"That was absoloutely thrilling," I breathed, stepping gingerly into the room I had come from before performing. My hands were shaking, but I felt so calm, so free. I'd become complete, for the first time.

"Really, because my first show, I wanted to -"

"Nick, c'mon. She liked it."

"I know, but - "

"Just stop, now."

"Ugh."

I grinned, and sat down. Joe stared at me, then looked away.

"Whats wrong?" I said softly, still smiling sillily.

"Nothing," he said, shuffling his feet. I sighed.

"Really?"

He looked up at me, and I saw thick, round tears shining in his eyes. I gasped, and he looked down again, I could feel the shame radiating off of him. I grabbed his hand, and pulled him to the smaller room nearby, and closed the door crisply, hearing the reverberating sound of the sharp clink of the door shutting. I winced at the briskness of the noise. Joe looked up, and stared at me. Just stared, didn't pull me into a hug, didn't kiss me, didn't do anything. Just stared, the tears shining back, the tears consuming my eyes.

"Stop," I whispered, then laughed as softly as possible. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong - "

"No, it came out right. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For - for this whole thing. Do you know how guilty I feel? How horrible I feel? I got into a car crash, a CAR CRASH, and found you, hurt. It's my fault. Do you know what hurts worse? Knowing that once I find something that makes this hectic life better, its taken away from me, just like that. Just like that, every time. Never there for longer than I can blink. Its so horrible, being teased, all the time. Having that perfection in front of me, and having it yanked away just as quickly - "

"Perfection? I'm the farthest thing from -"

"I know, but thats what makes you pefection. You realize it. Your not out there, just telling me how great you are, how much you deserve me. You haven't once thrown yourself at me, you haven't once told me how hott you think I am, and I don't know, Lindsey - its so hard to have you right here, within my grasp, and then your going to be gone. Just like that."

"Oh, Joe - " I didn't know what to say. He was right. I had school, I had a life before this. I had my education, my job, my plans. But really, what had they been?

"Exactly, thats all I ever get. A sorry. But for once, I want more. I want someone there for me, forever. And I never thought that you can't be, I compltely forgot. How stupid am I?" He ran a finger through his hair, and I looked him up and down for the first time since the crash.

He was so regular, so beaten looking. His jeans were still ripped, the ash still on his face. His eyebrows were knotted together, his breathing deep and controlled. Just like any regular guy, except he wasn't - at least to other people.

"Don't you think I want that too?" I said, so gently that I was afraid he wouldn't hear it, it wouldn't reach his troubled ears.

"I really hope so, Lindsey. But I'm tired of hoping, I want to know."

And thats when he grabbed my hand, and pulled it to his lips, kissing it softly, tenderly, and as much as my heart beat, as much as I could hear the vibrant pounding of my blood working overtime, of my head exploding with the pressure, he wrapped an arm around my waist, and looked down at me, and I could have melted, but he kept me there, strong. I looked back at him, my eyelids heavy, but I wasn't sure why.

My head drooped first, then my arms went limp and weak, and I was gone. Or so I thought.

"Lindsey? Lindsey? Lindsey!" I could hear a scared voice, but I was slipping in and out, the room was spinning, and I found myself sagging against him. He grabbed me tighter, and picked me up and carried me to the small recliner in the corner of the room. My heart was beating out of my chest, but I felt so slow, so dizzy, that I could barely keep my eyes open. He grabbed a phone on the table and dialed a number, but I only heard the dull tone of the pounding of the buttons. His voice rang out like a beacon, and I heard a grunt.

"Its not working! Why isn't the phone working? What is going on? Lindsey - Lindsey, please - "

He grabbed my hand, and squeezed it so tightly it slightly punctured my dazed bubble, and he let out a choked sob. He then let go, and laid a hand on my heart, shaking, shuddering. I looked loosely into his eyes, my own out of focus. He stared into mine back, and I felt a sharp, shooting pain. I gasped, and continued looking at him. His eyes were gleaming with wet, dismal yet passionate tears, and I spoke.

"Whats wrong?" I forced my face into a taut smile.

"Lindsey - "

"No, really, why are you crying?" I laughed loopily.

"What? Because your - I can't handle this, really. Lindsey, please. Please, hold on."

"I'm fine, I'll be fine."

"Your heart - "

"I know,"

"No - its, its beating normal." I felt a resurgance of strength seep into me, and my eyes refocused, and I gradually sat up, my head aching, my bones feeling so heavy and dense. I was fine.

"Joe, whats wrong?"

It was Kevin, who had burst into the room.

"She - She, she - she just, just sank to the floor, something came over her - "

Another man came in, this one dressed in a white, clean coat and a pair of pressed chinos. He knelt over me, and pricked my finger, quick as you please. I gasped, as he squeezed and squeezed, forcing the blood out. He then walked out briskly, and returned five minutes later.

"Poisoning, though very slight, no where near enough to kill anyone."

"What?" It wasn't me, it was Joe. "Poison?"

"I found traces of it in her bloodstream."

"Microphone." I said softly, and Kevin shot me a strange look.

"Microphone?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Microphone - her microphone! Someone must've - " Joe was sitting, eyes blazing.

"Tampered with it, exactly. Who knew about her coming?" The doctor said calmly.

"No one, not even her."

"Whose microphone was it going to go to?"

"No one, its our spare."

"Well, who would've had access?" the doctor sounded almost bored. I wanted to punch him.

"I guess, our security guards, and our crew -" Kevin sounded extremely doubtful.

"Wait," I muttered, then sat up straight. "No one on your crew would want to hurt you, right? I mean - that kind of ends their career, right? Same with security guards."

"Yeah, but - "

"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" A thin young woman, of about twenty three, walked in, her hair swept off her neck in a loose ponytail. Her small hands immediatly flew to her hair, and she smoothed her uniform. I noticed a security badge pressed firmly to her chest. Her hair was a deep auburn, with pretty carmel highlights that looked natural. She *CENSORED*ed her head, staring at me. "Didn't I see you on the news?"

I grimaced. "Yes."

She smiled sadly, but I felt something. I didn't feel comfortable around her.

"Hey, Kelsea. This is Lindsey, she got poisoned from her mic, we think - " Joe stood up, gesturing at me.

"Oh no! Thats horrible. You did sing so great, you know," she said, her voice thickly laced with a fake honey coating. Before I could open my mouth to respond, to thank her, she turned to Joe.

"Do you need anything?"

"No, just to find out who did this - "

"It'll be okay, Joe. I promise. I'll take care of you." she giggled girlishly, and then traipsed out of the room, and before closing the door, she looked at me, stared at me.

And I could've sworn she gave a little laugh.