Radiant Eclipse

It was early the next morning, when Anne got up to use the loo. She trudged in and out, half asleep, but was woken up when she spied the clock on Danny's nightstand.

0645h.

Swearing to herself, she immediately started looking for all her clothes, and getting dressed.

"Oi. What do you think you're doing?"

Danny groggily asked, as he turned on his lamp.

"Was I that bad?"

"No! You were amazing. It's just Ash and I need to get back to the hotel before they realize we never came back."

"But I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to either. But we're gonna see each other later."

Danny shrugged, as he got up and put his boxer briefs on. He handed Anne her hat and jacket, then followed her downstairs to Ben's room.

"You know I'm not sure they actually did anything last night. I don't remember hearing much."

"Ash is on vocal rest remember? That includes sex too Danny."

Anne replied, as she softly knocked and then opened the door. Ben raised his head, squinted until his eyes focused on Anne and Danny, then flipped them off and pulled Ash towards him.

"Can't you wankers see we are sleeping?"

"Bugger off. Yes we can, but we have to go. Ash and I need to get back to the hotel, before they realize we never came back."

Reluctantly, Ash got up and started to get dressed, much to Ben's chagrin. Ben too, put on his boxers, then with Danny, followed both girls to the door.

"I was thinking that we should work together. Like our bands on a song or something."

Danny commented, as both girls tied their shoes.

"That would be awesome! We actually have a new song we're working on too! When we see the rest of our band later, we can run the idea past them!"

The girls did up their jackets, then kissed Ben and Danny goodbye, each not wanting to pull away. They quickly walked to the hotel, and were almost caught, as they nearly ran into Matt in the lobby.

"What the fuck is he doing awake??"

Anne whispered. Ash shrugged, and they waited until he was out of sight, then they both ran to the elevators. Quietly, they got into their room, changed and then climbed into bed, falling asleep until Natalie came to wake them up for lunch. Or rather, she banged on the door, until Anne finally got up.

"You look ... Horrid."

Natalie said, as she got a peek at Anne's bed head and last night's makeup.

"Good morning to you too. What do you want?"

"For you and Ash to get up and get ready. We need to be downstairs and ready to leave for lunch with the Asking Alexandria boys in fifteen."

"Yeah, yeah."

Anne said as she turned around and closed the door. She walked over to the other bed, and pulled the blanket off of Ash.

"Get up. Lunch with AA in fifteen. Well we have to leave in fifteen."

Slowly, Ash got up and headed into the bathroom. Both girls washed up, and applied a fresh coat of makeup. And it looked like neither was going to bother changing out of their clothes from last night. Anne went to throw something in the trash can, when she walked by Ash and caught a whiff.

"You smell like sex."

She said to the bassist, as she picked up her mascara tube. Ash put down her lipgloss and reached for her bottle of Vera Wang Glam Princess. She sprayed herself all over, then went back to putting on one last coat of lip gloss. She put everything back in her kit, closed it up then went to pack it in her bag. As Anne watched Ash walk away, she saw the unmistakable beginnings of a few hickeys on the left side of Ash's neck. Anne shoved everything back in her kit, and hurried out of the washroom. She dug through her suitcase for her black pashmina, grabbed it then threw it around Ash's neck.

"I can see hickeys on your left."

Anne answered, when Ash gave her a look as if to say, what the fuck. She shrugged and then resumed zipping up her bag. Satisfied that they had everything they needed, the girls put on their hats, jackets and biggest pair of sunglasses, and headed downstairs.

"It's about time!"

Jimmy called out, as he, Brian and Johnny enjoyed a cigarette outside the girls bus. They said nothing, as both girls flipped the guys off and got on board.

"What?! You girls too good to spend time with us or something?"

Matt teased, as Ash and Anne headed upstairs; while the driver got the engine started.

"We'll be right back. We're just putting our bags down."

They put their bags and jackets down, and headed back downstairs to join the others.

"WHY HAVE I NEVER SEEN THOSE BEFORE?! I WANT TO BORROW THOSE PRONTO!"

Mateja yelled, when she finally realized what was on Ash' leggings.

"Because the last time I lent you anything Star Wars related, I never got it back."

Ash texted her, then waited for Mateja to get it.

"What Star Wars thing did I never give back to you?"

"The Chewbacca hoodie. You lost it on tour remember?"

Corinne reminded her.

"It's too quiet in here. Who has the remote? Someone turn the tv on or something."

Jess asked, as she sat in Zacky's lap.

Ash found the remote next to herself at the table, and immediately started to flip through the channels. She came to a stop, on a channel unknown, that was showing a Simple Plan video marathon. Coincidentally, just as she left it on the channel and turned up the volume; they started showing footage of Simple Plan on the Bamboozle Road Show Tour. And they just so happened to be playing their new song, You Suck At Love.

"This so doesn't perfectly describe my life right now."

Ash wrote to Anne, as she tried not to bust out laughing. Anne just shook her head, and continued to work out a drum beat for the new song. Soon the bus came to a stop, as they had to drop the Avenged boys off for an interview before they got to their lunch. A few minutes after that, and they were at the Duke of York pub, while the Asking Alexandria boys waited outside.

"It's great to finally meet you girls, we've heard so much about you."

Ash Avildsen, the head of Sumerian Records greeted them as they stepped off of the bus.

"You must be Natalie. I'm Ash, I own Sumerian. And this is Asking Alexandria. Sam Bettley, James Cassells, Cameron Liddell, Ben Bruce and Danny Worsnop."

"I am Natalie. And this is Radiant Eclipse. Mateja Novak, Jess Ward, Corinne Metras and ... We're missing two people."

Just as Natalie was about to go into the bus, Anne and Ash stumbled out.

"And this is Anne Maccio and Ash Enriquez."

They all said their hellos, as they waited for Ash Avildsen to go see about their reservation.

"So .. Fancy seeing you girls here. It's been quite a while huh?"

James said, as he hugged both Anne and Ash. Ben and Danny snickered, which left everyone wondering what was going on.

"Someone want to fill us in? We obviously missed something."

Natalie asked.

"Ash and I couldn't sleep last night, because we were hungry, so we went out to get something to eat. And it turned out, James, Ben and Danny were eating at the same place. So we had dinner together."

"And .."

"A drink. Then Ash and I came back to the hotel and slept. Shall we go in?"

Anne replied, as she turned and headed inside, closely followed by Ash, the AA boys and Sumerian head, Ash Avildsen.

"They're hiding something from us. I know it."

Corinne muttered, as they followed Natalie in. When they got inside, Ash was sat in between Ben and Danny, across from James and Sam while Anne was talking, animatedly with Cameron. Ben was having a text conversation with Ash, while Danny and Sam were listening to James talk about the girls he spent the night with. Once all the girls were seated, Danny was the first to speak.

"So girls, I don't know if these two told you, but last night over dinner, I suggested that our bands should work together."

"I knew I forgot something. I don't know about you guys, but I'm down. And we do have that new song we've been working on."

Anne replied, looking at Corinne. She took out her lyric book, and passed it down the table for Danny to look at. He read through the song, then closed the book.

"May I make a suggestion?"

The girls nodded yes, and Danny continued.

"I like it. Really I do, but it needs something, like a guest artist. How do you feel about adding a verse from possibly, a rapper?"

Ash gave the thumbs up, and the rest of the girls slowly, nodded in agreement.

"Who were you thinking of getting?"

Corinne asked Danny.

"The first two that come to mind are either Tinie Tempah or Dizzee Rascal."

With that said, Danny took out his phone and started typing away. The server came to take their orders, and everyone started to talk about recording or the photoshoot the next day. Mateja was talking to Jess about guitar riffs when James tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, and he leaned over and said,

"So I heard you like droomers."

A blush creeped up her cheeks, as everyone started to laugh.

"Well yeah. How do you think she landed Jimmy?!"

Jess replied, causing Mateja to turn the shade of a ripe tomato. Before anymore could be said, their drinks and appetizers came, and Danny announced that Tinie Tempah agreed to meet them at the studio that night. They continued eating and talking amongst themselves, before Ash Avildsen suggested they settle the bill and get going to the studio. As everyone finished their scraps and downed their drinks, Corinne watched as Ben helped Ash into her jacket.

"You okay there?"

Anne asked her best friend.

"Are you sure nothing else went on between them last night?"

"What do you mean?"

Anne replied.

"Well, they do seem a little cozy Anne. I mean, aside from the waiter, they've talked to no one else all afternoon."

Natalie pointed out, as Ben stepped aside to let Ash walk in front of him.

"So they really hit it off last night, what's the big deal? He's single, she's single, what's wrong with them having a little fun?"

Asked Anne, as she turned and walked alongside James out to the bus. Danny gave their driver directions to the studio, and once everyone, Ash Avildsen included was on the bus, they were on their way. They immediately hit traffic, and were left to find a way to pass the time. Anne and James were talking about new cymbals that Zildjian had just released; Mateja, Jess and Cameron talked guitars; and Corinne, Sam and Danny played a game of cards, while Ash and Ben snuck up to her bunk.

"This is a pretty sick set up."

Ben whispered, as he looked around the upper floor. It was divided into seven tiny "rooms", with a bunk, closet, and lockable door. Ash pulled him inside her bunk, and pushed Ben onto the bed while she locked the door. She pulled off the scarf, which revealed the bite marks Ben had left on her the night previous.

"I should make the other side match."

Ben murmured, as he pulled Ash into his lap, so she straddled him and immediately attacked the right side of her neck. Ash dug her nails into his shoulders, and bit her lip, as Ben shoved his hands up her shirt, and unclasped her bra. As he worked on getting them both undressed, the driver managed to find a shortcut, out of traffic, and to the studio. Half an hour later, and they pulled up to the studio where the Avenged boys, the Berry brothers, Dan the body and Larry Jacobson waited for them.

"Why do I feel like we're missing people?"

Larry asked, as they all got on the bus.

"I'll be right back."

Anne said quickly, as she headed up to Ash' bunk and knocked.

"Come to join us?"

Ben asked, cheekily, as he opened the door, which allowed Anne to see Ash sit up with the sheets around her.

"Sadly no. We're at the studio and Larry is looking for Ash."

Ben closed the door, and Anne waited outside as she listened to Ben and Ash get dressed. They emerged shortly, Ben's clothing slightly rumpled, and Ash in her favourite outfit to record in; a pair of Roots sweatpants and a tank top. She pulled the pashmina around her neck, and they followed Anne back downstairs.

"Great, now that we're all here, we've got a few things to go over."

They all listened while Larry and Ash Avildsen spoke; well all except Johnny, who couldn't help but stare at Ben who had his arm around Ash's shoulder. He was brought back to reality, when he heard Larry clap his hands, and say that they should unload the girls gear and get into the studio. Brian, who noticed where Johnny's gaze has wandered, leaned over to him and cheekily asked,

"Jealous much?"

"Fuck you."

Was all Johnny said, as he followed everyone off the bus. They all helped to unload the gear that the girls would need, and headed into the studio. There was slight chaos, as gear was being unloaded and set up, and everyone scrambled to find a seat so they would not be in the way. While they waited for Tinie Tempah to arrive, the girls worked with their respective equals in AA and Avenged to get the melody to the song fleshed out. Well, all except for Johnny who carried on a conversation with Larry, Ash Avildsen and Dan the body, and Danny Worsnop who was on the phone giving Tinie directions to the studio.

"When are you going to suck it up and admit you're not over her?"

Larry whispered to Johnny, who watched as Ash played her bass, and Sam played along on her spare bass. He was aware of everything that had happened between them, and couldn't resist the chance to razz him about it. Johnny just huffed, and occupied himself with his phone, while those who heard Larry, just laughed at him.

Not long after, Tinie and two others finally arrived at the studio, and Danny introduced him to everybody.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to do this so last minute."

Larry said to Tinie, as he introduced himself and then to the girls.

"Before we get down to it, is it possible for me to see the lyrics and hear a bit of what it sounds like. And what is the song called?"

"It's called 'This Is What Rock And Roll Looks Like."

Corinne responded, as the girls got into the booth and situated behind their gear. After a few miscues, the girls finally managed to get through the first chorus and verse of the song.

"I love it. Do you think you can give me some time to work on my verse?"

"Why not? We've got to get everything recorded anyway. Who wants to go first?"

Danny asked.

Ash raised her hand first, and the girls left her alone in the booth so she wouldn't be distracted. Danny asked if she was ready, and when Ash nodded yes, he hit the record button and they were off. Thirty five minutes later, and Ash was done recording her parts.

"Ben and Sam couldn't keep their eyes off of you."

Anne whispered to Ash, as she got settled behind her kit.

"And somebody didn't look too happy about it, either."

Ash just rolled her eyes as she walked out of the booth, and went to sit between Sam and Ben. As the day progressed, so did the recording and it did quite well. All except for when Mateja and Jess broke some guitar strings, and Tinie kept dropping his lyric sheet.

"Fucking yes!" Danny exclaimed, as Tinie finished recording his verse.

"How about we jam this altogether and then call it a day?"

Everyone nodded yes, and the girls headed into the booth. They took their places and on Anne's count, they started into a song that had only taken three days to write.

"AND THAT IS A WRAP!"

Danny yelled into the intercom, as everyone started to clap and cheer.

"We should all go out to celebrate. I know this awesome little pool hall."

James suggested, with a sly smirk on his face. Not surprisingly, Ash and Anne were the first to agree, and everyone followed. While the Berry brothers and Dan the Body packed up the gear, the girls retreated to their bus, and then the showers in the studio to get ready.

"Is it me or are we all wearing leggings and a tee?"

Corinne asked, as they all gathered at the counter to do their makeup.

"Pretty much. Except Ash has a cardigan on, and Anne is looking very Peggy Bundy-esque."

Jess replied, as Anne turned and did a short runway walk to the showers and back to the counter.

"Mrowr Ash, Mrowr."

Mateja snorted, as Ash adjusted her breasts in the gingham red push up bra, she wore to match her pants and headband.

"Trying to show Johnny what he's missing eh?"

Ash's shoulders shook with laughter, which caused her to have to put her mascara wand down so she wouldn't poke herself in the eye. Once they were all satisfied with how they looked, the girls packed up their things and took a few group pictures; one of which Ash posted to twitter.

"AshE_RE: @Teja_RE @Jess_RE @anne_RE @Cor_RE and I dressed to the 9's. breaking hearts and taking names since 2003. Http://t.co/hdjahdgdka"

They hurried out to the bus, where the guys waited and greeted them with catcalls and wolf whistles.

"Well hot damn lil mama!"

Jimmy greeted Mateja, as he threw an arm around her shoulder. While everyone got settled in, Danny, Brian and Matt distributed shots to everyone.

"Here's to a successful recording day, tours and careers for us all!"

Danny called out, before everyone yelled cheers and down the shots of JD. They all danced to the club music that pulsates throughout the bus, the best they could in a moving vehicle, until the bus came to a stop outside the pool hall.

"KARAOKE NIGHT?! Fuck yes!"

Brian yelled, as they saw the sign posted outside. They all walked into the bar, with their significant other, except for Anne who walked with Danny and Ash, who was sandwiched between Ben and Sam. Once inside, they all scattered amongst the various tables and dart boards; as they waited for a turn with the karaoke mic.

"DUDE! WE SHOULD DO BODY SHOTS!"

A drunken Zack yelled, as he clung to Jess and a bottle of Jack. It was now 2 am, and everyone was pretty far gone. Johnny had left earlier, with the Berry brothers and Larry, as he had gotten tired of watching Ben and Sam with their hands all over Ash. They grabbed copious amounts of alcohol, shot glasses, lime slices and salt from the bar, and laid it out over one of the pool tables. Anne and Mateja both snorted, as Ben and Sam got Ash to lean her head back, and they each licked a spot on the side of her neck for the salt to stick on. They then, each balanced a shot glass, one of each of her breasts, as Ash held a lime slice in each hand. Ben and Sam took their shots, amidst wolf whistles and catcalls. Everyone then egged on Danny and Brian, as they attempted something similar with Anne.

Danny first tucked a shot of tequila between her breasts, followed by Brian's shot of JD. Brian waited for Danny to place the salt on Anne's neck, and the lime in her mouth, before he leaned down and took the shot with no hands. Danny followed suit, but lingered on Anne's lips, as Brian, Ben and Jimmy made their way to the karaoke stage.

"We need backup! Danny! Zacky! Get your asses up here!"

Jimmy yelled, as the guys eagerly awaited their turn. Anne sat back with everyone, who started screaming when the melody to "Bohemian Rhapsody" started to play. Brian had an arm around Danny's shoulder, as they drunkenly swayed behind Jimmy and Ben.

"So how are you handling that?"

Ash texted Anne, and nearly fell out of Sam's lap giggling at Anne's wide eyed reaction, to her boyfriend and fling being so close to each other.

"I thought she was boning Ben. WTF is she doing?"

Corinne muttered so only Matt, Jess and Mateja could hear.

"Just leave her be."
"Why?!"
"1. She's a grown woman. And 2. She's just having some harmless, single woman fun. Nothing wrong with that."

Matt replied, as he took another swig of his beer. As the faster and higher paced, vocally the song became, there was a person in the room who was crying from laughing so hard. The room then filled with applause, as the song came to an end, and the guys took a group now and then nearly toppled over onto each other. Just as they made it back to their table, the bartender called out last call.

"How about we take one last shot and then head back to my place? It's closeby to here and your hotel."

They all agreed, and then waited for the bartender to line up and poor the shots of JD. Yelling out cheers, everyone took their shots and then stumbled out onto the street. The walk took a little longer than expected, when they had to call the Berry brothers to come and help get and extremely inebriated James off of the ground and to Danny's place. Once safely inside, Danny turned on the radio to a random live from location broadcast, as Cam and Ben raided the liquor cabinet.

James grabbed the tequila bottle, and started yelling something more body shots. This time around, only Corinne, Jess, Zack, Mateja and Jimmy took part. Everyone watched as James poured the salt on one of Corinne's boobs, tucked the shot glass in between, and balanced the lime on the other boob. There were snickers all around, as James initially struggled to get the glass without his hands, and then the lime slice slipped into her bra.

"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Matt announced, just as it looked like James was about to reach in for the citrus.

"Aww man, I just wanted my lime."

"It's probably for the best James. It would have taken you a while to find it. The inbetween is so big, you could fit the island on Lost in there."

Jimmy called out, as everyone choked on their drinks. What surprised everyone, is what Jimmy said next.

"If you want though, there's a pair of perfectly fine tits right here."

Jimmy told James, as he motioned to Mateja's chest. Mateja tried, but failed miserably to cover her now candy apple red face. Eventually they got bored of listening to club music, and Danny changed the stations until he came across one playing R&B and soul. The Isley brothers had just started, when Danny started to grind against Anne.

"Aren't you going to do something?"

Corinne asked Brian, as Danny started to leave bite marks on Anne.

"Nah, it's an open relationship. And at least he's a real Rockstar and not some snot nosed punk."

"OPEN WHAT?! When did you decide that?!"

"After the two gnomes imploded. Speaking of the gnomes, where the he did she go?!"

They all looked around, and sure enough Ash, Sam and Ben were nowhere to found.

"Meh, just leave her be. In due time, Johnny will realize he's been fucking stupid and will beg to get her back."

Brian mentioned, as he got up and started to look for his shoes. One by one, those staying at the hotel, started to get ready to head back there. All except for Ash, and Anne who seemed too busy making out with Danny. When they finally came up for air, Anne and Danny realized that they were alone in the room. Well, with the exception of James who was passed out on the couch.

"I think we should take this upstairs."

Danny whispered, as Anne placed a garbage can next to the couch. Anne just nodded, and then giggled as they heard moaning coming from Ben's room.

"Time to drown those fuckers out."

Danny said to Anne, and he opened, shut and locked behind them.