Title: You Left Some Stars In My Belly
Author: MCMGM
Characters: Jeff Buckley, Kristen, various other.
Rating: M
Content: Language, mild violence, strong sexual content, drug use.
Disclaimer: Only own Kristen and any other fictional character. Everyone else owns themselves.
(A/N) Based in an AU.
"Kristen!"
"What?" she snapped.
"I have been calling you for a half hour. The meeting got bumped up to 10, you gotta get up there."
Kristen ran her hand along the length of her face, in a half attempt to wipe away the exhaustion.
"Yeah, OK, I'm coming." she waved away the messenger and gathered up the necessary papers for the meeting.
"Be your husband if you'll be my wife…What am I doing?"
Kristen caught herself singing the first song she heard Jeff sing. She had caught herself doing that numerous times. It had been a week since she saw him at Sin-e. His face was burned into her brain. Every feature, every line, every curve. All still there. She couldn't help but think of him, how captivating he was.
"I don't have time for this." she pushed him out of her head as she got into the elevator and headed into her meeting...
"Hey sunshine, where do you think you're going?"
Kristen's grip on the doorknob was so tight, her Carmel shaded knuckles began to turn bone white. She turned back slowly to look over her shoulder, Jeff was staring at her, a impish smirk hung from his lips. Sandra leaned on the bar and rubbed her knee. The room remained dead silent, waiting for Kristen's response. You could have heard a pin drop.
"My set couldn't have been so bad that you have to leave." Jeff chuckled, but inside he was a bit concerned that he WAS doing a bad set.
Kristen could feel all eyes on her, her grip loosened a little. Just as she was realizing how much she overreacted, and that she should probably sit back down, a bar patron said his peace.
"Hey honey, why don't you go up there and put on a show for us? I'm betting he's got a pole you can swing on!"
Everyone in the place erupted in laughter. Kristen's face turned beat red and she bolted out of the door. Not looking back, not wanting to see Jeff laughing along with them. Sandra chased after her as best she could. And there Jeff sat in a dimly lit corner, head down, not laughing.
"So if we merge with AmeriCorp, our profits will sky rocket!"
All of the suits clapped as Kristen finished her proposal. She put on her best fake smile. She hated her job, the people who came along with it, the layer of slim she felt she had to scrub extra hard to get rid of in the shower. Corporate America was NOT the place for Kristen. Her heart longed for something more.
But until she figured out what that something was, she needed to work. And she was good at this kind of work. Or at least that's what she told herself whenever she questioned why she was doing this crap in the first place.
Kristen walked over to one of the huge glass windows and looked out of it. It was a beautiful late morning in Midtown Manhattan. The sun was high above the city, shining a loving glow over all the buildings.
The Twin Towers looked even taller with the sun beaming off of them that day. It was all like a painting, a calm place for Kristen to escape to. Where she would be appreciated and loved.
The type of place Jeff would go.
Wait, why would she think that? She didn't even know the man. But her heart sure as hell made it feel like she did.
"Hello gorgeous." Kristen's warm thoughts were cut off by the cold, slimy sting of Todd Culver's voice.
"Hello Todd."
Todd was one of Kristen's bosses. The one that was just above her and had control over what she could do and couldn't do at the company. How far she could move up, or move down. He always wanted her for his girlfriend, but Kristen couldn't stand him.
He was the type of man she hated, the CORPORATE man. The 'Yes' man. The one dimensional man. She wanted someone with a free spirit, not a membership to the Yacht Club. Kristen walked to the elevator as fast as her legs would carry her. Slimeball McGee didn't stray far behind.
"So, I was thinking I take you out to dinner tonight, celebrate your proposal getting approved. Seeing as how I was your BIGGEST supporter today."
He said it as if that allowed him free reign for her 'kitchen' whenever he wanted it.
"Gee Todd, I would so LOVE to have dinner with you. But I've made plans with my mother. She's leaving town tomorrow so I can't postpone." Kristen said as she got into the elevator. "But I will take a rain check."
Todd gave her a wink and a cheesy smile as the doors closed. Kristen felt like she was going to be sick. The thought of being that loser's trophy wife made her want to hurl right there. That was it, she decided she needed to leave for the day. Kristen went down to her desk, grabbed some things and headed for the garage.
"Hey, are you OK?" Kammy asked as Kristen walked by. Kammy was Kristen's best buddy at work, a real good girl.
"Yeah, just a little tired. Going to go home and rest." she lied. She had no intention of resting.
After Kristen got home, she shed her slim covered suit and threw on a pair of jeans with cuts at the knees, a Smiths baby doll shirt and a pair of black Converses. She let her braids come down for the first time in a while. Now she didn't belonged to the Corporate world. Their world.
She threw a few things into a messenger bag, and headed back out the door. She had been living in the West 50's for so long, she forgot there was a world beyond the upscale of the Trump buildings.
Kristen hopped on the train that would take her to the place she used to call home. The place she used to belong.
The Village.
Anyone who was a freak, weirdo, musician, writer, or an outsider fit in the Village. Tattoo parlors lined the streets, like brownstone family houses. One after the other. St. Marks Hotel was right next to all kinds of wig, make up, clothing stores and everything else in between. It was hard not to get inspired walking through here. Kristen walked into one of the many stores she used to shop in, when she run into an old friend.
"Kristen?"
"Zip?"
""Kristen?"
"Zip?"
Zip was an artist. He started off with graffiti, but moved on to canvas. He was also her pot dealer for a time. He ended up having one of his pieces in an exhibition where a woman hired him to design murals. He moved out of the city when that happened, and they hadn't seen each other since.
"So how has life been treating you?"
"Oh man, Mrs. Drake is one of the coolest bosses I've ever had. I have more money than I know what to do with. I remember when I didn't have two nickels to rub together. My life is upside down now, man."
"That's awesome."
"What about you? What are you doing with yourself? Last time I saw you, you were working at T and V."
"Ha, I'm not working there anymore. I have an alright job, enough to get me by." Kristen couldn't bring herself to tell him she was a sell out. They had talked about those people, made fun of those people. Now that she was one of them, she didn't want him to dislike her.
"Well I'm glad you're doing good. Oh yeah, you remember Rita, my girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to ask her to marry me tonight, I'm on my way to pick up the ring."
Kristen congratulated him and they hugged. They waved goodbye as Zip ran out of the store. Kristen exhaled. Why couldn't she ever have meaningful relationships like that? Why did she always attract the rich, stick stuck up their ass, type of guys?
She finished shopping and went on her way.
Before she knew it, Kristen had spent 5 hours walking around. The sun was beginning to set and she was starving. As she started on her way back to the subway, she passed by her old building. The place she enjoyed a good ten year run in.
"What the hell?" Kristen decided to head over. She hadn't been here in a good 4 years. The building looked the same. Same black color, same weak looking fire escape, same stoup. She sat down and thought back to her time here.
All the friends she had, all the good times. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, catching the last few warm streaks of sunlight on her face. She zoned out until she heard a familiar voice.
"Sunshine?"
Kristen opened her eyes and came face to face with Jeff, groceries in hand. She nearly knocked him over trying to get up.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned, as if he had been stalking her and crossed over into her sacred place.
"I live here. What are YOU doing here?"
"I used to live here."
"Which Apartment?"
"3DD."
Jeff started laughing hysterically.
"What's so funny?"
"I live there now. If this isn't fate I don't know what is."
"It's a coincidence."
"Hey, why don't you come up?"
"No, that's ok." she said as she turned to leave. She already had enough of men trying to get into her pants for one day. She wasn't going to take it from him either.
"I'm not trying to get into you pants, I just don't my food to melt."
Kristen looked at him in surprise, how did he know what she was thinking?
"You coming?" he asked as he opened the gate.
'Just go, stupid.' her heart said. 'Just go.'
"Yeah." she grabbed one of his bags and held the door open.
"Thank you. By the way, I love the Smiths." Jeff said in reference to her shirt. He stopped at his mail box and fidgeted with the lock.
"You know, I am about to go up into your apartment and I don't even know your last name."
"I invited you into my apartment and I don't even know your FIRST name."
"Kristen. Your turn."
"It's on my box." he nodded to the mail box. She looked at the name tag.
'J. Buckley'
"Any relation to Tim Buckley?" Kristen jokingly scuffed.
Jeff's face winced at the mention of that name. The little wrinkles at the corners of his eyes tightened and the vein on the right side of his head pulsated.
"Yeah…actually. He's…eh, WAS… my father."