Angus' POV

I kept thinkin' to myself another tour was jus' what we needed to show how much better the songs were live than on the album. Ya' know, the Fly on the Wall songs. Mal sounded pretty enthusiastic on the phone an' I wanted in on the meetin' to hear what they all had in mind. When I got there it was all packed with everyone an' I guess they had been waitin' for me. Mal said, "Ya' ready to get back out there?"

I said, "Course I am." An' we sat down an' the meetin' got started. I don't remember everythin' that was exchanged that afternoon but I remember Mal gettin' pretty animated. 

He said, "If this tour has to take two years then that's what we'll do." Whether or not any of us wanted to be on the road for two years straight, I couldn't tell ya'. But we were all prepared to do what we had to do for the band. It wasn't a case of feelin' like it, or not feelin' like it, it was a case of what was best for the band, an' the longevity of it all.

I think North America had been decided upon as was Europe. An' I think they wanted Asia in there. South America was still bein' arranged an'...well, Australia was always a given. They would have sent us to the South Pole if they'd have thought we had an audience down there. Simon was still gonna fill in for the tour. I don't think anyone had any doubts about that. Except maybe Simon but that was put to rest early on.

Mal an' I talked afterwards about things here an' there an' we both seemed to have it all settled. An' the others were okay with it because they knew this is what was expected. Ya' put out an album, ya' have a tour. Even if ya' jus' got back from one, ya' do it again. It's not about the money, believe it or not, although some stay on the road to pay for their...various expenses. But ya' don't wanna lose traction in places where you've established yourself. Ya' spend years buildin' up audiences here an' there an' then ya' don't visit in years an' they forget about ya'. Then ya' have to start all over. An' we'd done a lot of startin' over with Bon our first time around. 

An' ya' want to promote the new album an' get new people interested. The fans can stay fans an' buy the records regardless but some either don't know a record's been released, or they hear it an' think it's shit an' don't wanna hear any more. If ya' come to play it live an' give 'em a show, they might think otherwise. An' we all knew that.

The meetin' wasn't very long, it was jus' there to cover the basics. An' I was already headin' home before I knew it. When I got back Hannah wasn't on the couch where I left her. Cooper was lyin' on the livin' room floor and got up when he saw me. I think I'm his favourite. An' our other dog, Atlas...he likes Hannah. An' Hannah likes him. She likes the old dogs. 

I put all my things away an' Cooper followed me up the stairs to our bedroom. There Hannah was lyin' asleep on the bed...her hair was a mess, there were tissues everywhere, her face was white as a sheet...an' she was still the loveliest thing I'd ever seen, ya' know?

Atlas was sleepin' on the bed next to her an' Cooper was at my feet. I didn't wanna wake her but she woke up anyway. I said, "Good mornin', love."

She looked at me all disoriented an' finally recognised me. She asked, "How did it go?"

An' I said, "...ya' know, we can talk about that later." I didn't wanna go on about the whole thing while she was sick an' I'm sure she was jus' thrilled about me bein' gone for months. I said, "I'm still here, I'm not leavin' anytime soon."

She held out her arms an' I couldn't say no to that so I hugged her. Poor thing was shiverin'. She said, "I love you."

An' I said, "I love you too." An' I was jus' about to join her on the bed but when I looked up, I saw two big dogs lyin' on my spot. An' I sighed in annoyance 'cause those dogs aren't little where you can jus' scooch 'em over. When they take a spot, that's their spot. An' they jus' looked at me. So Hannah slid over a bit an' lifted up the covers for me.

She said, "There's still room for you." So I climbed in next to her an' she sort of mumbled, "I don't wanna get you sick."

An' I jus' said, "That's alright, love." An' that was that.