Archive of Our Own

Lucy sat in the waiting room of a small local dance studio, bouncing her youngest daughter on her lap as her oldest finished up her hour of dance for the week. With Andie being the oldest, and only five years old, it was still a little nerve racking for Lucy and Tim to leave their daughter alone, so they made sure at least one of them was there to watch and ensure that she was safe at all times.

“Ivie baby, don’t fall asleep on me now!” Lucy said excitedly, her tone high pitched as Ivie’s eyes slowly closed, her head falling back onto her mother’s chest. But she was suddenly awoken by a group of young girls bustling out of class, their ballet shows sliding against the wood as they met their parents. 

“Mommy!” Andie called out excitedly, wrapping her little arms around Lucy’s leg.

“Hi baby, how was class?” Lucy smiled, gently rubbing her hand across her daughter's face. 

“It was so fun! Today, we finished our dance for the recital! I love it so much, Mommy! I’m in the front, and we get to…” Andie rambled with excitement, talking herself out of breath.

“Slow down honey, you can tell me all about it in the car,” Lucy smiled as she stood up, hoisting Ivie up as she grabbed her eldest daughter’s hand.

“Mrs. Bradford,” a voice rang out, Lucy turning around to see Andie’s dance teacher walking towards her. “Do you have a minute?”

“Of course, is everything okay, Ms. Erika?” 

“Oh, everything's perfectly alright. I just wanted to let you know that Andie is an absolute joy to have in class, and we really do adore her,” Ms. Erika said kindly.

“That’s great to hear, she really loves coming to dance class. I swear, all we see her do is jump and twirl around the house,” Lucy explained, smiling down proudly at Andie.

“Aw, that's lovely. Well, I just wanted to personally let you know that we are holding auditions for our dance company, and our staff thinks that Andie will be a great fit!”

“Oh wow, dance company? Isn’t she a little young for that?”

“Well, we have different levels of the team, starting at the age of five. She would be competing in the novice division, so it wouldn’t be as much of a commitment as it may seem.”

Lucy nodded, and she could feel Andie tugging gently on her arm as she rocked back and forth excitedly.

“You don’t have to decide right now, but here is a pamphlet with a little bit more information. No pressure, but we really hope you’ll consider letting Andie audition. If you have any questions, feel free to call any one of us staff.”

Ms. Erika handed a neon pink pamphlet to Lucy, who was suddenly anxious as flipped through hundreds of words sprawled out across the page. 

“Thank you Ms. Erika, my husband and I will definitely look over this. Have a good night,” Lucy reassured softly, sliding the paper into her bag, which was nestled in between her hip and a sound asleep Ivie. 

“Have a great night, Ms. Bradford,  and we’ll see you at a recital this weekend!” Ms. Erika waved as Lucy exited the dance studio. 

An hour later, Lucy was setting the table for dinner as Tim returned home with dinner, Andie practicing her routine in the living room. 

“Hey babe, how was your shift?” Lucy called out as she set down the last plate, running over to Tim as he struggled to carry all of the food.

“Not too bad, just a lot of paperwork for some reason. How was your day off?” Tim asked, wrapping his arms around Lucy, kissing her cheek gently. 

“Pretty good. Definitely tired Ivie out, though.”

“I can see that,” Tim laughed as he motioned towards his youngest daughter, who was staring blankly at the table as she sat in her booster seat. 

In between pirouette turns Andie finally realized that her father was home, and didn’t hesitate to run straight to him, practically jumping up onto him.

“Hi daddy!” she giggled, almost falling backward as Tim tried to grab her. 

“Hi Andie- oh, careful! Did you have a good day?” 

“Yes! We did an art project at school today, and I had my last dance class today!” Andie said, jumping excitedly out of Tim’s arms.

“Baby, what did I tell you about jumping around like that? You’re going to hurt yourself, and your dad!” Lucy scolded playfully, shaking her head as she laughed.

“Oh yeah, you have your dance recital this weekend, are you excited?” Tim asked as he picked Andie up, whirling her around and placing her in her seat at the table.

“So excited! Mommy, tell him what Ms. Erika told you today!” Andie instructed her mother. 

“Well, her dance teacher told me that the studio is holding auditions for the competition team next week, and they want Andie to audition,” Lucy sighed as she helped her husband unpack their dinner.

“Competition team, isn’t she a little young for that?” Tim asked, furrowing his brow.

“That’s exactly what I said! But apparently they have a novice level, or something like that. They gave me a pamphlet, we can look it over after dinner,” Lucy shrugged as she dispersed everyone’s food.

“Okay…” Tim huffed skeptically. 

Everyone spent the rest of dinner listening to Andie ramble on and on about her day, explaining how she got all of the answers right during the math lesson today, or how she put her tap shoes on the wrong feet at first. 

“As much as Mommy and I love to hear about your day, it’s late and you have school tomorrow, missy!” Tim said, pointing at Andie. 

“Okay,” Andie signed disappointedly, pushing herself off of her chair and heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

“I’ll go help her unwind,” Tim began to stand up, but Lucy gently placed her hand on his thigh. 

“I’ll handle the girls, go ahead and relax for a little.”

“Are you sure? You were with them practically all day, especially Ivie.”

“Of course. I’m sure you’re exhausted from your shift, and I wouldn’t mind a little extra time with them. Plus, Ivie’s energy ran out after noon.”

“Being two years old is so difficult, huh,” Tim asked playfully as he stroked his youngest daughter's hair. 

“No nap,” Ivie mumbled sleepily. 

“She’s on a nap strike,” Lucy explained as she picked up Ivie. “Because her big sister doesn’t take naps anymore, she doesn’t think it’s cool to sleep during the day.”

“Oh baby girl, you’ll wish you had nap time when you’re our age,” Tim scoffed, kissing her on the forehead as Lucy headed towards the girls bedroom. 

“Say goodnight to daddy,” Lucy whispered into the little girl's ear.

“Night, daddy,” she waved with a smile. 

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Tim waved back as he began to clean up everyone’s plates.

“Did Andie finally crash?” Tim asked as Lucy collapsed next to him on their bed.

“Oh yeah, out 5 minutes into her bedtime story.”

“She is exactly like you,” Tim declared as Lucy shifted closer to him, nestling herself into his side. 

“Oh, one hundred percent. Which is why this whole dance thing is bothering me,” Lucy admitted with a deep sigh.

“Why is it bothering you?” Tim asked, sliding his hand under her shirt, scratching her back soothingly. 

“Well, I never got to do the things I wanted as a kid. My parents had these high expectations and standards; they didn’t believe in doing something ‘just because you loved it.’ I don’t want her to think that she can’t have fun in life.” Lucy paused before continuing.  “But on the other hand, I scanned the pamphlet and this all seems like a lot. There are a lot of rules and practice, I don’t want to stress her out, especially since she’ll only be in Kindergarten.”

“That makes sense. It’ll be a big adjustment from pre-school, but I think she can handle it. Do you still have the information?” 

Lucy rolled over and reached out for her purse, dropping three things in the process, but she ultimately grabbed the scrunched up piece of paper and handed it to Tim. He read over it quickly, his eyebrows furrowing more and more with every word.

“Is it just me, or did ninety percent of this not make sense…” he huffed, throwing the piece of paper aside.

“Literally! Like, what’s a convention, and why does she need to go to one?!”

“I mean, that’s something we can always ask about later. My main concern is the fact that if she’s on the competition team and dancing more than once a week, there’s no possible way that we’ll be able to be at every practice. And I don’t know how I feel about leaving her alone, she’s only five.”

“I thought that too, initially. But Tim, maybe it’s time we loosen the reins a little bit. I know that sometimes as police officers, we see the worst possible outcomes of situations. But, it’s a small studio in a safe neighborhood, we work less than ten minutes away and she’s been fine so far.”

“I- I just-” Tim stumbled, but he knew that Lucy was right. Andie was the firstborn, his first little girl, and of course he would do anything to protect her. But she would have to grow up eventually, and if he didn’t let her, she’d find a way to do it herself.  “She’s growing up too fast. Soon, she’s not going to need us with her everywhere anymore.”

“I know, and I hate it. Let’s sleep on this. Auditions aren’t until next week, and we should see how she does onstage for the first time before we get her all excited about this,” Lucy suggested, resting her head on Tim’s shoulder.

“Agreed. Let’s just call it a night for now and worry about this later,” he affirmed, reaching over to shut off the night lamp. As darkness filled the room they embraced each other, attempting to drift off into sleep. But after 10 minutes Tim knew Lucy was still awake, because her breaths were deep and long, and they were usually shorter when she was sleeping.

“We’ll make the right decision,” he whispered softly, Lucy tightening his grip on him.

“I really hope so.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

“Oh Andie, you look so pretty!” Tim called out as his daughter ran to him. It was the morning of Andie’s dance recital, and Lucy had gotten her all dolled up with a simple braided updo and light stage makeup. Paired with her light pink leotard, fluffy tutu, and crown, she really did look like a princess.

“Andie! You’re going to smudge your makeup on daddy’s new shirt!” Lucy called out, Tim picking her up and placing her on his lap. 

“Oops!” she giggled as Tim tickled her, Lucy preparing her dance bag before they headed out the door. “Not used to makeup.”

“And you’re going to keep it that way, right?” Tim asked playfully, Andie shaking her head in disagreement. 

“Alright Bradfords, we’ve got to get going, or else we’re going to be late!” Lucy called out, and Andie immediately perked up and came running to her.

“You packed my tap shoes and ballet shoes, right?” she asked nervously.

“Yes baby, I packed them both,” Lucy affirmed.

“And a snack?”

“Yes, there are Goldfish in the front pocket, and a bottle of water on the side.”

“You didn’t forget the-”

“Honey, everything you need is in there. I promise,” Lucy explained softly, bending down to her daughter's eye level. “Are you nervous?”
Andie slightly nodded, biting her thumbnail as her eyes widened. 

“Don’t be nervous, I know that you’re going to do amazing. I’ve seen you in class, you are so good, and we can’t wait to see you on stage,” Lucy said gently as she stroked Andie’s hair.

“And if you’re still nervous, just imagine the audience in their underwear!” Tim joked, Andie giggling, suddenly forgetting about her big performance. 

“Tim!” Lucy exclaimed, swatting at his shoulder.

“What? It’s good advice!”

“Sure… Just go load up the car, please,” Lucy instructed as she headed to grab her youngest, who was still playing in her bedroom. 

Once they reached the performing arts center, it seemed that all of Andie’s nerves washed away. The second she saw her dance friends, she ran to them and began to play, completely forgetting about the rest of the family.

“So, you’re Andie's parents, I assume?” the woman behind the check-in desk asked.

“Yes, hi, I’m Lucy Bradford, and this is my husband Tim,” Lucy introduced, shaking the young woman's hand.

“Hi Lucy, my name is Virginia and I am one of the assistant teachers, but I also work the front desk sometimes. Your little girl is just the cutest, she is very energetic and makes conversation with all of the staff and other dancers.”

“So we’ve heard,” Lucy laughed, peering through the dressing room to see Andie talking with some of the dance moms who were helping out backstage.

“Well, I can tell that Andie has a passion for dance, and she does have quite the knack for it. She’s very attentive and focused during class, which we usually don’t see at this young of an age,” Virginia noted.

“Well, we’re actually both police officers, so we know the value of discipline. It’s actually the reason we put her in dance, we thought she’d learn a lot about work ethic,” Tim explained.

“And she looks really cute in a tutu,” Lucy added, Virginia smiling, amused. 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll thoroughly enjoy her two performances today. She’s good back here with us for the rest of the show, and you can just come right back here to pick her up once it’s finished.”

Virginia could see the look of reluctance painted all over both Tim and Lucy’s face as they thought of leaving their daughter in the hands of a stranger for three hours, so she called over Danielle, the dance mom who was in charge of their daughter for the day. 

“Danielle, this is Tim, and Lucy, Andie’s parents,” Virginia said, Danielle reaching her hand out to the pair.

“Hi, my name is Danielle, and I have two daughters on the competition team here. I take it that this is your daughter's first recital?”

“Yeah, it is,” Lucy winced, embarrassed that her uneasiness was so abundantly clear.

“I totally get that it can be scary, I still remember my eldest daughter's first recital. But, I assure you that I’ve been doing this a long time, and Andie will be perfectly okay with me. I’ve got coloring books and activities for them as they wait for their dance, and if we do need anything, we have your phone numbers. We’ve got her, just enjoy the show!”
Lucy and Tim both locked eyes, nodding as they turned back to Danielle.

“Thank you Danielle, we really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. We definitely feel better, and we’ll get out of your hair,” Tim remarked, Danielle smiling at him.

“Not a problem, I’ll see you all after the show!”

Lucy and Tim headed inside the auditorium and took their seats, Ivie opting to sit in her dad's lap.

“Are you excited to watch your sister dance?” Tim whispered, Ivie humming as she nodded her head excitedly. 

The lights began to dim and the audience hushed, the show was finally starting. Music began to blare from the speakers as the teachers began to filter onto stage, each of them dancing together to the beat. They could see some dancers in the wings cheering their teachers on, everyone applauding as the teachers turned and jumped. 

The next dance was performed by the entire competition team, who were all dressed in their own variation of the dance studio's colors. There were a variety of girls on the stage, ranging from the ages of five and eighteen, but somehow, they were all dancing as one. Their movements matched one another, and their smiles shined brighter than the stage lights. 

“They look like they’re having so much fun,” Lucy whispered into Tim’s ear. She’d never really been to a dance performance, and her only knowledge was the videos of prima ballerinas she’d seen on TikTok. The dancers sure knew how to put on a show, and they were clearly very well rehearsed, impressing both Tim and Lucy. 

As they finished, the theater dimmed once again and Andie’s group began to pour onto the stage next. Once the girls had been placed in their positions, the music and lights returned. This performance was much unlike the last: most of the girls were barely moving and looking at the floor. A couple stood blankly, clearly unaware of the fact that this was their final performance. 

But Andie was smiling brightly as she danced, not missing a single beat. She looked straight out into the audience; she radiated confidence and her eyes lit up with joy as she jumped and twirled. Lucy felt like she was going to melt as she watched her daughter spin around in a tutu.

“They weren’t kidding when they said she was good,” Tim uttered in amazement as he watched his daughter execute every step to her fullest.

“Clearly,” Lucy whispered back, her eyes fixated on her daughter.

“She looks so happy.”

“She really does.”

Disappointment filled the couple as the girls exited the stage, Andie marching off proudly. 

And if it was possible to get even better, Andie’s group was back on stage thirty minutes later for their tap piece. This time Andie looked a little bit more focused, but her smile was still unwavering. At this point, her natural stage presence and talent was undeniable. 

“We’d be evil if we didn’t let her audition,” Lucy turned to Tim, whispering as Andie tapped on stage.

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, we would,” he sighed. 

“Sissy so good!” Ivie exclaimed, a little too loudly, and Andie’s eyes darted straight to their section. They could see her eyes light up as she spotted them, and they could tell that she was resisting the urge to wave at them. But she’d been taught stage etiquette, and unlike her peers she knew not to wave, no matter how excited she was. 

So she finished out her last dance strong, bowing proudly as the music faded out. Lucy and Tim intently watched the rest of the dances, observing the range of skill and difficulty of the competition team. 

It Lucy them with excitement, watching how the dance moves progressed through age levels, and it was honestly easy to imagine Andie up on that stage, pouring herself into a more complex contemporary number as she got older.

But for Tim, he caught onto the maturity of the dancers on stage. He noticed how the older girls would help the younger girls tie their shoes in the wings, and he smiled every time he heard younger voices cheer as the older girls flipped or turned an unbelievable amount of times. He realized that dancing… Well, it wasn’t just about dancing, and it could turn out to be a really good experience for his daughter. 

After what felt like an eternity, the show finally finished, and the Bradfords practically ran out of the theater to go greet their daughter. Danielle made sure to be quick during sign out, as she could tell that the pair was anxious to see their daughter. She already had all of Andie’s stuff ready, and impressively had all ten little girls under control.

The minute she saw them, Andie ran over and jumped into Lucy’s arms, her mother spinning her around excitedly.

“Andie, my little superstar, you were amazing out there!” Lucy exclaimed excitedly.

“You looked beautiful! We are so proud of you,” Tim added, leaning in closer so that only Andie and Lucy could hear him. “And just between us, you were the best out there,” he winked.

“Thank you!” she squealed giddily, Lucy kissing her on the cheek.

“You had fun out there, didn’t you?” Tim asked.

“Mhm! Being on stage is fun!” she affirmed. “But, it also makes you hungry!”

“Okay, noted, sounds like it’s time to get dinner. What do you want, our little superstar?” Lucy asked.

“Hmmm, I want… pizza!” Andie exclaimed, Ivie jumping in agreement. 

“Okay, pizza it is!” Tim announced. “Let’s go say bye to Ms. Erika and then we can head out.”

They headed towards the group of dance teachers, who were celebrating the successful performance their dancers had pulled off. 

“Lucy, Tim, hi! Did you enjoy the performance,” Ms. Erika asked as she noticed them.

“Yes, we definitely did. All of the dancers were amazing, and you all put on a fabulous show,” Lucy answered with a smile.

“Oh, we are so glad to hear that. Miss Andie, you did amazing today, we are all so proud of you! Not many girls do that well during their first recital,” Ms. Erika remarked to Andie, who immediately perked up. “I hope you guys have considered bringing Andie to auditions this coming week.”

“Well, after watching Andie perform today, I think it’s safe to say that we would hate to get in the way of what seems to be a huge passion of hers, so you’ll see us at auditions on Tuesday,” Lucy confirmed cheerily.

“Really?” Andie looked up at her parents, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Yes, baby, we love that you love to dance,” Tim explained, Andie jumping up and down with excitement. 

“Yay!”she practically screamed, hugging both of her parents.

“That’s wonderful to hear, we are looking forward to seeing her!” Ms. Erika said kindly. “Have a great night, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford.”

“You too Ms. Erika, thank you for being such a wonderful teacher!” Lucy remarked.

“Bye, Ms. Erika!” Andie waved happily.

“Are you ready for this?” Lucy asked Tim as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“Absolutely not, I think that we have no idea what we are getting ourselves into,” Tim sighed.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. But I also think that we won’t regret it the next time we see her on stage.”

“It’ll be a great experience for her. And, she’ll get her energy out while staying active, which is important.”

“It’s a win-win situation,” Lucy smiled, Tim placing his free hand on Lucy’s thigh. “I love to see her so happy.”

“Me too.”