March 22nd

As they entered their final week of performances, the entire theatre seemed to hum with anticipation. There was a weight in the air when the curtain opened on the Monday night, as though the entire audience was waiting with bated breath.

Regardless of the tension, Annabeth is buzzing. London was five hours ahead which meant that by the time she was on stage, Percy would be boarding a plane home. He likely wouldn't land until about two in the morning, but that just gave her longer to wait with anticipation.

For some reason, Annabeth feels pretty contemplative today. She doesn't even need to pretend to get emotional when Jenna starts stress baking to cope with the knowledge of her pregnancy. The words seem to have more meaning tonight.

I'll bake me a door to help me get through,
I learned that from you
Mama, it's amazing what baking can do

There's a sharp contrast between Annabeth and her character. Jenna's shared experiences with her mother such as the fact that they've both been in toxic or abusive relationships helps her to feel closer with her, even once her mother has passed. Where Jenna looks to her mother for comfort and advice, Annabeth finds herself shying away from Athena. Ever since she'd gotten her phone number, she'd found herself staring at the digits with uncertainty. Surely her lack of enthusiasm to reach out is some kind of indication of her subconscious. Or maybe she feels like she's got something to prove.

Every door we ever made, we never once walked out
Something I never got the chance to ask her about

She finds herself blinking back tears as she pauses between lyrics. The moment is wistful. Usually this is where Annabeth would take a breath before letting the song build, but tonight, something solidifies inside her. She mixes her ingredients together with a pinch of extra anger tonight. Here, she was performing a lead role on a Broadway stage, she had a massive following online, she had an apartment, a dog and a wonderful boyfriend. Despite the hardships thrown her way - particularly by her parents - she had done it.

So with flour on my hands,
I'll show them all how goddamn happy I am

The audience's applause feels muffled every time they finish a song even though the house is packed full. Even when the curtain closes on act one and the audience is hollering much more than they normally would, the sound feels distant and separated. When Annabeth asks Luke if he's noticed it too, he just looks at her blankly, his head tipping to one side as though she's talking nonsense.

Act two begins as usual. Finally, they reach 'She Used To Be Mine'. Despite the anguish that her character goes through at this point in the show, Annabeth thrives off of the audiences anticipation. There's something magical about performing the same show every night. Each lyric provides a different insight to the character and the hardships they go through, and each can be relayed back to her as she tries to pave her own way in life. The tears fall a little easier this time around.

There's so much changing. Piper and Jason are talking about their future with a sense of seriousness that forces Annabeth to acknowledge that she'll need to start an apartment search soon, or at least look for a new roommate. Waitress is closing, though Annabeth has promised to keep in touch with her new found theatre friends. The lyrics to the final songs are about Jenna's baby and becoming a mother, but they seem to have multiple meanings that can be applied to herself. The finale feels like a punch in the stomach when she realises that she only has seven shows left. Seven more opportunities to fall in love with this possibility of a future, despite everything in her past that makes her feel like she might not deserve one.

Opening up
Into a new day
Open to love
Isn't it amazing what comes our way

One at a time
Every day falls in line
Learning to love what's on the inside

Looking around at the same things
All of them changing
Cause everything does

Life's rearranging
And we're opening up
To what's inside of
What's inside of love
Love

And then her favorite line, parallel to how the show opens. It comes full circle and ends as it began, except this time Jenna has Lulu on her hip and Annabeth had a little more trust inside her.

Sugar, butter, flour.

There's a nagging thought in her brain as she changes back into her own clothes. This is it: 'The final Monday'. True to the lyrics, everything is changing.

Annabeth switches on her vlogging camera and films for a few moments as people sign out of the theatre. From her dressing room window, she can hear the crowds of fans gathering at the stage door. She'll go out in a minute. It's hardly like she's in a rush to get back to her apartment. The more time she can kill at the theatre, the less agonising the wait for Percy's arrival will be.

Okay, maybe she'll be just as impatient, but at least the wait will be shorter.

"So, Katrina, what's today's 'Memorable Moment'?" Annabeth asks, pointing the camera to her ever glamorous co-star.

Katrina cackles. "That would be when Dean slid the pie across the counter and I caught it upside down. Had to pretend I didn't have pastry on my fingers for a whole ten minutes."

There's a knock on the open dressing room door, more of a formality just to announce his appearance, and Luke leans casually against the door frame. "I take your 'Memorable Moment' and I raise you Annabeth's face when she realised the baby bump was crooked for all of Bad Idea Reprise."

Annabeth is glad the camera isn't pointed at her face because she's turned an embarrassing shade of pink. The three of them compare on stage slip-ups for a few minutes before Sherman, the backstage security guy clears his throat in the doorway.

"Annabeth Chase?" Sherman asks politely, as though he hasn't been dealing with her rabid fans at the stage door for the past two months. "There's someone here to see you."

For a split second, she believes it might be Percy. The notion seems to good to be true. When she puts her mind to it, she also realises it would be physically impossible. Even if he'd boarded a direct plane the moment his tour had finished, there's no chance he could be here so soon.

Sherman's face is just as confused as her own as he stares back at her. "Says her names Athena?"