I didn't sleep at all, but I stayed in bed, in his arms, enjoying being close to him, until the alarm went off.

I pushed his hair off his forehead. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead," I said softly. He blinked at me, looking too beautiful for words as he came out of deep sleep.

"Did you sleep?" he asked, kissing me and sitting up.

I shook my head. "I wasn't really that sleepy. But I rested, and I feel great, really relaxed.

"And it seems like you really needed the sleep, so I'm glad you got the chance," I said with a smile as I got out of bed.

"I guess so," he said sheepishly, rubbing his eyes, looking so fluffy and adorable that I was tempted to just climb back into bed with him. I sighed and turned away.

"Well, you can just hang out in bed for the next twenty minutes or so while I get my shit together," I said from the closet, "then walk me out to a cab."

I came out of the closet in jeans and a sweater, carrying the garment bag which contained my dress, humming "Prince In A Castle", my favorite UKC song. I gave a little twirl in the middle of the room as I hung the garment bag on the back of the door and grabbed the shoes, which I stuck in the bottom of the garment bag.

Teddy got out of bed, finding his underwear in the jumble of bedclothes, pulling them on, and grabbing me as I bopped by.

"What's gotten into you, hmm?" he asked with a smile, putting his arms around my waist.

"What do you mean?" I asked, smiling back at him.

He grinned at me, sliding one hand from my waist to my bottom and giving a friendly squeeze. "I dunno, you just don't act like someone hours away from a very important audition," he said.

I put my arms around his neck. "Yeah, well, about that," I responded, smiling at him. "While you were sleeping, I did a little thinking, and I made a few decisions." I leaned in and kissed him, slowly. "So, yeah, I love you, Theodore Shelley, you know that. And that's the most important thing. The most important thing.

"And you love me, right?" I shook him gently, kissing him again. "You love me, you love me."

"I love you, my darling, I do love you, yes, yes, yes," he responded in a soft voice, squeezing my bottom again.

"Okay, so the important stuff is covered, that's what I figured," I continued. "So all I really have to worry about is doing what I think is right. What feels right."

I pulled myself to him, holding him tightly. "And that's something I couldn't afford to do if I weren't with you, Teddy. So thank you." I let go of him so I could see his face. I felt tears coming, and I just let them come while I continued to smile at my best friend, my lover, my world.

"Don't worry, I haven't gone crazy or anything, this is just phase two, or whatever, of what started when I met you guys last year." He used his thumb to wipe away my tears, smiling the smile that melted my heart.

"I love you, and you love me. So I'm free to be brave," I said softly. "Or try, anyway, get it?" I looked into his eyes. "There's nothing I could do that would cause you to stop loving me, is there?"

He looked at me, shaking his head slightly.

"I didn't think so," I said. "And that feels so good, so liberating. It's like you said, right before you fell asleep. I feel free to fly, or to try, at least." I looked at him intently. "Do you understand what I'm saying, or do I just seem high to you?"

He looked at me, pushing my hair behind my ear. "You seem glorious to me, honest." He kissed me, hard, holding my head with one hand while pulling me to him with his hand on my bottom, turning the moment sexual really quickly. He released me, breaking the tension between us.

"Sorry about that," he said with a grin.

I shrugged. "Happens between us, can't be helped." I grabbed his hand.

"The point of all that rambling was that, as long as I know that you love me, I feel like everything else is just extra, just frosting, you know?

"If I win the scholarship, I'll be over the moon, I'll be thrilled, and so happy, but if I don't, it won't be the end of the world, because you'll still love me.

"So I can be brave. I can try to fly," I finished softly, pulling him to me. "Right?"

"Right," he said happily. He kissed me.

"And," he continued, "you've just said, far more articulately than I ever could, exactly how I feel, too. As long as you love me, everything else is extra. I feel like Superman. I think I told you, I feel like I'm whole for the first time." He blinked rapidly, eyes shining, and I saw how emotional he was.

"Just love me, Birdie, and the world is mine. As long as we love each other, nothing else matters." He looked up, blinking, trying to keep from crying. "And I know that we sound like stupid thirteen-year-olds, that other people would laugh their bollocks off if they could hear us, I know that." He put one arm around me, and held my other hand near his collarbone, like we were dancing. He leaned his forehead against mine. "I don't care. We just need to love each other, and nothing else matters.

"If you win this scholarship, no one will be prouder than me, no one. I want this for you so much. But if you don't, I won't think any less of you, and I know you know that. And you'll apply to other programs, and you'll get your doctorate. You're so fucking smart and talented, and no lack of money is going to keep you from achieving your goal, so don't worry about that, yeah?" He hugged me again.

"Now, finish getting your 'shit', as you called it, together, so we can get this gorgeous bum into a taxi and over to Hamilton so we can get this audition going, yeah?" And he kissed me, hard, like he was going to fuck me right then, making me forget everything but his mouth and his hands on me. I moaned, feeling weak in the knees. He moaned too, in the happiest way, moving his hand under my sweater.

He finally moved away. "Okay, okay, I'm removing my hand from your body, and you are finishing your preparations, and we are going to get you to Hamilton in," he checked his phone, "thirty-two minutes exactly."

I nodded, and barely ten minutes later the paparazzi got tons of pictures of Teddy and me kissing and hugging outside the Plaza as I got into a taxi with a duffel and my garment bag.

He kissed his fingertips and turned them towards me as the cab pulled away. I had the driver drop me at the stage door of the auditorium, where someone with a clipboard waited to let me in.

Professor Van Dyke was waiting for me in my dressing room, which was great, because I really wanted to talk to him.

"I can tell, just from your face, my dear, that you're simply bursting to discuss something with me," he said with a smile, rising out of courtesy when I came dashing in.

"Yes," I said with relief, waving for him to sit back down, and taking the seat opposite him. "Can I just dive right in, sir?"

"Please, Aileen, or should I call you Tinker Bell now?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Call me whatever you'd like, sir, you know I don't care," I answered with a smile.

"So, let's get to it, then, shall we? What would you like to discuss?" He looked at me. "I'm all ears."

"It's about my outfit." I looked at him.

"Your 'outfit'? I'm sorry, am I understanding you correctly? You want to discuss what you'll be wearing whilst you're performing?" He looked at me questioningly.

"Yes." I nodded at him. "Please let me explain. I know the protocol, the etiquette, I know what's expected. But it's not a hard and fast rule that I wear those specific clothes, is it, sir?

"You told me last July to go and find my bravery, and I actually think I did." I smiled at him. "And part of finding that new, braver, me was finding that she dresses differently. She would never wear the plain black dress that the old me picked out. What's more, she plays differently, sir." I looked at him, willing him to understand. It wasn't that I needed his permission, exactly, but part of me, a huge part of me, needed his approval, in order to do this.

"Sir, I switched from the Mozart to the Beethoven in part because of the trouble between me and Dr. Allen, of course, but in addition to all that mess, um, the Beethoven is more in keeping with where I am emotionally and, um, romantically?" I couldn't believe I was having this conversation with rumpled, darling old Professor Van Dyke. It was actually the first time I'd discussed my change of performance piece out loud with anyone. No one knew, not even Teddy, because he would have tried to talk me out of it, I was sure.

I looked over at him to see what reaction I was getting, if any. To my surprise, he had a very soft gaze, with a ghost of a smile.

"I know I am ancient in your eyes, Ms. Foster, but I was young once, and I remember being in love for the first time," he said, placing a comforting hand on my knee.

"Sir, I didn't mean to imply--" He interrupted my apology.

"I know, I know, of course you didn't, my dear, entirely beside the point," he waved my words away. "So, back to the point. You feel that you could perform Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique better in clothing less in keeping with the traditions of classical piano performance?"

I nodded and tried to explain. "It's like I become someone else, sir. The person who loves Theo, the person Theo loves, can play the f--can really play the hell out of this piece. And part of being that person is not wearing that stupid granny dress." I hadn't meant for my voice to get quite so loud. The professor smiled at my words.

"And you're asking my opinion? Permission?" He raised one of his bushy eyebrows at me.

"Both, I guess." I shrugged. "Do you think it will hurt my chances? Do you think they'll eliminate me simply based on what I'm wearing? And would you disapprove?"

He looked at me. "That would matter to you, my dear? My approval?"

"Yes, sir, it would." I nodded. "Your opinion matters a great deal to me."

"Well, I'm flattered," he said quietly. "Very flattered, indeed.

"Perhaps the thing to do is to simply have you wear the clothing in question and perform your audition piece for me," he said. "What do you say, 'Tink'? Hmm?" He smiled, and I was once again reminded of Bilbo Baggins.

I nodded. "Okay. Where's the nearest practice room?"

"Happens to be right next door, as a matter of fact," he said, pointing.

I rose. "I'll meet you there in five minutes, then," I said, reaching for my garment bag. He nodded and left me to change.

He didn't say anything when I entered the practice room in my thrift store dress and blue sparkly kitten heels. I sat down and composed myself, waiting for the feel of Teddy's hands on my shoulders, the sound of his voice in my ears, whispering, "I love you, my hummingbird, so much."

I placed my hands for the first, enchanting, minor chords, then I knew no more, until the final notes of the third movement. Even the intervals between the movements were a complete blank to me, which almost never happened, especially in a non-performance situation. I wasn't even aware of the professor sitting ten feet away from me until he made a noise moving his chair.

I turned to face him, completely in charge of my body once more. I put an expression of inquiry on my face as he motioned me toward him. I unlocked my stool and scooted in his direction until he could take my young, slim fingers in his gnarled old hands.

"You go out there tonight and you will knock the judging panel on their tired, jaded, old asses. You will own this building." He smiled at me. "They might be furious at the implied insult and reject you out of hand also. And that is the best I can do at permission and approval, my dear." He squeezed my hands before releasing them and rising. I stood up as well, kissing him on both cheeks and hugging his frail frame.

He placed a restraining hand on my arm as I prepared to leave. I turned back to him questioningly. "May is lovely in England. Outdoors, I mean. For weddings and such." He tipped me a wink. I kissed his weathered cheek again before slipping back to my room to get started on my make up.