Hey everyone! I am too excited about the next few chapters I have planned. This is the starting of it, and I'm excited as to how they will lead to how I am going to tie everything up nicely. Anyways, please like/review if you enjoyed this, or the story in general. You guys are amazing and thank you for continuously reading this little work of mine. :)

Chicago.

The way the wind tousled her hair felt like lying in water, the feeling of being embraced by a force of nature, one that could barely be controlled. The breeze sent a chill through her spine, and she remembered distantly that autumn was on the horizon.

It was strange, being here on tour when she should be in the hallways of her high school. Both Austin and Ally were scheduled to begin their senior years, but now, they had to take a semester "abroad", so to speak, and have a teacher travel along with them and give joint cram sessions. It had only happened once so far, and already, she could feel the tension between her and Austin linger like the smell of an angered skunk, and it probably didn't help that Austin despised school. Nothing put him in a greater mood than barely passing classes…

But it had only been three days, and Ally was excited to see what was in store for her.

She was curious as to why their first concert was still in the United States. Jimmy rambled on about "warm-up" cities and how they had to get their feet on the ground with shows at familiar venues, or at least, familiar to Austin. The whole first month would be shows around the U.S., going back to cities with overflows, where sold-out crowds danced to Austin's catchy tunes while others waited outside disappointedly to see if any seats had become available. Their last show would be in their home city of Miami, and then they would fly off to England for their first overseas show.

Ally didn't mind, though. She wanted a chance to build a stronger fan base in her home country. And she wasn't in a hurry to fly, either. She had only flown twice beforehand, and both times had ended in her vomiting in airport restrooms. She shuddered disgustingly at the memory.

But now they were at the corner of North State Street and West Washington, taking in the view of the local TJ Maxx. In reality, they had chosen that area as a rest stop so Devon could go find some "hipster" shoes. She really didn't understand him.

As her thoughts began to wonder on why she has such a limited knowledge of fashion, her phone began to ring, and for a second, her heart raced at the idea that it could have been Dallas, waiting to hear about the extraordinary experience she wasn't quite having yet. Thankfully, it was Trish.

"Hello?" Ally said casually to her phone, watching the cars pass by from the parking lot.

"Ally!" Trish practically screamed. "How is the tour so far?"

"I haven't even performed yet…"

"You know what I mean," Trish responded with the usual sass Ally appreciated so much. "Have you had any awkward run ins...?"

"Trish, I'm going on tour with him, of course we will have run-ins," Ally rolled her eyes, more for the gesture than any deeper meaning. "Awkward run-ins? Maybe, but it's actually been okay so far."

"Wow, that's a little surprising, not going to lie," Trish giggled uncomfortably, or it at least sounded like that to Ally. "After you talked about how you don't want to actually be his friend—"

"I do…" Ally whispered back, as if she spoke the words to initiate a war she knew would end in disaster.

"WHAT? Changed your mind again, I see? At least I don't have to lie to Dez anymore."

"Still, don't tell him anything about how I feel. He will for sure tell Austin," she shook her head. "By the way, are you two still pretty close?"

"Yea we keep in touch," Trish spoke quickly. "By the way, I'm sorry I couldn't come with you on your first tour, Ally. I really wanted to be there…"

"It's fine, Trish," Ally genuinely smiled at the thought of Trish being responsible. "I know how important school is to you, and how you can't focus if it's one-on-one, or one-on-three, as it would have been for us." Ally chuckled at that thought.

"I'm glad you understand, and Dez feels the same way to Austin." She paused, bringing silence followed by loud movements of air and a tap to the phone. "Oh my God—"

"Trish?" Ally was fully alert, eyes widened to a scene already playing out in her head. "Trish, are you okay?"

"Oh, yea I'm fine," Ally could imagine Trish waving a hand carelessly to her. "I just saw Dallas and I'm trying to avoid him because every time he sees me, he always asks about you…" Ally heard a clang followed by a line of Spanish profanities and sighs of frustration. "Do you not talk to him?"

It was like an instant drop from her chest to her stomach. Dallas… Of course she had talked to him, through short-worded text messages and ten minute phone calls, leaving reasons to be, "Oh, I have to go to our 'mock class' now," and "Gotta go unpack that last bag of mine," and can't forget the, "Devon is helping me pick out my tour outfits, I have to run." She had basically given him the cold shoulder without realizing the impact it would actually have. He actually misses her…

Ally took in a shallow breath, eyes darting worriedly from side to side. "Trish, I'm sorry, but I have to go." And with a quick goodbye from the other side, she slid her phone back into a pocket of her jeans.

Devon slid a black pair of Clark's into the red shopping cart, eyes wondering hungrily on the racks and racks of shoes. Austin sluggishly pushed the buggy. "Why did I come with you?" he mused annoyingly.

"Darling, you had nothing better to do, that's why," the tour manager scoffed eloquently, as if he spent his whole life humbly telling everyone the bitter truth. It was like he was programed to speak politely, but in the most contentious way possible. In a way, Austin respected that.

As if sensing an awkward silence, Devon turned an inquiring eye to Austin. "So what's between you and the Ally girl?"

Austin practically ran into the shoe shelf as they turned back into the main aisle. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Oh, there is obviously something between you two," Devon inspected another leather shoe, but obviously had no interest in it and practically threw it back on the shelf. "Did you two date?"

Austin sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

Devon snickered. "It's not?"

"We never really dated," Austin began somberly, "we were really close, and then we got in a fight, and now we are tolerating each other."

"'Tolerating' sounds like such a strong word. You two don't hate being around each other."

The blonde boy had been looking at a cool pair of sneakers, but quickly turned his attention back to his tour manager. "You've only known us for three days—"

"A war can start in three days," Devon stared at his fingernails, a habit Austin noticed he does quite frequently. "People can fall in love, create a child, a tornado can come through and destroy a city, forest fires can blaze, so on and so forth," he sighed, "So, I think I can know you both in three days." He promptly walked towards the counter now, Austin attempting to keep pace. "Plus, it's not hard to read two adolescents, who are just dying to rip each other apart—"

Now it was Austin's turn to interrupt. "So…what do I do?"

Devon looked slightly shocked. "You want advice?"

"I care about Ally," he fiddled with one of the stylish shoes sitting in the cart, now that they were waiting in the long line. He thought distantly about how no one had rushed up to him for an autograph or a photo opp. Maybe it was due to the fact he was wearing sunglasses and a Polo hat. "I told her that I wanted to be friends with her again, because we used to be really close. She's been avoiding me, though, and I just…don't know how to fix it."

His bright hazel eyes locked into Devon's, and for a second, he could see a glimpse of respect, as if Devon understood what Austin was going through completely. "Here's my advice, kid," he spoke after a moment of contemplation. "The best thing that could have happened to you is this tour. Just give it time…you'll see."

It felt like her arms were earthquakes, about to bring chaos to everyone around her. Even in her sparkly, floor length dress, she still felt the vulnerability of an exposure, one with the power to ruin her entire image.

She waited for the cue she knew would come from the stage manager, aware that at any minute now, she would be forced to face her stagnant, dormant fear of people in large crowds, there to see her in all her self, in all her flaws and all her mistakes.

Thinking something had gone wrong when she felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder, she turned around, eyes wild on the anticipation of bad news.

But it was Austin.

"Hey," he said feebly, Ally surprisingly thought. "Uhhh…your first real show, huh? How does it feel?"

Avoiding eye contact, she strained a smile and looked at anything but those hazel orbs of his. "Yea, I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be. You've rehearsed this a million times, and then a million times more in your head," he laughed and their eyes finally met, Ally reading them as easily as clockwork. 'I know you, so very well.'

Ally swallowed nervously, feeling the sweat on her palms as she tensed. "You're right, I have…" She didn't know what else to say.

Austin sensed the conversation dying, she imagined, and he smiled that genuine, empathetic smile she recognized whenever she was about to perform. "Really, Ally. You'll do great, and if you don't, I'll fall during one of my routines so you couldn't possibly feel like the joke of the show."

The radiance of his glow made her face turn red. "You have never fallen at a show before—" The sound of a cue in her earpiece shot through her thoughts.

"For you, I would," was the last thing she heard before she gave way to a half-focused smile and ran off towards the stage.

The screams of the crowd overwhelmed Ally as she finished her last song, taking in the view before her. Thousands of fans, screaming out her name, lights flashing from phones and signs darting up and down as people jumped from the adrenaline of concert stereos, of the groupthink that comes with performances like these.

She beamed, but knew what was next. As the roar of the crowd grew to decibels she swore wasn't safe, Austin ran out from a splitting wall at the back of the stage. He waved to his fans with that sparkle in his eyes, radiant like she always knew they were when he performed. "Hello Chicago!" He yelled, and the crowd responded with enthusiastic cheers and high-pitched screams. "Now guys, wasn't she amazing?" He glanced over at her, and her view of him softened, as if all the anger she had ever felt towards him evaporated and was lost to time, lost to a life she never wanted to lead again. This was where she was. This was now, and right then, she ran up to him and threw her arm around his lower back.

As if it were a carefully choreographed piece, he placed an arm around her shoulders in return and laid his forehead gently on the side of her head, where she could feel the quickness of his breath against her hair. "Ally Dawson, there's no way I could make it without you…"

And with that, he released her and began clapping a beat, encouraging the crowd to follow along while an intricate drum solo played in the background. Ally, of course, joined in with the largest smile on her face, as the drum solo turned into drums and guitars and synth. Once again, he was near her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to center stage, looking at her with a look of admiration and a passion that was too intense for her to think too much into right at that moment.

"When the crowd wants more, I bring on the thunder,

'cause you've got my back and I'm not going under.

You're my point, you're my guard; you're the perfect chord…"

Ally finally remembered her part. "And I see our names together on every billboard…"

"Thank you Chicago!"

Austin invited all the musicians, managers, friends, supporters; anyone who had made the tour possible for him, he asked to come out and take a bow. Included in that list was her, who sauntered out in a glittery romper that had been under the long skirt she had taken off when they had their final dance number during Without You. Their hands connected, but Austin was sure not to pull any moves. He was lucky enough that she willingly hugged him earlier, and he was surprised she didn't flinch when he had laid his head against hers.

After they returned backstage, Austin was stopped by Devon, who had been at the back of the large conglomerate of a storage room/dressing room/makeshift kitchen, where all the dancers, Ally, and himself had changed, picked up instruments, and ate a couple power snacks.

"Where's Ally?" Devon first asked in a hushed tone, as if he were about to spill the secrets of the universe, despite all the terrible consequences.

"Umm…she went to take a phone call?" Austin returned in a confused manner.

"Oh okay," his shoulders lowered and all the tension seemed to drain away from him. "I just wanted to ask you how your first performance was, and that I saw you and Ally and it was just—"

"Amazing?" his smile peaked out the corners of his mouth. "Yea, I know."

Smugly, Devon patted him on the shoulder as he tore himself from the wall he was leaning against. "I told you." And with that, he meandered off to what looked like their dance instructor, who had the largest smile on his face, probably because no one messed up the routine, amazingly.

"I know, I'll call you later, I promise." Ally's voice was full of stress, even though she humbly knew she had given an amazing performance earlier.

"By one a.m.?" A pleading, masculine voice echoed on the other side of the line. "I'm sorry, Ally, I just feel like we haven't spoken much and I just really miss—"

"I know," Ally quietly responded, "I miss you too."

She could see his smile as if he were in front of her, holding her and whispering all the things he liked about her, from her hair to her voice to her lack of a fashion sense. But yet, she felt oddly guilty. "I'll talk to you then?" Dallas said.

"Until then," she spoke as she clicked the red button on her phone screen.

"'For as long as space endures and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide to dispel the misery in the world.'" She heard a voice speak, turning to see a head of blonde and deep, deep brown irises. "Emphasis on 'until then'."

She couldn't help but crack a smile in return. "I wasn't aware you knew such profound and insightful quotes."

"Well, when I heard 'until then', I just had to jump on the opportunity to successfully use one of the only quotes I know," he smiled, "other than my own words, of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Some things never change."

He stared at her in response, a smirk of sorts played across his features. "Now, Ms. Dawson, you may not know, but we have about five minutes before screaming, but awesome, fans try to sneak back here in this blocked off section of parking lot and try to meet us," he spoke with a sense of pride as if he had been doing this for all his life. "Do you wanna get out of here?"

She was a little shocked at how direct Austin was being, but she figured after he performed, there wasn't anything that really scared him, including speaking to her. She still felt hesitancy in her chest, a voice in the back of her head that screamed at her to stay where she was, to meet the fans and to do what she was supposed to. But she was also curious. She also had a bunch of adrenaline still pumping through her veins, and despite the pull she felt against him, she smiled and nodded in return.

"Yea, I do."

Austin and Ally made their way up to the press box of the United Stadium, where Austin explained, on the way there, that he had befriended a security guard who let him see it the last time he had a concert here and that if he ever wanted to see it again, he was welcome to.

Austin knocked on the door of the office, and Ally saw the large man, who was buff and visibly intimidating. Still, the kindness she saw in his eyes the moment Austin spoke a greeting made Ally smile. She adored people who looked so scary, but who were actually kind and gentle. She could tell this man was, and it was another reason to her why one should never judge a book by its cover.

"Hey man," Austin extended a hand and the guard returned with a firm shake.

"Austin Moon! Your performance was great, let me just say that," he laughed a deep, joyful laugh. "Props to you, kid. I could never find myself running around like that."

Austin returned just as large of a smile, and for a minute, Ally lost herself in the pure bliss she was feeling, from performing in front of 20,000 people, to where she was now, to where she wanted to be, and she had to admit it to herself that where she wanted to be was with Austin.

But there was Dallas, and she liked him, too. The conflict struggled in her mind, but she was too happy at the moment to give it any more thought.

Apparently, she had missed the whole conversation between the guard and Austin, for they were already at the door and Austin had given another handshake in reply, and left the security guard with a, "thanks Marty, I hope your kids had a fun time at the show tonight. Make sure to give them the autographs my manager gave to you earlier. When we have the meet and greet at the next show here, they are the first in line."

Now, they were in a room filled with chairs and computer screens, but what was truly amazing was the view. Rows and rows of chairs by the thousands could be seen, all being cleaned by stadium crews. Along with that, the stage was being broken down so the basketball court could be used for the next game. She felt so small in comparison to what had just taken place there, and she had been a part of it.

"Surreal, I know," he interrupted her reverie with a smile. "I remember the first time I looked down and saw how huge the stadium was, and how they had all been here to listen to me…" He stared off distantly. "Me…one person, who just loves music so much that I want to share it with the world, and they had all wanted to share that with me, too, by being here to see it, to see one of the many shows they will probably see in their lives." His eyes met Ally's now, and they had such a serious connotation to them Ally had never really seen before. "When you perform, Ally," he spoke carefully. "You have to give it your all, every single time, because that is an experience between you and every single person out there. They will remember that for the rest of their lives, and so will you; that's the beauty of it. Creating an art that lives within people, and you're the one having that effect on them, and they have the same on you…" His serious look turned into vividness, one with the intensity of Picasso or da Vinci. "You did that tonight, Ally. You gave them that memory they will remember for as along as they live. The art you create, the words you have written…this is where it all comes full circle."

She felt breathless. Beautiful words of someone so filled with passion. This was it. That was him, the guy who had worked so hard to make that first video of his, the one filled with determination, the one that went viral and was inspired by the words she was able to place together, fortified in a way that brought people together, that had brought them together.

She couldn't think straight. All she wanted was him; she knew it as if it were the chords on a piano, as if they were the letters of the alphabet. But she wasn't thinking straight, and she had known about the things he had done on that bus, or the things he has said at that party, and she couldn't differentiate between the truth of her heart and the reality of the situation at hand. They were alone together in a dark room…was he…?

She snapped back to focus and threw accusatory eyes at him. "Why are we here?" she inquired quietly.

He looked slightly taken aback, but maybe he realized the impression he was giving, because his eyes widened. "Oh no…Ally I just," he sighed. "So…I was thinking, you know, when we were really close, all the songs we would write together, and how we would stay up all night just to finish one." The smile returned. "I just thought…why don't we do that? Write a song?" He moved a little closer to her, to where all that was between them were mere inches. "Not all at once though, but you and I are an amazing team, and we haven't done that in a while and I figured…why not do what we are best at doing…together?"

Ally followed his logic, seeing the good ideas and how this could end badly, but how it could flourish into another piece of work, one that could be another memory for them and thousands of others. Maybe this was their way of finding some normalcy between them.

She smiled, and looked directly at him in a way she felt like she hadn't in a long time. "Let's write a song."