Sorry this is a little short but it's more of a segue chapter for the next one. And the next chapter will be a long one.
All rights belong to Supernatural and any other respective companies,
reviews are always appreciated,
enjoy!
March 12th, 1999
"You know, when I suggested we do something fun I meant like a weekend in Vegas." Zeke says weakly as he looks up at the bus in front of him. In all it's junker glory is their original tour bus, still bearing all the marks of their first few tours.
"C'mon! This will be fun, we have done something like this for a while." Dean says and beside him Charlie nods emphatically.
"Will this thing even start?" Sam asks skeptically and taps the wheel well with his foot a few times.
"Yeah, I had Benny get it up and running! Besides, even if it does crap out on us that'll just be part of the experience."
"Are you feeling okay, Dean? You hated this thing when it was our only choice of transportation. I could almost get behind your 'going back to our roots ot bring in the new millennium' shit but I thought that was only going to apply to our new album..."
"HEY! Look what I found!" From inside the bus Gabe holds his prize aloft; it's an old lollipop that he hid underneath one of the seats.
"Don't you dare eat that! You're gonna make yourself sick, not to mention it could be spiked with something weird." Charlies races onto the bus to wrestle it out of his hands.
"Can you believe they're both almost fifty?" Sam snorts and Dean frowns slightly. Them getting older is the exact reason he wanted to do their tour like this, a reminder of how far they've come. Maybe this is his version of a mid-life crisis, wanting to relive their glory days before he's too old to look back on them with anything but resent. Sam notices this and places a hand on his brothers shoulder. "Hey, this'll be great, complaining aside it really isn't such a bad idea. And the fans are loving the gimmick! According to Rowena there's been a sales spike in our old concert tees."
"I'm just worried we're too old now to pull off the shows like we used to!"
Sam rolls his eyes at him. "Dean, out of all of us here you're the one who's stage presence has changed the least over the years - you've always danced like an old man."
"The group really did capture the early feel of your music with that album. 'Croatoan', while a darker song, really went back to the basics with only a soft drumline and accoustic guitar accompanying your vocals, and 'Sunsets and Frisky Women' had a very garage band sound to it. But not in a bad way." Rachel states, looking back through her notes.
"You took notes on the songs? Lemme read 'em. I wanna see which one you liked the best." Dean tries to snatch the book out of her hands but she tucks it away quickly.
"You really wanna know?"
"Yes!"
"'Silk Sheets', I just love that line about rolling naked in money."
"I am seeing you in a whole new light, Rachel."
March 20, 1999
It's only after the third round of "American Pie" that Dean realizes some things never change; touring is one of them. They've all settled back into the old routine and the gimmick has yet to wear off, although sharing a bathroom with six other people is a little taxing at times. Charlie still tries to drag a bunch of people onto the bus to party with them; Sam is buried underneath a mountain of books; Dean keeps finding Gabe's candy stashes hidden in the weirdest of places; and Zeke keeps trying to call shotgun even though that technically means he would be sitting on Benny's lap. When it gets down to it, this tour is just fun, it's not work, it's not their job, for once it actually feels like a vacation. They're careful to keep the press and interviews down to a minimum, which helps immensely.
"We should do something for New Years." Gabe says, resting his head on the top of his seat.
"What do you mean?" Dean looks up from the cards in his hands. He's in the midst of a game of Go Fish with Charlie.
"Well it'll be ringing in not only the new year, but a new millennium as well so we should hold a big concert-bash-thing."
"They already have the ball drop, I don't think anyone would want to come to our concert."
"Also Y2K! People will be preparing their bunkers, they won't be leaving their houses." Charlie says with a laugh.
"We could provide free alcohol! People love free booze, and it's not like we can't afford it." Gabe says.
"Gabe, it's not gonna happen." Dean groans. "Not to mention, New years eve isn't really that far away! There's no way we could plan something that big with this short of notice."
"And yet, you did." Rachel answers the unspoken question.
"Yeah, to shut Gabe up!"
"Seems like a rather costly way to shut someone up."
"You don't know Gabe! And of course the moment he mentioned it to Rowena, she though it was a great idea. I didn't think we'd even sell a hundred tickets but they sold out within an hour of them going on sale. It was crazy, I think people were offering to exchange organs for a set of tickets."
"You're lying."
"No really, I think some guy was offering up a kidney for nosebleed seats." Dean says innocently.
"And a success it was. It helps that you got a bunch of great opening acts to help you out." Rachel adds.
"Steven Tyler owed us a favour, long story I will not get into it." Dean says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I will never admit it to Gabe, but that was the best idea he's ever had. And he's never had another good one since."