A/N: SOOOOOOO sorry that this took so long! Real Life sucks sometimes at giving you time to read and write stories. Anyway, here is the next installment. I tried to make it a little longer for you to make up for the time. Enjoy!

"Angel of Music"

Chapter 11

John Hopkins University

August 14, 1976- February 19, 1978

Dylan Crandall

I was a sophomore in college when I saw the flyer for auditions. The band's name was, "The Flying Zippers," and they needed a keyboard player and a drummer. I was fair at the keys, but I was great at the drums, so I decided to give it a shot. They were holding the auditions in Arellano Theatre on the Homewood Campus, and there were already a couple of other guys there. One of them looked and smelled as if he hadn't showered in a few weeks, so I sat beside the other guy. He was young, but other than some peach-fuzz scruff, looked fairly clean cut. He also looked like he was sleeping with his head leaned back and his eyes closed.

"I'm trying for drums." I said nervously to him. He didn't move, so I repeated myself.

"I can hear you just fine, thanks. I'm here for keyboard." He said, not moving.

"Cool, man. Good luck." I said. "My name is Dylan Crandall."

"Greg House." He grunted. I would have shaken his hand, but he still had yet to move or even look at me.

"You ever play in a band before?"

"No."

"I did in high school. God, we were awful- not a single gig. Mostly just played in my buddy's garage." I laughed. "But it was fun and we at least though we were cool."

"I'm sure you were great." He said and I grinned.

"Really? You think?"

"No. I was being sarcastic" he replied, finally opening his eyes as someone called his name. Standing, he glanced at me. "You're one of those gullible types, aren't you?"

"No." I replied and he grinned at me.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." He said and walked inside.

He was in there for only about ten minutes before they called my name. We passed in the hall.

"How did you do?"

"They're renaming the band after me." He said and my jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" I asked. He just grinned and shook his head, leaving. I realized he had gotten me again and I groaned. Okay, never mind, I had to concentrate on not blowing the audition.

As far as auditions went, mine was pretty good. The three original members were good and we seemed to click pretty well. We played a couple of songs, then I did a short solo. They talked to each other quietly, looking over at me every now and then, then offered me the job right there. I was amazed. I got a share of the profits (not that we expected much), and we would rehearse two nights a week. I quickly agreed and left.

As I walked out of the building, I saw House leaning against a nearby tree, smoking a cigarette. I immediately ran over to him.

"I got it, man! I'm a drummer in a band!" I said, impulsively bear-hugging him. He froze for a moment, then shoved me away roughly.

"Don't ever do that again." He said with a growl and I backed off.

"No problem." I said, nodding. "But, hey, we're in a band together! How cool is that?"

"Yeah, cool." He grunted, flicking his smoke away. "See you Tuesday." He said and walked away.

"Yeah, man. See ya Tuesday." I replied and went my own way. I had to call and tell my parents!

Our first rehearsal blew me away. We weren't half bad and once everyone found their speed, we actually were pretty good. Pinkie, the band's leader, played guitar; then there was Jones on bass; me on drums; G-man House on keyboard; and finally Snake on the mic. We were far from being ready for a gig, I thought, but Pinkie proudly announced we were scheduled to play that Friday for one of the fraternities. There was a lot of work to do before then.

We rehearsed long into the night and I knew I was going to be sleeping through my first class the next morning. Pinkie finally called an end to rehearsal around 2 in the morning and reminded us that we would be rehearsing again on Thursday. Putting away our instruments, House turned to me.

"I need a ride Friday." He said and I was surprised. "I know you have a car."

"Yeah, man, you can ride with me." I said.

"Don't get so excited, Crandall. It's not a date…unless you want it to be." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I quickly backtracked.

"Oh, wait, no….I mean, I have a girlfriend…"

"Relax. You're not my type, either." He said with a grin. "I knew this was going to be fun. Pick me up at Wolman Hall at 6. You can buy me dinner before the show."

"Yeah, sure, man." I laughed and shook my head, leaving.

Thursday's rehearsal was just as intense as the first and we were all ready to pass out by the time Pinkie called an end to it around 3. I managed to make it to most of my classes the next day, but by the time I picked House up I was ready to crash. The first thing we did was get a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. It wasn't until the coffee kicked in that either of us even felt like speaking.

"My girl, Janet, is supposed to be there tonight. She doesn't know that I am in the band, so it will be a cool surprise." I said. "It'll be nice seeing her again. We've both been so busy for the past couple of weeks, I haven't really seen her at all. She's either got a class or homework or a girl's night out…"

"Or she's cheating on you." House said and I turned to him.

"What? Why would you say that?" I asked, angry at him for implying something like that.

"No college girl is too busy to see their boyfriend."

"She's pre-med. You should know how hard that is. She has to do really well in her classes."

"Then either she is an idiot or she is cheating on you. Nobody's classes ate that hard their freshman year. Hell, I'm sleeping through mine. We aren't even close to finals yet. So, either she is an idiot and struggling already, or she is cheating on you and making up lame excuses to avoid you." He said as we pulled up to the frat house. As we unloaded our gear, I looked at him.

"She's not an idiot." I said. "And she's not cheating on me."

"Whatever you say, man." He replied and walked away. I took a moment to think about what he said, then shook my head. It wasn't right to question the person that you love. He was wrong and tonight would prove it.

The party kicked off at 8 and we were hot. We sounded great and I could see that our fans were enjoying the music. Playing drums, I could easily see the crowd and was constantly watching for Janet, hoping she would see me. Finally, about an hour into our gig, I saw her. She looked beautiful and I tried to wave to her without missing any beat, but she didn't notice me. I knew this was our last song before break, so I just watched her as I played. Glancing over, I saw House and I nodded towards Janet. When I looked back, though, she was gone. I searched the crowd, but didn't see her. She must have gone to the bathroom or to get a drink. Finally, our first set was finished and Pinkie gave us 20 minutes to enjoy the party. I immediately went in search of Janet. She wasn't at the bar, so I went down the hall towards the bathrooms. It was as I was passing one of the bedrooms that I heard it.

"Janet…god, yes, Janet…" a male voice groaned. At first, I figured it was just a coincidence- lots of girls were named Janet. But then I heard her.

"Oh, Billy! Yeah!" There was no doubt that it was my girlfriend. She must have been so ready to jump him that they forgot to lock the door and I burst it.

"What the hell?" the guy yelled, trying to cover himself up, but Janet already had the sheet over her in a death grip. Wow, they worked fast…

"Dylan! What are you doing here?" she asked. "This isn't what it looks like!"

"Isn't what it looks like?" I shot back incredulously. I was going to say more, try to beat the shit out of the guy, but instead, I just shook my head and walked out. I was too stunned and heartbroken to worry about my pride.

I was late getting back to the gig, but I didn't care. I was crushed and drowning my sorrow in cheap beer on the back porch. And that is where House found me.

"You were right. She was cheating on me with some guy named Billy." I said miserably and he handed me another beer, taking a swig from his own. He lit a cigarette and offered me one, which I gladly took.

"I'm guessing that this isn't the time to say I told you so." He replied and I shot him a glare. "Alright, look, she was a bitch. She lied to you, cheated on you, and broke your heart. Get over it. Next time, you won't be so gullible. There will be other girls."

"No way, man. I don't even want to see another chick right now."

"You will. Come on, Pinkie is about to have a seizure if we don't get out there."

"Aw, man, I don't think I can play."

"Of course you can. Come on, being a drummer with a broken heart is the perfect way to pick up girls." He said, pulling me to my feet. I reluctantly followed him, playing half- heartedly throughout the rest of the gig. House must have told everyone what had happened, since no one, not even Pinkie, said anything to me about being late.

After we were finished, House wanted to stick around for a while to hit on girls. I just wanted to go home, but he promised only an hour, so I gave in. I sat in the corner, nursing beer, waiting on him. I saw him occasionally, dancing and having a good time with one of the cheerleaders on campus and I envied him. Just as I was about to leave, with or without House, someone came up to my corner.

"You're just about the saddest looking drummer I've ever seen." Said the girl and I looked up. She was beautiful and I instantly felt memories of Janet pass from my mind. "My name is Kylie."

"Hi….I'm…um, I'm Dylan." And that was all it took.

Kylie and I saw each other almost every day for the rest of the semester and over Christmas break. It was great and I was in my prime. I had a great girlfriend, was in a band, and- although my grades weren't all that great- I was at least passing most of my classes. Kylie was wonderful- funny, social, and came to all of our gigs. She would even sit in on rehearsals sometimes and most of the guys seemed to like her. We were halfway through the next semester when I came to a conclusion.

"I think I'm in love." I said to House, who rolled his eyes.

"You are not." He replied. "If anything, you're in lust."

"No way, man. She's perfect."

"Did you learn nothing with Janice?"

"Janet." I corrected. "And Kylie is different."

"Sure she is."

"I'll prove it to you. Double date with us on Saturday. Are you still seeing that cheerleader? We can catch a movie and dinner." I said and he pondered it for a while.

"Fine. But you're paying for the movie."

"No problem. We'll pick you two up around 7."

"You girls done flirting or should we give you some privacy?" Pinkie asked and I threw one of my drumsticks at him, laughing.

That Saturday, Kylie and I picked up House and his date in front of the dorm. Her name was Aurora and she seemed nice enough. She and Kylie hit it off almost immediately and the stood to one side talking while House and I waited in line for the movie tickets.

"So, how did you and Greg meet?" Kylie asked.

"Oh, we met at some party last semester, then I ran into him about a week later. He was so sweet. I was running late for practice and dropped all of my gear. He picked it up for me and offered to walk me to practice."

That was nice."

"Yeah, it was. When we got there, we found out that one of our male cheerleaders had quit. So, Greg offered to join." Aurora said and my jaw dropped. Before I could say anything, though, House had grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me close.

"One word to anyone and I will drown you in your own blood. And, I'm pre-med. I know how to do it and leave no evidence." He said and I just grinned.

"No problem, man. Your secret is safe with me." I promised, but couldn't help but laugh as we walked into the movie. "Give me an H, give me and O-ouch!"

The movie was good and we talked about it as we headed to a little Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. I tried to hold Kylie's hand as we walked, but she just let go and fell back to walk beside House and Aurora. I didn't take it personally, she was having a good time and had made friends with my buddy and his girl. What was there to be angry about? House, however, moved up to talk to me.

"Want to hold my hand instead?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"It's no big deal. So she wants to talk to Aurora. I understand."

"Yeah, that's why she move to my side and not to Aurora's." he replied. "Look, I think you should back off a little."

"What? Why?"

"Man, she is sending you mixed signals. She lets you buy stuff, but doesn't want to hold your hand? What is she going to do after you give her a big, fat engagement ring? Refuse to be in the same room with you?"

You're blowing this all out of proportion. She just wanted to talk to-."

"She also pulled away when you tried to put the moves on her in the movie."

"So?"

"Crandall, you're being gullible again."

"I am not. Look, I appreciate your concern, but Kylie is great and I love her. Just, back off."

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you though." He said, opening the door to the restaurant and almost smacking me in the face with it.

He did back off, much to my surprise. We still hung out during rehearsals and he still rode with me to gigs. Kylie only came up in casual conversation, especially when he broke up with Aurora (he had found some other chick, apparently…he did that a lot in the time I knew him. And he was sick of being a cheerleader, I think). One day, we arrived at rehearsal a little early. I was excited because I had found a new record that I thought he might like.

"Hey, listen to this." I said. I started the record and watched him as the music began. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, letting the music wash over him

"Who is this?" he asked as the first song came to a close.

"Jessie Baker. He's good, isn't he?"

"Good? I'd give my right hand for his left. He's great." House replied.

"Man, I'd love to meet him. I bet he is cool, ya know?" I said and he nodded noncommittally.

"I guess." We listened for a while longer until the rest of the guys arrived. But after that, we listened to that record before every rehearsal. I was glad to have found someone else that appreciated jazz as much as I did.

"I think I'm ready." I said one day as we sat listening to the record for the thousandth time.

"To lose your virginity? Yeah, I think it's time."

"No, asshole. To ask Kylie to marry me."

"You never learn, do you?"

"Don't start that crap again, man."

"Come on, Crandall. Have you ever even bumped uglies with her yet?"

"Yes!" I lied. Truthfully, Kylie had told me that she wanted to wait until marriage to lose her virginity. He looked at me with that knowing look of his and shook his head. "Look, I want to ask her, but I don't know what she will say."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Would you talk to her for me?"

"And say what?"

"I don't know! Ask her what she thinks of me and if she has considered marrying me." I said, assuming he would just brush me off. To my surprise, he thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, okay."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Thanks, man!"

I must have smoked two packs of smokes that evening while House talked to Kylie up in her room. It took what seemed like days, but finally they came out and Kylie was smiling. She reapplied her lipstick, said something to House, then left. I quietly called to him and he walked over to the side of the building with me, lighting up and taking a long drag before saying anything.

"Dump her." He said and my jaw dropped.

"What?"

"She…made a pass at me. She doesn't love you. Dump her." He repeated and I sat down.

"I can't believe this! I can't believe she would do that to me! What did she do?" I asked and he looked around uncomfortable.

"Just…look, she blew it, man. I asked her what she thought of you, talked about you the whole time, and she was pretty clear that she doesn't want to marry you." He replied and I shook my head, miserably.

"That's it. I'm done with women. They do nothing but break your heart and suck the life out of you."

"I agree." He said in a weird tone, but I didn't care. "Come on, forget about her. Let's go out and get drunk and listen some more to that record of yours."

"I just want to be left alone. See ya." I said and walked away.

I drowned myself in alcohol from then on. I ended up quitting the band, much to Pinkie's anger, and I quit school. I was sick of everything. I still saw House from time to time, he even came to check on me once and I ended up giving him a ride to some gig, but he couldn't convince me to go inside. Finally, I gave up and just moved away. I went to New Orleans in search of Jessie Baker, hoping to meet him. House and I kept in contact through mutual friends, and then email when it came out, but I never expected to really see him again. My trip to New Orleans, however, would change that years later when I found out that I had a daughter…

A/N: Okay, guys, what did you think? I will try and get the next chapter up soon, though I have to figure out how to do it. The writers of the show kind of messed up (which I will explain in the future when the time is right), so I am not sure how the next chapter or two will play out just yet. Anyway, Reviews are wonderful for my muse! Thank you to those that have reviewed already! -Loo