Disclaimer: Here I am again, sitting in front of another black Word document, waiting for inspiration to come along. Little pictures of Backstreet Boys dancing in my head. But yet, I don't know them, and I don't own them. And I don't know anyone they know. This is all fiction of course.
And I Swear - Chapter 2
~ 5 years later
James smiled and sang along softly to the country music that was coming from the jukebox in the corner. He carefully wiped down the bar and started thinking about his past, once again. He'd changed, that was for sure, in the five years he'd lived in Death's Stop, he'd never been happier. The people here were welcoming, inviting as James learned once again how to live among people of the same statue. Now most of them were his friends. This town was so small it seemed, that there was no need for TV's and computers. Sure, he had a laptop and connection to the internet when he was desperate, but he truly hadn't heard any news for around four years. The bar, Road's End, that he had started working in, was now in his possession. He had bought it two years ago when the past owner, his former boss, Jim Smith, died. He ran the bar and grill nightly six nights a week, while Heather and Stephanie, two high school students, were waiters five nights a week. Every once and a while, he thought about the guys, wondering what was going on in their lives.
Biting his lip, James looked around. He needed to release some tension. He could go for only so long without singing and dancing. He stepped from behind the bar and closed the window shades and walked to the jukebox. James pushed a series of buttons and listened as the Backstreet Boys came over the speakers. He buttoned his plain blue long-sleeved shirt, which covered his tattoos and took it off, hanging over a chair. Pushing some of the tables and chairs out of the way, he picked up a ketchup bottle from one of the worn plain wood tables and moved o the center of the floor. Larger than life came out of the speakers and he did the dance without missing a beat, singing along under his breath. Next he did The Call, then Everybody, Get Another Boyfriend, and finished with Shining Star.
An out of breath James sat down on a table and listened as Backstreet's music came from the speakers. He closed his eyes and tried remembering all the good times he'd had being a Backstreet Boy. All the fond memories he could think of were of his friends, the fans, and the music they'd given the world.
Hanging his head in shame, he got up, moved the tables and chairs back to their original places and continued taking down the chairs off the tables, setting up for when he opened the bar and grill in an hour and a half. He checked the salt and pepper shakers, along with the ketchup and mustard bottles, then set them back in the center of the table, right where they belonged.
Walking back to the bar, shirt over his shoulder, he walked to the back of the bar, where a living space was that he lived in. It was only 5 rooms, a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, sitting room, and music room but, it was better than nothing. With all the money had, he could pay for something more, but he liked it here, it was lived in. He walked to the bathroom, taking off his clothes as he went, only stopping to turn on the shower. After removing the rest of his clothes he quickly took a shower, rinsing all the sweat off his body.
After his shower, he dried himself off and put a new set of clothes on. This time it was an old pair of jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt, covering all his tattoos. James sat down on the couch in the sitting room and opened up his laptop, connecting to the internet. He check all the Backstreet Boys site, which was surprisingly still up, he checked the Mtv site, and then he check CBS news online.
James was shocked to discover that Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys had dug up AJ McLean's body and now everyone knew that it wasn't AJ McLean.
James was suddenly scared. What if everyone had found out about what he did? Would he be pegged as a murderer? Would they make him come back? What about his family? What about his life here?
James read the article. Basically all it said was that Howie had had them dig up AJ's body and had it tested and found out that AJ had staged his death. He read on to discover that Howie had been using a PI for the five years he'd been gone, to try and find him. James gulped, this wasn't good.
A bang on the bar door brought him back to reality. He looked at his watch. It wasn't time to open, what was going on?
James walked to the bar door and pulled it open.
"What the hell is going on?" James said, then looked at Billy, Harry, and Simon carrying an unconsicous man into the bar.
"Sorry James, we had to bring him here, there was no where else to go. Doc Riley is coming now. There was a wreck just outside of town. This guy fell asleep or something and hit a tree. Harry was driving behind him and put him in the back of his pick up.
James cleared the bar off and checked his pulse. "Well he's alive." James said.
Doc Riley came in the bar at a quick pace. "What's going on? Mary Sue said someone needed a doctor." Doc Riley said as she came over to the bar.
"Yeah, this guy was in an accident just outside of town, brought him here because it's closer." Simon said.
James, Simon, Harry, and Billy stood back and let the Doc do her work. Later Doc Riley finished and turned to James.
"He's gonna have to stay here," Doc Riley said as she started to put away her equipment.
"On the bar?" James asked.
"No, in you apartment in the back. We can't move him, and we don't have a hospital, so, this is the only place to keep him."
"I guess so, but I'll need to clean up the place first."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he won't mind."
A groan was heard from the patient.
"Okay guys, let's move him," Doc Riley said. "Into the," She stopped and looked at James waiting for an answer.
"The sitting room, it has a couch that pulls out into a bed." James said and led the way.
Once situating the man on the pull out couch, James started cleaning up some of his stuff, he had kept all the awards from his days as a Backstreet Boy lined up on the wall in piles. He piled them neatly and put them in the top of the closet, away from view. He cleaned up the bathroom, and moved his laptop into his bedroom so that he could continue to surf the internet in private. He looked at the man on his couch once more and then closed the door to his apartment, getting ready to set up the grill for the crowd tonight.
Once more, almost half of Death's Stop came to the grill for dinner. As Stephanie and Heather took orders, he worked the grill, and poured the occasional drink for a friend while talking about the latest gossip. Every 30 minutes he would go and check on the man in his apartment, to make sure that he was still asleep. Then he would return to his post behind the bar and continue to cook and talk to the town's people about upcoming events in the town. Around midnight he took a small break, people were still coming into the grill but it was at a much slower rate. Now he only needed to work the bar for the drunks that were still drinking the night away.
James looked around the grill. In the corner a few guys were playing poker, occasionally yelling at each other for cheating. They came in every Tuesday night to play cards, drink, and have a hamburger. A few teenagers were in the middle of the room, laughing at jokes and making fun of the teachers they hated the most. A few elderly couples were scattered about, talking quietly and eating the remains of their dinner or desert. James smiled, he loved it here.
James looked at his watch, He stood up straight and excused himself to go check on the guy in his apartment. When he walked in he noticed the guy was awake.
"Well, welcome to earth," James said smiling.
"Where am I?" the guy asked.
"You're in Death's Stop, Texas, My name is James, I run the bar and grill in the front of this place.
"My names Tom."
"Nice to know, we were wondering who you were," James said.
James noticed that Tom was trying to move, "I wouldn't do that, you broke a couple of ribs and fractured a bone in your leg,"
Tom gasped at the pain and slowly sank back into the position he was in.
"What time is it?" Tom asked.
"Around 12:30," James said as he sat on the corner of the bed.
"Good to know," Tom said.
James studied Tom, he was farely good looking, had to be around 24, clean cut, and he looked like he was going to pass out.
"Can I get you anything?" James asked.
"Yeah, something for the pain," Tom said and winced.
"Okay, I'll be right back with some asprin." James said and got up.
"Thanks," Tom said and closed his eyes.
James went into the bathroom and looked in the cabinet for the aspirn. I wonder' James thought, could he be the PI that Howie sent?'
This D-O-E-S-N-O-T deal with the killing/suicide of AJ MCLEAN! LET'S GET THAT STRAIGHT NOW! Any Backstreet Boys fan knows that AJ's real name is Alexander James ~underlines James 5 times for Nifty~ McLean. Yes, it says he killed himself but, he staged it, boo, I told you the truth, kill me now. But I have to have something to think about before I go to sleep so, this is real to me, just another world I can get lost in till it comes to an end. silverwings4ever@hotmail.com if you want to contact me, http://www.angelfire.com/music2/slipupwizshs/index.html if you want more stories or pictures of the characters or just about anything my little mind can come up with.