Disclaimer: See chapter one. 'Almost Unreal' is a Roxette song.
Warnings for this chapter: My general love for coffee drinks--especially Crowbars.
AN: Explanations abound at the end of this chapter--of sorts.
Dead End Angels
Almost Unreal
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'I guess that answers your question,' Will said. Maybe I'm just psychic and my weird dreams are telling me the future?
Elizabeth went up to the counter and rang the little bell that sat there. 'Hello! Mr. Cotton?'
Cotton? Must've heard her wrong, Jack thought to himself.
'Yes?' An older man with graying hair stepped out from the back room. 'Oh! Elizabeth, how have you been lately?'
'I've been really good, thanks,' she replied. 'I've brought my friends with me. This is Will--I've mentioned him before--and this is my new friend, Jack.'
'Pleased to meet you,' Cotton said. 'What can I get for you all today?'
'I want a Chia latte, and...' She looked to Jack and Will. 'What do you two want?'
'A Crowbar,' Jack said distractedly, staring at the parrot.
'A what?'
'A Crowbar-two or three shots of espresso, milk, chocolate syrup, and an orange slice,' he explained. '...Or a cappuccino.'
'Will?'
'Just a coffee will be fine for me.'
'No, it won't,' Jack said. 'You like chocolate?'
'Yes...,' Will replied uncertainly.
'He'll have a mocha.'
Elizabeth smirked at the undignified expression on Will's face at having decisions being made for him. She looked back at Cotton and said 'And just put it on my tab.'
'Alright, go find yourselves a seat and I'll have them up in just a minute,' Cotton said.
After Jack had them switch tables twice, he asked Elizabeth 'You have a tab?'
She blushed lightly. 'Yea. I come here often enough, but I don't always have my money on me.'
'So I can come here and tell him to just put it on your tab, right?'
'No. Only I can put something on my tab.'
'But you said I was your friend,' Jack said in a half whine.
'Whether or not you're my friend has nothing to do with it,' she replied. 'It's the principle of the thing.'
'A likely excuse.' The bell chimed, and Jack jumped to his feet. 'I'll get it,' he said and went to get the drinks.
Elizabeth lightly kicked Will under the table. 'Well?'
'Well what?' he asked, rubbing his ankle.
She nodded her head at Jack. 'What's up between you two?'
'N-nothing's up,' Will stammered.
Elizabeth leaned back in her seat and gave Will a doubtful look. 'Really now.'
'Yes, really.'
'Really?' Jack set Elizabeth's Chai latte in front of her and his cappuccino in front of himself as he sat down.
'And where's mine?' Will asked, pointing out his lack of beverage.
'Sorry, luv. I only have two hands, and I have my priorities,' Jack replied. 'Me, then perhaps a young lady. And you, sir, are not a young lady. Not unless there's something you failed to mention earlier.'
Will rolled his eyes and got up to get his drink.
The moment Will's back was turned, Jack slipped a piece of paper in front of Elizabeth. 'Call me later,' he said quietly.
Elizabeth picked up the paper and looked at it. It had Jack's phone number scrawled across it. 'Is that a four or a nine?'
'A nine.'
'And why am I calling you?'
'Because you know you want to.'
She sighed and tucked the paper into her pocket. 'If I remember.'
Will sat down again. 'Why are you talking about me?'
'We weren't talking about you,' Elizabeth said.
'And why would you suspect that? Unless, of course, the two of you were talking about me while I was gone,' Jack said with a knowing smirk. 'What did you say about me anyway?'
'Nothing,' Will replied.
'Nothing? Elizabeth, care to differ?'
'No, we were talking about Will,' she said.
'Ah, but it somehow involved me, didn't it?'
Will looked away in discomfort. 'Why does it matter?'
'Because I love you bunches and want to make sweet, passionate love to you on a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace in a cabin in the mountains,' Jack said with a straight face. He grinned at Will's blush and added 'I'm sorry, did I say that out loud?'
'Yes, but I wouldn't mind having the details,' Elizabeth said with a smile.
'Well, you see, Will and I would take a road trip to the mountains, inevitably getting irritated at each other while in the car. Then, once at our destination, we'd find ourselves a cabin and go inside, finding a bearskin rug on the floor in front of the fireplace. We'd be cold, so we'd light a fire to warm up. It'd be so romantic that he'd jump me,' Jack explained.
'I wouldn't jump you!'
'My mistake. You would trip me and then fall on top of me.'
Will's blush deepened and he put all his attention into drinking his mocha. He would bring that up, wouldn't he?
'But that would be before you insisted on covering me with chocolate syrup so you could lick it off,' Jack continued.
Will choked on his drink as the image of Jack smothered in chocolate ran through his head. It didn't help that he saw himself licking it off with Jack flushed and making moaning noises beneath him. 'I hate you...,' he hissed out.
'But I love you,' Jack said, wrapping his arms around Will and snuggling up to him.
Will squirmed out of Jack's hold and landed himself on the floor. 'What do you think you're doing?!'
'Giving you a hug, 'cuz you need one.'
'I don't need one, and I think you were doing more than just hugging.' Will stood up and took his seat, scooting further away from Jack. And here I thought I was safe!
'You're acting like I groped you or something. Honestly, it's not like I bit you again,' Jack pointed out.
'Wait, he bit you?' Elizabeth asked Will.
'I don't want to talk about it.'
She looked to Jack for an answer, but he shook his head. Damn! I wanna know what they're talking about! Jack is so getting a call from me tonight.
They spent about an hour at the café before leaving. They got back in the car, and Elizabeth directed Jack on how to get to a certain bookstore for a book she needed. Jack waited outside, smoking a cigarette as Elizabeth and Will went in.
'So do you like him?' she asked Will as she searched for her book.
Will looked out the store window at Jack's back. 'He's nice. Forward, but nice,' he replied, picking out Elizabeth's book for her.
'Thanks. But do you like him?'
'Define "like."'
'Do you think he's cute?'
'I--I'm not answering that.'
'I think he's cute. If I wasn't already committed to Sam, I'd totally be putting the moves on Jack,' she said with a wink.
'I'm sure you would.'
'Loosen up! It's obvious that he likes you.'
'You have no idea...,' Will muttered.
'What do you mean?'
'I...he... When you dropped me off at his apartment, something happened,'
'Oh? What?'
'He...tripped on a phone cord, and I tried to help him, but I ended up falling with him--on top of him.'
'And...?'
'And then he kissed me.'
'And what did you do?'
'I...I kissed back,' he replied quietly.
'That's not so bad,' Elizabeth said encouragingly.
'Oh, it doesn't end there,' he assured her and continued. 'He flipped us over, so that I was on bottom, and then he...started licking me.'
'Licking you?'
'Yea. Then he bit me, and then I had one of my dreams, and I pushed him off. I think I offended him or something.'
'What was your dream about that time?'
Will's cheeks reddened. 'The other me and the other him were...having sex,' he replied quietly. 'I was hoping that we weren't, but...we were. Does that make me perverted or something?'
'No. It means you're normal,' she replied. 'It's perfectly normal to dream about having sex with someone you like.'
'In case you haven't noticed, these dreams aren't normal.'
'Have you even looked at the book I gave you?'
'I looked at the introduction.'
'Try skimming through the chapters. Don't just read it--a lot of it is really boring.'
They went up to the register, and Elizabeth paid for her book. Once they were back outside, they found Jack terrorizing a beetle on the wall.
'We're back,' Elizabeth announced.
'Took you long enough.' Jack stretched and yawned. 'Where to next?'
'Actually, I have to get home. My dad's having people over for dinner, so I have to be there and make a good impression and all that jazz,' she replied.
'I should get home, too,' Will added.
'OK, so I guess you'll both be going to church tomorrow morning also?' Jack asked.
'Always do,' Elizabeth said. 'Don't you?'
'I haven't been to church since... Actually, I can't really remember the last time I've been to church.'
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. 'And I was going to invite you to sit with us.'
'Thanks, but no thanks. Last thing I need is a self-righteous Christian that thinks their denomination is the only right one beating me to a pulp because God makes an exception in the loving everyone rule when it comes to those of differing sexual preference,' Jack explained. 'Not looking forward to being the latest victim in a hate crime.'
'Oh. Then I guess I can understand that,' she said.
Jack proceeded to drop Elizabeth off at her house then drove Will to his. Jack pulled up in front of Will's house. 'So...gonna invite me in?'
Will bit his lip and looked from Jack to his house. His father's car was in the dive way, and he was almost certain that his mother had already told him everything that she heard and saw. He'll probably want to meet Jack. Better get it over with sooner than later. He shrugged and asked 'Do you want to come in?'
'Never thought you'd ask! Lead the way,' he said as they got out of the car and went to the door.
Will opened the door and looked around. There was no sign of his parents in the immediate area. He walked further in and closed the door once Jack was in. 'You remember the entry.'
'Yes. Lovely decorating. Did you do it?' Jack asked teasingly.
'Actually, I helped.'
'Will, you're home earlier than I expected.' Will's mother looked from Will to Jack. 'And you brought your friend. I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name.'
'Jack,' he replied.
'Ah, yes. I knew it was something short and easy to remember,' she said. 'Would you like to stay for dinner, Jack?'
Will looked at his mother in shock. Why...? Nevermind, I know exactly why. Evil woman. Tricky, evil woman.
'I'd love to, but I should probably call my mom and let her know,' Jack replied.
'Yes, that would be a good idea,' she agreed. 'Is there anything you particularly like?'
'Not really; I'll eat whatever you put in front of me. I'm not picky when it comes to food.'
'Great, dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.' She left Jack and Will and went to the kitchen, where her husband was reading the paper. 'Bill! He's here. That boy I was telling you about. Jack.'
'Oh?' He looked up with interest.
'Yes, I invited him to stay for dinner,' she said proudly.
'I suppose you want me to go and interview him?'
'Would you?' she asked with a false sweetness.
He sighed and got up from his seat and headed out of the kitchen to the living room, where he found Will and Jack sitting on the couch watching T.V. Jack had his legs propped up on Will's lap. He sat in the armchair near them. 'So you must be Jack?'
Jack looked at Bill with a raised brow. 'Yes...? Why?'
'No reason.'
'Uh-huh.'
'So you go to school with Will?'
'Yea. Share a locker with him.'
'Is that how you two met?'
'Yea.'
He nodded and tried to think of what else to say. 'Well, I best be helping with dinner,' Bill said and got up and left the room. She can 'interview' him herself.
Jack looked at Will with a big grin. 'You never told me your dad was British.'
'Does it matter?'
'Go on, say something English!'
'Something English,' Will said sarcastically.
'You know that's not what I meant,' Jack pouted. 'Just say something. Anything. Tell me to piss off.'
Will sighed and looked over at Jack. 'Why don't you go suck on one of your fags?' he asked in an English accent. I think that came out completely wrong...
AN II: The jingley bell thing is my own sad obsession with the damned things. I have bells sitting everywhere in my room, and at least two on my keychain.
Seattle was chosen 'cuz I wanna move there. I heart rain, coffee, and port city. Imports!
Massachusetts was chosen 'cuz I was born there. The location of Port Whisk (as I've decided) is somewhere between Hyannis and Chatham.
Why is Jack on a six year plan? He explains it himself--not just skipping and refusing to do assignments. (Nope, that's my reason, but I graduated ontime--barely. Heh-heh. Straight A student now!)
...Oh, yea! Yes, Sam is Norrington. And after the release of the DVD, and finding out his first name, I had to come up with a back story for him being called 'Sam' rather than 'James.' *nods* (But I'm not going to bother chaging it or explaining it in Crimson Ways.)
And an apology: 'Say something English!' is all me. @.@ I really, really like British accents...really.
Can't think of anything else, but if you can, then say something, and I'll try to remember to address it in the next chapter.
