Darren's pov:
My brothers, sister, and I pull up in our usual parking spots when come into town, and we walk around, sniffing Lacey out, just in case. We get nothing. So we change to our wolves and reach more. I start to think of a plan about splitting up to find Lacey when Thane whispers to us, "It's Lacey!"
Thane is peering out from trees when we all join her. Sure enough, Lacey is sitting curled up on park bench just in front of us; she has her head laid back, basking in the sunshine, and she's...smiling dreamily. What's happened to her? She was taken away against her will, and she's just sitting and smiling around? What happened?
I quickly walk out, my siblings close to behind me, and I call out, "Lacey!"
Lacey's head goes up and she's look to her right as she sees us approach. She smiles as she gets up to face us and brushes her jeans off. "Hello there."
I stare her, as do my siblings. Does she not recognize us? How could that happen? "Don't you recognize us?"
"Uh...should I? I mean, you seem familiar, but I'm kinda lost. Could you help me out?"
"It's me, Darren. And Max, Vince, Will, Harvey, Lewis, Gunner, Ryder, and Thane."
"Uh..." she looks likes she's thinking hard then shakes her head, shrugging. "Sorry, can't say I remember."
"How can you not remember us? It's me, Thane, kiddo," Thane pleads, stepping up next to me. Lacey sighs, looking truly sorry. "I'm really sorry, but I can't remember."
"Have you had amnesia?" Harvey asks. Lacey laughs a bit while shaking her head but then stops. "You know, when I think about it, I guess I hsve. That's funny since my fiancé had amnesia awhile back too."
"Your fiancé?" Will slowly repeats quizzically. Lacey smiles dreamily. "Yeah...former Admiral Bryan Gatsby and he's the sweetest. What did you say your last name was?"
"Gatsby?" all of us repeat, a little angered, and Lacey jumps back a little. "Uh, yeah, that's my fiancé. And you are?"
"The Richmonds. Come on, Lacey, you have to remember us!" I plea. Lacey looks somewhere between annoyed and scared. "Listen up and listen good. I don't remember, okay? I tried, I'm sorry, I can't help you. And I don't take orders from strangers, alright?"
"There you are!" Bryan calls, jogging up to Lacey. Lacey turns to him, smiles, and kisses his lips for a second before letting him sling an arm around her shoulder; I wince. Bryan looks up at us, and his smiles drops. "Lacey, who are these people?"
"They say they're the Richmonds... They aren't the family friends I visited, are they?"
"No, of course not. They moved, remember?"
"Sadly, I can't remember most things these days." She laughs, and Bryan joins her but keeps an eye on us. We glare furiously at him. He did do something with Lacey, and he was going to pay. He starts to steer her away. "Come on, sweetheart. We have to go to our auditions...and I may have gotten your scores today."
"No way," she squeals as she backs a step away from him. Bryan nods. "Perfect, as I thought; only missed two. And it looks your going to need your cape and gown for graduation."
"Oh thank you, honey. I love you!" she exclaims before kissing him sweetly on the lips then embracing him as he twirls her around; I feel my heart drop. Then I see his smirk as he glares back at us. He knows he's won. For now.
I hear Thane sniffle and turn to see her wiping her eyes with her sleeve. I pull her into a hug, and she croaks out, "How can she not remember us? Remember me? And how can she love him?"
"I don't know, sis, but this isn't over yet. We'll find a way. We always do."
Lacey's pov:
After the insane encounter with the strange 'Richmonds', Bryan and I went to our auditions and sung our hearts out. We sang the Phantom's and Christine's first duet of the movie, and he couldn't have been more perfect. Now we anxiously wait for the director to come out and call out cast.
It felt like days with each hour passing until the director, Mr. Bens, came out with a smile. He announces, "The role of the Phantom goes to Mr. Bryan Gatsby. The role of Miss Christine Daaé goes to Ms. Lacey Cobbler. The role of..." I barely hear the rest as Bryan twirls me around in our excitement; I kiss him sweetly. "We did it!"
"I knew you would get that part. You sang so beautifully."
"You sang wonderfully, and I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." With each 'thank you', I had kissed his forehead, nose, and then lastly lips. We embrace in our happiness, and then Mr. Bens calls, "Rehearsals tomorrow morning people, seven a.m.! Don't be late!"
I hear some people groan, but I'm too happy to complain about the time. Apparently, my happiness spreads on to Bryan, for he was smiling brightly. I kiss his cheek then jump on his back so he can carry me piggy back while I hug his neck. He gave a slight oof! But then he got my legs had me perfectly secure. I whisper in his ear, "I love you."
"I love you, too, sweetheart."
"You're the sweetheart."
"You sure?" he jests. Before I say anything, he breaks into a dash with me gripping for my life. We run into the park around the area I had been, where the grass is still green, and he spins round and round with me on his back as I squeal in delight as he almost drops me then gets me right. Then he does drop me, but it's gingerly and I pull him down to me as we both begin to laugh. He props himself on one elbow next to me, and I smile and bat my eyelashes. Bryan laughs. "Oh, Miss Daaé, you are wicked."
I laugh out loud then notice it's getting dark as the sky fades with its sunset colors. I smile up on Bryan. "Let's get home, and I'll show you how wicked I can be, Mr. Phantom."
Darren's pov:
I look up from the tree I lean on as I see Bryan carrying Lacey on his back. She's looks happier than she ever did with us, though there were moments when it was very close. She squeals cutely with laughter as Bryan almost drops her then he does, though softly. She pulls him to her, but he just lies next to her; no kisses this time, thank God. Each time I saw her kiss him, I felt like my heart was being twisted every time. Then I hear him say, "Oh, Miss Daaé, you are wicked."
My heart squeezes again as she replies seductively, "Let's get home, and I'll show you how wicked I can be, Mr. Phantom."
She runs off with him back to their home. I want to follow her, tell her the truth, but...she looks so happy. Truly and purely happy. If I love her so much, how can I take that away? But how I can live with all this pain, too? I can't take her away; she has to come on her own will.
I sigh then remember what they had called each other, and I ask my siblings, "Lacey's last name isn't Daaé, right?"
"No, she's royalty, therefore an Adler, remember? But her old family's last name was Cobbler," Thane mentions. Vince notes, "Why do you ask, Darren?"
"I just heard Gatsby calling her Miss Daaé, and she called him Mr. Phantom?"
"They said they were going to auditions, right? Maybe that's their characters' names," Harvey suggests. Will adds, "I think there is a play about to come on to the theater. The Phantom of the Opera, I believe. I think Miss Daaé is the leading lady."
"What's this play about, Will?" Thane pesters. Will sighs thoughtfully then smiles a bit. "I believe it a dramatic love story. Ironic for us, huh? The leading man, The Phantom, falls in love with young Ms. Daaé, and he is her voice teacher and her Angel of Music, though she never sees him. But then Ms. Daaé finds a childhood friend, Raoul de Changy, and she loves him and he loves her back; but the Phantom does not like that. So then he does a couple things to get her to be his and his alone. In the end, he lets her go to love Raoul so she can be happy then he disappears."
"Hmm...interesting," I remark. Thane prods, "Maybe we should see it. I bet Lacey will be really good."
I'm about to object when a brilliant idea pops in my head. "Maybe we should do more than that. Maybe we should support this little play."
"What? Like be the patrons?" Vince alleges. I nod. "Exactly that so that we can see their rehearsals. We have the money."
"That's brilliant, Darren, and Gatsby won't be able to call us off. Only the managers and maybe directors can, and they have nothing against us," Harvey praises. I smirk with my siblings. "We go tomorrow morning, and do as our father advised, wait."
Lacey's pov:
I'm warming up with the other ballerinas the next day when the doors open to show the manager (Mr. Fox) and...the fake Richmond? What were they doing here?
Bryan spots them, too, and he moves to my side protectively as we wait for Mr. Fox to explain. "Mr. Bens, ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to introduce to you our newest patrons, Miss and Misters Richmond. They are great supporters of you, Ms. Lacey, and hope you'll appreciate them here as they watch our rehearsals. Continue on."
My jaw hangs open as I turn to them. Could these be the real Richmond Bryan had told me about? Did they not move to England? One of them, Darren, smiles at me, and I turn to Bryan; he looks like he's going to be like the Phantom and just strangle him. I place a hand on his and he turns to me; before I say anything, he kisses as if he's showing off to Darren. Then we hear Mr. Bens scold, "Gatsby! Cobbler! Kiss each other on your own time or when directed to! This is rehearsals!"
"Yes, sir," we reply, a little red. I glance at the Richmond, now sitting in the front row and mostly looking at me. I give a good exanimation while I'm not on called on stage. They're so familiar, but I cannot place them. I also didn't remember a thing about the Richmond along with being with them. Maybe they are the real ones. But then why would Bryan lie to me? He said they moved to England. Or was he told that but then the Richmond decided not to move? I was so confused; I didn't know what to believe. "Lacey! On stage!"
I nearly jump out of my skin at Mrs. Ben's hiss; she was the choreographer. I nimbly jump on stage with the girls, tearing my long gaze at Richmond. I have to focus on the play.
Darren's pov:
I smirk to myself as Lacey forgot to go on cue since she had been gazing at us. Her eyes were confused, questioning, and somewhat knowing; I think she was starting to recognize us again. I wanted to kill Bryan so badly when he kissed Lacey to say to us, 'she's mine'. But that wasn't for him to decide; it was for Lacey. But what's more is that she didn't mind that. After all, she seemed quite happy that Bryan was her fiancé. Then again, she seemed to have been told everything about her life from Bryan. I wonder what else he told her. I had to find out what she knew and what she didn't.
I realize I slept through rehearsals when Thane smacks my head. I startle awake and see Lacey approaching us without Bryan; but she looks mad. Uh oh. "Okay, are you stalking me now? What's up with you lot?"
Ah, there's our Lacey. I stand up and appear very gentlemen like. "We want to apologies for yesterday. We shouldn't have pressed you so many questions. Do you remember us now?"
"Well...a bit, buts it's fuzzy. I think you're the Richmonds I spent a couple months with, but I can't remember. Apparently, when I got home, my friend, Sydney, took me out and I got really drunk, and my memory has been fuzzy since."
"Well, I can honestly say, that we are those Richmonds you were with for awhile," I sincerely and honestly restate. Lacey smiles a bit. "Well that's good to know, I guess. But sorry, I can't remember at all when I was with you. Keep trying but it just doesn't come. And since you are my old family friends, I'm very glad you are patrons."
"We love to hear you sing," Thane comments. "I'm Thane, by the way. You remember?"
"Um..." Lacey rubs her temples as she thinks then her head snaps up and she smiles. "Yes, yes. Thane, kiddo! And Darren, Max, Vince, Will, Harvey, Lewis, Gunner, and Ryder."
We all brighten to at her recognizing us, but nothing else comes up. So she remembers us, but not completely. Bryan rushes up to Lacey's side, glaring at us a bit, but Lacey doesn't notice it. "Bryan, you forgot to tell the Richmonds ended up not moving to England."
"Oh, well, after you left, we were almost leaving when we decided we would stay. We forgot to send word to you sooner," Max replies, not telling a complete lie; just reworded it a bit. Lacey smiles. "Okay. Where are you staying?"
"Oh, well..." I begin, trying to find truth that could be twisted, but I can't; we all shift a bit. Lacey tilts her head. "Do you not have a place to stay? Would you like to stay with us?"
While we shout, "Yes!" Bryan had shouted, "What?"
Lacey glances at both of us. "Bryan, they're old family friends; I have to help them. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease," Lacey begs as she bats her eyelashes and pouts at Bryan. Bryan looks ready to burst as he glares at us then turns to Lacey and back to us. I smirk knowingly, and he sighs very tensely. "Whatever you want, sweetheart."
"Thank you," she replies as she takes his arm, and we follow them out the theater to go to their home (A/N: pic of it on the side>>), which has a whole serenity and ocean side theme in the interior. From the rooms to the halls to the kitchen, sea blues, sea green, ocean blues, silver, sandy, and light brown colors go but our arranged differently. It's only two stories and no where as big nor grand as our house, but it's a nice little house.
Lacey settles us in after a dinner she cooked, which was wonderful, and we walk into see one twin bed and two double; it was a long and wide room with a nice window looking out to the backyard. It was probably suppose to a media room for a basic house.
Lacey smiled up at us as we entered. "Okay boys, sorry, you have to share this room. Thane, I have a room for you across the hall. Now if you need me, Bryan and I are down the hall to the right."
"Not a very big house," I remark. Lacey scoffs, "We not all of us can have a grand house."
"Like ours," I add. She tilts her head and nods. "Oh yeah, right. Your guys' house was...wow. Unbelievable. Sorry, but you'll have to settle for my small cozy home."
"Your home?" Thane repeats. Lacey nods. "While I was with you, Bryan had my old home rebuilt, and this is it. Since I've signed the papers, it's legally mine."
"So you're letting Bryan stay here?" I note. Lacey nods. "Of course, he is my fiancé after all."
"So do you two have a wedding date?" Max inquires with I voice I knew he was afraid to hear the answer like us; we all wait. She smiles and nods. "Yes, of course. We're getting married the next day after our opening night of the play. You guys can come, and maybe kiddo here could be a bride's maid." Lacey ruffles Thane's hair a bit. Thane smiles uneasily, glancing at us. "Yeah, maybe. Maybe."
"Well goodnight. If you stay up, don't make noise, alright?"
With that, Lacey leaves to go to her room, away from us. I run a hand through my hair, frustrated, while Will states, "We don't have that long until the play first goes on. How long is it...four, five weeks?"
"Relax, relax," I calm them. "We'll do it. How? I honestly don't know, but she already recognizes us a bit. We can build on that, and soon she'll realize the real truth and come with us."
"Alright," they murmur doubtfully. I pray to God that we can pull this off.