DAWN:

      "Well, that was... enlightening," my Aunt Gwen says, as we walk out the door of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. 

      "I have to agree that it was pretty interesting, but I'm not sure I'd go as far as 'enlightening', hon," Jed responds.

      "I wasn't referring to the displays, I was talking about the little mob scene as we were getting ready to leave," she answers. Turning to look at Ash, she queries, "Does this happen every time you go somewhere?"

      "No, not every time, but it is fairly frequent," he admits. "It's my own damn fault this time, I should have just left my shades on. Nobody was really paying attention before I took 'em off, since I'm wearing a hoodie."

      "Too bad we were already in the lobby, or you could have just stood really still and pretended to be one of the wax figures," Lily snickers.

      "Nah, these kids were actually pretty cool. At least this batch was fairly respectful, and didn't get too out of control, so it wasn't that bad. And we still have a couple of hours before I have to go back for soundcheck, so is there anything else that anyone wants to do before then?"

      "Can we get something to eat?" Lily questions. "We've been out doing stuff since like eight o'clock, and it's almost one now. We've been to the street market, saw the big clock, and now the museum, so if we don't get lunch now, we won't have time before you have to go do your show stuff."

      "I'm gonna second that one, love," I chime in. "I wouldn't mind having a little something myself."

      "Well, since you're the birthday girl, whatever you want to do is fine with me," he announces, wrapping his arm around me to give me a quick squeeze, and a kiss on my temple. "What are you in the mood for?"

      "I'm pretty okay with anything. And after what happened last night, I think I'm gonna hand that choice off."

      A rather sheepish look passes across his face, and he nods, turning to look at my aunt. "Yeah, that would probably be for the best, I suppose. And again, sorry about the curry, I didn't even think about it being a problem."

      "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, Ash," she assures him. "It looked wonderful, and smelled even better, but apparently my opinion doesn't really count right now. And it seems that my little stowaway is telling me that we're in the mood for pasta today. Linguine with clam sauce sounds absolutely heavenly right now."

      "In that case, I know exactly where we need to go," Ash informs us, and proceeds to wave down a taxi. He gets one to stop, we all get in, and he tells them where we want to go. I snuggle against his shoulder as the driver makes his way through the streets, glancing out the window, and occasionally snapping a picture with my phone whenever Ash points out a landmark, or I see something that I find particularly interesting.

      Just before he left to go back on tour, he informed me that he'd arranged for me to come out and spend a few days on the road with him, so we could be together for my birthday. And during one of his "work errands" he had also gone to discuss the idea with Jed and Aunt Gwen, and offered to fly them out with me, so I could spend my birthday with them, too. And since it coincided with Lily's Spring Break at school, and would give them an opportunity to sort of have the honeymoon trip they didn't get to take because of all the craziness going on when they actually got married, they had agreed to the idea. We put together a plan to meet up with the band in England, where they'd scheduled a couple of days downtime to get past the jet lag before tonight's show, and all travel together to France. After the Paris show, Lily and I are gonna tag along to the shows in Vienna, Berlin, and Copenhagen, and let Aunt Gwen and Jed have a few days to themselves, then we'll fly back to meet them in Paris, and the four of us will go home together while the band does their Asian and Australian shows. We were all pretty confident that we had every possible contingency covered, but then, three days ago, it almost seemed like we were gonna have to pull the plug.

      For the last couple of weeks, Aunt Gwen has been getting more tired than usual, she's put on a bit of weight, and her appetite has been fluctuating, where she barely wants to eat anything one day, and pigs out the next. She was just putting it down to job stress, but then three days ago, she woke up and had to call out from work because she spent most of the day throwing up. Jed was concerned that it might be her appendix or something of that nature, and he insisted that she go to the doctor and make sure nothing was seriously wrong before we left, so she managed to get an appointment for the next day, and that was when we all got a surprise... especially Aunt Gwen. 

      It turns out that she's almost four months pregnant, and didn't have a clue. Apparently, she's never been really regular, so she didn't really think anything was odd when she didn't get her period for the last couple of months. She told me that she hadn't even really considered the possibility, because some doctor had told her a few years ago that she'd most likely have to get fertility treatments if she ever wanted kids, so she figured that adopting Lily was her only chance to be a mom, unless she and Jed decided to adopt another kid sometime.

      Everybody is really excited about it, and I've already started planning out a baby quilt for the nursery. (But to be honest, the little munchkin will probably end up with a complete new wardrobe, as soon as we find out what it is) Even Ash is getting a kick out of the idea, and has already offered to give him, or her, guitar lessons as soon as they're big enough to cooperate.

      We finally get to the restaurant that Ash has picked for lunch, get shown to a table, and place our orders. As I take off my jacket, Lily glances over, then grabs my wrist, saying, "Oooh, pretty! When did you get that?"

      "This morning with breakfast," I reply, as she inspects the bracelet that I'm wearing. "This is one of my birthday gifts from Ash." 

      The bracelet is silver, set with oval-shaped aquamarines, which are my birthstone, alternating with figure-eight-shaped links that have tiny little stones set into them.

      "I know the blue ones are your birthstone, but are those little ones diamonds, Sissy?" she inquires. I haven't even thought about it, so I turn to Ash, to let him answer the question.

      "No, the guy at the jewelry store said that they're white sapphires," he clarifies. "I have to be honest, when I walked into the store, I had no clue what I was looking for, I had to ask what the birthstone for March was. But as soon as he took me to that section of the store and started pulling stuff out of the case, this one just sort of jumped out at me." He pauses, and reaches out to trace a finger along one of the silver links before continuing. "Because I might not know much about birthstones, but I do know what this stands for."

      "What?" Lily inquires curiously.

      "Infinity," he responds. "Which, as far as I'm concerned, makes this absolutely perfect. Because unless your sister tells me she doesn't want to be with me anymore, that's how long I'm planning to stick around."

      "Well, since there's not much chance of that happening, it does sound like you made a pretty good choice," I inform him, leaning over to give him a quick kiss.

      "So if this is one of your gifts, what else did you get?" Aunt Gwen queries.

      "A new leather jacket that he custom-designed for me. You'll get to see it tonight, because I'm wearing it to the show, along with this, and the earrings that you and Jed gave me."

      Our waiter comes back with the food, so the conversation gets put on hold for a bit while we eat. I have to admit that Ash was right on the money with this place, because my braciole is excellent, and Lily and Jed are both positively raving over the osso bucco. Then, when we're just about finished, and debating on whether or not we have room for some gelato, Aunt Gwen says, "Dawn, there's something that Jed and I would like to discuss with you."

      "Sure, go ahead," I respond. "What's on your mind?"

      They look at each other, then he says, "We've been thinking about this for awhile now, and I even talked to Reid to make sure that it was doable. So we were wondering how you'd feel about..."

      He trails off, like he's not quite sure how to finish. I wait a couple of seconds, to see if he'll go on, and when he doesn't, I turn to her and ask, "What is he talking about, anyway? How would I feel about what?" 

      "About us adopting you, too. Now, you both know that I'd never try to take Bev's place in your lives, she was your mother, and you girls were her whole world. But unfortunately for all of us, she can't be here anymore, so I'd like to attempt to fill in for her, and make sure that you both have everything you need. And just because you're older than Lily doesn't mean that you don't deserve that every bit as much as she does."

      "That goes for me, too," Jed adds. "I always wanted kids, but my ex-wife wouldn't even consider the idea, which is the main reason why she's my ex. Then when I met Gwen, she told me that she might not be able to have kids as soon as we started getting serious, but since she had Lily here, and was planning to adopt her, that was good enough for me. I know that we've actually only known each other for around seven months, but you're a lovely, intelligent, thoughtful young lady, and I think as much of you as I do Lily. I couldn't love either of you more if I'd actually fathered you, so I'd be thrilled to bits if you'd consider giving me the chance to be the kind of dad that you both deserve."

      "Say yes, Sissy!" Lily squeals. "Pleeeease! He's already a better dad than Victor ever was, so why not make it official?" Then she pauses for a second before adding, "And it'll be better for when the baby comes, too. That way, she won't have to be confused about how I'm her sister but you're not."

      "It could be a boy, y'know," Ash points out.

      "Yeah, I guess so," she acknowledges. "But I don't think it will be. I think we're just gonna have him outnumbered."

      "That's perfectly fine with me," Jed laughs. "What man in his right mind is gonna complain about a houseful of beautiful women? The more the merrier. So will you at least think about it, Dawn?"

      "What is there to think about?" I respond. "If you're both sure that's what you want, then I'm great with it! But I'm twenty-two years old today, can we still even do it?"

      "Yes, we can. Like I said, I went over the idea with Reid, and the way I understand it, the process is much quicker and easier than what we went through with Lily's adoption," Jed explains. "Since you're an adult, you just have to sign some papers saying that you agree to it, and there's not as much jumping through all of the legal hoops that they have for juvenile adoptions. So if you'd like to do this, I can call Reid as soon as we get back to our room, and ask him to start getting the papers ready for us to file when we get home."

      I hop out of my seat, walk around the table, and hug both of them. "That sounds like a plan to me... Dad. And Mum."

      We decide to go ahead and get dessert to celebrate, and then we have to head back to the hotel so we can get changed before Ash has to be at the venue for soundcheck and the pre-show meet and greet. He gathers up his stage clothes and makeup as I get dressed, putting on a BVB t-shirt and some snug-fitting jeans along with my new jacket, which is pewter-gray leather, fitted, with a thigh-length peplum in the back, tapering up to my waist in the front. He's also lined it in a silvery-gray silk, and studded it with crystals on the cuffs and collar, so it's absolutely beautiful. I put on a pair of black biker boots, and my new earrings, which are black freshwater pearls hanging at different lengths from thin silver chains, and tell Ash, "I'm ready when you are, babe."

      "Yeah, right," he mumbles, as he rummages through his duffel bag for what seems like the hundredth time today. "Give me just a sec, okay?"

      He seems to be getting a bit stressed out, so I walk behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. He leans back and lets out a sigh, so I ask, "Is something bothering you? Would you like to talk about it?"

      He turns to face me, and gives me a kiss before he answers, "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about the show. Hopefully it'll pass when we get onstage."

      "Why are you nervous about this one?" I inquire. "You guys have been doing this long enough that I'd think you'd be able to do it in your sleep."

      He chuckles at this, and says, "Now that's never a good idea, especially with pyro around. And just because we're familiar with the process doesn't mean that we never worry. And tonight is your folks first show, so I guess I'm just hoping that nothing goes south while they're here."

      "Like what?"

      He shrugs, and replies, "Oh, I dunno. Equipment problems, the crowd getting too rowdy, that sort of thing. Andy pulling another 'Batman' stunt, maybe."

      "Yeah, that might weird them out just a teeny bit," I acknowledge. "But after the damage he did to himself the last time, he should have better sense by now."

      "One can only hope," he mutters as his phone goes off. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glances at the screen, then says, "Okay, apparently they're all ready to head out, so we need to get downstairs. Can you get the others rounded up while I get my shit together?"

      I go across to make sure that everyone is ready, and we all wait in the hall for Ash. He comes out a couple of minutes later, and we pile into the elevator to go down to the van, where the other guys are already waiting. They all wish me a happy birthday when we get in, and Yanni hops into the front seat and drives us the two blocks to the venue, going around to the service door to avoid having them get mobbed by the throng of fans who are already waiting outside.

      "I thought that you said the show didn't start until seven," Jed comments. "I guess they didn't get the memo."

      "Oh, they know exactly what time it starts," Yanni informs him. "And some of them have been here since early this morning, according to the security guards. Happens pretty much every time. They're either trying to get better seats by being at the front of the line, or they're hoping that they'll get to see the guys, and maybe get an autograph or something."

      "Sort of like those people you always see on TV that camp out in front of stores for a week to get new sneakers, or the latest phone upgrade," Lily observes.

      There are actually a handful of fans hanging around who ask for autographs and a few pictures, but we manage to get inside without getting totally mobbed. Oddly enough, a couple of them actually ask for my autograph, and I wind up in three or four pics with Ash, because apparently just the fact that I'm going out with him gives me a certain degree of "celebrity" status. It kind of weirds me out a little bit, but he just grins and tells me to think of it as practice for when I get my own label started and become an actual celebrity.

      We go inside and listen to the soundcheck, and some of the crew show Jed how the sound equipment operates, which he finds fairly interesting, since he's an electrical contractor. Then we a quick dinner of Chinese take-out before they get into their stage gear, and security starts letting people in for the meet and greet. The guys sit down at a long table, and we stay off to one side, out of the way, as the fans file past to get posters, CD's, and various body parts signed. Most of them don't seem to notice to us, and the ones who do are relatively polite, with only one exception: a scantily-dressed platinum blonde who pauses on her way past, looks me over, and gives me a blatantly fake smile as she mutters under her breath, "I hope you've got a good book to read in bed tonight, honey, because I'll be keeping Ashley company after the show."

      Lily looks like she's about to pounce on the girl, but I just return her smile and say, "Well, you're certainly welcome to try, I suppose. Have fun with that."

      She seems a bit confused by my response, but moves on toward the table, fussing with her hair and taking multiple selfies as she waits her turn. 

      "Why didn't you just tell her to screw off or something?" Lily questions.

      "For one thing, I trust Ash, so I know it won't do her any good," I explain. "And for another, the more you react to people like that, the more it encourages them. They get a kick out of knowing that they can get to you."

      The girl gets to the table a couple of minutes later, and has Jinxx and Jake sign the T-shirt she pulls out of her bag, then moves on to Ash and places it in front of him. As he signs it, she leans forward, so he's basically forced to look into her cleavage as she puts her lips to his ear and whispers something that has Jake's eyebrows practically flying over his head. Ash leans back in his chair and shakes his head as he says something that we can't hear, which causes her to suddenly snap upright looking utterly shocked. She tosses her hair back as she moves on to Andy, and loudly remarks, "Oh well, that's your loss then, not mine." 

      As she comes back around, she shoots me a dirty look, and I simply wave and say, "Better luck next time, honey. Enjoy the show."

      Finally, after everyone has been cleared out of the backstage area, the doors open, the seats start filling up, and the noise level increases dramatically as the fans chatter amongst themselves. We hang out and talk backstage until the opening act goes on, then listen to them and take a few backstage pictures before the guys get ready to hit the stage.

      When they finally go on, I'm not sure how the folks are going to react, since she's into mostly soft rock and jazz, and he's a hardcore country fan, even more so than Ash. But they seem to be enjoying themselves, and Lily is dancing around, going wild as usual, up until they head back out for the encore.

      Andy grabs the mic and bellows, "You didn't think we were done yet, did you?" The crowd screams back, and he smiles broadly, announcing, "We've actually got a little something extra for all you crazy fuckers tonight! We've decided to change it up a bit, and do something that we don't do all that often, so I'm gonna sit this one out and let Ash take over for a bit."

      Lily gives me a puzzled look, and asks, "Did you know about this?"

      I shake my head, still watching the stage. "Not a clue, he didn't say anything about this."

      Ash moves to the front of the stage as Andy comes out to stand next to Yanni and Jon. He has a rather mischievous grin on his face, so I figure that they're up to something, and then Ash starts speaking, saying. "I want to do a song for someone very special to me; my girlfriend, Dawn. Today is her birthday, so Andy was nice enough to share the mic with me tonight, so I could give her a special surprise. And I'd also like to have her come out here with me while we play, so it would be really great if you show her some love, and give her a big round of applause. So will you please come out and join me, darlin'?"

      Lily puts both hands on my back and practically shoves me onto the stage, and the crowd starts screaming as Ash walks over and takes hold of my hand. He leads me to the center of the stage, then turns to the audience and says, "One thing that Dawn and I have in common is that we're both huge KISS fans, and they have a song that perfectly expresses all of my feelings, so I'm gonna sing it for you all right now. Ready, guys?"

      CC raises his arm, with a drumstick clenched in his fist, and both Jake and Jinxx seem to be ready to let it rip, so it's pretty obvious that they were all in on this with him. They start out with a slow, rather simple guitar line, and I'm not sure which song they're actually playing until I hear Ash's voice rise up over the instruments, singing:

"I've got to tell you what I'm feeling inside,

I could lie to myself, but it's true

There's no denying when I look in your eyes,

Girl, I'm out of my head over you..."

      I realize that he's chosen "Forever", and immediately tear up as he continues to sing, looking into my eyes as he runs through the bass lines, and leaning in to kiss me during the guitar solo. And when the song is done, he takes hold of my hand and says, "It will be two years tomorrow since we first met at one of our shows, and things have taken some wild turns during that time, but we've managed to fight through all of it to get where we are now. The first time I saw you, I thought that you were one of the most unbelievably beautiful women I'd ever seen, and that hasn't changed, but now I also know that there is so much more to you than that. You're smart, and talented, and absolutely loyal to the people you care about. You're not only my girlfriend, but one of my dearest friends, and I know I can trust you with my life. I love you beyond any ability I have to put into words, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

      Then he rips off his bass, lays it on the floor, and pulls something out of his pocket. He drops to one knee in front of me, holds his hand out, and says, "Dawn Frances Cameron, you are without any doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want you to be my forever, so will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?"

     I look down, and can barely make out that he's holding a ring box in his hand, with a silver and rose-gold band, set with a brilliantly sparkling round diamond surrounded by smaller stones, all of which are catching the stage lights and casting miniature rainbows around the stage. 

      He's looking up at me with an expression that falls somewhere between hope and utter panic, as if he's afraid that I might reject him, but then I see that beautiful smile spread across his face as I reach out, cup his face between my hands, and say, "Ashley Purdy, I love you more than anything in this world, and I want you to be my forever, too. So yes, I will most definitely marry you!"

     And as he puts the ring on my finger, and the crowd goes absolutely bonkers, I hear CC say, "Wow, talk about a show-stopper! How the hell are we ever gonna top this?"