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108 - Emmy

Dedicated to TigerLily7.  Her stuff is amazing and she doesn't get nearly enough recognition so go check her out!

We manage to reduce Tanya to tears three hours before the charity gig.  She's confused when the taxi takes her to her favourite restaurant instead of the venue for the gig but when she sees the balloons and table that we've laid on for her she's flapping her hands and trying not to cry her make-up off.  She scolds us in her Tanya way, telling us we shouldn't have bothered going to this trouble for her, but when we assure her she's worth it she has to grab a napkin from the table to stem her tears.

She's reduced it to just the occasional sniffle by the time the starters are served and by the desserts she's stopped berating us completely and is just having fun instead.  The atmosphere is so contagious that I forget to feel nervous about the gig until we're piling back into a taxi for the ride there.  Suddenly my goats cheese pasta is all I can taste in my mouth and the cake dessert that I'd shared with Sam feels heavy in my stomach.

I will myself to calm down as we near the venue, the traffic thinning out as the streets get smaller.  It's obvious that nerves are shared by all of us.  Tanya's on her phone to the gig organiser, letting them know when we'll arrive, but apart from the sound of her talking the taxi is quiet.  The guys all seem to be lost in thought.  Sam's hand feels limp in mine as he stares out of the window. 

When we pull up outside of a bold red bricked building, everyone seems to jolt back to life, the engine shutting off and the buzzing sound of chatter mixing together as a wake-up call.  It's safe to say none of us had been expecting a swarm of paparazzi to be outside of the building.  Tanya cuts her phone call and looks to us, taking in our wide eyed expressions.  Vince looks happy enough, not one to shy away from a camera, but Sam looks a little stressed.  His hand tenses against mine and he falters a breath.

"I haven't even brushed my hair," I say suddenly, my brain finally connecting the dots.  I look down at my jeans and t-shirt.  "I look like I've just rolled out of bed."

I'd planned on getting ready at the venue, Tanya assuring us we'd have space to change.  Now I regret my decision to chuck on yesterday's clothes for our informal lunch with Tanya.  I should have at least made an effort, then I wouldn't have been so caught off guard now. 

I sigh.  "Crap."

Sam manages to laugh at my misfortune. "I think you look lovely."

"You would say that," Vince says with a sideways glance at Ollie which I catch all too clearly.

"Thanks, guys.  For all your love and support."

Vince and Ollie laugh and even Sam chuckles at my deadpan tone.

"You look fine, Emmy," Tanya assures me.  "Besides, they probably won't even use the photos for anything, that's if they bother taking any."

The door opens to a cacophony of noise and bright light.  Seems even when we don't have a record contract we're still in demand.  I try to smile but I'm conscious of the spot on my cheek and I don't want to make it look any bigger so I duck behind Sam.  Thankfully another car turns up and it draws the attention away from us.  The noise from the paparazzi climbs in volume as they rush to meet whatever celebrity is hidden away in the car.  When we're safely inside the building I look back over my shoulder, trying to spot who's causing all the excitement, but I'm denied a sneak-peek by the swarm of press.

Tanya deals with getting us to the right place and only five minutes later we've been directed to the room where Tanya had our equipment dropped off earlier.  Thankfully there's a table and mirror for me to get ready in front of but I'm panicking again moments later when my bag is nowhere in sight.