Chapter Twelve

Samantha slowly brushed Bill's hair, starting at the bottom to avoid making the snarls worse. It was damp and easy to brush, though as she continued, she noticed the hairbrush was filling with hair faster than it did when she brushed her own hair. She didn't say anything, though, as she continued to brush his hair. Whenever the hairbrush got too full, she would pull his hair off and set it off to the side so that she could throw it away later. When Samantha had finished, she set the hairbrush on the back of the couch and smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. There wasn't a single snarl left.

"All done," she said with a giggle. "Hey, do you know what you're going to do next with your hair?"

Bill shrugged as he picked up the remote again, changing the channel on the television. A commercial was on, but Bill didn't change the channel again. The news suddenly came on and Samantha glanced up at the screen before looking back down at Bill's hair. She was putting small braids in his hair before taking them out, enjoying being able to play with his hair. Bill didn't complain, didn't seem to notice or care about what she was doing. They were silent as the reporter went on about a break-in that had gone wrong, a fight that had happened in a grocery store, and a house-fire that had been put out before any serious damage had been done.

"Last night, Hamburg's very own Bill Kaulitz was spotted in this bar behind me. Some people are saying he drank until the bartender had to kick him out, others are saying he left with an unknown woman. No one seems to know where he is now, and his brother, Tom Kaulitz hasn't gotten back to us for comment. Word has been going around the internet about Tokio Hotel breaking up, but when their manager was questioned, David Jost provided no answer; neither a yes or a no. Has Tokio Hotel really hit rock bottom? Where is Bill Kaulitz now? In a time of uncertainty and chaos, has he really abandoned hi-"

Samantha looked up when the television was suddenly turned off. Bill set the remote down on the coffee table as he stood up, rubbing his hands together. She climbed over the couch and stood next to him, looking up at him.

"Bill? Are you okay?" she asked, though she knew the answer was no. She wanted to hear him say it, not to guess or assume because of his appearance and behavior. "I'm sure that no matter what the problem is, everything is going to work out."

"I'm going to bed," Bill suddenly said as he turned and walked to the bedroom. He shut the door behind him and Samantha sighed as she stood in the middle of the living room.

"Gute nacht..." she muttered, though she knew Bill didn't hear her.

She sat down on the couch as she rubbed the back of her neck, getting lost in her thoughts. She wanted to know what was going on in Bill's head, but he would never open up to her. Why had he reacted so badly to the news report? It wasn't announced that the band was really breaking up, so maybe it was just rumors. Then again, Bill was apart of the band, so he would know for sure. Maybe the band really was breaking up. But what was that about Bill abandoning everyone? What if they were the ones who were abandoning him? Everyone knew he was missing, but no one was trying to find him. The band had been his life for years and he had said in interviews that he couldn't imagine doing anything else- except for writing songs for other singers when he was too old to sing, and possibly a fashion line with his brother. Everyone was still expecting a lot more from Tokio Hotel.

Samantha shook her head as she stood back up. She grabbed the hairbrush from the back of the couch, took the remaining hair out of it and set it on the coffee table next to the remote before she grabbed the rest of Bill's hair that had come out when she brushed his hair. It was a large handful, and she frowned.

"And I thought I shed a lot..." she muttered, eying the ball of hair in her hand. Maybe Bill really was sick. Then again, he did dye his hair a lot, and it was only when she dyed her hair that she shed more than normal. "He should lay off the hair-dye for a little while."

She smiled as she laughed. Bill was a natural blond, but he always dyed it black. Why did he choose black in the first place, anyway? She would have to ask him, but only when he was in a better mood. He seemed like he was coming out of his shell, ever so slowly, but that news report had made him seek shelter again. Samantha didn't like the way Bill was acting. Something about it didn't settle right with her. Samantha didn't say anything as she went into the kitchen to throw away the hair, making her way back to the couch in the dark. When she reached it, she let herself fall onto it with a heavy sigh. Though she hadn't done much and had slept for a majority of the day, she was exhausted. She guessed that the lack of sleep she forced herself to live with was finally catching up with her.

Samantha fell asleep quickly, unaware that Bill was laying in her bed, tossing and turning, wide-awake. The pictures that flashed before his eyes made it impossible for him to fall asleep. For the last week, anytime he closed his eyes, they would be waiting for hm. Now they were showing up in the waking world. Couldn't he ever get a break?

When Samantha woke up, it was still dark out. She reached for her phone, finding it on the floor, and blinked when the light from the screen suddenly reached her. She frowned when she saw that it was only four in the morning. Though she wanted to go back to sleep, she really needed to use the bathroom. Samantha frowned as she got off the couch and made her way to the bedroom. She walked quietly, not wanting to wake Bill up, but when she went to open the door, the knob wouldn't turn. She tried again, but it still wouldn't turn.

It was locked.

Why had Bill locked the door? Had the news report made him that upset? Samantha frowned, her thoughts running wild again with the possibilities behind Bill's strange behavior. She was dragged from her thoughts when she remembered why she had gotten up in the first place. Her bladder felt like it was going to explode, though she doubted she had to pee that badly. Letting out a sigh, Samantha let go of the knob and knocked on the bedroom door.

"Bill, can you come unlock the door? I have to use the bathroom..." she called, hoping that he wasn't a heavy sleeper. Samantha bounced in her spot for a minute before she knocked on the door again, a little louder this time. "Bill, please? I really have to pee... Unlock the door."

It was another minute before she heard the lock click and the door opened to reveal Bill standing there. He looked very disheveled; his hair was a mess, the pajamas hanging on him loosely. His eyes looked glossy in the dark, but before Samantha could say anything, Bill moved to the side.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking at anything but Samantha. "I forgot to unlock it before going to bed."

"It's alright," Samantha replied with a smile. She glanced over at the bed and saw how tangle the sheets and blankets were. Was he having difficulty sleeping? "You didn't know, I forgive you." She laughed as she teased him lightly, but Bill didn't seem to notice. "I'll be out in a flash."

She went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her as she turned on the light. The light blinded her for a minute, but she quickly blinked her eyes to adjust. It was going to take her forever to fall asleep again, but she didn't really care at the moment. After Samantha had relieved herself, she washed her face and sighed. Bill was sitting on the bed when she walked out of the bathroom. She left the light on and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to him.

"Bill, are you okay? You look like you haven't slept at all."

"I'm fine," Bill said, not looking up at her. "It's just a little sleep deprivation."

"It's barely four in the morning. You went to bed hours ago," Samantha said, leaning forward slightly so that she could look up at his face. His eyes were glossy, bloodshot. "It doesn't look like a little sleep deprivation to me... Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine."

"Bill..."

"I said I was fine," Bill sighed, lifting his head. "Don't worry about it."

Samantha frowned but didn't say anything as they sat there in silence.

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm always here to listen," Samantha said as she stood up. "Like I said earlier, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. Don't be a stranger, make yourself at home if you'd like."

Bill watched as Samantha walked back over to the bathroom where she turned off the light before going back to the living room. She paused by the door as she pulled it shut behind her, poking her head back inside as she smiled.

"Gute nacht, Bill," she said as their gaze met in the darkness. "I'll see you in the morning."

Bill didn't say anything as he nodded his head. Samantha closed the door and walked back over to the couch, laying down again. She stared at the ceiling, silently hoping that Bill would open up to her. It was a little after six that she fell asleep again, though it was a bit longer before Bill managed to fall asleep for the first time that night.