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The sun was warm and Brian inhaled deeply as he looked from the sky to the woman that sat across from him.  He knew that he had jumped slightly when he was sitting face to face with the fan from the other day.  The face he had come to know all too well over the last few days.   After the initial shock that he would be dreaming about a fan faded, a feeling of familiarity and comfort washed over him. 


“So you got me out here, what are you going to do with me?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.


Brian didn’t know what to say, he wasn’t sure why they were even together.  He looked around and noticed they were in a park, a park he was unfamiliar with.  They were sitting on a blanket with a basket nearby, a picnic.  The girl sat waiting for him to respond, his heart was beating fast and his hands were beginning to sweat.   What was he going to tell this girl?  He didn’t know how he got there, why he would be there with her or any idea of what was going on.    He tried to formulate words to let her down gently but his mouth took over and spoke words without his brain approving.


“Will you marry me?” He blurted out.  He was confused as to why he would ask this stranger to marry him, especially since he was already married.  But part of him was elated when the woman said “yes” and hugged him tightly.  Her embrace felt natural, like he belonged in her arms.  


“I know we will be so happy together,” The woman said, she moved in to kiss him but before she could a dark colored van sped towards them.  Brian stood and pushed the woman out of the way so that the van did not hit either of them.   He was knocked to the ground and quickly stood so that he could run.  Before running he turned and looked for the woman, he may not really know her but he couldn’t leave her for these people in the van to get a hold of. Who knows what they would do to her. 


Finding her only a few feet away he reached down and grabbed her hand pulling her behind him as he ran down a dark alley.  It wasn’t long before they reached the end of the alley, with nowhere to go Brian shoved her behind some barrels and told her to stay put.    The screeching tires of the van caused him to turn, covering his eyes at the glaring bright light of the headlights.  


Brian could hear one of the doors open; he was able to squint in the light enough to see Kevin approaching him.  The minute his eyes fell on Kevin he panicked and tried to turn and run but Kevin grabbed hold of him tightly and drug him back towards the dark van.  Brian kicked and screamed.  He had no idea why he wanted away from his cousin so badly but he continued to fight and struggle.  Eventually he felt his body slammed on the metal ground of the van.  The door closing, shutting out any light the alley had.


Brian felt miserable as he lay on the floor of the van.  There were two heads in the front of the van, one was Kevin, and the other Brian couldn’t make out.  They drove without looking behind them.  He could easily open the door and roll out.  He moved slowly towards the door and grabbed hold of the handle.  The metal was cold on his fingers.  He started to open the door when a sight out of the window caught his eye.  There were no buildings or street lights passing as there should be on the city street, all he saw out the window were stars. 


 


The van stopped before he could open the door.  Fear washed over him, what would happen to him now?  He didn’t get a chance to wonder for long as the bottom of the van opened up and he started to fall through space. 


Sweating, Brian bolted straight up. The falling sensation still was coursing through his limbs for a few seconds as he sat in the bed.   He looked over at his wife, her eyes watching him carefully. 


“Are you alright?” She asked sleepily. 


“Bad dream,” he muttered.  It wasn’t worth it to him to mention that he’d been dreaming about a fan, the proposal that forced its way out of his mouth.  It was only a dream he didn’t need to worry her.   He didn’t want her to think that he was straying, he would never stray, and she was everything he needed.  He told himself again that there was no reason to worry her. 


“Come here,” She smiled at him and he lay back down on the bed close to her.  He felt comfortable next to her as she wrapped her arms around him.   Soon the sound of her steady breathing was lulling him back to sleep.  His eyes caught a glimpse of the clock before they closed, only a few more hours until he had to get up and get ready for a concert. 


The next day Brian had to drag himself out of bed.  He was running late, unusual for him.  The other four were surprised to see him straggling after Nick to get ready for the sound check party and meet and greet.


“Brian are you alright?” Kevin asked him as they stood off to the side.  Howie appeared instantly, his face full of concern as well.   


“I am just a little tired.  I didn’t sleep well last night.” He put on a smile for the guys to try to reassure them that he was going to be alright.


“That’s it?” Howie asked his eyes full of concern.  “You aren’t seeing images of that fan again are you?” Howie moved close to ask him.  Kevin looked at them strangely as he was excluded from hearing what Howie asked.  Brian could tell Kevin wanted to know what that was about but Brian didn’t feel up to explaining that again.


Brian shook his head, “There is nothing, I just didn’t sleep well.” 


“Here, try some water, might help.” His cousin held out a bottle of water for Brian which he gratefully accepted.  He could always count on Kevin to have something that might make him feel better.   He always had in the past.   Brian unscrewed the lid and took a deep drink; he stopped and looked at the bottle as he noticed a slight off taste to the water.  He looked at Kevin and was about to ask his cousin about it when his thoughts were interrupted.


 “Bri, what’s up?” Nick asked as he and AJ found their way over to the rest of the group. 


“Tired,” was his simple reply.  He wished there was some form of management there so that they could be barking orders at them to get a move on, anything would be better than the four faces of concern that were looking at him at the moment. 


“Want me to talk to Leighanne for you?” AJ asked his face breaking out in a large grin.


“What for?” Brian narrowed his eyes at his friend. 


“Tell her to stop keeping you up all night.” AJ wiggled his eyebrows at Brian and then at the rest of the guys, elbowing Nick as he did so. 


Brian rolled his eyes and shook his head.  Finally, someone had arrived and was asking them to start getting prepared they all decided it was time to get their heads in what they needed to do for the night.  They formed their circle and Brian led the prayer for the night, ending with their chant before they headed out on stage.