Donny tried not to make it too obvious to the rest of the band, but he almost broke down when they walked into Public Square Station with first class tickets for The Cleveland Limited in their hands. It didn't feel real. It felt like a dream that would turn into a nightmare at any given moment and take all of this away from them.

This had been his and Michael's dream. It was what they'd use to keep themselves grounded, what kept them from letting the war drive them to complete insanity. It didn't matter that there were bullets flying around them, or enemies with weapons everywhere they turned, because they were going to get on The Cleveland Limited at 5:15, ride it all the way to New York City, and make it big.

Now, here they were. It was different than the way the two of them had imagined, but it was still happening. The Donny Nova Band was on their way to show the entire world how much they were worth. To prove how much they were worth.

Michael wasn't there, but Donny was starting to realize that he couldn't change that. No matter how much he wanted to, Michael wasn't going to be there. So they had to do this without him. For him.

He knew it was stupid. He knew that if Michael were with them, he would have taken any means to get there, even if it meant hitch-hiking. But that wasn't their dream, this was their dream. And if Donny failed Michael in every other way, he didn't want to fail him in this.

So, at a quarter after five, he and the rest of the band got on the train, and were greeted by men in suits offering to take their luggage for them and show them to their seats. Donny had to choke back a surprised sob when he heard the exact words they used.

"Right this way, gentleman."

It felt surreal. It was what he had wanted, what they had all wanted, but he didn't really understand what it would be like to hear those words until they did. Right this way.

It was happening. And it was the best feeling in the world.