Keep in mind, this is an AU of the main stuff, and in no way affects it. Nothing from the Main Storyline will make an appearance here, other than some characters.
I will be uploading two chapters per week [Tuesday/Thursday], since the chapters are so short.
Thank you for clicking this story, and I hope you enjoy! Please leave a review!
Part Seven – Fetchin' the Fiddler
"Nutville?" Jewel asked, munching on a little snack that Fred had given her, while Beary nibbled on his own food. "Bar?" They had just woken up from an hour-long nap, to find that night was starting to fall.
Beary looked at Henry uncertainly. "How are me and Jewel supposed to go into a bar?"
"It's not a full bar. More of a bar restaurant. Pub, I suppose. You two will be allowed in with us, uh, posing as your legal guardians," Henry explained. "And this works out, actually, considering you two need to eat."
"You need to eat, too, Mr. Henry," Jewel began.
"No, no. Call me Henry, kids. I prefer that."
Jewel nodded and apologized. "But you do need to eat, too. As does Fred and Roadie. Don't just feed us."
Henry chuckled a little. "Us adults can handle an empty stomach. You two are still young, and, Jewel, your mother would bite my ear off if I didn't feed you."
Beary laughed at that. "I can't have any nuts, though. I'm allergic." He reached into his backpack, where he had an epi-pen. "See?" He then pulled back his hoodie, revealing the medical alert bracelet.
'Maybe he actually is my kid,' Henry thought to himself, amused. 'Little Beary had just the same kind of allergies.' Out loud, he spoke. "Thank you for informing me of this, Beary. I will make sure you do not get any sort of nuts."
"Thanks." Beary smiled a little. "Hey, Henry, where are we staying tonight?"
"Uh, well... We don't exactly have money for a motel, so we'll probably sleep on the bus in a rest stop tonight. You and Jewel can sleep in the back. More room for you back there."
"What about you guys?" Jewel questioned, confused. "Where will you sleep if we're back there?" She hadn't thought about the prospect of sleeping among strangers that night.
"Well, uh..." Henry frowned before glancing at Roadie. "Hey, you have that old camping gear?"
"No, sorry. That's back in the shed. The benches are big enough for you guys, though. Well..." Roadie glanced in the rearview mirror at them in confusion. "Well, Fred might not."
Fred rolled his eyes and looked at his big belly. "Yeah, well, I'll make it work. Did before."
"You were a hundred pounds lighter, Fred," Henry commented.
"Yeah, you got that right. I'll figure it out." Fred glanced over at the cubs in amusement. "Ha, you two could use me as a mattress, if you wanted."
Neither cub wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Henry groaned. "Fred, I highly doubt that is very appropriate to say."
"It was an idea!" Fred said innocently.
Henry shook his head. "Wait, kids, did you even bring blankets?"
Beary and Jewel shook their heads. "Just clothes, mainly, sir," Beary responded, truthfully.
"Hm... well, nights get cold... so maybe sleeping next to Fred's not such a bad idea. Keep you warm, at least. Ultimately, it's up to the two of you. We won't force anything on you." Henry gave them a warm smile, and both Fred and Roadie nodded in agreement.
"Well... Can we decide after eating?" Beary asked meekly.
"Yeah, can we get some food soon?" Jewel begged. "Otherwise I'm going to have to eat Beary!"
Beary looked highly offended. "You can't eat me! I'm your best friend!"
"True. What would I do without you? Eh, I suppose I could just settle for eating Dex."
Beary snorted. "Shush."
Roadie grinned. "Found the bar!" He turned the wheel, and they drove into the parking lot.
Jewel let out an exited cheer. "Finally!"
Henry smiled a little, but frowned again, not sure how they'd pay for the meal when they could barely afford gas. Heck, Fred had been forced to pay for their last gas stop – and thankfully had been able to top up the tank while he was at it. Henry felt incredibly guilty at not being able to pay for anything, but Fred had told him not to worry about it. Would Fred pay for the meal, too?
"Hen, I'll pay for the meal, okay? I have enough money, and I could go without my usual spread," Fred spoke up, smiling at the older bear. "Don't worry about it. My treat. All of you combined would be about my usual bill, anyway." He laughed a bit.
"Fred, I..."
"Hey, I get it. You told me about in your letters. I'm sorry I haven't visited. I just didn't want see her in that way. Rather remember her the way she was, you know?" Fred gently squeezed his friend's shoulder.
A smile crossed Henry's face as he fought back his tears. "Thank you, Fred."
Beary glanced at Jewel curiously. Who were they talking about? Who was this 'she'? Why did Henry seem so happy, yet sad? Neither wanted to ask, afraid to pry.
"Ever find your kid?"
Henry hesitated before shaking his head. "Police gave up a long time ago." He glanced over at Beary for a brief moment, before returning his gaze out the front of the window as Roadie found a parking spot for the large bus.
Beary frowned. Henry had a kid? Then maybe the 'she' they'd been talking about was his wife! "I didn't know you were married."
"Were? I'm still married. Have been for about thirty years now," Henry responded shortly, standing up as the engine was shut off. "My wife, Helen, never liked the spotlight very much. Camera shy. Wait, no, that's not it. She, well... She didn't like the press talking about her. Some of them were a bit mean. She sang with the band a few times, even wrote a few of their songs." Henry laughed a bit. "She's a good soul."
Jewel blinked. "What happened to her?"
Henry's laughter died, and his ears lowered. "She, uh, was out driving one night, trying to sooth our little boy to sleep out on a country road, and... There was a drunk driver, and..." He shook his head. "I'm... I'm still fixing our car." He thought back to earlier that morning, before Reed had shown up when he was fixing the tours sign. He had been working on his pale yellow 1948 Willys Jeepster, trying to fix it.
It had been almost completely totaled after the crash, but he'd hauled it back to the Hall in the hopes of fixing it. He'd gotten quite a bit done in the seven years since the accident, but parts had been hard to come by, not to mention expensive. If it hadn't been for parts that he'd already had for repairs, he would've never gotten the car back into the shape it was now. Yet, the engine still wouldn't turnover. It was as if the car was as dormant as his wife.
Beary stood up and walked over to him. "Hey, it'll be okay. Is she still alive?"
The pepper bear nodded.
"She'll pull through! She's lasted this long, hasn't she?"
He again nodded, a faint smile reappearing on his face. "Yeah, she has. You're right. Thanks, kiddo."
Beary grinned, happy to have done a good deed.
Jewel smiled and walked over as well. "Not to change the subject, but... Are we just going to sit in the bus all day or are we going to actually go inside?"
.~*The Country Bears*~.
His back itched. Really bad.
Zeb Zoober, former fiddler to one of the greatest bands in the world, reached into his white vest pocket, but found no coins, as usual. 'Darn,' he mentally cursed. Walking over to the bar counter, he called, "Set me up, Cha-Cha!"
The black woman known as "Cha-Cha" scowled at him from the opposite end of the counter, where she was talking to what looked like a family group. Another bartender brought the bear a quarter, which he took gratefully. Humming, the auburn bear went over to the Bark–O–Scratcher, which was basically a log that was attached to some kind of mechanical device in the wall that — when a quarter was inserted into the coin slot — would begin moving up and down, thus scratching one's back.
Still humming, he placed the quarter in the coin slot. The log immediately began to move. Turning, he leaned back against the log, moaning with pleasure as the log scratched the itch on his back. "Oh, yeah..." he muttered, his voice shaky. He closed his eyes. This was the life. Endless drinks, a roof over his head, sometimes bussing tables when he wasn't too drunk to pay off his debt...
"Hey there, Zeb."
The familiar voice startled the former fiddler. Raising his paws to his hat, he lifted the large brim from over his eyes, which then widened at the sight before him. "Henry? Fred? Is that you?" He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when he saw Henry. He had really missed him. After all, Henry had given him a home back when he was ten after the band formed. After the talent show, Henry had talked to him and invited him into his home.
The bears and human in front were indeed Henry Taylor, Fred Bedderhead, and Roadie. He didn't recognize the cubs, though. So he basically ignored them.
Zeb stepped away from the Bark–O–Scratcher before his time was up. He regretted it immediately as the itch in his back flared up again. But because of his shock of seeing his friends again, he managed to ignore the burning itch. "Am I seein' things?" he wondered aloud as he approached the group.
"No, you aren't. We're really here, Zeb," Henry chuckled, a smile on his face. "Been a long time, son."
Just to be sure, Zeb walked closer to them and poked the elder bear in the arm, briefly hearing the mysterious cubs giggle. Satisfied that the elder bear, at least, was real, he proceeded to do the same to "Fred" and "Roadie". The mysterious cubs' giggling grew louder. Slightly annoyed, Zeb glanced in their direction once he was satisfied that "Fred" and "Roadie" were indeed real. He finally took the time to examine the cubs.
A brief flicker of recognition registered in his brain as he looked at the male. 'It's a male Helen...' he thought in amusement. 'Looks like Henry had another one. If I remember right, Helen was pregnant when the band broke up.' He glanced between Henry and the cub—both of them looking at him in confusion and, for a brief instant, he saw a look of sadness in Henry's eyes—and saw the similarities. Mainly the eyes. They looked exactly alike. Wait. No. The cub's eyes were filled with childish innocence; Henry's was filled with something he couldn't comprehend. Something he'd never seen before. True sorrow? Loneliness?
He then looked over at the golden cub. "Wait. Trixie? Did you shrink or something?"
Jewel started laughing. "No, she just gave birth to a completely fabulous little cub named Jewel, and that's me!"
"Oh. Huh." Shaking his head, he looked at the entire group. "Well, what are y'all doin' here?" he asked.
Henry, Fred, Roadie, and the cubs glanced at each other. "Uh, why don't we sit down," Henry suggested, pointing towards an empty table near the front of the bar. "For one, these two need to eat."
Zeb shrugged and led the way to a table. As they all sat — the cubs between Fred and Zeb — the honeyaholic asked again about what they were all doing there.
"Well, we're going to have a reunion benefit concert," Henry said bluntly. "Fred's already agreed to help. Big Al's getting the place ready. Besides, what do you have here?"
Zeb opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it as he thought about the question. What did he have here? He had his honey, but not his family, whom his missed dearly. Not that he'd admit it, of course.
Henry took the opportunity to go on. "Now come on, Zeb. What do you say? Give up the honey and come with us."
Zeb sighed and looked around at them all as he spoke. "Guys, even if I wanted to leave town, I couldn't! I owe Cha-Cha over there," he pointed over his shoulder at the bar counter, "a lot of money." Sure, he was just using this as an excuse to not leave the bar with the honey and Cha-Cha, but really? Why would anyone want him back? He was just a nuisance. "I've been trying to pay it back, but just keep getting myself further in debt."
There was silence for a moment as Henry tried to figure out what to say to convince the former fiddler to come with them. "Don't you want to come home?"
Before Zeb had a chance to answer, Fred spoke up. "I'm hungry. Wanna split an order of salmon fingers?" he asked, glancing at the group around the table.
"Oh, Fred..." Henry signed in annoyance.
"How 'bout twigs an' berries?"
Henry just groaned. "Why don't you look at the menu, Beary and Jewel, and try to find something you'd like to eat."
The cubs nodded, picking up a menu to share. Suddenly, after reading for a bit, Beary let out a gasp before getting up and leaving the table, much to the surprise of the seated bears and human.
"Hey," Zeb exclaimed watching the cub go up to the counter. He looked back at Henry, with confusion in his eyes. "What's that boy doin'?"
Henry sighed in exasperation. Rolling his eyes, he muttered in an annoyed tone, "I don't know... He just goes and does his own thing."
Jewel laughed. "That's my best friend for you."
They all looked back at the cub as he shook the bartender's hand. They then looked at each other in confusion.
A few moments later, the cub returned. Without sitting, he looked at Zeb and said, "You're Zeb Zoober."
Zeb was both startled and amused. "Yeah, well I... That may be true... But I..." He glanced at the others in confusion. "Who is this guy?"
Henry softly grinned. "Well, that's Beary."
Zeb noticed an immediate change in the elder bear's eyes. He was about to comment on it when Cha-Cha's voice interrupted him.
"Uh, ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention for a minute?" the slightly plump, black woman asked from onstage.
All eyes in the bar turned to look at her in surprise and confusion.
Now that she had everyone's attention, Cha-Cha went on. "Now, as most of you know, Zeb Zoober owes me a whole heap of money."
"Mmhmm," Henry agreed. He would have helped pay back that money, but he himself was in debt.
Cha-Cha looked directly at the table the group was sitting at. "Well, his little friend there has proposed a wager." She grinned. "My house band verses Zeb's fiddle in a little musical duel."
Zeb's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Now, if he wins, he owes me nothin'. But if he loses," she paused for dramatic effect, "I get to keep the Country Bear tour bus."
Henry's eyes widened. "What?" His surprise was echoed by many people in the bar.
"This should be good," Cha-Cha finished with a chuckle as she walked off the stage. She knew her house band was going to win. No doubt about it in her mind.
Standing, Henry turned to Beary with rage-filled eyes. Beary flinched under the smoldering gaze. "Son, that bus is our only means of transportation!" the bear practically yelled.
Roadie decided to get a word in. "Not to mention that's where I raised my kids till the wife took them in the divorce. Still got to see them on the weekends. Youngest is in high school, and she's shown interest in moving to Nashville to be closer and to attend college there."
Jewel frowned. "Don't be mean."
Zeb finally spoke. "Plus, I don't think you've all seen the house band." He gestured towards the stage where a group of people of people began setting up various instruments. The drinker looked back at the group around the table. "I don't know about this," he mumbled. "I don't even know where my fiddle is!"
"It's in the bus," Roadie commented. "I'll go get it." He quickly got up and left.
"C'mon, Zeb. I know ya can do it," Fred encouraged.
"It looks like you're our only hope at keeping the bus. There's no way we can back out of the wager and keep the bus," Henry said, still glaring at Beary, who now stared at the table with his ears laid back. Zeb knew that look all too well. He was trying to make himself small and hidden.
Zeb felt back for the kid. He knew he was only trying to help. He sighed. "Like I said, y'all haven't seen the house band. They're good. They're real good." The truth was, he was scared. He hadn't played his fiddle in ten years! Who knows if he could still play? With the luck he's been having, he was gonna lose. "I don't think I-"
A small voice spoke. "I believe in you."
The auburn bear looked at Beary in surprise and saw nothing but pure childish innocence in his hazel eyes. 'I can't let a kid down. Especially one with those eyes. They're just too innocent,' he thought. Out loud, he said, "I still think this is a bad idea." He looked into the cub's eyes again and his feelings resolved. "But I'll do it." With that, he stood, took his fiddle from Roadie — who had just arrived — then walked up the stage.
As the lead singer began to strum the electric guitar, Zeb couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should just back out. But this guy, the head of the band, was making fun of him. Time to return the favor.
His fiddle began to screech as he attempted to play it for the first time in almost ten years. He winced as the harsh screeching reached his ears. In fact, everyone in the bar winced as well.
It was over.
Zeb looked at the crowd with failure in his eyes.
It was then that he heard a cheer amongst the crowd. Surprised, he looked out and saw Beary and Jewel cheering him on even though so many were booing the fiddler. 'Why are they cheering me on? I failed. Don't they know that?' he wondered in confusion. Still, the cubs continued to cheer him on. Something changed within the thirty-six-year-old. He knew he could do it.
Zeb took a deep breath and began to sing, "Woah, now hold on just a minute! Hold that jive! Cause I can feel this fiddle 'bout to come alive!" Just like he said it would, his fiddle did come "alive". For the first time in ten years, he felt good. The cheering crowd egged him on. "That felt so good!"
After that, the real musical duel truly began. They were shoving each other, jamming out, trying to out-play the opposing force while the crowd cheered them on. Finally, the lead singer backed down when the notes became too high for his ears.
Zeb raised his arms, knowing he had won.
"Go Zeb!" Henry shouted.
"Yeah, go Zeb!" Beary and Jewel shouted, echoed by many of the people in the bar.
Zeb fell over, though, much to the surprise and amusement of the others. Fred and Henry went to pick him up, while Roadie, Beary, and Jewel placed their orders for their meals.
