AN: This takes place during the show, before the contest in New York

Johnny had never really had trouble sleeping. He had pills that he took at night for his back, so that wasn't usually an issue, and ever since he'd come to accept the fact that he'd never be able to remember the things that he wanted to, he'd stopped keeping himself up at night. So, he'd never really suffered through what the other guys had - the inability to sleep through the night.

Unless it was a night like tonight, a night filled with thunderstorms.

He'd never had a problem with storms before - at least, he was pretty sure he hadn't. But ever since he got back, every time he heard the deafening sound of thunder, he was filled with this feeling of terror. The worst part is, he didn't even know why.

The sound reminded him of something that he couldn't remember. He knew it had something to do with the war - he wasn't stupid, after all - and he could guess that it had something to do with his jeep accident. Whatever it was, his brain just couldn't pinpoint anything. But his body, his nerves, his subconscious, they knew what it was. Whenever he felt the ground shake and heard the thunder, all he wanted to do was curl up and disappear, go somewhere that this wasn't happening.

It was bad tonight. It seemed as if the thunder was happening at least once every minute, and that paired with the sound of the rain coming down hard on the roof, Johnny could barely function, much less get any sleep.

He needed to talk to someone. He knew that would help, somehow. But he didn't have many options. He couldn't call anyone from his family - they would make a big fuss out of it, and then later use it as another reason for why he shouldn't be living by himself. That was the last thing he needed.

He couldn't see too many choices within the band either. He'd only known them for a few weeks, after all. Most of the guys probably wouldn't be able to help, they were most likely going through worse than he was right now, and he definitely didn't want to give any of them another reason to doubt him.

So, desperately praying that the storm wasn't so bad that the phones had stopped working, he slowly reached over and grabbed the phone, dialing the number of the only person he felt comfortable calling in this moment.

"Julia?"

There was only a slight pause from the other end of the line before she answered. "Johnny? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just, the thunder is... would you mind just talking to me?"

Julia's voice was suddenly filled with understanding, and she didn't hesitate this time. "I'll do you one better. Let me grab my coat and then I'll come over, if that's okay with you?"

"No, there's a storm, you shouldn't."

"I have an umbrella, Johnny, and I don't live too far away from you. I'll be fine."

He wanted to say no, but just then, he felt the entire building shake as the thunder returned, and he gripped the phone tightly, as if it were his lifeline, and he let out a shaky breath. "Okay."

"Good. I'll be there as soon as I can, alright?"

Johnny just nodded, forgetting that she couldn't see him. When she didn't hang up but didn't say anything else, he remembered, and forced out another strained, "Okay."

"Okay."

He heard the dial tone that came after she hung up, but he didn't let go of the phone just yet. He needed something to hold on to.

oOo

About fifteen minutes later, two light knocks came from the other side of the door to his apartment, and he flinched despite knowing that it was most likely Julia. He pushed himself up and carefully made his way to the door. He opened it to find that it was indeed Julia waiting in the hallway, somehow having managed to only have gotten slightly wet.

A look of concern crossed her face as she saw him,  but it disappeared as quickly as it came and was replaced with a kind smile.

"Hey, Johnny."

She entered the apartment, placing her umbrella in the stand by the doorway.

"Hey, Julia." He managed a quick smile, unsuccessfully trying not to tense up every time the storm got louder. If Julia noticed, she didn't point it out.

He lead her into the living area, and she sat down on the couch next to him. He suddenly felt a little subconscious about needing her here, but then again, he didn't know how he'd be coping otherwise.

She broke the silence. "Do you want to talk about the storm, or something else?"

"Anything else."

Julia nodded, gently placing a hand on his knee. "Alright." She thought for a moment. "What is it that you like most about the drums? What draws you to them?"

It was like she knew him so well already. He loved talking about the drums, thinking about the drums. The only time he didn't mind loud noises was when he was playing, because he could control it. Yes, drums, that was a good topic.

So he started talking. He tried his best to stay focused on her, and ignore what was going on outside. If he heard thunder, he tried to imagine it as the drum beat that he was talking about.

And Julia listened. He could tell she was really listening, and not just pretending like most people did when he talked. He felt like he could trust her.

Johnny knew that he had made the right decision in calling her. The storm hardly bothered him for the rest of the night.