Take A Bow
The trick is to face challenges head on and learn from them
"Twenty minutes" Kurt called through the door
This had been something Mercedes, who now called herself Jones, had been waiting for, this had been her dream for as long as she could remember, and now she was sat in her box of a dressing room wishing it away, damning the day she listened to that piece of stupid advice
"You know the drill" she looked at herself in the mirror "Focus on that excitement and most of your fears will immediately lose their power over you" she closed her eyes and tried to focus on exactly that "Shit" she hissed when she opened her eyes and felt exactly the same
"Okay focus on what you want to achieve here, this is your damn dream" she almost shouted at herself "I want people to at least remember my damn name" she slammed her hands on the dresser, upset that right now she didn't even believe in herself let alone to be expecting people to see anything special in her
"You're selling your voice girl" she tried harder to talk herself into this gig she was doing
She'd gotten a call out the blue from this agency in LA, an old friend had put a recording of hers from way back in the day on You Tube, she'd actually forgotten about it, and now 11 years later this Artie guy had called wanting her to do some backing vocals for some artist called Rachel Berry. She'd never heard of her until the day of the call, but by the evening she'd gotten familiar, the woman, much like her had been doing the circuits for a while and had broken into the business with her latest song, if nothing else she could get some tips.
"The audience is your friend" she smiled at the mirror "Until you bore them to death and become their damn enemy" she snarled at herself. She looked at the door maybe she needed to forget all this, who the hell did she think she was, she was doing just fine with her regular Thursday night thing, performing to her thirty regular, non-listening punters, why did she ever think she could come out of her comfort zone.
"One person at a time" she wiped speckles of sweat from her forehead "Shit this isn't working, I've got more stage fright now than I had before I started with this shitty coping strategy" she looked around the room "I need a drink" she grabbed her bottle of water and took a gulp "Make eye contact, talk to your audience with every word, don't forget feeling" she walked herself through the familiar list.
Stage fright was something she'd always dealt with but after nearly 9 years of performing to the same audience it had felt more like they were invading her space rather than her engaging with them. She'd been through all the therapy she felt she needed on this, she was at a point, and had been for a long while now, where she understood her triggers, or so she thought until tonight.
"Ten minutes" Kurt's face popped round the door telling her
"Okay" she smiled at him, there was no need for anyone to know she wasn't planning on going out there just yet, "But" she looked back at her mirror "Isn't that part of fighting this endless cycle of stage fright you've allowed yourself to buy into?" she smiled at herself at the recognition that she was still going through her coping strategy
"You've got this" she slammed her hand on the dresser again "Comfort zone means no progress" her eyes met with her image in the mirror, and she was instantly deflated her outer self was brave enough to take this on but her inner self was fighting the demon "What if I get booed?"
"Buck up, that's a part of show business, sometimes people can be cruel" she smiled at the words of comfort coming back to her from an old teacher, he wasn't just a teacher, more like a teacher of a lifetime "Okay" she prepped herself "You get through this debut you can get on with the rest of your life" she sprung up out of the chair deciding that action was needed to get rid of this damn feeling of doubt
"Last call" Kurt's head popped around the door again "Miss Berry wants everyone down for the circle"
"Circle?"
"Pep talk" he confirmed
"Heads up?"
"Usual shit, don't stand in front of her, don't sound better than her, don't look at the audience, you know the usual drama queen shit"
"God" she huffed on top of everything else she was feeling right now, she had to take someone else's feelings on board
She followed Kurt out doing her usual runs and warmups as she went "There's another backup singer" he told her "She didn't want you guys to know about each other because she wanted you to keep your individuality or some shit like that" he shook his head "Personally I think it's because she's scared you might sound better than her"
"So" Jones stopped walking "Basically if she fucks up tonight it's on us?"
"Basically" Kurt nodded
"Will I still get paid?"
"Sure"
"And you can guarantee that?"
"I've got authorisation to pay already" Kurt confirmed
"Okay" she smiled "Let's go fuck some shit up" suddenly it didn't matter whether she was good or bad, because this woman Rachel expected them to cover her back anyway which sort of meant she didn't think she was much good "This is it" she whispered to herself following Kurt through the hollow corridor to the main dressing room "I thought?" Jones stopped as they walked past the main dressing room
"What that she was the main act?" Kurt laughed "Far from it, I think she knows a man who knows a man, if you get what I mean" he looked at Jones "Fake it till you make it comes to mind" he tapped his nose "I don't think she ever thought this song would come to anything let alone that she'd ever have to sing it in public, or even live"
"Studio gave her lots of help?"
"Lots" he stopped at a dressing room door much further down the hall "Miss Berry" he called through the door as he knocked it "Miss Jones is here"
"Just Jones please" she smiled at him, their eyes widening at the screaming voice coming back at them
"Good luck" he smiled before turning and walking off
The talk was as Kurt had mapped it out, Jones stood looking at a girl called Santana, they both had that same what the fuck is this, look on their faces as the reality of what they were there for hit them. They weren't expected to just back this woman up, they were having to find the missed notes and fill them in with runs or something that would make the crowd wow about this track she was going to sing, the woman was asking the impossible.
Jones and Santana looked at each other both thinking exactly the same thing, this woman hadn't got a clue about performing on stage if she thought she could get away with feeding her audience crap, and getting away with it
"So, are you saying that you're lip sinking?" Santana asked disgusted
"Some of it" Rachel admitted
"Do you think that's wise shouldn't you just go low and leave us to handle the high notes?" Jones asked concerned, she'd been on the gone wrong side of shit like this before
"That's why we didn't need any practice" Santana tutted "This is a freaking farce"
"We haven't got time for this" Rachel snapped at them "You're here to do a job, get it done"
"I don't know about you, but if this ship sinks out there, just know I'll be the first to jump" Santana told Jones
"Not if I see it sinking first" Jones told her
"It's time" Rachel looked at the door opening
"Ready?" Kurt asked smiling, he'd obviously been listening
"As we'll ever be" Rachel flicked her hair off her shoulder and marched out of the room in front of them, they looked at each other before following her
They stood side stage waiting for some other artist to finish their set, they were singing just two songs and one of those was a cover, while the other was supposed to be the new song this Berry woman had them listen to for just over a week, but with no harmony's planned, no runs agreed and apparently no real front voice to work with, they'd got their work cut out
"Please welcome to the stage Miss Rachel Berry with her debut single…"
That was the beginning of the end of their five minutes of fame, Rachel tripped onto the stage, generating a laugh from the crowd and somehow it seemed impossible for them to take her serious after that. It wasn't helped by the recorded version of the song hitching for a few seconds, just long enough to alert the crowd to the fact that she was in fact lip sinking, which was followed by a few boos. The band took a few seconds to fall back into sink with the recording, the backing singers were trying to hold things together but with them already in the middle of a note it was hard to pull it together, and everything just stopped for a few seconds.
"Push through" Kurt shouted from side stage, that was what they were there for Santana and Jones went all out on the harmonies waiting for Rachel to get her wind back, they eventually wound it down when they realised she wasn't even going to try and win her crowd back and stood waiting to see what was happening next. Finally, the uncomfortable silence was broken when Rachel nodded to the band to start playing the second song
"This is my rendition of one of my favourite songs, I hope you like it" she just about muttered before she started singing some song none of them knew, everyone on stage knew something was wrong the way the band shuffled around trying to get the note
"What happened to your set?" Kurt shouted from the side lines, stamping his foot when she took no notice
There was something in her voice that told them she wasn't holding up well, they looked at each other there was nowhere in this song to put a harmony or even a run to hide anything, they looked back at the band, then side stage, everyone was flapping, it was obvious Rachel had messed up.
Suddenly everything just stopped it was as if Rachel just gave up, the crowd was still booing them, the band was trying but it was obvious she'd given up. The stage and the audience went quiet for a minutes, everyone wondering what the hell should happen next
"What should we do?" Santana asked Kurt, watching Rachel leave the stage
Rachel stood side stage watching her backup singers stressing about being left hung out there "I'm not ready" she told Kurt crying
"Next time you decide to threaten someone, make sure it's with something you can actually deliver" Kurt snapped
"I thought…"
"What the hell was that?" Finn's thunderous voice came from behind them asking
"Finn" they both gasped at the same time
"You've just gone out there and made a damn fool of not just yourself but me too, I thought you said you were ready for this?" he shouted
"I thought I was" Rachel shouted back at him, trying to defend her behaviour
"You better use that voice to shout for a cab, cause that's all you're making out of tonight's farce" Finn told her "Get off my stage"
"Finn" she looked at him, sorry but angry at the same time
"Just go Rachel" he pointed to the exit, turning to see what was happening on stage "Who are they?" he asked Kurt upset still in his voice as he watched the two women on stage
"The backing singers" Kurt replied
"Tell them to come talk to me after they finish the set"
"The set?" Kurt asked
"They've got another five minutes to fill"
"Keep it going" Kurt told the desperate faces looking at him as the musical outburst finished and the audience clapped and cheered
"Anything?" Jones asked Santana
"Haven't you got anything?" Santana asked Jones, aware Rachel had gone
"No" Jones shook her head "I haven't sang a gig this size in years"
"I suppose…" Santana looked at her "I might have a song" she looked out at the audience "But…"
"There are no buts" Jones told her "We're dying out here" she closed her eyes hearing that familiar voice of reason, one she didn't even realise she'd missed so much, but right now it was up front and centre in her head, she closed her eyes to hear the voice "Because I believe in you, and what you could become, you're no skimmed milk baby, you're cream rising to the top"
"Raising to the top" she opened her eyes and grabbed the mic
Santana took a step forward, the crowd quietened at seeing something happening, she grabbed a mic and took centre stage, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath "Do you know 'Whenever You're Ready' by Mahalia?" she asked the band, smiling at them nodding "Do your thing" she smiled at Jones
"Do my thing" Jones' mind screamed at her as she stood trying to work out what her thing was, damning the day she'd become so complacent in her singing, she smiled at the vivid image of sitting in that classroom, listening to that encouraging voice in her ear, as if they were standing right next to her, telling her she sounded amazing after uploading some random song and getting her 485 hits "Just need to get out there and do your thing" she smiled as the music starting
"We've got this" Santana smiled at Jones stepping up front with her
Jones: I won't lie to you, said you needed space in a rage, I was scared to say, bye to you
I didn't understand why you ran away, what was I, supposed to do, terrified that the end of us would end my life, till I realized
Santana: That you ain't nothing without me, I'm nothing without you, there's too much history
Yeah, we got something good, but I'm a set you free, you won't be gone for good, no I'm not worried
Both: So whenever you're ready, I'll be here, love you if you let me, you'll see dear, you'll never forget me, let's be clear
Whenever you're ready (Jones: when you're ready come back to my loving arms)
Jones: Yeah, I know you're mad at me, but I ain't going to cry cause you told me you're protecting your sanity
Santana (with Jones): And it don't matter either way, at the end of the day you're still bound to me,
you can hide, but the truth is you'll always be mine, you don't realize
Jones: That you ain't nothing without me, I'm nothing without you….
They were all smiling happy by the time the song finished the crowd were smiling and they were actually enjoying the spotlight.
"What the hell was those notes in that run" Santana asked Jones when the song finished
"Oh" she blushed "Sorry I get lost in the moment sometimes"
"No" she shook her head "It wowed the crowd I need to get that whatever it was you got in your head notes there" she grabbed her hand to take a bow "I could get used to this" Santana laughed looking out at the crowd "What do we do now?"
"Get a manager?" Jones suggested, she could feel the but coming, she was about to have that doubtful conversation she'd had in a classroom a long while back, the one that dampened her spirit every time she tried to jump out of that comfort zone of her she bit here bottom lip "Cream rising to the top" she whispered to herself
"Hey" Kurt called to them "Get off stage"
"Shit" Santana hissed "I was just getting warmed up"
"Me too" they smiled at each other; in that moment they knew that wasn't the last the music industry was going to see of them on this scale
"Finn wants to see you" Kurt told them as they walked towards him
"Who's Finn?" Jones asked
"The boss" he walked them past Jones' dressing room, through a red door at the end of the corridor and stopped at a black door "Don't sign up for no bull shit, make sure you get your worth" he smiled before knocking the door
"Come in" Finn bellowed, they looked at each other grabbing hands and nodded at Kurt to open the door
"Oh, and have a name ready, that's what he'll be looking for" he let the door swing open
"Name?" Jones asked confused, walking into the office
"Arh" Finn jumped up "You're the ladies that decided to make trouble for me tonight" he smiled walking towards them "Thank you for saving that debacle earlier, you were heaven sent, I don't know what Rachel was thinking"
"You're welcome" Santana thought she should answer
"One of you might have been worth the money but to get two" he rolled his eyes "You come very highly recommended"
"By?" Santana stepped forward curious
"Santana right?" he smiled at her nodding "Puck ring a bell?"
"Yeah he's my ex-husband, what did he say about me?"
"That you were very talented, and he held you back so that he could climb up the ladder, one of his biggest regrets" Finn sat on his desk telling her "And last but not least, the cream rising to the top" he looked at Jones "Sam's one of my best friends now a days, and it seems your very much still his"
"We haven't spoken in two months" she smiled
"Absence and all that" Finn laughed "So, I have a proposition for you" he looked from one to the other as he spoke "There's no denying you're good, each in your own right actually, but I believe you could be a powerhouse together and I really want to test that out"
"How?" Santana asked suspicious
"I usually reserve the last spot for the best performance but if you can come up with something in the next two hours I'll give you that spot, if it works we'll talk seriously about contracts"
"Seriously?" Jones gasped
"Seriously" Finn laughed "So" he giggled "What are you waiting for?" he watched them turn and almost run out of his office
"Got anything?" Santana asked as they rushed through the corridor, looking blankly at each other
"The roof" Jones suggested "I always think better on the roof"
"At this point I'll try anything" Santana agreed
They sat for the longest while just looking out at the sky, trying to squeeze something out "What's that song?" Jones asked, "I think it's… shit what's her name?" Santana sat wondering if she really wanted an answer on such little information, Jones started humming the song,
"I know that one" Santana stood up humming until they got the words, and sang it through a few times "Okay, so I'll start" Santana offered
"I'll take the middle and we'll both finish" Jones agreed "We can do this" they joined hands in agreement
"What are we called?"
"Heavenly I guess, courtesy of Finn"
"Ladies" Kurt's head popped round the door "Five" he smiled "Did you get a name?"
"Heavenly" Jones told him
"So, let's do this Heavenly" he pushed the door open for them to follow him
They felt more comfortable this time, they knew what they were capable of and how much they wanted it as they stepped out onto centre stage again to sing their rendition of 'Sunset' by Demi Lovato
Santana: I, oh-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, honestly, if I lost you, it'd be the end of me, end of me, everything, all the love would leave inside of me entirely…
They smiled at each other happy they hadn't got a boo yet, singing the chorus together at the crowd
Jones: Hard to breathe, every time that you have to leave, till you're back with me
All of the parts of me, thinking heaven must be real, from the way you make me feel, oh….
Santana nodded to side stage Jones looked over, smiling at Finn stood punching the air at the crowd response to the song, nodding in agreement that the finale had to be good, they put their all into it
Jones with Santana: (Santana): We're just two tangled souls, made of roses and thorns, we're just ships in the night, chasing after the light
Tell me, what would be life, without you by my side, we're just oceans and waves, we're just one and the same (oh-oh)
Santana, with Jones (Jones): So don't let the sunset (yeah) on our love (our love) don't let the night fall (don't let it get too dark, yeah) tear us apart, no
Cause I'm lost without you, without you (I'm lost with you, and him, with me, I need you back, baby, oh) don't let the sunset (let it yeah)
On our love, no…
They hugged each other feeling complete as the crowd stood clapping
"Take a bow" Kurt shouted at them, they grabbed hands and took the bow
"Hey" Santana smiled at this rough looking man stood smiling at her as they walked off stage "This is Puck, my ex" she told Jones "This is Jones" she told him, walking off with him before he could respond, it seemed something was about to be rekindled
They finally spoke to Finn and started the beginnings of a negotiation going around a contract, of course there were more meetings to be had, advice to be taken, and decisions to be made before anything was written in stone, but they'd got the bug now, she sat in Santana's dressing room wondering what to do next she'd got another two days in Los Angeles.
"Any plans?" Santana asked reading her mind
"I'm going to make some calls, see if there's anyone we can rely on" Jones told her
"We'll talk more in depth end of next week" Santana suggested
"Before that I'm sure" Jones smiled "But we'll definitely see each other"
"Defo" Santana hugged her "Sure you don't want us to walk you to your car?" she held onto Puck's arm asking
"I'm fine" they said their goodnights and parted company
She walked across the carpark smiling at her achievement "Was I right?" a voice surprised her, she looked up and saw him leaning on her car his legs crossed at the ankle
"Sam" she smiled "I knew I could feel you close" she giggled "Right about what?"
"Cream rising to the top?"
"Okay" she giggled walking towards him "I'll give you that one"
"And if I was right about that, surely I was right about us getting serious again?"
"I think I've learned that the hard way" she hugged him "It's really good to see you babe it's been too long" she smiled up at him
"Back at you" he squeezed her tight
"Thank you for doing this for me"
"I just plugged your name; you did the rest" he hugged her tighter
"Whatever you did, it's threatening to change my life" she giggled
"I just don't want you to let the sun set on us"
"Funny" she laughed
"About that maybe, but I'm seriously concerned about these gaps that are getting longer" he frowned
"I still miss you every damn day" she looked up at him "Booty Call?"
"Damn straight, for the whole weekend" he opened her car door for her "I'll follow you"
"This will be the last one" she stopped to tell him
"Why" he held onto her car door asking
"I thought we'd just agreed you were ready to come back into my loving arms" she sang "
"We did" he smiled
"So, let's do it"