::Alex::

"Flights are delayed," Matt announced from the dressing room. "Pushed back a few hours already because of the snow."

I grumbled under my breath and went about doing my pre-show vocal warm ups. It was the last show of this tour and immediately following our set we were supposed to fly home. In true All Time Low travel fashion, Mother Nature decided to dump a shit load of snow over London, hopefully only delaying our flights a few hours. I didn't even want to think about them potentially being cancelled.

I tried to play it off like everyone else and that I just hated being stuck in the airport but the truth was being delayed just meant a few more hours more until I could see Brook.

I missed her a lot and things surprisingly got better for us in light of all the Jason drama. I think my jealously really made me realize how much I cared about Brook and I hadn't spoken to or really thought about Lina once.

"You okay, dude?" Rian asked, coming up behind me as I fixed my pre-show hot tea.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He gave me a sad smile. "Brook."

"What about her?"

"You miss her. Being delayed just delays seeing her more. You can admit you're bummed. I'm bummed; it's just that much longer until I'm in LA with Cass."

I sighed. "What good is being bummed going to do? It won't melt the snow and it'll put me in a shitty mood for the show. I've been away from her this long; I can handle a few more hours."

Rian shrugged. "If you say so."

"Yeah," I sighed. "If I'm being honest with you, there's something else about her bumming me out."

"Yeah? What's that?" Rian asked.

"Well, for days leading to me coming home and really the entire time I've been gone, she's been really excited for me to come back. Now last night she was really slow on replying to my texts and she couldn't call me and didn’t have time to web-cam."

"So you're freaking out?"

"A little. What could she be doing?"

Rian shook his head. "From what you've told me about her, she seems like the kind of person who tries to do a little bit of everything and tends to spread herself too thin. She might just be busy and not in a position to pick up the phone."

I took a sip of my tea, wincing a bit when the hot water met my tongue.
"I guess you're right. I'm just being paranoid."

"Well stop. Before you know it, she'll be back in your arms and you'll be fine," Rian said with a dopey smile on his face.

"Thanks man," I forced a smile and he left me to finish my warm-ups.

I managed to get through our set perfectly fine without letting anyone know I was feeling pretty crappy. I'd been sick on and off this entire tour, so I figured that was taking its toll on me as well.

After we walked off stage, the guys and I shared a post-show moment where we realized we completed another tour so far from home and everything had gone as smooth as they could.

I showered, changed into clean clothes and went outside for a few to hang out with the brave and loyal fans that were willing to stand out in the cold and snow just to get a picture with me or have me scribbled my name on a piece of paper. The whole idea still boggled my mind a bit.

"Still nothing from Brook?" Rian asked once we were loaded in a large van that was to drive us all to the airport to wait it out until our flights were ready to finally take off.

"No," I sighed. "I texted her when we got off stage and I called her before we got in the van. It's really not like her to be so out of touch. I'm starting to get worried."

Rian nodded slowly. I could tell he was trying to think of something to say to convince me nothing was wrong but at this point, what could he really say?

"Maybe her phone broke? Or she lost it?" he finally tried.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"Don't drive yourself crazy, dude. I'm sure it's nothing," he said and a second later his phone buzzed in his pocket and by the way his eyes sort of lit up I could tell it was a text from Cassadee and I knew I'd lost him for the rest of the car ride.

I sighed, resting my forehead against the cold window next to me and let my eyes fall shut. I was exhausted and I was freaking out about Brook and now I had to wait another two hours before I could get on my flight home. It was going to be torture.

We arrived at the airport, checking our luggage and checking in at the counter before heading to the Delta frequent flyer lounge. Thankfully the place was empty because between the entire band and our crew, we took up a lot of space.

I sat down, checking my phone and frowning when I had no missed calls or unread texts from Brook. This wasn't right. Eventually, I let my body reach a point of relaxation where I managed to fall asleep. It couldn't have been a good sleep because it was filled with terrible dreams about Brook. In one she'd decided she didn't want to be with me anymore, so she changed her phone number and decided to cut me out of her life cold turkey and in another one she decided to leave me for this Jason guy because even though he had a girlfriend, he was always in Baltimore.

"Dude, wake up," someone whispered loudly in my ear before shoving my shoulder.

"What the fu-" I jumped up, wiping the sleep from my eyes, trying to forget the last few dreams I'd had.

"Your phone," Jack said, handing my phone to me that was lighting up with Brook's name on the screen.
I must have dropped it in my sleep or I would have woken up from the vibrations.

"Shit," I hissed under my breath, grabbing the phone from Jack and quickly walking to a more quiet area. "H-Hello?" I answered nervously.

"Alex, hi."

"Brook?" I asked lamely.

I could tell it wasn't her. It didn't sound at all like her voice.

"No. It's her roommate Jenny," the voice explained.

My heart started to race. I'd had a dream like this. Jenny answered Brook's phone to tell me to stop calling it because Brook had gotten a new phone and number and left town and was never coming back.

"Where is Brook?" I asked, even more nervous than before.

"She's going to kill me for telling you this but I don't know how she thinks she's going to be able to keep it from you. You'll be home soon," Jenny said, sort of rambling.

"Tell me what? Jenny, what's going on?"

"Brook's in the hospital. I brought her in yesterday afternoon," Jenny explained and my stomach dropped to my feet.

"Hospital? What happened? Is she alright?" I panicked.

"She's fine now. Friday she was having stomach pains all day at work. They'd gotten so bad that she actually went straight home after three instead of going to reherseals. Within about an hour of being home she started throwing up and she ran a fever that spiked pretty high very quickly. She didn't want to go but when I saw the way she was hunched over in unbearable pain, I threw her ass in my car and brought her to the emergency room."

"What does she have?" I asked, my heart racing just a bit faster.

"Almost as soon as she was done being examined in the ER, they brought her into surgery. She had her appendix out. Apparently, it was like seconds from exploding on her which is why her pain and everything escalated so quickly."

"Her appendix? Surgery? But you're sure she's okay?" I asked, taking deep breath to keep my anxiety at bay.

"Yes. The doctors said the surgery went fine. She should be as good as new. She just needs to stay in the hospital until Monday so she can heal a little more and they can start weaning her off the heavy duty pain medication they have pumping through her from the IV. She’s also on antibiotics because they’re afraid of an infection."

"That's why she's barely texting me and won't talk to me. Why didn't she want me to know?"

"I don't know," Jenny said. "She's weird like that. She hates to inconvenience other people with her own stuff. She didn't want you to worry while you had your own things to do."

"That's crazy," I shook my head. "I would want to know. I was freaking out thinking she was mad at me or she didn't like me anymore."

"That's definitely not the case," Jenny said. "When she came out of surgery and I could see her in the recovery room, granted she was a little loopy from the anesthesia, you were the first person she asked about."

"I was?" I asked, fighting back a smile.

"Yeah. She wanted to know if you were home yet. I told her soon. She's so messed up right now; she's got no concept of time," Jenny said with a laugh.

"Good," I sighed. "Cause it's going to be later now. There's a snow storm over here. Our flights are delayed."

"Okay," she said. "I'll let her know. Are you going to come to the hospital?"

"Of course I'll be there as soon as I land," I assured her. "Please tell Brook I will be there soon. And that I miss her so much."

"I'll tell her," Jenny said and I could detect a smile on her face. "Can I be honest with you for a second?"

"Sure..."

"When Brook first started seeing you I was a little weary. I wasn't sure if a guy with your lifestyle was a good fit for someone like Brook."

I didn't know what to say or if I was supposed to say anything, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Aside from some other things she's told me, this conversation right here, completely changes my mind and I know that you're perfect for her."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I've known Brook since we were in diapers. She practically like my sister. She's been there for me through a lot of hard things I've been through. She's like the best person I know. Last year she was going through some rough stuff too and I was afraid she was never going to find someone she trusted again and then you came along and you pretty much flipped her world upside down."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked skeptically.

"Absolutely. There's this spark in her eye now that hasn't been there for a while. It's back because of you."

"Wow," I said lamely.

"With that being said... If you end up hurting her, so help me God, I will make you regret it. You got that?" she warned.

"Definitely," I said, swallowing hard. "I got it. I won't."

"Good. I should get back to her now. Send her phone a text when you're here and I'll meet you outside."

"Okay. Thanks Jenny," I said before disconnecting the call.

"You alright, man?" Zack asked me when I walked back over to my friends, tripping over someone's backpack that was on the floor.

"Was that Brook?" Rian asked.

I sighed, dropping down into the empty seat between Jack and Matt. "It was Brook's best friend Jenny. Brook's in the hospital," I said.

Immediately I saw a group of faces twist into worried and concern looks and my stomach lurched again.

"Her appendix almost busted inside of her. She had emergency surgery to remove it. She's fine and everything. She just needs to stay over until Monday for precaution and stuff."

Matt rested his hand on my shoulder, in the comforting way a father would. "It's not a big deal. She'll be good as new in few days. I wouldn't worry too much."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I just wish I was there, yanno? Jenny said when Brook woke up after surgery the first thing she asked for was me."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Vinny spoke up. "I remember when my mom get her appendix out, she kept asking for me and I was in the room with her. Right now, Brook's head is so fuzzy from the antibiotics and pain killers their pumping her up with, she doesn't know who she is, let alone who's in the room with her."

I nodded. "I know. It just sucks. Apparently she didn't tell me because she didn't want to bother me with her problems. How crazy is that?"

The guys all nodded and I sighed loudly, rubbing a hand over my face.

"Wow," Jack said, dramatically resting his head on my shoulder.

"What?" I asked, looking down at him.

"You really like this girl..."

"So what?" I asked, shrugging him off my shoulder.

"So nothing. It's just weird. I've never seen you like this before. You've never worried this much over someone that wasn't your dog or your mom," Jack pointed out.

I sighed again. Jack was right. In all the years I'd been with Lina on and off, sure she'd gotten sick, and I'd worry and try and take care of her if I was home but I'd never gotten like this about her ever.

::Brook::

"Please promise me that you won't lose interest in me if I cry at all during this game," I said, stretching my legs over Alex's lap as we sat on my couch in my living room and Kelly Clarkson had just finished singing the National Anthem on TV before the Superbowl.

"I'll try very, very hard," Alex said with a wink before squeezing one of my feet that were covered in Giants socks and slippers. "But I know how you feel. I'd be a wreck too if it were the Ravens."

When I woke up in the hospital Sunday morning I was a lot confused. Mostly, because I couldn't figure out where I was. Secondly because Alex was slumped over in the chair next to me snoring slightly. When I reached over to try and wake him up, the sharp pain that shot through my lower stomach reminded me quickly where I was and why I was there.

I wanted to be mad at Jenny for telling him and I wanted to be mad at him for being there, but then my eyes landed on the gigantic suitcases leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. I realized Alex had come straight to the hospital before even going home. Home, a place he hadn't been in close to a month. All the anger I felt quickly washed away.

I was supposed to stay in the hospital until Monday, but I couldn't bear to watch the Superbowl game from my hospital bed on a crumby hospital TV. I was really feeling a lot better than the day before. I begged and I pleaded with my doctor and I finally convinced him to let me go home Sunday afternoon. He'd done some test before I left and they all came back just fine.

"How are you feeling?" Alex asked me after the second quarter of the game.

"Nervous." I answered flatly.
The Giants were playing well but we were down a few points and I didn't like it.

"I wasn't referring to the game," he said, giving me a knowing glance.

I smiled at him. "I'm okay. A little sore but okay."

"Good," he said, leaning over and kissing me lightly. "Maybe you would feel less nervous about the game if you were wearing more Giants merchandise," he said, poking fun at me.

I was wearing my Giants socks and my Giants slippers on my feet. I wore Giants underwear and Giants sweatpants. I wore my Eli Manning jersey with a Giants sweatshirt over it. For good measure I had my Giants throw blanket over my lap.

"Shut up," I glared at him. "I have plenty left. I can start dressing you up."

"Relax," he said, leaning close and resting his forehead against mine. "They're going to win."

"How can you be so sure?"

He smirked, brushing my lips lightly with his. "I put in a special request for you. It's a sure thing."

"I appreciate that," I smiled. "I just hope you're right," I said, kissing him again.

"Just relax," he said. "Do you want anything? Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm okay."

Alex frowned. "Are you sure? Not even a cracker or two?"

I still hadn't gotten my appetite back since the surgery and the doctor said that was normal, but Alex didn't like it.

"I'm sure. I'm good. Thank you."

"Okay," he shrugged and turned his attention to the TV where Madonna's halftime show was about to start. "Me and the guys are going to do this someday," he said with a smile on his face.

"Play the halftime show?"

He nodded. "It's a bucket list thing for me."

I smiled, carefully shifting my position so I was resting against Alex side and his arm easily slipped around my waist. "I'll put in a special request for you."

"Thank you," he smiled, kissing me quickly before we both turned our attention back to the TV.

The last quarter of the game was probably the longest one of my life. I was extremely tense the whole time despite Alex’s assurance that I didn't need to worry. Once the time had officially ran out and the game was over and the Giant won, I was beyond excited but at that point I was also just as exhausted.

By the time all the celebration and interviews were done being shown on TV I could barely keep my eyes open. Alex had to practically carry me to my bed.

"Sweet dreams, Brook," Alex whispered, his lips brushing over my forehead.

I pulled my blankets back a bit and leaned up on my elbows.
"Where are you going?" I asked before he could slip out of the room.

"I was going to go home..."

"Can you stay?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper.

He stared at me from the other side of the room. He looked nervous. We'd never actually spent the night at each other's house before - unless you count the few hours we'd fallen asleep together on his couch before he left.

"You can go once I fall asleep..." I added. "Please?"

"Okay," he smiled and kicked off his sneakers before carefully slipping under the blankets next to me.

Almost instantly I curled myself into Alex's body and his arms carefully wrapped around my body.

"Thank you for staying," I whispered sleepily into the darkness of the room.

Alex squeezed me just a little bit tighter and kissed the top of my head. "Thank you for asking me to."

I snuggled my head into Alex's chest, taking in a deep breath of his scent.

"I'm really glad you're here," I said, a yawn breaking through my sentence.

"Me too," he said, gently running his fingers up and down my arm.

I leaned up head up to look at him the best I could in the dark.
"I'm sorry I had to ruin it by getting sick."

"Don't do that," he said, shaking his head. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

"I know," I shrugged. "It's just that I had so much more planned to do with you while you were here," I said, resting my head back on his chest.

"Yeah? Like what?" he asked.

"Well for starters, I wanted to show you how to make pizza and ice cream and I thought we could go ice skating again. I had a lot of fun the night we went," I said.

"The way I see it, we have plenty of time to do those things another time. I'm not too worried about it."

"Yeah. Well, anything else would be more fun than laying around in bed with me right now since I can't do a whole heck of a lot."

"You're wrong," he said and I felt him give me another squeeze and kiss the top of my head again. "This is perfect."
***

Notes

Story title: Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly
Chapter title: A Rocket to the Moon – On Your Side
Brook's outfit.

I just realized that this story now has over one thousands views, so that's pretty cool. Thank you all for checking it out. :) I just wish a few more of you would leave comments!

Hope you liked this chapter... <3