It is a little past two in the morning in Sydney, Australia.

Luke's house is mostly dark.

Luke's house is mostly silent.

Luke's house is mostly dark and mostly silent because Gypsy is awake with the light on in his spare room since she's made up in her mind that she's going home, now.

Gypsy has decided that she cannot spend her last day in Sydney, and she would much rather be in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And that speaks volumes.

It is time to go.

So, Gypsy slaps clothes into her suitcase without bothering to fold them.

Gypsy slaps her face because she could have gone to see her mom in fucking China when she wasted a whole round-trip ticket from a star basketball player on her ex-boyfriend, instead.

And that makes her feel like an idiot.

She feels stupid and angry.

But mostly, stupid.

Gypsy squeezes her eyes shut because she is not going to cry.

She's just not.

Gypsy, Gypsy, Gypsy.

With closed eyes and finger pinching the bridge of her nose, she counts because damn her, she let the devil tempt her in Sydney and that devil's name is Calum Fucking Hood.

One, two, three...

______

It's Calum's fault.

(But actually).

He'd been so caught up in Gypsy, Gypsy, Gypsy that no one else crossed his mind. He thought of no one else to such an extent that on the third night the boys ask her to sing, she gets up there and performs 'Escape Route' in honor of Ashton's list and her pool party and her new friend, Chyna. She sings and the boys get to play behind her and Michael adds a guitar solo and the whole performance was so crazy that the audience in the very crowded Sydney nightclub is cheering-they don't stop once Gypsy and the boys go offstage. They keep cheering and they just weren't leaving to the point where Luke looks to Gypsy and asks, "One more?"

"One more," she grins because holy shit, an encore? This crowd is asking for an encore performance.

It's a first, even for the boys, and they go back onstage and Ashton adjusts his bandana and stares from his friends, into the crowd and giggles.

"Whoa," is what he says.

Michael laughs, too. "This is fucking-" He shakes his head. "I can't even-"

"Find your words," Luke grins. "Find your words, mate."

Michael flips him off and the audience laughs.

He turns back to them. "I can't fucking believe you guys like us that much."

"It's Gypsy," Calum calls, and there are cheers from the crowd as he points to her from across the stage.

She shakes her head, "It's not," she says, but Calum stares at her, head sideways, hair falling just over his lidded eyes and he grins. She's blushing big time and his stomach is turning in that way that it does each time she blushes. "It's 'cause Gyps's here, tonight," he says, knowing that this crowd of people has no idea that had the boys asked her to sing with them even a year ago, she wouldn't have. There would have been no way that she would have gotten up onstage and rocked out with them and have shared her voice with the world, but, now? Now, Calum thinks, as he stands onstage beside this girl that he fucking loves that she might open for them or tour with them or-

And Ashton gets off on a tangent that snaps Calum from his thoughts about Gypsy to the stage. Luke suggests that they sing a song they all know-'What I Like About You'-and Gypsy sings lead vocals with him, and they're rocking out and Calum keeps looking over at Gypsy and smiling, and of course she's smiling back, and none of these looks are going unnoticed by two particular girls in the front row.

______

"Gypsy?"

"Luke!" She jumps, startled from her memory and nearly falling backwards over her suitcase.

She clutches her chest, eyes wide. "What are you doing up?" She demands.

Luke doesn't move. He stares at his friend and rubs his eyes and frowns because he can't hide his disappointment.

She's leaving.

He had all these things planned-all these places he wanted her to see; all of these childhood memories he wanted to share and she's practically gone, already.

Luke points to her suitcase. "You're leaving?"

"I'm uh..." She pushes hair from her eyes. "Yeah, I am."

"You weren't going to tell any of us, then?"

"I left a note-and I was going to text you when I got home and-"

"You hate us, don't you?"

Gypsy's jaw drops. "What? Luke, how could you even say that? Why would you think that?"

"You're leaving!" He exclaims. "You're leaving and you weren't even gonna say 'bye!'"

"You're not being fair, Luke! I came here to see all of you and have fun and, newsflash, buddy, tonight wasn't exactly fun for me in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah, okay, Calum fucked up, but-"

"I'll fucking say-"

"But, but think about the rest of us! He's not the only one who cares about you, you know, and I mean, damn it, it's like..."

Luke runs two frustrated hands through his hair. "This is why I fucking said friends shouldn't date!" He exclaims, "Because, look-you're about to leave and, and I dunno, you just got here! I haven't seen you in ages! I haven't seen you this whole summer, Gpyps and now you come for what, a few days and leave before you're supposed to go-Why can't you stay?" He asks, and his eyebrows furrow and his blue eyes are wide and hurt and the dark circles beneath his eyes indicate just how sleepy his is, and it's all giving Gypsy chest pains, "Gypsy, why can't you fucking stay?"

"Because-" She sighs, because does she tell him that she can't stand to be around Calum right now? She sighs and Luke stares-he probably already knows, she thinks.

But then again, maybe not.

"'Cause you'd rather be with those other lads," he nods, because now it's making sense to him. "You'd rather be with them, wouldn't you? You prefer those guys at home over us."

"Luke!" Gypsy sighs, exasperated, "Why'd you even say that? First you guys tell me to make new friends and now you're mad that I have them!"

"Yeah, 'cause I care about you and you were so miserable when we left-"

Gypsy shakes her head. "You're not making any sense, Luke. You want me to have new friends but apparently you don't. Got it," she snaps. "That's totally fair."

"We just don't want you to forget about us, s'all, like-"

"Forget about you?" She cries because she can't believe this. "Forget about you? Are you kidding? Are you serious, Luke?"

"Gyps, I-"

"You're in a fucking band that's becoming fucking huge," she says and Luke's eyes widen because her voice shakes since this is the reason she felt she had to end things with Calum in the first place. "Do you know how that feels? Do you know how it feels to know that one day your friends-your best friends-will have moved on and you're stuck alone because they're playing around the world and don't give a single, solitary fuck about you anymore?"

"Gypsy that's not-"

"No, fuck you. Fuck you, Luke," Gypsy hisses. "Fuck you because I can't believe out of all the boys-out of Ash and Calum and Mikey, you'd be the one who'd rather have me fucking miserable and alone and stressed out over you guys leaving me than happy because I've found a way-I've found people who care enough about me to want me to have a good time while my best friends are off doing what they love."

"Gypsy, you can't really think that I feel that way. You can't-"

"I don't know, Luke," she shrugs, folding her arms across her chest. "Honestly," she laughs without humor, "I don't know about anything, apparently. All I know," she says, and she meets his wide eyes with narrowed, angry ones, "is that I can't follow you around when you go on tour. I can't-I've got a life," she says and for the first time, she actually feels it. Holy shit, she's right-she has a life and friends and things outside of the boys.

Gypsy has a life and friends and things outside of the boys.

Gypsy has actual things outside of the boys.

She chuckles, "I've actually got a fucking life of my own," she exclaims, "And as much as I love you; as much as I'd love to be with you all the time, I can't. I can't because it isn't my dream to be famous musicians and...I just can't, Luke, and I know you guys aren't going to want me being the clingy friend following you wherever you go."

And Luke opens his mouth to speak and tell her that what she's suggested doesn't sound half bad and when (or if) they ever got big enough to go on tour, they'd have so much fun together and holy shit it'd be great to have her along, but Gypsy beats him to the punch.

She shakes her head because she's leaving.

"See you later, Lukey. I've got a flight to catch."

And in one fluid motion, Gypsy grabs her suitcase and slides out the door, and for a while Luke stands there and can't believe she actually does it. Luke does not believe that Gypsy truly leaves him and he makes his way over to the couch and sinks into the cushions and falls asleep and wakes up the next morning still expecting to find Gypsy in his brother's room because he truly believes that the argument he has with her is fake and not real and that everything the night before was all just one really, really fucked up dream.

_______

The flight from Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport into Vegas' McCarran International is 21 hours and 25 minutes. Her flight back is longer this time, because there's a layover for four hours in Honolulu, and that fact alone makes Gypsy emotional.

Home, she thinks. I'm actually home.

She stares out onto the tarmac and watches the dark clouds spread out over the island. It's just rained, she realizes, as she touches down onto damp pavement and watches as children around her squeal excitedly about the double rainbows. And Gypsy presses her face against the window of the plane and wishes-she wishes she could go back in time and reverse her decision to go to Australia when she should have, in fact, come home to the place she was born. She should have come to Oahu where her mom and dad were home and not busy and where Mom and Dad meant Mom and Dad and Gypsy beneath the island skies instead of desert heat.

The tears want to come.

Inside the airport, as she waits to board her plane to LAS, Gypsy leans against the window, knees tucked beneath her chest as she stares out across the tarmac, wishing.

She's not going to cry.

She's not going to cry.

She is not going to cry.

______

"An encore?" Ashton asks incredulously, eyes wide, hands on his hips as he stares at his friends backstage. "A fucking encore? Like," he shakes his head, "like, what?"

Luke nods with a little grin. "Holy shit..."

"Are you surprised?" Gypsy asks. "You guys rock. I've been saying it for years."

"We rock way harder with you," Calum says and the rest of the boys have to agree with that.

"Y'sure you don't want to stay on?" Mikey asks. "Because, I know you probably don't get this a lot Gyps, but," he shrugs nonchalantly, "you can kinda sing. Y'know, a little."

"Just a little," nods Luke.

Ashton hums, "Well, maybe a little less than a little, but it's enough," he grins, "I guess."

"Thanks, fuckers-I mean, friends," Gypsy snorts and the boys all burst into laughter.

And as they all fall into easy conversation about their futures that quickly transforms into what the hell they'll eat this late at night, Calum gently tugs Gypsy's sleeve as the rest of the boys argue, motioning for her to follow him into a small room where they typically store their guitar cases, in the back.

"Yes?" She grins, as Calum takes her hand and pulls her close.

He kisses her once on the forehead. "I'm really proud of you."

"Oh yeah?"

He kisses her again, on the lips this time. "Yeah. You'd have never done this last year-like, performing?"

And she nods because he's right.

"You're right," she agrees. "I wouldn'tve."

"But, here you are," he grins, and he kisses her again. "You're here with me and I want you to stay."

She laughs. "Stay where? In Sydney?"

"Well, yeah, until we go to America," he finishes quickly. "Just stay on with us when we tour. Stay with us and be punk rock and perfect."

"Cal..."

"Gypsy?"

"Cali, I don't know..."

"I think you want to say 'yes,' Gypsy."

"Cal, you guys are the musicians. You guys are the ones that should be famous."

"But, you rock harder than the rest of us," he says in a near whine, because he's been rehearsing this speech in his head since the first night she showed up in Australia and was really hoping that she'd give in.

Calum just really wants Gypsy to stay.

He tilts his head and pouts. "Please?"

"Oh god," she shakes her head. "Not the puppy-dog pout!"

He laughs, bringing his face closer. "It's working, isn't it?"

"What if I say it isn't?"

"Then, I've got to be more persuasive," he grins.

"Oh god."

And he kisses her again, but this time he doesn't let go. He grabs her tighter and holds her like she's his life support. He kisses her like she's oxygen or water-like she's a rare diamond he's trying not to break or a moment he doesn't want to forget. Calum kisses her like he'll never let her go, because a part of him is always fearful that Gypsy will slip out of his life like sand through his fingers and disappear if she ever says 'goodbye.'

"Calum?"

And that word causes him to jump back from Gypsy. He nearly falls over the table because standing in the doorway is Victoria and she's not even yelling. Her makeup is running and her eyes are swollen because she's crying.

"Vicki, I-"

"So, she's your new fuck now, huh?" She spits, and Gypsy looks between Calum and the girl with green hair with obvious confusion.

"Excuse me?" She asks. "I'm what?"

"Gypsy, it's nothing, don't listen to-"

"You're the new girl," Victoria continues. "You're the new girl he'll hit and quit it on, right? Apparently," she laughs bitterly, "I'm not good enough to fuck anymore, right, Cal?" She exclaims, because her voice is rising and now Luke and Michael and Ashton are all at attention in the other room because they can hear yelling. "You've lost interest in me now, right? Once she comes along you forget about me and the past two fucking months we've spent together after each one of your fucking shows."

And Gypsy steps back because she feels like she's been slapped across the face.

She peers up at Calum with wide eyes. "Two months?"

And that question alone makes Calum want to tell Gypsy that none of it mattered, and that he was hooking up with Victoria to get over her, only for him to find that that wasn't possible. He'd like to tell her this and more, but he's overwhelmed slightly and has been completely shaken because Victoria is not only crying but now, Gypsy seems visibly upset and he had been trying very hard to convince her to stay and now all of a sudden that plan seems to have been flushed down the toilet with the biggest shit ever.

So, he says words that he regrets, "We weren't even together then!"

And Victoria's eyes narrow. "So, that's your girlfriend?" She hisses, and Calum says 'yes' at the same time Gypsy says 'no.'"

Calum turns to Gypsy with round brown eyes. "No?"

"You know what, fuck you," is what Victoria says. "Fuck you, Calum and fuck your fucking shitty band," and she leaves him a string of curse words he wishes Gypsy did not have to hear before she grabs her friend's hand and slams the door behind her.

And Calum is left alone with Gypsy.

And Gypsy is left alone with Cal.

"Gypsy?" Calum is hesitant but he approaches her, anyway. "Gypsy, please? Please, say something, Gyps."

And her arms are folded tightly against her chest, hair over her face and eyes squeezed shut because damn it her makeup is not going to run, today.

Calum comes closer. His heart is beating out of his head and he, all of a sudden, has no idea what to do with his hands because he'd like to hold her. He'd like to touch her.

He runs his fingers through his hair and whispers, "Gypsy?"

There's a beat.

Then, she speaks.

"So, that's your girlfriend?"

And that question catches him off guard. "What?"

Now, she turns and faces him, arms still crossed. "Is that your girlfriend?" She asks, this time with an edge to her voice sharp enough to cut him. "Am I some home-wrecker? Oh my god, have you been cheating on her with me?"

"Gypsy, no," he says firmly and he crosses the floor and attempts to place his arms around her. "No, she's so not, please don't even think that."

"But, does it matter?" she asks, jerking from his grip. "Does it even matter in the end, Calum?"

Calum shakes his head. "What?"

And Gypsy turns away and counts, again. "I won't be able to see you when you go away like this," she say as calmly as she can because she is not going to break. "You'll be gone and have left me to fuck around with girls like that with green hair and shit while I'm home thinking that I'm yours."

Calum scowls. "Gypsy-We weren't even together, Gyps!"

"And we aren't technically together now, but why do I feel like-?"

"Like what?"

She shakes her head, again. "I can't do this, Cal. I said it the first time and apparently nothing's changed."

"You can't do what?" Calum asks, ducking his head so that she'll meet his gaze. "Gypsy, please? Gyps, talk to me."

"This!" She exclaims. "I can't keep feeling like I'm just some stupid groupie you'll forget about after each city."

He jerks his head back. "Gypsy, I love you," he says, and he places both hands on her face so that she'll actually stare him in the eyes because his heart is racing erratically. "Gypsy," he says to her, "I love you, and you're not just some groupie, you know that."

Gypsy squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head because this is what made her end things in the first place. This is why she knew things wouldn't work, because what traveling musician is going to remember his girlfriend in Vegas?

She is not going to cry.

"I don't know, Cal."

"Gypsy, please, would you listen-?"

"I just don't know."

______

There are texts coming from Calum that she's not answering; texts coming from Michael and Ashton and Luke.

There are also texts coming from Vegas; texts coming from Justin and Matty and George and Harry and all Gypsy wants, she realizes as she stares hopelessly at Honolulu, is to be home.

She boards the plane again and listens to one song on repeat: #icanteven by The Neighbourhood, and she drifts in and out of sleep feeling the words of the song seep into her brain through her ears.

She gets off the plane and she's exhausted.

"Enjoy your stay in Vegas," says the flight attendant.

Gypsy nods silently and continues into the airport.

She travels to baggage claim and waits with the rest of the passengers aboard her flight and waits patiently for her one bag. And she stands and waits for her bag that tumbles out first onto the conveyor belt, and she wheels it behind her towards the doors leading outside.

She grabs her phone from her purse, texting Matty a quick, I'm outside, before she stops and stands in the hot, dry heat of Nevada outside of the airport.

And that's when she sees him.

He's jumping from the car, arms outstretched before she's even fully out of the swinging doors.

"Gyps!" He calls. "Hey, G! Over here!"

And Gypsy's heart is full as Justin rushes towards her, pulling on his pants in the process that she always fears will fall to his ankles with each step, and he crashes into her with open arms and wraps himself around her.

"Justin," she sighs, voice muffled against his tee.

"Missed you, G," he says. "Despite what anyone else might say about you," he grins, "you make Vegas a hell of a lot less like a hell-hole."

Gypsy laughs against him. "Thanks," she sighs. "It's crazy that that actually means something to me."

And as the two of them start laughing, Justin reaches out and takes Gypsy's suitcase from her hand and wheels it in the direction of a large black Suburban.

"Whose car?" Gypsy asks.

"Borrowed it from a friend of Harry's," Justin explains, and he heads for the trunk, motioning with his head towards the car. "Get in," he says. "I've got a surprise."

"Think I've had enough surprises," Gypsy mutters, but she pulls on the door in the backseat and is greeted by five smiling faces.

"Gypsy!"

"Gypsy, doll!"

"Hey, Sweetheart."

"Hi, love."

And it's Matty up front besides Harry at the wheel and George and Zayn and Niall all in the backseat and Gypsy has to keep swallowing because she is not going to cry because she's overwhelmed with a mixture of incredible happiness at the sight of her friends after the sadness that seems inescapable after her week in Australia.

"So," George grins as Gypsy piles into the middle row besides Zayn and Justin climbs in behind her. "How was Oz, lovie?"

"We heard about that bloke," Niall sniffs disdainfully.

"Fuck 'im is what I say," George states. "You're better off without 'im."

"Right," nods Zayn, as he throws his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close. "Like," he pauses, "you're obviously too good for him, yeah? You," he nods, "you're someone who deserves someone else who's as special as you, love."

"You guys," she begins, "you know about Calum?"

And there's a hum of affirmation that goes 'round the cabin of the car as Harry pulls from the airport.

"Yeah," Niall says with a quick smirk thrown towards his friend up front, "It's all thanks to Haz since-"

Matty turns abruptly in his seat. "Since he apparently heard from you the most and you only told him specifically that you sang."

Harry's eyes meet her in the rearview mirror. "They're just jealous of what we have."

And it is then, as Gypsy laughs, her face pressed against Zayn's chest; as she inhales his cologne and smoke and cotton, as he grips her shoulder and holds her close, that the first tear falls. It is as her eyes squeeze shut and her shoulders shake that the moisture begins first to drip, pitting and then pattering against Zayn's dark wash jeans, before cascading; falling in torrents from Gypsy's eyes as her laughter dies away and the cabin falls to silence and Zayn holds her closer-he holds her and kisses her forehead and kisses it again and rubs soothing circles along her arm as Gypsy gives up in her attempt to wipe away the tears and allows her emotions to finally take over and she breaks down in Zayn's arms and cries.

"I can't even, I can't even believe what you did to me

You can't even, you can't even say I'm overreacting

I can't even, can't even hear your side

Shame on me, you fooled me twice." -The Neighbourhood; "#icanteven"

-~*~-

I hope that wasn't confusing. Section breaks about the performance meant flashbacks for Gypsy.

Pretty much killing myself with this Luke gif so yeah that's wonderful.

Are you sad for Gypsy? You should be lolz, jk. Don't worry, there's good things ahead, aka the rest of her list and this Cali trip and you know both sets of boys have to meet eventually...

Ok so that's enough of a spoiler. Love you guys sooo much and your comments last chapter made me laugh and smile. You're literally the best readers ever and I can't believe sometimes how amazing you are with your votes and comments and all that. :) Go listen to Four and vote and comment and pray for #Calypsy...unless you ship her with Harry then aayyyeee #Hypsy lol.

Quote of the day: "Whoever I marry has to be able to sing this." --My sister listening to Girl Almighty