Chapter 18: The Studio

Julianna led the way to the barn. It appeared to be separated into two sections. “This first part is where the horses are; I had it soundproofed, so my work doesn’t bother them. This –” she pulled open one of the sliding glass doors leading to the dance studio, “— is my haven. Shoes off, please. Don’t want you to scuff up my floor.”

The three padded into the vast space. It was just about the same size as a full-sized theater stage. Twin walls of facing mirrors ran down the length of the studio, along with a barre. The floor in the near corner was lined with thick mats, and several man-shaped heavy bags were clustered together. There was also a Nautilus machine, and two racks of free weights. The far wall held a bank of monitors and a control board. Jon immediately went to check out the gadgets. “Do you mind if I play with your board?”

“No,” Julianna laughed. “Help yourself.”

While Jon busied himself with the buttons, knobs, and levers, Richie pulled Julianna into a hug. “I’m so sorry for the shit you’ve gone through. I think I understand better where you’re coming from now. Thank you for sharing that with me – us.”

Julianna gave him a steamy kiss. “Thank you for understanding.” She blew out a breath. “Go check on Jon over there, make sure he’s not screwing up my setups.”

“Hey,” Jon complained. “I can hear you, you know. I know what I’m doing, darlin’.” He wagged his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

“I must be drunk, you’re starting to look cute. Why don’t you guys take a look up in the loft? Let me know what you think, in your professional opinion. That’s where my brothers and I record music for the rehearsals, or just for fun. That’s where my brothers played their latest prank, the rat bastards.” She heard the two men laughing. “We’re working on something for the family for the holidays, so they’re over here quite a bit. We’re having a hell of a good time. I can understand why you guys have been doing what you do for so long. I’ll be right up.”

While they scampered up the stairs, Julianna went to survey her board. It all looked like she left it. Smiling to herself, she stepped to the barre, and began a brief warm up, running through a series of ballet positions and stretches. It was her habit to do this every time she entered the studio, and it had become a comfortable habit. While she stretched, she could hear Richie talking quietly to Jon. The acoustics were such that Julianna could hear every word.

“Jesus, look at this place,” Richie exclaimed. “This is just about as much equipment as what we travel with when we’re on tour! I wonder what's in that back room over there?” Richie tried the door, but it was locked.

Jon laughed, still looking around at the space. “This is pretty great. We should come out here some times to work.”

“Yeah, right. You just want to play chaperone.”

Jon laughed. “OK, so you know me well enough to read what I’m thinking. Rich, I gotta tell you, I think she’s really great. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, man.”

Julianna heard the unmistakable back-slapping of a man-hug, and had to swallow hard against a lump in her throat. Seeing their friendship first hand was a beautiful thing.

Richie picked up a battered but well-loved acoustic guitar from an equally battered stand. “Hey, man, you suppose she would mind if I played around up here?”

Did she warn them about the acoustics? She couldn’t remember. “Boys, I can hear everything you’re saying. Go ahead, play with what you like.” She heard them both snicker. “OK, Beavis and Butthead. You know what I meant.”

Male laughter filtered down from upstairs, followed by the strumming of guitar strings. The pair were just fooling around, but it sounded great. There was an up-tempo to the tune, and it was catchy. Could it be some of the music from the finale? She closed her eyes to catch the groove. She quickly went to the control board and turned on the recorders and cameras upstairs. The monitors filled with views of Jon and Richie eyes closed, deep into their music.

Julianna climbed the stairs, and quietly crossed the room to settle into one of the couches scattered around the space. Jon took one look at the look on Richie’s face as he watched Julianna, and started strumming an old Supertramp song. Richie chuckled, and joined his voice to his friend’s.

Give a little bit, give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit, I'll give a little bit of my love to you
There's so much that we need to share

Jon got off his stool, and came to stand in front of Julianna.

So send a smile and show you care

Julianna smiled at the gentle meddling. She stood to sing with Jon, her voice blending nicely with his. She looked into Richie’s eyes as she sang the words.

I'll give a little bit, I'll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit, give a little bit of your time to me

Jon elbowed Julianna, and nodded his head toward his friend.

See the man with the lonely eyes
Oh, take his hand, you'll be surprised

Julianna gulped, and Jon just smiled. Richie got off his stool, and came over to hip check his friend. Julianna laughed. She sang the last with Richie, Jon’s own voice going quiet at beauty of their harmony, and the emotion he saw in their faces.

Give a little bit, give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit, I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we're on our way back home

Going home
Don't you need to feel at home
Oh yeah, we gotta sing

“Wow,” was all Jon could say when they were done. “You guys sound great together. Julianna, have you always sang?”

Julianna laughed. “My mother was an opera diva. I think I sang en utero. I love to sing. I sing all the time.” She gestured around the room. “I play too. Most of these I’ve had formal training on, but some are just for messing around. Kinda a learn-as-I-go program.”

Richie grinned. “I do the learn-as-you-go thing to. It’s a bit more challenging, but the sense of accomplishment outweighs the pain in the ass.”

Jon cocked his head at Julianna. “Hey, would you play something for us? Your pick. It’s not often that we get to be entertained with private serenades.” He was smiling.

Julianna blushed. “Sure, I guess. My pick, right? Let me think.” The pair settled onto one of the couches, and waited patiently. Julianna stretched her fingers and ran a few scales on the piano. She started a Tchaikovsky piece, and grinned at their shocked expressions. “I was classically trained, you know. I’m just kidding though. Give me a sec.” She thought for a moment about what to play. A song had popped into her head, but... What the hell, she thought. I can always chalk it up to the booze talking. She started in on one of her favorite Billy Joel songs. Jon and Richie smiled in recognition.

In every heart there is a room, a sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones, you answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much; my silence is my self defense

And every time I've held a rose, it seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes, and so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence makes you leave, then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you, and you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed; it's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes, and you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you -- that's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too, and you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes, and you're the only one who knows

When she finished, she had tears in her eyes. Jon and Richie were just looking at her. “What?” she demanded, blotting her eyes. “I wasn’t off key, was I? I thought it sounded OK.”

Jon went to her and gathered her in a hug. “It as more than OK; it was beautiful.” He glanced back at Richie. “I’m gonna take off now. I need some sleep before I get on the plane tomorrow. I swear, one cranky remark in the morning will make the afternoon papers for sure.”

His quip had the desired result; Julianna laughed. “OK. Thanks for coming; I had a good time. Have a safe trip.” She kissed his cheek. Jon pinned his friend with a meaningful look, and disappeared down the stairs.

Jon did a double-take when he saw the monitors showing what was going on upstairs. He smiled, and stopped for a minute, to see how this was gonna play out. Could be he was on his own tomorrow.

Julianna looked at Richie. He still hadn’t said anything. Oh, God, what have I done? She couldn’t read his face. She started to speak, to apologize. “Richie, I –” He stalked over to her and grabbed her upper arms, shocking her into silence. He searched her eyes with his, searched for a long minute. Julianna held her breath. Then slowly, so slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her tenderly, gently.

Downstairs, Jon smiled and turned off the recorders. Whatever was going to happen next, either way this could play out, he was pretty sure that neither wanted it captured for posterity. He quietly slipped from the studio, grabbing his boots on the way.