Chapter 1 - The Party

"Aw, Come on Jazzie. It'll be fun. Danny, Harry and Tom are coming too. Just come with us." Dougie pleaded. It was one of the few times he was with his mom and little sister. He was trying his hardest to get his sister to come with him to a party he was invited to.

"I don't know Dougie. I have stuff I need to do. Tonight isn't a good night." Jazzie told her brother. She was sitting in her room putting on make-up while Dougie flopped onto her bed. "Please, Jazz!" he begged one more time. "Why do you want me to come so bad, Dougie?" she asked him looking at his reflection in her mirror.

"'Cause I miss you. The guys and I have been on tour and I haven't been home to see you in a while. It will be fun. Come on please, Jazz." He asked sticking his bottom lip out using his "puppy-dog face" that no one could resist. Jazzie laughed and gave in.

They met up with the other band mates when they got to the house and Danny greeted Jazzie the same way he always did after they had been on tour for so long. "Jazzie Poynter!" he shouted giving her a huge hug and lifting her off the ground. "Hi Danny," Jazzie laughed. She felt a little awkward at a party where she knew only three people. It was good to see the rest of McFLY though, and to get to hang out with her big brother again. After they became really famous she missed hanging out with him all the time.

Soon a few other friends of Dougie's joined them and after a while they were all laughing and Jazzie was beginning to feel better about being at this party. All the boys were drinking, but Jazzie stuck with soda. None of them usually got really drunk. In fact Dougie hardly drank at all. But they were all so excited to see their friends again they considered it a special occasion.

The four boys, Jazzie, and a few girls she had never met before were all standing by the pool talking. Danny and Dougie soon got into some argument over which girl in Girls Aloud was the fittest or something. No one was really paying attention to them much. They began play fighting and soon Dougie tackled Danny into the pool. Nearly all the people at the party turned their heads to see what was going on. The two boys came to the surface of the pool laughing climbed out, soaking wet. Jazzie wondered why she wasn't embarrassed of her brother and his friend but then realized it was because Dougie had always been like that. It was what made him Dougie and why she loved him so much.

Chapter 2 - Just a Headache...

It was getting late and Dougie figured he ought to get his sister home. "You leaving?" Danny asked. "Yeah," Dougie told him pulling his shirt off and wringing it out. He was still soaked. "I gotta get my sister home and I'm really tired. I'll see you guys at the concert."

On the way home Jazzie and Dougie were quiet. "You okay, Doug?" Jazzie asked. Dougie nodded, "Yeah, just a headache, that's all." Jazzie knew it was because he probably had too much to drink but she didn't want to say anything. She was sure the last thing he needed was to be lectured by his little sister. A few minutes after driving Dougie realized the radio wasn't on and he leaned forward to turn on the radio station. In what seemed like a half a second he went from hearing the radio, to hearing screaming, then to hearing nothing at all.

Dougie woke up on the side of the road and saw a red car totaled and a truck turned on its side. He sat there wondering who the unlucky guy who got his car wrecked was. He heard voices around him, "He'll be fine. I don't know about the girl though." Dougie looked around again and saw a girl lying under the streetlight, blood covering her face. He looked back up at the car. "That's my car." He mumbled to himself. He looked back at the girl and realizing who it was, passed out cold in the road.

"Dougie! Thank God you're okay!" someone shouted waking him up. The light hurt his eyes, but judging by the Bolton accent and the laugh of relief he knew it was Danny. "Yeah, mate, I'm alright." He mumbled rubbing his eyes. Danny went in to tackle Dougie in one of his hugs but Tom pulled him back, "Easy Danny, he's not looking so good." "How are you feeling Doug?" Harry asked his voice filled with concern and relief all at the same time.

"Oh, I'm alright. A few cuts and bruises but I'll Be Okay." He smiled. The rest of the guys laughed. "I warned you about drinking so much, mate." Harry told him. "Yeah, I know. I should have listened." Any other time Dougie would have argued with Harry, but he just didn't have the energy. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a minute then jumped up, "Jazzie!" he shouted, jumping out of the hospital bed "Guys, where's Jazzie, how is she? Is she gonna be okay?"

Danny, Tom and Harry looked at each other. The looks on their faces weren't good. "She's down the hall, Doug," Tom began, "But…" Dougie took off and didn't let him finish.

Chapter 3 - A Talk From Harry

"Jazz..." Dougie whispered kneeling by his sister's bed. Her big blue eyes opened slowly and Dougie sighed a breath of relief. "Dougie," she whispered in a small voice and smiled weakly. Dougie began crying, his body shaking, tears rolling down his cheeks and hitting the floor below him. "This is my fault," he sobbed, "I shouldn't have made you come Jazz. I should have listened to Harry. I'm sorry..."

"Dougie, this isn't your fault. Don't worry about it. Please don't cry Dougie. I can't handle seeing you cry." she told him. "I'm sorry..." Dougie kept telling her over and over again. Soon Dougie's mom was there. Dougie looked up at her, eyes red and cheeks wet from crying. His mom knelt down beside him and hugged him like she did when he was a small child. "I'm sorry, mom." He told her, "This is my fault. I'm sorry."

Dougie left after that. He left his mom and his sister alone. He couldn't stand seeing his sister looking like that. They doctors let him go home that night. He felt alone in his house. Sure the guys lived just a few houses away, but everything was silent. Everything was still. He couldn't move. He heard his door open and footsteps coming towards him. "You ought to lock your door, mate" Harry said coming into the room. Dougie didn't so much as smile. Harry sat down next to him, "This isn't you're fault Dougie. It could have happened to any of us. Don't do this to yourself, man."

"What else am I supposed to do, Harry? My sister's about to die and it's because of me! I got drunk at that party and I drove her home!" Dougie shouted. He started to cry again. Harry pulled him in for a hug, "Just calm down, buddy, everything's gonna be okay just calm down." Dougie took a deep breath and looked up at Harry.

"But it was my fault," Dougie said, this time a bit calmer. Harry smiled sympathetically. "No it wasn't. Dougie, you were stopped at a red light when you changed the station on the radio. You didn't do anything wrong. The guy in the truck ran the red light. He hit you. It isn't your fault."

Chapter 4 - Gone.

There were hundreds of people there. But Dougie felt alone. The sound of the minister talking was blocked out and Dougie felt numb.

"You okay, Doug?" "Yeah, just a headache, thats all."

"Will everyone welcome Dougie Poynter." The clapping of the people there sounded like gunshots as he took his place at the stage. The stage is where he used to feel like he couldn't be stopped. The second he stepped on a stage he felt invincible. He could be himself. Not today.

"Jazzie was my little sister," he began, "And one of my best friends. I haven't gotten to see her much after the guys and i have been on tour. We were still close though. I can't tell you how much I miss her..." He looked at the crumpled piece of paper on the podium. The speech he had written for the funeral. It didn't seem like enough. It didn't seem like it meant anything. He crumpled it up and tossed it on the ground. "Listen, I'm no good at making speeches. I'm no good with this kind of stuff. I never know what to say. I don't think I want to say anything. But I do want to play a song. One that will forever remind me of my sister. Guys, can you come up here?"

Danny, Tom and Harry came up on stage. They sang an acoustic version of Dougie's song, Silence is a Scary Sound. It just seemed to fit. After the song he took a deep breath, then left the stage. His band mates wrapped him in a hug and his mom came over with a folded note. He stared at it but didn't open it. It said "Dougie" in perfect cursive handwriting.

"Go on, mate," Danny urged.

Dougie unfolded it slowly. It said,

Dougie,

If you're reading this I'm probably gone. Don't let this hold you back, bro, I'm in a better place now. It wasn't your fault so get that out of your head. Tell the guys i say goodbye. Don't let this stop your concert tonight either. Please. You have so many fans that would be disappointed if you canceled the show. Please keep playing. Keep writing music. Don't be so sad Dougie. It's better me than you. The guys wouldn't be able to get on without you. Don't forget about me, but don't let this hold you back from everything. Stay the same Dougie you were before. Tell Danny I'm going to miss his hugs and tell Tom I'll miss his advice. Tell Harry to go easy on you, I know how he can be. Live life Dougie. Don't cry over me. Live every happy moment for me. Don't Go Changing, Doug.

-Jazzie.

Dougie took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. The silence that once filled his ears was gone and a great weight was lifted off his shoulders. "Thanks Jazzie." he smiled.