Title: Keeps on Raining, Part IV
Characters: Cameron, Summer, James & Beatrice, Hayley, Will, and Evie; Bob & Jakob; Joni
Word Count: 2276
Rating: PG-13 [language]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Storm has hit land.  Summer turns to her friends and family to help out New Orleans, the home of her heart. Canon with my epic. Contains spoilers.




Monday, August 29th, 2005
Los Angeles, CA

With Evelyn playing happily with her dolls in her room, Summer retreated to the office downstairs and turned on the small television. Changing the stations until finding coverage of Hurricane Katrina, her hand quickly covered her mouth. She certainly had not expected to see pleasant images on the screen, but even knowing the city she left behind as well as she did, Summer was not prepared for the massive flooding of her beloved city. In the back of her mind, she worried about the state of her house. Mostly she was... aghast.

Stepping into the office, Cameron’s eyes quickly read Summer’s face before approaching her. He slipped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. Together they watched water exceed and break levees, flooding the Crescent City.

“Cam...”

“I know, sweetheart,” he tightened his embrace briefly.

“There must be something we can do,” she muttered softly. “I know we’ll have no problem recovering the house from this but...”

“We’ll choose a charity and donate to it.”

“I feel like I need to do more. This is... my city, Cameron.”

“Well... you’ve written songs about it, haven’t you? Maybe pull together enough for a charity album?” he suggested.

“That,” she pulled away enough to glance over her shoulder at him, “is an excellent idea.”

Cameron instantly recognized the light in her eyes and kissed her quickly, “You better head to your studio then. I’ll take care of the munchkin for the rest of the day.”

Summer turned fully in his embraced, her blue eyes shining up at him, “Have I ever told you that you are an amazing husband?”

“Hmmm. I don’t think so...”

Her lips pressed gently against his, “You are not only an amazing husband but a remarkable father as well. I am so very lucky to have your love.”

“Summer...”

“It’s true,” she kissed him again. “I’m going to hurry to my studio before you change your mind.”

Pulling out of Cameron’s arms, glancing once more at the disastrous television screen, and turning off the device, Summer left the office and headed into her home studio. She intended to sit down and play her few New Orleans-inspired songs. However, as soon as she picked up her guitar, her thoughts shifted. Her fingers began to pluck the strings of her guitar. Within an hour, she worked out a basic melody and a sketchy outline of lyrics.

While her albums sold well and she even headlined a couple of smaller tours, she felt like she needed something more for the benefit album. Between her and her husband, Summer was certain she could drum up interest in the music world, perhaps get a few special guests. Yet as the thought crossed her mind, Summer knew exactly who to call. The album was to benefit her home; it made sense to ask her family’s help.

Setting her guitar aside, she glanced over her scribbled lyrics quickly before reaching for her phone. Summer first spoke with Joni, who happily agreed to play on the benefit album before she even heard the entire proposal. The two women chatted briefly, deciding to rework a previous song together the following day.

Buoyed by Joni’s acceptance of working together, Summer turned to her next option. She knew her father was on break from his so-called ‘Never-ending Tour’ and likely to be home with her mother. Nessa answered the phone, instantly launching into a complaint about their parents nixing one of her wedding plans. Once she assured her younger sister that she would still have the wedding of her dreams and promising to convince their father of whatever, Summer smirked as the phone was handed over.

“Hi, Daddy,” she chirped.

“Summer... I am relieved to hear from you. Your mother thought...”

“Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I should have called on Saturday when I got back to LA. Cameron and Jimmy worked together to get Evie and I out before the storm. We’re okay.”

He paused for a minute, “I will need to speak with your husband then.”

She rolled her eyes, “Okay, fine. But I have a favor to ask first.”

“What would that be?”

“I want to put out an album for New Orleans and I’d really like your help.”

Bob paused again, “All right. What were you thinking?”

“Well I already wrote some songs inspired by living there that I was thinking of re-recording. Joni is going to work on one with me. And I’ve already started to write another one...”

“I will be over tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she grinned. “Do you think Jakob might...”

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Great. I’m going to call him now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After convincing her brother to contribute to the album as well, Summer placed calls to her own agent as well as those participating, so that the legalities of it could be worked out prior to recording. Without any more formal blocks to the process, she returned to her guitar and songwriting. Time disappeared as music filled the studio.



Tuesday, August 30th, 2005
Los Angeles, CA

Parting the curtains, Evelyn’s eyes lit up. Having already spent an hour hovering over her mother and Joni, the young girl was far more excited for the man strolling up to the house. She launched off the chair and ran towards the front door. As the door swung open, her arms opened as she collided with the tall man.

“GRANDPA!” she shouted.

Chuckling, Bob embraced the young girl, “Hello, little one.”

“I SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!”

He ruffled her brown curls, “I’m happy to see you too. Is your mom in the studio?”

“UH HUH. YOU COME PLAY CANDYLAND WITH ME?”

Cameron stepped into the foyer at the end of that question, “Evie, I’m sure your grandpa will have plenty of time to play in awhile.”

Her large eyes turned to her father, “But DADDY!”

“Grandpa is here to do some work with Mommy. After dinner, we can visit,” he offered.

“But... but...” she pouted.

“Let’s go play a round of Candyland,” Bob spoke up.

Cameron rolled his eyes at his father-in-law, “I’ll let Summer know you’re here but busy on Gum Drop Mountain.”

Managing to separate his daughter from her grandfather an hour later, Cameron distracted her so that Bob could join Summer and Joni in the studio. Father and daughter played the board game for awhile, until the toddler could no longer be contained. Saying no to her, especially when Bob was over, was nearly impossible. But he did not want to interrupt what the musicians were doing in the studio; it was far too important to Summer.

Evelyn, however, would not relent.

“Okay,” Cameron sighed. “Let’s put away the game and then...”

“WE GO SEE GRANDPA!?”

“Inside voice, Evie,” he warned, reaching for the game box. “How about we make a video of Mommy and Grandpa working together?”

“Really!?” her eyes brightened.

Cameron nodded cautiously, “I think Mommy would like it. She’s never worked with Grandpa before.”

“Yay! I wanna hold the camera.”

“If you’re careful...”



Tuesday, September 6th, 2005
Los Angeles, CA

Rather than host an elaborate album release party, Summer and Cameron invited their friends and family over for a traditional New Orleans dinner. Children ran through the house wearing feather masks and beads and blowing on small brass horns. Adults circulated in and out of the house with plates of food or glasses, pausing to watch the ‘Making of...’ film Cameron quickly produced as his wife created the album. While conceived of to keep their daughter away from interrupting, the short film became Cameron’s contribution to the project, something they decided to package as a DVD with the album. Rushing both the CD and DVD through had been expensive, but its importance exceeded that to both of them.

Finding his wife and brother-in-law next to the backyard pool, playing their guitars, Cameron stopped and admired her. Wearing a simple white cotton dress, a few strands of colorful beads placed around her neck by their youngest, and nothing else, she was a vision of simple beauty. He knew there were silver strands in her golden blonde hair, but she was just as beautiful to him that day as she had been thirty years before. He could not believe she was his.

After teasing Jakob about his playing, Summer looked up, feeling eyes on her. While she knew party-goers paid attention to her music, the gaze focused on her was certainly different. She would know it in a crowded room. Handing her guitar off to someone nearby, Summer stood and headed directly to her husband. Pressing up on her bare toes, she kissed him softly, smiling as his arms slipped around her waist.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

“For?”

“Being so damn amazing and supportive and loving and... you.”

Cameron smiled and kissed her gently again, “Then for that I should thank you as well.”

“Cameron...”

Clearly his throat, Bob approached the couple, “Not to interrupt... actually to interrupt, we have an important call inside, Summer.”

Confused as to why her father would be answering the phone in her house, she pulled out of Cameron’s arms, though his hand slipped down to hers, and followed Bob inside. Finding Hayley and James in the kitchen with the phone at least explained why Bob knew of the phone call. Her eldest grinned at her and pressed the speakerphone button.

“Everyone is here now, sir,” James declared.

“Well everyone who matters,” Hayley corrected.

“Summer and Cameron? Bob? Jakob? And Joni?” the familiar record executive voice asked.

All four answered in the affirmative.

“Sorry that I could not be there tonight, but I do have good news. Early indications show that we’ve moved 10,000 digital units of Down on Bourbon thus far.”

“Really?” Summer muttered.

“Yes. In addition to that, we expect to exceed that by 5,000 hard copies by the end of the week. Conservative estimates place Down on Bourbon selling 27,000 units, both digital and physical this week.”

“That’s like...”

“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” Cameron finished for her.

“Of which we will be matching,” Bob spoke up.

Summer’s eyes snapped to him, “Dad?”

“Joni, Jakob, and myself decided this while you stepped out of the studio, Summer,” he explained. “The three of us together will match whatever proceeds the album earns in the next year.”

“I...”

“We all know how close New Orleans is to your heart, Summer, and that you and Cameron have already donated a sizable sum yourselves. I do not doubt that once the city is deemed safe for residents, you will also be donating your time to help the city recover. This is our way to help.”

“Daddy...” she muttered and then quickly hugged him.

“You can tell the press that too,” Bob spoke in the direction of the phone.

With the phone call concluded, word of the album’s sales quickly disseminated throughout the party. After many congratulations and a few promises to donate as well, Summer withdrew from the activities. Taking her youngest upstairs and away from it all, she slipped into Evelyn’s room and focused on getting the young child ready for bed. Cameron noticed both of their absences and moved slowly through the party looking for them. With a word from Will that both headed upstairs half an hour before, he too headed up the steps.

Opening Evelyn’s bedroom door, Cameron stepped in just as Summer and their daughter stepped out of the adjacent bathroom. Confused at finding the bedroom open, he smirked to himself as both of his girls stepped in, closing the door behind them. Evelyn quickly ran over to her father, happily wrapping her arms around his legs. Carefully, he pried her from his legs, lifted her up, and kissed her noisily before heading over to her small bed.

He eased her into the bed, kissing her again, “You know I love you very much, right, Evie?”

“I love you more!” she declared with a giggle.

“Impossible,” Cameron kissed her again. “You’re my little princess.”

“And Mommy is your queen,” Evelyn grinned, her blue eyes flicking to Summer as she sat at the foot of the toddler’s bed. “I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too.”

“Can you close your eyes and go to sleep like a big girl?” Cameron asked.

“I try, Daddy.”

“Good girl,” he leaned down and kissed her again, before moving away from the bed.

Summer shifted closer to her daughter once Cameron moved. After showering her with butterfly kisses, she whispered in Evelyn’s ear, kissed her forehead, and stood. She clicked on the girl’s nightlight and joined Cameron at the door. Both wished her sweet dreams and stepped out of the room.

With the door closed, Cameron kissed Summer sweetly, “I love you so so so much.”

She grinned, “I love you too.”

“Are you tired? Do I need to chase off all our guests?” he quickly questioned.

Summer shook her head with a smile, “Not just yet. Let’s go sit out back and enjoy the evening with our guests.”

“As you wish, my queen.”