"Where is that grandbaby of mine?" a loud voice sounded above the loud roar that was backstage.

Crew members were setting up the stage in preparation for the next band which did happen to be Broken Angel. The band was sitting around talking to those who were also sitting around backstage. All of that combined with the loud house music--that was keeping the audience entertained--made it hard for anyone to hear without yelling.

"Grama!" Danielle squealed seeing Lois.

Shelby watched her daughter run as quickly as she could, her small arms pumping in front of her. She smiled tenderly and was again thankful for the gift she was. "Slow down baby." She cautioned as she walked toward Lois.

Lois was there to pick her up when Danielle flung herself at her grandma. Wrapping her arms around the little girl she breathed her in. "How are you muffin?"

"Good, are you here for mama?"

Lois understood that to be 'are you here to watch Shelby on stage' and laughed. "Yes missy I am. Grandpa is here too, he just went to get our table."

"Hey momma." Shelby said giving Lois a hug.

Shelby wrapped her arms around the older woman she had long ago come to know as her grandma and held tightly. Lois had been there for her when she was pregnant, and she'd adopted Danielle-Nicole as her granddaughter right away.

"Hey sweetie, you're looking good. I really like your hair, very cute. The curls make you look like a pixie." Lois smiled drinking in the sight of Shelby.

"Thanks, I do like it myself. So you said poppa was out there? Are there a lot of people here?" Shelby asked.

"There are on the floor you know the general admission area, but the VIP section isn't full thought. As far as I know you'll have to go through there to get to the VIP area. Not the masses obviously, but you will have to go down there." Lois nodded.

"If the boys come looking for me, let them know I'll be back in a few minutes." Shelby said kissing Danielle's cheek.

Shelby made her way to the VIP section via the floor. Lois was right in that the floor was full. It was one of the biggest shows they'd played in a while. That was a given as they were merely the last opening band before AFI came onstage. AFI's normal openers had to leave the tour for a few dates to film a video which left an open spot in the tour. The club manager gave AFI's tour manager Broken Angel's demo as they were one of the most popular semi-local bands that played at the club. He gave it a listen and shortly there after he contacted Ryan (also the bands manager) and scheduled for them to play two shows with AFI.

She made it halfway to the VIP section before she was stopped by a group of three girls. Shelby watched them for a few moments before one of them decided to speak up.

"Excuse me, miss, we don't mean to bother you, but my friends and I couldn't help but think you look really familiar." the girl told her.

"Well, I don't know why. Maybe you have our demo EP, I'm in the next band coming up." Shelby answered.

The girl's whole demeanor changed, her eyes lit up and she turned into a giddy teenager. "Broken Angel?"

"That's the one." Shelby nodded with a smile.

"Wow. Will you sign my CD?" She asked holding out the liner notes.

"Sure, what's your name?" Shelby asked withdrawing a sharpie from her jeans pocket.

"Danielle." she answered still acting star-struck.

"Pretty name, my daughter's name is Danielle-Nicole." Shelby smiled then handed her the insert back.

"My friends call me Danny." she smiled clutching the booklet like it was a precious gem.

Shelby signed autographs for the other two girls then went back on her way to the top. She didn't get recognized very often, but when she did it always seemed surreal. They didn't have a real CD out yet, just an demo EP they'd recorded at a local studio in Orlando. The CD's were available at live shows and also on their website.

"Hey poppa." Shelby said sitting next to Robert.

"Hey Belly, how are you?" Robert smiled calling her his pet name for her.

"I'm doing really good thanks. How are you?" Shelby asked.

"Good. Is Lois with the munchkin?"

"Yeah, I expect them to be up here soon. We go on in fifteen, so I need to get back. I just wanted to come up here and say hi. You can come backstage after the show if you'd like, you're name will be on the list." Shelby explained.

"Okay, sweetie, you go on now." Robert said giving her another hug.

"Thanks poppa." Shelby said returning his hug.

Shelby went downstairs walking as fast as she could as she was certain the guys were starting to get nervous. She still had to slip on her black skirt and she had no doubt they were pacing.

"It's about time!" Ryan said spotting her heading toward their dressing room.

Shelby grabbed her skirt and quickly put it on over her jeans. "Plenty of time."

"We go on in ten and you're still changing." he said frantically waving at her.

Shelby reached under the skirt and unbuttoned the jeans and took them off and sat down on the couch and put on a pair of pink high top Chucks.

"Guess what, I'm done." Shelby said smacking him upside the head.

"Watch the hair. Have you seen that crowd, there's a lot of people out there." Ryan said stretching, something he found necessary for an hour of playing.

"Any hot chicks out there?" Scott asked jumping up and down, psyching himself up.

Their opening music started as they got into position, listening to the music for their cue to walk on the stage. Shelby was right so she was the first one on, the crowd went wild when she stepped on stage. She waved at them all and blew them a kiss then started playing the well known chords. Jason was the next one to enter and picked up the beat on the drums followed by Scott and Ryan who always entered together. They went right into the first song which tonight it was Me Against the World.

We're not gonna be
Just apart of their game
We're not gonna be
Just the victims
They're taking our dreams
And they tear them apart
Til everyone's the same
I've got no place to go
I've got no where to run
They love to watch me fall
They think they know it all

I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always say
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I've gotta prove them wrong
Me against the world
It's me against the world

We won't let them change
How we feel in our hearts
We're not gonna let them control us
We won't let them shove
All their thoughts in our heads
And we'll never be like them

I've got no place to go
I've got no where to run
They love to watch me fall
They think they know it all

I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always say
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I'm gonna prove them wrong
It's me against the world
Me against the world

Now I'm sick of this waiting
So come on and take your shot
You can spit all your insults
But nothing you say is gonna change us
You can sit there and judge me
Say what you want to
We'll never let you in

I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always said
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
Me against the world

I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always said
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I've got to prove them wrong
They'll never bring us down

We'll never fall in line
I'll make it on my own
Me against the world

"Hey Tampa, how are y'all doin tonight?" Ryan said to the crowd getting an ear piercing scream for an answer. "Glad you're doing so well. We are Broken Angel and it's really good to be back in Tampa. How many of you are excited for AFI to come out?"

"I know I am." Shelby answered.

The crowd screamed again then they went into their next song. The rest of the show was just as exciting and the crowd really ate up their music, drinking in every word they had to say.

"We have one final song left folks then AFI will come out and rock the house. Y'all like their song Miss Murder or what?" Shelby asked and of course the crowd screamed again. "Me too, want to sing the chorus with me?"

Shelby took her mic and stood in front of the crowd. She sang the chorus a ccapella accompanied by Jason on drums then stuck the mic out to the audience to let them sing. They of course knew every word and it was very impressive to see how well they knew the song.

Hey Miss Murder can I?
Hey Miss Murder can I?
Make beauty stay if I,
Take my life?

"Goodnight ladies and gentlemen, you've been a wonderful audience." SHelby said moving back behind the keyboard for the last song. They finished off with the set with their title track Welcome to My Life.

"Dude that was awesome!" Ryan said picking Shelby up in a hug and swung her around.

"Yes it did go well." Shelby nodded then took a drink from her water bottle.

"Shelby, come with me please." Erik, one of the crew members, bid her to follow him.

"Why?" Shelby asked puzzled.

"No questions, just follow." Erik said ushering to another dressing room at the end of the hall.

"Isn't this AFI's room?" Shelby asked standing in front of the door.

Erik rapped on the door three times then left Shelby standing there waiting for it to open. She could hear voices through the door, getting louder as they came closer. The door swung open and a man dressed in all black with a pink tie stood looking at her. His black--with blonde highlights--hair was parted to the side and gave him a sleek mysterious look. His voice was smooth as he addressed her. "How can I help you?"

Shelby glanced at him then into the large dressing room behind him then again back to him. She realized she was staring then shook her head. "My apologies, Erik, one of the crew members brought me here. I asked him why, but he didn't give me any reasons."

Jade studied her for a few moments then it dawned on him who she had to be. "Are you Shelby? You're in the band that just played."

"That's right." Shelby nodded, clearly puzzled as to why he would know that.

"Please come in." he said ushering her in.

Shelby stepped past him into the large dressing room. It was quite obvious it was for the biggest bands, not just AFI, but whoever was the star of the night. There were lush leather sofas along both walls that just called out to be sat in.

"Have a seat." Jade offered showing her to a sofa.

Shelby took his advice and sat on one of the lush sofa's then watched the band stretch and prepare for the show.

"Davey, this is her." Jade said motioning over his band mate and friend.

Shelby watched Davey turn his attention in her direction and to her surprise, a soft smile lit his face. He was a beautiful man, there was no other way to describe him. He had long hair parted on one side, with short hair in the back and on the other side. He also had what people would call 'sleeves' of tattoos running down both of his arms, showing various designs and many different colors.

"Hello Shelby, I'm Davey and that's Jade." he pointed to the gentleman who had opened the door for her. He then introduced her to the other two band members Hunter who played guitar and Adam who was the drummer.

"Nice to meet you all." Shelby smiled at each man as he was introduced.

"The reason we asked you in here is simple. We were very impressed that you sang Miss Murder with the crowd a capella. We want you to come on stage with us and sing for a bit of fun." Davey said sitting on the couch next to her.

"You want me to sing with you?" Shelby asked staring at him as if he'd lost his mind. Here he was--lead singer of AFI, famous on the punk scene--asking her--girl in an unsigned band with a small following--to sing with him on stage in front of at least a thousand people.

"Of course, you have a good voice, but not only that you really appealed to the crowd. Stage presence like that can't be taught."

Shelby sat there unsure of what to say. She didn't think it was all that, but it seemed she knew little of the subject. "I think it would be fun to sing with you all."

"Awesome! We don't sing it until the very end, so if you want you can watch the show from the audience then just come back up here when we play Silver and Cold. If I were you, I'd watch from the VIP section, it's a good view and you won't miss anything. That's where we were when we watched you guys. Have Erik show you the way up there from here, that way you don't have to go traipsing through the crowd." Davey explained.

"Sounds good to me. That's where my family is so I will go up there, then come back down during Silver and Cold. How many songs are between that and Miss Murder?"

Davey got up and grabbed one of the set lists sitting on the vanity counter and handed it to her. "Take this if you want, it'll help."

Shelby took the paper from his extended hand and gave it a once over. After SIlver and Cold she read 'Death of Seasons' then Miss Murder. "Flippin sweet, I love that song."

"Which one?" Jade asked.

"Death of Seasons." Shelby answered.

They talked for a few more minutes before their tour manager came in and gave them the ten minutes to show time warning. Shelby left their dressing room and went to find Erik who explained how to get to the VIP section without having to go through the crowd. She then went to the Broken Angel room and found the boys.

Shelby opened the door to the dressing room and noticed right away how much smaller it was than the one she was just in. They had furniture, but it was downscale from the designer leather sofa's from the previous room she'd been in. She realized she was used to seeing rooms like AFI's but it had been nearly four years since she'd been a part of that life.

Snapping out of her reverie, Shelby found Scott and Ryan staring at her, busting at the seams to ask her questions.

"I know you're burning to ask me what he wanted." Shelby laughed.

Scott looked at the apparent set list in her hand then back to her face. "Well, are you going to enlighten us?"

Shelby mobbed to sit down on the sofa next to Ryan then turned to answer them. "AFI watched our show and they were impressed with the whole accapella 'Miss Murder' thing and they asked me to sing it on stage with them."

Silence followed her announcement as the boys stared at her. It was a few minutes before they decided to find their voices.

"That's awesome!"

"Sweet." they both said at the same time.

"What's awesome and sweet?" Jason asked entering the room.

"Shelby is going to sing Miss Murder on stage with friggin Davey Havok." Scott answered.

Jason stared at Shelby with a lock of shock and admiration. He leaned down and hugged her, wishing her the best of luck.

"You'll do wonderful."

"Thank you Jason. Thanks to all of you. You have no idea how much you all mean to me, you've always been there for me no questions asked. I really don't know what I'd do without you." Shelby told them with tears in her eyes.

Ryan leaned over from his spot next to her and gave her a supportive hug.

For the past four years they had been an unbreakable quartet. They had remained faithful to her throughout her pregnancy and helped pick her up when she'd break down. They'd even threatened to kick Tony's ass once when he'd shown up about a month after Justin broke her heart.

"We're always here for you. Now let's go sit down and watch AFI. I hear they put on one heck of a show." Ryan said heading to the door.

They followed the route Erik had explained to the VIP section where they joined Robert, Lois, and of course Danielle. It was naught but a few seconds after they sat down when the lights went down and the loud background music for Miseria Cantare. All across the audience people were singing the words to the song, well more like chanting according to Lois.

Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one of us
Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one of us

Nothing from nowhere, I'm no one at all
Radiate, recognize one silent call
As we all form one dark flame... Incinerate

Nothing from nowhere, I'm no one at all
Radiate, recognize one silent call
As we all form one dark flame
As we all form one dark flame
As we all...

Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one of us
Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one, one of us

To say that they put on one heck of a show was a gross understatement. Every minute of the show was full of high energy. It wasn't just Davey who was all over the stage, Jade and Hunter were both bouncing around playing their respective guitars. At one point towards the end of a song, Davey did a somersault off the stage into the crowd.

It seemed all too soon when they began Silver and Cold. Shelby made her way back down to the backstage area and waited in the wing. She arrived in time to watch Death of Seasons from that very place. Closing her eyes, she let the music flow over her body. It was during her favorite part of the song when it slowed down, it was almost haunting. She felt very calm and at ease as the music surrounded and encompassed her body. Before she knew what was happening the song was over and Davey was talking to the crowd.

"Earlier tonight an awesome band took the stage and wowed us all. I'd like to bring out a certain young lady that had me totally floored with her sensational rendition of Miss Murder."

The crowd went wild at the mention of a possible duet so when Shelby walked out, it was nearly ear piercing. She stopped next to Davey and looked out to the crowd. "How y'all doin?" She paused for the screaming response to quiet down. "Do these AFI boys know how to rock the house or what?"

She got another response from the active audience then looked to Davey who was clearly leading the show.

"So are you ready to show these kids a real good time?" Davey asked.

"They won't know what hit them." Shelby winked playing along.

"Let's do this." Davey said cueing the others to start the song.

They sang the song in perfect unison, wooing the crowd as if they'd done it their whole lives and it was a very routine thing. What people didn't know was that they hadn't practiced at all, not even once. They finished the show on that note, and everyone Shelby talked to, loved it. The band stayed up and talked at Robert and Lois's until the wee hours of the morning when they finally had to succumb to sleep for they would be headed back to Orlando to play a show there tomorrow night, their second show with AFI.

*Songs:
Welcome to My Life by Simple Plan
Miseria Cantare by AFI
Miss Murder by AFI