"He who sings scares away his woes." Cervantes

----

XXVI. Your Song

"Nope, I didn't like that run. Do it again," Noah ordered, his voice coming through the headphones that she was wearing.

Sophie was standing before a microphone that she had turned around to face the wall as she couldn't look at him as she sang the song. The first time has been wonderful. But Noah hadn't liked it.

Sophie had never received any sort of criticism before, constructive or otherwise. She had a terrible habit of taking things personally, and she tried her best to make her mind understand that this was Noah's song.

On the handful of auditions, she had been on before she had fallen pregnant with Maddie, she had been one of five hundred other girls, and the casting directors had barely said anything to her before waving in the next actress.

Noah had turned on his perfectionist mode. He reminded her of the first time she had ever seen him at the piano in Pete's at the beginning of October when he was blocked, and nothing was working for him. He was frustrated.

And Sophie was the cause of that.

It didn't help that she couldn't read music or minds.

This song was to be played at the end of the film, when the main characters were boarding a ship to emigrate to America. It was a song of hope, a song of seeing something just out of reach, and taking that final leap to grab a hold of it.

Sophie took a deep breath and nodded for him to start the music again. The opening piano melody began, and Sophie started to sing.

She had barely made it through the first verse before Noah interrupted her again.

"Softer, Sophie," he instructed curtly.

Sophie clenched her teeth together and pulled her headphones off, hanging them up on the stand. She turned around to look at Noah through the glass and said, "I don't know how else to sing!" she exclaimed. "I'm a theatre singer. Maybe you need someone more versatile." Really, she was more like a pub singer.

He did have Vanessa bloody Marino living down the hall from him.

Noah's facial expression softened, and he held up his finger, indicating for her to wait a minute. He then got up from his chair and ducked out of his bedroom. He returned a few moments later with Vanessa.

Oh God, that had been a sarcastic thought. Was he really going to replace her? Not that she'd blame him as she obviously wasn't understanding how he wanted this bloody song to sound.

Noah opened the door to the studio and he and Vanessa entered. She was wearing a matching spandex yoga outfit, with a crop top that showed off a perfectly toned stomach. Sophie had never felt frumpier or more untalented.

"I'm going to play the piano live," Noah told her, "just like I did at Pete's when we performed together. Vanessa's going to handle the recording for us."

Vanessa looked between them, and no doubt could see the intimidated expression on Sophie's face as she tried pathetically to mask it. She fished her phone out of her bra and flicked through it until she found what she wanted. "I send this video to every new cell phone I get," she explained, "to remind me of the nicest producer I ever worked with." She flipped her phone around to show Sophie a video of what looked like some grainy security footage of a studio.

Vanessa was at the microphone, and Noah at the controls. Vanessa was singing, and Sophie recognised the song immediately. It had been on the radio while Sophie was doing her GCSEs. It had put Vanessa Marino on the map.

"What do you think?" Vanessa asked Noah as she finished the song.

Sophie saw Noah's face drop as he realised what was coming.

"Jesus, Vanessa, did you gargle razors or something this morning? Do it again, and do it better," Noah demanded in the video. 

"You're being an asshole, Noah!" Vanessa retorted into her microphone, before she flicked Noah the finger.

Vanessa laughed as she put her phone away. "Six months later I won Best New Artist at the Grammys, and Noah won Song of the Year." 

"In my defence, I knew you could sound better," Noah protested.

Vanessa grinned. "Our dear Noah is just a moody artist at the end of the day, but he knows what he's doing, and we love him despite his flaws. Didn't he tell you to call him out if he was being an asshole?"

Thankfully, Sophie felt a few of the butterflies in her stomach flutter away. "You're being an arsehole," Sophie told him. "You didn't include perfectionism in your list of character flaws that you told me, remember?" Sophie prompted back to the day when he had told her his real purpose for being in London.

Noah smirked and rolled his eyes. "You know how talented I think you are. I want you to sing like it. I feel like I can hear your doubts in your own ability when you really go for it on a run. Cut that out," he instructed, and Sophie made herself take that advice on board. "Alright, let's do this. Vanessa, get out."

Vanessa saluted playfully before she exited the studio to sit down at the control board. Noah went to his piano and adjusted the stool from where Maddie had been playing it.

"I know I told you that this song is about the characters in the movie, their hopes for the future," he murmured, "but it's not. It's about you and Maddie, and what I want for us."

And then he began to play, and Sophie began to sing, her voice catching on every word with such emotion.

As she got to the chorus, Sophie truly felt every word. Noah had written this song about her, and about her daughter.

"It's been a long time searching

and now I see,

It's been a long time waiting

and you've found me.

Yes, I can finally see it

It's within my grasp

It's the life I've been waiting for

And by God I'm taking this chance."

Sophie finished singing, and she hadn't realised that several tears had fallen down her face. She quickly wiped them away as Noah suddenly wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her impossibly tightly and kissing her neck.

"That was perfect!" he whispered.

"Noah, would you kill me if I told you I'd forgotten to press record?" Vanessa asked through the main speaker.

Noah went stiff as he looked up at Vanessa. "What?" he cried.

Vanessa burst out laughing. "Wow, you're so easy!" she exclaimed. "Put that forehead vein away. Gosh, Sophie, that was so beautiful! You nearly had me in tears!"

Noah swore under his breath, but he reiterated Vanessa's praise. "That was how I wanted it to sound. That was how I knew you could sound."

"I felt like I was going to cry the whole time," Sophie confessed, worrying about her voice hitches.

"It sounded raw," insisted Noah.

"I can't believe you wrote that for us. For me," Sophie said vulnerably.

Noah brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles, wiping away any stray tears. "I was inspired." Smiling, he added, "Come on. The recording is saved on my hard drive, so I'll finish it off on the plane. We've got one last thing to do."

***

Sophie had experienced a lot of pride in her daughter over the last part of the year as she had learned to deal with her autism diagnosis and make her way into the world.

But this was quite possibly the proudest moment of Sophie's life. She watched Maddie play at a piano that was quite possibly thirty times bigger than her, dressed in a jumper decorated with butterflies, while being accompanied by two dozen professional musicians possessing instruments that probably cost more than a car.

Maddie knew the piece. She had learned it at Pete's, written it alongside Noah, and could recall it perfectly. She played beyond her years; with no notion of the astronomical feat she was performing. Sophie could see it on the faces of the other musicians. They played, but their eyes went to Maddie in awe.

Sophie cried, as she always did, from outside the studio, and snapped photos and took videos of Maddie doing one of many things in her life that would truly be amazing.

As each capture saved, Sophie's mind momentarily went to Beck, back in London, and missing out on the ten thousand things in Maddie's life that he hadn't seen. It was not him that she felt for, but for Maddie lacking her dad.

But the feeling was fleeting, because Noah was right there, leaning against the wall of the studio watching, listening to her play. His eyes never left her, and the prideful expression on his face was everything to Sophie.

Thinking back to the lyrics of the song that he had written for them; Sophie knew that Noah was the one. The elusive one that was meant to be out in the universe. Somehow, she had managed to find hers, discovering in the process that she was capable of such deep feeling that she hadn't known was possible.

When the piece finished, Noah clapped his hands, before conversing with the producers and dismissing his musicians. He then jogged over to Maddie, scooping her up into his arms before swinging her around proudly.

Maddie squealed with delight and she held onto Noah, her long plait spinning around after her.

Sophie entered the studio and joined them, hurriedly drying her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper.

"Maddie, you are so good!" cried Sophie.

"Mummy, do you think Santa could still bring me a piano for Christmas?" Maddie exclaimed as Noah placed her on the ground.

The instrument before them was a behemoth, and there was no way Sophie could ever afford something like that ... not that it would have fit in their little flat anyway.

"I don't think a piano will fit on Santa's sleigh, sweetheart."

Maddie frowned, but seemed to accept the logic. "I'm hungry," she announced, moving on from their discussion with no real feeling at all for the occasion.

Maybe when she was older, or when she saw the film, she would understand what she had just been a part of.

"It's Vanessa's annual cheat week so she's asked for McDonald's for dinner. Sound good?" Noah offered.

Maddie beamed, as though the idea of a takeaway was more exciting than what she had just done. Maddie skipped off out of the studio, anxiously waiting near the exit.

Sophie looked up at Noah and shook her head. "I'm honestly at a loss ... I cannot really fathom what we've done today," she said breathlessly.

"I won't deny that I really do love what I do. It's a privilege to get paid for doing this ... but today was really special, I agree." Noah reached for Sophie, and she met him, wrapping her arms around his waist and settling her head against his chest. "Thank you for singing for me. Thank you for not dumping me, too."

Sophie laughed. "It was close there for a while," she teased.

Noah chuckled and squeezed her.

"Mummy, Noah!" shouted Maddie. "Hurry up! I want a McDonald's now!"

"And I want a jet ski, kid!" retorted Noah over his shoulder. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Manners!" scolded Sophie.

Maddie pouted, before conceding. "I want a McDonald's now, please!" she emphasised.

Noah's hand slipped to hers, and he pulled her from the studio and towards Maddie.

***

After ordering a meal each, and then half the menu for Vanessa on her cheat week, they all ate together back at the condo, before getting an early night ready to catch their early flight the next morning.

Sophie and Maddie were sharing Noah's bed, while he was sleeping downstairs on the couch. Sophie did feel bad for taking his bedroom, and it did make her wonder as to the sleeping arrangements at his parents' house.

Noah hadn't said anything, nor had he rushed Sophie into something that she was not ready for, and she did sincerely appreciate that. She hoped that she would be roomed with Maddie, purely because Maddie had only slept away from Sophie once on her holiday to Fuerteventura and that had been a royal disaster. If Maddie was going to throw a wobbly then Sophie needed to be on hand to calm her.

Their alarms all went off at half past five, and they and their bags were all piled into the car service by six. It was then that Sophie began to feel that fluttering in her stomach at the upcoming meeting with Noah's parents.

She knew that Joy Bentley was excited about her, but if anyone loved their child more than Sophie, it was Joy. Once the initial excitement wore off, she hoped, she prayed, that she would meet Joy's expectations.

Their flight to Napa was on a smaller plane without a first-class cabin, so they were all together in economy. This meant that Vanessa was recognised by several passengers despite her large sunglasses, but she happily took pictures with whomever asked.

Sophie sat next to Maddie, while Tally and Vanessa were in front of her, and Noah was by himself across the aisle, sitting beside a man in a business suit. Sophie gave Maddie sweets to suck on for the take-off and landing and tossed a wrapped barley sugar to Noah to suck on as well.

The flight wasn't long, and they landed in Napa in the midmorning. As the plane was small, they descended down onto the tarmac before following the crowd into the airport. It was colder in Napa than in Los Angeles, and Sophie pulled her cardigan tightly around herself, wishing that she could fish an extra coat out of her bag for Maddie.

The airport was so much smaller than LAX, but Sophie immediately liked the feeling of being somewhere a little secluded. After twenty-six years of living in one of the busiest cities in the world, this was a nice change.

There was a small crowd gathered inside to greet the travellers, and Noah, Tally and Vanessa immediately started looking at the faces. Sophie hadn't thought to ask about who would be picking them up.

Two women suddenly emerged from the group, excitedly waving at them. One had layered blond hair that fell to her shoulders. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and was wearing jeans and a comfortable hooded sweatshirt. The other had long brown hair, fixed in two Dutch braids. She seemed to be a similar age to the blond, though perhaps a little younger. She was very tanned and was wearing black leggings and a light wash denim jacket.

The brunette flew into Noah's arms, while the blonde hugged Tally. After a few moments, they switched, before greeting Vanessa warmly as well. Sophie remembered seeing their faces in the picture that was set as the background on Noah's phone. These women were his older sisters.

All four siblings spoke at the same time, asking each other rapid questions without actually answering them. It seemed it had been a long time since they had all been together, and Sophie watched them, honestly feeling a little envy at being an only child.

When they broke apart, Noah quickly wrapped his arm around Sophie's waist, bringing her forward. "Sophie, Maddie, these are our big sisters. Haley," he pointed to the blonde, "and Casey." He gestured to the brunette.

"We've been so excited to meet you, Sophie," Haley spoke first, coming forward and greeting her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "And Maddie, you have no idea how excited our mom is to meet you."

"It's lovely to meet you both," said Sophie nervously as she greeted Casey with a hug next. "Noah only has such nice things to say about all his family."

"Oh, so he hasn't warned you about Joy?" Casey asked in disbelief.

No, he had, and Casey was now fourth person to mention it.

"Of course, I have," retorted Noah. "What am I, an animal? I'm not sending her in there blind. I won't be able to afford my own therapy, let alone hers."

Sophie playfully slapped Noah on the arm. "Stop being so horrible about your mum!" she scolded.

"Mom would have been here to pick you up except the banner arrived late and she didn't trust Dad to put it up without her there to supervise," Casey tsked.

"Banner?" repeated Sophie, raising her eyebrows.

Casey and Haley exchanged an amused smile, while Noah rolled his eyes.

-----

Hope you enjoyed it!

I can't wait to meet Joy next chapter!

I don't know if I'll get that up tomorrow. It's unlikely as I have to finish writing my reports tomorrow as they're due on Monday. I've done all my reading, writing and maths comments, and just have my general ones to go, and they are taking the longest.

So if it's not tomorrow, I'll see you our usual time next Saturday night x

I just have to tell you the cutest story before I go to bed. So while I was teaching online, my kids got to know a lot more of my personal interests. Like I love cats and Star Wars. One of the days was May the 4th .. Star Wars Day! Anyway, so one of my kids comes to school yesterday with a present for me, and it's a Star Wars mug. MY HEART I CAN'T!

They drive me crazy but I love them!

Omg I nearly just posted this without the quote at the top. You would have all thought I'd gone mad! Hahahahaha

Ooohhh another side note - FOOTBALL IS BACKKKKKK!!!!!!! AFTER MONTHS AWAY, FOOTBALL IS FINALLY BACK!! MY BOYS PLAY TOMORROW I'M SO EXCITED!!! IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO OUR GAME, WATCH THE BOMBERS TOMORROW AT 3:35pm AEST WOOOOOOOOO

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