{ a/n- I'm changing my grester baby name to jazz things up a bit }
Grace had never understood the appeal of dance mom drama. Sure, the reality television show was hilarious to watch and certainly one of her guilty pleasures, but she didn't even want to imagine what it would be like to be in that craziness. So after Hannah had asked her to help backstage at she and Sarah's daughter Lillian's first recital, she was more than a little hesitant to say yes.
"It won't be much, it'll just be helping with costume changes and such." Hannah explained, the nervousness in her voice obvious even through the phone. She was obviously stressed out about Lillian's many dances.
"I'll be there Hannah." Grace said, regretting her decision immediately. How was she supposed to help when almost every single kid she was around made her uncomfortable?
"Oh my god thank you!" Hannah gushed. "Sarah has client meetings and Lillian's already broken up about her mom not being there. She'll love to see her Auntie Grace there." Despite all the times Grace had insisted she was not maternal and had no motherly instincts, hearing Hannah call her "Auntie Grace" made her heart swell with pride.
"When should I be there?" Grace asked, taking a notepad to write down the times and the theaters address. "And where am I going?"
"It's at the Los Angeles Downtown Theater." Hannah replied, giving Grace a minute to scribble that down. "And the show call is 11:30. The show starts at 12."
"Tomorrow?" Grace asked, Chester now by her side and listening to her end of the conversation.
"Yeah. I'm sorry it's such short notice." Hannah apologised.
"No problem. I'll see you and Lil tomorrow." Grace said as a goodbye. She hung up and rested her head in her hands, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Is everything alright babe?" Chester questioned, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Yeah, yeah." Grace replied. "Hannah needs help with Lillian at her recital backstage so I'll be gone tomorrow for a couple hours." Chester continued to rub her back.
"Are you regretting it?" Chester asked.
"Slightly. I've been feeling rough lately and I don't know how I'll be able to handle being in a stifling dressing room for two hours." Grace explained. Her saying she was feeling rough was an understatement. Grace had been feeling nauseous and fatigued for about two weeks. She'd occasionally thrown up, but not much. Grace had pinned it to a combination of a stomach bug and overworking.
"You're still feeling sick? Maybe you should see your doctor soon honey." Chester mentioned. Grace simply shook her head and that was the end of that.
~
The next day Grace drove to the theater and arrived above five minutes late (per usual for her). She went in through the stage door in the back and followed the signs until she found the dressing room labeled "Mini Company Dancers."
"Auntie Grace!" A little voice exclaimed and a little body followed it, hurling into Grace's arms.
"Hi Lillian." Grace murmured, kissing the small girls head. Lillian stood back and twirled a little so Grace could fully see her costume. She was wearing a yellow, glittery dress with a puffed tutu skirt. On her feet she had a pair of shiny black shoes with heels that clicked when she stomped on the ground.
"I've got tap first, and then, mommy what's after tap?" Lillian said, looking over to Hannah.
"Jazz is after tap baby." Hannah reminded her. "Thanks for coming Grace. You're a lifesaver." Hannah then said to her friend. Grace swallowed down her nerves and took a deep breath to try and hold back the nausea.
"It's no problem." Grace had replied with a forced smile.
~
That was almost five years ago. It had turned out the sick feeling Grace had was because she had been three months pregnant at the time. She got through the day, helping Lillian with her costumes so Hannah could sneak into the audience and watch her beloved daughter perform. And today it's Grace's turn to watch her daughter perform.
"Mommy mommy mommy!" Madeline shouts, tugging on her mother's trouser leg. "I need help with my ballet costume!"
"Hold on Maddi, I need to grab your tights out of your bag." Grace assures the little girl. Madeline is a prima ballerina in the making, as all her teachers say. Honey blonde hair (surprising, as both her parents have dark hair), wide hazel eyes, fair skin, a slender figure, and and a dazzling smile. Grace picks up a pair of light pink tights and hands them to the young dancer.
"Mommy are you gonna watch me do my ballet?" Madeline asks.
"I'm going to sneak into the audience and sit with Daddy and Grandma so I can see you baby." Grace answers. Maddi smiles and looks down at her first costume. It's a beautiful, shimmering red dress with a long tutu and black trim. She has on tiny little ballet slippers and her golden hair is pulled into a taught bun.
"Maddi, come give me a hug!" Lillian calls from the hallway. Lillian is ten now, and she's wearing camo army pants and a black crop top for her company hip hop routine. Maddi rushes to give Lillian a hug.
"Hi Lilly!" She says happily.
"Elementary ballet stage call!" One of the backstage helpers shouts.
"That's you sweetpea." Grace tells Madeline.
"Good luck Mad." Lillian says, pressing a kiss to Madeline's cheek. Maddi rushes off and up the stairs to the wings with all the girls from her class.
"How many numbers until you're on next Lil?" Grace asks Lillian.
"I'm not on till the next act." Lillian replies.
"Then come with me, we'll go watch Maddi dance." Grace says. Lillian cracks a grin and follows Grace up the staircases and through the double doors to the audience. There are two empty seats next to Chester. "Come on, we can sit with Uncle Chester." Grace murmurs. The two go and slip into the empty chairs.
"Hey there stranger." Chester whispers in Grace's ear.
"Hey there." Grace replies, kissing his cheek. The curtains sweep back and the stage lights come up, revealing a group of maybe ten dancers, all standing in a diagonal line, feet in first position. The dance begins, the instrumental of piano and viola really beautifully setting the number. There is an instructor just to the right of the stage to help the kids remember, but Madeline doesn't need help. She knows this dance by heart.
"Look at her Gracie." Chester says proudly. Grace looks over to her husband, tears glistening in her eyes.
"I'm so proud of that little girl Ches." Grace mumbles, wiping away a tear that escaped her eye. "Seeing her so happy on stage," Grace gestures to the wide smile on her daughter's face. "makes all the insanity worth it. It makes everything worth it."
