WARNING: This chapter contains reference to a mature theme, although it is minor and indirect. The purpose of including it was to focus on respect, not to portray the relationship inappropriately. Feel free to just skip this chapter if you'd like to though, it's not really essential to the plot of the fic!

I have another chapter planned with no guaranteed date to be posted, but other than that I'd love to continue hearing your ideas for anything else I may or may not write. I'm so glad that some people have enjoyed these chapters, I thought nobody would ever read them! Also, I realized that I've been spelling "Auslly" wrong this whole time... It's "Auslly" not "Ausly"? Should I change the name of this fic? Haha, we'll see.

(Mini-Me's & Muffin Baskets S4- right before final scene)

It was the day after the A&A Music Factory's first showcase, the first day of Austin being back in business with Jimmy after he'd decided that Austin could perform again. The night before was wild for many reasons, one being the initially disastrous mixup by Sadie, another being Ridley's amazing performance that landed her a record deal, and another being that Austin regained his rights to perform under Star Records. Things got even wilder after the showcase however. Ally couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the night and all morning the next day; she and Austin had a very close call at the music factory and it was nagging at her for many different reasons. Reluctantly she had texted Trish to talk about it that morning, knowing that she needed to get it off of her mind. She both wanted to talk about it, and didn't. Everything about the situation was giving her some of the worst mixed emotions of her life. They met in the music factory lobby before Austin or Dez would get there to talk.

"Soo… ugh. How do I begin to talk about this? So, after the showcase when the kids left, Austin was telling me how great I did performing 'Play My Song', and just so you know he'd never actually seen me perform it or heard me sing it with the music. He was clearly in a mood after Jimmy agreed to let him perform again and we both kinda wished we could stay out together longer instead of taking me right home, so I suggested that we could go to the factory and perform some songs on the mini-stage- yeah I know, I'm probably an idiot."

Ally put her face in her hands and smiled at her naivety as Trish smirked disbelievingly.

"Ok, you had to know that if you performed that song for just him he'd not be able to just give you a hug and go home after. Come on Ally, that song sounds like you want him to do something else all ni-"

"Enough enough, I know, and I see how it might sound like that, but that's not really what I was trying to make a metaphor of, I swear. I hope people don't immediately think that." Ally groaned.

"I get it, but if you want me to be honest, that's what I thought when I first heard it." Trish cringed.

"… Great. Oh well. I didn't mean to do that. Sometimes I think my lyrics subconsciously reflect things that I don't necessarily mean to." Ally admitted, and Trish just looked ready to move on to the details of her story.

"What happened then?"

"We grabbed coffees, headed to the factory, set up the mini stage with a playlist of songs to perform, and he started by singing a few of his, and then I went up and sang 'Play My Song', and he was just sitting there super into it, and well, I noticed a spark in his eyes and I think he saw it in mine, and long story short, we were in the practice room before i'd sang barely any of it." Ally said quickly, trying not to give too much detail as it all came flooding back at once.

"Got it. So in summary, Austin thought it was hot and you started making out in the practice room. I think I get what you're trying to tell me."

"Yeah… he ran up and then practically carried me-"

"Yeah yeah, TMI Ally."

"Sorry- but anyway, it just started getting so intense, more than ever before."

"Uh huh… so, did you do, it?"

"No. Well... I'll just say, it was close. But no."

"I see, so, how do you feel then?"

"I just… I can't lie, it was good. But it was fast and just passion- I don't want to go there with him yet. For a long time. I mean it feels like we've been together for ages, but it's not even been a year. That's what I've told him from the start on my tour, I don't want us to go there for a long time."

"I wondered about that with your tour. That's understandable, it's a really big thing. So are you saying your changing your mind now? What stopped you?"

"It was terrible… my dad came into the music factory, I forget he still has a key to the place. It was late too, but he was coming in to check the building because we must have set off a security alert coming back there so late when I didn't tell him I'd be there."
"Oh boy, I think I see where this is going."

"Yeahh… so Austin stopped the music and we just froze. I knew it had to be my dad who had come in, and we frantically… uh, got ourselves together, and acted like we were working on a song. And that was the end of it. But no, I'm not changing my mind. I definitely need to talk with him today about it. I don't regret that it happened, but I still want to stick to my guns." Trish looked smug still and shook her head, embarrassed for Ally but also wanting to laugh a little.

"I know, it literally could not have been a worse person to walk in. But since I'm sure you're thinking this, there was no security footage, my dad saw and suspected nothing, and it wasn't that bad, ok?" Ally said in a hush, embarrassed but having to smile because of how ridiculous that part of the story was.

"Right, it's just… the practice room? Seriously?" Trish remarked, and she and Ally giggled.

"I'll never look at it the same." Trish said as they recovered, looking a bit like she'd seen a ghost as she glanced at the practice room door above.

"At least it wasn't… that. I just can't believe that it happened. It feels like a blur. A good one I guess, but I need to talk to him about it… the thing about it is that I was so in the moment with him that I don't know if we would have stopped had my dad not showed up. I was so caught up that I wasn't thinking like myself, and I don't know that Austin was either. Music just does something to you sometimes. Plus, Austin was on a high about being able to perform again."

"I get it... Don't worry about it Ally, it sounds like you already have a good perspective about it. But if you ever need to talk to me about this stuff, you always can. Just don't tell me anything that will make me never want to walk into the practice room again." Trish replied, saying the first part very genuinely.

"You don't have to worry about that… but thanks so much Trish, you're the best." Ally responded, hugging her, feeling relieved that she'd been able to get that whole encounter off her chest and glad that having to talk about it was over.

"I know." Trish said confidently, and Ally rolled her eyes. Seconds later Austin walked up to the factory's front doors, and Trish nudged Ally, warning her that now could be her time to talk to him. She felt like chewing her hair until she met eyes with him when he opened the doors. She wasn't sure what the first thing to say to him was, but a lot of words were popping into her head as the sight of him caused her to remember vividly why it was so easy to get carried away the night before. He glanced back and forth from Ally to the stage and smiled shyly as he walked over, clearly also unsure of what to say.

"Hey, maybe we should go talk really quick?" Ally suggested, taking a deep breath and feeling herself blushing.

"Good idea." He said, seeming relieved that she said something first.

"We can go to the pract… um, outside maybe." Ally said, flustered, and she could tell that Trish was thoroughly enjoying the show of their awkwardness. Ally didn't think immediately returning to the practice room was a good idea.

"Yeah."

They went outside and stood out front of the factory, making sure there weren't any cameras in sight before speaking.

"I'm guessing you want to talk about yesterday… which was amazing. But I'm sorry I brought it on like that. I didn't mean for it to become so… you know." Austin started, and Ally returned his shy smile, glad he spared her from having to talk first.

"It's ok, I wasn't thinking totally straight… not that it wasn't amazing. But I still don't want us to go there, I'm really sorry if I made it seem otherwise." Ally told him apologetically, and he shrugged.

"I figured. I'm still fine with that. I think we were just both on a high last night." Austin reassured her. She felt a hundred times better in an instant. He was perfect.

"Thanks Austin... And speaking of that, you get to perform again!" She exclaimed, and they hugged excitedly.

"I know! I can't wait! I'm gonna rock my comeback, Jimmy will think twice before ever considering letting me go again." Austin revelled, appearing to already be daydreaming about his first concert.

"I can't wait to work on it with you." Ally said sincerely, and he squeezed her a little tighter.

"It'll be the best."

Before they went back inside, Ally still felt like there was one thing she needed to know from him to feel satisfied.

"Just… one more thing... Did you ever do that with Brooke, or Kira or Piper?" Ally asked hesitantly, separating their hug to look at him and feeling a little embarrassed about her question. Austin almost looked like he wanted to laugh knowing what that was referring to and thinking of Brooke.

"No, no, of course not. Never even close. What I had with them isn't even comparable to what I have with you. You're the most special person in my life." He said sincerely as they still stood with their arms wrapped still around each other. Ally felt her heart melting and she didn't have to speak for him to know what she felt about that.

"But, since you asked... what about you? Did you and Gavin ever?"

Austin became surprisingly nervous as he asked, and Ally could sense it, but she just smiled.

"Definitely not." She assured him. They both couldn't help but feel relieved at the other's answers. They kissed and Ally led them back inside, just in time before Herman showed up at the door in his baseball uniform. Trish could tell that their awkwardness had dispelled and was a little relieved. She didn't want to have to deal with them acting weird all day when they had a factory to run and a comeback concert to plan. Just as Trish hoped, they acted fine for the rest of the day, and in fact were feeling more confident in their relationship than possibly ever before. By the end of the day Trish and Ally could hardly wait to talk to Austin about their plans for the concert, so they headed down to the recording studio where Austin was busy working on music with his guitar. Dez was stationed outside posing as his secretary and blocked them from entering the studio.

(Mini-Me's & Muffin Baskets- timestamp 21:32)

"Welcome to Austin & Associates, do you have an appointment?"

Trish scoffed.

"We don't need an appointment."

"Dez can you just move out of the way, we need to talk to Austin about his comeback!" Ally pleaded, but Dez wasn't budging.

"I'm sorry, and you are?" Dez replied, looking skeptical.

"Ally Dawson. Austin's girlfriend. That you see everyday."

Dez continued to deny their entrance- and the fact that he knew them- for a while, but eventually Austin just came out of the studio. After having no other choice but to roll Dez out of the factory in his office chair, the three of them sat in the lobby chairs and began brainstorming about the concert. It was the most excited Ally had seen Austin since her tour, and talking about it together felt surreal. On that day, Ally felt like nothing could stop them.

(The next week, Dancers & Ditzes S4 timestamp 00:28)

After a few days of busy school and work days, Austin, Ally, Trish, and Dez had a short free period at the music factory to just relax with no students. Team Austin was newly reinvigorated after Austin's performance ban was lifted, but they'd barely had time to talk about his comeback concert other than the day after the A&A music factory's first showcase. Their lives had become stressful as they all worked to catch up on school after needing to focus on the factory for a while, but luckily their teachers typically gave them grace knowing their career lifestyles. Austin, however, did not get as much mercy since he was no longer really a pop star; Ally had to work on a lot of math with him in the previous few days, which was hard because of how distracted they both were thinking about his reborn career.

The two of them and Dez sat in the music factory lobby before Trish arrived, who had just texted saying she had some important news. Ally leaned into Austin as they discussed doing something special for their anniversary, which excited them both despite being unsure of when that day actually was. Their were several different occasions that were milestones in their relationship, one of which was still somewhat of a secret, so it was hard to say a specific date of their anniversary. With how close the two of them had grown in the most recent stretch of their relationship- that being everything after Austin publicly announced that he loved Ally and lost his career- it felt like it didn't really matter how long they'd been together.

"We are timeless." Ally mused playfully in her head, thinking of a song they'd made a couple years back as Austin puzzled over when they should actually celebrate.

"Why don't we just pick a date that has no special meaning? Like uhh… November… 29th." He announced, and Ally scoffed.

"That's my birthday!" She informed him. He played it off, but not without her disbelieving glare at first. First Dez wanted to celebrate her anniversary with Austin without her, and then Austin wanted to celebrate it on her birthday… The plans weren't exactly coming together well, but she was happy that he'd suggested they should do something special regardless. This warm attitude towards him soon came to a bitter end, however.

After Trish broke the news that Ally was performing at the MVMA's and they talked to Sheila Berman, Ally was set on learning a huge dance number that she and Austin had been excited about. After many hours of rehearsal she was feeling ready for the audition, but then finding out that Trish, Dez, and Austin had all been in on cancelling it to save her from embarrassment was extremely hurtful. As she drove home after storming out of the practice room (timestamp 12:13), there was one thing set in her mind: She was going to perform the dance and blow them away, no matter how much work it would take.

Hearing Austin's final words to her before she left struck a part of her heart normally full of love for him, and she felt betrayed. How could he have so little faith in her? She was in disbelief that he would do something like that, especially instead of just having an honest conversation with her. As she drove gripping the steering wheel far too tight, Ally tried to work through some foreign emotions and realized she was experiencing doubt with Austin for the first time in a long time. Trish and Dez cancelling the interview was one thing, but Austin being part of that secret hurt differently. She knew he was going to be very sorry soon and would reach out to her- she could already feel her phone vibrate- and she knew she would forgive him, but for the next few days she decided she was going to focus on herself and showing her friends what a deep mistake they'd made.

Several days later, 30 minutes before Ally's MVMA performance, Austin found himself leaning against the outside of Ally's dressing room door with a large bouquet of roses dangling from his hand.

"Ally, I know you're in there. I just have to say that I'm sorry again." He called out, nearly shouting to make sure she heard him. He couldn't see her, but she moved to a similar position as him on the other side of the door, deciding to dispel her silent treatment for only a moment to talk to him before her big performance. It was painful to ignore him and her friends for several days as she worked on her dance nonstop, but she was doing it for her dignity.

"I was so confident in us after the showcase. But after what you did, I'm just feeling a little betrayed. I thought you'd have more faith in me. I know you're sorry, and I forgive you, but it doesn't make what you did feel less hurtful."

"I know, it's just… I wish we could just talk. Can I please come in?" Austin said, sounding desperate, just wishing he could see her. After spending several days while not spending time with her at all, he felt miserable. Her refusing to talk to him made him realize how much better he needed to be for her; he'd been feeling so guilty and alone that he hadn't been able to think about his comeback concert. He had no clue what her plan was for the show that night, but he knew for sure that he shouldn't have screwed up so bad that he couldn't be a part of it.

"I'm sorry Austin. I'll see you after the show." She said firmly through the door, and Austin's shoulders sank. Knowing there was no chance she'd budge, he sulked and left the dressing room hall to find Trish, Dez, and Carrie backstage.

(Dancers & Ditzes- right before Ally's performance at timestamp 14:52)

Trish and Austin stood nervously in the front of the crowd awaiting Ally's big performance, right next to Sheila Berman. There was about a minute to go before she went on stage and Austin could feel his palms sweating and hands shaking a bit.

"I wonder what she's going to do? I never heard anything from her." Trish said anxiously to him as they tried to peek backstage to notice Ally. Dez and Carrie were back there busy celebrating Carrie's success with delivering trophies, so only Trish and Dez would be watching her from the crowd.

"I have no clue. She wouldn't let me into her dressing room." Austin responded defeatedly.

"Me either… I tried to go wish her luck. She's persistent with her silent treatment. At least she didn't end up dancing though… we shouldn't have gone behind her back, but I still think the dancing would have been a mistake." Trish said, and Austin felt torn.

"I guess so… but maybe we should have just believed in her." He said, clutching the sides of his black leather jacket nervously as he noticed movement on the stage.

"You're probably right." Trish said without looking at him; her eyes were now glued to the stage as the crowd erupted and the lights brightened to show Ally quite literally dazzling at a red grand piano. Austin felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach as he saw how amazing she looked, wishing she could feel his faith in her in that moment, even though it appeared that she'd decided to stick with singing at the piano instead of dancing. He and Trish yelled out with the crowds, clapping and nervously awaiting the details of her full performance. Despite their initial anxiety, as the performance went on and he saw her leave the piano bench to dance, he came to the conclusion to never ever doubt her abilities again, and he was going to make sure she knew that positively from that day forward. He and Trish's cheering had to have been the loudest in the room. Even Sheila Berman, who stood next to them, looked totally blown away.

Right after Ally finished, Austin and Trish rushed back stage and they mended everything with Ally, apologizing for the final time for what they did. Ally had to admit internally that it felt amazing to finally let go of the anger she had for Austin and her friends as she held hands with him in the ice cream shop where they all celebrated late that night, deciding to be unbothered by the paparazzi and just revel in her personal victory. Them and Trish were joined by Dez and Carrie as well, who were proud of their teamwork with the final trophy delivery. Admiration for Ally's dancing replaced any anger or hard feelings in the group. The balance felt restored in their friendships. The next day they learned that Ally's performance had gone viral. Life was good once again for Team Austin and Team Ally.