My Way Home Is Through You

Author's Note: I don't know any of their crew's actual names, nor am I interested in knowing. This is fiction, and as long as it's semi-believable, I don't really care. Also, I don't know if Ray's actually a fan of Boston, but I know he loves classic rock, and "More Than A Feeling" is classic.

Ray had been expecting some sort of an uproar from the crew as he carried Anna on his hip into the venue, but he wasn't quite prepared for the reaction he got.

For a moment, the room was dead quiet as their crew took in the sight of the five rockers and the little girl in the lead guitarist's arms. It reminded Ray of a cartoon where all that could be heard was the chirping of crickets; he had to fight to keep from laughing at the shocked looks on people's faces.

Then suddenly there was a collective squeal from most of the ladies in the room, and a good chunk of the crew made their way over to the guys.

"Who's this gorgeous little lady?" asked Deanna, a sound tech.

"Look at that hair!" exclaimed Christine from Hair & Make-Up. "What a doll-baby!"

"Oh, Ray, she's adorable!" cried Elizabeth, one of their make-up artists. "Is this your niece?"

Before Ray could answer, Frank stood on an amp and called out, "Hey guys, hang on!" The room quieted once more as all eyes were turned to Frank.

"Ray here has got an announcement to make, so listen up!" He hopped off the amp and grinned at his bandmate. "The floor is all yours, dude."

"Thanks a bunch, Frank," Ray muttered. He looked at his daughter's face and saw her eyes were fixed on him nervously. Once again, she was chewing her bottom lip. He touched his forehead to hers for a moment to comfort her, then turned back to the waiting crew.

"Guys, this is Anna." He swallowed hard and willed himself to continue. "Her mom passed away last week, and she's been placed in my care."

With a deep sigh, he said, "She's my daughter."

Silence filled the room once more before Brian stepped in from behind the band.

"Anyone who even thinks about grilling Ray on all this is going to have to answer to me," he said forcefully. "And none of this is to be public knowledge until Ray is ready to take that step, are we clear on that?" A few members of the crew hung their heads and slunk away, while most others just shrugged and went about their duties.

"It's okay, Brian," Ray said quietly, feeling uncomfortable as the crowd dispersed. "I trust these guys." He looked at Anna again, who was still biting her lip. "You okay, sweetie?" She nodded, but Ray was sure he felt her arms tighten their grip around his neck.

"You don't like all this attention, huh?" he murmured to her. She shrugged and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, dude," said Mikey, walking up from the area of the dressing rooms. "We're going to go ahead and get dressed. Why don't you just hang out here with Anna until we're done and then you can go get ready and we'll watch her?"

"Okay," Ray said, nodding and rubbing Anna's back. "Thanks, Mike."

He carried Anna into the lounge and sat her on the couch.

"What's the matter, baby?" he asked as he sat down beside her.

"That's a lot of people," she murmured softly.

"I know," he replied. "But they're good people. I work with them. They help me and the guys do our jobs and make kids happy."

"Playing music?" she asked, a glimmer of a smile on her face. He grinned at her.

"Yeah, music." He picked up one of the spare guitars they had stashed in the room and propped it on his lap. He thought for a moment, then slowly began to strum, and in a voice saved only for the recording studio, he sang gently to her.

"I looked out this morning, and the sun was gone
I turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away..."

And in that moment, no fan's adoration could hold a candle to the look of wonder and love on his child's face. Ray knew he'd fallen, and fallen hard.

When Gerard and Bob came in moments later to let Ray get himself ready, he didn't want to leave. After stalling as long as he could, he gave Anna a kiss on the cheek and went to the dressing room.

When he returned, he found his daughter and his bandmates munching happily on burgers and fries. Frank, who had managed to fenagle someone into getting him a veggie burger, was entertaining Anna by sticking french fries up his nose. She giggled madly as he pretended to have walrus tusks.

Laughing, Ray said, "Dude, you better not get ketchup on that jacket. Tammy'll go ballistic on you."

"Hey, I'm careful!" Frank retorted as a fry fell out of his mouth. Anna giggled even harder at this.

"Here, Ray," Bob said, tossing a foil-wrapped burger at him. "Eat something, we're on in, like, ten minutes."

Ray unwrapped the burger and wolfed it down in four bites, not realizing how hungry he'd been. As he wiped a dab of mustard from his mouth, he looked up and saw Anna staring at him with wide eyes and jaw agape. He grinned at her and Gerard burst out laughing.

"You're dad's a pig, Anna!" he exclaimed, and Ray made a face at him.

"Five minutes, guys," said Brian as he came into the room.

"Oh, shit," muttered Mikey as they all gobbled down the remains of their food. One by one, they all got up and made their way out of the room, each giving Anna a kiss before walking out.

"Here, put these in her ears," Frank said to Brian as he was leaving. He handed his manager a pair of ear plugs. "She'll go deaf if you don't."

Ray scooped his daughter off of the couch and gave her a hug. "Brian's going to hang out with you while we're on stage, okay?" She nodded and smiled at him, then at Brian.

"Okay, Daddy."

He kissed her and said, "Be good, kiddo. We'll be back in a little while." he set he back down on the couch and went to join his bandmates.

The gig went well, and as he played with all his might, Ray could think of nothing but the fact that there was someone waiting backstage for him to come home to. The thought gave him joy, and he played all the more fiercely. As always, they ended with "Helena," and as he came up from a lengthy headbang, he happened to glance into the wings of the stage. He did a double take.

Brian stood just offstage with Anna on his hip. Her hands covered her ears, and for a moment Ray was worried for her. But then he noticed that she was wearing the biggest smile he'd ever seen.

Grinning, he sang his heart out to help finish the song, then as the lights went down, he unplugged his guitar and ran offstage.

Brian had pulled Anna back to the lounge once the song had ended, and when Ray came into the room, Anna jumped to her feet on the couch and began to bounce wildly.

"Daddy!" she shrieked. A lone ear plug popped out of her ear as she hopped off the couch and ran to him. He lifted her into a giant bear hug as the others came bounding in behind him.

"Anna-Banana!" Frank cried as the little girl flung her arms around Ray's neck.

"Frankie!" she exclaimed happily as she settled into her father's arms.

"Did you like our show?" Frank asked her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah!" she shouted.

"What was the best part?" Gerard asked her as they call crashed on the couches.

"When Daddy did this,' she said, and with that she shook her head vigorously, her long curls flying everywhere. They all laughed.

"You like it when your dad shakes his head?" Mikey said with a smile. Anna nodded.

"He looks like a lion!" she said in awe.

The guys roared with laughter at this, and Ray smirked a bit at his friends.

"That's right," he said. "And don't you forget it!"