found her husband standing at the counter pouring out a drink for some young thing by his side. Catherine raked her eyes up and down the length of the groupie. Her blonde hair had faded into caramel in the ombre fashion that girls were wearing their hair nowadays as she tossed her pretty little head at a joke Henry made. Her perfectly manicured nails in fire engine red reached out to stroke Henry's arm as she responded to him, batting her fake eyelashes and smiling a smile that Catherine did not care for. She was surprised the girl's makeup didn't crack under the force of that smile. The girl leaned in to whisper something in Henry's ear, pushing her surgically perfect breasts against Henry's chest and that's what did it for Catherine.
"Husband dearest, there's where you are! I've been looking for you!" She announced loudly.
The little whore jumped back and Catherine put all her will power into not smirking.
"Hey, Cat. I was just making me and Lyla a drink, would you like one?" Henry asked, raising up a glass of something bright blue.
Giving Lyla a suspicious eye, she stepped up to them. "What are you having?"
"The Twisted Throne, ya know, the one that ended up with you and me naked on the balcony that one time." Henry said with a hearty wink.
Lyla tittered behind a hand and Catherine's brow rose. "I think I'll pass, thanks."
"It sounds great to me, Mr. Valois." Lyla intoned, leaning up against the counter like it was her lover.
"Oh, c'mon now, Lyla! We're friends, call me Henry!" Henry exclaimed, clinking glasses with her.
"If that's what you would like, Henry." The way she rolled out Henry's name made Catherine's blood boil.
He nodded. "Indeed it would be."
That's it.
"Henry, we should get going."
"We've only just arrived, Cat." Henry huffed.
"It's actually been hours, but I guess time flies when you're having fun." Lyla could feel the stare she was being given and shivered, but wouldn't give ground.
"I'm a fun person to have around." Lyla defended.
If they could capture the ice in Catherine's tone, they wouldn't need to chill their drinks. "I'm sure you are."
"She sure is! Did you know she's actually a contortionist?! Go ahead and show Catherine some of your tricks, Lyla!" Henry was a little drunk, even more reason to get him home.
Catherine held up a hand. "I'll pass, thanks. Are you not coming home with me?" She asked, wishing him not to be stubborn tonight.
"Don't worry your wonderful self over me, Kitty Cat, I'll be home soon. I just want to get to know Lyla a little bit better." He bumped shoulders with the interloper.
She took a breath and said as calmly as she could, "Henry, I'd really like it if you came home with me right now." She should've known he'd blow up on her.
"Why are you always downing on my fun? I'm a grown man and can make my own decisions!" Henry countered, throwing his hands up in the air, his drink sloshing out of the glass.
"Henry, I'm just…"
He waved her off with a hand before wrapping an arm around Lyla's shoulders. "Just go home, Catherine. I'll be there when I get there!"
"As you say…King Henry."
Bidding Jack and Amber goodbye, Catherine shuffled out into the cold where the car was waiting. Philip held open the door as the queen of The Valois Kings slipped into the backseat of the black customized Mercedes. The driver glanced into his rearview window and frowned at the tears he saw glistening in Mrs. Valois' eyes. True, Mr. Valois was an amazing musician and father to his children when he had time, but he wasn't the ideal husband, and for that, Philip's heart went out to the lady in the back. For all the time he had been with the Medici-Valois family, he couldn't remember an instance when Mrs. Valois hadn't left an after party alone. It saddened his heart to think that this hard working woman would go to sleep without the one she loved by her side. He may just be the driver, but even he could see the love that his boss had for her husband. Philip wanted to think that Mr. Valois felt the same way about his wife, but he wasn't so sure. Still, as he drove past the skyscrapers and back to the family's apartment, he gave even more respect to Mrs. Valois for keeping a steady voice on the phone as she called up Mina to tell her she was coming home. There was so much to be said about a person if they could keep the tone of their voice stable even when they were crying. In Philip's estimation, Mrs. Valois had a lot of practice of it. Two glistening tears swept down her cheeks before she dashed them away with a graceful flick of her hand.
AN: Please don't be upset that I left her crying in the backseat of the car alone. I hoped you liked it? Was it believable? I thought so, buuuuuuut…let me know what you thought? I'm really nervous about this even though I'm excited to write it. Also, if any one was wondering, the band was playing at Shea Stadium in New York. I imagine them to be living in New York most of the time, but also having a summer house in California. I have no clue what the music business is like, I'm completely and utterly making stuff up, so please take that into account.
OH! If there's anyone who's reading this from New York, please hit me up with a PM or review on some stuff about New York? Maybe… what's a cool place to go with your kids or maybe the place where all the celebrities and socialites shop? Just some things to help form the life they live in New York, like…What's a New York THING they should be eating around town for a snack—things I want to know. I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm doing Google research, but no one knows their city like a local, so please, if you have anything to say about interesting places in New York City, please let me know!
Along with the concert inspiring this story, the outfit Megan was wearing at the San Diego Comic Con this year with the purple shirt and leather jacket and the black leather heels also played a part in this aka what she's wearing in this chapter. If those were a lot of names coming your way, let me know, and I'll make some sort of glossary in the next chapter. IN THE NEXT CHAPTER WE ALSO GET TO SEE FRANCIS AND ELIZABETH! For modernity's sake, Francis got changed to Francis Henri aka Junior (even though he's technically not, just go with it please).
Ummm I think I'm done now…
THANK YOU FOR READING! IF YOU GOT THIS FAR, I APPLAUD YOUR EFFORTS!