I've just realised that I've forgotten to include the disclaimer; well, I guess that's what I get for not checking it before moving it from my memory stick, where it had been sat for over a year.
Also, I apologise for the sheer length of the first chapter, but I'm still a bit new to all of this, and hadn't figured out how to split it up.
Anyway, disclaimer : I do not own Shaman king. Or strictly come dancing, or many of the other characters in this story, well, except Tai and Vincent.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Several hours after the gang had left and Paul had managed to convince the others that they all needed sleep as well if they were going to help Anna and Tai through this, Anna stirred and awoke, the first thing she saw being Tai, clinging to her with bright red cheeks from where he had been crying. She didn't move for a long time, just staying where she was, playing with his hair as she watched him, thinking back over all the time she had spent with her husband and all that they had done together. She knew that she needed to stay strong for Tai, this was hard enough on him as it was, but she knew that having their friends around them would help a lot. As for her tour . . . Anna sighed, not knowing whether she should just go back to the States to sort everything out there. She could go on the tour another time when she had dealt with all of this, and Tai was feeling better again. It didn't really seem right to be going out on stage and singing away when her husband had just been killed. Tears fell down her cheeks again as she thought about all that had occured in just the past few hours alone.
Tai fidgeted in his sleep, unconsciously moving closer to Anna, as if wanting to stay as close to her as possible in case he lost her, like he had in his dream. Anna gazed down at her little boy and felt her heart ache painfully. 'He's not even started school yet and already he's lost his father. This isn't right. Vincent was supposed to be here, to teach him how to ride a bike, to play baseball with him, or football. To teach him about guy stuff that I know nothing about.' She thought to herself as she wondered what their lives would be like now, and if they would manage to gain a sense of cormalcy again after losing someone they both loved so much.
Turning her head slightly, she caught sight of the clock on Tai's bedside table, wondering what time it was. '3:15am' It read in bright red lettering. Sighing, Anna turned her attention back to Tai, holding him close to her and resting her head back on his pillow, just holding him close as she thought about everything that had happened and everything that they faced in the upcoming days, weeks and months, not to mention the grieving they would have to do, Tai more so than her. She had already been messed up before, she knew that she was strong enough to get over it, but she didn't want there to be any long lasting mental trauma or something for Tai. She knew right then and there that she would do everything in her power to make sure that Tai still managed to have a happy and healthy childhood.
It wasn't until 8am that she began to hear the others moving around, and she suddenly remembered that Yoh and the others had been here last night. 'I hope they didn't stay the night' she thought to herself, not wanting to deal with all of that on top of her husbands death right now. Knowing that she needed to get up, she carefully kept Tai in her arms, wanting to make sure that she was there when he woke up, and carried him out of the room and towards the kitchen area of the suite where she found all her friends sitting. "Morning." She told them a little sadly.
They all turned to look at her, spotting Tai still asleep in her arms. Lily came over and led her towards a seat at the table, the others all sipping cups of coffee and nibbling on toast. "Morning Anna. How you doing?" Lewis asked her, not really sure what else he could say.
Anna just stared down at Tai. "I don't really know. I think I'm still trying to accept the fact that he's gone. The one person who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I don't really know what to do." She admitted to them.
"Well, you don't have to do anything if you don't want to We can postpone or cancel the tour and just fly straight back home." Paul told her gently, not wanting to push her, after all, she was a little fragile right now.
"I don't know what to do. Part of me just wants to go home, sit in the house with Tai and cry. But there's another part of me that knows this is a sellout tour and I don't want to let all those fans down. I hate letting people down." She told them.
"An, it#s totally up to you. But don't feel obligated to do anything. This is your life, and you have Tai to think about as well." Kelly added, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Anna looked up at them, and gave a small smile, so small that they could hardley see it there. But it gave them all hope that she would be able to pull through this. "What about you guys, how you doing? Sleep ok?" She asked, not really wanting to talk about it anymore.
"Well, as well as we could. We're all a little worried about you and Tai, and then the fact that your idiot of a ex is hanging around, and we're trying to come to terms with the loss of a great friend as well." James told her.
"Can I get you anything"? She asked them.
"No thanks An, but what about you? Do you want somethig to drink? Some breakfast?" Kelly asked her.
Anna just shook her head. "No thanks. I don't think I could stomach it right now." She admitted. She looked down at Tai, not noticing her friends exchange concerned looks in front of her, knowing that if she wasn't eating now then they were going to have to somewhat battle with her to eat anything else during the day.
Just then, Anna's phone began to ring. Jumping slightly, Anna grabbed it, almost hoping that last night was some horrible dream and that it was Vincent calling her. "Hello?" She greeted, a small amount of hope in her voice.
"Anna?" Came the voice of her friend George Michel at the other end. "How are you doing? I've just heard the news." He told her.
"Oh, hey G. I was kind of hoping that you were going to be Vincent. That all of this was just some horrible nightmare." She told him, tears in her eyes again, at the same time cursing herself for having gotten her hopes up just to have them stomped out again.
"Oh Anna, I'm so sorry. If I had known what he was doing I would have gone with him. Or even offered to go for him, that way he could of gone with you and Tai. I'm so sorry darling." He told her, his voice sincere.
"Thanks, I know I'm not the only one whose going to miss him. He had his own fair share of fans as well, not to mention his family. I'm just glad that I managed to convince him to make amends with them a while back. Goodness knows how they must be feeling." She told him.
"Well, they seem to be doing ok. His parents came out yesterday and made a statement to the press about what a great man he was and how he would be greatly missed by them and the rest of his family." His words seeming to have been chosen rather carefully.
"Oh? What did they say? I'm suprised they would do something like that so soon." She admitted to him.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't really their idea. A promoter has come in and is trying to milk the situation for all it's worth. They can't really see it, but this guy's ruthless and cold hearted."
"What?" Anna growled, angry at the thought that someone was trying to make money out of her husbands death. The others all turned to look at her, wondering what was going on. "How could someone even think to do a thing like that?" She exclaimed.
"I don't know An. But niether of them seem very up for it. Maybe you should give them a call or something." He suggested tentatively.
"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks for the heads up G." She told her friend.
"Hey no deal. Just take care of yourself and Tai. Avril and I are going to be with you in a few hours ok? We're just boarding the jet now, so we'll give you a bell when we land ok?" He told her.
"Ok G, but you guys don't have to come all the way over here. I know you both have obligations and stuff back home." She assured him.
"No way, we're your friends, and with something this big, we want to be there by your side." He told her firmly.
Anna gave a small smile, glad that she had such good friends by her side. "Ok then G. Say hi to Avril for me and I'll see you both soon." She told him.
"Ok hun, take care." He told her before he hung up.
Anna hung up the phone and sat completely still at the table for a minute, thinking over what she had just heard. "Anna? Is everything ok?" Kelly asked her, a bit nervous about her reaction on the phone.
"I'm not sure. I need to call Vincent's parents. Something's going on." She told them, picking up the phone and dialling the number she had learnt by heart in the years that she had known them.
"Hello?" Came the shaky voice of Vincent's mother at the other end of the phone.
"Audrey? It's Anna. I'd ask how you're doing, but if it's anything like me, then it's a waste of breath." She told her.
"It's good to hear from you. How are you doing?" She asked her. Audrey was Vincents mother and both she and Anna had spent nearly a year coming up with a flawless plan to get Vincent and his father talking again. After all, no parent wanted to be out of contact with their son for so long.
Anna frowned slightly at her tone of voice, sensing that something was amiss. "I've been better. Mostly, I'm just trying to stay strong for Tai. He's been hit a little hard by all of this. He'd had a bit of a nightmare the first night he got here, and then with all that's happened to Vincent, he's clinging to me a little. Although I can't deny that I'm doing the same. Are you and Roberto doing ok?" She asked cautiously.
There was a pause at the end of the phone, during which Anna coud hear someone shouting in the background. "Well, things could be better." She admitted.
"Audrey, is something wrong there? You don't sound like yourself? Is someone doing something to you both?" She asked. There was a silence at the other end of the phone. "Ok, I'm guessing that you can't really talk so, if something is going on, tell me that you and Roberto are fine. If there isn't something going on, tell me that you've been very busy." She told her.
"You don't need to worry dear, everything is fine here." She told her.
Anna swallowed a little nervously, wondering what she should do. "Ok, does this have anything to do with this promoter guy? Just say yes or no." She instructed, carefuly to keep her voice low in case he was standing near.
"Yes."
"Ok, is he threatening either of you in any way? same answer." She asked, hoping desperately that she would say no.
"Yes."
Anna gave a small gasp, her friends becoming more alert with the direction of the conversation. "Ok, is he hurting either of you in anyway? Say of course if he's hurting both of you. Just the first, if he's hurting one of you, and don't be silly if he's not hurting either of you." She instructed her.
"Of course." Came the dreaded reply.
Anna slumped in her seat. "Ok, I want you both to be careful. Do what he wants for now. I'll sort it out, and get him out of there and away from you as quickly as possible." She assured her. "Take care Audrey. I'll speak you you soon." Anna told her, before hanging up. Anna took a deep breath, wondering what she should do.
"Anna? What's happening?" Lewis asked her.
"Audrey and Roberto are being threatened by a promo guy whose hurting them. I need to think who I can call to deal with this." She thought out loud, knowing that she couldn't call George or Avril as they were on their way to Japan to see her.
"What about Johnny? He was Vincent's best friend wasn't he? And he knows how to keep a secret." James suggested.
"Of course." She exclaimed. She quickly began dialling agian, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.
"Hello?" Came the sleepy voice at the other end.
"Johnny? It's Anna. I'm sorry to wake you but it's an emergancy." She told him.
"Sure. What's wrong?" He asked, knowing that for Anna to be calling him at this time it had to be important.
"It's Vincent's parents. They're being threatened by the promo guy, and her's hurting them both. I need you to get in touch with Donny. He's our chief security guard at the house. He'll know how to handle this." She assured him.
"Oh my god. Of course. I'll go straight away." He assured her. "How are you holding up?" He asked, already scrambling out of bed to get dressed and ready so that he could get over to the house to sort it out.
"Me? Er, well, I guess I could be a bit better. What about you?" She asked.
"I don't know. It's still kind of hard to believe that he's gone you know?" He told her, a little down.
"Yeah, I know." She told him sadly. I got a call earlier, and I thought that I was going to hear his voice at the end of the phone. I felt so stupid after I picked it up and heard George on the othr end." She told him.
He sighed. "Yeah, I keep expecting him to walk through my door and tell me to get my lazy ass out of bed." He admitted, chuckling a little.
Anna gave a small smile. "Yeah. He was like that wasn't he? Always expecting everyone else to be up when he was. Never mind the fact that he fell asleep 3 hours before you do." She added, smirking slightly.
He laughed. "Yeah." He sighed. "If only he'd told someone what he was doing, then one of us could of gone with him. He know's we never would have blabbed or anything. I can't understand why he didn't take someone with him." He sighed, sounding exasperated, obviously having played the thought over in his mind for a while.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
I know I've gone from really long, to pretty short, but I've got a little stuck. I have no idea whether Anna should stay and do the tour, but do a sort of 'Vincent dedication', or she should go back to America, and sort out Vincent's funeral and do something about his parents and what not. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.