Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 22:19:09 -0500 From: Jennifer Lankford Subject: And I Swear - Chapter 7 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. 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. ~James Slowly I came around. I didn't open my eyes at first. I heard Tom talking, and then singing. Then his weight left the side of the bed, and the bedroom door closed. I opened my eyes and looked around. I saw 3 of everything. I tried to sit up, to go after Tom, but I fell back down. "Amy?" I called out. The bedroom door opened again and I heard her approach the bed. "What is it James, what's wrong?" She asked. "Get Tom." I whispered. "Tom?! Why do you want to talk to that no good SOB? After what he did to you?" Amy exclaimed. I grabbed Amy's shirt, "Get him!" I demanded in a whisper. Amy looked over my face and decided I was serious. "Ok," she said quietly. I waited for 5 minutes, and then began to get worried. I tried getting up again, and succeeded in sitting up. I felt like I had a hangover that was ever lasting. I groaned and swung my feet over the side of the bed. The bedroom door opened. "James!" Amy called, "What do you think you are doing?" "I'm going after Tom." I said weakly. "He's gone, lay back down, or I'll call Doc." Amy said. "No, I have to talk to Tom." "You'll see him later." "Well... the bar needs to be run." I said using the bedpost to pull myself into a standing position. Amy pushed be back onto the bed. "You aren't going anywhere. Bill is running the bar and Shane and I are waiting. Sleep, you need it." Amy said. "No, I can't stay here anymore, they'll come." I said, trying to stand again. "I'll shoot them, you aren't going anywhere in this condition." "But..." "You aren't going to give up, are you?" "Not until hell freezes over." "If I get Tom in here to watch you, will you stay in bed?" "Yes." "Promise?" "Cross my heart, and hope to die again." Amy smiled, "That's not funny, AJ." I sobered immediately. "What did you call me?" "AJ" "Don't call me that." "Why not? It's your name." "It is NOT my name!" I yelled at Amy. "AJ killed himself." I said more calmly. I picked up a water bottle by the bed and threw it at Amy. "Take it back." "What?" I threw the clock. "Take back that name." "What? AJ?" I threw a book. "Take that God Dammed name back!" "Why?" "Because he isn't alive anymore, I've pushed him out of my life, I don't need him anymore. He only brought me pain." James said softly falling back on the bed. "I'll get Tom." Amy slowly walked out. Maybe I had dreamt Tom being there, maybe it had been my imagination. I heard footsteps coming closer to the door, and then they paused. I waited, wondering what was taking so long. Then there was a quiet knock. Tom entered the room slowly, trying to figure out if I was mad at him. I motioned for him to come closer, and patted the place where he had been sitting before. He sat, and figgited. "Look, James..." "Did you mean it?" I asked quietly. I heard him gulp. "Yes, I did." He paused. "But that doesn't." I grabbed the front of his shirt and pressed my lips against his. He froze, and tried to pull away. I slipped my tongue into his mouth and he relaxed, pushing me back onto the bed and laying on top of me. My hand went from his shirt to his neck while the other wrapped around his waist. He tried not to put any pressure on me, but I pulled him closer, moving my lips away from his and down his neck. He winced, and I suddenly remember his accident. "Oh God, Tom, I'm so sorry." "I'm not." He said with a silly grin. He looked at me funny, as if trying to figure something out. "Did it get hot in here all of a sudden?" I busted up laughing, as did he, and pulled him to my side. He laid his head on my shoulder, and wrapped his arm around my waist, while I played with his hair. We fell asleep like this. I was awoken to Amy's voice. "James, its time to open, what's going on? Why aren't you up." She came to the door and gasped. "Oh, nevermind." I groaned, wincing at the light in the room. I looked at Amy. "You need to run the bar." She said, nervously looking around the room. I slipped out from around Tom and grabbed a new set of clothes. "Let me take a quick show and shave and I'll be out in 10." I said heading for the bathroom. After taking my shower I shaved the fuzz off from the day before and got dressed. I walked to my bedroom to check on Tom, and found he was still asleep. I decided that it was best he sleep as long as possible, and I walked over the bed and kissed his forehead. "Sleep sweet." I said quietly and pulled the covers up on him. I closed the door to my apartment and put myself behind the bar. I looked over at the clock while I put on my apron, it was 6, and hour after the bar was supposed to be open. Amy and Michelle had taken down the chairs off the tables, refilled the salt and pepper shakers and turned on the grill while waiting for me to open the place. They were serving drinks and putting baskets of bread on tables for waiting customers. At the bar sat its usual people. It was like an episode of Cheers, everyone had a specific seat. The orders were laid out on the counter in front of me, which was raised so grease wouldn't get on it. I took out the meat and fish, seasoning and chopping the meat to the specific orders. People started realizing that was behind the grill and shouted their `heys' and `what's ups' at me. I returned and caught up on the latest gossip of the town. Hours passed without my knowing, and somewhere along the line, Amy pulled me out from behind the bar to line dance. She put a Stenson on my head and we began to line dance. I loved my life then, and I wish it could stay like this forever. Laughter filled the room as well as some shouts and `yee haws' as I began to square dance with Amy. After 30 minutes, I bowed and got back to my place behind the bar. Yup, life was good to me. Around 10, Tom came out and sat in front of me at the grill. I looked up and smiled. "Didn't know you could cook." He said and smiled back. "Well," I yelled over the grill and country music, "You can't learn everything about a person from TRL and a teenybopper magazine." I gave him a stupid grin and put my hands on the counter. "What'll ya have sexy?" "You..." Tom said. "To go." "I'm not on the menu." "Well damn, then I'll have a steak, medium, with fries." "Coming up!" It always amazed me that the bar never closed around midnight, it usually closed around 1, and still then I had to push people out the door. Another hour flew by and it had gotten to the point where I was gonna need another shower, I had grease all through my hair, which was longer then it used to be, to the shoulders to be exact. Someone new sat at the bar beside Tom, who had been keeping me company. I looked up at the new person, blonde hair, spiked, and blue-green eyes, still one of the most recognized faces in the world. I gulped. "Hey Nick." I said calmly. Stay tuned for more!