Sorry for the wait, but here it is! Enjoy! :)

Trent pulled over outside Austin's house, and smiled kindly over at her. "Well, this is it."

"Thank you so much, Trent," Ally said, hoping he didn't notice the tears on her cheeks. But he did, and sighing, he placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"Ally, it's okay," he said.

"No, it's not," she sighed. "Dallas's behaviour was...inexcusable. I can't believe he was going to hurt Austin."

"Ally, he was just drunk," Trent reasoned. "When people get drunk, everything gets heightened, and you do stuff irrationally without thinking it through."

"It doesn't change what he was going to do," Ally said stubbornly, before sighing. "Sorry. I just don't know what to do."

"I'll tell you what you should do," Trent said gently. "You should go inside to Austin, hang out with him and forget about Dallas for one night, okay? Just don't worry about it."

Ally nodded, forcing herself to suppress more tears while quickly wiping her eyes. "Do I look like I've been crying?"

"No," Trent smiled, but they both knew he was lying. "Now go on. Go have some fun."

"Thank you, Trent. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't turned up," Ally said earnestly.

He chuckled. "It's fine, Ally, really. I'll see you on Monday, okay? Have a good weekend."

"Thanks, you too," Ally squeezed his hand as a way of saying thank you, before getting out the car. She waved goodbye and let the door fall shut. Taking a deep breath and trying to compose herself, Ally made her way up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. Austin opened it and grinned as he saw her.

"Hey there, Ally-gator," he began, but then his expression immediately became concerned. "Ally? Are you okay?"

She was saved from answering as Mimi came down the stairs, beaming and holding two pairs of heels. She was wearing a dark blue dress, and her hair was piled loosely on top of her head. She had little diamond-drop earrings in her ears, and as soon as her gaze fell upon Ally, she smiled in relief.

"Ally! Thank goodness you're here; come in, come in," she commanded, and smiling, Ally entered the house. Austin shut the door behind him and rolled his eyes at his mother.

"Ally, I need your opinion," she said. "Do I go with the silver heels or the black heels?"

"What's the occasion?" Ally wondered.

Austin heaved a sigh. "My mom is going on a date with Principal Morrison."

Mimi whacked his arm playfully. "It's not a date, we're just going dancing."

Austin rolled his eyes. "There's a word for that mom. Actually, there are two: in the real world, it's called a date, but however, in my world, I call it gross."

Mimi ignored him pointedly and looked at Ally. "So, Ally what do you think?"

"The black ones," Ally smiled. "They look both sassy and sophisticated."

Mimi grinned. "Good choice," she slipped the heels on, just as the doorbell rang. "Ooh, I need to get my purse! Austin, answer the door!"

Pulling a face at Ally, Austin shuffled over to the door. Ally giggled at his expression, before stifling it as he opened the door. Principal Morrison was standing there nervously, holding a bunch of flowers and wearing a pair of black trousers, a white shirt with the top button undone and a loose, black tie.

"Good evening, sir," Ally said politely, at the same time as Austin said, "Hey, man, what's up?" Ally shot him a disapproving look. This was the principal of their high school after all.

"Good evening, Miss Daw- I mean, good evening, Ally, Austin," he nodded politely at the pair of them. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Ally replied, at the same time as Austin said "Pretty good."

Mimi returned to the hall, holding her purse and smiling at Principal Morrison. "Hello, Christopher."

Austin stifled a gag. Oh God...she was on first-name basis with the guy now?

"Mimi, you look stunning," he smiled, handing her the flowers.

"Thank you," she beamed radiantly, and Ally could tell by the look on Austin's face that even though he was stifling gags and laughter, he was happy that his mother looked so happy. That was one of the things she loved about Austin...he was so selfless, and always put others before himself.

Mimi handed the flowers to Austin, who fake-sneezed pointedly and shoved them at Ally. Rolling her eyes, she held them up to admire them. Huh. Chrysanthemums. Pretty.

"I won't be back too late, Austin," Mimi told him. "There's plenty of food in the fridge and call me anything goes wrong. Ally, you'll stop him from burning the house down, right?"

Ally grinned, but Austin cut off her reply. "Mom, I'm not a baby."

"I beg to differ," Ally smirked, stretching up and ruffling his hair playfully, as Mimi and Principal Morrison waved and left.

"No touching the hair," Austin smirked, looping an arm around her waist and taking the flowers from her. "Would you take crayons and draw all over the Mona Lisa? Didn't think so."

Ally laughed as he led her to the kitchen. "Okay, did you really just compare your hair to the Mona Lisa?"

Austin glanced down at her, his expression mock-serious. "Yes, Ally. Yes I did."

Ally rolled her eyes as he filled a vase with water and dunked the flowers in it. "Austin, you're not doing it right," she easily slipped under his arm and in front of him, opening the draw and pulling out a pair of scissors. Austin's arms were either side of her, trapping her against the counter as she worked on the flowers, snipping off the ends of the stems and arranging them prettily in the vase.

"See? Much better," Ally turned back around, expecting him to lean back, but he stayed in the same position. His arms were either side of her, and she was unable to move anywhere. Not that she wanted to, when his face was only inches from hers. Austin stared at her, confusion in his eyes. Was that a flicker of hope she saw in his gaze as his eyes shifted to her lips, before returning to her eyes? Ally could feel her throat sealing up as she stared into those gorgeous, earnest brown eyes. How could anyone ever even think about hurting Austin? Austin broke out of his trance suddenly and stepped back, clearing his throat.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Did they just have a moment? Ally wondered. Never mind anyway...he broke it; he must've been feeling uncomfortable. After all, they were strictly in the friend zone. But she'd seen the look in his eyes...maybe he'd ended the moment because of what he was feeling? What? No, that was ridiculous. Austin didn't have feelings for her; at least not romantic ones.

Austin's gaze became serious as he scrutinised her. "You look all upset again, like when you did when you got here. What's wrong, Als?"

"Nothing," she said hastily, only just realising now that her eyes had clouded over with tears. "Got something in my eye," she added lamely, quickly wiping her eyes. Austin took her hand gently and caught a tear with his thumb, leaning closer to her and staring at her with his eyes full of concern.

"You're a terrible liar," he remarked softly. "Come on, Ally, it's me. You can tell me anything."

"I..." she failed for words as she locked gazes with him. "It's, uh...hard to, um, explain."

"Is it to do with Dallas?" he asked. "Was it about me?"

"How'd you guess?" Ally wondered in surprise.

He shrugged. "You don't like talking about it if he has a go at you about me. What did he say this time?"

Ally noticed that he'd clenched his hands into fists and his jaw had tightened with anger, however, his eyes were still gentle and caring.

"He...uh..." Ally sighed. "He was drunk, and...he was going to hurt you."

Austin looked confused. "Wait, when was this?"

Ally exhaled anxiously and quickly explained everything to him. Anger shadowed Austin's face as she finished, and he clenched his fists even tighter if that were even possible.

"I am gonna kick that kid in the balls," he muttered furiously.

"Austin, there's no way he'll actually be able to hurt you," Ally reasoned.

"That's not what I'm mad at about, Ally, I'm angry that he was drunk around you, and he tried to get to me through you. If that kid wants to fight me, I'll do it, but there's no way you're getting involved!" Austin ranted.

"Hey, no," she said firmly. "I don't want you to fight him, Austin."

"Why do you care if I land a punch on him, Ally, he deserves it," he retorted.

"No, I don't want to see you get hurt!" she snapped, grabbing his face in her hands and forcing him to look at her. Austin regarded her in surprise, staring down into her big, brown eyes.

"He's not himself when he's drunk," she explained quietly. "And he's got friends that'll back him up. They'll hurt you, and I don't want to see that happen. Besides," she added jokingly. "What right does he have messing up such a pretty face?"

Austin almost smiled, but he still looked annoyed. "Ally, he practically threatened you..."

"I know," she said gently, still holding him. "And I am so pissed at him. But I'm fine, okay? And so are you, and that's how I want it to stay."

Austin finally did smile now, looping his arms around her waist while her hands slid to wrap around his mid-section. "You got it, Als," he whispered into her hair, pulling her tightly against his body. She breathed a sigh of relief, hugging him back. As they pulled away, Austin grinned.

"You know what? I don't wanna watch a movie – I don't get to talk to you during a movie," he said.

"So what do you wanna do?" Ally smiled.

He grinned. "I feel like baking."

Ally looked alarmed. "You aren't actually trying to burn the house down, right? Because you know I'll be forced to stop you since I promised your mother."

Austin chuckled. "I'm not going to burn the house down. Actually, I'm a little insulted that you have such little faith in me."

Ally rolled her eyes but smiled. "So, what are we baking?"

A big, boyish grin spread across his face. "Duh! We're baking brownies!"

Once they'd looked up the perfect recipe for brownies on the internet, the pair ransacked the kitchen for ingredients and started to make the brownie mixture. As they made the brownies, they shot possible song lyrics at each other, and eventually, Ally had grabbed some paper and was writing the ideas down.

She was sitting on the counter, tapping her chin thoughtfully with the pen and reading through the lyrics she and Austin had come up with so far. Austin was mixing the chocolate mixture, staring down at it longingly.

"Okay, so Austin, what do you think of this verse?" she asked, handing it to him.

Austin shook his head. "No, I want you to sing it to me."

Ally rolled her eyes. "Fine, I will," she began to sing to the new melody she'd come up with. "Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor. Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore. And I wonder if I ever cross your mind? For me it happens all the time."

Austin grinned, and resumed mixing. "Ally, that was awesome. But you don't need to worry about writing a new song right now – you don't need to work so hard. Come and help me finish mixing."

"Austin, I'm not writing this song for me," she said. "I'm writing a duet for me and you."

Austin paused and glanced up from his mixing. "Really?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I like performing with you...that reminds me," she placed the notebook down and her hands drifted to the chain around her neck. Somewhat reluctantly, she pulled Austin's necklace off and held it out to him. His face lit up.

"You're still wearing it?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah," she blushed. "I always wear it...I know it's stupid, but when I used to get nervous before performing I would always remind myself I was wearing it...like a part of you was still with me."

"It's not stupid at all, Ally," Austin said softly, placing the spoon down and walking around the counter so he was right in front of her. "I never truly left you, Als. I will always come back for you, no matter what."

Ally smiled down at him, feeling butterflies swarm in the pit of her stomach. "Here," she was about to loop the necklace around his neck, but he stopped her and shook his head.

"No. I want you to have it," he told her. "If it helped you that much, and if it made you feel like you weren't alone, then you should keep it."

She smiled and put it around her neck. "Thank you, Austin."

Austin simply grinned and picked up the spoon again. "I think this is as smooth as we're gonna get it. Come and help me put it in the baking tray, will you?"

Ally picked up the notebook. "I need to get a good chorus done," she complained half-heartedly. "You do it; I trust that you won't screw it up," she smirked.

Austin sighed playfully and made his way over to her again so he was standing right in front of her. "Don't make me do this, Allyson..."

She folded her arms defiantly. "Do what, Austin Monica?"

"Oh, you're pushing it," he warned.

"What are you gonna do, Monica?" Ally smirked, leaning forward.

Austin shoved his hand into the packet of flour and flicked a handful into Ally's face. She gasped in mock horror, laughing as the flour fell onto her lap and billowed out around them in a white dust. Austin laughed at her expression and stepped back as she slid down from the counter.

"Do you like omelettes, Austin?" she enquired sweetly, grabbing an egg from the carton on the side and walking toward him.

"Not really," he smirked, playing along. Just as he was about to make a run for it, Ally grabbed both his hands in one of hers and cracked the egg on his head. The yellow yolk ran down his laughing face while the cracked shells nestled in his blonde hair.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!" his arm shot out and he grabbed her gently around the waist, dragging her over to the brownie mixture. She laughed uncontrollably in his arms, to the point where she couldn't even be bothered to stop him as he pressed two spoonfuls of brownie mixture to each of her cheeks. But they'd started a war. They ran around the kitchen like five year-olds, laughing, shouting and throwing whatever food and drink items they laid their hands on at each other. Austin eventually squirted water from the faucet at Ally, while she cracked another two eggs on him. The floor was extremely slippery by now, and as Ally ran away from Austin, her foot slipped.

"Aaagh!" she yelped, grabbing onto Austin's hand to steady herself. But it was too late, she was still falling and in the end, he fell down with her, or should he say, on top of her. Unfortunately, as they'd fallen, they'd knocked into a chair, which had knocked into the bowl of brownie mixture. They both watched in astonishment as the plastic bowl tipped to the floor, and landed with a WHACK, causing brownie mixture to fly all over them.

By now, they were both laughing uncontrollably on the floor. Austin rolled off of Ally, but propped himself up on one elbow so he was leaning over her. She chuckled, looking up at him. He had eggshells all in his hair, flour marking his clothes and face, chocolate streaked across his cheek and cocoa powder threaded into his hair. Austin laughed at the state of Ally, admiring his work. The mixture he'd placed on her face had smeared across her cheeks, and her face was still streaked with flour. Her hair was also streaked with flour, and she had egg yolk and cocoa powder all over her clothes. Not to mention the fact that they were both lying in a pool of spilt water, so they were soaking as well.

"Oops," he grinned, looking around the kitchen in awe. "We have a lot of tidying to do. But it's okay; my mom's not due back for at least an hour or two."

Ally chuckled and picked an eggshell out of his hair. As she brought her hand back down, it accidentally brushed against his cheek. Austin stared at her, his brown eyes melting her as they turned to orbs of milk chocolate. I want to kiss her, was the only coherent thought running through his mind. I can't! He told himself fiercely. She has a boyfriend – a jackass boyfriend who doesn't treat her right – but he's still a boyfriend. It's not him that I care about – it's her. I don't want to put her through all that guilt; I know what Ally's like.

I want to kiss him, Ally thought, still staring at him. NO! I can't; how will he react? Besides, even though Dallas has upset me, what does that say about me if I kiss Austin? I still have a boyfriend – I can't cheat; it's wrong.

Austin and Ally both quickly looked away. Chuckling nervously, he stood up and offered her his hand. Gratefully, she accepted his help and allowed him to pull her up.

"Maybe we should shower first," he laughed, glancing down at her and then at himself. "I stink of eggs, and you have flour in your hair."

Ally chuckled. "Okay."

Austin led her upstairs to the bathroom. She followed, glancing around his house and smiling at the familiarity. Nothing had changed; and she still got that warm feeling in the pit of her stomach, of feeling at home and comfort. Austin opened the airing cupboard and pulled out two clean towels, before chuckling at Ally's clothes.

"Do you wanna borrow a shirt?" he asked.

"Yes please," she grinned shyly. Austin smiled and motioned for her to follow him into his room. He tugged his shirt off over his head and tossed it into a random corner of his bedroom. Ally tried not to stare at his chest too much as he pulled a plain white v-neck t-shirt from his closet and chucked it at her.

"Thanks," she smiled, focusing her eyes on his face, and his face only.

"It's cool. Do you wanna borrow a pair of my mom's jeans?" he enquired.

"No, it's okay, my shorts only got flour on them, I can clean them easily," Ally assured him, making her way to the bathroom. Austin followed and began to show her how the shower worked. She forced herself to pay attention instead of zoning out over the evident muscles in his arms, and once he was finished, he stepped back with a smirk.

"Were you just checking me out?" he asked.

Ally rolled her eyes, flushing slightly. "Don't flatter yourself, Monica."

Austin laughed loudly, beginning to leave the room. "Hey, whatever you say, Allyson."

Ally glared at his retreating figure. "Careful, Austin, your head's swelling up."

He simply continued to laugh, shutting the door behind him. Ally exhaled, and began to carefully peel her sodden t-shirt off. As the hot water of the shower trickled down her body, she couldn't help but think of Austin. The way his brown eyes had seemed to just turn to melted milk chocolate...and how close he'd been. Had they been having a moment? Two moments? What was happening? Ally groaned aloud, resting her head against the wall. Was she beginning to have feelings for Austin? No, of course not, she scoffed. But then she thought about his eyes, his smile, his touch...well, crap. Ally closed her eyes. The answer was yes. She was beginning to have feelings for Austin.

A/N: again, thank you for reading and reviewing. Please let me know what you think; I appreciate every single review! You guys keep me motivated to write, so thank you :)