A/N: Travis may seem out of chartacter as this story goes along. I just wanted to say that this is how I feel he would react if he were to be pushed to far. I'm not coping out and trying to mold his character into something that would be easier to write with.
Thank you Romolus, for being my beta for the moment, and always for being my Lil.
Just get off the stage, she thought, and for some reason she couldn't get her legs to move. Fighting back the tears, she watched Ray walk away with his new-found love. He was definately in love, that much was obvious. If not, he would have came running back to her, confessing his true feelings as he left Grace behind. They would have embraced on stage in front of everyone, and all would be right with the world. Now, nothing was right in Lily's world. She had made an idiot of herself in front of hundreds of people. Couldn't she have been a little more suave about it? Hell no. When Lily Randall went out, she went out with a bang. It was the aftermath that she couldn't deal with.
She felt everyone's eyes on her. It felt as if the entire world could look into her soul and she couldn't get her damn feet to move. Just get off the stage, her mind repeated, now on loop. A familiar figure caught her eye and then, at least, she could remember how to turn her head. He looked up at her with his haunted eyes and she could see pain in them. She stared back down at him, knowing that he would be able to read the panic in her eyes. Help me Travis. Save me, she pleaded silently.
He walked to the left of the stage and held a hand up, then gestured her to him. Finally. She began to move toward him as if her body had only been waiting for his signal all along. She laid her guitar down on the stage and followed the beautiful, haunted eyes. Parker was behind her, calling her name, but she couldn't answer. Hell, she was happy to have control of her physical body and she would not lose sight of her target. She reached the edge of the stage and took his hand gratefully before she jumped into the crowd, hoping to be swallowed up.
No words needed to be spoken as he guided her through the sea of people toward the exit. After an eternity, they were finally outside and she was free. Free to allow her broken heart to register in her mind. " Did he hear me?" she asked, her voice sounding strange to her as she apparently didn't have control over it yet. It pierced her own ears. " Did you hear me?" Nice. Now she was making no sense and he would want to leave her to wallow in her own sorrow. Why wouldn't he? After all that she had put him through, why was he even here? And why did he have to look so fucking sympathetic and lost himself at the same time? Damn you Travis. Damn everything to hell, she thought, wanting to hate something besides herself.
She threw her arms around him the second they were outside. Grabbing him tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. She had grabbed a handful of the back of his shirt when she pulled him to her, now, she bunched the fabric up between her fingers. It somehow felt comforting.
"It's ok Lily," he whispered over and over in her ear " Let it go, Lily. Let it all go," he said as he tried to hold his own tears back. Neither of them knew how long they stood there. Neither of them cared anymore as they sought solace in one another's arms.
Lily pulled back first. " Take me home?" she pleaded, not sure if she would make it without breaking down if she had to go by herself. " Please Trav...," she began.
He stopped her by putting his forefinger to her lips. " I'll take you home," he assured her " I will take care of you," he said, suddenly very angry at Ray. So angry that the pain from Bridget's cutting words no longer touched him anymore.
She looked at him, feeling warmth from his concern and his words for her." I'm sorry," she said quietly.
" Sorry for what?" he asked, confused.
" Everything," she said simply as they walked along. "For everytime that I made you feel like this," she whispered, barely audible.
They walked to her house in silence. Though it was a comfortable silence she thought of all of the words she should have said. Ones that she should have said to both Ray and Travis. As he guided her to her door, she whispered, " I'm always there for you too, you know..."
He squeezed her hand " I know," he whispered back, then watched her as she disappeared into the house. Bridget's words came back to him as he turned to leave. He couldn't bear to see Lily in this much pain and deal with his own at the same time. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked away, determined to understand everything that had just happened before him. Determined to stop Lily's pain, even if he couldn't ease his own.