Abigail sat on the edge of the stage while the group was doing a full dress rehearsal of the concert. It had been a long three months since they’d had to postpone the Black & Blue North America concert tour due to the injury Kevin sustained after Frank had kidnapped him. 

Everyone was thankful that Kevin had made a full recovery and was feeling stronger than ever, but it had been a slow recovery that had taken a toll on Kevin and his relationship with Abigail. He credited the fact that he made a full recovery to the one month he spent in Lexington where Abigail and his mother spoiled him rotten. Both Ann and Abigail were both just so grateful that he was with them, so they made a pact to ensure that Kevin got the rest that he required to make a full recovery. And who was he to argue with that. 

As Abigail sat there and watched Kevin, no one could tell that Kevin had a difficult time recovering emotionally from the incident. With some help from therapists Kevin and Abigail’s relationship seemed back on track, but they had hit some real bumps in the road. 

For the first week or so, it appeared that Kevin would be fine physically and emotionally, but as time elapsed Kevin became restless and was haunted by terrifying nightmares. At first he just brushed it off and was able to hide it from Abigail and his mother, but as time progressed, he found himself with little patience and would loose his temper frequently over the smallest things. 

Abigail recalled the morning when Kevin decided it was time to start working out again. He informed her that he was going out for a run and nothing she could say or do could convince him it was too early. Abigail pushed aside her uneasy feelings and let Kevin proceed, but she was positive that he wouldn’t make it very far. She watched from the living room window as Kevin set out and quickly rushed to his aide when he nearly collapsed. 

“Come on Kevin. Why don’t we just go for a leisurely walk? You can’t expect to be running a marathon so early.” Abigail said. Instantly she knew it was the wrong thing to say as she watched Kevin’s expression harden and he proceeded by pushing her out of the way. 

“Stay out of my way Abigail.” Kevin instructed as he made his way towards the house as quickly as his injured body would allow him. 

Abigail stood there and watched Kevin disappear into the house. She tried her best not to take anything he said personally. After all, he was accustomed to being strong emotionally and physically and she knew this was difficult for him to deal with. But she had some idea what he was going through and every time she tried to help, he would just push her away. For Kevin’s sake, she remained strong and prayed that he would eventually come around. 

Kevin’s mood remained explosive for almost two months, before he was able to see for himself that he had been treating Abigail unfairly. Due to the scar that still remained on Kevin’s side, he was extremely self-conscious and Kevin had become highly agitated one evening when Abigail tried to seduce him. After several hours by himself, he realized that he needed to apologize for his behavior. There was no doubt that he was extremely grateful that Abigail had remained supportive no matter how poorly he treated her and he finally realized he had no right to take his frustrations out on her. 

Later that night, Kevin crawled into bed with Abigail and she could sense that his attitude had changed. She gently took him into her arms and held him as he cried. She knew that it was Kevin’s way of apologizing; No words were necessary. Kevin’s short temper still appeared after that night, but he was quick to apologize. 

Now that they had been back in rehearsals for one week, Abigail noticed that Kevin’s mood and attitude had greatly improved. He had told her that he was relieved to be back on stage and couldn’t wait for their opening show. 

There was no way Abigail could fight the fact that Kevin thrived on the support from the fans and onstage was where he belonged. 

“How did that look Abi?” Kevin asked as he sat down beside Abigail as the group took a short break. 

“Looks like you never missed a day honey.” Abigail said as she leaned over and kissed Kevin. “Yuck, you’re all sweaty.” Abigail added as she pulled away and wiped her hands on his shirt. 

“You know you love it when I get all sweaty.” Kevin said as he grabbed Abigail’s face and kissed her hard on the lips. 

“Yeah, but not on stage like this.” Abigail kidded. 

“We could arrange for some of that.” Kevin said as he leaned over and buried his face in the crook of her neck where he lightly kissed her. 

“Save that for later.” Abigail said as Nick bounced over to them and said, “Will you two get a room.” 

“You’re just jealous cause you’re single right now.” Abigail said as Kevin helped her up. 

“Am not.” Nick said quickly. 

“Are too.” Abigail egged Nick on further. 

“Will you do something with her Kevin.” Nick whined. 

“Sorry Nicky boy, I’m not helping you get out of this one. I’m pretty sure you can handle her on your own.” Kevin said as he walked away laughing. 

“I win!” Abigail said as she stuck out her tongue. 

“Watch your back, cause I’ll get you back. You know I will Abigail.” Nick said as he turned on his heel and joined the other guys again. 

Abigail and Nick had formed a comfortable friendship that included a lot of bickering and joking around. They were always trying to out do each other with stupid pranks or jokes. The other guys loved it when Abigail got Nick really good, but Kevin loved it best when Nick would catch Abigail by surprise. Nick had years of practice and the boys were relieved that Nick had found a new target to try the same old practical jokes on. Kevin would just laugh and remind Abigail that she kept asking for it.