A/N: Hey guys! Sorry, this one took so long! School keeps getting in the way of my writing! I really love all of your suggestions; I'm trying to incorporate as many of them as I can. Sometimes, I've already started the chapter and an idea so it makes it difficult but I'm constantly rereading my reviews so I will continue to try to include them. As I've said before, you guys are the best! Always make me smile! I hope I can do the same for you! Hope you're having a wonderful hump day!
The crowd was roaring and our security guard, Brent, escorted Coop and I to our platform. He was a good guy; always offered me a hand down, knowing my tall heels proved difficult on stairs. Both Coop and Brent walked on either side of me hoping to avoid 'excited' fans. So far, all the fans had been very supportive; knock on wood. They had added two more shows in Virginia due to the popularity and the fact that we had a couple days off between Virginia and Philadelphia.
The acts before Dani came out on stage and got the crowd on their feet. I wasn't really able to focus on the atmosphere during this time since Coop had been letting me lead the opening acts. As they took their leave from the stage, my eyes rose to the center stage to watch Dani's entrance. It never failed; she always came out strong. The few shows I had already done, I felt that I was getting better at controlling my urges to run up on stage.
During the second show, a fan threw something at one of opening girls who had joined Dani on stage again. Security was on the fan in a second and they had moved our girls off stage until the liquid had been cleaned up.
After that show, several things had happened. I got a surprising lecture from Clive about my safety.
"If fans are crazy enough to throw something on stage, then pardon me but, they'll sure as shit, knock you on your ass, no problem Miss. You running about all willy nilly, doesn't help anyone. Leave it to the professionals, will you."
Another change was the lock inserted on our platform. It was to be locked from both sides, ensuring that no one could get in uninvited and that I couldn't get out in a crazy fit.
The last policy was one I added myself, I began wearing heels to walk out, but changed to my Converse once I was hidden behind the desk. I figured that way I could jump the gate in case I needed to get to the stage anyway.
I decided I wanted to focus on my soundboards and hadn't been joining Dani on stage. That was her thing and I was much happier watching her up there. However, this we had to agree to disagree on.
For the most part, our shows the last couple weeks had gone relatively smooth. I was settling into my groove pretty well and the pay wasn't shabby either. I wired money back to the loft to cover my share, even though Rachel and Kurt refused to accept it at first. I was finally confident in my recent decisions.
That was, however, before the tabloids got ahold of my first show. Dani had been acting funny all morning, it was the one-day we had off and I asked her to breakfast. She tried to change my mind all morning. She even offered to cook me breakfast in bed, which I had agreed to but backfired when she saw her empty fridge.
"What's gotten into you? Are you still worried I'm going to run amok signing lady parts? I won't, I just want some eggs, no breasts. I promise," I teased her.
She rolled her eyes at me and called Clive.
"Woman. Leave Clive alone, we can walk to the breakfast place and we can hit up that market and maybe refill your fridge on the way," I said, pulling her arm.
"Fine, but no market. I have to get back. Straight to breakfast and home," stressed Dani.
"Okay, okay. Damn," I said, opening the door at the same time there was a knock.
"Here, give these to Dani, she asked for all the copies from the buses," said some groupie with long red hair, pushing copies of magazines into my arms.
"Here! Let me help you with those!" insisted Dani, coming to help right away.
"What's with all the magazines? I thought you don't read them?" I asked, pulling the top copy back for me to read.
"It's...urm...a craft project. Arts and crafts, a new hobby," smiled Dani, reaching for my copy. As she grabbed it, she dropped the others and I bent down to help her.
"It's fine, I got these. Why don't you go ahead and get us a table. I'm sure it'll be packed," mumbled the guitar player.
"Dani, it's eleven. I think we'll b-"
A magazine had fallen to the centerfold and the headline screamed for attention.
'GOLD DIGGER STRIKES IT RICH!"
I felt my jaw fall. A full spread picture of Dani and I on stage together, mic in hand and smiles for days ruined by the nasty words scrolled on top of it.
"I saw it this morning. I was hoping to keep it from you. It's just a trashy magazine that no one reads. Let's go for breakfast," suggested Dani, bending down next to me and reaching for my hand.
"Because I sang with you? Or because you got me my job?" I whispered, scanning through the article.
"Babe, honestly, it doesn't matter. Look at me," tried Dani, pulling the magazine away. "It doesn't matter how you got the job, the fact is you're awesome at it. You had it on lock within days of getting it."
"Yeah, but I look like a gold digging, d-bag," I said, feeling myself get upset.
"San, you really can't pay attention to these things," she said, picking up the rest of the papers and throwing them away. "Look, let's just go to breakfast and forget about it."
"I'm not really hungry anymore," I mumbled, getting up and leaving the trailer. I walked back to the bus I shared with some of the other crewmembers. They had all gone out for the day, leaving the place empty and quiet. I changed and left for a run. I was trying to pay attention to where I was going because I didn't have a clue where I was. I just ran. The more I kept running, the more angry I got with myself for letting these people tell me who I was. I know who I am. I'm a fierce and independent woman from Lima Heights. I ran faster. I don't need anybody but myself. I support myself. Anybody who is anybody gets a job through knowing people. I ran faster. I sang with Dani because it was fun and she's amazing. She knows that. So then why am I so angry? I stopped running and laughed to myself. I think I just had my first diva moment. I stopped to catch my breath and looked around for a street sign. My phone buzzed, it was Clive.
Text me when you're ready.
I laughed and messaged him back.
I don't even know where I am right now.
I kept walking, hoping to find a street sign or something helpful and when I turned the corner, I saw a black car. Being a little wary, I kept walking towards it and the door opened. Clive emerged and opened the back door.
"Miss," he smiled and tipped his hat.
"As creepy as this is Clive, I'm happy to see you," I smiled, walking to the car. "How'd you know where I was?"
"We've had you tagged while you were sleeping Miss. You didn't notice the chip behind your ear," he asked, closing the door behind me.
I reached for my ears when he turned to get back in. I saw him smirking in the rear view mirror. I hit his shoulder.
"Very funny," I smirked.
"I followed behind you. You got some good speed going there. You must have been pretty deep in your thoughts. You almost ran twelve kilometers in just over an hour," he said, looking impressed.
"I run when I need to clear my head," I said.
"It's a good technique. In this business, you're going to need new shoes in no time," he smiled, looking back at me.
Clive brought me back to my trailer and parked out front. He was walking me to my door, "you should give Dani more credit. She's the only opinion that matters besides your own and she has a pretty good judge of character. She's kept me around all these years."
"Thanks Clive," I said, laughing at his joke and giving him a hug. After I had showered, I went to find Dani. I stopped at her trailer, knowing she most likely wasn't in there. She never stopped; she was always looking to improve something on the tour or meeting fans. I saw Clive sitting not far from me.
"You have eyes on the stars?" I asked, trying to use their bodyguard language. He chuckled and pointed towards the stadium. I headed inside and heard her voice. I walked towards backstage and stood where I used to watch all her shows. Dani was center stage; she was in the middle of 'Believe in Me'. I was leaning against the side with my arms crossed. It didn't matter if every seat was full or if it was to an empty stadium, Dani always gave one hundred percent when she sang one of her songs. The passion that came from her was inspiring. She pushed the ending and finished softly. I clapped for her from where I was leaning. She smiled at me and looked back out to Coop.
"That's good Coop, just wanted to test out the new earpiece. Thank you," she said, pulling it out.
"That was a fitting song," I said, as she walked over.
"Should be. I wrote it when I was dealing with all my frustrations with the media and the business," she leaned up on her toes and kissed me. "You okay?"
Dani took my hand and we walked over to sit on the edge of the stage.
"Yeah, I'm good," I said, holding on to her hand as we sat. "I think I was just frustrated that they're spreading lies about me before people have a chance to meet me. Then I got frustrated with myself for allowing them to define who I am."
"It's a hard balance. Of course you want to know what they're saying, but at the same time, it's hardly ever good in those magazines," replied Dani. "You just have to find a way to deal with it. Unfortunately, yours involves a Clive tail. But you'll get used it," she smiled.
"It was actually comforting to turn around and see him standing there, I had no idea where I was," I laughed at myself.
"Sounds like the run worked then."
I nodded and my stomach growled.
"You still want those eggs?" asked Dani.
"Hell yeah, I do," I said, accepting her hand up.
A week later, we found ourselves in Philadelphia for our next show. I was relaxing in the trailer after sound check with some of the others. We had just under an hour before the show started and a couple radio stations that came to cover the event were interviewing Dani.
I moved back to my bunk and grabbed my phone. I dialed Ana hoping to check in and talked to Myka.
"Hello?"
"Hey, how are you?" I asked, hearing Ana's voice.
"Good. We're good. We're just relaxing today. Not very often I get a Saturday off," she replied.
"Yeah, you and Myka are just hanging out then?" I asked, excited that I caught them with time to talk.
"Um, actually, she's over at her friends house."
"Oh," I said, feeling the excitement deflate from my system. "Well, that's good. I'm glad things are getting back to normal for her."
"Yeah, so how's the new job?"
"It's good," I answered, not really wanting to talk on the phone anymore. "I love it."
"That's good and how's Dani," questioned Ana.
"She's good. She's loving the tour, so she's pretty happy."
"That's good to hear. Well, I should get going, do something productive. I'll talk to you soon," said Ana.
"Okay, take it easy," I answered. I got off my bunk feeling bummed I didn't get to talk to my niece. I made a mental note to get her a cell phone. I would talk Ana into the idea after.
I started fixing my hair and putting on final touches before I headed into the building. Clive was waiting outside for me and he walked with me to backstage. Dani was just coming back from her interview, most likely looking to sneak away for her moment before she went on stage.
"Hey! Just the person I was looking for," she smiled, wrapping her arm around mine.
"Good, me too," I smiled.
"We have a 'green room'," she air quoted, "so we don't have to play hide and seek with security today." She punched Brent in the arm who was shaking his head at her mention of their pre-show game, but not game.
Inside the green room, I sat on the couch with my legs across Dani's.
"How were the radio station's?" I asked.
"They were good. It's always fun on the radio, the DJ's usually have so much energy," she replied, looking pensive. "You know, we should do an interview together. That way the world could get to know you, not the magazine you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, why not? We'll bring you as our sound tech and if we happen to talk about us then it happens," said Dani, getting excited. "I'm going to talk to Grant. Get him to set something up, maybe next time we're in New York."
There was a knock on the door. Dani clapped her hands excitedly as she got up.
"I forgot I can't sit around until you're on," I moved closer and grabbed the sides of Dani's jacket. "Have a good show," I said against her lips.
"You too. I think it'll be our best show yet," she smiled as I left.
I met Brent outside the door and together we walked out to the platform with Coop. The crowd was chanting Dani's name, we started the beat and they got louder. Tonight's show seemed different, the energy and the vibe. It all felt more positive, the music was pulling me in and I loved every second of it.
Dani was half way through her set list when she stopped after 'Something That We're Not'. She let the crowd die down and I watched as she waved to some of her fans.
"Okay guys!" she said, trying to bring in thousands of people. "You guys are in for a treat today! We have a special guest here to preform with us."
"Who's the guest? I didn't know we had a guest," I said, leaning over to Coop.
Coop smiled, "I hear she's really good."
"So, here to preform Fire Starter with me, please give it up for Myka!"
My breath hitched in my throat as I saw my little niece rise up from below the stage on Dani's elevator. She still had her blue hair and was waving to the audience. Dani knelt down to give her a hug and pointed back towards our platform. Myka finally saw me and waved, excitedly. I waved back, trying to keep my tears in check.
"Hit it!" said Dani.
The music started and Myka started the routine, which Dani followed. They were so cute; thankfully Coop had taken over because I was completely mesmerized by what was happening on the stage. Myka looked like she was having so much fun. Dani stepped to the side as her dancers joined behind Myka and followed the dance. I knew Myk loved to dance but this was blowing my mind. She was six. She was in sync with the rest of the crew and didn't miss a beat. She jumped up and landed on her knees, pointing at me. I pointed back to her while singing along.
"She's really good," yelled Coop. I smiled at him and started dancing as well. I pulled out my phone and took a video when Dani joined back in. Myka stepped to center stage and started a couple break dance moves. When she was done, Dani was singing the last line and they both unbuttoned their shirts to reveal a superman t-shirt underneath. The crowd erupted and I was right with them. I was going crazy. Dani grabbed something from the side and walked Myka to the steps of the stage. She bent down to give her a hug, before handing her something and sending her off with Brent. Dani started her next song as Brent carried Myka through the crowd. She was high fiving as many people as she could while she was escorted to my platform. I opened the gate for her and lifted her into my arms.
"Myka! That was amazing. I'm so proud of you!" I leaned back so I could see her. "Did you have fun?"
"So much fun. Did you see me on Dani's elevator? This is for you," said Myka, handing me a shirt. "We couldn't give it to you before or it would wreck the surprise. Are you surprised?"
I opened the shirt to see it was the same as the superman shirts they were both wearing. I pulled it on over my dress.
"I am shocked! I'm so happy you're here Munchkin!"
I pulled my chair over so Myka could stand on it with Coop and I next to the board. He gave her little headphones that he had somehow kept hidden from me. The rest of the show was amazing. We danced and sang and Myka tried her hand at the soundboard.
After the show, people kept coming to the platform to get pictures with Myka and I. Some people even had her sign photos, eventually Brent put an end to it and walked us back stage. Dani was waiting for us with Kurt and Rachel.
"Guys! What are you doing here?" I said, hugging my friends.
"We came for the show! You all were amazing!" exclaimed Kurt, high fiving Myka.
"Ana couldn't make it with work and we offered so Myka wouldn't miss it. She's been working so hard," said Rachel.
"Hey Superstar!" Dani had her arms raised to give me a hug and dipped last minute to hug Myka.
"Hey!" I said, "what am I?"
"You're Auntie Tana," she said, standing once again. "And also my superstar."
"Mhmm," I grinned.
Apparently Dani had this planned down to a tee. She arranged for us to have dinner after the show and offered for Kurt and Rachel to join us or to attend the after party, which was being held in the city's luxurious Ritz hotel. Kurt and Rachel chose the ladder and agreed to meet us in the morning for breakfast.
During dinner, my sneaky girls explained how they had this planned so well.
"How did you learn the dance?" I asked Myka.
"Dani taught me over Skype. Uncle Kurt learned too, so he could help," answered Myka, sipping her chocolate milk.
"And the tickets?"
"Well, Myka was a little worried that you would remember that I told her I would send the tickets to her house. But it turns out you were preoccupied with your new job offer," smiled Dani, placing her hand over mine on the table.
"Whose idea was it for t-shirts under the shirts? Because this is cool," I said, looking at my shirt.
"That was me!" giggled Myka. "I like being in the sound booth Auntie. That's your new job?"
"It is."
"Lucky," said Myka, chewing her straw.
By the time we finished dinner it was well after midnight. Myka had fallen asleep in the booth and I picked her up while Dani paid the bill. Clive dropped us off at the boardwalk not far from buses, so we could walk home.
"She talked about you every time I called her," said Dani, her hand on the small of my back and the other pulling the hood of Myka's jacket up.
"I was so bummed out today when I couldn't talk to her. I had no idea we were in the same state," I said, kissing her forehead.
"There was one time that you walked into my trailer and we were practicing the dance moves and I had to swat my iPad off the table and I could hear Myka giggling still. I sent you for ginger ale and said my stomach hurt," grinned Dani.
"I had to walk to the store in the pouring rain," I teased.
"I know I felt horrible," she replied, brushing a hair back. "She worked so hard, she wanted to do her best for you."
"She was awesome up there. I had no idea she could dance like that," I said, amazed. "Thank you Dani, for bringing her here."
"I knew you'd be missing her. You went from seeing her every other day, to a couple times a week on the phone," shrugged Dani. "Plus, I was starting to miss her too."
I smiled, "she definitely grows on you."
"Let's get back so she can sleep."
We walked back to the buses while Dani told me more stories about the preparation for this trip. She explained how excited Myka was to sleep in the tour bus and how Myk brought Dani a teddy bear to make her bed more like her bed in LA. We made one of the bunks into Myka's bed and tucked her in.
"She looks just like you even when she's sleeping. You both have that cute habit of hanging your arm over the side of the bed," whispered Dani, as she clicked in the guard for the bunk. "We have tomorrow off so I thought we could go for breakfast, then give everyone the tour of what happens backstage."
"I think Myka would love that," I answered, crawling into bed. Dani crawled in beside me and turned off the light. I felt her roll on her side and fit into me as I wrapped an arm around her. "It seems like Myk's been spending a lot of time of Kurt and Rachel's, doesn't it?"
"Actually, when I talked to her or we practiced, she was usually over there."
"What the hell? That's a lot for them to take on isn't it? I mean, I know Rachel has school and Funny Girl and Kurt had asked for extra shifts at the diner to start his band," I thought aloud.
"Yeah, but they were always around when you and her would hang out. Maybe they miss her too. They consider her just as much a niece," suggested Dani.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," I mumbled, still concerned with how busy Ana seemed. "But knowing you're kid was going to preform in front of thousands of people, would you not want to be there for that? I know I would have done anything and I'm only her Aunt, well, her cousin, really."
"When was the last time you spoke to Ana?"
"Today, she said she was at home relaxing. She didn't say much, come to think of it." Dani rolled around so she was facing me.
"Maybe we're just reading too much into it. She is a single mom, help is always wanted," she said, tracing her finger along my jaw.
"Have I told you how happy I am to have her here?" I asked.
"I'm sure you're almost as excited as I am. Do you know how hard it was to not tell you? I kept catching myself, I must have had at least fifty times where it half came out and I had to come up with some crazy line." I laughed at her admission.
"Thank you for doing this," I said, kissing her lips.
"You're welcome," she said against mine.
The next morning, we met up with Kurt and Rachel who also couldn't thank Dani enough for their room at the fancy hotel. They went on and on about how they were treated like royalty. Dani hugged them both and thanked them for their help in the planning and trip. I wanted to sit down with my roommates and discuss Ana, so I was relieved when Dani offered to take Myka to look at the pictures of the celebrities who had also visited the restaurant.
"Be honest guys, what's going on at home?" they looked at each other.
"Well don't take this wrong way, but you were over there all time visiting Myk, I think maybe Ana just didn't realize how much she took you for granted," admitted Kurt.
"It's not that we mind. That's not the case at all and if Ana were going to work while we had Myka, we wouldn't even be bringing this up," said Rachel. "But she's been going out lately, a lot."
"Really?" I asked, wondering what was going on with my cousin. "It's like she didn't get to live her party days because she had Myk, so she's trying to live them out now."
Both my friends nodded in agreement. This would have to be something I sit down and talk to her about. I was worried for Myka, not so much that Ana was going out all the time. She was in her twenties; I didn't blame her for wanting to explore things that came at this point. But she wasn't a normal twenty six year old; she was a mom and had huge responsibilities; one responsibility that I cared for more than anything.
We all walked back to the buses after a pit stop at the park. We must have been a sight considering half the time it was the adults yelling louder than our six year old. Myka was excited for the tour of the stage; she couldn't stop talking about it. We started backstage showing them the green room and the make up chairs. Myka showed me how she sat there to get her make up done before the show yesterday. She said she felt like a princess. We moved on to the stage where Myka asked the drummer, who was tuning his drums, if she could have a try. He handed over his drumsticks right away and even taught her a couple sequences. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. We walked down to the platform to explain what all the buttons did and she went through and turned a couple, which I promised Coop would be back to normal before the next show. The most excitement came from Kurt and Rachel when Dani invited them up on stage to sing. It was like watching Myka open her birthday gift; the excitement that was exploding through them was awesome. They were all handed microphones and Myka was going to be there dancer. I propped my phone up on my desk to record it while I was manipulating the soundboard. They decided on Roar by Katy Perry. I set the track up and they started. Surprisingly, it was like they had all sang together before. The harmony between them all was amazing. Feeling nervous, they let Dani take the lead and she belted out the chorus. Myka was doing the same dance as the previous day, only her favorite moves, she was repeating.
When the song ended, everyone was cheering. I think I was cheering the loudest, as I watched all of my favorite people on the same stage. I walked back to the stage to join them.
"Auntie, where do you live?" asked Myka.
"We share the buses out back. Want to see my bunk?" I asked, knowing she'd be happy to see my bunk wall covered in pictures of her, Dani, Kurt and Rachel. We all walked back that way, laughing and listening to Dani explain to Kurt and Rachel about my secret rapping ability. When we reached my bus, there was a letter addressed to me taped on the door. Figuring it was from one of my crewmembers I shared the bus with; I opened it and started reading it out loud.
"Dear Santana, I caught your first show in Virginia. Nice rap job," I laughed, scanning to the bottom for a name before I went on.
"I think you're gorgeous and would do anything for you. I wouldn't even be scared of consequences."
"What are consequences?" asked Myka.
"Myk, why don't you go in and see if you can find Tana's bunk," suggested Rachel, taking the key from my hand and opening the trailer door. Myka took off inside.
"Well Dani, if this is from you, you've definitely started off with the creepy factor," joked Kurt.
Dani shook her head, looking around.
"I've come to every show since, hoping to get inside but not having a lot of luck. I was able to see you at the third show when you left and I even got an autograph. I had it tattooed on my left side, right next to my heart because that's what you've stolen," I read, not really understanding what I was reading.
"Okay guys, I think it's time we step inside because this person may still be hanging around here, hoping to catch a glimpse," said Dani, ushering everyone inside the trailer. She locked the door behind her and pulled out her phone.
"Hi Brent," she said, looking out the back window of the trailer. "We have a bit of a situation and we're going to need backup, stat."
