Lara and Rio - camping grounds

Daniel with Lavinia and Kendra - backstage parking

Sofia Diomante

Application - Reese Lovera

(((ooc: Registered him at the new board, but figured I'll add him here as well.)))



1. Name: Reese Lovera

2. Age: 26

3. Type of visitor: Artist

4. Occupation: Lead singer/guitarist in Icarus.

5. Biography:

For the past couple of years, Reese has spent a lot of time soul searching, to try and figure out why things happened the way they did. He didn't have a particularly bad upbringing, he wasn't at war with the world or with his parents any more than the average kid, nor were his parents at war with each other, and aside from the occasional and pretty much mandatory siblings tiff, he didn't hate his sister. They were all a normal family, living an ordinary suburban life in the outskirts of New York City. So why then did things all of a sudden take a turn for the worse, leading Reese down a path of drug addiction, promiscuity and general assholery? That is what he has spent a lot of the past couple of years trying to understand. He's tried to figure out why by the age seventeen, he was almost kicked out of school, why by the age of twenty, he was mercilessly hooked on heroin, and why by the age of twenty two, he was suddenly married to a young woman whom he only later discovered he barely even knew. He's delved into the dark issues surrounding the loss of some really good friends, and the making of some really, really bad ones, as well as the alienation between him and his family, which when he was at his worst was rather far gone, but now is in recession.

The answer isn't an easy one to find. No matter the variety of angles he's tried to take, there is no clear-cut explanation, no one exact moment in time that he can point at and say "this is where it all went wrong". Factors and circumstances, and many of them, in one great mix; that's the reason he has found, for why his life's turned out the way it has. Just like with everyone else. A couple of factors were how as a teenager, he was much like his peers, struggling with his image, his confidence and his self-perception, and how he didn't feel like there was anything that he was truly good at. Like so many other teenagers, he wanted to stand out, at least a little bit, and be an individual. He just didn't know how. Added to that, and working only to intensify that feeling, was the fact that he felt that his sister managed to excel at a few things, and thus was better than him. Which, as a brother who truly loved his sister, he didn't exactly begrudge her, but which didn't exactly work wonders for his confidence.

Enter circumstance. It might have all continued down that road, and Reese might have grown up to be just like the average Joe, had it not been for circumstance, and how it placed Robbie in his path, to click with the already existing factors. Robbie, the cool kid moved from downtown New York to Reese's school, where he befriended Reese, and came to be what many would label "a bad influence" on the young man. The two started hanging out together, and it wasn't long before Robbie introduced Reese to his old friends in New York, and they became Reese's friends as well. It was in their company that he soon found two things that he was fairly good at; music, and being bad.

The first came about when in their mutual desire to be somebody, the boys decided to start a rock band, with Robbie on vocals and Reese on guitar. He had taken a couple of lessons in school, but it wasn't until now that the interest awoke. Once that happened, he turned out to be a fast learner, and before long, the quartet calling themselves Weak Anarchy had their first couple of noisy excuses for songs penned.

As for being bad; it kind of came with the territory. Rock stars weren't mama's boys and they knew how to party hard. Everyone knew that. And it wasn't as though Reese didn't already have a little bit of a head start since having befriended Robbie, with cutting classes, smoking behind the school and mouthing off to teachers being frequent elements in his teenaged everyday life, not to mention the occasional testing of drugs. Although at that point, it was far from a daily or even weekly occurence, but rather something they did for special occasions.

However, the thing with special occasions, is that they are so very easy to find, especially if you're looking for them. Thus, the downward spiral slowly began. Weak Anarchy didn't last too long of course, and Reese soon went on to play with other people in other bands, always hoping to make it big, while struggling to hold down the various jobs he tried his hand at, and often was fired from due to his unreliability and bad attitude. The only thing that seemed to remain a constant in that everchanging world, was the penchant for drugs. Heroin especially, which eventually came to be his main drug.

Somewhere along the way, he met the guys with whom he formed his current band, Icarus. James and Brody he came to know through acquaintances in the music scene, and Sebastian was chosen to be their drummer after they'd put up ads all over the clubs they frequented, and held auditions for the handful of hopefuls that called. The four of them just clicked really well, with them having several major influences in common, and enjoying playing the same kind of music. They were all going in the same creative direction, and thus, after a few jamming sessions, Icarus was born. The material started pouring out of them, and while a record deal was conspicuous by it's absence, they did land frequent gigs at local clubs, and even went on a small tour covering the east coast, during which they discovered that although unsigned and labelled C-list at best, they had a small gathering of faithful fans. And groupies.

Once again, factors and circumstances that on their own were fairly harmless, together made for a toxic mix. Deep down, Reese was always a decent guy, who strived to be considerate and nice to the people whose paths he crossed. But, as was still the case, he wasn't one-of-a-kind. The treacherous nature of drugs has been known to corrupt the considerate and the nice quite easily, and Reese was no exception. As the addict that he was, Reese Lovera cared only about Reese Lovera, and many were the ones who found that out the hard way. Family, friends, lovers; they were all burned by the roaring flames of his self-indulgence. The only reason why the band still functioned, was because the other guys had their vices too, and the only reason why Reese's marriage to Alannah lasted for just over two years, and even happened at all in the first place, was because they shared not love, not affection, not even friendship, but addiction.

The turning point came when Robbie, with whom Reese was still close friends despite no longer playing together, died of an overdose. It was a fistful of reality punching Reese in the face, that he couldn't ignore, and although he went on a serious binge up until the funeral, and was still high when attending it, the haze of the heroin didn't protect him from seeing the grief of Robbie's family and loved ones, nor the glares they sent Reese's way. It didn't block out the shame he felt under their scrutinizing and judgemental eyes, or the way that it made him into a coward that slunk away as soon as the ceremony was over.

Aged twenty four, Reese decided to quit, and become clean. He tried to do it on his own at first, but after a couple of relapses, he finally took the bull by the horns, and admitted to himself that he needed professional help, in the form of rehab. That was almost two years ago, and he has been clean since. He and Alannah are now divorced, since getting clean woke him up to the fact that the only thing the two of them ever had in common was the heroin, and he has instead focused on his career for real. Icarus were finally signed to a record label, much thanks to Reese's appearance on a popular TV show (see Additional Info), and released their first album about a year ago.


6. Picture:




7. Additional info:

Has several piercings; ring in his left nostril, ring in his bottom lip (centered), studs through both nipples, and several rings in his right ear.

Also has many, many tattoos; full sleeve on both his left and right arm, consisting mostly of skulls, angels and demons. The one on the right arm spreads onto the upper right part of his chest in the form of tangled thorns. Also has a Vargas style Bettie Page portrait and a piece of H.R. Giger's work on his left lower arm. After rehab, he got "Ad Vitem" (latin phrase, means "For life") tattooed across his abdomen.
All tattoos are done in black and white.

Got involved with Emily Moore at one point during his addict days, and who ended up being one of the many people whom he treated badly.

Due to his inability to hold down a regular job, he's had about a dozen of them. Among other things, he's worked as a busboy, a gas station attendant, a roadie, dishwasher, meat packer, in a record store, at a car wash, as an assembly line worker, and as an order clerk.

Shortly after leaving rehab, Reese applied for the TV show "Suvivor", and was chosen to participate. He had only been clean on his own for a couple of months, and saw this as the perfect way of ensuring that he stayed that way, since it would be impossible to score drugs on a desert island, and also figured it would be a good way of finding himself and his strengths. It was a way for him to challenge himself and grow as a person, without the risk of relapsing, even if he got the craving for drugs. It was catharsis, in a way. Once on the show, he was first perceived as a bad boy and wannabe tough guy, due to his appearance, but eventually turned out to be the huggy bear of the group, that got along with most everyone. He ended up being among the final 4 or 5, and didn't play the mind games others did, but got as far as he did because he was well liked among the others, and known for being honest and upfront, even about his sordid past.

His appearance on "Survivor" ended up paving way for his band Icarus to finally be signed by a record label, as it turned out that one of the show's viewers was a producer in the music industry, who liked what he heard when on the show, Reese played one of the band's songs to his team mates. Thus, about a year ago, after that episode had airead, Reese and his band mates were contacted by the label, signed, and now have their first album out, which, again due to Reese's appearance on the TV show, has gotten quite a bit of publicity.

Icarus' first single and first hit was a rock cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", which, although a bit softer and slower than their regular material, still reflected their rock-with-just-a-pinch-of-sleaze roots.


Icarus lineup:
Reese Lovera - lead vocals, guitar
James Bartel - guitar
Brody Conrad - bass
Sebastian Decker - drums


Questionnaire:

Name: Reese Lovera
Nickname: Butter cup (As in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Yeah, someday, I'll kill James for that one...)
Instrument: Guitar and vocals.
Previous bands: Weak Anarchy, among others.
Siblings: A sister.
Food of choice: Rattle snake. No, seriously. There's this cajun place in New Orleans that has it on the menu, and I just had to try it.
Drink of choice: Beer, or Evian.
Weapon of choice: Sling shot.
Accessory of choice: Piercings. Can't you tell?
Movie of choice: I love the easy-going action movies of the 80's, like Raiders of the Lost Ark, or at least with the 80's action movie feel, like The Mummy.
Most inspirational artist (musician or not): Bettie Page.
Never goes on stage without: I'd feel kinda naked without my guitar.
Lucky charm: Don't really have one.
Preferred time of day and why: The morning, probably (or rather, whatever time it is shortly after I wake up )
If in an emergency, the one person you'd first think to call, and why: My buddy Chris. He always has my back.
Personal quote: Me, quotable? Ha! Can I plead the fifth?


(((ooc: The roles as Reese's ex-wife Alannah, his sister, and all of his band mates are available, should anyone like to roleplay a character with already partly existing connections and backstory.)))

Lara with Rio, then with Dominic in the Tourbus

"Seems he's pretty desperate to talk to you" , Rio said.

Holding the phone tightly to one ear, Lara smiled briefly, distractedly, as she tried to make sense of the jumble of messages that burst forth from her voicemail the moment she accessed it. Time and time again, Nicky's familiar voice echoed inside her head, laced with frustration, even desperation, pleading for her return:

“I love you...I need to see you...” he basically said, over and over. “Come back.”

By the time she had listened to all of them and read the rest, Lara lost count of how many messages Dominic had sent, but the final one had ended with the invitation to come find him at the tourbus, if she decided she wanted to talk. Slowly, she lowered her arm, that faraway look from before welling into her eyes once more as she immersed herself in thought: someone must have found him and released him, if he was able to call and text her, which could only mean another DEM member. Briefly, very briefly, Lara's inner vision summoned up the image of Lavinia Sinclair and her heart twitched with fear and jealousy. Though, even if the rumours were true...what difference did it make, considering? No...Lara couldn't deny there was a difference, when the woman in question saw more of Dominic than she did, lived and worked with him, and on top of it all was undeniably more like him than she was. Lara inhaled deeply, summoning up her calm, forcing her mind out of that vicious cycle and back onto the path of decisiveness. She would first talk to Dominic just like she'd said she would; there was no point agonizing about it until she did.

“Yeah...seems that way,” she said at length and pocketed her phone, then leaned forward to give Rio a quick peck, on the cheek this time. “Well...wish me luck! G'night, Rio, see you tomorrow. And thanks again!”

With a parting wave, Lara was off. It took her a while to retrace her steps back to the VIP parking area, pass in hand, then pick her way through the maze of vehicles and various luggage scattered around the place, but at last with an exhalation of triumph, her gaze fell on Deus Ex Machina's tourbus.

“Nicky?” Lara called out as she opened the door and gave it a knock. “Nicky, it's me.”

There was no answer, but a light shone at the end of the bus where the bunks were located so Lara made a beeline for it, hoping that he was there, and sure enough she could spot a familiar pair of legs dangling off the lowest bunk. Lara surged towards it.

“Nicky, I...”

Like her voice, she halted abruptly as her eyes fell on Dominic's sprawled frame and realized the reason she hadn't reacted to her calls was that he'd fallen asleep. Since her boyfriend could sleep through a bombardment, Lara crouched down to nudge him awake, when suddenly a beam of light bounced off a small, rectangular surface half-wedged underneath the bunk and caught in her eye: a mirror. Lara picked it up, and as she did so she noticed the traces of fine white powder on it, leaving no doubt as to what Nicky had used it for. Lara knew about the cocaine...and had believed him when he'd assured her it was only occasionally, for fun. She set it aside, turned her attention back to her boyfriend who lay absolutely still in his bunk, and this time gave his shoulder a light shake.

“Dominic...Dominic, wake up.”

Nothing, not even a flinch. With a vague sense of unease she could not quite place, Lara shook him again, more forcefully this time, scanning his appearance for the source of her rising disquiet. There was something...and then, she saw it. Her arm went slack, her eyes round and unblinking, focused on Dominic's chest. It didn't seem to be moving. In sudden alarm she fell to her knees to inspect him: she first brought her ear close to his face to listen for signs of breathing, then held a palm under his nose, without finding any indication that air was going in or out of his lungs. He wasn't breathing; oh god he wasn't breathing!! Lara felt as though the contents of her stomach had suddenly vanished, leaving behind an icy pit that matched the cold creeping into her throbbing heart, drowning out her consciousness.

“Dominic!” Lara shrieked, taking hold of both of Dominic's shoulders and shaking him with all her strength. “Wake up! Please, Nicky, please, wake up!!”

Kendra, Danny and Lavinia, Backstage parking

“And believe or not, it totally was a wild guess; I had no idea he had a sister. Or brothers for that matter. Weird, huh? I wonder what other deep dark secrets he's keeping from us.”

Sofia

Application - Asher 'the King' Kingsley

(((ooc: Registered this one too at the new board, so figured I'd add him here as well.)))



1. Name: Asher 'the King' Kingsley

2. Age: 24

3. Type of visitor: Artist

4. Occupation: Lead singer/rhythm guitarist in Deus Ex Machina.

5. Biography:

In many ways, Asher Nathaniel Kingsley is a bit of a paradox. A loner, that craves the attention and approval of others. A young man who simply loves to talk about himself, but not of his family or of his past.

Born the second child of six, Asher suffered the middle child syndrome. Never the oldest, and only ever so briefly the youngest, while still far too young to even grasp the concept, Asher tended to get a little lost among his siblings. He wasn't the leader, the one to do things first, and push the boundaries, and never was he the one that needed to be looked after and protected by his big brother. Consequently, he grew up feeling left out, and like many other children battling the feeling of alienation and not being seen, ended up acting out. As the causes of his perceived alienation and neglect, his anger turned towards his siblings, his younger sister Kendra in particular, for being the family's gem, since she was the only girl, the one who was always protected and, as seen by Asher's subjective eyes, favored above the rest. It wasn't until years later that he understood that for her own reasons, Kendra felt the same way he did, and they finally ended up not only reconciling, but actually bonding.

One of the outlets for his feelings, and also a way for him to process them, came to be music and writing lyrics, which over the years grew to be his main way of expressing himself creatively as well. He finally found a place where he felt like he belonged, mattered, and had something to offer, and so as soon as came time for college, he relocated to the northern part of the country - Detroit to be exact - to join up with a couple of friends he'd gotten to know and also worked with musically, over the Internet. By that time, however, Asher had long since gotten over his lack of self-esteem - on the surface - and adopted more of a confident and cool bad boy attitude, with an ego that just kept growing. Mostly because it kept craving to be fed. For a brief period of his late teens, smoking, drinking and doing drugs thus became part of his everyday life - all the cool kids did it, so of course Asher did too; not to become cool, but because he was cool - until about a year down the road, he woke up to the realization of how it had made his family withdraw from him. Even Kendra, who up until then had always seemed to adore him, once he'd stopped bullying her. Thankfully, he never developed an actual drug habit, he was always more of a recreational user, and so stopping required no greater effort on his part. He does, however, still smoke pot every now and then, and he does still drink when there's a party going on, but only rarely does he get drunk off his ass.

As for his move to Detroit; much to his satisfaction, it landed him in a scene with quite a few people he could consider working with, musically. One of them was a guy by the name of Leon Cuthbert, who back then played bass in a band called Crutch. Asher was originally recruited as their rhythm guitarist, but when the singer left the band to pursue other projects, Asher took over that position as well. Though only a few months later, lingering rifts within the band split them up to send them off into various directions. The last Asher heard, the former singer was a computer engineer and had moved to Ohio, and the drummer and the lead guitarist had bought a bar in Los Angeles together, and were playing in an amature 80's rock tribute band. Asher and Leon stuck together as well, and went on to join the band Debbie Does Dallas, though ironically, in a manner of history repeating itself, soon left when a friend of Leon's, Shane Morton, approached the two of them with an offer of teaming up with him and a couple of others, to form a band influenced far more by the goth/rock scene both Asher and Leon were into, than the rest of the members of Debbie Does Dallas. The offer was too tempting to be turned down, and the final constallation of Deus Ex Machina had been formed.


6. Picture:




7. Additional info:

Has a star tattoo on his lower abdomen, near his left hip, which usually (partially) shows when he's performing, due to his tendency to perform the last part of the shows barechested and wearing low-cut pants.

Also has a bull tattoo with a taurus symbol on his right shoulder.

Reads a lot, especially while on the road. When not bantering with the other band members, he will spend most travel time on a plane, train or the bus with a book in hand.

Is currently single, although has had a string of flirts and one-night stands, and quite enjoys the attention and company of groupies. Him and Dominic have had an inofficial contest of topping one another where stories of sexual conquests and experience is concerned.


Deus Ex Machina lineup:
Asher 'the King' Kingsley; vocals, rhythm guitar
Dominic 'Veritas' de Vere; lead guitar
Lavinia 'Sanguinette' Sinclair; keyboard
Shane Morton; drums
Leon Cuthbert; bass


Questionnaire:

Name: Asher Kingsley
Nickname: the King, Ash
Instrument: Guitar and vocals.
Previous bands: Visual of Loathing, Crutch, Debbie Does Dallas
Siblings: No thank you.
Food of choice: A spicy, grilled T-bone steak with barbeque sauce.
Drink of choice: Beer
Weapon of choice: Sniper gun. Or butcher knife, for something more intimate.
Accessory of choice: Girls
Movie of choice: Cape Fear, L.A. Confidential
Most inspirational artist (musician or not): David Bowie, and Ronnie James Dio.
Never goes on stage without: Getting paid.
Lucky charm: Silver poison ring on my right hand, in the shape of a black widow spider.
Preferred time of day and why: Night time. I'm slightly insomniac, and tend to do my best writing at such times.
If in an emergency, the one person you'd first think to call, and why: Depends on the emergency. 911 strikes me as a good idea.
Personal quote: "Hey, I didn't plan on sleeping on the floor. It just happened to be the most comfortable-looking place within a three foot radius."

Sofia Diomante- camping grounds

Lavinia, Danny & Kendra - At the Food Stands

One of consequences of being part of a band was a loss of privacy, forcing several people with different personalities and needs to share the same, cramped living quarters sometimes for weeks on end with little relief from each other's company. As convenient and comfortable a tourbus was, compared to being stuck in an airplane seat with nowhere to move to, five people were still going to step on each other's toes sooner or later. Both literally and figuratively. Certain rules of thumb applied to keep the arrangement working in the long run, and one of them was knowing when to back off, and give someone space: few things sparked an argument faster than harassing a person who already felt cagey when the cabin fever was running high, and so it was much wiser to let them be. The members of Deus Ex Machina were no different; over the years they'd studied one another's boundaries, and therefore knew when to push them and when to steer clear.

Subconsciously in his bandmates' minds, Asher Kingsley's past had been established as such a boundary through his repeated avoidance of the topic, and it wasn't until that moment that Lavinia realized why it had never struck her as terribly odd. Had Asher been an all-around withdrawn and secretive guy, she and the others might have started to wonder, dissecting the facts they did know about him and drawing assumptions from his silence, but he was not. Asher had no problem whatsoever talking about himself, as long as it was part of the present and recent past, and people tended to focus on what he did say, rather than what he didn't. Especially people living in the moment and focusing on the future like five young aspiring rockstars did.

Judging by the way Kendra's enthusiasm seemed to wilt right before her eyes, Lavinia guessed the whole thing had come as a bit of an unpleasant surprise. Clearly, Asher had one or more reasons to keep his past under lock and key like that, and in a way Lavinia could relate. There were topics she also avoided if she could help it, one of them being her father. She didn't like thinking about him, she didn't like talking about him, and she definitely didn't like to be made the target of all kinds of sympathetic comments along the lines of “how hard it must be to not have known her father”. No, it really wasn't; her mother had been a strong provider and despite their rather chilly relationship, she'd done a decent job raising her. Then there was the delicate issue of her recently-discovered half-brother which Lavinia was also not particularly eager to shout out to the world.

Then, just as the mood was in serious danger of taking a nosedive, Danny intervened with a light-hearted comment that drew an approving snort from Lavinia:

"Knowing how big Nicky's mouth is, who can blame him?"

Now wasn't that the truth? Lavinia could get her point across that some of the things she shared with Dominic expected him to keep to himself, but she could imagine why especially Asher would be rather more reserved. Still, there had to be more to it than that. Fortunately, Danny's humour seemed to have had an effect on Kendra, who smiled more genuinely this time and even chuckled.

"So you call Dominic 'Nicky'? That's pretty funny." she said, "Apparently Asher may have more 'deep, dark secrets' then I thought, If he didn't even tell you about me. So what has he told you then?"

Lavinia pondered this as they joined a queue leading to one of the food stands; Kendra seemed like a sweet kid, and pretty attached to her big brother, so indeed, why the secrecy?

“Well, we know where he's from obviously, where he went to college, what bands he's been in, stuff like that...Ash isn't exactly the heart-to-heart kinda guy, so beyond that I sort of assumed there wasn't a lot to talk about. My childhood is disappointingly mundane, so I don't bore the guys with it much. Maybe” Lavinia added with a conspiratorial wink “he wanted to be keep up the mysterious stranger act, y'know? Fangirls love that s***.”

Rio and Lara - DEM's tour bus

Rio and Sofia - camping grounds

A breath excapped Sofia's mouth. She couldn't really explain it, but she felt as if a ton had been removed from the tip of her spinal cord. She tried to offer the most NON-awkward smile as she could possibly form, but it ended up being a half smile filled with embarrassment and nervousness.

"eh- yeah.. I'm uh.." She couldn't believe what she was saying. Was her Nerves really that horrible? She didnt think she was THAT socially awkward.

"Ugh. i'm sorry i'm not the social type. excuse my awkward speech.. As i was saying, i seem to be having trouble figuring out where to set up camp.. i know, i know.. a bit stupid. i'm clearly on the camping grounds.. but do i have to.. do anything to gain the permission to do so?" [B]Sofia mentally patted herself on the back. "good first steps, So-so. Now try doing that all the time and maybe people wont think your a total weirdo."

She took the time to study the male. he seemed a little older then she, maybe around 25 or so. He had the structure of a man, and a stunningly handsome man at that. She kept her heart pace at bay. She knew all too well that men weren't as trustworthy as she use to think.

She frowned slightly as her mind slowly drifted to thoughts of the past. Why things happened the way they did, she'll never know. but she did know that now was not the time to be thinking of such things. At least not when she was both lost, confused, nervous, and in front of a stranger.

Dominic and Lara - Tourbus

Lara felt very, very empty. Hollow, as if her insides had been gouged out and replaced with an overwhelming emptiness that rose up to engulf her. Beyond the scope of reason, the only thoughts that reached through the terror were disjointed scraps mostly blotted out by the continuous blaring of an inner voice that filled her head with the same words, unstopping: “Oh God no, oh God no, oh God no!”

Digging two trembling hands in her hair, Lara tried desperately to think coherently. Her gaze was momentarily diverted to the mirror she'd found, prompting another painful quiver of her heart as the word “overdose” began taking shape inside her head. What to do, what to do? She had zero experience with resuscitation. Phone, her phone, she had to call for help... Drawing in quick, ragged breaths Lara fumbled with the keypad but to her dismay, the sleek phone slipped right out of her sweaty hand and to the floor, disappearing underneath the bunk. Overwhelmed by a fresh wave of helplessness and despair, Lara threw herself at Dominic with all her strength, shaking him anew and shrieking his name so loud it made her throat ache, but she didn't care. Caught in the grip of such powerful panic, Lara didn't see Dominic's eyes open wide and only when he jerked away from her in fear and confusion did she realize he was awake. For a few moments she could only stare in disbelief, speechless, frozen mid-flail.

"The hell you yelling for?!" came Dominic's peeved demand, though the tone was lost on his girlfriend who, following that horrible, choking panic of having found him not breathing was flooded by the strongest and purest relief she'd ever felt and lunged at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

“You weren't breathing! You weren't breathing, and I thought...Thank God. Thank God you're OK!” she croaked, struggling to calm her frantic breathing as she sniffed away a few tears of pure emotional overload, then suddenly retreated and stared, wide-eyed, straight at Dominic “I love you. I...I kissed Rio and I'm also pregnant, and I'm sorry but I love you and I will marry you if you still want to.”

Rio and Sofia - camping grounds

Dominic and Lara - DEM's tour bus

Daniel, Lavinia and Kendra - by a food stand

Dominic and Lara - Tourbus

They said that people never truly appreciated the things they had, until they found themselves in danger of losing them. Finding Dominic collapsed and not breathing in his bunk had not only been one of the scariest moments of Lara's life, it made her realize beyond a shadow of doubt how badly she needed him. For a few dizzyingly breathless moments, the relief at finding him alive and well had been so overwhelming, so complete, it eclipsed all else. Compared with the thought of him dead, gone forever, even the knowledge of his betrayal felt somehow remote, unimportant almost, tempting Lara to throw it all to the wind and begin anew. The impulse was, fortunately, shortly-lived, for a reason perhaps even more important than the two of them alone, and it was Dominic himself who reminded her of it:

"What?!" he squawked "You're pregnant?!"

Lara couldn't help but smirk ever so briefly at the way her boyfriend's voice had gone up an octave, his turn to go through a minor panic at the thought of imminent parenthood. As for her, she realized some of the original dread had receded – she was still very much bewildered, but as the notion sunk in, the initial fear was gradually being replaced with exhilaration. A baby of hers and Nicky's! Naturally, it was something Lara had given some thought to many times before, having agreed with Dominic that they were not yet ready to make the step, and should at least wait until they were both older, wiser, and richer, but it wasn't something never before considered, or entirely implausible. Now that the prospect felt a hell of a lot closer, she couldn't help but think...that it could be something wonderful.

“Yeah”, Lara began softly and placed a hand on her still flat abdomen. “I mean, I still need to take a test to confirm it, but all the signs are there: three weeks late, hormonal as hell, morning sickness...the works.”

The smile which had tentatively emerged on her lips as she spoke wavered, and a calmly serious expression settled on Lara's features instead:

“That's one of the things that I came to talk to you about. I want to raise this child with you, but I need to know that we're on the same page when it comes to this relationship. It was rash, immature of me to tie you up and leave, then kiss Rio, but I was upset, confused.. I still am. But I do love you, and if you want the same thing, I want to give this...us...another chance. Just be honest with me, ok? I need you to be honest.”

Dominic and Lara - tour bus