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Lifeline - Chapter Six

Bill followed Harmony into the house and toward the back where she sat on the pillow covered couch. He sat beside her and nervously tapped his feet. He expected the worst. "Harmony, I know you're angry and you have every right to be." He took a deep breath and met her eye as he prepared to continue.

"Yes but I over-reacted." She stopped his intended monologue. "I'm not angry at you." She added a second later. "It just that now I feel like everything I say, every little thing I do, every teeny tiny thought I have is on public display."

"It's not. Harmony, this isn't that bad."

"This is that bad. This is my life. When you made the decision to start this band and to take it as far as you did, you made the decision to give up some of your privacy. Not that I think they have the right to stalk you and publish your skeletons but it shouldn't come as a shock if they do." She paused and took a deep breath. "But I never made that decision. It was made for me."

"You made the decision to date me." Bill said softly. Harmony answered with silence and he could already hear her saying that it had been a bad decision.

"Yes." Harmony said after a minute. "I made that decision." She nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest. "But, Bill-"

"There's always a but." Bill had heard this speech before. The one where girlfriends can't handle the stress of all the sudden media. He'd been on the receiving end a few times which is why he chose to be single for so long. He'd also heard the other guys' experiences.

"I think this deserves a but." She gave him a small smile before she looked down at the velvet pillows of the couch. "I did make that decision but it was an uninformed one. I never thought about what the media would say or do about me. I had barely seen what it had done to you guys. The time that I was on the road with you they were tame, helpful even." She sighed deeply. "And I had no previous celebrity dating experience. There should be a class you can take, you know? As a prerequisite. Before you can date a celebrity you have to take this three week course or something." She laughed lightly but still wouldn't meet his eye.

Bill tried to remember to breathe as he focused on her voice. He was sure she was breaking up with him and she had every reason to be upset. He hadn't had a chance to plead his case but he was sure it would only sound selfish and desperate. "So if you had known, would things have been different?" He rested his elbow on the arm of the couch.

"Yes." Harmony said softly. "I would have been a little more prepared for something like this. I would have known that our private time isn't always ours."

Bill looked over at her with a half frown. "You would still date with me?"

"Huh?"

"If you had that class before, you still would have dated me?" He sounded almost shocked.

"Well, yeah." She gave him a confused look.

"So you're not breaking up with me?" He asked with a slow smile. He knew he sounded like a shy 13 year old but he didn't care.

"Bill, no! I'm not breaking up with you. I'm just, I don't know. Venting my frustration, as Dr. Mueller says." She tugged at the fraying cuff of her jeans. "I was angry at you, Bill. Really really angry. And when I got home and saw reporters in front of my house I was even more pissed. I thought it was all your fault. That you could have somehow stopped it. That maybe you had even partly caused it. I associated what happened with you and only you. But that's not how it is. I'm sorry, Bill. I'm so so sorry that I said all those hateful things to you."

Bill nodded. He was still surprised that she wasn't breaking up with him.

"I talked to Dr. Mueller this morning." Harmony said softly. Bill nodded again. He knew she would. "You really should send her flowers or something. She saved your ass this time. I was ready to do some pretty choice things to you and your house." She laughed lightly and shook her head. "But she laid down the law. Being involved with you includes a lot more than being involved with some regular guy off the street. I'm making the decision now to go with that. To take everything that comes with you being you."

"Is this an educated decision?"

"As educated as I can be, I guess." She smiled and rested her hand on his knee. "So far dating you has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Second only to getting out of Ahoskie Behavioral. Funny how they're kind of tied together, huh?"

"Harmony, I just want to be sure. To know that you know that I would never want you to be in the spotlight like that. I've done all I could to keep the attention off of you since the beginning."

"I know you have, Bill." She nodded. "I really just kind of went crazy there. I was completely unprepared to see anything like that and my defenses just went through the roof. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"My legal team is looking into this to see if there's anything we can do." Bill explained.

"There's not much we can do since it's all alleged and unconfirmed." Harmony shook her head to Bill's surprise. "Yes, I read the article. They're pretty good at talking a lot of shit and not really saying much, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are." Bill kept staring at Harmony with a silly smile on his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay." She said hesitantly. "I have to tell you as soon as I left I did a mental inventory to see if there were any razors or anything in the room."

"You thought I'd cut myself?"

Harmony shrugged and took a deep breath. "I thought it was possible."

"You thought I was going to cut myself?" He asked again.

"Yes." Harmony knew this was coming. She had talked with Dr. Mueller about being honest with her feelings when it came to Bill so it was now or never. "And I still left." Harmony let that sink in for a minute. "I was that mad at you. I wanted you to feel as bad as I did. That sounds so selfish and it was. I can't believe I just left like that when you-"

"When I what?"

"When we were both in such delicate positions."

"You sound like Dr. Mueller." The corner of Bill's mouth turned up in a slight smile.

"I'm serious. I'm sorry I left like that."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not." She shook her head vehemently. "That's one thing I really need to work on. Being honest with myself and honest with you."

"That goes both ways." He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry this happened, Harmony. I really am. If there was any way for me to change it I would in a heartbeat. I hope you know that."

"I know that." She nodded.

"So we're okay?"

"We're okay. We have some stuff to work out but we're okay."

"And of course I have to leave tomorrow night." Bill frowned.

"Not for long." Harmony tried to smile. "A few weeks right? Then you'll be back for a day or two. And I'll be there the night of your first show."

"I know. It just feels like I'm leaving in the middle of something."

"I'm not going anywhere." She said softly.

"I know." Bill stood up and sighed deeply. He walked to the tall glass doors looking out over the lighted back yard and rested his fingers on the handle and shook it gently.

Harmony sat for a minute then got up and walked to where Bill was standing. "Hey." She whispered as she stood directly in front of him. Harmony tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look. "What?"

"I don't ever want to let you go, Harmony." Bill brushed her hair off her forehead then trailed his fingers down her cheek to her neck. He kissed her slowly as she wrapped her arms around his waist and his hand warmed the back of her neck.

"Then stay." She whispered.

"I can't." Bill's chest tightened. He would call off the entire tour if he thought he could but it was impossible. Harmony stiffened in his arms as the hair on the back of her neck stood up on end.

"You- You can't?"

"Harmony, I would if I could but I can't. This tour is about all of the guys and- And I want to do it."

Harmony released the breath she had been holding with a soft laugh. "I mean tonight. Stay tonight."

"Oh." Bill matched her embarrassed laugh. "I can do that." He kissed her again and ran his fingers up through her hair. "But here?" He looked around slowly. She nodded and rested her cheek against his chest.

"If you don't mind sleeping in my overly girly and frilly old room."

"I don't mind." Bill tilted her chin up and kissed her again.

Harmony led Bill up the stairs to her old room and turned the light on. Bill stopped at the door and looked around the room almost in shock. "This is your room?"

"Yes." Harmony laughed at his expression. He slowly looked around the room and took it all in. The pale purple walls, the four poster bed with the white eyelet lace covering, the silk flowers on the night stand and a classic white dresser with a vanity mirror positioned on the far wall. The two bay window seats were overflowing with little pillows and stuffed animals.

"Shit. I feel like I need to take off my shoes or something." He said as he looked down at the stark white carpet with the lavender and sunshine yellow rug.

"This is the room my mother always wanted. Not me." Harmony explained with a sour tone. "When you turn off the light you won't even care where you are."

"Okay." He said hesitantly as he stood completely still by the door.

"Fine, take off your shoes if you'll be more comfortable." Harmony laughed and tossed her two decorative pillows to the floor then pulled back the thick blanket.

Bill slipped his shoes off and kicked them closer to the wall then stood there in his socks. "This is just totally not your room."

"Bill, if you're just going to stand there and stare you can sleep on the couch." Harmony reached up and pulled the scrunchie from her hair and dropped it on the glass-topped nightstand. She unbuttoned her shorts and dropped them to the floor. She picked them up and folded them before she set them on the little dresser and removed her shirt. A slight movement from the door caught her eye in the mirror and she looked up as Bill stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "So you've decided to join me?"

"This is better than the couch." He mumbled as he removed his shirt and tossed it toward his shoes. He crossed the room to stand behind her as she reached back to unsnap her bra. "Here. Lemme help."

"Help, huh?" She smiled at him in the mirror and he blushed. His hands were warm as his fingers found the clasp and gently slid the straps down her arms. It soundlessly fell to the floor and coiled around her ankle like a white satin snake.

"I'm going to miss you so much." He said just above a whisper.

Her breath caught in her throat as she nodded. She would miss him too. He slowly brought his lips to her bare shoulder and kissed her soft skin as his arms found their way around her waist.

"I just want to stare at you all night so I don't forget any little thing about you. Your hair." He gently brushed her hair off her shoulder. "Your smile." He traced her lips with his finger then turned her around to face him. "The way you smell so sweet without even trying." Bill nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply. "The way I feel when I'm right here." He kissed her from her neck up to her lips and held her close.

"You won't forget." Harmony whispered which was all that she could manage with his lips so close to hers.

Bill looked her in the eye and reached behind him to switch the light off. He kissed her again letting it linger in the darkness until she gently moved to the side and sat on the bed. "I'm sorry, Harmony. For everything." He said as he lay her down on the pillow.

"So am I." Harmony nodded and ran her hand up his bicep, across his shoulder and to his neck. "You said you didn't want to let me go. So don't."

"I won't." He said before kissing her again in the dark room. Harmony was right with the lights off he didn't care where he was.

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

In the morning Bill and Harmony slept in as late as they could. When the woke, they drove several blocks to the main street to get bagels and coffee for their late breakfast. Harmony gave him the unofficial tour of her parents house as they nibbled on their bagels. They ended up in the back yard with their feet soaking in the pool.

Max brought Bill his slimy tennis ball that Bill happily threw over and over again for the energetic cocker spaniel. "How's school?"

"Good." Harmony nodded and splashed her feet in the water. "It's harder than I expected but it's fun." She laughed. "I've done a 180. Listen to me. School is fun? Really?" Her voice rose to a squeaky level as she imitated herself.

"School can be fun." Bill laughed at her and squinted. "Come on tour with us" was what was at the tip of his tongue. He decided against actually saying it. "How's work?"

"Work is work. I don't love it but-" She shrugged. "What can I do, right? It's putting me through school and that's the important part. I don't have to enjoy it."

"You should like your job though."

"I'll take what I can get." Harmony ran her fingers through her curls and kicked water up onto Bill's thigh. "Not everyone can love their job you know."

"Trust me I know." Bill laughed as he picked up the ball to throw it again. "I can't wait for you to see the show. It's going to be awesome. It's huge."

"It's stadiums, right?"

"Yeah, all stadiums. It's insane. We start the rehearsals this week. We've got our work cut out for us." He sighed and straightened his legs out in front of him and watched the water drip back into the pool.

"How do you think you'll do?" Harmony asked quietly.

"Eh, I think we'll do good. I mean once we get it down it's just a matter of doing it over and over and over again." Bill smiled and leaned back on his arms. "You meant me, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be fine." He said after only a slight pause. "I really think I will. The last few weeks, hell months have been more stress than I've ever been under and I've been good."

"But you've said it yourself. Touring is a whole new level of stress."

"Yeah." He nodded in agreement. "But I have you and Dr. Mueller." Bill leaned his head back and opened his eyes to see the house upside down behind him. "And the guys have gotten a lot better about talking about stuff. I swear we're all so girly. We talk about feelings and things now."

"That's a good thing." Harmony laughed.

"I know. It keeps us all in check." Bill's phone went off in his pocket as he leaned to reach for the slobbery tennis ball. He checked the number and frowned. It was Georg's home in Germany. "I need to take this?"

"Okay." Harmony nodded and took the ball from Bill's hand. "Is it Georg?"

"Yeah."

"Is everything okay?"

"I'll know in a minute." Bill pushed himself up and trotted back into the house as he answered the call. He leaned against the counted as his bare feet dripped water onto the cool slate floor.

"Hi, Bill." Georg said quickly.

"Hey, what's up?" Bill asked.

"I heard about the tabloid stuff. I was just calling to see how Harmony's doing."

"She's okay." Bill nodded.

"Is she around?"

"She's outside." Bill nodded. "We're at her parents house right now."

"Are they pissed?"

"They're out of the country."

"I see." Georg said softly. "Is she pissed?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Ouch." Georg cringed.

"The bad thing is that we were in Hawaii when it came out so after a week of being hounded by fans and the press she had to see that."

"Shit. That sucks." Georg sighed and shook his head. "But things are okay?"

"Yeah, things will be cool after this goes away."

"Are you going to be ready Monday?"

"Yeah." Bill nodded. He didn't want to leave but there was nothing else he could do. "Like I have a choice."

"We could talk to Benjamin and see about getting another week off."

"Yeah, right. This was some kind of freaky miracle that we got these two weeks off. There's no way we can squeeze a third out of it. Besides, we have too much work to do."

"Is Harmony coming out?"

"For rehearsals?" Bill laughed. "I don't know where your head is but since when do girlfriends hang out at rehearsals?"

"Well, I mean, if she's upset and everything."

"We're cool." Bill nodded. "She'll be out for our opening show and I'll be back here when I can."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." Bill nodded and looked out the backdoor at Harmony. "I'll see you on Monday, okay?

"Okay. Immer mit der Ruhe."

"Yeah, you too." Bill said softly before he hung up the phone.

"Is everything okay?" Harmony asked as she headed into the house.

"Yeah, Georg was just calling to check up on me." Bill smiled and rolled his eyes. "He says 'Hi' by the way."

"Tell him I said 'Hi' next time you talk to him." She laughed and tossed the ball for Max one last time. "I have some laundry that needs to get done for tomorrow. Wanna spend your last free afternoon over at my apartment folding towels and T-shirts?" Harmony asked as she shut the heavy back door.

"That sounds like fun." Bill rolled his eyes and grabbed his wallet and keys off the counter.

"You have something better in mind?"

"Yeah, anything but that."

"It's quality time with me." Harmony tried to coerce him with her eyes but only managed to laugh.

"Quality time folding your laundry?"

"Well, it has to get done." She sighed and tilted her head to the side. It was a move she had found worked wonders on poor helpless Bill. "Please?"

"Fine. I'll come do your laundry. But you're gonna owe me."

"I'll do your laundry when you get back off tour."

"That's a week long adventure. After tour clothes can get pretty dirty."

"I'm brave." She took her keys out of her pocket and grabbed her purse. "So yes?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded.

"Okay. I'll meet you at my apartment. I have to get gas on the way so just let yourself in." She took her key off her ring and handed it to him.

"Okay." Bill leaned in quick to kiss her as she walked by and followed her out to the front of the house where their cars were parked. Bill followed Harmony out to the main street then turned toward Harmony's house while she turned right to get gas.

Harmony pushed her screen door open fifteen minutes later and smiled as she leaned on the door frame. Bill was standing in the middle of her living room with her clothes sorted into three piles.

"You have clothes categories?"

"Lights, darks and whites." He pointed out each group as he named them off.

"I just throw them all together."

"You wash your darks with your whites?"

"Yeah." She shrugged.

"How do you not have a hundred pink socks from washing a red shirt with them?"

"I don't know. I just wash them all of cold." Harmony laughed and set her purse down. "I don't have that many clothes. Look at those. There's hardly enough for two loads there."

"But you have to wash them separate."

"No way. They're all going in there. Look at this. I have like 9 white things. I'm not dropping a buck fifty to wash nine things. They can go in with the lights or whatever."

"That's fine. Just don't mix them with your darks." Bill warned.

"I won't, Mom."

"You know you could do your laundry for free at my house."

"Yeah, but then I'd have to load it up in my car, drive over, wash them one load at a time, fold them then bring them home. It's a lot less of a hassle and worth every penny to walk 20 feet and do it here."

Bill shrugged. "Let's get started." He grabbed an armful of dark clothes and nodded toward the door. "Lead the way."

Harmony laughed and led him down the walkway to the laundry room on the corner of her complex. He dropped the clothes into a washing machine and she placed the quarters in the slot then poured the detergent in. "There. See? Easy." She brushed her hands off and smiled. "Now we get go get the other stuff and wash it at the same time so we're not waiting around here all day."

Bill reluctantly followed her back to her apartment and grabbed the rest of the clothes before they trekked back to the laundry room. They put the second load into the wash then went back to her apartment and sat on Harmony's couch with a pile of towels between them. "Do these need to be washed?" Bill asked.

"No, I did those earlier. I just need to fold them." Harmony reached for a towel and folded it as Bill sat back. "You don't fold?"

"Not towels no."

"All you have to do is fold them into squares."

"I always do it wrong." Bill laughed and dropped his arm over his eyes as he shimmied down to rest his head on the arm of her couch.

"Fine then. Entertain me."

"This one time at band camp-" Bill laughed from behind his arm.

"You went to band camp?" Harmony asked with an inquisitive look.

"No, it's from a movie. You've never seen American Pie?" He lifted his arm and looked at her.

"No." She shook her head.

"You'll have to watch it sometime. Tom forced us to watch it multiple times."

"Is it good?"

Bill shrugged and laughed. "It didn't win an Oscar or anything but it's funny."

"Cool." Harmony sighed in content and placed the folded towel on the floor.

"Harmony, can I ask you a favor?" Bill asked a minute later.

"Of course." She smiled and reached for the corners of the towel. She folded it in half, then in half again and set it to the side.

"I'm going to be in California for another month or so before the tour starts."

"Uh huh." She reached for another towel.

"Well, I know how much you love this place-" He glanced around her tiny apartment with the still unpacked boxes hiding under the coffee table. "But would you consider moving into my house?"

"You want me to move in with you?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Kind of. I mean, I'm not going to be here and you're the only one I trust with my house. I'm going to be gone for a total of five months. It just might be easier if you lived there. You know? You'd be saving money on rent and stuff too."

"So this is purely for the sake of necessity? For practicality?"

Bill started to say yes but stopped and smiled, "Well, no. Not entirely."

"Bill, I like this place."

"So do I. This is a great apartment. But-" He let the sentence linger in the air.

"If you want me to come house-sit while you're gone I'd be happy to do that for you." Harmony placed her hand on the stack of freshly washed towels. "Of course I would."

Bill nodded. "Okay. Yeah, that's what I'm asking."

"Yes, I will house sit for you while you're gone." Harmony nodded.

"Okay." He smiled with satisfaction and reached over to grab a towel with a sigh. They spent the afternoon doing Harmony's laundry. They made some sandwiches in her kitchen to eat a late dinner on her living room floor. They watched a movie on cable as they cuddled on the floo, neither of them wanted the clock to move.

But it did move and, before they knew it, it was time for Bill to go. "We have to go if you want to make your flight." Harmony glanced at the clock on the wall for the tenth time in ten minutes.

"Yeah." Bill nodded.

"Is your stuff in your car?"

"All I brought was my backpack." Bill nodded. "How are we gonna work this? The cars, I mean."

"I don't know. You don't want to leave yours at the airport."

"No." He shook his head. "Why don't you drive me to the airport in my car? Then you can take that back to my house."

"What about my car?"

"It'll be here at your place."

"Yeah, but how will I get it back?"

"Just drive my car." Bill shrugged. "It's bigger and you'll be able to fit Max in there better when you take him to the park."

"You think I'm taking him to the park? You've got a park in your backyard."

"He needs to get out of there just like you do. Yeah, I think you should take him to the park." Bill laughed.

"Take him to the park. Right. Got it." Harmony reached for her keys. "Let's go get this over with."

Bill picked up his backpack and dropped it over his shoulder. "Yeah."

Harmony drove Bill's car across town to the airport and pulled up in front of the United Terminal. "Wait. Let me park. I'll walk you to the gate." Harmony started to pull back out to park.

"No, this is fine. I only have fifteen minutes anyway." Bill looked at his watch. "I'll call you when I get there."

"Call me a long time after you get there. When you land in California it'll be like 2 in the morning here or something insane like that."

"I'll call you on our break." Bill laughed then looked down at his hands as he picked at his nail. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." He leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss good-bye. "Thanks for watching my place and everything."

"You're welcome."

"Love you."

"I love you too." Harmony whispered as she smiled slightly.

Bill reached down between his feet and grabbed his backpack then pushed the door open. "Bye."

"Bye." Harmony waved and watched as he ran into the dimly lit airport. She waited another few minutes before the sighed and put the car into gear to drive back to Bill's house.

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

Bill flew to California alone and met two of his security guards at the airport. They rode over to the arena and arrived at the same time Gustav did. "Hey, how was your vacation?" Gustav asked with a broad smile.

"It was okay. Yours?" Bill covered his mouth as he yawned.

"It was the best. I didn't do a damn thing."

"Sounds fun."

"How's Harmony?" Gustav asked as they walked across the parking lot to the arena that they were practicing in. All of the guys had seen or at least heard about the tabloid fiasco.

"She's good." Bill nodded and kept his eyes on his feet.

"What's she doing while we're on the road?"

Bill shrugged. "Work and school."

Gustav stopped and hit Bill playfully in the arm. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Bill forced a smile and shook his head. That only caused Gustav to worry more.

"No, not nothing. Are things okay with you two?"

"Yeah."

"How about with just you?" Gustav asked. He and the others had gotten much better with asking each other how they were and answering truthfully.

"I'm fine." Bill said with more certainty.

"Then what?"

"Harmony is house-sitting for me while I'm gone."

"Okay?" They started to walk again as Gustav tucked his hands into his pockets.

"I guess I'm just confused."

"About what?"

"We've been dating for a little longer than a year. I feel like there's a next step to take and I just can't." Bill sighed. "I want to live with her, you know? I want her to move in with me so we can see each other all the time. It's like I can't get enough of her and I want her right where I can reach her all the time." Bill paused and Gustav didn't say a word. "That sounds like I want to own her or something. Ugh, I just want to have her there when I want to see her." He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, you love her." Gustav replied.

"Of course I do."

"No, you really do."

"I know."

"Bill, you don't know. You've probably been telling her you love her from the start. Yeah, you meant it but now you know what you mean."

"You've lost me."

"You want to take that big leap into the major next step."

"Marriage? No no no! Nothing like that."

"That's usually what living together leads to."

"Yeah but I can't even get to there."

"Because living together would mean you'd have to be there too and you won't be because we're here for the next month and then we go on the road." Gustav nodded.

"Exactly." Bill sighed and held the arena door open for Gustav. He followed him down past the empty seats toward the stage. "So?"

"So what?" Gustav gave Bill a look as he hoisted himself onto the stage.

"So what do I do now?"

"Wait until we get done here and then ask her to move in with you."

"What if she won't wait?"

"Bill, she's waited a year. She'll wait a few more months." Gustav laughed as Tom and Georg walked across the back of the stage.

"It's about damn time you guys showed up." Tom shouted as Georg playfully kicked him in the butt.

"Bill, get your skinny ass up here so we can get started. Let's go." Gustav shouted as he grabbed Tom's hat off his head and ran across the stage.

Bill laughed and shook his head. He was back in his element and ready to get to work.

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

After attending classes all morning and working all afternoon the last thing Harmony wanted to do was go home and pack but she knew she needed to. She fought traffic to her apartment and dropped her purse and book bag by the front door as she walked in.

"You have one new message." The electronic voice said when she hit her answering machine on her way to her bedroom.

"Hey, Harmony. I just wanted to let you know I made it here in one piece. I know you're probably at school or something so, uh- Yeah. So I'm here. I have my cell phone on but we're, uh, you know we're practicing and stuff so I might not hear it. But you can call and leave a message whenever you want. Or call Tom's place. He bought a house here in LA. I'm staying there with him. Shit, I don't know his number but it's in my kitchen on that little- You know, that thing. Anyway, I have to go back to work. I'll call you later. Love you." Harmony smiled at the sound of Bill's voice and ran back to the kitchen to hit replay. She listened to the message again before she went into her bedroom to find her duffel bag to start throwing her things together.

Fifteen minutes later Harmony frowned at her messy room and sighed. She was almost completely packed and yet she knew she was forgetting something. She rustled through her bag to double check. She said each item out loud as she came to it. "Pajamas. Hairbrush. Toothbrush. Hair ties. Socks. Underwear. Jeans. Work shirts. T-shirts. Robe. Book. She closed her eyes and pictured Bill's house hoping that would remind her. "Damn it." She mumbled under her breath as she zipped her bag shut. Whatever it was she was forgetting she could do without. It was getting late and she wanted to get to his house before dark.

The garage door opened loudly as Harmony pulled the car up and dropped the garage remote on the seat beside her. She pulled her little car into the empty garage and watched the door close behind her before she got out of the car. She punched the alarm code into the keypad by the door and propped it open with a can of paint he had on a low shelf.

Harmony flung her backpack over her shoulder and picked up her three bags of food and other necessities. She walked into the house and set everything in the kitchen. She shut the garage door and locked it then went to put her perishables away.

After a half hour of getting settled she changed into her pajamas, set the alarm clock on Bill's side of the bed and clicked the TV on to watch re-runs of Friends. Harmony fell asleep before the show was over wrapped like a cocoon in Bill's blankets

The alarm went off early the next morning and pulled her out of a deep sleep. She fumbled around on the nightstand to turn it off but could not locate the source of the obnoxious sound. She sat up with a deep frown and grumbled as she realized the alarm was on the other side of the bed. She rolled over and stretched before she turned the alarm off but by then she was awake.

Harmony sighed and groggily walked toward the bathroom where she turned on the hot water and went about waking herself up. She stepped out of the shower ten minutes later and went through her morning routine.

"Shit. My necklace." She placed her hand on her bare neck and frowned. "Where'd I leave it?" Harmony whispered to herself as she replayed everything backwards in an attempt to figure out where it was. The last place she remembered having it was at her parent's house over the weekend. She had taken it off when she took her shower and rested it on the windowsill. "Shit." Harmony sighed. Now she'd have to go all the way to her parents' house to pick it up.

She finished getting ready. She grabbed some coffee and headed out to her morning classes. She hoped she'd be able to stay awake.

It wasn't until four days later that she was able to talk herself into going to her parents' to get her necklace. It was so far out of the way and after work and school she just didn't feel like fighting traffic.

She pulled up at her parents' house and was shocked to see their car in the driveway with her father and Max on the front porch. "What a surprise. Good afternoon, Harmony." Her mother said from the doorway as she scowled at her husband wrestling with the dog over his leash.

"What's going on?" Harmony asked.

"Your father is taking Max to the shelter."

"To the what?" Harmony squinted her eyes and turned quickly to look at her father try to persuade Max to get in the back seat of his Mercedes.

"We're never home so we're going to take him to the pound to find a new home." Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips.

"What?! You can't just take him to the pound!" Harmony shouted as she ran down the two shallow steps and reached for the leash. "I'll take him home."

"You can't take care of a dog in that apartment of yours." Her father frowned and reached for the leash.

"I'll take him to Bill's. You can't just dump him off there. They'll kill him." Harmony held tight to the leash as Max wagged his tail at her side.

"You think your little boyfriend wants a dog?" He laughed out loud and shut his car door.

"Yes." Harmony did her best to hold back her tears as she realized that this was the first time she'd ever stood up to her father. "You have no heart. How could you even think about taking Max to the pound?" She turned on her heel and practically dragged Max across the front lawn to her car. She flung the door open and, without any urging, Max jumped into the front seat and turned around so that he was facing forward. "C'mon, boy. You're going home with me." He barked as she shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. Harmony's dad didn't move or say a word as she backed out of the driveway and into the street. Her necklace forgotten.

"I can't believe they were going to give you away." Harmony reached over and pet Max's velvety ears. The dog grinned as only dogs can and licked her palm. "You'll like Bill's house. He has a big yard and lots of room to run." She smiled. "I just hope he doesn't freak out."

Once at Bill's house Max ran around the backyard making himself at home in the shade of the gardener's shed. Harmony laughed and pulled a large ceramic bowl out of Bill's cupboard to fill it with water for Max. She set it at the edge of the porch and sat on the grass to play with Max for a little while. Bill was coming home for the weekend and he was due home within the hour.

Harmony sat stroking Max's head for a while then jumped up when she heard the garage door open at the front of the house. "Stay." She commanded Max before she trotted through the house to meet Bill at the front door.

"Don't be mad." Harmony said before Bill had the chance to step into the house.

"Don't be mad at what?" He asked cautiously.

"Max is here."

Bill thought for a second. "Max who?"

"My dog."

"Your dog?" Bill laughed and pulled her in for a hug. "I thought you meant Max was a person or something. Why would I be mad that you brought Max over?" He kissed her then they walked toward the living room. "He didn't chew up my stuff or shit in my room did he?"

"No, nothing like that." Harmony looked out the back door to where Max was laying by the picnic table. "It's only for a few weeks until I can find him another home."

"Wait, what?"

"My dad was going to take him to the pound so I took him and I can't keep him at my apartment and you have this huge backyard and everything." Harmony explained as fast as she could.

"Wait, why was he gonna take Max to the pound?"

"Because they're never home and don't do anything for him anyway. I guess that was my dad's way of being nice. You know Since we can't take care of him someone else can." She imitated her dad's voice almost perfectly. "But at the pound they'll put him to sleep if they don't find a home in ten days." Harmony looked up at Bill with watery eyes. "I couldn't just let him go."

"It's fine." Bill smiled. "How long has he been here?"

"Only a few hours."

"Okay." Bill nodded and walked across the room to the back door. He pushed it open and stepped out as Max ran over and jumped up on Bill's thighs. "Hey buddy!" Bill scratched behind Max's ears and laughed.

"I'm really sorry to just dump him here but-"

"It's okay." Bill repeated. "But you know I'm not around that much either."

"I know." Harmony sighed and looked at the dog. "But he's used to being left alone and you'd pay more attention to him than my parents would. Besides, if you don't want to keep him I'll find him another home. I just didn't want him to go to the pound."

"He doesn't need another home. He can stay here." Bill smiled up at her as he scratched down Max's back. "But you'll need to hang out here while I'm on tour to take care of him and everything."

"I know. I will. I promise." Harmony squealed with delight.

"You sound like a five year old whose dad just said she could keep the puppy."

"That's what I feel like." She laughed and threw her arms around Bill's neck then kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"And Max thanks you too."

"Well, Max is welcome too." Bill smiled and Harmony could resist wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad you're home."

"Me too." Bill covered his mouth as he tried not to yawn. "But only until tomorrow night."

"You're taking the red eye again?" Harmony frowned.

"Yep, that's the only way I can swing these weekends home."

"Bill, you can't come home every weekend. You'll completely wear yourself out doing that. You need to rest on your days off. Not worry about catching flights and jet lag."

"I want to see you."

"I want to see you too but, Bill, this is important. The tour I mean. I'll be out in a little more than a month to see you kick off your tour."

"I know."

"Then that's it. You go focus on that and I'll see you then."

"I get another two days off before then though."

"Then spend them with Tom or in bed or something." Bill didn't respond and Harmony thought quickly. "It's not that I don't want you to come home because I do. But you have things to do and I don't want to stand in the way of you being at your best when you hit the stage."

"I love you, Harmony." Bill said for the millionth time. He meant it every time but each time he meant it a little more. Harmony continued to put him and his career first while, at the same time, keeping his head on straight and not giving up her position on his list of priorities. He was going to have to make this all up to her just as soon as the tour was over.

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

Harmony stood in front of Bill's refrigerator and frowned. He didn't have anything that could be considered food. Ketchup, orange juice that had probably gone bad, raisins, cheese, soy sauce and something that might have at one time been left overs but Harmony was too afraid to look. She had been watching his house for five days and had been eating out a lot.

"I need to go shopping. This is ridiculous." She mumbled to herself. She checked the pantry but almost everything in there required something she didn't have. She sighed in resignation and grabbed her keys and purse from the counter and headed for the grocery store.

She loaded her cart full of real food that would take her through the next few months at Bill's house. As she stepped up to the register a magazine on the rack caught her eye and made her heart skip a beat. "2011 Tokio Hotel Tour - The Hottest Tour of the Summer!" The headline read. A colorful shot of the guys graced the cover of Teen People. Their smiles looked genuine and friendly.

"I don't believe I'm doing this." Harmony thought to herself as she put the magazine on the conveyor belt along with her groceries. She needed some reading material for the night and she was sure that inside the magazine there would be a handful of pictures which she planned to cut out and keep handy. One thing she noticed about Bill's house was that there were no pictures anywhere. He had a single family portrait on his dresser but he couldn't have been more than thirteen when it was taken.

She hid the magazine in the rest of her groceries and tried not to blush as the young man rang it up. When she returned to Bill's house she put away the food and made herself a turkey sandwich. With the refrigerator full of edible food, she was more comfortable staying there.

She ate on the couch with a napkin draped across her lap to avoid getting breadcrumbs between the cushions. The magazine lay open on cushion next to her as she scanned through articles on how to tell a boy that you liked him without sounding like a moron and lip liner tips. Her intense concentration on the breadcrumbs took away her coordination. As she reached to grab her water and turn the page at the same time, her hand knocked her glass off the end table.

It fell to the carpeted floor but she didn't hear a shatter. "Thank God." Harmony jumped up and dropped her sandwich and magazine on the couch to retrieve the glass. She picked it up and groaned. Down one side was a crack that extended from the lip to the base. "Figures." She placed the glass in the trashcan then went back to her sandwich which had left behind a small trail of crumbs. "Bill, why must you be such a neat freak?" Harmony groaned and swept the crumbs to the floor. She'd have to vacuum before he came home. She returned her attention to the magazine and read up on Rihanna's new hairstyle.

After the first week of living out of her suitcase Harmony decided she may as well hang her clothes up just to keep them from being wrinkled. After work that night she pulled the suitcase over to the closet and slid the doors open. "Damn, Bill! Do you have enough clothes?" She switched the light on to illuminate the closet that rivaled the size of the guestroom.

"How is this possible? There's no room at all in here. He can't possibly need all these clothes." She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "I'm not spending the next three months tripping over my suitcase every morning."

She sighed as she examined the task at hand before she finally went to the guestroom down the hall to check out the closet space. Hanging in the closet was a blue suede duster jacket and a vibrant red button down shirt. "Okay, stuff you shouldn't wear in public. Got it." She looked over her shoulder at the full size bed on the opposite wall and for a moment pondered just moving her stuff to the guest room and staying in there.

Then she thought of the enormous bathroom attached to the master suite, the awesome sound system and the way the sun peeked perfectly through the blinds early in the morning. She furrowed her brow in thought. She could move some of Bill's more eclectic outfits to the guestroom to free up some closet space for her own small collection of clothes but what if he got upset? Then she thought she could move everything back before he got home and everything would work out fine. It was a win/win situation.

"He wants me to move in here so bad. He can't be pissed that I touched his stuff." She rationalized as she made her first trek back to the guestroom with an armful of flashy clothes. She moved another two armloads of clothes to free up about three feet of bar space for her in his main closet. She then set about hanging her own clothes which included three pairs of pants, three work shirts, a handful of everyday shirts and a sundress. That was all she brought with her to house sit but she had tons more at her own apartment.

With her clothes moved Harmony sat on the deep couch and turned the TV on to channel surf a little before she started her homework. As she flipped through the channels a familiar face smiled back. She backed up a channel and laughed as she saw Gustav put his face within inches of David Letterman's.

"You look like you're gonna kiss him." Tom laughed.

"The guy hit me with a beer bottle." Gustav explained as he pointed to the scar.

"Ouch. They didn't use a staple gun did they? You know, 'Stand back!' and shoot them at your head?" Dave asked.

"No, they used stitches."

Harmony tucked her feet up under her and turned the volume up. Her homework completely forgotten as Bill leaned forward in his seat and smiled at the camera. "It's been almost two years since that happened. There's hardly even a scar. He's been telling people he was shot by a sniper though." Bill laughed and Harmony couldn't help but giggle with him as his eyes crinkled on the sides. A genuine smile from Bill was hard to come by on TV. He always looked so worried about what everyone was saying. But lately when she saw him with the guys he looked relaxed and happy. A new and improved Bill.

"So you can still play drums well?" Dave asked Gustav.

"He couldn't play them well before." Tom said as the others laughed.

"Yes, I could. Remember, you taught me." Gustav said sarcastically but with a big smile. "Yeah, I can still play well. And I could play well before." He turned to throw a look at Tom.

"Well, you guys are going to perform for us next right? Your new song. What's it called? Psychosomatic?"

"Yeah, that's our new single Psychosomatic. It'll be hitting the stores on Friday." Tom made eye contact with Dave as he played with the watch on his arm.

"You have a song called Psychosomatic?" Dave smiled and held up the CD single.

"Yeah." Bill nodded.

"And you guys wrote it?"

"Tom and Bill wrote it." Georg said from the end of the row.

"So this is a twin song?" Dave laughed. "How do you guys feel about that? Georg and Gustav? Do you guys write music as well?"

"Oh, no. No no no." Gustav said with a little laugh. "I'm good at hitting drums, not writing songs." They all laughed.

"I think you guys will like the song. It's more like what you would expect from our early days." Harmony noticed that Bill talked with his hands more when he was on TV than when he was face to face.

"Well, we'll check it out right after this break. Stay tuned. Tokio Hotel is going to perform their new single Psychosomatic coming up next." Dave held the single up again as he faded from view and a truck commercial took his place.

Harmony bounced gently on the couch as Max curled up on the floor by her feet. She yawned through the commercials then felt her adrenaline rush as they came back on to the opening chords of their new single. Harmony had heard the song before but seeing them perform it for the first time was amazing.

As soon as it was over Harmony wanted to immediately watch it again and she kicked herself for not recording it on the DVR, as if she would have been able to figure out how to record. She stood up and stretched her legs as she sighed. She had an early class in the morning that she really needed to study for.

"Okay, Max. Outside." She walked around the couch and held the back door open for the little dog that didn't budge. "C'mon, Max. Move it." He stared up at her with her sad sweet eyes but did not move. "Max! Outside." She pointed out the door as if he maybe just hadn't heard her the first two times.

After another few minutes of coaxing, she walked over and scooted him out the door herself. "You're being a pain." She grumbled as she left him on the porch.

He gave her the puppy pout and flopped down by the backdoor on his big fleece pillow. "G'night, boy." Harmony shut the door then grabbed her books from her bag by the kitchen table. She set the alarm then padded down the hall to the bedroom where she turned on the little lamp on the nightstand to read by.

Two chapters was as far as she got before her head fell onto the open book and she fell asleep with the American Literature text under her cheek.

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

"Please let me come home." Bill whined into his phone as he rode with Tom back to Tom's house. He had been away for three weeks and had called Harmony almost every day.

"Bill, it's not about me not letting you but if you hopped on a plane right now you wouldn't get here until midnight. Then you'd spend all day tomorrow sleeping and you'd have to leave again on the red eye to get back to California. You'd almost be spending more time in the air than you would here."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too. A lot." She looked around at the pleasantly cluttered living room of his and smiled as she imagined what his reaction would be. "I'll see you in two weeks though. I already have the time off work and my tickets came yesterday. First class, huh?"

"Nothing but the best." Bill leaned his elbow against the window and sighed. "She won't let me come home." He said to Tom.

"Bill!" She warned.

"See, I told you? No one wants to be near you when you're being like this. I don't want you here. She doesn't want you there." Tom laughed. Harmony could hear the humor in his voice as he sang, "No one likes Bill. Everybody hates Bill. I think he should go eat worms."

"Harmony likes me, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think you're okay. How are you being?"

"How am I being?" Bill asked Tom.

"He's being a toddler." Tom laughed and rolled his window down. "He's being a whiny brat. I wanna go hooooooome. Nobody liiiiiiiiiiiikes me." Tom imitated him.

"Bill." Harmony laughed with pity. "I like you a lot. Don't worry about that."

"But you won't let me come home?" Bill pretended to pout.

"You can come home any time you want. I'm not stopping you. I just think you'd be better off where you can actually relax for a day and a half instead of worrying about flights."

Bill sighed loudly into the phone. "Tom, you don't really care that I stay at your place, do you?"

Tom laughed and rolled his eyes, "Bill, we lived in the same womb. You think I care that you come visit my house? Which, I might add, hasn't been very often."

"Yeah, every day for the last month is hardly ever."

Tom laughed. "You can stay at my house anytime you want." He turned back to the road and continued driving.

"See? Tom wants you to stay there." Harmony smiled and opened the dishwasher. "How's practice? Are you guys almost ready?"

"Yeah." Bill rested his forehead against the window again. "We have it well memorized. We're just running through the show one or two times a day now. Jamison's making us."

"Jamison is your? Remind me." She grabbed two of the plates and set them in the cupboard.

"Our tour manager."

"Our slave driver." Tom shouted to be heard over the phone.

"Yeah, I guess slave driver is more like it." Bill smiled.

"Go back to Tom's and sit in the spa for an hour."

"Mmm." Bill groaned. "That sounds like heaven."

"Save your sex talk for later." Tom laughed.

Bill rolled his eyes and ignored Tom. "How are things back home?"

"Fine." Harmony nodded. "I have a huge Lit exam next Friday so I'm spending all my free time studying and reading all the required crap."

"Shouldn't you have had that done?"

"I'm reading it again." Harmony dreaded the hours of reading. She continued to unload the dishwasher as Tom pulled up in front of his house.

"Well, we're here." Bill opened his car door but kept his cell phone to his ear. "Last chance. I can still turn around and catch a flight west."

"That's up to you."

"No, it's not." He yawned.

"Stay there, Bill. I'll see you in two weeks."

"Okay." He sighed and unbuckled his seat belt. "Love you."

"I love you too." She smiled and waited until he disconnected before she hung up her end. She fought back a bout of tears just like she had every other time he called. "When did I get so girly?" She whispered to herself and laughed as two tears escaped.

She turned her attention back to the dishes to try to keep her mind off of Bill. She had no idea she would miss him so much when he left. She'd been used to seeing him every day and then suddenly he wasn't there. It actually wasn't so sudden. She'd known it was going to happen but because she had refused to think about it, it felt sudden.

Harmony sighed and reached to put the glass away but, before it reached the shelf, the glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the hard tile counter top. "Shit." She quickly jumped back as pieces of glass went everywhere. "Damn it, Bill! Can't you just have plastic cups like everyone else? These things probably cost fifty bucks each." Harmony sighed and reached for the largest piece. "Which means I owe you a hundred bucks." She mumbled under her breath.

Slowly and carefully she picked up the large pieces and dropped them into the paper grocery bag on the floor. Then she took the hand broom from the pantry and cleaned up the remaining tiny shards. She took the whole bag out to the garage and set it in the huge trash bin before she went back to continue unloading the dishes. She vowed to herself that she would bring over some plastic cups and only use those for the rest of the time she was there. She was tired of picking up broken glass.

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

Two weeks later Harmony caught her flight to Jacksonville, Florida and made herself comfortable in the cushy first class seats. She had one lay over in Georgia but her flight made it to Florida right on schedule at five twenty.

"Harmony?" Benjamin asked softly as she walked right past him. "Hey, Harmony."

She stopped at the sound of her name and turned around. "Yes?"

"Hi, Harmony. I'm Benjamin."

"Oh! Oh hi! I should have recognized you. I'm sorry." She laughed and adjusted her bag on her arm. "I didn't expect anyone to be here."

"We didn't want you to try to take a cab to the venue. There's so much traffic." Benjamin explained as they walked toward the front of the airport.

"How are we going to get there then?"

"I brought one of the vans. We'll be able to go in the back way to avoid the parking lot." Benjamin looked at the sign hanging from the ceiling and asked. "Did you check luggage?"

"No, just this. I'm only here until tomorrow."

"Okay." They changed course and followed the crowd through the airport to the main parking lot. "So have you seen the stage yet? I don't remember if you came out for the set up or not."

"No." Harmony shook her head. "I haven't seen anything. Bill has told me about it but I've been busy with my work and school and everything. I've heard it's amazing though."

"It is." Benjamin smiled. He was obviously proud of the guys. "You've never seen anything like it. I promise. We'll be getting there just in of time though. You won't have too much time to visit."

"Oh." Harmony frowned. "That's okay."

"But afterward you'll have all the time you want." He checked his watch as they stepped outside. "Their sound check party should be starting right about now. That'll last for about an hour."

"Sound check party?" Harmony didn't remember Bill saying anything about it.

Benjamin nodded. "Yeah. A small group of fans get to sit in and listen to their sound check. They get to ask the guys questions. Some cookies and water are available. It's like a tiny party."

"That sounds fun." Harmony smiled.

"Then they have to report to wardrobe, hair and make up." Benjamin laughed. "Being the first show they have to triple check everything."

"I bet." Harmony nodded as the excitement in her chest grew. She hadn't seen Bill in five weeks and she could hardly wait to see him after the show.

She and Benjamin made small talk as they walked out to the car and drove across town to the stadium, "Oh my God." Harmony whispered as they drove past the lines of cars. "They're in there?"

"Yeah."

"It's huge."

"It is." Benjamin laughed.

"There are so many people." Harmony stared in awe at the floods of people waiting in line to get in the stadium gates. "I'd vomit."

"Don't even joke about that. That would ruin the night if one of the guys got up there and vomited."

"They won't. They're used to it. I, on the other hand, would lose my lunch all over the stage." Harmony smiled out the window as her stomach did a cartwheel. "So where am I going first?"

"We'll go around back and I'll see what the guys are up to. If they have a minute I'll run you back to say hi but they will probably be swamped."

"Okay."

"So we'll check but then you'll probably have to go to your seat so you don't miss anything."

"Okay." Harmony nodded and watched the crowd disappear around the side of the building as they drove around to the back entrance. "Where am I sitting?"

"We have a VIP section in the middle." Benjamin said. "There are a few chairs and couches set up there for friends and family. Unless you want to be on the floor. We can always arrange that."

"No, that's okay. Who else is going to be there?"

"If I remember correctly Bill and Tom's mom, Georg's girlfriend, Gustav's sister and parents."

"Oh, okay." Harmony nodded.

"Oh, Emma will be there also. Bill's cousin. You know her, right?"

"Yeah." Harmony smiled. Her nervousness lifted as she heard a name she recognized.

Benjamin stopped the car only a few feet from the door. He got out to open Harmony's door. They passed through the security at the gate and Benjamin signed Harmony in for a badge. "Keep that with you."

"I know." She nodded.

"Okay. Wait here for a minute. I'll go try to track them down. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm okay." She placed her hand over her stomach. Eating was the last thing on her mind.

"Okay. I'll be back in a few." Benjamin trotted into the maze of the backstage area as Harmony moved closer to the concrete wall to stay out of the way. When Benjamin returned five minutes later he was shaking his head. "They're in the middle of getting fitted for their ear pieces which means they're running way behind."

"Okay." She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. All she wanted to do was see Bill.

"Let's head out to your seat so I can introduce you before the craziness starts." He smiled and nodded toward the hall to the left.

"Thanks." Harmony followed him down the hall and out two huge and heavy doors where the cool night air rushed over her. She took a deep breath and stayed close to Benjamin as he weaved closer to the crowd.

The fans that could see back where they were walking went crazy at the slightest movement and Harmony took two steps closer to Benjamin. "Benjamin, they're going insane."

"Yeah." Benjamin laughed and walked up to where a line of the guards in their yellow jackets were standing. He showed his badge and they let both him and Harmony through. As soon as they stepped out into the crowd they blended in with everyone else. Harmony stayed on Benjamin's heels as they walked around to where there as a slightly raised platform with several people talking on it. Harmony showed her badge at the entrance and Benjamin followed her up the three shallow steps.

"Hi, Simone." He smiled at Bill and Tom's mom. "You remember Harmony."

"Hi." Harmony smiled nervously and looked around at the empty seats.

"Hi! It's so good to see you again." Simone said as she pulled Harmony in for a hug. "Bill has been talking about you a lot lately." She laughed and Harmony's nerves began to settle. "Emma is here also. She just went to get some water with Gustav's sister."

"Okay cool." Harmony nodded.

"How about Georg's girlfriend?" Benjamin asked.

"She's not here yet." Simone shook her head. "Gustav's parents went back to see him. They'll be back in a few minutes."

"You gonna be okay up here?" Benjamin asked.

"Yeah." Harmony looked around and sort of leaned on the railing.

"If you need anything just walk straight back there and one of the guards can help you out." He pointed back in the direction they came from before he hopped down the steps. "I'll see you after the show."

"Thanks, Benjamin." Harmony waved as he trotted back to the backstage area.

"How are they doing back there? I know they get nervous before they start off a tour." Simone smiled and sat down as Harmony did the same.

"I didn't get to see them actually. They were getting their ear pieces fitted or something."

"They must be running late. That won't make them any less nervous." She laughed lightly.

"No, probably not." Harmony laughed and sat back in her chair as Gustav's parents bounded up the steps. Gustav's father's arms were full of water bottles.

"Thanks." Simone smiled and took one.

"Hi. How are you?" Gustav's mother smiled warmly at Harmony.

"I'm doing well. And you?" Harmony said as she extended her hand. "I'm Harmony. You must be Gustav's mother. He looks like you."

"Yes, I am. Aren't you sweet!" She laughed. "This is Gustav's father."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Harmony said as she shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you also." He turned to Simone. "Emma ran into our Franzsiska and they're talking girl things. I think they are raiding Bill's make-up stash." He laughed and twisted the top off his water.

They made small talk as the little VIP area began to fill up with Georg's girlfriend, Gustav's sister Franzsiska, Emma and a few other people. By the time the show started all of the guys had family and friends represented and the energy level was high.

When the guys took the stage Harmony sat forward in her chair to lean on the railing. She watched in awe for the entire show. She had completely blocked out anyone else but the four men on stage.

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

"Ahh! You guys were amazing!" Harmony gushed as Tom and Bill walked into the green room after the show.

She hugged Georg since he was first in line and he spun her around. "I have to spin you now because I think I may be dead tomorrow." He laughed and put her down gently.

"You looked great out there." Harmony couldn't take the smile off her face. "I'm really impressed." She smiled proudly at Bill and practically squealed as she gave him a quick kiss. "Really. That was awesome. I didn't think you could top the last tour but wow!"

"You liked it?" Bill laced his fingers through hers and swung her hand back and forth as he tried to catch his breath.

"A lot." She laughed again and just stared at him. It was still hard for her to believe how much he had changed in the last year. The last time she saw him on tour he seemed like he was always just a few short seconds from cutting himself all the time but now it just looked like he was on top of the world.

"Hey, Harmony! I thought I saw you out there! Where were you before the show?" Tom asked as he walked up and gently bumped his hip against hers.

"I was here." Harmony continued to smile. "You were getting fitted when I came through. I was hustled out to my seat. What's up?"

"Not much. This is gonna be a long tour." Tom shook his head and wiped his brow with the towel in his hand.

"You really looked great out there." Harmony couldn't stop smiling as Bill and Tom's mother and cousin rushed in and swarmed around he and Bill. Bill hugged them both and talked with them for a second before he excused himself.

"Come over here." Bill smiled broadly as he pulled Harmony off to the side. A drop of sweat lingered on the tip of his nose as he ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled sharply. "I'm so glad you're here." He pulled her close for a sweaty hug and kissed her slowly as they stood by the wall.

"You're all sweaty and gross." Harmony smiled as she stepped back a minute later.

"Yeah, I know. That's the price we pay though." He laughed and quickly swiped his arm over his nose. "So you liked it, huh?"

"I loved it! I don't know how you guys will keep that up for three months but if anyone can do it you can." She squeezed his hand as Emma walked up with a bottle of water.

"Here. You look like you need it." She held it out to Bill.

"I just finished off a bottle of Gatorade and a bottle of Pedialyte. If I drink any more I'll vomit." Bill laughed but took the bottle anyway. "How'd you like it?" Bill pulled his cousin in for a hug and held on extra long.

"You guys were awesome as usual. You keep out doing yourselves. You've just sent a hoard of 15-year-olds into cardiac arrest." She laughed then smiled at Harmony, "I didn't get a chance to say hi when you showed up. How are you?"

"I'm good. How about you? How's school?"

"Great. I'm glad the semester is almost over." She sighed and patted Bill's shoulder. "Hey, I've gotta go find Tom. He was on a Gustav hunt."

"Gustav and his parents are in the dressing room." Bill nodded toward the hall.

"Okay, I'll see you later." Emma kissed his cheek and beamed. "You really looked great out there."

"Thanks." Bill hugged her again then let her go find Tom. He watched her go as he shook his head. "I can't believe she's graduating university this year."

"She's not a kid anymore, huh?"

"She'll always be a kid to me." Bill smiled and ran his hands through his hair again. "I need to go get cleaned up. Do you want to hang out here or just meet up back at the hotel?"

"I'll wait here if that's okay."

"That's perfect." Bill kissed her again to burn the feeling into his lips before he ran down the hall to the dressing rooms.

Harmony hung out just standing off to the side. She tried to take everything in. The emotions were high and the mood was ecstatic as the other guys mingled with their families for a few more minutes before they headed to the showers themselves. There was a celebration planned back at the hotel so when the boys disappeared most of the guests left to try and beat the traffic. Harmony waited with Benjamin and another member of the crew in the hallway until Bill walked out smelling like soap and dressed in clean, dry clothes.

"Much better." Bill smiled and hugged Harmony again. He dropped his arm around her waist. "Are you ready to party?"

"I can hardly see straight but yeah. Let's go." She smiled and put her arm around his waist as well.

"How you doing, Harmony?" Georg walked beside them as two security guards positioned themselves to their sides.

"Good. How are you?"

"Great." He smiled and tugged at his ear. "How'd you like the show?"

"It was amazing. You guys really out did yourself this time." She laughed. "You'll have to actually jump from an airplane and fly for your next tour."

"I think we can go bigger than that." Georg shook his head. "So are you going to hang out for a few days?"

"Only until tomorrow." Harmony frowned. "You guys are leaving at around eleven right?"

"Yeah." Georg nodded.

"What time is your flight?" Bill asked.

"One o'clock. You guys are going by bus right?"

"Yeah." Bill nodded.

"So you don't have to worry about a mob at the airport." Georg laughed.

"Good." Harmony squeezed Bill quickly as they stepped out into the late night air. A small gathering of fans waited against the chain link fence screaming as they walked the 20 feet to their vans.

When all of the guys finally arrived back at their hotel a party was already in full swing at the rooftop bar and grill. Bill introduced Harmony around to almost everyone who was there though she recognized most of them from the tour the year before. They stayed until the wee hours of the morning. When they could barely remain standing Bill and Harmony went to their room three floors down.

"I'm so glad you're here, Harmony." Bill nuzzled her ear as they shut the door behind them. "I wish you could come on tour with us again."

"No, you don't." She insisted with little conviction.

"I do." He traced her bottom lip with his fingertip then kissed her again.

"Someone needs to watch your house."

"Don't be so logical." Bill laughed lightly and she shivered as his warm breath brushed her cheek. "Just say you will. Even if you can't. Just tell me you will."

"Bill." Harmony started to argue as his mouth found hers again.

"Harmony, tell me you'll come with us. Just for tonight."

Harmony knew what he meant. He just wanted to hear that she would even though he knew that she wouldn't. If she told him she would he could pretend that she would be there every night when he finished a show and for all of those long hours on the bus.

"Of course I will." She lied.

Bill's fingers laced through her curly hair and kissed her again as his other hand moved up the back of her shirt. When his cool hand touched her back she flinched away before falling into Bill. She was too tired to stand up as it was and the kisses he placed on her neck turned her knees to butter.

Bill pressed is hand to her back to keep her standing and laughed lightly. "I didn't think girls really went weak when you kissed them there."

"I guess you just have that effect on women."

"At least this woman." He laughed and bit at her neck playfully. He walked slowly toward the bed half dragging her as he went.

Harmony sat on the bed and tried to keep her eyes open as Bill's hand on her back guided her toward the blankets. As soon as his head hit the pillow beside her, the day's events collapsed on his shoulders and he yawned softly in her ear.

"Me too." Harmony said with her eyes closed. She lazily pulled him to her and draped her arm over his stomach.

"Stay." He whispered.

"I'm here." She replied as Bill kissed her again and nuzzled her ear gently. His eyes drifted shut and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

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

Harmony was up before Bill's wake up call but she didn't move out of his embrace. She snuggled closer to him and kept still until the phone rang beside the bed. Bill reluctantly rolled over to answer it after the seventh ring. "Yeah?" He mumbled before he cleared his throat. "Okay. Yeah. Thanks." Bill hung up the phone and rolled over to face Harmony. "Morning." His eyes were closed as he wrapped his arms around her waist again.

"Time to get up?" Harmony whispered.

"Ten more minutes."

"What time is it?"

"Ten."

"What time do you have to leave?"

"Eleven." He mumbled into her shoulder.

"Then you definitely need to get up." Harmony whispered though she didn't move.

"I know." Bill yawned and held her closer.

Harmony let him doze off for a little while before she shook him lightly. "You need to get up, Bill." She smoothed down his hair by his ear and spoke a little louder. "C'mon. You can sleep on the bus."

"You're coming with me, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. He hoped the magic from the night before would follow him.

Harmony shook her head slowly. "You need to get up."

"I know." He nodded and kissed her quickly. "Don't want to."

"I know you don't but if you miss the bus I'll be the one that gets in trouble." She laughed and scooted closer to the edge of the bed. It took a few tries but she managed to wiggle out of Bill's arms and stand up at the foot of the bed. "C'mon." Harmony tugged the blanket off of Bill's legs and grabbed his foot.

"Ten more minutes?" He mumbled into the pillow. "Lay with me."

"Bill, it's ten thirty now."

"You suck."

"So do you." She laughed and stretched her arms above her head. "Get up so we don't have to rush."

"I don't like you." Bill smiled over his shoulder.

"I don't like you either." She laughed and grabbed his arm to pull him out of the bed. Bill stumbled to his feet then shuffled to the bathroom. When he emerged twenty minutes later he was still a little damp and his clean shirt clung to his chest.

"Last chance. You sure you don't want to come with us?" Bill asked as he checked his watch.

Harmony laughed and kissed his minty lips. "I'd love to come with you but you know I can't. I'm almost done with my semester and I have a lot to do to get ready for NCSU. Dr. Mueller wants to get together to talk about school and stuff before she leaves and I have to go back to work to pay for college." She sighed. After listening to all the things she had to do the thought of running off with the tour didn't sound so bad.

"I know, I know. It's just gonna feel weird out there without you to vent to every night."

"You can call and vent a dozen times a day if you want." Harmony smiled.

"But you won't be there."

"I know." Harmony nodded. "Don't guilt trip me. You know I'd go if I could."

"I'm not guilt tripping you. I'm just saying I'll miss you. A lot."

"I'm going to miss you too." Harmony reached up and hugged him tightly.

"But I still have to go don't I?" Bill laughed.

"Yeah." She took a step back as he reached for his huge duffel bag.

"Okay. Let's get this over with." He took a deep breath then opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Harmony checked to make sure she had a room key before she followed him to where a crowd of the crew and the guys had gathered.

"I'll call you tonight." Bill said as they positioned themselves in a corner by the elevators.

"I won't be home until about ten your time."

"Then I'll call you after the show." His eyes danced around Harmony's face. He tried to etch it into his mind to carry him through the next few weeks until he'd be able to see her again. "We'll be back in California."

"Didn't you just come from California to here?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah. We were supposed to start the tour there but they had venue issues so we started here."

"I see."

"So I'll call you after the show, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Will you be at my house?"

"Yeah." Harmony said softly. She'd spent almost every night at Bill's house since he left.

"Time to go, guys. Buddy up and find your team." Benjamin shouted as he walked up with his luggage over his shoulder.

"Are you coming down with us?" Bill asked.

"Uh no." Harmony shook her head. "The crowd downstairs is crazy and Benjamin said it would be best for me to stay up here until it thins out. I'm not big on crowds."

"No, I know you aren't." Bill used his free arm and brought her close again. He kissed the top of her head then tilted her chin up to look at him. "You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm going to go back to the room and shower. Then I'm on my way to the airport."

"Okay." He nodded and looked over his shoulder as the other guys and their crew got on the two awaiting elevators.

"Bill, you're my travel buddy." Gustav laughed as he stepped on the elevator. "Come on, travel buddy. Let's go." One of their large guards held the door open as he smiled at Bill.

"Love you." Bill said as he kissed Harmony good-bye.

"Love you too." She said softly as he licked his lips and turned to get on the elevator. She crossed her arms over her chest and forced a smile as the doors closed.

"Bye, Harmony!" She heard Gustav shout from behind the guards. Harmony laughed and waited for a few seconds after the doors shut until she went back to her room.

As she walked into the stuffy hotel room she could smell Bill distinctly. His aftershave. His deodorant. His sweat from his discarded clothes accidentally left by the bathroom door. She picked up the clothes and stuffed them into her bag before she jumped into the shower to get ready to leave for her flight home.

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

The garage door opened slowly as Harmony waited in the driveway in Bill's car with the radio playing sappy love songs. She parked the car then got her things out of the back and let herself in through the garage where she disarmed the house and went straight to the backyard to let Max in.

"Hi there, poochie! Did you miss me? Did you?" She leaned down and scratched him from his head to his tail causing him to wiggle even more. "I'll bet you think you're sleeping inside tonight, don't you? I think you're right!" She laughed and hit the play button on Bill's answering machine.

The monotonous digital voice said, "You have two new messages." The first one was a hang up and the second was for Harmony.

"Hi, uh- Harmony? This is Cassey. Hey, I hope I have the right number. So, uh- if this isn't Harmony just skip the message but if it is give me a call! I know you're getting in kinda late tonight but I wanted to get together for dessert or something. I'm working until ten so give me a call at home after that. We can hit Denny's or something. You know, get come cheesecake or something. I haven't seen you in like a month. Call me, call me, call me!" Cassey laughed then hung up.

Harmony already had the phone in her hand and was dialing before Cassey's message ended. She couldn't wait to see her friend. They made plans to meet in a half hour at the Denny's by Cassey's apartment but Harmony wanted to change her clothes first. The jean shorts and T-shirt she wore on the plane felt stuck to her body as she walked down the hall toward the bedroom. Max was a step behind her. He didn't want to let her out of his site again. "I'm sorry Maxie. I'm leaving you again." She gave him a pouty lip then scratched him again. "But trust me, after this I'll be home for a few months. No more weekend trips or anything like that." If he could have sighed he would have as he sulked over to the bed and dropped himself at the foot.

Harmony stood in Bill's huge closet flipping through her clothes as she tried to decide what to wear. She wanted to wear her plain black T-shirt but she couldn't find it anywhere. "I'll bet it's at my apartment." Harmony frowned at the clothes in front of her and sighed.

She started over at the beginning and went through her clothes one at a time to make sure she hadn't just overlooked it. Sure enough, almost halfway through she found it tucked between a work shirt and a bright Hawaiian print sundress. She pulled it off its hanger and over her head but stopped as she went to pulled her hair out of the neck of the sweater.

The closet had gone from having all of Bill's clothes to being split almost completely down the middle with her clothes. Somehow all of her clothes had ended up over there at Bill's house, either because she just hung them up after washing them or because she unconsciously wanted to move it. Either way she was moved in.

Harmony smiled to herself. She hadn't even been to her apartment in three weeks and yet she didn't miss it. When she left work late at night her car directed her back to Bill's house. When she woke up in the morning she knew right where she was. When she left a message for Cassey she rattled off Bill's number as if it were her own.

Without a doubt she knew she was home. She laughed again to herself and shook her head. She'd have to talk to Cassey about that over dessert. She didn't know what she needed to do as far as giving notice at her apartment complex and she would need help moving the rest of her things.

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

Bill yawned and stood up after spending an hour talking to Harmony back in North Carolina, a thousand miles away. He clicked his cell phone off and rubbed is warm ear as he headed back toward the bunks. He tried to be as quiet as he could. "Bill? Is that you?" Tom asked from his bunk.

"Yeah." Bill whispered. "I was talking to Harmony."

"What's she up to?" Tom whispered and pulled his curtain back.

"School and stuff." Bill shrugged as he repeatedly opened and shut the mouthpiece of his phone.

"Sounds like fun." Tom nodded.

"I miss her." Bill sighed and tossed his phone onto his bunk. They weren't even halfway through the tour and all he wanted was a few days off to see Harmony.

"I know."

"No, I think I miss her more than I should."

"How much should you miss her?" Tom smiled.

"I don't know but not this much." Bill pulled himself onto his bunk. "She's not going to be able to come with us at all. With school and work and everything." He sighed and tried not to let it get to him. "I wanna go home." He pretended to whine.

"Home, huh? You guys living together yet?" Tom snickered.

"Funny." Bill grumbled and rolled over on his thin mattress to try to find a comfortable position. "No, we're not. I might just skip that step though."

"Whoa." Tom leaned out from his bunk and looked up at Bill. "Seriously?"

"I've been thinking about it." Bill lay on his side and bunched his pillow under his head. "Seriously thinking about it." He closed his eyes. "You think I'm crazy?"

"Crazy? I think we all are." Tom smiled. "But I think with Harmony you're a little less crazy."

"I don't want to mess things up though."

"With us or her?" Tom asked softly. When Bill didn't answer, Tom knew he meant both. "You'll be cool with us. You know that, Bill. We're all about seeing each other happy. Harmony makes you happy. You're like a damn giddy child when she's around." Tom paused. "You won't be messing anything up with us. Don't worry about that."

"Thanks." Bill whispered.

"And you won't mess things up with Harmony either. You guys are perfect together." Tom smiled. "I'd be more pissed if you didn't say anything. She's great and you guys love each other, right? So go for it."

Bill nodded in response but didn't say anything. Tom was right though. They loved each other. Marriage was the next logical step. Bill had a lot to think about.

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

"I wish you'd have let me pick you up from the airport." Harmony said as she gave Bill a kiss hello. He was in North Carolina for two days to do some guest spots on TV before Tokio Hotel finished up the last few weeks of their tour.

"You wouldn't have wanted to be there. The airport was a madhouse. We all flew in together so it was chaos."

"You're all in town?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah, we taped a few spots for TV and the guys are coming over tonight too." He looked up at her sheepishly. "Do you mind?"

"No, that's fine. I haven't seen them in a while." She forced a smile as she watched her night alone with Bill disappear into a mirage.

"We're just gonna order pizza or something."

"Bill, you spend 24 hours a day seven days a week with these guys. Why do you want to hang out on your days off?" She laughed.

"They don't have to come over."

"I don't care that they come over. I'd like to see them too. I'm just saying. You see them all the time. I would think you would want a break."

"I do." He nodded and reached for her hand. "And tomorrow I will get that break."

"Cool. When's your flight out?"

"Two fifteen to New York to spend another full day doing some TV appearances before we begin the ending of the tour."

"Three more weeks?"

"Twenty-three more days." Bill laughed and kissed her slowly.

"Then what?"

"Then I'm home." He smiled.

"Yeah but for how long?"

"I don't know. We're kind of just leaving it open for right now." Bill stepped back.

"Is everything okay?" She asked as she sensed his worry.

"No- Yeah everything's okay. That's not what I meant. It's just that for the first time in forever we don't have a tour or an album in the making. This will be really our own time. You know? No studio time. No flying around to events. No sound stages." He shrugged. "It's just weird. Tom's already thinking about the next album but Georg and Gustav plan to go back to Germany and just relax for a while."

"What about you?"

Bill shrugged again and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I have a few things planned, like a trip back to Germany to see my family, but mainly I want to just focus on relaxing and doing a little writing."

"When does the work on your new album start?"

"Whenever we all get together and decide we've had enough of a break."

"What if you don't?" She asked softly.

"We will." Bill smiled. "If it were up to Tom we'd be in the studio the week after the tour ended. I just want to explore other avenues right now."

"Scary though, huh?"

"A little." Bill nodded. "But it's cool."

"Good." Harmony smiled. "It'll be nice to have you around." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again as the front door buzzed.

"That would be Gustav."

"Did he follow you home?"

"Practically." Bill nodded and took her hand as they walked down the entryway to the front door. Bill looked at the little monitor and laughed as the image of Gustav with his back to the camera. He was using his arms to make it look like he was making out with someone.

"Hey, Gustav, what's her name?" Harmony asked into the intercom.

Gustav stopped suddenly and turned around with a huge grin. "Morgan!" He said as he held up a bottle of brown liquid. "She's the captain of the cheerleading team. Let me in, assholes!"

"Name calling is not the way to get the door open." Harmony laughed.

"Hey, just because I don't use your little pet names for one another doesn't mean I'm not using an affectionate term."

"Since when is calling someone an asshole affectionate?" Harmony challenged the monitor.

"Let me in or I'm taking my Captain Morgan and going to a sleazy motel."

"Go right ahead." Harmony laughed and realized that she really missed joking with the guys.

Gustav turned to walk away a Bill reached over Harmony's shoulder and buzzed the gate open for him. "Yeah, I thought so." Gustav laughed and pulled the gate open while sticking his tongue out at the camera. Within seconds he was bounding in the front door with a grocery bag at his side.

"You went to the store?"

"I had Seppel go in and get it." Gustav shrugged.

"Speaking of security." Harmony looked around. "Where are they?"

"Back at the hotel." Gustav nodded.

"You have a hotel?"

"Of course." Gustav gave her a look. "You don't actually think I'd voluntarily stay here do you?" He laughed.

"They don't stay with you guys?" Harmony asked.

"No." Bill shook his head. "We're just hanging out."

"Yeah we stopped needing babysitters a few years ago." Gustav set the rum on the counter before he opened the bags and brought out a six pack of Coke. "Most of us anyway."

"So where are the others?"

"Checking in at the hotel." Gustav opened the refrigerator to put the sodas in and frowned. He put the six pack on the floor and reached in with both hands to move stuff around. "Shit, Bill! When did you get food?" Gustav moved the loaf of bread and bagels to the bottom shelf and slid his sodas in.

"Hmm?" Bill peeked into the open refrigerator. "Did you go shopping?" He asked Harmony.

"Yeah." Harmony nodded. "I've been here for a few months now. I had to have something to eat."

"Anything good?" Bill asked.

"Girl food." Gustav crinkled his nose and held up a carton of cottage cheese. "You eat this shit? It looks like sour milk."

"Tastes like it too." Bill made a face.

"It's good! Shut up." Harmony reached for the container and put it away. "I'm not asking you to eat it so leave it alone." She laughed and shut the refrigerator.

"Gustav, how much cash do you have on you?" Bill asked. He held his wallet out in front of him and sighed.

"I don't know. Five bucks maybe. I bought the drinks so-" He shrugged.

"I don't have any cash at all."

"I have twenty I think." Harmony said.

"What for?" Gustav asked.

"Pizza." Bill tucked his wallet away.

"Tom always has cash. Just wait till he gets here and hit him up." Gustav laughed and made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room. "How do you like North Carolina?"

"I like it. It's not like I've spent a lot of time here but I like it." He squeezed Harmony's side gently.

"Cool. I've been thinking about relocating but I'm thinking of going to the west coast though." Gustav looked over his shoulder toward the backyard. "You've lived here forever right?" He asked Harmony.

"Yeah. Not always in Raleigh though."

"You like it?"

"I love it." Harmony smiled.

"Would you ever move to Germany?" Gustav asked.

"Not voluntarily." She laughed and stepped away from Bill to open the back door.

"Hey!" Bill sounded appropriately offended as he laughed and followed her.

"Not that I have anything against Germans or anything but North Carolina is perfect for me. We have the mountains to the west and the beaches to the east. No giant snow storms in the winter. No earthquakes or tsunamis."

"Just hurricanes." Bill joked.

"I can handle hurricanes."

"How often do you get those?" Gustav jumped up and followed them out to the yard. "When did you get a dog?" He asked as Max lumbered around the corner with a bright green ball in his mouth.

"This is Max. He's Harmony's dog." Bill kneeled and took the ball from Max to throw it across the yard.

"And he lives here?" Gustav raised his eyebrow at Harmony.

"He actually belonged to my parents but they were going to send him to the pound so I took him. But I can't have a dog in my, uh- Apartment. So Bill said I could keep him here."

"Hmm." Gustav laughed. "So hurricanes. How many do you get?" He sat on the steps and pet Max who came over to investigate the new scent in the neighborhood.

"A month?" Harmony asked.

"You get a hurricane a month?"

"Not every month and usually only during the summer and early fall months." Harmony nodded.

"What?" Gustav and Bill asked in unison.

"You sing a song about a monsoon and you're afraid of a tiny hurricane?"

"How big are they?" Gustav asked.

"I don't know. It depends. I think the last one we had was a category 2. That's not too big."

"Whoa."

"At least it's not earthquakes. I can't deal with the earth moving under my feet."

"California is just going to break off and slip into the ocean." Bill shook his head and laughed. "Someone should warn Tom. And had I known about the hurricanes, I wouldn't have moved here!"

"You wouldn't have?" Harmony raised her eyebrow at him.

"Well yeah. I would have but I would have been more leery about it." He laughed.

Harmony laughed and shook her head. "You guys are wimps."

"Yeah, well." Gustav shrugged as the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it." He jumped up and ran down the hall to the front door. He pressed the button on the intercom and shouted. "What?!"

"Damn, Gustav. You just blew out my eardrum. Where's Bill?"

"He's playing ball with Max."

"Where's Harmony?" Tom asked.

"Out back with them."

"Who's Max?" Georg asked.

"Are you guys just gonna hang out by the gate and talk about this all night or are you gonna come in?" Gustav asked as he implemented the Annoyed Gustav tone everyone knew so well.

"Yeah, buzz us in." Tom laughed.

"Okay." Gustav pressed the other button on the intercom system but nothing happened. "Did that work?"

"Did what work?" Georg asked.

"Did it buzz?"

"It didn't do anything." Tom shook his head.

"Okay." Gustav pressed both of the buttons at the same time but still had no results. "Damn it! Hang on." Gustav said into the little speaker. He ran back down the hall to the back door. "Hey! How the hell do you work your thing?"

"My thing?" Bill smirked.

"Your door, perv."

"What do you mean?" Bill tossed the ball then followed Gustav back inside.

"I mean how do you work the damn thing? Tom and Georg are standing around outside. I can't get them in."

"You press the button that says door, Gustav." Bill sighed and pressed the button to the left of the speaker. A loud buzz sounded outside and Tom pulled the gate open. Georg followed him in and they all met at the door.

"Cool. You made it." Gustav slapped Georg on the back.

"Looks like I got here just in time. Are you having door issues?" Georg asked Bill.

"No, Gustav is." Bill laughed and they all filed down the hall to the kitchen.

"So what's the plan of attack?" Georg asked to no one in particular.

"You had to be had. You cut it in half. You had to react." Tom laughed as he answered with the accompanying lyrics.

"You battle with your shadow from front to back." Gustav added as he hopped up on the counter.

"You all need therapy." Bill shook his head and waved Harmony in from outside. "Harmony! These freaks need mental help. What can you do for them?"

"I dunno." She shrugged. "They may be too far gone." She went around and gave hugs to Georg and Tom before they all walked out to the back yard. "So what's new?"

"Not much." Tom yawned and sat in one of the padded patio chairs.

"I can't be here long. I've gotta go back to the hotel. Girlfriend stuff." Georg explained.

"Can't you just phone her?" Gustav asked.

"Sure Gustav." Georg sighed. "I could do that. And maybe for the next album you can just put yourself on speaker phone and play the drums from Germany."

"Works for me." Gustav shrugged and thwapped Georg on the back of his head.

"Quit pulling your sister's hair." Bill grumbled and they all dissolved into a fit of laughter. "Okay, guys, I'm starving. Let's decide what we want."

"What are our options?" Gustav sat across from Tom and put his feet up on the retaining wall.

"Pizza, pizza or pizza." Bill counted off on his fingers.

"Pizza sounds good." Georg laughed.

"We always have pizza. Can't we have pizza this time?" Tom whined as he rolled his eyes. "None of that Hawaiian crap though. Fruit does not belong on a pizza."

"Cheese?" Bill asked as he clicked his phone on.

"And mushrooms." Georg nodded.

"Black olives." Tom laced his fingers behind his head.

"Harmony?" He looked over at her as he started to dial.

"I'm fine with plain cheese." She blushed quickly.

"Plain cheese?" Georg asked as though she'd just asked for lima beans and peanut butter. "You have to add some flavor to it."

"I don't like all that stuff." She laughed uneasily and sat on the wall by Gustav's foot.

"I'll eat plain cheese too." Tom said. "Get one of those."

"Okay so how many pizzas total?" Bill turned his phone off before it could ring. "Two?"

"Yeah. Two for me." Tom laughed.

"Get- One, two- Get three." Gustav looked around the table.

"Three?"

"Yeah. Me and Georg will down one by ourselves. We want some meat on our pizza. Harmony, you and Tom can eat the crappy plain one and we'll have one veggie pizza.

"If we're gonna get three then I want jalapenos on mine." Tom said.

"Not if we're sharing it." Harmony shook her head.

"I'll get it on half."

"Okay."

"So on ours we want half jalapenos and half plain cheese. A meat thing for those two and a black olives and mushroom and whatever else on the last one." Tom nodded.

"Shit, I need to write this down. I can't remember all of that." Bill took the phone and went back inside to get a notepad and a pen.

They spent the next fifteen minutes completing their order before Bill called it in to the local Pizza Hut. The guy on the phone said it would take about 45 minutes so they had some time to kill. Gustav made a round of drinks and they sat around the living room catching up with Harmony while they waited for their food to arrive.

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

When the bell rang twenty five minutes later Bill looked at Tom. "You got cash?"

"What do I look like? An ATM?"

"I don't have enough cash on me. I think we have twenty-eight bucks." Bill held out his hand.

"So now I have to pay?" Tom tried to look annoyed.

"You're the only one who actually carries cash." Bill smiled and wiggled his fingers. "Hit me with twenty and we'll call it even."

"Even? What math are you using?"

"I'm using the Bill's pizza buying math." He smiled as Tom laid a twenty in his palm.

"I'm taking the leftovers with me when I go." Tom scowled.

"If there's any left you can take all you want." Bill nodded and handed Harmony the cash. "Would you mind?"

"Sure." She took the money and went out to pay the guy. She carried it outside to the backyard where they could all sit together.

They ate on Bill's patio set sharing drinks and stories from the tour. Harmony laughed so hard her face hurt and she knew her stomach muscles would be sore the next day. As it got later Harmony picked up her glass and went inside to get a refill. Tom and Bill followed her inside while Georg said his good-byes.

Georg paused to give her a hug. "See you later."

"Bye." Harmony patted his back. "Is your ride here?"

"Yeah, Dirk has a car out front." He nodded. "Bill! Tom! I'll see you guys tomorrow night."

"Bye!" Tom shouted from the bathroom. "I'd come out and hug you but I don't think you'd like that right now."

"That's cool." Georg banged on the door as he walked by the bathroom. "Where's Gustav?"

"He's peeing in Bill's pool." Tom yelled from the bathroom again.

Bill laughed. "I don't have a pool." He yelled back at Tom.

"Then your neighbors are gonna be pissed!" Tom laughed hysterically.

"You guys are crazy. I'll see you tomorrow." Georg said as Bill walked him to the door. He waved as he walked down the driveway.

He went back inside and to the kitchen to get himself another drink as the night started to wind down. "I like what you've done with the place." Tom said as he sat heavily in the big chair by the stereo.

"Hmm?" Bill looked up from pouring his Coke into the rum filled glass.

"The bathroom." Tom smacked the arms of the chair and added "This is like the most comfortable chair ever in my life. Can I sleep in it?"

"No." Bill shook his head and swirled his cup to help the ice stir his drink. "What's wrong with the bathroom?"

"You actually have towels in there. Soap too. But I never figured you for a sea shell shaped soap kinda guy." Tom laughed.

"What?"

"Towels. You know those things you pretend to dry your hands on after you pretend to wash your hands after you pretend you didn't piss on them." Tom looked at Harmony sitting on the couch across from him. "I could have sworn he spoke pretty good English when we let him come home. What did you do to Bill?"

"I got towels." Harmony blushed quickly and concentrated on the ice in her orange juice.

"You got towels?" Bill sat opposite her on the couch as Gustav ran into the room and jumped over the back of the couch. "Hey! Chill out, Gustav. You're gonna break your neck."

"We jump off helicopters, run through monsoons, launch pyro all around us, race cars in the desert and you think I'm gonna break my neck in your house?" Gustav laughed and sat on the floor in front of Tom.

Tom let his foot slip off the end of the chair and kicked Gustav in the head 'accidentally.' "Sorry."

"Any part of you that touches me, you aren't getting back." Gustav growled over his shoulder before he laughed and moved away from Tom's feet.

Bill shook his head and smiled. "So you bought towels?"

"Yeah." Harmony nodded. "There were none in there and it got annoying." She explained.

"And the soap?" Bill asked and laughed as she blushed.

"They matched the rug." She shrugged.

"She's domesticating you." Tom laughed and sunk deeper in his chair.

"She's taming the wild beast." Gustav laughed.

"When have you ever considered Bill a wild beast?" Tom asked.

"True." Gustav nodded.

Bill pouted as he swung his feet up onto the couch beside Harmony. "I could be a wild beast."

"I'm not even gonna go there." Tom shook his head. "Actually I think I'm gonna head to the hotel." Tom stood up and yawned.

"Are you serious? It's only ten." Bill tossed a balled up napkin at Tom's head.

"Yeah but remember? He's old and all his parts aren't working. Thus the Viagra incident." Gustav started to laugh but it turned into a yawn.

"Yeah, see? C'mon, we can ride back together so Seppel doesn't have to drive out here twice." Tom thwacked Gustav on the back of the head.

"You guys are really leaving?" Bill asked.

"Yeah." Tom rubbed his hands over his face. "We get to sleep in tomorrow. I want a head start."

"Fine, just leave us." Bill pretended to be hurt.

"You know, I don't here Harmony complaining." Gustav looked at Tom with a raised eyebrow.

"She doesn't really like us." Tom shook his head.

"Or she wants us to leave so she can get some action." Gustav pointed out.

"No, Bill gets no nookie. He's a virgin." Tom said before he swallowed the last bit of Coke in his glass. "You're on the two o'clock flight with us tomorrow, right?" He asked Bill.

"Yeah." Bill nodded. "We're all flying out together."

"Cool. See you then."

"Bye, guys." Bill and Harmony walked them to the front door. They waited until Seppel arrived and left with a tired Tom and Gustav before they went back inside to finish cleaning up.

Bill screwed the caps back on the bottles of alcohol that were out on the counter while Harmony headed for the sink. She turned the water on hot and held her fingers under the flow to monitor the temperature.

Bill leaned around Harmony to put the bottles away as he yawned into his shoulder. "I'll finish up here. You look exhausted." Harmony stifled a yawn herself as Bill placed his lips on her forehead. His breath smelled of rum and sugary syrup and she knew he'd sleep well that night.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She kissed his sweet tasting lips and reached for the utensils in the sink. "I'll be in in a minute."

"M'kay." Bill mumbled as he walked down the hall to his room. Harmony heard him open the door and slide the closet door open. She wondered if he'd notice her clothes in there and if he'd say anything.

Her question was answered when a minute later he appeared in the hall with his hands on his hips. "Your clothes are taking up half of my closet."

"No, they're taking half of our closet." Harmony said as she shut the dishwasher.

"Oh really?" Bill smiled.

"I'm taking you up on your offer."

"Yeah?"

"If it still stands." Harmony nodded with a smile. "If not I can always pack it up."

"You really want to live here?" Bill asked as he sauntered down the hall wearing only his boxers.

"Well, I kinda have to now. I gave notice at my apartment last week." Harmony's cheeks flushed pink as Bill's arms went around her waist.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"My furniture is arriving next week and I'm going to have to do something with it." She looked up at him and hoped he'd just be happy to be home and wouldn't worry about her stuff.

Bill laughed and tilted his head back. "All your stuff is coming here? Harmony, where are you going to put it?"

"I don't know." She smiled and was glad that he was laughing.

"Okay." He shook his head but continued to smile.

"Actually, Cassey is taking my bed stuff so the only big thing I have is my futon. And my big chair thing that you like."

"Your papasan chair?" Bill raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"Cool. We'll put that in the bedroom." He nodded. "The other stuff- We'll stick it wherever. We can figure that stuff out later."

"Okay." Harmony smiled up at him. "You're okay with this?"

"With you moving in?"

"Me moving in with all my stuff."

"Of course I'm okay with it." Bill said softly. He rested his forehead against hers and kissed the tip of her nose. "I want you here with me. That's why I asked you to move in in the first place. You were the one with reservations."

"I know. I just wanted to be sure."

"It's fine. It's perfect. I'm glad you changed your mind." He kissed her softly and let the realization sink in. They lived together now. The step had been taken and, according to Tom, there was only one place that lead. Bill was surprisingly calm as he thought, "I'm okay with that."

"Good." Harmony smiled. "You need a girl's touch around here."

"Well, you've been touching it all over. Scented soaps and rugs?"

"It's comfy." Harmony defended herself with a smile.

Bill looked down at her smile and knew he never wanted her to leave. "It's perfect. C'mon, we can do these in the morning." He took her hand and pulled her down the hall toward the bedroom.

Harmony went into the huge closet to change out of her jeans while Bill went into the bathroom to wash his face before they went to bed. His bare feet weren't met with the expected cool tile floor. Instead his toes were buried in a thick blue rug. Bill smiled and curled his toes as he leaned on the counter for support. It was far too late and he'd had far too much to drink to be upright much longer.

Bill's hand stopped in midair as he reached for his toothbrush. There were two toothbrushes sticking out of a silver tooth brush holder and the toothpaste was in another little cup beside them.

He set his hand flat on the counter top and just stared at the toothbrushes. The green and white Reach brush was his. It was comfortable and broken in. He could probably use a new one but he just never had the time and that was low on his list of priorities. The bright purple one beside his had glitter in the handle and turquoise bristles that made him smile just to see them. It looked brand new and hardly used. For a split second he wanted to use the purple one just to feel the difference but instead he reached for his old one and ran it under the water.

The cold water stung his tongue as he rinsed his mouth and spit into the sink. Bill reached for the deep plum colored towel that he didn't recognize and wiped his mouth. He looked back at the toothbrushes sitting side by side and realized that any other time that image would have scared him but right then he felt comforted by it.

Bill yawned as he stepped into the room, "Hey, Har-" He started but she was already curled up and asleep on what had become her side of the bed. What he had planned to say slipped from his mind as he turned off the light and pulled the blankets back on his side. Anything he could have said wouldn't have come close to conveying what he was feeling so he simply slid in beside her and took her warm body in his arms. Any questions he may have had about the next step vanished in that moment as she sighed and snuggled into his chest in her sleep. Bill tucked a stray curl behind her ear and kissed her slack lips and smiled. No questions at all.

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

Bill and the guys left the next day to finish up their tour and Harmony went back to school. While she spent the next three weeks studying the War of 1812 weapons and uniforms, Bill did his homework on rings and carats. "Tom, can I get your opinion?" Bill used his shoulder to balance himself against the wall of the bus. He leaned into Tom's bunk and set the glossy catalog on his pillow.

Bill had sat down with all of the guys after their time in North Carolina and told them of his plan to propose. He wasn't sure what he expected but when they all smiled and patted him on the back he knew things would be okay.

"Yeah, what?" Tom shut his magazine and rolled onto his side before he noticed the catalog. "Aww, Bill! I didn't know you felt that way about me. I hate to let you down but I'm not into the whole twincest thing." He snickered.

"Ha ha." Bill rolled his eyes. "If you were a girl, which would you want?"

Tom quickly scanned the pages and shook his head. "None of those."

"C'mon, Tom." Bill sighed.

"You can't get it from a catalog." Tom frowned.

"I'm not! I'm choosing which style I want so I can go to the store and get it."

"That's the same thing." Tom shut the catalog and handed it back to Bill. "Besides, all of those are gold."

"So? I like gold."

"We're platinum!" Tom waggled his eyebrow and pulled his drape shut. "Go to a jeweler and find one that means something to you. Don't get one of those."

"Thanks for nothing." Bill tapped his catalog against his thigh then went back out to the front of the bus. Tom was right though. Bill wanted everything to be special. The ring, the proposal, everything.

Bill managed to get a few hours free to get a bodyguard and visit a jeweler while they were in Texas. They went unnoticed into the store and Bill headed for the wedding sets. He looked at the selection of platinum sets they had but nothing really spoke to him.

"Would you like to see something?"

"No, it's okay. Thanks." Bill mumbled. This wasn't going to work. He wasn't going to find the ring in a mall just like he didn't find the girl in a mall. He had to look where he was least likely to find it.

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

Bill called Harmony as often as he could sometimes going days without actually reaching her. They played voice mail tag for a while and when they finally connected Bill was rushed. "Hey, Harmony, I only have like two minutes before I have to go."

"Okay." Harmony covered her mouth as she yawned.

"How are things back home?"

"Fine. I took my history final today. That sucked."

"I'm sure you did great."

"Thanks." She smiled. "How about you? What did you do today?"

"Me and Saki went to-" He stopped himself a fraction of a second before he let it slip. "We went to the mall."

"Really?" Harmony laughed. "How'd you manage that?"

"I dunno. He had to go get something for his girlfriend so I went with him."

"Did you get fangirl attacked?"

"No, actually no one really recognized me until we were leaving. Then again it was ten in the morning on a Wednesday." Bill quickened his pace as they neared the large arena room where the small crowd of fans was waiting. Bill was last in as usual.

He paused before he pushed the door open and said, "I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay." Harmony nodded reluctantly. "And I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Twelve days." He laughed. "I love you, Harmony."

"I love you too, Bill. Have fun and work hard."

"I always do." He smiled.

"Bye."

"Bye." He laughed and clicked his phone off as he pushed open the door to the delight of the girls gathered in the room.

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

A week later Bill was still stressed over finding a ring when Georg dropped himself on the couch beside him. They were en route to Indianapolis and they had another four hours on the bus. "Still worrying about the ring?" Georg asked.

"Yeah." Bill sighed. "I've been all over the internet. I've checked out all sorts of malls and catalogs. Nothing looks right."

"Yeah." Georg nodded as if he understood.

"I mean they're all either too tacky or too big or too flashy. I want something simple, you know? Elegant but small. I don't want some 20 carat rock she has to lug around."

"I know what you mean." Georg nodded again. "Have you tried antique shops?"

"Georg, I'm being serious."

"So am I."

"Antique shops?"

"Yeah, girls like that stuff."

"Used rings?" Bill scoffed.

"They have a story." Georg raised his voice a notch and batted his eyelashes. "It can't hurt. It's better than going blind looking at the same damn rings all over the computer."

"True." Bill sighed. "I'll give it a shot. I'll try just about anything now."

"Cool." Georg patted his knee and stood up. "Glad I could help. Now quit moping around." Bill simply sighed and flipped open his laptop again. He needed to find some antique shops in the cities they were headed to.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Ring shopping was definitely more work than he anticipated.

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

Four days and nine shops later they were in Ohio with less than four hours to spare. Bill grabbed Tobi and they found their way to the three antique shops that Bill found online that said anything about jewelry. The first one had a teenage girl working behind the counter so Bill pretended to look uninterested as Tobi shopped for a ring for his non-existent girlfriend. The girl behind the counter could barely complete sentences between her bouts of giggles and finally asked Bill for his autograph. Her uncle came out from the back of the store to snap a picture of them together. Bill and Tobi left empty handed.

The second store had only pins and cuff links in their tiny jewelry selection so they left and headed to the third store on their list. As the car pulled up outside Bill climbed out of the back seat and stretched his back. "Tobi, can you just go in there and buy the first ring you see? Please?" Bill sighed deeply and shook his head. This wasn't as fun or as easy as he thought it should be.

"You wanna call it quits for today?"

"Do I really need a ring? Can't I just ask her and have her go get her own?"

Tobi laughed and shook his head. "You go ahead and try it but I don't wanna see that scene." He patted Bill on the back. "Don't worry. You'll find it when you're not even looking."

"Fine. I'm not looking any more." Bill pushed his sunglasses up on his nose and crossed his arms over his chest. The frayed cuffs of his blue jeans dragged on the ground as he walked over to the display window.

"Great. I want to go in here." Tobi pulled the antique door open. A bell rang out to signal their entrance.

"Awesome, what are you looking for?" Bill walked in behind Tobi with a sigh.

"A lamp for my mom." Tobi laughed and followed Bill as he headed straight for the glass cabinet in the back.

"Can I help you find something?" The old man behind the counter asked.

"No, just looking for a lamp." Bill mumbled as he removed his sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He casually looked in the case and yawned. "Do you have anything platinum there? Or is this all silver?"

"No sir, those four on the end are platinum." The gentleman reached for a key on his key ring and opened the case. "Would you like to see them?"

"Sure. Why not?" Bill tried to act ambivalent. He'd just look at this guys rings then get on out of there.

"Here you go." The man set the four rings out each in their own tiny box.

"Thanks." Bill looked them over quickly and sighed. "Wait." He grabbed Tobi's arm so quickly Tobi jumped.

"What?" He asked a little too loudly.

"Check it out." Bill pointed to the third ring back.

"It's pretty."

"It's gorgeous." Bill nodded. "Can I take it out of the box?"

"Of course."

"Wow." Bill took the ring out and slid it onto his pinky. "This is nice."

"That's a beauty. It's circa 1940. Now that's a full carat there total weight." He continued to describe the ring in full detail but Bill didn't hear a word he said. He was holding the ring he was going to give to Harmony.

"I'll take it." Bill interrupted the jeweler as he spoke about the different color qualities of diamonds.

"Bill, why don't you think about it?" Tobi said from his side.

"No way. I knew that when I found the perfect ring I would just know. This is it, Tobi." Bill nodded and smiled at the jeweler. He removed the ring from his finger and placed it back in its box. "I'd like this ring please."

"You're sure?" Tobi asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. A hundred and ten percent sure." Bill nodded. Everything was falling into place and it all felt right.

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

"Check it out." Bill dropped the ring box on the table between Gustav and Georg.

Gustav just stared at the box while Georg reached out and spun it around on the table in front of them. "So this is it?"

"Will you just look at it and tell me what you'd say if you were a girl and I gave that to you." Bill mumbled. He didn't doubt his choice. He simply wanted some reinforcement.

"Well you know, Bill, you're not really my type." Georg shook his head and held the box still in his hands.

"Be serious. For three minutes please." Bill reached over and flipped the top of the box. "What would you say?"

Gustav and Georg looked down at the same time and answered in unison. "Wow."

"You picked that out?" Georg looked up with a surprised expression.

"Yes, I picked it out." Bill sighed.

"Wow, you did one hell of a job." Georg said softly.

"Can I take it out?" Gustav asked with his hand already on the box.

"So help me, Gustav, if you lose it I will have you killed." Bill watched like a hawk as Gustav took it out and held it up to the window to catch the light.

"Is it antique?" Georg asked as Gustav passed the ring over to him. Georg looked at Bill out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah."

"See? I told you. Girls are into that kind of thing." He laughed and slid the ring onto his pinky. "Too flashy for me."

"You think it's too flashy?" Bill asked quickly as his brow furrowed.

"Not for a girl. It's perfect for a girl. Just not for me." Georg laughed and held his hand out to admire the ring.

"Take it off. Quit playing around." Bill reached for Georg's hand to take the ring off but he couldn't make it budge. "Damn it, Georg! It's stuck. Take it off."

"Hang on." Georg used his free hand to try to get the ring off but Bill was right. "Shit. It's really stuck."

"Wait, let me get some butter or something." Gustav laughed and jumped out from behind the table.

"Butter? No! Not on a platinum diamond ring. Wrong." Bill shook his head and grabbed Georg's hand again.

"Ouch!" Georg snatched his hand back and held his little finger protectively.

"Tom?!" Georg shouted toward the front of the bus. "You still have that lotion?"

"What lotion?"

"The stuff that Carrie sent you? Just lotion. Any kind of lotion."

"Gustav's the perv. Ask him." Tom kept his attention on the notebook in front of him.

"Gustav? Do you have any lotion? This is seriously stuck!"

"Put it in your mouth." Gustav said suddenly.

"Wait, what?"

"The finger. Stick it in your mouth and use your teeth."

"That'll work?" Georg asked with a hint of doubt.

"Georg?"

"Yeah?"

"Trust me." Gustav sat back and crossed his arms.

Georg shrugged. "I swear, Georg, I'll cut if off if I have to." Bill practically crawled over the table to grab at Georg.

"You'd cut the ring?" Georg asked as held his arm over his head and leaned away from Bill.

"No, I'd cut your finger." Bill made a grab for Georg's shirt collar.

"Time out. Back to your corners." Gustav pulled Bill back and set him on the seat. "Georg put your finger in your mouth and use your teeth to get it off."

"You really think that'll work?" Georg asked as he gave Gustav a look.

"Would you rather have Bill snap your finger off?"

"True." Georg stopped talking long enough to stick his pinky all the way in his mouth and bite down on the opposite side of the ring. He wiggled it slowly and tried not to think about how ridiculous he looked. Within a few seconds it came off his mouth. "Awesome!" He reached up and took the ring out from between his teeth.

"Gross." Bill took the ring from Georg and jumped up to rinse it in the sink. "You don't get to touch anything ever again." He mumbled as he ran it under the water. Bill dried the ring on his shirt and placed it back in the box.

"Relax. You got it back." Georg laughed.

"I'm serious. Nothing. Ever again." Bill dropped the box into his pocket and headed for the bunks.

"I think you pissed him off." Gustav laughed.

"He'll grow out of it." Georg laughed with him and produced a deck of cards from the little storage area under the bench. "Twenty-one?"

"Sure." Gustav shrugged and smiled.

Gustav and Georg busied themselves with a game of cards while Bill pulled himself onto his bunk and lay on his stomach to look at the ring even closer. He'd had it in his possession for less than an hour and he already could not take his eyes off of it. It was the perfect mix of everything he was looking for. It was delicate without being too girly. It had more than one diamond without being flashy. It was petite instead of huge. And it would look stunning on Harmony's hand. He could already imagine her wearing it when he held her hand. He could feel the cool stone against his thumb when he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and the way it would slide across his bare back when she held him close.

He could picture his future just by holding the ring in his hand. Now all he had to do was give it to her and make sure that moment was just as perfect as the ring.

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

Harmony was in contact with Tom toward the end of the tour and he helped arranged for her to come and surprise Bill at the last show. Bill had asked her for a few weeks to come to watch it but she insisted that she had to work and couldn't get out of it. He believed her but he was still frazzled. They hadn't seen one another in three weeks and with the end of the tour so near he found it hard to wait any longer.

Harmony knocked on the dressing room door tentatively. "Yeah?" She heard one of the guys shout from inside.

"Can I come in?" She asked through the closed door.

"You have to open the door or shout louder." The same voice replied with a hint of annoyance.

"Can I come in?" Harmony asked again a little louder.

"Come in already!" The first voice shouted. She could hear the voice get louder as the owner got closer to the door. Gustav threw the door open and stopped. "Oh hey! What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Gustav." Harmony laughed and nervously tucked a curl behind her ear. She had her hair in a ponytail but random curls always managed to break loose. "Is Bill in here?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, he's changing." Gustav jerked his thumb toward the back. "He doesn't know you're coming?"

Harmony shook her head as Georg came out from the back with a jacket in his hands. He looked up and saw Harmony standing by the door. "Hey!" He tossed the jacket at Gustav and pulled Harmony in for a tight hug.

"Congratulations!" He shook her gently.

"For what?" She laughed and gave him a look.

"For passing your history final." Tom said quickly as he stepped between Georg and Harmony. Gustav inconspicuously punched Georg in the side. "Yeah, uh- Bill told us you were kinda worried about that but that you did well on it."

"Oh. Yeah, thanks." Harmony smiled and tilted her head slightly to the side. "You guys are keeping up with my school work?"

"A little. You know how Bill likes to talk." Tom laughed and cleared his throat.

"Oooooh." Georg nodded as he finally got what was going on. "Oooooh yeah. Bill talks. Talk, talk, talk." He mimicked with his hand.

"Okay." Harmony looked at them all weird. "You guys definitely need some time off."

"Yeah, we do." Gustav laughed and rolled his eyes. "Just a few more hours."

"Tom? Is that Carrie?" Bill walked out from the back area in his dress shirt and jacket but with only boxer briefs on his lower half. "I was hoping she'd head out to the store and-"

"Hey, Bill." Harmony smiled at him over Georg's shoulder.

"Harmony!" Bill's mouth dropped slightly as he handed Tom his jacket and took two broad steps toward Harmony.

Georg moved out of the way as Bill took Harmony in his arms and held her tight. "Surprise." Harmony laughed as he took a deep breath against her.

"I thought you couldn't come." He smiled into her hair as his heart raced.

"I wanted to surprise you." She laughed again. "Tom helped me get in here."

"Remind me to thank him later." Bill whispered as he laughed lightly. "I just can't let you go."

"You're going to have to. I can't breathe."

"Sorry." He released her and took a step back but left his hands on her shoulders. "I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you." He laughed lightly and hugged her again before he gave her another warm kiss.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Gustav snickered as he stood by the door.

"No, you're okay." Harmony smiled and took a deep breath as she backed away from Bill. "I just thought that since I was here when it began I should be here when it ends."

"It's the same show." Gustav shook his head.

"I know." Harmony laughed. "But still."

"We're glad you could make it." Tom stepped between her and Bill to give her a hug.

"You know she was coming and you didn't say anything?" Bill playfully smacked the side of his head.

"And miss the chance to see that look on your face? Never." Tom laughed and imitated Bill's startled look. "Classic. Where are those damn Tokio Hotel TV cameras now, huh?"

"Are you flying back tomorrow?" Bill asked as he turned his attention back to Harmony.

"Yeah. With you." She nodded.

"Wow." Bill laughed again, "I just can't believe you're here. I wasn't prepared for this."

"I wanted to surprise you."

"You did. You definitely did." He kissed her again. "Georg? How much time do we have?"

"Twenty minutes until we hit the stage. About ten minutes before we start getting shouted at." Georg checked the clock on the wall.

"Damn." Bill frowned and looked down at his bare legs. "I need to get dressed. Can you hang out for a minute?"

"Yeah. Actually I'm going to run down to the cafeteria and see about getting a drink. I'll be back in a minute though, okay?"

"Sure." Bill nodded and reached to take his jacket back from Tom.

"Hey, Tom? Can you see about finding this guy some pants or something?" Harmony laughed as she pulled the door open.

"I'll do my best." He laughed.

"Thanks for making this work." She added softly.

"Anytime, Harmony." Tom waved as she shut the door behind her and headed down the long hall to where the food was set up.

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

"Bill, are you doing it tonight?" Tom asked in a hushed tone as he followed Bill back to the clothes area.

"No." Bill shook his head and blushed. His stomach tumbled at the thought as he pulled his pants on.

"No? You're not gonna take her out on stage and do it there?"

"Are you serious?" Bill laughed nervously and buttoned his pants. "Those fans out there went bat-shit crazy when Georg even mentioned having a girlfriend. If I go out there and propose they'll tear the place down." He shook his head and sighed. "No. I'm going to do it in private. Later."

"Later tonight?" Tom prodded.

"Just later." Bill tucked his shirt in then pulled it out to try again.

"Are you getting cold feet?"

"No, nothing like that." Bill looked up and forced a smile. "No, I'm fine with it. I want the timing to be right, you know? And here in front of everyone isn't the right place. Harmony's not comfortable here so no. I'm going to do it later."

"I think you should do it in a big way. With an audience." Tom laughed.

"Hell no." Bill shook his head then added softly. "What if she says no?"

"She's not gonna say no." Tom laughed and patted Bill on the back. "How could she say no to you, Mr. Make-The-Girls-Go-Crazy."

"It's possible." Bill sighed and thought of the ring locked securely in the tour safe with all of the crucial documents.

"She won't say no." Tom sighed and rolled his eyes. "You'll let us know when you do it though, right?"

"Of course." Bill laughed as his nervousness left. He pulled his jacket on over his shirt and shook out his arms. "We'll call you guys right after our parents."

"Sweet."

"Do not say a word." Bill shook his finger at Tom.

"I'm not."

"I've never been more serious in my life, Tom. One word, one tiny little hint and your legend will be history." He cast a quick glance toward Tom's crotch to make sure the hint got through.

"Don't check me out." Tom covered himself and laughed.

"I mean it, Tom. I want to do it right."

"I won't say a word." He made a motion like he was zipping his lips and throwing the key over his shoulder. "Get prettied up though. We have like 10 minutes." Tome bounced out the door while Bill reached for his black trench coat.

Harmony pulled the door open just as Bill was about to leave. "I have to go. I'm sorry. They just really have us running ragged for the last show." He kissed her quickly and said. "Are you going to sit out front or back here?"

"Back here." She smiled.

"Okay." Bill sighed and she walked beside him down the hall. Their footsteps echoed off the wide concrete. "The last show. It's weird, huh?" He turned and gave her a small smile out of the corner of his mouth. "We're done."

"Bittersweet, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it really is." Bill bounced up and down for a second. "But I'm excited. This is gonna be awesome. The last show always rocks."

"I can't wait to see it." Harmony laughed as he tugged on the sleeves of his jacket. "Tom wasn't kidding though. You have like ten minutes."

"I know, I know. I'll see you after." He kissed her again. He let it linger to carry him through their final performance of the tour.

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

The show went into two encores with them singing old stuff they hadn't even touched in years. The night ended on a high note and their security had to practically drag them off the stage.

Instead of their usual last show blast they gathered everyone around the backstage area and had the guys stand on chairs to say thank you to everyone involved. There was a lot of shouting and laughter as well as hugs and tears as they said good-bye to the crew and other tour staff.

Harmony stayed off to the side watching as the guys made their rounds and after more than an hour Bill came over to retrieve her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure." She nodded. "Are you done here?"

"Yeah." He smiled and tried not to yawn.

"Where are the others?"

"Georg left for home already and Gustav is staying at someone's house tonight." Bill hugged her tight. "I just can't believe it's over."

"I know." Harmony smiled and swept her lips over his.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow at one."

"And we get home?"

"Around five."

"I wish we could just beam ourselves home. I don't want the hassle of the hotel tonight or checking out or crowds tomorrow or the flight. I just want to be home. Right now."

"Me too." Harmony laughed. "And it's after one already."

"Okay, okay." Bill sighed and laced his fingers through hers. "Let's go back to the hotel and go to bed. The sooner we get to sleep the sooner tomorrow will come and the sooner we can be home."

"Sounds good to me." Harmony kissed him again then they weaved their way through the crowd and flagged down a member of their security team to round up a car. All Bill wanted to do was get home so he could propose to Harmony the best way he could think. Privately and wrapped in each others arms. He knew Harmony would probably be shocked and surprised so he wanted to make sure everything was private and personal. No crowded restaurants, no audiences and certainly no family. Just he and Harmony. That's how he wanted it.

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

When they arrived in North Carolina the next day Bill drove them home from the airport in his car and laughed the whole way home. "It's like I forgot how to drive or something."

"It's been a while."

"Seriously, I haven't been behind the wheel in three months." He laughed and sped up down the freeway.

"It's like riding a bike." Harmony laughed and grabbed the armrest between the seats. "Only scarier."

"Sorry." Bill smiled as he took his foot off the accelerator. "I just want to get home."

"I know you do. So do I." Harmony nodded and pressed herself back in the seat. "But I'd rather make it there in one piece."

"Okay, okay." Bill laughed and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He felt a wave of anxiety wash over him and he became overly aware of the tiny box in his pocket. Bill wanted everything to be perfect but at the same time he just wanted to do it. He wanted to take his time and wait for the right time and place which he was sure would be at their house. He smiled at the thought. "Our house."

They arrived home and dropped their luggage in their room before heading to the backyard to play with a very excited Max. Bill spent a few minutes tossing the ball with him while Harmony checked the messages on the machine to see if there was anything that needed to be taken care of.

"Your mom called. They all made it home okay." Harmony said as she stood in the doorway leading to the back yard.

Bill looked up as he knelt to pick up the slobbery ball. "Cool."

"Where'd they go?"

"They went to visit my aunt." He smiled.

"Sounds fun."

"Tons." He laughed.

"She also wants you to call and let her know how it went."

"Okay." Bill's ears turned pink and he threw the ball again.

Harmony stood back and just watched Bill play with Max. He looked truly happy even though his eyes looked tired. He smiled over his shoulder at her and waved her down. "Come over here. You've been too far away for too long and this is a great view."

Harmony hopped down the three shallow steps to where Bill stood at the edge of his lawn and leaned back against him to watch the sun set from his backyard. Their backyard. Bill wrapped his arms around Harmony's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder in content. Max played at their feet but, when he noticed they weren't in a ball playing mood, he sulked over to the storage shed and lay his head by his food bowl.

"Are you glad to be home?" Harmony asked softly. As she turned her head her hair tickled Bill's neck and he smiled. He missed that.

"More than you know." He said softly. Bill tightened his arms around her waist and listened to her sigh with content. "The tour was fun and everything. You saw that much. But I am definitely looking forward to spending a few days not doing anything at all."

"Only a few days?" Harmony frowned. "What do you have planned after a few days?"

"A little more nothing. Then I may take a shower or something." He laughed and kissed her neck.

"Gross! You'd better take a shower before then." Harmony laughed and placed her hands over his arms that were resting against her stomach.

"If you insist."

"I do." She sighed and watched the sun dip lower. "What do the other guys have planned. Do you know?"

"Beats me." Bill laughed. "I love the guys but, right now, I don't care what they do."

They stood in silence for a minute just being happy in each others presence. Bill's heart began to pound in his chest and for the first time in a long while he felt nervous. The kind of nervous where he actually thought he'd be sick. He closed his eyes to maintain his balance. "I love you."

"I love you too." Harmony turned her head to look back at him and brushed her lips over his.

He paused for a second. His rehearsed proposal flitted out of his mind before he had time to retrieve it. "Harmony-" He cleared his throat again and reached into his pocket for the tiny box that had been pressing on his leg all night. "I had this all planned down to the last detail, where I'd promise you all the happiness in heaven and all the romance in a cheesy romantic movie. I'd promise you my future and every part of me but it all comes down to this. Will you marry me?" Bill was shocked that the words escaped his lips without shaking or falling over themselves. He held the tiny velvet box in his hand and presented it to Harmony as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

After only a split second he felt her body shake and he wanted nothing more than to see her face. "I- I, uh- Wha-" Harmony sputtered. "Bill, I- Whoa." She took a step forward out of his arms and pressed her hands against her eyes without turning to face him.

Bill stood there for a second with his arm outstretched. The ring box was centered in his hand. He smiled and thought she was just so happily surprised and stunned that she couldn't speak.

But instead she walked away.

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

It was a bizarre feeling for Bill to actually, physically feel his heart stop. His lips turned to ice and he thought for a minute he might pass out. The sound of Harmony's car in the driveway snapped him out of his dazed state.

"Fuck." Bill snapped the tiny box shut and dropped it into his pocket as he ran back into the house. He slammed the backdoor shut and carelessly threw the lock in place as he frantically searched for his keys. "Damn it!" He shouted when he couldn't find them on the counter beside his cell phone. "Shit!" They were not by the front door either. "Damn it to hell." He ran back down the hall to his room where he scoured the floor for the pants he had been wearing that afternoon.

He found them gently placed over the back of Harmony's papasan chair in the corner. She was always putting his clothes on the chair. Seeing them there only made him quicken his pace. He retrieved the keys from his pocket and again bolted through the house. He checked his pocket to make sure his wallet was there. Just his luck he'd be pulled over without it.

Driving blindly he thought quickly and drove to Harmony's parents' house. Her car was no where to be seen but he had to try. The doorbell echoed through the house as he pressed the button near the door.

He tapped his foot as his stomach did nosedives. It seemed like forever until the door was open. "May I help you?" An unfamiliar man asked as he answered the door.

"Yes. Hi. I'm Bill. I'm looking for Harmony."

"I'm sorry. Miss Harmony no longer lives here." He said without expression.

"No, I know she doesn't but is she here now? Did she come over?"

"I can assure you she did not." The man began to shut the door on Bill.

"Wait!" He practically shouted as he used his foot to keep the door open. "Listen, if she shows up here let her know that I'm looking for her. Bill. Tell her Bill is looking for her."

The gentleman didn't say anything as Bill removed his foot so that he could shut the door. Bill ran back to his car and pulled out of the driveway. Where else could Harmony have gone? He drove aimlessly for a few minutes then headed for her favorite park. It wasn't the best place to be after dark so he drove around the area looking for her little Mazda.

"Damn it!" He slammed his hands into the steering wheel as he hit the gas and got on the freeway. She couldn't have gone far and it pissed Bill off that he didn't know where to find her. He tried to remember which apartment was Cassey's at Harmony's old complex but he had never seen Cassey's place and he wasn't about to go knocking on doors shouting for Harmony.

Cassey. The name set off his thoughts like a domino effect.

Of course! Harmony had gone to Dr. Mueller. She's the one person Harmony would turn to if things got weird between them. Bill exited the north bound freeway at the next off ramp and flipped around to head south. He needed to get to Ahoskie Behavioral.

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

Bill pulled up in front of Ahoskie Behavioral twenty minutes later and parked at the curb. He killed the engine and turned his lights off. He leaned on the steering wheel to look up at the building. It seemed like an eternity since he had been there and even longer since he had wanted to go inside. In fact, he couldn't recall a time when he wanted to be inside those heavy glass doors.

The image of the building disappeared as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Bill rested his forehead against the steering wheel as he let out his breath and opened the car door. This was the last place he came to look for Harmony and, as soon as he pulled up, he knew this is where she would have gone. He should have known. This should have been the first place he checked.

He hung his head and brought his shoulders to his ears as he shuffled up the front walk to the main doors. For some reason he expected them to be locked. When they swung open at his first gentle tug he was surprised.

"May I help you?" A lady asked as she half stood up in her chair.

"Dr. Mueller?" Bill kept his eyes on the floor. It was a tactic he'd become familiar with when he didn't want to be recognized. Now was not the time or place for that.

"She's in her office pa-"

"Thanks." Bill cut her off and headed down the well traveled hall to her office.

"Wait! I need to get your name."

"Bill." Bill said over his shoulder as he rounded the corner to Dr. Mueller's office. He slowed his pace as her door came into view and he strained to see if he could hear voices coming from her office. He half hoped to find Harmony in there but he heard nothing.

Bill approached Dr. Mueller's door which was half open as usual. He knocked on the frame. "Hi, uh- Dr. Mueller?" Bill stammered as he leaned on the handle.

"Bill, what a surprise." She looked up from her open purse and smiled.

"Is Harmony here?"

"She was." Dr. Mueller nodded.

"Shit, Dr. Mueller. What do I do?"

"Take a seat, Bill." She indicated the only empty chair in the room. It was then that he noticed all the boxes stacked knee high around the room. He frowned and looked up at her as he placed his hand on the arm of the chair.

"Yes, as of Friday I am retired." Dr. Mueller smiled. She took her Chapstick out of her purse and applied it before she continued. "I'd say you have perfect timing." She put her purse on the floor and leaned on her desk.

"So you're really leaving?"

"Yes, I am going to travel with my husband and drive cross country to visit my children and grandchildren." She nodded.

That took Bill completely by surprise. She had always just been Dr. Mueller. He had never even imagined her with a family or a life outside of Ahoskie Behavioral. "Wow- That- I-"

"It will be lovely." Dr. Mueller smiled and leaned forward. "So how can I help you?"

"I screwed up."

"You did? How?"

"If Harmony's been here then you know how."

"I want to hear your version." She removed her glasses and laced her fingers in front of her.

"I proposed. I asked Harmony to marry me and I freaked her out." He shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "I should have known better than to just spring it on her. I mean- She's so-"

"She's not as fragile as you think." Dr. Mueller shook her head. Bill looked up with an almost shocked expression. "Bill, I can read you like a book. I know just what you were going to say but you're wrong."

"I'm- I'm wrong?"

"You didn't freak her out. You didn't. Your actions did."

"There's no way she's ready for this. There's no way either of us are."

"Why does it sound like you're trying to talk yourself out of this?"

"I guess because I am." He sat back in the chair and covered his eyes with his hands.

"Do you love her?"

"As the midnight loves the moon." He said with a half smile.

"And she loves you."

"I know but that's not all. There has to be more than that."

"You think so?"

"For marriage? Yeah. Of course. There has to be more." He sighed and leaned forward so that his elbows were on his knees. Dr. Mueller smiled. Bill was a mover. He couldn't sit still for anything and she missed counseling him. "It takes commitment and trust, honesty, faith, time. All of that."

"Are you committed to her?"

"Yes." He said with certainty. "Absolutely."

"And do you trust her?"

"With my life. I'd trust her with anything." He reached to his neck and ran his pewter cross pendant up and down the leather rope.

"And you're honest with her?"

Bill paused for a minute and thought about that. "We've gotten better about that."

"Explain."

"We used to- I don't know. We used to not tell each other what we meant or what we were feeling. You know the game. Where you say something you think they want to hear. Or you don't say something because you think they don't want to hear it? We used to do that." He cleared his throat. "The old 'Where do you want to go? I don't know. Where do you want to go?' Instead of just saying 'I'd like to go to McDonalds' or whatever."

"So you've started to be more honest with that?"

"Yeah." He nodded and ran his thumbnail over his bottom teeth. "That seems kind of insignificant though. We've been honest with each other from the beginning."

"That's important to you?"

"Very." Bill nodded emphatically. "I've never lied to her and I don't think she has lied to me. I know she hasn't." He corrected himself.

"Okay what else was it you needed for marriage? Faith?" Dr. Mueller smiled. "You guys have that. The two of you have more faith in each other than half the married couples I know. No matter what happens in your life, good or bad, you have faith that Harmony will be there when you call, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you'd be there for her?"

"Anytime she needed."

"Bill, life is full of nothing but time which was your last requirement." She nodded.

Bill sighed and rested his ankle on his knee. "But if you have to convince me about this, maybe we're not really ready."

"I'm not convincing you of anything, Bill. I'm confirming what you've told me."

"Yeah but if I'm having second thoughts-"

"If you are having second thoughts then stop right here. I don't think you are though. I think that you had every intention of living the rest of your life with Harmony and when she got scared you began to doubt yourself. If she had said yes when you asked where would you be right now?"

Bill looked out the window at the sky as the stars began to appear. "I'd be with her."

"She's just scared, Bill." Dr. Mueller said quietly. "That's normal especially for someone like Harmony. She loves you. She is committed completely to you." Dr. Mueller unconsciously touched the narrow gold band on her own hand. "She trusts you more than anyone else, Bill. You've touched her life in such a magical way since the beginning. No one else could reach her to break that shell that she had built around herself and somehow you did. You got to her and, for reasons I'll never know, she trusted you. Coming from her background that's a tough feat. She trusts you with more than her life. She trusts you with every part of her being. Mentally, physically, emotionally. You hold all of that in your hands and she's okay with that."

Bill nodded but didn't say a word. With the tears rising in his eyes he knew he could not trust his voice to not shake. He kept his eyes on the leg of Dr. Mueller's desk as she continued. "Because of that trust she feels safe being honest with you. Honest about herself and honest about you. She went from having faith in nothing, to having faith in you and everything that came with that and, most of all, time. She has time. She has made time and she wants to devote her time to you." Dr. Mueller's voice softened as she finished.

Bill wiped at his eyes and nodded. "I know."

"Then do what your heart tells you. Harmony loves you so much. Go talk to her."

He stood up slowly and wiped his hands on the front of his pants as he looked around the office. He sniffed quickly and forced a smile. "I can't believe you're leaving."

"I'll never be far."

"What are we going to do without you?" Bill felt foolish asking such a juvenile question. He hadn't been a regular at Ahoskie Behavioral since he was released but he still somehow felt better knowing that Dr. Mueller was right there.

"Without me? You're going to do great things." Dr. Mueller nodded with a smile as she too stood up. "Come here, Bill. Let me get a hug before you go."

Bill wrapped his arms around Dr. Mueller and felt himself squeeze her tight. He hadn't realized how much she had done for him simply by helping Harmony. Dr. Mueller was why he was there today and he had never acknowledged that.

"Thank you, Dr. Mueller. Without you I don't know if I'd be here."

"You're stronger than that. You would have beaten it." She affectionately rubbed his back but he didn't let go.

Bill sniffed and moved his hand up to his eyes to hold the tears back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Dr. Mueller whispered. "Go on now. Go talk to Harmony."

"I don't know where she is." Bill sighed and released the doctor.

"She's outside." Dr. Mueller smiled at the surprised look on Bill's face. "Hurry though. She won't wait forever."

"Oh my God." Bill's heart sped up and a genuine smile danced across his face. "Okay. Okay." He bounced toward the door then ran down the hall.

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

Bill knew right where he was going. Even in the darkness of the back yard. He stayed close to the building and tried to avoid as many puddles as he could as he rounded the back corner. The motion sensitive light on the roof caught his movement and flickered on. It illuminated the grassy yard and volleyball net hanging precariously on the pole. The porch looked exactly the same as when he left more than two years earlier, all the way down to the crumbling bottom step, the cobwebs in the high corners and the curly blonde head barely visible above the railing.

Harmony heard his footsteps on the soft ground before he turned the corner and activated the lights. She knew he had talked to Dr. Mueller. There was no other way he'd know where to look.

"Harmony." Bill said softly. It was more of a statement than a question. Who else would be out on their porch at this time of the night?

Harmony didn't answer or move as he stepped onto the damp wood planks and into her line of sight. "Hey."

She sat with her knees up to her chest and her back pressed against the dark railing. "Hey."

"You okay?" Bill asked as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He felt just as shy and nervous as the first time they met on the porch.

"Yeah." She nodded and looked up at him with damp eyes.

Bill nodded slowly and shuffled his feet as his fingers played with the tiny box in his pocket. He knelt beside her and placed one hand on her knee. He made small circles with his thumb on the fabric of her jeans. "Never thought I'd be back out here again." Bill looked over her head at the yard before he turned to look around the rest of the porch. "Weird."

"I'm sorry I left." She said softly. Bill wasn't sure he heard her correctly but he didn't want to ask her to repeat it. Whatever she said started with "I'm sorry" and that was all Bill needed to hear.

"Don't be sorry."

"I just got scared."

"Don't be scared of me. I'd never do anything to hurt you." He ran his hand from her knee to her thigh where her hands were resting. "Come here, Harmony." He took her hand in his and pulled her to her feet before he kissed her softly.

"I wasn't scared of you, Bill." Harmony insisted as she licked her lips and averted her eyes. "You just surprised me with this promise of heaven and that was just- Wow- It was too much. This is all coming out wrong." She took a deep breath as if to start speaking again but Bill silenced her by placing his finger on her lips.

"Shhhh."

Bill smiled at her persistence as she began to speak again. "Dr. Mueller said-"

"I asked you, not Dr. Mueller." Bill cut her off and ran his finger from her lips to her chin. He continued down to her neck where his hand came to rest. "I know that this can be a scary adventure and that you might not have been ready for it but, Harmony, we can do this. I want to start this together. We've saved each other from so much. We can do this." He paused and smiled while she was still looking up at him, "Harmony, I love you. With all of my heart, mind, body and soul. Every time I look at you or even think about you I just can't believe it. I can't see into the future and I don't even know where I'm going next but the one thing I know for sure is that I want you there with me. I've lived without you for so long I just don't want to waste any time. I don't want to put off the rest of my life and that can't start until you say yes." Bill took a deep breath and reached into his pocket while she stood there in silence. She was too stunned to talk. "Harmony, you are everything right in my life. Will you marry me?"

Harmony's hand shook slightly as she caught her breath and exhaled. Bill held her cold hand in his and slid the thin platinum ring onto her finger where it was always meant to be. The flood light from above danced off the diamond centered on the ring as Bill brought her hand to his lips. "Please say yes."

Not trusting her voice, Harmony simply nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck as her tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks and mixed with the nervous laughter coming from both of them. "Yes." She whispered as her lips brushed Bill's ear.

He leaned back and brushed her tear away with his thumb. He kissed her again like it was the first time.

And their life began.