The Leading Man (Multiband Fan Fic)

Chapter 23 - Family

Katie's P.O.V

I sat at the end of the table, Vince sat opposite. His parents both sit at the heads of the table. It was a long table, seating eight people. There was a white table cloth, fabricated chairs, four white, four black, a water jug, empty glasses at every seat, with a napkin, and the knives and forks laid out nicely. Julia was a very elegant woman.

"Monroe... Hat!" Vince nodded to me, as we took our seats.
"Oh!" I took of my bowler hat, fixing my hair up.
I placed it on the floor, under my chair, out the way.

Dinner was due in ten minutes, but Vince's dad and older brothers were due back at any minute.
Sofia came into the dining room, taking the seat on my left. She was tall, almost the spitting image of Vince, wearing blue jeans, a purple tank top, with a Pandora bracelet on her right wrist.
"I like your bracelet, Sofia." I smiled at her.
"Awe, thank you! It was a gift, on my eighteenth. I get a charm every year." She showed it to me. It was full, with a few places yet to fill.
"I have one at home. I don't wear it, but I got a few charms." I told her. Her bracelet was the classic silver metal, as mine was red.
"Awesome. I bet you have all kinds of glamourous stuff, being a rock star and all. We've actually got someone famous sitting at our table!" Sofia smiled at Vince.
I laughed. I didn't have shit...

I learned Sofia, and Vince's older brothers don't live here, but it's his parents wedding anniversary tomorrow, so they've all come home for a few nights.
After hearing that, I know that leaving would be so rude. I guess I'm stuck here for a couple of nights...

. . .

"We're home!" Someone called out from the front door, followed by the sounds of three pairs of footsteps, and the door closing.
"Hi, boys! Dinner's almost ready, and we've got a surprise for you all." Julia smiled to me and Vince, as she hurried to the door to greet them.
"Oh, hell." I panicked.
"Don't swear at the table, either! My dad's very traditional, when at the table." Vince looked at me.
"At least I didn't say the 'F' word on national TV." I teased him.
He glared at me, getting up from the table.

"What surprise?" I heard an older man ask.
"Honey..." Julia called out.
Vince took a deep breath, and walked into the hall.
Sofia and I looked at each other, before we both got up to watch.

"Vince!" A younger voice beamed.
"Holy cow! We weren't expecting you for months!" Another voice.
"Hey, Aiden. Hi, Tyler." Vince smiled.
"Our brothers." Sofia whispered to me.
In age order: Sofia, Aiden, Tyler, Eleanor, Vince, then Richard ('Rikki').
His brothers hugged him tight, indicating they were a very close family.

His dad stood by the door, holding a strong smile on his face, looking at Vince.
"You knew he came to audition, didn't you?" I asked Sofia.
"No. He came home, one day, telling us he drove to Boston and auditioned, saying he's now the lead vocalist. We couldn't believe it, until he showed us a copy of his contract..." Sofia told me.
"Whoa..." I turned to see Vince hugging his dad, tightly.

"Dad, I'm so sorry I swore on TV. I was lost in the moment, I was so excited, everything was just happening so fast, we had a show that night-"
"Whoa, Vince! Slow down, son. Thank you for apologising, but I'm so proud of you!" His dad held his shoulders, looking directly at him.

. . .

Flash back

"Katie, come here!" My dad smiled at me, standing in the door way.
I ran over to him, as fast as my short, five year old, legs could carry me.
I jumped into his arms and he picked me up, hugging me tightly, spinning us around.
He kissed my cheek, sloppily, just as always, smiling at me brightly.
"I missed you, daddy!" I hugged his neck.
"I missed you, kiddo!" He refused to let me go.
"Don't go away again!" I begged him.
"I promise. Never again!" He smiled at me.

. . .

I noticed everyone was looking at me, bringing me back to reality.
"Hi?" I blinked at them.
Vince chuckled. "I was saying, you're staying for the night." He brushed it off, catching me up.
"Yeah!" I nodded, shaking it all off. "If that's OK..."
"Well, of course! It's great to finally meet you, Monroe." Vince's dad smiled at me.
"This is Aiden, Tyler, and my dad, Warren." Vince introduced them to me.
"Nice to meet you all." I smiled at them.
"You as well. We actually have a rock star in the house!" Tyler snickered, in shock.
"Oh, we had one anyway!" Julia wrapped up Vince in her arms.
"Mom!" Vince complained. "Not in front of Monroe." He grumbled at her.
"Awe. Is Vinnie embarrassed?" I pinched his cheeks, making his brothers laugh.

. . .

Julia made an incredible roast dinner. Vince warned her I was veggie, so she gave me extra potatoes and veg, instead of the chicken, and also giving extra custard on the apple crumble she made for everyone.
I'm not complaining anymore. Dylan's missing out!

"So, what made you want to start a band, Monroe?" Aiden asked me, as he passed the potatoes to Warren, sitting on Warren's left, Vince's side of the table.
"Oh, uh... I guess I always wanted to... Honestly, I just wanted to be around music. My dad played guitar, and we always had records playing, as I was growing up." I answered.
"That checks out." Tyler commented, sat between Vince and Aiden.
I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry?"
"Oh, Vince always talks about you guys. He never shuts up." Tyler teased.
"Shut up, man." Vince glared at him.
"Boys, please!" Julia looked at them, sat on my right. "Shut up, Tyler." She added.
I snorted, quickly recovering.

"Vince mentioned your cousin is also your drummer?" Warren asked me.
"Yeah, Stevie! My boy, Stevie King. We're related on my dads side, our grandfathers are brothers, but he always refers to my dad as 'Uncle Frank'." I used air quotes.
"Oh, how sweet." Julia smiled.
"Yeah, we're very close. He was the first I approached when starting the band." I smiled.
"How did you ask him?" Vince asked me.
"I just mentioned I was looking to start a band, and I wanted him involved. He loves making noise, and was very proud of his drumkit, saying he wanted to be like Steven Adler. I couldn't say 'no'. I knew from the beginning I wanted Stevie in my band." I told him.
"Whoa, I know he can also play the guitar, bass, and piano." Vince nodded at me.
"And the trumpet, also owning a harmonica, though it's still unknown whether or not he can play it." I filled him in.
"No way!" Vince smiled at me.
"Yeah, man!" I nodded at him.

. . .

"Vince, why don't you show Monroe up to your room? You can sleep in Richard's room tonight." Julia suggested, gathering all our plates off the table.
"Oh, we can share the room. I used to sleep in the back of a van, with Dylan and Stevie. I'm fine with sharing." I waved it off.
"You could sleep in Sofia's room... Or Eleanor's." Vince looked at me, almost scared.
"Why?" I looked at him.

. . .

"Oh." I stood in his doorway, looking at his walls.
Janie's Gun posters, band shots, as well as individual shots, a shirt pinned up on the walls, with tour dates on it, a union jack flag, a signed copy of our first album on Vinyl, displayed on his drawers. He had fan drawings, that he drew, stickers on his walls, interview clippings, magazines... He was a real fan.
"I look so good in that one!" I pointed at the poster above his bed.

The iconic four, Eddie, Dylan, Stevie and I, all in different poses. They were unused shots from the album cover photoshoot.
Dylan was against a wall, leaning back, looking tough, Eddie was crouched down, like Jeremy Kyle, Stevie was leaning forward, looking to of escaped from an insane asylum, pulling at his hair, and I was... I would do me. I had my back against the wall, leaning on it, my hands pressed against it, by my sides, with a glare in my eyes. None of us showed any emotions, minus Stevie, looking like Ozzy Osbourne, in the 'Crazy Train' video. 

"Man, I'm sorry! But Janie's Gun is my life!" Vince confessed.
"No, don't! Shush!" I pointed at him. "I have a poster of Joe up on my bedroom wall, and me and Kirk have done so many dirty things in that very room. You just don't think about it. You were honest from the very start about being a fan of ours. This is OK... Just don't ever let Dylan in here." I told him.
He crossed his heart and smiled at me. "You are my idols."
"You're one of us now, man!" I smiled at him.