You and I

Chapter 1: Unsteady

Hellfest in Clisson, France; June 2016

Chapter title from the song "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors

Author's Note Part 2:

I forgot to say this in the first author's note but this fic spans a lot of time and I tried to do my research so the timeline matched real life and to get all of the details right. Some of their dialogue is taken directly from interviews or videos, like the periscope in this chapter. It's possible I made mistakes but in general, if there is something in the timeline that isn't canon, I probably changed it on purpose. For example, I know that Robert played with them at some of the shows I mention but he's not there in the story, and there is a show I add at one point for the sake of the story even though WT wasn't on tour at the time. Anyway that's all, I hope you enjoy chapter 1!

Tarja had loved the idea of performing together live, and they had arranged for her to sing with them at two festivals: Hellfest and M'era Luna the following summer. It had seemed like a long way away, but before Sharon knew it, it was June, and they were on the tour bus on the way to Clisson. She was on the couch trying to read a metal magazine, but her eyes kept scanning the same sentence over and over while she thought about what it was going to be like to see Tarja again.

"Are you okay?" Ruud, who was sitting next to her with his own book, asked.

She looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly. "Why?"

The corner of his lips kicked up. "Well, you haven't turned a page for at least half an hour."

She sighed. "I'm just ... a little distracted, I guess."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah," she said, running her fingers through her hair and shutting the magazine. "I'll be fine though."

For a second, she considered telling him the reason for her anxiety but thought better of it. There wasn't anything to tell.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?"

She nodded. "I will."

Once they had gotten to the venue, they found their backstage area and got settled while waiting for their turn to go out and do their sound check. Sharon fixed herself a cup of ginger tea and watched the minutes tick by on the clock, wondering when Tarja would arrive.

Her eyes snapped up when she heard a familiar voice say "Hello!". Tarja was standing in the doorway, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, her hair hanging loosely down her back. Her eyes lit up when she saw Sharon.

"Sharon!" Tarja exclaimed, and Sharon's smile widened at the way the other woman said her name, with the rolled r. She hopped off the couch she had been sitting on with the guys and hugged her friend.

"It's so good to see you again," Tarja said as they hugged.

"You too!" she said, suddenly finding it hard to breathe being so close to her.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to do this," Tarja said as they separated.

"Of course! Thank you for being here. I think it's going to be really special."

Tarja said hi to all the guys as well, and then disappeared into her dressing room to finish getting ready and warming up before the sound check.

There was that feeling again. Sharon's cheeks felt warm, her heart was beating too quickly, and she was on edge, jumping at the slightest noise. Ruud asked her again if she was okay, later when they were getting ready for the show, and she assured him she was fine. Sharon changed into her black dress embroidered with roses and one of her favorite pairs of Doc Martens. As she was applying her trademark shimmery turquoise eyeshadow, she realized that part of the reason she was so nervous was that Tarja would be seeing them, or at least hearing them perform for the rest of the show. She wanted to be at her best, and she was nervous to see what Tarja would think.