A Helping Hand

Packing up Julia, the Labrador, and Winston, the husky, is always a tricky job. They are two big dogs, and Indy only had one small car. Luckily, once they were in, they stuck their head out a window, one on each side for the full wind-in-the-face experience, and barely moved until the car stopped again. She had asked Matt if it was ok to bring her dogs around, having had many conversations with him about his dog Bella. She knew the two labs would get along great, because that’s what labs are best at, being friendly.

Arriving at the house, Indy was surprised at its size. Matt had definitely invested his money wisely. They boys were popular, and from what she knew, had been on many tours, nationally, and globally, but she didn’t realise they were THIS successful.

In front of her stood a gorgeous 2-storey house, its beige exterior keeping it subtle, but timeless. Its manicured lawns were vibrant green, with an adorable cottage-esque path leading from the sidewalk to the front door.

Taking a deep breath, she switched off the ignition for her car, winding her window up as she collected herself. It would be ok. It is just a few more people to meet. She should be honoured. They are welcoming her into their crazy family of friends, loved ones, and co-workers. It will be fine.
Getting the dogs out of the car, she looked around for her father’s black truck, failing to see it anywhere. She had wished she had tried harder to carpool with him, not wanting to go in alone.

“Show time”, she muttered to herself, picking up the leashes on one hand, and the handles of a chiller bag in the other. Having listened to Zacky’s advice, she had packed herself a 6-pack, and had bought Matt a bottle of bourbon. As it was the first event she was attending, she wanted to make a good impression. Even she realised how important they viewed their little clique, and didn’t want to be on the outside, especially considering they still had a lot of recording to get done.

Indy walked to the front door, taking one more calming breath before knocking on the wood. Three loud knocks sounded as she stood back from the door, looking down at her well behaved dogs. She heard the handle move, and looked up, staring at the face of no one other than Johnny Christ.

“Hey Indy!” He exclaimed, quickly opening the door wider, and leaning forward to give her a quick one-armed hug.

“Hey, JC,” she replied, reciprocating his hug.

“You are lucky I was heading back from the bathroom, everyone is outside, and wouldn’t have heard you knock! Next time, feel free just to walk on in”, he said, letting her know the general run of the house. He couldn’t remember the last time he, or anyone else in their group, had knocked before entering. He finally seemed to notice the two dogs at Indy’s feet, his eyes lighting up. “Puppies!”

Indy giggled at his childlike reaction to the dogs. As they were taught, they continued to sit as Johnny bent town to give them some attention. They both looked up at him happily as he cooed at them, rubbing their ears and patting their heads.

“This is Julia,” she said, motioning to her left. “And Winston.”

“They are gorgeous!! Aren’t you? You are just so happy, and so cute!” He gave them both a quick chest rub before standing up, almost forgetting their owner for a minute.

“Uh, so I suppose we should go outside?” He asked, coming back to reality after being blindsided with cute puppies.

“Sounds like a plan,” Indy agreed. “Am I ok to take the dogs through the house?”

“Yeah, Matt’s dog is an inside dog, so I can’t see why not,” Johnny said, stepping away from the door to let Indy and the dogs in. “Come on, I will lead you out the back.”

“Thanks,” Indy smiled at him, appreciative of his kind nature. He had only shown Indy his kind side, his sweet nature coming through in their conversations. She had noticed his more ‘manly’ demeanour around the other guys, watching him as he took all the hits and jokes in his stride, often giving back with a witty retort. He was a very interesting person to observe, and Indy just loved trying to figure him out.

She took a stride forward, giving the dogs the command to follow as they moved through the house. They passed through the entrance to an open foyer, and then straight through the kitchen and through the sliding glass doors to a patio and backyard. Indy barely had time to look at her surroundings before Johnny announced their arrival.

“Hey, Indy’s here,” he said succinctly. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer and it was silent for the split second between everyone stopping their conversation and the start of the greetings.

Indy awkwardly lifted up her hand in a wave, smiling lightly as a few people got up to greet her. A scan around the group told her that there were about 10 people here so far, the familiar faces of the band, Matt Berry, and two older people she assumed were someone’s parents.

“LOOK AT THE PUPPIES,” Jimmy shouted, barreling over at 100 miles an hour and lunging at the dogs.

“This is Julia, and Winston,” Indy introduced again, motioning to the two very patient dogs at her feet. Jimmy was busy patting Winston, marveling at his fluffy fur. She unclipped each dog from their lead, and they bounded to Jimmy, loving the attention the drummer was giving them.

“I AM IN HEAVEN,” he exclaimed, dropping to the ground and letting the dogs attack him, licking his face, and sniffing all over.

Indy tore her gaze away, a huge grin on her face now knowing her dogs would be well looked after for at least a little while. She bundled their leads in her hand, putting them safely in her bag for when she left later. She looked up and saw Matt and Brian both heading over.

“Hey Indy,” Matt greeted, giving her a quick hug before stepping back so Brian could do the same.

“Hey Matt,” she replied, pulling away and greeting Brian. “Hey Bri.”

“I think we have Jimmy’s entertainment for the night,” Brian commented, leaning in for a hug.

“I’m glad. They are going to be so pooped when I get them home,” she smiled, loving that they would be entertained as well. “Thanks again for letting me bring them.”

“No worries,” Matt replied, more than happy to accommodate the puppies. “I have no idea where Bella is. I’m surprised she isn’t already out here.”

As if on cue, a yellow streak flew by them, jumping into the mass of Labrador, husky and Jimmy. They all heard a yell as the drummer was attacked by a third dog.

“What the hell? Bella just took off,” a woman spoke, slightly breathless as she ran out to the patio.
She joined Matt, Brian and Indy, her eyes going to chaos that was happening 3 feet in front of them. “Oh!”

“They are Indy’s dogs. I told her she could bring them over. Hopefully show Bella how to be a normal fucking dog,” Matt spoke, gesturing to Indy as he put his arm around the woman. “Indy, this is my girlfriend Val. Val, this is Indy.”

“Oh hi! Nice to finally put a face to a name! How are you?” Val greeted Indy, stepping past her boyfriend to take the girl into a hug. “I have heard so much about you. Thank you for coming.
Welcome.”

“Hey. Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for having us over,” Indy replied, trying to catch up with all the words Val had spoken. It was a bit of a shock for Indy to be greeted in such a friendly manner by someone she was meeting for the first time.

“Please, don’t even worry about it. The guys basically live here on weekends,” she said, waving it off.

“I can see why. Your house is gorgeous,” Indy complimented the paid, watching as Val tucked herself back under Matt’s arm. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her tight. Indy averted her gaze, remembering the bottle of bourbon she had bought with her. She quickly grabbed it from her bag, holding it out. “As a thanks for inviting me.”

“Indy, you didn’t have to do that,” Matt said, smiling at her as he took the bottle from her hands.

“Yeah, if you do that every time one of us has a party, you will be broke by the time this album is done,” Brian joked.

“Note taken,” Indy replied, smiling. She realised she was still carrying her 6-pack, and wanted to get them back to a chilled temperature. The 35 minute drive had warmed them up quite a bit. “Do you have any space in the fridge for these?”

“Of course, come on through,” Val said, nodding. She unwound herself from Matt and started towards the kitchen.

Indy followed the blonde woman, going back through the doors she was lead through only 5 minutes ago. Val made her way through the kitchen, opening the fridge doors, and making a little gap for Indy’s drinks.

“I’m surprised there is this much room, normally it is overrun by now,” Val said, watching the other woman put the drinks in.

“Lucky you guys have such a huge fridge,” Indy commented, noting the gorgeous stainless steel double door fridge. Indy loved all things kitchen, fridges, stoves, appliances. As baking was one of her passions, she loved being surrounded by quality when it came to things that mattered.

“Believe me, it was one of the first big purchases when we got this place. I knew the guys would be all but living here. 5 boys means you need a lot of room to store alcohol and food,” Val replied, recalling the day she and Matt first moved in. She couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic, even if it was only a year ago.

“I could imagine! It must be nice being able to have people over so often, though,” Indy said, taking a beer out of the cardboard holder, and closing the fridge. “Oh, did you want anything?”

“You’re my guest, I should be asking you that,” Val laughed, waving off Indy’s offer. She was already beginning to like the new girl. She seemed genuine in her politeness, not like she just knew the right words to say. Matt had already vouched for her, so she already had a good idea that Indy would be a nice addition to their group.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” Indy giggled, realising how her words sounded. She busied herself with opening her beer, not sure where to go from there.

After meeting Val, Indy was glad she had changed and spruced up when she went home. Val was stunning in a pair of white jeans, a bright green top and heeled ankle boots, her outfit seemingly simple, but she pulled it off with a natural beauty that Indy was sure could make sweatpants and a tank top look like a red carpet outfit. Indy had changed into a pair of high waisted black jeans, a long sleeved black and white striped top and a grey cardigan. Her boots were slightly heeled, but manageable, and Indy was thankful that she had taken the extra time to put on some make up. It helped her feel passable as she stood next to the blonde bombshell.

“Would you like to put your handbag down? I usually just dump mine on the hall table, so you can leave it there, if you like?” Val offered, noting the bags on Indy’s arm. She had always hated having to carry her bag with her when she visited other people’s house.

“Oh, that would be great, thanks,” Indy accepted, once more following the shorter woman through her house. At least when she was following Val, she was able to walk at a normal pace, unlike when Johnny led her through before.

“Here you go,” Val said, pointing to a table that already held two handbags.
As Indy had her handbag, and the bag that held the alcohol in it before she swapped it out for the dog leads, Indy put her bags underneath the table, for both space, and so no one would trip on them.

“Thanks, that is great,” Indy said to Val, smiling at her once she had put the bags down. The pair turned to go back outside, Indy taking a quick deep breath to prepare herself once more.

She sometimes struggled with social situations, getting too much in her own head when it came to meeting new people. Often she was too concerned with wondering if they liked her, rather than hold a proper conversation. It was something she was growing out of, but it did take effort on her behalf to put herself out there. She had some counselling from her mother about it when she was younger, having been told to be more like her dad, but it was never something she had mastered. She was much more an introvert than her father.

The two women stepped back outside again, Matt and Brian had since returned to their seats, and Jimmy still distracted with the dogs. He had taken them further in the backyard, running around and chasing them all as they played with a soccer ball. It was really quite an adorable sight.

Indy wasn’t really sure where to go, so she stuck with Val, following her to an empty seat in the group. She put herself next to Johnny, who was towards the edge of the group. There were a few empty chairs to her left, and immediately next to Johnny was Brian. They were in a conversation about the record, the pair debating whether the latest bass track Johnny had put down earlier in the afternoon was good enough. Johnny, being the self-deprecating guy he was, was insisting that he could go in and track it cleaner.

“Look, dude, I think it is perfect the way it is. You captured the right ‘bounce’ we were going after. If you’re not happy with it, talk to Mudrock on Monday,” Brian said to the bassist, taking a long drag from the cigarette between his lips.

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll just have to hear it again with the stuff you guys tracked, and see how I feel,” Johnny replied, nodding with Syn’s advice as he took a sip of his drink. “What do you think, Indy?”

“I agree with Brian, I liked it. But having seen your perfectionism over the last couple weeks, we all know what you are going to do,” She replied, feeling excited that she was asked for her advice.

As the conversation dove deeper into shop talk, Jimmy wandered over, taking the seat next to Indy, and joined the conversation. Following him loyally was Winston, paying attention to every move the drummer made. Indy’s heart could help but melt as the husky came over to her for a quick pat, and then lay down at Jimmy’s feet, his head resting on the man’s foot. She glanced over to where they had been playing around, and saw Bella and Julia jumping around, play flighting. A huge smile came over her face, watching how content her fur babies were.

Indy took the chance to get up and grab herself another drink, having finished her previous drink about 15 minutes ago, but having been far too interested in the conversation to move away.

“You guys want anything?” She asked the trio around her, once more smiling as she looked down at her smitten Winston.

All three chimed up with a “beer, please” and she was on her way. She had noted that a few more people had joined the gathering since she had arrived, both the other studio techs, and a few others had made a small make-shift conversation group away from those seated. Indy moved past them, telling herself that she would get around to meeting them all eventually.
In the kitchen, she was alone. She pulled out the beers for the boys, and one for herself. As she set the on the counter, she saw her father walk in.

“Well look at this, the all famous Mudrock out of his natural habitat,” she joked, getting her father’s attention. His face split into a grin before rolling his eyes.

“Ha ha, very funny,” he said sarcastically, putting his own six-pack on the counter and opening his arms for a hug. “You been here long?”

“About… an hour, I guess?” she replied, stepping into his arms for a brief hug. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she stepped back, taking a beer from his six-pack, and putting it in the fridge for him.

“I am not that late then,” he said, surprised at himself. He grabbed the beer, took the top off and took a quick sip.

“I am actually very impressed at your timing, tonight. I expected you here at about 10 o’clock,” she replied, smiling cheekily at her dad.

“Oh, you are just so funny tonight, aren’t you, little shithead.” Mudrock hit his daughters arm lightly as she collected the beers in front of her. “Need a hand?”

“All good, old man. Let the younger, more capable ones manage it,” She replied, once more taking the opportunity to tease her father.

They had a very close relationship, being able to taunt and tease each other without either of them taking it the wrong way. Their bond had strengthened since Indy made the decision to follow in her father’s footsteps into the music industry, rather than follow the career of her mother. The pair had always talked about music, the ins and outs, Indy always being fascinated at her father’s work stories. She had been able to come to work with him a few times when she was younger, and had the opportunity to meet some amazing musicians, both famous, and session, and always pleaded with her dad to take her to work instead of school. It never worked.

Together the pair walked outside, and immediately Mudrock was pulled into a conversation.

“Is that you, Andrew?” An older woman asked, noticing the producer.

“None other. How are you, Suzy?” Mudrock replied, smiling and heading over to the group that had congregated. Indy observed the crowd, noting that the woman was accompanied by a younger girl, her hair a shade of fluoro purple. Standing with them was the other older couple that had been here since Indy arrived.

Deciding to come back to a giant meet-and-greet, she quickly walked past them, trying to get out eye-sight before she was pulled into the conversation. She didn’t want to be rude, she knew she would meet them all eventually.

She walked back over to the boys, handing out the beer to each before sitting down. Her previous seat had been taken by an older man who had joined the technical conversation.

“Indy, this is my dad, Brian Haner senior. Dad, this is Indy, the guitarist I was talking to you about,” Brian said to Indy, motioning to the older man.

“Hi,” she replied, sticking her hand out for him to shake. He grinned at her, placing his own hand in hers.

“Ah, the elusive Indy. Nice to meet you,” Brian Sr. greeted the woman. His son had mentioned her quite a bit over the last few weeks, always keeping him in the loop on how the recording process was going. Brian Sr. couldn’t help but be intrigued by the concept of Indy playing as Zacky’s ‘interpreter’. He would be fascinated to see the trio work. “Also, everyone just calls me Papa Gates. Don’t worry about Brian Sr.”

“I will try to remember,” Indy said, smiling. Once the introduction was done, they continued in with the previous conversation about the album.

Indy was happy just to sit back, and watch the people interact. Again, it was the analytical side of her coming out. It was fascinating to watch how so many people came together to create this one big family, and how easily everyone talked with one another.

It didn’t last long. About 5 minutes later, Zacky came over to her, motioning for her to get up.
“Hey, come with me. The parents have summoned,” he said to her, deepening his voice to be almost demon-esque as he spoke.

Indy rose to her feet, leaving the comfort and security of her previous position, and followed the guitarist. She knew that this time would come, and was mentally prepared. She could do this. It’s not like she was dating any of them, so it wasn’t as bad as meeting your boyfriends parents. So much easier than that!

Zacky walked her over to the group her father had been pulled in to. Once they had joined, the conversation stopped, all attention on Zacky, and then straight to Indy. There was no escaping now.

“So, this is her,” Zacky said, motioning to the silent crowd. “Indy, this is my mum, Maria, and my dad, James. That is Brian’s step-mum Suzy, his sister McKenna, and you just met his dad.”

Indy smiled, greeting them all with a small ‘hi’ as Zacky worked his way through the names. She felt a bit more confident with her father standing next to her, at least having someone she knew so well with her.

“Zacky has told us quite a bit about you, and how you are helping the boys,” Maria mentioned, looking at her husband and back to Indy as James nodded in agreement with his wife.

“Well, it’s good to hear I have been helping, rather than hindering,” Indy joked, not really sure how to reply to the comment. Questions she could answer, comments required thought to respond.
The group laughed at her statement, the tension being taken out of the air with the joke. Everyone was all smiles as they took in the new girl, wanting to know about her.

“Oh come on, man, you know you have been a godsend,” Zacky said to her, rolling his eyes at her statement. She knew she was joking, but behind his retort, there was a lot of truth. There was no way they would be up to this stage of the album without her there. The recording would have stopped, or Syn would have been burnt out having to record both guitar roles.

“Not a godsend, a Mudrock send,” Indy said, once more cracking a joke to lighten the mood.

“I try,” Mudrock shrugged, getting in on the playful atmosphere. He was relieved that the band had taken so well to Indy, and Indy to the music. One of his finer pairings.

“How do you two know each other?” Suzy asked, motioning between Mudrock and Indy. So far, no one had even thought of that question, so the pair had not had the chance to formulate a response.

“Oh, we go way back. I’ve known him for what feels like forever,” Indy said vaguely, taking the lead. She just needed to get the attention off of them. “I’m just really glad he remembered me, and gave me the opportunity to play on this album. These boys have some serious talent.”

It luckily worked, Zacky’s dad James going on to say how proud he was of the boys, not realising what potential the band had until they first heard ‘Waking the Fallen’. In his words ‘the album that made these kids into a band’. Zacky started to object, asking about ‘Sounding the Seventh Trumpet’, and his dad just waved him off.

As the night wore on, Indy was thrilled to be part of this little family, learning more and more about the men she worked with every day.

Zacky’s parents had told her about how he was seriously into baseball, and nearly went pro. For a while, they kept at him, saying that he would regret his decision to stick with music and give up his dream job. Zacky was always eager to point out how wrong they were, and they took that in their stride. Indy sensed it wasn’t the first, or wouldn’t be the last, time they had that conversation.
She had learnt that Brian’s dad was also a musician, his style a lot different to that of Avenged Sevenfold. Papa Gates, as he liked to be called, promised to send her a copy of his CD’s, and wouldn’t tell her what kind of music he played, saying that he wanted it to be a surprise. All she had got out of his is that it was ‘different’. They had talked a lot about being session guitarists, and told each other stories of the different acts they had worked with, and the horror stories studio life brings.

Indy had sat with Val for a while, learning about the deep history she had with each member of the band. She let her girly side out when Val told her about how she and Matt naturally morphed into a couple after growing up with each other, and couldn’t help but fall in love with their fairy-tale history. It was the cutest love story she had heard, and she could just see that they were made for each other in the looks, smiles, and gestures they shared.

She was really feeling like she belonged in this group by the end of the night, regardless that she was the newest member. It didn’t seem to matter that they all had years and years of history between them, they just let her fit in, filling her in on stories of their past, and telling the parents of some of their current studio escapades. It was the most fun she had in quite a long time.
As Indy began her routine of collecting her dogs, finding Bella and Julia curled up asleep in the back
corner of the yard, and Winston still loyally lying next to Jimmy’s chair, she was observed by Jason and Zacky who were in the kitchen. As Indy was speaking to Mudrock, asking if he wanted a lift home, or if he was ok to drive, Jason spoke up to the guitarist.

“What do you think their deal is?” He asked, tilting his head as he watched their interaction.

“What are you talking about?” Zacky questioned the other man, having no idea what Jason was bringing up.

“Indy and Mudrock,” Jason replied, motioning to the two with the beer in his hand. “Have they told you anything?”

“Like what? What the fuck are you on about?” he questioned, having absolutely no idea what he was on about.

“I dunno man, they just seem close, you know? Like, how do they know each other? It’s a bit of a weird combo, a 50 year old guy just happens to know a 20 year old session guitarist?” Jason questioned. He just didn’t understand how they could have possibly met.

“They must have met doing another album or something, I don’t know. You know how everyone knows everyone in the music industry. Mudrock has connections with everyone,” Zacky replied. “It’s not that weird, man. She has talent, he makes albums.”

“Yeah, I spose so. I don’t know though.” Jason was not convinced.

The pair were silent again, each thinking about the situation.

“I’ve noticed things, man,” Jason blurted out. “There are little touches on the arm here and there. She buys lunch for him. They are always the first ones in the studio in the morning. She was the first one he called when this all began!”

Zacky was quiet once more, contemplating what he was being told. He also had noticed these things, but thought nothing of it. He had chalked it up to her caring nature. Mudrock must have called her because he knew she was talented enough for this project. Was there anything more in it?
The pair continued to watch Indy as she gave everyone a wave, presumably farewelling her friends. She commanded the dogs forward, leading them into the house to make it through the front door. She stopped at the kitchen, seeing the two men with drinks in hand.

“Night guys, see you Monday,” She said to the pair, giving them a short wave with her leash-free hand.

“See ya.”

“Bye, Indy.”

Following behind her was Mudrock. Jason’s inner alarm was going off again, and even Zacky had to admit it was a little strange.
“Just going to walk Indy to her car, back in a sec,” the producer told the pair, following Indy through
the house.

Indy remembered to grab her handbag from under the hallway table, latching the leads to the dog’s collars, and bundling up the spare bag before cramming it into her handbag. She had trained the dogs well, neither needing the lead, but Indy using it as a safety net, and one less thing to carry.
The father and daughter duo exited the house, closing the door behind them, and made their way to Indy’s car. Both were unaware they had the attention of Zacky and Jason once again.

“See, it’s weird,” Jason said once more to Zacky, watching as Indy gave the leads to Mudrock, opened the car doors and began winding down the back windows.

“Ok, so maybe it is a little odd, but he knows her the best. They have a past,” Zacky defended, seeing reason.

“But what kind of past?”

Zacky was quiet, not knowing how to reply. The pair watched as Mudrock gave each dog a pat before Indy commanded them into the car. She closed the doors, a head sticking out on each side, Winston being closer to the house, and Julia to the road.

Indy gave the dog a scratch behind the ears, and then gave her attention to her father. She leant over and gave him a hug, telling him to call her if he needed her to come get her, warning him that if he drove all the way back to LA and didn’t feel anything but sober, that she would disown him. He chuckled at his daughter, pulling away slightly and rolling his eyes. He assured her that he would be fine, but she is his number one drunk call. He quickly kissed her forehead before giving her one more squeeze.

Indy stepped away from Mudrock, opening the driver’s side door, and hopping in her car. She rolled her own window down, sticking her hand out to wave goodbye. She pulled away, and Mudrock turned back to the house, ready to re-join the gathering.

Zacky and Jason went straight back into the kitchen, reaching it before the front door opened once more, letting Mudrock through. He paid the two no notice as he walked straight through the house, back to his friends outside.

Jason and Zacky looked at each other.

“Well?” Jason asked, questioning if his point was made. “That was more than you would just give a co-worker.”

“Yeah, it was,” Zacky hesitantly agreed. He couldn’t believe the connection he had seen between the pair. It made him question everything.

“You don’t think…” Jason trailed off, not really prepared to say what he was thinking.

“No, no it can’t be,” Zacky said, shutting him down. No way could it be anything more ‘intimate’. Right?

There has to be another explanation. There was no way that Indy and Mudrock could be a couple!