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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I can see the joy in simple things
The scarlet sky, and all the songs we used to sing
I have walked and I have prayed
I could forgive and we could start again
In the end, you are my one true friend

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It looked like it was going to be a good day.

The sun was peaking out over the horizon, and the birds were waking up and beginning to sing. AJ sat on his balcony, wondering to himself why he hadn't ever done this before. Brian had told him so many times how amazing it was to start your day with the rising of the sun, but he'd been too caught up in his own world to listen.

All of that was different now.

Two weeks ago he'd left the rehab center in Arizona, feeling better about himself and his life than he ever had before. Of course, it hadn't been the easiest transition coming back into the "real world", as he liked to call it, after being in such a safe, protected place for so long, but he was becoming more and more confident as the days went by.

Today was his first day back on tour, and tonight would be their first concert back together since they'd postponed the tour for him. He'd joined them in Houston last night, and as he looked at it, today marked the beginning of a new era.

"Looking back on the things I've done, I was trying to be someone..."

His voice trailed off in the morning air, but a smile slowly crossed his face. It'd been a while since he'd sang all of those beautiful harmonies with the group, but he hadn't gone one day without singing to himself in Arizona. In some ways, it'd been his only comfort. Knowing that even though he was in the middle of the biggest crisis of his life, he still had friends and his family waiting for him when he returned, willing to encourage him and support him in any way they could.

A noise to his left caught his attention, and when AJ looked over to the balcony just a foot away from his own, he saw the screen door being pulled to the side and a familiar figured step out into the cool morning air.

"Hey."

Brian's head snapped to his right to see AJ sitting on his own balcony, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the railing. His look of surprise disappeared and was replaced with an amused grin.

"What the hell are you doing out here?"

AJ knew he had a damn good reason to be so surprised. The AJ that Brian knew didn't know anything before 9:00am. A smile slowly spread across AJ's face as he kept his head turned over his shoulder, looking at Brian.

"A friend told me that there's nothing like seeing the sun come up. I figured I should see it for myself."

Brian's smile still hadn't wavered.

"It's a big day."

Brian nodded with agreement, knowing that the restart of the tour was a big accomplishment, considering everything they'd had to work through in order to make it to this point.

With his trademark grin that still caused AJ's heart to do a little flip, Brian looked over at his friend with a knowing look in his eye. "Well this is a great way to start."

AJ stared at his friend. He knew he shouldn't be surprised at such a chipper comment coming from Brian, but it just seemed to touch him today more than it ever had. After everything they'd gone through, with the group and between the two of them, AJ knew how lucky he was to still have such a close relationship with the man. After everything that had been thrown in their way, for AJ to know that Brian still supported him meant a lot, and AJ felt a bit guilty because he had no clue how to express that to Brian.

This was a big day, but Brian was right; this was a great way not only to start the day, but also this new chapter of his life.