He stood on his balcony, watching the sun sink into the Pacific. *Standing in the ocean with the sun burning low in the west...* God, how many verses had he written with this blue expanse as his muse? Here was living proof that even in the city, it was possible to find peace and solitude. If he listened hard, he could hear the traffic moving along the streets nearby.

These next few weeks would be fun, of course... the crowds were always great, and as wonderful as it was to perform solo, it would be great to be in a band with such good friends. Of course, they'd never given this band a name... had never thought of one decent. He chuckled at the memory of Craig telling him that some of the fans were calling them the "Sensitive Ones."

He grimmaced at the thought of leaving for the road just as Ryan was preparing for his senior year, but reminded himself that he'd fly in for Christmas, and that he'd be home soon after that to help Ryan prepare for graduation and getting ready for college.

He should get to packing. Dianna had done the laundry today, and he had an early flight in the morning.

He took another look to the sky in time to see the last sliver of the sun sink below the water. It was going to be a long few months.