This game was so much easier when there was an opponent to play against, Austin mused as he watched the tiny ball fly forward to the other end of the field unhindered by any road blocks. Every once in a while he and Ally would get all competitive in rounds of Foosball, even though Austin won by incredible amounts every time. But, Ally wasn't home to play a simple bar game with him, leaving him home alone to amuse himself as he wondered what on earth she needed a doctor's appointment for when she was as healthy as a horse. Sure she's been throwing up occasionally lately, sounding like a cat having a hairball, but other than that she was one of the healthiest people he knew as she liked to take care of her body.

Bored with playing against himself, Austin left the Foosball table and wandered over to the two guitars standing side by side next to the piano. Grabbing the neck of the one closet to him, Austin slumped into a chair and began plucking away at the strings. Content that it was well enough in tune from its last jam session, Austin grabbed the pick and began to strum happily away. It wasn't long before his voice blended in perfect harmony with the infectious melody.

"Really?" Ally's sweet angelic voice rang out, a hint of a smile in her voice as she appeared in the doorway of their practice room. With his own smile, Austin looked up from the notes he was strumming before letting the music fade into quiet nothingness. Catching his amused own amused grin, Ally sauntered over to him and slung her arms loosely around his neck. Pressing a tender kiss to his mouth, her mirth turned into contagious laughter as she took the guitar from his grasp. Returning the guitar to its stand, Ally took a seat on the piano bench, so that she was facing him. One look at Austin's face told her that the lyrics were still playing his mind and the only way to get them out would be to sing another, equally catchy song or to watch science fiction movie like Star Wars or Zaliens. Sighing, she stood up and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet and closer to her. In no time they were seated side by side on the piano bench, their shoulders and thighs touching because of the close proximity in they were in.

"What's up?" Austin asked, picking his head up to look at her as he gently jabbed her side in playfulness.

Ally's bony little elbow, lightly jabbed him in return as she copied his movements. Closing her eyes as she smiled at the familiarity of the lighthearted atmosphere that currently enveloped them. Ally cherished these moments between them. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she let out a deep sigh, unsure of how to tell him what she needed to say.

"Austin," she murmured his name quietly, her fingers picking at the material of his t-shirt. "I've been thinking a lot about the future lately." Her confession was quiet and lame sounding even to her ears. Yet, Austin nodded in agreement, his ear rubbing against the top of her head as he did so.

"So have I," Austin admitted.

Picking her head up from his shoulder, she shook it no. Austin watched her movements closely, trying to figure out what was running through her mind. "No," she said, vigorously shaking her head back and forth. "I've been thinking a lot about our future."

By the way she emphasized the words our and future, Austin knew that this was going to be an important conversation that would either leave him soaring high in the sky with the eagles, high on his ecstasy or it would leave him hurting and nursing a broken heart. So he said the only thing he could currently think of, because the only future he wanted included her by his side.

"So have I."

Taking another deep breath, Ally gripped the edge of the piano bench as the toes of her shoes lightly scuffed against the carpeted floor. Unsure of how to continue the conversation, she blankly store at the room before her. The foosball table looked to be in the middle of a game and the futon's cushion was rumpled and sagging a little from being sat on for so long. Loosening her grip on the edge of the piano bench, the woman leaned back, resting her elbows on the keys. Her elbows hitting the keys resulted in a high end treble of cacophony music. Cringing from the horrid sounds of clamoring keys and clashing notes, Ally pulled away. And the piano should really be tuned. Next, her brain was being wracked as she searched for the current numbers of the bank account after the bills had been paid and charities had been given too. Furrowing her brows in thought, Ally gently chewed and sucked on her lower lip. Unable to find the answer, she looked at the man seated next to her, mirroring her current position.

"How much money do we have, Austin?"

Confused by her question especially since she did their taxes, Austin turned his head to look at her. Concerned, he placed the back of his hand to her forehead, feeling for an increase of body temperature. Satisfied with the inspection results, his hand dropped back to his side. "Ally," he snorted in amusement. "We could retire now and still live quite comfortably until we die at the age of 104."

Ally laughed at his answer and her mind brought up a vividly clear portrait of Austin as an old man in a wheel chair. Laughing from the picture in her head, she placed a hand to his shoulder. "I don't think you'll be doing much dancing then," she commented.

Grinning back at her, Austin retorted, "and I'd be reminding you to put your dentures back in."

Once again resting her head on his shoulder, Ally basked in his warm and cheery presence. Smiling, she picked her up briefly to kiss his cheek. "So, maybe one day we'll be too old to perform on stage and too senile to remember our own names," she said, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "But as long as we'll be old and senile together, I'll be happy."

Kissing her hair in reply, Austin draped his arm around her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze as he rested his head atop of hers. "Ally," he murmured.

"Hm," she hummed in answer.

"What's up?"

Ally picked her head up from his shoulder, forcing his head up as well. She looked at him and he looked at her, giving her the perfect opportunity to show her just how similar in color his eyes were to little hazelnuts. She sighed before speaking. "The thing is, I-"

xXx

"-Need a job," Dez commented, taking a slurp of the mocha frappe Trish had gotten him from her job at the new coffee house in the mall, The Daily Grind. Trish who was sipping on a French vanilla iced latte, glanced at the freckled boy beside her as they walked down the side walk, Trish still in her uniform and Dez in bright orange shorts. "My mom says that selling Austin and Ally merchandise on eBay doesn't count as a steady income." He used air quotes around the words, steady income.

"Jobs are pointless," Trish shrugged in reply. "The boss is always grouchy and the customers are stupid. Not even pay day is worth the drama."

Slurping the ice cold drink rather loudly, Dez skipped down the sidewalk ahead of Trish. Turning around so that he was facing her, he continued to skip backwards to keep the conversation going. "My dad was proud of me when I went to community college," he explained. "But they don't think only directing Austin and Ally's music videos is a full time job."

Because it wasn't a full time job, Trish thought to herself. While the shooting of the different scenes and adding the special effects and editing the videos did take a while to complete, those hours spent did not even begin to measure up to 40 hours a week. Besides with being best friends of Austin and Ally, they were not paid nearly as much as they should be, content to manage and direct for their love of the stars than for the money.

Again, Dez turned around so that his back was now to Trish as they continued on their way. Silence reconvened between the friends again as they continued their journey in silence. Several minutes passed as they passed by several different houses. Spreading his arms out wide, Dez twirled a 180 so that he was once again facing Trish. A wide and goofy grin was plastered on his face.

"How would you like to reclaim your role as Girl number 2 in my new movie: Claws 2: Da-d-d-da?"

The man was making a sequel to that ridiculous movie he made back when they were kids? The original claws had a stupid plot since Dez's main goal was getting Austin over his outlandish fear of umbrellas. It was ironic how a fifteen year old desperately afraid of umbrellas ended up using them in a concert about a year later. But back to the new movie Dez wanted to do. Austin and Ally's characters better fall in love, Trish mused, because if the characters they portrayed fell for anyone else, a jealous riot would break out. Which would be rather amusing for her. Smiling, Trish agreed whole heartedly to reclaim her part of Girl number two. If there was any chance that Austin's character saved a girl that was not portrayed by Ally, the pop princess would grow insanely jealous and a cat fight be unleashed on camera and there was no way that Trish could miss seeing that.

Slurping the last of her iced latte, Trish threw the empty container at her ridiculous friend's head. Laughing hysterically when Dez swatted the air as if he had been bitten by a fly and not bruised by garbage, Trish pushed passed him once they reached their destination.

"Trish!" she heard Dez call out after. "Littering is bad for the environment!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Dorkmond!" Trish snorted, waiting for Dez to throw away their garbage and join her on the front steps. Once Dez was at her side again, she gently placed her hand on the door handle and pushed. The door refused to budge. Pushing harder, Trish tried again. But still, the door remained closed, denying them entrance. Huffing, she crossed her arms over her chest to pout.

Dez pulled the little key from the pocket of his orange pants and struggled and fumbled to put it in the key hole. Turning the key every which way, he could not get it in to unlock the door.

Violently yanking the key from his clumsy grasp, Trish exclaimed, "Let me do it!" Shoving it at the key hole, she cursed. Unable to accomplish what Dez could not, Trish cussed once again, throwing the key onto the ground in a fit of rage. Her dark eyes strategically shifted from one steel object in the driveway to the other before shifting towards the windows. Next, her gaze shifted to Dez. "Both of their cars are in the driveway and our key no longer works," she stated. Narrowing her eyes, she continued. "This can only mean one thing."

"They moved!" Dez cried in outrage. "They moved and they didn't tell us!"

"No, Moron!" Trish exclaimed in frustration at his incompetence as she pushed him off the stoop. Arms flailing in wide circular motions, Dez stumbled backwards, trying to catch himself to stop his fall. However, he was unable to accomplish that task and fell into the flowers planted along the house. "It means they changed the locks!" She corrected him. Filling her lungs with a deep breath, Trish balled her fists, slamming them noisily against the door. "Oh come on!" she exclaimed. "Don't leave me out here with this goof!"

Back on his feet, Dez wiped the dirt off of his pants before he joined Trish to pound on the door as well. "Yeah!" he yelled in agreement. "We could die of hypothermia out here!"

xXx

Hearing the muffled cries of protest from their friends outside, Austin's hazel colored eyes grew as wide as saucers as they connected with Ally's chocolate colored eyes. "Ally!" he panicked, gripping her shoulders tightly, his short finger nails digging into her skin. "We have to let them in! They could die of hypothermia!"

Shrugging out of her husband's clenching grip, Ally stood to her feet. "Austin," she said his name clear and calm. "It's ninety two degrees outside," she stated. "They won't die from hypothermia. Heat stroke. Maybe. But not hypothermia."

"Well, if my best friend dies, I'm blaming you!" Austin exclaimed indignantly, jumping to his feet.

Rolling her eyes, Ally left the confines of the practice room and wandered to the main level of their home, leaving Austin alone again in the practice room. They would just have to finish this conversation some other time when Dez and Trish weren't trying to break into the house and Austin was acting more like an adult.

Finding himself alone again, Austin shrugged as he dug through endless scores of music, looking for something to play on the piano. Haphazardly flipping through the book of piano music lying atop of the instrument, Austin tossed it aside not interested in playing the love them from Titanic or music from other equally tragic love stories. Flipping open the lid on the piano bench, Austin kneeled before it and grabbed several random loose sheets of music to look at. Bored, he tossed them over his shoulder before grabbing some more. He too was about to throw that over his shoulder when the title of the song caught his eye. At the top of the page, beautifully scrawled in Ally's calligraphy camp perfect handwriting, read: Austin. Bringing the paper closer to his face, Austin carefully read through the beautiful lyrics Ally had written. She had written a song about her feelings for him. While many of the songs Ally had written had something to do with him, directly or indirectly, this one was different. Like I Think About You, this song spoke deeply of her feeling for him, using his name and saying I love you directly and not in a roundabout way. Glancing towards the stairs where Ally had disappeared only mere moments before, Austin hugged the music to his chest before standing to his full height.

Bounding up the stairs, he found the composer of the song sitting cross legged at the island in the kitchen, munching on a sandwich which looked to be composed of sticky peanut butter, gooey grape jelly, and bologna. Catching his eye, the woman, quickly shoved the calendar across the table top away from her. Austin wondered why she had even taken it off the wall. Scrunching his nose at the disgusting look of the sandwich in his wife's hands, Austin decided not to touch that, wondering why all of a sudden she was eating weird food combinations that only Dez would try.

"What are you doing?" he asked instead.

Placing the remaining half of the sandwich back on the small plate before her, Ally licked her fingers clean. "Oh," she shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just looking at the date of something that'll be happening in a few months."

"Your birthday?" Austin asked rather confused.

Ally shook her head no.

"Thanksgiving?"

Again, she shook her head no.

"Christmas?"

He received the exact same head shake as his answer.

"My birthday?"

Ally opened her mouth to speak this time, but she was cut off by the chirping of her cell phone sitting on the counter next to the plate. Rolling her eyes, Ally grabbed the device making the offending noise, glancing at the caller I.D. Sighing, she accepted the call and placed it to her ear.

"Hi Trish," she spoke into the phone, causing Austin to giggle. The incessant pounding on the front door by their friends still had not died down although at least twenty minutes had passed since it had started.

Beckoning her to give him the phone, Austin smiled. Complying with his wishes, Ally handed him the phone after talking to their angry friend for the moment. "Ally and I are taking an evening stroll through the park," he lied, though a quick glance to the digital clock on the stove blinked 2:27. "You're key isn't working? Are you sure you used the right key?" Now it was Ally's turn to giggle. No longer wanting to hear the angry voice of the fiery Latina, Austin mischievously smiled as a deviously brilliant plan formed in his brain. "Cell reception-spotty-" he began to say, speaking slowly and leaving out words to make him sound believable. "Can't-you-" When Trish began to curse in Spanish, Austin knew he needed to come up with a better lie to tell her than no cell phone reception. "Oh," he whined. "I have to go," he said into the phone. "Ally just twisted her ankle and I can't carry her home if I'm talking to you." Pulling the phone away from his hear, he quickly ended the call before handing the phone back to its owner.

xXx

"They hung up on me," Trish scoffed, resembling a diva as she sassily placed a hand on the hip she jutted out after slipping the slim device back into her pocket. Now standing with her feet shoulder length apart, Trish turned to look up at her companion. "Apparently, Ally sprained her ankle," she said, using air quotes around the word sprained.

She watched as Dez's eyes grew wide with concern. "I hope she's okay!" he exclaimed. "We should get her flowers and a get well card to make her feel better!"

"Ally didn't hurt herself!" Trish exclaimed, exasperatedly throwing her arms in the air. "If she did sprain her ankle, it'd be from Austin chasing her around their bedroom!" Able to see straight through the lies Austin had told her, Trish sighed as she grabbed the collar of t-shirt to yank him away from the house. She knew that Austin and Ally wouldn't be letting them in anytime soon. Besides if Austin really was chasing Ally around their bedroom like a lion on the hunt, then she didn't want to be anywhere near the place when he finally caught his prey.

xXx

It wasn't until after they had hung up on Trish that Ally noticed the papers clutched tightly in Austin's left hand. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the papers in his hand.

Austin took a seat on the stool next to hers and laid the papers face up between them. "I found this in the piano bench," he admitted, watching Ally's smile lighten up her face as she recognized the words she had written. "Why didn't you show me this?" he asked.

Ally shrugged as lame excuse upon lame excuse popped into her brain before tumbling from her mouth. She knew that Austin didn't buy the excuses of it not being good enough, he didn't need to hear a song to know how much she loves him, the song wasn't finished yet, the- No, she knew Austin didn't buy a single excuse that seemed to tumble from her mouth like a snowy avalanche tumbling down the side of a mountain. Looking down at the now cluttered table top, Ally muttered three little words.

"I was embarrassed."

Placing a hand a top hers on the table, Austin squeezed it gently, causing her to bring her eyes up to his gaze. "Embarrassed?" He asked, "Why?"

"Because I wrote the song while we were still on tour," she admitted, using his eyes as a portal to his soul as she store intently into them. His gaze never left hers. Quietly, she asked him if he remembered the time not so long ago when he said he would be filing for divorce. Seeing him nod his head in reply, Ally continued. "Do you remember the conversation we had two days later when I called you again?" She asked him next. Again, he nodded. He remembered everything as clearly as she did. "I ended that conversation by saying, 'Austin, I still love you.'"

"You did," Austin agreed. "I was relieved to hear that."

Ally smiled. "I wrote the song after we hung up. I didn't want you to know about it, afraid that if you did it would jinx us or something and we would still get divorced."

She knew that confession sounded lame to Austin's ears because it sounded lame to her own. Yet no matter how stupid it sounded, it was the truth. Ever since Austin had arrived home from tour and they had agreed to work on their marriage, they had really started to enjoy each other's company again as they hung out and laughed as if they were carefree teenagers again. And as they basked in their love for each other, proving their love with actions, divorce was the farthest thing on their minds. It was almost as if the word had never been uttered as a choice for them or their relationship. Which was a good thing, Ally mused. She was positive that she'd go crazy without Austin in her life when he was her whole world.

Feeling a pair of soft lips mesh against hers, Ally's mind quit racing as she relished the familiar touch of his lips on hers.

"I love you," he whispered once he pulled out of the tender, yet emotion filled kiss.

"I love you too," she breathed, gasping for breath.

Back inside the safe confines of his own personal space bubble and no longer invading Ally's, Austin's smile turned upside down as he studied her. Uncomfortable from feeling the intensity of Austin's gaze on her, Ally dropped her feet to the floor and retreated to the living room. Not wanting her to leave, Austin lunged forward, grabbing her wrist. Finding herself unable to leave, Ally turned around to look at him. Austin's grip tightened on her wrist.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on in your pretty little head, now?" Austin asked.

Frowning, Ally responded innocently, "What are you talking about?"

Still holding her wrist, Austin stepped closer to her, so they were standing toe to toe. Letting out a deep breath, he sighed as he searched for the right words to say. He asked, "You've been trying to tell me something ever since you got home, now what is it?"

Ally sighed. Looking up into his beautiful and kind eyes, Ally found a solace there. "I've been thinking about our future and our careers lately," she told him.

Austin nodded in understanding. He already knew that. It's what she had said to him when she had arrived home that afternoon. "I know," he deadpanned, forcing Ally to roll her eyes.

Seeing her reaction, his mind started racing with many different thoughts. What exactly did she mean by their future and their careers? Their future was guaranteed, at least that's what Austin believed after the conversation they had just finished about the song she wrote about her feelings for him. So, what could she be thinking about in terms of their future? And their careers? What could she mean by that? There was no way either one of them would leave the music industry. Music was their passion; the one thing that brought them together and when everything else seemed to fall apart, the one thing that kept them together.

"What," he asked rather confused, stepping backwards so he was sitting on the island stool again. "You want to quit?"

Ally's long hair which was tied back in a ponytail violently slapped the side of her face as it swished back and forth like horse's tail swatting at pesky mosquitos when she shook her head no. "Of course not," she assured him, putting his racing mind to ease. Though his racing mind was eased, he was still confused. Ally knew this and so she elaborated for him without him even having to ask her to. She sighed, stepping closer to him. His hand still gripped her wrist. "I am so glad we've taken this time away from the studio to work on our relationship," she said with a smile. "I absolutely love spending everyday with you."

Thinking back on the couple of weeks they've spent at home together after their tours, Austin smiled. They have spent a majority of the time with each other. Whether they were playing games, going grocery shopping, or watching TV they were together. They spent the time together and they seemed so much happier and stronger together. His grip on her wrist loosened and he held her hand instead. "So do I," he nodded in agreement.

"And," Ally sighed, her voice getting softer, letting her words diminish as she thought about how to continue. Eyes downcast, she refused to look at him as she continued allowing Austin to see how vulnerable she currently felt. "And," she repeated softly. Her voice was a soft whisper as she continued. "I'm afraid that when this hiatus is over and we go back to the studio, things are going to go back to the way they were and-"

"What do you want to do then?" Austin interrupted, seeming to know exactly what she was trying to say.

Normally she would have been upset with him for interrupting her, but now Ally was grateful for being cut off. Placing a hand on top of the one that held her other hand, she smiled up at him. Taking a deep breath, she found the courage she needed to continue. "I was thinking that I don't want to do this anymore if I can't do it with you." Furrowing his brows and pursing his lips in thought, Austin stared at her with unblinking eyes. The look he was giving her made her uncomfortable, but Austin did not stop looking at her as he was lost in thought. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again as if he forgot what he wanted to say. "Austin," she sighed. "Please say something." Shaking his head, Austin admitted he didn't know what she was trying to say. Sighing, Ally moved so she was sitting next to him. "I want us to have one career," she told him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Together."

His face relaxed and his eyes softened. "No more Austin Moon?" he asked, "No more Ally Moon?" His gaze never left her own dark colored eyes. "Just Austin and Ally?"

Ally smiled, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder again. "Just like it should be," she confirmed.

"I think that's a great idea."

Good, Ally thought to herself. It was as if the music industry was pulling them apart as they both tried to make a name for themselves. A little competition never hurt anyone, but it felt as if it was dead set on pulling them away from each other and tearing them apart. Austin and Ally may be married, but in the industry, they were still two individuals. They had their own lives and their own careers. Austin Moon wanted to be the best. Ally Moon wanted to be the best. There was no room for compromise or draw endings. Not in this business. If they could renegotiate their contracts with Jimmy Starr and Ronny Ramone, Ally believed that they could eliminate the pressure they felt the industry was giving them to be the best. Because they could be the best. They could be the best together, just like they had planned from the beginning when she had agreed to be his music partner. No matter what happened, they would never stop making music together. It may have taken a while for them to realize it with many bumps along the way, but Ally felt their marriage and partnership was even stronger because of what they had suffered. There was no way either one of them could ever stop making music. Music was and always would be theirs. It was that strange force that brought two unlikely people together on one fateful summer day in a music store.

"Unfortunately we do have to talk this over with some people," Ally reminded him. She refused to say the names of the individuals who could crush their hopes of having one career together as if saying their names was taboo.

"Trish," Austin said the name with contempt.

Ally shook her head against his shoulder. "Why would Trish care?" she asked him with a hint of an amused smile. "We'd be giving her less work to do."

Austin closed his eyes as he rested his head atop of hers again. Ally was right. Trish would be overjoyed to know she'd have half the work to do than she'd been doing. Unfortunately, he knew what Ally was saying though. "Jimmy and –"

"Hm huh."

xXx

"Well," Ally announced walking into the living room to see the first Star Wars movie playing out on the television screen, the volume turned down as Austin was sprawled out on the couch, talking on his cell phone. Walking around the sofa, she sat down on Austin's legs and watched his facial expressions as he talked. She watched as his face lit up before he hung up. Tossing his cell phone gently to the carpeted floor, Austin sighed as he looked to the woman sitting on his legs. "Ronny said he wasn't expecting to hear from me, but he will see us tomorrow at 10:30."

Austin sighed, tipping his head back so he was looking up at the ceiling, ignoring the movie playing on the television. "Well, then we better hope talking with Ronny Ramone doesn't take long, because the only time Jimmy can see us tomorrow is 11:00."

Grinning, Ally repositioned herself so she was lying on top of him. "Oh," she purred, lightly kissing his jaw. "I don't think the meeting with Ronny will take all that long," she stated. "After all, you know he likes getting straight to the point."

Laughing at her joke, Austin pressed his lips to hers, slightly deepening the kiss when he felt Ally's fingers massaging his scalp. Before things could go any further, the familiar ring tone of Austin's phone sounded. Groaning, he pulled out of the kiss and removed his hand from the lower regions of her body. His fingers grazing over the carpeted floor, Austin gripped his phone and held it to his ear.

"Yeah?" he spoke into the mouthpiece, keeping his tone curt and short so the caller could not hear the annoyance he felt from being interrupted. Recognizing the voice, Austin replied, "Oh hi, Lest-" Rolling his eyes, he held the phone to Ally's ear as she had moved from her place on top of him. "I don't want to talk to you either," Austin mumbled as heard Ally speak to her father.

Sighing, Ally felt Austin's phone leave her ear and she buried her face into his neck. Groaning, she felt her tense body relax a little as Austin's hand returned to her body. "My dad wants me to watch Sonic Boom tomorrow while he's off at some convention," she complained. "I told him we'd be there after our meeting with Jimmy."

"We?" Austin groaned, afraid she would rope and hogtie him into working alongside her instead of fooling around like he normally did when he was at Sonic Boom. "Why we?" Rolling her eyes, Ally lightly slapped his head, wanting him to stop being so melodramatic about working with her at Sonic Boom.

xXx

Although it's been a while since he'd last seen Ronny Ramone, the producer looked and acted the same way he did the last time. Slightly shaking his head, Austin followed Ally's lead and took a seat in the plush cushioned chairs across from Ronny who had his hands folded on top of his wooden desk. The office was dark colored, professional, and dreary in Austin's opinion. Ally looked amazing in her salmon colored dress, which seemed to lighten up the room and Austin reflected that he should have opted to wear something other than jeans, sneakers, and a leather jacket as this was a business meeting.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite recording artist," Ronny smiled with a gesture of pleasure to see Ally. His gaze narrowed on Austin and his tone of voice held contempt, sounding displeased as he greeted Austin. "With the competition."

"The competition happens to be my husband," Ally snapped, her harsh tone surprising both Austin and Ronny. Especially since they agreed yesterday that they would be remain calm to whatever Jimmy or Ronny told them.

Catching Ronny's gaze on him, Austin shrugged. Ally didn't have mood swings like this even when she was PMSing; and Austin knew for a fact that it wasn't that time of the month.

Recovering from the shock of Ally Moon's not so pleasant outburst, Ronny refolded his hands. "Let me just get straight to the point," he said, causing Austin and Ally to roll their eyes and Austin coughing to cover up his mirthful snicker. "I thought you got divorced."

Leaping to her feet, Ally slammed her palms on the smooth surface of the desk for dramatic effect. "Let me just get straight to the point," she seethed, causing Austin to sit back, cross his legs, raise his eyebrows, cross his arms over his chest, and wonder if he'd have to pull Ally off of the man so that she didn't accidentally strangle him with her bare hands. "Austin and I are not divorced, nor do we plan on getting one." Her voice rose in intensity with every new sentence she spoke, her finger jabbing into the desk top. "And if you do not agree to sign Austin with me, then you will forget the stupid contract I signed and drop me from your label. Do I make myself clear?"

Sharing another awkward glance with Ronny Ramone, Austin uncrossed his arm and his legs and stood up. Smiling at Ronny, he gently pushed Ally back into her seat before reclaiming his own. "See," he spoke before Ally could say something else that she might regret, "Me and Ally-"

"Ally and I," Ally muttered under her breath.

"We've been talking and we agreed that we don't want to compete against each other in this business anymore," Austin stated. "So, we decided that we'd both quit the music industry if we couldn't be signed together."

"If you don't sign Austin," Ally said, recomposing herself so that she did not go into another rage. "We'll just go over to Starr Record's."

"You know, Jimmy never took back his offer to sign you," Austin reminded Ally.

Shifting his gaze back and forth between Austin and Ally, Ronny spoke to silence the scheming couple. "Look," he stated. "Let me just get straight to the point." Ally discreetly kicked Austin's shin as he started to laugh. "People aren't in to husband and wife acts. They just don't sell." Shaking his head, he continued. "As much as I would love to sign Austin Moon, I can't sign you together."

"Okay," Ally shrugged. "Then-"

Ronny shook his head as he stood up, pushing his chair back. Austin and Ally did the same. "Let me get straight to the point. Nobody talks to Ronny Ramone like that, but you never fail to impress me Ally Moon." In a whisper he added, "And frighten me."

"Me too," Austin mouthed to Ronny so that Ally could not see.

"As much as I hate to lose someone so talented," he said more so to himself than to Ally, extending his hand out for her to shake. Ally did. "It was a pleasure working with you, Mrs. Moon." Next he shook Austin's hand. "It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Moon."

Once they were back on the streets of sunny Miami, Austin embraced Ally, picking her up off her feet and twirled her around. Infectious giggles emanated from her throat. Then, with Ally back securely on her own two feet, Austin took her hand and led her over to their waiting vehicle. Unlocking the vehicle from a short distance with the key fob, Austin released her hand and opened the passenger door for her before ducking around to the driver's side. Inside the car and secured by the seatbelt, Austin lovingly glanced over at Ally who was playing with the radio as soon as the car was started.

Never, not within his life time, had Austin expected Ronny Ramone to drop Ally from her contract so easily. Ally was a talented singer, who wrote the lyrics and the music to all of her songs. In fact, Ronny probably would have refused to drop her from the contract if she hadn't of gotten into his face, demanding he drop her. While Ally didn't look it, she could be quite intimidating and persuasive if she wanted to be.

Edging the vehicle back into the flow of traffic, Austin risked a quick glance at the radio's clock. 10: 52 it read. The meeting with Ronny Ramone had been short, just as Ally had assured him it would be. Then, risking another glance at Ally, he wondered how long the meeting might have gone if Ally hadn't of snapped at the producer like she did. Shaking his head, Austin concentrated on the road ahead of them as he tried not to think about Ally's strange behavior lately.

In no time, they were out of the car, barely making it to Starr Record's by 11:02 and were promptly shown to Jimmy Starr's office. "Let me do the talking," Austin whispered to Ally as they waited patiently inside Jimmy's office for him, taking the matching chairs seated side by side. "Since we want Jimmy on our side."

"What?" Ally hissed back. "You think I'm going to go into some kind of a hormonal rage and scare him away?"

"You kind of did with Ronny," Austin reminded her, causing Ally to scoff at his comment. "What is wrong with you?" He asked her. "You've been all weird lately and it freaks me out! I don't like it!"

Ally glared at Austin, opening her mouth to speak. However, before she could they were interrupted by Jimmy Starr's voice greeting them.

"Austin and Ally Moon!"

Immediately, the couple turned away from each other so they were facing forward and relaxed into their seats, watching the music producer take a seat behind his desk.

"You didn't bring your weird friends with you, did you?" He asked the couple cautiously, suspiciously eying them.

"No," Ally stated a little confused, wondering why he would ask that question.

Relieved to hear that, Jimmy nodded. "Right, well the last time I saw him, you're crazy red haired friend had a kangaroo that destroyed the place. He said that he was training the kangaroo for Austin's next music video."

"I never have, nor will I ever write a song about a kangaroo," Ally stated, thinking about why Dez would possibly need a kangaroo for the video.

Austin looked at Ally and then to Jimmy. "How did he get 'kangaroo' out of 'I care about you'?"

Shrugging, Ally ignored any future questions that could be asked about Dez. Crossing her legs, she began to speak, wanting to get straight to the point of the meeting. "We just came from Ramone Record's," she stated, much more professional than she had been with Ronny, causing Austin look at her with an odd look.

"Does Ronny ever get straight to the point?" Jimmy joked.

"No," Austin replied, thinking back to the meeting he and Ally had just gotten out of with. His voice grew quiet and low. "But Ally does."

Annoyed with Austin's last comment, Ally stuck her heeled foot out and kicked his shin as hard as she could, causing him to winch in pain as he glared back at her. Why can't he keep his mouth shut for once? Just because she was a normally placid person, who generally refused confrontation did not mean that she was acting strangely. Besides, she had chewed out Ronny Ramone after the whole Roxy Rocket fiasco and he had carried her off of live television for losing her temper. She had grown up quite a bit since they'd first met, she realized. And if Austin didn't like her standing up for herself and speaking her mind, then he'd have to crying to his mother. Maybe that thought was a little harsh. Austin wasn't a crybaby.

Choosing to ignore Austin's comment, Ally opened her mouth to continue. "And-"

However, before she could continue, Austin cut her off, wanting to avoid a repeat performance of what happened in Ronny Ramone's office. "And Ronny dropped Ally from his label because he refused to sign us together."

"You see," Ally explained, glaring at Austin for cutting her off earlier. With both eyes on Jimmy, she began to explain the agreement they had made concerning their career paths. Next, she spoke of their meeting with Ronny Ramone.

The way she talked with her hands like she tended to do when she rambled made her appear like an animated cartoon character. Austin goofily smiled at the thought of Ally looking like a cartoon character or of their lives being a comedy television show for kids.

"Right, Austin?"

Ally's voice brought Austin back from his current daydream. Placing a somber smile on his face, he tightly gripped his pants legs as he attempted to look professional. "Exactly," he agreed, his gaze not leaving Jimmy.

Jimmy leaned forward in his seat, nodding in competence at what the young adults seated before him had to say. "Ronny's right," he eventually spoke. "Husband and wife acts don't normally sell. They're usually quite talented together, but don't get the fan base they had hoped they would." Austin and Ally bowed their heads at his words, keeping their eyes downcast. "But-" That word caused the couple to look up again. But. The one word that could change everything in a matter of seconds. "The two of you have captured America's heart years ago. Everyone raves about Austin and Ally. So." He watched in amusement at the changed expressions on his client's face. Currently, Austin Moon's visage read anticipation and joy. The same expression was mirrored on Ally's face. "I'm going to sign Ally." He looked at Austin, and continued. "And Austin," he said. "I believe we have a new contract to negotiate."

xXx

"What's going on, Ally?" Austin asked for what seemed like the hundredth time since yesterday. He knew there was more on her mind than just their careers, but she refused to tell him as she shook her head, ignoring him as she handed a customer his purchase and his change. "Come on Ally," he whined. "You've been acting weird lately and I'm worried!" Folding his hands in a pleading manner, his lower lip protruded in a pout as he attempted to master the infamous 'puppy dog' look. Shaking her head again, Ally brushed passed him, but Austin grabbed her hand and yanked her over to the cushioned benches located at the side of the store. Sitting down, Austin pulled Ally down beside him so they could talk. Before either of them could speak however, the loud, clear, and bickering voices of Dez and Trish carried into the store. Unable to see their friends, Austin poked his head around in every direction looking for them. It wasn't long until he saw them enter the music store, their voices growing in dynamics.

"I'm so done being nice to you, Freakenstein!" Trish yelled to Dez, causing an amused Austin and Ally to chuckle.

"When is she ever nice to him?" Austin whispered to Ally, drowning out Dez's response to Trish.

Shrugging in answer to Austin's rhetorical question, Ally stood up. Placing her hands on her hips, she glared at their friends. "Didn't I tell you to be here for the team Austin and Ally meeting two hours ago?" She asked, her voice irritated by their tardiness.

Trish shrugged, pushing Dez to the floor before sitting down across from Austin and Ally on the benches. "I didn't have to be at work two hours ago," she stated.

Ally sat back down as Austin got up to help Dez to his feet. "And what's your excuse?" She asked Dez.

Des shrugged, taking a seat next to Trish as Austin reclaimed his seat by Ally. "I was working on the script for Claws 2: Da-d-d-da!" He announced doing jazz hands."

Austin and Ally linked hands and the motion did not go unobserved by Trish. When it came to Austin and Ally hiding something, Trish always knew. When they sat as far apart as they could at the breakfast table or when they sat closer together than normal, Trish always knew. Narrowing her eyes, she looked straight at them, trying to figure out what was going on between them.

"First things first," she said to start the team Austin and Ally meeting.

Dez jumped to his feet, producing his video camera. "Claws 2-"

"We're not discussing your stupid movie!" Trish exclaimed, grabbing his suspenders to pull him back down next to her. "First things first," she repeated, taking the stage. With her hands clasped behind her back, she started pacing. Her eyes grew narrower and narrower as she gazed upon the couple before her. "What is up with changing the locks?!" She pounced on them like a cat on ball on a ball of yarn. Her eyes were wide and Austin leaned back in fear, trying to cower away, hoping that Ally would say something. When Austin and Ally refused to answer however,, she continued to the second part of her agenda. "I had to sit through a lousy business meeting with Ronny Ramone this afternoon to discuss Ally's career and he told me that Ally Moon is no longer signed with Ramone Record's! Thinking the worst that you decided to get a divorce after all, I asked about Ally Dawson and the idiot never heard of an Ally Dawson. I know he's an idiot, but come on!" Jabbing her finger first into Ally's chest and then to Austin's, Trish continued, her voice getting louder and louder every minute. "And you two are acting all hunky dory and lovey dovey and if you don't tell me what's going on in one minute, I'm gonna-"

Ally sighed, standing up to place her hands on Trish's shoulders. Calming her friend down, Ally pushed her back to her seat by Dez. "While the two of you were complaining about dying of hypothermia," she said, "Austin and I were talking about the future. We decided that we didn't want our separate career's anymore an-"

"Austin Monica Moon, I swear if I hear that you're no longer signed with Starr Record's, I'm gonna shave your head, make you dress in a tutu with fairy wings, forcing you to sing I Feel Pretty in the middle of the mall on Black Friday!"

"I love West Side Story!" Dez exclaimed.

"He's still signed with Starr Record's," Ally assured Trish, who sighed in relief. "Actually," she continued. "Jimmy signed me too."

"Really?!" Trish's eyes grew wide in surprise.

Ally nodded, taking her seat next to Austin again. Austin continued. "Yup, from now on it's just going to be Austin and Ally."

"Ally and Austin," Ally corrected with a smile.

"Austin and Ally sounds better," Austin whined.

"Austin and Ally sounds like some weird show on Disney channel!" Ally argued.

"She's right," Dez said, nodding his head. "It should be Ally and Austin."

"We're team Austin and Ally," Austin defended. "Therefore, it's Austin and Ally. Not Ally and Austin."

"Right," Trish said slowly so they could end the petty argument. "If anyone has anything else to bring up in this meeting, please say so now." Dez raised his hand and opened his mouth to speak. "Anyone except for Dez," Trish added, forcing Dez to lower his arm and close his mouth to pout.

Ally looked at Austin and then to Trish, and then to Dez. Looking back to Austin, she stood up. Never taking her eyes off of him, she said, "Actually, there is something." She announced.

"What is it, Als?" Austin asked, concerned.

Taking a deep breath, Ally closed her eyes counting backwards from five as she calmed her pounding heart and her butterfly filled stomach. Opening her eyes again, she smiled. "There's going to be a new member to Team Austin and Ally pretty soon," she announced, receiving the exact same reaction from each of her friends.

They jumped to their feet, facing her, all talking at once.

"You're replacing me!"

"You can't replace Dez! I might want to kill him, but you can't replace him!"

"If it's Jason-Sure the guy has a great taste in music, but still-That doesn't mean I actually like the guy!"

The shouting continued and grew in intensity as if her three best friends were trying to outshout the others. Feeling a headache coming on, Ally placed her fingers to her temple and closed her eyes again. She remained this way for a few seconds, drowning out the shouting. Popping her eyes open again, she jumped to her own feet, sticking two fingers her mouth, whistling as loudly as she could in their ears. Immediately the shouting stopped and three surprised faces looked towards her. Her fingers back at her sides, she looked from Dez, to Trish, and finally to Austin. "I'm just going to say this," she said calmly, "because none of you are ever going to figure it out otherwise." Three expecting expressions looked back at her, eagerly waiting for her to continue. Taking a deep breath, she continued slowly. "The thing is, I'm pregnant."

Dez fainted. Trish fell to her knees, slapping Dez's cheeks to get him to wake up. Austin's mouth dropped in shock, as he stepped closer to her. "I'm gonna be a-and you're gonna be a-"

"Yeah," Ally, with a nod of her head in response to his unfinished sentences. "That's generally what pregnant means."

"I'm gonna be daddy," Austin smiled, placing a hand on his wife's still flat abdomen. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, his other hand stroked her cheek. "Wait," he said. "Is that what you've been trying to tell me since yesterday?" Ally nodded, a nervous smile plastered on her face.

Dez awoke to Trish slapping him. Seeing that he was finally awake, Trish slapped him once more for good measure before standing. Looking at the smiling couple, she asked Austin, "Do you even know where babies come from?"

Austin was too excited to contain himself or to listen to Trish's question as he let go of Ally and ran out of the store. Flinging the doors wide open he announced at the top of his lungs for all of Miami Mall to hear him. "Hey everybody, I'm going to be a daddy!"

"No," Dez replied in answer to Trish's question, rubbing his soar cheeks. "Where do they come from?"

Surprised to hear that question come from Dez's mouth, Ally's eyes grew wide. Looking from Dez to Trish, to the doorway, and back to Trish, Ally pointed towards the way Austin had just left. "I'm going to go make sure he doesn't hurt himself or something." With that, she followed Austin outside, leaving Trish alone with Dez.

The hot Miami sun shone brightly upon them, burning their exposed skin, but Austin didn't care as he kissed Ally outside of Sonic Boom. Right now, everything was going according to plan. Jimmy had signed Ally to Starr Record's, negotiating a whole new contract for the two of them. There would be no more days apart as they spent long hours at two separate recording studios. There would be no more tours that took them away from each other, straining their already strained marriage even more for months at a time. Their relationship was stronger and everything was looking up for them. The kiss deepened as Ally jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist to hold herself up. Yup, Austin knew for a fact that Ally loved him and only him. And if he ever thought of divorcing her again, he'd have to have Dez commit him to a mental institution, because he knew he'd have gone insane. With her lips hungrily kissing him and her body squashed up against his, Austin knew that come hell or high water, they would always make it through together as Austin and Ally.

xXx

May 23rd, 2021

New Directions and New Moons

Many things have changed within the course of one year for the Dynamic Duo known as Austin and Ally. A year ago they were both unhappy in their marriage and pending divorce as their tours progressed. And what happened to Ally Moon's new man? Rumors has it that he is on good terms with both Ally and Austin and has no intention to break the marriage up between them. However, other rumors conclude that the mystery man was killed by a yeti while on a snowboarding trip to the mountains in Utah. Either way, he is no longer a major part of Ally Moon's life as she moves forward in her career and her marriage with Austin.

Austin and Ally fans are eagerly awaiting the release of their first album ever recorded together. The album, "Where I Belong" is scheduled to hit stores the exact date as their eight year wedding anniversary, July 23rd.

When asked about their album's release date, Ally said, "This album is meaningful for us. It's the first we've ever done together and it's all about being with each other and being happy. So, it's only appropriate that the release date fell on our anniversary." It's good to know that the Dynamic Duo is back and stronger than ever.

Especially now since, the Moon's had just announced the arrival of a beautiful and healthy baby girl. While they had not released the name to the public yet, the proud father was happy to announce she was born on May 20th at 4:01 in the morning weighing only five pounds and four ounces.

"I'm a daddy!" Austin kept saying over and over when asked about the birth of his daughter. Cheetah Beat reporters could not tell if he was excited or still in shock.

Ally Moon had something a little different to say than her husband on their tiny bundle of joy. "Austin's ecstatic," she said, confirming Austin's behavior. "And as excited that I am that [she] is finally here and in my arms, I'm scared."

Wondering what Ally was exactly so scared about, our Cheetah Beat reporters dug deeper and sat down in an interview with two people very close to the Moon's. Asking what the new mother could possibly be scared of we were given to very distinct answers to the question.

"Spiders. She is absolutely terrified of spiders." That's great to know, but not the answer we were looking for.

He was slapped upside the head by his friend who replied with, "Don't listen to [him]. He's as crazy as the striped pants he wears. Ally is afraid of a lot of things. She's afraid of not being a good mother to her daughter and a better wife to Austin. She is also afraid that her and Austin's relationship might not be as strong as they think it is, no matter how far they've come in a year's time." Ally has nothing to worry about since Austin refuses to let her or the baby out of his sight.

As you can see a lot of things have changed for the better for Austin and Ally Moon and we congratulate them on the arrival of the newest addition to the Moon family and wish them all the luck in the world with their daughter and the success of their new album.

Well, this is the end of Hell and High Water and I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out. I must say I've had a lot of fun writing this story and am sad to see it come to an end. And I hope that you as the readers have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I'm sorry that the wait for the final was long, but I hope the wait for the conclusion of the story was worth it. I thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. Your continued support of this story meant a lot to me as I updated. I love you all and hope you will continue to check out my fics.