Summer Ménage IV

by AnniKay

The summer between Sophomore & Junior Year of College for the Original New Directions/ KAMA's 1st North American Tour

1. Let's Go to Vegas, Work Bitch, & Aretha

Summer Menagé IV
AnniKay

Sam/Mercedes/Puck
Disclaimer: I own Nothing…Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennen along with Fox and others own this fandom and all the characters there in…Anything you recognize obviously belongs to them.

THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review any or, in some cases, all of the stories in this series. Your encouragement helps more than you know. Take a moment and let me know what you enjoyed most about the update.

AN: This is the next story in the French Lessons Universe. It will be from many different perspectives, and will take care of the summer between Commune's collegiate sophomore and junior years. Again, it is planned as a series of connected one shots. I hope that you will read, enjoy and review.

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Chapter 1
Let's Go to Vegas (Faith Hill)
Sam Point of View

One of the first things I learned the summer before our junior year at Columbia was that spending any time at all in Lima was desperately important to recharging our batteries. We were only there for five days…and we were up and out early on most of those, but we were home. In Lima, we were still pretty much just normal people. Coach Sylvester came up to me at the Hart post-graduation gathering and poked me in the lip. With a wry smirk, she shook her head. "Now that you're famous…we're going to be seeing people everywhere trying to copy those massive soup coolers of yours, aren't we?" she bemoaned. "Disgusting."

Yup, you can always count on the adults who know you best to keep you from getting a swelled head. Though, I could also count on my Husband and Wife to have my back. "Naw, Coach…silicone isn't as soft as our Sammy Boy's lips. They might be imitated…but they cannot be duplicated." Mercy said with a grin.

Sue looked at us, "I know I don't really have to tell you that if anything happens to Sugar while she is with you, I will make sure that you are so disfigured that you can never show your faces in public again. I will ensure that you are vilified in the media more than that sandwich schilling asshole who lost weight. Do we understand each other?"

Mercy and I exchanged looks. "We'll take good care of your girl, Coach." I told her solemnly.

"You know I love Sugar like she was my play cousin." Mercy smiled gently. "I'm gonna make sure that she is safe and has a summer that she will never forget…in a completely positive manner."

Coach Sylvester nodded definitively. "And make sure that you talk up college. She's getting a gap year, not getting out of it forever."

I agreed easily. "No problem, next year we really get to sink our teeth into our majors…so we're looking forward to it."

She gave me one of those 'I'm reading your soul' looks of hers and nodded before she walked away. We didn't have a lot of time to figure out what that had been about. We had enough time after giving out our gifts to the graduates to spend a little time with Nikki and Beth and our family and friends before we had to get our butts in gear and make it to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport to catch our flight to Las Vegas. When we'd showered after the graduation, we'd also packed and loaded our luggage into the rental SUV. Kurt and Blaine had brought their things to the party and put them in the SUV too. The five of us, Hudson and Junior flew to Vegas from Detroit while Binkie, Delilah and Trina met us at McCarran, having flown out of Newark. Once we were all there, we rented two Buick Enclaves…both very black and very shiny, to take the ten of us and all our clothes and Trina and Dee's tools and Puck's, Mercy's and my own gear for the awards show's red carpet and after parties to the Four Seasons. I geeked out a little bit over the fact that I was staying in the Four Seasons before we got out of the car. I didn't realize that the Four Seasons was actually the top four floors of the Mandalay Bay Hotel building.

Hudson was a total goddess. Seriously, even though it was closer to midnight than eleven…check in went smooth as butter. She had gotten us a Valley View Suite and herself, Kurt and Blaine, Dee and Trina and Binkie and Junior four strip view rooms. We were all together on the thirty-ninth floor. Walking into that suite, I was struck again by the fact that I kind of loved having money. I knew it was wrong. The love of money was the root of all evil…but surely preferring to have money rather than not wasn't actually loving money. We walked into a small foyer with a coat closet off to one side and a half bath to the other. From there, we walked through a room that had a dining table and chairs on the right and a small desk with three chairs a pretty table lamp and the room's phone. The dining room had a lighted disco ball chandelier above the six-seater table…and a wall mirror above the side board that reflected the light…a lot. We walked through a living room with seating for seven…or thirteen if they were light enough to sit on the end tables. The room was a mix of modern and Art Deco styles that could really only work in Vegas. A lot of gold details. A fucking EPIC view from the windows…that we got to see briefly as Binkie and Junior closed the curtains.

There was a large kitchen-pantry hybrid room with a full size fridge, awesome coffee set up that contained everything we needed to start our morning right.

The bedroom was really nice…but it didn't scream LAS VEGAS, like the public rooms of the suite. The whole suite was Vegas classy…but the bedroom was just plain classy. The bed was a king, so it would be a bit cozier that our California Kings in our homes. The bathroom was nice enough, it had a separate shower and tub…which always helped us get ready faster. Binkie and Junior reminded us to call them if we wanted to go anywhere. Then they left us and Hudson alone in the suite. We were only staying for two nights, so we unpacked only our serious clothes. Puck and my suits, dress shirts and Mercy's black jumpsuit were immediately send down to be pressed. Once that was taken care of, she reminded us that we were due at the Four Seasons Spa at ten, and Dee and Trina would begin hair and makeup at three. With her admonishments made, she left us to our own devices. After refreshing ourselves, we grabbed bottles of water and originally thought to watch TV or something to unwind. There was just one problem with that thought. We were all kind of wired. I mean, we were in the city of sin for the first time since we were all eligible to experience the delights. I smiled at my loves, but it was Mercy who put my thought into words. "Let's go find a slot machine or a black jack table. I want to try my luck?"

Puck laughed. "We can do that…but first…we need to go over Ruth Howard Mayzer's Rules for Vegas."

"Wait…Bubbie has rules for Vegas?" I blurted out.

He nodded. "Technically they are the rules for Vegas, Atlantic City, Macau, Monte Carlo…wherever you can gamble and win big money."

"Why does Bubbie have rules for the world's gambling Meccas?"

"Because Bubbie and my grandfather and later Saul…they don't win small." His smirk clearly said that he knew he was just like his beloved grandmother and uncle in that regard. "And when you win big…it can piss off the house. So in order to not get banned or buried out in the desert, Bubbie and Zayde…they came up with their Rules for Vegas."

Mercy's smile was simply breathtaking. "So what are Bubbie's Rules for Vegas?"

He turned toward us on the couch. "So rule number one is…you don't shit where you live. Now that isn't hard since the Seasons doesn't have a casino…but I think we should avoid the Mandalay Bay's casino too. I think we should hit the Palms. It is supposed to be pretty celebrity friendly."

"We can go there. I'm sure that Binkie or Junior will know where it is. What else?" I asked, wanting to hear all about the rules.

Puck nodded and continued. "Well, Sexy Mama…you're going to need to change. Rule number two is…if you've got it…flaunt it. Cleavage, legs, D'at ass…charming smiles… they all distract the other players. You fuck up their game play by making them think about you and your sexiness rather than the cards or whatever and you can always come out on top." It made sense. "Sammy Boy…play up the 'aw shucks', southern boy thing. People always underestimate southerners. Thanks to The Nanny, Bubbie's obvious Jewishness and Queens's accent make people do the same thing to her. Rule number three is the flip side of that. Don't let yourself get distracted. Keep your head in the game. Rule number four… if you lose more than five hundred bucks in just a hand or a roll, just chalk it up to not being your day to gamble and go home. And the fifth and final rule…we do not win too much at one place. If you win a quarter of a million in one casino, five hundred thousand if you're at a high rollers' table, then it's time to move on to the next one. Half the bodies under the desert weren't people who owed the wrong folks money…they were the ones who were too good and won too much."

"Have I mentioned lately that Bubbie Ruth is one smart lady?" I asked thoughtfully.

Mercy and Noah just agreed with proud grins of their own. I was actually a little surprised that Mercy still wanted to go since that meant she would need to change. But she did. And she didn't just change. She went into the bedroom and came out twenty minutes later looking like a walking, talking wet dream. She was wearing the black Alexander McQueen pencil skirt she'd worn to one of the days of Finn and Lauren's civil trial. But she had paired it with a black, green, blush and white striped rib knit top that had a cross over halter top deal that made her boobs look both HUGE and like they were trying to win their way free with every breath she took. Her favorite, ridiculously high, red bottom platform T-strap, peep-toe Louboutins adorned her feet and pushed her up to, like, five nine. It was hard to take my eyes off her curves, but her lips. Fuck…her lipstick was shiny and wet and a chocolatey pink color that made me think of her mouth right after she finished blowing one of us. She had done something with her hair that made it look even shinier than it had when she went in there. She had diamonds sparkling at her ears that reflected the shine in her eyes and smile.

Noah and I breathed out a heated sigh at the same moment. "No man…no body is gonna be able to pay a damn bit of attention to their cards." He was able to say. I could only nod.

Fine as he and I both knew ourselves to be, we went in the bedroom and changed our shirts. We still couldn't keep up with our sexy wife, but in smedium pullovers we could, at least, look somewhat worthy. I remembered to call down to Binkie and Junior, but we agreed to let Hudson stay in her room. That many strangers, in a loud, probably raucous environment would be hell on her. Even though she would do it without a complaint, we knew that we didn't want to do that to her. Binkie ended up being the one to go with us. Since it was just him, we agreed quickly that if we split up, he was to stay with Mercy. The Palms was…loud and lively. It was exactly what was thought of when one thought of Las Vegas. Mercy wanted to play a slot machine first…then she was golden with moving to the table games. She played a one pull Wheel of Fortune slot machine and lost the dollar. Then she played a dollar on the Michael Jackson Icon slot machine and won five hundred bucks. She jumped up and down like she'd won a million. Suffice it to say that me and Puck were mesmerized watching her in her joy. Mercy said it felt like a blessing from one of the legends she most regretted she would never get a chance to meet.

We left the slots and we made our way from the game of chance to the games of skill. The Palms had tables for everything from baccarat to craps to roulette. They also had like all the poker; three card, Texas Hold'em, Pai Gow…all of them. We each got one thousand dollars in chips and said that when we lost those, we were done. Puck took his chips and kissed us both for luck as he headed to a Texas Hold'em table. Mercy and I floated around for a while. Winning a little here and there. Losing a little here and there. I found out I was not a craps player. That table almost broke me. But then I discovered that me and roulette got along just fine. I doubled my original money there before I decided to get while the getting was good. I was feeling pretty damn good. Then Mercy found the 'vingt-et-un', tables, or blackjack for us plebs. She was amazing. It was so fucking hot. Seriously she went from fifteen hundred bucks, after her blessing from the King of Pop, to almost eight grand in what felt like minutes. I'm sure it was longer than that…but it didn't feel like a long time at all. I do think that the dealer was spending more time checking out her breasts than paying real attention to the house's hand, and that helped, but she was still really good.

When she decided that she was done with black jack, she and I got one of the Palms baccarat dealers to teach us the game. Noah still hadn't reappeared. After our lessons in baccarat, and winning enough to not feel like a loser at it, Mercy, Binkie and I decided to go and find Puck. I didn't know exactly what all those chips in front of him meant. But I could tell when we found him that he was at least a hundred grand up from where he started. He was seated at a poker table with Shannon Elizabeth, the guy from 'Breaking Bad'-the one that wasn't Hal from Malcolm in the Middle- and a few other high rollers none of us recognized. When they finished the hand…Noah quit the table…realizing that it was like three and we had to be fully functional during the afternoon and evening. After shaking hands with the other players, Noah came over too us with his usual cocky swagger. Mercy looked at him in wonder. "How much did you finally win?"

Noah threw an arm around her shoulder. "I just took a hand for twenty seven thousand, three hundred and eighteen bucks. That was the biggest of the night though."

I chuckled. "Damn, I thought you need a serious 'resting bitch face' poker face to win at poker."

My husband shook his head. "No, you just need to not have any tells. If I run the whole game laughing and joking…but never give away a good or bad hand…they can't try and read me. Now don't get me wrong, for some people the RBF works…in some games it's the only thing that does work, but the table wasn't that kind of table."

Binkie smiled…or what passed for a smile for Binkie. "Ranger got banned from the Mandalay Bay right before he started Rangeman. He won too much. He is completely inscrutable."

We all looked at him in shock. None of us had heard Binkie say that many words at any one time. Not even when he'd been teaching me to ride my motorcycle. "Cool." Mercy and I agreed.

"Bubbie's Rule Number Five…never win too much at any one casino." Puck said wisely.

"Good rule." Binkie agreed. "But you never did answer Ms. Mercy's question."

Mercy smirked. "Binkie, I think I'm gonna have to elevate you to play cousin status."

Noah laughed. Nothing got you on Mercy's good side faster than helping her assuage her curiosity. "Fine. I started on a different table. The buy in for that one was ten grand. I didn't want to get any more chips on us, so I played a regular table until I had what I needed. Then I moved over to that table. I've been playing the high roller table for the last two hours. I only won a little over a hundred and sixty-grand total. If I had more time, I'm pretty sure that I'd have hit the limit."

"Damn. Now I don't just love you…I want to be like you when I grow up." I muttered. "In two and a half hours, you turned one grand into a hundred and sixty?"

"Bubbie has done better…so has Saul. Its why they only gamble when they need something." He pointed out as we made our way to the cash out window. We all took our payouts in checks, even though I probably could have done cash without too much problem. On the walk back to our hotel and up to our rooms, we put the smaller checks into our individual Bank of America accounts, and we googled to find where there was a Barclays…we'd been well trained. Big money went automatically into our Barclays account for Saul to play with and turn into even bigger money. But it would have to wait until Hudson could run it over the next day…we were not driving to Hendersonville at three in the morning. Instead we said good night to Binkie after he did another room walk-through and made love until sleep forced itself upon us.

I was proud how functional we were on like four hours of sleep. We managed to get up, showered, dressed and down to the spa on the lobby level on time. Granted, we'd sorely abused the coffee station in our kitchen pantry…but we were there. There may or may not have been naps taken during our customized, aromatherapy, deep tissue massages. There may or not have been a nap during our pedicures and Mercy's manicure. There were definitely naps during the pure results facials, desert detox wraps. All in all, when the time came to get ready for the night, we were a lot better rested than one would have expected. Hudson, Trina and Dee had finished their Express Facials, Express Massages and Decadence & Delight Manicure-Pedicures before us, so they'd headed upstairs and got our dining room turned into a beauty salon. By the time we were done and released, having tipped the hell out of our treatment providers, Kurt and Blaine were up in our room and everything was in readiness for us to go up and get dressed.

It took us three hours to get all dolled up. Mercy looked amazing. She'd been feeling extra sexy, so she had put on a steel boned, under bust, strapless satin, corset and a black lace cup strapless bra under her black, strapless jumpsuit. That meant that when she put the Alexander McQueen embroidered lily pad chain-maille tunic on over it, her gorgeous titties moved a lot more than they would have if she went with her shaper slip over a fuller coverage strapless bra. Inspired by the chain-maille tunic, Dee'd turned Mercy's long weave into a ladder braid that looked like it would have been very at home on a queen in a renaissance fair. She even wove a metallic silver ribbon through the length of the braid before she wrapped it up to make a floral looking bun. It reminded me of how Lauren had worn her hair to our senior prom. Lily etched silver hair pins were pushed in to embellish and hold all that hair into place. If Dee went historic with Mercy's hair…Trina went totally modern with her makeup. Those super expensive, individual, mink eyelashes took forever. Then her eyes were made up with black, silver and platinum with strong black lines and shiny sparkles. Her lips though, oh, my, fucking, Lord. They were lined darker and kept more berry-neutral in the center. But they were also so glossy that they looked even bigger and softer than usual.

Mercy had put on her lingerie and a robe before getting her hair and makeup done, so when they were done with her, Kurt and Blaine helped her to get dressed without messing up her look. Noah and I had had our faces both done while Mercy was getting her hair done. Then Dee made my hair look shiny and bouncy and formal. Puck just had to get his brushed a little. He was at that point where he needed to make a decision on whether he was going to grow it out or if he was keeping it buzzed. So, he kind of rocking a Caesar cut by that point. Dee just made his hair lay flat and wavy smooth. We'd done much like Mercy, so we were sitting there in our 'no lines guaranteed' drawers and robes. But it took less time for Noah to throw on his black, Tom Ford Windsor Base Birdseye two-piece suit, snow white Zenga dress shirt, black silk tie, Tom Ford Gianni patent leather lace-up shoes, than it did for Mercedes Jones to get into her jumpsuit and tunic. Noah looked sexy as hell. It took me a minute to realize that he looked like a high-end Man in Black. I was rocking a simple Ralph Lauren Fresco wool two-piece suit in matte gray, and black Prada Runway hybrid wing-tip oxford sneakers. Puck and I had flipped a coin to see which of us got to go without a tie. I was really glad I'd won. Fully dressed, Noah and I watched as Mercy's imported, silver filigree, Arabel Lebrusan earrings and bracelets were put in her ears and on her arms and her strappy Gianvito Rossi sandals were fastened on her pretty little feet.

Binkie and Junior were ready in their black suits. Kurt and Hudson were going with us. they were both wearing charcoal. A zooted up Alexander McQueen suit for Kurt and a pretty little classic, Amanda Grey business dress for Hudson. Between the two of their black bags, messenger for Kurt and a tote for Hudson, they had everything we needed for the evening including our tickets, wallets, phones and touch up items. We went down to a special entrance where there was a limo waiting to take us to the MGM Grand Garden Arena red carpet. We arrived a little early so our driver had to wait on Mariah Carey's limo and Lady Antebellum's to get there and line up before we could slide into our place. It was a fun red carpet as far as they went. There were more than a few interviewers that we knew…so we got some decent questions. And we were right behind Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelly and their spouses on the carpet. The three of us and Lady A took some great pictures together. Hudson got them to Darcy and their PA got them to their Social Media Manager so we linked up online and hit Instagram hard.

I think, as much as I loved performing…at any given time…I liked the award shows where we were simply presenting a lot better. We'd not been able to get there early enough the day before to do rehearsals, but Haja had managed to convince the producers that we could handle the television time anyway. However, part of the arrangement was that we would rehearse back stage for the entire time between our arrival and the time the telecast started. Thankfully, the producer had the script divided mainly between Noah and Mercy with me chiming in with a punchline and us stating the top radio song award together. We made our way to our seats and were filmed there when the show opened. It was a good thing too. We were up for the first award of the night, the Top Duo or Group award. And we won it. Thankfully by the time we finished with the photos and everything, it was time for us to go and give the Top Radio Song statue to John Legend.

Over the course of the night we were up for nine other awards. Top Streaming Song for ColorBlind which we won, the Top Hot 100 Song for Rescue Me which we also won and Top Streaming Artist, another win. The we lost the Top Billboard 200 Artist and the Top Digital Songs Artist. But the winning started again. We got the Top Hot 100 Artist statue, the Top Billboard 200 Album award, the Top Social Artist; we thanked the hell out of Darcy Lewis for that one; and the Billboard Chart Achievement Award. It was a great night. The performances were epic. Jamal, Delphine and Hakeem did a ridiculously good performance of 'Conqueror' that then morphed into 'You're So Beautiful'. It was great. Cookie looked amazing in a long black dress with cut-outs showing off that mother of three, seventeen years in lock up or not…she had a bangin' body. Ed Sheeran had my second favorite performance of the night. I wasn't that big a fan of the Brittany Spears and Iggy Azalea performance but the audience seemed like they loved it and that was the important thing.

After the last performance of the evening, we did the circuit of press and photogs, congratulated our fellow WMG winners and Mal and the Empire winners then retired to our hotel room. We made out until Hudson reminded us that we had to at least make an appearance at the after party. So, we had a quick shower and got changed. Unfortunately, that meant Trina and Dee had some work to do. But the flip side was that Mercy was out of her corset…which had started hurting her by the end of the show. She did put on a shaper slip, the shortest one she owned pulled up just under her halter top bra, but it was more bendy so it was a relief after the steel boning. When she was dressed, she looked almost as good as she'd looked stepping out of the shower. Her hair was down and wavy, her makeup was a night time look, but similar to the one she'd had on earlier. She was wearing a black silk, Ramy Brook Harriet halter top, Alexander McQueen patchwork ruffled leather miniskirt and red Giuseppe Zanotti suede diamond-cut cage sandals, with chunky silver and crystal jewelry by Anna Bellagio, Kendra Scott & Thomas Laine Ben-Amun finished off her 'after party ensemble'. Kurt found that our beautiful wife had already made the Cambio best dressed list as well as a few others for her slightly Avant-Gard red-carpet look. I just threw on a basic black look; v-neck, long sleeved black pullover and black slacks with the same shoes I'd worn the awards show. They were hella-comfortable. Puck was even more casual black jeans, a black, white and red plaid shirt with a tee shirt on under it and his black work boots. Noah was hoping that we'd be able to hit The Venetian before we called it a night.

The party was alright. Taylor Swift was hosting it in the Nobu Villa at the Nobu Hotel in Caesars Palace. She was a little salty about the fact that we'd beaten her out for quite a few titles that night. Including most awards won, even though she'd been nominated more times than us. She played it off like she was joking, but my momma hadn't raised no fools. I knew a true joke from a bitter bite. Her boyfriend, Calvin, was cool though. Cassidy had a fan in him. Tay-Tay did through a pretty good bash. There was a photo wall that was a ton of fun. There were more than enough people we liked there to make the hour we spent there pleasant. I mean, Jennifer Lopez was always really cool to us. Plus Jamal and Cookie were there. Keem was there too, but, thankfully, he was busy scamming on one of the Fifth Harmony chicks so he couldn't get on Mercy's nerves too bad. We dipped out and, while it was close enough to walk it…even for Mercy and her heels, we took the limo. Binkie and Junior were rather adamant that we should.

The Venetian was…just wow. The casino offered us the choice of hundreds of table games in separate gaming areas. We could pick from blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, Pai Gow poker, Pai Gow tiles and various other games I couldn't even name. On top of all of those games, there were more than twelve hundred slot machines for people to choose from. We each picked one slot just for fun. We all came up with nothing from that. As soon as we entered the poker room…yup the Venetian had a special, world famous poker room. And as soon as we stepped foot inside, one of the room's concierges came over and invited Puck to sit in on a high roller game that was starting in a special suite off the main poker room. I didn't even wonder how they knew to ask him. I watched CSI…I knew that in Vegas there were always cameras everywhere and the Houses knew all. Given the money that would be at play in that room, we left Binkie with Noah and Mercy and I headed back to the other table games. Me and Roulette became besties for a night and Mercedes found out that she was pretty damn good at craps.

We didn't have to be back to our rooms at any particular time. Our flight wasn't even until noon…so as long as we made it to the room by nine to shower, change and pack in time to make it to the airport by ten thirty-eleven, we were golden. To be honest, the Venetian reminded me of the casino from the Percy Jackson books…it was easy to lose track of time. They brought us food and drinks. We didn't even come up for air until Noah reached the Rule Number Five limit and was ready to go. That night, we'd all managed to do well. I walked away with enough to have brought a nice pickup if I needed one. Mercedes' haul was even better. We did have to pay out tabs, of course, but even then, we left there that night almost three hundred and fifteen grand up. Even Binkie and Junior had won them some loot, mainly by taking advantage of the House Side Bets system. We were riding high…it was probably why we let Noah talk us into one stop at the MGM Grand. That place was not as lucky as we'd have thought after the Billboard Music Awards…I lost my thousand dollars and was in the hole another two hundred when I quit. Mercy went all the way down to the lose limit…lost her thousand and owed the house a full five hundred…when she tapped out. Noah even had a crappy time there. He only won like six grand in the time he played. We ended up making it an early night after all…well, earlier than the one before.

We made love and got some quality sleep. The flight the next day was fine…feeling longer than it was because of the time difference. Bubbie and Lil Darlin' met us at the airport so that was good. Nikki had a million stories about the rest of her time in Lima and how weird her classmates were acting after seeing us on TV the night before. As much fun as we'd had in Las Vegas, we were glad to be home.

Work Bitch (Brittany Spears)
Mercedes PoV

We had a day…well, not off, but we weren't traveling or due anywhere before ten or doing anything strenuous before breakfast the Tuesday after the BBMAs. In fact, we slept until nine, had breakfast and still made it to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens by ten for the first of our all hands-on deck, full crew, tour practices. I did have to admit, given the short scope of time before our tour's opening night, the practices were really grueling. Everyone was there and warmed up by ten-thirty. Our first two hours were spent divided into band, vocalists, and dancers each group ran through our entire fifty song set list. Then we came together and worked on the first third of the list. The way the tour would run, we'd do twelve to fourteen songs, then there would be a thirty minute DJ Ca$$ interlude…giving us time to change for the second part of our set. Which would again be followed Cassidy's amazing spinning and again we'd change for the final twelve to fourteen songs. The Encore would run anywhere from seven to ten songs…depending on the audience's demands. Most of these people would be paying more than fifty bucks a ticket…we wanted to make sure they felt they'd gotten their money's worth. All told, including Cassidy's hour and the forty-five minutes of our opening acts…our audiences would be treated to almost five hours of entertainment. It wasn't really what was done. Most of the time concert goers would count themselves lucky if they got two hours from the headliners.

We were planning on another difference, keeping our set lists somewhat fluid. Varying the order we performed the songs in, so that if there were people following the tour, or attending two or more shows in the same region, they'd have, at least, a somewhat fresh experience each time they attended. It would mean that every morning we'd have to decide on the night's set list and send the changes to the wardrobe matrons and the lighting and sound guys. But fortunately, we were not lip syncing, so that wouldn't be as much of a bother as if we were. But the costume changes might be effected somewhat. Mainly, if we chose to move the Tamir Rice and Emmitt Till songs…we very quickly donned white choir robes for those songs. So, the matrons needed to have them ready. They needed to know when to have them prepared.

But even more that the fluidity of the set lists, our shows were going to be very, very dynamic. Our twelve background dancers would showcase modern and contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, jazz and even some Ballroom dance moves. Mike and Sugar had both gotten to the city on Monday morning and had an intensive day of practice with Rainbow and the permanent and the other temporary dancers. They were still working on things like the quick changes between numbers and smoothing their transitions…but Rainbow was glowing about how well they knew the numbers and how great their movement was. They gave her all the credit thought. She had made sure that they had videos of every dance she had coordinated and every change or addition that had been made.

Tina's Monday was much the same as Mike's. After getting to the city and dropping her things by the brownstone, she had reported to our practice studio in Brooklyn. But where Mike had been working with his fellow dancers, she had been working with the band and the background singers. Arjun may have had more technical training, but Tina had been singing with me, both in class and out, for years. It was she and Santana that really helped him become comfortable with the idea of following where I led rather than sticking to the sheet music religiously. I wasn't sure how they had finally convinced him, but when I let the music take me where it would, he followed perfectly. It was such a relief. I'd been worried that we'd chosen the wrong person, and there wasn't really time left to get anyone else. I told my friends that I so owed them one. Santana, of course, demanded a pair of my Louboutins…which wasn't a problem, we had the same sized shoes, but differing tastes. The ones she wanted weren't my favorites. Tina stockpiled her favor…she wasn't sure what she wanted, and didn't feel I owed her anything anyway.

I shook off those thoughts as we finished our second thirty-minute break of the day. we were running the practice much as the show would go. Fifty-five minutes to an hour of singing and dancing followed by thirty minutes of rehydration…and warmups to keep our muscles loose, then it was back to another hour of practice. The practice ran all day, with an hour for lunch at three. We kept things fairly light, four ounces of lean protein, salmon, chicken breast or steak, alongside a big salad rife with Swiss chard, kale, spinach, rainbow carrot slivers, avocado and almond slices with a simple lemon-ginger vinaigrette gave us all a lot of healthy proteins and fats and enough nutrients to keep us going through an afternoon of vigorous dancing and singing. We did stick to vocal practice and yoga type exercises for the first hour after lunch, just to make sure we had time to allow our bodies to handle, not reject, our meal. After our hydration break, we did a full hour of dance and movement practice. Our day ended at half past six and we were completely exhausted.

Bautista was a goddess among housekeepers. She had held our dinner for us that evening. Which was even more impressive since our house was filled to capacity that week. Adams and Karofsky had gotten in the afternoon before and Adams had turned the big sectional and ottoman in the family room into his bed while Karofsky was utilizing the ones in Bartana's family room the same way. Tike had one of the guest rooms in that side of the duplex, and when Tessa, Joe and Unique arrived that evening, Joe and Tessa took the extra guest room. We'd gotten a really, really good air mattress and set that up for Unique in Britts studio. It was a purchase that was pretty long overdue. We probably should have thought of that after our guestroom became Nikki's bedroom. But que sera sera…we had the highly recommended SoundAsleep Dream Series air mattress now and if we got one more, we'd be straight no matter how many of our friends came to visit. In fact, we probably should get two more just in case. Az and Dave had been just as tired as we all were. The Roadies had had their own practice that day. the two football players had spent the day using the stadium's equipment and our own sets to get used to putting up and taking down stages and sets until Lamar was happy with their timing and efficiency and the safety of the structures. We asked them if they were sure they wanted to continue…it was exhausting work after all. But they immediately shot down any thought of them going back to Lima. "This is better conditioning than what we'd usually be doing over the summer." Karofsky assured me.

"Plus, I'm making four times what I could make over the summer in Lima." Az pointed out. "I can finally put money in Lil Bird's college fund instead of my parents just doing so." With that as his motivation, I knew that he would keep the job even if he had to crawl over three miles of cut glass every day. Azimo Adams might never be a great human being…but he was a damn good father.

Over a wonderful dinner of creamy parmesan-garlic-mushroom quinoa, roasted Brussel sprouts and grilled lamb loin chops, we all talked through our day and the time since we'd last been together. We learned that Joe had picked a midnight blue Patriot. We found out that Tessa had promised that her godmother would get invited to KAMA's future parties and such. "Fine, but we'll have to make sure that there is someone there to keep her and Santana far away from each other. I don't want it to be said that a chance meeting at a KAMA party caused the end of life as we know it." Sam told her with a grim smile. He was only half joking. We'd talked about how alike the two superficially different women seemed. Sam had almost convinced Noah and I that if the two of them touched, it would cause irreparable damage to the space time continuum. We'd easily convinced him that even if it didn't the two of them could easily overthrow governments and destroy the world the old-fashioned way.

Tessa also told us that she and Joe had gotten an email from Erin Owen, the interior designer who had handled the design aspects of the house the would inhabit for the next four or so years. Things would be ready for them to move in by the endo of June, or early July. Erin had just wanted to touch bases with them and get information about their personal preferences and tastes to make the house more 'them'. I made a mental note to remind George to change the locks when they got there in September. Not that he would forget…but just in case. Tessa was also considering trading her Focus in for an Escape or a late model used Toyota Forerunner. "I'm just…well, since Grandad said that you guys probably got Joe the Patriot because of driving in the snow, I just thought maybe I should look into a vehicle that was heavier and had four-wheel drive. It wouldn't be fair to Joe if he had to drive me everywhere for like five months every school year." Noah, Sam and I exchanged a speaking look. "No, don't you even think about it. You've spent enough on me for the next year. I will not accept a single thing from any of or all of you until my next birthday. The parents gave me the title to the Focus so that I could trade it in if I wanted something different for all the cross-country trips I'll be making. I'm going to have enough money to live off very well with the scholarships I got and my college fund handling tuition and no room fees…that's not even including what I'm making this summer. Please, let me do this on my own." She almost pleaded.

"I guess we can understand wanting to stand on your own two feet. Just please, talk with Saul about getting preapproved for a loan through Barclays when you find out how much your trade in is worth." Noah advised. "You'll get a better rate than trying to go through any of the financiers the car dealership will try and put you through. And only do a used car if it still has warranty time, like a year or more, on it." She did acquiesce to that demand, mainly because she could see the sense in doing so and they would benefit her.

After we finished dinner, most of the grown folks tipped in to help with cleanup as a way of thanking Viola for the great meal, while Tessa and I helped Nikolette with her homework. Her school year was almost over so there wasn't much. It was just nice to have that time with our little angel before bedtime. Nikki was spending every night in her bedroom at our house until Sunday night. I read her the next chapter of Goblet of Fire, though she could read it to herself, it was a ritual that I would definitely miss. In fact, I would miss everything about our little girl. Though, in all fairness, Bubbie and Nikki would be joining us on the road fairly often…sometimes accompanied by Beth, sometime by Sarah or Stacey or Stevie. Ruth had quite a bit of vacation time she could access from her primary job, and joining us on the road was probably a part of her second career. She was planning on using that time to bond with her great-grands and her middle school aged grands. Part of that planning would be taking them to see the sights our great country had to offer and to let them see their big siblings on stage a few times. Once Nikki was showered and in bed, we all took turns abusing our hot water systems and retired ourselves.

Wednesday was very similar to Tuesday for most of us. Unique and Kurt were up early. He was escorting our friend, and spiritual love child to the stores where Bubbie and he spent the entire morning to getting her kitted out as befitting a Diva of her station. Shortly after they left, Darcy swung by and snatched up Tessa and Joe. She took them to the KAMA offices where they spent the morning training for their summer jobs. Darcy introduced them to their 'Swag Van', a twenty-fifteen Nissan Transit thirty-five hundred with extended roof storage. She led them through the process of loading and unloading all the various sized Rubbermaid containers that housed all the swag we'd managed to autograph in the previous several months. Everything was organized in a system that was almost intuitive it was so easy to understand. She also showed them how to use the handheld barcode scanner to do their inventory before and after every show. "It has wi-fi and will send the information back to me here at HQ. If you start getting really low on something that we didn't anticipate selling all that well, I'll be able to get you more of them to get the bosses' John Hancocks on."

"That makes sense. It also makes keeping track of sales a lot easier." Tessa agreed.

Joe had a different perspective on things. "Can you email us a copy of your nightly inventory so we can compare it to our nightly tallies of what all we sold? It will help us on the other side of inventory control. I mean, I don't like to think that anyone would steal, but we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

"That's actually a really good idea, Hart. Not to mention that it shows you're a realist in your religiosity. My grandparents had a neighbor…that lady was so religious she was actual-factual scary, but every Halloween she'd put out a big thing of candy with a note telling people to just take two pieces. That bowl was empty in minutes…then her house would get tped by kids mad they hadn't gotten anything."

Joe looked confused for a moment. "I'm not sure how a religious lady can be scary, but I appreciate the compliment and understand the overarching sentiment."

They laughed and got back to work. Joe and Tessa learned all about the certificates of authentication that went with each autographed item. With the certificate, every bit of swag they sold was actually resalable as a collectible item. Once she had them well versed on the card readers, the tiered cash boxes and the receipt system they would be using, she gave them the Chase deposit only bank cards with KAMA and their names on them that they would be using to make their nightly deposits. "Chase has over eighteen and a half thousand ATMs around the world. You should be able to find one anywhere." Darcy assured them. Once Darcy was sure that they could handle everything they would need to handle to be able to do their jobs, and she'd showed them the pepper spray canisters, the two mag lights, the rechargeable flashlight stun-guns and the clever keychain that doubled as an eye gouger that she had hidden throughout the vehicle for their safety, she turned them over to Hudson.

Hudson took the two recent graduates into her office and gave them their per diem cards. "Your per diem is sixty-five dollars per day. With that, you are, technically, expected to handle three meals every day. I say technically because for the most part, our hotel stays include breakfast as part of your room package. In addition to that, we are loading the buses with cereals, breakfast bars, pop tarts, milk and Silk, and snacks. Plus, there is no telling when Cedes, Noah and Sam will decide to treat everyone for dinner. Additionally, on show nights, you all will eat with the roadies, and part of our contracts with all of the promoters is that they will provide dinner for the crew. Probably you will really only use it for lunch. Now in addition to the per diems, which will be added for the entire week every Sunday, there will also be a weekly necessities stipend of twenty-five dollars added every week."

Joe raised a hand to ask a question going through both is and Tessa minds. "Weekly necessities stipend, what is that?"

Hudson smiled indulgently. She actually found Joe to be one of the most soothing persons to be around that she had ever encountered. She'd told us that he had a way of making her feel at ease in his presence…even from the very first time she'd met him. Usually, it took her a while to warm up to new people. "Well, there are necessities that every person will bring with them that we just can't buy in bulk…things where personal preferences really matter. Things like toothpaste, toothbrushes…feminine products, for example. Commune wanted to put in on keeping everyone stocked on their necessities since they wouldn't be home."

"That's cool." Tessa acknowledged. It made sense to her that there could be things that people would want what they were used to…like Tessa needed Colgate Total with whitening mint gel…she hated actual paste toothpaste. "So, what kinds of things are the sibs keeping bulk stocked?"

"Well, Dove soap, unscented Lubriderm lotion, laundry materials and sunscreen. Oh, and like I said, breakfast items and snacks." Hudson told them. "Of course, if someone wanted to use things other than what is provided they can always get their own. As long as they remember to consider things like space restraints. Now then, the two of you will be bunking in the bus that is designed to suit Artie's special needs. He, Santana and Brittany have the bedroom while you two, Michael and Tina have four of the bunks. The others will be available to Darcy and Lester when they join us on the road. When we stay in hotels you two can either have a room alone together or you can share with Sugar and Justin respectively. Please let me know your preference as soon as you've reached your decision."

They went over the rest of the particulars then they were delivered to Ethan and Daniel who took them to lunch and then caught them up to speed on the stalker situation and asked them if they would be willing to provide extra eyes and ears on the tour. Both teens immediately agreed, though Tessa had a question for her kind of, sort of uncle and cousin. "So, what's security going to be like, then?" She trusted Rangeman…but even she knew that it could be well outside their comfort zone. The revered security company could simply be unable to handle the very different job.

"It will still be Rangeman providing the security. Ranger has definitely taken the contract with KAMA and used it to expand both his Trenton and New York offices and their offerings. He said that even if providing tour security lost the firm a little bit in man hours and transportation costs, they were projected to make it back ten times over within the first few years the Heartland offices were opened." Daniel told her with a smirk.

Ethan continued to explain, "there will be four partner teams on the tour with you guys at all times. Manny and his partner will join you when Ruth and Nikolette come out. Lester Santos will be popping in and out as well."

"Oh, good…that's good." Tessa acknowledged. "We'll make sure that we keep our eyes and ears peeled."

"Yeah, and we'll make sure that Tina, Mike, Adams and Dave all do the same." Joe's voice was strong and determined. Even if all his faith and beliefs were proved wrong and he and Tessa turned out not to be forever, which he didn't think was even close to possible, Mercedes Jones would still be family in his heart. He would protect her like family. He said as much to Ethan and Daniel.

"Good, good. but we want you guys to protect yourselves out there too. You're getting a great opportunity to learn and see and experience a lot this summer. Take full advantage of it…but stay true to your selves and take care of each other." Ethan said wisely. "Oh, and just a word of advice from a father…text or call your parents every day. they are going to feel as if they are caught in a weird catch twenty-two. On the one hand, they can't call to check on you without you thinking that they don't trust in your maturity and ability to take care of yourselves. But on the other hand, they are your parent and they worry that maybe you can't take care of everything that comes at you given that this summer will be your first experiences with truly taking care of your selves. So just do them the favor of letting them know that you are okay…often, okay?"

The two teens chuckled, but agreed easily. They had already planned to do it. But having a look into how parents thought was definitely not a bad thing. We all chuckled as Tessa and Joe told us all about their day over dinner. The only person more excited to share the events of the day that day had been Unique. "Lord, chile…I never knew just how amazing the shopping in this city is. I mean, I thought I knew before, but today was a whole nother experience. It was the best seven hours of my whole life. I mean, oh my damn. I spent three hours in Saks, and another three in Bergdorf Goodman."

She told us the whole experience, "The personal shopper office at Bergdorf's is on the fifth floor, just behind the evening dress collections. The thirteen thousand dollar champagne-colored Carolina Herrera sequined illusion tulle and the sleeveless ruffled ivory Swiss-dotted ball gowns that cost nine grand a pop that I passed on my way in help put me in a make-believe, Cinderella-at-the-ball mood. My stylist led us into a nicely lit suite of rooms. It was full of mirrors and outfitted with velvet chairs, the walk-in closet of our collective dreams. The three of us made ourselves at home. Her name was Merilyn and she warned us that new-client appointments can last up to three hours but have been known to extend for three days.

The first hour was just trying on different styles and cuts to see what fit and looked best. Then we got into style. Merilyn favored feathers, metallics and lacy fabrics mixed with leather. Even this diva in training was a little bit intimidated by the direction she wanted me to go. Thankfully Mrs. Ruth and Papa Kurt were there. They made sure that I expressed my style and my desires. I picked up a black Elie Tahari skirt. It was a miniskirt and a midiskirt; it was lace and also not lace. The mini was set inside the midi; the outer layer was lace, the inner one not. Then, she brought me the perfect dress, deep forest green. Fit and flare, wearable in all four seasons, could be dressed up or down. Merilyn tossed a leopard-spotted scarf over my neck; it landed in a perfect, chic configuration. It was almost as if she totally knew the way to this Diva's heart. Then she had me try on a silver and black velvet minidress with geometric rings. Conservatively tailored, but definitely fun. She strapped an oxblood-colored Gucci bag over my shoulder. The good Lord knew it was love at first sight. Next, came a black blouse with golden fruit blossoming on the front, I was not down for that but the floral print leather skirt with lace panels; a reversible shearling coat, blue leather with black collar…those all just screamed Unique. I felt like I was the very definition of smarter, more chic, more fun.

"A few great pieces and you're all set, a new look," Merilyn said. Then I found out how much just those ten pieces cost. I balked a little bit…Could I really spend six grand for what she said was a transformation? Crazy. But it was for a whole new me? I looked so mature and feminine and put-together in a way I just didn't realize was missing from my life. So, I handed over the Bergdorf card you gave me for graduation. I was prepping myself to spend a grand or more of my graduation money to make up the difference, right. Five thousand plus the plane trip and a place to stay…that was an amazing graduation gift in my eyes. Then she comes back and asks me if I would like to look on my own to use the other four thousand. I 'bout fainted. But I have got to say, honestly I kind of feel like God had put it into your hearts to give me that much because it totally made up for the laser hair removal down there. That isht hurt like a bad mother-father. Thank God I wasn't a hairy bear to begin with. So then Ruth takes over. She led us through the store and soon I had jeans and leggings, everyday tops, other tops that I could wear with the things Merilyn had found for me. I was totally amazed how much we could get, even in Bergdorf Goodman for the rest of what was on the card."

"Oh darling, no one wears all super expensive pieces all the time. You mix and match Bergdorf with Old Navy, TJMaxx with Saks. We used their stylists to find what looked best on you and then went from there. That's why Kurt gave you the Old Navy, Targét, Marshalls and TJ Maxx gift cards. So that you can augment your wardrobe as the year goes by." Ruth pointed out. "Now, tell them what happened in Saks."

Unique full on blushed. "Well, um…the stylist's name there was Julio. Momma-Cedes, he was almost as good as Papa Kurt. He talked to me about my likes and dislikes. Hell, he even talked me into singing him a little something, so I gave him 'I Know Where I've Been' because that song has been speaking to me this week like fire. Anyway, he talked me into trying on a pair of Jimmy Choo boots that cost like five months of my rent for next year. But they were so gorgeous. So yeah, we were looking at a pair of Marques' Almeida floral capri trousers, so much cuter than the name implies by the way, when Julio's boyfriend shows up. Apparently, Remi Doelp from Sony A&R is his boyfriend. He gave me his information and wants me to contact him when I'm a year post op…so that I can actually try and do something other than take care of my after care and do my homework…" she joked.

There was not a moment of silence for the next thirty minutes. We were all celebrating with her as if she was signing a contract that very day. I think that most of us who had taken the time to look into the problems she would still be facing once she transitioned…we knew that the biggest hurdle would be finding her next goal. Not knowing what to do with their lives next, seemed to be a major depression trigger for a lot of trans-people. I felt pretty secure that even more than getting through college, getting her own deal would fill that bill well. We talked about how she wanted to handle things, we gave her our full permission to talk to Haja and our Team to use their services when she got ready to start the path of her career. Even if we weren't at the same label, Unique was our people. She had been since the night Kurt and I beseeched Puck for ideas to torment Rachel for making her life at Carmel hell.

The next morning, we all got up to have breakfast together before taking Nikki to school and Unique to the airport. She had to get checked in to Wexner Medical Center that Sunday so she was going home to get her shit together. She would be there for a while. All of our parents, the Lynns and the Harts were planning on taking turns visiting 'Nique and her mom and aunt and uncle. After we left LaGuardia, we headed back to Forest Hills and practices kicked our asses yet again. But we were not there near as long. We cut the day short at four to make sure that they were all packed. Okay, so mainly it was to give us a chance to pack. Since wardrobe for the concerts was taken care of, Noah, Sam and I just had to pack for ourselves. I personally packed thirty sets of underwear, fifteen that qualified as lingerie and fifteen cotton sets for athletic activity and dancing. I packed three pairs of yoga pants, three pairs of athletic shorts and graphic tee-shirts to wear with them for practices. Nine pairs of thicker terry-cloth socks, two pairs of practice sneaks and a pair of running shoes finished my practice gear. Then I turned my attention to more Diva like clothes. I picked six nice outfits that I could mix and match without people realizing that I only had those twelve pieces with me. Then I added my Etro orange kimono top. I hadn't worn it anywhere and it was such a great look, I couldn't leave it behind. I grabbed a couple of cute as hell dresses, two of each type; casual maxis, one black and one multicolored, slips and sheaths…the sheaths could be rocked with a blazer if there was a meeting where that kind of look was necessary, two fabulous fit and flare dresses that could be dressed up or down, ivory and black lace dresses, two party dresses and two cocktail dress…given who we were, there was every likelihood that I'd return home with several more of those…and finally two evening gowns, one a trumpet silhouette, and the other a formal A-line with a full enough skirt that it was technically a borderline ball gown. Of course, I also had to pack all the appropriate shoes and accessories for all my outfits and dresses. I packed some makeup, not much because the stage makeup was taken care of, so I just packed my favorite things. I packed the rest of my toiletries, including my Proactive, complexion brush and my cheaper Oral B Vitality rechargeable toothbrush. Ultimately, I had one full set of luggage. But it was one that could be nested inside each other to save space.

Sam and I helped Noah make sure that he had everything he needed, then he and I helped Sam. We were done by dinner which was kind of subdued. I was pretty sure that I understood why. Even with anticipation and the knowledge that the tour could be really awesome, there was always fear of the unknown. We talked for a long time, cuddling Nikki on our laps, discussing packing and going over everything that we had packed already, tips like rolling versus folding…making sure to leave dressy items in the dry cleaner plastic to decrease their tendency to wrinkle or the chances of them getting crushed. There were things that I'd forgotten, a cardigan or hoodie for lounging around in cold places, rain coat, hiking boots for exploring the national parks we might be able to fit into our schedule. Some heavier, less expensive jeans for the same reason. Thank goodness, I was able to fit everything in. We helped Nikki get ready for bed and I read her another chapter. Then we took ourselves up and got showered and spent one of the last three nights we had left in our own bed for the summer. I was more than excited…but I was also scared as hell. I just hoped and prayed that everything went as well as we wanted and needed it to go.

Aretha, Sing One for Me (Cat Power)
Puck PoV

Man, Friday morning, the night before our very first concert…of our North American tour; at some point I needed to as P!nk or Jill if every new tour's first night was supposed to feel like we were popping our performance cherry all over again. Still the morning was pretty ridiculous. Our four buses, the KAMA trucks, the Rangeman bus, which would house a total of twelve Rangemen over the course of the summer, the eight main guards, two drivers who could also provide security, and Manny and his partner Zip when Bubbie and my little Nikolette joined us on the road. The Roadies buses were there as well, but they were simply four, stock, black WMG buses with twelve bunks each. They were not quite as tricked out as the ones we'd purchased. Lamar had taken care to have all four of the WMG buses detailed to make sure that there would be no surprises in the bunks or hidden anywhere else that could come back to bite us on the ass later. There was no practice that day, instead, everyone there had their main bags or luggage. Hudson stood to one side near our buses, Lester stood in the center near the front of Rangeman's bus, and Lamar stood off to the other side of the lot near the WMG buses. They each gave the crew their bus assignments.

We entered our bus, the most colorful and newest. Sam and I entered first carrying Cede's bags. Once they were all back in our bedroom, we went back out and grabbed ours. Even having looked the bus over before, it was still a little surprising how much room there was. We had room for all of our clothes and all of Cede's shoes and accessories. There were four drawers under the bed where the shoes lived, most of Cede's in silky bags to protect them from bouncing around. We also put our monogrammed leather overnight bags under there as well. The fourth, Hudson had found a this great divider system and it held things like Cede's makeup, me and Sam's grooming supplies, things like that. It took us a while to figure out a system that worked for us, but it wasn't that bad. Then we turned to the important things. There was a tall slim cabinet in the galley that was perfect for my and Sam's acoustic guitars. A drawer under the sofa was the perfect place for throws and Cede's keyboard. We peaked through and the drawers and cabinets in the galley were stocked with the non-perishables like cereals, snacks…lots of healthy stuff…and everyone's favorite not so healthy. I noticed that the corner, 'spice rack' looking cabinet held a bunch of bottles of vitamins and immune system boosters. Made sense, we didn't want to get sick on the road if we could help it. The fridge only held Aquafina, Evian and Voss at that point, probably Hudson wouldn't bother stocking it with milk and fruit and such until Monday.

Once we were completely unpacked, we took all luggage, nested it inside each other as much as we could and it was all stored in a space under the bus. I noticed, unsurprised that Hudson's bag was already down there. I looked around and noticed that we were pretty much the last ones finished. Then again, we kind of had more shit to find room for…that was my story anyway. We watched as Brock locked up the storage space. I knew that there would be other things that would join our luggage, Brock and Jake would have to store their stuff and Dave's extra drum kit and the extras of the bulk stuff that we'd bought to provide for everyone's use would go in there since there was less luggage in ours than in anyone else's. We joined the assemblage of our Crew, those who would be riding in the four buses we owned. Hudson and Lamar were having a meeting to give us all the rules of tour bus etiquette.

"Alright, for the next fifteen weeks we are all going to be living with anywhere from one to twelve new roommates. That means that we all need to practice consideration and common sense. Don't leave your stuff all over the place. We all need to make sure that the luggage bays are always kept locked. You are responsible for the guests you bring onto the bus. I am very serious when I say, don't bring groupies back to the buses. Get a room in a hotel then rent a car and meet us at the next stop. If you want to bring on a guest, guests should be cleared with the other people who live on this bus. However, there are some actual rules. Rule number one, there are bathrooms on the buses. There are washers and dryers…but those are only, fully usable when we stop for the night and have a water hookup. Even then, if where we are parking has shower facilities, use those because there are a lot of people trying for one small bathroom. Additionally, as part of our Tour Rider, shower facilities will always be provided for us at the venues and there will be hotel stops too. Toilets on the buses are for liquid waste only. If you have to do some serious bathroom usage, let the drivers know, they can take us into a rest area or something where you can go without harming the bus's chemical toilet." Lamar started. "The drivers want you all to remember, and I am quoting here, that the cardinal rule of touring is Don't Shit on the Bus. So, don't do it."

I was proud of Huds when she interjected with an important side comment. "Any water from sinks on the bus should be used for washing/rinsing only. Use bottled water to brush your teeth." She told us all with a small, shy smile.

"That's right, Ms. Hudson. Now, this one is for those of us in bunks. Make sure that when you're getting into your bunk, orient yourself with your feet towards the front of the bus. If the drivers have to make a hard stop, it's better that your feet hit the bulkhead, not your heads. Lower temperatures kill germs, so the thermometers are all set at sixty-eight. If you're cold…add a layer of clothing. If you are a light sleeper, invest in either noise canceling headphones or earplugs. The iPads in the bunks are there for your entertainment. Hudson and I will pass out the wi-fi passwords when we do the final load of the buses before the concert on Monday night. Speaking of, the buses will be at the office parking lot in Chelsea on Monday. We all need to get there by eleven-thirty. Bring all your electronics and personal items that you did not bring today, so your practice instruments, your cell phones and chargers your earphones and any snacks that you'll want that haven't been provided. When we load the bus and go to the Barclay Center, we officially start the tour. Anything that you don't have, you'll either have to have someone send you, or you will need to buy it as we go."

Hudson also had some information about the coming days. "Our first date, the Hammerstein Ballroom is tomorrow. If it makes you feel better, then consider it our final dress rehearsal. Our sound check is at three. Everyone is due there by two-thirty. We're using the Northeast Region NYC alternate looks for the Hammerstein and Alternate three for the Barclay Center. Ladies, make sure that you're wearing the appropriate undergarments. Kurt and Mrs. Ruth sent everyone the digital look books for the entire tour. When you get a chance, take a moment and thank them for their hard work." She looked down at her notes. "Our hair and makeup artists for Hammerstein and Barclay will be very familiar…they handled your hair and makeup at Halloween and for the record release party. Saturday, they will be ready for you at five." Once she and Lamar were done with their parts, Hudson pulled us to the side as Ethan, Brantley, Darcy and Daniel went over the things they needed folks to remember. "Veronica sent eight wigs, they arrived yesterday at the office. Dee said that if Veronica ever needed her to, she would totally have her babies. I had to drag her out of the conference room once they were all unpacked. She would have still been there petting and primping them. They are just that good."

Mercedes nodded. "She texted me to go by today and try them on. Will we have time before the spa appointments?"

"As long as things wrap up here in the next twenty to thirty minutes. We should be fine." Hudson noted.

We headed back to hear Darcy's wrap up. "Oh and last but not least, every one practice responsible pic posting, if it has someone other than you in the shot, get their okay before you post. Don't be a dick."

Daniel just gave her a look. "Chicks could do it too."

"Chicks can be dicks. Just because we don't have penises…it doesn't immediately mean that we're wonderful people. Posting a pic with a person looking ratchet behind you isn't bitchy, but it is a dick move." Darcy defended easily.

Daniel just chuckled. "I'm gonna quote you on that next time Riker says that I can't say a girl is being a dick."

"Have her give me a call? I'll fully explain why not crossing traditional gender lines with insults and curses is actually totally sexist." Darcy shot back. "I wrote a paper on it for my women's studies class."

I stepped forward. "Actually, I think it is a pretty good summary of all the rules we've received today, and I'm sure Hudson is planning to email us all Sunday or Monday morning…DON'T BE A DICK! We're going to be living in each other's pockets for the next few months. Act like you've got good home training. Be considerate of others and have respect for yourselves and those around you. Also…don't be late. I just watched the Temptations movie…I can and will pull and Otis and fine your ass every time you're more than five minutes late…capiche?" when they all said they understood, I was done talking.

Ethan had one more point. "One last thing and then I think you can all go…unless there are other plans. I will say this as KAMA's attorney, if you bring drugs onto any of the buses and it is discovered by police, I will demand immediate drug testing of every single one of you, including my niece and her husbands. Anyone found to have taken, used, smoked whatever the cops find, it will be you and you alone up on charges. This is not that kind of party. Cops love busting tour buses. The buses are supposed to be a drug-free and smoke-free zone anyway." He asked for their commitments verbally and then reminded them about the clauses in their contracts. I thought a few of the roadies looked a little peeved, but then Lamar reminded them that the buses they were on belonged to Warner Music Group. The music super-conglomerate could and would blackball them if they got busted with drugs on that particular tour. They could drink to their hearts content, as long as they didn't show up to work drunk, but that was it.

Once the KAMA Team and Lamar were satisfied with everything, we reminded the KAMA crew that we were due at Faina at two. The trip to the office was pretty uneventful. It was the middle of the day and we weren't going near the tourist areas of the city so the traffic wasn't even as bad as it could have been. In the management conference room the wigs had been unpacked and rested on their canvas head stands that were seated on the table. They were arranged in length order. The first wig was short. Like, I didn't know you could make short wigs. It was cut into a cute style that kind of reminded me of Halle Berry, short on the sides and back with longer, sleek blonde and deep brown bangs that could be feathered for volume. It was fun and cutely sexy. The second was a sleek, sexy chin length bob. It would look good with the shorter, less formal stage outfits that Sexy Mama would be wearing in the hotter venues. It was a pretty deeper brown with barely there lighter brown highlights.

Her third wig really looked like a shorter version of what her own natural hair looked like. It was her natural color a brown darker than mine, but slightly lighter than actually black, but it only brushed her shoulders. Kind of made me horny thinking about that summer we shot our loads all over her kinky curls as a sayonara to them before she buried them back under a weave for the school year. Her real hair was about as long as the fourth wig. It was a shoulder length, deep brown wig with streaks of auburn and lighter brown shot through the big curls and sleeker, side swept bangs. The fifth was barely longer than the fourth, but the curls were tighter and darker. Like most of the wigs it had a side part on the left side. The sixth was the first one with a middle part. It was long enough that the ends curled under her boobs, where the previous one had rested on her cleavage. It was a darker brown with lots of golden brown highlights. The curls were really loose, like she would do with big rollers to give volume more than actual factual curls. The seventh was even longer, waist length or so. It had tighter curly waves and was a shade or three darker than her natural hair. It had a side part and I just knew she would look hot like fire in it. the final wig looked even more like Ms. Mercedes Jones than the others, though all of them seemed as if Veronica had created wigs that showed different sides to Cede. It was the longest of all the wigs. It went down to her hips and it just kind of waved like a mermaid's hair from a center part. It was the darkest of all the wigs too.

Sam and I exchanged a look as Dee started helping Mercedes try on the wigs. She was telling our wife how she could use them with wig mics if she wanted to since she had them when Sam and I pulled Hudson to the side. "Have we paid Veronica yet?"

Our PA shook her head. "I have the invoice, but I think she low balled it because how much she loves Mercedes. I looked online and wigs that good…custom made could run anywhere from two grand to four grand each. Veronica only billed you guys four thousand. That might cover the cost of materials…but Dee said she had never seen wigs that were made so well. She swears that each one must have taken hours and hours of work…probably thirty to forty hours each."

Sam nodded. "Puck…that's what…thirty-two thousand, right?"

"Yeah…I'd round it up to thirty-five or forty though. Since the wigs are for the tour, we can seek reimbursement from Warner for a large part of it." I pointed out.

Sam looked at Hudson decisively. "Veronica earned every dollar of the forty thousand we're sending her. Can you go and have Saul cut a check on the Barclay's account? We can sign it and send it off before we leave."

Our PA-slash-big sister nodded and gave us a smile filled with pride. "Not a problem. I can bring it by Faina later and overnight it. She'll have it before you guys take the stage tomorrow."

"Good…now any idea how to separate Cede from her new hair…we're due at the spa in like twenty minutes."

It took some doing, and we were a few minutes late but we did get there. Plus, since we had basically rented the spa for the day, I mean there were thirty-two of us there for services, they didn't have room for anyone else. We all got Cede's favorite package, the four and half hour long 'Ultimate Relaxation' package with an added deep-sea mud detoxifying body wrap. The packages weren't the end of it either though. There were the wax jobs…all the girls were waxed from stems to neck. Several of the guys decided to join the Dam Bros in having their man stubble waxed. Our bold and brave drummer went all in, by the time the waxers were finished with him, he was completely hair free. He kind of hated waxing, but Anika was still paying for it, so he did it just to stick it to 'the man' or 'the woman' as the case may have been. Sam and I did get the earlobe waxing and we had the back of our necks waxed…just to save Dee some time every week. After we left the spa, we made it home just in time to partake of Bautista's delicious dinner.

We spent the night chilling around the family room. That day had been Nikki's last school day, so we were treated to learning all about field day and how she and M&M had sucked at most of the games, but crushed the egg drop and any of the more science based ones. Sexy Mama, Bubbie, Kurt, Tana and Tina were going through the look books and deciding which wig would go with which look. We actually called it a pretty early night. Mainly so we could bone an extra time or two…we needed to say good bye to Cede's zebra chairs. The next morning, we took care of our hygiene, threw on some pajamas, and pulled Nik-Nak up to the man cave and watched the Saturday morning cartoons of our youth. The good Teen Titans, The Batman, Static Shock, Jackie Chan Adventures, which was way better than most people would have thought, Code Name: Kids Next Door…man we had some seriously decent cartoons. Thank Yeshiva for Netflix and Hulu. It was a great way to bond with our little girl. We made sure that we scheduled time to FaceTime with her every day. We made sure that Hudson's number was in her phone too. "If you need us, I don't care if you know for sure that we're in the middle of a set on stage, call us or Hudson. We won't have our phones with us, but Hudson can get us if you need us okay?"

"I will." She promised solemnly. "I'm gonna miss all three of you. But Bubbie said that we'll come and meet you guys the week before Father's Day, and be with you guys that whole week and go with you to Lima."

"I'll get to see you for Father's Day…that will be the best gift you can give me and Sam." I told her in complete honestly. We stayed there until our stomachs demanded sustenance. It was a good way to spend a morning. After brunch though, we had to get focused. Showers, somewhat out door acceptable clothing and we made it to the venue by two. The roadies, including Az and Karofsky, had already set up the stage so we could work with the techs and get the lighting and sound checks done. Everyone was there on time and we had our shit handled within an hour. That gave Max Scheinder, our opening act for the region, and Cassidy plenty of time to handle their shit too. While they were doing their checks, we adjourned to a large area back stage and were able to get in a quick but intense practice as a warm up. We were running the default set list that night. So, to be honest our main concern would be making sure that we did our changes right. At least that was what I was most nervous about.

Lamar and Brantley both checked the room over to make sure that the Rider had been fulfilled. We had everything we needed. The promoter had provided a really nice, healthy late lunch. The room had everything, including the brown M&Ms item, the specific, Air Wick lavender and chamomile essential oils plug ins…we were able to stay hydrated and get ready for the show. We asked them to make sure that the Crew had everything they needed and were assured that they did. After we showered, the three of us made sure that we moisturized and put on our MeUndies, Sam and I finally learned the name of the underwear that Kurt found for us that was so awesome. Sexy Mama put on her bra, the shiny, skin colored, thicker than pantyhose but still pretty sheer, shaper body stocking that covered her from her shoulders down to the vamps of her feet and the shaper camisole she'd be wearing for the first look of the evening and then put on a pretty kimono type robe she brought with her. Trina and Dee handled the three of our hair and makeup, while the others were prepped in their dressing rooms. Since Rickey wasn't taking Cede's weave out until the next day, Dee was giving her hair water waves with bumped under edges. Her makeup was stage ready, big bold lips and eyes and everything else just ramped up and smoothed out.

Sam and I had it pretty easy, we just got the spray stage makeup stuff that made sure the lights wouldn't make us look like week old corpses. We sprayed antiperspirant over most of our bodies so we wouldn't sweat like pigs under them either. Then we chilled out and watched some TV while we waited on them to finish with Cede. When she was finally released looking all glittery and fucking sexy as hell, me and Sam started getting dressed. Apparently, just as in regular fashion, there wasn't a whole lot to men's stage apparel. We were both in lighter colored khakis, and two different colors of the same Goodlife scallop hem v-neck tee shirts. Ivory for Sam and kind of faded red for me. We were in slightly different colored Timberland Westmore apron toe boots, mine were kind of darker than Sam's. By the time we were done, Cede had donned her Gucci embroidered wide leg cuffed pants and her Steve Madden Andrea Cross strap platform sandals that were the perfect shade of red to match the word 'Loved' that was embroidered on her pants' cuff. The pants were creased…I mean razor sharply creased. She looked really good…but it was nothing compared to how she looked when she finally put on the Alexander McQueen vintage ivory silk embroidered cropped jacket that she and Bubbie had found in a consignment store in her size and everything, and built our whole look around it. Every piece sparkled with small, shiny, glittery beadwork we'd paid a few FIT seniors a shitload to hand sew onto them. But the beadwork ebbed and flowed subtly, so it didn't look overdone. Ms. Mercedes Jones looked like nothing less than a total boss.

Shortly after we were all dressed, one of the sound guys came in and fit us with our mics. We did a few more vocal exercises just to get things all warmed back up. It was a surprise when a stage manager hit us with the ten minute warning. We went out and had a group prayer with our band, dancers and singers. Sam took charge of it since Joe was out front with the swag sales. "Lord, we've come this fair by faith, leaning on your strength and wisdom. We know that you haven't brought us this far to leave us. Lord, you know how many hearts are represented here. You know that we don't all call you by the same name, but we know that you blessed us with the talents that have brought us to this spot. Please support us and take care of us your children. Keep us safe from hurt, harm and danger…accidents and illness. We ask that you allow us to have a great performance tonight. That our fans and even our critics and detractors leave this show feeling like it was awesome and epic and worth every one of their hard earned pennies. We hope that you will do so for the entirety of our tour. Thank you. In the name of the father, son and Holy Ghost and whatever other names those assembled call you by, we ask it all…AMEN!"

The last word was said all together. And we did a quick check to make sure that everyone was good, they were all ready to go. So we took that stage and for the next fifty-six minutes we owned that bitch. Our first set was ridic. We'd decided to do a mix of old and new songs but no matter what song we sang, the whole audience seemed to know every word. They loved us. The cheer that went up when we took the stage was so loud it made my heart jump. It was awe-inspiring and strangely humbly. I wanted to be worthy of their adulation. I didn't even have the words it would take to explain exactly how I felt in moments like that. But the very best part was sharing it with Sexy Mama and Sammy Boy. The fourteen songs for that set were a mix of fast and slow, loving and more sexy plus a few that were just plain fun. Even though we had Artie working his licks full time, Sam and I both had our guitars and we'd hop on those when the song called for it, or when it was a Cede lead song. After we ended the set, which started with the original version of 'Rescue Me', with 'Homewrecker', a Cede led song from our second album…we headed back into the back.

In thirty minutes, we killed six bottles of water between us. We all took a piss and then we changed into our second look for the night. I was lucky, it was dark denim and a dark Henley for me…similar for Sam, but his shirt was a casual button down with quasi military details. We were both in boots again, mine, my favorite tech boots and Sam a pair of black cowboy boots that he'd liberated from Sander years before. Cede though…she looked sexy as fuck in a bright, bold purple, one shoulder jumpsuit that hugged all her curves just right and had a kind of flared leg. Black wedge sandals completed the look. Her hair was half pulled back to show off the quick makeup change too. Our spray on shit was refreshed and in no time at all we were back on that stage rocking our hearts out.

The second set started with Sam leading 'Some Gave All', his ode to the memory of his grandfather's brother and all of our service men. Probably 'Hard Out Here' should be moved from immediately after that moving song. The set ended with a slow, meaningful love song, 'Spend My Life with You' where we all led different verses. It might be a good idea to switch that song with 'Hard Out Here'…have a mellower song behind a deep one and leave them laughing and dancing for DJ Ca$$. As the final strains of that song floated away on the screams of the crowd, Cassidy's tables and set up came through the center of the stage and we retreated to our dressing room. Our second quick change was super easy for me and Sam…we just had to change our shirts. The deep purple shirts were light enough to tell they weren't black, but they were dark enough that you might think they were in some other light. Mine was a simple tee, Sam's was a baseball tee. It was cool that our stylists made sure to include our personalities in their choices. But then again, they knew us better than most industry stylists ever would know their clients. So, it was probably easier. Mercedes Jones had, before becoming famous read an article in Cosmo that outlined how even the most fashion forward artists actually all dressed pretty much alike. So, she had decided that rather than fall into those pitfalls, she would…with the permission of pretty much every fashion house she loved…bring fashion onto the concert stage.

Cede sure as hell did that for our opening show's Finale. A Moschino cropped one-shoulder top showed off her sexy shoulder and curvy breasts in a way I could almost guarantee the designer had totally intended. It was made for our Sexy Mama. It wouldn't even be sold in stores until the following year. The black Rag and Bone high rise step hem capri skinny jeans showed the world how sexy thick, shapely thighs and strong curved calves could be. Then she finished it off with a pair of Louboutin black leather and gold metal sling back pumps that she'd fallen in love with the second Bubbie had showed them to her. Where Tana, Tina and Xena had been in a black version of the same jumpsuit she'd worn out for the second set, for the finale and encore, the girls were in similar, but more affordable versions of the look. Their one shoulder tops were almost the same shade of purple, but they came from Macys as did their black, capri skinny-jeans and black, sling back pumps.

The final set went well. There were no technical problems. The third set started with one of my leads, 'Lost In Your Eyes', in fact, I had three solos in that set, Lost, 'Volvo Driving Soccer Mom'…my ode to all the MILFs I'd boned before…and 'Almost Lover'. The wardrobe matrons had our white robes ready to go after 'Love Me More'. So, when we launched into the slower, almost gospel-folk sounding 'The Ballad of Tamir Rice' which we followed with our cover of the sorrowful song's inspiration, 'The Death of Emmitt Till'. Then they were immediately ready to grab them so we could move into the Sam led 'Insensitive'. The set finished with Cassidy coming back up through the floor and Idris Elba's video started playing on the big screens around the ballroom. Our part of the concert had started with our original version of 'Rescue Me' and it ended with the remix. I loved that it put Cass on stage with us…to me that was how I liked it best, our whole Crew on one stage all together.

We left the stage, but allowed ourselves to be called out for an encore. But before we sang a lick, I moved to center stage. "Hello Hammerstein, have you been having fun?" I asked and the roar of approval that came back at me almost made me stagger back. "Good, that what we want. We want every one of you to have a great experience tonight and basically every day as you live your lives. That being said, one of our friends, tomorrow she undergoes surgery to make her outsides match who she has been all along. If you don't mind, could we all take a second to pray to whatever deity you praise, or just send well wishes out to the universe for her, if you don't believe in any. As Mercedes says, even if you don't believe in God, He or She, still believes in you. Still hears you when you ask for something major. So, I think, if we all ask for this at the same time…I'm not going to say her name…because the last thing her doctors need is their hospital being blocked by protesters who think they know better than God. But if we all ask that she make it through the surgery, and any subsequent ones she might have to have well, and that the surgery be a success, then I do believe that that is exactly what will happen. So, just a moment of silence to ask for all the good for her." I waited until I counted to sixty, which without the Mississippi's, was probably more like thirty seconds. Then I spoke again. "Thank you all. Yeshiva Bless. Now Back to the music!"

We'd saved our sexiest songs for the end of the night on purpose. Including 'Holler' and 'Pillow Talk'. Then you could tell that the sexy had gotten all the way down into Sexy Mama because she threw them a cover of Janet Jackson's 'Anytime Any Place' that had me harder than a fucking brick. We finished the encore with 'Rub You the Right Way' and, I wasn't even going to lie to myself…if it hadn't been for Binkie, Junior and Hudson, we wouldn't have made it back to our dressing room before me and Sam had Mercedes screaming our name. There was a lot on the fucking rider that I'd put in to be an asshole…I knew it. but I was damn glad to see that the promoter had come through with the unopened twelve pack of Trojan double X-L condoms. I know that we had that pack opened before Hudson could close the door behind them. As awesome as the previous four hours had been, the best part of the night had to be feeling Cede's tight pussy clenching and squeezing me as the two of us blew Sammy Boy's cock until he came all over our chests.

The dressing room had a small shower in the bathroom, so we took turns getting cleaned up. The guy even had Cede's Dove soap. Once we were clean, we got dressed and Sam had found a note asking that we let the promoter know when we were ready for the food listed on our after-concert rider. So, we texted Lamar to ask that he let the guy know. The dude's people brought in hot buffalo wings, Cede's olives, the champagne, cold water and the small sandwich tray. We tore through the food like we'd tore through the condoms. Hudson, Trina and Dee came in and had everything packed up in a trice, then we got ourselves together for the masses. With the door open, the people with the VIP backstage passes could start to come and get their things signed and shit. We pressed the flesh and took pictures and kissed babies and everything for two hours then things started shutting down. People started heading to after parties. We grabbed our shit and headed our happy asses back up to Harlem. It had been a long ass night and we didn't have many that we could sleep in our own beds left.

Man, I couldn't wait for the morning trades to see what the critics had to say about our opening night.

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An early Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans

We have no words to apologize for the wrongs we've done to the rest of the world by not electing an adult to represent/run our country. I promise that I didn't vote for him & will resist with my last breath.

I'm going to a cook-out tomorrow, so I decided to post early rather than late.

Let me know how you liked it.
Let me know that you're still, in fact, reading it.
Give me a good recipe for something non-traditional I can take to this cook-out.

Anything just review.

Oh, and its not Betaed, so let me know if you find any mistakes. Please & Thank you.

TTFN,
Anni