Their Big Break (closed)

[Elrohir]

http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Mastodon_Troy_Sanders_2006.jpg/120px-Mastodon_Troy_Sanders_2006.jpg

Eric couldn't believe it.

Here he was in front of thousands of screaming, cheering, sweaty, loud-as-fuck rock fans and he was playing bass for them and they were begging for more. His fingers furiously hammered down the fretboard trying to keep up with the music, while at the same time reveling in the feeling of making it.

Several months ago, he had gotten the call from the promoting company that his band "Lords of the Fallen" had been picked for the main stage of the "Rockstar Mayhem Fest". He couldn't believe his ears at first, and it didn't sink in to the rest of the band for days later. This little group of 5 friends from junior high had made it big after working their asses off the last 12 years grinding out their rock star stories and chops in shitty bars, clubs, and death trap festivals. Eric couldn't help feeling that he was finally reaching his dream on this massive stage. .

Eric was the bass player and always "stable one" of the group. Typically Troy, the lead guitar player, would get the gigs but Eric always made sure they had what they needed, got their on time, and didn't do anything too stupid. Eric handled the bands money, equipment, and dealt with all the "big stuff". Troy was the networker and face-guy, but also a massive partier. Jason, drums, and Kevin, rhythm guitar usually tagged along with Troy. The three of them were quite the 3 musketeers, but always looked to Eric to bail them out when they got in over their heads. Eric was fine with that role and seemed to think it was his duty as a bass player to hold everything down. When they got together to play though, everyone exploded with potential. From the first time they played together in Kevin's basement when they were 13 years old, the 4 of them knew that 1) they were inseparable musically and 2) they were going to be huge one day. They did identify that they were missing one key thing though...

But that was perfectly fulfilled in her...

 

[MadameNyx]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Epica_simone_simons.jpg

Gemma closed her eyes and hugged the microphone to her as she crooned to the audience, the hard beat of Jason's drums and the bass and guitars thrumming along her skin. She lived for moments like this, when everything seemed to fall away except for the music running through her veins and the energy of the crowd surrounded her. Out on stage, she felt invincible.

It had been pure luck when she joined "Lords of the Fallen". She and Eric had been friends for years, spending most of their time together since then, so she was used to hanging out with the guys, going to their band practices. They had been auditioning local talent for a lead singer and had asked her to sing background vocals for it. At the end of the day, Eric had convinced her that she was what they were looking for.

The band often laughed backstage, commenting that the fans that often came out so see them would never know that, once she stepped off the stage, she was a shy and, rather geeky woman. That was fine with her. She was glad could be confident on stage, but the few people that knew the real her appreciated her just the way she was.

Back on the stage, she opened her eyes, staring the audience with her green gaze before she moved, leaning her back lightly against Eric's side as she sang the last soft notes, a small smile on her lips.

 

[Elrohir]

Gemma always knew exactly what to do to get the crowd totally into the moment. That girl seemed to feel the needs and wants of the crowd, and get them to ask for even more. If Eric was the glue that held the band together, Gemma has always been the heart. As he looked over at her, he couldn't help but chuckle remembering the first time Gemma came to their band practice. The girl was tiny, underdeveloped with this black glasses on. As they played for her some of their first tunes, she seemed to furiously write and get completely in touch with the music. God, they had all grown up so much over the last 10 years.

Sucking himself back into the moment, Eric could see that Troy had gotten a few girls in the crowd to get into a flirting battle with him. Troy's smile was huge as he was getting several girls to flash their tits at him. Shaking his head, Eric mentally thought through the next through songs and how the band was going to get the crowd even more into it.

The next song up was one of the ballads that the band had written several years back. It had been when Gemma had just gotten dumped by an asshole boyfriend and she swore to the rest of the band that she wouldn't ever date again (they all laughed at it, but it had been true so far). The song really showed her vocal abilities and Eric sang back up to the song as well as wrote some amazing bass runs and solo for the tune. It was one of his favorites to perform because of how technical it was on the bass as well as him getting a chance to sing with Gemma. He began running through the beginning on his instrument as she closed closer to him as she always would.

 

[MadameNyx]

Hearing the first chords of the next song, Gemma felt her chest squeeze. It was a point of pride for her that she could live a song, connect to the lyrics and, through that, make the audience feel what she felt. Her voice turned husky as she looked at Eric, singing to him about having a bad day and needing a friend to listen. The next verse spoke abut the jerk that had broken her heart and how she felt at that time.

And it had happened like that. He had been the only one to see her cry, the only one she had allowed to hold her while she felt the world turn dark. She remembered a gangling young man with wild long hair that had taken his bass and played for her that night, soothing her hurts with his voice and instrument.

Feeling a light breeze move her hair about, she raised her voice in a soft tune, soon joined by his. She could hear some of the crowd singing along and the very cliche'd lighters and cellphones had come out, slowly moving from side to side to the slow rhythm.

Giving Eric a last look, she reluctantly moved away and, instead of staying upright on the stage, she sat at it's edge. Singing to the audience now, as if they were her shoulder to cry on, she sang about how hurt and empty she felt, how her heart would heal and what the guy had thrown away. She felt a small smile on her lips as she continued to sing, her hand stretching to brush along the many hands that reached towards her.

 

[Elrohir]

Gemma always rocked that song. She seemed to singlehanded suck in every girl in the audience whenever she sang it and most of the hardest core guys would always end up feeling something. It had been a rough time when she had written it, but Eric was glad that he could be her friend through it.

The song ended as Eric had done it the first time he had played it, by stomping on his gnarliest, heaviest fuzz pedal he had. The crowd roared and it was barely audible over the musical cacophony coming from his amps. This would be their last song and he felt that the crowd was completely enthralled. It felt so good to be in the position they were in.

The last song was their single, and was picked by the record company to end with. It all worked out because it was still their original song and a hell of a fun one to play. "Draco's Rest" was its name and it was a crowd pleaser from the first time they played it live 3 years ago. Gemma always ended up doing this cute little nerdy dance through it that made Eric smile and laugh. Taking a peek over at the rest of the band, Kevin had seemed to join Troy in his quest of slutty groupies and it looked like the two of them had a few girls ready to do whatever for them. Jason looked exhausted as always...but every last one of them were having the time of their lives.

 

[MadameNyx]

As 'Draco's Rest' rolled around, the young woman stood up and prepared herself to pick up the pace once more. This was one of her favorite songs to play, as the rhythm was quick and just plain pumped her up. This was also the first time she would use a little gadget the record company had set up for her. As she sang, her voice getting more and more powerful as the verse progressed, she walked up to a mark on the stage floor, feeling the fan hit her, her hair fanning around her to the screams of the crowd.

Throughout the song she prowled around the stage, flipping her hair in a long arc behind her and even walking up to Troy and Kevin to tease them a bit, much to the displeasure of some of the groupies. With a wink at them, she returned to the middle of the stage, even doing what Eric liked to call her 'nerdy' dance. Now true, she had gotten it from a rather famous game they had played at some point, but it fit the song and it always made him laugh. The crowd seemed to like it too.

With a last cry, she ended the song and the audience went wild. They had truly made it. After thanking the crowd, she left the stage and walked with the rest of the band to their little room. They had barely closed the door when they were all cheering and gushing about the show. With a laugh, Gemma threw herself at the sofa still feeling the rush of performing. Without much thought, she automatically made room for Eric to sit as she listened to the other three members talk about what they saw during their performance.

 

[Elrohir]

Eric always seemed to be the last one off stage. It was kinda like his few extra seconds to revel in the feeling of the moment, and also check to make certain everything was finishing out okay. By the time he got back to their little backstage room, the rest of the band had already settled into their normal spots.

Jason, Troy, and Kevin were grabbing beers and congratulating each other on awesome riffs, fills, and solos. Well, those were the musical things that they were congratulating each other on. It seemed like almost every other word with those guys was "tits, chick, ass, fuck, or fuck" again. Jason had already stripped out of his drenched shirt and grabbed a towel. Eric looked over at Gemma on the little couch and smiled, she was sitting there just chuckling with and teasing the boys...just like she always did.

Needing a fresh shirt himself, Eric went over to his little bag, grabbed out a dark grey Mastodon t-shirt and quickly changed. After running a quick towel through his scraggly hair and beard, he went over to the cooler and grabbed a beer for himself and a "Mike's". Strolling over to the couch, he plopped down next to Gemma and opened both the drinks. Listening in to the boys, he just kinda handed Gemma her drink causually ad took a hit off of his own beer.

"Alright boys and girl...before the stories degrade too much more...I propose a quick toast. To an awesome first show on the tour, To a great group of guys and a lovely chick we take around with us (teasing Gemma), and to finally fucking making it big!!!"

They all clinked their bottles together and cheered.

 

[MadameNyx]

Even as she laughed and teased the other guys, Gemma was very aware of Eric. As he changed, she allowed her eyes to discreetly look him over, marveling once again at how much they had changed. While listening to the other guys talk about girls and whatnot, she felt him settle beside her and grabbed the drink he offered her.

His toast made her laugh and, even as they clinked their bottles together, she retorted in a teasing voice "Well someone has to give the crowd something to look at besides sweaty men, right?" She was clearly teasing, and it was part of her rather weird sense of humor.

Settling back against the sofa, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Stretching, she grabbed and placed what appeared to be a gift basket full of stuff on her lap. Opening the note, she read it for a minute and laughed.

"Guys? Looks like the record company is throwing us a bash tonight to celebrate."

 

[Elrohir]

"Fucking awesome! I wonder who all is going to show up to it? I would be was stoked to meet some of the other bands on the tour. What time is the gig starting? 10:00?"

"Dude, I am going to fuck the hottest chick at the party tonight. Do you lads wanna challenge me and do the same?" Troy piped in, laughing. " Gotta have proof of the fuck though, pictures and shit." Jason and Kevin toasted him to that and took him up on the challenge. Eric just kinda sat on the couch chuckling at the boys, he couldn't remember how many times the three of them had tried to play that game. Yea, a few times one of two of them would end up fucking groupies, but most of the time Kevin, Troy, and Jason would just end up drunk out of their minds passed out in some corner.

"Well, you boys have fun planning your escapades...I am going to check out Godsmack's set and then go clear up before the party tonight. I guess I'll see you all later then?"

Eric has never really been into the whole fucking groupies thing like the rest of the guys. Sure, there were a few blowjobs that he got when he was pretty drunk and horny, but as far as he could remember...he never fucked any of them. Thinking back, it was actually his last girlfriend a long time ago that he had actually had sex with, and it wasn't even ever that good. Eric grabbed his back stage pass, waved to the rest of the band and left the small room.

 

[MadameNyx]

Gemma felt herself roll her eyes as she heard the guys get into that game again. You'd think they would want some rest before the party or something. At that thought, her eyes fell on Jason, turning worried. She wasn't sure what as going on with him, but he looked very tired. He caught her look and sighed, knowing already what she would say. Without a word, she opened the basket and threw him an apple to eat.

If Eric felt responsible for the band stuff, Gemma took it upon herself to look after the members themselves. There had been many a time when she was the one that got them out of bed after a hangover and, she admitted to herself, that she mothered them a bit. But really sometimes they, specially Troy, could be so reckless.

Placing the basket on the sofa, she got up and walked to the door, stopping there to say goodbye to the rest of the band "I'm gonna go back to the hotel room. I'll see you guys at the bash tonight." With that, she grabbed her own bag and left.

It wasn't long before she was laying across a sofa, a bathrobe around her form as she read and relaxed. The record label had been very kind in booking them a huge suite though, she supposed, that also implied that later that night, if the boys 'scored', they would hear quite a bit of sounds all over the place.

 

[Elrohir]

About an hour before the party, Eric walked into the hotel room. He still had the sounds of the festival pounding in his ears and the sweat of bodies all over him. Seeing someone sitting on the couch, he nonchalantly said, "Oh hi Gemma" and then proceeded to the bathroom.

The next 15 minutes he spent washing the muck and grim off of himself and calming his heart and soul down after the show. Centering himself under the hot water, he shut the water off and got out of the shower feeling like a new man. Drying off and then wrapping the towel around his waist, he left the steamy bathroom. Glancing over, he saw Gemma getting ready as he went to his own bag to get his clothes for the night.

Eric got out his "nice" jeans...some greyish blue faded with only a few holes in them...his favorite "black sabbath tshirt...and then a nice black long sleeve button up shirt with white pinstripes on it. Sure, when he was done getting dressed he looked like he was some guy out of a stoner band in the 1970's, but it was what he liked to look like. Finishing cleaning up, he looked at the clock and saw it was almost 10:00.

Yelling through the suite..."Hey Gemma, have you left yet?"

 

[MadameNyx]

Gemma briefly looked up from her book when she heard the door open. Seeing it was Eric, she relied a soft "Hey" before she looked at the clock and got up, heading for her room. Once she closed the door, she shrugged th bathrobe off her shoulders and slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans and a black, off the shoulder top. Sure, it didn't look all that dressy, but she was comfortable and that was more important to her. Putting on just enough make up to make her green eyes stand out, she was done.

"I'm here..." she answered as she walked towards him, running her fingers through her red locks. Giving him a look over, she winked "You look good. We should hurry though, or we're gonna be late for our own party."

Leading the way outside, they were both surprised to find a car waiting to take them to the bash. Giving Eric a peculiar look, the redhead slid into the back seat and left room for him.

 

[Elrohir]

Looking at the nice wheels that had come to pick them up, Eric gestured over to Gemma, "Guess we are getting pretty preferential treatment? The record company probably knows we are going to make a shit ton of money for them. The least they can do is give us a ride every once and a while."

Gemma always looked so good even when she barely tried. She sure had come a long way since the girl he knew when they first met. Climbing in the seat next to her, he was a bit perplexed by the look she had given him, but tried to shake it from his head.

"So, you going to join in the boys little game tonight? I am sure all of them would be floored if you banged some groupie and showed them pics of the poor boy." Eric was totally giving Gemma a hard time and even accentuated it by giving her a playful bump in the back seat.

 

[MadameNyx]

Gemma laughed at his words and looked at him with a mischievous look "I might flirt and tease tonight." She allowed the silence to stretch for a few moments before she giggled "Right... I couldn't seduce someone if my life depended on it."

"What about you? Going to join the rest of the boys?" she asked as she looked out her window, watching the cars, buildings and trees pass them by. Today had been their first big show and soon they would move to another city, another environment. She decided right then and there that, come morning, she would have a look around and she would make it a habit of doing so at each state they stopped at.

Returning her gaze to him, she studied him quietly with her eyes. He was a good guy, a great guy. He's sweet and kindhearted, funny, always looking out for others. It bothered her a little that he hadn't found someone because, of anyone she knew, she thought he deserved it the most. Then again, she felt she couldn't really say anything. Look at her. She hadn't dated in years.

Maybe he'll find someone tonight... she thought to herself, frowning at the slight tightening of her chest at the thought.

 

[Elrohir]

Playfully reaching for her jeans and pulling the waistband back, he scoped inside and joked, "Well, did you wear some 'do me" panties?" Laughing and scurrying to his side of the backseat away from her upcoming swat, Eric had a massive smile on his face.

"You know me Gemma, I don't score groupies. First off, I have the whole bass player thing going against me. Second, I stumble over words even when girls come flirt with me. Third, my best pick up line is 'hi there, how did you enjoy the show?' My best luck on getting anything would be if I got way drunk and Troy talked some girl into sucking me off before banging him."

They looked like they were about to pull up to the club where the record company party was going to be.

 

[MadameNyx]

Gemma squealed as she wiggled away, pulling his hand out of her pants and swatting at his arm while she laughed. "No, Eric. And those are not "do me" panties... they're lacy boyshorts... I should really keep my luggage under lock and key."

Settling down, she listened to him before she sighed and poked his tummy lightly. "You know, I think you don't see yourself. You playing bass is amazing, you look like you belong there, like you were born to do it and that is sexy. As for the rest, you'll be fine.... just imagine she's me or something. Someone you've known for a while."

Feeling the car stop, she gave him an encouraging smile "You don't need Troy to get you a girl, Eric. Trust me on that." With that, she opened the door and walked out towards the door. She stopped briefly to grab some hands from the people at the sides before the bouncer allowed them both inside.

 

[Elrohir]

"Black lace means you want someone to see them, Gemma. I classify those as 'do me' panties. And yes, you should keep your luggage under lock and key. I 'may' or 'may not' have seen Kevin give a pair of your skivvies to some slutty groupie on tour last year afters she had soaked her own in cum"

Eric gave a quick chuckle as he got out of the car. "Thanks for the words of encouragement." He first off gave a hand shake to their producer and agent, then followed him to do some meet and greets to get them out of the way. Both Eric and Gemma had gotten pulled in different directions to say hi to different people and get face time. Eric pretty much knew that it would be a good half hour of schmoozing before he got to relax. He was pretty stoked for the most part because he did get to meet some really cool people from the record industry, and the guys from Godsmack and Disturbed all showed up to the party.

After he was able to break away, Eric made his way over to the bar. "Can I get an 'Orgasm' and an 'AMF'?" Getting the drinks from the bar, he made it over to wear Gemma was getting hit on by Shannon from Godsmack. "Here you go Gemma, how goes it?" Eric did a pretty good job of scaring Shannon away.

 

[MadameNyx]

Gemma had continued to greet some of the fans, even signing some t-shirts and arms before she was ushered inside. It all felt so surreal to her as this was the first time they were in a party like this. Even more so as she was introduced to some major artists, some of which she had been a fan of for years.

Having glimpsed Troy, Jason and Kevin talking to some groupies, probably asking them i they could get in their pants, she had found herself a big circular sofa to sit on. It wasn't long before one of the Godsmack guys- Shannon was it?- joined her and started chatting her up. She happily talked with him though, as was often the case when she got hit on, she didn't really notice. Hearing Eric arrive, she watched as the drummer made a hasty retreat.

"Hey Eric, just talking with Shannon... though he seems to be in a hurry to be elsewhere now." she said with a slight frown as she grabbed the offered drink and moved to give him some room to sit. Taking a hit off her drink, she turned her green eyes towards him and asked in a slightly playful voice "See anyone interesting tonight?"

 

[Elrohir]

"You want me to go get Shannon back? I will leave you too alone if you want to get into his pants."

"Well, I did get to meet Maynard and Justin from Tool and the guys from "The Sword" showed up too. Met some good recording engineers too. As far as chicks...there were a group of six girls that had all us boys sign their tits. I think the boys have moved in on that though...I have an itching suspicion our suite is going to have a lot of naughty things going on it this evening. I got invited to their little orgy, but I am not quite sure."

Eric took some drinks off of his drink, and kinda found himself moving a little closer to Gemma. A couple of fans came over to the two on the couch, and they proceeded on signing a few shirts, cds, and generally making small talk.

 

[MadameNyx]

"Leave us alone? Why would you do that? We were just talking about music and stuff..." she asked, probably missing his whole point. As she listened about the other guys' conquests, she felt herself laugh. With a playful voice, she said "Well I had enough presence to lock my door before we left. If you don't want to join in the little orgy, you're welcome to stay in my room.... so long as you don't go looking through my underwear again."

Taking another bit of her drink, she had just realized they were a bit closer than before when some fans arrived. She listened attentively to the fans gushed about their show, her hand busy signing cd's and shirts. One of them mentioned wanting to be a singer but not having the courage to. Gemma felt for the girl and, having an idea, she took off the ring off one of her fingers, pressing it into the girl's hand. "I hope that can be your good luck charm as it was for me."

After a bit more chatting and some thanks, the fans left. Leaning back, the redhead took the cherry from her glass and popped it into her mouth, playing lightly with the stem as she looked around, shivering a little. Maybe the one shoulder shirt was not such a good idea. Out of instinct, she moved closer to Eric, seeking warmth.

 

[Elrohir]

Hugging Gemma a little, Eric noticed a lot of the people starting to file out. The three boys were pretty drunk by this point, and it looked like the 6 girls with them were pretty drunk as well. There was lots of kissing going on, boy-girl and girl-girl in that little group and it looked like Troy had sent for a driver to take them back to the hotel.

"I might just have to take you up on that offer, Gemma. It looks like the guys are actually going to score. Want another drink? We both don't seem drunk enough to handle what we are going to hear tonight."

Eric waved down a waitress and got them 2 more drinks along with a couple of Porn Star shots.

 

[MadameNyx]

Feeling his strong arm wrap around her shoulders, Gemma rested her head on his shoulder as she followed his gaze towards the drunken group. Shaking her head, she watched as each guy had a girl for each arm... Or should she say a butt cheek on each hand? Chuckling softly, she relaxed against Eric, feeling her body slowly start to get warmer as she said "Yeah... I think we need a couple of more drinks. I have a feeling it'll take a miracle for us not to go to the front desk at the hotel and ask for another suite all together."

Watching quietly as the four glasses were placed in front of them, she thanked the waitress before frowning at the shot. Really, sometimes she thought Eric was a walking bartender's guidebook or something. "Alright, what are you feeding me and how drunk will it get me?" she asked with a laugh as she brushed her finger along the whipped cream on her other drink, bringing it to her lips.

 

[Elrohir]

"Oh come on, live a little you prude! The shot is called a Porn Star. It tastes like candy and isn't quite as strong as straight alcohol. Get a little drunk with me hun, it will do us both good. It is the beginning to a whole new career that we have. We can be responsible, goodie two shoes, and sober for the rest of the tour. Now, drink up...and lets get another."

Eric handed her the shot, gave her eyes, and then downed his expecting the same from her. He motioned over to the bartender to bring them two more, and quickly followed the first shot with a second.

As the alcohol was kicking into his system, Eric hardly realized, but his drunk self started kicking in. Cuddly, frisky, teasing and sweet were his moves and they started to play out.

 

[MadameNyx]

Gemma gave him a look before sighing. He was right. After this show, they would probably be sleeping in the tour bus as they drove to the next location. Besides, she didn't have to drive tonight either. If there was a time to get drunk, she supposed now would be good. Specially with what awaited them at their suite.

Catching his eye, she mirrored him in downing the two shots before wincing. They were a bit too sweet for her. Taking a long pull from her drink, she settled back into the seat. Her body felt a little light and, as she looked around, everything seemed to take just a second too long to focus. Snuggling closer to Eric, she giggled softly "Since we're getting drunk, you better keep every guy away from me... I might just do something stupid tonight."

 

[Elrohir]

The alcohol clouding his thoughts already, Eric went ahead and said, "What kind of stupid stuff would you like to do? I'll make sure no big, bad boys hurt you Gemma. I don't know if I recall ever seeing you get drunk babes, and for me...I just get all gooey and horny when I am wasted...but you know that."

"Oh, it looks like the orgy has left the building." Eric pointed as the group of 9 drunk and horny people piled out of the club. Troy seemed to carry a few more bottles of booze besides having his arms around some hot and slutty groupies. "Whatsoever do we do now, hun? More drinks or do we leave and try to get a new suite?"