Dreaming in LA [Treat You Better Spinoff] - ON HOLD

The Family Alarm

Noah's POV:

The family alarm had gone off. And Hermione was the one that sounded it.

In our family, when you have parents that have to travel a lot, you yourself have a tour coming soon, your sister is always traveling for dance competitions and well, James is James, sometimes your family is so all over that it is a bit difficult to keep track with what is happening within each of our lives.

But when you are also a family that is so close, so determined to be there and support and lift each other up, busy schedules is the least of our concern. Especially when mum and dad came up with a metaphorical gadget that they named "Family Alarm".

There were varying levels of the alarm, as well people who were involved. If you sounded the alarm, you could call people from the outside as well, if you wanted them to be part of it. And besides that then you also had to state the level of urgency. Level green meant that there was something you had to talk about, but nothing extremely urgent. Yellow was very urgent, meaning that the reunion had to happen as soon as possible.

And red? Well, everyone had to basically drop everything what they were doing and gather in the living room (or whatever other place it might involve).

"And by drop everything I mean really drop everything," mum reinforced in our first ever meeting, which was a code green. In our first meeting, it was basically our parents explaining what this was all about, but majorly also to explain why they were coming up with this in the first place. Dad stood beside her and nodded, agreeing with her statement, his expression serious.

"If I'm at the studio working with an artist, I'll excuse myself and come home. If Hermione is in a dance lesson she'll leave it as well,-"

"What if dad is performing one of his shows?" I asked, wondering if what I was thinking would happen would actually happen.

Just his expression told me all. "I'll drop it." He said.

I remember a heavy silence following his words, the seriousness of the situation dawning upon both Hermione and I (Before you ask, at that time James wasn't born yet).

I remember mum letting out a sigh, and taking a seat beside me so that she could be at a closer eye level to my sister and I. "Look, when I was younger, my parents weren't as... there for me as I wished they were."

I found this statement shocking. Gran Jane and Grandpa Marcos were absent for my mum? But they were constantly visiting us, even if they lived very far away from California...

"I don't have any sibling either, so it isn't hard to imagine that I was pretty much alone. After some years they realized what they had done and changed it, but I honestly thought it was a bit too late. Sure their support meant a lot for me, but one year later I had moved in with your dad and, well, I didn't have them around at the times I think were the most essential for them to be there." The look in my mum's eyes was so intense and sad, I felt like reaching out to hug her. She takes a deep breath and continues. "And I would hate myself so so so much if I repeated their mistakes. I know it is hard being in the spotlight so young, and having parents that have to go around a lot. I want you to know that we are always here if you need us ok?"

With this, dad squats down in front of us, and Hermione and I turn towards him. "Your mum is completely right. I know how important it is having your parents giving you support, if I didn't have mine while I was still growing as an artist I don't know what would have been of me. No matter how far I may be sometimes, I want you to know that you guys are far more important to us than any job. Family comes first."