When Louis woke up the first thing he realized was that he was shirtless. The second was that he was asleep on somebody's lap. The third was the best--he sat up and smiled as he looked at Annabelle's face. She was beautiful even asleep.

He didn't want to wake her up. He thought he could just get up to go to the bathroom, come back and lay down without a hitch. Did that happen? No. No, of course not. He was Louis Willis, international pop musician megastar--he could do a simple task like that without face planting, correct? WRONG.

He got up okay. He even got to the bathroom okay. He was dizzy, but he was okay. Just a few more steps and he was in the clear. But on the way back, he tripped over someone sprawled on the floor, and fell right on his face.

"What the. . ."

"Hey," the voice of Annabelle's brother said groggily.

"Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"Got up to use the bathroom but you were in there so I decided to sleep for a few minutes. Duh."

"Right. . ." Louis stood up slowly, brushing himself off as though Annabelle's apartment was dirty.

"So are you dating my sister now?" Lucas asked suddenly. "And answer quickly because I've really got to pee."

Louis almost laughed. "Yeah, I think so."

"You like her?"

"A lot."

"And you're not going to hurt her?" Lucas said this more as a statement than a question.

"Never!" Louis shook his head emphatically, than groaned as the dizziness intensified. "I'm gonna throw up soon."

Lucas narrowed his eyes and entered the bathroom; the moment Louis heard the toilet flush he was barging in and heaving into it.

"Just bashing the doors down now, are we?" Lucas grumbled from the sink. "What are we, brothers?"

Louis heaved again, and Lucas frowned, then handed Louis a wad of toilet paper to wipe his mouth with.

"Um . . . here, I found an extra toothbrush." He said after shuffling through the shelves in the closet. "Um . . . if you wanna shower I've got other clothes."

Louis looked down at himself, gross and sweaty, and he probably didn't smell all that nice either. "Um . . . yeah . . . I'm sorry about all this, ruining your time with your sister."

Lucas was quiet for a few moments. "Do you love her?"

Louis didn't even entertain the thought of hesitating. "Yes."

"Then . . . then it's okay. And it's okay if you go out with her. She . . . she really likes you too. Just . . . be gentle with her. She's got a past."

"I know,"

Lucas blinked and remained quiet as Louis brushed his teeth, as though he knew something more.

"Um . . . Just try not to let her forget about me, yeah?" He finally chuckled nervously.

"Your sister cares about you a lot." Louis said hoarsely, smiling weakly. "Trust me, she does."

Lucas hesitated, but a small smile crept up his lips. His phone began to buzz, and the smile faded. "I've got to go."

He left the room without another word. By the time Louis got out of the shower, there was a small, rumpled pile of clothing on the counter.

Annabelle was still snoring softly when he reached the couch and picked up the long since discarded blanket. A new wave of dizziness was washing over him and he sat down quickly to ease the fogginess in his brain. He watched her for a few minutes, marveling at how beautiful a person could be while sleeping. Slightly snoring, hair slightly tangled, lips parted just the tiniest bit. Thin tank top just thick enough so it wasn't see-through, small shorts that hung at the hips of her thin body. She was curled into herself now, and he didn't want to move her.

He leaned into her carefully, trying not to disturb her but hunting desperately for warmth. He dozed off for a few minutes, then fell into a somewhat restless sleep, unable to get comfortable. When he did, it was to another memory of him and Lisa.

"Lou Lou?" Lisa whispered.

Nine year old Louis groaned from the couch where he had been trying to take a nap. "Whaaa-hmm-umph?"

"Wake up, Lou Bug. I want to talk to you."

"I'm tired, Lisa." He moaned. "It's Saturday, Saturdays are made for sleeping."

"Or they could be made for biking to the ice cream shoppe." Lisa said sweetly.

Louis sat up straight. "You're buying me ice cream?"

"Of course I am, dummy."

Louis rubbed his eyes groggily with his fists and swung his legs over the couch to pull his sneakers on.

Lisa tried not to giggle as he grew more and more frustrated with the uncooperative laces.

"Lisa," he whined dramatically. "They won't stay tied."

Lisa giggled and tied his shoes for him, and he looked at her with an odd expression.

"Why do you say it's like a bunny rabbit?" He asked. "And what's with the tree?"

"It's just something mommy said when she taught me to tie my shoes."

"That's stupid," he wrinkled his nose. "Just say 'pull it in a knot and make a damn bow.'"

"Louis Christopher!" Lisa exclaimed. "Watch your mouth."

"But I've said a lot worse, Lisa."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I told Billy Elderoun that he should get the stick from up his ass and--mmph!"

Lisa clamped a hand over his mouth as their mother entered the living room.

"Lisa, don't choke your brother," Mrs. Willis said idly. "Louis, what did I tell you about trying to wrestle her? She's bigger than you."

"Yeah but she's a girl so I'm tougher," Louis sassed.

Lisa rolled her eyes and took his hand, leading him out of the house.

"Do I have to wear this, Lisa?" He whined as she snapped the helmet buckle under his chin. "It looks so dorky."

"Yes, Louis, it keeps you safe if you fall."

"I won't fall," Louis rolled his eyes and got on his bike to prove it to her, but wound up crashing into the flower garden.

Lisa tried talking to him on their bike ride, but Louis was speeding too far ahead to hear her, and they wound up racing to the ice cream shoppe. Lisa liked the sound of his laugh drifting on the wind.

"Lisa, why did you bring me here?" Louis asked, happily locking his strawberry and mint ice cream cone.

Lisa looked at him from across the booth. She had hoped that he would have thought she really just wanted to but him ice cream. He was too smart for his own good.

"I wanted to ask you about . . . about dad." She said hesitantly.

Just as she expected, Louis' entire body froze, tongue out to lick his ice cream. What she hadn't expected was for his eyes to well up with tears.

"Lisa, I don't want to talk about daddy." His voice quivered.

Lisa could tell he was trying to be strong, more than likely because he didn't want her to know what was wrong or because he didn't want to upset her. Louis was like that.

"Lou, I saw the bruises on your chest last night. And I heard you throwing up, too." Lisa said softly.

She reached her hand up to brush her hair back, and Louis flinched.

She blinked. "Lou, did you think I was going to hit you?"

Louis mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

"No," he said a bit louder.

"Then why did you flinch?"

"Instinct," he mumbled. "But I know you won't hurt me, Lisa. You're good to me, not like--"

He clamped his mouth shut, looking afraid.

"Not like daddy?" Lisa said softly.

Louis nodded, looking down. His ice cream dripped onto the table as Lisa reached out gently to touch his hand.

"What does he do, Louis?" She whispered.

"He makes me sick," Louis hissed. "He h-hurts me."

"Did he hit you?"

"He punched me a lot, Lisa. I didn't want to take the pills he gave me so he beat me up. It made my tummy hurt, Lisie."

"Until you threw up?"

"Yes," Louis looked sad, kind of ashamed. "I don't know what I did wrong, Lisa. Do you know? If I knew I could try to fix it, and he won't hate me anymore."

"Louis, you aren't doing anything wrong." Lisa said gently. "Trust me, sweetie, it's not you. Daddy must be sick, and he isn't getting help."

"Okay," Louis didn't sound convinced.

"Will you come to me next time?"

"Should I?"

"Yes,"

"You want me to?"

"Of course,"

"Okay then. Can I eat my ice cream now?"

Lisa knew he didn't have an appetite anymore, but she nodded, getting up to throw her own half eaten cone away. When she came back, Louis' ice cream was dripping steadily on his hand.

"What is it, Lou Bug?" She giggled. "Your cheeks are all red."

"L-look Lisa," he pointed with a shaking finger across the shoppe.

Two young kids were standing with a thin and frail looking woman. The kids had bruises on their arms, and Lisa could see the shadow of a black eye under the mother's makeup.

"What about them?" She asked softly. "Don't point, buddy, it's rude."

"That's her," Louis hissed. "The girl I told you about.

"The one you like from school?" Lisa vaguely remembered her brother talking animatedly to her about a pretty girl at his school.

He nodded fervently.

"What's her name?"

"Um . . . I'm not sure. They call her a lot of different things. Someone called her Ann once."

"That's pretty," Lisa smiled.

"I'm going to marry her one day." Louis said softly.

"Go talk to her,"

Louis' eyes widened and he shook his head violently. "No! I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"I don't know her! I'm too nervous! Don't be so daft." Louis shook his head in disgust. "I'm going to start calling you Daffy Duck."

"Why?" Lisa giggled.

"Because you're being daffy, dummy."

"Well this dummy just bought you ice cream."

"Lisa? I'm not hungry anymore."

"Do you want to go home?" She already knew the answer.

"No,"

Louis blinked and looked around. It was a strange feeling, but for the first time since waking from a dream like that, he wasn't unconsolable. He was sad, but happy . . . happy for the memory? Happy it happened? He wasn't sure.

He rubbed at his eyes with a loud yawn, feeling like he hadn't slept in weeks, and realized he had warm tears on his cheeks. He wasn't sobbing like he usually did though. What did people call this--progress? Acceptance? Change?

"Are you okay?" Annie's voice asked groggily.

"Just a dream," he mumbled sleepily. "I'm okay, go back to sleep."

"No, I'm okay, I'm up." Annie yawned. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Louis yawned, his eyes drooping again. "I'm tired."

"Close your eyes," Annabelle yawned again, stretching to lie on her back, reaching out her hand to guide his body closer.

"I'm really tired," he mumbled almost incoherently. "Wanna sleep."

Annabelle stifled a third yawn and kissed his forehead before laying his head on her body.

"Mmm," he sighed as she ran her fingers through his hair. "That feels nice, Annie."

"Goodnight, Louis." She yawned.

"It's almost morning."

"Then good morning, Louis."

Louis yawned as his eyes closed again. He couldn't open them now. "Good morning, baby."