She cautiously stands from her stool, abandoning her crutches that are leaning against the counter, and looks around Sonic Boom. When she doesn't see her father (more like any of her friends. Her dad left for some convention right after he dropped her off) she jumps off her stool and balances herself on her right foot, jumping towards the guitar which has been bothering her for an hour.

She's cautious of her overly wrapped left foot as she begins to move, her new favorite Bruno Mars song playing through her earbuds. She feels the bottom half of the body moving with the beat as she straightens the guitar which has been crooked almost all this time.

She jumps back and smiles, happy that the guitar is finally straight. She decides that since she is already up to straighten up the rest of the store.

She checks to make sure that no one is in the store before she dives into her work, precariously keeping her balance as she goes.


He's walking to Sonic Boom on Mr. Dawson's orders (and who is he kidding, he was going to go anyway) to go check on Ally.

They're worried that she's going to try walking around without her crutches because as she told them both, "I can't walk on two legs, let alone three. Maybe one will work better!" (More like he knows that she hates how much they hurt her.)

So when he walks into Sonic Boom and sees her without her crutches, it doesn't surprise him in the least.

He goes to walk in and stops short and smiles. The scene in front of him is just so her that it's funny.

She's dancing along with something, what exactly he doesn't know because he can see the green cords to her earphones and knows that she has blocked out the world.

He searches for the crutches that he knows have to be somewhere because her father would never let her out of the house without them. (Not that he blamed him. She just had surgery on her foot a week ago. The doctor told her she would be on them for a month, at least.)

She's hopping around in one of her silver sparkly boots, (she says that these make her less likely to fall because they have a flat bottom, but they're so unAllylike that he doesn't care for them. But then again, so isn't the rest of her outfit.) Her hair is up in a ponytail and she's wearing skinny jeans, (skinny jeans. Since when has she worn those and truthfully, why hasn't she worn them before?)

Her shirt isn't very Ally either. It's more a combination of her and Trish. It's a conservative grey, nothing too bright like Trish wears, but on the front is what he thinks (don't hold it to him, he only spotted it as she twirled around) is a sparkly heart. She's even got her glasses on. (Which he didn't know she still had.)

She's straightening the cd's, her hips (oh God how her hips move) and knee swaying to the beat of the song he still doesn't know, when it happens.

It happens in slow motion. All of a sudden she loses her balance (which he is surprised hasn't happened before now) and Austin is running to catch her.

He catches her right before she hits the ground, pulling out an earbud in the process which belts the chorus to Bruno Mars' 'Locked Out Of Heaven', which makes them both blush. (He'll figure out later that he was able to hear her music the whole time but was too busy watching her to notice)

He picks her up, giving her a piggyback ride, Ally squealing the whole time and wrapping her arms tightly around him so she doesn't fall. (Not that he'd ever let her)

He sets her on her stool and gives her a pointed look which she know means to stay and he grabs another stool, her songbook (which is somehow on top of one of the guitars... he's not sure he wants to know why though) and drags them towards the counter where he props up her foot and sets the songbook on her lap.

He turns towards her and Ally shyly looks down at her lap, glancing up at him.

"Okay Als. I'm yours for the day." Ally cocks an eyebrow at him.

"And by yours that means..."

"Yours as in I'm your servant for the day." He says with a bow. Ally giggles (since when does she giggle at something Austin says or does?) and Austin smiles.

So in exchange for Ally listening to Austin all day (who would've ever thought it would be Ally have to be listening to Austin?) Austin will be her servant for the day (and who is he kidding, he would be her servant forever if he had the chance)

It starts out with simple tasks that involve him finishing the cd's and tuning the guitars. But by the time they're getting ready to close up Ally is coming up with the most ridiculous things such as bringing her snow and taking her to the Arctic to see polar bears.

He shakes his head as Ally laughs and when they've finally closed up the store Austin turns towards her.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow Austin." She says as she grabs her crutches. Austin shakes his head at her and picks her up so he's giving her another piggyback ride. Her crutches are pressed against his side, her songbook in between them, and Ally clutching tightly onto him.

"Nope." He says as they walk out of the store and towards his house. "You're staying at my house until your dad gets back." Ally gasps.

"But I don't even have anything to sleep in."

"Your dad dropped stuff off before he left." There goes one excuse.

"I don't wanna put you guys out."

"My parents can't wait to have you over and my mom even made up the spare bed for you." There goes another.

"I don't have my contacts."

"I think you look beautiful in your glasses and we can always go to your house." And it's official, she's staying. (And he manages to make them both blush in the process.)

They spend the rest of the way to his house in silence, Ally finally giving in and resting her head on Austin's shoulder, and when they finally reach Austin's house, she gives a sigh of relief (She feels so bad that he had carried her all this way) Though the relief is short lived when Austin's mom answers the door. (They still hear her coo's if they concentrate hard enough.)


The rest of the night is not as embarrassing (well at least not for Ally. Austin is horrified at the baby pictures his mother showed her though.)

His parents decide to go to bed before they do (thank God) so they stay up and watched Tangled (of course he let Ally pick). Once the movie is done, he picks her up and carries her to her room (which Ally will never admit is romantic).

He sets her down next to her crutches (which of course she won't use) and they stare at each other. Ally leans up on her tip toes and kisses his cheek.

"Thank you Austin." Is all she says and Austin smiles before kissing her forehead and backing out of the room.

He walks to his own room, listening carefully in case Ally should fall, and leaves the door open, sitting on his bed smiling.

Maybe this whole "I'll be there to catch you when you fall," thing isn't as cliche as he hopes. (Or at least maybe it will help him ask Ally out)