Ky: Well I did get two reviews, and they were nice, so that makes me happy.

You are correct. By the way, Anon, it is Jaime, my iPad actually auto fixes it and I hadn't noticed. Thanks for the catch tho! Now, I'm in the works of typing up the fourth and fifth chapter for this one, but I'm also doing the same for my other TUp fic, so the updates after chapter three may be slower then this. But I'm house sitting next week and I'll have a ton of time to type, so there should be some more updates then. And I can't wait to get to the fourth chapter, because we learn more about Emma then!

Haven14: Thanks for the kind words! It means a lot that you can connect to Emma, and that you like her! I hope once we get into her backstory- though some of it is a tad cliche -you feel the same!

Also, if someone else reviews and can answer my question right, I'll write them a one shot having an OC of theirs paired with one of the Starkids, as long as its not Joe Walker! The question is, what is the HUGE High School Musical reference in Me And My Dick? A hint, it's a full line that Joey says at the end when he re-finds Dick with his Heart. Anyway, ponder on that, and the first right answer I'll PM and we can talk about your prize! As always. Flame review I don't care, but I hope someone enjoys.

Last note, I looked up the set list for the Apocolyptour, and it didn't have Status Quo on it, but I may be wrong since I didn't actually go to see it- it didn't come near enough to my city after all. So, if the song was used, I apologize for the mix up, but we'll pretend it wasn't in the tour.

Chapter Two: Super-Tech

You Don't Know You, The Way I Do

The next night came much too soon for Joe's taste, but that was mostly because he spent the day letting Emma show him the Chicago she knew; the side with hole in the wall stores and shop owners she called by their first names. They stopped in a thrift store where they had a mini fashion show with the vintage wears, a video store where she made him buy no less then four of the dollar classic horror films, and then a candy store where they both left with a pound of candies for each other, and nearly ten pounds of chocolate and other candies for the other Starkids. Even now- an hour before show and two hours after Emma had gotten her lesson in the sound board from their stage manager -they were tossing gummies back and forth, trying to catch them in each others mouths. Joe was laughing as Emma tried to catch one and knocked it with her nose instead.

"Wow you two really suck at this," Lauren laughed. She plopped beside Emma and took a gummy worm, flicking it up and catching it in her mouth, slurping it in like spaghetti. Emma stuck her tongue out at the girl- a pretty bright blue from the War Heads she and Joe had been eating earlier -but it turned into a laugh. Lauren laughed too, she and the new tech had been getting along great, mostly because Emma had her Walks back in working order." This is a crap ton of candy, though guys..."

"Yeah I thought Meredith's eyes were gonna bug out of her head when she saw the bag of Reese's that I got her," Joe laughed. Emma threw a handful of M&Ms at the man and he retaliated with jelly beans." Ems has a friend who owns this little candy shop and he practically gave it all to us!"

"I used to work for Tank, he still has a soft spot for me since I had to leave because of school," Emma shrugged. They heard a call for everyone to start getting ready and she stood, brushing the front of her black techie clothes off for sugar crumbs." Well I'm off to the box, see y'all on the other side of the show!"

Joe waved at the girl and felt an easy smile slide along his lips. He sighed, leaning back against the couch, not even realizing Lauren was still watching him until she cleared her throat loudly.

"What?"

"You know what, Walks," Lauren said with a grin," You like her!"

"I've known her two days, Lo!"

"And you like her! You spent all day with her, have been grinning since she joined the team, and every time she looks at you, you totally light up!" Lauren said. As if to prove Lauren's point, Emma, the stage manager, and a few of the music crew passed. Emma held a clip board and was asking about some sound cues, when she glanced up and smiled and Joe. He smiled back, and the girl gave a wink before heading off after the crew again. Joe's mind went fuzzy at the wink, his smile automatic." Case and point."

"Oh drop it Lo, she's a new friend, and she makes me happy," Joe said with an eyeroll." She reminds me of us, when we first started, reminds me of why we got into this acting thing... She's gotten me out of the rut I was in."

"Aaaaand you like her," Lauren grinned. She stood and ran, dodging a handful of candy as she did. Joe sighed, but only because he was starting to think Lo was right.

3333333333333

The show was half over, everything was going great, Emma was practically taking over the tech manager position, and Joe was hopping for second act. Suddenly, the stage manager called him over and handed him the head set. Joe took it, questioningly but slid it over his ears.

"Don't freak out okay?" Emma's voice came over the earphones. Joe didn't like when sentences started like that." See the mics that Joey and Lo are using?"

"Yeah?"

"They're the only two working now..."

"What?"

"I said not to freak! Jesus... The sound board crashed, and I'm setting up the only other board now. But I need at least five more minutes, and I have forty seven seconds until Granger Danger is over." Emma's voice was still cool and easy, as Joe had grown to love, but there was a quavering edge now, that showed she really was stressed." Can you stall?"

"Yeah, I got an idea," Joe said. He handed the headset back to the SM and told him to hold off "Get Back Up" and let him improv. He took stage after Joey and Lo, taking Joey's mic and getting confused stares from the two." Hows everyone doing tonight?" The crowd roared and Joe grinned at them." Good! Well, in our quest to save the world, we totally forgot to give a Team Starkid welcome to our newest Techie! Her name is Emma, and she's doing so great, so far! She's helping us in a tough spot since two of our own normal Techs are sick and had to go home!" The crowd gave an appropriate 'aw' response." So, I was wondering if we could have a little singalong as a welcome to our new friend! I'll start, and you guys can sing with me, if you know the song!"

Joe hoped upon hopes that Joey wouldn't mind him stealing a song. He was glad AJ was amazing at improv piano and caught on as he started to sing the crowd joining in as soon as he began:

"It starts with not questioning the answers

And giving up before you've begun

It locks all the doors

Increases the pressure

And in a flash

Your time is up before it's done

And you won't know how it can feel

To feel at all

So I say no to status quo

Who wants to be like the rest

And deny the best that I'm meant for

I will show the status quo

Who wants to be normal

I'll never conform

I will be content to resent the status quo

I'll kick down the walls around me

They don't know how strong I am

I'm not defined by boundaries

They will never understand

I'm so much more

Than status quo

Who cares about being another pipe dreamer

Stuck on the bottom floor

And I know

It's time to go

So maybe I've gotten everything that I wanted

But I think that I might have made it so

When I said no, no, no

To status quo

Cause I am a starship ranger

I'm gonna do everything I can

To always be a starship ranger

Cause it's everything

It's everything I am!"

The crowd gave a cheer, and tons of cries of welcome to Emma rang out as well. He glanced at his watch as the cries died out and everyone came onstage for the next song. Five and a half minutes exactly, Emma gave him a thumbs up from the booth, her bright smile barely visible from Joe's place.

3333333333333

"I've decided I'm keeping her," Nick laughed as the group all hugged Emma, backstage after the show. The small girl gave a demure smile and laughed as a few smart remarks broke out through the group." Seriously, that distraction saved our asses! Good call Emma and great job, Joe!"

Joe's eyes met Emma's over the giant group hug, and she smiled brilliantly at him. She said something he couldn't hear, then she mouthed it again: "We make a good team!" he grinned, because she was right. Later on that night, as Emma left to get her belongings so she could continue the tour with them, Joe talked with Joey, Joe Moses, Dylan, and Brian about Emma. Mostly about her initiation, but about her too.

"She's totally smoking hot, too," Joe Moses said with a grin. Joe felt his stomach boil at his friend saying this, for noticing it." I mean, she's totally cute, like Lauren, but she's got a body that rivals even Mere's!"

"She's talented too, though," Joe butted in." I mean, she totally took that tech call, like a pro! And she sings with Lo and Mere all the time, her voice is really good for a Techie... And she fits in so well with us..."

"And Walker has a crush," Joey said grinning from ear to ear. Joe scoffed and tossed a pillow at his friend. The group ignored the jab, for now, and turned back to the initiation, something all do them and been out through on entering the troupe." I say we give her a Body Sundae, then go out for a club night."

"I'm in, we have ice cream and fudge sauce in the fridge," Dylan said," And I know one of the girls has whipped cream stashed away."

The Body Sundae had been used on Joe himself, Darren, and Lauren; it involved taking ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, and covering the person until the looked like a literal human sundae. The group readied themselves and hid as Emma returned, setting her things on the empty bunk above Meredith's, then turned right into Joey who sprayed whipped cream in her face. The group pounced then, and it soon turned into a full on war as Emma managed to steal Joe's chocolate sauce bottle and turn the tables on the Starkids.

After another hour and showers for everyone, they were dressed for clubbing and Emma was an official Starkid member. They were driving in groups to the club, since they only had three rental cars while in Chicago. Joe was waiting with Dylan, Joey, Joe Moses, Meredith, and Lauren while Emma finished getting ready.

"C'mon Emcee," Lauren called out to Emma. The girl's new nickname was a mixture of an actual Emcee DJ, since Emma was a techie, and because her middle name was Marigold, something that had been found out the day before, and her initials were literally "EMC"." We'll miss the body shots!"

"Hold your horses, Lo," Emma laughed as she came out of the tour bus, putting an earring in as she clunked down the stairs. Joe's heart lept to his throat as she stepped out to the street and into view. She wore a purple tank top and black jean shorts with tears on the left side. A pair of purple low tops were on her feet, and there were black and purple rubber bracelets up her thin arms, aside from the one thick black band that she always wore. Her toned and lightly tanned legs seemed to go on forever, even though she was shorter then Lauren. The top hugged her tiny waist and full breasts in a way that not only Joe noticed." Well, c'mon! Can't stare all night, guys!"

She walked past the boys, Lauren and Meredith at her sides. And damn if her ass didn't look awesome, even walking away, in those shorts.

"I take it back, Joe," Joey said, his voice cracking a little." I don't care if you have a crush on her, she's smoking freaking hot."

Joe didn't even argue the crush thing, he was already following that awesome ass of Emma's.

3333333333333

"You're nearly drunk, Lo," Joe laughed as Lauren tried to get Meredith and Jamie to dance on the bar with her. The girls gave in a little later, and dragged Julia, Brittany, and Emma up with them. The bar tender waved at the DJ, who put on "Low" for the girls. They all began what seemed to be a homage to Coyote Ugly, by dancing on the bar and using the support beams in a way that had the men hooting and hollering. Emma hopped down near Joe and walked over to him with a grin. Though the girl hadn't drank anything all night, she seemed to be buzzed, just like half of the Starkid troupe.

"They perform on and offstage huh?" Emma asked close to Joe's ear so he could hear over the booming music and people. Joe nodded, his hands finding rest against her hips, not in a provocative way but in a comfortable way. Emma smiled and pushed his hands up to tangle with her own." Dance with me."

Joe didn't give an answer, mostly because it wasn't a question, she had told him to and he was not saying no to the pint sized techie. Instead, he stood, letting her lead them to the center of the room and center of the crowd. She turned towards Joe, lifting his hands o her waist again, then sliding hers up his toned chest to his shoulders, since she was too short to wrap them around his neck. The music shifted, something full of mellow beats and thick with bass, and Emma smiled, her eyes closing to the music. She pushed her hips against Joe's, shifting them to the beat and smiling when he followed suit. Their hips moved together in musical harmony and Joe swallowed thickly, the few shots he had taken going to his head, and now his pants. Emma didn't seem to notice, and danced on, her hands making absent designs on his pectorals. They danced through too many songs for Joe to count, but soon it was nearly one in the morning. Emma had, by now, looped her arms around his waist, and he hers, and her cheek was against his chest as she danced.

"It's late," Joe said. Emma nodded but didn't move from their position." You wanna head back to the tour bus? It's really only a block or two away, and I know our group won't be back until three or four."

"Okay," Emma said. She let her arms fall from around Joe, a warmth he immediately missed, and followed him out they stopped to say bye to the others, but only for a quick moment. Once back in the warm Chicago air, Joe grabbed Emma's hand and led her towards their tour bus. They didn't talk on the walk back, but the silence wasn't awkward either. Joe liked the calm summer air mixed with Emma's hand in his own and this new happiness he had, lately." So, do you guys ever get tired of performing the same songs? Like, I'm sure you don't ever like to sing them for fun, now."

"Not true," Joe said," Yeah, they're performances, and we've all sung the songs a thousand times over for people and with different people depending on the show, but we still love all our songs."

"My favorite of y'alls has always been 'The Way I Do', from Starship," Emma said softly. She hummed a few bars and Joe smiled, jumping at the chance to sing to her.

"When they say you can't love, I think you've got it wrong!" He sang softly as they walked. Emma smiled up at him, enjoying his faux show." Well they say you can't feel, with a heart made of steel, but you can't say that steel ain't strong! And if that's who you are, just some meaningless star in the sky! Tell me what is the meaning of what I am feeling if you are the reason why!"

Emma joined him, a half step above his clear tenor voice.

"Well I may be dumb, but where I come from, folks say they're fine when I know that they're blue!" They sang." But you don't know you the way I do!"

"Your kind is frail and weak, and I want to destroy you all!" Emma sang. Her voice was good, surprisingly so for someone who said she only really liked to do tech for theater. It was a clear and pretty sound, much like a brass bell." You're a sorry disgrace, to the concept of race, and to logical science and law... But for some reason why, when you look at me I don't want to be, programmed this way; believe when I say, you're the one anomaly! You might not be smart, but there is a part of me-"

"That's starting to make a break through," Joe joined in. They sang the last part softer, at the door of the bus." No, you don't know you, the way I do..."

The air was crackling in tense electricity, now. Joe's hand had somehow wound around Emma's waist from her hand, and hers was on his hip as well. Hs free hand was in hers, so they were standing in a dance position. He glanced down at her, his face much too close, and her eyes much to pretty in the dim light. He went to lean in an inch, and she tugged back.

"I'm going to head in... I think I saw Jamie in the window, and I know I can hear Brian..." Emma said softly, her voice quivering in a way Joe wasn't sure he liked." Goodnight Joe..."

She left, and Joe stood there, wondering what the hell he had done wrong.