Paul's POV

I couldn't help but to notice the sudden sad look that crossed Mads' face as we stand there away from the others who sit back at the table by the lane, and I glance to the teddy bear I won her from the claw. I've been dying to see her ever since I laid in bed last night not being able to sleep, and having her smiling face appear in my tired mind. My eyes and just about arms have been glued to her ever since I arrived home, and as hard as it is I'm trying my hardest to not think about my leaving her again in just two days. I give her hand a gentle squeeze and I walk away from the line of game machines and the sad lass follows me back to the cheery table where my mates drink from their bottles of beer, and their girls are on their arm.

"Another frame or two to finish our night, eh?" George suggests and I nod silently with a blank look and we decided to split us up to two lanes.

John, Cyn, Mads and I got the other lane while the other four remained at the same lane and Cyn volunteered to keep score. It was Mads' turn first and she left my side to walk up to the wooden lane.

"Is everything alright, Macca?" John asks from his chair to my right and I swallow my gulp of beer to set the bottle back on the table.

"I dunno." I reply and my eyes stay on my stunning Madison as she walks back over to the rack after more than half of the pins fell down and I notice her sad look to still be on here beautiful face.

"Oh don't be stubborn." John comments and I exhale a sigh.

"She doesn't want me to leave in two days, and I hate to have to leave her again." I admit as nobody else is paying attention to our quiet conversation while the other lane is being used and I hear laughing.

Mads bowls again to knock the remaining pins down, and I smile proudly. She walks back and doesn't take back her seat.

"I'm gonna go use the loo quick." she lets me know.

"Okay, love." I respond and she kisses my cheek before leaving our small crowd to find the restroom.

"There's a simple solution, mate." John comments and we leave our seats to grab our own bowling bowls and I watch as we knock down the same number of pins, he took over Mo's toss who isn't feeling all that well I hear.

"What's that?" I question as we both return to the rack to wait for our bowling bowls.

"Well we all were talking about Cyn and Mo coming along to Austria, Pattie too, and we decided on it. None of us wanna leave them, so why not they just come along with us, you know. Ask Madison to come with, I know how you'd feel better having her there." John suggests and I smile at the genius thought and I grab my ball and walk over to position myself and I hear the faint conversations coming from behind me and John and I end up with spares, what a coincidence.

"That's a brilliant idea, you know. I dunno if she can get it off though, for work." I comment to John and we slowly walk back.

"Bring it up to her, it won't hurt to." he proposes and Mads comes back from the bathroom and my arm goes back around her and I notice her wandering eyes that finally settle on her lap, I always know when something is bothering her when she stares at her lap.

"Mads?" I whisper to her while Cyn goes up to bowl and her eyes lift from her jeans and she meets my eyes.

"What?" she replies in a quiet voice.

"About us going to Austria soon-." I start and her eyes glaze over with disinterest.

"Paul, I'd rather that we not talk about it. I'd like to forget about it as long as I can." she interrupts in a serious tone.

"But love, you didn't even give me the chance to say what-." I try again, but Cyn asks Mads about going outside for a cigarette and she accepts and slips from my arms to get her coat and leave for a ciggie without even a kiss.

"How's it going convincing her?" John cocks his head in my direction to ask and I sigh and rest my arms on the table and I pick up my beer.

"I didn't get a chance to suggest it to her, she doesn't want to talk about it." I answer and we all lost interest in bowling any longer as two of our birds went outside and I grab my jacket and decide to join them, I really want her to come along in a few days.

I toss on my winter coat and walk out the front doors to find John's wife and my girlfriend standing out front puffing on cigarettes while talking.

"Hello girls, mind if I join you?" I question and Mads who's back was to me turns to face me and I give her a slight smile.

Cyn smiles and puts out her cig to leave us two out here in the nippy winter air that I'm not yet adjusted to, and I take a drag from my cigarette to exhale the smoke and I look out at the passing traffic.

"Mads, I want to ask you something." I bring up as I see the red end of my ciggie stand out from the dark night surrounding us two and we take a seat on the bench.

"Okay, what is it?" she replies and she flicks the growing ashes from hers onto the ground.

"Cyn, Mo and possibly Pattie too are coming along with us to Austria and I'm hoping that you'd like to join us." I propose and I let my hand holding my ciggie fall to rest on my leg and her barely visible eyes travel to find mine.

"Paul, I would love to, but I dunno if I can just ask to have those days off on such short notice." she replies in not an angry voice, I was afraid she'd say that.

"You're a good employee, and you've hardly ever missed a shift, so why wouldn't your boss be nice and give you a small vacation?" I state and she drops her cigarette to the sidewalk absent of snow and stamps it out with the heel of her shoe.

"Didn't you say that a lot of new girls have been hired too, and that you have a lot of days off in the next week?" I add on to that and I take a quick, final puff from my ciggie to toss it in the small bank of snow behind the bench.

"I suppose I could ring my boss up tomorrow, but don't get too excited." she replies and I stand with a smile to take her hands and our arms go around each other.

"I really want you to come with. It'd certainly make me worry less about you being so far away from me, and then we could spend more time with each other," I tell her and I kiss her cheek with a grin on my lips and I see the hint of a smile on her pair. "I'll do whatever it will take to get your manager to give you those days off." I finish and I lean in to kiss my lovely girlfriend.

"You don't need to worry about me, I do fine on my own even though I prefer to be with you." she tells me.

"I know, dear, but I care about you and I don't want something happening if you were to have a run in with the fans or anything, you know." I comment and she nods her head.

I pull her back into the warm building, so we're no longer standing out in the March cold. I notice her pink cheeks from the cold and our heads turn in the direction of the rest of our pack goofing off and we both chuckle.

"You worry about me too much, you know." Mads comments and I look back to her.

"I know I do, love. It's all because I love you." I remark after thinking of my response and I focus on her eyes, boy I love their exquisite color.

"I love you, too." she replies and I smile at her response, I love hearing her saying that.

I kiss her again and we join the party once again where John seems to have had a few too many beers with his dancing, and antics, but he's like that anyways. Nobody wanted to finish off the rest of the frame, so we just ate the last few slices of the pizza and finished off our drinks while catching up.

We all decided to call it a night when it was nearing eleven o'clock after we downed the last few drops of our drinks, and when the pizza had finally vanished, and so we gathered our bowling balls to replace on their shelves. Mads and I gave our waves and goodbyes after chipping in for the final payment for our fun night out, and we headed out to the car. We both were nodding off a little on the way home, but I sat up straight and drove the rest of the way home while Mads slept off that deluxe pizza and piña colada from the bowling alley.

I pull into the driveway after some time and I shut off the running car and I look to my sleeping dreamer to my left who I don't think could look any more peaceful than she does right this minute. I smile and kiss her forehead in the dark and I get out and go over to her side to get her belt off and I hoist my sleeping girl into my arms while she continues to doze. I succeed at opening the door and Graham begins to bark the minute I walk in and I shush the puppy. I flip on the living room light and carefully go up the stairs where I planned on setting Mads in her bed, but I couldn't walk any further and I decided to set her on my bed that's the closest. I lay her on my bed smoothly and brush her hair away from her closed eyes. I get her jacket and shoes off slowly and move her to under the covers and I plant a long kiss on her warm forehead. I shut off my bedroom light and leave the door ajar to travel down the stairs where I open Graham's kennel and he bounds for the door.

"I know you gotta go poddy. Come on, bud." I tell him and I open the door and he dashes out to the vacant yard to do his business while I wait on the doorstep.

"Good boy. Now lets go inside so you can have some food and water before you go back to bed." I state to the growing puppy who ran up to me and I let us both back inside.

He tags along to the silent kitchen where I turn on the light and he finds his dog dishes and he works on gobbling down the puppy kibble and getting a good share of fresh water into his belly.

"I have to go to bed too, have a good kip, Graham. I'll see you in the morn, lad. Goodnight." I bid to the sweet puppy who obeys and walks right into his kennel and I shut the metal door and I drape the blanket back over it.

I shut off the lights downstairs before traveling upstairs and I find pajamas in my dresser that I change into the bathroom. I return to my dark bedroom where I find Mads to still be sleeping and I close the door and get under the covers next to her. The minute I got in the bed she moved over to me and laid her brunette head on my t shirted chest and I wrapped my arm around her sleeping figure. I kiss her soft hair and move in my cozy bed until I get comfortable and I settle and begin to hear Mads' soft, rhythmic breathing and I close my eyes. I sure have missed sleeping in this comfortable bed, and I especially having my lovely girl in my arms. It's so great to be home.

AN: Come on! How about some reviews on this part? Don't be so quiet! :)