The Show Must Go On

[Alexandra Lawson]

As if it was clockwork, Alex found herself stricken with the familiar sensation of her heart racing and the butterflies having a mosh pit in her stomach.  She had expected it all, of course, it happened every time she was slated to get in front of people for just about any reason.  There were only a couple hundred people who had gathered in the large event hall for the charity entertainment show that was being hosted by Conner-Bellefonte Foundation but audience size didn't matter.  She had agreed to do the show to help promote her budding music career and help out with a cause she felt strongly about.

It was unfortunate there were others who didn't share her conviction.

"I don't know!"  Alex exclaimed as she threw her hands over her head.  "We're not, like, friends..."  In all honestly Alex didn't even know why she still had Ellen's phone number.  It wasn't as if the blonde woman hadn't been an absolute terror in high school and college.  "She agreed to be here so I guess she'll show up."  Although Alex wasn't so sure about that.  "If she does no show, I can go on early and stretch my set out to cover."  The offer was made freely despite the fluttering in Alex's stomach.  She knew once she started the apprehension would melt away and she'd be fine.

A few minutes later Alex was backstage, behind the curtain, watching in nervous anticipation as a violinist wowed the crowd with stirring renditions of historical works.  She let out a sigh and pulled back to wander around the backstage area, hands wringing with the concern and doubt that crept in before every performance.  She froze at a familiar sight, her eyes widening as the worry melted away under the force of something much more important than her own time on stage.  "Ellen!"  She blurted out and rushed over toward the blonde.  "Where have you been?  You were supposed to be here almost an hour ago!  The show's already started and..."  She eyed Ellen's fashionable, yet plain attire.  "... you hardly have any time to change and get ready."

[Ellen Banks]

Well, this was a new low….


Personally, she blamed Ash if she wasn’t around Ellen would have chuckled at little Alex’s poor attempt at humour and cut off the phone call right there and then, but oh no….


You trying to avoid doing something when Ash’s big wide sparkling puppy eyes staring you down, wearing down your resistance until you finally said “Fine fine I’ll do it, there happy?!”


And Ash was.


From what she could gather, Alex her old favorite target for bullying was apparently apart of some kind of charity variety show to raise funds for…..god knows what, probably a local charity trying to buy sweaters for cats knowing her and their magician for the evening canceled at the last moment….and she wanted Ellen to be a part of it.


Ridiculous.


What did Alex think she was? Some kind of performing monkey, meant to dance for her amusement? What on earth made her think that Ellen would agree to something like that….


..and yet she was, despite herself….


...Let’s just get this over with.

She stormed back stage for feet clattering against the tiles not even giving Alex a second glance and she tried to move past her towards the stage, hoping to God that she doesn’t mention that she couldn’t believe she showed up or “Oh Ellen what a good thing you’re doing” IF she so much as thought that, Ellen will turn on her heel and leave “Oh don’t worry I have no intention of charging” Ellen said gesturing to her usually expensive yet admittedly plain clothes “This will do just fine.I’m going to be on stage for ten minutes. I’m in then I’m out. I won’t be signing autographs. No pictures, nothing that’ll prolong my stay any more then I need to…”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex peeked her head around Ellen's shoulder, allowing the blonde to slip past without resistance. For a moment Alex debated whether or not to question Ellen about the dark haired girl she was with now but given the mood Ellen was obviously in, she thought better of it. Instead, Alex turned and trailed along behind Ellen. "Oh, right." Alex nodded a bit and frowned. "It makes sense. Yeah. You're not doing magic tricks or anything. It's good to look professional." She didn't quite believe it herself, but she supposed it would have to make due.

"That's fine." Alex's brow furrowed. She'd already started to think asking Ellen to help the fund raiser had been more trouble than it was worth and five seconds in Ellen's presence had driven that certainty home. "Wait. You're just going to walk up there, make someone cluck like a chicken and then leave?" None of this sounded right. There was no hint of flair or showmanship to be seen. She didn't know what it was she expected out of Ellen, the blonde hadn't been able to emote anything more than a scowl since the both of them were cheerleaders back in school. "No, like... tricks or anything?"

[Ellen Banks]

No it could be said that Ellen was not dressed for the occasion in the least, her attire seemed to scream spoiled rich girl and certainly not “Magical mistress of wonderment” like most people in line of work would do, but Ellen certainly wasn’t about to play make believe or indulge this little fantasy anymore then she had to tonight “Of course. I look good. I always look good” She said with a fair amount of pride tossing her white blond hair out behind her easily become far too proud for her own good.


Ellen wasn’t looking for some kind of approval from Alex, it really couldn’t be less important to her so she just scoffed and went about her merry way...only to stop where she stood, a frown forming on her face as she gently pivoted on her heel and turned back toward Alex an eyebrow raised. “Oh I’m sorry, is that not impressive enough for you? Do you want me to juggle at the same time? Or maybe YOU should do it if I don’t meet your lofty standards. I’m not a preforming monkey. Is the fact that I showed up and SAVED your little show not good enough? I haven't even gotten a thank you.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

And there it was. The usual venom and vitriol Alex had become used to feeling sprayed at her came out in record time. It had instantly caused the already tiny girl to shrink and withdraw into herself. Once again Ellen had opted to take her frustrations (whatever those possibly could have been) out on Alex. It wasn't Alex's show by any means, she was merely a performer, and she'd only asked Ellen because she thought it would be for the betterment of the event, not because the entire thing hinged on one missing person's act. Regardless of it all they were there, Ellen brow beating Alex who was only trying to help. It was almost as if they were back in school and Alex was the timid, scared little girl Ellen had never passed up an opportunity to pick on.

Except it much had transpired since the last time Ellen had attempted to bully Alex. If a brick thrown by an ignorant human spewing hate wouldn't keep Alex down she would be damned if Ellen was going to anymore.

In a flash Alex's brow furrowed and her posture straightened to her full height of five feet tall. "I'm used to you being a bitch but now you're being a bit and not making any sense." Alex shot back. "You knew what you were agreeing to and if you didn't want to do it then why are you here? Don't stand there and blame me for this, this isn't my show, I'm just helping out. Anyway, this show isn't even about any of us. It's about people that didn't get the same chances as we did. It's about helping our own because we can. Here I thought you'd want to be a part of that but I guess I forgot how selfish you are."

Alex let out an exasperated grumble and threw her hands up. She turned on her heel and started off toward the backstage area where the event coordinator was usually found. "Don't worry about it." She shot over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I asked you to not be a bitch for one night."

[Ellen Banks]

Honest to god, everyone was a critic weren’t they? Just because she did a few rinky little shows, now she was suddenly an expert in how Ellen was meant to conduct herself in her business. If this was the type of thing that Alex did on a regular basic then really how hard could it possibly be, considering then Alex….was well….Alex….And she looked like she routinely suffered from stage fright herself, she couldn’t say she had the same feelings, especially when she knew thanks to her powers that her “Act” would certainly be a hit, that’s what the years of training researching and the like was leading up to, honestly in these conditions she felt like she could hypnotize someone without even the aid of her power, really there was nothing particularly magical about her power, it was just basic mentalism and applied psychiatry.



So no, Ellen wasn’t nervous……





But her calm exterior was briefly shattered just for an instinct her eyes flashing in surprise and bemusement. “h-What did she just...Did she….Talk back to her?....Since when was Alex...No, that didn’t make any sense, she must have misheard because Ellen for years have been walking all over Alex it was all she did in highschool…..and the idea that she just called her a bitch was….Bizarre.



Ellen just stood there for a moment, trying to come to terms with what was just said wondering if she would figure out what she just said and then start to panic….but no she didn’t even bother looking in her direction.



Ellen was silent staring after her for a moment until.
...

The things she did for Ash


“Ok, I’ll bite. What would you suggest I wear for my…….”Act” if I was in the mood to indulge

[Alexandra Lawson]

Under normal circumstances Alex wouldn't have even bothered to stop, let alone turn around and reconsider her stance. It took a few moments after she had frozen in her tracks to finally glance over her shoulder to Ellen but she ultimately did finally let out a low sigh and slowly trudged back to where Ellen stood. Arms folded across her chest and Alex peered up to Ellen, her bright, expressive eyes unwavering. It as the first time Alex had ever been able to look Ellen in the eye without shrinking and running away.

The diminuative redhead studied Ellen's gaze for a long moment before giving a nod, mostly to herself. "Okay." She said curtly, the usual childlike demeanor Alex walked around with had suddenly vanished and in its place a young woman who was all business turned on her heel and started toward the dressing room, waving for Ellen to follow. "Obviously you shouldn't be walking out in a bikini or short skirt. Really you just need some stage makeup and put your hair up." She explained. "I was going to suggest, since I know this really isn't your thing and the people who are actually hosting this show..." There was a pause as Alex shot a glance over her shoulder. "Who happens to be not me." She felt the need to interject that little bit of knowledge. Again. "... do appreciate you agreeing to help out on short notice and, to liven up your performance..." Again Alex trailed off, smirking a bit as she leaned against the door frame of the dressing room and turned her eyes back up to Ellen. "I'll be your assistant."

[Ellen Banks]

…….Well, it was official, she has lost any and all influence she may have once had, if she was really letting Alexandra Lawson take control of the situation she had officially become a mere shell of her former self. After all, if she couldn’t even make Alex twitch with fear...yeah, that’s a new and even lower low than what she thought she was capable of…..Ellen really didn’t know how to feel about that, true Ash would most likely say that his was a good thing that Ellen had well and truly lost her edge and had become totally soft…..because it was her fault really when you thought about it. She more or less destroyed the person she was and true the person she used to be...maybe wasn’t exactly a nice person….


….but from time to time Ellen did miss her.


So, Ellen followed along with Alex..-or the strange creature that have posed Alex and made her seem almost adult at least- looking around the locker room with a slight frown….


They really could have cleared it up a little couldn’t they?


She traced her hand over the desk of the dressing table somewhat relived that Alex didn’t have some kind of special elaborate outfit knowing her...She had a wild imagination as far as Ellen could remember….which was unsurprising considering she was friends with that McCarthey….thing... “No, I don’t think you funded an entire charity show by yourself Alex Ellen recited numbly already getting somewhat bored already, she took a sit at the dressing table and appraised her from afar.


Once Alex revealed her masterplan for the evening a stony silence filled the room, it was as if Alex expected an applause from Ellen or at the very least an impressed coo. All she got instead was a raised eyebrow and skeptical eyes. “You….be my assistant?” she repeated back coldly “...and what exactly would I need ASSISTING with? And don’t you have your own act?”

[Alexandra Lawson]

If you would have asked Alex nothing had changed since that cold night in December of last year. She'd been subjected to a brutal act of violence but it hadn't put her down for good. There were so many others who'd endured far worse and refused to let their lives be forever changed by it, why shouldn't she? To those in the know, however, it was obvious something had changed. She still may have wandered through life with a look of childlike wonder on her face but behind the brilliant, expressive gaze resided a new found wisdom and appreciation that wouldn't tolerate putting up with Ellen Banks' foolish games anymore.

"Ellen, come on!" Alex had to laugh at the way Ellen had responded to the simple suggestion. In Alex's mind it was a simple proposition. "We all know you are not a performer." Her head shook as she smirked. "Even back when we were in cheer you were like... a robot flailing around in a skirt. I mean, you're good but you don't exactly connect with your audience." Alex reached out and gave Ellen's shoulder an almost sympathetic pat. "Just leave the setup and all the talking to me and all you have to worry about is doing what you do best." Alex turned an almost smug little smile up at Ellen. It was a good idea and Alex knew it.

[Ellen Banks]

No, Ellen didn’t like...any of this. At all, Ellen didn’t even know what Alex would do as an “Assistant” Take care of the people Ellen “Knocks out?” Tilts their heads up and lightly slap their cheeks to make sure they were really out? Wear sparkly leotards and feather boas and oh and aw like Ellen was David Copperfield.


Since when did Ellen need ANY help when it came to her power.


“Oh, I can name a few re-” Ellen paused her face furrowing in confusion her hand stopping in midpoint “Ummm, excuse me?” Ellen said, not used to being called out on an actual flaw especially by Alex of all people.


“I was better than the rest of you” She pouted under her voice before she looked at the hand on her shoulder and back up to Alex with an expression that seemed to scream “..Are you sure you want to do that?” “...You’re touching me” She noted with mild irritation her voice carrying a low warning tone "You should probably stop" 


Ellen sighed her arm resting on the desk, her elbow leaning on it as her fingers gently danced around her forehead trying to ease the tension. God she just wanted to go in, do whatever and leave...why did she have to make everything so hard.


“I’m going to regret asking this, I know I am but….set up?”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex knew she was poking a snake. She was well aware of Ellen's perception of her and there was almost a bit of an adrenaline rush in speaking to the blonde like she was an equal, rather than superior. Back in school Ellen had been the de facto alpha female. Alex knew it and, worst of all, Ellen knew. But this wasn't college or high school. This wasn't a group of girls on the sidelines of football games. This was stage performance. This was Alex's world. Ellen was merely visiting.

"All I'm going to do is talk to the audience." Alex said simply, letting the smugness and thinly veiled threat slide without response. "I'll play up the crowd, engage the audience and leave you free to do what you do." Alex nodded a bit and pushed off the door frame and moved into the dressing room. A large mirror and make up chair had been set up in the corner. "Come on." She said waving for Ellen to follow.

Alex stood over the desk where a plethora of make up had been spread out. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she processed the various implements and shades that were at her disposal. "So. I'm thinking we shouldn't go with anything too drastic." She picked up a couple vials and eyed the labels before setting them back down. "We should try and sharpen and define your features." Alex turned her gaze toward Ellen and studied the lines and contours of her face. "Yeah." She nodded again, this time mostly to herself. "Bring out and heighten a sense of quiet professionalism."

[Ellen Banks]

No, Ellen wasn’t sure, about all this….stage thing, and maybe she really should have thought ahead before coming here. She didn’t know the first thing about theatre and as a personal rule she always tried to be easily the most knowledgeable person in the room at any given time on any given subject so it was true that Ellen was out of her element, Alex was, this was her element, her land, she’s spent years on end here…..And Ellen just rushed into it haphazardly.


But on the other hand…..come on….how hard could it really be? Getting up on stage and performing? It wasn’t exactly rocket science now was it. If Ellen put time and effort into it she’d probably be as skilled as Alex was. It couldn’t be that complex could it?


Ellen looked Alex up and down with a fair amount of scepticism and scorn clearly doubting her ability to hold a crowd’s attention she could barely get through highschool without stuttering..could she really hold an audience attention? Somehow she didn’t think so…..


Ellen didn’t let up on the disdain as she followed Alex to the makeup arena which was just a ridiculous idea….has she SEEN her? Did she not look like she was already made up? She rarely left the house without making sure her face was immaculate


What was Alex trying to imply?


“Why would I let you anywhere near my face, I’m perfectly capable of doing my OWN makeup,” Ellen said wrinkling her nose “...and I’m I not already professional?”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex sighed and pinched her nose. She wasn't surprised to find Ellen being so difficult. Did she really think the stoic blonde would ever make anything easy? None of this was nearly as complicated as Ellen was making it out to be. Alex could have this done in five minutes, Ellen would hardly need to speak or even so much as address the audience and she'd be off the stage in another twenty minutes. Yes, if Ellen would just shut up Alex could get her out of the event hall in less than half an hour.

"Theatrical makeup needs to be more dramatic and professionally done because the performers are farther away from the audience." Alex explained, dropping her hand and looking up to the much taller Ellen. "You look fine if you're going out or even if you're doing something on film." She moved to Ellen and tried to tug her arm to get her over to the makeup chair. "You do realize I used to do this for a living, right?" She reminded Ellen. "And the eight years of theater in high school and college." She glanced to Ellen, pleading in her eyes for this to just all be over with. "It's just going to accentuate what you've already done. I promise."

[Ellen Banks]

No no no. Alex was about a centimetre away from getting Ellen’s boot in her face -Not for the first time either- especially when she sighed like she was babysitting some impossibly disobedient child, and she was some kind of babysitter, She was an adult. Far more of an adult then Alex could ever hope to be, she didn’t need to be talked down to. Have Ellen just stumbled into some kind of bizarro world where everything is the opposite of what they should be?


“Well, thank you kindly for the lecture….” She rolled her eyes I’m so utterly enthralled” Ellen said really not appreciating that she was being taken to school by someone she literally made do push ups with her foot squarely placed on her shoulder blades.


...Or anyone for that matter.


And yet again she thought it was a good idea to grab her arm...seriously she did know she could break her in two like a toothpick right?


...It would be a long time coming


Ellen stood there for a good few moments maintaining eye contact with Alex as if trying to figure out if this was some kind of ploy to embarrass her, this was her vengeance, Wait until Ellen’s guard was down and then form some excuse to get her in the makeup chair. If Alex told her she wasn’t tempted in the least to make Ellen look as bad as possible before sending her out on stage…


Or maybe that was just how Ellen mind worked.


“..If you even THINK about giving me a moustache”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex paused and actually took a step back, away from Ellen. She may not have been the tiny, timid girl Ellen was used to dealing with in high school and college but Alex was by no means an 'alpha' personality. Old habit died hard and the look Ellen gave nearly chilled Alex to the bone. "Yeah, uh sorry." She murmured, dropping her gaze for just a moment. It was a brief display but it was more than enough to confirm her place.

"Don't worry." Once it was time to get down to business, though, Alex quickly perked up and she immediately went to work. "I'm just going to deepen some of the lines." She explained, plucking a brush off the table and stepping in front of Ellen. "Remember." Alex pointed out. "This isn't about either of us." She leaned forward and started applying the makeup to Ellen's face.

"I think it's really cool you agreed to help out." Alex said after a long moment of silence. "To be honest I was surprised you're here." A small, soft giggle escaped while Alex kept working. "You sounded pretty sure you weren't interested." Alex paused to lean back and take a look at her work so far. "What made you decide to reconsider?"