• Home
• Contact Me
• Links to Fiction
• Funny Quotes
• Tumblr
• Instagram

Lifeline - Chapter Five

As promised Bill called Dr. Mueller the next day just to talk for a little bit. He got her receptionist when he called in the morning but she was able to put him on her calendar for a phone call that afternoon. Bill spent the morning cleaning up his house and watching The Craft on his big screen. When two o'clock rolled around Bill sat at the dining room table to make his call.

"Well, this is a surprise. How are you, Bill?" Dr. Mueller said when he identified himself. She slid her shoes off under her desk and set her stack of papers to the side. She wanted to give Bill her full attention.

"I'm doing well." Bill nodded and traced the wood grain on his table. "Harmony wanted me to call and kinda talk to you, I guess. She thinks I'm slipping." He jumped right into the reason he was calling.

"Do you think you are?"

"No."

"Why do you think Harmony thinks you are?"

"I don't know." Bill lied.

"I know that you've only just now gone public with your attempt. How'd that go for you?"

Bill paused. Dr. Mueller was just as good as he remembered. "It went okay. Nothing major."

"You just told the whole world that you're not perfect. That's something major when the thing that put here in the first place was your fear of not being perfect."

"That wasn't the only reason I was there." He said softly. He suddenly felt like he was back in the security of her office. He was putting his life in her hands to fix.

"No, not the only one. But it was a reason so this has to be rough on you." Dr. Mueller explained. "And that's okay, Bill. You're holding up beautifully as long as you realize that it's okay to be worried about slipping again."

"But do you know it's okay that you slip?"

"Dr. Mueller, if I slip I take three other guys down with me."

"No, we've been over this. You need a refresher course, Bill." Dr. Mueller smiled. He was doing okay. He just needed a wake-up call and a boost. "You slipped earlier this year when you began cutting yourself and the only person you took down was yourself. You've managed to pull yourself back from that and that's great. But, Bill, with every new stress you have to find a new way to deal with it. Committing suicide didn't work. Cutting didn't work. What's next?"

"I don't know." Bill shrugged.

"What have you done so far about the publicity?"

"Nothing."

"You must have done something to make Harmony worried."

"It was nothing really. She over-reacted." Bill sighed but Dr. Mueller remained silent. "She came over last night and I was sitting in my bedroom by myself in the dark."

"Okay."

"I wasn't doing anything. I was just sitting there thinking. I guess she rang the bell and I didn't hear it so she let herself in and got really worried. When she came into my room she was just really worried."

"What would you feel if you found her in the same way?"

"I'd feel like she was just really tired." Bill said softly.

Dr. Mueller smiled. "Bill."

"Yeah, I'd be worried too."

"See? She's just watching out for you."

"I know." Bill nodded. "But I'm really doing okay. I know she thinks that I've recovered too soon or whatever but, Dr. Mueller, I really feel 100 times better."

"I'm glad to hear that." She nodded. She had heard that same line a thousand times before. "I'd like you to answer me honestly. Have you cut yourself since the last time that Harmony knows about?"

"No." Bill said with conviction.

"Have you thought about it?"

Bill paused for just a split second. That answered his question before he did. "I don't- I guess. I mean, yeah. I've thought about it. But I didn't act on it so that's gotta say something."

"That says a lot, Bill. But the fact that cutting yourself is still an option for you-"

"It's not an option." He insisted.

"You've thought about it. It's an option." She said slowly. "The fact that it's still an option is reason enough for her to worry. You may never cut yourself again, Bill, and I certainly hope for your sake that you don't. But you can never know. I think that's what she's really scared about. She doesn't know."

"But it's got to be the same for her and pills."

"It is." Dr. Mueller nodded. "She's still working with that. And it scares her just as much that she may still take a handful of pills because she's thought about it."

"I don't want to cut myself."

"And she doesn't want to overdose."

Bill sighed deeply into the phone. "So what do I do?"

"That's up to you. You don't have to do anything. I think you're doing very well and you seem to think so too."

"What about Harmony?"

"She's doing well also. Incredibly well."

"I'm meeting her parents for Christmas." Bill added after a moment.

Dr. Mueller cringed inwardly. She wouldn't wish them on anyone. "Really? Has she told you about them?"

"Yeah, she gave me fair warning." Bill smiled. In fact she'd done everything she could to make Bill change his mind about going. "What do I tell her?" He asked after a short pause.

"Do you feel like you need to tell her something?"

"Well she's the one who asked me to call you." Bill shrugged.

"Tell her what you like. As far as I'm concerned this is between you and me." She drew circles on her scratch paper and checked her watch. She had ten minutes before her next appointment. "How are things going with your friends?"

"The guys? Thing are really great." He nodded. "Georg did a public service announcement with me and the other guys have been real supportive through everything. They've opened up a lot and so have I, I suppose."

"That's good to hear. I know that was a problem before."

"Yeah." Bill nodded. "We've all changed a lot. Harmony too."

"Good. I'm really glad to hear that, Bill."

"Thanks." He smiled. "I guess I'll let you go. I know you're busy."

"Okay, don't be a stranger. Keep in touch and let me know how you're doing." Dr. Mueller smiled.

"I will." Bill nodded. He promised himself that he actually would put forth the effort. Dr. Mueller had helped him more than anyone else and she was the only one he hadn't kept in contact with.

Saturday night was spent in a convention room at the Sheraton Raleigh as everyone celebrated the completion of their new album. Harmony joined the rest of the guys along with their entire crew and staff. It was a huge party and they all had a great time. It was a cheerful way to start the holidays. Christmas Eve was Sunday and the other guys hopped a flight immediately after the party to fly back to Germany to be with their families. Bill simply drove across town to his own house. He was going to spend Christmas Day with Harmony and her family. They would be leaving the day after to spend the week with his family. She had managed to talk her supervisor into giving her one week of vacation in advance for the next year so that she could go with him.

-----------------------------

Bill adjusted the collar of his shirt for the hundredth time as he stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom. "Does this look okay?"

"Stop messing with it. It looks fine." Harmony sighed from the other room. She used a barrette and clipped her hair back from her face. She walked into the bathroom beside Bill. "Take the tie off. Really?" She reached over and loosened the tie to pull it over his head.

"Harmony-"

"I promise you don't need a tie." She tossed it toward the hamper and put her hands on her hips. "Let's just stay here." She made her last attempt to change his mind.

"No, we're going." Bill kissed her quickly then glanced at the little clock on the counter. "And we're running late so let's go." He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out to the car. They drove over to her parent's house and parked in the street.

Before Bill turned the car off Harmony placed her hand on his knee. "This is your absolute last chance, Bill."

"Thanks for the offer." He smiled but opened his door and climbed out anyway. Bill came around to her side and helped her out. They walked hand in hand towards the front walk. "Oh, the presents." Bill began to turn back to retrieve the gifts he'd bought for her parents from the car.

"We can get them after dinner. We're already late." Harmony shook her head. Bill reluctantly turned back toward the house. He left the gifts where they were.

"They know I'm coming, right?" He asked.

"Well-"

"Harmony! Wait." He grabbed her arm and stopped on the brick path. "They don't know I'm coming?"

"Well, what was I supposed to say?"

"How about Mom and Dad, I'm bringing my boyfriend to Christmas. Or something along those lines?"

"But they don't-" She shuffled her feet and looked up the empty street.

"They don't what?" Bill asked softly. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back. "They don't even know we're dating?" She didn't answer. She only shook his head. "But they know we're friends right. Who I am?"

"Bill, they're not like normal parents." Harmony tried to explain.

"Whoa, Harmony, let me get this straight. You're taking me to meet your parents on Christmas and they aren't going to have any kind of idea who I am?"

"If I told them before they'd have time to prepare." She sighed.

"Time to prepare for what? This isn't better springing a stranger on them."

"Maybe we should just go back to your place." Harmony shook her head and tugged him back toward the street.

"No, let's just get this over with." Bill frowned and pulled her by her hand to the front door. He rang the doorbell and held her hand tight so she wouldn't try to make a run for it.

"Hello, Harmony. Only 10 minutes late this time. You're improving." A gentleman said as he pulled the door open.

"Hi, Dad." Harmony dropped her head as she blushed and stepped into the entry.

Bill's mouth fell open slightly at the man's tone before he recovered and extended his hand. "Hi. I'm Bill. It's a pleasure to meet you." He forced a smile and took a step forward.

"You didn't tell your mother you were bringing guests." The man said as he brusquely shook Bill's outstretched hand. "I'll go let Penny know she needs to set another place." He turned quickly and walked down the hall. He left Bill and Harmony in the foyer.

"See?" Harmony whispered as her voice shook.

"Sh*t." Bill said under his breath as he squeezed her hand. He took a deep breath and followed her father down the short hall. All this time he thought she had been over exaggerating when she talked about her parents but he could see now that she wasn't. His mind spun thinking about how he should have just left when Harmony offered.

"We can leave as soon as dinner's over." Harmony said softly as they stepped into the huge dining room.

Bill nodded quickly and glanced around the room. A heavy dining room table dominated the room and, while there was room for twelve, only six places were set. "Mom, Dad, Catherine and Chandler this is my friend Bill. Bill, my parents Frances and Blake. And my aunt and her friend Catherine and Chandler." Harmony said nervously.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you all." Bill smiled and for the first time in a while he actually felt nervous.

"Hello- Bill is it?" Harmony's mom made a sour face. "We weren't expecting guests so forgive the delay in getting your place set."

"It's okay. I'm sorry to just show up like this." Bill said as he and Harmony took their seats halfway down the table. She kept her hand in his as they sat and he could feel her start to sweat.

"Bill, has been busy lately and I wasn't sure he was going to be able to join us or I would have let you know earlier." Harmony explained quietly.

"Even a few minutes warning would have sufficed." Her father said with a frown. Harmony sighed and kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to start a fight on Christmas.

"We've already said grace. Penny will be serving. You can bless your food when it arrives." Her mother said.

Bill listened in disbelief. He couldn't see how a child could be raised like this or how Harmony could have come from a house like this. As horrible as it sounded Bill could completely understand why she would try to commit suicide. This house was enough to drive anyone nuts and he'd only been there a few minutes.

Penny served the turkey and ham as well as everything else that went with a traditional Christmas dinner and then they ate in partial silence. The only conversation Bill heard during the meal was money talk between Chandler and Blake.

"Do you invest?" Chandler asked.

Bill didn't realize he was talking to him and continued to eat. Harmony kicked his ankle under the table and he looked up quickly. "What?"

"Excuse me?" Chandler raised his eyebrow at Bill's lack of manners.

"Excuse me. I didn't hear what you said." Bill blushed quickly.

"I asked if you invested." Chandler repeated his question.

"Oh, yeah." Bill nodded. "Most of my money is rolled over into IRA's. I think."

"You think? You don't know where your money goes?"

"Most of it goes to my management team and agents. The part that I actually take home is handled by my accountant."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 21."

"Twenty-one and you have an accountant? That's pretty optimistic of you." Chandler laughed.

"When you make more than two million a year it helps to have an accountant." Bill said sharply. "But I guess you're right. I am pretty optimistic. We've gone ten times platinum so I think that's pretty good." Harmony bumped her knee against his and reached under the table to pinch his thigh. Bill took the hint and closed his mouth.

"Bill is in a band." She said softly.

"A band?" Her father laughed and Bill could tell that he and Harmony were only digging him deeper into a hole. "Is that how you're planning on supporting my daughter?"

Harmony choked on a bite of her dinner. She reached for her glass of water. Bill patted her on the back and tried not to laugh. Suddenly the whole night seemed hilarious to him. "Support me?" She managed to choke. "Dad, we're not getting married."

"Harmony's doing fine supporting herself. I don't think she needs my help." Bill smiled and offered his napkin to Harmony who quickly dabbed her mouth. "But if she needed me to I'm sure I wouldn't have a problem supporting her."

Harmony glared at him quickly. He was practically laughing as she waded through ****. Bill just smiled and shrugged. He'd rather go through the night with a smile than let them bother him enough to ruin the night. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"You think this is funny?" She whispered back.

"You're beautiful when you're embarrassed." Bill reached for her hand under the table and laced his fingers through hers. He smiled reassuringly as he squeezed her hand.

When the meal was finished they went into the sitting room where there were cards set out on the mantle of the fireplace. Harmony's mother handed her the card with her name on it and muttered something that sounded like "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you." Harmony nodded and handed her mother a card in a deep red envelope. Bill witnessed the exchange of gifts with a sad look. This was so different than any Christmas he'd ever seen.

"The gifts are still in the car." Bill whispered as her mom walked away. Harmony just shook her head slowly and looked up at Bill with pleading eyes.

"No Bill." She said softly. "Let's go out back. You still have to meet Max."

"Max?"

"Yeah." A smile played across her lips as she led him toward the backdoor. She carefully pushed the huge french doors open and stepped out to the immaculate sitting area. As soon as the doors swung shut a tan cocker spaniel came bounding around the corner at full speed. "Max!" Harmony knelt in front of the dog and scratched his ears as he happily licked her face. "I miss you, you little sh*t." She laughed and wrapped her arms around the dog before letting him go so he could sniff at Bill's feet.

"Hi there." Bill cautiously leaned down to let the dog sniff his hands. Max immediately licked Bill's palm and danced around his shoes.

"Max likes everyone." Harmony laughed as Bill ran his hands over Max's soft coat.

"He's cute." Bill smiled up at Harmony.

She seemed truly happy as she walked to the edge of the patio and picked up an old tennis ball. "Max, go get it!" She tossed the ball toward the far corner of the yard and laughed as he ran after it.

"Is he yours?"

"Technically he belongs to them." She looked back at the house. "But I'm pretty much the only one that pays any attention to him." Harmony frowned for a second but laughed again as Max dropped the ball at her feet. Bill picked it up and lobbed it off to the right.

"Can you have pets at your apartment?"

"No." She shook her head. "But he needs room to run around. He can't get that at an apartment." They tossed the ball for Max for a few minutes before Harmony spoke up. "We can go whenever you're ready. Christmas is done for my family."

Bill nodded slowly and watched Max run across the damp grass. "Okay, let me know when you want to go."

"Now works for me. How does that sound?" Harmony asked with a smile though she didn't feel happy.

"If you want." Bill nodded. He was secretly glad to have an excuse to leave.

"Yeah." Harmony bent down to scratch Max's ears again and to give him a hug goodbye. "See you later." She laughed as he licked her hands and gave a short bark.

"Bye, Max." Bill reached for Harmony's hand and they ducked back into the house to say a quick thank you and good-bye before they left. There were no hugs or kisses. Her parents barely took the time to look up from their game of Backgammon to say good-bye. Harmony sighed and dropped Bill's hand before they headed down the foyer and out the front door.

Overall the whole evening had only taken a few short hours but Bill felt emotionally drained as they climbed into the car. "You didn't believe me, did you?" Harmony asked as she pulled her seat belt across her lap. The tears she'd been holding back all night threatened to fall as he started the car.

"I had no idea." Bill shook his head and pulled out onto the street. He reached over and placed his hand lightly on her knee. "You're so much different than them. I don't know how you all are related."

"You think I'm different than them?" Harmony asked as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Are you kidding?" Bill smiled. "You're about as far away from them as you can be." He brushed her tear away with the back of his hand and looked back at the road. "I'll bet Dr. Mueller has a field day with your parents."

"Yeah, when they go."

"I thought you all were going for family counseling?"

"We were while I was living at home. I guess they figured once I moved out I was on my own." She shrugged.

"What does Dr. Mueller say about that?" Bill asked. Harmony remained silent for a minute and Bill thought he may have crossed that invisible line. "I don't-"

"Dr. Muell-" They started at the same time. Bill smiled and nodded for Harmony to continue. "Dr. Mueller would like them to come back for their own therapy but as far as me? I guess she thinks that since they're so unwilling to budge maybe I'm better off without them."

"But you need a support structure. You've told me that a hundred times."

"I have you." Harmony stated the obvious answer.

"Yeah but-" He shrugged instead of saying what was on his mind. He wanted to say that he was just as messed up as she was half the time and not really a good support.

"And I have Cassey and my friends at work."

Bill nodded but, rather than pointing out that her two closest friends were patients with her at Ahoskie Behavioral, he said, "True. I think you're doing great without them."

"Yeah." She whispered and looked out the window as her bottom lip trembled. She tried to force the tears back but, as she squeezed her eyes shut, two more escaped. "I just want to have a real family, Bill. I just want to have a normal family where the mom and dad give a d*mn about their kids even if they're grown up and where they can have a normal Christmas dinner and normal conversations." She breathed out and fogged up her window as the tears fell freely. "They don't even care that I have a job or that I have my sh*t together. As long as I'm not living in their house living off of them they don't care at all."

Bill searched for something to say but everything she was saying seemed true. If they hadn't been on the freeway he would have pulled over to hold her. Instead he drove as fast as he could back to his house and parked in the garage. As the heavy garage door closed behind them Harmony jumped from the car and crossed her arms over her chest. She stood beside the door leading into the house and waited for Bill to unlock it.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders. His keys dangled from the belt loop on his jeans as he tilted her chin up to look her in the eye. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded and reached a hand up to wipe her tear stained face.

"Come here." He wrapped his warm arms around her and held her in the darkness of the garage. He ran his hands over her hair and she rested her cheek against his chest. This was where she was the most comfortable. Over the last six months she had felt more and more at home in his arms and while she was there she felt like nothing could go wrong. "I love you, Harmony."

Bill didn't expect her to respond. She never did but he heard her whisper, "I love you too."

He knew at that moment that no matter how bad the night had been this was the best night of his life. He leaned back and met her eye as she smiled up at him. She looked more nervous and scared than she had all night. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him softly. She didn't need anyone else but him.

-----------------------------

The day after Christmas Bill and Harmony had to wake up insanely early to get ready for their 3 am flight to Germany. They had a quiet breakfast in his dining room. They were comfortable in their pajama bottoms and T-shirts as they ate cold cereal and pineapple-orange juice. "What does your family usually do for Christmas?" Harmony asked softly.

"We all get together at my Oma's house on Christmas morning to open presents. Then we just sit around and catch up while we cook. Then we stuff ourselves with turkey and ham and all that good stuff." Bill stirred his frosted flakes and took a bite. "This year we're doing it tomorrow though since my aunts spent yesterday with their husbands' families."

"How many people are there?"

"Lots." Bill shrugged. "I mean, there's my family which is my mom, step-dad and brother. Then my dad has two sisters who are married with kids so they come. My mom's brother is usually there with his daughter." Bill counted the people on his fingers, "If my Oma's friend Mary-Beth comes then we'll have seventeen people. Eighteen including you." He smiled.

"Eighteen people?" Harmony's eyes widened at the thought. "I have to meet your entire family?"

"Not my entire family. My mom's oldest sister lives in London with her husband and kids so she won't be there."

"Well, yeah but still." She gave him a worried look as she set her plastic bowl on the table.

"Don't worry about it. You'll fit right in. As long as you have a good sense of humor, which you do, and as long as you don't mind dogs, which you don't." Bill smiled. "They're gonna like you Harmony." He pecked her cheek as he picked up her bowl and carried to the sink.

"I'm never going to remember their names." Harmony complained.

"You don't have to."

"Bill."

"Don't whine. We're going to have a great week. There's going to be snow and fireplaces, good home cooked food and lots of embarrassing stories about me." Bill laughed and tried not to yawn as he adjusted the waist of his pants and walked toward the back of the house to his room. "And I know you think I forgot but I didn't." He shouted over his shoulder as she put her glass in the dishwasher alongside the bowls.

"Forgot what?" She padded down the hall in her bare feet.

"About your gift."

"You gave it to me already."

"The sweater?" Bill laughed. "That's not your only gift."

"I love it. I'm going to wear it tomorrow when we get to Germany. And you don't need to get me anything else, Bill. You buy me things all the time." Harmony stood with her hands on her hips in his room as he pulled his clothes off the hanger in the closet. "Speaking of which. How formal is it?"

"Is what?"

"Christmas at your grandma's."

"What you've got on is fine." Bill glanced at her from the closet before he went back to flipping through his long sleeved shirts.

"This is pajamas." Harmony looked down at her plaid flannel pants.

"Yeah. That's the attire. No one's dressing up. Everyone is just in their pajamas in the morning and comfortable stuff for the rest of the day." Bill pulled a slate colored shirt off the hanger and tossed it on the bed. "Jeans, sweatshirt, whatever."

"Okay." Harmony said softly.

"Why? What did you pack?"

"Jeans and stuff for the rest of the week but I also brought a dress and slacks for Christmas and New Years." Harmony reached into her overnight bag and pulled out the traveling clothes she had chosen when she packed two days before.

"Did you pack sweaters?"

"Yeah."

"How about a jacket?"

"I have my leather jacket." She checked the coat rack in the corner to be sure it was hanging there.

"Then you're set." Bill tossed his jeans and a clean pair of socks on the bed by his shirt and walked into the bathroom. "I call dibs on the shower." He smiled and shut the door.

Harmony smiled and shook her head as she picked up her over night bag and walked across the hall to the guest bathroom. She took her shower and got dressed in there. She quickly ran a brush through her curls and crossed the hall again.

Bill stood there completely dressed with his suitcase in one hand and hers in the other. "Ready?"

"We have to leave now?" Harmony checked her watch. "Our flight isn't until 3 am."

"Right."

"It's one in the morning."

"And it's the day after Christmas. There's going to be more traffic than you can imagine at the airport and since we're checking luggage we need to get there early."

Harmony sighed. She knew better than to argue with him about time. That was one thing he was fanatical about. "Did you call for a cab?"

"I called for a ride, yeah." Bill nodded. "It should be here any minute."

"Okay." Harmony grabbed their carry on luggage and the tickets then followed him out to the front of the house. He set their bags by the driveway then went back to check the house and lock up.

While he was in the house a limo pulled up on the street and the driver jumped out. "Is this the Kaulitz residence?" He asked. He pronounced Bill's last name incorrectly.

"Um, yeah." Harmony ignored the pronunciation and looked back at the front door where Bill was standing with his back to her. "Bill?"

"Yeah?"

"There's a limo here." Harmony looked back at the street.

"Right on time." Bill laughed and trotted down to where she was. He grabbed the bags as the driver opened the trunk. "Come on." Bill nodded at the open car door.

Harmony smiled to herself and walked down the driveway where she slid into the new smelling leather seat in the back. She ran her fingers over the smooth wood paneling and the power window controls. "Nice."

"This is the start of your relaxing few days off."

"You think going to meet your family will be relaxing?" Harmony smiled.

"You aren't going just to meet them. You're going for Christmas. Meeting them is just a bonus." Bill smiled and climbed into the limo beside her. "It won't be as bad as you're thinking."

"I don't think it'll be bad. It's just it's meeting the parents. You were nervous about meeting mine."

"Well, yeah."

"Okay then." She smiled. "Let me be nervous."

"You can be as nervous as you want but it's not that bad."

They rode to the airport and checked their luggage. They went to the VIP lounge to wait for their flight to be called. The lounge was empty so they took their drinks to the tall tables by the window to watch the planes take off across the airport.

Harmony's feet tapped nervously as she clinked the ice in her glass. "What's wrong?" Bill asked with a smile. "Don't get nervous yet. At least wait until we get to Germany. We have an long flight ahead of us."

"I'm not a fan of flying."

"What? Are you serious?" Bill laughed.

"I'm serious. I don't freak out on planes, you know that. But this is a really long flight." She smiled and looked out the window. "Traveling just isn't my favorite thing in the world. No biggie."

"Maybe you should have a real drink." Bill laughed and nodded toward the bar.

"Right, then I'd be a nervous vomiting flyer. That's not much better." Harmony shook her head and laughed. "I'll be fine."

The sat and watched the planes take off from and arrive until their flight was called and they were able to board. The flight was long and boring but they were able to watch the in-flight movie, get some sleep and eat the snacks they brought around. Bill let Harmony know what to expect but kept reassuring her that she would have a great time and that she had nothing to worry about.

-----------------------------

The plane landed in Germany shortly before nine (Germany time). Their feet dragged as they stepped off the airplane and into the walkway to the terminal. As they got closer to the gate Bill's smile grew and he took Harmony's hand in anticipation.

They stepped into the gate and Harmony's eyes scanned the crowd even though she had no idea who she was looking for. Bill spotted his mother right away and immediately pulled Harmony towards her.

"Hallo mein Schatz!!" Bill's mother pulled him in for a hug as soon as he was within grabbing distance. "Du benötigst einen Haarschnitt." She laughed and looked him over.

"Wow. I've been here four minutes and she's already talking about my hair." Bill told Harmony as he laughed and kissed his mother's cheek. "Ich werde mir die Haare schneiden. Ich verspreche es." Harmony cleared her throat from behind Bill and he turned around quickly. "Mama, das ist Harmony."

"Hallo." Harmony blushed as she extended her hand to Bill's mom.

"Hallo!" She pulled Harmony in for a hug before Harmony could move. "How was your flight?"

"Long." Harmony said nervously. She wasn't used to such warm receptions.

"I'm sure it was." Simone laughed. "Come, let's leave here before Bill starts drawing a crowd." She nodded at Bill and laughed.

"It's good to be home." Bill dropped his arm over his mother's shoulders. They walked down to the baggage claim area where Bill got their two suitcases and carried them out to the curb.

Simone led the way to the north end of the airport where they all waited for a blue Explorer. Gregor hopped out when he got there and tossed the luggage into the back while everyone else got into the car.

"Harmony, this is my Onkel Gregor. Gregor, das ist meine Freundin Harmony." Bill made the introductions as they left the airport parking lot.

"Hallo, Harmony. It is good to meet you." He smiled in the rear view mirror as Bill took her hand and smiled.

"When we get to the house it's gonna be a little crazy for a few minutes." Bill whispered.

"Okay." Harmony nodded and looked out the window at the passing scenery.

"Harmony, have you ever been to Germany?" Simone asked from the front seat.

"When I was very little but I don't remember it." Harmony spoke quickly and stumbled over some of her words.

"I can promise it is quite different than your North Carolina." Simone laughed.

"You can say that again. Does it get this cold there?" Gregor asked.

"We have snow sometimes in the winter and we have ski resorts in the mountains so it can get pretty cold." Harmony smiled and tried to relax.

They all made small talk as they drove to the house where Bill's mom grew up.

When they pulled up in front of the house they all got out and stretched as Gregor got the luggage out of the back. The two men carried the luggage up the walk as the small group made their way up to the warm looking house. "Are you ready?" Bill asked softly.

"Not even close." Harmony smiled nervously.

"Just smile and say hallo a lot. You'll be fine. We'll escape upstairs as soon as possible."

"Is everyone here?"

"Probably not." Bill shook his head.

"Okay." Harmony took a deep breath as they stepped up onto the porch.

The front door flew open and an older lady stepped out with a huge smile. "Bill! Endlich! Du bist hier! Ich habe dich vermisst!" She laughed and pulled Bill to her for a warm embrace.

"Hallo Oma." Bill held her tight and closed his eyes. It had been too long since he'd seen her.

"Are you hungry? I have food. Lots of food. You want some. You need to eat!" She stood back and straightened her black slacks. Her lavender blouse had come untucked in the back but she didn't seem to notice. Bill's grandmother tucked her graying hair back into the loose bun at the nape of her neck. "Hallo! You must be Harmony. I'm Aggie." The older woman was very grandmotherly but she still presented and carried herself like a dignitary. Harmony could almost picture her sitting on the Supreme Court cloaked in robes and prestige.

"Hallo, Mrs-" Harmony stopped and looked at Bill for a response.

"Call me Aggie." She laughed and pulled Harmony in for a quick hug. "Now let's get out of the cold."

They filed into the house where Harmony immediately saw a familiar face. Tom was sitting on the couch playing a video game with a young boy. He waved in her direction and quickly turned his attention back to the game. Bill quickly introduced everyone as Harmony tried to keep track of all of the names. She knew when she was faced with the others the next morning she wouldn't remember a single name.

She politely said hi to everyone and tried to stay out of the way as they all greeted Bill. They spoke in rapid German as they caught up with him. Bill filled everyone in quickly then looked over his shoulder at Harmony who was standing by the luggage. "I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah." Harmony nodded and blushed as all eyes turned to her.

"Wo bleiben wir?" He asked as he turned to his grandma.

"Oben." She nodded toward the carpeted stairway off the entry hall. "Gregor and Bridget are staying down the hall here and these tatterdemalions are staying downstairs." Aggie nodded toward Bill's parents and Tom. Downstairs was what could be considered an apartment with two bedrooms, a sitting room, bathroom and a tiny kitchen area.

"Gute Nacht." Bill smiled and kissed his grandma on the cheek. "Danke Oma." He grabbed a suitcase and nodded for Harmony to grab the other.

They said goodnight to everyone and headed up the stairs with Harmony in the lead. "Your family seems nice. Do they all speak English?" Harmony asked as she bumped her suitcase up the stairs.

"Yeah." Bill nodded. "Most of them anyway. It's a requirement in school." He laughed.

"It sounds weird." Harmony stopped at the top and turned to look at him. "Not a bad weird. It's a good weird. It's a beautiful language and I don't think I've heard you speak it before."

"I speak it when I'm around the guys but when we're with someone who speaks English we try to speak English too."

"You should do it more often. It's sexy." Harmony smiled and looked around the landing. "Where's the room?"

"On the left by the corner." Bill motioned toward the room.

"Yours or mine?"

"Ours."

"Ours? Your grandmother is letting us share a room?"

"I'm 21." Bill shrugged.

"Well, yeah but still-"

"Her room shares a wall with this one and the door will stay open. There's not a chance in hell I'd try to do anything sexual in my Oma's house." Bill laughed and dropped his luggage by the foot of the bed. He took hers and set it in the narrow closet. "Besides I'm so tired right now I think I'm gonna sleep until noon tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too. Which doesn't make sense since it's only about three in the afternoon North Carolina time." Harmony laughed.

"I'm always tired after sitting on an airplane all day. I think they pump sleeping gas into the air system or something." Bill laughed.

"Yeah." She yawned and followed Bill to the closet where she unzipped her suitcase and pulled her pajamas out. "What time do we have to get up?" Harmony asked as she held the portable alarm clock in her hand.

"Don't worry about that. No one sleeps through anything in this house. You'll either get up when Oma does or when she starts breakfast or when everyone else wakes up or, at the latest, when the entire family gets here." Bill said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Bill nodded.

"Okay." She reluctantly tucked the alarm clock back in her bag and took her toiletries and pajamas with her to the bathroom across the hall. She brushed, washed and changed all that needed it and went back to the bedroom to crawl into the soft and inviting bed.

Harmony lay down on the right side of the bed and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders. Somehow the sheets were already warm against her legs. Bill changed and turned the room light off then walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled under the covers beside Harmony. He switched the small lamp on his bedside table on and took his notebook from his backpack.

"Is that your journal?" Harmony asked. She hadn't seen him writing in a while and was surprised to see him scribbling in the book again.

"Not exactly. It's not like a diary or anything." Bill shook his head.

"Like the one you had at Ahoskie Behavioral?" Harmony asked softly.

"No, what I had there wasn't really a journal either. Just a bunch of random writing and ideas."

"So then what do you write in your little book?" Harmony asked as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Lyrics and stuff."

"And stuff?"

"Yeah." Bill blushed and smiled.

"Poems?"

"Songs are poems set to music."

"Can I see?" Harmony smiled and leaned over to try to peek.

"No." He closed the book and leaned away from her. "These are private." He laughed as she tried to reach for the notebook.

"Private until they're made into a number one hit." She rolled her eyes and lay across his lap to try to grab it.

"Harmony." He laughed and moved it to his other hand.

"Bill." She whined back. "Please?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to see. The curiosity is killing me."

"I'll read one. How's that?" He looked down at her and helped her back into a sitting position. She burrowed down in the blankets and rested her head on the feather pillow. Bill flipped the pages in the well worn book toward the beginning. "Here. This is one I wrote for you." He said softly.

"For me?" Harmony blushed.

Bill nodded and kept his eyes on the book.

Eyes That Do Not See
Have you ever looked beyond
What is set before your eyes
Explanation, elucidation
Vindication, rationalization
It all awaits you
We all essentially
Presume, assume
Take for granted
What's laid before them
But looking past the exterior
Can divulge
Peace, tranquility
Serenity, harmony
Reveal the realm beyond
What your eyes see
Open up your
Heart, mind
Body, soul
Sights outside
Truth, Veracity
Life, Reality
You may discover
All you've been searching for
And expose that
It has always been there

"You wrote that for me?" Harmony asked as a rush of apprehension swept over her body. She had been worried about Bill for a few weeks now. Ever since his public service announcement went out. The poem did nothing to help ease her concern.

"Yeah." He said softly and closed the little notepad. "A while ago. When you were on the road with us."

"That was amazing. Thank you." Harmony kissed him quickly and let her eyes linger on his. She tried to see deeper into them. "How did I get this lucky?" She whispered. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"I ask myself the same thing all the time." Bill kissed her again then sat back against the headboard to open his book and finish writing what he had been working on.

"Bill?" Harmony asked a minute later.

"Hmm?"

"That poem was really great but what are you writing in there now?" She asked softly with a little laugh.

"If you'll be quiet for another minute I'll show you." He didn't take his eyes off the page as he continued to write.

Harmony kept quiet while Bill scribbled the last couple lines in the book then he sighed and handed the notebook out to Harmony. "You're worse than a child."

"No, I'm not." Harmony smiled and held the book in her lap.

"Are you going to read it?"

"Well, now that you're letting me I don't know."

"Read the last page at least."

"This is personal." She said as she crinkled her nose.

"Five minutes ago you were ready to tackle me for it." Bill laughed and sunk down under the covers as he turned on his side with his back toward the open doorway.

"I know, but-"

"Don't be so indecisive! Just read the last one." Bill smiled and shook his head.

Harmony flipped through the pages covered in blue and black ink and found the last entry. Where the other pages were worn, this page was crisp. It had never been marked or crumpled in frustration.

-----------------------------

Harmony,

Earlier this year you gave me your journal filled with your innermost thoughts and feelings. It was your private memories and all of your passion. You trusted me with a big part of your life and I treasure that notebook. This is my attempt to do the same. I don't keep a journal so this is the next best thing. I guess that's not entirely correct. This is my journal to some extent. It is filled with my innermost thoughts and feelings. It's my private memories and every ounce of my passion. Where you express your dialogue in prose, I express it in poetry.

You've been sitting here very quietly beside me for the past few minutes. I'd keep writing forever if you'd stay right there with the look of happiness and anticipation on your face. Merry Christmas, Harmony.

Love always,

Bill

-----------------------------

"See? It's things like that that constantly remind me why I'm crazy for you."

"Nice choice of words." Bill smiled.

Harmony laughed lightly and shook her head. "You're so crazy. G'night." He gave her a quick kiss then took the notebook from her and set it on the nightstand before turning the little light off. Bill wrapped his arms around her and sighed. He could hardly wait for morning.

-----------------------------

Early the next morning Harmony lay awake in the strange house. She didn't want to be the first person up. A gentle thump in the hallway startled her as she opened her eyes slowly to see an old looking golden retriever smiling at her from the doorway. Harmony smiled and pulled her hand out from under the blankets to let it hang over the side of the bed.

The dog slowly made her way into the room and nudged Harmony's hand with her damp nose before giving a tentative lick. Harmony smiled and let the dog sniff for a minute before reaching to scratch her behind her ears. "Schätze, leave the kids alone." Aggie whispered loudly from the hall. "Oh, I'm sorry, Harmony. Did she wake you?"

Harmony shook her head no as Schätze reluctantly walked away from the friendly hand. "I was awake." She whispered back.

"Would you like some coffee or some food?" Aggie asked as she stroked Schätze head.

Harmony glanced over her shoulder at Bill still sound asleep. "Um-"

"Everyone else is still sleeping. You can go back to sleep. They won't start getting up until seven or after."

"What time is it?"

"Just after five. I tried to keep Schätze downstairs but she can't resist visitors."

"It's okay." Harmony slowly swung her feet around and placed them on the thick rug beside the bed. "Can I help with anything?"

"No but if you'd like to keep me company. I won't complain."

"I'd be happy to." Harmony smiled and stood up to follow Aggie down to the kitchen. The cool air gave her a chill as she stepped into the hallway in her flannel pants and sweatshirt.

"Would you like a robe? This must be freezing for you." Aggie smiled and turned toward her room.

"No, I'm fine." Harmony said to the empty hall. Aggie emerged a minute later with a pink and white checkered fleece robe. "Thank you." Harmony said out of courtesy. She pulled it on over her pajamas and followed Aggie and Schätze down the stairs as she tied the sash around her waist.

The robe did warm her up as they entered the kitchen where Aggie had already begun to prepare a turkey for later in the day. "Please sit. Would you like coffee?"

"I can get it." Harmony said as she reached for the cupboard above the coffee maker. She smiled and tried not to yawn as she poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter to drink it black.

"How you like living in North Carolina?" Aggie asked as she mixed the breadcrumbs and chopped vegetables for stuffing.

"It's nice." Harmony nodded. "I grew up in the area so I don't really know much else." Schätze plopped herself under the table and sighed. "How old is she?" Harmony looked at the dog.

"Almost sixteen." Aggie smiled proudly.

"She's a sweetheart." Harmony said softly.

"She is."

"Can I help with anything?"

"No. You are a guest here. You make yourself at home." Aggie tucked her hair back into her ponytail and began opening drawers in search for a spoon.

"Thank you for inviting us to stay here." Harmony said formally. The only exposure she'd had to family life was her own and she wasn't sure what was expected here.

"Where else would you stay?" Aggie laughed lightly and looked at Harmony like she was crazy for even asking. "I don't get to see my Bill often so, when I can, I keep him close."

Harmony nodded as if she understood when really she had no idea. They sat in comfortable silence as Harmony wondered if the rest of the family knew how she and Bill had met or any of her history. She didn't want to bring it up and she surely didn't want Aggie to say anything about it but at the same time she wanted to know how much they knew.

"Bill tells us that you are going to school to be a counselor?" Aggie asked as she kept herself busy getting things ready for the oven.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm going to a community college right now so I can get some of my general education classes out of the way before I go to NCSU."

"That's great! I wish Bill would go back to school."

"I don't know when he'd have time." Harmony laughed lightly and sipped at her coffee.

"He's always so busy. If I had my way he'd go back to school." Harmony nodded and wondered what the campus would look like if Bill enrolled in classes. "But he learns more about life with Tokio Hotel than any school could teach him."

"That's true." Harmony nodded.

"How do you like school so far?"

"I like it." Harmony smiled and blew on her coffee.

"You know, I went to college and that wasn't too common back then." Aggie kept her back to Harmony as she prepared the food for dinner that night. She told her all about her days in college.

Bill's cousin Emma and Tom stumbled into the kitchen a short while later and said good morning as they reached for the coffee. They sat at the table across from Harmony and smiled as she fidgeted with the napkin in front of her. Harmony looked toward the door. She hoped Bill would come through and save her from this uncomfortable situation. She had only met Emma the night before and there she was sitting in her pajamas and a borrowed robe drinking coffee.

"Oma, what time are Venessa and Salina coming?" Tom asked as he spooned heaps of sugar into his mug.

"I told them to be here at seven which means Venessa and her entourage will be here around seven thirty and we will be lucky if Daniel and Salina get here by eight." Aggie smiled and opened the oven door to take a whiff of the cooking turkey. "What do you think? Pancakes or french toast?"

"French toast." Emma and Tom said in unison.

"Harmony?"

"Hmm?

"Which would you like?"

"Whatever you make will be fine." Harmony blushed.

"I'll make whatever you want." Aggie laughed and reached into her bread drawer.

"French toast is fine." Harmony said softly.

"Okay. Do you all want bacon?"

"I don't but I'll get it for you." Tom jumped up from the table and opened the refrigerator to get the bacon out. "Do you have grapefruit, Oma?" He asked as he peered into the refrigerator.

"I looked but I couldn't find any that looked good. I have oranges and grapes, apples, all kinds of fruit. I knew you and Bill were coming so I got lots of the vegetarian food." Aggie grabbed the eggs out of the tray and began to get things ready for breakfast. "Harmony, do you have any special diets? Vegetarian or anything?"

"No. I'll eat just about anything." Harmony smiled and finished off the rest of her lukewarm coffee.

"I can vouch for that." Bill yawned as he stepped into the kitchen. "She even eats my cooking."

"Talk about a stomach of steel." Tom laughed and made gagging sounds.

"Only your barbecued stuff." Harmony gave him a smile of relief.

Emma sat back at the table and scooted her chair over to make room for Bill. "Yeah but you can't really go wrong with that."

"Sure you can." Harmony nodded. "I couldn't barbecue to save my life."

"Me neither." Tom set the bacon on the counter and offered to help Aggie with the breakfast.

"No. I'm used to cooking for a house full. Just let me at it and leave me alone." She smiled and pecked his cheek.

"Did you sleep okay?" Bill asked softly.

"Yeah." Harmony nodded.

"Awesome robe." He smiled and kicked her foot under the table.

"It's your grandmother's." Harmony smiled back.

"Bill, what will it be?"

"Pancakes with cinnamon. Like how you used to make them?"

"No problem." Aggie turned back to the stove top as more people found their way into the kitchen. Before she knew it, Harmony was surrounded by everyone she had met the night before. They were all in their pajamas still and talking over each other as the morning routine fell into place.

Aggie busied herself making breakfast for the bunch and they all stood around the kitchen eating as a family. As they were finishing up and placing their dishes in the dishwasher the front door opened and another family bounded into the house with shouted welcomes and lots of hugs.

"Let's open presents!" One of the younger children shouted.

"Marisa." Her mother scolded her.

"Sounds good to me." Aggie laughed and draped her arm over the little girl's shoulders. "You've got a lot under there. It's a good idea to start early."

The entire family wandered into the large family room with the scent of breakfast still warm in the air. Bill held Harmony's hand as they sat down on the love seat and Harmony looked around cautiously. She was the outsider in the room and she could feel everyone's questioning eyes on her. Harmony cleared her throat and pulled the robe tighter around her. She suddenly felt under-dressed though almost everyone else was lounging in their pajamas as well.

This was so unlike any other family situation she had ever been in and she didn't know what to expect next. Harmony usually tried to avoid situations like this and was eternally grateful for the feel of Bill's hand in hers.

"Let me run through the introductions quickly before we get started." Bill smiled at Harmony. "Don't worry. There won't be a quiz or anything." He added softly.

"Thank goodness." Harmony laughed nervously and looked around at the crowded room. "Okay, mom and dad, Simone and Gordon. You know Emma and Tom. My Aunt Venessa and her husband Felix. Luca over there is their son and Katharina is their daughter. Uh, Daniel and Salina. Salina is my step-dad's sister and they have three kids Marisa, Ryan and Stephanie." He pointed them out as he talked but Harmony was already lost. "You met Gregor and Bridget yesterday. Oma, of course, and her friend Mary-Beth."

"He's Bill." Katharina added from the love seat making everyone laugh.

"This is Harmony." Bill squeezed her hand tightly as she smiled and bumped her shoulder against his.

"I'm never going to remember." She whispered.

"That's okay." Bill whispered back.

They spent several hours opening presents and just talking with each other. Harmony was surprised that his family had bought little gifts for her as well and they didn't even know her. She received another sweater as well as a little photo album and a set of Apple scented lotion, soap and body wash.

When the presents were done the younger kids headed for the den to play with their new toys while the older kids and grown ups sat around the family room visiting. Aggie stood up after another hour and went into the kitchen to check on dinner.

"Do you need some help?" Harmony asked Salina as she too headed for the kitchen.

"Would you like to?" She asked.

"Sure." Harmony pushed herself off the couch and followed Salina and Venessa into the kitchen. "I'm not a great cook but I follow directions well." She laughed nervously and looked around at the crowded kitchen.

"Glad to hear it. How would you like to roll that dough there into balls?" Aggie said with a smile.

"I'd be happy to." She washed her hands at the sink and sat across the table from Emma to help her roll the dough.

"Did you ever find out if Luca asked that girl out?" Emma asked.

"Yes, her mom called me to see if it was okay." Venessa laughed.

"How adorable. How old is he now? Twelve?"

"He's 11. His birthday is the day after Mom's."

"Oh, that's right."

"What about Katharina? Is she still seeing Mark?"

"Yeah, going on two years now."

"Wow, has she brought up the marriage word yet?"

"I don't know. I keep telling her that he's a great guy but she doesn't listen to me. What do I know? I'm only her mom. I like him almost more than I like her sometimes." Everyone laughed.

"Mom, don't forget to ask Daniel how he got that cut on his hand."

"Why? What happened?"

"Didn't you hear? He was trying to get a squirrel out of the rain gutter and he thought it'd be easier if he climbed up on the roof and leaned over instead of climbing up the ladder to get him out."

"Wouldn't he need the ladder to get onto the roof?"

"Oh yeah, of course. But he wanted to lay on the roof to get the little guy out."

"He didn't fall did he?"

"Yes, fell onto the shed then rolled down into the dog food. He cut his hand on the rain gutter on the way down."

"Oh no!" They all laughed again. Harmony included.

Harmony rolled the dough into small balls and listened in silence. The banter going back and forth between the women was like nothing she'd ever heard before. She laughed when they did and paid close attention to what they were saying. It was obvious from the tone in their voices that even when they were complaining and teasing. They all knew they loved each other and were doing the kidding in good humor.

-----------------------------

After a few nights with his family Harmony was definitely beginning to feel more at home. She curled up on the couch between Bill and Emma with a cup of decaf and a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

"Harmony, has Bill told you about the M&M incident?" His Aunt Venessa asked.

"Um, no." Harmony laughed and looked over her shoulder at a blushing Bill.

"No, please! This isn't gonna be a Let's all embarrass Bill night." Bill shook his head as he laughed.

"Harmony hasn't heard any of the good stories yet. She shouldn't be making decisions about dating you until she has the good stories." Felix added from the kitchen. He walked out with his hands full of sodas and handed them out.

"So what happened?" Harmony laughed.

"I'm leaving the room if you're gonna start in on these." Bill shook his head and pretended to stand up.

"No! Stay so you can defend yourself." Emma laughed

"This is worse than getting the third degree from a reporter."

"Yeah but an M&M story? I have to hear this." Harmony laughed and looked at Venessa expectantly.

"We really don't have to go there." Bill covered his face with his hand.

"When Bill and Tom were four or five they were sitting in my backyard with Emma and they were eating M&M's. They were told not to leave the play area back there so I figured they couldn't get hurt. The next thing I know Emma comes running into the house crying hysterically so I run outside in a panic and I see Tom standing beside Bill laughing and Bill standing in the corner with his hands up by his face." Venessa paused to laugh as Bill blushed even deeper.

"Can we stop there?" He laughed.

"No way." Harmony shook her head.

"I see him in the corner and all I can think of is that he has hurt his lip or chipped his tooth or he and Tom got into another fight and Tom really punched him hard in the nose. I told him to come to me and he didn't move at all. He just started crying which made Tom start crying. I went over and turned him around and he kept crying."

"What happened?"

Venessa giggled and said. "There was no blood. Nothing swollen or chipped. But his nose looked weird."

"No!" Harmony's eyes opened wide as she looked over at Bill. The room was filled with the laughter of everyone else who had heard the story hundreds of times before.

"Yes, a yellow M&M was up his right nostril. Only it wasn't in sideways. It was wedged in there straight. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even think of how to get it out." Venessa's face was turning red as she laughed.

"She called me and I drove over and watched Emma and Tom so she could take Bill into the doctor." Salina laughed.

"You stuck an M&M up your nose?" Harmony laughed.

"See? This is why I wanted to go upstairs." Bill continued to blush as Harmony patted his thigh. "Tom dared me to! I blame Tom."

"Nein! Das ist gelogen! I did no such thing!" Tom held his hands up in his defense.

"That's so cute." She chuckled again and looked across the room to Venessa. "Are there any more stories?"

"Tons!" Simone said and that sparked a dozen more embarrassing stories, not only about Bill but also about everyone in the family. The stories kept everyone laughing until midnight when they all finally said goodnight and headed to their own homes or rooms.

When they were finally alone in the bedroom Harmony asked the question that had been bugging her since they arrived. "Bill? Does your family know about how and where we met?"

"Yes. Most of them. My parents and Emma and, of course, Tom. Oma knows too." He nodded.

"They know why I was there?"

"I didn't go into detail or anything but they know that we were both patients there."

"Oh." Harmony said softly as she dropped her eyes to the blanket.

"But, Harmony, it's okay."

"No, I know."

"No, listen. They know that you're the one who helped me on the road. I know my parents are really impressed with you. My mom keeps smiling at me then nodding at you." He laughed. "You've won them all over and, to be honest, they don't care about your past. You make me happy now and, to them, that's the important thing."

Harmony blushed and tried to hide her sad smile. "That's all they care about? That you're happy?" That was such an odd concept. Harmony wasn't sure if she could grasp it.

"Pretty much." Bill nodded and kissed her quickly. "And I am happy so there's nothing to worry about."

Harmony fell asleep with the knowledge that Bill was indeed happy and she was the reason.

-----------------------------

Over the next few days Harmony spent more time with Bill's cousin Emma and less time with Bill. They were becoming friends and even spent a whole day at the mall alone. Emma didn't ask any questions about Harmony's stay at Ahoskie Behavioral and, for the first time in a long time, Harmony felt the twinge of a new friendship blooming. They discussed their plans for New Years and wished they could spend it together in New York. Harmony and Bill had plans to spend it in North Carolina with the rest of the guys to celebrate both the New Year and the completion of their album. It had been finished for a while but, until it was released, they'd keep on celebrating that they'd finished it.

As a family they played touch football in the backyard and took down the Christmas tree and decorations. Aggie taught Harmony how to make no-bake cookies and the secret to sweeter coffee without sugar. Harmony never wanted to leave but, as their stay came to an end, she knew that, when they did leave, she would be leaving part of herself in Germany.

-----------------------------

On their last night there, Bill sat at the tiny kitchen table with Tom, Emma and their mom. Harmony joined them for a little while as they shared old memories then they began talking about the new album and tour that was in the planning process. Harmony had heard it all before so she excused herself and tip-toed up the stairs to their room.

The hallway was dark but she already felt as if she had lived there forever as she maneuvered around the hall table and tall silk plant. She opened the door to the room she had spent the last few nights in and walked across the creaking hardwood floor to the bed where she took off her borrowed robe and draped it over the chair.

Harmony inhaled deeply. She wanted to embed the scent of the room in her mind; old newspapers and jasmine. The lamp on the nightstand glowed when she turned it on and she climbed under the thick quilt.

She could hear the voices in the kitchen beneath her as they talked softly. Harmony smiled as her bottom lip began to quiver. The entire week had been just a glimpse into what a real family was all about and it only made her resent her own more. She plumped the feather pillow under her head and stared out into the hall. She mentally pictured Bill tossing balls of torn up napkin at his brother while his mom and cousin stirred their coffee and laughed.

Bill quietly climbed the stairs an hour later with a smile spread from ear to ear. "Hey, Gregor is going to be ready to-" Bill started in a soft voice as he came into the room. "Oh, sorry." He changed to a whisper as he noticed that Harmony's eyes were closed.

"I'm not asleep." She whispered back as she cracked her wet eyes open.

"Gregor is going to take us to the airport at ten so Oma's going to have breakfast for us at eight thirty." Bill whispered as he unbuttoned his jeans. He shimmied them down his legs and folded them in half before laying them across the packed suitcase by the door.

"Okay." Harmony nodded and scooted over to make room for him on what had become his side of the bed.

"You okay?" Bill looked over his shoulder at her as he pulled his shirt over his head. Harmony didn't answer. She just nodded as she blinked back another set of tears. "Why are you crying?" Bill reached out and smoothed her hair down. Her forehead was as warm as a child's as she snuggled under the covers.

"It's nothing." She tried to smile as she shook her head. "It's stupid."

"Are you mad?"

"No, not at all." She pulled the blankets back for him to slide under then waited as he switched the small lamp off. "I've had a great week, Bill. This was the perfect way to spend the holidays."

"They all really like you a lot. You're part of the family now, you know?" Bill smiled and rolled to face her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck softly. "But that doesn't explain why you're crying."

"It's nothing." Harmony shook her head again and placed her hand on his lower back. "I had a really great time here. Your family is perfect. This is just what I imagined a real Christmas was like. Maybe I'm just making a big deal out of this but, Bill, you have the Barbie family."

"The what?" Bill smiled.

"The Barbie family. You know, that's the life little girls dream of. Barbie's life. This is the family I've dreamed of." She laughed lightly.

"You're weird." Bill kissed her and brushed her hair off her forehead. "So you're not sad or anything like that?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm going to miss these guys though."

"They'll miss you too." Bill nodded and closed his eyes. She had become part of the family and that alone was Bill's goal for the week.

-----------------------------

When they returned from Germany Harmony began to act more distant and almost depressed. Bill knew there was a problem when they went to the New Years Party and her smile was forced all night. She looked like she had something on her mind and Bill was just waiting for her to tell him what it was. He let it go for a day or so before confronting her. "What's going on with you, Harmony? You okay?"

Harmony paused for a second. "I'm fine."

Bill wrapped his arms around her waist and frowned. "You're not acting fine."

"I'm okay, Bill."

"Since we got back you've been kinda quiet."

"It's the after holidays gloom." Harmony explained softly.

"I think it's more than that." Bill lightly scratched her back as they stood in his bathroom.

She set her toothbrush down on the counter and sighed. "It's nothing, Bill. I've just been thinking."

"About?"

Harmony looked at him for a second. "It's stupid, Bill." She shook her head and reached back to remove his hands.

"It's not stupid if you're this upset."

"I'm not upset." She walked out to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed to brush her hair.

"Harmony, you're upset about something and if it's something I can fix or help you with I want to help."

"You can't fix it and you can't help. So don't worry about it."

Bill sighed and placed his hands on his hips. She could be so difficult sometime and he wasn't even sure if she meant to do it. He decided to let it go until the morning when she may be in a better mood. He turned the radio on before he climbed into the large bed.

Harmony went through her nightly routine before she switched the light off and pulled the almond colored blanket up to her shoulders. "Is it because I'm going to have to go out of town a lot when the CD comes out?" Bill asked out of no where. He had planned on just letting it go but he hadn't thought that she might be upset because he was leaving. The release of the CD had been pushed back again and they were going to have to spend a few weeks promoting it.

"It's not you." Harmony shook her head and sighed again. "Fine. You want to know why I've been grumpy?"

"Yeah." He whispered.

"Going to Germany to meet your family made me realize how much my family sucks and it got me thinking about how if I had a family like that I would never have tried to kill myself."

Bill's eyebrows shot up in the dark. "My family had nothing to do with why I tried that." He said softly.

"No. I didn't mean it like that, Bill. I know you had your reasons and I know that you put your family first. I'm just saying that for me, for my reasons, with a family like that I wouldn't have felt like I needed to kill myself to get their attention." She sighed and rolled over to face him. "If you'd have grown up with another family you still would have tried, Bill, because they had nothing to do with it."

"Harmony, your family has made you stronger though."

"I know." She nodded slowly. "But now all I can think of is how lucky you are that you get to have a family like that. It's so petty and stupid but I'm almost jealous of you." She laughed lightly and dropped her chin to her chest.

"Don't be jealous." Bill reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You're part of the family now too. I can share."

"I know." She nodded and wiped her eyes quickly. "But it's not the same."

"It's as close as you can get without being born into the family." He kissed her quickly. "So that's what's been bugging you?" He whispered. She nodded in response and he shook his head and pulled her closer. "Don't be upset anymore. You have to put the past behind you. That's what Timon says, right?"

Harmony laughed and nodded as she wiped her eyes again. "Are you seriously quoting The Lion King? You're crazy."

"Yeah, but that's why you love me. If I wasn't crazy we'd have never met."

"True." She smiled as he kissed her again. "Thank you, Bill."

"You're welcome, Harmony." He snuggled closer to her and they fell asleep in each others arms to the sound of music coming from the speakers.

-----------------------------

The CD was released almost a month later and Bill had to leave for three weeks of coast to coast promotion. He asked Harmony if she would mind staying at his house while he was away and she was thrilled. She didn't mind it at all considering her entire apartment could practically fit in his living room.

Because of all the attention he had received after the public service announcement reporters had started circling in front of his house. Bill got a new security system after he found a reporter on his front step trying to look in through the small window by his door. It was expensive but worth it. The old system just wasn't enough any more.

He taught Harmony how to set the alarm and arm the house as well as how to work the monitors and who to call in case of an emergency. She paid close attention. The last thing she wanted was to set the alarm off herself. When he was sure she was comfortable with the new system he kissed her good-bye and left in the van for the airport.

Bill called every night from the road and Harmony could tell he was getting more and more tired each time he called. "So what did you do today?"

"We met with our tour manager to start talking about the tour and we taped two specials. One for for MTV and one for Fuse."

"Sounds like, uh- Fun." Harmony tried to sound serious but ended up laughing.

"Yeah, right." He yawned. "It's after eight here already and we haven't even seen our hotel."

"Oh, that sucks." Harmony frowned. "Well, don't work too hard. Take a few breathers every now and then or something."

"We try." He said softly from 3,000 miles away. "How are things back home?"

"Good. School is school. Work is work. Nothing too exciting." Harmony shrugged. The semester had pretty much just started and she was really enjoying her classes but school on top of work was rough.

"Cool." Bill nodded. She could hear someone saying something to him. "I have to go. I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll be here." Harmony smiled as he chest tightened. She hated saying good-bye. It was harder than she thought.

"I'll be home next weekend. I love you."

"Love you too." She said softly. "Bye."

Harmony hung up the phone and sank into his couch as she turned the volume up on the TV. It had only been a week and he expected to be gone for another week or so. The tour didn't start for three months but they had already started most of the planning for it. They would be working on the special effects, pyrotechnics and stage show for two months before the tour started so that didn't leave much time. He'd invited her out to New York but she couldn't miss that much school or work.

When the promotional tour for the new CD was done all of the guys flew to North Carolina to meet with a local tech guy that they were thinking about using for one or two of their songs for the tour. Harmony spent a few days with the whole band then saw them off at the airport to fly to California to get more work done. She was getting used to staying in Bill's house and began to feel claustrophobic on the few nights she went to her apartment.

Harmony didn't get to see or even talk to Bill for several days as they were put in a lock down to firm up tour details. She finally reached him on the third day and asked if he'd be able to come home for the weekend.

"I don't think so, Harmony." He shook his head and crawled into the bed.

"I guess we can celebrate when you get back." She said softly. She missed him more than anything but she didn't want to bring him down when he was obviously so excited.

"Celebrate?"

"Tomorrow or today I guess." She looked at the clock and saw that it was after midnight her time. It was only nine in California.

"Today?" Bill's fuzzy mind tried to remember the date.

"You must be tired. It's your two year anniversary of being out of the hell hole." Harmony smiled and sighed.

"Is it the 18th already?"

"For me, yeah."

"Wow. I didn't even realize what month it was." He laughed lightly.

"Congratulations, Bill."

"Thanks." He rubbed his temples. He missed Harmony more than ever. "I'll see what I can do about coming back this weekend, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded though he couldn't see her. They said their good-byes and Harmony curled up under the blankets in one of Bill's sweatshirts, just to have him close.

Bill didn't make it back that weekend but when he did they went out to a quiet restaurant to celebrate. He was secretly glad that she had remembered. No one else had said a word. They had been so busy the last couple weeks he hadn't really expected them to remember but it was still nice that someone had.

"Two years, huh? It's weird but it seems like it hasn't been that long."

"I know." Harmony smiled. "That sounds like such a long time."

"It is a long time. It just doesn't seem like that much time has passed." Bill reached across the table and took Harmony's hand. They had finished their desserts and were talking quietly over an empty table.

"You've come a long way. Even in just the last year." Harmony said softly. "I'm really proud of you and I hope you keep getting better. Of course, you're damn near perfect right now."

Bill smiled and blushed quickly. "You're not so bad yourself." He leaned across the table and kissed her quickly. "Let's get out of here."

"You know, I've heard that's the most used phrase in a movie."

"What?" He placed his napkin on the table as he stood up slowly.

"Let's get out of here." Harmony laughed lightly and stood up.

"If you say so." Bill smiled and laced his fingers through hers. They walked out the front of the restaurant and were immediately blinded by flashes from cameras.

"Bill! Over here!" Someone shouted.

"Ignore them." Bill said softly as he brushed his lips past her ear.

Harmony followed blindly where Bill lead her and before she knew it they were at his car. The bright spots faded as her vision went back to normal and she laughed as Bill unlocked the car and slid in the driver's seat.

"That is insane." Harmony shook her head and locked the door as she climbed in beside him.

"You have no idea." Bill said without even a hint of a smile. He rolled down the window and waved as they drove out of the small parking lot. He left the window down and let the cool night air rush in as they drove back to his house.

"That's weird. I mean, I know you're famous but I never actually thought they'd follow you to dinner."

"They do and that's why I have the new security system."

"Are those pictures going to be in a magazine?"

"Probably not." Bill shrugged. "They'll take pictures of anything as long as someone famous is in them." He laughed lightly. "But most of them probably end up in storage or something."

"Crazy." She laughed and rolled her own window down as they headed for the freeway. "Then what's the point?"

"Personally? I think they just like to annoy us." Bill laughed.

"Nice."

"Real nice." Bill nodded. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and laughed. Harmony could make him laugh at some of the strangest things but he realized that, if he didn't take things so seriously, he had a lot more fun.

Bill left the next morning to fly back to California. They had a lot more work to do and very little time to do it in. Harmony went back to school and tried to keep her mind off of Bill. For the first time ever she understood that ageless saying You don't know what you've got till it's gone. Bill wasn't gone exactly but she couldn't help but feel that tug at her heart when she thought about him. She truly didn't realize how wonderful he was to have around until he was suddenly gone. She'd have given anything to have him back on the other end of the couch or in the other room or even just in the same city.

-----------------------------

"Okay, you guys are done here." Jamison said. He was their new tour manager and in charge of making sure things ran smoothly while they were on the road. "We have everything under control. You're set." They had spent fourteen hours arguing over and finalizing tour plans and they were all getting on each others nerves.

"We're not done, Jamison. Benjamin wants us to get the wardrobe set tonight." Georg sighed.

"You all like the blue?" Jamison asked.

"Yeah." They all said in unison.

"You don't like the red or yellow with the lights?"

"Well, it's okay." Tom shrugged.

"But you all like the blue right?"

"Yeah."

"Then what's the problem? Blue it is." Jamison smiled.

"The blue costs almost twice as much." Bill pointed out.

"Do any of you like the red and yellow?" Jamison asked the group. He was met with silence. "Okay. We'll cut back on something else to keep it all under budget."

"Then we need to decide on what's being cut." Tom whined as he squeezed his eyes shut and leaned back in his chair.

"There are lots of places we can cut back. Pyro being number one. You guys had a lot on the Humanoid tour. You could do without a few of those. Leave it up to me, if there are any major changes I'll hold off until we meet back up."

"Tomorrow?" Gustav asked with his arm draped over his tired eyes.

"Two weeks." Jamison smiled.

"Right." Bill said sarcastically.

They all laughed lightly. They were all tired after a day's work. "We wish."

"It's true. Starting tomorrow morning you are all off the hook for two weeks. When you come back your minds will be fresh. You'll be well rested and ready to start on the rehearsals."

"Quit bullshitting us. We're too tired." Georg laughed and pushed himself off the couch.

"I'm serious. I don't want to see any of you for two weeks." Jamison smiled and stood up. "Benjamin called last night and handed down the final approval. You've spent a month here. We have another few months of preparation to wade through and we want you lucid. This tour is supposed to be more fun than work and if you guys are wound up when the tour starts, the whole thing will be nothing but work. If you start out the tour with the memory of an awesome two week vacation, you'll be a hell of a lot happier."

"But-" Bill started.

"But what? I never thought I'd hear you guys complaining about time off." Jamison laughed.

"We're not complaining." Georg and Gustav said at the same time.

"We'll take it." Tom laughed.

"I'm all about vacations." Gustav added.

"Great! Get out of here. See you guys in two weeks. Have fun and be careful." Jamison laughed as he shut his planner and headed for the doors. The guys let the information sink in for a minute before they bolted from the office with vacation plans running through their minds.

-----------------------------

Bill took an afternoon flight to North Carolina the day after getting the news of their vacation. He was looking forward to surprising Harmony. He saw her car in the driveway and could hardly wait to get inside to see her. "Hey, Harmony!" Bill shouted as he walked through the front door of his house. He dropped his bags in the entry and watched with amusement as Harmony jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Bill?" Harmony leapt from the couch and dropped the remote on the table. "Ahh! What are you doing here?" She crawled over the back of the couch and trotted down the hall to wrap her arms around him.

"I live here." He laughed.

"Yeah but what are you doing here?" She laughed and kissed him quickly.

"Would you believe me if I said we got two weeks off?" He couldn't stop himself from smiling as they stood in the entry.

"Are you serious?" Harmony laughed again and took a step back. "Two weeks? I thought you guys were swamped?"

"We are but Benjamin wants us fresh for the tour so he's giving us one last vacation."

"Oh my God! This is great." She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen. "I have one more class and then I'm on Spring break and I might even be able to pull in some vacation time from work. Bill, this is great!"

"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen someone so happy to see me." He laughed.

"Oh please! If you were to walk around a mall you'd find hundreds of girls just as happy." She laughed and stared at Bill. He had been away for what seemed like an eternity and she just couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Not the same." He shook his head and smiled. "Are you off today?"

"Yeah, I have to work tomorrow though. I wish I'd known you were coming home I would have gotten the day off. Oh and Cassey and I are going to see that new movie with Shai LeBeouf tomorrow night but I can get out of that."

"Don't cancel plans. That's okay." Bill shrugged. "We'll have two weeks to spend together."

Harmony sat at the bar across from Bill and leaned forward to rest her chin in her hands. "So what are your plans? Are you going to do stuff or just hang out for two weeks? Don't you feel like you've been paroled or something?"

"You talk a lot." Bill laughed and shook his head in awe. "I think you've said more since I've been home than I've ever heard you say."

"I have a lot of talking saved up since you've been gone." She laughed and blushed quickly.

"Good. I've missed your voice." He said softly before he cleared his throat. "I have some plans but nothing is 100% final. Just hanging out is definitely on the agenda and, yes, I guess it does kind of feel like parole."

"Awesome. Let's go get some dinner and I can fill you in on everything."

"Everything? What's going on?"

"Nothing really but you're here! Come on. You can tell me all about the tour and I'll tell you all about my psych paper I turned in last week. You'll love it."

"I just got back. I'd rather stay in."

"Oh, okay." Harmony gave him a slight frown, "I don't think you have anything in your fridge though. I, uh- I haven't really kept it stocked."

"That's what Restaurant Runners is for. Call them and they'll bring you anything you want." Bill stifled a yawn as he reached for the phone. "I'll go get some food tomorrow."

"Okay."

"So what do you want? Chinese or Mexican?"

"Mexican." Harmony nodded. "Enchiladas."

"Sounds good to me." Bill dialed the number from the flier by his phone and placed an order for enchiladas from The Border. "They'll be here in forty minutes."

"That is amazing. Is that one of the tricks they teach you when you get famous? So you don't have to ever leave your house?"

"Yes. That and how to schmooze the airline people to get double skymiles so you get more free tickets."

"Like you need it." Harmony laughed as Bill shrugged.

"Free tickets means you can come out and visit us on tour." He reminded her.

"Hmmm. True." If only skymiles could be traded in for time off of work.

When the food arrived they sat at the dining room table and ate while they caught each other up on what they'd been doing. Bill dominated the conversation telling her all the things they had planned for the tour and how it was going to be ten times better than the Humanoid tour and a lot more fan-friendly.

They talked until midnight before they retired to Bill's bedroom for a much needed night in each others arms. Bill stayed awake after Harmony dozed off and curled a lock of her hair around his finger until it cut off the circulation. He let it go to watch the hair spin around his finger. He played with her hair while she slept and concocted a vacation plan that would be perfect. He would have to set it all up the next day while Harmony was out with Cassey but, with a little help from Tokio Hotel's travel supervisor, he had no doubt that he would make Harmony's day.

Just as Bill's eyes drifted closed he remembered the date. "Perfect timing." He whispered to himself with a smile. Harmony's two year Ahoskie Behavioral anniversary was in two days. He couldn't have planned it better if he tried.

The next day Bill assured Harmony that he had things to do and that she should absolutely go out with Cassey. She left reluctantly and promised to call when she got home that night. He smiled and waved as she left the driveway. He went back inside to get himself dressed. He had a dozen places to go and lots of plans to make. It would take him all day to get everything just right and he wanted to start early.

-----------------------------

Harmony called Bill when she and Cassey got home from the movies and they made plans to get together the next day to have lunch and hang out. All Bill wanted to do was relax on his vacation and that was perfectly fine with Harmony. She agreed to meet him at his house at eleven and they would just take it from there.

"How was the movie?" Bill asked softly as his blankets rustled by the phone.

"It was good." Harmony smiled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm adjusting my pillow."

"You're in bed?"

"It's after midnight. Yes, I'm in bed." Bill smiled and yawned quietly.

"I'll bet your own bed feels pretty nice after being cooped up in a hotel room in California."

"It feels pretty good." He nodded. "Wanna come over?"

"I have school at seven tomorrow."

"So?"

"So you're half asleep right now and I have to be up in five hours." Harmony smiled though all she wanted to do was drive over right away. "We'll spend all day tomorrow together as soon as my class is over."

"I thought you were on spring break?"

"I am. After this class." She yawned against her will. "I'm exhausted. I'll be over tomorrow around eleven, okay? We'll just hang out all day and I'll even pick up some movies."

"Okay fine. Just leave me here all alone." He tried to pout but his smile came through in his voice.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bill."

"G'night."

"G'night." Harmony whispered.

"Love you."

"Love you too." Harmony smiled as she yawned and hung up the phone. Five o'clock was rapidly approaching and she had to try and be functional. She fell into her big empty bed for the first time in a week and fell asleep almost immediately.

-----------------------------

Bill checked his watch for the third time in ten minutes as he looked through the DVDs in his entertainment unit. Harmony had said she would be over at eleven to watch movies and it was already five after. He wasn't worried but he opened the front door so he would be able to hear her car as she pulled into his driveway.

"Royale with cheese." Bill said as he smiled and ran his finger over his Pulp Fiction DVD. He scanned the DVDs looking for something to watch. He suddenly saw a plain black VHS tape near the bottom on the left. He knelt beside the TV and pulled it out to see what it was.

There was a single white sticker on it that just said "Harmony" on it. Bill frowned and stuck it in the VCR. The TV clicked on as he pressed play and stood back from the screen so he could see.

The home video showed a small auditorium half filled with people as the auto tracking fixed the fuzzy lines. Bill reached over to turn the volume up and was surprised to see Harmony's image walking across the stage. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched closely as she straightened her note cards and looked toward the camera nervously.

"Hi. My name is Harmony." She paused for a second as her eyes scanned the crowd. "I used to be a patient here at Ahoskie Behavioral." The note cards in her hand shook slightly as she held them in front of her. "I spent three months here under the care and supervision of Dr. Mueller and the rest of the staff. At the time, I would have done anything I could to get out of here. I was mean, hateful and an overall pain in the butt for everyone." She laughed nervously and looked down at her note cards. "I'm sorry. I'm not a public speaker. I work at a store." She chuckled again as her cheeks burned pink. "Um, I don't know exactly what they wanted me to say up here so I'm just going to tell you all how I ended up here and how I got myself well enough to make it on my own." Harmony took a deep and shaky breath as she began her story. She launched right into her childhood of nannies and tutors. Her adolescence consisted of being a junior high misfit. Her teenage years was full of rebellion in a private high school followed three years of not fitting in and being bounced from her parents house to her aunt's house.

"When my aunt couldn't handle me, or wouldn't handle me, I was dropped back at my parent's house where they grudgingly took me in and gave me my old room back. I was there for three days before they left for a month long business trip to Amsterdam. This may sound like I'm blaming my parents for everything which I'm sure you're all used to." She looked out at the sea of parental faces in front of her. "But that's not what I'm doing. I'm letting you know the situation I was in and what my thought process was when I tried to commit suicide. In my eyes no one wanted me. No one care enough to ask if I was okay. My parents left for weeks at a time, sometimes without even telling me that they were leaving."

Harmony took a deep breath and shuffled the cards in front of her. She scanned them quickly to find where she'd left off. "That's not an excuse. That's a reason. When they returned from one of their trips they were home for two days before they had even said anything to me or even let me know that they were home. My mother came to tell me she was going to the Country Club when I hadn't even been aware that they were home from abroad." Harmony stopped again. She hoped she hadn't lost her audience in the retelling of her past. She took another shaky breath then smiled nervously at Dr. Mueller sitting in the front row. Harmony recounted her suicide attempt for the guests in the auditorium. She stopped when she was checked into Ahoskie Behavioral.

"Like I said, I spent almost 3 months here and, from the day I was admitted, I hated it. Dr. Mueller can vouch for that. I had a terrible attitude and would do nothing to help her make me better. I thought for sure that I would get out someday or escape or just end it all here. I'm sure your friends and family here have felt the same way." Harmony spoke for another few minutes about her time there and how, without the help of a very special friend, she may never have recovered enough to be where she was that day.

"I've been out of Ahoskie Behavioral for one year, seven months, sixteen days and-" She checked her watch. "A few of hours." The audience laughed politely. "But every day is still a challenge. Every day I'm faced with the knowledge that I tried to kill myself and it's not impossible that I may try it again. I look at myself in the mirror every morning and I wonder how on Earth I got to where I am and how I grew to be who I am. I have both feet on the ground now and I'm working to make my life better but I will never be able to forget what happened which could easily be the best therapy ever. Having been there, I know I never want to go back and that's enough for me. Your friends and family members here are in the process of learning that and there is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Mueller and her staff here will help them find that. One day at a time."

The audience applauded as Harmony nervously stepped down from the podium and sat quickly beside Dr. Mueller.

Bill pressed stop on the VCR and took a deep breath as he removed the tape. He had known most of what Harmony had covered but to hear her tell a room of strangers as her voice shook was just amazing. She had come so incredibly far since they first met. She would barely look at him when they were in Ahoskie Behavioral and there she was telling a room full of strangers her deepest and darkest secrets.

He was suddenly sorry he had missed it. He could have gone and should have gone. There were ways to hide the fact that he was Bill Kaulitz and to go unnoticed at public functions but he had chosen not to. He shook his head and ejected the tape to put it back where he had found it.

The sound of his doorbell startled him and he almost dropped the cassette. He quickly put it back and trotted down the hall to the front door. He looked at the tiny monitor by the door and saw Harmony standing by the front gate. He pressed the button on the intercom and asked, "Where's your key?"

"I just locked my keys in my car." She laughed back and looked up to where the security camera was mounted. "Let me in!" She demanded with a smile.

"I can call a tow truck for you if you'd like for me to, miss."

"Or you can just let me in and drive me home later to get my spare." Harmony raised her eyebrow at the camera.

"I don't let strange girls in my house."

"I've seen some of the girls you let in. They're pretty strange."

"Yeah right, how many girls have you seen me let in here?" Bill laughed and watched her on the monitor.

"C'mon, assmuncher! Let me in." Harmony looked over her shoulder at the dark street.

"Assmuncher, huh? And you want me to let you in?"

"I can always go down to the mall and let all those fan girls know exactly which house is yours." She smiled devilishly and tucked her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." She laughed as the lock on the gate in front of her opened. She pushed it open and walked to the open front door where Bill was standing. "I don't like your new security system." She said as she walked by.

Bill reached out and grabbed her elbow to give her a quick kiss. "You'd rather have media in my back yard and camera men hiding in my bushes?"

"No." Harmony shook her head and dropped her purse by the hall table. "I really did lock all my keys in my car though so I'll need to go back to my apartment and get the spare."

"Where are your spare keys?"

"In a drawer in my kitchen." Harmony said absentmindedly.

"Inside your house?" Bill smiled.

"No, in the kitchen that I have around the corner. It's in the Play Place at McDonald's."

"Smartass. I'm just wondering how you're gonna get in your house to get the spare keys if your house keys are locked in your car with your car keys." Bill smiled sweetly and reached for his cordless phone.

Harmony blushed and cringed. "Good point."

"Let's call the dealer and have them send someone to unlock it for you."

"Don't you have a coat hanger or something?"

"Not a wire one." Bill shook his head.

"You don't have a wire hanger?" Harmony laughed.

"No. I hate those." Bill shook his head and dialed information. He got the number for a local Mazda dealer and wrote it on a piece of paper.

"Bill, if they come out here to pop my locks it's gonna cost like fifty bucks. Maybe one of your neighbors has a hanger?"

"I'll pay the fifty dollars. Don't worry about it." Bill dialed the dealer then asked one of the guys in the service department if they could help him out. They told him they'd have someone out within the hour to unlock the car and Bill gave them directions to the house.

"Beautiful. So now that I've met my quota for making a fool out of myself. What's for lunch?"

"I have the best pasta salad you will ever eat in my fridge."

"Yeah?" Harmony smiled and followed him down the hall to his bright kitchen.

"Yes and garlic bread." Bill smiled over his shoulder.

"Sounds like a little slice of heaven right here in North Carolina." Harmony laughed and pulled a bar stool out to sit on at his bar. "Do you need help with anything?"

"No. The bread will only take a few minutes in the microwave and the pasta is ready." He took everything out and stuck the loaf of garlic bread in the microwave to heat it up. She made two plates of the bow tie pasta as Bill poured their drinks.

"I brought some movies with me because I think we've seen everything you have." She smiled and took a bite. "Wow, this is delicious."

"I told ya." Bill smiled and sat beside her as the bread cooked. "What did you bring?"

"Scream and Sixth Sense."

"Oooh. Let's watch Sixth Sense. That little kid creeps me out." Bill stood up again as the microwave beeped. He took the garlic bread out and broke off small pieces for each of them.

They ate in comfortable silence and communicated with their eyes and smiles. Both of them were happy just being together. Nothing else needed to be said. When they were finished eating they took their dishes to the kitchen where Bill loaded them into the dishwasher as the front gate bell rang. "That's the guy for your car." Bill wiped his hands on his shorts and headed for the front door.

"I'll get it." Harmony grabbed her purse and pulled the front door open.

"Did you check the monitor?" Bill asked from the kitchen as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"Yes." She sighed and rolled her eyes. Harmony went out to meet the guy from the car dealer to get her keys out of the car. "Hi. I'm Harmony."

"Matt. How's it going?" The kid asked as she walked up. He didn't look a day over sixteen as he stood there in his coveralls.

"I was doing great until I locked myself out of my car." She laughed.

"Yeah, I bet." Matt laughed and pulled a device from his pocket. "I'll have them out in just a second. Do you have ID on you?"

"Yeah, here." She pulled her license out of the car as he popped the lock and opened the car door. "The registration is in the glove box."

He got it out and compared the name on it to the name on her license and was satisfied. He got a clipboard from his truck and filled out the receipt. "That'll be $24.59."

"That's all?" Harmony asked as she noticed Bill standing by the gate.

"You can pay more if you'd like." Matt laughed.

"No, that's okay." She opened her purse again to pay. "Do you have change? All I have are twenties."

"I'm sorry. I can only take a check or credit card."

"Oh. Really? Uh. Hang on." Harmony looked back at Bill as he walked up with a blank check.

"I've got this." Bill handed the check to Harmony to fill out. She filled in the correct amount and handed it over to Matt. "Thanks for coming."

"Anytime." Matt tucked the check in his shirt pocket and hopped into his car. Bill dropped his arm around Harmony's waist as they headed back towards the house.

"So movie time?" Harmony asked as she looked up at him.

"You bet."

"Sixth Sense?"

"Yes."

"Cool." Harmony smiled. The simplicity that they'd turned to was comforting. They didn't feel the need to be talking all the time when looks and smiles said enough.

They sat close together on Bill's large couch to watch the movie with a bowl of popcorn on Bill's knee. Harmony let her mind wander during the movie and mentally made plans for the next two weeks. She wanted to take Bill to Atlantic Beach to go people watching since he had never been there. Kings Dominion in Virginia was required. That was her favorite thing to do with Bill. The only thing she dreaded was calling her boss to ask for vacation time especially when she knew she'd want to take more while the guys were on tour to go out and see them.

She worried about it for a few minutes until Bill tapped her shoulder and just smiled at her. "Why the frown?"

"Nothing." Harmony said as a smile spread across her face. "Just concentrating on the movie."

"It's just a movie." He whispered as he licked the popcorn salt from his lips.

"I know." She smiled again and reluctantly turned back to the movie. She let her boss and her work slip from her mind.

When the movie was over they stood up and stretched without saying a word. Bill walked over to the kitchen to get rid of the popcorn and get something to drink from the fridge. "Hey, I did some laundry yesterday and I-"

"You did?" Harmony feigned surprise. "You did laundry?"

"Yes, I did laundry." Bill laughed, "Shit, half of it was yours."

"Nu-uh, I don't have that much over here." Harmony frowned and shook her head.

"Yeah-huh, that whole bag there is your clothes." Bill pointed at a canvas bag by the garage door.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, there are two pair of jeans and a shit load of shirts."

"Oh."

"So if you want to take those home they're clean." Bill stood up from the couch and stretched his arms over his head. "Do you want cake?" He asked out of no where.

"Cake? You have a cake?"

"I can make a cake."

Harmony laughed out loud. "Someone has domesticated you. Laundry and cooking? I'm amazed."

"I amaze myself sometimes." Bill laughed.

"I'm going to take this out to my car so I don't forget them again. I'll be right back." Harmony chuckled lightly as she took the bag of clothes and headed for the front door.

"I'll start the cake." Bill said loudly from the kitchen as he got everything out to make the cake. He opened the cake mix and poured it into the big glass bowl.

"Vanilla sprinkles?"

"Of course." Bill laughed.

"Awesome, my favorite." The front door swung shut behind Harmony as Bill got the eggs out of the refrigerator.

"Take away my heartache in the night like a thief." Bill sang under his breath as he cracked an egg into the bowl in front of him. "She gimme love, love, love, love. Crazy love-" He began to mix the ingredients together as the phone beside him rang and startled him. Bill dropped the mixing spoon in the batter and quickly wiped his hands on the front of his jeans then reached for the phone. He clicked the talk button and cradled it with his ear. "Yeah?"

"Yeah? That's how you're answering your phone now?" Tom laughed lightly.

"Who's this?" Bill picked up the spoon and continued to stir the batter.

"Who's this? You've been on vacation for two days and you forget your brother?"

"Hey! Tom! What's up?"

"There you go. That's more like it." His voice sounded tinny and hollow over the phone line.

"Where are you?"

"Jamaica, mon!" Tom laughed at his own German-Jamaican accent.

"How long are you there for?"

"For our whole vacation. I'm getting a wicked tan."

"You can't spend two weeks in Jamaica." Bill shook his head and smiled. "You'll never come back."

"I'm only here for eleven days so I should be okay." Tom laughed again. "I was just calling to say happy anniversary and see how you're doing."

"What are you talking about?" Bill fumbled as he tried to pour the batter into the cake pan. He dribbled a line of batter on the counter top.

"Your anniversary." Tom explained.

"Huh?" Bill frowned and set the bowl on the counter to clean up his mess.

"From, you know, getting out of the hospital."

"Ahoskie Behavioral?" Bill asked distractedly. He tossed the now messy wash cloth into the sink and opened the oven to slide the pan in.

"Yeah."

"That was a month ago." Bill smiled and shut the heavy glass door. "But thank you."

"A month ago? What? I thought you got out like a month after Georg and I totaled the car?"

"No, I got out only a week or two after. But today is Harmony's two years out so your timing isn't totally off."

"You celebrating?"

"Yeah, I'm making a cake." Bill laughed. "Or well I'm trying to anyway. You wanna say hi?"

"She's there? Sure." Tom laughed. Harmony came back into the kitchen and hopped up on the counter opposite of Bill.

"Yeah, she's here." Bill wiped his hand again then held the phone out to Harmony. "Tom is in Jamaica."

Harmony took the phone and smiled as she crossed her legs. "Hi, Tom. How's Jamaica?"

"Jamaica is wicked! You have to talk that man of yours into bringing you down here."

"Yeah right." Harmony rolled her eyes and laughed as Bill turned on the oven light and peeked in as if it would have had time to cook.

"You living with him yet?"

"Hell no." Harmony watched Bill reach up to set the digital timer on the top of his stove. "I still have my apartment."

"Still working for Bath & Body Works?"

"Yes."

"Still have dead plants?"

"Yes." She laughed.

"You and Bill still doing the nasty?"

"Jamaica's gone to your head! It's only been two weeks since I saw you. Do you think my life has turned backwards since then?"

"Well, you never know." Tom laughed. "I'm gonna go. I was just calling to tell Bill happy anniversary but I guess I missed that. So happy anniversary to you."

"Thanks." Harmony smiled. He had come a long way in a year.

"Talk to you later."

"Bye." Harmony smiled and turned the phone off. "Your brother is weird."

"Yeah but he's cool." Bill smiled and opened the cabinet over the refrigerator. "Here. I got something for you." He pulled out the brightly wrapped box and held it in front of him.

"What? What for?"

"For being out two years."

"Bill, you don't have to get me anything." She blushed although she was secretly excited that he'd remembered.

"I know. It's your quarter birthday present too."

"My quarter birthday and my anniversary for getting out of the loony bin? Why don't you just say it's just because." Harmony laughed and looked at the shoe box size gift he set beside her.

"Quit whining and open it." He smiled and stood in front of her. He placed his hands on her hips.

Harmony uncrossed her legs and wrapped them around his middle as she kissed him quickly. "Oh yeah, Dr. Mueller is retiring in two months."

"Don't change the subject." Bill reached for the box and set it in her lap between them. "Open it."

"Fine! Okay." Harmony smiled and tore the wrapping paper off. "Oh thank you, Bill! A pair of Vans! That's just what I wanted."

"I didn't buy you Vans. I bought myself some Vans. Now c'mon! Open it or do I have to open it for you?" He raised his eyebrow and made a move toward the box.

"No! No, I'll do it." She lifted the lid off and pulled out the top piece of a two piece swimsuit. It was dark red with a yellow and orange flame licking across the front, "A bikini, huh? You have high hopes." She laughed and pulled the bottoms out. She was glad to see that there actually was a bottom and not just a Band-Aid sized piece of fabric.

"Keep going."

"There'd better be a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in there to wear over this." Harmony laughed and removed the tissue paper. She unfolded the little note and read it out loud. "Congratulations, Harmony! I hope you know how proud I am of you and how I never would have gotten this far without you. I know you've said you don't like to travel but I hope you'll reconsider and come celebrate with me. Love always, Bill." Harmony smiled up at him. "What do you have up your sleeve?"

"Open it." He said softly as she removed the purple tissue paper.

She pulled out a plain white envelope and tore one end open. Harmony shook the contents into the box as sand and airline tickets fall out. "Cute." She held the tickets in front of her as her mouth fell open. "Hawaii?"

"Yes." Bill laughed.

"Really?!"

"I would have taken you to Paris but you said Hawaii was your dream vacation."

"Oh, it is! Wow! Really? We're really going to Hawaii?"

"Yeah, Maui." He laughed. "I can't believe your parents never took you to Hawaii. They travel all the time."

"Yeah, they travel. They've never taken me anywhere." She frowned slightly but decided not to let that get to her. "Ahhh! We're going to Hawaii!" She threw her arms around his neck as the box fell from the counter and spilled sand all over the floor.

"If I'd have known that one little trip would make you happy I'd have taken you a long time ago." Bill laughed but she didn't release her grip.

"This is perfect. Thank you so much." She giggled and kissed his cheek quickly. "Oh my God! When do we leave?! I have to get vacation time and everything." Harmony frowned quickly as Bill shook his head. "No?"

"We leave tonight at 5:20 and I've cleared it with your boss. We'll be gone for 9 sun filled days."

"Tonight?!" She shook her head and couldn't get the smile off her face. "Bill! I have to pack!"

"I know." He smiled. "Which is why I had to give it to you now."

"It's almost two already! I have to pack my stuff for a week?"

"All you have to do is go home and throw some shorts in a bag with a hairbrush and deodorant. Maybe a tooth brush and a pair of shoes."

"I need more than that, Bill." She tried to frown but her huge grin won out. "I have to go. I'll be back in an hour." She kissed him quickly. "Oh my God, thank you!" Harmony peppered his cheek with a dozen kisses before she grabbed her keys again and ran down the hall.

Harmony returned an hour and twenty minutes later with a backpack and a small suitcase. She let herself into Bill's house and ran down the hall and through the living room to his bedroom. "I'm back! Are you ready?" She asked as she leaned on the door frame.

"Yeah, just about." He nodded at his bags by the door.

"We're seriously going to Hawaii today?"

Bill looked at his watch. "Well, technically tomorrow because it's a 12 hour flight but yes."

Harmony gave a little squeal and bounced up on her toes. "Wait, who's going to watch your house?"

"Saki. He's on the security team." Bill said as he pulled the blankets up on his bed. "He'll be over later tonight."

"I'm so excited." She giggled and could not stop her feet from tapping on the floor.

"Even though you don't love flying?"

"Oh I don't even care! We're going to Maui!"

"Maui for five days. Waikiki for four."

"Hawaii is Hawaii! That's good enough for me." Her stomach did cartwheels as she thought about spending more than a week alone with Bill. She was nervous but in a good way.

"Let's go." Bill smiled and picked up his bags. "Where's your luggage?"

"It's by the front door. Come on! come on!" She grabbed his little carry on and ran down the hall.

"Are you going to act like a three year old the entire time?" Bill asked with a smile as he stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"Yes! Come on!" She laughed and hopped out the door. "Did you call a cab?" She shouted over her shoulder.

"We're going to take my car."

"You're going to leave it there for nine days?"

"Yeah, long term parking."

"That costs something like thirty bucks a day."

"Are you gonna argue? Because I can always return the tickets." He pretended to threaten her.

"We should just take a cab."

"I don't want to take a cab." Bill shook his head and opened his garage. He piled their suitcases into his car and waited patiently for Harmony to climb in. They left her car in the driveway as they back out and headed for the airport.

"I can not believe we're going to Hawaii. Cassey is going to freak. Dr. Mueller is going to freak. She always says it's hard to learn about yourself when you don't change your settings every now and then. I think this would count as a setting change. What do you think?"

"I think so." Bill laughed as she looked out the window with a big smile. If she was that happy at just the thought of going he couldn't wait to see how she was once they got there.

-----------------------------

As soon as they stepped off the plane Harmony knew this would be like no vacation she had ever even dreamed of. Three young girls stopped in their tracks and grabbed each other as their parents continued walking. The older one shouted for their parents to wait as she and her sisters ran over to Bill. He positioned his sunglasses on his face and prepared for impact.

"Oh my God, Bill!" The middle girl giggled as she clung to the youngest.

"Hi. How are you?" Bill smiled as Harmony stood by with her backpack in her hand.

"What are you doing here?"

"Are the other guys coming?"

"Where's Tom?"

"Can I get your autograph?" The questions were shot at him like bullets and he calmly and quietly answered them all as he scribbled his name on several post cards and posed for a picture as the girls took turns snapping photos of the others with him.

"Come on girls. Alyssia, Kala, Shelbi, let's go." Their father said as he stood off to the side. The mom slapped his arm and smiled as she whispered to him who Bill was. The dad rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. "Come on, now. Let's leave him alone. He's on vacation too, I'm sure." He said as he placed his hand on the middle girls head. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's not a problem." Bill laughed. "Are you guys coming or going?"

"Going. We just spent a week here and let me tell you-" He looked at the three girls practically bouncing out of their sandals. "That was more than enough."

"I know what you mean." Bill smiled and waved as the father ushered the girls toward their own gate.

"Three point nine seconds. Is that a record?"

"Huh?"

"You were off the airplane for three point nine seconds." Harmony laughed.

"No that's not a record. We once had a girl run down the tunnel thing after us."

"Whoa." Harmony said softly. She honestly had no idea what she was in for and her nervousness came back in a completely different way.

They made it through baggage claim and then picked up their rental car. The guy behind the counter showed Bill where the hotel was on a little map before he handed over the keys. Bill found his way to the Kea Lani resort and they got checked into their suite without incident. "Why am I so tired? It's only like 10 am." She checked the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"That's Hawaii time. It's 5 in the morning North Carolina time." Bill laughed and covered his mouth as he yawned.

"That would explain it then." She dropped her bag on the floor. "What are we doing today?"

"I haven't planned anything."

"Do you have anything planned for our stay here?" Harmony laughed as she took her bathroom stuff into the bathroom. "Holy shIt, the bathroom is bigger than the Blue Banana."

"The what?"

"Haven't you ever seen Pretty Woman? You know... the Blue Banana?"

"Harmony?"

"Huh?" She asked as she stuck her toothbrush in her mouth.

"You know, you're the weirdest person I know."

"Bill?" She smiled.

"Huh?"

"I know." Harmony laughed then spit in the sink. "I don't know about you but I need a nap." She came out a minute later in her satiny short and tank top pajamas then sat at the foot of the bed. "Are you sure you have nothing planned for today?"

"The only thing I have planned for us while we're here is to relax and at some point I want to go get some souvenirs to send home to my mom. That's it." Bill took his shirt off and tossed it toward the suitcases as he lay back on the bed with his hands behind his head. "Is there anything you want to do?"

"I want to hike up to the waterfalls but that's about it. Oh! And see a volcano and eat fresh pineapple."

"I think we can manage that." Bill laughed lightly then yawned.

"But mostly I just want to hang out with you. We have lots of time to make up for."

"You'll come to see us while we're on the road touring, right?"

"Yeah." Harmony nodded. "When I can."

"Cool." Bill nodded.

"I'm going to bed now." She smiled.

"Okay."

"You're in my space."

"Your space?"

"That's my side." She looked at him as though he should know exactly what she was talking about.

"We have sides of the bed?" He asked.

"Have you ever slept anywhere but on that side?"

"Yeah, when I was-" He stopped just in time as Harmony raised an eyebrow at him.

"Go on. When you were?"

"When I was, uh- On the road." He answered with a sly smile. Bill knew better than to bring up ex-girlfriends when he was in Hawaii with his current girlfriend.

"Uh huh, that's what I thought. How about with me? Have you ever slept anywhere but there?"

"No, I guess not." He shook his head.

"That's right. You're in my space." Harmony laughed and waited patiently for him to get up. He walked slowly to the bathroom as she made herself comfortable under the covers.

When Bill came back a few minutes later he slipped into the bed and wrapped his arms around Harmony's middle. "Hey."

"Hmm?" She whispered.

"We're in Maui." He smiled and kissed her bare shoulder.

"I know." She laughed lightly. "You know where I'd rather be?"

"Where?" Bill furrowed his brow. He couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be.

"No where." Harmony smiled and turned to face him as she kissed him softly.

"Me neither." Bill pulled her to him and kissed her again. He'd be happy if he could stay there forever.

-----------------------------

The next morning they had fresh fruit for breakfast. Afterward they changed into their swimsuits and shorts to check out the shops and beaches near their hotel. Bill held Harmony's hand casually as they walked from store to store. They bought little trinkets and post cards as they came across them. He wore his cap and sunglasses as a disguise and it seemed to be working pretty well but Bill knew better than that. Things were fine for the time being but all it took was one fan, one ballistic fan girl, and all hell would break loose. No hat or sunglasses would help.

Harmony knew that Bill was worried about being recognized. She could tell by the way he stayed off to the side in stores and didn't say much when other people were in earshot. His German accent was very noticeable. She refrained from using his name as often as she could. "Doesn't your brother collect shot glasses?"

"Hmm?" Bill asked as he turned away from a rack of silk flower leis. "Oh, yeah. He does. Did you find some?"

"There are a bunch over here." Harmony smiled and led him by the hand to the opposite side of the store. They picked out two shot glasses and took them to the front. Bill handed Harmony his wallet and leaned on the counter facing the door.

"Excuse me. I'm really sorry to bother you but can I get your autograph?" The lady behind the counter asked softly.

"Sure." Bill turned around and smiled. His disguise was useless.

"I know you're on vacation and everything but I don't think I'll ever get this chance again." Her voice shook slightly as Bill signed the notepad of paper she put on the counter for him.

"It's okay." Bill said softly. "What's your name?"

"Kalani." She spelled it for him and took the paper back with a shaky hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She managed to keep composed as she rang up the purchase. Bill only hoped she wouldn't call all of her friends as soon as he left the store.

"You're welcome." Bill smiled and grabbed the bag from the counter.

"Thanks." Harmony added as if the lady even knew she was there.

"Have a nice vacation." Kalani added as they walked away. No one else in the store even glanced at them as Bill and Harmony left.

"Should we risk the beach?" Harmony asked when they were almost back to their hotel.

Bill paused for a second as he absorbed Harmony's tone. "Maybe we should stick to the pool today. It's already one and having sand in my shorts sucks."

"Okay." She nodded and stepped out into the empty street.

"We'll walk down tonight and watch the sunset. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great." Harmony smiled over her shoulder as the breeze picked up a stray curl and tossed it over her forehead. She brushed it out of the way and laughed. "Can we reenact a cheesy love scene?"

"Of course." Bill laughed with her and dropped his arm around her waist. "What love scene were you thinking of? The whole back of the car scene from Titanic?"

"On the beach? I don't think so."

"The New Years Eve scene from When Harry Met Sally?" Harmony gave him an odd look as he continued. "Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in Armageddon?"

"You know too many chick flick cheesy love scenes." Harmony shook her head as they walked into the hotel lobby and down the walkway to their suite.

"I'm a sensitive kind of guy." Bill tried to explain.

"Uh-huh." Harmony laughed and waited by their door for him to unlock it.

"I am."

"I know." Harmony followed him in and they set their bags in the closet then headed out to the pool after grabbing beach towels.

The afternoon sun reflected off the almost empty pool as Bill wove through the vacant sun chairs to the opposite side of the pool where they would get the most sun. Harmony took her shorts off and adjusted the waist of her bikini bottom. She straightened the towel on her pool chair and sat down to untie her sneakers. Bill watched from behind his mirrored glasses as she placed her shoes under the seat and stood up to straighten her top and tuck her hair behind her ear.

She looked up suddenly and smiled. "Are you going in?"

"What? Oh, yeah." He nodded and slipped his shoes off beside hers.

"Great." She grinned and held his gaze for a second. She looked at her reflection in his glasses. "Are you going to take those off?"

"Y-yeah." Bill plucked them from his face and dropped them on the towel. He squinted at the brightness.

"You okay?" Harmony laughed lightly and gave him a look.

"I'm fine." He nodded and pulled his tank top over his head then jumped into the pool splashing Harmony's feet with water. He surfaced a couple feet away and ran his hands over his face to wipe the water off. "It's like bath water it's so warm." He shook his head sending a spray of water all around him.

Harmony slid in slowly and cringed. The water seemed a lot cooler than Bill made it sound. She took a deep breath and went below the surface. She swam almost the complete width of the pool before coming up for air. They played around in the pool for a while before other people began to show up and join them. Everyone pretty much kept to themselves and soon Bill and Harmony found their way over to the side of the pool where a waitress came and took their drink orders.

"Can I get a picture?" A man in dark blue shorts asked as he walked up to where they rested their elbows on the edge of the pool.

Harmony squinted up at the guy and kicked Bill's knee under the water. "Can he get a picture?" She asked sweetly. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Are you with the hotel? Taking shots of the guests as they enjoy their private vacations away from the stress and annoyance of their jobs? You know, getting away from the office, leaving all that behind to come to Maui with their beautiful girlfriend? Because if so that's a great idea! I know everyone here would love to get a free 8x10 picture to help remember their vacation." Bill smiled up at the photographer. He hoped others in the pool had heard him.

"No, I'm not from the hotel." The photographer said nervously. Bill smiled. This guy was new to the paparazzi business and Bill knew he couldn't go back to the office without a picture. Besides, the kid asked which is a lot more than most photographers would do.

"Would you mind?" Bill asked Harmony who simply shrugged in reply. Bill wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him as he smiled up at the camera. Harmony was looking up at Bill the whole time and the photographer seemed happy with that.

"Thanks. Enjoy your vacation." The photographer snapped off a couple more pictures really quick before standing up. He waved over his shoulder then ducked back into the hotel.

"Sorry." Bill said out of habit.

"It's okay." Harmony sighed before she dunked under the water and swam across to the other side of the pool where their towels were laid out.

Water pooled by Harmony's feet as she straightened her towel again then sat back on the pool chair. She sighed and adjusted the back so that she was at more of an angle and smiled as Bill pushed himself up on the edge of the pool. He swung his leg out and stood up in one fluid movement. Harmony could see why all the girls swooned over him. She'd known that he was handsome since she met him, that was never a question, but seeing him stand there looking like he didn't have a care in the world helped her see what the other girls saw and for the first time she felt a twinge of jealousy. It was quickly washed away when Bill bent over her legs to kiss her forehead. He dripped cool water across her stomach and chest.

"Know what?"

"What?" She asked with a quiet laugh.

He sat on the chair beside hers and adjusted his towel. "I love you and I just keep finding more and more reasons. You've handled all this fan stuff great this week. That's hard to do sometimes." Harmony just blushed and smiled. He couldn't imagine how hard it was for her to stand back while he was Bill Kaulitz.

"I love you too." She said softly as Bill smiled then closed his eyes and lay back in his chair.

After an hour of lying out they decided to go back and clean up before dinner so they wouldn't smell of chlorine and sunscreen. They dressed in actual clothes instead of shirts thrown on over their swimsuits. They headed out to a restaurant that the concierge recommended that was just up the beach.

They ate dinner at a small beachfront restaurant on the sand and walked casually back up the beach to their hotel afterwards. Bill pulled her hand gently and stopped walking when they reached a little cove just before the beach in front of where they were staying. "Remember when we were talking earlier?"

"Earlier? We've been talking all day. Can you be more specific?" Harmony laughed and brushed her hair off her cheek.

"Reenacting cheesy love scenes."

"Ooh that! Yes, I remember that conversation."

Out of no where Bill swept his leg around and dropped Harmony on her back in the sand. "Is this what you had in mind? From Here to Eternity?" He asked with a smile as the waves lapped at their feet.

"We're not close enough to the water." Harmony laughed as he lay on her chest.

"Do you want to stand up and try it again?" He asked with a devilish smile.

"No." She shook her head and continued to laugh. "This has to be the most un-sexy I've ever felt."

"Oh yeah?" Bill leaned down and kissed her but she pushed him away after only a few seconds. "What?"

"I can't breathe." She laughed. "I don't know how Deborah Kerr did this with Burt Lancaster laying on top of her."

"You're ruining the moment." Bill laughed and used his hands to support some of his weight. He couldn't help but laugh as she tried to wipe the sand off her cheek with her already sandy hands.

"Bill, this is the exact opposite of sexiness. Let me up." She laughed and tried to push him off.

"Play along." Bill reached for her wrists to hold her still. "Just one and I'll let you go."

"I'm all sandy and g-" Harmony started. He cut her off with a hungry kiss and smiled against her lips as she relaxed under him.

"There. That's all I wanted." Bill held his face directly over hers and studied her eyelashes. "Was that so hard?"

"Are you done?" She smiled and raised her eyebrow at him.

"Do you really want to ask that?"

"Can I get up now?" She laughed and tried again to push him off. He reluctantly fell to the side and let her stand up and brush the sand off her bare legs. "C'mon. Let's go back so I can clean myself up before I go to bed." Bill didn't make a move to get up. He simply rolled onto his side. "Let's go. C'mon or else there will be sand all in the bed and that's gross." She reached down and offered her hand to help pull him up. She tried again tried to wipe the sand off her shorts.

They slept with the large sliding glass door open all night to hear the waves on the beach not far from their balcony. They woke up to bright sunny skies.

Bill talked Harmony into braving the beach to go snorkeling and to check out the coral reefs that were everywhere. They hovered above a school of brightly colored fish with their hands locked together. Harmony had never been snorkeling before and she was still very nervous about sharks. Bill tried to smile around his mouthpiece, but ended up just looking silly and that set her mind at ease.

With her head under the water the only sound Harmony heard was the beating of her own heart and the silence of the water. After more than an hour on the water they reluctantly went back to shore and took their masks off. "You look like a raccoon." Bill laughed as they handed their gear over to the guy they had rented it from.

"So do you." Harmony reached back to wring out her hair. "That was amazing. There was a huge school of fish out there. Do you know what kind they were?" She asked the snorkel guy.

"What'd they look like?"

"They were kinda big. Maybe four or five inches. And they were white kind of with a little black and a yellow tail." Harmony explained as she held her hands about five inches apart.

"With a black dot on the tail that looked like an eye." Bill added.

"Ahh, those are butterfly fish. Pretty aren't they?" The guy laughed.

"They're beautiful." Harmony nodded. "What about the blue and yellow ones? They were a little smaller though and we didn't see as many."

"Those were probably the damsel fish. Bright blue?"

"Yeah." Bill nodded.

"Yeah, they are damselfish. Did you see any sharks out there?"

"No, thank goodness." Harmony held her hand over her chest. "You'd see me running across the water if I'd seen one."

"They pretty much leave you alone unless you start messing with them." The guy laughed and dropped their gear in a big tank of water. "Did you have a good time?"

"It was great. Thank you so much."

"Anytime." He waved as Bill and Harmony stepped out of the little store. They walked back across the street to the beach and were approached by two young girls looking for an autograph and some photos.

Harmony did her best to ignore the fans but realized that wouldn't make anything better. She smiled and politely stood to the side when Bill was signing autographs and making small talk with them. They usually kept their cool and left in a fit of giddy laughter when they were through but every now and then a group of them would follow Bill and Harmony up the beach or into shops.

The photographers were more annoying than the fans simply because they followed them everywhere. For the most part they kept a low profile just out of their line of vision but she knew they were there and that was the annoying part.

Bill tried to apologize but Harmony waved him off. "Don't apologize. They're your fans. You can't just say no." The smile she gave was forced but she didn't see a reason to complain if it would only cast another shadow on the vacation.

-----------------------------

When Harmony awoke the next morning she was alone in the room. There was no note from Bill so she assumed he'd gone out to pick something up. She ran her fingers through her hair as she yawned. She reached for the hair tie that had fallen out during the night. She stood up and stretched as she walked toward the glass doors leading to the balcony. She pulled them open and the ocean breeze blew in to wake her up even more.

She walked to the railing and leaned against it to watch the people walking on the beach in front of the hotel. The sky looked clear as she leaned way out to look up past the awning.

Harmony heard Bill's key in the lock a few minutes later but she didn't move from the balcony. She closed her eyes and imagined that they could stay in Hawaii forever without the troublesome disturbances.

"Guess what I have." Bill said as he walked into the room. He dropped his room key on the table along with a few danishes he'd picked up then continued over to the balcony where Harmony was standing at the rail in her pajamas.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes slowly and looked over her shoulder.

"I went downstairs and I found one of the best hiking trails in Maui." He held a glossy pamphlet out to her. "Guess where it goes."

"To the waterfalls?" Harmony asked excitedly as she grabbed it from his hand.

"Yes, it's a four mile hike so it'll take a while but I think it's just what we need." He joined her on the balcony. "If the clear skies keep up it'll be a beautiful hike."

"When are we going?" Harmony could hardly contain herself. Seeing the waterfalls was one of her main goals for the trip and the hike would almost guarantee her some more private time with Bill.

"This afternoon if you want." He nodded. "They have tour guides that can take us but I thought we would just do it ourselves. The guy said that the path was really well marked and easy to follow. The guide just kinda tells you what's what and things like that."

"That's okay. We can do it by ourselves." Harmony threw her arms around his neck. "This is perfect. Thank you so much, Bill. I know I keep saying that but this is really just perfect."

"You're welcome." He laughed. "Let's get ready. We have to drive about thirty minutes to get there and if we want to do the whole hike and be back here in time to hop our flight to Honolulu we have to hurry along."

"Yay!" Harmony bounced past him into the room and grabbed her clothes out of the suitcase. "We get to go see waterfalls!" She giggled and forgot about the annoyances from earlier in the week.

She dressed as fast as she could. She ate one of the danishes on their way out to the car. "How far is it?"

"About twenty miles. It's just outside of Hana and that's just a little way from here."

"What's it called?"

"Kipahulu Valley. And I'm sure I pronounced it wrong." He laughed as she flipped through the little booklet.

"I can't wait." Harmony bounced in her shoes as Bill unlocked the car doors and let her in. Bill loved seeing her this excited over little things. That was one of his favorite things about her. They rolled the windows down for the drive into the tropical valley.

There was a tiny parking lot next to what looked like a ranger's station with a phone and restrooms nearby. Harmony bought a few post cards and sat on the bumper of the car to fill them out while Bill used the restroom. She stuck them in her backpack then tossed it over her shoulders as Bill walked up and extended his hand. "Let's go." They both had smiles spread across their faces as they walked across the parking lot to the bottom of the trail.

Two couples passed Bill and Harmony as they started up the path and Bill stopped them to see how the trail was. "It's great. Don't bother going all the way up though." One of the guys said.

"Yeah?" Bill frowned.

"Yeah, it's okay if you have the time but there's a little break about three quarters of the way up on the right, you can't really miss it." The same guy said as the rest of his friends continued past them. "The view there is spectacular." He laughed.

"What's at the top? Harmony asked.

"The same view pretty much." He shrugged. "Just a little higher up. You also pass more banana trees but there are plenty of them on your way."

"Thanks." Bill smiled as the guy waved and trotted after his friends. "Sounds like fun."

"I'm just excited to see waterfalls." Harmony laughed and adjusted the backpack on her shoulders.

"Me too. C'mon." Bill nodded toward the path and they started the trek up to the top.

They were more than a half mile up before they stopped to check out some bright purple flowers that were growing just off the path. Harmony stopped and stooped down to get a closer look and noticed two people on the trail just below them.

She didn't think anything at first. They had run into several people who were on their way down so having others starting up the trail after them was nothing out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary was the fact that they were not dressed for hiking and carried a camera directed at Bill.

"Hey." Harmony said softly.

"What is it?" Bill smiled and knelt beside her to see the flower.

"More reporters. Are they really that desperate for a picture?" She asked with a tight smile.

"Shit." Bill sighed and stood up with his hands on his hips. "Just ignore them. I've had it." He turned quickly and started back up the trail.

Harmony could only match his sigh and follow him. If they ignored them, maybe they'd go away.

"Are they still back there?" Bill asked more than an hour later as they reached the three-mile mark. The ground was softer as they got higher and it had obviously rained not long before they got there.

Harmony looked over her shoulder and saw the two photographers fifty feet behind them. "Yeah."

Bill just scowled and shook his head. He refused to let them get the best of him and ruin their hike. They continued up the path to the cut out where there was a railing and a few small benches. "Wow, look at this. This is unbelievable." He reached out his hand to help her up the last few steps and pulled her close as they looked down on what could be a jungle with a waterfall in the background.

"Wow!" Harmony smiled and leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "It feels like we're at the top of the world, doesn't it?"

"It sure does." Bill smiled and leaned down to kiss her but a movement caught his eye by the trail. A photographer stopped and adjusted his lens as Bill tensed up.

Without looking Harmony knew that the photographers had just crossed a line. She sighed and rolled her eyes. The wonder of the moment was gone. "Let's just go."

Harmony had been able to handle the ones who snapped their picture from a distance and after a while she had practically tuned them out. There were more than she expected but, then again, she had no idea what to expect. However one side of Harmony knew that following someone as they hiked then trying to snap a photo of a private moment was uncalled for.

"We hiked all the way up here." Bill said softly as he looked back out over the scene laid out in front of them.

"I know." Harmony tried not to cry as she took his hand and pulled him back toward the trail down.

"You're ruining our vacation." Bill spat as they brushed by the two men that had followed them. "Have some fucking courtesy."

"Bill." Harmony said softly as she continued to tug him along. "Ignore them."

They made their way back down the path without seeing the two guys again. Bill wanted to apologize to Harmony but he knew that was getting old. He would apologize and Harmony would say it was okay when he knew it wasn't. He should have known better than to try to take an actual vacation so soon after releasing the album.

They made their way back to the car and drove back to the hotel in silence as it started to rain. Harmony rested her elbow on the open window and stared out at the passing sights. "Maybe things will be better when we get to Waikiki." She thought to herself. She knew there would be more people there and thought they might blend in a little more.

-----------------------------

Harmony put the last of her tiny souvenirs into her bag as Bill bushed his teeth. They only had an hour to get to the airport for their flight to Honolulu. "So we'll be in Honolulu for four days?"

"The rest of today, Thursday and Friday. Then we leave for North Carolina Saturday morning."

"And when do you go back to California?"

"Sunday night. I'm taking the red eye."

"That's a lot of air time." Harmony frowned.

"Yeah." Bill agreed. "But it's worth it."

"Don't you get sick of flying?"

"I get lots of free tickets with all the skymiles I have." Bill laughed. "But yeah, sometimes I get sick of flying. Like Georg says, the chances of a plane crashing are a million to one. But we fly so much that every time we go it's like we're testing those odds."

"That's morbid."

"That's Georg." Bill shrugged.

"How can you fly with him when he talks like that?"

"I tune him out and take a nap." Bill laughed and moved their luggage closer to the door. "Are you about ready?"

"Yeah." Harmony zipped her bag shut and carried it to the door.

They checked out then drove their rental car back to the airport and dropped it off before running to catch their plane. Harmony looked the plane over as they walked across the tarmac with the sun setting in the background. "Damn, that thing only holds like ten people." She muttered to Bill.

Bill gave her a nervous smile. The plane was tiny with only fifteen windows on each side. "It'll be okay." He nodded to reassure himself as he hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder. The rain started as they hopped up the metal stairs and Bill looked longingly back at the airport.

"I'm think I'm gonna vomit." Harmony whispered as she walked down the narrow aisle to her seat.

"Please, please don't." Bill couldn't be more serious but he smiled anyway. They sat in their tight seats and held each other's hand the whole way to Honolulu.

-----------------------------

Rain poured down as Bill and Harmony left the Honolulu airport in their rental car. Harmony held the map out in front of her and tried to point Bill in the right direction to get to their hotel by the beach.

They pulled up in front of a sculpted pink hotel nestled close to the broad beach. Fresh flower leis were placed over their heads as they entered the lobby and checked in. "Let's never leave." Harmony whispered as she looked around.

Bill signed his name on the register and looked outside. "Sounds like a plan." He smiled and took the key from the hotel manager before they headed for their room. As soon as Bill got the door open Harmony bolted inside.

"Bill, look at this!" Harmony ran across the room and threw the tall glass doors open. She stepped out onto the balcony beside a wrought iron patio set and leaned against the railing. "Look at this! It stopped raining!"

"That's pretty cool." Bill smiled. "I thought you were afraid of heights."

"This is amazing. Fuck heights! Can we just wrap up this room and take it home with us? You can just drop it on the back of your house and we can look out over your backyard or something?"

"Sure! See if it'll fit in the suitcase." Bill laughed and stepped out beside her. "While you're at it, pack up the view." He smiled down at her then kissed the corner of her mouth. "Let's go for a walk." He said softly.

"Okay." Harmony smiled but in the back of her mind she was frowning. He wanted to go for a walk because they just got there. She thought maybe they would actually get some alone time outside without the prying eyes of the photographers and fans. No one knew they were there yet.

"Okay." He smiled and kissed her again. They locked up the room and snuck out the side entrance of the hotel and walked down to the practically deserted beach. There were two other couples walking along the waters edge but they were far enough away that Bill and Harmony had all the privacy they wanted.

"I'm glad it stopped raining." Harmony said as she looked up at the star filled sky.

"So am I." Bill's bare feet sunk with each step and he lightly kicked at the sand. "It's hard to believe we're halfway done with our vacation, huh?"

Harmony sighed and looked out over the water. "I still just can't believe I'm here." She slowly turned to look back at Bill. "You're not going to knock my feet out from under me again, are you?"

"No." Bill laughed and shook his head. "Not tonight."

"Good." She stopped and reached up to smooth down his eyebrow as she let her fingers linger by his cheek. She tilted her head to the side as if to study him before she slowly brought her lips to his.

Bill let the kiss linger for a few minutes before pulling back and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "You look tired."

"I am." She said softly.

"Let's go back. I know the sun takes a lot out of you."

Harmony nodded but neither of them moved. She had spent the last couple days trying to enjoy the little bits of time they had alone while trying to ignore the times when they weren't. Night time seemed to be the only time they were able to be out in public alone and she didn't want it to end so soon.

"Hey, if you want to call Dr. Mueller or anything, you can. I know you talk to her a few times a week so if you want to you can." Bill watched Harmony's brow furrow.

She blinked quickly and looked up at him. "I'm doing okay."

"I know."

"I'll give her a call when we get back. She wants me to bring lots of pictures and stories."

"You can tell her all about snorkeling."

"And the tiny airplane."

"And the waterfalls and everything."

"You should come with me when I go see her." Harmony smiled. She hoped he'd say yes. He hadn't set foot in Ahoskie Behavioral since the day he left and she thought it might be good for him.

He paused just the slightest bit then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we'll have to go together."

"Cool." Harmony smiled and covered her mouth as she yawned.

"Cool." Bill nodded back toward the hotel. "Let's go." He let his arm fall around her waist as they walked back to the hotel to go to bed.

As Bill turned the light off and climbed into bed he thought to himself, "I hope this vacation gets better. She's smiling through it all but this can't be fun. I really hope this gets better."

-----------------------------

Their first full day at Waikiki was spent mostly indoors as they checked out their hotel and visited the Day Spa for massages. Harmony received a facial as well and was in heaven as she floated back to her room where Bill had dinner set up outside on their covered balcony.

The rain had stopped but the warm dampness in the air made the evening feel like a blanket draped over their shoulders. "Are you having a good time?" Bill asked softly as he took a bite of his dinner.

"I'm having a great time." Harmony said after a moment's pause. That was the truth. At that moment she was having a great time. However the week was taking its toll on her and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. She wanted to be able to go to the beach with her boyfriend or to walk around the streets shopping or even go out to dinner in private.

Bill noticed the pause but didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything that might upset their vacation. He knew she was getting tired of the constant attention from fans and photographers but he wasn't sure how to stop that. "Do you miss home?" He asked instead.

"Yeah." Harmony smiled and looked down at the fork in her hand. "As weird as that sounds, I really do."

"Me too." He nodded.

"But this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen." Harmony looked to her left at the beach less than 50 yards away. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." He concentrated on his dinner as the words left unsaid hung in the air.

Harmony took a deep breath and looked up like she was going to say something but changed her mind. "What?" Bill asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"Nothing. Never mind."

Bill looked at her for a second then put his fork down. "No, what's wrong?"

"I don't remember it being at all like this back in North Carolina. Am I just missing something? It seems like there are just more people here bugging you. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Actually just more photographers. The fans are about the same everywhere and I can deal with that but-" She shrugged. "I don't like my picture taken on a good day much less all day everyday. I'm not photogenic at all."

"You're beautiful." Bill smiled.

Harmony sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't consider herself beautiful but it was pointless to try to argue with Bill about that. "That's not the same thing."

"I know it's not but you have nothing to worry about. You'll look fine no matter what." He smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. "This is the buzz over the album and the tour and everything. It won't always be like this."

"I know." Harmony smiled and placed her hand over his. "It just takes some getting used to. I just wish I could get used to it at home and not on our vacation."

"I do too." Bill nodded and played with his fork in his free hand.

"But this is fine. At least we're getting some alone time together before you head out on tour, right?" Harmony leaned down to catch his eye. "Right?"

"Right." He nodded slowly and smiled.

"Okay. No more complaining about anything. I'll promise to grin and bear it with the fans and everything if you'll promise not to brood."

"I'm brooding?"

"You've been known to be a brooder." She smiled.

"Okay." Bill laughed. "No more of any of that."

"From now on we'll just make the best of this vacation."

"Even if it means staying indoors." Bill nodded.

Harmony looked out over the balcony as it began to rain again. "I think that actually sounds like a good idea."

"Me too." Bill smiled and felt completely relaxed for the first time since they stepped off the airplane in Hawaii.

They spent the evening in their room and listened to the rain pound on the pavement outside. It was still warm so they left the huge windows open as the smell of the ocean washed over the room and the sound of the rain and waves lulled them to sleep.

When they woke the next morning they casually walked down to the little pool side restaurant in their hotel to have a light breakfast of fresh fruits and pastries. Several girls walked up asking for autographs which Bill happily supplied them with. They politely left after a few minutes of conversation and Harmony and Bill were left alone to eat.

It had stopped raining during the night but the streets were still damp as they walked around Waikiki and picked up gifts and souvenirs for their friends back home. Harmony insisted that they buy an oyster from one of the street vendors to open it up and see the pearl inside. Of course after she did one she wanted to do another to make a pair of earrings, only the pearls didn't match so she bought another. In the end she had a pair of earrings and three loose pearls she would have set some other time or give them as gifts.

"You know those are a rip off right?" Bill asked as they headed back to their hotel.

"I know but it's something you have to do. Where can you go in North Carolina and crack open an oyster and get yourself a pearl?"

"There's a store at Pine Knoll Shores that does it."

"Shut up. Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Bill laughed and took one of the bags from her so one hand was free for him to hold. "I haven't been but someone was telling me about it."

"So I just spent two hours getting pearls for $11 each and I could have done that at home?" Harmony laughed and looked up into his mirrored sunglasses.

"Yes. In fact I think it's cheaper in North Carolina."

"Damn."

"But look at it this way, if you forgot anyone you can always go get them a pearl when we get home." Bill laughed and swung her hand gently.

"You suck." Harmony laughed and looked up at the sky as it started to rain again.

"Come on." Bill squeezed her hand and ducked under an awning of a store as the raindrops left quarter sized marks on the sidewalk.

"Are you made of sugar? You're not going to melt." Harmony laughed and pulled Bill out into the rain where they walked at a leisurely pace back to their hotel. They arrived soaking wet and laughing. They went up to their room to change into the swimsuits to hit the pool. Rain or no rain they were going to try their hardest to have fun.

After more than an hour in the pool they decided to call it a day and head back up to their room to have some dinner. "All the room service stuff sounds too hot." Harmony complained as she looked over the menu. "Can't they just bring us a huge salad with mandarin orange slices and spinach? Doesn't that sound good?"

"Sounds like you're ordering for a rabbit." Bill said as he looked in the mini fridge by the entertainment unit. "We need to stock up on junk food."

"There's a little supermarket down the street a block or so." Harmony breathed on the window and drew a heart in the fog. The rain had let up a lot since they got back and was slowing to barely a drizzle.

"Wanna walk up there and get some stuff? Maybe some alfalfa or turnip greens and a rabbit?" He laughed.

"Sure." She smiled and turned away from the window. "This is a freak of mother nature. There's no way it should be this hot and raining at the same time." Her skin glistened with sweat as she stood in front of the air conditioner.

"Definitely weird, huh?" Bill smiled and nodded for the door. "I don't know about you but I'm in the mood for junk food full of chemicals and potato chips."

"Gross." She made a face.

"Not at the same time." Bill laughed. "Come on." He grabbed his wallet off the dresser and tucked it in the back pocket of his shorts. He pulled his cap on and carried his sunglasses as they headed for the door.

Harmony pulled a brightly colored floral shirt on over her swimsuit and shorts and followed Bill. They walked hand in hand down the damp street and watched the clouds that threatened more rain. The week had been interesting so far and she learned more about what it would be like to be a celebrity's girlfriend. She wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it but she was willing to put it out of her mind. She was in Hawaii and nothing could spoil that.

Bill picked up a small shopping basket as they entered the little store and they walked up and down the aisles picking snacks at random. "If you're going to get Raisinettes then I get to get Fritos." Bill laughed.

"Fritos are nasty. They smell like feet."

"But chocolate with raisins is good?" He laughed and pushed his sunglasses up on his nose. Harmony dropped the candy into the basket and they headed for the register. The basket was filled with enough food to keep them on a sugar high for a few more days.

Bill hummed an old Beatles tune as he tapped his feet by the register and swung the little basket in his hand. Harmony stood beside him and rested her head on his shoulder and let her eyes wander over the magazines on the rack.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Harmony grabbed one of the tabloids off the rack and pulled Bill out of the line. "Whoa."

"Harmony, c'mon." Bill tugged his arm free and stepped back up to the register.

"No, wait. Look." She turned the magazine around and showed Bill the cover. Her tired looking, depressed expression stared back at him. "That? That right there? That's me." She lowered her voice and pulled him out of line again.

"What?!"

"That's- That's me." Her stomach tightened.

"I- Yeah- What?" He snatched the tabloid from her hands and dropped the small red basket of groceries to the floor. "What is this?"

"My room is cold, it's making me insane is more than just a catchy line from the tune Monsoon by Tokio Hotel member Bill Kaulitz." She read from the cover.

"What the fuck?" Bill flipped angrily through the magazine as Harmony stood against the wall as her hands started to shake.

"Get me out of here." She said with an uneven voice. Bill stood there skimming the article as the blood drained from his face. "Bill. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here." She whispered slowly. She was very aware of the scene that they were causing.

Bill stood there motionless and continued to read the short story as he held his breath. Harmony released his arm and turned quickly. She bolted out the front door of the store. She didn't stop until she came to the corner in front of their hotel where she pressed the button to cross the street and waited as she impatiently tapped her foot and fidgeted with her hands.

-----------------------------

Harmony felt like everyone who passed was staring at her, recognizing her, judging her by what the tabloids said. She hadn't read the entire article but what she had read had only been partially true. It had gotten way out of hand. The light changed on the other side of the street and she hurriedly stepped off the curb and into the crosswalk with her hands in fists at her side.

"Harmony! Wait!" Bill shouted after her when she was halfway across. He ran up beside her and reached for her elbow as her angry tears overflowed onto her cheeks. They mixed with the rain that had begun to fall again. "Wait!" He tried to stop her but she yanked her arm away from him and ran the rest of the way across the street.

Harmony disappeared into the hotel with Bill only a few steps behind her. She stepped on the first elevator and watched as the doors shut before Bill could catch up. Harmony rode in cold silence to their floor and stormed down the hall when it stopped. The door unlocked on the first try and Harmony shoved the door open. "This is all your fault!" She said as Bill rushed into the hotel room behind her. She threw her little purse across the room and Bill cringed as it flew off the bed and its contents scattered onto the floor.

"My fault? Harmony, I didn't tell-"

"No, you didn't tell anyone! And yet they know! This is your fault, Bill! My private life is in grocery stores all over the nation right now! That's my private life! That's my life, Bill!" She kicked at the foot of the bed and wished for something else to throw.

"This will all blow over soon-"

"Stop talking to me, Bill! I don't even want to see you right now! This entire week has been shit and it's your fault!"

"Harmony-" Bill reached out to try to calm her down but she flinched away.

"The photographers following us on our hike! The fans on the beach! Damn it, Bill, if you weren't who you are then none of this would be happening!" It was an irrational argument but it was all she had to hold onto. The events of the past week were catching up with her and she needed someone to take the hit. Bill was the only person she saw.

"We've talked about this before. You said you were okay with stuff like that."

"You never once asked if I wanted my personal life, my family garbage, my little stay at fucking Ahoskie Behavioral, all of that printed out for all of America to see! If you'd have told me they'd be digging up skeletons and making up some of their own I never would have agreed to this!"

"Agreed to this? Harmony, this is our vacation. I didn't know we had some sort of written agreement."

"This is bullshit, Bill!" She tore off her Hawaiian shirt and stood there in her bikini top as she continued to argue. "You might be okay with them digging around in your past but that is not okay with me!" Harmony reached into her suitcase and pulled out her old blue sweatshirt then shoved her hands down the armholes to turn it right side out.

"It's not okay with me either. They had no right to go through your background." He shook his head and reached out for her again. "I'm sorry, Harmony."

"Some of it's not even true." She said softly as tears began to fall again. She pulled the sweatshirt over her head as she reached for her bag and zipped it closed after three failed attempts.

"I know it's not true." Bill said softly.

"Yeah, you know it's not but everyone else out there-" She waved her hand angrily at the balcony indicating the rest of the world. Harmony dropped her bag on the bed and stormed past Bill into the bathroom.

"Harmony, where are you going?"

"Home. I'm going back to North Carolina."

"You can't- Harmony, you can't just go. C'mon, this is our vacation."

"Well the vacation sucks ass." Harmony growled and threw her toothbrush into her bathroom bag then grabbed her hairbrush and hair tie off the counter.

"Don't run away from this." Bill leaned on the door frame of the bathroom and watched her toss things into her small bag.

Harmony stopped and closed her eyes as the let her head fall back. She took a deep breath and held it for a second trying to calm herself down before she spoke. "I am not running away."

"Yes, you are. Look at you. One little thing happens and you're packing your bags ready to hop on the next flight home." Bill didn't mean to sound angry but he knew it came across that way.

"One little thing? Bill, you've been here with me all week, right? That was you? If I remember correctly you were standing right there when those girls were following us down the street, right? And when the photographers followed three steps behind us on our hike? I also seem to remember being photographed in the pool? Was that just me? I could have sworn you were there too!"

"None of that stuff bothered you before when we were in North Carolina."

"That's different! This is our vacation! They weren't all over us when we were in San Francisco." Harmony frowned and turned to face him in the doorway. "And this tabloid thing has just pushed it too far! I can overlook the pictures and stalkers and fans and everything but they made this personal now! The stuff they put in there has nothing at all to do with you or us as a couple! It's a direct attack at me!"

"I know, Harmony, and that is not okay with me." Bill said softly. She finished throwing things into her bag and hastily pulled the zipper shut. She turned to the door and stared Bill down. He didn't move from his position blocking the door. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to move."

"Don't take this out on me, Harmony. I can't help this." He kept his voice even as he spoke. "If I can fix it, I will. That story was uncalled for and unacceptable but it's done."

"It's your fault." She whispered and wiped the tears away.

"It's my fault because if I wasn't Bill Kaulitz no one would know you. It's not my fault that they wrote what they did. I would never be okay with that. You know that, Harmony. I've done everything I can to keep your name out of the spotlight."

"Well apparently that's not good enough." She pushed her way past him and headed for the door.

"Harmony, you can't just leave."

"I can't stay here right now, Bill. If I stay here I will hurt someone." She said softly. She pulled the door open as she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.

"Please, Harmony, don't go. Stay here and we can talk this out. We only have two more days left of the vacation. We'll stay inside the rest of the time." Bill felt as though he was falling as she stepped out into the hall.

"Please, Bill. Please just let me go. I'm too upset to be rational right now. Trust me." She looked up and met his eye as her bottom lip quivered.

Bill reached for her and she didn't back away. He placed his hand on the side of her face and sighed. "I'll go with you."

"No." She shook her head and averted her eyes. "I just want to go by myself." She turned away from him and walked slowly down the hall.

Bill watched her get on the elevator then immediately got on the phone to call Benjamin. He needed major advice. "Damn it, Benjamin. What the hell happened?" Bill demanded.

"I know, Bill. We're working on it."

"Working on it?! Benjamin, her face was plastered all over the fucking Star. Did you even read it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we read it." Benjamin said with a sigh.

"She's not a celebrity. She's not famous. There is absolutely no reason for this to have been printed."

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir. We have legal working on it and-"

"She was ready for her picture to be in the paper about me but nothing that they printed had anything to do with me. Half of it was lies!" Bill paced beside his bed as Benjamin remained silent. "They were lies, Benjamin."

"I know." Benjamin nodded. "I've personally called the editor myself and they've agreed to print a retraction of anything that was false."

"That doesn't solve a damn thing!"

"It's the best I can do right now."

"Wrong! I'm gonna sue them." Bill shook his head. Part of him knew that was a pointless fight while the other part wanted to seriously slap them with a lawsuit.

"That's already in the works." Benjamin said completely taking Bill off guard.

"What?"

"I already said we have legal working on it."

"Good but that doesn't change the fact that I'm in Hawaii alone because Harmony left to go back to North Carolina without me."

"I'm sorry, Bill."

Bill sighed and chewed on his fingernail as he felt his emotional energy draining. "I can change my ticket, right?"

"Yeah, yeah of course. I'll call Caroline and have her do that. When do you want to leave?"

"Now."

"I'll have her get you on the first available flight. I'll call you with the flight time. Get some sleep if you can and call me when you get back to North Carolina."

"I will." Bill said softly. "Thanks, Benjamin."

"You're welcome. We'll take care of this, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay." Bill nodded and closed his eyes. "Bye." Bill hung up the phone and fell back onto the bed.

He spent that night in Hawaii alone but he didn't sleep at all. Bill's stomach did somersaults all night as waves of dread washed over him in rapid intervals. He picked up the phone dozens of times to call her but stopped before he could dial. She was upset and she needed more than a few hours to calm down.

He arrived at the airport the next morning and switched out his old ticket for one leaving that morning. It was a difference in price but he didn't think twice about paying it. He boarded the plane with a heavy heart and watched the ocean below as they flew back to North Carolina.

When he landed in Raleigh he grabbed his bags then hopped in his car and drove straight to Harmony's apartment without bothering to go home first. He parked behind her building and took the stairs two at a time to her apartment. As he knocked he realized that no one was home. He waited for twenty minutes on her doorstep before one of her nosy neighbors came out and told him she hadn't been home since the day before.

"Where'd she go?" Bill asked urgently.

"I don't know." The lady said with a thick southern accent. "There were all kinds of photographers and things around here when she got home."

"Shit." Bill said under his breath. He shook his head and thanked the lady before he headed to his own house.

When he got home he dropped his bags and keys by the front door and ran back to his dark kitchen. He pulled the cordless phone off the wall and dialed Harmony's number from memory. He waited impatiently as it rang in his ear. He was about ready to hang up when her machine clicked on. "Hi. I'm not here right now and I'm not checking my messages. If this is a reporter, I have no comment and don't call again. If this is a friend of mine, I'm at Max's so you can reach me there." There was a loud clown horn beep then silence. Bill sighed and hung up the phone. He tried her cell phone but she'd had it disconnected. He rested his forehead against the cool chrome of his refrigerator. "Shit, Harmony." He pulled open his junk drawer and found his address book with her parents number in it. He dialed the number and listened to it ring endlessly. No machine picked up.

Bill looked at his watch and debated heading over to her parent's house. It was just after eight. Maybe they had gone out for a late dinner. A really late dinner. He didn't want to hang around his house by himself so he changed into a clean shirt and ran his fingers through his hair. He left in his car again. He drove west to her parents' house and parked on the dark street.

The security lights came on as he walked up the long driveway to the front door but Max was silent when he rang the bell. That just confirmed the fact that the family wasn't home. Bill shrugged and sat on the cold granite of the front steps and made himself as comfortable as he could. He didn't have to wait long until headlights appeared in the driveway and lit the path all the way to the four car garage beside the house.

Bill stood up and brushed his pants off as Harmony made her way from the garage to the front door with her keys dangling from her hand. "What are you doing here?" She asked when she got within a few feet of Bill.

"I'm here to see you." He reached out for her hand but she brushed past him and fumbled with the key in the lock. "Harmony, stop." He reached out and put his hand over hers and took the keys from her. "Stop. Please." He took his other hand and placed it on her shoulder to turn her towards him. She looked down to hide her tear stained face as he pulled her close to him and held her tight. "I'm so sorry. I heard about the reporters." He stroked her hair softly and spoke softly.

"How am I supposed to deal with this? How do you?" She asked into his chest.

"This will all end soon, Harmony. Trust me. Next week they'll be talking abut some other scandal or celebrity couple. I'm just sorry you were thrust in the middle of this. Are you still mad at me?"

Harmony didn't answer she just took a deep breath as she stood back. "Can you come in?"

"Um- Yeah." He glanced nervously toward the garages. Her parents didn't really care for Bill and the feeling was mutual.

"They're not home. They're in Prague until the end of the month." Harmony said. "I think this would be a good time to talk." She pushed the front door open and walked inside.

Bill hesitated for only a second before he followed her into the cool house and shut the door behind him. He needed to talk to her also.

Chapter Six