Just can't recall

Travis smiled his greeting at Ashlee as he petted the horse. "Don't worry. I have a reputation of sleeping through my alarm, so this might be a once in a lifetime occurrence." 

Taking the pail of grain, he nodded. "I think I can handle that. I'm not quite as sore today, so I should be okay as long as I don't start trying to throw hay bales around." He gave the mare her grain first, then shrugged at Ashlee's question. "Eh. I've slept better. But that's okay. There's always time to sleep later on." 

"Hey, Ash." Eric unintentionally interrupted them as he entered the barn. He'd just left the girls in the main house in Becky and Jade's capable hands so he could help out with chores. "Thought if you wanted to, we could take a ride today." He knew he'd been neglecting her lately and felt badly. Now that the immediate threat was gone, they could relax just a little bit, which left him time again for some fun.


Kirk looked down at Adison, and was unable to keep a little smile from emerging. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't think twice about going to the bar. But she'd helped him realize that was not the best plan, so he'd been trying to avoid the old habits. And tonight...once again, she was saving him from himself.

He finally sighed and slung his arm over her shoulders to pull her down the hall with him. "Okay. You win. But not a word about how many gummy worms I eat. Even if I puke later."

It didn't take long to make a couple stops then get back to his place. And it wasn't long after that, that Kirk was back in his comfy clothes, sitting on the floor, leaned back against the couch where Adison sat. They both had coffee, their choice of candy, and a big bowl of popcorn was being worked on, too. The sci-fi movie was one they'd both seen together at least ten times, but it was one of their favorites, especially when one of them was down.

Kirk sucked on the end of a gummy worm, and laid his head back on the couch cushion. Though he wanted to keep complaining about work, he refrained, just wanting to chill. He was still upset on the inside though, and no amount of sugar was going to fix that.

Reaching back up over his head, he felt around until he found Adison's hand, and deposited a new gummy worm. "Here. Payment for the good idea."


"You better," Mike quipped as he stepped off the porch. "He's almost as famous as Kyle...almost." 

"Hey," Jason growled teasingly. "Don't remind me he's the one on his way to stardom and not us."

"Eh..." Phil got to his own truck and shrugged. "Who wants to travel the world, have their face on an album, write songs for a living and live on a grand estate?" He paused, then shook his head. "Nah. Sounds terrible."

Jason laughed and got into his own truck, waiting for Katie to get in. He couldn't help his smile - this was what he loved to do away from work, and it had been too long since their last concert. "Okay...here we go... Hang on, Hero." 

...It was a fun concert. JetStream, along with Cryptic opened for Kyle, who put on a show with his band as good as ever. The park was lit up with stage lights, the music spreading all across that end of town. It was warmer than it had been, and everybody was hot but having a good time. Though the smallest band, JetStream sounded great, proving that Jason, Mike and Phil had worked hard, and Axel joined them for one of their songs. Cryptic was a little louder and drove even more energy into the crowd. Though a small event, comparatively speaking, it was large enough to draw quite a few people, providing the kind of atmosphere to keep everyone on their feet. Once Kyle's band took the stage, the enthusiasm heightened even more. Just his sheer presence made those watching want to get up and dance. His smile never faded, along with his nonstop singing, keyboard playing and moving around - a lot - onstage. Anyone who knew him personally would just have to laugh at his sheer energy. He'd collapse later, but for now, he was nonstop.

JetStream and Cryptic hung out behind the outdoor stage while the concert continued, planning to socialize after the event. As Kyle was heading into the last couple songs though, he insisted that Jason come back on and join them. Though not having expected it, Jason, of course, came back on with his guitar, familiar with the song Kyle wanted to sing with him, and easily took the lead.

He didn't let it show, but on the inside, Jason was leery. It was worrisome enough without being surrounded by a crowd of innocent people when there was a hit out on him. But Katie had been here the whole time, and he knew her hawk eyes were at work, even if it looked like she was just enjoying the show. As he sang the chosen song though, a new kind of uneasiness rose within him... and it had nothing to do with having an assassin on the loose.

Off to the side, Hunter enjoyed the show along with the crowd. He'd told Katie he'd be there if he could get enough work done on his car, so he'd gotten here late, but now knew to keep his distance on this occasion. She was on duty, and he wasn't about to distract her. But that didn't mean he couldn't at least be here for the music.

I don’t quite remember,
What it was like for us.
What it was like without our worries,
What it was like just to live.

I don’t quite remember,
How it felt back then.
What it was like to dance in the rain,
What it was like just to love.

Ohhh, what happened to that little boy?
Ohhh, what happened to that little girl?
What happened to the days gone by?
What happened to the summer nights?
Ohhh, what happened?
What happened to us?

As Jason's fingers moved along his guitar strings, his eyes swept the crowd. Then they landed on Katie.

I don’t quite remember,
What it was like for us,
What it was like with childlike faith,
What it was like to just be free.

I don’t quite remember,
How it felt back then.
What it was like to feel the wind,
What it was like to shed real tears.

Ohhh, what happened to that little boy?
Ohhh, what happened to that little girl?
What happened to the days gone by?
What happened to the summer nights?
Ohhh, what happened?
What happened to us?

Hunter caught sight of Jason's intent stare, and wondered if something suspicious had been sighted in the audience. Following his gaze though, he realized that was far from the truth. Jason's eyes were locked with Katie's.

I don’t quite remember,
Ohhh, I can’t quite recall.
Time is lost in a spinning world,
I’m caught up in the fog.
I don’t quite remember,
How it felt back then.
But when I see your face,
When I see your eyes.
Time stands still and,
It all comes back to me.

Jason couldn't help it. Everything about tonight, from getting ready for the concert, to being onstage, to singing and finding Katie in the crowd...it all brought back all the memories and emotions connected with every single performance. He could control a lot of things, but his heart wasn't one of them.

How it felt to hold you.
How it felt to love you.
How it felt to dream with you.
It all comes back to me.

Hunter looked back and forth between Jason and Katie. And what he saw, he would never be able to deny. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to admit it. He wished he hadn't come tonight. But there was no doubt that feelings - deep feelings - still existed.

Ohhh, what happened to that little boy?
Ohhh, what happened to that little girl?
What happened to the days gone by?
What happened to the summer nights?
Ohhh, what happened?
What happened to us?
Mmmm, what happened?
I just can’t recall.
I just can’t recall.

Oh, but Jason could recall. As the last few notes died away, he finally broke his stare at Katie and refocused on the audience to wave and smile as they clapped their approval. Turning, he exchanged an enthusiastic hug with Kyle before exiting to the back of the stage, disappearing out of sight.

Sitting with the other guys from JetStream and Cryptic, Jen was the first to catch the odd look on Jason's face. "Hey, you sounded great with Kyle.... you alright?"

"Huh?" Jason set his guitar aside. "Oh, yeah. Yeah." He forced a smile. Katie would be back here any second. "I'm alright."

Concerned, Jen rolled to their cooler and grabbed a bottle of orange juice, then tossed it to him. "You look a bit pale. Sure you're okay?"

He nodded, but accepted the juice anyway. He knew good and well it wasn't low blood sugar that was the problem, and he needed to shake this. Fast. He took a swig before easing down to sit on a crate. "What time is it?"

"Mm. Almost nine-thirty."

"Pizza afterward!" Rocky announced. "Already called down to Mom and Pop's and Carson's willing to stay open for us."

"Good on him," Joel quipped, attempting an Australian accent.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Keep working on that one. Jase, you joining us, or you gotta stay scarce?"

"Um..." Jason glanced around at the others, then grinned. "That kinda depends on my bodyguard, I guess. If she.." His voice trailed off as Katie came around the corner, and his eyes dropped.

"We're talking pizza," Jen commented to her. "You wanna join us? I saw Hunter out there - he's more than welcome to come, too if he wants."