All I Want Is Everything

Getting back on the road

You've got great expectations (Do you want to play the role)
You've got great expectations (You'd even sell me your soul)
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations
You've got great expectations (Do you want to play the role)
You've got great expectations (You'd even sell me your soul)
You've got great expectations (As long as you can play the role)
You've got great expectations.

KISS, Great Expectations

The breakfast was lovely; everybody actively avoided sore points in conversation under the benign observation of Mr and Mrs Barnes. Upstairs, they had cookies and candies and exchanged gifts. Ella got books from her bandmates, some very upscale makeup from Mrs Barnes, and a receipt from Mr Barnes for a community class of her choice, either something physical like an exercise class or sport or learning an art or craft. Becca gave her a notebook for writing tab, a beautiful tooled leather notebook for lyrics, and a little kit containing items for helping with shoe-related mishaps--blisters and the like with band-aids, antibiotic ointment, and moleskin--and a small insert with needles, pins, thread bobbins in neutral colors, small scissors, a needle threader, emergency buttons, a measuring tape, and double-sided tape strips. "This is going to be a lifesaver," Ella said, hugging her friend.

"I can't wait to get my office set up," Becca said, smoothing the leather blotter. "This is so elegant, Ella."

"Your surroundings have to be as impressive as you," she said. Becca leaned in to Ella.

"A brooch. Do I look like a grandma?" she said softly, and Ella grinned.

"They're coming back in style. It's pretty," she also said quietly.

"Bucky didn't know I only wear earrings, so it's no surprise Nat didn't either."

"She's trying. It won't actually kill you to give her an honest chance," Ella gently elbowed Becca's ribs.

"It might," Becca grumbled.

The gathering lasted a little longer, then everybody gathered their presents and the party broke up. They had a dinner reservation for later, and the band got together for a practice. They had the show the next night, and a few days off from playing had to be remedied.

"I just want everybody to think about something," Steve said during a pause. "What do you think about adding another guitarist?"

"Three guitarists?" Bucky asked, frowning.

"Are you trying to get rid of the bass?" Nat asked carefully.

"No, Nat, you're essential to the sound. I just think that we could do a lot more with the right guitarist. If I were to focus more on vocals, it would help to have somebody else to play too. And using twin leads in certain places in some of our songs would really heighten the effect." He spoke generally, but his attention was on his sister.

"Who did you have in mind?" she asked warily.

"Sam, if we can lure him away from counseling. He fits in with our sound really well already from jamming with us, he knows our music." That brightened the mood. Everybody liked Sam, he was a good guitarist, and Ella knew that her friend would be fair. They agreed to think about it and make a decision over the break.

"It's not that I don't love Sam and this might be an answer for him with the uncertainty of his job at the VA, but what's really going on here, Stevie?" Ella asked after Bucky and Nat had left. "I don't think for a minute that you'd want to replace Nat with another guitarist, which makes me worried about your plans for me."

"You're so suspicious, El," he said, putting his guitar away. "I realize that I've pushed you out of vocals, but I have no intention for Sam to take over lead guitar from you. You contribute so much. I think it would be a good evolution of our sound, and Sam has things he can contribute too. We don't have to do it if you're dead set against it, but he also brings intangibles with him, like bringing a new perspective with him, a tie-breaking vote, and his counseling skills to group disagreements. He's fun, and I think we're realizing on this tour just how important that is too. Just think about it, that's all I ask."