And once again it had been years since I have up dated but I finally finished this chapter and I am actually fairly happy with it. I hope everyone enjoys and as always please review!
P.S: Thank you to everyone who has continued to add me to their author alert, favorite story, and reviewed over the years and especially over the last few months.
Oh and this has not been betaed, so any mistakes are mine and I apologize for my poor grammar and spelling.
Song: Quasimodo by Lifehouse
Chapter 5 (The Heaven)
"Well this isn't what I was expecting." Joan sighed to her self standing out side the brightly lit club.
Not that that was unusual these days, Joan reflected. Life, as of late had become one long string of unexpected and down right unwanted events in the last few months. And its all in thank to the original 'Major Pain' him self. That's right, you guessed it, God. Oh how she loathed him sometimes.
It hadn't been as hard as she had thought to convince her parents to let her stay out past curfew on a school night. She gave them a well rehearsed line about needing to study for her upcoming English test with Grace. With a few well placed lines about trying to improve her GPA so that she might get into a 'good' collage, Joan was home free. Who knew that duping the chief of police would be that easy?
Now she was hiding behind an old run down Chevy trying to figure out how to get by the rather large and intimidating bouncer guarding the entrance into The Haven.
The club was not quite what she had been expecting ether, not that she has a lot of experience when it came to clubs/bars but still…she had watched enough prime-time television to form a solid idea in her head as to what such an establishment should look like. The clientele looked well groomed and not at all drug dealer-ish. Once again not that she knew what a drug dealer looked like considering they came in all shapes and sizes of creepy.
A minuet later she was pulled out of her pointless musing when she spotted Eric approach the previously mentioned large and intimidating bouncer at the door. By now she had already used her- cough - impressive deductive skills, to deduce that you had to be over 21 to enter this particular seedy club. Seeing as how everyone that had entered had produced an ID, but she watched as Eric just strolled by with nothing more than a tip of his head.
Now she was confused and did she mention that that was so not fair that it be so easy for him while she was stuck out in the cold. Not good at all.
Deciding that now was her best shot at sneaking into the club as the seedy bouncer man was distracted by the leggy blond he was currently chatting up, Joan quickly slipped in behind a group of what she assumed were regulars as the bouncer didn't so much as blink when they strolled in.
The theme from Mission Impossible played though her head on repeat. Yes she was very stealthy- or maybe not- as she not so gracefully tripped over a well placed step right inside the entrance. Recovering her balance she quickly plastered herself to the nearest wall.
Had the Hulk- as she had dubbed the bouncer- heard or seen her? Her eyes darted back and forth, but when no one appeared to drag her way she relaxed. Only then she realized just how stupid she must look clinging to a way for dear life. Thankfully it appeared that no one had noticed her klutz attack. Yay her!
'Ok Joan, just calm down and try to blend.' Taking a deep breath, she told herself to just relax and look for Eric. Deciding that laying low would be best, she slipped into the closest secluded table she could locate.
As previously mentioned the Haven was not what she had been expecting. It was dark and smoky sure, but the tables and floors were clean and no one seemed particularly drunk. There were a few groups of people talking near a small stage and a few loners nursing their drinks scattered here and there. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but no Eric. She hadn't imagined him, of that she was sure. Just then a heavy set man in an ill fighting suit stepped onto the stage tapping the microphone drawing the attention of the crowd. Joan noticed for the first time that the stage was set for a performance.
"Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. I hope you enjoy the show."
Short, sweet, and to the point. Joan continued to scan the crowd when applause erupted all around her. Glancing at the stage she was shocked to see none other than Eric step out on stage. A hand risen in thanks and caring an acoustic guitar he quickly took a seat on a low stool front and center. Adjusting the microphone he quietly thanked the crowed before he began to gently strummed his guitar. The band picked up behind him setting a hard yet haunting beat that was followed by Eric's smoky voice. Within seconds the entire club, Joan included, were entranced by his voice and poetic lyrics.
you can be right
and I'll be real
honesty won't be a pain that you'll have to feel
cause I don't need your approval
to find my worth
I'm trapped inside of my own mind
afraid to open my eyes cause of what I'd find and I
don't want to live like this anymore
there goes my pain
there goes my chains
did you see them falling
because this feeling
that has no meaning
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
there it goes
does it scare you that I can
be something different than you
would it make you feel more comfortable if I wasn't
you can't control me
and you can't take away from me who I am
Joan was in complete aw of the man before her. The combination of his deep voice and the powerful nature of the lyrics left Joan breathless. There was so much emotion and meaning behind every word that if left Joan wondering as to the intended target of Eric's declaration of personal and emotional independence. What was the real reason she was given this assignment?
there goes my pain
there goes my chains
did you see them falling
because this feeling
that has no meaning
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
you can't change me
you can't break me
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
have you ever felt
like your only comfort was your cage
you're not alone
I've felt the same as you
have you ever felt
like your secrets give you away
you're not alone
I've been there too
cause everyone is looking
and everyone is laughing but I think
everyone feels the same
everybody wants to feel ok
everybody wants to
everybody wants to feel
Half way through the song Eric's fathomless eyes passed over the crowed and settled directly on her. Opps! Caught red handed. She was held fixed by the intensity of his gaze. He continued to sing out his pain, his eyes never once straying from Joan's.
there goes my pain
there goes my chains
did you see them falling
because this feeling
that has no meaning
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
cause I don't want it
I don't want it
you can't change me
you can't break me
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
there it goes
When the song ended and the crowed had sung their praises for his amazing performance, Eric locked eyes on her once more and made his way over to her little hidey hole with a defiant swagger to his walk.
"Well, well, well…who do we have here? My overly friendly neighborhood stalker." His words were casual as was his stance leaning against the side of her booth, but his meaning was clear. The fogy feeling that had settled over her during his perforce evaporated leaving her nerves feeling frayed, and a knot the size of Texas formed in the pit of her stomach. This was not going to be good.
"Would you believe that I come here often?" She tried for levity offering her best winning smile but he wasn't buying it in the least. Damn, she really had to work on that smile thing. It was so not winning over the masses today.
He laughed mirthlessly. "Not on your life sunshine. Try again."
"Fine, when you walked way from me yesterday you dropped a piece of paper that had 'The Haven, Thursday 8:30PM' written on it and I just thought…that maybe you were meeting someone to sell drugs or something. So I followed you here and now that I've told you all of that I just realized how ridiculous it all sounds…" Joan really just needed to learn to keep her mouth closed sometimes.
"Wait", he said throwing up a hand to stop her continuously moving mouth, "You thought I was a drug dealer? What is wrong with you?"
Joan jumped to explain when it looked like he might call the bouncer over any second and have her thrown out of the cub on her ass or worse call her parents.
"Look, I'm sorry ok. I have this really bad tendency to jump to conclusions that are totally off the wall and then I wined up in these really embracing situations like now and…The moral to this crazy story is, that I'm really sorry for thinking that you were a drug dealer and following you to this club…and would you please stop looking at me like I'm crazy."
Although he knew he should be furious that this obviously mentally disturbed girl had fallowed him to the club but in that moment watching her, he couldn't help but laugh at her antics. She looked so afraid of what he might say or do next that he couldn't help but take pity on her. There was a little voice in the back of his head whispering that she wasn't as crazy as her actions suggested and that he should give her a second chance.
"Do you always ramble this much or am I just lucky?" He grinned showing a hint of a dimple on his left cheek.
Trying not to be simultaneously offended by his statement and dazzled by his ever charming laugh, Joan- in the interest of self preservation- quickly changed the topic to his performance.
"Yeah I tend to talk allot when I'm nerves, but enough about me. I really liked your song by the way. It was really um…deep." She finished flatly. He unnerved her in a way that no one else, except for maybe God him self had ever managed.
Once again he just stared at her, his dark eyes seeming to analyze her as if he could figure her out if he just looked close enough. After a few more nerve racking minuets he seemed satisfied with what he found. His posture relaxed and a slow smile appeared as he settled in the opposite side of the booth from her. Joan was struck by how different he looked when he smiled. His entire face lit up, his eyes seemed lighter, and his high cheek bones appeared sharper, he looked younger in general. Smiling was a good look for him she concluded.
The laugh that followed was rich and smooth, sending tiny shivers right down to her toes. 'Keep it together girl. He is an assignment and nothing more.' She mentally reminded herself.
"Yeah, well sometimes life is…how did you put it? Oh yeah, deep." Joan was pretty sure that her heart was going to stop beating any minuet now. And no it was not because he was so devastatingly handsome or some other derivative of that. She was not that much of a hormonally challenged fan girl, but because all the blood in her body was now flooding her face and neck, no doubt giving her the oh so attractive appearance of a tomato.
He really did enjoy making smart ass comments at her expense a little to much for her liking.
"Joan right? So tell me, what do you do when your not chasing after people trying to save them from they're wicked ways?"
And just like that the proverbial ice shattered.
Conversation seemed to flow naturally after that. Joan was sure that was partly due to the fact that Eric had apparently decided that she was not some crazy stalker in need of heavy medication and a white padded cell to decorate. For that she would be eternally grateful because the longer they sat talking Joan realized that if she wasn't careful she just might start to like him.
"How did you get in here anyway?" He asked after a while, motioning to the bartender for another round of Cokes. He had generously offered to buy her a drink earlier as an 'I forgive your wacko behavior' gesture.
Joan looked down at the table sheepishly examining her empty glass, "I sort of snuck in with some other people."
"Really? You got past Lance? He's normally very observant. I might just be impressed with you after a stunt like that."
And of course she blushed again. This whole blushing at every comment out of his mouth was getting old. Maybe she should get that checked out, it just couldn't be healthy to bush this many times in one night. Isn't that bad for your heart or something?
Turning the tables on him she asked, "What about you? Your not 21, so how did you get a job performing in a bar anyway?"
He grinned wolfishly. "That's easy, I know the talent manager for the place and I convinced him to let me play a few nights a week as long as I don't drink or get into trouble"
There was something in his voice that hinted that there was more to the story than that, maybe it was the way he said trouble or the look in his eyes that had her thinking that 'getting in to trouble' was something that he was normally very good at. "Convinced him?" she probed.
Was it wrong that she felt a little spark of victory when a slight pink hue blossomed across his olive skin?
Shrugging in a very non-committal fashion he simply stated he could be very convincing when he wanted to be, and of that Joan had no doubt. In fact she was sure that his statement was 100% accurate.
He sat there looking every bit the rouge; one arm draped over the back of the booth, while the other idly fingering his now full glass of soda. One dark eye brow cocked in challenge, his shadowed eyes sparkled as if to say it was her serve.
"So you're not in the band or anything?" Joan mentally slapped her forehead. She could hear Grace's voice in her head now. 'Lame Girardi, very lame', it would say. That was her. Lame Joan or at least she was in the presence of God's cuteboy doppelganger.
"No, I barely know the guys I played with tonight. I prefer for it to be just me and the music. It's simpler that way. No strings or complications to weigh me down."
"I can see that I guess. The song was nothing short of incredible. I've never heard anything quite so…"
"Deep?" He suggested.
"Ha-ha, ok deep it is. Did you write it?"
He bobbed his head slightly while sipping his Coke. When he didn't elaborate they seemed to fall into a lull in the conversation. For the first time since they had started talking Joan noticed the music playing over the speakers, after a moment she found herself swaying softly to the beat. It wasn't a song she knew well but it was nice, melodic and something that called to her.
Eric took the opportunity to observe his new acquaintance. In this light she was nothing short of enchanting. When he'd first seen her he had dismissed her like he did every other female he encountered at school. He didn't like to think of himself as jaded when it came to girls but he'd have to admit that the few bad experiences he'd lived through had left him a little weary. Girls tended to like him for his looks or his music, but so few ever took the time to look below the surface and those that did hadn't been able to deal with what they found. His life was complicated and most girls his age just wouldn't understand what it meant to be him.
Despite first impressions, Eric had to admit that Joan was different. Sure she was slightly insane, but after an hour or so of talking to her he actually found her slightly manic tendencies endearing. He noticed her swaying to the rhythm of the music surrounding them and he took a second to listen to the song. It was too sentimental and top 40'ish for his tastes but seeing her there. Her long silky auburn hair cascading around her shoulder and the far away look in her doe eyes had his hands itching to reach out and touch her. Perhaps his first clue that he should be running in the opposite direction.
"Would you like to dance Joan?" He ventured after a few seconds of consideration. One thing people should know about Eric Kenneth Wyatt is that he never passes up an opportunity.
She appeared startled by his question, but quickly recovered reaching out to take his hand. Her hands fit nicely in his he decided leading her out onto the makeshift dance floor.
Eric couldn't help but smile feeling her sigh as he took her in his arms and began to move their bodies in time with the music. At first he kept a respectable distance between them but after a few minuets the urge to feel her closer got the better of him. After all he was still a teenage boy and she was a beautiful, if not mildly crazy female resting comfortably in his arms. Smelling like some kind of enticing mix between flowers and sweet candy that had his mind spinning in too many directions to count. There was only so much self control to be had.
Taking a chance he pulled her unresisting body closer, wrapping his arms around her waist until and pressing her as close as he dare. He allowed his fingers to play with the long strands of hair covering his fingers when she rested her head against his shoulder and began lightly running her fingers though the hair at the nap of his neck.
'I could get used to this', Eric thought before he let his mind wonder.
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