Sam and Colby were nearly finished clearing out Colby's dressing room. Colby had been quiet the last couple of days. He had made the brave decision to give up music and every time Sam brought up a way for him to get back into it, he would brush it off and say he was fine, but Sam could tell that it was eating him up inside everyday since the news. They had everything packed away in boxes and were stacking them up, when Selena knocked on their door.
" Hey, Colby, you got a sec?" asked Selena.
" Uh yea, sure," said Colby.
Selena stepped aside to let someone into Colby's dressing room and then stepped away.
" Hello, Mr. Brock," said the man. " My name is Kevin Langue. I'm a senior director for Broadway."
" It's nice to meet you," said Colby, shaking his hand.
" Why don't we have a seat," said Kevin, as he sat down on one of the chairs in Colby's dressing room. Sam and Colby both sat on the couch across from him.
" So, like I said, I'm a director for Broadway," said Kevin. " We have a new musical coming out that tells the story of Bon Jovi. It's called Livin' On A Prayer." Kevin excitedly made a rainbow with his hands as he announced the title of the show.
" Anyway," said Kevin. " If you're interested, we'd love to offer you the lead role in our show."
Colby's eyes went wide in surprise. " You want me to play Jon Bon Jovi?" asked Colby.
" Well, the younger version of him," said Kevin. " We're huge fans of your work and you have exactly the vocal range that we're looking for. So, what do you say?"
" Well, I don't know," said Colby. " You may have heard about what's happening with my voice."
" I did," said Kevin. " I personally think the raspiness could add to your performance, and besides, someone took a chance on my vision so I'm willing to take a chance on you."
Colby thought for a moment. He looked at Sam and then back at Kevin. " Could I have some time to think about it?" asked Colby.
" Yes, of course," said Kevin. He then reached into his jacket. " Here's my card, just give me a call by Friday."
" Thank you," said Colby, taking the card.
Kevin then stepped out of the room and Sam turned to Colby. Colby saw the excited look on Sam's face.
" What?" asked Colby.
" Jon Bon Jovi," said Sam. " What an honor."
" Yea, you're telling me," said Colby.
" Are you gonna do it?" asked Sam.
" I don't know," said Colby.
" What do you mean you don't know?" asked Sam. " This is an amazing opportunity."
" You heard what the doctor said," explained Colby. " I don't have much time."
"Colby, this is an opportunity for you to leave behind something great," explained Sam. " You miss it Colby, and this gives you one last chance to use your voice again and show the world that Colby Brock isn't gone. Not yet."
Colby smiled happily at Sam. " You really think I should do this?" asked Colby.
" I really do," said Sam. " It's now or never, right?"
Colby happily laughed. " Okay then," he said.
Colby didn't know where the time had gone, but here he was, standing backstage for the opening night of the show. Colby was used to singing in front of crowds but he'd be lying if he said this wasn't the most nervous he's ever been in his life.
" Ok people, 5 minutes to show time," said the stage manager. " We've got a full house tonight."
Colby took a deep breath as he stood in the wings of the stage.
" Nice mullet," said Sam. Colby turned around to face the blond who was standing behind him.
" Ha, ha, you're hilarious," said Colby, smiling. " C'mere."
Colby pulled Sam in for a kiss. He happily made out with him and Sam tried to pull away.
" Colby," said Sam, in between kissing, " you're on in 5 minutes."
" Which means I've got 4," said Colby, continuing to kiss Sam. Sam kissed him back a little longer and then had to pull away.
" Break a leg," said Sam, as he made his way back to his seat.
When the curtain rose, Colby stood center stage. He took one final deep breath before the music started and the lights came up.
Song 3: Colby
This is Colby's very first song that he performs as Bon Jovi. It's the opening number of their very first Broadway showing of Livin' On A Prayer.
Colby stands center stage with his back to the crowd. As the music starts he glances behind him at the crowd as he sings and then turns around, and walks towards the edge of the stage. Colby was surprised he was able to remember the choreography as he wasn't much of a dancer. Luckily, there were other people on stage as well, which made him feel a little less nervous. Colby had been nervous at first, but now he was really starting to feel the music and connect to the lyrics. He just decided to go with the flow and enjoy the moment. This was a completely different feeling from performing in a band, and Colby would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it, even just a little.
The next day, Colby woke up to several headlines about his performance. This musical was the talk of the town and most of the reviews and comments were positive, however, there were a lot of mixed feelings. Not only about the show, but about his performance.
Colby was asked about it in an interview he had later in the day. Colby wasn't too fond of this interviewer, he seemed a little passive aggressive.
" So, Colby, genuine question," said the interviewer. " I'm not trying to be offensive, I'm honestly just curious. Why you?"
" What do you mean?" asked Colby.
" I mean, they asked you to play Jon Bon Jovi," said the interviewer. "That's a pretty big role to fill and given your condition, I don't think you were at the top of their list, so what prompted them to choose you?"
Colby was stunned at the question but did his best to answer. " I'm just happy they were willing to give me a chance," replied Colby.
" Agree to disagree," said the interviewer.
Colby wanted to respond but held his tongue. He was on national TV after all. Colby was relieved when the interview ended.
Sam and Colby stepped into the AirBnB they had rented for their time in New York. Colby took off his shirt and threw it on the floor before laying down on the bed. Sam went into the bathroom.
" That couldn't have gone worse," said Colby.
" Hey, don't listen to him," said Sam. " He doesn't know what he's talking about."
" It's not just him," said Colby. " There are lots of other people who don't agree with my casting. Maybe this was a bad idea."
" That's their problem," said Sam. " You're talented Colby, they wouldn't have picked you if you weren't and besides, you have to look at the positive comments too. People are raving about you. Anyway, don't think about it right now. Just relax and rest your voice."
Colby sank into the pillow and shut his eyes. " I don't think I could relax if I tried," he said.
He suddenly opened his eyes when he felt some weight on him and saw Sam's naked form straddling him on the bed. He looked Sam up and down and bit his lip.
" Well, that certainly helps," said Colby, playfully.
" You're not supposed to be talking, remember?" said Sam, smirking.
" Sorry," said Colby.
Sam then leaned down to kiss him. He happily made out with Colby on the bed before pulling away.
" Don't speak," said Sam. " Just sit back and relax." Sam then whispered into Colby's ear. " I got this."
He then nipped Colby's ear and then moved down to his neck, before planting kisses down Colby's tanned navel. Colby smiled happily as he sank back into the pillow and let Sam work his magic.
Song 4: Colby
We cut to another scene of Colby performing as Bon Jovi. Colby sings this song as part of the show but it also correlates to how he's feeling. He has now realized that he just needs to give the best performance that he can. Sam believes in him and now he just needs to believe in himself. He doesn't need to worry about what anyone else thinks. He's just gonna do it and be in the moment.
Colby dances around the stage and stands up on top of the prop cars, dancing and singing along with the other actors on stage. Colby knows this is all part of the show but he wants to use this song as a message to everyone watching as well. He sings it passionately with the proudest smirk on his face. As the song ends and the lights go down, Colby is panting heavily listening to the cheers of the crowd with a small smile on his face.