Chapter One
Riley Jackson-McGuire glanced at Patrick the second they turned from their microphones and leapt onto the massive cases lining the drum sets on the stage. He glanced back at her as the two turned their backs to the ground, standing high above the stage, continuing to play the last few seconds of guitar that led into the moment in the song where everything fell away.
Standing atop the case, Riley looked down at her twin, Rhuben, and Patrick's twin, Noah, as they momentarily finished drumming and stood up at their kits, hands overhead as they held onto their drumsticks. On Patrick's other side, their youngest brother, Sydney removed his violin from the folded area between his neck and shoulder, leaping atop a case on the very end of the stage.
One look passed between them, with Rhuben nodding subtly to Riley. Not that they needed the nod, Riley could tell from watching her sister, noticing the way the muscles in her hands, forearms, and legs tightened, signaling she was about to move. Just like they planned it from the very beginning, just like they did every time they performed the song.
"Way away, away from here I'll be!"
Riley glanced at Patrick once more, he gave her a quick look back after confirming with Sydney. Perfectly in sync. The three focused, watched Rhuben and Noah drop themselves back onto their stools, slamming their drumsticks onto their snare drums. At the same time, the three tensed their leg muscles and used the following upward motion to launch themselves up and over in a backflip. They landed on the ground at the same time the music kicked back in, Riley's and Patrick's fingers striking the chords needed to start the end of the song with Sydney's violin cutting in as well.
"Way away, away so you can see.."
The three moved back to their microphones to sing the last parts of the chorus, looking out toward the screaming sound in front of them. Watched the waving hands fly back and forth, the rock fingers being thrown to the beat of the song, saw the faces with their features twisted up into angry scowls of determination as they screamed the words back to the band.
"How it feels to be alone and not believe."
The music stopped, the band pointing to the audience for the words to be screamed back to them. The exact moment in the final song every 'true fan' grew to love as they performed the earliest of their songs over and over in their career.
"Feels to be alone and not believe."
The punctuation that proved how closely the fans regarded their idols as they performed on stage. The punctuation that made it so that the band could feel and absorb the energy the fans gave back to them each time they played a show. No matter how bad of a day they were having, hanging out with their fans while performing was always able to put a big smile on the Jackson-McGuires' faces. Made it that much easier to jump into their stage personas and put on a hell of a show.
"Feels to be alone and not believe…anything!"
Riley, Patrick, and Sydney backed away from their microphones, pumping their bodies along with the drum beats that Rhuben and Noah pounded out to end the song, holding it out a bit longer than the recorded version that had been consistently played over the Australian radio airwaves. Once it finished, the cheer of the audience went up so loud that the rafters shook and a low tremble rumbled beneath their feet on stage. They handed off their instruments to their handlers before turning to the crowd to wave.
The cheering increased as each of them stepped forward. First it was Sydney, who beamed to the crowd with a smile so big his dimples were on full display. Then came Patrick and Noah, who created a stir from the crowd when Patrick pulled off his sweaty shirt and lobbed it into the crowd while Noah tossed his drumsticks this way and that. Then Riley and Rhuben got in on the action as they jumped up onto the monitors to wave to the crowd, Riley throwing out guitar picks she ripped off her mic stand along with the drumsticks Rhuben threw.
The two stepped back alongside their brothers, looping their arms around each other before giving a final bow for the audience. They bent low, holding their bow for a few seconds before standing up straight to give one final wave. Finally, they bounded off stage, leaving the screaming crowd behind them.
Fans who were lucky enough to be on stage with them, congratulated the band as they moved into the wings, throwing phones into their faces to take quick pictures.
"Can I get a picture please?"
"Can you say 'hi' to my friend?"
"Will you sign this?'
"Great job, tonight!"
"I had so much fun."
"This was the best show ever."
They smiled with every fan, posed for every picture, stopped to sign everything that had been throw in their faces. They were nothing without their fans, and were very aware of it. It wasn't anything they took for granted. Their fans were there for them each step of the way of their career; from when they started out with nothing but poppiest of pop music in their repertoire to some of their darker alternative rock, back to the punk-pop roots they enjoyed, continuing to be fans even when they went in some of their more experimental directions.
Every band deserved time to spend with their fans for, in all actuality, they were nothing without them. No fans, no band, no music to continually be produced. It was that simple. Whether the money and the fame was what drove some, it was ultimately the fans that kept them going.
Finally, once the area was clear, the Jacksons bounced against each other, laughing and congratulating each other on another show well done before coming together in a sweaty group hug that was caught on camera by their eldest brother, who hovered around, holding onto a large camera, strap wrapped tightly around his right wrist. Once he got the shot, he lowered the camera and whipped out a phone, taking another picture and a video.
"Yay!" Their niece, Robin-Renee cheered, clapping her tiny hands together. She stood off at the side of the stage, bouncing up and down with the energy that only a three-year-old could put in such a tiny package. With each bounce, the massive protective ear muffs she wore threatened to fall around her shoulders. And yet, she continued to bounce around with each song, beaming back at her mother and father between each other. "Yay."
Rhuben swooped forward and gathered her niece in her arms, making Robin-Renee squeal with excitement, before latching onto her aunt like a koala bear. She smiled and waved at the production crew who swarmed the stage, ready to take the instruments and sort them—what was of the Jackson-McGuire's personal collection to be brought home, and what was to be put into storage. That's what they were now, once that last note was hit they were no longer Blazing Phoenix, but were back to their normal selves.
Riley closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh as the adrenaline wore off her. (Not that it'd ever truly be gone, she'd be buzzing for the rest of the night, putting her sleeping pills to good use. Hell, it was a miracle they worked at all while she was on tour). Wore off Rage, if she were being more specific. Not that Rage wasn't her and she wasn't rage; but Rage was a heightened part of herself when she was in the public eye. A second entity that was her stage persona to ensure those lives could be kept separate. And, if she were being completely honest, she couldn't quite imagine Rage to be so domestic.
Not in the way she'd immediately turned to Noah and said, "Put down a towel, yeah?" as he flopped onto the couch in their dressing room. Her natural, accented inflection made it sound like a question though it was anything but. Short of a demand, more of a gentle reminder. It wasn't their property, they couldn't destroy. Not after what happened last time.
Noah merely raised an eyebrow in response, stretched out across the couch, his feet planted firmly on the floor but otherwise lanky body stretched over the couch. Riley mimicked the movement, using both of her eyebrows instead, and Noah closed his eyes.
Noah let out a long sigh, as if the weight of the world rested on his means to get a towel, stood up, and crossed the room to the refreshment table to grab five white towels, tossing them out to each of his siblings. Riley caught hers in mid-air and mopped it over her face and neck, lifting the back of her shirt to mop up the sweat there. Finally, when her legs couldn't keep her up any longer, she collapsed onto the couch next to her twin and draped her towel over Robin-Renee's head.
Robin-Renee squealed and pulled it off, tossing it back into Riley's lap. "Auntie Riley, you're silly."
"Silly's not the word I'd use," Rhuben remarked. She smiled when Riley elbowed her in the side and leaned into Robin-Renee's face, blowing a raspberry on her cheek. "You think she's silly, Nee-Nee?"
Robin-Renee smiled and poked Rhuben in the nose. "Auntie Rhuny's silly, too."
"Ah, fuck, so long as it's not just me." Riley shrugged and picked up her phone from her pile of belongings on the floor by her couch and angled it above the three. Riley pressed her face close to her sister's, the two showing identical smiles, and captured the image of them and their niece.
She quickly captioned it Backstage hangs with Robin-Renee and posted it to her Instragram. Within seconds, thousands of likes and comments flickered on screen, prompting her to back out of the app and go to her texts. Some from their lifelong friends that'd been at the show that night, some from record execs and others in the business they had to keep up appearances with, one from Matt the recruiter, who'd been one of Ronan's best friends for years, and some of her other friends.
She zeroed in on the group chat she and her siblings had with some of their best friends in the industry, McFly, and smiled.
Tom: Watched the livestream on the telly, you guys killed it!
Harry: Lol, are you trying to sound street now, Tom?
Dougie: He's afraid of the dark, mate, he's not that street.
Danny: Probably doesn't even know what street we're on.
Tom: You don't even know what country we're in.
Danny: But I'm not afraid of the dark, eh?
Harry: Bottom line is, Tom's afraid of the dark, Danny's stupid, and you lot did amazing.
Riley chuckled, reading the conversation out loud, making her brothers and sister all laugh. "Sounds just about right," she commented. "The lot can hardly have a conversation without tearing each other's ass part, yeah?" And yet, she couldn't help but let out a quiet and fond, "boofheads" while continuing to read the conversation. James Bourne, Charlie Simpson, and Matt Willis had given their two cents on the show as well, equal to their personalities; Great songs, great band, Rad show; the tunes were awesome, and Tune! with fire emojis next to it.
While James, Matt, and Charlie were great friends to the Jacksons, it was Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd who certainly were some of the craziest people the Jacksons had ever met and, if they were honest, a bit closer to considering their first US tours were with each other. But that was only in comparison to Riley and her siblings, if she were being completely honest. Once they started to work together, all bets were off for those who were part of their personal lives in staying sane. Once they got together, all bets were off.
"So, what's next?" Patrick turned from the catering table, shoving a handful of grapes into his mouth. He chomped down at once, making the juice dribble down his chin and land stickily on his chest.
"A bath." Rhuben grabbed her towel and threw it at Patrick, where he effortlessly caught it against his chest. "Get some manners, loser."
"Sorry, jerk-face, I don't consider you company where I need them." Nevertheless, he wet the corner of the towel with the tip of his tongue and scrubbed it against his chest. "Anywhere, you didn't answer my bloody question. What are we doing next?"
"We're going home." Ronan McGuire announced his presence as he walked into the room. Behind him was their eldest brother, Julius, and his wife, Brittany. Robin-Renee beamed as her parents kissed her atop the head, but continued to play with the ends of Rhuben's hair, giggling at her aunt every time she feigned pain with her hair being pulled. Ronan went around the room to his adoptive children—and his clients—giving each of them a high-five. "This was an amazing final show; you guys should be proud of yourselves."
"Uh-oh," Sydney sing-songed from where he sat on the floor, legs stretched out, phone resting in his lap. The light of the ceiling caught it and Robin-Renee glanced down, stared at his phone for a minute, then strained her chubby hand down, trying to grab it. Sydney picked up his phone and absentmindedly handed it to her, nodding at her, "Thank oo, Syddie," before saying, "That's Ronan speak for 'there's something I have to tell you'."
"What is it this time?" Noah's voice was muffled from the towel hanging over his face. He pulled the towel from his face and said, "We have to go to Japan and go on another one of those crazy game shows?"
"Those game shows were fun," Patrick declared.
"You weren't the one who had jacks shoved into their feet," Julius murmured. He sat in a nearby folding chair at the catering table, scuttling through the photos he'd taken over the course of the night. "Or had baby powder flung in your face."
Patrick smiled. "That's why it was funny."
"You cheeky wanker," Julius murmured, cuffing his brother over the back of the head. Patrick grinned and went to the couch, dropping down onto Noah's lap before Noah could move out the way. Julius lifted his gaze from the camera and said to Rhuben, "All the shots I've left in the first half can be posted, the second half are for you to decide or for personal use, yeah?" He handed her camera to her which she took with a grateful smile.
Rhuben took her camera and carefully set it aside. She leaned back, bouncing her knees up and down so that Robin-Renee continued to jostle around. She turned her attention to her adoptive father. But, in that moment, he wasn't her father. He was her manager, he as her music producer, he was someone they all had to listen to carefully. "What's up, Ronan?" She asked. "Is everything alright? You sound kind of weird."
"I'm fine," Ronan said quickly. He waved off the accusation then started to absentmindedly smooth down his tie. "There's just a lot we need to go through. But right now, we've got the motors of the buses running, ready to take you on a runner back to Sydney." He looked up "We need to get out of here as soon as possible to make sure we're there in enough time."
"Enough time for what?" Noah asked. His eyes narrowed. "Are we on company time or…?"
Ronan's face twitched, immediately drawing the suspicion of his adoptive children. Not that he was a bad liar by any means, but wasn't very good at keeping good news a secret. He was always the first one ready, willing, and able to give news, good or bad when the time came. He never sugar-coated. But when it came to speaking to his children and wanting to be a supportive force for them after all the years of pain they suffered, it was hard to keep a straight face.
"No, you can relax, we're all on our own time," Ronan said with a wave of his hands. "And I wasn't lying when I said you all did a good job, it was probably one of the best shows you've ever done." He gestured towards the closed door that barely contained the sound of the crowd still roaring outside.
A nudge at her shoulder made Riley look over and exchange a grin with her sister. A quick flicker of Rhuben's eyebrows, returned with a twitch of Riley's mouth got the message across loud and clear.
Another good show down. Piece of cake.
Keep it up.
Speaking silently had been something they'd learned to do ages ago and still relied on when not wanting to speak out loud. Such as other little quirks they kept within themselves as well as sharing with their family.
"But now that you've got this show done, you've got some time to spend to yourselves," Ronan explained. He took in a breath, trying to suppress the smile that threatened to come to his face, but slowly failed. It wasn't easy to keep things secret from them, especially when it was something good for all of them. "So, we'll take a few days off here before we head back to New York."
He watched as all five heads immediately perked up.
New York?
Not only was New York one of their favorite cities to visit, the urban metropolis was very similar to their hometown of Sydney, but it held a lot of things for them. Their grandparents—their mother's parents—lived there, it held some of the biggest shows and stages they'd ever played, it was where they had their first Christmas in the United States while on tour, and, more importantly, it was where they were headquartered when working with their friends McFly while trying to make a name in the US.
Of course, it wasn't easy for either band to make their name. The Jacksons had been bouncing back and forth from LA to New York while working on recording their albums for their American debut. Ronan, being the one who'd kept them in his hometown of LA while Jake Hardin was the one who brought them to New York. If it wasn't for their two creative minds to get their bands to work together, prompting more promotional material within their respective home countries of Australia and England for the bands' popularity to increase, they wouldn't have met in the first place.
And it was nothing but exciting for fans to see some of their favorite bands interact with each other. How many times had any of them seen fans on social media begging for Brendan Flowers and Brendan Urie to work together? New Found Glory and Sum 41? Simple Plan and Waterparks? The combinations were endless. So much so that, McBusted seemed to be inevitable.
"New York?" Sydney asked. He ignored Robin-Renee tilt her head back and innocently ask, "What's New Ork?" while continuing to spin his phone back and forth in her hands.
"Will the guys be there?" Patrick asked. He glanced at his siblings, who all started to share identical smiles, eyes lighting up to shoot down the dark storms that threatened to fill them. As exciting as going back to New York was, there was still the fact that a lot of their troubles stemmed from around their work there.
New York?
The million dollar question. Anytime New York was mentioned in any of their tweets, Facebook postings, Snapchats, or Instagram posts, guesses about whether or not McFly or Busted were going to be there would crop up. Theories about what they were up to started to form, with fans scouring through each band member's postings to determine if there was a connection between a simple tweet, a like, or a favorite. Wondering if that building in the background of that one picture was similar to the building in the background of that other one.
The other million dollar question; will the guys be there? Aka, will McFly be there? Aka, what sort of trouble could they get into when they were all together again? Aka, that one that never needed to be asked because the question was already answered before it was ever asked. If New York was in the equation, then McFly, the DarkElements—known as Blazing Phoenix—and mostly recently Busted—or McBusted as the two bands were currently collectively known—were all the solution. Having the three bands back together again would be nothing short of exciting, in more ways than one.
Ronan smiled, shaking his head. "Yes, McFly and Busted are going to be there."
Riley grinned and quickly sent off a text to their group chat. Simply an emoji of the Australian and UK flags with a plus sign between them and then with an equals sign with an American flag next to it. The US wouldn't know what hit them.
New York, here they come.
What a great show.
You played all my favorite songs. Some of the best songs you'd ever made. There were so many that you haven't played in years and you played them tonight. It was like you were speaking to me. Listening to everything I'd been asking of you lately. Standing in that crowd, at the very front, watching you through the entire show was like I was the only one there. I didn't mind the pushing and shoving from the others. There were no others. They didn't understand how much your music means to me.
I mean, I'm sure it means something to them, too. But more to me. You're everything I want to be and you make it easier for me to be my true self. I don't have to be a wallflower, I don't have to act like everything's okay. I can be straightforward, and coy, and smug, and smirk when I feel like it. Who the hell cares if I say how I really feel? Who the hell cares if I'm a bit cold at first, taking time to warm up to others? More people need to do it more often.
But that doesn't mean I'm not one to see life as it truly can be; a fairytale. Where a princess can be whisked off into the sunset, where she is treated like the princess she is and deserves to be. Where I receive the love and treatment that I deserve. You taught me that. You're strong and know what you want and I like that.
I just hope one day soon I can tell you to your face.
Where I'm not just standing behind a barrier, reaching up to you. Watching you perform on stage. But where I can be a part of your life and say it to you as a friend, as someone who loves you. As more than just a fan.
As a friend.
I hope that day comes soon.
A/N: There are some plots in here that are from WHTYB. Just like what happened with some of our Big Time Rush stories, it doesn't mean that one way the plot goes means it's the 'canon' way. It's just us figuring out how things work. Let me know what you think of this one. Also, I figured out how to have What Happened To Your Band work out so that'll be updated soon as well. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Cheers,
-Riles