Jeff Jarrett peered at the receptionist through his blue-tinted sunglasses, and ran a hand through his blond curls, then down over his goatee. His bags and Debra's were piled up at his feet. She was behind him, her lips turning just a bit downwards.
"What do ya mean there was a problem with the bookin'?" Jeff asked, shoving his sunglasses up onto his head.
"I'm sorry sir, there's been a mistake. We seem to have double booked your room for tonight and-"
"Well cain't you just put us in another room then? We ain't that picky, just travel-weary s'all. All we want's someplace to lay down our pretty little heads, miss." Debra piped up.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're all full." The woman at the desk answered, blushing a little at Jeff, who flicked his shades back down over his eyes. He grabbed as many of the bags as he could. "Come on Deb, guess we've gotta find some other lodgings for the night."
Debra followed Jeff out the double glass doors, and watched as he stood at the corner and attempted to hail a cab. Jeff only succeeded in returning, more annoyed than previously, and with mud splashed all over his favorite boots and most of his jeans.
"Oh, dear." Debra frowned, her lips twitching as she tried not to giggle. It really wasn't that funny, but then again it was, and especially at 2am running on lack of sleep and too many road miles to count. She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot for a moment. "Shoot, why don't we just call up some of the guys, see if anybody'll make room for us. It's too late to be messin' with all a'this malarkey."
"Maybe that's best Deb." Jeff glanced back at the glass doors they'd just exited. "Ya better go back in and see if you can use the phone. Ah'd do it myself but…" He looked down, sadly, at his mud colored boots.
"Okey dokey doll, ah'll be back in two shakes of a lambs tail." Debra left her bags with Jeff, and scurried back into the hotel.
Jeff smiled, watching the doors swing shut behind her. She was one of the best ladies Jeff had ever had the pleasure to have known closely. He leaned up against the side of the brick building, watching the cars pass by on the street. Behind the tall buildings, stretching upwards like beacons, their lights seeming to outdo the stars, the night sky peeked black. It was a sad state of affairs when these giant piles of steel and concrete made the stars go almost unnoticed. Jeff closed his eyes and imagined the unnatural structures replaced with the mountains of his home state, the peaks jutting up, their tips like fingers reaching to the heavens. The stars would seem brighter and richer there, the legion of tiny, winking lights and the moon casting their glow over the shadowed trees that huddled around the skirts of the mountains. It was times like these when Jeff felt really homesick for it all. He missed his family, the quiet, the scenery, simple things like being able to kiss his wife goodnight before bed, then waking up hours later to find his covers stolen and her feet kicking at him. His smile widened, and he almost laughed as he imagined waking her by tickling her feet until they were both shrieking with laughter, not caring that they'd decided to stay up and talk for hours into the morning, because there wasn't any place Jeff had to be but there.
The tap on his shoulder brought him out of his dream, and he blinked his eyes. They felt heavier than before, and he wondered if maybe he'd been drifting into the realm of sleep, stood up against the wall like that. Anything was possible, he suspected, when you worked or traveled seven days a week without much time at all to recover.
"Y'alright there Jeff?" Debra asked, picking up one of her bags.
"Hm…yeah I'm fine." Jeff straightened up and stretched his back a little, yawning.
"Well, you're 'bout to be even better sugar, 'cause I got us a fine place to stay tonight." Debra grinned, moving towards the corner and waving her arm in hopes of stopping a cab. One of the yellow and black speeders pulled over right away. Debra flashed a smile at Jeff, teasing him as she flipped her hair. "Now that's how it's done, JJ." She laughed and hopped into the cab, followed by Jeff and their luggage.
"Where are we goin' exactly?" Jeff asked, as the cab weaved them towards their destination.
"Ooh! Ah called Owen, ah knew he wouldn't mind at all."
Debra settled back against the seat, tilting her head towards the window. It had begun to drizzle rain, and the drips slid down the tinted windows like tears. It made a wave of sadness wash over her, as she watched the pieces of the city rush by, the forms distorted as she viewed them through the layers of speed and rain. She tried to keep her head up as much as she could but sometimes, the weariness of the road even got to her. It was probably just because she was so tired right now, emotions have a way of touching deeper and pushing harder when they body is worn down.
"Debra, you alright?" Jeff asked quietly, reaching over to pat her leg. She turned, smiling sweetly at him, genuinely loving him.
"Yes Jeff, ah'm just fine sweetie." She laid her hand over his for a moment, feeling the warmth beneath her palm, and the brush of his knuckles as he gently removed it.
"Good, because you're too pretty a'lady to be wearin' blue."
Debra grinned, and slid Jeff's shades off. She polished them for him with the cotton of her shirt, then hung them on her collar.
"Ah'm not wearin' blue, it's just the glasses babe." She swatted at him playfully. "Why evah was you wearin' 'em at this time a'night anyway?"
"Guess ah just forgot." He said dully. "Don't really need 'em to see the blue sometimes, though."
Debra and Jeff both went quiet, his statement ringing too true for them both. Sometimes it was just too much, and home seemed so far away.
-x-
"Wow." Jeff sighed, as their cab dumped them in front of their destination.
"Leave it to Owen ta pick some trap like this to stay in." Debra shook her head a little, hoping that she wouldn't have to sleep on the floor.
"Well, you know Owen. He's tight with his money, savin' up for early retirement to be with his family. Can't say ah blame him…ah sorely miss mine right now."
"Ah know that Jeffry, but this looks like someplace ah'd ratha not use the sheets." She nudged Jeff. "Let's go see what we've gotten ahselves into."
Jeff and Debra headed towards the complex, and made their way up the stairs to the second level. After some debate over whether the number on the door read 21 or 27, Jeff knocked.
The door was pulled open, but before either could get a foot in, it was slammed shut again, the image of Owen standing in the door way quickly gone with a cry of:
"Sorry, don't want any!"
"You idiot!" Jeff laughed lowly, as he kicked playfully at the door. "Open up O, before ah kick this door down."
There was laughter behind the closed door, and then it opened up again.
"What a gentleman you ah Owen, slammin' the door in ah ladeh's face." Debra huffed, pretending to be upsest. Owen turned to Jeff, looking remorseful.
"Jeff…sorry for slammin' the door in your face. Debra's right, I should treat you with more respect." Owen scooped a protesting Jeff into his arms, and carried him through the door bridal style. Debra just stood there grinning from ear to ear, watching through the door as Owen tossed Jeff onto the bed. Jeff curled up in the middle of the mattress, laughing into one of the pillows, as Owen returned to the door, smiling at Debra.
"Debra." He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and then reached for her suitcase. "Owen the bellhop, at your service." He took her suitcase and another small bag from her shoulder, and ferried them inside as she followed behind him, glancing around at their lodgings for the night.
"Owen, ah really don't think this place is bellhop material. Is there runnin' water?" She teased, peeking into the bathroom.
"Ooh Debra, it isn't that bad."
Debra reached for the sink, and turned the knobs.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, turning them back off. "Owen, Sugar, there's no hot water in here."
"There's no hot water in Canada either."
Debra could never help but smile around Owen. In fact, most of the times he'd make her face hurt from doing it so much. The melancholy that had crept over her in the cab had been nicely vanished just by seeing his face. He was the kind of man who had the power to turn the grayest day light, and what was even better, was that he really didn't realize it. Owen was just Owen, and there was no better. She followed him outside.
"You bringin' Jeff's suitcase in too?" She nodded to the black case that Owen was fiddling with.
"Hm. In a minute. It's too heavy, gotta throw something out." He grinned back at her, pulling out a pair of Jeff's boxer shorts.
"Oh, Owen!" Debra giggled, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Jeff was still sprawled on the bed unknowing of the underwear debacle. Debra leaned over the railing, watched as pair after pair of Jeff's shorts went fluttering over the railing of the second floor, to be sucked up by the dark night, and found in the morning spread over the parking lot like some obscene confetti. Debra pressed her palm to her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.
"There we go. Much better." Owen zipped the case, and brought it inside.
Jeff sat up on the bed, and then rolled off to intercept his suitcase.
"Thanks Owen." He took it and set it at the foot of the bed, and Owen shook his head. By now Jeff should have known to check through it, and make sure everything was there, but he just left it and headed towards the bathroom. "Ah'm gonna go hop in the shower." Jeff said, cocking a thumb towards the small room before disappearing inside.
"He likes to hop in the shower, I like to do moonsaults."
"What's that darlin'?" Debra called over her shoulder. She was messing around near a small cart which held a microwave and a coffee maker.
"Nothing." Owen called, wandering over to see what she was doing. He watched over her shoulder as she opened a packet and dumped the contents into the small bucket that was meant to be used for ice. "What's that?" He asked, peering over her shoulder as she added some water too it, pulled a plastic spoon from her bra, and begin stirring. "Do you keep a salad fork and one of those little bowls that you wash your fingers in, in there too?" He pointed to Debra's ample chest. She grinned over her shoulder at him.
"Wha no Owen. But ah do keep a couple a'cups in there." She handed Owen the packet, the top having been torn off. "And that's what ah'm makin. Ah been cravin' some sweets and ah found this brownie mix at the store that all ya have to do is add water. It's perfect!"
He gave her a peculiar glance, one eyebrow raised.
"But what are you gonna cook it in? You don't carry an oven in your bra, do you?"
"Only on special occasions." She answered, dumping the brownie batter into an aluminum pie plate she'd picked up when she'd bought the brownie mix, and stored both in her suitcase. "Ah'm goin' to use the micrawave, silly." She opened the door to the appliance, and grimaced. "Ick, that is down raht filthy!"
Owen peeked in.
"It's not…that bad."
"Oh, men." Debra gave a little eye roll. "Ah'm too tired ta bother with it." She shoved the pie pan into the microwave and closed the door, and turned the dial setting the time.
"Debra...I don't think th-"
There was whir and a pop, followed by a shout and a shriek, as the lights went out. Owen groped around in the dark, reaching for the microwave, and yanked open the door, fearing Debra's creation in the incompatible pan might have caused a fire. A puff of foul smelling smoke wafted out sending he and Debra into a coughing fit, and before thinking he grabbed the pan, and in the same instant dropped it with a curse as each tip of his fingers were burned by the offending object.
"Owen, where ah you?" Debra reached out into the darkness, getting another 'ow!' in reply.
"Hey, stop fighting dirty and pokin' my eyes out!" Owen swatted at her hand in the darkness. There was a crash from the bathroom, and a holler with a familiar southern twang to it.
"Heeeey! Who turned out the dang lights? Owen! If this is one a'your jokes I ain't impressed!"
"You can't blame me this time! It was Debra's cooking!" Owen shouted back, into the darkness.
"Ah just don't understand!" Debra pouted.
"Before we were thrust into the second coming of The Dark Ages, I was tryin' to tell you that you can't put metal in the microwave." Owen finished, rubbing at his eye with his blistering fingers.
"But it ain't metal, it's aluminum."
The both of them went quiet.
"Owen, ah'm warnin' you! Turn mah dang light on so ah don't bust mah rear-end getting' outta this ice-cold shower!"
With a sigh, Owen got up to his feet and made his way through the darkness, waving his hands around to try and keep from running into things. He was surprised that he made it towards the general area of where he remembered the bathroom to be, in safety. He felt the wall in front of him and moved along until his hands brushed the wood of the door, and then the knob. He gave it a yank.
"Jeff, the powers out. I'm not kidding."
"It ain't funny Owen!"
Owen moved into the tiny bathroom, flailing his arms around. His fingers caught the shower curtain and he pulled it to one side.
"Hey!" Jeff pushed himself into one corner, but then grimaced at the feel of the gritty tiles on his back and moved away, banging his head on the shower nozzle. "Damn it, darn shower!"
"JJ, give me your hand." Owen held out his hand, and touched something wet and skin-like. "Uh…hope I'm not touching anything too personal there Jeff."
"How am ah supposed to find your hand in the pitch dark…" Jeff reached too.
"You're grabbing my face…" Owen laughed, and pulled Jeff's hand from his face. He twined their fingers together. "Now here, I'm gonna show you I'm not ribbing you. Watch your step."
"Watch my step? That's real great Owen, ah can't see nothin' how am ah supposed to watch it?"
"Just do it." Owen helped JJ out of the shower and the two of them stumbled over each other, the sink, and the toilet stool before finding the doorway. Owen stopped Jeff and found the light switch after patting the wall as if he was a cop trying to find contraband. Owen slapped JJ's hand onto the light switch. "There, now see? The power's gone. I'm not ribbing you."
There was a succession of small clicks, as Jeff worked the light switch up and down several times. He sighed.
"Ah got soap in mah eyes." Was all Jeff could manage to say. It really would have been funnier, had it just been another of Owen's pranks. Jeff waved his arms around and reached, hoping to find a towel.
"Stop groping me Jeff!" Owen laughed, as Jeff's hand made a grab for his chest.
"Boys, what ah ya'll doin' in there?" Debra's voice came to them.
"Jeff's all wet and he's fondling me!" Owen called out, cracking up into peals of laughter.
"Ya'll havin' all the fun without me." Debra replied from somewhere in the darkness outside the bathroom, her pout apparent in her voice.
"Debra, we never have fun without you." Jeff called back, finally finding a towel on the rack and grabbing it.
As the confusion in the bathroom died down, Owen and Debra made their way blindly to the bed. Jeff had somehow sought out his suitcase and was rummaging around feeling the various things inside, until with a triumphant 'ah-ha!' he pulled out a flashlight and snapped it on. The yellow light illuminated his face, streaked with water, and his hair drying into crazy curly-q's complete with un-rinsed soap bubbles. A dingy white towel hung around his waist, and he nearly lost it when he straightened up, garnering giggles from the darkness that shrouded the bed. He flashed the light over there, finding Owen and Debra huddled together.
"Hey, can't you see we're busy here!" Owen shouted, pretending to be angry, as if Jeff had stumbled onto some secret affair.
"Busy bein' a slap nut." Jeff shook his head with a smile, and turned the light beam back to his suitcase. "At least I can get dressed for bed now." Which meant simple—a pair of boxer shorts, and a tee. That's what Jeff always wore to bed. In the darkness, Owen and Debra exchanged looks and began to giggle again. "You two better not be getting too handsy up there." Jeff flashed the light towards the other two again, adding: "'Specially not without me." The light went once again back to the contents of his suitcase. After searching through it all for the third time, and realizing that with each passing moment, the giggles were turning into laughter and snorts, Jeff sighed.
"Alright Owen, where's mah underwear?"
"Um…they might be…outside? They thought they were capes and they tried to fly."
Jeff sighed again and mumbled something. The light and shadows over his face revealed that suffering look of his.
"I'm sorry Jeff, if I knew Debra was going to cause a blackout…"
"Well ah ain't sleepin' nekkid." Jeff huffed. "'Specially not with you two an' ah ain't puttin' mah bare hind-end on those dingy sheets neither. All ah got in mah suitcase are jeans, shirts, and mah wres'lin' stuff. Ah ain't wearin' spandex to bed, ah gotta let it breathe sometime."
Debra shrieked with laughter, and Owen snorted.
"It's not funny. Not really." Jeff pouted.
"Well Jeff," Owen shrugged. "I'm sure you could borrow a pair of Debra's panties."
"Sure Jeff, ah'm sure you'd look jus' darlin' in mah red lacey ones."
"No, lace makes me break out." Jeff said lowly, as he searched for Owen's suitcase, waving the flashlight beam around the small room.
"What was that JJ?" Owen asked, nudging Debra.
"Huh? Oh nothin'." Jeff answered, his beam falling onto Owen's duffel and suitcase. After some rummaging, and borrowing, Jeff was able to cover his southern regions to keep safe from the ills of Owen's 'thrifty' lodging endeavors.
He crawled onto the bed, next to Debra, cuddling her between himself and Owen. He handed her the flashlight, and she shined it onto Owen's face, and then down to his hands.
"Let me see your fingers, doll." She said quietly, taking one of his hands in hers. The light revealed five blisters, one on each tip. "Aw, baby ah'm sorry." She kissed each one softly, and then did the same to his other hand. "All better?"
"All better." Owen answered quietly, smiling at Debra and JJ in the shadows. JJ nodded, Owen's simple reply echoing in his mind. Despite the misadventures of the evening, it really was all better. The loneliness and road-weariness he'd felt earlier had been all but forgotten since he'd first stepped foot into the cramped little room, and seen the familiar, warm smile, of his best friend. In that moment, there was nowhere Jeff would rather have been, even if it meant scratchy sheets, another man's boxer shorts, and shampoo drying sticky into his hair. These were more than his co-workers, more than his friends, they were his family, even more so than his biological relatives and almost more than his wife—who he saw much less than these two dear individuals that he spent day in and day out with. Debra and Owen meant the world to him, and he suddenly wanted to wrap them both in his arms.
"Thank you Owen." Debra said quietly, not knowing that her thoughts were a near mirror of Jeff's.
"For letting you guys stay with me? Oh, anytime. You're like my family." He added, placing a kiss to Debra's cheek, and reaching around her to give Jeff's shoulder a squeeze.
Debra laid her head against Owen's shoulder, and felt Jeff curl closer to her, their toes touching. She handed the flashlight to Owen.
"Tell us a story."
Owen turned the flashlight onto his own face, hoping to give it an eerie glow, and launched into some terrific, impromptu, tale. It came out more funny than scary, which was no surprise to either of the other blonds who listened intently, with genuine smiles curling their lips, their hearts warmed.
The hours passed by, and the three of them stayed up talking, not caring that at the touch of mornings light, they'd have to be back on the road. In those few hours of deep night, curled together, listening to the comforting voices of each other, they weren't on the road anymore. They were home.