when you're on the edge and falling off
it's all over for you


This wasn't happening. Couldn't be happening. Everything he had worked for couldn't just be thrown away like this. Dietrich had worked long and hard to keep that rivalry together. And now it seems like things were ripping at the seams. Alright, perhaps that was an overstatement. In his mind, it didn't seem so. Maybe it was silly to be like that about a rivalry like this, but it was legendary. If 'Broken Mirrors' or 'Candy Kisses' was spoken, thoughts immediately went to the tense relationship between the two companies.

He thought he had made things clear enough. How much he disli- no, hated anyone or anything associated with Candy Kisses. Maybe it wasn't like the bands were required to loathe the others. That didn't mean they were allowed to like them either. The fact that Dietrich hated them so much should be hint enough that there should be no positive feelings between the two. It was cruel, but that's what they recieved in return. It was a jungle, and you had to come out on top.

A meeting seemed an obvious reaction to what had happened. There was no way that Blaine or Grace would get away with it. Although he annoyed with her as well, Dietrich was angrier with Blaine. He was one of the main components of the article after all. A romance, seriously? A friendship was bad enough, but this was taking it too far. Perhaps it was simply a rumor, something the paparazzi made up to get more rumors churning. On the other hand, it's not a rumor if it's the truth.

That left him sitting in his office, leaning back in the chair behind his desk. He laced his fingers together, set his elbows on the armrests, and rested his chin on his hands. There was so much he wanted to say, yet so much he wasn't sure if he was able to say in a civilized manner. At least, in a fairly civilized manner. Dietrich was pretty sure that there would be a lot of raised voices and threatening tones. Maybe not on Blaine or Grace's part, but it certainly would be on his.

His gaze flashed towards the clock. It figures that they would be late. Perhaps he should just cut them loose, make them beg for another label to take them on. No, that wasn't an option. There was too much money invovled, and there was always the slim chance that Candy Kisses would pick them up. The thought made Dietrich visibly shudder. Thankfully no one was there to see it; that didn't mean they wouldn't be scolded for their late timing. There was no way they were getting off that easy.

Scared? No that wasn’t the word, terrified: now that was the word. Blaine hadn’t even been aware the article had been published, until bam! His inbox was flooded with text messages, and that’s when the feelings of fear started forming. Being on Dietrich’s bad side was something the singer tried to avoid at all costs. Hell, he’d even buy random beers as presents at least once a month. He followed all orders like a good boy, and when he was cranky he made sure to stay away from Dietrich so he wouldn’t say anything he regretted. Yes, Blaine had actually worked hard to stay in the owner’s good light as much as possible.

And now thanks to the damn paparazzi he had pissed Diertrich off beyond all belief.

The angry phone call came only a few minutes after Blaine had found out exactly what the article had been about. And damn, he’d never heard the man so pissed off before. The idea of facing him had sent shivers up his spine, if Grace wasn’t going to be there. Well he didn’t know if he could even survive. He owed his little ‘sister’ one big old reward for actually coming to face the music with him, and not wiggling her way out of it.

Hands were visibly shaking as Blaine hopped out of his shitty car. The stupid thing had barely been able to survive the drive over, though it could partially be due to the fact Blaine hadn't bothered to stop at a gas station. The car wasn't the only wreck waiting. His hair was a mess; the poor boy didn’t have the heart or the time to fix it up. After all he was already late thanks to long line at the liquor store, and the traffic. It seemed the whole world was conspiracy against Blaine, as though it loved taunting him, enjoyed making him suffer even more.

And who knows, maybe it actually did.

Sympathetic smiles were casted in his direction the second Blaine entered the lobby, which earned them a soft pitiful smile from Blaine. The various people doing whatever they were suppose to had all pretty stopped in mid-whatever just to watch him. They all knew, of course they would. Perfect Blaine was going to get slaughtered; the man with the best hair was going to be toasted. How could they not be aware? As eyes scanned around the lobby he could sense a couple glares, as though they were enjoying his suffering that he got what he deserved. He couldn’t blame them though; the article had been pretty distasteful. And he probably shouldn’t have been at the mall with Ryan and Charity in the first place. And he probably shouldn’t have screamed out Grace’s name either.

And now he had to face the music.

Tightly clinging to the pack of imported beer he had bought with the slight hope it would soften up the big scary monster inside the owner. It was highly unlikely, but it was still possible, right? Well, better to have tried and failed then to never have tried at all. Gulping, the raven haired boy quietly slipped into the elevator, jabbing his finger at the button. No one else was in the elevator, no one wanted to be a part of this, no one wanted to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Oh, how he wished he didn’t have to be here.

As the elevator came to a stop, beads of sweat pumped down his face. This was it, this was his funeral. Swallowing down as much fear as he could, Blaine silently walked down the hall. Struggling to put on a calm mask, a fist was formed and he knocked. Oh wow, big surprise. He couldn’t just barge in though, despite the fact he was already late, he was in enough trouble.

Breathing hard, Grace came running to the front door of the building whose sign read 'Broken Mirrors'. Oh how she was despising Charity even more than usual at the moment. She had always felt a solid rivalry against her past friend's band, but now, this was almost too much. Having Nine Hour Phone Call featured in the magazine as one of the more popular bands was not fun for Grace to hear. Of course, she was glad she wasn't featured more than she was, but reading those lines about Charity, Charity's band, and Blaine and Charity's 'relationship' just fed her an overload of hate for the girl. This newfound hate would most likely fade in time, seeing as Blaine and her former friend's relationship did not exist but still. Here Grace was, facing the building in which she and her adopted sibling would be chewed out for something that they were not responsible for. Yes, Blaine did shout out her name quite loudly, but it would not have happened unless Charity had bought him a soda. This would not have happened unless Charity had come over in the first place, either. It all happened because of the orange-headed beast of a girl. Now, Dietrich was going to murder them with his harsh words. Thanks a lot Charity.

Taking a moment to resume her normal breathing, Grace wrapped her fingers around the door handle and pulled. Upon opening, a nice, cool pool of air washed over her entirety. It was enough to help resume her normal body temperature. Closing the door behind her, Grace looked around the room still breathing rather hard unfortunately, taking in all of the faces. Some were printed with scowls, while others were dressed in looks of pity. Grace snorted quietly at their reactions. The magazine was pretty bad, but really, did they believe that she and Blaine would have anything to do with Candy Kisses? Shouldn't they have more sense than to believe a stupid magazine that was, as usual, filled with lies. It wasn't anything new. Taking quick strides up to the elevator, Grace pushed the 'up' button, resting her hands against her knees as she closed her eyes. Cooling down before going up to meet Dietrich sounded like a smart idea, since she was all ready late. She probably looked terrible after running that distance.

Why had Mary Grace been running or late for matter? Simple. She had the totally brilliant idea of taking a cab to the record company in order to save money and not smell like outdoors. She figured the cab could get her to her destination on time. Boy, was she wrong. Grace's cab had been stuck in traffic for over ten minutes. Finally, she had enough of that. Throwing five dollars at the cab driver for his 'efforts', she unlocked the door manually and disappeared out the door and in to traffic. It wasn't the smartest decision on her part, to leave the car while surrounded by beeping cars, but when life throws you lemons, you make grape juice. That was exactly what she did in order to not be late. She had done what was best with the given situation and ran the whole distance to the records. It was a miracle the normal walker hadn't passed out on the way to Broken Mirrors. Unfortunately, her exhaustion was readable across her face.

Seeing the doors to the elevator open, Mary Grace walked slowly inside, pressing the 'close' button before pressing the level she wanted to go to. Oh God were they in for a hell of a 'meeting'. Dietrich should just call it what it is. A total smackdown and scolding. There was no physical violence included, usually that is, but verbally the situation could get rough. Grace had it set in her mind that she would make the truth be known. It was Charity's fault, and Dietrich would know that. Blaine and she were having a peaceful conversation when Charity bombarded them by sitting down at their table. If she had not have done so, they would not have ended up in the magazines the way they were today.

Elevator doors opening once more, Grace took a deep breathe, feeling her breathing return to as close to normal as it would for a while. Surprisingly enough, Blaine was there in front of her, knocking on the door to the room they were to meet Dietrich. That was a comfort. "Hey, Blaine." Grace said quietly, voice hinting to her morning exercise and her fear as it trembled while she walked up to stand beside him. It seemed she was more frightened than she thought and led on. "Nice alcohol." She told him, a smile that gave away her fear spreading across her lips as she looked down at the case of liquor he had with him. If it wasn't him carrying it and she wasn't with him in this trouble, Mary Grace might actually let out one of her rare laughs.

if you were dead or still alive
i don't care, i don't care

He was pretty sure that this was the angriest he had ever been in his life. Other than, of course, when he had originally broken away to form his own company. Maybe he was more furious than he should be; after all, he didn't know if it was the truth yet. Dietrich knew how the paparazzi could be. Regardless, he felt like things could just sink downhill just from that one article. Even if one of them wasn't really included, two members of his label were present. That was even worse than what had happened to Candy Kisses. It was almost pathetic.

His gaze flew once more to the clock. Dammit. Where were they? You would think that, with their jobs on the line, they would at least be on time. It wasn't really showing him that they cared about what they did. Or what the consequences would be because of their actions. Dietrich would give them time to explain, sure. At least try to explain. He was in such a fit, he was sure if he'd be able to keep his attention focused on what their side was. It wasn't their fault. Alright, maybe it was. But his temper wasn't; it'd been that fiery for a long time.

The thought of a bribe flashed through his mind. His great liking of alcohol wasn't exactly a secret. Still, he told himself that he wouldn't take the bribe. No, that wasn't put correctly. He would take the bribe; after all, why not? Dietrich simply wouldn't let it put a sway on his decision. Well, too much. He wondered how much they would bring. No no, there he went, making assumptions. Assumptions that were probably correct. He'd spent enough time with both Blaine and Grace to get a gist of what their line of thinking was.

A knock on the door jolted his thoughts. Once more he looked at the clock and shook his head. Eleven minutes late. It was sad, really. As much as he was trying not to let his anger out too much at them, Dietrich couldn't help but become even more annoyed, if that was possible. They were late, for goodness' sake. The two of them should be barging in, begging his forgiveness for being late. Then again, they might have thought that would only make him angrier...which it might have. They'd never find out. The male lifted his head off his hands to speak. "Just open the door, dammit!" he growled, his volume rather loud. He rested his chin once more on his knuckles, his face passive but his eyes flaming.

Hands seemed to be sweating more then they ever had before. Had it not been for the death grip on the beer carton he was pretty sure they would slip right through his fingers. That would be a sight to see, he wasn’t sure how he could keep his job if a stained carpet was added to the list of things that made Blaine the most hated guy in the company right now. Of course as the thought of the bottles falling to the ground entered his mind, Blaine only became even more nervous. Nails dug into the cardboard package, making sure he was doing everything in his power to ensure the bottles remained in his arms until he hand them over to his boss with the hopes it would lighten up his mood.

The sound of footsteps caused a sudden turn to take place, curious to see if it was Grace. After all he couldn’t face a hot-tempered owner alone, right? Seeing it was in face his sister, a sigh of relief escaped and he automatically felt a little better. Not having to face the big scary Dietrich alone was just the tiny victory that would help him relax. Which was great considering entering with a nervous fidget and not being able to stutter out a single word would be suicidal to say the least. “Hey Grace.” A strained smile appeared on his face as he tried to create the illusion everything was ok. Because if you believe something hard enough it’ll come true, right? Well that’s what Blaine was going to believe anyway, even till death.

At the mention of the booze, chocolate gaze shifted down to stare at the pack of beer for a moment before turning back to Grace. “Yea, well I figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring some.” And the explanation did make perfect sense; after all free beer couldn’t really make their situation any worse. Come on, it was FREE beer. Plus everyone knew how much Dietrich liked his booze, so what was a couple bucks if it meant the owner would at least be a slightly better mood?

The angry voice that echoed into the hall caused Blaine to twitch. Oh fuck, he should have just barged in the first place. But if he had barged then Dietrich would have pissed about that. It was a no win situation. Sending a ‘here we go, let’s hope it turns out ok’ smile/look at Grace, he slowly turned the doorknob. “Dietrich, I’m sorry.” It was better to start of with a show of humility, right? Still he tried to keep as strong of a face as he could master as he spoke. The beer was held out in front as he headed towards the desk. Swallowing an un tasteful lump that had formed the second he entered the room, the pack of beer was quietly set on the desk. “They’re all for you, I figured you might need some beer after what happened.”

With that, he took a step back. Eyes were focused on the head boss as he waited for whatever blow he would be forced to take in a second.

What? Was he kidding her? That smile did not look sincere at all. It was definitely not the smile Blaine would flash in anyone's direction if he was even remotely content. The smile was forced. He was actually nervous. How surprising. She never would have thought Blaine to be this skittish as he waited to see the head honcho, Dietrich. There were worse things they could have wound up in. For example, if the media had taken a picture of Blaine and Charity at such an angle where they looked like their lips were locked, then they would be screwed beyond belief. There would be no way to get out of that one. Luckily, such a picture did not exist. At least, if a moment like that was captured, Grace did not know about it. Just the thought of the two of them close together like that made her want to vomit. She shook the thought away. It was not the moment to think about those random things. They were irrelevant to her impending doom with Blaine.

Grace forced a small smile on her face as well, nodding. Blaine looked just as scared as she was, possible even more. She couldn't bear to show her true fear to her brother. That most likely wouldn't help him or their situation at all. Alcohol couldn't be an enemy to them this time. Dietrich loved alcohol. They both knew that. "It'll be okay, Blaine." Grace reassured her big brother, reaching up to pat his arm comfortingly. She knew this was probably a lie. They would have to convince the owner of Broken Mirrors that they were innocent, which would not be an easy task. In the process of doing this, Mary Grace was positive that their would be some raised voices.

It seemed the yelling was starting as they stood outside the large- at least to Grace- door. She couldn't help but jump, startled, when Dietrich's booming voice reached her ears. Oh God, oh God, they were screwed, screwed, screwed. The free beer Blaine brought better work miracles. It sounded like they would need as much help as they could get.

Grace bit on her bottom lip nervously as she stared up at Blaine before he opened the door. It was a look of extreme worry, one that said 'that beer better help.' Then Mary Grace closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she listened to Blaine turn the knob and open the door to Dietrich's room of fury. The good thing was her breathing was back to normal, but sadly, her hair was a mess. She knew it looked as if she had just gotten out of bed and hadn't even bothered to present herself in a pleasant manner before him. A story about her exciting adventure to the building might be in order.

Opening her frightened eyes, Grace managed to compose herself before walking through the doorway. "Sorry, Dietrich." She said, walking up to stand next to Blaine. Yeah, the owner was as pissed off as she had assumed he would be. His face did not show his anger, but Dietrich's eyes displayed them. It was extremely difficult to keep her eyes focused on those dark, intimidating eyes for even a minute. Grace wanted to move her gaze to the wall behind the man, but too frightened to try, she left them upon him. Now, even though the entire article was a lie, here they were awaiting Dietrich's wrath to swarm around them and lay down their punishments, because there couldn't just be one for what they had 'done'.

As soon as the pair entered the room he could tell thei were frightened. Perhaps even 'scared out of their wits' was a better phrase to describe it. They had every reason to be. Dietrich wasn't exactly going to make things easy on them. From the first day he had made his dilike of the rival company very clear. It wasn't like they weren't aware of what could happen if they stepped out of line. And they had certainly stepped out of line. If the paprazzi hadn't caught them or if it had been a private affair, maybe he wouldn't have minded...as much. That, however, wasn't the case. The talk was buzzing around everywhere.

For a while, he was silent. The seething anger, although it was wearing down ever so slightly now that they had finally arrived, was making it rather hard for him to keep his thoughts in order. Where was he even to begin? Well, perhaps hearing their side the story might be beneficial. At least then Dietrich could punish them, or at least scold them, fairly. Then again, he thought, he didn't have to be fair. And that opened a whole new door of opportunites. No, that wasn't right. For their sake, he should at least try to be a little forgiving.

Besides, he had respect for both Blaine and Grace. Each of them had a certain air about them, something that appealed to listeners. That was something that was certainly necessary to become a successful artist. Yes, they both had some growing, musicwise, to do, but they had great potential. That was why Dietrich had signed them after all. He had seen something in them, something to be great. However, if they decided to keep making mistakes like this one, he wasn't sure if that was something he could promise.

There were a few more moments of silence, as he gathered the last few thoughts together. Finally he spoke. "Sit down," he stated, looking at them. For them to be sitting was much easier on Dietrich. That way, should it be needed, he could stand and possibly be more intimidating. Even in his mind that sounded lame, but he quickly shoved it away. Then he spoke again. "Anyone care to tell me what exactly happened?" he inquired, looking at Grace, then at Blaine. To some, his tone was worse than yelling.