Chapter Twenty Five

"Is that a gift for Lance?"

Michael looked up from the small canvas painting he was working on when he heard Rachel's voice. He shook his head no. "Why do you think it's for Lance?"

"Who else would you be giving a portrait of yourself with the words 'I love You' to if not Lance?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You have a lover stashed somewhere in a secret love nest?"

Michael burst out laughing. "Are you serious? When would I sneak off to a secret hideaway? You see me all the time and I'm here every night." The idea was so absurd but he couldn't stop laughing. "I don't have anyone stashed away. There is no other man that exists for me. I love Lance."

"Good," Rachel smiled broadly. She stepped up beside him wrapping an arm around his waist. Her ever present phone was in her free hand. "I like you; I'd hate to have to fit you for a pair of concrete shoes."

Michael settled his arm on her shoulders. He looked at her skeptically, looking her up and down.

"Hey, I have two bodyguards who would do anything I ask without question," she told Michael reading his expression. "They'd dump your body without batting an eye and provide me with an airtight alibi."

He shook his head. "It's going to my Grandma," he explained turning his attention back to the painting.

"Awww," Rachel gushed. She tightened her arm around his waist, hugging him. She stared at the blue and green backdrop on the small canvas - smaller than she'd ever seen him work on - and the black markings of the outline of Michael's face. On the left side in white was 'I love you' only in place of the word love was a heart. "You're so sweet. How did my brother ever snag you?"

"His personality," he grinned.

Rachel snorted. "I'm sure."

"Actually I had pictures of him hanging all over my bedroom wall. I'd kiss a poster of him good night ever night. I'd imagine what it would be like to date him, how much fun we'd have together. How 'perfect' our life would be. If only he just knew I was alive. We were..."

"You were like six!" Rachel shrieked laughing as she read Michael's words. She knew there were thousands of little girls who thought that the exact same thing about all the guys back then and there were women who still thought that to this day.

"I'm not that young!" Michael rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Lance is only eight years older than me." He eyed Rachel up and down. "You looked like you've stepped from Runner's World."

"I have a favor."

Michael groaned and met Rachel's innocent look. "What?"

"Go running with me? Please," Rachel pleaded. "I haven't been running since before the accident. I need to start again and I don't want to go by myself. JC has Girl Radical stuff today; Lance is doing who knows what for who knows who."

"So I'm your last choice? Thanks," he said dryly. He looked longingly at his painting. He was really in the mood to paint and he hadn't been able to paint as much as he wanted to lately. But he couldn't let Rachel go running by herself. Lance would kill him.

"You don't have to go," Rachel told him. "I'll go by myself. Or I'll go hiking. I haven't been hiking... wow even longer than running. There are some pretty good trails here. Stay and paint. I'll be back later. Probably dead. So not looking forward to this."

Michael groaned and reached out, grabbing Rachel's arm to keep her from leaving. "You're not going by yourself. I'll go running with you."

"Awesome!" Rachel beamed. She waited by the front door for Michael to change. Her phone was fully charge and she had the arm band around her arm to hold her phone, ID and twenty dollar bill. You never knew when you'd need cash. 'Dragging @MichaelTurchin running. I may or may not survive this. It's been awhile.'

She looked up when she caught Michael coming into view dressed in a t-shirt, mesh shorts and sneakers. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Michael nodded and they went outside. They stretched for a few minutes before taking off down the sidewalk, jogging side by side together passing driveways and mailboxes as they ran through Lance's neighborhood.

Not very far into the run Rachel realized what a horrible idea it was. Not only did she not have any music to listen while she ran, but she couldn't even talk. In order to carry on a conversation she'd have to hold her phone and look at it while she ran. Not a very good combination. So she was left with her own thoughts, which sometimes was a scary place to reside.

There was JC of course. Thinking his name brought a smile to her face. She liked thinking about him. There were moments she felt like giggling stupidly and drawing his name over and over again, surrounding it with little hearts like it was a high school crush and writing her name 'Rachel Chasez' just to see what it would look like. The feelings she felt were far from high school.

In the short amount of time they'd been together in an actual relationship (one beyond friendship), she had felt for him more than any previous boyfriend she had combined. He had taken a strong hold of her heart from nearly the first moment he showed up at the hospital wielding flowers and a Teddy Bear. How he still believed wholeheartedly that she could still sing just like she used to despite her disability. There was no bad thought when thinking of JC. She loved everything about him; loved talking to him, being with him; just loved him.

Aside from JC taking over most of her thoughts, there was her music. JC and her music took up roughly ninety-five percent of her thoughts. The final five percent was Lance, Michael, her family and other random things. If she wasn't thinking about JC, she was thinking about her music. Her meeting at Capitol went okay. They understood that she couldn't sing for the most part. Upset that they had to cancel the tour and refund the money. Of course she was more upset about that than they were. She hated not being able to finish out her tour and she could imagine the disappointment her fans felt realizing they wouldn't get to see her. She wished she could write an apology note to every single one of the fans but that was impossible.

The execs wanted her to be seen more. They didn't like the fact that she was hiding away. They wanted her out and about, giving interviews both in print and on television. She wasn't sure about the whole television thing yet. She did okay the first time around on The Today Show and she was used to not being able to hear now. Well... as used to it as you could get. She didn't mind doing print interviews and she had a lot of emails she needed to make her way through with questions she had to answer. Now that she had a lot of time of her hands, there really wasn't an interview request she'd turn down. Within reason of course.

The newly dropped single needed backing. Going on the morning talk shows or the late night shows wouldn't help because she couldn't perform the song. Tweeting about it every day only helped so much. She was sure people were getting tired of her telling them to request her song on their local radio station. What she needed to do was a video. A video would definitely help. She could pick a show to release it on and bit back her nervousness and go on the show to help debut. How was she going to shot a video when she couldn't hear the playback to mouth the words to help with the later syncing of the song over the video?

That was what she needed to do though. She needed to shoot a music video somehow for 'See You Again'. Then she needed to promote the release of the video on one of the morning shows or even on her own website. The promotion could come later; the video had to be shot first. She needed a concept. The concept was the easy part. The song had such a bold meaning in the fact that there wasn't a hidden meaning you had to decipher. It was stating perfectly in the lyrics. The song was about a loved one who had left (either died, military deployment or off to college) and you knowing you would see them again.

"What do you think of when you hear 'See You Again'?" Rachel asked coming to a stop. She put her hands on her hips, breathing heavy before she reached for her phone held in the arm band.

Michael turned around and jogged the few feet back to Rachel. He mimicked her moves, putting his hands on his hips. He could feel the sweat rolling down his cheek and he shrugged a shoulder, tilting his head to wipe it on his shirt. "What do I think of?"

"Yeah," Rachel said when his question popped up. "When you hear my song, what do you think of?"

Michael furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about the question. He heard the new song an awful lot in the few days it had been released because it seemed like Lance had it on repeat and if Lance didn't, Lisa did. "I think of someone dying and you know that one day you'll see them again when it's your time to join them. Why?"

"I need to make a video," Rachel said and explained to him what she had been thinking while running. "I need a concept for the video. When I think about the song I'm like you. I think of someone you love dying. But there are so many other ways to take the song. You're sending your child off to college, you're sending your son or husband off to war," she smiled. "I think of the homecomings you sometimes see on the news when the husband returns and his child runs to him and everyone is crying. I see the old man holding a framed photo of his wife; a woman - young or old - holding a folded up American Flag.'

"Sounds like you already have a concept," Michael said.

"Yeah, it needs ironed out though," she frowned and looked at their surroundings before nailing him with a look. "Want to help me?"

"How?"

"Bounce ideas with me from the beginning of the video to the end, sketch out some scenes on a story board..."

"Sure," Michael shrugged.

"Awesome," Rachel grinned. "Race ya back."

"Are you kidding? I'm not gonna... HEY!" Michael yelled fruitlessly as Rachel took off down the sidewalk back to the house. He could hear her laughter from where he stood and did the only thing he could do; take off after her.

*~*

"You'll be fine."

"I'm really nervous JC," Rachel told him. She was waiting outside in the parking lot of Capital Records for Megan to pull in before they would enter the building together.

"No reason to be nervous, Baby," JC shifted in the chair at his kitchen table. "You've been to plenty of theses meetings before about video shoots. Once you get started you'll breeze right through."

Rachel smiled at him. "I wish you were here," she told JC, staring at the video feed on her iPad where she was FaceTiming with him.

"I told you I would have gone with you. You said I didn't need to." JC shifted the iPad in his hands better centering himself on the screen as he reached for his glass of water.

"I know," Rachel sighed leaning back in the driver's seat of Michael's truck. "I just had this stupid thing in my head that I was pulling you away from stuff that you needed to be doing."

"That's dumb. Everything I need to be doing is getting done. And if I wanted to put something off to be with you, I wouldn't hesitate. If you want, I'll meet you there right now. Just say the word."

"I know you would," She gave him a small smile. She wanted to reach through the screen and caress the slight scruff on his cheek. "I don't want you to disappoint Kota though just to babysit me. She's really excited about doing her cover video. Not to mention you offered up your piano for her to use. That's pretty cool..."

"She'd understand," JC tried to reason though he knew it was a lost cause.

"I'm sure I will be fine, it's just..." She looked out the window at the traffic passing by. "Not so much the meeting or even whatever is going to happen when we shoot the video. It's the parts where I need to sing..." She stopped she saw JC's words pop up on the screen as he started talking over her.

"I told you a million times. You still sound as beautiful and amazing just like the very first time I heard you. You know how to sing..."

"Yeah? Then why can't I get 'So Small' down? If I know how to sing, why can't I sing that song?"

JC rubbed a hand over his face. "Forget about So Small. If you had played that song a dozen times over or even heard the music once before your accident, you'd be able to sing it now. Rachel, I promise you, I'm gonna figure out a way for you to sing it. But right now, you need to concentrate on See You Again. You know this song. I know you can sing this song. I've heard you sing this song." He paused. "Sweetheart, if you're really this nervous about doing the video, don't do it."

"I said I would. This was my idea. I'm the one who called and proposed doing this. How can I back out now? I'm just...scared."

JC wished he was there with Rachel. Wished he could hold her in his arms and soothe her fears. He wanted to be right there with her to hold her hand; to be standing off to the side while she filmed the new video ready to do anything she needed him to do. "What are you afraid of?"

"I have to lip sync to music I can't hear JC," Rachel said. "How am I gonna be able to do that right so they can lay the track so it doesn't look like a bad Japanese movie dub?"

He bit back a smile. "Rachel, they are professionals. They can lay tracks over anything. If they shoot it right and work around your hearing loss it will all come together."

"Maybe I should hire you to direct," she sighed and sent him a small smile.

"You could never afford my rates," JC grinned. He looked up hearing his doorbell.

"You'd charge me an extraordinary amount?"

"I'm sure we could work something out." He walked to his front door making sure to keep the iPad aimed to his face.

"I'm a pretty good negotiator."

"I bet you are," JC laughed as he opened his door revealing Kota. "Hey."

"Hey," Kota smiled stepping inside. "Thanks for doing this."

"No problem," JC said. "Just give me a few minutes," he motioned to the iPad.

"Oh! You need me to be elsewhere? I don't want to..." she felt a blush start to sweep over her face.

"You're fine," JC laughed. "Come on," he told her and led her downstairs to the basement where his piano was located.

"You have to go?" Rachel asked. She had been a little confused at first seeing the words pop up on her screen until she realized JC had company.

"Yeah," JC said regretfully. "Just relax. If it takes twenty times to shoot a simple part, it takes twenty times. It's gonna be a learning process for everyone involved. They know going in to today that it will be a slightly different video shoot. It's not your first one, you know what to do. Rely on what you already know. And remember, magic happens in the editing trailer. They'll splice and dice and do their thing."

"And now Do Your Thing is going through my head. Thanks JC." She saw JC laughed and smiled. "Tell Kota I said hi."

"Wait," JC walked to the piano where Kota sat waiting for him. He turned his iPad around. "Rachel says hi."

"Oh! Hi!" Kota waved into the iPad's camera. She smiled at the blonde woman on the other side. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll be great. You'll surprise everyone including yourself. Like JC said, magic happens during editing."

"Thanks Kota," Rachel smiled appreciatively at the words of advice and encouragement. "Good luck on your own video today. I'm sure you'll sound fabulous and don't let JC boss you around too much."

JC turned the iPad back around to face him before Kota could respond. "I am her boss."

Rachel smiled. "I'll text you when I get the chance."

"Alright. Love you."

"Love you too," Rachel blew him a kiss before ending the call.

"Awwww," Kota giggled as JC flipped the black cover over the iPad.

"Yeah yeah," JC sat the iPad on the table and motioned to the piano. "Let's see what you got."

*~*

"I hope you understand Ms. Bass why we can't use your idea," Mr. O'Neil stated.

"No, not really," Rachel said bringing her eyes back up to meet the man sitting across the table from her. "I worked really hard to come up with the concept of the video. Both Michael and I did and his drawings captured it perfectly."

"I don't deny that, Ms. Bass. Mr. Turchin's drawings are wonderful. These are the best storyboards I've ever seen for a music video before. The detail is exquisite..."

"But..."

"But I'm not comfortable using the concept."

"Because for five seconds -ten seconds at the most - at the end of the video it references a same sex relationship," Rachel could feel her anger starting to boil. The idea for the video her and Michael came up with was beautiful. She could already imagine it all finished and the final project.

After talking and tossing out ideas, they decided that in the midst of all the videos she hoped to find of military goodbyes and homecomings and the precious shots of lost loved ones, she wanted a main storyline. Remembering Michael's painting had given her the idea. She wanted to start off the video of Michael painting. Then throughout the video revisit Michael and his painting at various states of unfinished. At the very end of the video, would be the finished painting of Michael's grandfather (who had recently passed). The camera would concentrate on Michael's face as he stared at the painting before someone takes his hand. When the camera pulled away, everyone would see Lance holding Michael's hand and the finished painting of Michael's grandfather would be on display in front of a casket at a funeral home. She envisioned Michael and Lance trading small smiles before they took their seats.

"Frankly, yes," Mr. O'Neil said. "I have nothing against same-sex relationships; I just feel..."

"With all do respect," Rachel cut him off. "If you had nothing against same-sex relationships you wouldn't have a problem with this being in my video."

"Same-sex relationships have made great strides over the past few months. I just feel that this video wouldn't be well accepted in the country platform. Country is a hard genre to break the mold of the Christian nuclear family."

"Country music and my fans have known I am a supporter of the LGBT community from the moment my brother announced he was gay. Having a gay brother has not hindered my fan base or record sales in anyway. In fact, I have gained more fans because of the fact.

"I won't dispute that fact, Ms. Bass. Your support of the LGBT community is above reproach. But I don't think mainstream country is ready for a video like this."

"A video like this?" Rachel repeated. "Mr. O'Neil there is nothing wrong with this video. For four minutes of the song you have no idea Michael is gay. He looks like an everyday painter, painting a portrait. He is an every day man. Put him in a line up with a bunch of heterosexual men and everyone will have a problem picking the homo out. The idea is not over the top. I'm not out to shove homosexual relationships in the faces of Americans and people around the world. These are two men who love each other dearly, who have a better relationship with each other than over half of the straight relationships I have seen in this industry."

"I understand where you are coming from, Ms. Bass..."

"Do you? Do you really? Because from where I sit, you don't," she shook her head and stood up from the table. "Let me ask this, Mr. O'Neil; if the camera panned back revealing my hand in Michael's would you have any problems giving the okay to this video?" She stared at him for a moment before looking at Megan sitting next to her. "I need a minute."

Rachel didn't bother waiting for a reply. She snatched up her phone from the table and walked from the room anger radiating from her. She left the conference room and walked quickly down the hall passing the elevator to the stairwell. When she reached the ground floor she exited the building onto the sidewalk.

"Should have known," she muttered to herself as she walked along Vine Street toward Yucca. She was so proud of the concept she and Michael came up with for the video. Getting the right director behind the project who could see the same vision she saw in her mind was all the was needed to bring it to life.

Rachel paid no attention to the traffic going by her or the people walking along the sidewalk. She was in her own mind trying to let the anger go. Going into the meeting she knew there was a big possibility of the idea getting shot down and she knew it would be the final story board to cause hesitation.

From the beginning Mr. O'Neil had a smile on his face, nodding as Rachel walked him through the storyboards. As she got closer to the second to last one where it revealed Lance and Michael holding hands she grew nervous. Her worries had been warranted when she saw his smile falter and his lips tighten. One frame had ruined her whole story.

"Stupid stupid stupid," She berated herself, turning right at the stop sign to walk along Yucca Street. Country was the hardest genre. They were steadfast in their beliefs of marriages and relationships. How could the LGBT community make strides if the straight community didn't stand up for them?

She wasn't asking much! You couldn't get any more subtle in the small scene: the hand holding, the smile and then sitting together. There was no over-the-top-in-your-face move that screamed 'look at us; we're gay!' If you didn't know Lance or Michael, you might even think they were family members consoling each other at a funeral.

Cutting through the parking lots that sat behind Capitol Records Rachel made her way to Michael's truck. Sighing, she leaned against the tailgate. Bringing up her phone she sent a text message to Michael. 'Nixed our idea.'

'What? Are you serious?'

'Yup. He liked it up until the very last minute. Jerk.'

'So basically until he realized I was gay?'

'Yeah. I tried to talk him into it but it didn't work.' She sent that text then started another one. 'I even went as far as asking if it had been me holding your hand at the end if he wouldn't have a problem. Just pissed off right now.'

'You thought this would happen.'

'Yeah I know. I just hoped that it wouldn't. I mean it's not like we had you and Lance going at it up against the wall or something.'

'You don't have enough money to get me to do that on camera.'

Rachel laughed reading Michael's message. 'I don't WANT to see that on camera!' Before she sent the message, she switched her keyboard and pulled up a set of emoji's. Searching for the emojis, she found the monkey who was covering his eyes and added it to the end of the message.

'I don't even want to see that on camera!' Rachel giggled as another text from Michael popped up. 'Was the idea completely scraped or just the ending?'

'I don't know. I was so mad I walked out and took a stroll around the block.' She sent the text and blew out a breath. 'Suppose I should go back and find out what's going on. I feel better now thanks.' Adding a kissing smiley face, she sent the text, smiling when Michael sent one back to her.

'I'm gonna need you later.' She text to JC knowing he wouldn't reply because he was busy with Kota's video. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and slowly released it, calming herself even more before she went back inside.