“I'll follow where you're going,

Until the end of time,

Talk to me and tell me,

What's wrong with you this time?”

Bach's Revenge debut album, track 6

She followed behind, taking her place at the side of the stage. Sebastian had given her ear plugs earlier, much like his, so there wouldn't be any damage to her eardrums given her proximity to the stage. She shook as she tried to secure them in her ears, all the while watching Sebastian and the boys about ten feet in front of her ready to take the stage for their first official performance of their lives.

The lady from the radio station was already on stage, speaking to the crowd of people. “Ladies and the few gentlemen!”

Ear splitting screams rang through the theater, making Charlie grateful for her earplugs.

“You’ve heard them on the radio, you’ve seen them on TV, posters of them cover the walls in your bedroom, you probably dream about them while you sleep, maybe not all of you, but most of you do.”

One girl, probably McKenzie, shouted out. “I love you, Sebastian!”

Another voice added, “Sawyer, marry me!”

“Well, I’d say you’ve waited long enough,” the woman said, “Please give it up for Bach's Revenge!”

The shrieks erupted into a giant scream fest, and the boys, not wanting to keep their fans waiting any longer filed out onstage one by one.

By the time Sebastian got there, he was barely audible, even with his microphone. “What’s up?” he said, which promoted even more shrieking.

Watching him was like seeing a tornado take form, its energy building and twisting into an unstoppable force. He clicked into showman mode, and ran his hands through his hair. “Ready to make some noise, Portland?”

The crowd went crazier.

Robbie took this as his cue and started drumming, producing a beat which forced Charlie's feet to start moving, despite her brain trying to remind her that they'd had a fight. All of the other instruments gradually chimed in and Sebastian began to sing. He reached out and touched so many people’s fingers, she was unsure where one person’s arms ended and another’s began.

He sang at least four songs before stopping for a drink of water, offering a quick glance in her direction. She'd been leaning against the wall, but instantly straightened, forcing a small smile.

“Alright,” he said, heading back towards center stage. “I met someone tonight who uh, well who had more of an impact on me than I ever thought possible.”

The screaming stopped.

“She’s been through a lot, at such a young age, I find it truly inspiring. I’d like to sing a song I just wrote, uh-today actually, so if you’ll bear with me because I haven’t exactly perfected the tune yet. Truth be told, I haven’t even given it a tune yet,” he reached for his acoustic guitar, “but I think I can manage, Cassie, where are you?” He walked over to the very front edge of the stage and spotted her. He smiled coyly, “Come here, sweetheart.” She stood, the light from the stage illuminating the blush on her cheeks as he reached for her hand to pull her up. A stagehand emerged with barstool and Charlie watched, stunned as Sebastian led her over.

And when he started to strum on his guitar, Charlie's stomach clenched and a sob caught her unaware. It was the first time in a long while that she'd cried for someone other than herself.

When the concert was over, before Sebastian could find her, she figured it was best to slip out of the back door and onto the tour bus. Unseen and unheard. She didn't deserve any of this, yet there it was before her. She padded quietly to the back room, changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed to close her eyes.

She must’ve fallen asleep because Seb’s return was what woke her up. He looked down at her before speaking. “Sorry,” he whispered, “I didn’t see you after the show, I didn’t mean to wake you. Sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”

Not wanting him to go because she couldn't stand the thought of this going on a moment longer, she sat up. “Sebastian, wait!”

He spun back around to face her. “What?” She noticed his voice was hoarse, probably from singing.

“Please don’t be mad at me anymore,” she said. “I have an answer to your question.”

“Oh yeah?” He sat on the edge of the bed, but he was still so far away.

“Yeah, um, yes. I mean, I just…” she began to play with the corner of the blanket that covered her. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he mumbled.

“I-I-I trust you. Completely. It’s just before you said anything, about how you feel, I mean, I was,” she couldn't get the words out right. “I think I was, maybe I had, I think maybe I wanted you.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrow.

“I mean I probably didn't admit it, even to myself, especially to myself but I thought about you all the time,” she continued. This wasn’t working out at all like she'd planned it to. “And I mean, when we, when us happened. You won that contest and everything started happening so fast, like whirlwind fast… and I was standing there and watching the entire world wanting you as much as I did. And I didn’t get a choice in the matter, I had to share you. I had to share you almost as soon as I got you to myself. And I was greedy and jealous and petty and didn’t think I should.”

Seb remained silent but nodded.

“But after tonight Sebastian,” tears welled involuntarily again, “After tonight I know, I know how greedy and selfish it was. It has nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with greed. Mine. I mean, she was only one girl, how many other people are there like that?”

“So what do we have?” Sebastian eyed her.

“That’s just it Seb, you have everything now. I only have you.” A tear cascaded down her cheek. “And I was afraid to lose you and that is what made me crazy. And I know it’s probably too late,” she sniffled. “But I love you and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

Sebastian’s face softened instantly. “It's never too late for you and me. Not now. Not when I'm a hundred years old.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

Sebastian crawled beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I forgot that this is hard for you too.”

It was dead quiet for a while and at first she liked it that way. But then she wanted to hear his voice, so she said. “Sebastian?”

“Yeah?”

“What you did, for that girl. That was amazing.”

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“I mean, really, truly amazing.”

“I always wrote music hoping it would make people feel something when they heard it. To actually meet one of them, it was kinda surreal. It makes me feel like if I died tomorrow, my life would have at least touched someone else’s.” He ran his fingertips down her arm.

“You aren’t going to die tomorrow, and you will have touched so many more people before it’s your time to go.”

“You think so, do you?”

She nodded.

“You know what I think?”

“That you must be the crazy one for putting up with me,” she offered.

Seb laughed softly. “I think that not only am I crazy for putting up with you, but I am crazy, madly, completely in love with you.”

She turned to look at him, wishing her words could even touch on being as poetic as his when they came out. He grabbed her chin with his hand and pulled her forward for a kiss. She fell asleep that way, completely enveloped in his arms, completely belonging to him.

Sebastian was getting tired. They'd been on the road for almost two and a half weeks with minimal breaks between shows, all of which, McKenzie had shown up at, each time trying to offer him a reason that they should be together.

If the chick didn't get it through her head soon, he was going to snap. He sat at the table with Lane while everybody else, including Charlie, slept. Sipping his coffee, he whispered, “McKenzie just won't give up. She needs one of those books, what do you call 'em?
Understanding 'no' for dummies.”

Lane shifted in his seat. “I noticed. Be flattered man, you got your own personal stalker. Isn't that some kind of symbol that we've hit the big time?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes, “No, but it's a sign that if I don't get some alone time with my girlfriend soon, I might not have a girlfriend.”

“Charlie is crazy about you. Don't count her out like that.”

Sebastian took another sip of his coffee and wished it had a shot of Bailey's in it or something. “I know but honestly how much of this bullshit is she really supposed to put up with?”

Lane smirked. “Well, I suppose that is a question for her. For better or worse, right?”

“But we're not--” he stopped mid-sentence and reached over to slap Lane's shoulder. “You're brilliant!”

Lane shrugged. “Sawyer actually has a higher IQ than me, but I'll take it.”

“No man,” Sebastian said. “What if I asked her to marry me?”

Lane shot him the kind of look he'd expect from Sawyer. “No offense, but have you lost your mind?”

SebastIan couldn't wipe the grin off his face at the mere thought of asking Charlie to be his wife. “Nope.”

Lane's smile evaporated and he put his coffee cup on the table, leaning forward. “Don't you think that is kind of overdoing it, can't you buy her something, girls like that, don't they?”

“Yeah, I can buy her an engagement ring,” Sebastian said.

Lane arched a brow. “I was thinking an iPod, earrings, hell, get her a puppy for God sakes, but don't be stupid.”

Sawyer cleared his throat as he crawled from behind the curtain where his bed was. He was clad only in pajama pants. Dog tags hung from around his neck and a smoke hung from his lips. “That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard in my life and considering the company I keep, you can add that to your list of accomplishments. Saying the dumbest shit ever. Lane's right, you've fucking lost it.”

He marched to the table and retrieved a pack of matches that lay there, striking one and bringing it to end of his smoke. When he lit it, Lane coughed and waved his hand “Can you go outside?”

“I'm going smoking patrol, relax,” he headed to the door. “Sebastian, maybe you can find a fucking grip while I'm outside, yeah?”

Even Sawyer couldn't tamper with Sebastian's adrenaline rush. “Yeah, I'll try to find a grip, but I wouldn't hold your breath.”

“He couldn't hold his breath if he tried,” Lane smirked. “Too much tar coating his lungs.”

Sawyer turned the door handle and stepped down off the bus, “Lane, you're a bitch. The tar is what keeps my lungs held together.”

Lane looked affectionately as the door closed behind Sawyer.

“You should tell him.”

Lane's face was horrified. “Shut up,” he whispered. “He might hear you.”

“So what if he does? You should tell him.”

“Why Sebastian? So he can kick my ass? Besides, aren't we talking you out of this lame-brained, completely ridiculous idea? I'd rather talk about that.”

“He won't kick your ass,” Sebastian said. “And you can't talk me out of it,” he added.

“He's not gay,” Lane pointed out. “In fact if you took the gayest man on the face of the earth, multiplied his gay factor by a thousand and then made a heterosexual version of his polar opposite, you'd end up with Sawyer. Please, as Robbie would say, for the love of all that's holy, think about this rationally, or at least semi-rationally, you're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you.”

“I've loved her since I was five, Lane. Five years old. I'm not going to love her any less next year, or the year after that, or the year after that. It couldn't be more rational of a decision if you ask me.”

Lane scowled and stood. “Fine. We both know you're going to do whatever you want anyway, I just think you shouldn't rush into this to help deal with Charlie's insecurities and your guilty conscience.”

“I don't have a guilty conscience,” Sebastian argued, “we're past that.”

“That why we started this conversation off talking about your stalker, huh? Because it is in the past? I don't think so.” Lane stood. “I gotta go, I want to meditate. You're stupidity is giving me a headache.”

Sebastian sipped his coffee, “Meditate about your own love life then. At least I'm not afraid to show her that I love her.”

Sawyer stepped back on the bus, shutting the door behind him. “Lane and love life,” he laughed as he walked by and wagged his finger. “There's a joke there somewhere, I'm sure, it's just too early to find it.”

“I'm out,” Lane said.

“Going to change,” Sawyer mumbled as he disappeared behind the curtain.

Seb remained at the table wishing Lane would have as much clarity as he himself felt. The smile on his face grew bigger when he thought about being with Charlie forever.

He even recognized the sound of her feet as the shuffled toward the front of the bus. Her hair was a mess and she was rubbing sleep from her eyes as she flopped across from him. Silently, he got up and poured her a cup of coffee, placing it on the table in front of her. “How'd you sleep?”

She tucked her knees to her chest and wrapped her hands around the mug as if she were drinking it in the middle of winter, “pretty good.”

“We don't have a show today.”

“I know,” she said with far less enthusiasm than he'd expected.

He stretched his hand across the table. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I'm just really starting to miss everyone. Tally, Adam, even Devin.” She looked up at the roof. “If I'm starting to miss Devin, you can tell the situation is dire.”

“Let's go shopping,” he suggested. “Maybe it will keep your mind off of it.”

She managed a small smile. “Sure, that sounds nice.”

He had a lot of planning to do, and it was never too early to get started.