Standing By

Dance Rehearsal

(Tim)

I didn't start shaking until we were backstage again, Pentatonix having fallen off the face of the earth. Couldn't say I blamed them though. Wouldn't mind falling off the face of the earth myself. Maybe up would be up and down would be down again. 'Cuz everything on this planet was topsy-turvy.

Rob put his hand on my shoulder. "You OK, bud?"

I just shrugged. What was OK anyway? Not in the grips of a panic attack? Not crying my eyes out hopelessly? Maybe not being intimidated by police?

"Oh, Tim," Adam murmured softly, pausing in the hallway and wrapping me up in a hug. Fuck it. Already shaking and with a tenuous hold on my tears and emotions, I near broke down at those two syllables. 'Oh, Tim.' Not upset at me, not irritated, not mad. 'Oh, Tim.' Just—sad sounding, full of sympathy for me, for what had just transpired, and for nearly a week ago. For everything I'd been through. For my life this month.

Chance and Austin paused in the corridor and, seeing Adam holding a shaky me and rob's hand on my shoulder, came running back from a few steps ahead.

"Tim, listen." Austin picked up a lock of my hair, uncovering an ear and leaning towards it. "I'm sorry. I'm a bit shellshocked here. I can't begin to thank you enough right now. You saved our asses out there."

"No, Elliott did," I corrected from somewhere in Adam's shoulder. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did," Chance corrected me gently, holding my arm. "You're the—umppfhh!" He grunted as a door behind him swung open, hit him square in the back, and sent him, me, Adam, and Austin sprawling onto the floor, Rob just barely dancing out of the way.

"Oh shit!" Scott exclaimed, looking down at us as we crawled to our feet. "Are you guys OK? I am so sorry!"

"Scotty?" Mitch's voice floated up. "What's going on? Did you hear from Home Free? Do you know what's going on with them, other thank 'fixing to get ugly'?"

"Worst description ever!" Kevin remarked.

"Where's that door go?" Austin wondered, starting to nose around on his hands and knees.

"Even better, I found them!" Scott reported.

"All of them? All five of them?" Mitch asked, pitch rising exponentially as he talked. "Austin and Chance? Tim? Rob and Adam?"

"Austin, careful," Rob advised wisely as Austin craned his neck around the corner to look through the door.

"Pretty sure I know all the members of Home Free," Scott said dryly, starting to count us. "One, two, three, four... five. Yep, all accounted for and—"

"Gahhh!" Austin shrieked, having not heeded Rob's advice and falling straight down an unknown staircase.

"Found Austin," Kirstie remarked. "Dude, you OK?"

"Ow," was all he had to say about it, just lying still at the bottom. We took off after him, shouting.

"Austin?" Adam asked urgently.

"Are you OK?" I blinked back tears, very nearly blinking a contact lens out.

"I told you to be careful!" Rob reminded him.

"I heard you say 'ow'. Are you in one piece?" Chance wanted to know.

The four of us leaned over him and promptly smacked our own heads together and groaned. My contact that I was now officially fighting with slid out and hung onto my eyelash.