You guys are amazing! Ross won a Kid's Choice Award! I am so proud of him and I'm so glad he won. (Sorry to any Carlos, Jake, or Luke fans that are reading this.) But I made a promise that when Ross won I would post chapter 14. So, because I keep all my promises, here is the long-awaited chapter 14. Sorry for the long wait. I just had normal teenage problems. :)

Laughing Raindrops- Hello! I'm okay. It's just the usual school kicking my butt problem. I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long and trust me I am trying to update faster. I'm glad you liked that speech. It was actually really fun to write. Thanks for reading! :)

naada. bh- It's okay. I love seeing your reviews because they always leave me smiling. Austin interrupting Ally was actually KR Blake's idea that she so kindly let me borrow. You should thank her for that. I am so glad you like the speech! I was tearing up while writing it! Thank you so much! I try to make my story different from some of the things I've read and I'm glad people are actually noticing those differences.

LovesThisFic-Thank you so much! I'm not sure my writing is good enough to be published but if that somehow miraculously happens, you'll be the first person I'll let know! :)

I'm not doing a disclaimer. What are they gonna do? Sue me?

"Lester, it's time for bed," the nurse said gently as if he were a toddler instead of a fully grown man. Ally picked up on this too, if the narrowed glare she gave the nurse was any indication.

He sighed, slowly lifting himself off the armchair and climbing into his bed. The nurse smiled in satisfaction before closing the door of the room. As soon as her retreating footsteps could no longer be heard from the hall, he sat up, flinging the blanket off of his body.

"God, I hate that bitch," he muttered with a huff, now sitting at the edge of his bed.

Ally's eyes widened in shock as her mouth dropped open. "Dad!" she screeched.

"What?" he asked. "You know how horrible she is. Yesterday she asked if I wanted to drink my milk from a sippy cup!"

Ally huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Still," she said with a grimance, "she's just doing her job."

"Yea, if her job was to piss me off," he muttered still loud enough for both of us to hear.

Ally threw her hands up in the air and let out an audible groan, obviously aggravated that her thirty-year-old father had a dirtier mouth than she did. I chuckled, standing from my chair to walk towards Ally.

"Mr. Dawson, I think you should listen to the nurse and get some sleep," I said. I placed a hand on Ally's back as she rubbed her temples and muttered incoherent words under her breath.

"I can't go to sleep now! It's only seven o' clock!" he protested, crossing his arms with an exaggerated huff.

I looked between the two Dawsons who both had their arms crossed over their chest and a dominant expression on their face. Both of them were to stubborn for their own good. I sighed, like father, like daughter.

"How about a bedtime story?" I suggested, motioning to the mountians of books piled in every nook and cranny of the room.

"I've read all of those books already," he said as he dismissed the idea with a simple wave of his hand.

"Well, you can read it again," I offered, walking over to a pile and picking up an old, dusty, paper-back edition of Othello. Ally roamed around the room too, shifting through the piles of books.

"I've read those books way too many times to count," he sighed. "The ending has become way too predictable and boring. Sometimes I hate writers because it is always their ending or no ending. The ending in those book are completely set in stone and they will never change. It's very much like life itself."

I whirled around to face him. "Are you saying that a person can never undo their mistakes?" I asked, a large know twisting and coiling around my stomach.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he said, pointing a finger at me. "Fate only has one ending and if someone goes and screws that up, it's gone forever. No rewinding, no do-overs, no second chances. That's it."

I gulped, looking over at Ally who was currently absorbed into a story of Aslan and White Queens. She ran her fingers through the yellow pages as she read, already lost in the world of Narnia.

"So, you're saying if someone messes up, the story is finished and it can never be changed again?" I asked, nearly wincing at the answer I knew was coming.

He nodded his head. "That's it. That person can only start a new story with new characters and hope they don't screw up again."

The knot in my stomach snaked its way around my lungs, squeezing it until my breath came out short and ragged. I desperatley tried to calm my unsteady breaths but it felt like my lungs were now made of iron and my legs could no longer support the weight of my body. I gripped a pile of books as I slowly regained my breath and my heartrate felt normal again.

"I don't want to read any of those books," he sighed. "I've read them far too many times."

"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all," Ally said as she closed the novel by C.S. Lewis.

"Oscar Wilde," I said instinctively. My eyes widened as soon as those words left my mouth. I looked over at Ally, who was wearing an impressed smile on her face.

"That's right," she grinned, her eyes widening slightly as well.

I chuckled shyly, looking down at my fingers. I stole a glance of Ally from the corner of my eyes, wondering when I became the person who could properly quote an author when a few weeks ago I couldn't even tell you who Oscar Wilde was.

"How about a lullaby?" Mr. Dawson suggested, motioning to the baby grand sitting in the corner of the room.

I clapped my hands in agreement. "Yes! Come on Ally, let's see some of that infamous New York talent," I grinned, striding over to where she stood with her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face.

"Oh you wouldn't be able to handle it," she said slyly, smirking up at me.

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, crossing my arms as well as I raised one eyebrow at her.

"No, it's the truth," she remarked, stepping closer to me.

"Are you guys going to play some music? or are you going to continue to have eye sex in the middle of my room?" Mr. Dawson's voice carried over from where he lay on his bed.

Ally's face flushed red and she quickly looked towards the ground. My smirk faltered as I felt my face heat up as well. I coughed, my throat becoming dry, as I looked around the room at anywhere but Ally's face.

"Dad," Ally whined.

"Honey, I said I wanted grandkids, not to watch my grandkids being made in front of me," he said with a voice that suggested he was enjoying our flustered appearancce much more than he should.

"Dad!" she shouted, her voice raising at least five octaves higher than normal.

"Oh God," I groaned, finding it uncomfortable to look any where but the white ceiling right now.

"Let's just play a song," Ally said far to enthusiastically with a clap of her hands.

I finally looked at her as she was pressing her cool palms to her flushed face and I was sure my face was no better. We walked over to the small piano bench and sat down. My eyes stayed focused on the piano keys as an attempt to ignore her side pressed tightly against mine. We were so close that I felt her goosebumps on her arm and if I tried hard enough, I was sure I could feel the steady sound of her heartbeat.

"So just follow along," she said as she placed her fingers on the keys.

"Wait. I-uh can't write songs," I admitted with an embarrassed smile.

She laughed, guiding my hands to the keys. "It's okay. The only people that will here are me and my dad. Just follow the melody and sing what you feel."

"What if what I feel can't be put into words?"

"Well the best part about music is that sometimes, we don't need words," she smiled as she pressed lightly on a few keys, gently testing the waters. She played the keys, creating a soft melody that flowed so easily.

When you're on your own
Drowning alone
And you need a rope that can pull you in
Someone will throw it

She sang softly, swaying slightly in her seat. Her eyes fluttered closed as her words came to a close and only music flowed from the keys. My fingers brushed hers as we continued the soft serenade with no words. I knew it was my turn to sing, to create another string of words that somehow fit together as a song. But my mind turned blank, so I only focused on the black and white keys, and maybe the beautiful girl sitting next to me as well.

She looked so peaceful and calm for a girl who had every reason not to be. She was real, that much was positive. She was the only real thing in a world that was so fake. Her eyes were closed as she hummed softly under her breath. When the world was frantic she was still. The sound of traffic and honking horns could be heard from outside the windows. And the loud voice of nurses and beeping monitors could be heard from outside the door, and yet she was still so calm. So unphased by the hysteria.

She was the eye of the hurricane. The only spot that wasn't afraid of the madness surrounding it. The only spot in the center of the storm that got to see the light.

And when you're afraid
That you're gonna break
And you need a way to feel strong again
Someone will know it

I finally sang with thoughts of only Ally flooding my mind. She opened her eyes then, looking over at me with a radiant grin on her face. Then I knew that she wasn't the only spot that got to see the light. She was the light.

She was my light.

And even when it hurts the most
Try to have a little hope
'Cause someone's gonna be there when you don't
When you don't

Our voice blended together in lyrics that came so quickly and so easily to us. She was a natural, of course. But I guess I was only good when I had her as an inspiration.

If you wanna cry, I'll be your shoulder
If you wanna laugh, I'll be your smile
If you wanna fly, I will be your sky
Anything you need that's what I'll be

We almost sound rehearsed. Everything was in sync; from our words to our skillful movements on the piano.

If you wanna climb, I'll be your ladder
If you wanna run, I'll be your road
If you want a friend, doesn't matter when
Anything you need, that's what I'll be
You can come to me

You can come to me

She echoed us so daintily with her lips parted in that adorable but sexy way only she seemed to manage. I smiled, hearing the snore coming from behind me, confirming that he was fast asleep. I leaned down, closing the miniscule space between our lips, capturing her in a kiss.

"He seems fine," I said softly, careful not to wake him.

We looked towards the bed where his eyes were closed tight as he slept. Beside our soft whispers, his snores were the only things filling the room.

"Some days are better than others," she half smiled at him.

The room stayed quiet for a long period of time as I tried to find the best way to ask this question.

I cleared my throat, directing Ally's attention towards me. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what happended to your mom?"

Her sharp intake of breath could be heard throughout the room and for a second I thought she was going to close herself off again. But then she looked down at her fingers before returning her eyes to me.

"She went to a supermarket the same day two thugs decided to rob it. She didn't make it out alive," she said weakly.

"I-I'm sorry," I said gingerly.

She shook her head. "No it's okay. You were bound to find out sometime."

"You don't have to keep telling me."

"No," she shook her head again. "I want to."

I nodded my head, silently letting her know that she could continue if she was ready.

With another deep breath she began to speak. "It was two teenage boys looking for quick cash. It should've been an easy robbery. They're in and they're out. Nobody should have died. But one of those idiots decided to bring a gun and it all went downhill from there."

"Idiots," I muttered. Ally only nodded her head in soundless agreement.

"Now whenever people think of her, they only think of the way she died. Out of everything she did, they chose to remember that one moment. It's like her life was wasted. Now the only thing she is to other people is a tragic story in our family tree, or just another name on a list of people in that store, or another statistic that people read in pamphlets, or a piece of evidence in trial. She was so much more than just a number. But because of that one day, that's all she will be remembered by. My mom was the queen of being at the wrong place at the wrong time," Ally laughed bitterly, casting her sorrow filled eyes to her dad's sleeping figure.

I followed her gaze, both of us silently watching his chest rise up and down. I looked over at her as she watched him. That's when I saw her flaws. The little cracks and imperfections she had worked so hard to cover up. The face that I once thought of as so easy-going and carefree were now covered in little dents. I noticed the wrinkles that marked her skin and the dark bags under her eyes. It was then that I realized that just maybe the girl that was always there for everybody else needed someone to be there for her. And I knew I would be, because even though she was no longer flawless, she was still just as beautiful.

"But I guess that's why their marriage worked," she spoke again as she continued to watch him sleep. "Because even though my mom was wild and just a little bit reckless, he wasn't. He was calm and careful. He was always safe but just crazy enough to see the wonderful in my mom. He was always there to pull her back down to earth when she floated up the the clouds. He was her gravity."

She turned to me then, with a very real smile on her face.

"My mom was always at the wrong place at the wrong time but that concept didn't seem to phase my dad. Because when it came to my dad, the right place would always be with him and whenever time wasn't on her side, he was"

"Thanks for today," she said with a smile.

I grinned, glancing out the window where my house stood in all its empty, lifeless glory. We sat in her car, both of us ignoring the inevitable end of the day where I would have to take those slow steps to my front door and she would drive away down the street. Neither of us cared that we would see each other the next day or we would probably stay up all night on the phone anyway. I would still stand on my front porch and watch her until her car disappeared down the road. And she would watch me from the rearview mirror until my figure became a no longer visible spot in the distance.

We would sit in her car, hoping that time would slow down to a stop. We would still hold onto each other, pretending that the rest of the world didn't exist and the only home we had was with each other.

I placed my hand over hers, completely enclosing her small fingers in my palm. She smiled down at our hands and although neither of us said it, we both knew we were thinking about how perfectly her hand fit in mine.

"Don't thank me. I had fun," I smiled at her in reassurance.

"I'm sorry if my dad freaked you out a bit. He was never a subtle guy and now that he's on medication, it's like he blurts out anything that comes to mind," she muttered, a forlorn expression on her face.

"It's okay," I chuckled. "It was kind of nice to get a straight foward opinion on everything."

She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes his opinion doesn't always make a whole lot of sense."

"Do you believe what your dad said? About books? About how nothing lasts forever and the ending can never change?" I asked.

Her eyebrows pulled together, an action I knew she did when she gathered her thoughts. She took a deep breath and looked up at me before finally saying, "I believe that no one can change the past."

I frowned, the oh-so-familar knot growing in my stomach again.

"But," she said, making my eyes turn up to meet hers again, "I also believe in sequels."

I chuckled, hardly trying anymore to hide the fond smiles that continuously grow on my face. She smiled too, biting her lip.

"You're staring again," she chuckled, although her tone hardly sounding like she was complaining. "You've been doing that a lot lately."

I shrugged. "I'm just-"

"-saving the moment," she finished for me, softly nodding her head. "I know."

I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut before opening them again. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she smiled. "But we'll have plenty of moments, you don't need to save every one."

I took a deep breath as I studied her some more. I studied all the wonderful feature that I knew wouldn't be mine for long because, knowing me, I'll screw it all up. I shook my head, promising myself that I would be different this time. Promising myself that for once I won't screw up something that was important to me.

I nodded my head. "You're right," I agreed firmly. "And I'm going to make sure we have a lot more moments like these."

I squeezed her hand, making a silent promise to us that I won't mess things up. And for the first time, this is a promise that I intended to keep.

Sorry again for the long wait. Hopefully I won't take as long next time. I really hope you like this chapter. The next chapter will be the long awaited Day 7! DUN DUN DUN! :)

Please review! I love your feedback!

xoxo :)