“Well you showed up for this sound check,” John grumbled, “That's an improvement, I guess.”

Unable to help herself, Keely drew herself up to full height, which still didn't make her even with the man but made her feel better, and glared fiercely at him. The constant undermining of her back up band was getting under her skin. “You know that Led Zeppelin never did sound checks? Not that you're exactly Jimmy Page, are you?” she snarled, shoving the sheet of paper into his chest. “Take the damn set list.”

His eyes widened at her sudden outburst, but Keely just turned on her heel and stalked away down the hall. She knew that in an hour or two, maybe even less, she'd feel the guilt from yelling at back up band that happened to be fifteen years older than her and were probably just as road worn as she was. But at the moment, all she wanted to do was get away from them.

And if that meant going back into the stadium instead of heading out the doors they'd been standing in front of, so be it!

Automatically Keely let her feet take her to where she knew the stage was, looking for refuge in her travelling change room, the little space she possessed that was actually hers. But when she got there, she found herself looking across the empty stadium.

Only then did she remember that the stage crew hadn't finished yet. She'd done her short sound check while they were still setting up behind her, and it appeared in the time she'd been spending fighting with her back up band, not much else had been done. In fact, there was a rather lack of people around and she couldn't help but wonder if they'd finally taken their break. Putting up a stage was not an easy thing to do.

“Hey, I thought you were going to your hotel because, in your own words, “You don't want to see our fucking ugly faces until we get onto the bus tomorrow morning”, what happened to that?”

“I got over the fact that you three perverts threw water balloons at me while I was wearing a white tee shirt,” answered Keely absently to Colton's joking voice as she tugged on her still slightly damp hair. “You guys were upstaged by the Bitter fucking Rivals. They really are pretty damn bitter, the name fits perfectly.”

Grinning broadly, Colton stepped forward to her, “See? We're not that bad.”

Although she could feel the urge to smile tugging on the edges of her lips, Keely just scowled, shoving the arm that he was going to slip around her shoulder away. “Yeah, no touching, I'm still mad at you.”

It was at that moment where Marco walked up the stairs to the stage from the floor, a smirk huge on his mouth. “The red bra was a nice touch, by the way.”

Groaning Keely buried her head in her hands, living with three boys was much harder than anyone had thought to tell her. “You know what? You guys need to spend more time with your girlfriends, I'm starting to hate you.”

They just laughed beside her.

Shaking her head, she looked up to the stands, and then she felt her brows draw together. “Who's that?” she asked, nodding to where the dark haired figure was running up the stairs between the stands across from them.

“Oh, yeah, you haven't ever stuck around for one of our sound checks before. That's practically Seth's ritual for a show.”

Squinting, she focused solely upon the figure that was apparently Seth as it turned about to run back down the stairs. And she could feel her nose wrinkle in distaste at the thought of doing that, she doubted she could so much as run up those stairs, let alone be awake to do the show afterwards. “How in the hell does he not sleep?”

In unison the two beside her made noncommittal sounds in the back of their throats.

Instantly her eyes narrowed, and she looked between them.

But before she could question their sudden halt with the sharing, the two were walking away. But she did catch sight of the pursed lipped look gracing Marco's face as he strapped his guitar on, plugging it into the amplifier.

“Watch how much faster he runs when he thinks he's going to miss playing one of his favourite songs,” Colton called over his shoulder.

Shaking her head, Keely just hopped down the steps from where Marco had come, taking up a seat in the front row of the chairs lining the floor. Grinning because she was about to get yet another impromptu casual performance from one of her new favourite bands, she crossed her legs, propping her elbow upon her knee so she could balance her chin upon her hand. Oh, how she wished she could see The Foo Fighters like that, plus maybe every other band she owned a record from the same way and maybe then her life would be complete, many people would just have to come back to life so she could have her wish.

Colton swung down behind his drum kit, and, not bothering to count he and Marco in, started with a steady beat upon the cymbals that was amplified beautifully if oddly in the empty stadium. But it wasn't until Marco stepped up to his microphone and started with the “Yow”s that the smile spread even broader across her face as she recognized the words Mick Jagger sang at the beginning of Sympathy For The Devil.

But the bassist and back up vocalist didn't even get close to the first line of the song before Seth sprinted up on stage. In just a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, he swung a 1957 Telecaster over his shoulders, plugging the guitar with the blonde and gold hardware into an amp. In that moment in time Keely had no doubt in her mind that Seth had bought that with Keith Richards in mind, if not it would be a very strange coincidence.

Although he barely had enough time to reach his microphone stand, Seth met the timing perfectly with the first lines... as usual.

“Please allow me to introduce myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste

I've been around for a long, long year

Stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ

Had his moment of doubt and pain

Made damn sure that Pilate

Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guess my name

But what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game

I stuck around St. Petersburg

When I saw it was a time for a change

Killed the Tzar and his ministers

Anastasia screamed in vain

I rode a tank

Held a general's rank

When the Blitzkrieg raged

And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guess my name, oh yeah

Ah, what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

(woo woo, woo woo)

I watched with glee

While your kings and queens

Fought for ten decades

For the gods they made

(woo woo, woo woo)

I shouted out,

"Who killed the Kennedy's?"

When after all

It was you and me

(who who, who who)

Letting out a deep breath as she watched, Keely felt her eyes unashamedly focused on Seth. The other boys were great, but she just couldn't find it within herself to look away.

His dark hair was sticking up messily in random directions, but it was just as sexy as usual, especially paired with those hazel eyes that bridged to golden beneath the lights peeking out boldly and that devilish crooked grin he sent her as he played. Then of course there were the well formed arms that flexed as he played without so much a glance down at the instrument. He was every inch that boy fathers tried to keep their daughters away from, the bad boy with enough charm and an overload of talent to make him irresistible.

Oh, there was definitely something wrong with her for thinking that way, wasn't there?

Let me please introduce myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste

And I laid traps for troubadours

Who get killed before they reached Bombay

(woo woo, who who)

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah

(who who)

But what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby

(who who, who who)

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah

But what's confusing you

Is just the nature of my game

(woo woo, who who)

Just as every cop is a criminal

And all the sinners saints

As heads is tails

Just call me Lucifer

'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

(who who, who who)

So if you meet me

Have some courtesy

Have some sympathy, have some taste

(woo woo)

Use all your well-learned politesse

Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mmm yeah

(woo woo, woo woo)

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guessed my name, mmm yeah

(who who)

But what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game, mmm mean it, get down

(woo woo, woo woo)

Woo, who

Oh yeah, get on down

Oh yeah

Oh yeah!

(woo woo)

Tell me baby, what's my name

Tell me honey, can ya guess my name

Tell me baby, what's my name

I tell you one time, you're to blame

Oh, who

woo, woo

Woo, who

Woo, woo

Woo, who, who

Woo, who, who

Oh, yeah

What's my name

Tell me, baby, what's my name

Tell me, sweetie, what's my name

Woo, who, who

Woo, who, who

Woo, who, who

Woo, who, who

Woo, who, who

Woo, who, who

Oh, yeah

Woo woo

Woo woo.”

With Seth roughening up his voice at the appropriate moments to do a more than impressive imitation of Mick Jagger's voice, Marco and Colton added to the back up vocals perfectly even though the latter wasn't much of a singer, they did a great cover of The Rolling Stones.

Sitting up straight, Keely smiled, giving them a slow – and very much singular – round of applause.

Sending her one of those rare smiles with the dimple in his cheek, Seth put a hand on the mic, turning his head to look back at his band as Keely pondered the odd feeling in her chest every time she saw them play. “Yeah, I think we're good enough, don't you?” he asked, his voice amplified across the stadium.

The boys chorused their agreements and the three moved in unison back, Seth and Marco both handing off their guitars although Colton didn't have that issue. She'd stopped her clapping by that point, and was just pondering that contracting in her chest that felt like it was trying to fill in an abrupt gap.

She glanced up at the sound of Seth's voice, although it was no longer magnified across the empty stadium.

“Did you get-”

But her focus on his words was cut off as a loud bang sounded in front of her, and her eyes widened as she looked at a broadly smiling Colton. “You know, that really cannot be safe,” she observed, referring to his jump off of the stage.

“Ah, it's all good,” he replied breezily, falling into the seat to her side easily. “As long as we're not you-”

“And fall over flat ground,” finished Marco, dropping into the seat on her other side.

Keely just rolled her eyes, leaning forward slightly in her seat. “You know what, I should be insulted by that one, but I'm going to let it slide, just this once.”

“Oh, it's a miracle! Let...”

Colton continued on in his exclamation, yet Keely found her attention drawn away.

Usually by that time she would be blaming her short attention span on lack of sleep or something of the same variety, but now she knew exactly what – or rather, who – to blame it on, Seth. Although she doubted any person of the female gender, and probably about fifty percent of the male, would have their thoughts scattered at that point.

Her eyes had passed over him with his back turned to her just in time to see a member of the previously absent stage crew tossing him a pair of jeans and a shirt. Her gaze had refocused when she saw him let the jeans fall to the ground, but hanging the shirt casually on the microphone beside him.

Also meaning that she got the full effect when he reached up, gripping the black shirt he was wearing by the back of the neck, and pulled it over his head. Her eyes widened momentarily, but she quickly got over her shock and began to bite on her lip absentmindedly.

Backs were very much underrated, Keely thought vaguely as she leaned forward in her seat slightly, people spent all their attention on chests, but backs were just as sexy, especially when they belonged to Mr Seth Ryan. The indentations and muscles running in perfect sync down the lean back, apparently all that running and whatever else he must do to keep the body was paying off. The muscles in question tightened ever so slightly as he replaced the shirt that had the small sweat patches from his running on the stand, picking up the clean one.

Wasn't it supposed to be guys who gawked? She began to wonder, continuing to chew on her lip as his back contracted while he pulled the shirt over his head.

It really was a shame, the female population would have been served well had he just walked about shirtless for the rest of his life.

He turned around, running a hand through his hair, but Keely still didn't look away. Their eyes met, and one of the famous cocky smirks slid onto his face, pulling up one edge of his mouth.

“... Keely?” the sound of her name was joined with a prod on her arm.

“Huh, what?” she asked, blinking as she looked back to Marco who was looking at her with a confused expression.

The boys were both looking at her bewildered. “Where did you just zone out to?”

Fighting the blush, Keely answered evenly, “Nowhere, what are you talking about?”

“You were just staring up there,” said the two in unison, pointing to previous point of focus. Wishing she could sink into the ground, Keely turned her gaze with them, but Seth was no longer standing there.

The time she let out a sigh of relief. That would have been incredibly embarrassing.

“So what are you going to do now that you're not pissed at us anymore?” enquired Marco, leaning back in his seat.

Copying his movement, Keely slouched backwards comfortably, tapping her hand absently on her leg. For a moment her mind went blank, what was she supposed to be mad at them for? It took a few seconds, but the memory of being soaked with three water balloons swept into her mind clearly, causing her to scowl at them. “I'm still mad at you, you're just preferable to some people.”

Before she could start a rant at them that she was sure they'd just ignore anyways, Colton tossed a flimsy magazine in her lap, sufficiently cutting her off. “You and Seth are just favourites for tabloids these days, Maureen is either going to give huge ass bonus for that or choke you with one of the magazines.”

“One or the other,” retorted Keely smoothly, flipping the tabloid over in her hands so she could look at the cover.

It was still odd to see herself on these things, to even recognize her name. But this time it was much easier to see herself in the picture, if not her name in the headline. And at the very least this picture made her smile, very much unlike the blood boiling that had come with her mug shot on the covers.

Her eyes bypassed the words, instead just looking straight to the picture. It was from Vancouver when she and Seth had been at the water. They were sitting upon the short wall, both cross legged with guitars in their laps although hers had a spruce top dreadnought cutaway while Seth's was a simple black dreadnought. The grin on her face was clear as she looked down at the songbook sitting between them while Seth was looking across at her, the smile with the dimple in his cheek obvious as he held his hands ready to play.

Finally her eyes made their way up to the title, finding it to proclaim, “Just A Writing Partnership?”. Rolling her eyes, Keely tossed it back into Colton's lap, she didn't need to read about her apparent sexual relationship with the boy, that'd just make things very awkward. “I like that picture at least,” she told him, looking up.

A smile twitched on her lips when she caught sight of Seth walking across the black stage wearing those jeans that had been passed to him and shrugging a jean jacket over the black The Kinks shirt as well as the plaid shirt he'd left open.

“So what are you doing after this?” asked Marco again.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm not sure,” she replied honestly, looking towards him.

“Well, I was thinking-” began Colton.

Yet before he could even finish his sentence, a hand gripped hers and was tugging Keely out of her seat.

Laughing easily, she allowed Seth to pull her easily from the seat, spinning her around so she was walking in front of him, already getting propelled away from the two boys even as he dropped her hand. “We're going out,” he called back to the boys.

“That wasn't very nice,” Keely pointed out, glancing over her shoulder to him, but kept walking all the same.

He shrugged, stepping in front of her half a step so he could push open the front doors that Keely stepped through smoothly. “The only good thing that will come out of hanging out with them right now is if they hit you with water balloons again, but sadly you're not wearing a white shirt anymore, so that takes away the whole effect.”

Scowling she pushed a pair of aviators onto her face against the harsh winter sun, she pointed an accusing finger back at him. “I'm still mad at you for that.”

Seth just smirked broadly, he too shoving on a pair of sunglasses, although his were a pair of wayfarers that he'd taken out his pocket, the same set she'd made fun of in a music store. It felt like years ago, and now all she could say the glasses looked more than appealing on him even though they hid his eyes. “Well, it was the highlight of my day,” he retorted.

Rolling her eyes, Keely simply elbowed him in the stomach, stalking forward quickly.

Even though his laughter slowed him down initially, Seth hurried forward, his long legs eating up the ground until he was at her side quickly. “C'mon, we're going this way,” he told her, slipping his arm around her shoulder and turning her to the left.

Deciding that curiosity fully outweighed her anger, Keely let her shoulders relax, looking around them interestedly. “Where are we going?”

“You'll see.”

“Seth,” she whined loudly, “I hate it when people do that, just tell me where we're going.”

“No,” he answered simply.