Tommy awoke the following morning to a somewhat novel situation. Kira had actually gotten out of bed first. Pulling on a bathrobe and making his way to the living room door, he couldn't help but chuckle a little as Kira charged about the living room in a panicked frenzy.
"Wherearetheywherearetheywherearethey!" She babbled barely coherently as she demolished the room in a frantic search. Tommy grabbed her by the shoulders, and looked straight into her eyes.
"Kira, for the love of god, breathe!" He commanded, noting her panicky, rapid breath which verged on the point of hyperventilation. "What are you looking for?"
"The new guitar strings!" She snapped back, still breathing at a thousand miles an hour. "Oh my god! I'll need to cancel! Where's my car keys? I need to get to the music store. I need those strings…"
"Kira!" Tommy shouted, bringing her attention back to him. He casually picked up a jacket from the corner of the couch, picking up the pack of strings underneath and handing them to Kira. "Calm down. Everything's going to be fine."
Kira practically broke into hysterics as she snatched the strings. Leaping into his arms and kissing him repeatedly, she began a mantra. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou…"
"Kira. Calm down." He stated, pulling her into a deep hug, resting her head against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. He had learned that this usually calmed her down when she got nervous before a big concert, and this would be by far the biggest concert of her career so far. Kira held there a while, and at last felt her own heart return to an almost normal rate. "Everything will be fine."
Looking up at him, Kira couldn't help but smile. She knew she could be hard to live with when she was nervous, but Tommy never seemed to mind. He had this almost supernatural ability to remain calm long after she had flown into a panic.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" He asked.
"Uhhhhh."
"Yeah, because starving yourself is really going to help." Tommy reprimanded her. "I'll put on some French Toast."
As he left the room to begin cooking, Kira slowly gathered some of her notes together. Leafing through them, she managed to calm herself a little that at least she had the playlists for the session band Barry had organised for her. Sweeping her hair out of her face, she slumped down on the couch. "Tommy, could I get some coffee?" She asked.
"Do you think caffeine's a good idea?" The response came from the kitchen.
"I'm exhausted." She whined. "I only got a couple of hours sleep last night."
"I know." Tommy replied. "You spent the few hours you actually DID stay in bed kicking the hell out of me."
"Please?" She pleaded.
"Alright, I'll put on the pot." Tommy finally relented. He took a note of the time. It was only 7am now, so she would probably work it off before the concert he thought. "What do you want on the French Toast?"
"Chocolate spread?" She asked weakly. Tommy balked slightly. She had had this uncanny love of the unusual combination as long as he'd known her. The first time she'd asked for it, he thought he might have to bring up the subject of pregnancy before Ethan told him she regularly ordered it at the Cyber Café.
"It's a special day, so alright." He replied, looking out the jar. "So when's your sound check?"
"5pm." She answered, beginning to get a little dozy on the couch. She curled up a little, yawning. "I don't have to be there until 4."
"I'm meeting the guys in the bar down the street at 3pm." Tommy shouted through. "Do you want to say 'hi' before you go in?"
"I suppose so." She yawned sleepily, finding her eyes becoming heavier. "How's breakfast looking?"
"Just another couple of minutes." Tommy answered her. As he plated up the French Toast onto two separate plates, he began carelessly slapping jelly on his own portion. Steeling himself for a second, he began with Kira's unusual concoction.
"Breakfast for two coming…" He began to announce, but entered the living room to find Kira passed out lifelessly on the couch. "Kira?" He tried to rouse her. All he got was a long, low groan and an arm pathetically trying to swat him away. "Would you like me to wake you up a bit later?" He asked.
"Uh huh." She mumbled. Tommy knew that just letting her be was probably the best thing for her at this point. Carefully covering her with a sheet, he sat down to his own meal.
"Breakfast for one I guess." He whispered to himself, picking up a slice without looking and taking a bite. He almost spat it out just as quickly. "Oh my god, that's disgusting." He remarked.
A little after 10, Tommy gently shook Kira awake. He'd been good enough to make a fresh batch of coffee and French toast.
"Kira, it's 10 o'clock." He breathed, gently nudging her awake. "Have something to eat."
"Thanks Tommy, I needed that." She yawned, stretching herself awake. "Did I get the strings?" She asked.
"Couple of hours ago." Tommy sniggered.
"What about…"
"And you checked the music, And you packed your guitar." He interrupted. "All you have to do now is turn up."
Kira began enthusiastically demolishing the curious breakfast. As she continued to eat, much to Tommy's combination of disgust and amazement, she couldn't help but feeling that something was still missing. That she was still forgetting something.
"Oh my god, I still haven't showered!" She yelled, springing out of the sofa. "What am I going to…"
Tommy interrupted her with a whistle and pointed to the outfit she had picked out and hung up on the living room door the previous night.
"Enjoy your shower." He laughed, clearing up the dishes. "Trust me, between the two of us, we've thought of everything."
"Did I tell you how much I love you today?" She asked, throwing her arms around him.
"Not yet." Tommy replied.
And with that, she pulled him down into a long, passionate kiss.
Later in the day, Tommy and Kira arrived in a little bar across the street from the record store where Kira would be playing her set. Waving them over enthusiastically, Trini gestured for them to sit down.
"I can't believe we're finally going to get to hear you play!" Kat shrieked excitedly, hugging Rocky tightly, as evidenced by his slight wince of pain. "It must be so exciting!"
"Well, I've inflicted my share of excitement on myself already today." Kira sniggered. "No caffeine or alcohol over here, strictly apple juice."
"So how long can you stay Kira?" Adam asked.
"Sound check's in an hour." She answered. "So I can stay for a little while."
"Well, Tommy, there's a little surprise for you in the bathroom." Jason interjected.
"This isn't going to be another surprise like Tori and Blake's is it?" He asked, raising a small laugh from where they sat at the other end of the table.
"No." He replied, pointing over Tommy's shoulder. "But I think you remember him."
Tommy turned round to find a familiar, spectacled man approaching.
"Billy!" He yelled, hugging him excitedly. "I can't believe you made it!"
"Of course Tommy." Billy began. "Had I known the true cause of the gathering and celebration, I would have made an additional effort to secure alternative means of ensuring my share of work was being done back home to allow my presence earlier."
"Tommy told me all about you." Kira introduced herself, trying hard not to laugh. She could now see what Tommy had been talking about when he said he missed a lot of what Billy had said. "I'm Kira."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last." Billy responded, shaking her warmly by the hand. "Tommy has told me quite a bit about you. Apparently you are playing in a concert tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing exactly how talented Tommy's 'brilliant' girlfriend is."
Kira looked over to Tommy, who was wincing slightly as Billy spoke.
"Just remember that the adrenaline and serotonin released into the body and brain respectively during a state of heightened emotional anxiety can be advantageous if you do not allow an overabundance of emotional stress to release so much that the body and mind attain a state of shock and temporary paralysis."
"Uh…" Kira just stared at him open mouthed for a second.
"He means use your nerves to your advantage." Trini shouted over from the table. "Don't let them beat you."
"Uh, yeah, thanks Billy." She replied.
"Did you guys catch any of what Billy said?" Conner asked. Altogether, Kat, Jason, Rocky and Adam chorused. "You get used to it."
"So how long are you going to be out there?" Conner asked, earning a slap to the back of the head from Adam. "Ow!"
"That's sweet Adam, but it's ok." Kira sniggered, looking at the annoyed look on Conner's face. "I'm doing three songs before the interval, then it's Aftershock."
"I still can't believe you're opening for them." Rocky chipped in, beaming broadly. He was clearly a fan. "They're huge at the moment."
"Well things change my muscular comrade." Barry announced, striding into the bar. "After tonight, the whole city will only be chanting ONE name." He clapped a hand down hard on Kira's shoulder, causing her to wince slightly. "And this girl is that very name they will all be chanting."
"Barry, I'd like you to meet another friend of mine." Tommy began, leading him to Billy. "This is Billy Cranston. Billy, Barry Goldstein."
"Kira's producer." Billy recalled the many conversations with Tommy over his trans-galactic communicator. "And unless I'm very much mistaken, a former guitarist with a blues band of whom Tommy was a great admirer several years ago."
"You heard about that too." Barry stated, shaking Billy's hand, smiling broadly. "So were you a fan?"
"Actually I found the acoustic renditions of your performances to be quite cacophonous." Billy replied honestly. "Though I have to admit to never having a genuine caring for the genre as a whole."
"Clearly no one has to buy you a thesaurus professor." Barry laughed. "Don't worry, you weren't the only one. That's why I now know which side of the soundproof glass I'm meant to sit. Anyway, time to go Sparky."
"But sound check's not for another 25 minutes." Kira complained. "And I just ordered a drink."
As the apple juice arrived, Barry picked it up and took Kira by the hand, leading her out the door. "Don't worry, I know the owner. He knows he'll get his glass back."
Barry practically dragged Kira into the record store, quickly showing her the décor he had set up for the evening.
"As you can see, we have huge stands for your album there, there and there." He stated, pointing out the massive displays which were currently being set up by the few store boys who were actually on duty at this point. "The stage is over there. We've set up your kit, and there's an acoustic there as well in case you feel like mixing it up a little." He then dragged her over to a couple of tall, lanky men wearing leather jackets. "And these are guys are your session musicians for tonight. Bobby there's on bass, Jack's on the drums, and Kev makes a keyboard sing like you'd never believe."
"Hey Kira, glad to be performing with you." Kev interjected, shaking her hand. "Barry's sent us your music and some of your recordings. You're really good."
"Better than some of the other jackasses we've had to work with." Bobby agreed. Suddenly, something caught his attention. "Speaking of which."
"Where's the dressing room?" Jake snapped, storming into the room. "I was told me and the boys would have a private dressing room."
The three session musicians made a rude gesture behind Jake's back that almost caused Kira to laugh out loud.
"Just this way gents." Barry began, gesturing for them to come forward. Putting his arm around Jake, he took his place behind them. "Back room area three is cordoned off for your exclusive use for the entire evening." As he left, he repeated the rude gesture behind Jake's back, at which point Kira and the session musicians could no longer contain themselves and began laughing.
As the evening wore on, the crowds began gathering outside the store as Tommy and his assembled party were escorted through the back entrance and up the stairs into the manager's office. A huge, luxurious, opulent seating area high above the shop floor with the entire south wall replaced with glass, forming a perfect viewing location for the entire store. A buffet was set up along the opposite wall.
"Conner!" Tommy yelled as the former Red Ranger charged towards the table. "That's for everybody. Try not to scoff it all."
"Not to worry Tommy my good man." Barry chipped in, announcing his arrival. "There's plenty more downstairs. I told the caterer I had invited a few friends up here, but clearly they think I'm bringing the 7th cavalry."
"The food's great." Conner forced out through a mouthful. Tommy just rolled his eyes.
"You and your stomach." He groaned. "Thanks again Barry. We really appreciate it."
"Well guys, just sit back and enjoy the show!" Barry exclaimed bouncing away with childish enthusiasm "Tonight, a star is born!"
All too quickly, Kira finished her third song. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that the evening had gone so quickly. However, quickly drowning out the applause, she heard the crowd begin to chant. "Encore!"
Kira looked round blankly, she hadn't planned anything. What could she do? The audience seemed to die down as she carelessly flipped through some notes.
"Kira!" Barry screamed into the earpiece he had given her. "They want an encore."
She continued to fumble around her belongings. "Sing Old Macdonald, the alphabet, Rudolph the Red Nosed Bloody Reindeer, ANYTHING, just do SOMETHING!"
Just then, she reached for her locket, with her left hand. Glancing between the locket and her engagement ring, she turned and looked up at the glass-fronted office where she knew her friends were waiting, and seeing Tommy there, she suddenly knew exactly what to do.
"Thanks for the back-up guys." She announced, hugging her session musicians. "But I'll take it from here." Placing down her electric guitar, she picked up the acoustic guitar Barry left out for her. "This is a song that isn't on my album." She announced into the microphone. A tear began to run down her face. "I'd like to dedicate it to two of the most important people in my life, who sadly, can't be here in person." She looked up into the lights. "But I like to think they'll have the best seats in the house."
Strumming the final chords of the song she had written for her parents, she looked out over the silent audience. Dread suddenly raced through her as she swept her face of tears. "Thank You." She croaked into the microphone, as she placed the acoustic guitar back on the stand. Just then, as she made to walk off the stage, a man in the front row began to clap. Turning slowly, her heart raced as the entire audience exploded into a rippling tidal wave of applause and began chanting her name.
"Kira, Kira Kira!"
As she leant over and shook a few hands, tears of joy welling up inside her, two large security guards immediately dragged her into the office upstairs.
"You were wonderful!" Kat screeched, wiping away her own tears.
"Normally I wouldn't advise going off the album material Sparky, but whatever you did it worked, It BLOODY WORKED" Barry roared, hugging her enthusiastically.
As the others bombarded her from all sides with hugs and congratulations, Kira at last felt that the years of struggling had all been worth it. Suddenly, Billy drew their attention back to the glass.
"Guys, I thought these guys were supposed to be the headlining act." He began. "But their cacophonous din in no way competes, or even closely compares to Kira's performance."
"Huh?" Conner stated, looking confused.
They listened for a while, and it was the biggest aftershock fan in the room, Rocky, who finally said what they were all thinking. "They…They suck!"
Barry suddenly clutched his earpiece, obviously receiving instructions from the sales floor.
"Sparky, get your butt down to the signing table NOW!" Be barked.
"But…They don't finish for…"
"Bugger when they finish." Barry interrupted. "They're stinking up the stage. People are walking away from the stage in droves! The manager's opened the cash registers early! We couldn't keep your stuff on the shelves if we nailed it down!"
"You're kidding!" She screeched, jumping with excitement.
"Remember what I said in the limo?" Barry asked.
"Vaguely. Something about kings and peasants…"
"Doubtless these means of attaining power are cruel and destructive of all civilized life, and neither Christian nor even human, and should be avoided by every one. In fact, the life of a private citizen would be preferable to that of a king at the expense of the ruin of so many human beings." He repeated. "Now get to that table, sign till your arm falls off and WIN SOME BLOODY HEARTS!"
Kira kissed Tommy on the cheek and immediately sprinted from the room. Billy approached Tommy and Barry.
"That was quite a speech." Tommy complimented him. "Great motivation for her. She said you gave her some philosophy."
"Politics actually." Billy interrupted. "Machaeavelli's Dolci Book 1 chapter 26."
"The professor knows his politics." Barry complimented him.
"I also feel it's more than a little bit of a coincidence that the headlining act suffered such an unfortunate and embarassing launch-day performance on the same night you chose to launch your own."
"What?" Tommy asked. "Are you saying Barry somehow knew they'd blow it and set this up?"
"Affirmative." Billy confirmed.
"I think you two better come to my office." Barry sighed with the look of a child who'd just been caught by his parents.