Josh looked out the window of the taxi he'd taken upon leaving LAX and watched luxurious home after luxurious home pass by his vision, some of their windows still giving off a faint glow that broke the blackness of night. Silently, he kept an eye out for one in particular, the one he'd been so mesmerized by the first time he'd seen it, having been unable to believe there existed homes that nice. He smiled a little as he thought about the first time he'd come through this neighborhood, how he'd been living in little shitty, extended stay motels all throughout the early days of his career as an electronic music producer, only to be taken in by one man who helped him rise from the ranks of anonymity and take a seat on the throne of music supremacy. Back then, he'd been experiencing nothing but absolute jubilation, quite the opposite of his feelings at this moment.

Eventually, he saw the home he'd remembered from so long ago and told the driver he could stop there. The man did so, quickly taking Josh's money and allowing the young producer to step out before heading off down the street once more. Josh stared at the extravagant building before him, looking up and down at the bright yellow trim in some spots. The roof on either end was rounded down, contrasting the normally sloped area in the middle. In the nearby garage, Josh noticed a vehicle he knew all too well, a bright red Aston Martin DB5, glistening as nearby lights played off its cherry surface. Still not one for subtlety, are you? Josh thought as he finished his survey of the immediate area.

Slowly, Josh approached the front door of the villa, only now having second thoughts about this whole idea. It had been a year since he'd last seen his friend, having literally disappeared before his very eyes to take up residence in Equestria. Josh had no idea what he could say to explain himself, but he knew that his friend would undoubtedly ask how he was back on earth, a question Josh wasn't looking forward to having to answer again. He stood outside, staring at the suddenly ominous door before him and beginning to reevaluate his actions. Crickets chirped all around, their noise almost seeming deafening in his current, indecisive state. After a few moments more of mulling over the issue before him, he finally raised his arm and rang the softly glowing doorbell next to the outer frame.

Josh heard a muffled voice from inside the upstairs window and knew that he'd be facing a tirade like no other once the individual reached the door. After a few minutes of waiting, he heard the footsteps of someone making their way to the door, followed by the turning of the lock. For a half a second, Josh thought of turning and running away, hoping in vain that he could clear the porch in enough time before the door opened up all the way.

"It's 2 in the fucking morning!" said the irate, British voice from the other side as the door opened, "What are you..."

The man before Josh stopped his angry words upon seeing the young producer on his doorstep. Josh looked back at the man, who looked him up and down quickly, his mouth agape, clearly unable to believe what was before his eyes. The young man just managed a small smile towards his old friend, himself unable to say anything at all. The two just stared at one another for a while, till, at last, the man in the house found his tongue.

"... Josh..." he said quietly, staring at the young man before him in clear disbelief.

"Hey Liam." Josh replied weakly, giving a small wave to his former manager, "How's it been?"

Again, silence fell between the two of them. Liam looked Josh up and down several more times, apparently trying to cement in his own mind how it could be possible that his former star was standing before him after being gone for a year to a place he couldn't even begin to know where it was. Josh just stood there, still unable to find the proper words to speak to Liam.

"Who is it, sweetheart?" asked a female voice from behind Liam.

Josh suddenly saw a pretty, tall brunette woman walk up behind Liam and wrap her arms around his neck. She smiled sweetly at Josh, despite him having been the one to rudely wake them both up this late at night.

"Hello there." she said, still smiling at Josh over Liam's shoulder, "How can we help you tonight?"

"Uh, well..." said Josh, hesitating heavily at not knowing what to say or how to say it, "I'm here to talk to Liam."

"Oh, I see." replied the woman, taking her arms off of Liam and lightly pushing him out of the way, "Would you like to come inside... ?"

"Josh, and yeah, I'd love to."

The beautiful woman at Liam’s side turned and gestured for Josh to enter. The young producer stepped inside the home as the woman carefully closed the door behind him.

"Liam, dear," said the woman, forcing Liam out of his stupor a little, "would you like to show our guest to the living room?"

Liam said nothing, but nodded, quickly making his way to Josh's side and grabbing his arm. Josh followed Liam as he pulled him rapidly into the nearby living space. As the entered, Josh looked all around and saw all sorts of memorabilia, from autographed records, to awards and other sorts of music paraphernalia. Pictures of musical producers adorned the walls, some Josh recognized, and some he figured must be somewhat new. On the mantle above the fireplace, Josh saw a picture of himself at a performance, his arms up on the air, his forehead shining a bright green color from the stage lights playing off his sweaty face.

Liam stopped pulling Josh along after reaching the center of the room and left him just standing there. Josh watched as Liam paced back and forth rapidly, occasionally glancing at the young producer before looking away and mumbling to himself. This proceeded to go on for some time, with Liam's mumbling becoming more and more frantic. After some time, he stood before Josh, looking deep into his eyes and panting from his incessant pacing.

"Uh... uh..." said Liam, snapping his fingers rapidly, "What's your third most popular song of all time and how long did it take you to make it?"

"What the hell?" asked Josh, raising his eyebrow, "What's that have to do with anything?"

"I'm seeing if you're really him." replied Liam, "Now, answer the question."

"L, it's me. I swear."

"I've gotta know!" Liam said forcefully, stomping his foot, "Now, answer the goddamn question!"

"Smackdown. Took me 27 hours to make." Josh said.

"Any fan could know that." said Liam, pacing once more, searching for another test he could give to Josh.

"Well, if that doesn't convince you, then I do remember that God-awful, giant tattoo you got on your back when we were on tour." said Josh, causing Liam to stop his pacing again and slowly look up, "I remember you getting so drunk that you tried to pick up that guy at the bar who looked like the hottest blonde either of us had ever seen. If you need a list, I can go on."

Liam turned back to Josh, his panting starting to die down at last. A smirk formed on Josh's lips at Liam's sudden change, knowing he'd managed to silence his protests. Another uncomfortable silence fell between the two, Liam's gaze never faltering once as he continued to stare at Josh. Then, without warning, he let out one, long sigh and relaxed his shoulders before collapsing into a nearby chair. Josh watched as his old friend began to pinch the bridge of his nose, remaining silent the entire time.

"Josh," called the woman from nearby, causing Josh to break his gaze away from Liam, "would you like a drink? We've got some perfectly good whiskey in here."

"Uh... sure." said Josh, and he soon heard the sound of chiming glasses and liquid being poured.

The woman returned to the living room shortly after, carrying a small tray with three glasses filled with amber liquid.

"Here you go." she said, handing Josh his glass off the tray, "Have a seat anywhere."

Josh took the drink and turned to the nearby couch, quickly taking a seat and looking back to Liam. The woman had taken her own seat next to Liam and handed him a drink before taking a sip of her own. Josh watched as Liam took one, large gulp of his own drink, wincing a little upon the alcohol passing down his throat. Josh took an obligatory drink of his own whiskey and felt the familiar sensation of light burning from the liquid. Together, the three sat in silence for a short time, Josh's eyes never once leaving Liam's now seemingly relaxed form on the chair nearby.

"So, Josh," said the woman, setting her glass down nearby, "how exactly do you know my Liam?"

"Well, he was kinda... we... uh..." Josh stammered, trying his best to phrase what he wanted to say without telling the attractive brunette who he really was.

"He was Xplushun, Samantha." said Liam finally, earning a gasp from Samantha and a glare from Josh.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, eyes widening as she looked back to Josh from Liam, "You're really Xploshun?!"

Thanks for answering for me, jerkoff Josh thought.

"Yeah... At least, I was..."

"I'm such a huge fan of yours!" she said, her voice rising several octaves in fangirl excitement, "I went to one of your shows last year when you were in Dallas! I always wanted to meet you! Liam's told me so many stories about you!"

"Good ones, I hope." said Josh, smiling a little at Samantha's sudden exuberance.

"Only the best for you, man." Liam replied, still not moving from his position on the chair.

"Liam!" Samantha said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me this was Xploshun in the first place! You know I am a huge fan of him!"

"I wasn't sure it was really him!" replied Liam, his own voice rising in pitch as he glared back at Samantha, "Fucker's been gone for a year! I even saw him..."

Josh felt his heart drop as Liam paused. Oh God he thought please don't tell her the truth...

"I... even saw him announce his retirement and then just ride off into the goddamn sunset like some sort of vagabond."

Josh let out a small sigh of relief as the Liam finished his sentence and returned his gaze to the young man before him.

"Well, either way, it's absolutely an honor to meet you." Samantha said, looking back to Josh as well and smiling, "Um... would you mind too much... if I asked for an autograph from you?"

"Uh... well..."

"Please? It'd mean the world to me! I've always wanted your autograph."

Josh looked up to the mantle nearby to the picture of himself at a performance.

"L here doesn't have anything I've personalized?" he asked, looking back to Samantha.

"He does, but I'd love to have one of my own... Pretty please?"

Josh looked to Samantha and saw her with her lower lip protruding in a manner very reminiscent of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, whose cuteness Josh never could manage to fight.

"Sure, I think I can do that for you." he finally said, smiling as she jumped up with glee.

"Awesome! Let me go see if I still have the shirt from your performance I went to!"

With that, Samantha dashed up the stairs, giggling the whole way, leaving Josh and Liam alone once again. The young producer watched her giddily disappear before turning back to Liam, who was sitting with his elbows on either side of the chair and resting his head on his clasped hands.

"You haven't even been in my home for ten minutes, and already you've got my wife asking for your autograph." said Liam, smirking a little bit as he spoke, "Disappearing off to God knows where for a year hasn't diminished your popularity at all, has it?"

"Certainly seems that way."

Another round of silence fell between the two men as they stared at one another. Josh had no idea what to say to his once-manager, and it seemed that Liam was struggling to find words of his own. Together, these two had worked their way up the electronic music ranks at a remarkable speed, with Liam getting Josh on an official tour only two years after officially signing him to his label. From there, the two just rode the tidal wave of success, astounding everyone with Josh's incredible style and musical ability. Now, however, that whole time seemed like nothing more than just a distant, long lost dream, an unbelievable fantasy that had ended all too soon.

"So," Liam finally said, breaking the heavy silence, "what brings you back here all of a sudden?"

Josh swallowed hard. He knew he'd have to eventually, but right now, with everything that had been going on and with how fresh his emotional wounds were, he wasn't prepared to tell Liam the truth, that he'd been forced from his home with no warning or choice in the matter.

"I..." he began, trying hard to not let his voice shake, "I'm not exactly here by choice... That's all I'm going to say for now."

Liam scrutinized the young producer for a short time, looking deep into his eyes, into the pain contained within the blue orbs.

"Fair enough." he said, "And what about your... pony friend, Vinyl?"

Josh looked back at Liam but said nothing, feeling a small lump form in his throat at the thought of his loving mare. Visions of Vinyl sad and alone, distraught beyond measure over losing her lover flashed through Josh's mind. Hot tears began to form in Josh's eyes and he looked away from Liam, trying not to allow his old friend to see them.

"She's... not still there, is she?" asked Liam, his voice softening upon seeing Josh's reaction to his question.

Josh felt a single tear leave his eye and make its way down his cheek, dripping off his chin and onto the thick, flannel shirt he wore. He looked up to Liam to see him sitting on the edge of his seat now, staring intently at Josh, a look of concern painting his face.

"They... they f-forced me out, L." said Josh, his voice now shaking heavily as tears streamed from his eyes, "Away from my home, my friends, and worst of all, they forced me away from her and... and I can't go back."

Josh buried his face in his hands, unable to hold back his emotions any more. He began to sob quietly into his palms, feeling tears flow fast and cover his hands. He'd hoped beyond hope that his heart had healed enough for him to at least be able to talk about what had happened without losing himself to the deep-seated sadness the memories dredged up. However, that was clearly not the case as he broke down in front of one of his once closest friends.

"Oh... Josh, I'm... so sorry... I... didn’t know..." said Liam softly, reaching out a hand and placing it on Josh's softly trembling shoulder.

"It's... it's alright..." Josh said, trying to steady his breathing and wiping his eyes, "I guess... I'm not quite over it... I don’t think I’ll ever really get over it."

"Well... it's never easy to lose something so important to you." Liam said, sitting back in his chair as Josh regained his composure, "But, she's still there, isn't she?"

Josh nodded, looking back up to Liam.

"And she still loves you, right?"

"Of course. Just as much as I love her."

"Then you've not really lost one another, have you?"

Josh smiled a little at that, thinking back to Henry and the conversation the two had shared at the airport terminal.

"Thanks, L." Josh said, his smile still in place.

"Not a problem, mate." Liam said, returning Josh's look of gratitude.

"So," Josh said, leaning back on the couch and relaxing once more, "what all have I missed?"

"Well," Liam began, leaning back and crossing his legs, not taking his eyes off Josh, "to start off with, you left me with quite the mess to pick up here."

"How bad did it get?" Josh asked, internally cringing at the thought of his former manager having to explain to all sorts of media what had happened to Xploshun without telling them the whole truth.

"Well, not as bad as you might think." Liam replied, "All I really had to do was tell them that you'd retired and moved on. The real issue came with all those bloody reporters that saw you leave along with me. They made the whole scenario an absolute fucking disaster."

"None of them went public with what happened, did they?"

"Believe me, those fucking vultures were chomping at the bit to be able to release the whole story. But, the parasites realized pretty quick that they'd never have a chance. After all, if you were a sensible editor for one of those publications, would you really believe that one of the most famous dubstep producers in the world was magically taken away by two talking ponies?"

"Probably not..." Josh said, only now seeing the ridiculousness in that statement.

"There were a few who tried to get the story out there." Liam said, his brow contorting into a scowl, "Fucking bastards took the whole thing to any sort of shitty supermarket tabloid and weird conspiracy blog that they could. Thank Christ those things are so unreliable, otherwise both you and myself would've been royally fucked."

"There were over a hundred of them there that day, though." Josh said, thinking back to the day of the press conference, "Surely, if they all saw it and the stories were consistent, someone would realize that it's not all bullshit."

"Hundreds of people all spouting the same insanity is still just that, insanity."

Josh's response died in his throat. In his entire time in Equestria, he'd given very little thought to what had happened on earth after he left. As far as he'd known, it hadn't mattered all that much, seeing as he never thought he'd be back here. In hindsight though, his leaving had to have made a huge impact, especially considering exactly how he'd left.

"The biggest problem I had to deal with was them coming my way, trying to get me to lend credibility to their story," Liam said, forcing Josh back out of his thoughts.

"They actually came to you for this?" Josh said disbelievingly, "What the fuck made them think they'd ever get you to say something?"

"Don't know and don't care." Liam responded angrily, clenching his fist, "I told each and every one of them to take and shove it right up their worthless, neurotic arses. I wasn't about to give those fuckers a single inch."

"They don't still bother you, do they? I mean, it's been a year since it all happened. Surely, they'd have to give up at some point."

"I still get at least one email a day from those morons, asking me to back them up on their crazy-ass claims."

Josh felt guilt tug at his heart a little at that moment. Here I was, running around in some magical world filled with talking ponies, while L had to deal with all this fucking bullshit he thought, staring once again at Liam.

"But, they'll never get me to say a thing." Liam said forcefully, his trademark smirk crossing his face, "I'll take the truth to my fucking grave."

Josh smiled at Liam once again. Despite him leaving and practically forcing his manager to deal with all these issues, Liam was as dedicated as ever to helping protect Josh.

"Thanks for not saying anything. I know this can't have been easy to deal with, and with me not being here..."

"Well, I couldn't exactly say anything." Liam said, his smirk transforming into a sardonic smile, "After all, I don't need to be branded a nutcase like those idiots."

"Thanks anyway."

"Anytime, mate."

"Anything else I ought to know?" asked Josh, "Like, you getting married. When the fuck did that happen?"

"Ah, Samantha?" Liam said, another huge smile crossing his face, looking towards the stairs she'd disappeared up moments ago, "We've only been married a short time now. She's absolutely fantastic though, isn't she? Never thought I'd ever happen across a woman like that."

Josh saw an all too familiar dreamy look cross Liam's face as he talked about his wife. It was the very same look Josh would get whenever he thought about Vinyl before he'd been sent back to earth, that look that displayed nothing but bliss at the mere thought of the individual who seems to complete his soul.

"Well, I guess I'll have to get you some sort of wedding gift then." Josh said jokingly, forcing Liam's face to return to its normal state, "Then again, I've only got about four hundred left, so it won't be too extravagant."

"Only four hundred?" Liam said, "Well, we can clear that up in a second, I think. Hold on... Where did I put that card?"

Liam stood up and walked over to the coat rack in the hall, searching the pockets and mumbling incoherently. Josh watched him rummage before some time and was about to ask what exactly he was looking for before his former manager exclaimed and made his way back into the living room.

"Here you go." Liam said, handing Josh a plastic card. "You'll have to go talk to the bank before using it so you can change up the PIN, but I can assure you, there's quite a bit of money in that account for you."

"L," Josh said, staring at the bank card in his hand, "what's this all about?"

"It was incredible, actually." Liam said, retaking his seat in the nearby chair, "After you left, sales of your albums fucking skyrocketed like there was no tomorrow. I'd never seen anything like it before. I couldn't very well keep all the money from that though, so I opened up an account for you and kept putting more and more in every time payday came around."

"You... saved up money for me, even though I'd left?" Josh said, finally glancing away from the card and towards Liam, unable to hide the shock in his voice, "Why?"

"I dunno." Liam said, shrugging, "I just figured maybe you'd come back and visit at some point, maybe take your pony out for a good time if you brought her with you."

Again, Josh just stared at Liam, unable to believe his old friend was still looking out for him even though he'd been gone for so long.

"I-I don't know what to say, L..." Josh said, yet another smile finding its way onto his face as he looked towards Liam, "Thank you. For everything..."

"Like I said, no problem. Just because you're not here, that doesn't mean I'd just forget about you." Liam said, returning Josh's smile again.

Josh and Liam sat in companionable silence for some time, the young producer still in a state of disbelief. Even in a year of being away, his closest and dearest friend never forgot about him or left him out to dry. Liam still deeply cared about Josh, and was obviously willing to endure the insane burden of the truth behind his leaving, not once letting it out for anything in the world.

"So, now that I've caught you up on the past year here," Liam said, drawing Josh's attention back to him once again, "I'd love to know what exactly brought you out here to see me."

Josh bit his lip slightly, unsure how to exactly phrase what he'd come all this way to say. It had seemed so easy on the plane to tell himself exactly what he knew needed to be said, but it was another story actually sitting before Liam, who had just admitted that in the past year he'd done more for Josh than he could have dreamed. However, the young man had already done so much to make it to his friend and knew he couldn't back down now.

"I... wanted to ask you for something..." Josh hesitated, causing Liam to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, Josh," Liam said, leaning forward once again in his chair, "you know you can ask me for anything."

"I was sort of hoping that... you could give me a job."

"I think I can do that." Liam said after a moment of contemplation, smiling at Josh again and sitting back in the chair once more, "May I ask why you're so eager to get back on your feet though? I'm not sure how long you've been back, but I can't imagine it's been too long. Shouldn't you take some more time to rest before jumping back into the swing of things?"

"I've sat around long enough, L." Josh said, thinking back on the last week and all he'd thought about while ruminating on everything that had happened, "Working helps me take my mind off all the shit I've been through recently. The less I focus on all that, the better."

"Fair enough..." Liam said, "If that's the case, then I'll get on the phone with some people and we'll see what we can do. I can't guarantee you'll have a tour all that soon, but..."

"A tour?"

"Yeah. You're planning on going back to performing, aren't you?"

"I’m sorry, L, but I can’t." Josh said, causing Liam to start.

"What do you mean you can't?" Liam said, rather forcefully, "You're bloody Xploshun! If you were to make a comeback now, with as popular as you still are in the world of dubstep, it'd be like the second coming! What's holding you back?"

Josh just stared at Liam, feeling his heart sink. He'd been afraid that his old friend would react like this, maybe even refuse to help him if he didn't do what it seemed would only be natural for him to do. However, Josh knew full well that there was no way he could be a producer anymore, that there was something extremely important missing for him to find any sort comfort and happiness in what was once his greatest passion in life...

"It's her, L." he said quietly, trying hard once more to keep his voice steady, "It’s Vinyl. She was... more than just my marefriend."

"Oh... I see..." Liam said, slumping a little in his seat as realization dawned on him, "She... she was your partner as well, wasn't she?"

Josh just slowly nodded, fighting the urge to cry again. Liam just stared at the young man once again, a look of concern painting his face.

"So, I take it you don't want to be involved with music, do you?" Liam asked, "Don't want to bring up... painful memories."

"The memories I have are far from painful, L." Josh said, thinking back to all the shows he'd done with Vinyl and all the fun the two of them had had as they performed throughout Equestria, "They hurt now, but they're still happy deep down. The music's all I've got left anymore, but I just can't make it..."

"So then," Liam said, "what exactly did you have in mind if not to be a producer again?"

"I was thinking... maybe I could be a roadie or something like that."

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Liam shouted, causing Josh to jump in his seat at the sudden change of tone.

Liam quickly covered his mouth after the sudden outburst, looking towards the stairs to see if Samantha was on her way back down. When it was apparent she hadn't heard him, Liam removed his hand from his face and sighed, looking back to Josh and glaring slightly.

"What could possibly possess you to want to be roadie?" Liam asked in a somewhat harsh whisper, leaning into speak to Josh, "You know what it's like for them better than anyone! You'll be nothing but a tick-turd, a bitch who's supposed to do everything they're told and more! You deserve much better than that, Josh. I mean, you were Xploshun, for Christ's sake, one of the greatest producers around!"

"But I'm not Xploshun anymore, L." Josh said firmly, a hint of frustration entering his voice, "I'm just Josh. That's all I'm ever gonna be. And you're right, I do know what it's like. God only knows how many roadies I fucked with when I was on tour before..."

Liam just stared at Josh, unable to form the words tearing at his tongue. He covered his face with his hands in frustration, unwilling to give in to Josh's idea of taking the largest step downward that he possibly could take and becoming nothing more than servant to some other producer.

"Liam," Josh said softly, causing Liam to peer through his fingers at the young man, "I've gotta do something. I've spent the last week of my life closed off from the world feeling sorry for myself. I can't keep that up. It wouldn't be right. Vinyl wouldn't want me to live empty life. Please."

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head slightly. Josh hoped beyond hope that his friend would grant him this one last wish, allowing him to begin the process of moving on with his life.

"Josh," Liam said, stalling a little as he spoke. "You know I'd do anything for you. I mean, hell, I've spent the last year here covering for you as much as I could, even when it seemed like you weren't ever going to come back... I don't know that I can get you on with anyone right now... The only two tours I know of have full crews, and they're not looking for any more."

Josh hung his head a little at that.

"But... I'm going to be travelling with a new guy starting tomorrow." Liam said, causing Josh to glance back up at him, "I can't get you on as a roadie, but I'll gladly take you on as my assistant. That way, you can be around the music all you like, and you don't have to be told what to do by anyone... save for me, of course."

Josh felt his heart leap a little as he looked back to Liam. After all the trouble he'd gone through in the last year to keep Josh's reputation protected from those who would seek to discredit him, still his old friend had nothing but care for the young man. Josh broke into a grin, a gesture which Liam once again returned.

"L," he said, fighting the urge to jump up and hug his friend, "thank you, so much... You have no idea what this means to me."

"Well, I can't just turn you away, now can I?"

Josh chuckled a little at that, as did Liam. Suddenly, both men heard Samantha calling from the stairs.

"Sorry it took so long." She said, descending with a white shirt in her hand. "I thought I'd left it in the closet, but it was in the back of a drawer. I brought you a marker, too!"

Making her way to the center of the room and standing between Josh and Liam, she excitedly handed the young man the shirt and permanent marker. Josh took hold of both and looked up to Samantha who was practically bouncing with excitement.

"What do you want me to say on this?" He asked, removing the cap on the marker and preparing to write.

"Hmm..." Samantha said, putting a finger to her chin in contemplation. "How about 'To My Biggest Fans, Samantha and Liam'."

Josh signed as she'd said and added his signature at the bottom of the message, making sure to add extra detail to his stage name. Capping the marker again, he handed the garment back to Samantha, smiling at her as she took back the shirt and squealed with excitement.

"Oh my God, thank you so much!" She said, bouncing up and down and giggling like a little girl.

"Not a problem." Josh said, watching the fangirl moment before him, images of Pinkie and her over exuberant nature flashing through his head.

Liam smiled at Josh from behind Samantha, who turned back to her husband.

"This is so awesome, isn't it baby?" she said, clutching the shirt like it was a precious stuffed animal. "I finally got his autograph!"

"That's absolutely fantastic, sweetheart." Liam said, standing up and giving his wife a quick peck on the lips before looking down to Josh, "Well, we'd better get back to sleep. Gotta get up early to get ready for tomorrow."

"Where're we headed tomorrow, exactly?" Josh asked.

"He's starting out in Vegas and we've gotta get there to keep an eye on prep for the show." Liam answered. "It'll be quite the drive, so we'll need some shuteye if we're gonna make it in one piece."

"Oh, are you going, too, Josh?" Samantha asked.

"Yup. Samantha, you’re looking at my new assistant." Liam said before Josh could respond. "We've got a spare bedroom here if you'd like to stay for the night."

"Thanks, L." Josh said, standing up and smiling once more at Liam. "I think I've bothered you two enough for one night though. I'll just go and find a nice motel to stay at or something."

"It's no trouble at all." Samantha interjected. "We'd love to have you stay for the night."

"Thanks, but I think I'll be better off on my own one last time." Josh said, looking between Liam and Samantha. "Let this all sink in for a bit."

Liam nodded once more before looking to his wife once again.

"Why don't you head on upstairs and get back in bed, love." He said. "I'll see Josh off and then be right up, alright?"

Samantha nodded in affirmation before moving in and giving Josh a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It was so great to meet you, Josh." She said, hugging the young man. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow before you leave then."

"I guess you will." he said, grinning at her as she stepped away, "Thanks for seeing me this late at night; I know that must have been a bit of a pain for you two."

"It's no trouble at all, dear."

With that, Samantha gave Liam a quick kiss before heading back up the stairs, waving goodbye to Josh as she disappeared from sight. Liam pulled out his phone and made a quick call to one of his associates, asking for a limo to come by and take Josh wherever he wanted to go. When Liam finished with the call, he and Josh made their way back to the front door of the villa.

"I'll swing by in the morning and grab you so we can head out." Liam said, "We'll stop by here one last time. I'm sure Samantha will want to see you off."

"L," Josh said, pausing with his hand on the doorknob, "thanks. For everything."

"Not a problem at all, Josh."

Liam placed his hands on Josh's shoulders, looking into his face and smiling a little.

"I know it has to be hard for you." he said, staring into Josh's eyes, "And, believe me, if I could ever find a way to get you back to Vinyl, I'd give everything I have to do so."

"I know you would, L." Josh said, grinning at his old friend. "That's why you're one of my best friends."

Liam pulled Josh into a hug, embracing him like a brother. Headlights appeared outside the home soon thereafter, and the two broke apart.

"I believe that's your ride, mate." Liam said.

Josh thanked Liam once more and opened the door, stepping outside and walking up to the limousine. Upon getting in, he saw Liam talking to the driver, who soon nodded and began to back out of the driveway.

"Can I get you anything before we head out, sir?" asked the driver, looking at Josh through the rear view mirror.

"No, I think I'm alright." Josh said, thinking about the last few moments he'd experienced. "I've got everything I need for now."