Chapter Four:
Pavel peered through the curtains as the band who was opening for the Brothers Grimm set up for their song. "There's… a lot of people out there," he said, looking a little nervous.
"You're not the one going out there to perform," Hikaru replied, closing the drapes a little as the other band started to play, "You get to sit pretty with Mr. Spock in the booth."
The aforementioned male was standing, poised with his hands behind his back, as if he was waiting for the younger male to come to him and follow him to the technological booth towards the back of the joint. Since they were a dinky café, the booth was just a table with a lone guy (Mr. Olsen, as Pavel soon found out) running lights and working the volume levels for the sound equipment.
"That's true," Pavel said. "Well, break a leg… all of you," he said, turning from Hikaru to the rest of the band, who were putting the straps of their instruments over their shoulders. They looked up and smiled at Pavel (well, Scotty and Kirk did, at least) before the aforementioned teen ran to Spock. "Well?"
"Mr. Olsen has set up two chairs for us at the back. You may stand up and dance along if you would like. I know your song "I'm Not Going Back" and "Six Feet Above" do make your body want to move when the Brothers Grimm play them…" Spock told him as they walked out to Olsen's table.
Pavel sat down as the opening band got off stage and Olsen announced the Brother's Grimm. He was still embarrassed about what had happened the evening before, but when Scotty entered the small stage the café happened to have, the younger male's cheeks flushed and he bowed his head. Thank goodness the male in question couldn't see Pavel in the dark.
The band began with the first song Pavel wrote, which got the crowd going. By the end of the night, everyone was whispering about how good the new song-writer was and how much they were anxious and excited about getting the new album. Pavel looked to Spock, who was sitting quite close to him.
"Fascinating," Spock whispered to him. "I knew your songs would be a hit, but I didn't anticipate that they would be as good as the fans are making them... They've gone from fantastic to extraordinary."
Pavel beamed, his feathers being fluffed a little more than usual.
Indeed many of the more fast-paced songs did make people get up from the café's table settings to dance with their dates and their friends. Pavel stayed seated during these times, still on awe of the whole atmosphere. Nyota found him in the crowd from where she had been sitting with a couple people from her advanced Latin club she had formed to spite her Biology teacher even more.
They sat together; Nyota pulling up an empty chair and sitting with Pavel, Spock, and Mr. Olsen until the very last song. Or what they thought was the last song.
The others left the stage, and Scotty even took off the strap to his electric guitar and handed it to Hikaru, who went back stage, and a few minutes later came back onstage with Scotty's acoustic guitar. While he was away, Scotty waved almost sheepishly and started a mini-rant, surprising even Spock in the back.
"Hello, lads and lasses. I'm Scotty, as you all must know. The rest of the band has graciously let me stay up here. In no way is this affiliated with the gig at all… I just wanted to apologize to someone who is a really big part of this band, and always will be."
By the time the mini-rant ended, the acoustic guitar was hanging off Scotty's body just right, and he sat down on the stool he had been standing in front of and began to sing, strumming the chords and pausing every once and a while to read the music Hikaru had handed to him along with the guitar:
"Hush my dear, close your eyes
Have no fear for dark skies…"
Pavel blanched in his seat and gripped the sides, nearly melting like the Wicked Witch of the West. "That's… that's my lullaby," he whispered feverishly.
Only Spock and Nyota heard him.
The crowd went wild after Scotty finished up, his eyes darting over the crowd and finding Pavel, looked at him with pleading eyes. Pavel looked away, just as Spock grabbed his hand firmly and nearly dragged him backstage. Scotty was there, watching for them.
"So?" Scotty asked, more to Spock.
"The crowd went wild for the lullaby," Spock told him. "We may have to do the band version of it…"
The whole band looked at Pavel, who blushed. "I… I don't think it would be fair to… to my mother to publicized our lullaby," he said firmly, and stormed off again.
"But you have to, Pavel! Do you know how crazy the fans were about it?" Nyota told him in the car.
"Yes… but it was a private song and Scotty had no right to use it. Even if he was apologizing to me for walking in on a critical moment!" Pavel replied.
"Pasha… do what your mother says and call Spock about the band using your lullaby!" Nyota said, faux glaring over her shoulder at him.
He shook his head almost stubbornly, "Nyet. This is a matter between my real mother and me."
"Please, Pasha," Nyota began the whining stage. "Scotty worked hard on getting the chords right for your song! You must admit it was thrilling to have him sing. To you, of all people!"
Pasha admitted inwardly that Nyota was right. He was secretly pleased that his favorite musician and celebrity crush would sing to him. But he was still angry at Scotty for walking in on him working, and then publically showcasing the song his mom had written for him.
He went into his house, up the steps to his attic bedroom with a heavy heart. About twenty minutes later, he received an annoying text from Nyota about changing his mind. He ignored it. Several minutes later, as he was drifting off to sleep, he received another one from Nyota: "Okay, you don't have to reply. You don't even have to let them use it. Just think about all the courage it took Scotty to sing in front of everyone when all he needed was to sing to you. That's why the crowd wants your song. Because Scotty wanted YOU to hear it."
Pavel stared at his phone for a good minute before he clicked out of the message, searched his contacts and put the phone to his ear: "Mr. Spock? Yeah… I'll have the music and CD of "Pasha's Lullaby"—the lullaby Scotty sang at the end of the gig?—yeah, I'll have the music written and the demo CD recorded by Monday."