An Angel's Fix

This part is void of sex, but important to the story. Best if you read Angel's and Guardians first, then the parts leading to this one of An Angel's Fix.

All characters are 18 if physically involved.

*****

A full day of classes and now three hours into practice, Ashley was getting fed up. Kim could sense it the second she walked in and took a seat to join the other members of Ashley's practice audience. She could also read how poorly the rehearsal was going in Joe, Jasmine, and Jill's faces.

"So, is this happening tonight?" she asked no one and all of them at the same time.

Jasmine sighed, "I don't know. The guys are acting like high school dropouts who decided just today to play music on a whim. She's being the performance Nazi."

As if on cue to that summary, Ashley stopped mid-note, wheeled around on her heel and marched up to the drummer. "Why?! WHY?!" she demanded. Receiving no response, she snatched the sticks from him and started her rant. "Why must you bang these things as if they made your girlfriend cheat on you?! Do you not understand what you are doing to my ears? THIS is how you're supposed to play!"

She rapped a simplified version of the sequence for the song on his snare. Her more mild touch made the instrument actually sound like music for the first time that afternoon.

"And THIS is what you have been doing for the last three hours!" She played the cadence again with all her might. Even though it was the smallest piece on his set, the snare echoed off the walls with each hit. "Do you hear the difference, Mohawk? Or do I have to demonstrate it on your head?" He flinched backward slightly, almost cowering. Ashley took a deep breath to fight her way back to the controlled side of her rage line. "Look guys, maybe I should put this another way. Y'all seem to be playing for attention, and fighting over each other for it. I promise you that the best way to get recognition is to play as a group. Let's try it again, this time as if we know what we're doing."

They started the piece again, and it did sound good. Although, Ashley kept giving her guitarist warning looks when he strayed into her view with his jumping around. Kim got an idea after watching a couple of songs, and sketched something on a napkin. When Ashley stopped for a water break, Kim went to the band and presented her map of their stage. She explained that each bubble was their allowed zone, and any straying from it could result in Ashley being distracted. Kim also pointed out that a worse consequence for encroaching another's zone would be an embarrassing crash. The group rehearsed a few more pieces, and by dinner break, things settled into more or less something closer to what Ashley envisioned.

The sorority tasked each pledge with hanging fliers on their way to classes advertising the event, and by the time Ashley took the stage, nearly 250 young people filled the nightclub. Ashley was an energetic performer, and the half hour set was well-received by the students and sorority sisters. Kim checked her online stats app just before she went to bed, and was happy to tell Ashley that her album and several singles received a small bump on iTunes and Amazon Music as a result.

They used the nightclub to practice and polish their set the rest of the weekend, and Ashley's criticisms were more constructive. But as for the rest of the week, results were less than stellar. On the surface, the spring break crowds seemed to receive the efforts of the band warmly, but Ashley knew in her heart that those teens and tweens just weren't "feeling it." She knew through every pore of herself that she sure didn't. The fact that her parents couldn't make any of the shows tugged her mood lower. Her dad's ship was headed home, but it would take nearly a week for it to reach it's port; and her dad would have to spend another few days securing the vessel and run through debriefing.

Early on their club tour, Ashley asked her band if they would perform with her at her high school's prom. They flatly denied her without bothering themselves for an excuse. The band didn't help themselves when they plucked a nerve during their final performance. More accurately, they laid it out and she stepped on it. Their final show of the week was at an upscale club in Jacksonville, and Ashley dressed the part, complete with high-heeled black suede boots. Matt was part of the crowd for this one, wanting to see his newest performers in person. Looking back, Ashley felt his presence brought back the zealous nature of her bandmates that she had worked so hard to tame. Slick-back couldn't hold it in anymore on the last song and jammed out of his rehashed boundary, dragging his guitar's output cord with him and into Ashley's path. Her spiked heel rolled across the top of the cord and her foot turned onto its side, but somehow she managed to recover from the trip with only a hitch in her voice as it happened.

Matt came backstage to congratulate them on the successful completion of their first tour, but found Ashley shoving Slick-back in a rage. He yelled to break up the confrontation, then lectured them for ten minutes about needing to be a team and working together to produce favorable sales results. Once the disciplinary speech was over, Ashley and her pal team left straight for Tallahassee after Kim reminded the band only one more hotel night would be paid before they went home to north Georgia.

Ashley kept off her feet the rest of the weekend, lounging on the sofa with an ice pack for most of the time. She was clearly in the dumps, feeling that she had somehow failed at being a musician. Her asking Kim to ask Trail Springs to replace her for the prom gig felt like a concession to that point. Joe and Jasmine asked her to consider backing out of the school play. Anyone who's ever been involved with a school club or event knows the participants are passionate about what they are doing. It's how chess players and pet band members get labeled as geeks. Ashley was no different.

"It's not just 'a school play'," she protested. "They need me, and I want to keep my disappointments to a minimum."

"Well, just how big a part do you have?" asked Joe. "I'm sure some one else could fill in."

"No, they can't. Not as well as me. You'll see."

"Even if you're injured?" he retorted. Ashley cut that conversation off by asking "Molly" to bring up the TV display and ignored the rest of the comments.

The next three days of class were difficult for Ashley. There wasn't any extra pain, but moving between classes kept her ankle's discomfort first and foremost of her thoughts. Kim's texts weren't helping. The first one on Monday was letting her know that the Trail Springs agent had blown her off. Ashley replied, asking her to keep trying, and to come up with other ideas for replacements, just in case. The other texts weren't so bad, giving updates of the progress their songs were making on the two largest electronic libraries. They were gaining, but no where near the numbers Ashley had dreamed were possible when she started this venture. Also, those texts almost always ended with "how's your ankle." Ashley finally had to tell Kim to stop asking before she got upset.

Dress rehearsal arrived on Wednesday and each performer was allowed to invite up to 5 people to attend and watch. In addition to the three who lived in her penthouse, Ashley invited Kim and Mary, her sorority president. The auditorium approached half capacity, and Joe and Mary turned to Jasmine to prod her about which part Ashley was playing. Jasmine shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, saying she never thought to ask. Joe asked the person ahead of him what performance was being presented, and the answer was an abridged version of Phantom of the Opera.

The curtain opened to polite applause and the show started with La Carlotta and troupe rehearsing "Hannibal." Jasmine nudged Mary to point out Ashley who was among the ballerinas dancing across the stage. After the backdrop accident, Ashley's friends gasped in surprise when Madame Giry calls out Christine Daae to audition as replacement, and Ashley stepped forward. Even Jasmine's jaw went slack in surprise, as Ashley had never told her what role she was cast for; and Jasmine had heard lead roles were almost never given to freshmen. Juniors, seniors, and those still enrolled for graduate work usually won the star roles by way of their extra experience and honed talent.

Ashley portrayed her character's initial hesitation so well that Joe and Kim briefly feared she actually had stage fright. But, her character gradually gained confidence through the next two bars, and soon Ashley belted out an exquisite rendition of "Think of Me." Ashley was still completing the final note when the auditorium erupted in applause and the audience of friends and family were on their feet. Ashley never broke character, gracefully flitting and dancing through the changing scenery with the airy lightness of a feather.

The rehearsed curtain call garnered respectable ovations for the background cast, singers, and dancers. A more robust applause greeted the supporting performers of Carlotta, the Opera managers, Meg and Madame Giry, and Raoul, complete with a smattering of cheers. Greg, who played the Phantom, received solid applause and cheers. The cast glowed in the ovation for several seconds, bowing twice. Then, they parted to the sides of the stage, creating an aisle down the middle for their young star to emerge. Appearing from the rear, Ashley's figure was glaringly small. Smiling broadly and walking to the fore-stage with a slight limp, she acknowledged the now-rowdy ovation with small waves, and dropped a deep, neat curtsy when she arrived at her place next to Greg. She came back upright, looked at her group, blew out a sigh of relief, and sent the prettiest smile toward them.

"I'm telling you, Ashley, that," Mary took a sip of her iced tea. "THAT was the best adaptation of Christine I have ever seen!" Mary swirled some strands of spaghetti then savored the bite. "And THAT is the best pasta I've had, Joe! Thanks for sharing tonight with me, y'all!"

Jasmine grabbed the pitcher of tea from the fridge to refill their drinks. "It's nice having you here. I agree with Mary. Ash, that was unbelievable!"

"Thanks!" Ashley said with a tired smile. She had finished her meal, and her ankle's tingling ache wasn't letting up, so she walked over to the living area. "Only 8 more to go," she huffed as she plopped onto the soft furniture with her leg across the cushions. The others followed her and took seats on the other sofas, save Joe, who lifted Ashley briefly so he could settle behind her and became her back rest. She nestled against him then said, "Y'all could finish your dinner, I just needed to prop this foot up for a bit."

They waved her off, stating they were done eating as well. Jill spoke what was on her mind since the curtain call. "So, Ashley, what was that look you gave when you did your curtsy?"

"Look?"

"It appeared as if you had a major personal emergency, but were able to reach the toilet just in time," Jill clarified.

The rest of the group laughed at the mental image, and each inwardly decided that was exactly what she looked like.

Ashley chuckled at the depiction. "Well, after last week, I was wondering if I made a mistake choosing music as a career. I mean, I bombed at performing."

Joe brushed a strand of hair from her face to interrupt. "YOU didn't bomb. Your band, on the other hand..."

She reached up and caught his hand, pulling it to her waist to hold it there in affection. "Was the most irritating, immature, unprofessional..." she continued.

"Just plain sucked," Jasmine finished.

"Thank you," Ashley smiled wryly. "Anyway, I felt the underperformance was me." The room bemoaned her putting herself down, and she interjected. "BUT! But...after 'Think of Me,' I knew I rocked it." The group grinned at her well-deserved little gloat. "So, feeling better about my ability was a huge relief."

"Don't get up," Mary said before standing. "There's an hour of thesis work waiting for me. I meant it when I said thank you for tonight," she said while stepping toward the elevator.

Ashley thanked her for coming, and Mary promised to spread the word around the sorority about the performance being top date-night material.

Ashley skipped classes the next day as an attempt to speed her ankle to fully-recovered status. She was on the phone with her mom for a solid two hours catching up on mundane events. The news that affected her most was that her dad was delayed due to weather, and it was looking doubtful that they would see her performance. Ashley swore and asked if her dad really hated that she was singing. The answer was that Commander Roberts really was held up, but trying the best he could to see her.

Her ankle felt much better the next day, and she went to her classes as usual. Ashley went straight to the performing arts theater from her last class, not able to see her friends or husband all day, aside from sporadic texts. She knew she'd see them in the audience tonight, so she didn't mind so much.

Opening night was a success, as three quarters of the auditorium had sold. A couple of students from the campus news channel were on hand with a camera to critique the event and gave the production a solid review. The praise joined favorable word-of-mouth, resulting in sold out performances for Saturday and Sunday. Ashley shone brilliantly in each one, and every night was being sold out faster and faster. The only blight was that her parents weren't able to make any of them, a fact she started passing on to fellow members of the crew.

Her ankle injury was a fading memory until she tweaked it on a turn during Wednesday's performance. She managed the pain through Thursday night, when it was announced that the production would be moved to the civic center for the final performance on Friday, due to the heavy demand for tickets. A party was thrown in celebration, but about halfway through, Ashley began to doubt her weak link ankle's ability to hold together for the duration of tomorrow's show. She was already sullen from a disappointing, and a touch frightening, text conversation with her mom. Her dad made it to port okay after a sketchy trip through rough seas, but extra time was needed for him to write up the repair orders for the damage caused by the rocky trip. Joe and her friends were pulled into a conversation away from her, and a couple of cast members seized the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity of her building grumpiness. She answered their inquiry honestly about her dad, purposely leaving her ankle out of the explanation. They empathized with her, and tried to spin a cheery side by saying they were glad that her father was at least safe.

Closing night was huge. A professional company was called in to move the sets, backdrops, and props, as well as assemble a stage in the civic center. Ticket sales added up to very close to capacity. Jasmine had received permission to record the performance last night, and was allowed to film backstage tonight. Ashley was so used to her girlfriend pointing the lens at her, she barely noticed the camera any more. Jasmine was silent through most of Ashley's prep work, but questioned her when Ashley popped four pills. Ashley assured her with a slight grimace that they were just two each of Tylenol and Aleve to quiet her ankle during the show. Jasmine shook her head in concern, but said nothing more.

Ashley held a hair of hope that she would see her parents at this show, but when the curtain opened and she danced onto the stage, the two seats next to Joe near the front were empty. In view of the audience, Ashley concentrated and put all her energy into giving her absolute best, despite her personal disappointment. Backstage, though, the rapidly deteriorating ankle was gradually wearing on her face. Jasmine was heartbroken during the intermission when Ashley's stoic front crumbled and she couldn't hold back the pain. She had given a gasp as she arrived at her dressing table, collapsing on the chair in a heap. Her face contorted in agony and outright fear that she wouldn't be able to finish. The cast members and stage hands were alarmed, but Ashley gritted her teeth and indicated that she'd keep going. The 30 minute break was bustling as her assistants and fellow cast members helped her into another wardrobe and rearranged her hair for the final act. By the time the curtain raised for "Masquerade", the respite seemed to give her enough time to collect some strength to return to the stage.

Ashley had nearly lived in the character Christine for a week now, and, coupled with her missing her own parents these two large events in her life, she could feel Christine's torment when she fled to the graveyard in the musical. Ashley poured her heart into performing "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," allowing her emotions to take over during the solo. Freely flowing tears grabbed the heartstrings of the audience and fiercely yanked them. Her final sung "goodbye" had the crowd on its feet, giving her a solid ovation. The acknowledgment and another quick costume change off-stage gained a little more fuel that Ashley could tap into.

Her gas tank didn't last long, and Ashley had to dig deep into her reserves while performing "The Point of No Return." Greg really manhandled Ashley in acting out the Phantom's escape. Ashley was nearing exhaustion, and focused soley on singing. There simply was not enough energy left to both mask the pain and perform. She didn't have to play up the resistance to the flight down into the lair, Ashley had given up, and Greg had to drag her around the stage. Her singing parts took on an edge in her voice, which was accepted by the audience as terror and confusion felt by the character. It made for a very convincing scene. She didn't even attempt to hide her now-horrible hobble when she and Chris (Raoul) made their escape. Ashley openly sobbed off-stage, knowing her part was complete. While Greg soulfully sang out his best "Music of the Night" finale, a number of the crew plus Jasmine surrounded Ashley to find out what was going on.

"My ankle," she heaved in heavy sobs. "I can't put my weight on it! Oh DAMN it! Hurts so flippin' bad!" She glanced down to make her point, and the others saw now that the bad foot was peeking out from behind her gown as she held it off the floor, now resembling a clubbed foot.

The audience hooted and howled their appreciation as the final curtain fell. Greg knew something was amiss just by the different way "Christine" was resisting this time around. He strode over to Ashley just as a number of people moved off for the curtain call. "Ashley, are you okay?" he asked in a voice of genuine concern.

Ashley's mind had been chasing the pain, and had now caught up to it, working to subdue it back to being manageable. Her sobs were getting shallower and further apart. "I will be. My ankle is being a pest, though."

She was steadying herself with her hand on Chris's shoulder, and Greg looked down to see her still standing in her flamingo pose. "Did I...? I didn't mean to... I mean, it was going so well. I guess I got too carried away," he stammered.

Ashley gasped as another throb hit. "No, I twisted it on spring break. If we weren't acting, yeah, I'd be pissed at being yanked around like that. But, no, this wasn't from you. You were AWESOME in that last scene!"

Greg mumbled an appreciative thanks. Chris noted their turns were almost up. "Can you make curtain call?" he asked. "I'll carry you, if you want."

If she were in any other footwear, Ashley would have taken up his offer. But, she tested a little weight into the ballerina shoe and cringed when she had expected to yelp. "Yeah, I can make the curtain call. It's getting a little better, but I might need some help."