Wanna Rock and Roll (Alternate Title: Half of my Mistakes) A/N: Admittedly, this chapter contains a lot of music, parts of three songs, but the first two are part of the story, and the third is the song that inspired the title of this chapter. That said, it's still a significant amount of plot. :)
They came back from the restroom, and Charlie noticed that where the boys had been talking when Beth was out of earshot, they were now totally silent, uncomfortably so in fact. Charlie wondered if they'd forgotten about her sensitive vampire hearing. They were so used to no one knowing their secrets. If that was the case, she wasn't going to remind them. You usually hear more when no one thinks you're listening anyway, she thought.
"Did you guys wanna go get another round?" Mick asked.
"I'm fine," Beth said.
Charlie shook her head no glumly. She'd had at least four tall glasses of Patron, and she still didn't have the least desire to take her clothes off and dance on the bar. There goes any fun I've ever had at frat parties, she thought, licking a fang idly, before immediately stopping so as not to give Mick the wrong idea. She looked around to make sure no one else had noticed, of course not they were in their own little world.
Mick and Josef exchanged a meaningful look.
"Super secret vamp business, I gather? Come Beth, we can tell when we're not wanted," Charlie said rolling her eyes. Looking back at Josef, she said, "If you need us we're taking our pride and we will be at the bar downing shots of tequila."
As they walked away, she heard Mick whisper to Josef, "I like her... it must be something to do with the way she handles you." Charlie smiled as she imagined Josef's eyes glaring back at Mick.
She and Beth stopped off at the jukebox on the way to the bar, where Charlie discreetly chose a couple of songs.
"So Mick found you?" Beth asked in a hushed whisper when they got to the bar.
"Yeah, he did. On a sidewalk," Charlie nodded.
Charlie had no trouble concentrating on both the conversation she was having and the conversation between Josef and Mick. They were discussing what to do about her erstwhile sire, who they'd found and sequestered in some basement. Josef told Mick to take care of it. She assumed this meant that Mick was to kill the man. She felt no sympathy for the vampire, who ever he was. Truth be told, she was a little disappointed she didn't get to have a turn with the jerk.
That would be something to ask Josef, she thought errantly. Not that I am unhappy with being turned, but dammit, there are some things you should ask a lady's permission first, and making someone a vamp ought to be one of them. Is nothing sacred, really? she thought.
"He's kind of a super hero, huh?" Beth said jokingly.
"Yeah, very Superman. Josef too, but Wolverine maybe. Rougher around the edges, kind of surly," Charlie smiled. "You know they can hear everything we're saying right?"
Charlie turned slightly on her barstool so she could glance at the boys. Beth did the same, and then they looked at each other and laughed. The boys looked up because they heard the girls laugh, noticed the girls attention was on them and just looked at each other in alarm.
"They think we're conspiring against them, you know," Charlie said, matter of factly.
"Have you ever seen Heartbreak Ridge?" Beth asked.
"Yeah, Eastwood," Charlie replied.
"Well, Josef reminds me of Eastwood's line, 'Just because we're holding hands– '" Beth began.
" '–Doesn't mean I want to take warm showers with you in wee hours of the morning," they finished in unison, before bursting into laughter.
A short moment later, Josef was standing behind her whispering in Charlie's ear, "What was that about showers? And you pretended to be so offended when I mentioned girls."
Charlie rolled her eyes, and swatted his arm playfully. "Go," she said, "the grown ups are talking."
"So that's how you wanna play it," he said jokingly.
"Yeah, it is," she said coolly.
"Well if you keep showing me up, I may have to put my foot down," Josef mock-threatened.
"You'd have to put your food down first, and knowing you that's seriously unlikely," Beth said with a smirk. She shut up immediately when Josef pointedly glared at her.
"Yeah, bring your cane old man," Charlie said with a smirk.
"No, just my teeth," he said biting the nape of her neck with only blunt incisors.
"Cut it out you two, you're giving me a complex," Beth said grinning.
"Hey Beth, it's our song. Come on," Charlie said. Turning to Josef, Charlie said, "I promised Beth I'd teach her how to two- step, and they're playing our song," daring Beth to contradict her.
Luckily Beth was a quick study, she just linked her arm in Charlie's and they sauntered out to the dance floor.
"Now, Beth, it's real simple. To the right, to the left, to the left. Backwards if you're dancing with a partner," Charlie said with a wink.
"No, it can't be that easy," Beth said, acting surprised.
"Oh, you can jazz it up but, that's the basics," Charlie said, as they stood side by side, arms still linked and began to two-step. "This song's a little fast for a two-step but it'll do," Charlie smirked.
(She's so California by Gary Allan)
She's a warm summer breeze and bleached blond hair
Like a fine red wine she can take you there
She's a walk in the sand at sunset
She's a top pulled down on the 405
She'll take you higher than Humboldt skies
She's an earthquake and you're the fault line
So when you feel the ground start moving around
Hold on tight, you're in for a ride
Cause she's so California
She's a wildfire out of control
Heading for ya
Oh and she's so cool
Don't say I didn't warn ya
Cause she's so California
Beth caught on fast, so soon they were just moving around the floor swaying to the song as if it were second nature. Charlie knew she'd chosen the right song, as soon as she saw Mick look up on the first line. It had "Beth" written all over it. Too soon though, the song was over, and Beth walked to Mick, ostensibly to ask him to dance, so Charlie went back to the bar.
Before she could get settled in with her seventh (seventh!) drink of the night, Josef came over and stood in front of her. Without saying a word, he simply held out his hand and beckoned her to the floor. She followed him wordlessly, and was pleasantly surprised that he was as smooth on the dance floor as off.
Her second song choice came back to bite her in the ass, though. Still Gary Allan, but a slow tune. Josef pulled her body close to his, and began to sway gently.
He made no attempt at conversation, but seemed to be paying singular attention to the lyrics of the song, which seemed now to be directed right at him. Of course, he wouldn't notice. It was almost over when she realized she'd been quietly singing along.
(Half of my Mistakes by Gary Allan)
Half of my mistakes I made cause I was moving to quickly
Half of them I made cause my heart was moving too slow
Nobody can tell you a damn thing if you ain't listening
Half of my mistakes I made cause I couldn't let go
If I had it all to do over
I'd probably win and lose just as much
Spend a lot less time
On right and wrong
And a lot more time on love
Half of my mistakes I'd give anything to change how it ended
Oh and half of my mistakes I wouldn't change one thing
You can lean too hard on a prayer but I don't recommend it
Cause half the good things in my life came from half of my mistakes
Yeah a lot of good things in my life came from half of my mistakes
Taking Charlie back to the table, Josef said to Mick and Beth, "If you don't mind, I think we'll go."
Mick and Beth agreed politely that it was getting late, and they said their goodbyes.
Josef couldn't figure out why Charlie was quiet the whole way home.
(Wanna Rock and Roll written by Ray Wylie Hubbard, sang by Cross Canadian Ragweed)
Last night I went down to the railroad tracks
To watch that train go by
99 cars screaming into the dark
I heard a lonesome whistle cry
With her name on my arm and the rain coming down
I kissed her for the very first time
Took her down to the railroad tracks
And her red, red lips touched mine.
She said I wanna rock and roll
Well that woman's got an ass
That'd make a man cry
Throw back his head and howl
Ruby red lips, liquid hips
All that the law will allow
Well I told her once and I told her twice
I must have told her a thousand times
I got a red hot body, got a cold black heart
I am the jealous kind