Author's Note: Yay! People like it. Thanks to those two people who reviewed! Really appreciate it and glad that the people who didn't review favorited/alerted. I even had someone alert me as an author! Yayyyy! But okay, here's the next chapter and as you can see... it's pretty long. But chapter two is already in the works! I'm working on the rough draft at the moment and should have the final ready within the next week at max. So don't forget to review and let me know what you think!

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Chapter One

Six months, eleven days, and seventeen hours. Or maybe it was sixteen… Fifteen?

The hours didn't matter anyways, all that did matter was that it had been six months and eleven days since the last time Shane Gray had last seen his supposed girlfriend Mitchie Torres. And that was saying something considering that just a year and a half ago he had been jumping from girl to girl within weeks, sometimes within days. None of them had ever managed to hold his heart, his soul, his attention, his love like Mitchie and she hadn't even bothered to try and contact him since that last day of camp. Blowing out a sigh, he softly smiled as he recalled those last few precious moments with her. Even now, six months down the line, he could still remember every single last detail of how she had looked that last day of camp. Wearing a light red sundress that had a orange floral pattern across it that was lined in glittery gold, she had looked incredible with her black ballet flats and her hair free flowing down around her bare olive tanned skin. She had taken his breath away that day, but she had somehow managed to do that no matter how she had looked every day that summer. When she had turned to look at him…

He had been mesmerized. Her hair had been softly framing her face; one strand had tucked itself up under her chin and seemed to be conforming to the perfect contours of her softly curved cheek and her sloping neck. The way he full perfect, cupid bow lips had split apart revealing one of the biggest grins he had ever seen her wear had caused his heart to pound and that smile was made all the much better when he noticed – not for the first time – the two front teeth that just ever so slightly over lapped each other. The sun had managed to tint her already tanned skin a light rosy shade that was most prominent in her cheeks and it made her glow to him that much more. The way she had glowed had reminded him of a rosebud, just the right shade of pink mixed with red. That was what she was except she was the little bit of everything beautiful mixed together to come up with something gorgeous. But it had been her eyes… Oh those eyes…

Hr hot cocoa brown eyes had glowed with a warmth that had made him feel as if he had just stepped into a spring day where the sun warmed his skin but not too warm to where he would sweat. It was that feeling of just enough to where he was comfortable. That was one of the many qualities he loved about her eyes. As he had stepped closer to her, he had noticed the gold flecks that were scattered throughout their depths and the way the sun had hit her face just right to where they were illuminated and gave her eyes a haunting, alluring look to them that caused him to suck in a sharp breath. But it was the million different emotions that danced in the depths that truly caught his attention. They swirled together as if they were playing tag in the pools that were her gaze and when he stepped closer again, one in particular seemed to jump out at him as if it were trying to drag him into the chocolate eyes. He remembered how when a piece of her hair had fallen down into her eyes, he had gently brushed it away, tucking it behind her ear and then cupping her soft, supple skin with his hand before he had bent and kissed her.

Thinking about when he had done that made him smile though as he remembered throughout that entire summer, Mitchie had constantly been complaining about her hair. No matter what she had done with it - straightened it, gelled it, hair sprayed it with an entire can - it would always curl into these large loopy swirls that had made her look angelic to Shane. He smiled even harder as he remembered telling her that one time and she had just smirked at him before proclaiming in her normal, quirky sense of humor, "They're just hiding my horns."

Another sigh blew past lips as that brought back another though. That had been one of the things that had changed about her since the first summer they had met but it was a good change as far as Shane was concerned. She had always had a sharp wit, a quirky sense of humor, and a quick as silver tongue but she had never shown them that first summer except in the few private moments she had shared with him and with Caitlyn. But to other campers? Oh no. Back then, in her mind, that was a death sentence. But then the next year, she had come back to camp looking different but different in a good way and with self confidence that shown so bright that it had nearly made Shane believe that she wasn't Mitchie at all but a completely different person. And he had quickly fallen even harder for her as he had gotten to know her more and seen those three traits time and time again. But that wasn't the only thing that had changed. Since last summer, because of her now found confidence in who she was as a person, she had also developed a never back down and never give up attitude that had taken everyone by surprise and had them victory by a very thunderous storm over Camp Star. She had taken charge when no one else had and given them the confidence and the leadership that they had all needed to take down Camp Star and win.

The victory over Camp Star had not only proven that they were all better than they thought they were, but it had also Shane that Mitchie was by far the perfect girl for him. Just thinking about how close they had gotten when working together, the flirting, the stolen glances, the few private moments they had shared where something had… happened; how they had worked together – so perfectly in sync – to lead everyone to victory over the rival camp that had just shown up out of the blue, stealing their campers and claiming they were the better camp because they were "modern," made him swell with pride at what they had managed to accomplish. Even though in the end, it had been everyone who led to their success, Shane still couldn't help but feel proud most of all of Mitchie and himself. Coming together like that, making something happened that seemed impossible…

It had been incredible and one of the happiest moments of his life.

But right then – in present day and time – it was one of the saddest because not only did it bring back that joyous memory of standing victorious above them all knowing how hard they had worked together to get there, it also brought back the aftermath memories, the day after, the memories of those kisses that he had yet to relive, the feeling of knowing he finally had someone… And then the six months of silence that had followed.

A sigh broke past his lips as he rolled onto his side restlessly. He had been tossing and turning all night but it didn't come as a surprise to him; it was merely routine at this point. Blinking, he began the silent count of the flecked paint spots that littered the wall of the tour bus as it continued it's never ending rattle down the road towards their next tour destination but not even thoughts of the next show they would be playing could keep his mind away from the plaguing thoughts that circled around Mitchie. For the past two months he had been on tour with his band, Connect 3. It was one of the largest tours they had done and it went all across North America, Canada, and Mexico. Following it with less than a month between the tours would be the European tour, the first one that they were ever going to do and it would span across all countries, major cities, and even some smaller ones. The tour had been a blessing in a way as it kept his mind from wandering too much during the day and it was becoming easier and easier to act as if nothing was wrong and to wear the façade that had become his daily life. As soon as Camp Rock had ended, they had gone back to the studio to record another album presenting their new sound and then to promote it were the back to back tours. It had been the perfect thing to keep his mind busy now a days, but those first few months… Those had been the hardest. Just like the nights that followed the days of the past three months. The nights always managed to get the best of him when he was laying in bed alone, with nothing to keep him occupied, when all he could do was wonder when the phone would ring and it would be her and she would finally answer the barrage of unanswered questions that assaulted him during those long, never seeming to end hours. Answers to why she had been kept away from him.

With a groan, he sat up and swung his legs – still tangled in the blankets – off the edge of the bed and ran his hands over his face before burying them in his hair and pulling at the strands. "This sucks…" His voice was a croak of a whisper. The words cracked and were a mere whisper of his normal voice but that was what happened after a long winding concert where he had sung his heart out and poured every part of his being into the words and the notes to reach out to his fans. Just like he did every time he performed since that summer over a year ago when his eyes had been opened to what he had become. The fans, his "brothers", his music, all of them had become the most important things in the world to him next to the girl that had brought it all back to him. Cursing mentally, he pushed himself up from his bed and fell, almost face planting as he hit the ground with a moan and then angrily shook off the sheets. As he fought with them, he was reminded of a bad habit. It was harder to get them off then it was to shake one of those and as he was thinking that, the realization hit him and knocked the wind out of him.

Mitchie was his bad habit.

A growl escaped him as he finally tossed them to the side before standing up and beginning to pace, his footsteps seeming to echo against the thin walls of the small room that had become his personal space. With each step, he ravaged his mind to try and find the answers and explanations for all the questions that would attack his poor, tired, and vulnerable mind until finally he wore himself out enough to where he was able to grab a few hours of restless sleep that left him feeling as tired as he had felt before he had laid down.

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"Mitchie, it's time to go!" It was the same thing she had said over five minutes ago and Connie was getting tired of standing at the base of the stairs staring up into the abyss of darkness that was the upstairs hallway. She should have been used to it by now, she thought, but she would never get used to having to wait for her normally happy, eager go lucky daughter to show her face at the last minute before they would be late. Normally when she finally did show, she would still be clad in her pajamas and she would have another excuse as to why she couldn't go to school that day already spewing from her lips before she had even made it down the steps to her mom. And each and every time, Connie would tell her that she couldn't stay home and when asked why, she would just sigh and give the same, tired answer. It was because they had told them to keep going on as if nothing had changed even though everything had. Every morning, it was the same thing over and over and she had prayed and hoped that Mitchie would grow tired of it. After three months of the same thing, the same answer, the same attitude and grumpiness, nothing had changed though. It was almost unbearable for the poor woman who had brought this upon both of them.

Every time Mitchie came to her, begging and pleading to stay home with crystal tears in the depths of her now dull, lifeless eyes, it broke Connie's heart that much more because she could only imagine how hard this was on her daughter. To go through day after day, knowing that… The older woman shook her head. No, she wouldn't go there this morning. She had to keep her head held high and keep moving forward with her life. Those were the orders they had been given and that was what she was going to do. "Come on, Mitchie!" On other days, she was patient. On some days, she was impatient. Today was one of those days. The last thing they had told her to do was push her teenage daughter, in fact, they had told her specifically not to do that. That had only made Connie question whether or not they honestly knew best but she had refrained from doing that but today was the exception. She was fed up of standing there feeling like an idiot, tired of having to wait hand and foot on her daughter. She was tired of having to be the one that was always waiting now a days because that was all it had been for the past six months.

"Mitchie Dementia Torres! Get down here this minute! We're already five minutes past leaving on time!" Saying something rather inappropriate in Spanish, the woman threw up her hands and shook her head before leaning against the railing of the stairs and sighing. She felt a hundred years older then she actually was. But that was how she felt every day now. Without even thinking about it, she had already begun to run her hand through her hair for the hundredth time that morning when she heard a noise from upstairs and looked up hopefully. But no pale face appeared at the top of the stairs, no voice carried down to let her know that there was no way Mitchie could go to school today, and silence followed after that brief sound. "That girl had better have a damn good excuse…" But no matter how "valid" the excuse for her not being ready to go was, they didn't have a choice in the matter. It was their order that Mitchie keep going to school, claiming that it was best for her to keep living her life as normal as possible. The thought of normal made Connie scoff as she shook her head before closing her eyes again and leaning her head back against the wall.

Was anything truly normal for the Torres family since that fateful day?

The answer to that question came in the silence of the house over the next few minutes before Connie finally gave up and with another sigh and then a deep breath, steeled herself for the trip up the stairs. Mitchie wasn't the only one still suffering from what had happened. Every day was a trial for the older woman, every step, every movement. But Connie viewed it as her punishment for bringing harm to her daughter, for hurting her in a way that was unimaginable by anyone unless they had gone through it. And so she lived with it and she accepted it. By the time she had taken three slow, deliberate steps up the stairs, she was breathing sharply, her face crinkled into a wince and her knuckles white on the railing that she gripped as if it were her life support. Every five steps she was forced to pause to let the pain subside, the get her breath back, to prepare herself for the next five that would do the same thing to her, except worse than the last five had been. By the time she made it to the top of the stairs, she wanted nothing more than to sit down but she knew if she did, she wouldn't get back up and that wasn't her over exaggerating either. Every time she sat down, it was that much harder for her to keep going and on some days, it was impossible. Taking slow, deep breaths with her eyes squeezed shut, she leaned against the wall again and waited out the pain, praying it would subside soon. When it finally did, she already knew that the school bells were ringing at the high school that Mitchie wasn't at. By the time they got going, she would have already missed home room and been late for first period. "Mitchie, you are so dead when I get a hand on you…" She was aggravated, in pain, and mad at herself for having brought this on the family. For having done this to herself to where she couldn't even manage a set of stairs without wanting to sit down and cry because of the pain it brought her.

It was with slow steps she started the trek down the hallway to Mitchie's room. The hallway was almost pitch black, showing proof that the girl had yet to leave her room since the light wasn't on. Normally by now, the light would at least be shining dimly in the hall that for some reason had been built with no windows but not this morning. Which only left Connie feeling slightly uneasy. Her eyes adjusted to the hall though and just faintly, she could see the outline of the teenage drama queen's room and noticed how it was slightly ajar. That meant she would hear her if she started talking loudly. "Mitchie, baby, I know you don't want to go to school but you have to. You know that they've… said…" By the time she had started to say the words, between the steps and the deep breaths, she had made it to her daughter's room and pushed open the door. The sight that had met her eyes had left her speechless and her words had drifted off into the silence, never to be finished.

There sat her teenage daughter in the middle of her bed with her head slightly bowed, her long chocolate brown hair hanging limply around her head. She could still remember that last day, the day they had left Camp Rock, when it had bounced and shone with every slight movement she had made. Spread out all around her on the bedspread were photos and as Connie glanced down at them, her heart sank. Those had been the photos she had stashed away five and a half months ago when she had first been allowed home from the hospital. Those were the photos that held faces and places that… A lump rose in her throat as she shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't supposed to find them.

Opening her eyes, she watched as Mitchie reached out and hesitated right before her fingers touched the glossy surface of one of them. Tears were streaming down her face and her shoulders were shaking with the force of her silent sobs but she didn't make a noise as she forced herself to pick it up and bring it closer to her face. The only noise in the room was of the photo fluttering in Mitchie's shaking hands, her ever shaking hands, as she stared at with wide, confused eyes. It was one of the many photos that Connie had taken for her and this one in particular had been special. It had been the third day at camp when the boys had finally arrived and they had all been reunited – Mitchie, Shane, Jason, Nate, and Caitlin. The girls had met back up the first day but because of some impromptu shows, the boys had been late getting there. They had all gathered into a squished group hug that had involved some of the biggest smiles Connie had ever seen on their faces and bunny ears behind each of their heads as they laughed and smiled and just… acted like teenagers when she had snapped the shot. That had been one of the first happy memories, one of the many, happy memories that had been captured by her camera during that summer. And Mitchie…

"Mom… I don't… I just don't understand!" Mitchie had thrown the photo down and had buried her face in her hands, shaking her head as her curls flew out around her head. Her mother took a step forward as the girl finally let the sobs take a hold of her body and she cried noisily. The sound of those sobs, of those tears, they broke Connie's heart a little bit at a time. She froze in her tracks as her daughter looked up at her and she saw for the first time in a long time, the pain, the agony, the confusion, and the depression that lay in their depths – so different from the last time she had seen them so alive – and realized her daughter was hurting in a way she could never imagine. The voice that came from her was what really tore her apart though. It was so tear wrenching, so heart breaking, so terribly broken that it shattered the remainder of Connie's duct taped heart. "Mommy…"

"Why can't I remember this?" With each quick step she took, Connie was in tremendous pain but it was belittled when compared to the emotional and the mental torment that was her daughter's own. As she took her into her arms, Mitchie fully gave in to the wailing that was her only way of showing her grief, of showing her anger and hatred towards herself and what had happened, towards what her own mother had brought upon her. And as much as it pained Connie, she had to hold her through it and support her every step of the way, to show her that she was there now even when she hadn't been there six months ago when she had let this happen because of her own inattentiveness.

She had done this to the one person who meant more than life itself to her and she had to see it through to the end. She owed Mitchie that.

She had done this.

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"All right, guys, you know what time it is? Daily prep meeting! The show you guys played last night was killer. was raving about it this morning as well as Perez Hilton and more. The new album and the 'new sound' are killing the ratings. Good job, so far! But we're only three fourths of the way done! Your next show is in Newark, New Jersey." While Nate Black and Jason White were listening attentively to their manager drone on and one about their next show, Shane was busy trying to hide his yawn from site by bowing his head and cupping his hands around his face. Of course, that didn't seem to work so well and as he glanced back up, his manager was shaking a finger at him but didn't say anything as he continued onward. His cheeks flushed as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to pay attention. "But good news though, there's a day between last night's gig and tomorrow night's gig. So guess what that means, guys?" He didn't even have to say anything as Nate and Jason jumped out of their seats and high fived while Shane smirked.

"Night off! Yes!" Both boys were clapping and jumping up and down as Chris Werton chuckled to himself and waved his hands to try and get them to calm down. Good… A night off. Maybe I can catch up on my sleep… Shane's thoughts seemed to be in agreement with his body as another yawn split his lips and he squeezed his eyes shut at the size of it. This time it caught not only Chris's attention but the other guys' as well. Jason shook his head while Nate frowned slightly and said, "Dude, you need to get some sleep. I guess it's a good thing we have off tonight. You'd probably be wooing the crowd with snores otherwise." Both Nate and Jason high fived and laughed at the slight burn and Shane had a five year old moment as he stuck his tongue at the two before pouting.

"Okay, okay, settle down. But seriously, Shane, catch up on those Z's. We need you at the top of your game for the rest of this tour, it's all on you, buddy. Well, and you two as well, but we need Shane to have that angel's voice of his at tip top shape. We'll be getting to the hotel within the next half hour, boys! So hope you're ready for relaxation!" Another cheer and Chris threw his hands up in exasperation while laughing. "Okay, I get it. Wrap it up already. So go, boys! Relax, have fun, go explore the town! Remember disguises though. Last thing I need is another hospital call saying one of you guys is injured." As he finished up and Jason smiled sheepishly, his phone started blaring the guy's most recent hit and he waved them off as he walked out of the room, already answering the call. Who knew what it was about. Their manager's phone was always ringing off the hook no matter what was going on unless it was something extremely important and then most of the time he resorted to conference chat rooms.

With the meeting over, Shane leaned his head back and closed his eyes. God, he was so tired. Last night had been one of the worst nights. It hadn't been until around four A.M. when he had finally been able to fall asleep and less than three hours later he had been assaulted by Jason who had been rattling on and on about birds. He sighed slightly as he realized what exactly this day meant. He knew he wasn't going to get any sleep. Instead, it's just going to be another day wasted away waiting for Mitchie to call… He frowned right when Nate tapped him on the shoulder and Jason sat down right in his lap causing his eyes to open wide as he stared up at the two. The curly haired band member was the first one to speak as he perched himself on the edge of the chair that was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic for the deemed heart throb of the band. "What's wrong with you, Shane? You've been exhausted pretty much every day of this tour. Is this about Mitchie not calling you yet?" His only answer was a grunt as Jason hugged Shane, grinning like the Cheshire cat as he did so.

"Cheer up, Shaney! We have the day off! We can go do something fun once we get into town, like go check out the local bird houses and go to the park and bird watch, maybe even build a bird house since you haven't done that yet for me." The boy didn't even seem to realize that Shane was glowering, his forehead creased and his lips pulled downward which showed the creases that had formed in his normally youthful face over the past few months. Nate was just now beginning to realize exactly how bad this Mitchie thing was affecting him and he didn't like what it was doing one bit. Yeah, he had been crankier lately, but at least he hadn't resorted back to his old self. The one that Mitchie had cured.

Shane shook his head as he didn't say anything beyond nudging at Jason to get up but the boy refused to let go and was now frowning. That made Nate chuckle as he watched Shane groan and push him harder but yet again to no avail before he finally just gave up and hugged him. Giving a victory cheer, Jason stood up and Shane rolled his eyes as he stood up and stretched. "So, what are you going to do about the Mitchie thing, dude?" The boy shrugged as he started to move away from the two. What type of question was that? Shane had no idea. He couldn't just give up on her and move on. He had already tried that and had been more miserable then he was on. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you forgot already." The way he said the words, the way he basically implied Shane was stupid, he turned around and eyed his younger cousin.

"What in the world are you talking about? I didn't forget anything. There's nothing I can do, Nate. She never answers when I call, she never texts me back. What else am I supposed to do?" Nate threw his hands up in the air while Jason looked confusedly over at Shane. "What! Why are you guys looking at me that way?"

"Dude. We're in Newark. Hello? Ring any bells yet?" Nate was staring at him at this point like he was just straight out dumb and now he was just making Shane mad as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "Wow, you honestly don't know. This is Mitchie's home town. And what did she give us before we left?" Finally a dawning light came into Shane's eyes as he stepped forward with his mouth slightly ajar.

"Wait, you mean…"

"Her address." And without another word said, he held up the phone he had been messing around on for the past few minutes and as Shane peered at the screen that held Mitchie's contact info, he smiled for the first time all day. There listed under home address was hers. That meant…

"Boys, we're going on a field trip." Nate was grinning as Jason cheered and started doing a happy dance, singing about how he couldn't wait to see Mitchie's bird houses. A smirk curled Shane's lips as they all turned and headed towards their rooms. It was disguise time and then it was time to bribe the bus driver to drive them to Mitchie's house. Who cares if anyone in the neighborhood saw their bus. He was going to get to see his girl.

And then, maybe finally, he would have some answers to the questions that had haunted his mind for months.

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Connie sighed as she sat back on her heels and stared at her Chrysanthemums that had somehow managed to stay in bloom two months after their late bloom. They still glowed a mellow golden color that brought out the dark red of the roses that wove in and out of them as well as the fiery orange of the flowers that Steve tended. She still had no idea what they were and had never bothered to ask since he took care of them. Even though soon the garden would be dying so none of them would be outside tending it. But then again, she had more important things to worry about now a days rather then what type of flower her husband had decided to put in her garden and when it was going to die as the days got colder and colder.

She had more important things to worry about like her daughter who had locked herself away in her room as soon as Connie had told her she could stay home from school.

But who could blame Connie for letting her do it this one time? The girl had obviously been in no shape to go to school after what had happened that morning and after holding her daughter through one of the hardest cries of her life, she had been too tired to fight her on it. After an hour and a half of retelling the story of her first summer at Camp Rock and still not helping her daughter get anywhere closer to remembering it herself, she had been exhausted. No matter how many times she had told her, Mitchie just could not recall it for herself and it was killing her mother inside to know that she couldn't remember any of the things that had changed her into the confident, beautiful, talented, amazing girl that she had been just six months ago. All of that had happened back in May going into June…

Another sigh passed her lips as she wiped her dirty hands on her jeans and stood up, wincing as she did so but not as much as she had been earlier. Since she had taken her daily dose of pain medication, the pain wasn't as bad as normal. But it still hurt her. Oh that daily reminder…

Just as she was about to start heading back inside, she heard a noise like a truck coming up the street and she frowned as she paused with her hand on the door knob. Now that was slightly odd. Trash came in the morning and recycling wasn't until two days from now. As far as she knew, there were no houses for sale around the neighborhood so that meant any new neighbors were out of the question. Curiosity ate at her even though logic told her that it wasn't her business what was going on out on the street but she turned her head enough to catch a glimpse of what was going and immediately wished she hadn't. She should have just gone inside. But it was too late now as she stood riveted to the spot.

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.

A sense of doom seemed to settle over her as she watched the Connect 3 tour bus pull up to the curb right outside of her house and she vaguely noted that it looked like a regular RV except styled to their band style. It would be nice to have one of those. We could go camping. We haven't done that in forever. The thought was a random one but when she was nervous or stunned, that was usually what happened. For some reason, her mind would take a thought process that would make no sense. As the door of the bus opened, she fully turned around, a lump rising in her throat as she stared directly at Shane Gray as he stepped out of the bus and was quickly followed by Nate Black and Jason White.

"Connect 3 is standing on my lawn…"

For some reason, it didn't click in her mind right away that her daughter's boyfriend was now striding towards her, a determined look on his face while his band mates followed with smiles and grins on their faces as they waved. But then it did click and she paled and her throat went completely dry and then lump seemed to swell to ten times its original size.

"Oh no…"