Angie fumbled to find the ringing source of her wakefulness, answering with a sleepy, "Hello?"

"Hey sweetie, it's me. Shit, I woke you up didn't I? I always forget those damn time changes, I'm sorry", Kevin told her.

"Hey Boo, it's ok, how are you?", she inquired.

"You want the real answer or the BS answer?", he shot back, and she could almost see his half-grin, half-smirk.

"The honest one preferably", she told him, sitting up in bed and trying to wake up.

"Well, things are good...I guess. I mean, the tour is going great, save for a few aches and pains here and there, and I've been working on the foundation stuff, ya know, but, well, I dunno, something's missing I guess, and I can't seem to put my finger on it. Hey, do you think we could do lunch tomorrow? I knew we'd planned on meeting before the show, but things are always so crazy then, and I'd like it if we could talk for a little while", he told her.

"Sure, we can do lunch, that's fine. I can just re-arrange a few of my meetings, and I'm all yours", she told me.

"All mine huh?", he said sexily.

"You know it baby", she said, her voice matching his sexy tone. "Seriously, why don't you stop by my office around noon and we'll go from there, ok?"

"Sounds like a plan, girl. Sorry again for waking you up, and I'll letcha get back to sleep", he told her.

"Alright, g'nite Kev", she replied.

"G'nite hon", he told her. After hanging up the phone, Angie found herself wondering what he needed to talk about so badly that he'd called her in the middle of the night. Granted, he never did get the time zone thing right, but they'd just spoken the day before, and he hadn't indicated anything was wrong. He had gotten married the year before, he had a successful music career, he was getting his environmental foundation off the ground, and for all intents and purposes, his life was perfect. Of course, things weren't always as they seemed.

She and Kevin had met a few years back, through a mutual friend of theirs who used to play in the backup band for Kevin's group. Their schedules had kept them apart too long for them to give a relationship a real go, but they had remained close. Finding out of his impending marriage was a shock to say the least, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been jealous. She couldn't help but wondering if he'd settled. Settled for the routine, and familiar, the one who "knew him when". And even still, he continued to run to Angie, rather than his own wife, when things were rough. Angie knew she'd be useless at work in the morning if she didn't get back to sleep, so she took a few over the counter sleeping pills and fell into a deep sleep that was laced with dreams of a certain ebony-haired, hazel eyed man.

Kevin arrived at Angie's office building at a quarter of 12, and the simple sight of him made all of her co-workers swoon. Truth be told, it made her swoon as well, but she'd be damned if she let him know that. He sauntered into her office and pulled her into a big bearhug.

"Hey sweet thing, I've missed you", he told her.

"I've missed you too hon", squeezing him back just as hard, and taking in his scent, a mixture of expensive cologne and soap. "Just give me a few minutes here and we can be on our way." Kevin took a seat on one of the plush couches that was against the wall in her office, and watched with interest as she made a few calls and finished her paperwork. He was so proud of her, for after she'd gotten her own singing career off the ground, she'd went on and started her own production company as well. And judging by the talent of the few artists she'd already signed, he knew she'd have great success with this venture as well. "Alright babe, let's blow this pop stand", she told him, flashing a bright smile.

The pair opted to eat at a nearby cafe that was within walking distance from Angie's office. After a few steps, she jumped on Kevin's back, and he carried her the rest of the way to the restaurant. Passers-by couldn't help but smile at what they assumed was the adorable young couple.

After placing their order, Kevin let Angie in on what was going on with him.

"Kristin and I had a fight", he confessed.

"I'm so sorry to hear that sweetie", she told him, reaching over and squeezing his hand gently.

"I thought she was 'the one,' ya know, the final piece of the puzzle. I thought maybe if I got married, my life would suddenly fall into place, and maybe, just maybe, I'd regain a bit of my sanity. And hell, we see one another even less now than we did before. And don't even get me started on the subject of family. She always told me she wanted us to have a big family, and now all I hear is, 'when the time is right honey, you know I've only got a few more years left as a dancer'. But she sure doesn't seem to be slowing down any. And don't get me wrong, of course I'm supportive of her career, but it just seems like we're almost going in totally different directions...." His voice trailed off, and he was concentrating rather hard on the design in the tablecloth, hoping Angie wouldn't notice the tears that threatened to spill over his red-rimmed eyes.

Angie knew how much it meant to him to become a father, especially after losing his own father when he was so young. And of course she hadn't missed the raw emotion that showed in his voice, as well as his eyes. "I know how much she means to you Kev, and I dunno, maybe she's just stressed out right now?"

"Maybe", he replied, blinking rapidly to keep his tears at bay. "It seems like all we do anymore is fight. That's not how I wanna spend what little time we *do* see one another, but she seems to think differently. She didn't even spend the night last time. We had another argument, and whoosh, there she was, off to stay with a friend instead of me."

Their food arrived a moment later, and they spent a few moments in silence as they ate their meals. Angie wished she had all the answers for him, but she didn't, but all Kevin truly wanted was for her to listen, and be supportive, which she always was. Sensing that he didn't really want to talk about such a touchy subject anymore, she regaled him with silly stories, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally laughed. The pair talked for a while longer, well past Angie's usual hour long lunch break. Finally they left the restaurant, walking arm in arm back to Angie's office. Kevin hugged her tightly again, and held her a bit longer than he normally did. He then kissed her on the forehead and squeezed both of her hands gently. "Oh, before I forget, you'll need these for tonight", he told her, pulling a pair All-Access laminated passes from the inside pocket of his coat.

"Oh right, the show, who's playing again?", she asked with a wink.

"Um, O-Town I think", he replied, flashing a grin. "See you tonight sweetie." With that, Kevin was out the door. Angie knew something had changed between them that afternoon, but it would be a long time before she realized exactly what it was.