Chapter Thirteen

At that point in the song, Nick was shocked by the sheer volume and clarity in Clara's voice. He had never pictured the girl as an alto, but both the strength and talent with which she delivered her vocals were astounding. Of course, before he could watch her launch into the chorus of the famous solo, she had whirled around to acknowledge another imaginary admirer. Unfortunately, her eyes landed on his open mouth and raised eyebrows, and her knowing smirk faded to match his expression exactly. Before he knew it, the confident, sultry songstress that had taken over the living room was replaced with the shy, calculated woman he'd come to associate with his younger brother, and she was blushing profusely.

"Oh, wow...I had no idea you were here...we were just goofing around, because Aaron missed the rehearsal where I had to work on that choreography, and he made me promise to give him a show later, because..." She trailed off, blushing an even deeper crimson when she realized exactly how bad her explanation had sounded. "Shit. Nevermind."

Nick's eyes widened in amazement as an amused smirk graced his features. "Did Saint Cara just curse?"

Cara's eyes were equally as wide. "You're disregarding that entire display because of a single curse word?"

Nick laughed. "Well, on second thought, we can always go back to the display..."

Aaron grinned mischievously from the couch. "I most certainly wouldn't mind going back to the display..."

Nick expected Cara to let loose with a feminist lecture, but instead she turned to Aaron with amusement. "I'm sure you wouldn't. However, I'd really like to maintain that nice, respectable image that your brother has of me right now."

Aaron rolled his lower lip out in a pout. "Can't he just think that you're a really good actress?"

"'Cause it takes so much talent to act like a whore..." Cara continued sarcastically, rolling her eyes in the process.

"Actually, the brother was thinking about how much talent it takes to hold a note like that," Nick admitted. He was still in awe from having walked in on such a scene, and he was having trouble processing the image of Cara acting seductive and the sound of her powerful voice at the same time. He swallowed forcefully, and a tiny part of him acknowledged that, in those few seconds that he saw her performing for Aaron, he was jealous of her confidence and her ability. An even smaller part of him allowed the whisper that he missed it. But I can't miss it, and I don't miss it, because it wasn't what it could have been. It wasn't good anymore...

Aaron eyed the crimson Cara and giggled. "Well, the brother has succeeded in making Cara blush with that observation."

Nick was still staring at the brunette in awe. "Cal reprimands you for singing and dancing like that?!"

Aaron laughed. "'Reprimands', dear brother, is not the word."

Cara rolled her eyes. "You aren't kidding. He yells, he screams, he rants, and he lectures. He does not 'reprimand'. Cal is not, and will never be, that kind when it comes to performing in one of his shows. He takes nothing less than perfection."

Nick shook his head slowly. "It certainly sounded perfect to me."

Cara's cheeks flushed a deeper red, and Aaron grabbed her hand and began swinging their arms playfully. "Yeah, that's our C. She's practically perfect in every way."

Cara snorted at the comment. "Yeah, now I just need the talking umbrella and the bottomless carpetbag, right?"

Aaron stroked his chin thoughtfully and pretended to ponder the matter a moment. "Nah, it's okay. We'll let you off as long as you sing that 'Spoonful of Sugar' song."

Cara smiled sarcastically. "Gee, thanks."

Nick watched the two with wide eyes, looking at each of them in turn as the conversation progressed. Finally, he cleared his throat loudly and sighed. "Okay, halt a second. I'm lost."

Cara stared at him incredulously. "Nick, how can you be lost? It's Mary Poppins!"

Nick shrugged. "Never saw it."

Cara frowned. "You never saw Mary Poppins? So you don't know the story?"

Nick shook his head sadly. "Nope." He knew that he'd missed out on much of the normal childhood regime because of his profession, and he hated the fact that he no longer cared.

Aaron was soon frowning with Cara. "How can you not know the story, man? Mary Poppins is, like, classic. Like, it's as classic as..." He trailed off for a moment and his gaze moved to Cara as his eyes danced mischievously. "It's as classic as Jekyll & Hyde, dude."

Nick laughed at the disgusted look on Cara's face. "I can't say that I know that one either..."

With that, Cara's eyes widened and she turned to face him with shock. "Whoa, hold your horses a sec. You're saying that your brother's about to star in a Broadway musical, and you don't even know the storyline of the musical that he's about to star in?"

Nick winced. "Well, shit, when you say it like that..."

Aaron laughed. "Dude, it sounded bad even before she said it." He pouted, his expression clearly reminiscent of his older brother's infamous puppy dog face. "I feel so unloved!"

Nick groaned. "Man, I don't gotta do homework on Broadway just because you're starring in a musical..."

Cara smiled knowingly. "Actually, Nick, I think my parents have the entire Jekyll & Hyde CD collection now. They went and cleared out the record store whenever they first got the news."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Of course, C's family is fucking perfect, so it doesn't surprise me that they went to such an extreme..."

Nick gave Cara a very obvious once-over before another groan escaped him. "Somehow, the knowledge that your family is perfect really doesn't surprise me."

"She was raised in the second fucking Brady Bunch," Aaron continued to whine. "It's not fair, you know?"

Cara snorted. "Yeah, and a lot of good it did me. I still got screwed up in high school."

"But they forgave you, and they're still proud of you, and they care about your musical endeavors, unlike my family," Aaron countered. "There's real love at your house. Our 'real love' is stuck somewhere in one of the overflowing bank accounts my mother cares so much about. No one in my house cared about this thing. It was fucking expected, and they're just glad that I'm busy and out of their hair."

Nick stomach twisted in response to the angry words coming from Aaron. Theresa's words from earlier weeks ran through his head, but he tried desperately to clear the thoughts away. Despite the tightening in his chest, he forced himself to study the expression of contempt on his face, and he inwardly cursed himself for emotionally isolating himself from his brother. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with the urge to make it up to Aaron somehow, but he knew that his usual, casual apology no longer held meaning for the younger man. Man. Aaron's become a man. He grew up, he wisened up, he matured, and I missed it all. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Aaron, man...we do care. Really. Or, at least, I do."

Cara smiled softly at Aaron. "Yeah, A, don't take it personally. He doesn't even know the story of Mary Poppins. Either he was dropped on his head as a kid, or he's just clueless and deprived by nature."

"Or both," Nick offered with a tiny smile, glancing gratefully at Cara when a small smile appeared on Aaron's features. He made a mental note to thank her later for clearing the air. Something about her always seemed to bring out the best in Aaron, and Nick was slowly learning just how lucky he was to have her present.

Aaron turned to Nick with a sad smile. "But, man, I understand. You don't want to do the homework, and I don't blame you. It's cool."

Nick groaned aloud at the thought of homework, but turned a sacrificial grin on his younger brother. "Tell ya what, bro...for you, I'll make the sacrifice and fry a few brain cells, okay?"

Cara turned to Aaron with a solemn expression. "Whoa, A, that's a major sacrifice. We all know just how few brain cells the older Carter has to lose..."

Aaron, however, was seemingly unaffected by Cara's attempt to lighten the mood. Instead, he gazed imploringly at his older brother. "Are you sure you don't mind? I mean, you'll understand everything eventually when you see the show." He paused, considering another thought. "You are coming to see the show, right?"

Nick gave Aaron a pointed look. Only days ago, he would've been hesitant to agree, but now...things were different. "Absolutely! Why would I miss something like that?"

A thousand reasons entered Aaron's head as quickly as the question registered, but the hopeless look in Nick's eyes warned him against mentioning anything. A silent understanding passed between the brothers at that moment, and Aaron accepted the fact that, though Nick wasn't anywhere near the man he used to be, he was trying.

Cara grinned at Nick. "So you really want to be educated in the ways of Jekyll & Hyde?"

Nick laughed and sat down, making himself comfortable. "Absolutely. Educate me."

Cara arched an eyebrow at the term and smirked at the older Carter. "Word of advice, Nick."

Nick frowned. "Hmm?"

"Don't ever dream of using that phrase on Theresa, okay?"

Aaron burst out laughing at Cara's "advice", and Nick's features took on a frightened expression.

"Okay..."

She smiled. "Good. So, do you know ANYTHING about the story, or are we starting from scratch?"

Nick shrugged. "There's a good guy and a bad guy. Jekyll and Hyde..."

Cara smirked. "Yeah, hence the title."

Nick rolled his eyes at the sarcasm that was beginning to bleed through her innocent, Southern belle image. "Yeah. I think I had to read the book at some point."

Aaron finally spoke up. "Do you know which guy is which?"

Nick looked sheepish. "Um..."

Cara groaned. "Oh, Lordy, we're going to be here for awhile." She sighed heavily and focused on Nick's perplexed countenance. "Okay, here's the deal. Jekyll's the good guy, and Hyde's the bad guy."

"Hyde's an asshole," Aaron offered, before sharing a knowing smile with Cara. "Well, according to Cal..."

In the older days, Nick would've teased Aaron about having to play such a character, but the thought barely crossed his mind before he dismissed it. He knew that he would come off sounding cold, and then Aaron would be offended. The lack of interaction between him and his younger brother, however, made him realize just how fragile the ground beneath them was.

He sighed heavily, trying to process the information. The pain in Aaron's eyes was more than he could handle, and the guilt that stirred within him as a result was already threatening to break the strength he had created for himself so long ago. "Okay, so there's a good guy and a bad guy."

"Yeah, but they're the same person," Aaron interjected, and Nick's features contorted. Cara immediately burst out laughing at Nick's expression, and she turned a knowing smile in Aaron's direction.

"Why don't we start from the beginning? He looks like his brain is going to explode."

Nick frowned. "It's not that, okay? You guys are giving it to me in pieces, and it doesn't fucking make a lot of sense. Don't make fun of me..."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Chill with the temper, okay? We'll start from the beginning. We rehearse it in pieces, though, so we've started thinking in pieces. Just be patient."

Nick sighed again and leaned back into the armchair he had taken. "Okay, shoot. I'm willing to learn."

Cara nodded. "Well, basically the story is about good and evil, and the battle between the two forces inside each and every one of us."

Aaron adopted a deep, suspenseful voice and somber expression as he began to recite. "In each of us there are two natures. If this primitive duality of man--good and evil--can be housed in separate identities, life will be relieved of all that is unbearable. It is the curse of mankind...that these polar twins should be constantly struggling..."

Nick's eyebrows rose in appreciation. "Wow, man, that was deep."

Cara, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, imagine that..."

Nick frowned. "Well, hell, Cara, this is Aaron we're talking about. He doesn't say intelligent shit like that every day, you know?"

Cara laughed. "Yeah, and I would hope not, because that's not exactly his passage to claim..."

Nick directed his frown at Aaron. "It's not?"

Aaron grinned. "Nope. Robert Louis Stevenson. It's from the opening narration."

"Yeah, the only part of the entire thing that Aaron has perfectly memorized," Cara retorted. Aaron stuck out his tongue as a response, and she arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Childish much?"

"Very much," Aaron chuckled, winking at her. Nick rolled his eyes at the bond that the two had obviously developed, hating that he was slowly becoming jealous of Cara.

"Anyway, so it's about good and evil."

Cara snapped to attention. "Yeah." She smiled warmly. "So our story begins with a scientist named Henry Jekyll, who's trying to work on this hypothesis that you can actually separate the good and evil in one person."

"That's me," Aaron interrupted with a winning smile. Cara's eyes went skywards, but Nick couldn't help smiling at his brother's obvious pride in his role.

"So he's a research freak when we open up, working in his lab."

"And he sings this really cool song called 'I Need To Know'," Aaron added.

"But, low and behold, the freak actually has a social life..." She leaned in. "And this is where Aaron and Jekyll differ. He's got this social life, and he stops working to attend his own engagement party with all of these really annoying, loud, gossipy townspeople that get really annoying after an hour or so of rehearsal."

"They're supposed to be annoying, though. They sing these little songs called 'Facade' and 'Bitch, Bitch, Bitch'--which is one of Theresa's favorites--to give people a feel for the time period and the nature of the town. In general, they're just nosy neighbors in abundance," Aaron finished. Cara looked at him in surprise, and he groaned. "What now?"

She giggled. "Did you just say 'abundance'?"

Aaron leveled her with a breadbox look. "Yeah..."

"When did you learn how to use a dictionary?"

Aaron smirked at her. "When you learned how to emulate someone out of a strip club."

She rolled her eyes. "Touche."

Nick, though amused at their banter, glanced at the clock and frowned. He had to be up early the next morning for a meeting, and though he wanted to appease his younger brother, he knew that he couldn't stand to listen to the story for too much longer. "Um, hello? Tweetle Dum and Tweetle Dee? What happened to the storyline?"

Aaron laughed. "Sorry. Okay, so he's getting engaged to this rich guy's daughter, Lisa Carew. She's prim, and she's proper, and she's really girly, and she's T's character."

Nick burst out laughing at the image that came with Aaron's explanation. "I can only imagine what an interesting picture that's going to make..."

"You should see it," Cara agreed, eyes twinkling. "It's hilarious to watch the transformation."

"Anyway, he's all emotional, and she's a big sap, and he's kind of paranoid, because his entire career rests on her father's shoulders..."

"Her father controls the Board of Governors, to whom Jekyll has to present all of his research the next day, and they'll either grant him respect or ditch his ideas. Needless to say, Jekyll has a reason to be paranoid," Cara interrupted. Nick nodded, but she was silenced by a glare from Aaron.

"So, yeah, they sing a song, and then the next day, the Board of Governors rejects his proposal anyway and he ends up looking like a jackass, but he's a pretty stubborn guy, so he decides to go for it regardless of what the bastards think."

Cara leaned conspiratorially towards Nick at that point and smiled. "Can you tell Aaron's a bit passionate about this role?" she whispered, and Nick nodded.

"Absolutely. It's kinda scary," he joked in return. The two shared a smile, and then turned back to Aaron as the younger man continued his narration.

"He's still ticked, though, and so he pulls a Nickolas and goes into the local dive pub, the Dregs," Aaron added, grinning mischievously. Nick was about to protest, but Cara interjected first.

"Where he meets me, Lucy. I'm a whore down at the pub that puts on a show for the guys every night, and when he meets me, I'm singing the song you heard when you came in, 'Bring On The Men'."

"It's Cara's favorite," Aaron informed his brother, "because she gets to be as provocative as she wants, and no one gives a flying fuck. In fact, Cal encourages it."

Cara rolled her eyes at the grin on Nick's face. She could already feel his teasing coming on, and she decided to fill the silence again before he could formulate an insult. "So Lucy meets Jekyll, and they become friends. It's kinda cool, totally unexpected, and it gets his hopes up enough for him to sing 'This Is The Moment', which is a really Celine Dion-type ballad."

"It's very touching," Aaron agreed, but he burst into laughter before his sincere tone could take effect. "So, anyway, Jekyll starts this journal narration in the lab, and he puts this formula shit to work. Of course, with this huge, booming song
called 'Transformation'--which I've had to rehearse fifty catrillion times because I'm supposed to go into this rage where I break glass--Jekyll turns into Edward Hyde, which is his evil side."

Nick nodded, finally understanding the previous comments. "Gotcha."

Aaron grinned. "Cool. Yeah, so, Hyde goes back to the Dregs, because he can't get enough of C over there, and he buys her for the night. He turns out to be a total ass, she gets scared, gets the hell out of the bar, and he fights with the morons in there. After the fight, he chases Lucy, scares the hell out of her again, and sings the 'Alive' song, which is my ABSOLUTE favorite."

"He gets really into it," Cara testified. "It's actually pretty amusing. We like to tease him about it."

Aaron groaned. "It's not my fault, man! It's a cool song, okay? You'll see, Nick...it's the best one in the whole show."

"Except for my ballad," Cara grinned. She turned to Nick, the smile still firmly in place. "But that doesn't come until later. After Hyde freaks Lucy out, he turns back into Jekyll, and Jekyll becomes a recluse. Lucy goes to see him to show him the wounds that Hyde caused, and he plays doctor for her. She finds the situation terrible romantic, and leaves his house to sing 'Someone Like You' into the dark of night..." She sighed happily.

Aaron, on the other hand, was stifling giggles in attempt to pull of a look of sadness. "Tear..." he teased, trailing his index finger down his cheek. When Cara glared at him, however, he couldn't hold the giggles any longer. "Good God, you were so freaking serious!"

Her brow furrowed. "I happen to like that song, thank you very much."

Nick, sensing that another verbal battle was about to ensue between the two stars, quickly stepped in with a small smile. "Cara, after what I heard earlier, I'm sure it's lovely."

She returned the smile, seemingly satisfied. "Thanks."

Aaron rolled his eyes skeptically at his brother's sudden change in demeanor. "Kiss-ass."

"Hey!" Nick cried, holding up his hands in innocence. "I thought that teenybopper Cara wanted to kiss my ass..."

Cara gave him a look of warning, and her brown eyes flashed. "Carter, what did I tell you about Backstreet jokes?"

Nick smiled innocently. "Shouldn't we be getting back to the storyline and your beautiful ballad?"

Not even Cara could conceal her smile. "That's the end of Act I. I get to close the curtain."

"Act II is a lot shorter," Aaron began. "When it opens, the gossipy, annoying townspeople are singing about how Hyde's been killing people in London--more specifically, members of the Board of Governors. Anyway, while Hyde's causing problems, Lisa's dad..."

Nick frowned. "Lisa?"

Cara started laughing at the confused look on his face. "Oh, Lordy, T would kill you for forgetting her character..."

"Jekyll's wife-to-be," Aaron explained with a warning look in Cara's direction. "So Lisa's dad gets all wigged out about the fact that she's marrying this psycho guy..."

"I mean, would you want your daughter marrying Aaron?" Cara supplied, and Nick bit back a smile. His brother's expression tightened, but Aaron didn't address her comment as he continued.