Chapter 15
Chapter 15: When The Day Met The Night (Panic At The Disco)
A/N: First of all I would like to thank everyone who has read my story, and a special thanks to those who have reviewed my story. I really appreciate the fact that you guys like my story, I hope you continue to follow where I'm taking this story. This is the beginning of the second part of my story, where you see Craig's label taking off, and Craig going on tour. You will also see what happens to Ashley's law career; there will be a bit more drama that Craig and Ashley have to deal with. I decided that Ellie and Sean will be the main players in one of the upcoming chapters; I felt that it was best to do so, because up till now they definitely have been secondary characters. The basic setup for this chapter is that the weekend had ended, so Craig and Ashley have to go to work. There will be a lot of songs in this chapter, I will be giving credit to each one of the artists, but for the purposes of this story all the songs will be "sung" & "written" by the various characters. I hate Panic At The Disco, but oddly enough I really like this song, it kinda reminds me of my relationship with my girlfriend, that's why I decided to use this song, that it also reminds me of the Craig and Ashley's relationship.
The sound of the radio filled the room, Craig groaned a bit, he looked over to the clock and it was flashing 6:30 continuously. He pounds on the alarm clock to get it to stop. He rolls over and sees that Ashley is still sleeping peacefully, he just watches her for a minute or two; she is so beautiful, and for some unknown reason he starts to blush uncontrollably. He doesn't want to wake her from her slumber but she needs to get ready for court, which begins at 9 in the morning. He thinks about how he should go about, different scenarios enter his head; at first he thinks maybe he should just shake until she wakes up but he doesn't want to look like a jerk, then he thinks he should set the alarm so that it can go off again but although a prudent move its just not romantic enough for his taste. Then another possibility enters his mind, one that makes him smile. He slowly positions himself next to Ashley, making sure that he doesn't wake her just yet. He moves one of his hands on top of her stomach and slowly begins to rub it, he then plants a soft kiss on her cheek and whisper in her ear "good morning, love of my life. It's time to wake up." He moves back to gauge her response; he sees that there is a giant grin on her face; she starts to open her open eyes one by one. With her left hand she starts to rub her eyes and with the right one she begins to rub Craig's cheek.
"I've never waken up so good," says Ashley
"Well I'm glad to be of service, mi lady," responses Craig
"It's nice to waited on hand and foot," answers Ashley
Craig begins to tickle her until she starts crying tears of joy, he looks into her eyes and says, "I really don't want to kill the beautiful moment but you need to get ready so you can get to court early, ok?"
"Well, what time is it?" asks Ashley
Craig rolls over to check the clock, then rolls back over and says, "6:35."
"Oh, ok you're right. Well I'm going to take a shower," responses Ashley
As Ashley gets up and grabs a few of her things then enters the shower. Craig positions himself so that he is sitting up; he then turns on the radio. He hears a familiar voice coming from the radio he just shakes his head.
Who do you love?
Girl I see through, through your love.
Who do you love?
Me or the thought of me?
Me or the thought of me?
Hold on to whatever you find baby
Hold on to whatever will get you through
Hold on to whatever you find baby
I don't trust myself with lovin you.
Hold on to whatever you find baby
Hold on to whatever will get you through
Hold on to whatever you find baby
I don't trust myself with lovin you.
I don't trust myself with lovin you.
I don't trust myself with lovin you.
I don't trust myself with lovin you.
"Welcome back the Danny & Darcy show on WTOR, Toronto premier rock and alternative station. And that of course was Craig Manning, would here at WTOR would love to thank Mr. Manning and his band for coming down performing for us and taking questions for you the fans," says Darcy.
"I'm right there with you Darce, we would also love to thank Craig for staying longer than he needed to, so he could sing more autographs and take pictures with you guys," responses Danny.
"And of course we can't forget about you guys, you were the ones who made Friday morning a complete success. You had you're A game on, there is no doubt about that," relies Darcy.
"Speaking of their A game, we have our resident man on the street Derek, who will be talking with random folks. Anyone who answers our questions correctly will be thrown into a pool to see who will be winning tickets to the upcoming Rise Against show at the Air Canada Centre, next Tuesday, Derek, are you there?" asks Danny.
Just as Derek was about to say something, Craig turns off the radio. He notices the shower had been turned off indicating that Ashley was done, so he moves over to the drawer to grab a pair of boxers and a new undershirt. As he enters the bathroom he sees Ashley drying her hair, she looks at him through the mirror and gives him a sly smile and then proceeds to continue working on her hair. As he opens the shower door and turns on the water, Ashley wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his back. No words are exchanged, because nothing needs to be said. After about a minute Ashley disconnects herself from Craig then proceeds to slap him on the ass, and walks out the bathroom door laughing. Craig thinks to himself, "maybe payback for yesterday." He doesn't take a long shower probably 15 minutes or so. When exits the bathroom he sees that Ashley had just finishing getting dressed. He grabs a pair of jeans and a vintage Pink Floyd t-shirt, along a leather jacket reminiscent of the one he had in high school. He grabs his car keys, his cell phone, and Emily's demo; Ashley grabs her purse along with her legal briefs and the notebooks that contain Craig's lyrics. As they walk downstairs they see that Joey is already dressed and is going over his homework, next to his books is a bowl of cereal. Ashley goes over and kisses Joey on the cheek and going to turn on the coffee machine. Craig places his hands on Joey's shoulders and shakes him softly.
"Hey kiddo, whatcha reading?" asks Craig
"Oh, just looking over my English homework so that it's perfect before Ms. Russell comes over," responses Joey.
"Good, son. Remember your education is the most important in your family next to your family and friends. If I could've gone back to change some things I definitely would have gone to college, and gotten a degree in music, but see mijo learn from my mistake because yea we have a lot of money and I've been really successful at this music thing but I'm a huge exception to the rule, It could've easily gone the other way and I could have been a huge failure " says Craig.
"I know dad, don't worry I know that my education is important," replies Joey
"Hey Joey do you want to look over your homework to see if it's alright?" asks Ashley
"Umm yea, that would be great, thanks," says Joey as he hands over his homework for Ashley to look at."
As she looks over Joey's homework she casually takes sips of coffee of her mug, she nods her head. It's a book review of "Catcher in the Rye"; she thinks to herself, "wow, he understands the emotional complexity of Holden's character. At such a young age he is able to grasp the depth of what Salinger was trying to write, but I'm not sure that he should reading this kind of book at his age, don't get me wrong it's an amazing book and should read it, I just think that this is something you read in high school."
She finishes reviewing it and hands it back to Joey and says, "It's really good you should be proud of yourself."
"Thank you, Ashley," replies Joey
"Ash, I think we should get going," says Craig
"Ok babe," she replies
Ashley finishes her cup of coffee and places it in the sink, then proceeds to grabs her stuff. She then begins to walk to the door, Craig moves over and kisses his son on the forehead and says, "Alright, I'll be back in a bit. Remember don't open the door for anyone but Ms. Russell, oh auntie Ellie will be by like always to look after you ok?"
"Alright, dad love you," responses Joey
"Love you too," replies Craig
As Craig walks through the front door and closes it behind him, he sees that Ashley is leaning against the hood of the car. He walks over to her with a huge grin on his face, once he reaches her he leans in and kisses her on the cheek, he then whispers in her ear, "you know you look very hot in your business suit."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Manning," responses Ashley
Craig starts to nibble on one of her ears; it feels so good that she almost drops her things. But she regains her composure and lightly pinches Craig in the stomach, which causes Craig to chuckle. He disconnects himself from her and then moves over to the passenger side door and unlocks so Ashley could get in. He then walks over to the drivers side and gets in himself.
As they pull out of the driveway Ashley leans in and says, "you know they're such things automatic doors."
"I know, I know. But this car is a classic; I'm not going to screw it up by adding unnecessary accessories. And what I can't be a gentlemen and open the door for my girlfriend," responses Craig.
"Of course you can, I was just asking a simple question," replies Ashley.
Craig just laughs and continues driving. The courthouse is only about 20 minutes away; on the way there Ashley receives a phone call.
"Hi Liberty," answers Ashley
"Are you on your way?" asks Liberty
"Yea Lib, I'm about 10 minutes out. Are the clients with you right now?" replies Ashley
"Umm, yea they just got here about 15 minutes or so. Right now where just waiting for you to get here, I tried to call your apartment last night but I guess you were asleep or something," responses Liberty.
"Yea, I was asleep," answers Ashley as she looks over to Craig who is smiling.
"Alright, well we'll see you when you get here," says Liberty
"See you in a bit," answers Ashley, she then hangs up the call.
She looks over to Craig who is still smiling; she shakes her head and says, "Why are you smiling honey?"
"Nothing, I love you," responses Craig
"Craig, come on. I know you better than that. When you have that smile on your face I know something is up," replies Ashley.
"I just thought that you would've mentioned where you were this weekend," answers Craig.
"Aww, I'm sorry. Well I mean you are going to see her right now, so you could tell her yourself," responses Ashley.
"It's alright, I guess you're right, we'll see her when we get there," answers Craig
When the get to the stoplight they see Liberty along with what Craig is guessing are Ashley and Liberty's clients, Ashley looks down at her watch, it's 7:45. Both seem to notice that Liberty is pacing back and forth the steps of the courthouse. But she seems to stop once she sees a car stop near the sidewalk; she notices that Ashley is getting out of the passenger side. She runs down the steps a bit, not far behind are their clients. She can't tell who is driving the car, as she gives Ashley a hug she notices that the car has been turned off, and the driver side begins to open. Ashley gives her a huge smile, which confuses Liberty, but as she looks over to the figure getting out of the car she starts to smile as well.
"Oh my God Craig, what are you doing here?" asks Liberty as she runs around the car and gives Craig a hug.
"Umm… I'm just dropping off my girlfriend at work," responses Craig with a huge smile on his face.
"Really, I mean I know that she saw you on Friday but I didn't think that it went so well, but yea you two are… you know together," says Liberty
"Yea, I guess we are. That's why I didn't pick up when you called. I was at Craig's house this weekend, I sorry for being out of contact," replies Ashley.
Liberty shakes her head and says, "No it's alright. I'm just glad that you two are finally back together. I feel a tad bit responsible for this happy reunion."
Craig looks at Ashley with a confused look on his face.
"Umm. She was the one who took me to the show on Friday, she set it all up with the help of my mother," answers Ashley
Craig shrugs and says, "Well, I'm glad so many people are looking out for us. So I say thank you Liberty."
Craig and Ashley notice that the clients are staring at him, he kinda blush and mouths "hi" to each one.
"Wow, Mr. Manning we are huge fans of your music. I'm John, this is Jakob, and this is Tony. Is there any way we can get a picture with you," says John while the other two guys nod their heads.
"Umm… yea sure, anything for the fans," replies Craig.
"Tony, take out your camera phone," says John
"Alright, Alright John, calm the hell down," responses Tony
As Craig walks around she looks at the ladies who are chuckling to themselves, Craig positions himself in between the group of gentlemen. Tony hands over the phone over to Ashley who gives her things to Liberty to hold.
As she is about to take the picture, Liberty leans in and whispers into her ear, "does this happen often."
"More than you know," responses Ashley who chuckles a bit.
Once Ashley has taken the picture Craig shakes each one of their hands and moves over to where Ashley and Liberty are.
"This is where I say goodbye," Craig whispers into Ashley's ear
"Ok sweetie. I love you," responses Ashley
"I love you too. What time will you get done so I can come pick you up?" asks Craig
"Umm... I think we'll be done for the day around 5 but you don't have to pick me up, I can bum a ride with Liberty and she can drop if off at the house, since I left my car there. Lib is that ok?" says Ashley as she looks over to her
"Of course, don't worry about it Craig, she'll be safe in my hand," answers Liberty
Craig just chuckles and says, " What can I say I'm her personal protector."
"Aww how sweet. Look once court is done for the day, we'll head over to my apartment and I'll get some things together. Then we'll picked up Jake and we'll head over to the house and we'll have dinner as a family. Liberty how do you feel about Craig making you and Jake a home cooked meal?" asks Liberty
"I didn't know you cooked Craig, when did you become Mr. Mom?" responses Liberty
"I'm nothing special," replies Craig.
"Yea right, he could literally be a chef if he wanted, he's that good," says Ashley.
"This I gotta see, what time do you wants us come over?" asks Liberty
"Fair enough, I don't know 6, 6:30. Is that alright?" responses Craig
"Perfect. I'm sure my son would love to meet you," replies
Craig smiles at Liberty, then proceed to lightly brush his lips against Ashley's
"Wish me luck?" asks Ashley
"You don't need it love, I know you'll do a great job in there," replies Craig
"I guess I'll see you later, I'll be thinking about you," answers Ashley
Craig doesn't say anything he just smiles and gives her another quick peck on the lips while his rest his forehead against her's. He then goes and hugs Liberty and waves goodbye to the clients, he walks to the car and gets in and slowly drives away. As they start to walk up the steps of the courthouse Liberty notices that huge smile on Ashley's face, she is glad that after all these years her best friend is finally happy. As they enter the courthouse and pass through the security checkpoint the smile hasn't left her face. Before the enter to courtroom Ashley looks over to Liberty who returns her smile
Ashley leans in and says, "I'm finally where I need to be."
"And where is that Ash?" asks Liberty
"In his arms," responses Ashley
Liberty chuckles a bit then they enter and take their seats waiting the trial to officially begin.
At a stoplight Craig puts Emily's demo into the CD player, he listens to it on the way to Leo's office one particular song stands out in his head
Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while
Breathing gets harder even I know that
Made room for me but it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and
Your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry
Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
Promise me that you'll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me
Because I say
I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
Is that why you wanted a love song?
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There's a reason to
Write you a love song today
As he sits in his car in the parking lot of Leo's offices he hears all of her songs over again, she has a lot of range he thinks to himself. She can go from a happy peppy song to a somber tune about love. But one think is evident her vocals are what makes her standout, as he grabs his things and gets out of his car he thinks about the possible comment that Leo will have about Emily's demo.
As soon as he enters the office Leo's secretary Jenny gets up to greet him, they exchange pleasantries. Jenny then proceeds to call Leo telling him that Craig had arrived to which Leo responded "Well, let him in already." Jenny shakes her head, which causes Craig to laugh and says, "Yes Leo." As soon Jenny opens the door to let Craig go in Leo stands up to welcome him in, they shake hands then proceed to sit down.
"What's up kid?" asks Leo
"Well I'm not a kid anymore but yea I'm good, I just dropped Ash at work," responses Craig.
"Oh what does she do for a living? I never got the chance to ask," replies Leo
"Umm, she is a lawyer," answers Craig
"Oh wow, beautiful and smart. Craig I think you found yourself quite a catch," says Leo
Craig blushes a bit and says, "You're right, I'm an extremely lucky man."
"I can see that she makes you happy. But if you don't mind there is a lot of work we have to get through," says Leo
"Umm... yea, there is something I need to talk to you about," answers Craig
"Ok, shoot, you can tell me anything," response Leo
"Well, me and Ash went out on a date last night. And it was great and all but we ran into this amazing singer on the street that was working for change. She has an incredible voice; she gave me a copy of her demo. I have never heard anything like her, she can play every single type of genre; you need to listen to it," says Craig
Leo starts to rub his teeth with his tongue, he always did this when he was think about something, he sighs a bit and says, "Alright Craig, I'll pop it in. Let's see if she as good as you think she."
Craig hands him the demo and Leo places it into a nearby CD player. While Emily's music is playing Craig stares at Leo trying to gauge his response, he doesn't change his demeanor the entire time. Once the final note plays Leo turns off the CD player. At first he doesn't say anything, which puzzles Craig, did he hear what I just heard he thinks to himself.
Days like this, I don't know what to do with myself
All day and all night
I wander the halls along the walls and under my breath
I say to myself
I need fuel to take flight
And there's too much going on
But it's calm under the waves, in the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves in the blue of my oblivion
Is that why they call me a sullen girl, sullen girl?
They don't know I used to sail the deep and tranquil sea
But he washed me shore and he took my pearl
And left an empty shell of me
And there's too much going on
But it's calm under the waves in the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves in the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves in the blue of my oblivion
It's calm under the waves in the blue of my oblivion
Leo gets up and walks over a nearby window and without looking back towards Craig he says, "So she isn't signed with any labels?"
Craig starts to grin and says, "Nope, so were in a agreement?"
"Oh yea, when can she come in?" asks Leo
"Well, I told her that if I liked her demo that I would call her," responses Craig
"Well get to it man," replies Leo
Craig takes his phone and starts to dial
"Hello," says Emily
"Hi, this is Emily Portman?" asks Craig
"Umm…yea this is her," answers Emily
"Hi, this is Craig Manning," says Craig.
"Oh my God, this better not be one of my friends playing a prank on me," replies Emily
"No Emily, I assure you this is not a prank," replies Craig
"Oh wow, did you listen to my demo? Did you like it?" frantically asks Emily
"That's kinda why I called you, I wanted to tell you that you have an amazing voice, and I wanted to know if you would be willing to sign with my label, and we would begin to get to work on recording your first album, what do you think?" asks Craig
The next thing he knows Emily is screaming and from what he could tell she is apparently jumping up and down.
"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD. OF COURSE OF COURSE, I WOULD LOVE TO SIGN WITH YOU. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING," responses Emily.
Craig starts to laugh; he looks over to Leo who can't hold back a smile. He puts the receiver back to his mouth and says, "Emily, is there anyway you can come in today?"
"Of course, where do you want to meet?" asks Emily
"Well, can you meet me at my manager's office, he heard your demo as well and would love to meet you, so do you think you'll be able to come today?" asks Craig
"Of course, what's the address and around what time?" asks Emily
"Umm, the address is 1268 Queens Street," he then looks at Leo and mouths "what time?" Leo mouths back, "1", Craig then continues, "About 1 o'clock. Is that alright?"
"Yea, I'll be there around 1, I can't wait," responses Emily
"All right, see you then," replies Craig as he hangs up the phone.
Craig and Leo spend the rest of the morning eating breakfast from a nearby diner and going over all the details of the upcoming tour, from the kind of merchandise that would be sold, to what specific guidelines Craig and the band would want while on tour for what kind of food, drinks and so on. They also took a look at the concert venue and the design of the stage, Craig was adamant that the stage be constructed so that all the fans would be able to see them, even from the nosebleed sections. Ticket prices was another source of contention, Craig's contract with LiveNation meant he could basically determine the price of tickets for his show, he decided that between 20 and 50 dollars for the arena tickets and about 100 dollars for VIP seating seemed reasonable. Now they had to decide whom they would bring along with him to tour Europe since the Airborne Toxic Event would be joining him for the majority of the North American leg of the tour. A bunch of name kept on going through his mind but as he weighed the positives of touring with each one of those names it just didn't seem right to him. But he had to make a decision soon, Leo gave him another list of name for him to mull over. He looks up at a clock hanging on Leo's wall, it was 12:45 almost time for their meeting with Emily.
Most of the morning Ashley felt good about the case, her opening remarks seemed to go over well with the judge, she could tell he seemed sympathetic to their case. But then again opposing council did a really good job of making their case, but she was confident about the outcome of the case. Her confidence increased the moment the owner of the body shop took the stand, he did not do a good job of defending himself, and he presented himself as pompous and arrogant which seemed to annoy the judge. The judge had stopped the trial for a lunch break, which would last for about an hour. As they ate their hotdogs she knew Craig would be mad if he knew that she was eating food that was bad for her, so much has changed she thinks to herself. As she takes a sip of her soda she decides to peer through some of Craig's notebooks. The first contains lyrics to most of his famous songs, others were hidden little gems scattered through his various album; these songs were always special to her because she knew that those songs represented as an artist Craig really was. Then as she finished looking through the second notebook she started to get into songs that had never seen the light of day, some were little poems that Craig had written over the years. She read one that she knew was about his son, another was about the love he felt from his mother, and a final one was definitely about Angie. The first couple of songs she read really cheesy songs that made her chuckle. Then she came across a song that made her heart fluttered a bit, the lyrics spoke to her soul in a way that made the words come alive.
Open Your Eyes
All this feels strange and untrue
And I won't waste a minute without you
My bones ache, my skin feels cold
And I'm getting so tired and so old
The anger swells in my guts
And I won't feel these slices and cuts
I want so much to open your eyes
Cos I need you to look into mine
Tell me that you'll open your eyes x4
Get up, get out, get away from these liars
Cos they don't get your soul or your fire
Take my hand; knot your fingers through mine
And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time
Every minute from this minute now
We can do what we like anywhere
I want so much to open your eyes
Cos I need you to look into mine
Tell me that you'll open your eyes x8
All this feels strange and untrue
And I won't waste a minute without you
She continued to look through the notebook, each song was deeper than the last, she stops on a song that at first she didn't understand what it meant
When the day met the night
When the moon fell in love with the sun
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
When the sun found the moon
She was drinking tea out in a garden
Under the green umbrella trees
In the middle of summer
When the moon found the sun
He looked like he was barely hanging on
But her eyes saved his light
In the middle of summer
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, summer, summer
All was golden when the day met the night
So he said, "Would it be all right
If we just sat and talked for a little while
If in exchange for your time
I give you this smile?"
So she said, "That's okay
As long as you can make a promise
Not to break my little heart
Or leave me all alone in the summer."
He was just hanging around
Then he fell in love
And he didn't know how
But he couldn't get out
Just hanging around
Then he fell in love
In the middle of summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
Summer, summer, summer
All was golden in the sky
All was golden when the day met the night
She could help but smile at Craig's words; they made her feel warm all over. She could not understand why he never recorded these songs because they were only for his eyes only, and now he was letting her into his soul, and she could see how he saw her. Because in his eyes she was the most beautiful thing in the world, and no one had ever made her feel that way. The first thing she does is grab her cell phone then looks through her contacts' list until she finds his name and starts to type away
Ashley: I LUV U
Craig starts to feel a buzzing sensation coming from his front pocket; he opens his phone and begins to read the text, he can't help but smile. He begins to respond.
Craig: I HEART YOU TOO
Ashley starts to hear a beeping sound come from her cell phone, she reads Craig's text and starts to blush. She writes back
Ashley: Well the moon would like 2 say the sun that she can't wait 2 see him
Craig: I take it that you liked that song
Ashley: It made my heart skip a beat
Craig: Aww, how the case going
Ashley: Good, I'll talk 2 u l8tr
Craig: Luv U
Ashley: Luv U 2
She feels like she's walking on water but then she comes across a song that makes her think twice
Sometime Around Midnight
And it starts... sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when you lose yourself for
A minute or two as you stand...
Under the barlights and the band plays
Some song about forgetting yourself for a
While and the piano's this melancholy soundcheck
To her smile and that white dress
She's wearing you haven't seen her for a while
But you know... that she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a crux
The room suddenly spinning she walks up
And asks how you are so you can smell her
Perfume you can see her lying naked in your
Arms and so there's a change... in your
Emotions and all of these memories come
Rushing like feral waves to your mind of
The curl of your bodies like two perfect circles
Entwined and you feel hopeless, and
Homeless and lost in the haze of the wine
And she leaves... with someone you don't
Know but she makes sure you saw her
She looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door your blood boiling
Your stomach in ropes and when your friends say what is it
You look like you've seen a ghost
And you walk... under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice
That everyone is staring at you
And you so care what you look like
The world is falling around you
You just have to see her you just have to see her
You just have to see her you just have to see her
You just have to see her
And you know that she'll break
You in two
Ok, she doesn't know what to make this song, is it about her? She shakes it off a bit then the next song makes her worry even more.
Bourne On The FM Waves Of The Heart
No, it's not what we meant to say.
We don't really love each other.
What happens when the summer's over?
How long before distance becomes a chore?
I'm approaching with great, great trepidation.
I hope you'll understand.
Before you speak think about what you're trying to say.
Who else is there to blame for miscommunication?
You're getting caught up in the excitement.
You making promises you can't keep.
You need to leave all your options open.
Too much momentum.
This room feels like it's going to explode.
Too many angles.
Too many factors to cover.
Waiting for signal.
You're searching for network.
You have to fight to stay in control of the situation.
Anxiety, Anxiety you give me no mercy.
Grind my teeth smooth and flat in my sleep.
We took some pills to calm us down.
Then we needed help to come back up.
Just trying to stay in control of the situation.
Too much momentum.
This room feels like it's going to explode.
Too many angles.
Too many factors to cover.
Waiting for signal.
You're searching for network.
You have to fight to stay in control of the situation.
They fall apart so easily.
Too much momentum.
This room feels like it's going to explode.
Too many angles.
Too many factors to cover.
Waiting for signal.
You're searching for network.
You have to fight to stay in control.
You have to fight to stay in control.
No, you don't have to fight to stay in control of the situation.
The line we don't really love each other that's not about us, is it? Ashley thinks to herself. These words that Craig has written has confused her, Liberty gets up, which signals that it's time to go back into court. While sitting down in her chair she tries to analyze the lyrics to Craig's song, but she can't seem to find the true mean of his words. She shakes it off and gets herself ready for the rest of the day, putting all those thoughts in the back of her mind.
Back at Leo's office, Jenny has let Emily into the room, the first thing she does is to run over and give Craig the biggest hug she could muster, which causes all the air to come out of Craig's body. She then goes over and shakes Leo's hand then proceeds to seat down in the empty chair. Leo and Craig just look at each other and smile, then they proceed to seat as well.
"Umm…Emily, we know that you are really excited about this opportunity, but I asked you to come so that we could hammer out some details, is that okay?," asks Craig
Emily doesn't say anything she just nods her head in agreement
"Alright, well I would love to sign you to a three album deal with the option of a forth one, okay?" asks Craig
"That sounds great," responses Emily
"Good, well it's going to be a two million dollar contract and with each album you will be getting a 100,000 bonus; and depending on how well your albums do, you could see the amount of money you make increase, is there anything you don't understand?" asks Craig
"Umm… well, what would my advance look like so I know where I should record the album," responses Emily
"See that's the thing you won't need that much of an advance because you will be recording the album in my personal studio, this way the cost of the recording this album will be low. Me and Leo will be helping you out as much as we can, we'll be doing most of the producing, I mean so will you since these are your lyrics and your voice and no one knows it better than you do. And also the band and me will sit in and do a lot of what the studio musicians do," answers Craig.
"Yea, I mean you have such a beautiful voice and you know what the world needs to hear it. Craig and me were talking about this earlier and we both agree that you cross into so many different genres of music, your demo showed us that, so what do you think?" asks Leo
"You guys are way too kind, thank you for seeing something in me that would make you think that I can be successful at this, I only have one question?" asks Emily
"Shoot," says Leo
"Where do I sign?" answers Emily
Craig and Leo start laughing, Emily can't help but smile as well. Everything was going well.
"All right, look we are going to have the lawyers write everything up, but see the thing this label is still under the flagship of my record company, it's a 50-50 split. We have started the process of buying them out for complete ownership of the label, since under contract with them and not under this label it's going to be easier, but it might take a couple of week, so what I want you to do from now until we have you under contract is to get together all the song you want to have on this album, I mean you have 6 great songs that we need to rerecord, but you are going to have at least 6 to 8 more songs. Can you do that for me," answers Craig.
"Well, actually I've written close to 50 songs, but okay I'll get to selecting the songs I want, then if it would all right with you I would love for you to check them," replies Emily.
Craig nods his in agreement.
"Well I guess I better get going, I just wanted to say again how much this means to me and I wanted to thank both of you for such a great opportunity," says Emily.
"You're welcome Emily, but you don't have to keep thanking us. We haven't really done anything yet," responses Leo
"I know Leo, but I'm on such a high right now that I can't control myself," replies Emily
She then gets up and proceeds to hug Leo, she runs over to Craig and gives him another big hug, but then plants a huge kiss on his cheek, which causes Craig to chuckle; Leo just gives him a puzzled look. Emily then starts to skip out the front door, and waves goodbye to Jenny.
"What the hell was that?" asks Leo
"You got me dude," responses Craig
Craig finishes up all the details then proceeds to leave his office; it's about 2:30 in the afternoon. As he drives home he thinks about what he should make for dinner, he has already made duck, and pasta; and they had already eaten Indian food. So he decides on making Chicken Cacciatore, he then proceeds to stop by the grocery store to buy all the necessities. As soon as he gets home he sees that Joey is sitting at the kitchen table going over some math with Ms. Russell, he goes over to Joey and kisses him on the head; he then looks over to Ms. Russell who gives him an approving smile. As he puts away all the groceries, he hears Joey answering all of Ms. Russell's questions correctly, he thinks to himself, "wow he got them all right, damn my kid is so smart, I have no idea where he got that from because it definitely wasn't from me," he then proceeds to chuckle to himself. When he is finished he walks into the living room but not before rubbing Joey's head. The minute he walks inside the living room he sees Ellie sitting on the couch watching TV, he sits down beside her and gives her a kiss on the forehead.
"How's my future Godchildren?" asks Craig
"They're kicking up a storm, jeez I can't wait until these kids get the hell out of me," answers Ellie
"Umm…I making dinner tonight you more than welcomed to stayed, call Sean and Scotty and tell them to come over too," replies Craig.
"Yes, please I love my boys but sometimes I can't do all by myself. I mean they are great at some things like fixing thing, playing soccer and playing the brooding loner but cooking and cleaning is not one of them," responses Ellie
"That's good to hear, I think Joey loves it when Scotty comes over. They remind me of myself and Sean," says Craig.
"Me too, what will be having tonight Chef Manning?" asks Ellie
"Well I plan on making Chicken Cacciatore with sweet potatoes and some peach cobbler, I mean if that's all right with you?" responses Craig
"You better stop because I'm starting to get hungry, will young Ashley Kerwin be joining us tonight?" asks Ellie
"Umm… yes she will, so will Liberty and her son Jake," answers Craig
"That's good to hear, I haven't seen Liberty or her son in so many years, what time will dinner be ready, so I can call Sean and tell to pick up Scotty and come over here," asks Ellie
"Well I told Ash to be here around 6, I so I plan on starting dinner around 4; so I guess I have an hour to kill, what's on?" responses Craig
"Nothing, just soap operas," replies Ellie
"Meh, did I tell you I signed a new artist, her name is Emily Portman. She's really good El, I mean her voice is amazing, I never heard anything like her," says Craig.
"Wow, the last time I heard you say anything like this when you heard Ash's voice for the first time," replies Ellie
"I know, she reminds me so much of her that it's creepy. I hope to have her in my recording studio in a few weeks," answers Craig
"What does Ash think of this girl, I mean you have told her right?" asks Ellie
"I was with her when we discovered her, I mean she was entranced with her voice as well. I mean I haven't told her that signed her, but I did tell her that I would call her and that I would everything I could to get her in the recording studio. But I mean I can't do anything yet since I have yet to buy out the record company for the rights to the label, then we can officially sign Emily," responses Craig
"Oh yea, speaking of which how many albums do you have left on your contract, cause I mean that you'll probably move over to your record label once you contract is finished," asks Ellie
"Well I have one album left after the one that's coming out tomorrow, I mean I know this is a crappy way out but I plan on releasing a Greatest hits album, that way I'm free of my contract and I will no longer have to worry about being under the thumb of some soulless record company," answers Craig
"Well, it's not a crappy way Craig, you just want to be done with all this so you can control your own future, anyone can understand. Speaking of tomorrow, are you at all worried about the release of the album?" asks Ellie
"Nah, I mean if it sells that great, if it doesn't there is nothing I can do about it. I made an album I'm proud of, I mean yea in my younger years I lived and died by the albums sales but over time I've come to learn that it doesn't matter anymore, the only thing that does matter is I feel about the finished product," answers Craig
"Wow, Craig Manning has really grown up," replies Ellie
"Very funny Nash," says Craig
Craig and Ellie spend the rest of the hour watching TV, Ellie called Sean at the shop telling him about the plan. Ms. Russell had finished her session with Joey, and said her goodbyes to Craig and Ellie, and left Joey with some homework for the next day. Ellie could smell Craig cooking in the kitchen; it smelled so good that her mouth started to water.
Ashley and Liberty finished the first day of the trial; everything seemed to going their way. Much of the afternoon was spent cross-examining the owner of the body shop; he seemed to crack underneath the pressure of Liberty's questions. The Judge adjourned the trial for the day and they begin the next morning with the questioning of John, As soon as they picked up Jake from basketball practice they headed over to Ashley's apartment so she gather a few things. By the time they got to Craig's house it was close to 6 o'clock, Liberty and Jake were shocked by how big Craig's house was, Jake seems a little nervous. Craig Manning was his favorite singer; his mom had told him stories about their time high school. The first thing that hit them as they walked through the door was the smile that was coming from the kitchen. They walk into the living room only to see Sean, Ellie, Scotty, and Joey sitting down watching TV. Everyone turns their head to see them, they all get up, Ellie hugs Liberty so does Sean. The children are introduced to each other, even though Jake is 5 years older than Scotty and Joey they seem to get along quite well. Ashley goes upstairs and drops her things off in the bedroom and she comes back down the stairs she peaks her head into the living room to see Ellie and Liberty reminiscing about the past while the guys watch the Blue Jays game. She walks into the kitchen and sees Craig chopping up some garlic and dicing up some onions. She walks over to him and wraps her arms around his waist.
"Hi honeybunny," says Ashley
"You feel so good," responses Craig
"Aww thanks babe. So whatcha cooking?" asks Ashley
"Well I'm finishing up the Chicken Cacciatore, and I have the sweet potatoes in the warmer and the peach clobber cooling in the refrigerator," answers Craig
"Oh la la," replies Ashley
"Thank you, so did the first day go?" asks Craig
Ashley kisses Craig's neck and says, "Well I can't obviously give you specifics but I feel really good about the case, I feel like the little guy i.e. us will come out on top on this one. How did the meeting go today?"
"Really good, we did an overview of the entire tour and we hammered out a lot of the unresolved issues that we had to take care of. But that's not the good news," replies Craig
"Oh really what's the good news?" asks Ashley
Craig turns around and kisses her on the lips and looks into her eyes and says, "Well we signed Emily to contract, I mean not really, cause we still have to buy out the record company but yea we have her under contract."
"Oh my God, that's such great news," says Ashley as she jumps into Craig's arms and proceeds to kiss him passionately, "when will she start cutting her album?"
"Well hopefully in a few weeks," answers Craig
"That's great, I'm so proud of honey," responses Craig
"Thank you, now if you could go get ready for dinner, I should everything ready in about 5 minutes or so," says Craig
"Of course," answers Ashley
Once Craig finishes cooking he calls everyone into the kitchen for dinner, he meets Jake, he seems so nervous Craig thinks to himself but after a while Jake starts to joke around with him. They spend the rest of the evening eating and talking about the past. Jake always loved to hear stories about his mom and her time in high school. Craig then shows Liberty and Jake around he even shows them his studio; Jake is in awe of everything. Around 10 o'clock everyone starts to leave, Liberty and Jake leave first because of the early start of trial the next day; Sean, Ellie, and Scotty leave soon afterwards. About 20 minutes after everyone leaves Joey goes to sleep, the only ones left are Craig and Ashley then they go into the bedroom. As they lie in bed Craig knows Ashley has something on her mind but he knows she's too afraid to say anything.
"All right babe, I know you what to say something, and you might as well come out with it," says Craig
"Ok, I didn't want to bring it up but this afternoon as I was reading through your notebooks, and some of the songs touched my heart but others just confused the hell out of me," responses Ashley
"Ok, which ones and I'll explain it to you," answers Craig
Ashley goes over the desk and grabs his notebooks and return to the bed; she starts flipping through them until she finds the notebooks in question. She looks at him and says, " Umm… this song it's called "Sometime After Midnight", is it about me?"
Craig groans a bit and says, "Yea, but I wrote it when I was in the hospital, I'm sorry if it hurt your feeling I really am but that's how I was feeling at the time. I felt dead inside, I mean no one has this kind of effect on me, so when everything went down, that's how I was feeling but you gotta know that how I was feeling at the time. I hope you don't think I love you any less."
"Well that's kind of my next question. Umm…there is this song it called Bourne On The FM Waves Of The Heart. There is a line in it in which you write that "we don't really love each other," is that about us?" asks Ashley
Craig starts to chuckle a bit and says, "Babe that song is about Manny, I wrote while in rehab. I figured out that after everything I did to her that my heart wasn't hers, that i couldn't really love her if all i did was cause her pain, I learned that in rehab. This was the song i originally wanted on the album, but they wanted a song that would sell better, this song really represents how i felt about Manny; same goes for that song about Ellie. That whole first album was really fucked up cause outside of "My Window" and "She's The Ash" i had no input in what songs would end up on the album."
Ashley starts to smile and begins to rub her nose with his and says, "Sorry, it's just that those lyrics are so haunting and deep that they make you start to question yourself."
"Can we go to sleep now and can you put away all those unnecessary thoughts, ok?" asks Craig
"Of course, my love," responses Ashley
As they settled into bed, Ashley lets all those troubling thoughts escape her mind, and they peacefully go to sleep.
Love Song (Property of Sara Bareilles)
Sullen Girl (Property of Fiona Apple)
Open Your Eyes (Property of Snow Patrol)
When The Day Met The Night (Property of Panic At The Disco)
Sometime After Midnight (Property of The Airborne Toxic Event)
Bourne On The FM Waves Of The Heart (Property of Against Me!)