Need to talk to you. Something important. Please call.

Laura stopped unloading a few groceries in her new kitchen and scrunched up her nose at Calum's message. Normally, when she got a message from her best ginger friend, it had her laughing out loud and almost keeling over. She had gotten many jokes from him, pleads for spoilers throughout her career and even silly emoji texts just to keep in touch. She loved those texts. This text was borderline cryptic and she didn't exactly know how to take it. Pushing her number five favorite on her phone and putting it on speaker, she didn't have to wait long for Calum to pick up her call.

"That was fast," he told her.

"And that was a vague message."

"I know. Um, are you free for lunch or something? I texted Ross too. I need to talk with you both about something."

"Calum, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Just...this is better to ask in person. Mercantile, 2 o'clock?"

Glancing over at the clock, she ballparked the time it would take to get there and if she were at her parents home, it wouldn't be possible. But now with just living over the hill, it was the short drive she was looking for. "I can do 2. Did you get a hold of Ross?"

"Yea. He'll be there. I'll see you soon."

And soon she did. It was just past two when she walked through the door of the quaint French bistro in Hollywood and spotted Calum with his friend and business partner Derek talking up a storm and not noticing her until she sat down on the opposite side. Calum's grin went wide and Laura find herself standing up once more to get the biggest hug from her friend. She hugged him right back, knowing it's been a long while since they had seen each other.

"I am so glad to see you," he muttered before letting her go and she grabbed a hug from Derek while she could.

"Please tell me that you're not canceling on me for tomorrow. There will be moving and then beer and pizza and a whole lot of Lynches that I need help with. You can not bail on me."

"I'll be there, don't worry. This is about something else altogether and it involves Ross. But, since you did mention tomorrow, can I request pineapple?"

Laura was still confused and would remain confused until Ross came up behind her and slipped into the seat beside her. She gave him a kiss before Calum and Derek dived into something she was possibly making bigger in her head than it truly was.

"So what's up? You said this was important," Ross asked and the duo before the couple got down to business.

"Okay, so I have a favor to ask you both and you can say no at any time. You both know that we're working on this new show for Disney Channel and we're going to be filming a special holiday episode soon. The idea of the episode is that the star of our show actually gets in this horrible Christmas mood and only wants to spend the day sleeping it away. But when she goes to sleep at night, she dreams up this full on Disney dream episode of almost every one of the old shows is featured," Calum took a breath, explaining the episode the two were writing at the very moment to them both. As far as Laura could tell it was a good concept. The girl dreams Christmas, finding out the true meaning from Disney stars of the past - and he had already booked other stars who had since moved on from the channel including David Henrie, Bridgit Mendler, Debby Ryan, even Brenda Song was coming back for a short cameo.

"And our idea is that Austin and Ally could possibly be in the background of her dream either performing something on a random television or radio or even just posters over the places she'll be in her dream. Again, you can say no and 'what the hell are you thinking, Calum?' but I knew I had to ask."

Laura looked over at Ross as they were stared down by the show runners in front of them. It didn't sound like the most horrible idea to her, but to return as Austin and Ally would be something they would have to talk about more.

"You both know you creeped us out with that text right?" Ross asked, leaning forward on the table before the waiter brought over some freshly baked bread and drinks. "Man, I thought you were in major trouble."

"I was expecting a new joke of the week."

Calum crunched his tongue between his teeth. "Sorry guys. I didn't mean to startle you at all. We're just almost finished with the episode and wanted to ask you now versus springing it on you tomorrow."

Laura didn't know what to say and looking over at Ross, neither did he. "Can we let you know tomorrow?"

"Of course, yes," Calum assured them both. "I honestly didn't expect an answer right away. This is a big decision to return and you have no idea how long or how much it took to convince Henrie. That boy is quite the negotiator."

As the four chilled together, they grabbed a few bites to eat before Calum and Derek had to leave back for the set. Laura and Ross stayed put though, thinking about the favor Calum was actually asking. They would be returning as Austin Moon and Ally Dawson in a small and maybe even off camera capacity. From her point of view, it wasn't a bad opportunity at all. It would give their many fans a chance to see Austin and Ally a bit older and it would also give Calum's show a heavy boost in ratings, especially with not just them, but Brenda returning. Then again, it would be returning to Disney Channel and there was a little part of her brain telling her that she was 24, she was and should be done with Disney. But this was the channel who truly gave her her big break. It was the channel that gave her lifelong friends and nurtured her passion for acting and music and it was the channel who introduced her to Ross. For that, she would possibly never be able to repay them...but maybe this would be an opportunity to do just that. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," Ross swiped a part of her sandwich that she had ordered. "I would love just to say yes and jump in because it's Calum but I feel I need to talk with Stella about it too."

Laura nodded her head in agreement. "That's smart. I think I'm going to do the same." He was right of course. She should talk to her own agent about this, and make sure it was the right thing to do. Although she already knew it was the right thing to do. Anything with Calum was the right thing to do.

"We going to finish the painting tonight?"

"You want to? I mean, I should make you do all of it since you started the paint fight last night."

"Me? That was all you." Laura giggled at him. It was sort of true, it was her. "All you and tonight, we will be getting the second coat on and tackling that bedroom. You do want that the same color, right?"

"The bedroom is another color."

"Still gray?"

"You'll find out tonight," she teased quickly kissing him as they packed up and headed back out to their cars.

+++

"So, do I get an extra key, or..."

Laura turned around at her boyfriend of two months and raised her eyebrow. A key. His brothers and Calum and her dad were all insanely late for moving day and he was asking about a spare key. She placed her hands up on the kitchen counter and watched as he made most of the chip bag - which she had set out for said moving workers - disappear.

"I can always just steal yours and make a copy myself."

"Ross, you know that's against the rules."

"And I break the rules." Another chip disappeared into his vacuum of a mouth. "You know you're going to give one to me eventually."

"Key word, eventually."

"You don't want me to have one? Isn't the reason for this new place so we can have..."

"I'm going to stop you there," Laura cut him off from saying the obvious. Yes, she did get the apartment in part because of him. So they could have this space for solace, and yes, sex. Getting together at their parents places was just not cutting it, especially with her thinking her Dad would come waltzing in her room or Ryland into Ross' new room at the Lynches. She didn't want their parents hearing the sounds they made, or more the sounds that she made. She totally blamed Ross for those and rightfully so. The things he did to her...she just hoped the neighbors wouldn't complain because there have been times when she got really noisy...and if they did, well. Tough? Tough.

"You know it is," he teased her, his goofy smile on full display.

"Yes, it is. But it's not the only reason."

"Enlighten me."

She stopped fidgeting on the other side of the island from him. Why would she need to enlighten him on this? He knew all the reasons she finally got her own place. One - she needed it. Two - she needed it. Three - she needed it. End of reasons. "Call them again."

"Me bugging them is not going to do any good," Ross picked up his phone. "You should and act like a crazy girlfriend and get on their case and scare the shit out of them."

Laura eyed him as he started to laugh at the what if situation. Swatting at him, she headed back to the fridge and pulled out a water from the inside. Stocked with water and beer (so far), she sure hoped Riker, Ryland, Mark, and Rocky would show up soon. Hell, if Calum got to her place before them then something was definitely up. Speaking of Calum...

"Hey, have you talked to Stella about Calum's opportunity?"

Ross put down his phone after texting his brothers for the thirtieth time about where the hell they actually were. "Sort of. I called her up about it before she distracted me with CBS stuff."

"I talked to Chris and Mona," Laura came to stand right by Ross. "They don't think it's the most horrid idea. They just don't think a full episode focused on where our characters are now is the best."

Ross nodded. "I get that. I don't think it's going to be though. Calum's always been a great writer and I don't think he'd do that. I have to talk to Stella about it again to make sure, but I kind of want to do it."

Laura's face lit up. "Really?" He nodded, ignoring his buzzing phone on the countertop as she jumped into his arms, hugging him tight. "I want to do it too. There could be a new song, or dual tour posters or they could even be married and having tons of Auslly babies."

"I'd bank on the baby part."

"Where do you think Dez would be?"

"Making the most amazing Ally Dawson music videos, of course," Ross told her like there wasn't any question about that. "And you know, rolling in the dough from his drum chili."

Laura laughed with him, her head coming down to rest on his chest as the buzzing continued. "Austin Moon videos too and Trish would be managing everyone and anyone in the music business, making more money than all of Team Austin combined...and definitely still be annoying Dez. Oh, and Nelson would be this amazing classical pianist and thank Ally for teaching him at every performance."

"Got a lot of ideas there, don't ya?"

"So many it's frightening. You going to check your phone?"

Ross flipped his growing hair that he refused to cut until he had to from his eyes and glanced at the gadget sitting by him. "They're here. Downstairs," he read off from Rocky's message. "Rocky says 'get your butt down here and let us in'."

She snarled up her nose for a minute. "Is it bad that I want to leave him down there for longer because of that? Whoa, you're rubbing off on me."

Ross laughed at her, pecking her on the lips and grabbing her keys from the small makeshift table she had by the door. "I'll go let them in. You get the beer out. They won't work without beer."

She nodded and watched him go out the door before heading back to the fridge, pulling out the said drinks before they all returned. This was it. This was the day she truly moved into her own apartment; her first place alone. She was excited and scared all at once. In just a few hours, there would be furniture inside the vacant room, there would be a bed to sleep and curl up in in her bedroom, there would be a dining room table where she could host the most amazing dinner parties - pending her work schedule and all; there would be her Alice in Wonderland chair, where she could escape with a good book when she wanted to and there would be Ross, who she could cuddle and lean on and just do anything with. Laura felt her smile turn up as her thoughts ran away from her. At this moment, she didn't think she could be happier. Apartment? Check. Thriving career? Double check. Amazing hot boyfriend? Check, check, check.

The ringing of her phone got her out of her thoughts and before she could even answer, she knew what to ask. "Blue key first."

"I did."

"Blue key is the gate. Red key is my door."

"I did that. Why isn't it working?"

"Please tell me you didn't jam it into the gate," Laura let her head fall into her free hand just as the door to her apartment opened.

"I didn't," his goofy smile was replaced by his joking, know-it-all one and her own smile was replaced with a glare. "I brought hooligans," he announced as the Lynch men waltzed on through with Calum following behind.

"Good. We needed hooligans. I wonder what we'd get for them."

"Okay, stop," Rocky declared. "If you two are going to do this all day, I'm out."

Laura smiled up at Rocky as he picked up a beer. "Hi Rocky. Thanks for coming today." He raised his bottle at her before she greeted the others, hugging them tight for helping her move in.

"Anything for you, Laura," Mark told her.

The group hung around for a few more minutes before Laura's phone rang loudly. She jumped at it, picking it up with the toothiest grin. "Are you here with my chair? Yay!" Laura spoke a bit more and instructed Chip, who was downstairs with everything, plus a few employees of his own to help, to wait for her own help that she was sending on their way now. "I've got six hot men on your way to help and I'm on the third floor, apartment number 302."

Ross, his brothers, and Calum headed out of the door as she hung up and she took the time to squeal in delight. Her apartment was finally coming together...

...and it was perfect. Laura hopped into her wondrous chair and declared she wasn't ever coming out. Not even for food, which at the moment was causing an issue because she was hungry and the pizza they had ordered was all the way over in the kitchen, at least ten steps from where she slowly was making her new home. There was a sectional that was going to be filled with blondes in about five seconds and a ginger right next to her. An ottoman placed just ahead of it, a dining room table that still had some things to be put together and her bed, that definitely had to be put together later on. It was all here, and it was all hers and even though she hadn't done a ton of moving herself (the sole reason for having a boyfriend with brothers), she still didn't want to get up.

"Bring me some," she called out to the guys around the counter. "Please."

"Oh no, you have to come and get it yourself," Riker told her.

"But, comfy..."

Riker shook his own head along with his brothers before Calum came beside her with a plate piled up high with slices. He waved the smell towards her face, the plate just out of her reach.

"You're all being mean," she told them, her feet now on the floor as she headed to the counter.

"We just moved you into your apartment," Ryland pointed out.

"And were rewarded with pizza and beer."

"You didn't lift a finger," Rocky said and all she could do was smile at him big. "Which was exactly your mission."

Laura pulled a slice from the cheese only box and climbed up on Ross's knee where he was sitting on the stool, his free arm coming around to hold her up on her waist. "You catch on quick." Laura winked at him before the slice disappeared into her mouth.

+++

Hours later, Riker, Rocky, Ryland, Calum and Mark had left, leaving only her and Ross in the apartment once again. Her dad had called her mid-moving in about being stuck in traffic, which she could definitely see. He did live back in the canyons and getting to her place on a Thursday, where everyone was anxious to get the weekend going, was going to be an issue. It was ok. She had had more than enough muscle power thanks to Ross's brothers and Calum. She turned down the blankets on her bed, almost ready to dive right in and not go back out to help Ross clean up the rest of the kitchen. She shouldn't be tired, but she was. It was quite funny to her that Ross was the one with all the energy still since he had done a ton of moving for her today. He should be the one that was all tired out and flopping on the bed like she was going to do any second.

Postponing her bed flop for fifteen minutes in the future, Laura headed back out to the living area only to hear him humming a soft tune while wiping up the little mess they all did make. She watched him dance about in the open area and turn back towards the sink, cleaning up all of it for her. She watched him sing the lyrics of the song quietly and then louder as the tune seeped into his being.

"Every day is like survival. You're my lover not my rival..." Ross stopped his rocking out as soon as he turned around to see her. "Um, hi. Enjoying the show?"

"Immensely," she grinned at him. "I especially like the butt wiggle and how you clean up everything while you're doing it."

Ross poked his tongue out at her, the rag in his hand now hanging off the faucet as he came around the half island to meet her. "If you're lucky, there might be an encore."

"I'm counting on it," she told him, grabbing his hand. "Now, come on. We go to bed now."

"But I'm not tired," he started to fake whine at her.

Laura pulled him more, four feet inside the confines of her bedroom now and lured him towards the bed, sitting him down on it. "Yes you are. You're so tired that you're going to lay down and go to sleep like that," she snapped her fingers.

He thought about that for a minute, obviously playing along with her and then shook his head. "Nope."

Laura leaned down and gave him a kiss - one that she intended to be short before she would undress him and make him go to sleep - not one that he kept on giving her and wasn't showing any signs of letting go of. She shouldn't be complaining about it and she wasn't at all, but sleep was topping sex right now. Laura went on with her original intent, stripping him of his tee shirt and tossing it on the floor and her eyes popped open wide when his lips went from her mouth to her stomach while his hands lifted her own shirt up higher. "Ross..." she whispered.

"Hmmm?" was the only thing out of him as he pressed his lips up and down and side to side, her own tee shirt joining his on the ground.

His fingers once again pulled on her jean loops, pulling her closer if it was possible and his hands roamed over the material, cupping her covered skin and made not only her heart flip, but her stomach as well. She felt him unfasten the button and pull the zipper of her pants down the line - how did this situation get flipped around? It was supposed to be her doing this to him, not him to her.