A/N: I don't usually put author's notes at the beginning, but here we go...
Inspired by TheBrave0404's request for "A The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know/Calibrations crossover." As such, the following story contains major spoilers for my Ryden fanfiction The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know. It's also closer in style to TPKSIDK than to Calibrations or the other stories in Calibrations: Extras. Consider yourself warned, and thanks again for your support!

Sophomore year had just begun, and already, I was having an existential crisis. As I ordered a bagel from the shop on the corner of 4th and Fremont Street, I wondered why I was here. What was the point of college? What was the point of being alive at all? Maybe I wasn't alive in the first place. Maybe this was a dream, a story, nothing more than an idea in someone else's head. Maybe my pain was someone else's entertainment. Was there any way to tell?

Most of all, I wondered if there was any way to bring Brendon back.

So much had changed since last year. Gerard and Laura had graduated, Pete and Patrick were living together now, and there were a couple of new faces in the Guyliner Club and at the Aubergine Dream. However, the biggest change was Brendon's absence. He was dead and gone, buried at the Old Haven Cemetery, and every day, I missed him more and more. The freshmen hardly knew what they were missing when they came to the Aubergine. They'd never seen him dance or heard his golden voice. They didn't know how beautiful he was. Every night, people cheered for me, but I could never be Brendon Urie.

I had a paper due for Metaphysics in a few hours, so I took out my laptop and got to work as I finished drinking my coffee and eating my bagel. After scrolling through a few articles on philosophy, I decided to write about the possibility of time travel from a metaphysical perspective. After all, depending on the theory, time travel could be possible. Maybe Joe was right after all. Time could be a big ball wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. If it was, then maybe I could see Brendon again one day.

All of a sudden, a strangely familiar man walked into the shop. He had long, curly hair and he was wearing a black jacket with a spider and an American flag on the back. I looked up from my computer as he approached me, and I suddenly realized who he was.

"Ray Toro, right?" I said as I took out my headphones, the sound of the Beatles fading away. He was older than I remembered, but I was sure it was him.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"You graduated from Kale last year."

"Kale? Like the vegetable?"

"What happened to you, Ray?" I asked. "Why don't you remember Kale?"

Ray paused and then said, "Hang on. What's your name?"

"Ryan Ross," I said.

"Do you know who My Chemical Romance is?"

"Never heard of them."

"How about The Young Veins?"

"I don't know them either, but that's a good band name."

"What about Panic! At The Disco?"

"You mean Anxiety At The Club?" I said. "Pete likes them, but I don't know if I trust his opinion."

"We need to talk," Ray said. "Follow me."

I put my stuff away and then followed Ray out of the coffee shop and down the street. Of course, I had a million questions. What was going on exactly? Why was Ray quizzing me about music? Why couldn't he remember Kale?

When Ray was sure there was no one else around, he turned to me and said, "I'm not the Ray you know. I'm from an alternate universe."

"That's insane," I said. "How did you get here? What are you doing in my universe? What's your universe like? Does this mean the many-worlds interpretation is true? I can't wait to tell Professor Caldwell all about this..."

"Calm down, Ryan," Ray said. "I'll answer your questions in a minute."

Finally, I asked the question I had been meaning to ask. "Is Brendon alive in your universe?"

"Brendon Urie?" Ray asked. I nodded. "He's dead here?"

"He passed away in April." Even four months later, saying that nearly brought me to tears.

"I'm sorry, Ryan."

There was a moment of silence, and then I asked, "So what are you doing here exactly?"

"I'm chasing down Mike Pedicone," Ray explained. "Do you know him, by any chance?" I shook my head, and Ray sighed. "He stole Gerard's time machine, and I need to find it and return it to him. Mike entered this universe briefly, most likely by accident, but he's been traveling back and forth between different time periods in my universe."

"So time travel is real?" I said, awestruck. When Ray nodded, he asked, "Can you take me back in time?"

"I can't stay in this universe long, but I can take you to my universe if you'd like."

"That would be amazing," I said.

Somehow, my wildest dreams had come true. I would go to an alternate universe, where Brendon was alive and well. Soon, everything would be right in the world. Soon, I would see my boyfriend again.

Ray pulled up his sleeve, revealing a fancy, high-tech watch, and he started typing something into it. I closed my eyes and dreamed of Brendon, and in an instant, both of us disappeared.

When I opened my eyes, Old Haven was gone. Instead, I was surrounded by mansions and palm trees. I could feel the sunshine on my skin as I looked around, wondering where exactly Ray had taken me. What kind of a universe was this? It felt so familiar, and yet so different at the same time.

"This is my home," Ray explained. "California 2010."

"2010," I said as I glanced at my phone. "That explains why I'm not getting any reception." I turned to Ray and asked, "So where's Brendon?"

Ray smiled slightly. "He's probably in the studio," he said. "Last I heard, he was hard at work on the new Panic! At The Disco album. Then again, I don't worry about him too much. We're a little busy with Danger Days..."

"He's a musician in this universe too?" I said.

Ray nodded. "He sings for a band."

"Can I see him?"

"I suppose so. I need to figure out where Mike Pedicone is, but you can talk to Brendon while I do that."

Ray headed for the studio, and I followed him, eager to see my boyfriend again. I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to see Brendon again, not unless there was an afterlife, but here I was, on my way to his recording studio. At last, I would be reunited with my other half.

When we reached the recording studio, Ray and I went our separate ways. I went inside and headed down a long hallway, my heart pounding from the anticipation. Soon, I heard music, the most beautiful music I'd ever heard. There were guitars and drums and strings, and best of all, Brendon's voice was soaring above it all. I never thought I'd hear that angelic sound again. I smiled as his objectively beautiful voice rang in my ears. What had I done to deserve this miracle? Would I ever get another opportunity like this? Would this be my last chance to hear Brendon sing?

I savored the sound of Brendon's voice as I approached the studio. When I got there, I stood in the doorway, making sure that Brendon wouldn't notice me. The last thing I wanted to do was to interrupt him.

I peeked inside, and there he was, gorgeous as always. He'd aged a few years, but otherwise, he looked just like I remembered him. I stared into his beautiful brown eyes as I listened to him sing. Memories of playing along with him in the Aubergine flooded back to me, and I felt just like I had back then: happy, carefree, and hopelessly in love.

All of a sudden, the music stopped, and Brendon spotted me standing in the doorway. "Ryan?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the right words. There was too much I wanted to tell him, from everything that had happened in the last few months to how beautiful his music was to how much I loved him. However, before I could say anything, Brendon kept on talking.

"You left me in Cape Town, and now you show up in my recording studio unannounced?" Brendon said angrily. "Who does that?!"

I didn't know what to do. With those words, it felt like my world was crashing down around me. I'd always thought that Brendon and I would always be together, no matter what. We were soulmates, after all. Why on earth had I left Brendon in this universe? What could possibly make me leave my other half?

The right thing to do was to leave now, before my alternate self got into any more trouble, but I was too in love to let go.

"I...I'm sorry," I stammered, unsure what I could possibly tell Brendon to make things better. He had to know that we were meant to be together, didn't he? It was too late for my universe, where Brendon was dead and I was heartbroken, but maybe I could save this one. Maybe I could get this universe's version of us back together.

"Sorry isn't enough anymore, Ryan," Brendon said. "You lied to me. You said you loved me, but you lied."

"I would never lie to you," I said. "You mean everything to me."

"I don't know what you're up to, but I'm not falling for it," Brendon said. "Get out of my studio." I frowned, unsure what had gotten into my boyfriend, but when I wouldn't leave, he shouted, "Get out!"

I turned to leave, but all of a sudden, Brendon realized where he had gone wrong. "Oh, fuck," he said. "You're not Ryan. You're too young, and Ryan stopped wearing eyeliner years ago...hey, come back!"

I walked back to the recording studio and stood in the doorway once again, admiring his gorgeous face. "What is it?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry," Brendon said. He laughed and then added, "I thought you were my ex."

I thought of the Brendon from my universe, how he'd dreamed of being a Broadway star, and I tried my best to act, just like he had. Maybe acting was a form of lying, and maybe lying was morally wrong, but I didn't want to hurt this universe's Brendon more than I already had. "It's okay," I said. "I get that a lot."

"You look a lot like him," Brendon said. "You have his eyes, his smile, his velvet lips...oh, I'm getting carried away again. I never should have fallen for him. Our relationship was great for a while, but it ended in a really messy breakup. I loved him more than anything, but he broke my heart."

Brendon started to tear up, and I stepped closer until I remembered that to him, we were strangers. I couldn't hold him close or wipe his tears away, but I could still comfort him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "I know what it's like...what's it like to lose someone you love."

"Thanks," Brendon said as he wiped away his tears. "I think it's okay now though. I've met someone else."

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah," Brendon said. "Her name's Sarah, and she's basically perfect. She's smart, she's funny, she's drop-dead gorgeous..."

That was when he smiled, just like he did whenever he was with me in my universe. He's in love, I realized. He's in love with someone else.

Did this mean we weren't soulmates? Did this mean he wasn't my other half? Was everything I knew wrong? If Plato's explanation of love was wrong, then where could I go to find answers? What was love anyways?

"...but I can't be with her," Brendon finally said. "I can't get over what Ryan did to me. I want to move on, but I can't."

"I know it's hard, but you can do it. You can move on," I said, even though my heart was breaking. "Sarah sounds like a great person, and I'm sure you two will be perfect for each other, but you'll never know if you keep worrying about me...uhh...I mean, Ryan. You'll never know if you keep worrying about Ryan. It's time to get over him."

"Thanks," Brendon said. "Maybe I'll go talk to her after this."

"Go talk to Ryan too," I suggested. "You can't stay angry at him forever, and who knows? Maybe you two will be better off as friends."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He looked away for a second and then said, "Wait a second. So if you're not Ryan, then who are you exactly?"

When Brendon looked toward the doorway again, I was already gone, running off down the hallway. I didn't know what to think. Obviously, I was glad to see Brendon again, but what if we weren't meant to be together? What if our relationship had been nothing more than a mistake? Even if Brendon had lived, maybe we wouldn't have lasted. Perhaps our romance was doomed from the start.

I waited outside the studio for a while, contemplating my relationship with Brendon, and eventually, Ray returned. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Not how I expected," I answered. I hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye, I hadn't told Brendon how much I loved him, and I had far more questions than answers, but somehow, I'd gotten a sense of closure from talking to Brendon one last time. At the very least, I knew this universe's version of Brendon would be happy, and that was all I ever really wanted.

"I think I'm ready to go home," I told Ray. He started typing something into his watch, and the two of us disappeared one more time.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the bagel shop on the corner of 4th and Fremont Street, and Ray was gone. I picked up my backpack, and as I started walking back toward campus, I thought about what had just happened.

Maybe Brendon and I weren't two halves of a single whole. Maybe soulmates and true love were just illusions, but that didn't mean I didn't love Brendon, or that he hadn't loved me when he was alive. There were no easy answers when it came to something like love. It was messy and complicated, but that didn't mean that it wasn't real.

As it turned out, life was even bigger and more chaotic than I'd thought, with even more mysteries to solve. I had a million questions about life and love and the nature of the universe, but I wasn't worried. After all, I had a whole lifetime to figure them out and a whole multiverse to explore. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't afraid to keep on living.