Again, I'm so, so sorry for the super long update!! Life gets in the way. Everything has been so completely crazy, but here's the new chapter. And I swear I will upload chapters at a more decent rate.
And also, I know it's almost July...but I left the story off between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I'm revisiting December for a bit, so we could get some Christmas/New Year in.
"All right guys! It's been a long, great night and we're about to come to an end." Kim laughed as she heard groans echo throughout the arena. "I know, I know...I hate to leave too!"
Kim stood up and started walking across the stage. "But the night's not over yet!" she yelled. "We've still got one more song for all of you out there!"
She faced the crowd and wiped her face with a towel.
"But first, let's hear another round of applause for Ms. Kira Ford!"
Kira smiled and waved at the crowd before she walked off the stage. Kim looked at her band and saw that Adam reappeared, putting his guitar back on. He nodded to her and she smiled at him.
"Come on guys!" Kim yelled into her microphone. The band struck up a beat and Kim started to clap along. She looked out at the rest of the crowd, clapping along with her.
"I always love watching Kim perform," Rocky yelled into Trini's ear.
Trini looked at him with a grin and nodded. They both turned their attention back to the stage as Kim started to sing.
I am unwritten
Can't read my mind,
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned
Zack grinned as he listened to the lyrics of Kim's song. He helped Adam and Kim write this song and he couldn't believe they were using it. Zack remembered how each of them added their own little input in the song. He never understood how a song could be co-written by more than one person until he got to experience it firsthand. He loved this song even though he's never heard it, but he knew what she was going to sing. He thought it summed up their lives perfectly.
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up a dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you could almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
Adam bit back a grin as he listened to Kim sing. He knew that she had a bit of trouble writing some of the songs for this new album. And he laughed in his mind when he thought of how Kim would get her inspiration back--by running around in the rain.
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Kim looked out at the crowd. They seemed to really be into the song. Everyone was clapping along. Sometimes Kim doesn't like doing new songs while in concert because she loves hearing the crowd sing along with her. But looking out from the stage, Kim was glad that everyone seemed to respond well.
I break tradition
Sometimes my tries
Are outside the lines
We've been conditioned
To not make mistakes
But I can't live that way, no
Trini watched Kim sing and dance around the stage. She and Jason have known Kim the longest and she knew that Jason had the same thoughts running through his head. She was glad that Kim was whole again. She was glad that Kim had come full circle, that she was truly happy again. And while she watched one of her closest friends on the stage, she could tell that Kim was different. Something was missing from Kim all those years. Something was missing from all of them. Trini looked up at her two friends onstage, down her left, and down her right and she smiled to herself. 'Everything is fine now,' she thought. All they needed were their friends back. Trini missed Billy, Zack, and Tommy terribly. But she was extremely happy that they all together again.
Jason squeezed Trini's hand. She turned to him and grinned in return.
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up a dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you could almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
Kira clapped along, watching Kim from backstage. She looked down the stage for her friends, Trent, Conner, and Ethan. She could make them out through the flashing lights, but she knew they couldn't see her. Kira grinned at them, knowing it was going to be a long night of catching up. She smiled and thought of the last time they were all together. Coincidentally, it was the first time the others had seen each other, back in LA. She grinned as she watched her old science teacher and mentor, clapping along and gazing at Kim.
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
"Thank you guys!" Kim waved to the crowd. "It's been a real great night! Thank you for being a great crowd!"
She wiped her face with a towel and took a sip from her bottle of water.
"Who had a great time tonight?" Kim grinned as she heard the crowd scream. "We enjoyed ourselves tonight, but let's remember that there some things that are bigger than us. All of the proceeds from tonight will be donated to finding a cure for AIDS and helping the people and children of Africa toward better health care."
She faced the crowd once more. "Again, I thank you all for being a great crowd! Have a very safe night! I hope to see you all soon!"
Kim turned and ran off the stage. She handed her microphone to one of the stage hands and was greeted with Kira giving her a hug.
"Hmph, thanks, Kir."
"That was great!"
"Thanks, so were you!"
"Both of you guys were great." Adam said as he made the two-person hug into three. "Come on. Get cleaned up, Kim. I'm feeling like Rock."
"Hungry?"
Adam nodded. "Yeah."
Kira and Kim laughed as they followed Adam to Kim's dressing room.
"So where are we eating tonight?" Rocky asked. "Cuz if I had a say, it'd be--"
"NO!" A resounding chorus was heard from Trini, Jason, Tommy, Hayley, Amy, and Aisha.
Trent, Conner, and Ethan laughed as they followed them backstage.
"We'll see you in a bit," Trent said, heading toward Kira's dressing room.
Tommy nodded at them.
"So where, then?" Rocky asked.
"If we're following the old rotation, then it'd be Jay's turn," Aisha said.
Everyone turned to Jason, who shrugged.
"You never know where to eat," Rocky said.
"And that's why we always end up at Chili's," Trini said, annoyed. "Let's just ask Kim and Adam where they want to go."
She opened the door to Kim's dressing room and saw Kim combing her wet hair, talking to Adam.
Tommy walked in after Trini and gave Kim a kiss on the forehead. She smiled up at him as Trini stood next to the two of them.
"Where are we eating tonight, Kim? And if you say Chili's, I will so throw my mashed potatoes at you," she said, walking in.
Kim laughed. "Well, we," she said, gesturing towards Adam, "want cheesecake."
"They have that at Chili's," Rocky said, sitting on the couch.
Kim and Adam both shot Rocky a look.
"No," Adam protested. "I don't want Chili's. Let's just go to the Cheesecake Factory and eat. They've got lots of cheesecake there."
Rocky's eyes lit up at the thought. "I forgot about that."
Aisha laughed and rolled here eyes. "Some things never change." She was sitting behind Amy, braiding her hair.
"He was always a big eater," Tommy said to Amy and Hayley.
Amy nodded. "I've heard horror stories." She looked at Rocky. "Weren't you also obsessed with playing a game instead of studying or whatever."
"A Pachinko machine," Rocky said. "And that was NOT my fault!"
Everyone laughed.
"Well, if we're ready, then let's go," Kim said. "I am feeling a bit like Rocky." She stood up and started to walk toward the door.
"A girl after my own heart," he said.
"I'm just gonna go and say bye to Kira, first," she said, walking out.
"Rocky!" Aisha said. She looked annoyed and embarrassed as glass of water nearly spilled over the entire table. Trini, with her quick hands, caught it before it hit the table.
"Sorry!" Rocky held his hands up in surrender.
"Yeah, don't blame him," Jason added. "He's just not used to fine dining, where they use glasses for cups instead of plastic."
Everyone laughed.
"What are the kids doing, again?" Tommy asked Kim.
Hayley rolled her eyes. "They're not kids anymore, Tommy."
Tommy looked surprised at her statement.
Kim laughed. "I think they were headed to dinner and somewhere to hang out. Ethan said they wanted to catch up with each other since it's been so long since they've last seen each other." She took a sip of her drink. "And Hayley's right. They're not kids anymore. And they were older than we were when we--"
Adam dropped his fork as he was wiping it down so that it clanged against his plate. He looked at Kim.
The sound made everyone look at Adam.
Kim glanced at Adam, then to Amy, and continued speaking. "--when we...we...all...lost touch and all that good stuff." Kim looked at Adam quickly, who winced in return.
"Yeah, you're right," Tommy said quickly. "They're older and smarter than we were at that age."
Amy looked at the exchange between Tommy and Kim, peculiarly. She knew something was up and that they wouldn't say anything to her. And she also knew that whatever it was, none of them would let anything slip. She already tried with Kim and Aisha.
"So...how'd you guys like the show?" Kim said a little awkwardly.
"Good," Billy answered. "Sometimes, I still can't believe that you're a big music star."
"Yeah," Zack added. "You'll always be little Kimmy to us!"
Kim rolled her eyes and laughed. "I guess."
"Remember how we always use to hang out at the Youth Center?" Zack asked, grinning. He looked at Hayley. "Kim would be on the beams, Trini would always spot her. Jason would teach karate. Some fun times."
Billy nodded. "Hayley's cafe is a bit like that. Minus the beams and mats and stuff."
Hayley laughed. "I guess I've succumbed to the internet age. Instead of beams and places where kids could practice their martial arts, they have computers."
"So, what are you guys doing for Christmas?" Amy asked. "I'm going back home for Christmas Eve."
"Then you'll be back on the actual Christmas day, right?" Aisha asked anxiously.
"Yeah, 'Sha," Amy said. "I told you that."
"I just want to make sure."
"My mom's all sad cuz she thinks it'll be our last Christmas together since my sister's heading off to college next year. And she's not much of a homebody, so between me and her and our brothers, she would be the one least likely to come home. Which, of course, makes my mom sad."
"You saw Aisha crazy during Thanksgiving," Kim whispered across the table to Hayley. "You should see her at Christmas."
Hayley laughed. "I can't wait," she whispered in return.
Billy smiled. "I would have never expected Aisha to have so many for lack of a better word, 'crazy' tendencies."
Kim smiled and nodded her head. She looked at Tommy, sitting to her right, still whispering. "And this time, don't think you guys could get out of helping her. Even Billy helped Aisha out."
"Hey," he whispered. "I remember at Thanksgiving the two of you," he gestured to Kim and Hayley, "skipping out for a couple of hours and coming back right before dinner."
"Yeah," Kim laughed. "It works best when there are two. I'm in charge of buying drinks again, Hayles." She winked at her.
Hayley laughed and nodded. The four of them turned their attention to Aisha, who hadn't finished speaking.
"...I figure, we'll open gifts Christmas night after dinner."
"You're going to make us wait?" Jason whined. "What happened to midnight on Christmas Eve?"
"Well, tradition has to change," Aisha answered. "Amy's going to be at her family's over Christmas Eve."
Amy winced and mouthed a "sorry" to Jason.
"And besides," Aisha continued. "Don't you want Christmas to last longer? If we open gifts after dinner, everyone will be there and it'll last longer instead of us sitting around the fire around the wrapping paper."
"I guess."
"And you guys will be there, right?" Aisha looked at Zack, Hayley, and Billy, all of whom nodded when hit with her steely gaze. "Good. So everyone'll be there."
And there's that chapter. Again I apologize for a super long absence. I promise to get the next chapter up soon. Everything seems to open up when school's out and work isn't that busy.
Next chapter will be Christmas.
