Music of The Heart
Title: Music of the Heart
Character(s)/Pairings: The Grangers, The Eppes'
Rating: G
Summary: An evening full of surprises
Author’s Notes: Granger children were created by mustangcandi, Eppes children were created by me.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Emily smiled as she leaned against the doorframe of the family room and watched Jake scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. He scowled and erased the line and began drawing more notes on the sheet music in front of him.
He’d always been musically inclined since he was a small child and Emily and Don had both encouraged it. He would always go around making up songs about current situations or his brothers and sister. There had been many times that his gift had even calmed little Sadie down when she was upset.
Over the years Emily and Don had spent a lot of money in encouraging their children’s passions and hobbies and so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to soundproof Jake’s room so that he could practice music in there and play. True, they could have just converted the basement, but he always worked better when he was alone and in his element.
Now, Jake was a junior in high school and though he’d kept his love of music to himself for a long time, he had a performance tonight. He’d had several concerts already this year at the school and he’d tinkered with some local musicians in an attempt to form a band now and again, but he really shone the brightest when he went solo.
Right now everyone was busy scurrying around the house getting ready and Emily could hear Don trying his best to make sure that everyone was going to be on time. She stepped into the room then and upon hearing her heels clacking on the floor, Jake turned and smiled at her, “Wow…look at you. All dressed up.”
She beamed and gave a spin, “You like it?”
He nodded, “You look beautiful, Mom.”
She sighed, “Good. I would hate to think that I would embarrass you in front of Sarah. I can’t speak for the rest of this crew…but I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Jake blushed about ten different shades of red as he groaned, “Mom! I told you Sarah and I are just friends.”
She crossed her arms and nodded, clearly not convinced, “Uh huh…you aren’t interested in her and yet you wrote a song about her?”
His eyes widened as he gasped, “How did you…?”
She chuckled and placed her hand on his shoulder, “Relax lover boy…it’s written plain as day right there at the top of your sheet music. You need to be more careful…your brothers can’t keep a secret like I can.”
He looked towards the door then, as if somehow one of them might have overheard or somehow seen what he was working on. Seeing that the coast was clear, relief crossed his features and he carefully tucked the paper into his folder before giving his mom a look of gratitude, knowing that she was right - she always was the best at keeping secrets when it came to protecting her boys from the others.
She gestured for him to move over and she sat down next to him on the piano bench. “You don’t seem nervous at all.”
He shrugged, “I never am once I start playing, so I figure there’s no need in making a big deal out of it.”
She smiled softly, “Any clues on the performance?”
He shook his head, “Come on, Mom. You know better. I know how you love surprises.”
She playfully rolled her eyes, “Oh..all right, all right. I’ll just have to wait like everyone else.”
They both turned then when they heard, “MOM!”
Emily tried not to chuckle when Kyle walked into the room with his shirt halfway over his head. He was tugging at it but it wasn’t budging. She walked over to him and stated, “Hold still Kyle…so I can help get you out of there.”
He did as she said and within seconds, he was free and his face was red both from the exertion and embarrassment. Emily stood upright and put her hands on her hips, “Now do you believe me that this shirt doesn’t fit you anymore?”
He hung his head as he admitted it. “I know…but I love that shirt.”
Emily bent down and sweetly kissed his cheek, “I know you do, sweetheart. We’ll talk about it later. For now, you need to go pick out another shirt. We need to get going soon.”
The next half hour was a flurry of activity as everyone put on their coats and scrambled out to the cars and soon, the Eppes family was on their way to the high school. Once inside, they were ushered to the family section and were happy to find the Grangers sitting right behind them.
The adults all chatted and the children talked as quietly as they could as they excitedly filled each other in on what all had happened since they’d seen one another last. When all was said and done, Sadie and Evan had switched seats so that she could sit next to Matty and so that Evan and Riley could talk.
Soon…the lights went down and the show began. Everyone was enjoying the entertainment, but all were anxious for when it would be Jake’s turn. He never revealed his set to anyone, or even what instrument he chose to play beforehand and so everyone was always in suspense.
When his name was announced, the curtain rose and everyone watched as a beautiful grand piano ascended from below the stage. Once it was in place, Jake walked out, looking quite handsome. Emily reached over and squeezed Don’s hand and everyone was surprised when he took his seat and didn’t immediately start playing.
Instead, he adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat before speaking, “I…uh…I know that I never talk before I play…never have. But, this first song that I am about to play for you is a very special one and so I wanted everyone to know. I wrote this song in dedication to my mom Emily and to my little sister Sadie. Then I expanded it to include Hannah Granger and her mom Callie.”
He paused and smiled as he looked out at his family - including the Grangers. “Anyone who knows me…knows that I come from a big family. A big family with a LOT of boys. Me, I have seven brothers and of course little Sadie…and then Hannah has two twin brothers and we’ve all grown up together. Heck, we’re still growing up together. But…the thing is…the women...they put up with a lot from all of us and also our dads, cause let’s face it, they are just boys too.”
The crowd roared with laughter and Jake waited for it to die down before he continued, “I wrote this song to let you ladies know that even though we give you a hard time sometimes, we love you and honestly…don’t know where we would be without you. This song is called Her Smile.”
Emily, Callie, Sadie, and Hannah were all staring wide-eyed at the stage. Jake wasn’t normally one to share his feelings, especially with an auditorium of people and now the song that he was about to play was dedicated to them…written about them.
Instead of pushing the microphone away as he always did when he played, he kept it in place and Emily’s hand went to her heart as he began playing, the melody instantly touching her. He played a few bars and then a hush came over the crowd as for the first time in public, Jacob Eppes began to sing.
When he played the final note of the song, the entire audience was on its feet and women were wiping their eyes as they enthusiastically applauded. However, no emotion or love rivaled that of the women to whom he’d dedicated the song. They knew him and knew how far he’d come. They knew how important this was for him and how honored they were that he would share this song and in turn, his love for them in such a public forum. This night was a milestone and they couldn’t wait to see exactly what bright future lay ahead for him.
On stage, Jake was overwhelmed by the response of the audience and uttered several “thank you”s. It was quite a while before he was able to continue on with the rest of his set, but his heart was soaring and he knew without a doubt that this life was the one he wanted…
Character(s)/Pairings: The Grangers, The Eppes'
Rating: G
Summary: An evening full of surprises
Author’s Notes: Granger children were created by mustangcandi, Eppes children were created by me.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Emily smiled as she leaned against the doorframe of the family room and watched Jake scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. He scowled and erased the line and began drawing more notes on the sheet music in front of him.
He’d always been musically inclined since he was a small child and Emily and Don had both encouraged it. He would always go around making up songs about current situations or his brothers and sister. There had been many times that his gift had even calmed little Sadie down when she was upset.
Over the years Emily and Don had spent a lot of money in encouraging their children’s passions and hobbies and so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to soundproof Jake’s room so that he could practice music in there and play. True, they could have just converted the basement, but he always worked better when he was alone and in his element.
Now, Jake was a junior in high school and though he’d kept his love of music to himself for a long time, he had a performance tonight. He’d had several concerts already this year at the school and he’d tinkered with some local musicians in an attempt to form a band now and again, but he really shone the brightest when he went solo.
Right now everyone was busy scurrying around the house getting ready and Emily could hear Don trying his best to make sure that everyone was going to be on time. She stepped into the room then and upon hearing her heels clacking on the floor, Jake turned and smiled at her, “Wow…look at you. All dressed up.”
She beamed and gave a spin, “You like it?”
He nodded, “You look beautiful, Mom.”
She sighed, “Good. I would hate to think that I would embarrass you in front of Sarah. I can’t speak for the rest of this crew…but I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Jake blushed about ten different shades of red as he groaned, “Mom! I told you Sarah and I are just friends.”
She crossed her arms and nodded, clearly not convinced, “Uh huh…you aren’t interested in her and yet you wrote a song about her?”
His eyes widened as he gasped, “How did you…?”
She chuckled and placed her hand on his shoulder, “Relax lover boy…it’s written plain as day right there at the top of your sheet music. You need to be more careful…your brothers can’t keep a secret like I can.”
He looked towards the door then, as if somehow one of them might have overheard or somehow seen what he was working on. Seeing that the coast was clear, relief crossed his features and he carefully tucked the paper into his folder before giving his mom a look of gratitude, knowing that she was right - she always was the best at keeping secrets when it came to protecting her boys from the others.
She gestured for him to move over and she sat down next to him on the piano bench. “You don’t seem nervous at all.”
He shrugged, “I never am once I start playing, so I figure there’s no need in making a big deal out of it.”
She smiled softly, “Any clues on the performance?”
He shook his head, “Come on, Mom. You know better. I know how you love surprises.”
She playfully rolled her eyes, “Oh..all right, all right. I’ll just have to wait like everyone else.”
They both turned then when they heard, “MOM!”
Emily tried not to chuckle when Kyle walked into the room with his shirt halfway over his head. He was tugging at it but it wasn’t budging. She walked over to him and stated, “Hold still Kyle…so I can help get you out of there.”
He did as she said and within seconds, he was free and his face was red both from the exertion and embarrassment. Emily stood upright and put her hands on her hips, “Now do you believe me that this shirt doesn’t fit you anymore?”
He hung his head as he admitted it. “I know…but I love that shirt.”
Emily bent down and sweetly kissed his cheek, “I know you do, sweetheart. We’ll talk about it later. For now, you need to go pick out another shirt. We need to get going soon.”
The next half hour was a flurry of activity as everyone put on their coats and scrambled out to the cars and soon, the Eppes family was on their way to the high school. Once inside, they were ushered to the family section and were happy to find the Grangers sitting right behind them.
The adults all chatted and the children talked as quietly as they could as they excitedly filled each other in on what all had happened since they’d seen one another last. When all was said and done, Sadie and Evan had switched seats so that she could sit next to Matty and so that Evan and Riley could talk.
Soon…the lights went down and the show began. Everyone was enjoying the entertainment, but all were anxious for when it would be Jake’s turn. He never revealed his set to anyone, or even what instrument he chose to play beforehand and so everyone was always in suspense.
When his name was announced, the curtain rose and everyone watched as a beautiful grand piano ascended from below the stage. Once it was in place, Jake walked out, looking quite handsome. Emily reached over and squeezed Don’s hand and everyone was surprised when he took his seat and didn’t immediately start playing.
Instead, he adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat before speaking, “I…uh…I know that I never talk before I play…never have. But, this first song that I am about to play for you is a very special one and so I wanted everyone to know. I wrote this song in dedication to my mom Emily and to my little sister Sadie. Then I expanded it to include Hannah Granger and her mom Callie.”
He paused and smiled as he looked out at his family - including the Grangers. “Anyone who knows me…knows that I come from a big family. A big family with a LOT of boys. Me, I have seven brothers and of course little Sadie…and then Hannah has two twin brothers and we’ve all grown up together. Heck, we’re still growing up together. But…the thing is…the women...they put up with a lot from all of us and also our dads, cause let’s face it, they are just boys too.”
The crowd roared with laughter and Jake waited for it to die down before he continued, “I wrote this song to let you ladies know that even though we give you a hard time sometimes, we love you and honestly…don’t know where we would be without you. This song is called Her Smile.”
Emily, Callie, Sadie, and Hannah were all staring wide-eyed at the stage. Jake wasn’t normally one to share his feelings, especially with an auditorium of people and now the song that he was about to play was dedicated to them…written about them.
Instead of pushing the microphone away as he always did when he played, he kept it in place and Emily’s hand went to her heart as he began playing, the melody instantly touching her. He played a few bars and then a hush came over the crowd as for the first time in public, Jacob Eppes began to sing.
When he played the final note of the song, the entire audience was on its feet and women were wiping their eyes as they enthusiastically applauded. However, no emotion or love rivaled that of the women to whom he’d dedicated the song. They knew him and knew how far he’d come. They knew how important this was for him and how honored they were that he would share this song and in turn, his love for them in such a public forum. This night was a milestone and they couldn’t wait to see exactly what bright future lay ahead for him.
On stage, Jake was overwhelmed by the response of the audience and uttered several “thank you”s. It was quite a while before he was able to continue on with the rest of his set, but his heart was soaring and he knew without a doubt that this life was the one he wanted…