AN: Chapter 36
Damn this turned out longer than I had planned . ; but that's ok. Lol I'm sure you all won't mind a slightly longer chapter than normal ;)
Also! Very excited to say that I was able to put in the song Make a Move by Icon for Hire! (I own nothing) I mentioned a few chapters ago that I wanted to use this song but wasn't sure if I was going to be able to, but as I wrote more chapters I was like, gasp! I can totally use it! and so I did lol
Depressica: woot! That's the reaction I was going for! :) warm and happy feelings! And merry Christmas to you too! *insert heart*
Guest chpt 36: yes yes… do the happy dance for Gruvia… :D
Nyma: hahaha I'm sorry for the cliffhangers! They are just so much fun to do! :D and yes, I will accept a pillow to the face or any other part of me. I know I deserve it haha. I know I really wanted to make Gray a complete mess when Juvia awoke. Just caz he really does love her and he really does need her around. Not to mention he hasn't seen her in so long or seen her happy like that since before he started drinking, so it was a very big deal for him. And of course. Shes a sly fox ;) she loves Rain and wants nothing but the best for that girl. As for Finn and Serena… well… I cannot say caz things happen in this chapter lol. And after I read your review about Leo and Rain using their magic together (quinky dink that I mention his magic abilities in this chapter lol) I am now trying to come up with an idea that I can use that later on… I have one… but I don't think I can really use it unless I put more thought into it lol but yes, he is no pushover. All I will say is that he is very, very, very much like his father when it comes to magic. (But on a side note that I know I haven't mentioned, he has been known to summon a celestial spirit or two before ;) ) and Leo totally would be able to help Rain tap into her powers… shes definitely juvias daughter and uses her emotions and feelings to increase her magic power. And like I said, I will try to come up with something were we get to see those two use more of their magics! I can't make any promises that it'll happen, but I will try my hardest!
Gray lifted his head quickly from Juvia's stomach, his eyes wide as he looked into solid blue. "We have to call the kids! They have to know you're ok!"
Juvia laughed slightly as she brought a hand to the ice mages tear stained cheek. "Gray… calm down. It's late and I'm sure the kids are already sleeping. Why don't you get some sleep yourself? You look like you haven't gotten a whole lot."
Gray closed his eyes as he leaned forward, pressing his head against Juvias'. "How can I sleep now? I don't want to miss another second with you."
Juvia smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, Gray. And you need your rest." The water mage pushed her husband away slightly. Her expression soft and caring. "Why don't you let me watch over you while you sleep? I think I've had enough rest to last me a lifetime."
Gray grinned as he watched Juvia move over on the hospital bed, leaving just enough room for him to join her at her side. The ice mage quickly made his way onto the bed, his arms wasting no time wrapping themselves around Juvia's waist. He laid his head on her chest as she too wrapped her arms around him, encasing him with her warmth. His eyelids grew heavy as he felt her soft touch on his head. She was running her fingers though his dark hair, a sensation the ice mage missed dearly.
'It's been so long since I've held you like this… I was a damned fool to ever let you go… even for one second. I promise I won't ever let that happen again.' Gray thought to himself as a peaceful sleep took over him.
Finn put his hand on his pocket, his eyes narrowing for a second. "Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?... ah!" The ice mage turned and headed back up the stairs to his room. He sighed as he saw his phone on his bed where he left it. Finn grinned as he picked it up, tossing it into the air slightly and catching it quickly. "I'm definitely going to need you today." Finn turned around and headed back down stairs with his phone in hand. As he made his way back down the stairs, Finn could hear a knock on the door. 'Wonder who that is? I wasn't expecting anyone to come over today….' He thought to himself. Just as Finn was a few feet away from the door, his phone went off in his hand. The ice mage stared down at the number calling him at that moment. Solid blue eyes went wide as his father's number flashed on the screen.
Finn turned around on his heels and answered it quickly. "Dad? What's wrong?! Is mom ok?!" Finns' expression changed from worry to confusion as he heard his father laughing on the other end. "Why… why are you laughing? I'm being completely serious! Did something happen with mom?"
Grays' laughter subsided after another minute. "I'm sorry Finn, your mom just did something funny that made me laugh. I didn't mean to do that right when you answered."
Finns' eyes went wide once more. He could feel his heart skipping a beat as he breathed slowly. "Is… is mom… awake? Does she… remember?"
"Every last detail of us and what happened. Well, mostly what had happened. A few things are still a bit fuzzy for her from when she was being controlled by that scumbag Bora. But she's just fine Finn. The doctors want to keep her here overnight to run some tests to make sure there isn't permanent damage done to her brain. We should be coming back home tomorrow."
"She's… she's coming home with you? Here?"
Gray chuckled slightly. "Yeah, were else would she go?"
"So you guys aren't getting a divorce anymore? You're going to work things out?"
"I'd say we already did, right Juvia?"
Finn could hear his mother giggling as she came on the phone now. "Mom?"
"Hi sweetie. And yes, your father and I are going to stay together. I can't wait to come home and see you and Rain."
Finn let out a relieved sigh as he smiled. "Yeah. I can't wait to see you too. Did dad call Rain yet?"
"No, he hasn't. You were the first one we called this morning."
"Would it be ok if I went and told her? I was headed over to go see her at Leos'."
"That's fine sweetie. I'm supposed to meet with my doctor in a few minutes. We'll let you know when we are heading home tomorrow."
"Ok… and mom?"
"Yes Finn?"
"I'm… I'm glad you didn't forget about us."
"I know. I'm very glad I didn't too."
Finn smiled as he said his goodbyes, hanging up the phone and slipping it into his pocket. The ice mage heard another knock on the door as he brought hand up to his eyes, wiping away the small tears that began to form. "Yeah, I'll be right there…"
Finn walked slowly to the front door, opening it quickly. His eyes widened as arms opened wide and wrapped around him.
"Surprise!" Serena said excitedly as she held Finn tightly.
Finn stood there, shocked to see his girlfriend here and with her arms wrapped around his neck. "S-Serena…"
The girl leaned back some, loosening her grip. A smile grew across her lips. "Are you surprised to see me?"
"Uh… yes… why… why are you here?"
"Well… after we talked the other night… I got really worried about you and I felt terrible after hearing what happened to your mother, so I decided to come here and cheer you up."
Finn stared at her for a long minute. "Wow… thank you…" He said slowly as she hugged him tight once more. His own arms came around the girl's body, holding her lightly. "But I just got a call from my dad… my mom's awake and she has all of her memories intact. Dad said she can come home tomorrow if the doctors clear her."
Serena leaned back, her smiled widening. "Really?! That's fantastic!"
"Yeah, I was actually about to go tell my sister about the good news."
The platinum blonde haired girl looked past Finn, her blue eyes searching the house. "Is she not here? I figured she would be."
"She's staying with Leo right now… I tried to get her to come back home but she was being stubborn. I'm hoping with this news she'll want to come back."
"Well then let's go tell her the news! I'll drive as long as you direct me to Leo's house!" The girl said as she pulled Finn along by the hand.
Finn smiled quickly as Serena looked at him. Once she turned to face her car, the smile quickly faded off of the ice mages lips. 'Of all times for her to show up here… I just wish she called first….'
Serena gripped Finns' hand tightly as she spoke. "Ah! I'm so excited to finally meet your friend Leo!"
"Don't let him hear you say that. He might try showing off for ya."
"Oh does he have magic too?"
"Yeah he has a unique kind of magic. It's just like his fathers, it's called Regulus magic."
Serena put a finger to her lips. "Reg-ulus… magic? What is it like?"
"It's a Caster type magic and it basically allows him to produce the element of light from his body. Often while I sparred with him, he would shape his magic to look like a lion was attacking me… I guess his father showed him how to do it when he was younger."
"Wow… that sounds just as cool as your magic." Serena clenched her fists lightly as she began to pout. "You guys are so lucky you were able to practice magic…"
Finn laughed slightly. "You know you're never too old to learn how to use magic… it's just easier when your younger to learn. It also helps if some of the magic is passed down through the genes from your parents."
Serena sighed as she stepped up to Leo's front door. "And that unfortunately is a problem for me. Not only were my parents normal… my father never allowed me to practice. Always pushing me into other activities to keep me too occupied."
Finn knocked on the door as he looked to Serena with a smile. "If you want, I could show you how to use Ice-make magic."
Serena nudged him lightly. "Oh yeah? With what time?"
"I would find some time for you. You know that." Finn turned his face to the door as the girl giggled next to him. Leo opened the door a minute later, his olive-green eyes going wide as he looked to Serena. His jaw dropped as words failed to form from his mouth.
Finn coughed slightly as he looked at the blonde haired boy raising a finger to the girl beside him. "Um, Leo… this is Serena. Serena, Leo."
The platinum blonde haired girl held out a hand as she smiled. "It's so nice to finally meet you Leo. Finn has told me so much about you."
Leo extended his hand slowly, taking Serena's hand into his own. "Y-yeah… it's nice to meet you too…"
"Is Rain around? I've got to tell her something." Finn asked seriously.
"Yeah she's just in the living room on the couch. We fell asleep on it last night and we just woke up a bit ago so she's probably still finishing up her breakfast."
Finn raised a brow as he walked into the house with Serena. "It's kinda late into the morning… what were you guys doing last night that you slept in his late?"
"We fell asleep watching his stupid horror movie… the best part of movie was when Rain was scared and wanted to cuddle with me under the blanket."
Finn's head snapped back to Leo quickly. "She what?!"
Leo burst out in laughter as he pointed at Finn. "Oh man! You should see your face right now! I'm kidding, man!"
Serena giggled beside Finn as Leo continued to laugh. Finn glared at the blonde haired boy. "Don't scare me like that… I wouldn't want to have to kick your ass in front of my girlfriend."
Serena tapped Finn's shoulder lightly. "Oh come on Finn. He was joking."
Leo grinned as he lowered his eyelids halfway. "Yeah Finn… I was completely joking…"
Before the ice mage could get another word out of his mouth, Rain came into the room and gasped loudly. "Serena?"
The older girl turned and held her arms out to hug the blue haired girl. "Rain! Oh my gosh it's been a while since I've seen you!"
Finn turned around and started towards his sister. A hand pulling back on his shirt stopped him quickly. Leo pulled Finn back and leaned in close to the ice mage, putting a hand up to his lips. "Dude! Is that really your girlfriend?!"
"Yeah… that's Serena."
"She's flippin' hot! Why are you messing around with Lily?! If I were you, I wouldn't give that piece of ass up!"
Finn glared at the blonde haired boy. "Will you shut your mouth about Lily?! I haven't said anything about her to Serena yet…"
"What? You haven't?! Oh man…" Leo said as he leaned back some, shaking his head. "You are screwed."
"How am I screwed?!" Finn snapped, his blue eyes glancing over at the girls catching up with one another.
"What if either one of the girls finds out about the other?! What then?! What are you gonna do?"
"Well… Lil already knows I'm going out with Serena… so that I'm not too worried about that…"
"So what? You just gonna keep this all a secret from your girlfriend? You know… the girl you're actually dating… at this moment..."
Finn rolled his eyes before he spoke. "Look, I'm not here to talk about either of them. I came here to talk to Rain."
"Wait… you're going to talk to Rain about Lily and Serena?" Leo scratched his head as he raised a brow. "I don't think that's gonna be a lot of help to you Finn."
"No, I'm not going to talk to her about them! I came here to tell her about our mother. She's awake and she remembers everything!"
Rain looked past Serena right to her brother as he raised his voice to Leo. "Finn…" The younger ice mage walked past the girl she was talking to, heading straight to her brother. "Are… you serious? Moms awake? And she remembers?"
Finn grinned as he nodded his head. "Yeah. And she might be able to come home tomorrow."
Rain's blue eyes swelled with tears as she smiled. Her arms came up and wrapped around Finns' neck tightly. "I can't believe it! She's coming home! She remembers! We can finally be a family again!" Finn smiled and closed his eyes lightly as he listened to his sister speak. A moment later his eyebrows crossed as he felt another set of arms wrap around them, a loud sniffling sound entering his ears. The ice mage opened his eyes and glanced sideways to the blonde haired boy who had wrapped his arms around them both, joining in on the hug as he sniffled.
"Um… Leo?"
"Yeah Finn?"
"Do you mind?" Finn asked calmly.
Leo quickly dropped his hands away, stepping back a few steps. "Yeah, sorry man." The blonde haired boy watched as Finn and Rain continued to hug minutes after he let go. A frown came over his face as he began to pout. "Now I just feel left out… Finn… can I come back in for a hug now?"
"No." He said quickly and coolly. Rain released her grip on her brother and walked over to the blonde haired boy.
"Don't be so mean Finn. If Leo wants a hug, then I'll hug him too." She said as she wrapped her arms around the blonde haired boy. A wide grin came over Leo's face as he hugged her back tightly, giving her a quick and excited "yay" in response.
Finn snapped his fingers and quickly put his hand into his pocket. "Oh, that reminds me… I have to make a quick phone call."
Serena came up beside Finn as he searched for a number in his phone. "I thought you told everyone about your mom… who else do you need to tell?"
Lily tapped her pen on the paper in front of her as she gripped her bangs. The dark haired girl leaned back in her chair and turned it around to face the man sitting on the couch behind her. "What do you think of this… when I sing the verse you and I; we share the same disease… do you think you and Dane can come up behind me, jump into the air and spin with your guitars? Do you think that's a bit over the top for the show?"
The tall man grinned as he stood up and made his way over to Lily. She spun back around to the table, looking over the song she had been working on for a while with him. The man read over what she had written down for the performance during the song. His voice was smooth as he spoke. "I think it sounds like an awesome thing to do." Green eyes looked to Lily with a raised pierced brow. "You know you are really good at this Lily."
Lily smiled as she leaned back in her chair. "Yeah, I know. I've been performing songs and coming up with some moves for me and the band to do for a long time now. I just want to make sure everyone else is ok with what I have here. We also have to make sure we get some practice in before tonight. I knew we were cutting it kinda close meeting up last night after not seeing each other in a while."
"Well, you seemed to have everything under control. You're a pretty amazing woman, you know that?" The man said with a grin.
"Why don't you tell me something I don't know." Lily said with a smirk and a raised brow.
"Just looking at what you can do on your own is incredible…" The tall man leaned in close to whisper into the dark haired girls' ear. "Imagine what the two of us could do if we were together…"
Lily scoffed and pushed the man away. "Will you give that a rest, Rex? There's no way I'm going out with you so just give up on asking me."
Rex went back to the couch as he laughed. "I know, I know. But you can't blame a guy for trying to get with ya. You really are hard to resist. You've got talent, and you're sexy as hell."
Lily rolled her eyes as she went back over the sheet of paper before her, thinking to herself. 'Yeah, and I can see my father's reaction if I was dating you. He'd probably have a heart attack.' Lily glanced back at Rex as he picked up his guitar and began to tune the strings. 'I wonder… all those years ago… if it was you I started to date and form a band with instead of Chrono… would things have turned out like they did?' Lily smiled as she closed her eyes. 'Probably not. My dad probably would have killed Rex the moment I introduced him. Besides… right now… my heart belongs to someone else.'
Lily glanced over to her phone that went off suddenly. She smiled as she saw the name that appeared. The girl set her pen down and picked the phone up. "Hey Finn, what's up?"
"Lil, you'll never guess what happened."
"Well from the sounds of it, it has to be something good."
"My mom is awake, she has her memories, and she can probably come home tomorrow!"
Lily's expression lit up quickly. "Really?! Wow… Finn… that's so great to hear. I'm so happy for you."
"Yeah… it's like… a big weight is lifted off my chest. I honestly still can't believe it. I really hope this isn't all just one big dream I'm having."
Lily giggled. "Well I can assure you it's not a dream right now. Have you told Rain yet? I'm sure she'll be so happy to hear that too."
"Yeah I just told her a few minutes ago. And she was."
"Well, hey, I've gotta go now. I still have a lot to do before tonight. So can we talk more later?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know since you asked me to keep you posted."
Lily smiled as she closed her eyes lightly. "I know, thanks for letting me know Finn."
As the dark haired girl hung the phone up and set it back down on the table, letting out a soft sigh. Rex grinned as he raised a brow. "Who was that?"
Lily opened her eyes and continued to smile. "It was just a friend."
"Oh? Just a friend, eh? Nothing more than that?"
"Heh… no… nothing more than a very good friend."
"Judging by your heart beat just a few seconds ago, I'd say that this "friend" of yours, definitely means more to you."
Lily scoffed and smiled as she turned around to look at Rex. "Lookie here Mr. I did not give you permission to use your dragon slayer magic to hear my heart beat!"
Rex smirked as he closed his eyes happily. "It was kinda hard to ignore, it was beating so loud!"
Lily smiled as she rolled her eyes, turning back around in her chair to the table. "Yeah right."
"Did you invite him to the show tonight? You know we get some extra tickets ourselves. You can have mine if you want. I don't have any friends in this town and I'm sure you have more than just one friend living here."
"No, that's ok. I should only need three tickets. I'll shoot him a text in a minute and see if he wants to come and see us tonight. I really want to get this last bit of the performance done."
Finn was once again pulled aside by Leo away from the girls. His arms were crossed over his chest as he listened to Leo speak, his solid blue eyes staying on his sister and Serena.
"So what are you going to do about Lily? Have you talked to her about things between you two yet?"
"No, and every time I tried, she just changed the subject or said she was too busy. It's like she's trying to keep me at arm's length, always avoiding my questions…. I've started to believe that she did just do it with me the second time out of friendship… the way she's acting… makes me think she still just cares for me as a friend. And… if that's what she wants… then I'll just stay with Serena."
"But… don't you still love Lily? That isn't fair to you to be with someone you don't care for…"
Finns' eyes shifted to olive-green. "I do love Serena… I just…" His eyes cast down as he spoke. "I feel more connected to Lily. Everything just feels right when I'm with her. When I'm with Serena… I have love for her… but something still feels like its missing."
Leo smacked his forehead with his hand, tilting his head back slightly. His voice low so that only Finn could hear him. "That's because you know you're supposed to be with someone else! God… it's not that hard to figure out. You and that dragon both…. So stupid."
Finn snapped his gaze back to Leo. "Look! It's not that simple, ok?! If she doesn't want to at least try to be with me, I'm not going to waste my time or continue to cheat…. I do love Serena dearly. And I've made up my mind about this. I'm just going to stick to someone who is willing to be with me." Solid blue looked back to Serena. Her head turned as she continued to speak to Rain. Their eyes locked together as she smiled at the ice mage.
Leo let out a sigh as he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever man. It's your decision and I'm tired of playing the broken record."
The ice mage looked down at his pocket, his phone going off as he received a text message.
"Hey Finn! It's me… I forgot to ask if you, Leo, and Rain wanted to come by the bar tonight to see me perform my new song with the band. I have some spare tickets to get you guys in."
"Tickets? Why do we need tickets to come see the show tonight?"
"Well, ever since I started working there, Macao has been trying to raise more money to expand the bar. One to get more people in to see us play and buy drinks, and two, to see if he could expand the stage for bigger performances."
"Wow… that's actually a good idea. Yeah just let me ask if they want to go."
Finn looked up from his phone to the people around him. "Hey guys… Lily wants to know if you all want to go see her perform a new song tonight at the bar. She said she has some spare tickets for us."
"Tickets huh? This must be a special show if they have tickets sales." Leo said as he put a finger to his chin.
Rain raised her brows. "I don't think I ever got to see Lily perform before… I guess it would be pretty interesting to see her now."
Serena held up her hands slightly. "Wait, is this the same Lily you told me about Finn?"
"Yeah, the very same one." He said with a smile.
Serena smiled and put her hands together. "Then let's go! It'll be so much fun!"
Finn chuckled slightly. "Alright, I'll let her know to save us the tickets." The ice mage looked back down to his phone. "Hey Lil, we are all interested in coming by tonight."
"That's great! I'll leave the tickets up front with Romeo so you guys don't have to wait in line."
"Um… would it be possible to get a fourth ticket? Serena is here."
"Oh… yeah… that won't be a problem."
"Thanks. See you tonight."
Lily clenched the phone in her hands tightly as her eyes stared down at the text she got back from Finn. Rex walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder, his brows raised slightly. "You know, if you squeeze that phone any tighter, you might just kill it."
"Wha?" Lily quickly looked up and then down to her phone in her hand. Her grip loosened some. "Sorry…"
Rex laughed as he brought up a chair next to the dark haired girl. "Don't apologize to me. I'm not the one you're holding in your hand. Just promise me during the show you won't squeeze my hand that hard. I kinda need mine to play the guitar."
Lily smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I won't need to hold your hand while we perform. But… would it be possible to still get one of those tickets from you? I guess there's going to be one extra person coming along with my friend…"
"Yeah, there's no problem. Well… from my end there isn't a problem."
Lily glared at Rex coldly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You just have that look about you right now. What's the word?" Rex said as he brought a finger to the side of his head. "Ah, yes. Jealousy?"
"I am not jealous." Lily said as she stood. Rex was quick to follow her, his hand finding her shoulders quickly and stopping her in her tracks.
His face moved in close to hers as he whispered into her ear, his hands slowly moving down the girls' arms, pulling her in closer to his own body. "You know… if you want to get your mind off of him… I'm more than happy to help you."
Lily sighed as she closed her eyes lightly, unaffected by his touch. "Like I said before, Rex. The answer is still no."
Rex grinned as he released the dark haired girl. She turned to face him, watching him smile widely as he raised a hand to his dark hair, rubbing the back of his head lightly. "Seriously, you can't blame me for tryin' Lily. Whoever that guy was you were talkin' to, you really do love him, huh?"
Lily blushed brightly and turned her head away from the tall man. "Like I have to answer that question."
Rex winked and pointed a finger at her. "Ah! That's a yes!"
Lily stomped her foot as she spoke. "S-shut up Rex! Gah!" The girl turned on her heels and started walking away. "Why did I agree to do this with you?! You're such a pain in the ass!"
Rex laughed as he followed Lily once more, grabbing his guitar on the way out of the room.
Serena smiled widely as she sat down in a chair at the table that was reserved for them. "I can't believe how close we are to the stage! Your friend really had to pull some strings for this!"
Finn along with Rain and Leo, sat down at the table as well. Finn smiled back at the platinum blonde haired girl as he spoke. "Well, I wouldn't say that. Lily said she would save us some good seats for the show. She's usually good on her word. She said this show isn't one you'd want to miss."
Serena put her hands together as she turned to Leo and Rain. "I'm just so excited! I've never been to a show like this before! And normally, it's me who is performing on stage! This is so exciting!"
Leo put his chin into the palm of his hand. "Honestly watching a dragon dance around and sing on stage isn't that exciting…"
Rain glared towards Leo. "Why do you still call her that?"
Leo raised both of his hands as he shrugged his shoulders. "What?!"
Rain crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair. "I thought you two were friends finally."
Leo rubbed the back of his head quickly, his words struggling to get out. "Well… ya… I mean… kinda?"
Serena giggled as she wrapped her arm around Finns', leaning in close and whispering. "You know, those two look super cute together."
Finn snapped his head towards the girl, his eyebrows crossing as he whispered back. "Don't give him any ideas! It's bad enough she's staying over there with him… I don't want to think about those two actually doing anything together. Besides…" Solid blue eyes shifted to Rain in her seat. A smile was being fought back as Leo was attempting to reason with the girl beside him. "I don't think Rain would ever see Leo like that."
Serena closed her eyes lightly as she pulled Finn in closer. "You never know Finn. Love can really change a person."
Finn smirked as he nudged the girl holding onto his arm. "Like I said… don't give him any ideas." A second later, Finn could hear some girls at the next table start to scream in excitement, squealing and waving their hands wildly towards the stage as someone made their way to the center. The ice mage along with the others at his table, turned their attention to what the girls were screaming about. Finn raised a brow as a very tall man made his way to the microphone. He was shirtless, covered in tattoos, and wearing tight black jeans with multiple holes running down the front of his legs. He had tanned skin and toned muscles from what Finn could see, along with a face full of piercings. The man reminded him of Lily in a way, that is, if she was born a man. He had dark, black hair with red streaks that was slicked back and up into a wolfs tail, showing off every inch of his diamond shaped face. 'Who is this guy? He doesn't look like he belongs with Lily's band… and those girls clearly know who he is…'
Serena gasped beside Finn, causing him to look her way. "Oh my god… I don't believe it." she said slowly as she looked up to the man on stage as he tapped onto the microphone, testing to see if it was working.
"What? Do you know who that is up there?" Finn asked with a raised brow.
"You mean you don't?!" Leo said excitedly as he looked to Finn. The ice mage turned his head to Leo now, his expression still one of confusion.
"Wait, you know that guy too?"
"Of course I do! I may not be able to play any instruments, but I like to keep up on who's who in the music industry world." Leo said confidently as he raised a finger into the air. With this free hand, Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He quickly pulled up a picture of the man and held out his phone to Finn. The ice mage raised a brow as he looked at the picture on the phone. The man was standing with his hands behind his head with a smirk over his lips. He was pulling his shirt up from his torso and holding a bit of his shirt in his mouth, revealing his fangs. His piercing green eyes were staring hard as he held onto his guitar with his other hand, holding it just below his abdomen. He still had his hair pinned back up into his wolf tail and looked like he had more piercings over his face in the picture than he did on stage now. Solid blue eyes looked past the picture and back to Leo.
"That… still tells me nothing about this guy… and it's oddly strange that you have that picture of him Leo…. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Leo blushed as he pulled his phone back to his pocket. "No! Geez! That just happened to be the first pic that showed up when I searched his name! It must be his most recent photo from Sorcerer Weekly. Anyways, he's a super famous solo guitarist that collabs with different bands. I never thought Lily could ever snag him for a show!" Leo brought a finger to his chin as he thought. "He usually doesn't do small town shows like this… wonder if there's more to this story than we can see…."
Finn scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "What? Like she's dating him or something?"
Leo shrugged his shoulders. "Hey you said it, not me."
Finn clenched his fist tightly after Leo spoke. 'No… she's not dating him… I mean… I could definitely see her going after a guy like that… but still… she can't be interested in him now… there's no way…'
Serena looked at the clenched fist Finn had, slowly moving her gaze to his face as he burned holes into the man on stage. The man waved a hand to quiet the crowd for a moment. He grinned as he spoke. "Hello. I just want to say thank you all for coming. I am Rex Slayer, and I am very excited to play for you all tonight. Lily and I have been working on this song for quite some time now and we are all very excited to play it for you all. I can still see some of you filing in so I just wanted to let you all know, we will be starting soon and I hope you enjoy the show."
As Rex waved a hand and turned to make his way to this guitar, the rest of the band appeared on stage, sound checking their instruments. Finn rolled his eyes as Rex turned. Rain was first to speak. "Wow… he actually doesn't look half bad." She said calmly. Leos' head snapped to Rain, horror in his face.
"Rain… you don't mean that, do you?!"
The girl shrugged her shoulders. "What? I didn't think someone could pull off a look like he does…"
Leo put his hands over Rains eyes quickly. "That's it!"
Rain giggled as she struggled to free herself from his hands over her eyes. "Leo!"
"No! You can't watch the show now! You'll fall in love with that guy and forget all about me!"
Rain couldn't help but smile as she pulled at his wrists. "Will you calm down?"
Leo sounded more frantic as he watched Rain blow this off like it was nothing. "No! Never!"
Serena raised her eye brows as she giggled. "How come you never told me Leo was so funny?"
"Well… because he's always like this, so I guess I just see it as a normal thing for him, rather than it being a humorous thing." Finn said coolly as he stared back up to Rex who had his guitar in his hands, his pick gliding over the tight strings lightly. Serena smiled as she ran her hand over Finns', getting his attention once more.
"Hey… you ok?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking is all." Finn said with a smile. He moved in closer and planted a soft kiss onto the girls' forehead, trying to keep his gaze off of the newest guitarist on stage.
Twenty minutes later, all of the lights dimmed down to make the bar pitch black, most of the crowd in the room turned into an uproar, knowing full well what was about to happen next. Minutes of pitch black passed by, the crowd waited in anticipation. Music began to play as Lily's voice echoed throughout the room, slowly getting louder with each passing second. The lights above the stage flickered to the beat of the music that began to play, showing off parts of the figures standing perfectly still on stage.
Somebody make a move.
Somebody make a move.
Somebody…
All of the stage lights went on at once, revealing the whole band along with Rex all playing with serious looks on their faces. Lily stood next to the tall man, her arm raised up so that her wrist could rest on his shoulder as he played and as she sang.
Test my reality,
The dark haired girl took her hand back and ran it up the side of her body, her fingers running over the tight fabric around her skin. She was wearing a dark purple corset with a sleeveless black jacket that was trailing down just past her waist. Her usual dark, torn up jeans with laces up the front dawned on her lower half. Her forearms all the way down to her wrists were covered in a black sleeve with dark fingerless gloves to match. She wore her smaller pair of boots that were decorated with metal studs all around the bottom. Needless to say, she looked like she fit right alongside the special guest that was playing with the band tonight.
Check if there's a weak spot.
Clingin' to insanity,
Hopes the world will ease up.
Try to make it look like it's all somehow getting better,
Lily glanced over slightly to Rex as she leaned into him. A toothy grin was over his face as she smirked back.
'Cause I know how to play it pretty good against the measure.
The dark haired girl pushed off of the guitarist and made her way to the center stage, placing her microphone into the stand. Her hands reached up to the side of her head, her index fingers making small circles as she sang.
Everyone started out a little insane,
Lily tapped her head with her finger as she winked to the crowd. She spread her legs apart as she moved her hands to her sides. Finns' eyes moved from the dark haired girl to the tall guitarist who was making his way over to her.
But we learn pretty quick how to fake it for the game.
Finn clenched his fist tightly once more as he watched Rex get right up behind Lily, his hand leaving his guitar and making its way to her side.
But some of you never learned to drop the act,
Rexs' hand traveled up the girl's body, starting at her hip and slowly making its way up to her chest, all while Lily turned her head towards his. Her own hand reaching up towards his long jawline. Her fingertips were inches away from his tanned skin as their faces moved closer to each other's.
So under that skin of yours:
At the last second, Rex gripped a piece of Lily's clothing over her left breast, tearing it away as she dropped her hand down to her side. Her head snapped away from his as she sang her next verse. The fabric underneath what Rex had torn off revealed a heart that had a split right down the middle that was stitched into the corset fabric. Serena's' blue eyes caught a glimpse of Finn flinching as Rex tore off some of Lily's' clothing. She closed her eyes for a moment before returning her attention back on stage.
A heart attack.
Rex jumped back, his hands back on his guitar as Lily jumped forward, grabbing the microphone from the stand.
'Cause everybody's so scared,
We don't wanna go there,
The dark haired girl's free hand came up in front of her, her eyes widening as she sang.
We don't wanna make a move.
We got all our lives to lose.
Screaming in the dark while we just play our part,
Hazel eyes shut tightly as Lily leaned forward at her waist, her hand still gripping the stand.
I'll play right along,
Like I don't know what's going on.
Lily stood back up straight quickly, her eyes still closed as her hand let go of the stand and moved outward, her fingers spread out.
Somebody make a move,
Somebody make a move,
The script mage closed her fist tightly and brought it back to her chest. She looked out to the crowd as if she was pleading with them now.
Please somebody make a move.
We all know,
We all know what's going on.
Lilys' lips curled into a smile as her eyes hardened slightly.
And if I had the answers I'd have written them out,
So I could tell you what to do and what this thing is about.
But all I've ever learned comes second-hand,
Her free hand came up into the air, her fingers slowly moving down into her palm one by one until all that was left was her index finger left raised. She shoved it out towards the crowd, shaking it back and forth slightly as she grinned.
And I dare not preach what I don't understand.
Rex and the bands normal guitarist made their way up behind Lily. As she sang, they both jumped into the air and spun around, slamming their hands down onto their guitars as Lily rocked her body from side to side, stomping her foot onto the stage. The two quickly joining her in rocking their bodies as they played, their heads banging in the motion they moved their bodies.
You and I; we share the same disease.
Cover up; compromise what we grieve.
I've let more than my share of revivals die.
This isn't pretty but it's who I am tonight.
Lily and Rex both moved forward, each one of their feet moving up to the giant speaker in the front. Their bodies stood facing each other but their heads were turned out to the crowd. Rex, with a toothy grin over his face and Lily matching him with the same toothy smile. The ice mage kept his eyes on them both as he listened to the girls at the next table scream out their names.
'Cause everybody's so scared,
We don't wanna go there.
Lily leaned back, her hand raised in front of her once more, her eyes widening some.
We don't wanna make a move.
We got all our lives to lose.
Screaming in the dark while we just play our part.
Rex pushed off of the speaker first, walking back to his spot on stage as Lily bent forward at the waist once more, her eyes closing tightly as she sang loudly.
I'll play right along,
Like I don't know what's going on.
The dark haired girl jumped back to the microphone stand, shoving the mic in place as she gripped the stand with both hands.
Somebody make a move,
Somebody make a move,
Please somebody make a move.
We all know,
We all know what's going on.
Lily pointed to the crowd, causing them to uproar in excitement. They were feeding off her energy and the band behind her.
Pointing my fingers the problems still linger,
They keep getting bigger and I hold the trigger.
The script mage quickly wrote out the word FIRE into the air, shoving it forward above the mass of people below. The words burst into flames as she continued to sing.
Running with fire I live like a liar,
Please somebody make a move.
Rex came up to Lily's' side, his voice filling the room now as well as he sang along with the dark haired girl.
-Somebody make a move-
I'm pointing my fingers
-Somebody make a move-
The problems still linger
-Somebody make a move-
I'm pointing my fingers
The tall guitarist jumped back as he let Lily take the mic into her hands, her feet moving her to the edge of the stage.
Somebody,
Somebody make a move.
Lily closed her eyes softly, her hand raising slightly in front of her as her voice softened at the next verse.
Cause everybody's so scared,
We don't wanna go there,
Her hand reached out into the air, as if it was searching for something to grasp. Her eyes opening slowly, looking somewhat sad and in pain.
We don't wanna make a move.
Her hand quickly formed into a fist, moving back to the girl's side before being thrust into the air as her eyes hardened and her voice grew louder.
Screaming in the dark while we just play our part,
I'll play right along.
Lily jumped up to the speaker nearby, stomping her foot down with the beat of the music her band was producing. She was giving it her all throughout the entire song, and the crowd was just eating it up with each passing second.
'Cause everybody's so scared,
We don't wanna go there,
We don't wanna make a move.
We got all our lives to lose.
Screaming in the dark while we just play our part,
I'll play right along.
Like I don't know what's going on.
Somebody make a move.
Somebody make a move.
Please somebody make a move.
We all know,
We all know what's going on.
Somebody make a move.
Somebody make a move.
Please somebody make a move.
The lights began to dim as they neared the end of the song. Rex and the other guitarist slowly walked backwards from their spots on stage, turning around so that their backs were to the screaming crowd as the lights faded slowly.
We all know,
Lily walked backwards, slowly turning around as well as she sang. As she hit her last note, the last light that was left on her, disappeared completely, leaving the bar in darkness.
We all know what's going on.
The crowd went into an uproar as they cheered and cried out Lily and Rexs' name, begging for more. The lights slowly came back on and the stage was bare, all that remained were the instruments the band was using to play the song with. Music from the overhead speakers began to play as the crowd calmed down some.
Serena's' blue eyes were wide in excitement. "Wow! She was amazing! That performance just blew me away!"
Rain smiled brightly. "I know! I felt such a rush when she sang up on stage. It was really incredible!"
"Do you guys want to head backstage and talk to Lily? She said we could after the song was over." Finn mentioned to the two girls. They both nodded quickly as they stood up from their seats. As the four started walking away from the table, the group of girls that sat at the table next to theirs began to talk obnoxiously loud.
"Oh my god! Did you see the way they performed?! They are so meant to be together! If they aren't already that is! They both have tanned skins, multiple piercings, and they both play instruments. Not to mention, him being a full dragon slayer and her being half of one, it's so perfect!"
"Lily is so lucky! I wish I could be up there with Rex! He's so dreamy!"
"Yeah right! He and Lily belong together! No one can come in between them!"
Finn stopped walking as he overheard the girls bickering back and forth, his head finally snapping back as he shouted. "THEY ARE JUST FRIENDS AND GOOD PERFORMERS TOGETHER! IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING ELSE!"
Leo put a hand over Finns' mouth, his other hand going to the back of the ice mages head and forcing it down some so the girls could not see who had just said that. "Are you trying to get yourself killed by those crazy ass fangirls?! If the found out it was you who was shouting, they'd tear you to shreds! You're lucky Serena didn't hear that too."
Finn shoved Leos' hands away as they found themselves backstage, a few feet away from the girls they came with. "I don't care if they heard me! I just couldn't stand them saying that Lily and this… Rex guy belong together… they have nothing in common."
Leo rubbed the back of his head. "Weell… to be fair…. They kinda are a lot alike… looks and talent wise…"
"Shut up Leo!" Finn snapped quickly. Solid blue looked past the two girls to the dark haired girl who was making their way over to them.
Lily smiled as she spoke. "Hey guys! Thanks for coming! Did you all enjoy the show?"
Rain stepped towards Lily. "You were amazing out there Lily. I really wish I got to see some of your older performances…"
Lily rubbed the back of her head as she closed her eyes happily. "Oh well, what I do now is way better than my older performances. Besides, I have a way better sounding band now than I did back then."
"I agree completely with Rain, being a performer myself, I would have loved to see you perform when you were with your older band." Serena said kindly as she brought her hands in front of her body. Hazel eyes opened and looked over the platinum blonde haired girl standing next to Rain.
"Serena… right?" Lily said with a half-smile.
Blue eyes went wide. "Oh my, where are my manners?! Yes! I'm Serena. And sorry! I just was so excited to finally meet you! Finn has told me about you and I just couldn't wait to meet you in person!"
"Yeah, thanks… he's told me about you too."
Serena blushed lightly as she brought a hand up to her cheek, tilting her head slightly. "Nothing bad I hope!"
Lily shook her head. "Of course not." A smile forming back on her lips as she glanced over at Finn. "Nothing but good things. You are pretty lucky to have such an awesome guy like him." Lily turned slightly, looking back towards Rex. "Speaking of awesome guys…"
Finn clenched his jaw tight as he watched Lily wave a hand at Rex, motioning him to come over to the small group. Lily turned back to face everyone, a smile over her face as she raised a hand.
"This is Rex Slayer. A very famous solo guitarist who I've been working with on the song we just performed."
Rex brought a hand up in front of him before anyone could speak. "If you all are friends of Lily, please… call me Eugene."
Leo snickered slightly. "Wait, wait, wait… your real name… is Eugene?"
Rex rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Unfortunately yes. That is my real name." He watched as the blonde haired boy burst out in laughter, the blue haired girl beside him sending the boy glares. "So that's why I chose to call myself Rex Slayer on stage. That way this kind of thing won't happen."
Lily sighed as she put a hand to her forehead. "I'm so sorry Rex… you'll have to forgive him… he's an idiot."
Rex closed his eyes and smiled. "It's not a problem. Honestly he doesn't bother me."
"Oh! Hey! Show them your tongue! Guys you have to see this! It's so cool!" Lily said excitedly. The four looked back at the tall man just as he stuck out his long, forked tongue. A grin forming over his lips as he wiggled both halves.
Leo pointed his finger up at the sight. "Wow! Someone who looks more like a serpent than Lily does!"
Rex sniffled the air and walked over to Rain and Serena, sniffing around them both. "Wow… you two smell really good." Both of the girls blushed as his words left his mouth with ease. He grinned as he moved in closer to Rain. "I can tell you are an ice mage."
Rain stared into green eyes as she blushed brighter. "H-how could you tell?"
Rex smiled as he spoke. "I am a water dragon slayer and so I can identify any ice or water mage a lot easier than anyone else I come across. And I must say, for an ice mage, you by far are the most beautiful smelling one I've met."
Rain brought a hand to her burning cheek. "T-thank you…"
Leo growled as he watched Rex turn on his charm as he spoke to Rain. The blonde haired boy quickly pulled the girl away and moved her behind his body. "Ok pal! That's enough out of you!"
"Leo! He was just talking to me." Rain said as her blush continued to cover her cheeks.
Leo turned and held onto Rains shoulders, his olive-green eyes completely serious. "Yeah right! Had he said anything else you probably would have turned into a puddle in his arms! I'm not letting any other guy lay another hand on you! I mean… unless it's your dad or Finn… then its ok…. But any other guy! Forget it! Not after what happened…."
Rains' expression softened as she watched Leo speak so seriously. "Leo…"
A laugh was heard from behind them, both turned their heads to see Rex moving back to Lily as he laughed. "Lucky for you, I only go after one woman in my life." The tall man wrapped an arm around Lily shoulders and pulled her in close. Finn could feel his blood beginning to boil as he watched what was happening before his eyes. "I've been tryin' to win this one over for some time now. Unfortunately she won't give into my charm. But that doesn't stop me from trying every now and again."
Lily rolled her eyes at his words, shifting them quickly to Finn who was burning a hole in the two. She quickly turned her head and looked up at Rex. "Well, I'm going to go see everyone out. We can go out to the bar in a few minutes and you can meet some more of your fans out there."
"Sounds like a plan to me. It was very nice meeting all of you. And thank you once again for coming out to see us play."
The girls waved goodbye as Leo sent one last glare Rexs' way. Finn was first to turn around and head out the back door. The rest of the group followed him outside, turning around just outside the door to say goodbye to Lily.
Serena put her hand out in front of her body to Lily. "You did such an amazing job up there. It would be interesting if you and I ever got to collaborate."
Lily took the girls hands into her own. "Oh you play an instrument too?"
"I play the violin."
"Ah. I never got into the whole classical music thing. Kinda followed in my dad's footsteps more or less."
"Well any time you would like to try to perform with me, just let me know!" Serena said with a smile. Lily returned the smile with her own.
"I will. And it was great finally getting to meet you."
"Same here!" The platinum blonde haired girl said as she turned and headed for the car with Leo and Rain. Lily waved a hand to the two as they followed Serena to the car to warm up from the cool wind that blew. Lily sighed softly as she turned slightly to look at Finn. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his side, his eyes looking away from the girl standing a few feet in front of him.
"Can you just tell me one thing, Lil?" Finn asked as heard Lily walking towards him. "Is there… anything going on between you and Rex?"
The script mage leaned in close to the ice mage, her voice no louder than a whisper. "You shouldn't look so jealous while your girlfriend is here with you… she'll think something is going on between us."
Solid blue snapped up to hazel. "Answer my question Lily."
The dark haired girl smiled softly at the ice mage. She shook her head slowly. "No. There's nothing going on between us. And there never will be. That much I can promise." Hazel eyes shifted back towards the running car that pulled up a few feet away from the two. "Now go with them and have a good time with your girlfriend. She really is such a nice girl. I'm glad you found her Finn." Lily moved past the ice mage and back inside. Finn closed his eyes and sighed just before walking over to the car and getting inside.
"Everything ok?" Serena asked sincerely.
Solid blue eyes glanced at the closed door at the back of the bar. "Everything is fine."
Lily went into the single stall bathroom behind the stage and locked the door quickly. She turned her back to the door and leaned against it. She closed her eyes and brought a hand up to her chest, gripping at the tight fabric. 'I was hoping to never get a chance to meet her… she's so beautiful and so kind… which makes what I did with Finn even more horrible…' Lily slowly slid down the bathroom door as tears escaped the corners of her eyes. The script mage pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly as she hung her head. 'Why did he bring her here? Why did she even show up to him in the first place? I wish this was all just a dream… one that I could just wake up from….'
AN: Poor Lily, :( so heartbroken seeing Finn and Serena together…. and yet... Finn gets super jealous at Rex for touching Lily lol
The newest character I introduced in this chapter, Rex Slayer, is only going to appear in this chapter only. My friend Msktk and I were trying to come up with a name for him and she just happened to say rex slayer and I fell in love with it. then the next idea that came up was that that should be his stage name and his real name should be Eugene caz it sounds super nerdy and leo could laugh at it. lol I also wanted to make him very similar to Lily and kinda the opposite from finn. Thus, the tanned skin, dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, the piercings all over his face and the tattoos over his body. Etc. I even asked msktk.. should I do the forked tongue or do you think that would be too much? She just shrugged her shoulders and said to just go with it haha so I did.
Anywhos! Please review and let me know what you guys think of this chapter! :D (it would have been longer but I was too tired to write what happens next, so hopefully monday I can bust put another chpt for you all!)
I just want to say thank you to everyone who is reviewing and also…. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! !