I tapped a pen impatiently against the notepad resting in my lap. This phone call had been going on for nearly an hour as I tried to explain our position, but the man on the other end of the line just wasn’t hearing me. I bit my lip to hold back a sigh as he launched into another explanation of something we’d already covered at least three times.

“I mean, the contract was in place, Christa. That’s not something they can just walk away from—"

“It’s absolutely something they can walk away from if working conditions are sufficiently different from when they started, Geoff,” I interrupted him, tired of dealing with this. “And the conditions are different. You cannot tell me we don’t have a case.”

The man huffed in annoyance, clearly unhappy that I wasn’t going to roll over so easily. “If you all insist, I can’t stop you. But be prepared to see us in court over it.”

Though I was alone and he couldn’t see me, I smiled wryly, picturing the other lawyer’s face in front of me. “Don’t worry about us, Geoff. We will be. Call me if you come to your senses and decide you’d rather avoid the hassle.”

Without giving him a chance to answer, I took the cell phone down from my ear and tapped a button to hang up, finally letting out a heavy sigh. I ran a hand through my hair as I mulled over the conversation in my mind. To be frank, despite how long we’d talked, not much had been accomplished. They were still mad at us, and we were still mad at them. Which generally tends to be why lawsuits start in the first place.

I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound of a door opening slowly, and looked over to the entrance of the bus. Matt was there, standing on the top step with his head poking around the corner to look at me. “Can I come in?” he asked quietly, gesturing to the interior of the bus.

I nodded at him. “Yeah, I’m off the phone. Sorry it took so long. Old bastard kept saying we should just give in. I told him ‘no’.” I patted the seat beside me, scooting over slightly, and Matt walked over to the small couch.

“So, what else did he say?” Matt asked as he sat down next to me, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at me curiously. I noticed he was already wearing a bandana with his hat on backwards, looking ready to perform in tonight’s show. His black t-shirt had a signature pair of aviator sunglasses hooked over the neck, and with his stern expression and muscled arms, there was no doubt that he was intimidating. However, despite how he may have looked to someone who didn’t know him, we’d been working together long enough that I could see through it, and I was grateful to call him my friend.

I smiled at him a bit sadly. “He threatened to take us to court over it, so exactly what we thought.” I hardened my expression then. “But I’ll fight like hell to try and keep it from happening, Matt. And if it can’t be avoided, we’ll go to court and crush them.”

Matt grinned back at me, seeming to appreciate the fire in my voice. “You know we all believe in you, Christa. If anyone can get us out of this mess, it’s you. And if you can’t, well, we’ll go down fighting with you.” I couldn’t help but smile back at his words. I knew the guys wanted to avoid going to court if at all possible, but it was nice to be supported.

I rubbed my eyes then, suddenly feeling a bit tired as the past hour of arguing seemed to catch up with me. “Thanks, Matt. I’m gonna call it quits for today, though, it’s after six and no one else is gonna answer their phones. But I’ll be back at it soon.”

“Sure thing, Christa. Thanks again for all your help. You gonna come watch the show?”

I laughed, shaking my head. I loved seeing the band perform, I really did. I’d started listening to them back in college, when their music proved to be an excellent way to relieve stress. But, I’d watched from backstage the past four nights, and I was beat. “I think I’m gonna try to get an early night tonight, Matt. But thanks for the offer.”

He simply nodded. “Well, if you’re gonna be up for at least a little while longer, I’m sure Val would be glad for your company. She’s got River, Cash, and Tennessee tonight, so I think her hands are kinda full.” He chuckled at his wife’s plight of having to manage all three kids currently on tour. They were allowed to watch the show sometimes, but having them backstage was a bit hectic for everyone. Some nights, it was just easier for them to stay on the second tour bus.

I laughed lightly. “I’ll see what I can do. I’m sure Val’s better at managing them than I am, but I’d give it a shot to help her out.”

“Thanks, Christa. You never have to, you know. But if you’re trying to get your mind off other things, it might help.” He stood up from the couch then, linking his hands together and stretching his arms above his head. “I’d better get back to the guys, but I’ll see you later, okay?”

I smiled up at him and nodded back. “Sounds great, Matt. Good luck with the show tonight.” I watched him walk back across the bus and leave through the door he’d first entered, and sighed to myself again.

It was an interesting situation to be in, really. I never thought when I’d agreed to become Avenged Sevenfold’s lawyer that we’d be in this position. They used to get along with their record label just fine. But over the years, little changes had added up, and they’d made the decision to split before their most recent album.

My job, which had previously involved only meeting with them occasionally in offices and recording studios, suddenly took a turn when the company tried to retaliate against them, wanting money for a record they had no part in producing. The guys knew they had a legal battle to fight, but refused to delay their tour to deal with the situation. The solution, which seemed obvious to them and absurd to almost everyone else?

Just take your lawyer on tour with you, of course.

And now here I was, sitting in a tour bus as the guys did a soundcheck in Chicago to prepare for tonight’s show, calling other lawyers and reviewing contracts and doing my best to get this dispute settled. It wasn’t the perfect environment to work in, if I was being honest—my desk back home was much more practical than this tour bus couch—but the guys gave me plenty of mental space to work, so it wasn’t all bad. And I had to admit, being able to go on tour with the band and their families was a pretty surreal experience, especially considering that I’d been a fan before we ever met.

I pulled myself out of reminiscing to close my notebook and put the cap back on my pen, sliding both of them underneath the couch. Matt was probably right; it would do me good to get my mind well and truly off work for a while. I didn’t really consider myself to be any good with kids, and before this tour, I wouldn’t even have said I particularly liked them as a whole. But, after meeting these three boys and spending some time with them, even my cynical mind had been forced to make an exception. They could be pretty funny. Besides, I got along well with Val, and it sounded like she could use a hand.

I left the tour bus I was in and stepped down onto the asphalt. It was a warm, sunny day in mid-June, and I squinted as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the bright light. We were parked in a secluded area behind the venue, separate from the general parking lot. Two large tour buses, and three additional trucks carrying the band’s equipment, made up most of our convoy. I couldn’t see the crew’s bus from where I was standing, but knew from experience that it would be parked closer to the backstage entrance.

I walked a short distance to the second identical tour bus, where I knew I’d find Val and the kids. I could hear voices before I even made it to the door, and couldn’t help but smile. I opened the door and walked up the stairs. As soon as I’d rounded the corner into the bus, I was immediately greeted by a shout of “Chrissiiiie!”

I looked down just in time to see a flash of blonde hair running towards me, before a set of small arms were wrapped firmly around my legs. I laughed and looked down at the tiny human who’d attached himself to me.

“Hey there, Tennessee. What’ve you been up to today?”

“We’ve been making puzzles!” he said excitedly, large blue eyes looking up at me. He frowned then as another thought seemed to occur to him. “But, we haven’t finished them yet…”

I couldn’t help but smile again at his expressiveness. Something about the completely uninhibited emotions of these boys was endearing. Perhaps it was because my job required people to be so serious and straight-laced all the time, I mused. Just then, I heard footsteps coming from the other end of the bus.

“Hey, Christa!” Val greeted, walking into view carrying her youngest son on her hip. She had her blonde hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was to keep it out of her kids’ curious hands. “You done with work for the day?”

I nodded at her. “Yeah, the other lawyer’s being a real pain in the a—" I cut myself off, remembering who I was around as I looked from one kid to the other and then back at Val. She smiled at me knowingly, not looking angry at all, and motioned for me to go on. “A real… meanie. They’re trying to threaten to take us to court, but I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

Val nodded, her expression becoming solemn as she shifted Cash in her arms. “I kinda figured they would. But we know you’re the best, Christa. One way or another, we’ll get through this.”

I chuckled lightly. “I don’t know that I’m that good, but I’ll do anything I can for the band and you guys.” I looked back down at the kid still attached to my legs, who seemed to be trying to pull me further into the room without much luck. I stepped forward with him carefully, and looked back up at Val. “Say, do you need any help with your puzzles? Tennessee told me you were working on some.”

Val smiled warmly. “That’d be great. They each wanted their own, and I’m having trouble keeping up with all the pieces that keep getting thrown everywhere.” She gave the boy in her arms a pointed look, but he didn’t seem to notice.

I laughed, and looked back down at the child holding on to me. “Whaddaya say, do you want to go finish that puzzle?”

He nodded emphatically, grinning at me. “Yeah!”

I spent the next few hours hanging out with Val and the boys, helping the kids put together simple puzzles and finding the stray pieces they kept tossing out of reach or accidentally sitting on. We had peanut butter and banana sandwiches for dinner, and by the time it was 8 o’clock, I could tell the three boys were starting to get sleepy.

“Hey Christa, I’m gonna go ahead and put these two to bed,” Val said, arms wrapped around the boys seated on either side of her. Cash looked like he was already asleep, and River wasn’t far behind him. “Do you mind taking care of Tennessee?”

“No problem!” I said, looking at the blonde boy next to me. He was currently making an effort to stack blocks on top of each other, but his eyelids were starting to droop, and it was clear he’d be asleep soon. I turned my body so that I was sitting facing him, as Val started to corral her family towards the bunks. “Hey, Tennessee, are you ready for bed?”

He perked up a bit at being addressed, eyes wide open once more. “Nuh-uh! I need a bedtime story first!” He looked at me expectantly, a block still held in his hand.

I laughed a bit. “Okay, then. Do you know where I can find the books?” He nodded, getting up and toddling over to a small table in the kitchen area, pointing up at it to some brightly-colored children’s books I hadn’t noticed before. I stood up and walked over to them, picking them up in my hands to examine.

“Alrighty,” I said thoughtfully, flipping through them. “We’ve got The Prince and the Dragon, The World’s Greatest Circus, Polar Bear Parade, and Billy Saves the Day,” I said. “Which one do you wanna read tonight?”

“The circus one!” he said excitedly. I smiled and sat down on the couch, putting the books beside me and holding my arms out to Tennessee. He walked over without me having to ask, and I picked him up under his arms and set him on the couch next to me.

I put the book he’d chosen in my lap and opened it to the first glossy page, starting to read. “Okay. The World’s Greatest Circus…”

I read the book aloud to Tennessee as he listened intently, pointing at the animals in the book and interrupting often to tell me what noises each of them made. By the time I got to the part where the lost elephant returned to the circus, though, I could tell he was fading fast. I kept reading softly, finishing the story. “…And all the animals put on the best show ever.” I closed the back cover of the book quietly, looking down at the kid resting against my arm. He didn’t move or react at all, and I realized that he had fallen asleep.

I set the book aside and picked him up carefully in my arms, walking back towards the bus’s bunk area. I saw that the two bunk curtains on the left side were drawn closed already; Val and Cash usually stayed together in the lower one, while River was allowed to stay on top, since they’d installed a safety rail. I walked Tennessee over to the lower bunk across from Val’s.

He stirred slightly as I put him down, but didn’t seem to ever fully wake up. Val had already gotten him into his pajamas after dinner, so I simply tucked him in and smiled fondly, before pulling the curtain back into place.

As I went to change into my own pajamas, I thought more about the boy I’d spent the last few hours with. He was adorable, no doubt about it. And it was great that he got to go on tour with his dad. It only made me a little sad to think that he didn’t have his mom here, the way that River and Cash had Val. My expression fell slightly at the thought.

Zack was a wonderful dad to him, and obviously loved his son so much. But still, not being with his son’s mother anymore must have been tough. And he wasn’t dating anyone else at the moment, as far as I knew. However, divorce wasn’t uncommon by any means, and that kid basically had four uncles and an aunt here in the band family who adored him. My smile returned at the thought.

Being the last one awake on the bus, I turned the lights off as I headed back to my bunk, climbing into the one above Tennessee. I slept over here with Val and the kids, while the guys stayed on the other bus. It separated Matt and Zack from their sons, but ultimately made it easier to manage sleep schedules, since the guys wouldn’t be coming in and waking up the kids late at night. And, despite the fact that I technically slept over here, I didn’t really spend much time on this bus. I would usually go over to the guys’ bus during the day to work, if they were out, or stay in my own hotel room if we’d stopped for a few days. Doing legal research in any sort of vaguely-hectic environment—which was always a guarantee with three kids running around—was nearly impossible.

Settling into the sheets of the small bed, I rolled over and closed my eyes. I could hear the sounds of the show in the distance, but we’d parked far enough away and the buses were soundproofed well enough that it wouldn’t keep anyone awake. We’d be leaving early tomorrow morning to get to our next stop, and it was time for some much-needed sleep.

Notes