So this is a companion piece to my previous fic, 'Goodbye LA'. Both stand on their own, but they might work well together. This is basically a short prequel to the game and how the P.C. might have ended up in the situation like he did. Enjoy and please tell me what you think.

"Alright everybody, that's a wrap." Sounded trough the small music stage. "Alex is starting to quote Grease. That means we won't be getting any work done." A laughter came from all the members of the small rock band that was practicing as they started to clean up and headed home for the night. Well, almost all of them.

"Nervous?" Samantha, their keyboard player asked Alex, their guitarist and main vocalist. He was sitting on the now abandoned stage, fidgeting with a small black box.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I am. Not every day you ask your girl to marry you." He answered.

"I'm still surprised you didn't turn it into a big production number." Samantha joked. Alexander just smiled, playing with his hair.

"You know how Sarah is. She doesn't like all that pomp and circumstance. Nah, a small, private moment is perfect."

"You will let us know when she says 'yes', right?" Samantha said, getting ready to leave.
"I'll be screaming it from the rooftops." Alexander joked as he waved Samantha goodbye and started waiting on his girlfriend who usually picked him up afterwards.

And he waited.
And waited...

It was about half an hour in that he started to get worried. Sure, Sarah had some other times she came later, but this was getting out of hand.

His cellphone rang. It was Samantha.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Alex? Where are you?" She asked. She sounded upset.

"Still at the stage. Sarah's not here yet but she'll probably be any minute. Wonder what's taking so long..."
"About that... Alex... I found her and... I..." This worried Alexander.

"Samantha? What are you talking about? Did something happen?! Is she alright? Where is she?"

"25th Alemo Street."
"But that's a bar..." Alexander muttered, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Alex... I'm so sorry..." With that, Alexander closed the phone and dashed off, hoping against all hopes this wasn't what he feared it was.

It was. He hardly even greeted Samantha as he entered the bar and almost immediately spotted Sarah.

With another man.

"I'm so sorry." He could hear Samantha repeat as he just stood there, his world crumbling around him. His girlfriend. The one he wanted to share his life with... Was cheating on him. He closed his eyes, trying to keep things together. And when he opened them, his mind was set on one thing. "Alex... don't...!" Samantha tried as Alexander approached the two, taking Sarah's shoulder.

"Alex? What the hell?" Sarah asked him.

"You. Me. Alone. NOW." Alexander simply said before guiding her to the bathroom. There they stood silently for minutes.

"You want me to explain?" Sarah asked first.
"Something tells me that guy wasn't a cousin you haven't seen in years." Alexander retorted. "So you might as well just come out and say it."
"Alex...! You're making such a drama out of it."

"Does that mean you AREN'T cheating on me with him?" The silence he got told him enough.

"I just... I wanted to break it off when I met this guy. But you... You were so busy with the band... I didn't think you needed any more stress in your life at the moment."

"And you taught THIS was the best solution?!" Alexander nearly roared. "Why... Why did you fall in love with someone else in the first place? Was it something I did? Something I said?" His voice gained a desperate edge. "Why... What happened?"
"I never... I never expected you to take this 'band' thing so far." Sarah said. "I mean, Christ, you quit your regular job for it."

"We get by with it, don't we?"
"Yes... For now. Have you even considered your future? What happens when the bottom falls out of this? We're already struggling as it is!"

"No we're not." Alexander said, glaring at the ring in his hand. "Because there's no longer a 'We'." With that he shoved her aside, leaving. Almost immediately, the man he caught with Sarah walked up to him.

"Listen, dude, I..." He tried, Alexander just pulled his fist back and punched him, knocking him down and dropping the ring he was carrying on him.

"You two have fun." He whispered, leaving the bar. Samantha, who stood back for the entire exchange, not really knowing what to do, followed him outside. There she saw him sitting on the pavement, hands in his hair, looking devastated. She just sat next to him, placing a hand on his knee, not saying anything for a while.

"I'm sorry." She eventually said.

"Don't be. You did what you taught was right, besides..." Alexander got up, huge smile plastered on his face. "This might be the best thing that ever happened to me. You know how many artists reach their peak when their hearts were ripped from their torso? Billboard's Hot 100 here I come. I got enough anger and sadness in me to fill a thousand albums of material."

"Alex..." Samantha tried, knowing her friend's tendency for dramatics.

"But first, I am going to get plastered." With that he marched off. Samantha looked down, but decided not to follow. These were his demons. He had to fight them alone.

"Just don't jump on that bike of yours!" She called after him. As an answer, he tossed her a set of keys.

"I'm heartbroken. Not suicidal. Take her home safely, 'kay?"

"As long as you come back safely as well..."

"No worries. I'll manage. I'll always manage." And with that, he was gone. Samantha just sighed, before heading home. What a night...

How many shots did he take? He didn't know. Didn't care either. The bartender wasn't complaining, so it was all good. He specifically was at a place he'd never been before. He didn't want to run into any familiar and maybe some new ones might do him some good. In fact... he noticed a girl checking him out. Gorgeous red-head. A bit pale, but hey, so was he. Alexander inched closer, the alcohol making him bold, daring and spiteful. Soon, they were talking. After that, making out and before he knew it, he was in a dirty bed in one of the darkest parts of the town, ready for a drunken night of passion. However, before they could really begin, she slowed down, leaning over him. Only then the alarm-bells managed to get trough the haze.

"I want to show you something..."

A scream was the last thing he did before the dark took him.