Singing in Stereo

by Jeune Ecrivain

In this alternate ending to "Voice-a-Rooney," Liv still gets her singing voice back, but her apprehension sets the stage for an unexpected discovery about Maddie.

Singing in Stereo

By Jeune Ecrivain

Rating: K+

Summary: In this alternate ending to "Voice-a-Rooney," Liv still gets her singing voice back, but her apprehension sets the stage for an unexpected discovery about Maddie.

AN: I've been on a Liv and Maddie kick lately, and this plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone, so I eventually decided to write it. I haven't quite seen every single episode, so there may be something in canon that makes this a bit AU, but I doubt it. I think it's a fairly interesting premise anyway, so for whatever it's worth, here it is!

Maddie Rooney knew better than anyone what acting and especially singing meant to her celebrity twin sister Liv. It was clear as early as kindergarten, and seeing the spark in Liv's eyes whenever she was performing would never get old for Maddie. She was quite sure that Liv got the same profound satisfaction and joy from the performing arts that she herself got when playing basketball, and if so, the last thing she would ever want is to watch her sister's talent be ripped away from her. Having survived a knee injury, she knew how it felt to be faced with the prospect of never again being quite the same at the one thing she knew she was meant to do. Fortunately, the athletic sister made a full recovery, but that definitely didn't make it any easier to see her twin go through the same harrowing experience after having surgery for vocal chord nodules.

That's why she was reduced to tears when, in defiance of medical advice, Liv bravely belted out the capstone song for a special live episode of her TV show. She knew it could very well have been her last musical performance, but still, if her singing career really had to end, then it needed to be on her terms and on the highest note possible, even if only for her own satisfaction as a final consolation. So standing behind the scenes, Maddie simultaneously beamed at her sister's courage and wept for a loss that wasn't even certain yet. If her singing voice abandoned her, then Liv would surely never be the same again, and that terrified her. She was even more so when her sister told her mere seconds after the performance that her vocal chords seemed to have reached a kind of breaking point just as the last note faded out.

Liv was rushed to the hospital, and after immediate surgery followed by a few weeks of recovery and vocal exercises, she was finally ready to try singing for the first time since that fateful night. Maddie was hardly surprised when Liv faltered at the last minute before the pivotal attempt, clearly petrified by what the results might have been. The athletic twin's worst fears were confirmed when she saw her beloved sibling's very sense of identity wane along with her confidence. Without drastic measures, she just might have lost even more of herself than her voice.

So Maddie arranged a quick flight to California for Liv's two closest friends and bandmates from the Rooneys' original hometown in Wisconsin. The extended Rooney family had given her all the moral support they could offer, but now it was time to bring in special reinforcements. Those came in the form of the twins' mutual friend Andie as well as Holden, Liv's ex-boyfriend with whom she still shared no small amount of mutual tenderness and affection. The band's unofficial reunion was completed by the drummer Willow, Maddie's longtime best friend who now attended SCSU with her. They all surprised Liv on the set of her musical sitcom "Sing It Louder," and after a joyful greeting and some heartfelt words of encouragement, the moment of truth came when Liv shyly agreed to attempt a song once more. Holden volunteered a very appropriate choice and took it upon himself to play the opening notes on the piano they had gathered around.

For weeks, Maddie had done her best to put on a brave face, but honestly, she had never been more on the edge of her seat than in that moment. That may have been why she wasn't even aware that she herself was very softly intoning the lyrics along with her twin. It was an almost instinctive way to supply one last touch of encouragement.

Battle through the hard times, yeah, yeah.
Be grateful for the good ones, woah-oh.
Every time you fall down, yeah, yeah,

At first, Liv's tentative voice was almost as soft as her sister's, but when she realized along with everyone else that her singing ability was fully intact, its volume swelled just as her bespectacled doppleganger finally let her own vocals fade into silence.

Just sing in the key of life!
You're never out of tune if you sing
In the key of life!

Maddie joined her and Liv's friends in applauding, basking in shared joy as the songbird gleefully cried, "I can sing! I can sing!" Liv was herself, her hopes of being on Broadway were not crushed, and to top it off, Holden proceeded to invite her to visit him at NYU. Even as he made his hasty but sincerely reluctant exit, his warm voice was laced with implications of possibly rekindling their relationship, and as soon as he was out of earshot, the three other girls catcalled at Liv, teasing her about the possibility held by Holden's words.

In the midst of such an emotional moment, however, Maddie had nearly forgotten that, all the while, she'd been standing right next to Tracy Okahatchee, the world-class singing coach that the Rooneys had enlisted to help Liv recover her voice. Even she wriggled her eyebrows briefly at Liv's flushed reaction to Holden's invitation, but what Maddie didn't expect was for the spotlight that was Tracy's gaze to quickly shift onto her.

"Maddie," she began in her thick Southern drawl, "I do believe I heard you singing along for the first couple lines."

"Was I?" Maddie replied, genuinely surprised before she thought about it just enough to realize that she had in fact sung along. "Oh, yeah. I guess I was. I didn't even notice. It was, like, second-nature or something, you know? I was trying so hard to be supportive of Liv that it just came out."

While Liv tilted her head and shot her sister a warm and appreciative smile, Tracy continued. "Well, good thing we were standing so close, else I might've missed it even with my razor-sharp ears! Have you ever sung deliberately on your own?"

Maddie chortled at the suggestion. "No! At least not in front of anyone! Liv's the singer in the family, not me."

"Interesting," said Tracy, scrutinizing Maddie with a contemplative look. "Well, singer or not, from what I hear, you are something of a songwriter. You've written at least one of Liv's hits. How did it go again?" She tilted her head in thought. "Oh, yeah. 'Cause even when you're not here, I feel like you are. You're the one I'll always need the most."

Now Liv, Maddie, Andie, and Willow all looked confused. The tune was recognizable, but just barely. Tracy had botched both the lyrics and the melody, which was quite unexpected from a seasoned singer like her who was supposedly familiar with Liv's discography. But as her focus remained on Maddie, it was Maddie who ventured a response. "Um, that's not quite how it goes."

Liv piped up. "Yeah, Tracy, it's actually…"

"Oh, of course!" Tracy's loud interruption was accompanied by a wink at Liv, who still looked baffled but nonetheless took the hint out of pure curiosity. "I got my mental piano wires crossed! Sorry!" And with that, she made another garbled attempt at what was, at least to Maddie, probably the most meaningful of Liv's songs.

Maddie shook her head, her confusion taking on a touch of nascent annoyance. She was beginning to wonder if Tracy was even trying. "No! You're still off! It's supposed to be: 'Cause even when you're gone, I feel you close. You'll always be the one I love the most."

While Willow, Andie, and Liv all gasped almost in unison, Tracy clapped her hands together in triumph. "Well, butter my behind and call me a biscuit!" she declared.

Now Maddie was doubly confused, because while Tracy was looking at her with a mysteriously knowing smile, her sister and friends were staring at her with slack jaws. "What? That's how it goes!"

Willow found her voice first. "Did you not hear yourself, Mads?"

"I think she may have been too focused on correcting Ms. Okahatchee," Andie observed.

"Well, then, let's remedy that!" Tracy decided. "Maddie, if you'll just humor me for a bit,…"

A still baffled Maddie looked past the vocal coach at her sister and friends, all of whom nodded in encouragement, so with a slight roll of her eyes, she nodded.

"Just close your eyes and remind me again of how the whole chorus is supposed to go." As Maddie did as she was told and took a breath, the older woman hastened to add, "But this time, don't worry about li'l ol' me or anyone else here. Just listen to yourself."

This time, Maddie's eye-roll was obscured by her eyelids, but she nevertheless sighed and started to sing.

'Cause even when you're gone, I feel you close.
You'll always be the one I love the most."

Despite her instruction, she was barely into the second couplet before her eyes slid open, and by the time she was ready for the third, they had widened even beyond their normal alert position.

You're in my heart, on my mind.
You are underneath my skin.
And anywhere, anytime
That you need anything,
Count me in!

By now, Willow and Andie wore gaping grins on their faces, while Liv was beaming at her with her hand clutching her chest. "Holy crap!" said Maddie, bringing her own hand to her throat. "Is it my ego playing tricks on me, or did I actually sound…good?"

"Good? Maddie, you sounded amazing!" Andie put her hands on her hips in playful indignation. "I can't believe you've been holding out on us!"

"Yeah!" added Willow. "What gives, Rooney?"

"Wait. Seriously?" breathed an incredulous Maddie.

"Oh, honey," said Tracy, "there was a second at the start of Liv's song where I actually thought her surgery had somehow turned her into a ventriloquist!"

"Okay, no!" Maddie protested. "So maybe I can carry a tune, but there's no way my voice could pass for Liv's!"

Liv finally stopped marveling at her sister and spoke up. "Carry a tune?! Madison Dove Rooney, you can sing!" She bounced on her heels gleefully and strode up to her twin. "I mean, you can really sing! That's not a shower voice! That's a studio voice!"

Maddie stared thoughtfully back back at Liv, finally starting to accept the possibility that she might have a better-than-mediocre singing voice.

"It is technically a bit rough around the edges, just because you haven't had any formal training," Tracy admitted, "but all the raw talent is definitely there, and even the roughness around the edges is very slight. In fact, it probably took every ounce of my experience to even notice it."

"Oh, Tracy, you have to coach her!" Liv proclaimed.

Maddie immediately made a halting gesture with both palms. "Woah! Hold your horses, Liv. Just because I might have a decent singing voice doesn't mean I'm gonna want to make a career out of it like you have!"

It was Liv's turn to roll her eyes, but she followed it with a warm smile. "Of course not, Maddie. You're an athlete, and I wouldn't dream of trying to change that, but there's no reason you shouldn't at least explore singing as a hobby or side job. Look at Willow. She's still a basketballer through-and-through, but that sure didn't stop her from rockin' those drums!"

"And having an awesome time doin' it!" added the drummer.

"I tell you what," Liv continued. "Sing one whole song for us and just see how it feels. If you hate it, we'll never speak of this again. But if you enjoy it, even just a little bit, I think you'll owe it to yourself to see where it leads."

A pregnant pause ensued. Although she didn't doubt the sincerity of Liv's words, Maddie could also tell that her sister couldn't help but hope that she would pursue singing at least in some capacity or other. The thespian twin was clearly excited by the prospect of possibly sharing the unique joys of performing with the sibling who was also her best friend. It would give the two something else to bond over, perhaps in a way that they never quite could before. Maddie remembered the warm feeling she'd felt when she trained Liv in basketball for a potential movie role as the inspirational superstar Holly Bell. With that, Maddie understood her sister's enthusiasm completely and found herself feeling it too. "Fine," she groaned in mock annoyance with a playful sparkle in her eyes.

So with a gentle smile of her own, Tracy claimed her seat at the piano to play the opening notes of "Count Me In." Maddie exhaled just as her cue approached, and then, she began to sing.

If I'm the sun, then you're the moon.
If you're the words, then I'm the tune.
If you're the heart, then I'm the beat.
Somehow together we're complete, yeah.

There are times my world is crumbling,
And the rain is crashing down,
But everywhere you are,
The sun comes out!

By the time she reached the first chorus, her initially soft and tentative tones had swelled to a much more confident volume, and she once again found the corners of her mouth naturally drifting upwards throughout her articulation of the lyrics.

'Cause even when you're gone I feel you close.
You'll always be the one I love the most.
You're in my heart, on my mind.
You are underneath my skin,
And anywhere, anytime
That you need anything,
Count me in!

Oh-woah-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Count me in, yeah.
Woah-oh-oh!

While her small audience clapped their hands to the beat, she was soon semi-consciously slapping her thigh along with them.

Well, I don't need to say a word, no,
'Cause you know when I'm happy and when I'm hurt.
We're close as pages in a book,
'Cause you make me feel better with just one look.

'Cause even when you're gone I feel you close.
You'll always be the one I love the most.
You're in my heart, on my mind.
You are underneath my skin,
And anywhere, anytime
That you need anything,
Count me in!

Oh-woah-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Count me in.

Before she knew it, she had intoned the final note, and she exhaled once more as her sister and friends applauded and whooped. At that point, Maddie couldn't help the grin on her face.

"You totally enjoyed that, didn't you?" smirked Liv knowingly, almost daring her to deny it.

"Oh, crap," she deadpanned in realization. "I did."

Liv laughed out loud and shook her head in awe. "Maddie, that was amazing!"

"You totally owned it, Maddie!" Andie cheered. "And to think, we may never have known about your hidden talent if Liv hadn't been so nervous about her own voice!"

Liv gasped for a second time. "Oh, my God! She's right! And I wouldn't have been nervous if I hadn't had surgery, which I never would've needed without my throat condition. In a weird way, those vocal nodes just may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise!"

"That's right," realized Willow soberly. "Guys, we thought we might actually lose a great talent, and instead, we discovered another one!"

"I'm just glad Liv can still sing," reminded Maddie. "I could live without singing easily, but for her, it's like a part of who she is. I'm sure she would've moved on eventually, but it would've been really hard, and I would never want to see her go through that." That sentiment earned her a quick but very sincere hug from her twin.

"Aw!" cooed Willlow before abruptly changing her tone of voice. "But seriously, how did you Rooneys go eighteen years without ever finding out that Maddie could sing? Especially since Liv's been a diva practically since kindergarten?"

"Probably the same way we spent several years oblivious to the fact that our little brother was digging a network of tunnels under our house," Maddie contemplated aloud.

"Since we're genetically identical, maybe it should've occurred to us at some point that we might have the same set of pipes," Liv speculated. "But then again, I have 20/20 vision, and Maddie doesn't, so maybe that threw us off."

"I wondered the same thing when I first met you, Liv," confessed Tracy. "Singing can be learned, so the right genes aren't always an absolute requirement, but they can certainly give you a massive head-start. I wasn't sure about identical twins, though, so I did a bit of research. From what I can tell, if one twin can sing, it doesn't guarantee that the other one can, but it does make it more likely."

"Well, we may never have known at all if you hadn't come into our lives and noticed it, so I think we really owe you one, Tracy!" beamed Liv.

"Oh, hush!" Tracy made a dismissive gesture. "I'm sure you would've found out at some point anyway. In my experience, untapped talent has a way of coming out eventually."

"Yeah, but who knows how long it would've taken us without you?" said Maddie. "I don't know what exactly I want to do with my voice yet, but I do know I'd rather have a lifetime to find out. I'd hate to have been in my sixties or something before I ever knew about it."

"Well, Maddie," said the accomplished vocal trainer, "if you ever want to smooth out those slightly rough edges that I mentioned, I would be honored to coach you."

Maddie responded with a genuine smile. "Thanks. Strangely, I feel like I might actually take you up on that." Noticing Liv clapping and bouncing in excitement, she hastened to add, "Just don't expect me to appear on 'Sing It Louder' anytime soon."

With her hands on her hips, Liv impishly feigned confusion. "I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear you. I shouldn't expect you to appear on…what…anytime soon?" She made a show of cupping her ear in her sister's direction.

Maddie couldn't help but chuckle as she shook her head at her sister. Yep, Liv was definitely herself again. "Okay, fine. I'll do it once," the novice singer said, stressing the last word with a very stern index finger. She exhaled again before repeating herself, this time with the appropriate musical flare added to the show's title. "Don't expect me to appear on Sing It Louder anytime soon."

AN: So there you have it! This was actually a genuine point of curiosity that the show raised for me. If one identical twin has a natural talent, will the other one have it too? Like Tracy, I did some quick research and found basically what she said in the story. Anyway, if the demand is high enough, I might write a second part in which the rest of the Rooney clan (and Diggie) find out about Maddie's untapped ability. In any case, thanks for reading!