October

**October** is the first chapter of Push to the Limit and the three hundred and seventy sixth chapter of the series overall.

It's been five months and Julie is too busy on tour with Nick to spend time with her daughters or with Ryder, who is getting more and more antsy about their relationship. The Blackbird Records artists are in competition for a headlining tour.

## Plot

It is now October and Crystal Army performs What I Like About You in a Los Angeles concert. Meanwhile, Julie attends the red carpet premier of *Cursed*with Ryder, who feels out of place but is glad to get to spend time with her. When Julie is asked to pose with Nick, Ryder watches them and decides to go inside on his own.

Travis and Jake work out under Sebastian's superivsion and watch a woman on TV compare Crystal Army to The Beatles and is annoyed, asking Sebastian why he hasn't gotten that kind of media exposure yet. Jake turns up the music on his iPod to avoid listening while Travis says he could be compared to Elvis or Michael Jackson but instead hides out waiting for his big comeback. Sebastian assures him that the comeback will come soon and they watch Julie and Nick on screen at the *Cursed* premier. Sebastian tells them that Julie's time in the spotlight will be over soon, implying she will end herself as usual. He insists that they resume getting into perfect shape for a showcase they'll be putting on for programmers.

Amity and Dan vacation in Carslbad, reaching the top of the Guadalupe Peak. Amity teases Dan that he had to stop for breaks far less often than the last time they climbed just last June. Dan takes Amity's picture and Amity expresses her thrill that they've climbed the mountain four times since the summer. Amity teases him that he is now Spider-Man and thus shouldn't shy away from the adventure but Dan insists that he does and is afraid that they'll meet their doom with wild animals in one of their nature trips. Amity jogs down the mountain and Dan tells her that's dangerous, but follows after her in his concern.

Stefan is talking to a guy named Tom about starting a lineup and it is revealed that he is now in a Fantasy Football league. Bree is upset that it's not a real sport and reminds him that he is in charge of Adonis and should be there. Stefan says he wanted to be home with her and that Harmony's got it covered. After convincing her that she shouldn't worry, he asks how their baby is doing, revealing her to be a girl. They wonder if she'll be a soccer star or a gymnast by how much she moves and Bree tells Stefan to get back to work.

Scarlet congratulates Crystal Army on their show and says their fourth album is going to be record-breaking. John wants to get on the bus so that they can go to Julie's premier party but Sam says it's too late to go and that he has to go pick up the twins, who are at Mercedes's home there in L.A.. The guys argue over what they should do, with Tyler saying that Julie should go get them, and Sam saying she's always too busy for them. Scarlet tells them that they need to fly out of town now or an upcoming blizzard will delay their flight back to Ohio.

Julie is upset that she can't see the girls and can't go back to Ohio. She tells Sam on the phone that she knows it's his week with them but then complains to Ryder that now she won't see them another two weeks. Ryder takes her side and Julie is afraid that if she complains to Sam he will want to bring in a lawyer again, which is the last thing she wants. Ryder then tells her to remember that the roles were reversed before and Sam didn't get to be home all the time. Julie complains that she's busier than Sam was then and she misses her daughters so Ryder tries to comfort her and tells her that they should focus on having fun. They return to the party together.

Bree and Marley come home from shopping and discuss Ben's upcoming first birthday party. Marley says she wants a small celebration and then on his actual birthday, an even smaller one. She tells Marley about how much her baby has been moving and Marley reminds her that at seven months pregnant, she needs to start taking it easy or she will struggle like Julie did. Bree brings up baby name ideas and tells Marley she should get married soon or at least start dating.

In Atlanta, Luke and Santana take a limousine ride back to their hotel and the former is eager to return to Lima and be with Travis. Santana tells him they will see him and Shana at Ben's birthday party and for now need to focus on her third single selling since her second didn't do too well.

Ryder and Julie are in their hotel room together and Ryder wants to skip the premier party so that they can have more time alone together. Julie asks him what he thought of the movie but doesn't let him answer, pushing him on the bed and making out. When Ryder questions her she says they are staying in and says she doesn't feel like talking, trying to unbutton his shirt. Julie wants to have sex but Ryder insists that he won't be ready until they get married. Julie complains that she can't do anything fun, no drugs, no drinking... She would at least like to have a lot of great sex. Ryder calls her a sex addict and says he's using sex as leverage to get her to accept his proposal so she says that he should re-ask her again so she can end her dry spell. Ryder jokes that Sebastian is responsible for turning her into a sexual fiend and says admits to feeling pressure to be better than all her previous partners. Julie tells him he is and forces him to go to the party with her after all.

The next day, Sam is back in Lima and feels that Julie's absence is the best thing that has happened, as it has allowed him to bond with his daughters. Tyler is feeding Izzy in the living room and says he misses Jake, who would get the other twin, and Sam wouldn't have to worry. Sam tells him he likes waking up to the responsibility and turns on the TV to see that Starstruck is on and they are talking about Julie's recent successes. Sam turns off the TV and Tyler doesn't want to say what he's thinking.

Dani leads a Rhythmix rehearsal with their newest member, Zoe Rivers. The girls are clearly having problems adjusting to the addition of Zoe on a personal level but their incredible performance of Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) proves that they are perfect matches. Kayli is having trouble getting along with the girls, intimidated by their ages now that Riley is gone and Zoe with not being as thin as the others. Dani thinks they're great and is glad to be in charge of them and Amity, thinking Rhythmix stand a chance against Crystal Army. The girls will be competing against the other label acts for a big tour.

Keith and Courtney boast about Julie's recent successes and Keith wants Julie to attend Zayn Malik's party, where she can make more contacts in the industry. Julie says she just wants to see her daughters and Keith tells her that he will try to make time for that but right now there is no time. Courtney reads out her messages for her and one is from Ryder, asking if she's going to Ben's party. Julie agrees to go to Zayn's party and tells Ryder "TBD."

Back in Lima, Ryder receives Julie's response and is in disbelief, complaining to Harmony, who is pretty understanding of Julie. He thinks she's not making enough of an effort but Harmony reminds him that he's supposed to be supportive and is coming off as clingy. Ryder tells her about the custody struggles Sam and Julie are going through and Harmony tells him that she will always be around if he needs to talk.

Julie performs Stop the World at her show and she's amazed when the audience sings along to her song. Ryder goes back home and listens to the song, which he knows wasn't written about him but gives him hope that Julie will fight for their love. He worries that she loves the limelight and her fans more than she loves him and he isn't wrong.