Chapter Eight

"I thought you were gonna be gone for the next few days."

"Well, I changed my mind," Claudia said, looking across the coffee house at Jerry standing awkwardly by the entrance. She had told him to wait because she wanted this to be a surprise. She looked back forward. "This friend of mine is in town and I thought it'd be great if we performed together."

"What does he do? Does he sing?"

"No, not really," Claudia said. "He's great with the drums."

"All right. We'll just have to get the drums out from the back."

"Thank you," Claudia said with a smile then turned and hurried over to Jerry. "You like it?" She gestured around.

Jerry took one look around then those eyes settled back on her. "This is your hangout spot?" he asked.

"It's everyone's hangout spot," Claudia said. She took his hand. "C'mon, I've got a surprise for you." She led him over to the small stage where they were setting up the drums. She looked at it then at him. "I know it's a bit...fancier than the ones you're used to, but I thought it'd be fun if we played together."

"Sounds like fun," Jerry said, smiling at her.

"Great," Claudia said then stopped on stage and grabbed her guitar, slinging the strap over her head. She gestured for Jerry to come on. He stepped up and moved over to the drums, taking his seat behind them. She nodded then stepped up to the microphone. "Hi, everybody. Before we start, I want you all to give my friend here a warm hand." She gestured to Jerry then clapped. Everyone there followed her cue and Jerry did what he did best, he soaked in all in, gesturing for more, then stood and took a bow, purposely knocking over the stool behind him. He hunched down as if hiding behind the drums and picked the stool up and resumed his seat.

Even several years past his prime, he still got the most laughs.

Claudia stepped back away from the microphone and started playing. She looked over at Jerry, who was nodding his head to the beat, then picked up on the drums perfectly. She smiled and continued playing, glad she had come up with this. It got their minds off certain things, and like she had planned, they were having fun. Something they couldn't do at the warehouse no matter how many artifacts they messed around with. It would have just reminded Jerry of his predicament. And, right now, he was having just as much fun as she was.

They played a few more songs then were done and sat down at one of the tables, ordering some lattes. After they got their drinks, Claudia leaned across the table. "Why don't you go up there and do your thing?" she asked with a half smile. "Y'know, so you're not out of practice when you go back."

"I'm Jerry Lewis, I won't go out of practice," Jerry said then shook his head. "Besides, I haven't been on stage without Dean for a while. I work better with him. And I don't think these people would appreciate the dumb act I did before Dean."

Claudia wanted to tell him that he would do fine without Dean, but hadn't that been one of the reasons the two had broken up? He might not be able to change it, but she didn't want to dash his hopes. She leaned back in her seat. "OK, you don't have to do it," she said.

"Are you manipulating me into doing it?"

"No!" Claudia said, not meaning to raise her voice. She looked around to make sure she hadn't acquired any attention then looked back at him. "As you said, you work better with Dean. And I don't think these people would appreciate lame jokes that came from the fifties."

"They weren't lame jokes," Jerry said. Claudia just raised her eyebrows at him. He sighed. "You're probably right. But, that's what the people want. Wanted. Whatever." He took a drink of his latte. He stared down into his cup then looked at her. "Did I make it without Dean?"

"You don't want to hear this."

"Probably."

"You both do well without each other," Claudia said. "Though Dean had a much longer, more successful career."

"At least he did fine," Jerry said. "And gives me a reason not to go up on that stage right now."

"I never said you sucked."

"You didn't have to."

"OK, we're getting out of here," Claudia said, standing up. He looked up at her. "You're getting performance anxieties and you're not even going to perform." She gestured for him to stand. "Come on, let's go. We're going on a walk."

"A walk?" Jerry asked, standing up. "That'll make me feel better?"

"Because we're going to think of a way to keep you and Dean together."


She didn't say anything more as they left the place. Jerry was expecting her to keep going, but she was obviously going to wait until they were somewhere they wouldn't be overheard. Jerry followed after her as she headed down the street, nearly tripping over his own feet when she slowed her pace abruptly and looked at him.

"Whatever we say here does not get brought up back at the warehouse," Claudia told him, pointing a finger at him seriously. "Artie's upset enough that you know so much about your future."

"So, you don't believe I might forget everything once I'm back home?" Jerry asked.

"That's a load of bull," Claudia said, looking forward. "Who'd believe that anyway?" She stopped and turned to him. "First things first, the key to a healthy relationship is communication."

"Dean and I talk."

"Not enough or else you wouldn't have broken up."

"First things first," Jerry said. "Dean's not that kind of guy. He's not going to talk. And nothing bothers him so-"

"You'll learn in a couple of years that that's bullshit," Claudia said. "You'll understand when all the critics talk about you and leave Dean in a ditch somewhere."

"I probably don't want to be hearing this."

"I'm trying to help."

"How can you change what the critics say?" Jerry asked. "Dean and I share the spotlight and they still just talk about me. If I give him more spotlight, they'll start wondering if we're breaking up and they'll probably blame Dean. I'm not sure how you could help."

"You two were good for each other," Claudia said. "It would have been great if you had stuck together longer."

Jerry was silent for a moment. This early into their career, he couldn't imagine rough points with Dean. Things were great between them right now. Why would that change? How could that change? "Besides communication, what else have you got?" he asked, bringing his thoughts back to the moment.

Claudia just stood there for a while then shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know," she said. "I thought I did, then you started talking about how could I possibly help? I can't change what the critics do. I'm sunk and the relationship you have with Dean is just permanently screwed."

"But, Dean did just spend the last sixty-three years dedicating everything to me," Jerry said. "What changes within the next six years?"

"You get a bigger ego and practically try to take over Hollywood?" Claudia said then shrugged her shoulders. "Just try and talk things through with him. Maybe it'd make a difference somehow."

"Maybe," Jerry said with a nod of his head. He took a step to the side to let a couple of kids walk by, getting a whiff of the fudge they were eating. He stepped back to where he had been standing, humming a tune.

"What's that?" Claudia asked.

Jerry stopped humming. "A Frank Sinatra song," he said. "I heard it on the radio-"

"When?"

"While I was sitting in traffic."

Claudia pointed in the direction those kids had gone. "That memory was triggered by fudge," she said. "We just figured out the connection!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him then ran off toward her car.

Jerry just stood there, not knowing what had just happened. He turned and headed in the direction Claudia had gone, still in a bit of a daze. He walked over to her car. "What connection?" he asked.

She looked over the car at him. "That song was playing on the radio," she said. "It opened the portal and sucked your car in and you ended up in the future." She got into the car.

Jerry opened the door and got in. "But, then, wouldn't a lot of things be here in the future?" he asked. "Frank's song plays all the time."

"We need to find out where exactly you were stuck in traffic and see what's there now," Claudia said. "It might be where Trent keeps the rest of his artifacts."

"Then wouldn't I have appeared there?"

"Which just means there's an important piece of the artifact he uses in the warehouse."

"You're not making any sense to me."

Claudia started the car. "We'll put everything together back at the warehouse," she said then pulled out and drove off.


TBC...