The theatre was alive.

There were animals everywhere you looked. Buster had really been working his tail off in the week since Johnny and the others had last seen him. Painters and prop designers stuck to the stage where the most room was, while the stage hands began to get themselves aquatinted with all the pulleys, switches and lights, being guided all the way by Eddie.

It was practically a small village, and Johnny, Rosita and the others were finding themselves at the center of it all just watching everything unfold.

That is, until a familiar voice caught their attention.

"It's crazy right?" The voice began. "Feels impossible to be back."

"Ash!" Rosita ran over to hug the porcupine as carefully as she dared. "You're here!"

Ash smiled warily, "I'm here." She repeated with much less enthusiasm. "Don't know if I'm quite ready for this though..."

"Who are you cast as?" Meena offered.

"There she is! The leading lady herself!" Buster Moon quickly answered for her as he came up to the small party and put a hand onto Ash's shoulder.

The party was stunned for a moment, but seeing the unsure expression on Ash's face jarred them back into gear.

"Really? That's great Ash! You're perfect for this role!" Rosita encouraged.

"If it helps, I'm The Beast." Johnny offered up next with a shrug.

Ash seemed to brighten at that and gave a small smile.

"Garderobe." Meena giggled and raised her hoof.

"Luimiere!" Gunter leaped into the air and came down with a pose.

"Mrs. Potts." Rosita put a hoof to her chest. "We're all going to work on this together." She patted Ash's shoulder.

"That's right! And who better to direct you then me!" Buster added pointing both paws at himself. "I figure we can warm up a bit out here, get a little acclimated with speaking on stage, then move into private rooms to do some rehearsal acting. I'll be around to help you along." He then glanced at his watch and turned to the prop artists, "I'm expecting my dance choreographer in a little under and hour, if i don't see her first can you lead her my way?"

The animals, two chimpanzees, were painting, but looked up and gave a polite nod before returning to their work.

When Buster walked off to see to other matters, the group turned to each other.

"All right! Let's take a look around!" Gunter exclaimed before bouncing off stage left.

"Where are you going?" Rosita called after him, but shook her head and focused on her script.

Johnny decided to take a small section of the stage to the right. He faced the empty audience, and shook himself to rid the nerves. Holding the script in his hand his started mumbling some of his lines.

The biggest hurdle he was trying to get over was his voice. The Beast was low, angry and brooding. Every time Johnny attempted a deep baritone he felt like he sounded ridiculous. He would remind himself to check with Buster how he felt. Right now, he wanted to focus on the stage fright.

——

The group had been on stage for a while now, and it did seem to be helping each of them in their own ways. Gunter, who had disappeared in the very beginning, was gone so long that Rosita started to become concerned and excused herself to go looking for him.

Johnny didn't think much of her leaving. That is, until he heard her cry out.

"GUNTER NO!"

Johnny looked stage left just in time to see a chubby pink blur come swinging at him. Impulsively he jumped back and barely missed being collided into.

"Piggy Power!" The blur cried, and it was then that Johnny realized it was indeed Gunter, strapped to a harness and swinging around the stage like a missile.

If he wasn't so surprised, he probably would've laughed. But too focused and worried about his friends' wellbeing he tried to intercept him to pull him to a stop.

If anyone had been paying any attention elsewhere, they would've heard the front doors to the theatre open.

Johnny finally caught Gunter after several near collision misses and began to slow down his pendulum.

"HaHa! Zis' will be perfect for the Be Our Guest song!" He cried, totally oblivious to the mayhem he had just caused.

Johnny sighed and tried to find the latch to the harness. Gunter meanwhile turned his focus to the left aisle of the arena.

"Oh, hello!" He called out with a wave "Who are you?"

Johnny, curious himself, paused his search of the harness and turned around to see who it was. The animal that Gunter had called out to was behind him. He quickly found his focus and paused his turning.

Then paused his breathing.

The blinking came next.

And he wasn't entirely sure, but thought his heart followed right behind.

"Abigail... the dance choreographer." She was thankfully looking at Gunter. "And I must've received a different script, I don't remember Luminere being able to fly."

"Ah, I'm improvising! It should be added in, yah?"

"I'll check with my manager and get back to you. Is he around here somewhere?" She gave a smile and Johnny felt his stomach clench.

The artists, who scattered when Gunter came barreling from the sky, came forward.

"We can take you to him." One motioned her to follow, all the while casting wary glances back to the eccentric hog.

"Great, thanks!" She gave Gunter another smile before following. (Johnny was quickly starting to realize how dangerous those were) When she turned back to him and finally made full on eye contact it was good he was holding onto the rope for support.

Her smile turned a little confused, "you alright?" She asked, but didn't wait for an answer and was gone in another instant.

"Um, what just happened?" Ash spoke after a pause to break the silence.

"Johnny?" He heard his name, but it sounded a million miles away. Only when Rosita put her hoof on his hand did he realize he was still frozen.

And his mouth was hanging open like a fish. Great.

Shaking his head, he focused back on the harness. "The...uh... dance instructor." He mumbled before freeing Gunter and placing him back on solid ground.

Rosita watched him as if she knew, and it suddenly felt very warm on the stage.

"I'm gonna, get...air." He cleared his throat and, quicker than his usual pace, jumped off stage and down the aisle to the front doors.

None of the others spoke until they heard the latch on the door click closed.

"Well that was adorable." Ash started.

"You guys caught that, right?" Meena was next.

"What did I miss?" Gunter smiled and looked around to each of them obliviously.

Rosita gave the girls a knowing smile before straightening herself and speaking to Gunter in her best mom-voice, "Don't do that again, got it?"

Gunter was so taken aback by her authority he froze and merely nodded after a moment.

"Good - go get me some water." And he was gone in the next moment.

Once he was well out of earshot she turned to the girls "Ok, here's the plan."

——————————————————

Holy. Smokes.

Was it hot in here?

Abigail hurried to follow the artists and subtly fanned herself with the paper she held in her hands. It had to be the air conditioner. That's it, it was broken.

A broken air conditioner in a brand new building? Right.

It took every drop of self control to play off the stare she was receiving from the gorilla onstage. The entire time she was speaking to Gunter all that she heard in her head was, 'Don't look at him, don't look at him, don't you dare look at him.'

In the end though, it was unbearable and Abigail had to steal one glance. Just one, she permitted herself.

What a mistake that was. He looked horrified; could he see her eye twitching? Or her white knuckles gripping the paper in her hand a little too tightly? Did her smiling make it worse?

Ugh. Not good.

Thankfully the animals leading her kept to themselves and the group of three found Buster Moon in his office waiting for her.

"Right on time." He smiled at her. It wasn't forced or awkward, he looked genuinely happy to see her. "Have a seat." He motioned to the chair that sat along side, not in front of, his desk.

"You haven't changed much." She admired. Thanking her guides, she closed the door after they left and went to the offered seat.

"And you've changed completely." He replied back.

"6 years will do that to a kid." She sidelong glanced at him.

"I couldn't believe it until I did the math that it was that long."

"Afraid so." She situated herself in the chair.

"Abby, I'm glad you're back. And I'm glad I can keep you this time." Buster placed a paw on her hand and smiled again. His words weren't just a welcome home sentiment, they were well laced with an underlying apology.

She half- smiled and nodded, acknowledging what he meant to say, but not accepting it quite yet. It would take time, and they both knew it. He gently pulled back his hand.

"I see you've got all of your performers back." She inclined her head towards the stairs.

"Almost all - last I heard, Mike was 3,000 miles away."

"Yikes, what happened there?"

"Too much. Before I start, what do you know about?"

——————————————————

No no no no no.

Just, no.

And why?

He cursed the heart in his chest currently losing control, as if it was trying to catch up to the beats it lost when he first saw her.

The perfect, midnight-black haired gorilla who just came into his life like a hurricane. With those perfect chocolate eyes, and smile that rendered him completely immobile.

"Stop it," he shook his head violently.

But there she remained, beautiful and lithe, while he gaped at her like a total buffoon.

It was good he decided to vent in the nearby alleyway, because he was putting on quite the show of rubbing his face and jogging in place.

It was bad enough he had to share a building with this female, but to add insult to injury she was going to be teaching him to dance, specifically the most famous part of the show. His thoughts drifted to holding her as they performed a waltz, he began to wonder how she smelled...

"Ugh! Enough!" He pounded his fist against the wall and rested his forehead against the rough surface.

"Grow up Johnny." He scolded himself.

"Not gonna make things any better sulking in an alley."

Taking a few measured breaths, he walked back into the theatre. Thankfully, Abigail was still hidden away somewhere. He decided to do some method acting alone for a little while and boarded himself up in a sound booth backstage and focused on the script in front of him.

—————

"Are you kidding me!? The mafia?"

"No joke, 3 huge bears!"

"That's terrifying!"

"You're telling me! I was afraid for all of our lives."

"I heard it collapsed, but the news made it sound like structural damage or something!"

"Well, in a way they weren't lying."

Abigail gave a bewildered laugh and Buster joined her.

"So what about the squid tanks outside?"

"Don't worry - everything in this building is to code. No more do-it-yourself."

"Well Nana can certainly afford practically anything I see."

"Oh she's my favorite person in the entire world, that one."

"So quickly Ms. Crawly is forgotten then, eh?" She winked.

"Oh that old lizard is having the time of her life with retirement and that new boyfriend of hers."

"What now? Ms. Crawly is in a relationship?" Abigails grin was huge now.

"Yeah! Bumped into him one night and really hit it off. Last I heard they were going out west to the desert to look at some real estate."

"Get out, that's great! Good for her!"

There was a knock at the door then, and the two paused their conversation.

"Come in!" Buster called out.

Eddie entered through the door. "Hey Buster I've got some issues with one of the hands you've hired, do you think you can come down and...kid!"

"Eddie!" Abigail called out and bounded over to the sheep. In a moment, she had him in a crushing hug.

"Wow - that doesn't get any less painful." He remarked after being released. The smile on his face clearly exposed his teasing.

"Where were you hiding? I totally missed you when I came in."

"Well, you know...working. Unlike this guy." Eddie nodded to Buster.

"Speaking of, I should probably get situated. Do you have a studio set up for me, or?"

"Of course I do! Right this way. Afterwards I can give Eddie a hand and check on my stars. It's all coming together now. Opening night, here we come!"

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Stay well everyone 3