"Oh." When she pushed the door open, she simply stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to actually commit to entering. Instead she paused to let herself adjust to the difference in rooms. A sort of--- stalling mechanism--- to keep from having to fully acknowledge the occupants of the room.
Breathe.
This room is predominantly wine colored. It has beige carpet with a tannish-red swirl through it, and it looks tightly woven. The walls are darker red, all of them, and the carpet matches the panel absorbers. It's a low frequency room, not meant to record in. Meant for inspiration. There's the piano, there's the guitars. There's Richard Mann playing one of the guitars. There's Jules staring out the paneled open window, at the sky.
She swallowed.
Her hand carrying the herbal tea got hot, too hot, and she blew out her breath and entered the room, setting it on the table by the door where someone had thoughtfully left sheet music.
Julian turned, his eyes were bleak.
"What is it?" She froze, the look on his face was far too serious. She was used to being told someone had died. "Is it Bridge?"
Oh God, her plane crashed, she's--
She wavered and Richard set down his guitar and started to rise. Tracy held up a hand to stop him and stared at Julian.
It wasn't Bridget. He'd be way more grief-stricken had it been his true love.
"Is it Case?" This time she wavered substantially, and Richard got up and took the two steps to the doorway to grab her before she fell. "Please don't touch me."
But when he touched her, the wavering stopped-- literally stopped, as if it all rushed into him, and he could take it. She felt a huge let down as if a weight was lifted. But she couldn't look at him. With a shaky hand, she awkwardly pushed past him, one hand trailing against his to soften the blow of her rejection.
She had to acknowledge that it was nice of him to care.
"There's been an explosion in the Salang Tunnel in Afghanistan. They think over three thousand soldiers and civilians were killed when an army vehicle crashed into a fuel truck." Julian said, not turning, his back ramrod straight, his shoulders hunched.
Tracy stopped short before reaching him-- her thoughts tumbling to a halt abruptly. And this affects me--- how? He finally turned and his eyes were fiery.
Her brows rose. "O—k—a—y...?"
"The Soviet Government is keeping pretty tight wraps on what actually happened. The soldiers were on their way to Kabul, presumably as peacekeeping troops, but thirty buses? No. It would have been an invasion. The Afghans must have tried to stop them en-route."
She swallowed dry. Lately Jules had been investigating more political stuff. His interests had turned humanitarian, and he'd made some changes in his life accordingly. But what Richard Mann was doing with him? Was it some kind of coincidence? Her eyes darted back to the doorway. Richard wasn't looking at her.
"If the media was to get involved, it might force the Soviet government to investigate. It might force the world audience to sit up and take notice of what the Soviets are actually up to." This statement came from the doorway and Tracy took a deep breath.
"What are you two suggesting? And why are you together? And why are you here? And looking for me?" There was nothing strident about her voice, simply querying, simply concerned. People had died--- it was a tragedy. A government was covering it up--- typical. We all know it happens. "You want to use the media--- us--- you want to use us to----?"
"The media is a more powerful force in its own way than any government, Tracy." Julian said now, turning slowly back to the window, his eyes red-rimmed, but not from crying, from lack of sleep. She blinked.
These thoughts meant coming out of herself--- returning from the overwhelming feeling inside her own life, to focusing on Julian's needs. She glanced at Richard Mann. Maybe his needs, too.
"Yeah, we've always known that. It took a while, but we do have a voice, a large part of society listens to the voices of their idols. It's a huge responsibility to be that voice. What exactly are you guys thinking, and----." She held up her hand to ward off a hurried reply. "Why are you together?"
Richard passed her on his way back to the chair he'd used to rest on while he played guitar. He picked up the brand new Yamaha acoustic electric guitar he'd been picking and resumed, not looking up. "We're together because we've been together since we met a couple of years ago on The Egg."
Tracy blinked, trying to recall Julian mentioning anything about The Egg. She caught the glance they threw at each other--- a small in the know recollection.
Julian went to the piano, one foot up on the bench as he let his fingers wander over the keys in time with Richard's picking. Neither of them answered for a minute, and as used as she was to Jules going off on a creative endeavor without her, his eyes half closed as he listened, she didn't have that experience of Richard. It wasn't her image of him--- playboy actor that he was.
Richard slapped the body of his guitar. "In Bishopstone, between Eastbourne and Brighton. We both went to see the nonexistent tide-mills built in the 16th century and later, by William Catt and others to harness the incredible power of the sea."
Taken aback, she just stared and finally went to sit beside Julian, her back to him, but feeling his body against her backside comfortingly. Julian was from England. It wasn't unusual that he would be touring there.
"And om.... Now you want to harness the incredible power of the media? What do you want to do?"
"Have a Pepper's reunion benefit concert." Julian breathed, still playing, never missing a beat, not looking at her, not reacting to her stiffening posture at all.
If it had been Casey beside her she'd have declined instantly, vehemently.
Now she just sat there, staring at Richard, feeling the movement of Jules' hands as he poured out a beautiful melody.
"It would be big--- raise money and awareness of the incident and help those who lost husbands and fathers, brothers."
"Pepper's reunion?" She mumbled low. "Why not just a benefit concert and ask anybody who wanted to come, to come."
"Agreed." Richard said and stopped playing again to look at her. "But we thought having the concert be a reunion might bring significantly larger media attention to it. Thereby, sending the message overseas that the eyes of the world are on them-- and mass killing won't be tolerated."
She sniffed and turned to lean her face against Julian's neck, eventually turning enough to add her hand under his and mess around with his melody. He pushed her away, and she persevered until he stopped and her tinkling music went on with Richard's picking.
"When?"
"Austin has a place in Park City, Utah, up near Heber, on the ski slopes. There's a resort nearby in Deer Valley that could host the venue and create a suitable atmosphere for the reunion."
"Thanksgiving." Julian said.
"I'm having Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's here in HB."
He shrugged. "Or you can do the world a huge favor and lend your talents to my cause."
"Jules."
He knew she wouldn't—no, couldn't refuse him. It just wasn't in her. They were far too connected for that.
"What does Bridget say?"
"She's not for the reunion, but she's in if we do it your way and just invite other artists."
Tracy nodded. "I'll do it if Bridget does."
Such a wussy cop-out. Once again it excluded Casey--- and his agenda. Good for her, but annoying for Julian who wanted to please his friend who he still had too much misplaced confidence in.
Richard stopped playing and looked at her leaning against Julian in mild interest. "Come to Park City with us. Austin has a mansion there." He was going to say more, but just stopped. He realized he was seeing that symbiotic relationship the tabloids talked about between two of the Pepper's child prodigies. That funny too close business that was a mystery to so many. It had been analyzed and analyzed year after year as these two especially grew up before everybody's eyes.
It wasn't such a surprise that Julian had married Bridget so young--- and that they'd divorced after only a short time. But then, everyone waited for Julian and Tracy to make a move, and they never did. Some speculated that theirs was closer to a sibling relationship, and from what he saw, maybe so. But there was something else. An awareness that wasn't exactly sibilant.
"Park City, huh? I skied there a couple of times. So, who is going to set this venue up and get the word out with only three weeks to plan it? You?"
"I have agents for this stuff. It'll be private invitation, similar to your dad's event last week, with an open invitation to friends-- easy access to tickets. The venue seats around three hundred fifty."
She mused, still playing one handed under Julian's hand, which he lightly kept on hers, feeling only. But she wasn't even looking at the piano, almost as if the hand was unembodied.
Julian blew out his breath, and ran his hand up under her hair, rubbing her neck. "Baby, what's on your mind? You didn't come in here for this."
She finally turned to the piano, away from Richard, her whole being pulling into Julian. "Too many things." Which meant too many to discuss with Richard sitting there. "I didn't know you guys were friends."
"He's very talented. We met the one time and hit it off right away, so we've stayed in touch, worked some projects together." Julian kept rubbing her back, and she began playing with both hands, a completely new tune.
She turned and gazed quickly at Richard sitting there now apparently absorbed in his guitar. What was he thinking? He was so beautiful it almost hurt her eyes, and his late summer tanned arms rounded with corded muscles moving rhythmically, as if the gentle plucking of strings in a room with others gave him an extension of tranquility. His tennis shoe tapped thoughtfully against the chair leg, as he hunched slightly over the body like he would have a lover.
Paralyzed with fascination, barely aware of surroundings, she matched his strum, fit herself and her music inside his. Julian closed his eyes.
This was what she'd come here for. Peace.
She was surprised she'd found it, what with the cacophony of brilliant project planning--- usually the energy level it took for amassing plans was a fuller, more singular aerobic feeling. Even though all she'd done was say okay.
She felt Julian become aware of her scrutiny. Felt it in the tension of his arm against her back, the soft lift of air near her cheek. He would be familiar with her in exploration slash discovery slash acceptance mode. He knew her to be utterly unable to distinguish between friend and acquaintance in that mode. She could suddenly turn on complete familiarity-- give off the absolute wrong impression--- and yet encompass the recipient in light so dazzling they couldn't help but become enamored.
He was the guardian of her propensity.
He placed two fingers alongside her cheek and softly pressured her to look at the piano again hoping that would be enough. Her eyes slid to his. Brown met blue, utterly in accord. She glanced back at Richard, and then slid off the seat making that decision. Julian went back to studying the keys, knowing what came next.
She kicked off her moccasins, padded across the carpet in socks, and approached him from behind. His back tensed, and she knew he was aware of her. The hair on the back of his neck bristled. Finally, not being able to stand the suspense of not knowing what she was doing, he peered sideways.
Tracy twirled her finger in the air, indicating he should continue playing and not worry about her. Then she placed both hands on his shoulders and slid them around his neck to reside on the top of the guitar. She closed her eyes--- feeling his body swaying with his patterns, touching her much deeper than if she'd stayed her place.
She felt him swallow hard, knowing it wasn't likely he'd ever had anybody, let alone a musician rocker girl do this while he played. Her hand dipped to rest on his strumming hand, picking intricately, her fingers lightly found their way to his.
Her cheek beside his, her hair wafting the scent of the beach and salt spray and tears. Her breath warm against his neck. He stiffened--- wanting her there, not understanding.
"I can feel your music." She whispered.
He sighed and kept playing, repeating the progression. She closed her eyes.
And the song went on and on and on, and the moment grew into more and more.
She knew it was what she needed to calm her frayed and fragile nerves. And through his nearness and sharing she was able to let it go.
Casey taking Danny back. Gone. Peace. Raine's rejection-- the courage to possibly try again. There, peace. All concerns..... washed clean.
She sighed hugely, pain elevating her inner dialogue and dissipating. Richard stopped abruptly. He turned his face to hers and looked into her eyes so damn close, so damn blue. His welted fingers rose to encircle her cheek. She entwined their fingers in an effort maybe to keep him from feeling her skin, creating a deeper moment. She pulled back.
Julian breathed a sigh of relief.
*******