When The Lights Go Down

So Far Away

"Hey, you need some company?" Fred softly wonders as he approaches Alice, who's writing furiously in her notebook.

She meets his gaze with a small smile and gestures to the seat in front of her. "Be my guest." She raises an eyebrow when he doesn't immediately sit down. Instead he reaches up into the cabinet above them and roots around for a moment. "What are you looking for?"

He waves a chocolate bar at her in response and her eyes gleam as he takes a seat, unwrapping the bar and snapping a piece off for her. "Midnight snack." He explains.

"No complaints here," Alice chuckles. "What are you doing up?"

"Could ask you the same thing, it's nearly three in the morning."

"I like this time, it's peaceful." Alice shrugs. "Helps clear my head."

"I get that," Fred agrees, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "When I was a kid I used to always wait until my parents were asleep and then I'd sneak down into the living room and listen to my dad's old records." He remembers with a grin. "I would listen to them for hours on end and my mom would always wonder why I was so tired in the morning."

Alice smiles. "That's sweet."

"I guess it's why I do what I do. Weird how interests you have as a kid can blossom into something beyond your wildest dreams." He looks up at Alice who's staring at him intently, soaking in every word. "What about you? Was this what you always wanted to do?"

She shrugs. "Subconsciously I guess, I would always write stories and songs as a kid, but I never really pictured my life like this. It just seemed so far out of reach." It's the truth. Her childhood and subsequent adolescence hadn't been the best, and she was certain for a long time she wasn't bound for an ounce of greatness. "I always dreamed of something resembling this life though. I just wanted to be consumed by music twenty-four-seven."

"And now look at you," Fred smiles.

"Now look at me." Alice blushes. "You know, I don't think you and I have ever had a real conversation like this. We always talk about work or FP, we've never gotten to know each other. It's nice."

Fred sighs. "That's on me, I never tried to get to know you."

"Your job isn't to be my friend, it's to manage a tour and FP's mega career," She giggles.

"But I could've still extended that olive branch, I could've spoken to you and gotten to know you on more than a surface level." Fred continues. "I've treated you pretty coldly this whole time."

"You haven't," Alice promises. "You we're just doing your job."

"My job is to manage FP's career and help keep everyone safe and comfortable. I let you down on that front."

Alice suddenly understands what he's getting at. "Fred-"

"Alice, I'm so sorry. I should've looked into this further, I guess I was just blinded by all the promises made and I shouldn't have been. I should've known it was too good to be legitimate. It was unprofessional and I'm sorry."

"You really don't have to apologize, you didn't know."

"You have to know that if I had known, I never would have let him set foot in the same city as us, let alone be in the same room as you."

"I know," She assures him. "He's gone now though, there's no need to worry any more about it."

"Are you okay?" He asks her, passing her another piece of the chocolate bar.

"I will be." She shrugs. "I think subconsciously I always knew he'd find his way back to me, I just never knew how to prepare for it."

"Well it's probably not something you want to think about, so that's understandable."

She nods. "I've been so happy, and I've felt so safe-"

"And I jeopardized that."

Alice immediately shakes her head. "No, Fred, listen. I have felt so safe here, I hadn't thought about that period of my life in a long time, and it used to keep me up every night. I feel safe here because of all of you." She tells him sweetly. "So don't be so hard on yourself over something you had no idea about. You, Mary, FP... you've changed my life, I can't thank you enough for that."

"Speaking of FP," Fred begins. "I never should have tried to keep you two apart-"

"Oh we're having this conversation again?" Alice teases.

Fred laughs. "I know, I know, I sound like a broken record. But I want you to know, not that you need it, but you both have my blessing." The gesture makes her heart swell, she knows how much that will mean to FP. "Seeing how he is with you, how comfortable you feel around him, how safe and happy he looks? That's all I want for him. Someone who's really going to love him, truly love him, like Gladys never did."

She blushes at the word love and Fred seems to understand immediately. "I take it you haven't had that conversation yet?" He says. Alice shakes her head. "I can see it, in both of you. It's beautiful."

"Thank you, Fred. You have no idea how much that means." Alice says.

Fred smiles at her and squeezes her hand. "You're family now, Alice. No matter what."