Forgotten

BOBS POV.

"What do you mean I have to?"

"You have to or we have to cancel a show," said Brian irritatedly down the phone to me. I had just finished showing all three kids around the whole house when he had called me.

"I thought you got a fill in?" I asked.

"I just told you, he's fallen over and landed awkwardly on his wrist, he can't play tonight. The doctors think he's broken it, it's in a cast and everything."

"Brian I can't. You know I can't, I have to be here."

"We have another drummer on the way out but he wont make tonight's show. Come on Bob it's in your home town, just bring the kids with you!"

"It's not that simple OK!"

"Well, we'll make it that simple."

"Brian, I'm sorry but there is no way I'll be able to make playing tonight, I need to be here," Robbie had walked into the room and looked at me curiously.

"Bob please! We'll have to cancel the show, there's already fans outside waiting, some of them slept rough for this!"

I sighed and looked at Robbie then covered up the end of the phone so Brian wouldn't hear me.

"Do you think you'll be alright to go somewhere tonight?"

"Where?" he asked, curious.

"I... I kinda need to play one show with my band, they're in Chicago tonight, the fill in guy they got to cover for me broke his wrist."

"Well that was clever," he rolled his eyes.

"I'll go. Cassie will go just to see Ray again," Cassie had developed a huge fondness of Ray when she was staying in the communal house with us. Every time he walked into a room she would squeal and jump on him to play with his hair.

"I can't expect Josh to be there, It's not fair to him," I said finally, taking my hand off the phone to speak to Brian again.

"Wait-" said Robbie.

"Maybe... this might be better for him than staying at home? Maybe this can take his mind off things?"

"You're pretty smart you know that?"

"Brian, I should be able to do it, let me call you back in a few minutes."

"OK, bye Bob."

I hung up and Robbie looked at me.

"What?" I asked, confused by the way he was looking at me.

"You've got a cellphone."

"Everybody has a cellphone..."

"I don't."

"You want to use mine don't you?" He smirked and nodded.

"Who do you want to call?" I asked suspiciously.

"Somebody," he blushed a little.

"Taylor?" I asked.

"Maybe."

"Tell you what, see if she wants to go tonight, I can get her tickets and a backstage pass."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes wide. I laughed.

"I'm in the band, course I can. Josh make any friends he would want to invite, might cheer him up a bit?"

"Where am I going?" asked Josh, coming into the room, now dressed in a plain black t-shirt and baggy blue jeans.

"To a gig." I quickly explained the situation to him and he understood.

"So we get to come backstage and everything?"

"Yeah." I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and switched the caller ID to hide my number. I handed the phone to Robbie and his face lit up.

"Can we bring four people?" asked Robbie, looking at Josh who gave him a kind of half smile.

"If you want. But you two need to stay as hidden as you can, you can go in the pit with your friends if you want Robbie, but Josh, stay at the side of the stage with Cassie," they both nodded. Robbie called Taylor and she freaked out. She's never been to one of our shows before and she can come backstage and everything now. She called all the other three people and they would all be there too.

"Daddy?" asked Cassie, coming into the room.

"Yeah sweetie?"

"Can I watch you play the drums and Ray play guitar and Mikey play the big..." she trailed off, concentrating hard.

"Bass," whispered Robbie and Josh smacked him in the stomach for giving it away.

"Bass!" Cried Cassie happily.

"Yeah you sure can, but one thing, tonight I'm not Dad. I'm Bob OK?"

"Sure," Cassie nodded and all three of them headed upstairs to get changed as we would have to leave for the venue very soon.

I called Brian again.

"Hello?"

"Brian it's Bob, I can do tonight, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"That's great thank you so much for this, I understand you need to be at home taking care of the kids."

"They're coming with me, actually... I need to ask a favor."

"Sure, anything, what is it?"

"Can I borrow 4 tickets and if possible backstage entrances for tonight?"

"The kids don't need them, they're with you."

"They only agreed to go if they could bring some friends along, they won't be a hassle, I'll keep an eye on them all."

"Alright, I'll have the tickets for you when you get here. Hurry up you need to get sound checking."

"Be there as soon as I can." I hung up the phone and sighed before heading to my room and pulling out all my stage clothes for tonight.

Twenty minutes later all four of us were in my car on the way to the venue. Cassie was the most excited, she just wanted to see the guys again I think.

"Can I have a go on the big micophone?"

"If Gee will let you, but I'm sure he will." She was so sweet, saying words wrong and stuff.

We were at the venue in ten minutes. Robbie was fidgeting, Josh was silent and Cassie was excited. Once we had got there, I pulled my hoody up and low over my face, put on my sunglasses, parked the car up in the back of the venue right next to where the bus was parked and we went inside through the back door. Outside was swarming with fans and I really didn't want anybody to recognize me.

I pulled the hoody off and removed the sunglasses.

"BOBBY!!" Squealed somebody a fair bit shorter then me, jumping onto me and hugging me tightly from behind.

"Let go Frank," I warned. The kids just laughed.

"But I want a HUG!" He cried, squeezing me tighter.

"Frank let go!" I pushed him off and he mock pouted.

"Somebody's cranky!" he said and Cassie giggled.

Why is it that all the others get along better with them than me?

"Frankie I like your jacket," she said shyly, Frank was already in his stage clothes for our 'Black Parade' part of the set.

"Aww thanks kiddo," he ruffled up her hair a little.

"You guys alright?" he asked, turning to the twins.

"I'm alright," said Robbie indifferently. He's nervous. I can tell.

Josh didn't answer, he was stood just staring around the room.

"You alright?" I asked, he swayed a little on his feet and I grabbed the top of his arm to steady him.

He shook his head a little and blinked hard, then nodded.

"I'm fine," he said.He really wasn't, I could see it, he didn't want to be here, he needed to be resting.

"Alright. I'll show you guys where you need to be for now. Robbie you can either go in the pit or you and your friends can stay stageside with Josh and Cassie, what do you wanna do?"

"I'll ask them," he said, running off to meet them outside the venue.

Half an hour later Robbie, Josh, Cassie, Taylor and three other kids I didn't know who were called Davey, Blue and Jake were all in one of the bigger dressing rooms and we were all just sat around. Sound check had been done and everything was going fine, so far.

Robbie and Taylor were very close to say the least, she was all over him in other words, she was nice enough but I think Robbie needs to keep his wits about him.

There was a knock at the door and I got up to answer it. It was two guys from the support band. Madina Lake were supporting us tonight as a one off because it's in their home town too. It was Matthew and Nathan at the door.

"Hey guys," I had met them before and they were truly the nicest guys you could ever meet.

"Hey Bobbert, long time no speak," said Nathan, smiling.

"Yeah, too long, hows things going for you?"

"Things are great as ever. That crowd out there tonight look like they want a good show, they're pretty hyped."

"Always a good thing," I began to wonder what they wanted. The wouldn't have come to see me just to say hi and to make small talk.

"So... we've been hearing things around here tonight," said Matthew.

"Strange and mysterious things," said Nathan, smirking. His brother hit him and laughed at his stupidity.

"Like what?" I asked.

"That you have a whole pile of kids backstage with you?"

"So what if I have. Their... uh... my cousin's and some friends."

"Oh OK we heard differently and hello there precious," said Nathan, Cassie had appeared in the doorway next to me and she hid behind me a little at the sight of the two strange men at the door.

"H-hi," she said shyly, waving a little.

"You know, for a cousin, she looks a hell of a lot like you," said Matthew knowingly.

"She's my cousin," I said firmly.

They looked at each other knowingly and then looked back at me. They know.

Somebody can't keep a secret. Somebody has been telling everyone about the kids.