After the movie is over it's 1 am. I'm really full, Trish stretches from being so stiff and Dez is still staring at the screen with a glazed look in his eye. Ally's sleeping and you can hear this very delicate snore coming from her direction. I laugh quietly.

Trish looks over at me, then to Ally and laughs, too.

"Austin," Dez whispers with a mouthful of food. "When are you gonna sing the song?"

"Song?" Trish asks, curious.

"Yeah," I reply, stifling a yawn. "I'm gonna sing to her. She wants up anyway. She said that if she fell asleep during the movie to wake her up. I didn't notice until now but I still could."

"How, though?"

"Erm," I say. "Well let's clean up, first. Then I could wake her up by actually singing it."

"Okay," Trish smiles.

So Trish and I start to quietly bring the dishes to Ally's kitchen and load them in to the dishwasher. Dez, I guess, thinks he's the dishwasher because he gets mad every time we walk by with food we don't give him. "Dude, there's more not half-eaten food," I say.

We're almost done and Dez is putting in another movie, one that Trish and him both could actually agree on, and mutes the TV as to not startle Ally awake. Trish is fixing her sleeping area, being the queen she is. I roll my eyes and chuckle. I'm in the kitchen, quietly strumming, getting the chords memorized to be certain. The lights flicker.

Trish comes in when everything is ready. "Okay, it's a go," she tells me.

I get up and I go to chair adjacent to Ally.

My fears, before, have never been so real.

Ally opens her eyes, dazed.

The dreams I have will never go away.

She smiles in recognition of the song. She sits up to listen.

The strength I had is slipping from my reach.

I'll never put to good use what I say.

I know the struggle it is to be scared,

I know how badly I want to believe,

that some day I'll be free from my own fears,

that I can let it all go and be so free.

But chasing my fears is one thing, and letting them go is beyond me.

I don't have a clue where to start, but,

I know I'll be fine if you're with me.

My fears have me stuck in a moment.

Where everything said causes pain.

I'm running from all that has happened.

I'm running from all that are sane.

I don't deserve what I have in the moment.

I'm to lose everything I've had.

I separate my thoughts from the others.

I try to not see myself so bad.

I know the struggle it is to be scared,

I know how badly I want to believe,

that some day I'll be free from my own fears,

that I can let it all go and be so free.

But chasing my fears is one thing,

and letting them go is beyond me.

I don't have a clue where to start, but,

I know I'll be fine if you're with me.

You're with me more than I realize.

You've loved me for far too long.

I know that I don't deserve you,

but without you my world's so wrong.

Chasing my fears is one thing,

and letting them go is beyond me.

I don't have a clue where to start, but,

I know I'll be fine if you're with me.

Chasing my fears is one thing,

and letting them go is beyond me.

I don't have a clue where to start, but,

I know I'll be fine if you're with me.

As I strum the last chord to the song, I see Ally tearing up. A tear rolls down her cheek and she stands up to hug me.

As she does, the lights flicker again. Weird.

I set down the guitar and I hug her again. The lights actually turn off and stay out and once she realizes she tenses and clutches my shirt.

"Austin," she quietly says, scared. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I say, honestly. "Probably just a power surge." Dez sighs. I assume he's frustrated at the TV, off, but I can't tell.

Ally is still holding me. I forgot she was afraid of the dark.

Trish says calmly, "goodnight," and settles in to her air mattress.

I walk Ally to the couch and sit with her. Dez is evidently already asleep without warning.

Ally sits with her head on my shoulder and tries to calm her breathing. I rub her shoulder, comforting her. I pull the blanket over us and we sit there in silence in the dark.

"I loved the song, Austin," she says after a while. "Let's not publish it, though."

"I was thinking the same thing," I say and kiss the top of her head."

We quickly fall asleep but are woken up soon later.

Crash!