Nick caught up to Simon and the rest of the Durans, and when they entered the room, the first thing he felt was small. Of course, his size didn't help any. He was short and his build was slight, and thus many of the other individuals in the room were taller or of heavier build than he was. But size was not the main issue here. Nick looked around the crowded room and all he saw were people. Other musicians, major British superstars, filled the room. Over in the corner, Phil Collins chatted with a producer. To his left, Bob Geldof was introducing George Michael to John Taylor and Bono. Jon Moss and Siobhan from Bananarama were joking around with some of the members from Heaven 17. And the boys from Kool and the Gang had just entered the room. Nick sighed looking around the room, wondering if he really belonged here. Everyone else seemed to hold much more weight in the music business. Of course he knew Duran Duran were successful in their own right too. They had achieved world fame and captured the hearts of millions of teenage girls. But there were no teenage girls here in the studio, and he knew that compared to Phil Collins, Boy George, Sting, Paul McCartney, or even his own bandmates, he really wasn't all that significant.

Nick wandered around the room a bit, eventually winding up at a table filled with snacks of all sorts to tide everyone over. Nothing fancy, just a couple of relish trays set out, and a large dish filled with small pastries. Nick stood quietly by the table watching the room. Other than a few polite greetings in his direction as people mingled back and forth, and a perturbed "Hey, watch it kid!" from someone he accidentally bumped into while reaching for a carrot stick, no one really paid him much attention.

The synthesist sighed as he gradually turned to his worried thoughts. Though he agreed to go along with the other members of Duran Duran to make this recording, it was with reluctance. It seemed that the concept behind the record was lost on his bandmates. Were they really here to help the dying people of Africa, or was it just because it would look good and add a few brownie points of PR? They way they had been talking about the project lately, and peacocking about it, it certainly seemed like the latter assumption fit the bill. Nick searched his comrades out of the mass of bodies in the room. They all seemed to be having a good time cavorting with their own kind. He looked down and bit his lip as worry, and yes, even fear made themselves more prominent. He had never sung in front of so many people like this before and he was a little scared. At least when he was onstage with Duran, he never had to use his voice or say anything. The music he made said enough. And what if the record failed to sell? All those people the record was intended to help and relieve would be let down. Nick took a small bite of a pastry as he thought these things over. Was he doing the right thing being here? Was anyone? What if this was just one big mistake? Before he could allow his fretting to manifest anymore than it already had, Geldof came up to him briefly, and handed him a copy of the song lyrics, as he made his way around to everyone, handing out the lyrics and directing everyone to look them over and memorize them.

As Nick ate his pastry, he looked the lyrics over a few times, paying specific attention to the chorus, as, since he wasn't a lead singer, and they had gotten someone else to play keyboards, that was the part in the song he was assigned, in addition to the umpteen other people that would be singing with him. He was touched by the words to the song, which illustrated the sorrows and torture these foreign victims had to endure, and urged everyone to help "feed the world" and celebrate the Christmas season with them... He looked over the lyrics again; the chatter, music, and noise of the rehearsal fading into the background. Nick shook his head sadly, thinking about the famine in Ethiopia. How could people be born into such awful living conditions? They had no clean water and no decent food to live on. Living conditions were poor, and thus the residents of Ethiopia were exposed to all sorts of harsh weather conditions and disease that couldn't be cured due to no available medical attention. It wasn't fair.

Nick's vision grew misty, and he blinked a few times as he looked around the room again. Suddenly, it didn't matter to him whether or not people noticed him or what his position on the pop star totem pole was. So what if his bandmates thought this was a big publicity stunt or something? So what if he was nervous about singing? None of that was important. What mattered is what the record being made here today was aimed to achieve. Those people in Africa were dying of horrible things, and they needed help badly. Nick felt his heart soar with determination. He couldn't predict as to whether or not the record was going to be sucessful, but he knew one thing: He was going to put his heart and soul into this, and play his small part well.

Just then, Geldof called out to everyone in the studio, directing everyone in the chorus to take their places. Hearing this, Nick quickly gulped down the rest of his pastry and made his way over to where everyone else was gathered, taking his place on the top step of the chorus platform. He looked around shakily. He was still a little nervous about singing, but he knew that whatever happened, he was going to try his damnedest. Not for himself or the band's image, but for the African citizens to whom the record's proceeds would be aimed.

The song started, and those who had solo parts sang them in turn. Soon enough though, the time had come for the chorus to be sung, and Nick was ready for it. He took a breath and, his heart filled with determination and love for the fellow man, began to sing, his voice mingling with so many others. He now knew he was doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Fin.