Alphabet Steps

Quiet Night In

A slight companion piece to Nicked. Q was a difficult letter to come up with a title. Hope this kind of also fills the request about them been nervous in their first performances. 

"I can't believe that thanks to the other night we all have to stay in for the next week!" Lisa fumed as she threw a cushion at the couch in Lee's suite. Following Tim's discovery of their escapades at the club the other evening resulting in a trip to the local cop shop he had imposed a week long ban from them going out. "I don't mind too much." Claire mused, clad in a pair of cosy socks and in a comfy tracksuit. "But you had fun the other night didn't you?" Faye asked hopefully. She rather liked her clubbing but wished that Claire and H would join them more often. "Yeah, but I like staying in too. Nothing beats a good soak in a bubble bath and cheesy movie." Claire said as H nodded in agreement. "No way! A night out dancing and drinking is way better." Lisa chipped in as Lee rolled his eyes not wanting a argument to start up. "Well since a night out is seemingly out of the question I think Claire's idea works for a movie, we could order in some food." He suggested as Faye let out a slight sneeze. "I told you to wrap up for rehearsals." Claire said as Faye leaned her head against the couch. "Yes Mum!" She responded as Lee went to get the duvet from his bed for his bandmate. H shot him a look knowing that during a drunken night Lee had admitted he had a slight crush on their blonde bandmate.

"So what we watching?" Lisa asked as Lee flicked through the movie options. "Well I say either a thriller or a comedy. I aren't watching rom-coms." H said firmly as Claire pouted. "What about a musical." Faye ventured as she sipped a cup of tea. "No!" H and Lee protested. "Fine what about this." Lisa said selecting The Mummy. "Is it scary?" Claire asked as she was opening the snacks. They'd ordered up some Maltesers, pringles and Haribo along with the pizzas. "It won't be too bad Clara." H said as he was busy pouring himself a glass of Pepsi. "You said that about Scream H!" Claire said as Lisa giggled. Following them all watching Scream at one venue,  H had pranked Claire ringing her room repeatedly and asking her if she liked scary moves in  a deep voice. "That wasn't scary. Not really." Faye said as she reached over for a slice of Chilli Chicken Pizza.

Having decided on a movie eventually they watched with the lights turned off. Lisa and H were laid on the floor despite Claire telling them it wouldn't do any good for their backs. Faye was curled up against one arm of the couch, Lee in the middle and Claire curled up the other side of him. "You said this wouldn't be scary!" She whined, scrunching her nose up as the scene showed a cluster of spiders. "Wow glad we aren't out clubbing. Listen to that weather." H mused as the rain lashed down against the window, thunder echoing through the night sky. Lisa rolled her eyes slightly. "You don't come out even when it's sunny!" She complained.
"Moi, Lise I'm always out, unless you ask Smash Hits." H chuckled as Lisa shook her head slightly. She wished H could be himself, his sexuality not kept a secret but she kind of understood too how he was scared how it might be taken.

"I think I'd have quite liked to be a archaeologist." Faye mused as Lee smiled slightly. "Fuf, you hate spiders, you'd have ran off from that pyramid within seconds." He said as he helped himself to some pringles before offering the can to Faye who scooped a handful up. "Hmm I suppose. But I like the idea of curses and things." She added as Claire raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You're weird, lovely but weird." She said as Faye threw a pringle at her.

They were almost halfway through the movie when the TV suddenly went off, lightening had been lighting the night sky for almost 5 minutes. "Oh crap!" Lisa said mournfully. "I was enjoying that." H moaned as Lee fumbled around with his keys and found a mini flashlight keyring he had once attached to his house keys in order to find the lock easily when coming home from a night out. "Okay not the best light ever but better than been in the pitch dark." He said. "Well we might as well go to bed." Claire ventured though sighed. "I'm not tired though." She ventured. "Well we don't have to go to bed just 'cause the powers down. We could talk, we don't get chance much nowadays." Faye said softly. "This sounds awfully girly." H mused as Lisa elbowed him lightly. "Oh shush it'll be fun."

"You know it's mad I still get nervous when we go on stage." Claire said as the soft and slightly weak light from the torch attempted to light up the room. "Why?" H asked."Well it's just me, little old Claire Richards from Hillingdon. It's crazy." Claire said as Lisa giggled. "Can't be worse than my hometown, population that small I think everyone claimed they had a link to me through some cousin's boyfriend been my first kiss, to me babysitting them when they were tiny. Like I had time to babysit." Lisa scoffed as she sat up and snuck a handful of Maltesers. "It's mad to think we started off at those clubs, I'm amazed we didn't get booed off the stage." Lee said as Faye coughed. "Erm we did once or twice if I recall.""Yeah never have thought people would be willingly spending money to come see us." H said lightly as he found himself recalling those first mad performances.

"What is this made out of, it's so itchy!" Claire moaned as she itched her arm where the sleeve of her red mesh top was causing severe irritation. "God knows, I just hope none of the audience is smoking as I'm pretty sure my costume will combust." Faye said as she slid a diamante hair slide into her blonde curls. "My ruddy hair!" Lisa sighed as she ran a hairbrush through her brunette locks. "Hey you guys ready we're on in a minute." Lee said firmly, he had unofficially taken the role of big brother and was keen to ensure they made a good impression. "We're going to get absolutely slaughtered on that stage." Faye fretted as she took a calming breath to calm her nerves.

"...all the things I was ever planning for, This was the last thing on my mind." They chorused as they smiled on the stage in the club. The girls were getting wolf whistles from the blokes in the audience whilst the female clubbers seemed to be glowering slightly that the lads attention were otherwise engaged. "Thanks for having us." Lisa yelled loudly into the assembled audience. It seemed like a dream that one day they'd be doing this for people who had paid good money to come and watch them perform.

"Remember our first proper concerts when people actually came to see us." Faye said happily as she pushed a stray curl out of her face. "Oh god I thought H was going to explode with excitement." Lisa chuckled as she went to reach for some popcorn. "Like you weren't." H argued back as Lee sighed. Lisa and H arguments tended to go on for hours even with something as daft as who was more excited on the first proper date of them touring. "I was dead nervous." Faye said as she hugged her knees. "You, I never got that from you, you always seem so poised an..and confident." Claire said as Faye smiled wistfully. "Maybe, I try and look it but deep down my hearts always pounding and that first night I genuinely felt like I was going to throw up." Faye admitted. "Lee's the calm and collected one out of us." She said as Lee gently tapped her leg. "Well someone has to be. You lot are either fretting needlessly or acting like you're all on E numbers." Lee said as he could sense that four sets of eyes were glaring playfully at him.

"Guys, I just want to say I love you all so much and I'm so pleased we get to do this together. Make people happy and do what we love everyday." Faye said as they stood as the support act finished up. "Okay soppy." H said as Faye rolled her eyes at him. "Love you all too." Claire said softly. She was still quiet at times but had slowly adjusted to their different personalities. She slung her arms round Faye and Lee kissing them on the cheeks before reaching over to kiss H and Lisa's cheeks too. "She been on the sherbets!" H asked as Claire prodded him. "Okay guys, 5,4,3,2,...."

"Mad isn't it we're doing stadiums now, hell we sold out Wembley." Lisa said as her green eyes sparkled as she took a swig of her rum and coke. "I know it was so weird, I used to do stewarding there." Claire said as Lee smiled in the dark at her. "We know Clara, they put out a hi-vis jacket for you." Faye teased as Claire smiled softly at the memory. "This is a long power cut. He Lee, you reckon we can get out the room, do key cards work with no power?" H asked as he let out a slight yawn, it was almost 11:30 and they had a matinee and evening show tomorrow to do. Hence the evening off. "Who knows, if not we'll have to make it a sleepover." Lee said. "Bagsy not sharing with H!" Lisa squealed as the others chuckled at H's playful outrage. "Your loss Lise." He responded poking his tongue out at his friend.