They were playing in Tulsa in two days, arriving tomorrow. Skyler was fretting over what to wear and what to say. Trish loaned her an outfit for the concert, but she wasn't sure if she'd wear it. First, she'd see how the initial greeting went. Her dad was going to AA meetings regularly now, and things were improving steadily. They even went to dinner together one weekend. He wasn't working quite so many ridiculously long hours. It wasn't easy, but she was trying hard to help him along. The one thing they hadn't done together in a long while was visit the cemetery. She always went on the anniversary of their deaths, and again on her mom's birthday in September to tend to the grave sites, but her dad never went with her. She was hoping that maybe this September things would be different, but she wasn't about to bring it up at this fragile point in her father's recovery.

The next day there was life in the Hanson house again. She was at work, so she missed the whole thing. Her dad was away on an overnight. She got home at a quarter to four and had just shut the car door, when she turned around to face a smiling Isaac. "Hi...I've been running over here every ten minutes to see if you were home yet!" "I'm home!" she smiled. "So...can I have a hug?" "No!" she kidded, starting to go around him. He grabbed her. "Come'ere little woman!" he yelled, pulling her into a warm hug. It was like getting a drug she'd craved for a long, long time. They stayed like that for several minutes. "I missed you..."he whispered in her ear. She looked up at him and he kissed her, long and slow. She wanted to stay like this for the rest of the day, but she was dying to get out of her work clothes. "Come on inside." she said, pulling him by the hand.

After changing and listening to him talk for about half an hour, they left her house and cut over to the Davis yard, where there were Davis' and Hanson's mingling with excitement. Zac brought Ryan something from Europe, for a belated birthday gift. Meg, who had a slight crush on Zac, had curled the ends of her long hair and was now twisting it around her finger as she watched him with adoration. It was good to have them back. Even Peggy seemed pleased, conversing with Diana by the fence as she held Zoe. Mr. Hanson was over in their yard patiently playing catch with Amber and Mackenzie. Taylor, who was twirling his sister Avery around by her hands, let go of her so fast when he saw Skyler coming that she fell on her butt. He made a mad dash towards the back of the yard as Colby pulled Avie back to her feet. He was running so fast that when he tried to stop he couldn't, instead almost knocking Isaac to the ground. "Hi Sky!!!" he said loudly, before trying to calm himself. "Taylor! Hug me!"she grabbed for him and he returned the embrace immediately.

After all the catching up, everyone returned to their respective homes, except that Jessica went up to Megan's room to play and Zac and Ryan had long ago retreated to the tree house to decide what trouble to get into. Taylor explained that they didn't have nearly enough time to visit all their friends and neighbors from their former neighborhood, so they'd just have to hang out with her. So they sat at the picnic table talking, until it got too hot and they had to find an air conditioned place. It turned out to be Ike's bedroom. They sat on the floor, turned Ike's stereo on low, and talked about what had gone on over the past few months. Being as both guys knew about her problems at home, she informed them of her father's progress and how they'd even gone to dinner together. This made them both happy and she felt more like a normal person and less ashamed.

They were all going to the concert the next day. They had backstage passes and would watch the show from the sidelines. It was all arranged and their manager, Christopher, even set them up with a limo to bring them there. Sky couldn't decide what to wear. At first she just had on a blue shirt and shorts, but when she ran over to the Davis house, armful of clothes with her, she was horrified to find both Megan and Colby in blue. It was too much when Ryan then appeared in a blue t-shirt. "Oh great...we're the VonTrapp family." Skyler commented. They all got hysterical over that, and Sky ended up in Meg's room, where they helped each other pick out the right outfit. Skyler ended up with her faded Levi's, a lavender tank top with blue and white daisies on it, and her white canvas sneaks with the thick soles. She put a little braid on each side of her hair, then helped Megan braid her hair. "Do I look dumb?" Megan fussed before the mirror. "You look beautiful, Meggie...are you trying to impress someone? Like, say, Zac?" Her pink cheeks betrayed her. "You think he's cute, don't you?" Sky teased as Megan shook her head and smiled. "It's okay, Meggie, he's a doll. If I were a few years younger, he wouldn't have a chance. I'd be all over him like fly paper," she kidded, making Megan giggle uncontrollably.

It was a perfect night. Though still hot, it had started to cool as the sun fell lower in the sky, and there was an occasional breeze. It was exciting to go backstage, as none of them had ever been there before. Peggy carried Amber and held Colby's hand, while Skyler stayed with Megan and kept her eye on Ryan. He was amazed by the crowd, which included many excited young girls. It was cool but scary to see the reaction they had when anyone so much as moved a curtain on the stage or peered out from the side. After meeting up with Diana, Jessica ran over to Meg and told her to come see the back part of the stage. They took off and Zac and Isaac showed up next to greet them. Zac, ignoring the mounting noise and chaos of the assembling crowd out front, asked Ryan if he wanted to get in a quick game of basketball. Off they went, leaving Ike and Sky to talk. He was totally at ease, but sensed that she was nervous being in such a strange environment. He tried to make casual conversation, but he could see that he didn't have her full attention. Instead he told her how good she looked and that he was privately dedicating the whole show to her. That brought a smile to her face and that was all he needed to see before he went on. After Admiral Twin's set, which Skyler liked a lot, they moved to the appropriate spot. They wished Tay, Ike and Zac good luck and waved as they ran off to get ready. Soon after, the lights went down, and the crowd went nuts. It got her adrenaline pumping just being close up to such a scene. As soon as the music started she almost forgot she knew them and concentrated on taking in the lights and the songs. They glanced over a few times and smiled, and Taylor waved at Megan who waved back. Amber and Cole had stayed back stage with their mom and Diana, but they could hear the music fine. When it came time for Zac to use the Super Soaker, he managed to swing it far enough over to hit Ryan a little. He thought that was hilarious. Sky was only glad he missed her. Meg wouldn't have minded being hit, if it was by Zac.

Taylor sang as if his voice came from somewhere else, like Heaven. Sky was truly impressed with their talent, even though she knew they were good before. She tried not to stare at Ike, but when he sang a song solo, she was fixed on him as if there were no one else present. It was an awesome show, and she didn't want it to end. When it did, someone made sure they were guided back to the right spot. Then, they got to see the tour bus, which was huge and really cool. Still, Skyler couldn't imagine living in it for months at a time. Of course, they stayed in hotels, but they spent a lot of time in the bus. It was all foreign to her, but interesting none the less. They stayed in town that night, and had a little time the next day before heading out for the next show. Isaac told Sky to be strong, that it was nearly over, even with the added dates. It was hard to say goodbye, especially since they didn't really have any time alone before Isaac left, but she had some new memories to keep her going for a little while longer.