Sorry, I know it's been like... three years, but I'm back with a little bit of new content.

They sat in the practice room, bathed in a painful silence. Ally sat at the piano, songbook open, fiddling with a pen between her fingers. Austin sat on the couch, staring down at his hands.

He really blew it last night, she thought, sighing, My parents left to give us space and then he leaves me in the men's room. Stomach turning, she glanced over at him. She thought that maybe having her parents on board, or even just them having the Mattress Store and the Factory as a backup plan, would help with his stress. She had a feeling she was very wrong. He grumbled to himself about his shoulder and struggled to get to his feet.

"Bathroom," he mumbled, shuffling out the door.

"Are you coming back or will you be waiting in the car?" she said under her breath. Ally was starting to feel infinitely helpless when it came to her relationship. Austin was panicked and distant since their confrontation last night, but refused to tell her anything other than that he'd cracked. They fought on the way home from the restaurant and hadn't really spoken much since. Ally reached into her purse and took out a hard candy - ginger flavored, to help with her nausea. Before she could finish fumbling with the wrapper, Dez threw the door open.

"Ally! I have great news!" He sat next to her at the piano, threw confetti in her face and got comfortable. She stared at him, waiting for him to finish.

"...and?"

"And?" he repeated, a grin on his face. "Oooh, candy." He leaned in, putting his mouth around the candy, and her fingers.

"Eww!" She squealed, withdrawing her fingers and wiping them on his shirt. "Dez! Gross!"

"Eww!" he repeated, spitting the candy across the room and hitting none other than Jimmy Starr right in the stomach. "This is horrible candy and you should feel bad!" He stood, huffing, "By the way! Jimmy and Ronnie are here." He stomped out the door, but paused and turned back, "Hey, Jimmy, we still on for croquet?" Jimmy rolled his eyes and shut the door.

"Where's Austin? I'm surprised he'd leave you to explain this alone," Jimmy said, prompting a sideways glance from Ronnie. "Austin told me what was going on last night, but I'll leave this for Ally to explain." Ally inhaled deeply and prepared herself for possible rejection.

The rush never came, the euphoria never hit. He'd inhaled the whole pill, but barely anything was happening.

That pill was the only one he'd brought today.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror and began to panic harder. When had he begun to look so jaded? How could he go in there like this? He couldn't face Jimmy this way again; he couldn't take that pity again.

A knock broke the silence. "Hey, Austin! Jimmy and Ronnie are here!" Austin's heart began to race. Already? They were both early?

"Thanks, Dez. I'll be out in a minute." He cleaned up the pill dust from the counter and his face, hoping that no one would catch on. He dried his face and inhaled deeply. "Okay... okay, let's do this." As he reached for the door, he realized he was trembling. His head hurt. His body hurt.

It wasn't a far walk from the bathroom to the practice room, but every movement felt like an eternity. The doctor said it would be a four to six month recovery for his shoulder. What if they found out he was snorting it? Would they cut him off?

His hand continued to tremble as he reached for the practice room door. He withdrew his hand and leaned in and listened to the conversation behind the door.

"He's acting so weird..." Ally said, dejected. "He won't tell me anything at all. I know he's nervous, but so am I."

"He did just lose his parents, Ally, you do have to take that into consideration." Jimmy replied, matter-of-factly, "That's got to be part of it."

"Nervous about what? What's going on? Ally, let me get straight to the point: I can't wait around for much longer. I'm a busy man."

"I'm sorry, Ronnie, Austin shouldn't be much longer."

Touch your nose. It was a distinct and familiar voice. Austin shifted his gaze and exhaled deeply, muttering go away under his breath. No, seriously. Touch your nose. He brought a tentative hand to his face and touched his nose. He glanced at his hand and jumped back. Blood. His nose was bleeding. Dark red blood droplets were all over his face, shirt and shoes. How didn't he notice earlier? How are you going to hide that? How are you going to explain it? Out of desperation, Austin reared his head back and hit the door. He groaned audibly as tears sprung into his eyes and he brought his hands up to cover his nose. Ally opened the door and cocked her head in confusion. A tired, but sheepish half-smile crossed Austin's face.

"I...I tripped," he sighed, watching Ally turn pale from the sight of his blood.

"Your nose, are you okay?"

"I'll survive." She handed him some tissues and lead him to the couch. "Now, we have to explain to Ronnie what's going on." He stuffed clean tissues up his nose in an attempt to slow the bleeding. Again, every moment and every movement felt like an eternity. Out of the corner of his eye, he stared at her. She'd been talking about him.

"Ronnie," she began, throat dry, "I'm pregnant." She waited for possible rejection, but he didn't seem phased. He looked her over, then looked to Austin.

"I assume it's his, right?" She nodded, "Let me get straight to the point," he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Here it comes, Austin. He's going to let her down easy. He going to tell her he's sorry, but he's going to drop her. You both are screwed. Austin started having palpitations from the stress of the situation. If not for Ronnie's bored look, he might have fallen into a full-blown panic attack. He wanted to disappear. He visibly flinched, this was too much for him.

"Congratulations to the beautiful couple. I'll be in touch about revising your tour dates, okay?" Ally stared at him, nodding in shock. He paused, "What? Your personal relationships aren't any of my business. My business is your music." He went for the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get going." As Ronnie left, Jimmy stepped up to speak.

"Austin. I've been doing a lot of thinking. I know you've been under a lot of stress lately... losing your parents, sustaining those injuries, and with a baby on the way, I know you're probably racking your brain trying to figure out how to provide." Austin's head was spinning. "I know how much you love making music. Your passion is incredible and I miss seeing you up on stage. I want to hear a new Austin Moon song. I want to see Austin Moon on stage again. What do you say?" Austin wasn't sure how much enthusiasm he could muster. He was tired, his heart was racing and everything hurt.

"Yes," he replied, grabbing at the knees of pants. He shrunk into himself and smiled, "This... this means the world to me, Jimmy." He couldn't hold himself together. His voice hitched, "Thank you so much." He lowered his head to his knees. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start falling apart. This... This is just such a weight off my chest." They shook hands and Jimmy departed. Ally locked the door behind him.

"Austin, we need to talk. About last night -"

"...I blew it, I know," he replied through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you." He could hear desperate gasping ringing in his ears. He looked up at Ally, wide-eyed and panic-stricken. He saw Mike Moon behind her, choking to death. "I'm sorry for falling apart." The screeching of tires. The crunching of metal, it was all playing out in his mind. He put his head to his knees and clawed at his shoulder. He heard the windshield shatter, clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, "Please. Just make it stop," he pleaded, feeling Ally embrace him. He looked up, the noises had stopped and his father had disappeared. "I think I just had a panic attack." He paused, a moment of clarity clearing his mind. "My shoulder was on fire and I felt like I couldn't breathe." He felt a weight lift from his shoulders and he finally felt like he could breathe again. "And... about last night, I'm sorry I ruined things. I'm scared of being a failure. Your dad already doesn't trust me to provide for you. I was afraid that Jimmy wouldn't ever come around and that I'd be selling mattresses for the rest of my life." She nodded, "But I'm being selfish... You must be scared too."

"...I can't go to Harvard," she sighed. He stared at her, the weight collapsing back on him as quickly as it had lifted. She was giving up her dream school, her education. Her shot at being the President of the United States. "But I'll be here with you. We can write songs, be together and run the Music Factory." His chest felt tight and his heart ached for her lost dream.

"I'm sorry," he replied, "You're giving up so much. I'm sorry." She smiled at him.

"There'll be time later for Harvard. It might not be convenient."

She's lying to you. She's not going. Between taking care of the baby and your sorry ass, there won't be time.

"Or easy. I might have to wait a long while, but I'm not giving up anything. I'm just putting it on hold for now. I will graduate from Harvard."

I have to step up. I have to stop doing this. I have to be a better man.

Easier said than done, easier said than done.

Hesitant and desperate, Austin spoke. "Move in with me," he said, voice just above a whisper. "I know I've been a mess to deal with, but... there's no way I can make it without you."