"I have news to share." Cat grins as their waiter walks away from the table
Cat is between albums and in New York staying with Robbie for the time being, so she and Jade had decided to meet for lunch at one of their favorite restaurants in the city. It didn't take long for the paparazzi to figure out what they were up to, and the two women had to be seated in the back as far away from the windows as possible so that the photographers didn't disturb any other guests.
"Oh do you now?" Jade smirks "I'm assuming it's not that you're pregnant, seeing as you're drinking wine."
"No, I'm not." Cat chuckles "But I am engaged."
"What?" Jade laughs
"Look!" Cat squeals, holding up her left hand
"When?" Jade gasps, taking Cat's hand to examine the ring
"Last night." Cat tells her "I can't believe it."
"Neither can I." Jade admits "Good for Shapiro, finally taking some initiative."
"I thought for sure we were going to be one of those couples who did everything but get married." Cat smiles at her ring before putting her hand back in her lap "But I'm so happy!"
"I'm happy for you." Jade smiles "Do you have a date in mind? I know it just happened, but you both have pretty busy schedules."
"It'll be at least a year." Cat sighs "I'm getting ready to announce another album-"
"Another one?" Jade laughs "What is this now, number four?"
"Yes, it's number four." Cat mocks Jade's tone "This is my job, remember? I make music and tour the way you make movies."
"Right, sorry." Jade apologizes "Continue."
"It'll be at least a year before we can get married." Cat repeats "Probably longer because I'm going to need time to actually plan the thing. When the time does come though, I'd like you to be my maid of honor."
"Of course." Jade smiles, reaching across the table and squeezing her best friend's hand "I would be absolutely honored."
"And I want Lennon to be the flower girl."
"Hopefully she can walk by then."
"She'll be almost two." Cat points out "If she can't walk by then, I think you'll have bigger issues."
"You're probably right." Jade smirks, taking a sip of her wine
The two friends finish their meal and make plans for Cat and Robbie to come over later that night to see Lennon, and then have dinner with Beck and Jade after she goes to bed. They argue over who gets to pay the bill, and Jade ends up winning because she tells Cat its a congratulatory meal in regards to her engagement. Security then escorts them out of the restaurant separately and into their own awaiting cars, and then Jade heads home to Beck and Lennon.
"Hey there." She grins as she enters the apartment and sets her purse down "How are my two favorite people?"
"We're not really diggin' the peas today, Mama." Beck sighs, trying to coax Lennon into opening her mouth
Now at close to ten months old, Lennon eats mostly solid foods and only gets a bottle at bedtime. She's very good at grabbing a sippy cup and drinking from it by herself as well.
"That's because she hates peas." Jade says as she kisses Beck on the cheek and sits down in the chair next to him "Bananas are her favorite."
"Well, we've opened the peas. We're going to finish the peas if it kills me." Beck chuckles
"Don't say that or it just might." Jade smirks
"Funny." Beck scoffs "Hey, you need to call Mona. She's been trying to get ahold of you all morning."
"Really?" Jade asks, standing up again to retrieve her phone "What about?"
"Some project." Beck shrugs "She wouldn't give me the details, but she did say it's a big deal."
"Hm, alright." Jade shrugs, grabbing her phone out of her purse and heading towards the office "I guess I need to make a phone call then. Be right back."
"We'll be right here." Beck tells her
Jade enters the office and closes the door shut behind her as she hits the button to dial their casting agent's number. Originally, Beck had been the one to hire Mona. But over the years she had taken responsibility for both him and Jade, and they're without a doubt her number one clients.
"This is Mona." The woman answers
"Hey Mona, it's Jade."
"Jade!" Mona exclaims "Thank goodness I've finally got you on the phone! I've got a really great part for you, if you want it."
"I'm listening."
"They're reviving Rent." Mona tells her excitedly
"The musical?" Jade clarifies "Like, a broadway revival? Or another movie?"
"Broadway." Mona clarifies "I know you've been sticking to movies and TV guest spots lately with the baby and everything, but the director called me this morning herself and personally offered you the role of Maureen. No audition, no callbacks, no hoops to jump through. Just say the word and the part is your's."
"Wow, that's a really tempting offer." Jade admits "I would have to talk to Beck first-"
"Talk to me about what?" Beck asks, entering the office with Lennon on his hip
"Were you listening at the door?"
"Of course." Beck admits "What's the tempting offer?"
"They're reviving Rent." Jade explains "The director wants me to play Maureen. No audition, all I have to do is say yes and the part is mine."
"Of course you have to do it." Beck tells her "You can sing that soundtrack in your sleep."
"What about Lennon?"
"What about her?"
"Well, you'll be working too at some point, won't you?" Jade asks him "If I'm on Broadway, who's watching her?"
"We'll have to get a nanny."
"I don't want to get a nanny."
"C'mon, we knew it would be inevitable." Beck reminds her "I'm shocked we made it ten months without needing one. Jade, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for you."
"I know it is..."
"So take the part. We'll figure the rest out later."
"Okay." Jade smiles "Mona?"
"I'm still here." Mona tells her "What do you think?"
"I'm in." Jade tells her "But I want it in my contract that the rehearsal hours are reasonable. I don't want to disappear out of my kid's life completely."
"That can be arranged." Mona chuckles "I'll call the director."
One thing that is significantly different about New York when compared to Los Angeles is the weather. Not only does New York experience all four seasons, it also gets a lot of one thing that Los Angeles rarely sees. And that's rain.
In the early hours of the morning on the day of Jade's first broadway show, a giant line of thunderstorms passes through the city. She and Beck are snuggled up together in bed, completely oblivious to the fact that it's raining at all. Until a large crack of thunder echoes through the city, shaking their building, and waking Lennon up.
It's Beck who hops out of bed first when he hears her crying. He's out of the room before Jade can even process what's happening, but then lightning illuminates the bedroom and there's another crack of thunder and she understands. Groggily, she rolls over and looks at the clock on her bedside table and see's that it reads 4:12 in the morning.
"She's shaking." Beck frowns when he re-enters the bedroom with Lennon in his arms "I couldn't leave her."
"Baby..." Jade yawns as Beck climbs back into bed "It's just noise, it won't hurt you."
Beck sets Lennon down in between him and Jade, and the little girl of course crawls right up next to her mother.
"Mama..." She whines, tears forming in the corners of her eyes "Boom."
"Yes I know, loud booms." Jade nods as another crack of thunder shakes the building "We should just let her sleep with us tonight. One time won't form a habit."
"Fine by me." Beck agrees, laying down and pulling the sheets around all three of them
It takes a while for Lennon to calm down enough to get to a point where she can actually fall asleep. But she feels safe wrapped up in Mommy's arms and knows that Daddy is close by too. Eventually, all three of them fall back to sleep.
Jade is the first one to wake up. Her daughter startles her at first, as she had forgotten the events that had occurred just a few hours prior. But then she remembers the thunderstorm, and is relieved that Lennon was able to fall back asleep and didn't keep them up all night before her first show. It's still raining outside, and but there's no thunder anymore. At least not right now.
The baby had wiggled out of her arms and is now laying closer to Beck, resting on her back with her arms stretched out over her head and a peaceful and content expression on her face.
"Beck." Jade whispers, shaking her husband's shoulder lightly "Beck, wake up."
"Hm?" Beck awakes abruptly "What is it? Are you okay?"
"We're fine." Jade chuckles as she lays down on her side to face her husband and her baby "I just wanted you to see her. Look at how cute she is."
"Oh." Beck smiles, relieved that nothing is wrong "Oh wow, she looks so peaceful."
"She does, doesn't she?" Jade agrees as she gently rubs Lennon's arm
The two of them lay there in silence for a while, watching their daughter sleep. It's getting close to the point in the morning where they'll need to get up and start their day so Jade can get going to rehearsal, and Beck can get everything done that he needs to before heading to the theater to watch Jade on opening night. But neither of them want to move yet, they're too immersed in their daughter.
"She's the most perfect baby." Jade admits
"She really is."
"What if..." Jade hesitates "How would you feel about having another one?"
"Oh god." A panicked expression crosses Beck's face "Are you pregnant?"
"God, no." Jade laughs "I wouldn't have agreed to do the show if I was."
"Thank god." Beck lets out a sigh of relief
"I meant in a year or so. When she's closer to two." Jade clarifies "What do you think?"
"Well, we've always discussed having multiple." Beck nods "And you've said you want them closer together than you and your brother are. So yeah, I like that idea. In a year or so, let's try for another."
"Okay." Jade smiles, leaning over Lennon to kiss her husband "I like that idea too."
Jade leaves for rehearsal right after lunch, and Beck stays with Lennon. They play and read stories and Beck gives her a bath then departs for the theater himself around six o'clock in the evening, leaving Lennon with her new nanny, Emma.
He's on the very select list of people who is allowed backstage before the performance. Some of the cast and crew have gotten to know him over the past few months of rehearsals when he's come to visit Jade, sometimes he's even brought Lennon along with him. But tonight he's flying solo as he arrives at his wife's dressing room and knocks on the door.
"Come in."
"Hey." Beck smiles as he pokes his head in the door "Up for a visitor?"
"Only because it's you." Jade admits "I'm freaking out."
She hasn't performed in front of a live audience in a very long time, she's only done movies and TV. Movies and TV give you the chance for a do-over if you need it, and you can have as many do-overs as you need, but live theater only gives you one shot.
"Don't freak out." Beck assures her "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Here, I brought you these."
He hands her a bouquet of purple stargazer lilies. They're her absolute favorite flower, but not that common in flower shops. He called at least a dozen that afternoon while Lennon was napping, trying to find one that had some. Thankfully, a shop near Emma's apartment had them, and he had her pick some up for him and reimbursed her when she arrived.
"Stargazers." Jade grins "My favorite. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Beck smirks, tilting her chin upwards and kissing her "Feel better now?"
"Not at all." Jade admits "Do I look okay?"
"Honestly, you look hot." Beck tells her "I'd have sex with you right there on that couch right now if there wasn't a show starting soon and a million people around."
Maureen is a supporting character and isn't introduced until almost the end of the first act, but Jade is still completely ready to go in full costume and makeup. Her character first appears in leather pants and a tight tank top, and it's the tightest outfit she's worn since she got pregnant. Her hair is also full of tight curls and her makeup is done too.
"I don't look like I just had a baby?" She asks him
"You don't look like you've had a baby at all." Beck admits "And you didn't just have a baby, she's a year old."
"I'm freaking out, Beck." She repeats "I dunno if I can do this."
"You can." Beck assures her as he wraps her up in a tight hug "It's not any different than the musicals you did in high school and college."
"They weren't using my name as a promotion to get people in the door back then." Jade reminds him "Now it's plastered all over the god damn posters."
"So?"
"So, what if I fuck up and it's all people ever remember me for?"
"Then your an Emmy award-winner with an adorable daughter and a husband that loves you." Beck reminds her "Jade. You're going to be fine. Do you need me to go get Cat so she can talk some sense into you? She and Robbie have been here longer than I have."
"No." Jade shakes her head as he hugs her husband tightly "No, you're all I need."
Beck stays with Jade until the five minute warning, then makes his way up to the private box on reserve for him, Cat, and Robbie. He'll frequent this box many times over the course of Jade's run with the show, seeing it with both sets of her parents, his parents, Tori and Andre, Cat and Robbie multiple times, sometimes on his own, and once even bringing Lennon along with him. But for now it's just the three of them as the show begins.
Jade, of course, does phenomenally, just as Beck told her she would. He wraps her up in a hug the first moment he sees her after the show, lifting her off of her feet and spinning her around. They take pictures together, and with Cat and Robbie. The director addresses the cast and crew, congratulating them on a great first show, and then Jade returns to her dressing room to change.
They have their driver drop them off a few blocks away from their apartment and walk the rest of the way. There's not that many people on the street, so they aren't worried about being recognized, and it's a beautiful night now that the rain has stopped and they want to enjoy it.
"Have I told you that you were amazing tonight?" Beck asks her as they walk down the street hand-in-hand
"You have." Jade chuckles "But tell me again."
"You were amazing." He tells her "A real super star."
"Thank you, Mr. Oliver." Jade smirks
"You're welcome, Mrs. Oliver."
They walk on, discussing the show. What went right, the small hiccups that no one noticed, and Beck's amusement at his wife's on-stage affair with another woman. Suddenly, Jade stops walking.
"You okay?" Beck asks
She's let go of his hand and is standing directly under the light coming from a streetlamp.
"Come kiss me." She tells him "Right here."
"Okay." Beck chuckles, walking towards her
He takes her in his arms and pulls her as close to him as he can. They make out under the lamp's light for a few minutes, right in plain view of anyone who passes on the street.
"You've still got it." Jade smirks when they break away
"So do you." He grins "What was that all about?"
"Look at how pretty it is right now." Jade gestures around him "With the lights reflecting off of the wet pavement and the calmness and stillness of everything. I just wanted to take advantage of it."
"Almost feels like being in college again." Beck admits looking around him
"Kind of a little bit, huh?" Jade agrees "Good times. Simpler times."
"They were." Beck agrees "But now we have a pretty awesome little girl."
"We do." Jade grins "Let's get home to her."
"Cap!" Lennon exclaims as Cat walks through the door
"Ca-t, sweetheart." Cat says, putting an emphasis on the 't' sound as she bends down to pick Lennon up "With a T."
"She's working on it." Jade laughs as she walks over to them, stretching out her arms to hug her friend "Hi."
"Hey." Cat smiles, shifting Lennon to her other hip "I know you have to go to rehearsal soon, so I won't be long. I just have some news I wanted to share with you in person."
"Now are you pregnant?" Jade asks her
"No." Cat rolls her eyes "Stop wishing that on me, I have an album to promote."
"Right." Jade smirks "Sorry, what's the news?"
"Robbie is going to be the new host of the Late Show." Cat tells her with a smile
"That's awesome!" Jade exclaims "I didn't even know he was going for that."
"They kept it very under wraps." Cat informs her "I didn't even find out about it until he was already in the process of being considered."
"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?" Jade asks her
"Because there is." Cat sighs "They film that show in LA."
"I know." Jade shrugs "I've been on it. Multiple times. So what's the big deal if...oh. I get where this is going. You're going to be in LA full time with him now, aren't you?"
"That's the plan, yeah." Cat nods
"Well you should be." Jade assures her "You're engaged. And even if you weren't, he's your partner. You should be together."
"I just won't get to see you guys as much anymore." Cat frowns "I'm going to miss my best friends. And my favorite goddaughter."
"Only goddaughter." Jade reminds her "Don't worry, Cat. You'll still see us plenty. It's not like we won't be able to visit each other. And your tour will for sure stop here for at least one night."
"Probably three." Cat informs her with a wink "But don't tell anyone that yet."
"Your secret is safe with me." Jade promises her "I'll be at all three shows."
"What about your shows?"
"I have an understudy." Jade reminds her
"Right." Cat smiles a bit "I'll be back here once a month to see a show until I start touring. I promise."
"Alright." Jade hugs her again "It won't be so bad, Cat. You've been splitting your time between the two places for years now."
"It was an even fifty-fity split though." Cat reminds her "Now it's going to be like ninety-five and five. And Lennon will grow so much!"
"She'd do that regardless of if you were here or not."
"I know." Cat sighs "Now it's going to appear less gradual though."
"What are you doing for the rest of the afternoon?" Jade asks her
"Nothing." Cat shrugs "Why?"
"I'll tell you what..." Jade says as she pulls her phone out of her pocket "I'll tell the nanny not to come today, and you and Len can hang out and have auntie-goddaughter bonding time while I'm at rehearsal. Sound okay?"
"That's the next best thing to you letting me bring her to LA with me." Cat grins
"Oh, that's definitely not happening." Jade laughs "You'll have to settle for this instead."