Hope's POV

My eyebrows pulled together as I saw where Shanks had taken me. All at once, my anger came rushing back.

"You let our daughter work at a bar?" I asked bitterly.

"Okay, before you rip my head off, just go in and watch. Hurry, or we'll be late." He said, climbing out of the car. I sighed and climbed out of the car. If Caramella Dawn wasn't a personal friend of Shanks's I'd probably bring this up to her. But knowing Dawn, she already knew and would claim to have made sure things were fine. Dawn never liked me. But then again, Dawn did always have a type of sixth sense to know who was purely good. I guess she called it on me.

We walked in to the bar. Shanks spotted some friends and went over to them. I decided to just go directly to the bar. I sat down and looked at the stage. The last performer was closing up.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" A kind voice asked. I looked over and saw a beautiful young woman with dark green hair and a bright smile.

"Oh, just a water." I said. She smiled and gave me the water.

"A beautiful woman goes to a bar and orders a water. You're either looking for a man or here for our Show Stopper." She said with a laugh.

"Show Stopper?" I asked. She nodded.

"Our violinist. She's the next one up. Everyone calls her the Show Stopper because when she's up on that stage, the only sound in this whole bar is her music until she's done playing. She's an instant calm hour. She plays so beautifully that no one can take their eyes off of her." She said.

"Oh." I said.

"New in town and looking for a date?" She asked me.

"Um, visiting my ex-husband and my daughter, actually." I said. She smiled.

"Ah, I see." She said. The last performer walked up to her and she handed him a jar.

"Thanks, Damian. Here's your tips tonight. Are you going to stay to watch Aisuru's show?" She asked.

"Not tonight, boss. Emily is waiting for me at home." He said.

"Well, have a good night, Damian. Say hello to Emily for me." She said. The man laughed.

"Will do, Boss." He said.

"You own this place?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Inherited it, actually. It was my Aunt Party's, but she died a few years back and she left the place to me." She said.

"Oh, I see." I said and sipped on my water. Where the hell did Shanks run off to?

The curtains on the stage pulled back and the lights came up. My eyes widened when I saw my daughter up on the stage. A beautiful violin in her hands. She was dressed in light jeans and a brown tee shirt. She looked absolutely adorable. Even from how far back I was sitting, I could see her eyes shining with more life than I had ever seen in them before.

As soon as she started to play, every voice in the bar fell silent. I looked around. Every eye was on her. If the people weren't looking at her, their eyes were closed with smiles on their faces as they lost them selves in her music. I wasn't looking at the faces for very long. My eyes gravitated back to my daughter on the stage. I felt the music she played through every inch of my body.

Watching her, feeling her music, seeing the beautiful smile on her face as she played... I felt something that I hadn't felt for a very long time. I felt...

Peace. Serenity.

I took a glance back at the woman. Her eyes were closed and a calm and peaceful smile rested on her lips. I watched as a couple walked up to the bar and place some money in to a jar. I read the note and the jar.

Performer Tips

I widened my eyes as I realized that the money they were putting in the jar went to Aisuru if it was put in there while she was playing. I reached in to my wallet and pulled a 20 from it and placed it inside of the jar. It was the least I could do for her. After everything I had done, the least I could do was give her the money she earned with her talents. Still feeling like it wasn't enough, I put two more 20 dollar bills in the jar and relaxed in to my seat.

"There you are." I heard. I looked over and saw Shanks approach the bar.

"Oh, Shanks." The barista and I said at the same time. We looked at each other. Shanks cleared his throat.

"Man, I must be a pro at awkward introductions. Makino, this is Hope, my ex-wife. Hope, this is Makino, my girlfriend." Shanks said. I stared at her with wide eyes. She blinked at me.

"You're Aisuru's mother... I thought that you seemed familiar... She has your eyes." She said. I chuckled.

"No... Her eyes are beautiful." I said.

"Hope." Shanks started. I shook my head. The performance was starting to end.

"Makino?" I asked.

"Yes?" She asked me. I smiled at her.

"Take care of these two for me." I said. I pushed off the chair and reached for my money to pay for my drink.

"On the house." She said and smiled. I smiled at her.

"You're very kind. I see why Shanks fell for you." I said. I smiled at Shanks.

"Goodbye, Shanks." I said and walked out of the bar. I looked to the side and saw a young couple making out. The girl seemed familiar to me. She had short, muddy blonde hair and soft pale skin. Her arms were built very well. Must be an athlete. The two parted away for air and I saw the girl's blue eyes and it clicked exactly who it was.

"Ki?!" I asked. She turned her head and her eyes went wide. She shoved the boy away from her.

"Mrs. LeRoux! Ah!" She yelped, falling back. The boy caught her before she could hit the pavement.

"Ki? What are you doing?" I asked.

"O-Oh.. I was... I was, uh... I.. um... Aisuru was playing her violin tonight and I- we- were watching her, but then we decided to get some air and-" She stuttered.

"Ki, it's fine, you don't need to justify yourself to me. I can tell by your arms that you haven't slacked your training." I said. She scratched the back of her head.

"Ah, well, thanks, Mrs. LeR- eh.. I guess you're not Mrs. LeRoux anymore, huh?" She said. She seemed unsure what to call me.

"You can call me Hope, Ki. It's fine. And no worries I was on my way out. Take care." I said.

"Uh.. Yeah.. Bye, Hope." She said and I started to walk away.

"Who was that?" I heard the boy ask.

"That was Aisuru's-"

"MOM!" I turned in time for a body to slam in to mine.