Long Live the Reckless and the Brave

"So when uncle Jack gets done, that means it's your turn to sing?"

I smiled at my daughter, nodding my head. I had kept true to my word and brought her and Tom along to the studio with me to watch everything unfold behind the scenes. Stella had been feeling pretty down about herself recently, what with not being able to do anything for herself, and Tom was pretty drained from having to help her out when no one else was around. Not only that, but I knew he'd been feeling neglected since we had to tend to not only Stella, but the younger children as well. I thought of this as a sort of treat for them. They'd be playing more shows which would eventually require them to record a better demo. At least this way they'd know what to expect when they went into the studio.

"See, Rian always goes first, because the drummer generally sets the beat for every track. We've been playing and doing this for so long we don't require anything to stay on beat. When Rian's done, we put Zack in, then Jack, then I record the lyrics. It seems much more simple than it is. Once you get in there, you have to worry about the record sounding at least somewhat flawless. You don't want people to spend money on something that's out of tune. We have live shows for that."

Stella laughed, watching as Jack played the last note. I knew things would be different for her band when they came to record. They'd have a lot more trouble staying on tune which would require the old tools to be brought out to help keep them steady. I hoped, however, if she watched us close enough, she'd learn a thing our to about staying on track.

Turning my attention away from Stella, I eyed Tom. He'd been playing guitar for the band since Stella was injured, but he still kept in touch with his real passion - management. Matt was explaining everything to him, just as I was Stella, but he was going more in depth about the things Tom would need to know. I watched my oldest boy soak in every word Matt said, knowing perfectly well that one day he would do his job better than even Flyzik could. To see both my children so talented when it came to the music buisness made me insanely happy. They could have had any passion in the world, but they chose the one that they could share with me. Perhaps one day even Noelle and Liam would join in on this love as well.

"Dad," Tom beamed from his place beside Matt. "You're up."

"Thanks Tom."

I glanced to Stella, who seemed to be focusing really hard on something in her mind. I waved my hand in front of her face and laughed gently to myself.

"Daddy, I just have one question," Stella's big brown eyes held so much wonder. "If you're working on a new album.. Why did everyone else just play Last Flight Home?"

"Because when I look at you, I see myself. I see a kid in a small town desperate to escape and make a name for herself. You are so talented Stella and I want you to have every chance in the world to be everything you can be. The guys and I agreed to record and update this song for one simple reason: For you. I was around your age when I wrote it and I think it's something you could relate to. We got everyone to agree that we'd add it as a bonus track on the record."

"Wait," she tilted her head to the side, dark eyes shining in the light. "Are you serious? You're going to record this song again for me? That's.. Well, that's really awesome, dad."

"Not only that," I motioned for her to follow me. When we got behind the glass, I slid a pair of headphones over her ears, and nodded to the mic. "You're going to sing it with me, Stell. You're going to be featured on our new album."

Screaming. Fan-girl, glass-breaking screams echoed through the room. She tried to jump up and down, but was limited because of her arms. Her face was turning pink and she was smiling so hard I just knew it was hurting her cheeks. I could see through the glass that Tom (along with everyone else) was in a fit of laughter, but I didn't mind it. I enjoyed seeing my daughter so happy.

"Stell, I need you to catch your breath," I grinned. "I had to pull a lot of strings for this so you only get the one shot. Steady yourself and get ready."

She sucked in a sharp breath and took a glance at her brother. He was moving his hands to show her how to breathe better, and once she regained her composure, he shot her a thumbs up and mouthed something to her that I couldn't quiet make out. Stella smiled and nodded her head, stepping up to the mic.

"I'm leaving what I know behind and I'm living out my chance to shine, like the stars now fading from your eyes, and I hope you'll understand."

A few minutes later, the song came to a close, and though it wasn't perfect, I knew my daughter had done a fantastic job singing along side me. This was something all of our oldest fans would appreciate and something the younger fans could enjoy as well. I couldn't quiet put my finger on it, but something about mine and Stella's voice flowing together was just so.. Incredible.

From behind the glass, everyone was cheering for us, mostly Tom. I knew, in that moment, he was more proud of his sister than he'd ever been. Stella, who was now shaking with nerves but also crying because she was so happy, looked at me with a face that made my heart swell with joy.

"I love you, Daddy," she grinned, using her shoulder to wipe some of the tears from her face. "Maybe one day when I'm famous we can make an entire album together, all of us, both bands."

"Maybe so," I grinned, kissing her cheek. "I love you too, Stell."

Our moment was broken by Tom running into the room. He pulled his sister (as carefully as he could) into his arms and kissed her cheek. Sometimes it still blew my mind that, even as they grew older and turned into different people, my twins were still as close as they were when they were toddlers. I watched as Tom pulled Stella from the room, feeding her confidence through compliments, knowing that today had been a success.

Notes