Tonight, Tonight [Ethan, Rowdy]

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It was almost 8 p.m. on a Saturday night when Vicki Vale followed her friend, Ethan Young, into the nightclub known as Rowdy’s, located in Gotham West.  They were both in business-casual attire.  Vicki was definitely dressed to impress, in a teal skintight, strapless bandage dress that complimented Ethan’s navy blazer, lavender open-necked dress shirt, and gray dress slacks, along with his black belt and black dress shoes.  As they arrived, the place was already in full swing, buzzing with activity, customers and patrons mingling and getting acquainted with drinks in hand.

Vicki inhaled sharply, unable to calm the nervous little quiver in her stomach because she was about to connect with the one guy she thought she’d never see or hear from again in this lifetime: Rowdy Yates.  They hadn’t spoken to one another in nearly a decade, and the thought of that happening tonight made her feel scared and excited at the same time.

Like Rowdy, Vicki didn’t have a lot of warm and fuzzy high school memories, but she was glad he had contacted her via her office phone and e-mail to tell her he had moved to town.  His nightclub, Rowdy’s, had just opened recently, and from the look of the large crowd, it was a huge success.  She and Ethan were there, by Rowdy's invitation, to check out his new place and to see him and his band perform.

The thought of seeing Rowdy again stirred emotions in Vicki that she hadn’t felt since high school.  Her parents had raised her not to judge people, to accept them at face value, and there had been so much about Rowdy to like, once she’d gotten to know him.  She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he still had feelings for her.  After all, they had shared their first kiss, and you never forget that.

Standing on the fringes of the crowd with Ethan, Vicki recognized many faces enjoying the nightclub's music and ambiance- - co-workers, friends, and even some of Gotham City’s wealthier party-animals.  She surmised the latter group was there because the Iceberg Lounge was undergoing a tremendous amount of reconstruction and repair.  She knew Oswald Cobblepot probably wasn’t too thrilled either about having Rowdy’s as his new competition.

Glancing at Ethan, Vicki noticed he was eagerly scanning the crowd and enjoying this new experience.  She could only imagine the sensations he was feeling as he started dancing and grooving to the driving beat of the live-music being played from the stage.

“ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?!!?” she screamed at him over the loud noise.

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*Wow!* Ethan thought as he went into the club with Vicki.*it’s loud in here!* was the first thing that went through his head when he saw the huge crowd.  

Ethan was in awe as he took everything in all at once.  He had never heard music so upbeat and lively.  He was used to older bands like Queen or Journey, not Lady Gaga or Selena Gomez.  He considered the newer artists weird.  Most of the time, the tunes were catchy, but the lyrics didn’t make much sense to him. 

"YES, WE’RE HAVING FUN!!" Ethan shouted over the noise.  He knew they were there to see one of Vicki’s friends from high school who had moved to Gotham.  Ethan had always been a curious person, and he was glad Vicki had invited him along to this new place.  But he was also feeling a little jealous because he didn’t like the idea of Vicki bringing him with her to see another guy.  He didn’t like the idea of having competition when it came to Vicki. He cared for her and wanted to keep her safe, especially after the trouble she’d had with Riddler. 

"WATCH THIS!" he said in a semi-joking manner as he started flapping his arms and doing the Chicken Dance.  After a minute, he stopped to chuckle and smile at her.

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Just then, unexpectedly, a stranger turned to Ethan and screamed breathlessly, “I can’t believe it! I’m actually going to see him perform in the flesh!”  Tears began streaming down her face, and she got so emotional that those standing around her thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown at any given second.  “Rowdy Yates and his boy band, The Rowdies, are my absolute favorite!”

Her other four girlfriends screamed their agreement.

And it wasn’t just women who were insane for the band.  The group had their fair share of male fans, as well.  “They rock!” a young man added, leaning over Ethan and Vicki’s shoulders and shouting into their ears.  “ Man, I straight-up love them!”  He paused, and his eyes shifted nervously.  “Y’know, like brothers!”

Suddenly, a deafening roar rose above the already ear-shattering music and screams, as brightly-colored strobe lights flashed and thick wisps of clouds of smoke billowed onto the stage area, generated from smoke machines backstage.  For a moment, it seemed so surreal.  This was bigger than Elvis, bigger than Beatlemania - - bigger than all other boy bands combined.

The crying fan looked around, desperately searching the area like a combat soldier ready for attack.  “OH, MY GOD!” she shrieked at Ethan, her knees weakening.  She almost had a total collapse right there.  “THEY’RE HERE!  OH, MY GOD!  OHHHHH, MYYYYYYY GODDDDDDDD!!”

Then the crowd of screaming fans seemed to turn into one living collective body, focusing its entire life-force on a single object: the man walking onto the stage.  He was dressed in an open-neck maroon dress shirt with black dress slacks, a black belt, and black dress shoes.  He looked sharp, and he smiled as four other young gentleman filed in behind him, wearing the exact same outfit, except their shirts were white.

“How is everyone doing tonight?” the man said, his rich baritone voice resonating from his hand-held microphone and quieting the crowd.  “I’m Rowdy, and this is my crew!  Thanks for being here tonight!  Now let’s get this place rockin’!  Make some noise!”

When Rowdy flashed them a dazzling smile, the crowd went berserk!  They screamed, waved, and held up homemade banners that said, “THE ROWDIES RULE!”  The drummer clicked off the next song with his sticks, and music exploded through the club - - loud, raw, and totally untamed. Seconds later, Rowdy and his crew started their rehearsed hip-hop choreography, moving and dancing in tight unison with one another.  Then Rowdy began singing the lead line of the song Tonight, Tonight, crooning out the words that came straight from his heart:

I got a feeling . . . that tonight's gonna be a good night,
That tonight's gonna be a good night,
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night!
I got a feeling (woo-hoo!) . . . that tonight's gonna be a good night,
That tonight's gonna be a good night,
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night . . . .

Rowdy completely lost himself in the song made famous by The Black Eyed Peas - - in thoughts and feelings that he could only seem to express through music.  The truth was, he was channeling the crowd with his empathy, experiencing their feelings along with his own.  The combination of the two gave him quite a rush!  Like the opening line implied, he did have a feeling that tonight was going to be a good night.  In fact, it was turning into a great night, because he could sense Vicki Vale’s unmistakable presence.  Yes, she was out there - - somewhere in the crowd - - and it motivated him to do his best - - for his fans, but especially for her.

Meanwhile, the five women and one man standing with Ethan and Vicki closed their eyes and waved their hands in the air to the music.  They knew every word, every harmony, and sang along with an almost religious fervor.

Rowdy was quite the entertainer, and the group’s blend was incredible!  During the musical interlude of the song they were singing, Rowdy’s back-up singers took turns for a front-and-center solo-dance moment before returning to their place in line behind him.  It was done so well, like something out of a music video.

The crowd loved it, and the screaming grew louder and louder - - especially when the guys finished and started walking offstage.  And when the back-up singers actually stopped for a moment to touch outstretched hands and to sign autographs, women fainted and grown men cried.

Backstage, Rowdy watched the event for a moment, allowing the band just enough - - but not too much - - time to interact with their fans. Then he calmly walked over to them.

“Come on, boys. It’s time to end this and get back to work.”

The fans at the front of the stage screamed, “NOOOO!”, but the quartet of studs instantly turned to Rowdy and fell back into formation, dancing and blowing kisses as they disappeared from view.

* * * * * * * * *

A few minutes later, Rowdy appeared again, mingling with the crowd seated at the bar, still dressed in his performance attire.  Eventually, he made his way over to Ethan and Vicki’s table.

“Vicki!” he exclaimed, greeting her with a smile, a hug, and a kiss when she stood to her feet.  “I’m so glad you could make it this evening!  So . . . what did you think?  Did you enjoy the show?”

As he spoke, his empathy picked up on the tension and insecurity Ethan was feeling at that moment, although he needn’t have been empathic or telepathic for that.

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After the performance ended and the men walked off stage, all Vicki could manage to say were three little words:

“Oh.  My.  God.”

Her exaggerated tone was tinged with excitement and awe.  She was totally blown away by The Rowdies.

A few minutes later, Vicki glanced toward the bar and saw Rowdy heading her way.  In that instant, her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipped a beat or two, and a shiver of pure awareness raced up her spine at the sight of the tall, good-looking, dark-haired man stopping to mingle with customers while closing the distance.

“Oh, my God,” she said again, licking her glossy lips as if someone had offered her a juicy steak.  She would have never thought in a million years that Rowdy Yates would turn out to be so freakin’ hot!

There wasn’t anything remotely nerdy about Rowdy’s appearance now.  At twenty-nine, he’d grown into his lanky body, his broad shoulders filling out his maroon dress shirt to male perfection.  His hips were still lean and narrow, but his thighs were more muscled, his stance confident and commanding.  He no longer wore braces, and his jaw was more defined, giving his handsome face an added dimension of sensuality.  His rich brown hair, however, was very much the same - - short and a little unkempt, just the way she liked it.

Clearly, geeky Rowdy Yates had become a man - - a self-assured, devastatingly sexy man.  The transformation was unexpected, amazing, and impressive.  And it made Vicki feel both anxious and excited to see him again.

Although he was still a few yards away, Rowdy’s gaze came to a stop on her, and Vicki’s pulse rate accelerated.  A faint smile tipped up one corner of his mouth, and he sauntered toward the table, his stride decisive and determined, like a jungle cat on the prowl.

As Rowdy neared, Vicki downed the rest of her drink and stood to greet him.

“Vicki!” Rowdy exclaimed, grabbing Vicki's waist and lifting her into the air.  He spun her in a quick circle before placing her feet back on the ground.  “I’m so glad you could make it this evening!  So . . . what did you think?  Did you enjoy the show?”

"I absolutely loved it!" Vicki answered.  Then she turned Rowdy's attention to Ethan, who was still seated at the table, and introduced the two men to one another.

Rowdy’s vivid blue eyes locked on Ethan.  “It’s nice to meet you, Ethan,” he said, extending his right hand in greeting.  “It looks like we share the same taste in beautiful women.  Don’t we?”