Metal Band One-Shots

Time to Move Forward (Nightwish)

 Tuomas Holopainen thought that when he fired Tarja Turunen from Nightwish, he was one hundred percent certain that he knew exactly what he was doing, that his mind was made up.

 Now he watched in secret as she lit up the stage in her own solo show. She looked so happy there, on stage performing for adoring fans, a artist in her own right.

 He had no idea why he felt so surprised. He figured that once they kicked her out of the band she would probably kick off a solo career, and he was right. She seemed to have completely moved on, pushing Nightwish and him away.

 He looked at his watch. It was probably time he got back before the others realized how long he had been gone for and got suspicious.

~~~~~~

 Everything seemed to be moving along at its usual pace when Tuomas got back. Maybe no one noticed he had been gone for so long. 

 He spotted Anette sitting nearby, reading through some lyrics and humming to herself. He couldn't help smiling when he saw her. He wasn't sure about her at first, but she had soon proven herself to be a good bandmate. He had grown fond of her, she got along great with the other guys, and many of the fans seemed to like her.

 She looked up and him and smiled. "Hey. Where did you sneak off to?"

 Well, one person had noticed his absence.

 "Um, just to get some fresh air," he answered. "Um, keep rehearsing. You sound good."

 "You went to see her, didn't you?"

 "What?" He pretended to be clueless. "Who's 'her'?"

 "Don't act like you don't know what I mean, Tuomas," Anette said. "I know she's here, and that you most likely went to see her. Now, am I right, or am I right?"

 He sighed. "Fine. You're right. I went to see Tarja. Well, I didn't talk to her or anything, but I saw her on stage."

 "And?"

 "And what? That's it. I watched for a bit, and then I came back here." 

 She sighed. "Look, I don't know what happened between you; that was before my time. But I think it's okay to miss her a little. You guys were bandmates for years, and breakups are hard."

 "Look, do you want to hear me say it?" he asked. "Yes, I've had problems for the last few years, and I thought I was sure of myself when I made that decision. The other guys even agreed with me on it. But..." he sighed, "You're right. Breakups are hard." 

 She nodded. "I know. Why don't you sit down for a minute? You don't look good."

 "Thanks," Tuomas said, and sat down next to her. "I guess I do miss her a little bit. It is true that we were in a band together for nine years."

 "That's certainly enough time to forge a bond," Anette pointed out. "But you have to look at it this way, too. It's been over two years since then, gaining on three. She's started her own career, and she's moving on. But she probably thinks about you sometimes, too."

 "I doubt it would be anything very good," he said.

 "Maybe not. But my point is that she has moved on. Aren't you doing the same thing? You have pushed Nightwish forward, despite all the backlash. You still have plenty of fans in the world. They're waiting for you to come play some of that great music for them, the songs they love. Isn't that the important thing?" 

 He stared at her. "How did you figure all that out so quickly?"

 She shrugged. "Anyone with eyes, ears, and a brain can piece it together. You've made it this far, haven't you? We have a show to play tonight, so you can't go off the deep end now. Just calm yourself, okay? You're gonna be fine."

 He nodded. "Okay. You're right. Thank you, Anette. I'm gonna go get myself together." He got up to leave, but stopped to ask, "Can you not mention this to any of the guys? I don't want to worry them more than I already have."

 She smiled and put a finger to her lips. "Your deep, dark secrets are safe with me." 

 He smiled back. "Okay. Thanks."

 Anette went to her lyric sheets after he had gone. That man had been through some troubles, but she knew he would get through it. She believed in him that much.