Dee stood on the conductors podium and her director stood in the back with eyes sternly placed on her technique. Her softness of beats when the legato lines came and the strongness during moments of forte. She held her arms straight forward holding a forceful fermata to end the piece and she closes moving her baton above her head. The overture piece cuts off into silence and she lowers her baton, cueing to the band that they could lower their instruments.
"At rest!" Director Rowlands calls to the instrumentalists and he approaches the stand. Dee moves a piece of hair, then nervously puts down her baton asking him,
"What'd I do?"
The director shakes his head snickering and says,
"Wonderful is what you did. Let me have the voice for a second."
He helps her down and he takes podium to raise his voice announcing, "Band!"
They all snap into attention and turn to listen to their director. The salt and pepper of his middle aged head shined in the bright stage lights ans he puts his wide framed glasses down to the stand. He claps his hands and begins,
"As you know, our symposium is approaching at fast pace and each year, for those who aren't aware, we have one of our senior graduate conductors write their own symphonic composition to exhibit. This year I think our choice is clear."
The director turns to Dee with offering eyes and her heart begins to leap from her chest.
~~
She gets home to Neverland and she shuts the door emotionless and numb. She goes to her room up the stairs and closing the door she screams loud from excitement. Being the only one home, she does it again and smiles into the ceiling but also silently freaks out that she now has a monumental responsibility.
The room starts to chill and Michael appears in his her office swivel chair, sitting indian style cutely,
"Dee, are you nuts? What's going on?"
Dee flops on her bed and talks muffled into the duvets. "Mmmhmmmrmmmrmm"
"Pardon?" Michael asks still in the dark.
She lifts her head up and says,
"I have to compose a piece of symphony music to perform in symposium!"
Her eyes turn then turn abruptly scared when she says,
"Infront of absolutely everyone."
Michael climbs on the bed, cheering. "Dee that's so good! That's amazing news!"
Her face still remains in a petrified look and she suddenly loses all evidence of excitement.
Michael watches her change her look and he asks, "Dee what's the matter?"
She sits up and she gawks,
"I just realized that I only have a month, to write a piece of music, compose it, rehearse it with the band."
She looks to Michael and asks,
"How the f-"
"Dee no! I'm bout to start a swear jar around here !"
~Shan steps into her jeans and accidentally tears a long streak down the leg when a toe gets hung in the hole outside the knee, "Are you fucking serious?! Shit!" She shouts only making Michael poke his ghostly head through her closed door, "Shania!"
She looks up but blushes still technically being halfway in her underwear and she hops to the bed in defeat, "Watch your language!"
Faith goes to the fridge and cracks open a can of cola and as the can top crushes, the can begins to spew in fizz and lands all over her new halter top.
"Son of a b-"
"Ah! No! Ah!!!" Michael says appearing next to her immediately and makes her jump from shock.
She rolls her eyes and does the little zipper motion to her lips and returns back to the patio.
~
"You'd be rich that's for sure."
Dee sighs and Michael sits next to her close. Dee lets her shoulders sink and she holds her head in her hands. Michael smiles and chuckles softly.
Dee looks over and she exhales,
"I know, I know. My life is a joke."
He laughs more and he says,
"No darling. Its just that this is always a part of being a musician."
She smiles wide and says,
"I'll need a lot of time to think. I may be in the music room twice as much now."
Michael's phone buzzes from across the room and hr perks up,
"Oh wow. I actually have it with me today."
He goes to the device and says,
"Shan is calling me?"
He fumbles around on the screen and mumbles, "Jesus. Ugh..damn it!"
He answers the phone and says softly, "Shania? Hello?"
He listens with the phone to his ear and he spits,
"What do you mean your surprised?...I've answered a phone before, smart alleck."
He listens more but Dee snickers in the back ground. He nods and says, "Okay. Okay, I'll see you when you get here, baby. Buh-bye."
He swipes across his screen and says, "Faith and Shan are picking up chinese. She said you never answered her text."
Dee shrugs and says, "I've turned my phone off. I figured I needed absolute concentration If I'm gonna get this written."
Michael nodded and he says, "Well. I'll help you as much as I can. I wanna see you do well."
She shook her head reminding him, "This is my project. I'll probably get it done all by myself. But thank you Michael."
He smiles and says,
"You're welcome, sweetheart." He begins to fade until she stops him.
"Oh mike??"
He stops dead in his tracks from leaving and says, "Mhm?"
"I do believe you owe to the swear jar."
He scoffs beginning to laugh,
"I'm dead. I've served my swear jar time, honey. I could curse up a storm if I wanted to."
He sticks his tongue out then disappears into the air. She rolls her eyes and giggles.
~~Later that night
Shan paced up the steps and towards the left of the west wing carrying a take out box of low mein and chopsticks. She began to follow the sound of a eerie cello and she hears it from the music room door.
She knocks quickly and curious, "Dee?"
The music doesn't cease so she opens the door. The room was empty, but outside towards the balcony Dee sat facing away from the door. The cello still vibrated with almost creepy chords to the room and Shan tapped her shoulder.
Dee snapped out of her fixation and she turned her head. Shan presents her with dinner and Dee smiles.
"Thanks. I was getting pretty hungry."
Shan looks out and she asks confused,
"Are you playing to the back patio?"
Dee giggles putting her bow to the side and says,
"Nah. The cello is so big I have to prop it down below me so I can reach the neck to play. I used the balcony steps."
Shan looks to see the prop stand on the humongous instrument resting on a lower step. She giggled and said, "You're too petite for that giant thing!"
Dee laughed and she says,
"The cello is beautiful though. It makes beautiful music. Beethoven is heaven in cello chords."
Shan begins opening a fortune cookie she brought with her and she asks, "So Michael tells me you gotta write an actual piece of music. Have you started yet?"
Dee shook her head and she says,
"I'm waiting to. Michael said that I should let the music come to me.."
Shan giggled and she said,
"Well the best of luck to you. I can't wait to hear it. I know it's gonna be beautiful."
~ One Week Later, The First Rehearsal
Dee rushed down the music academy hallway with her brief case and still pulling at her peacoat collar being late.
She barged into the auditorium doors and Professor Rowlands hushed the band to her entrance.
"There she is! I knew she'd show!"
Dee began to plead for his forgiveness and he laughs,
"Not to worry, Ms. Spadden, we're actually waiting for our English Horn player."
She furrowed her brow and said, "Uhh. The graduate band doesn't have an English Horn player?"
Rowlands began to walk away saying,
"Oh he's new. Brand new actually."
The auditorium doors swung open to a young man carrying a heavy english horn case. His face was hidden until he approached the stage light.
"River. Mr. Paxton sir, come meet your conductor."
Rowlands called.
He stepped into the light with wide eyes and he appeared to be freaking out just like her.
He approaches the podium and looks around worriedly.
"I'm so sorry." He begged to Dee but he stops mid sentence. She could only wait for what he was going to say and he starts,
"Are you that girl? That girl that lives in that dead singers house?"
Dee clenched a fist rolling her eyes and Rowlands encouraged River to have a seat. Dee pursed her lip already irritated and she starts the first page of her halfway written score. It was already evident this was going to be the most grueling three hours of her band life.
~~
Getting home Dee slammed the door into the studio and she let the tears roll down her face as she knelt to the floor. The girls stood outside after knowing her day couldn't have gone well and Michael appears in between them.
"I'll handle it." He mouthes and he steps through the closed door with his apparition.
Dee sat sobbing into her peacoat and she threw the portfolio of written music across the room and tries to catch her breath. She had already spent six nights in a row writing page after page of music even though it wasn't finished, she still was putting 110% into its creation.
Michael let himself be seen to her and as he fades into form she tries to contain herself shyly. She wipes her face and she coughs clearing her throat.
"I just had a bad day. I'm alright."
Michael crouched down sitting beside her in the floor and he uses his illusion full volume.
He pulls her into his shoulder and he asks,
"Calm down so you can tell me about it, okay?"
She takes a few deep breathes and she says slow and careful,
"It's been my dream to write music. For so long, I've wanted a piece of song that I could write myself and call my very own. I knew that with training to be a conductor, I could get my foot in the door. But God help me, I didn't think it'd be this hard."
She wipes her eyes and says,
"Today in rehearsal, everyone told me how awful the first page sounded. They said it 'musically didn't make any sense.' I told them that just because it's different, doesn't mean it's unplayable."
She swallows and Michael listens further and she says,
"They asked me like four times what the name of it was and I couldn't tell them. I didn't think that far. I can't think of a name."
"What did he say?" Michael asks and Dee looks to him surprised. She stayed in shock until she remembered that Michael could read her mind when he wanted. She leaned her head against the door and she tells what River Paxton had said. Michael held her close and he says, "You knew that when you opened up the Bed and Breakfast that people would act that way. You shouldn't let it get to you, Dee. Not now. They stick up their nose and say those mean things because they don't understand."
He began to rock her soft and he mutters,
"Dee. Don't you bat an eye to that jerk. He can do what he likes and say what he likes. He's his own person. You worry about you and this too shall pass."
Dee smiled still on his shoulder but she sits up and dries her eyes. She takes anither deep breath and she says, "I'm starting over."
Michael looked to her shocked and he asks, "Are you sure that's the best idea? You lost one week until the symposium."
She nods and she says, "It means I'll have to work non stop. And the best time to start would be immediately."
Michael accepts her decision and he begins to fade,
"I suppose I'll leave you to it then."
"Michael!" Dee says before he leaves.
Michael stops in his disappearance and he listens.
Dee stands and then goes over to her blank staff paper, she holds the stack to her chest and asks soft,
"If I'm gonna get this done in time. I think I might actually need you to help me."
Mike smiles and he smirks happy.
"Then let's get started."
~~ 6 hours later, 2:21 am.
"One more time, Mike." Dee said as she stared over the page they had written.
Michael sits at the piano and he plays soft the melodic first several lines in the treble part. He plays on to the second and third page then stops at the end of their work.
"How'd that sound, Dee?"
Michael asks and he leans over. Just a minute ago, Dee stood at the bottom of the piano looking over sheet music but now she was gone.
He stood up and his sense told him she was still in the room. He looks over and there, she lied across the burgundy ornate sofa in the corner. She was curled up into a ball and Michael half smiled going over to the sofa.
She held one of the frilly throw pillows to her chest and her eyes raced asleep.
He takes off his suit jacket and he places it over her shoulders and arms as a blanket.
He sat further down the cushion and he went over measures and more music. He scribbled down more phrases with a fountain pen and he sees Dee roll over in her bundle as she slept.
In the turn, a piece of staff paper falls from her binder and Michael goes to pick it up. He sees the small scrap of lined notebook page paperclipped to the corner and he scans it curious. Dee had lines of scribbled out names of the piece and it went from variations of,
'A winter lullaby' ,
'Etude De Harmon' and
'The Flutist's Ballet'
Michael shook his head and he notices her still clutching a ballpoint pen. He takes it from her fingers and he scribbles down towards the bottom of the paper. He lays it down across the piano and he sits there working on more music until the sun shone through the windows.
~~
Dee rubbed her eyes and sat up with a tremendous headache. Over her body lied a ratted old jacket, that was faded and lost of its luster. She looked at it closer as she held it in her arms and noticed something incredible. It was Michael's. It was from his closet. She remembered that in his apparition he wore this with his suit. In Michael's apparition, this jacket was new and beautiful, but in reality it was in his closet collecting its layers of dust. She stood up and checked her wrist watch. Whatever woke her, gave her plenty of time to get ready and she searches the couch. A panic set in and she gets down on both knees looking inder the sofa for her lost music. She steps back up hurriedly and sees them on the piano neatly stacked. She flips through several pieces and notices, it was no longer staff paper. It was professionally printed music.
She smiled wide but notices it leaves off exactly where they had left off last night. The last twenty measures were blank. At the bottom she notices the words, artfully written in Michael's hand,
"The ending should be up to no one but you."
Dee smiled and she gathers the papers putting them in her latched briefcase. Ontop she noticed her few scratched out ideas for the symphony's title and she saw Michaels comment.
She smiled wide and she went to get herself ready. Out the door, Michael appears abruptly infront of her and she blinks fast.
"Oh, there you are. By the way, your jacket."
Michael stood still in his suit but missing his white jacket and she hand its over. Michael shakes his head and takes it. As it swings across him, its luster returns. Almost a rush of beauty washes upon the suit.
One by one, the threads and buttoms began to shine again and that's when Dee knew. Everything that Michael touched, he could restore with all its glow.
"Don't be late, Dee." Michael says as he fades and she nods, "Thank you Michael."
She looks down and asks timid, "You'll listen to it once its finished. I know you won't be able to see it on symposium night, but since you've helped me so much with writing, I want you to hear it for yourself."
He smiled to her and he says,
"I wouldn't worry Dee. I'll be there."
She blinks unsure to his strange choice of words and then he fades as he walks past her in the hallway.
~
Dee got into the auditorium hall early before anyone could be heard in the entire building.
She stepped onto the small podium and she lays out her score onto the elevated stand and she picks up her thin baton. She swishes it in the air softly and for a moment she loses rhythm. She shakes away her thoughts and she remembers the way Michael taught her to remember tempo.
'Dee stood standing against the piano and loses tempo for the third time. She holds her head frustrated and Michael comes close. He tsks and says,
"Dee. You're thinking too hard."
She scoffs and says,
"Michael! I'll forget the crescendo in measure 95 if I don't think!"
Michael shakes his head and he stands behind her. He tells her to begin the song again and she started conducting. Behind her, he taps both her shoulders on beat and explains,
"In '86, when I was writing Liberian Girl, I sent a letter the director of the Georgia State Orchestrial band to play the main build of the song. I wrote the piece myself but I would also have to lead the players through the song. When I stood infront of them, I would take my hand and tap it against my chest. They all thought I was crazy I'm sure, but I never lost my rhythm."
He continued with his taps to her shoulders and she closed her eyes.
"Never think, Dee. It's the worst decision a performer can make. Trust yourself."
Measure 95 was approaching and then without thinking, she rose her hand to show her crescendo and she smiled happy.
Michael laughed and continued, "Ya see? Its easy if you know how to do it."
Dee remembered all those hours ago and that's what she did. She brought her hand slightly below her collarbone and there she began to pat the beat. She goes through the first phrase and swinging her arm out for a beat three she feels something smack.
She opens her eyes and gawks to see River Paxton's shoulder in the line of fire for her swings, But she draws her arm back apologizing.
"I ws pretty deep in thought." She says apologetically.
River half smiled and he says rubbing the back of his head,
"Do you think we can talk about yesterday?"
He put down his English Horn and he fixes his jacket to reveal a Ramones band tee underneath. He moved his dark black hair to the side and his hands shook before he talked.
Dee took this as nerves and honestly she wanted to listen for this schpeal.
"I know that I came off super snotty yesterday for saying that. And I really am sorry. I mean, I can't think of a shittier first impression. To be honest."
Dee actually finds the compassion to smile and she says,
"Here. Its okay, I promise."
She goes to rummage through the hefty stack of score music and she gives him a half sheet of written lines. He scans it with his eyes and he gasps,
"It's an English Horn solo. For me?"
Dee nodded and she says,
"I'm being taught to forgive and forget. You're an excellent player. I wanted to write you a solo so you'd let it shine. I think you could do it, do you?"
He scoffs in surprise and he begins to laugh from joy,
"I can...uh. I guess I can. Thank you ms.-"
"No." Dee stopped him soft, "Call me, Dee. I'm no better than you."
~
Faith and Shan sat on the cushioned ottoman in Nordstrom Rack, waiting for Dee to come out of the changing room. They hear curtains swish and they turn to see Dee in the navy blue pants suit she had picked out for symposium. She steps infront of the mirror and the girls gawk,
"Now that's cute. You look all professional and classy."
Dee sighed and she says,
"Can you guys make sure you film every second tomorrow? I really wanna make sure we can get it into a video."
Shan frowns and notices Dee's tone.
"Are you alright, Dee?"
She shook her head and says, "If this doesn't get filmed Michael will never see it. He helped me write half the score. And there's a chance he'll never hear it."
Faith came up behind Dee and she dusts the department store fuzz off her shoulder and says,
"Dee, I can promise you we'll film it. Every second. And I know it'll be beautful."
Shan pokes her head around and says,
"Do you know the symphony's name yet?"
Dee nodded and she says, "But I'm revealing the symphony's name onstage. I want it to be a surprise. But here I'll tell you both right now. Come here."
~~
Dee stood behind the curtain that night and all she could hear was the roar of people filling the auditorium wall to wall. She pulled at her suit jacket nervously and went through every last measure in her head but then she remembered an important lesson in Michael's foggy voice
'Never think Dee. Its the worst decision a performer can make.'
She nodded and tried to keep cool until Professor Rowlands appeared beside her. She smiled and he reveals a small bouquet of roses from behind his back. She gasps and takes them careful,
"Thank you so much professor!" She smiled and he begins,
"Well they're not entirely from me. Check the card."
She goes to the small folded card in the binding and reads on the paper card,
"These aren't nearly enough to explain how special I think you are. I'm sorry for what I've said, once again. I guess I've just never had a conductor so beautiful. Thanks for the thoughtful solo. Signed gracious- River Paxton"
"I can't believe it." Dee said with her jaw hitting the floor. She looks over discretely and sees River across the way adjusting his music stand and keeping his reed in his mouth.
She grinned but looked at the ground.
Rowlands motions Dee to get into place before the curtains open and she goes back to offstage awaiting the house lights to dimmen showing that the show was about to start.
The curtains opened with an ominous silence and Professor Rowlands stepped on stage in his formal suit and tie and took the microphone to introduce the group.
After thanking everyone for coming, he turned and began the first fanfare piece that the orchestra would play before Dee took the stand.
She looked out across the audience from a tear in the curtain and there she saw Shan and Faith in the front row. Dee smiled seeing Shan holding her phone up to record. After another song, professor Rowlands takes the microphone and begins lastly,
"To conclude our performance tonight. I'm letting a senior graduate conductor of my class take the podium to conduct a piece she has written in a style all her own. My senior graduate conductor."
He held out one hand for me as he stood and the room erupted with applause. Dee takes careful steps over and stiffles a giggle hearing Faith and Shan whistling with all their might to the stage.
"Would you like to say a few words?"
Rowlands asked away from the mic and Dee freezes. He smiles and adjusts the stand just for her but she becomes stiff and unsure. Words alluded her. She couldn't speak a yip if you knocked it out of her and the room faded into quiet as they started to listen. Dee looked up into the bright spot light and it burned into her eyes.
But even with the light being too much. She could see there in the corner of the auditorium. Next to the viewing platform out of everyones view stood a certain someone's apparition waiting for her to begin.
He smiled to her and she couldn't believe it. She tried to blink him away perplexed, but there he remained. This was impossible though. Michael's spirit couldn't leave Neverland. He was bound to the house, Neverland mansion. It didn't make sense, but seeing his face was definitely a sigh in relief.
She cleared her throat and tried to begin,
"Thank you all so much for coming. It's greatly appreciated."
She looked to him again and he motioned with his hand for her to keep going,
"My name is Dee Spadden, graduate conductor and the piece I've written has taken me a lot of time to come up with."
She swallows and continues further, "The name of my symphony is Senza Ali. Senza Ali is Italian. It means 'without wings.' I'm not asking anyone to believe me but, believe me when I tell you that angels exist. I know because I've met them time and time again in my life."
She looks to Michael and he holds an astounded smile in his lips and she finishes,
"And most of them won't have wings. Some of them go without. And believe me when I tell you, angels can help you write symphonies. Enjoy. Thank you."
She turns to the podium and Rowlands takes her hand to help her ontop. She takes a breath as she counts to four in rhythm. To begin, the violins begin a soft legato section and very softly pluck their strings, soft and light. Then, thunderously and strong the bass drum booms to awaken the rest of the instruments. Dee conducted along beat and nodded her head in certain phrases. Michael still leaned against the wall there at the entrance of the auditorium and people passed through his spirit as it stood once or twice. He began down the aisleway and he listened closer as the piece went on. He walks up right to the center floor and there he props his chin and arms there on the edge of the stage. Faith listens close but then sees the ghostly apparition appear at the foot of the stage. She smacks Shan's leg and points over discrete. Shan and Faith look amazed and gasp wide mouthed. They thought Michael couldn't leave the mansion either. But there he was. He listened close watching Dee with every move and he bounced his head. Measure 95 was fast approaching and she pursed her lip thinking just how that crescendo went. She got increasingly nervous. She felt the measure approach and in her ear she hears the words whispered,
'Don't you do it. Do not think.'
Dee nodded her head and without thinking she lifts her left hand to sign to the orchestra to increase their volume in a crescendo. She completes the measure and she smiles remembering.
Michael giggles knowing she heard him throwing his voice and Dee cues River's solo to end the piece. The players grew quiet and it was only River playing. Softly, windchimes were played and there the entire stage went silent.
Dee flicks the baton above her head to show them to lower their instruments. Dee turns with a bow and the room explodes again with applause and she smiled her widest. She felt her lip quiver from nerves and she takes a step off the podium. She looked to where Michael originally stood but she didn't see him. She looks around searching for even a glimpse until she heard a whistle in the front among the roar.
She looks down and he stoof there at the foot of the stage and she smiles wide. He nodded and he turns his wrist in a snap. A rose appears from a swish behind his hand and he tosses it to the stage. She picks it up still in awe of all the feed back and she bows again.
~~
"Speaking of which. Could you believe what happened? We saw Michael. He was away from Neverland!"
They all join in remembering and Faith says,
"I always thought he couldn't do that! He's never told us he could."
Dee puts her blazer across her shoulders like a cape and she mentions,
"Hey, atleast we know we'll never have to film anything ever again."
She brushes her thumb across the smooth rose's petals she got from Michael and she smiles remembering how happy it made her. Their conversation is stopped by a voice coming close to them from the back of the parking lot and Dee squints as it seemed familiar. They all turn and see a figure in a tuxedo approaching and Dee makes him out to be a surprise. It was River Paxton.
He trotted up the lines of the bustling parking lot and he says to Dee,
"I think you did wonderful tonight. I just wanted to tell you."
Dee smiled and she remembered the bouquet River had brought her. She nodded and said,
"Thank you. But really, you played wonderfully. The roses were beautiful."
He smiled but Faith and Shan look to each other wondering.
River sees they're glances and he asks,
"Are those the other two? The girls that live with you?"
Dee nodded and began introducing them as they shook hands,
"This is Faith Pendleman and Shania Zigler. They're my bestfriends."
River pulls out his phone and he looks unsure but asks careful,
"Do you think I could-" he sighs and finishes,
"Ya think I could maybe get a selfie?"
They all look around almost amused and they giggle.
"I just think that what you guys are doing, is really cool. I did a lot of research after I said what I did, and I think it's pretty awesome."
Dee smiles and all the girls agree.
"Okay why not? but make sure you tag us for Instagram."
Faith says smiling and Shan says, "Here, short people in front."
They all crouch down in a selfie postion and make a photogenic face to the front facing camera.
"1..2...3.." River counted and the picture was taken.
They all relax and he smiles.
"That looks really good. Thanks guys. Dee would you want me to send it to you?"
Dee nods and a she thinks of something until she speaks,
"Here, just have my number."
Rivers brown eyes widen and he asks for sure. Dee laughs taking his phone and she puts her number into his contacts.
Faith and Shan share another glance, wondering and thinking the same thing. River smiles seeing his new contact but little did anyone know, Dee was blushing. They parted ways wishing each other a good night.
~~
"Dee have you ever thought of looking into that?" Faith asks as they pulled into Neverland, typing in the gate code.
"Look into what?" She asks as Shan drives.
"River. Duh!" Shan says in the rearview.
Dee hides her grin ans she says,
"Nah. I think I'm good."
"Dee he's good looking. And a musician. And he's sweet. And considerate. Come on!" Faith pries but Dee still refuses.
They all pile into Neverland still cooing and gawking over Dee and her hidden feelings until Michael appears at the top bannister, in the stair well.
"There's my composer! I wanna see it! Please tell me you filmed it!"
They all look puzzled and Faith scoffs loud,
"Boy! You were there!"
"Whaddya mean?!?" Shan shouts confused.
Michael looks to them with the same face and he says,
"Not me. I can't leave the house with my spirit. You know that. Are you imagining me places?"
They all sink their eye brows in disbelief but Michael keeps pleading that he couldn't have left the house.
Ending the discussion Dee smiles, "Well anyhow. The band did well."
Shan shrugs and says, "I'll send the video to your phone in the morning Michael!"
"My brain hurts man, Michael you must have a stunt double running around or something."
Michael laughs and he says as they all go to their own rooms,
"I do my own stunts."
He disappears for a moment and Dee holds her briefcase going to her room. She feels that rush of cold air behind her and she snaps quiet.
"I know you were there!"
She feels strange knowing she might be talking to the walls but there infront of her feet, Michael morphed into form. He stood with hands behind his back and Dee keeps on, "Michael. I know you were there. I saw you. I know I did."
Michael kept serious until a falsely innocent smile comes over his face He places one finger to his lips and he shushes soft.
Dee laughs happily and she jumps into Michael's arm hugging.
He holds her back and he says,
"You did wonderful. I knew you would. It was a beautiful symphony, Dee."
She smiles wider and she says over his shoulder as he holds his illusion and says, "I couldn't have done it without you."
She lets him go and she goes into her briefcase, she pulls out the original, conductors score and Michael smiles, "You gotta frame that now. It'll be famous before Sunday."
Dee giggles and she shakes her head. She looks over the papers and she holds them out to him.
"I want you to have it."
Michael blinks dumbfounded saying,
"No Dee. That's yours. You need to keep it forever."
She kept her gaze straight ahead to him and insisted,
"You'll be around much longer than I'll ever be. Besides.."
She takes away the sticky note and the true name of the symphony is revealed. Michael sees it and he balf smiles
'Senza Ali : Michael's Symphony'
"I named it after you."
He takes a minute to process but Dee feels her phone buzz in her pocket.
"Damn. I'm sorry."
She says fishing it out of her pocket. She swipes up to see River's unknown number appear in her messages with the picture they had took.
Under it was a caption that read,
"I don't know if you drink coffee but-.."
Dee smiled as she officially got asked onto a date and Michael mentions,
"I read him tonight by the way."
Dee looks up and she feels exposed as Michael clearly read the message too.
"You mean, you read all of him?"
She did mean all of him. His mind, his thoughts and even his soul. Even the things he didn't know about himself and Michael nodded saying nothing.
Dee becomes curious and she asks soft, "What's the verdict?"
Michael only smiles in response. He kept a lingering look to his eyes and he leans in to kiss her head.
He pinched her cheek cute and he says only, "Goodnight Dee."
She watches him turn and fade away into the hallway with her music. She smiles to the ground and had to know that no lecture or sermon to the choir had to be a good sign. She began to text River back and she closed the bedroom door with the phone shining bright to the grin of joy across her face.