AN1 Hi :) I have had to split the chapter into at least two parts. The first part of Red Team's night is a massive 12,000 words, and I have further scenes that are at least another 12,000 words. I do NOT feel like publishing and proofreading through a mammoth 24,000 worded chapter all in one go, and I'm sure 99% of readers wouldn't have the time to read it anyway, so I have had to split it LOL! Consequently, I'll try my very best to avoid posting teasers moving forward. Because as fun as they are to tease, it puts pressure on me to deliver the content in the very next chapter that it was originally promised in. I have actually stated this before, in this very same story! But once more I have fallen into the teaser trap. *That's another fine mess you've got me into!*
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Fifteen: Rest & Relaxation: Part Two
Thursday, 1 November, 2007
"I hope you all clocked that black van that was parked outside the base?" Cole asked, glancing around his teammates as Red Team entered inside their usual pub ran by Jim, the friendly landlord.
The entire team began to nod as they made their way towards the bar.
"Yeah, mate. Chris phoned it in on the way here," John Murray declared.
"Yeah, I did as well," Chuck stated.
"I wonder what the fuck that was all about?" Big Dan asked.
"I have no idea, mate, but you can bet your life that half of the regiment has already phoned it in for sure," Jamie Hughes said.
"Yeah, they're probably flooded with calls. It's probably being dealt with as we speak," Chris said.
The team nodded in agreement once more.
"Right, so who's buying the first round then?" Cole asked as he closed off shoptalk, and he changed the topic as he began to glance around each teammate to find the answer to his question.
"Blue Team are mate! Until we've each used up our twenties!" Bryce reminded his teammate boastfully as he began to laugh while he glanced around his teammates and he awaited their approval of his comment.
Red Team quickly shared the laughter with him, which caused the area that they were presently stood in to suddenly turn very loud, and numerous customers paused their activities to query the sudden loud outburst from the newly arrived team.
The eight teammates then moved to stand at the front of the bar together, where Jim was positioned behind the bar waiting for them.
"You fellas sure are cheerful tonight," Jim declared, glancing around Red Team.
"It's because we won a wager, mate," John Murray said.
"And you're here to spend it all with me?" Jim asked as a smirk crept through his lips.
"You know us too well, mate," Jamie Hughes said.
Jim nodded. "So, what will it be then?"
Red Team began to glance around at each other, as they still hadn't decided who would be buying the first round.
"I'll get the first?" Big Dan offered.
Red Team all began to nod.
"The usual then?" Big Dan asked, looking to the left and right of him at his teammates.
"Yeah, fella," John Murray said, and the rest of the team began to nod.
Jim nodded as he started to prepare the usual order for Red Team.
"Maybe we should order something special for our two lovebirds, though? Seeing as it's their first night together. We may as well celebrate it in style," Big Dan teased as he glanced at Chuck and Sarah, and Chris, Cole, John, Jamie and Bryce burst into laughter.
Chuck and Sarah began to shake their heads, and in unison, they said, "Piss off, Dan!"
Big Dan laughed. "Look, they're at it again! They're speaking the same language again, and now they're even speaking in unison! I'm telling you all, by the end of tonight, these two will be sharing a bed!" Big Dan said as he continued to torment his two teammates.
"Aww, leave them alone, Dan, they're in love," John Murray declared as he got in on the ribbing, which only furthered the laughter of all of the team except for Chuck and Sarah, who now began to glare at John Murray instead.
"And don't you fucking start!" Chuck said in frustration as he continued his glare towards the Scot.
"I tell you what, maybe we should all just order them one drink, and they can both share it, seeing as they'll be sharing a lot of things moving forward. It will save us some money," Big Dan said as he continued his ribbing, and Chuck and Sarah both became embarrassed, and frustration continued to build for the pair over their team's ribbing of the kiss they had shared, which they now began to deeply regret.
"We'll get you back for this, you know?" Sarah said, glancing around all of her team, and Chuck began to nod in strong agreement of her words.
"I don't doubt it. But for now, let's continue to celebrate your first night together," Big Dan stated before he began to make smooching noises, and he started to move in towards Chuck and Sarah in an attempt to kiss them both. He was quickly joined by the rest of Red Team attempting to do the same, which led to Chuck and Sarah to begin slapping away the offenders until they finally ceased their actions. The six teammates then burst into laughter, while Chuck and Sarah remained unamused, and the team moved to sit on the bar stools together, where they were promptly served their drinks from the friendly landlord.
John Murray then began to speak. "I would just like to propose a toast," he paused as he raised his pint of beer into the air. "To Chuck and Sarah."
The six members of Red Team minus Chuck and Sarah all burst into laughter, while Chuck and Sarah began to shake their heads once more.
"May they live long and happy together," Cole said, and Chuck shot his best friend an immediate glare, closely followed by Sarah doing the same.
"So, when's the marriage?" Big Dan asked as Red Team continued to tease and torment their two friends.
"With Sarah being one of the lads, they'll need two best men," Jamie Hughes joked which furthered the laughter of three-quarters of Red Team, while Chuck and Sarah continued to shake their heads in embarrassment and in disgust at their teammates but right now, they felt like enemies instead.
"For god's sake, we did what we did to save the mission! And I'm sorry we did it now!" Sarah complained as she had now had enough of the teasing.
"Yeah, me too," Chuck agreed.
"Based on how you were kissing each other, and for how long it lasted, you didn't appear to regret it or be sorry it happened at the time," Jamie said.
"Speaking of which. We need more information. Were tongues involved in this kiss?" Big Dan asked.
"That's an excellent question, fella. So, do either of you two have an answer to Big Dan's question?" John Murray asked.
"Mind your own business!" Chuck and Sarah said in unison.
"Here they go again," Big Dan teased as Red Team continued to chuckle at the misfortunes of Chuck and Sarah.
"I want to die!" Sarah declared as she hung her head into her hands in extreme embarrassment over being tormented endlessly.
"So do I! I'll join you!" Chuck said in agreement.
"Yeah, we thought you would, mate," John Murray continued the tormenting.
"Aww, leave the happy couple alone," Jim said as he got in on the joke.
Three-quarters of Red Team burst into approving laughter once more. While Sarah raised her head up out of her hands, and she shot Jim a deadly looking glare.
"Don't start, Jim!" Chuck warned as he began to point at him.
"Nice one, Jimbo!" Big Dan said in approval, and Jim smirked satisfactorily.
"Will you all please stop?" Sarah begged, glancing around her team before her gaze lowered down at the counter of the bar in depression and sadness from being teased endlessly by her own teammates.
"If you give us a repeat performance of Birmingham for the ones that didn't catch it, yeah," John Murray said.
Sarah raised her glance, and she began to look at Chuck, who was gazing back at her, and they shared the glance for an extended moment in contemplation, which was a bad idea because the rest of their team quickly caught on.
"Look at them! They're even contemplating it!" Big Dan said.
Sarah nodded. "If it gets you all to shut up, then yeah!" she complained as she puffed out a huge sigh stemmed from the extensive ribbing she had taken since she arrived at the pub.
Chuck nodded in agreement, while three-quarters of Red Team started to laugh once more.
Sensing the frustration quickly building for Chuck, Bryce said, "Maybe we should stop. Before Chuck decks the lot of us."
Chuck strongly began to nod his head in agreement. "I'm glad someone has their senses about them tonight!" he said in an unamused tone.
The teasing of Chuck and Sarah finally stopped, and Red Team began to consume their first round of drinks.
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
A short while later
All eight members of Red Team were still seated at the bar, and they had just received their second round of drinks.
"Cheers," Cole said.
"Up your ass," Big Dan replied, which caused laughter amongst Red Team as the team of eight took a sip of their second drinks.
There was a short silence between the comrades and friends until John Murray broke the silence, and he declared, "Crap, we forgot to order just the one drink for the happy couple."
His comment earnt him laughter from three-quarters of Red Team, while Chuck and Sarah began to shake their heads in frustration once more.
"Oh, here we go again!" Sarah complained as she continued to shake her head.
"You know what, Sarah? Seeing as they're already coming to a thousand conclusions over what happened, we may as well sit together on our own and get some peace," Chuck suggested in a serious tone.
"Be our guest, fella! Because we look out for our mates. There's nothing wrong with having a good time off-duty. So go and enjoy yourselves. For all I give a fuck, you can even both kiss each other again if that's what you want," Big Dan said as Chuck and Sarah's six teammates all started their kissing noises once more for a short while until the teasing stopped again, and the team began to consume their second round of drinks.
A short while later
Red Team was halfway through their second round of drinks when they began to pay attention to one of the television screens present inside of the pub. A news anchor was standing outside of a barracks that looked all too familiar for Red Team because it was the very same one that the team was stood outside of themselves less than twelve hours ago.
"This is BBC News at seven o'clock. We are live with you on Williams Street, just outside the Prince of Wales Barracks in Birmingham. Where just before ten o'clock this morning, an Islamist plot to kill a British soldier was foiled with just seconds to spare before reaching its conclusion just yards away from where we are standing. And in the last few moments, we have obtained video footage from News Now Media Corporation, which appears to show the incident unfolding before our own eyes."
Red Team was now glued to the TV screen, and every member of the team was drowning out the noise of the busy pub as the team concentrated on watching the leaked footage of their operation playing out on the television screen.
"Take note of the white Vauxhall Corsa D as it begins to increase its speed at a rapid pace before it crashes into the car in front of it and it performs a ramming manoeuvre to bring the terrorists' vehicle to a stop. We can now see as two individuals whose faces have been blurred for their own protection begin to exit the Vauxhall with weapons drawn, and what proceeds to happen is an armed takedown of three Islamists. Because of its graphic content, the footage has been blurred, but having watched the video off-camera, BBC News can report that the first soldier shoots the two men that had departed from the vehicle. While the second soldier begins to fire upon the driver that had remained inside the vehicle. We will have much more on this failed attack throughout the evening."
Red Team began to shake their heads in frustration over their operation being leaked and ending up all over the seven o'clock news.
"What the fuck!?" Cole asked in shock.
"How the fuck did that get out?!" Chris asked in anger.
"I'm not sure, mate. But heads are going to roll!" Jamie Hughes declared.
"Fucking hell!" Big Dan complained as Red Team continued to shake their heads over their classified operation now becoming household news.
"If this footage wasn't blurred, then Chuck and Sarah would both be saying goodbye to their careers right now," Cole declared.
Red Team all began to nod.
"Fucking dickheads, man! The job is hard enough as it is, and we sweat our asses off in the most demanding training possible just to get here and pricks like this come along and pull shit like this. I hate journalist pricks," Bryce said in frustration.
"You and me both, mate!" Big Dan said in complete agreement, and all of Red Team began to nod in agreement with Bryce's rant, as they all felt the exact same as their teammate.
"Command is going to be pissed right now," Chuck stated.
"Yeah, I'd be surprised if our pagers didn't go off so that they can demand some immediate answers. You can bet that they'll be banging the OPSEC (operational security) drums right about now," John Murray said.
"We're out of the country!" Chris suddenly declared as he took a gulp of his pint of Guinness. He was very much looking forward to the next three days off work, all of the team were actually, and if Red Team were called back into work over this, then you could bet your life that it would cause each member of Red Team to enter into a pissed off state of mind. They had worked hard against the clock for several days, and they had earnt this R&R that they had been given from the CO of 22 SAS.
"Don't jinx it, John, you pillock!" Big Dan complained while shaking his head at his teammate, and the rest of Red Team began to voice their agreement of Big Dan's complaint.
"Jim!" Jamie Hughes called out, and he waited until the landlord turned to look at him. "If anyone asks, we're not here!"
Jim nodded while Red Team burst into approving laughter at their comrade's remarks, and they shared the merriment for a long moment as they moved to pick up their glasses, and the team took another mouthful of their alcoholic beverages.
It then took Red Team a short while of headshaking over their operation leaking to the mainstream media before they could move on from it, and they finally began their night of relaxing in each other's company.
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
A short while later
"Hey, Dan, give Chuck and Sarah a break now, yeah?" Cole said while he was stood next to Dan at the pool table inside the pub. Red Team had now split from being in the same location. Cole and Dan were playing pool together. Bryce and Jamie Hughes were talking to some of the single women inside the pub. Chris and John Murray were stood at the bar together. And Chuck and Sarah were seated at a large table that Red Team had moved to just a short while ago.
Big Dan paused from preparing his shot to glance at Cole instead. "Come on, mate, I'm not an idiot, nor am I a sadist. I can tell she's extremely unsettled by it. I was just joking in good spirits, but I know when to stop," he complained.
Cole nodded. "I know, Dan. I'm just looking out for a friend," he said.
Big Dan nodded. "And I can respect that, Cole. I know he's your best mate and you'd run through hell for him if he was ever in trouble. It's all in good spirits, fella. I seriously wouldn't give a fuck if they both got off together right now to go back to whoever's to start shagging each other silly for the entire weekend. You know me, and you know that I'm too easy-going to dictate what my mates can and can't do off-duty in their own time," he said.
Cole nodded and extending out his hand towards Big Dan, which Big Dan accepted, Cole said, "And that's what I like most about you, Dan. Everyone knows where they stand around you. You don't hold anything back, and you say what you have to say, and I appreciate that."
Big Dan nodded before he proceeded to take his shot.
Meanwhile, at the table allocated to Red Team, Chuck and Sarah were engaged in a conversation of their own.
"God, I thought they would never stop," Sarah said as she began to gaze at Chuck in embarrassment.
Chuck smiled at her. "I know. They're proper bastards when they get going," he said.
Sarah nodded. "That's putting it kindly, Chuck! I wanted to strangle them! I probably still do," she said as she began to laugh.
Chuck emitted a lighthearted chuckle. "Me too," he agreed.
Smirking, she said, "Maybe we can poison them in their sleep?"
"That's actually an excellent idea," Chuck said as he began to grin.
Sarah suppressed a laugh.
"After that monster ribbing we just took though, Sarah, I definitely regret that kiss now," Chuck admitted.
Sarah began to suppress another laugh, and gazing into his eyes, she smiled as she said, "Me too."
"Though at least we did learn one thing from it," Chuck added in.
"What's that?" Sarah asked as she held her gaze.
Grinning at her, he said, "That you're a good kisser."
A full, affectionate smile now took shape on Sarah's face. "So are you," she declared.
He held his grin towards her, and she held her smile towards him for a long moment before they took a mouthful of their third round of drinks.
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
A short while later
Chuck, Dan and Chris were now playing darts with each other. While Bryce and John were engaged in conversation with three single women inside the pub, and Sarah, Cole and Jamie were stood together at the bar.
Since Sarah had arrived at the bar section of the pub with her two teammates just a few minutes ago, she had mostly been quiet. Because the truth was that she had been somewhat distracted, as her gaze mainly had been fixated over towards Chuck, who would return her glance occasionally.
Sarah, Cole and Jamie had just ordered the fourth round of drinks for Red Team, and Sarah was still gazing over towards Chuck when Jamie Hughes began speaking to her, and she broke her gaze from Chuck, and she began to look at Jamie instead.
"It's ok to like him, you know?" Jamie said.
Sarah broke her gaze from Jamie briefly, and she began to look down at the floor in embarrassment from being caught staring at Chuck.
"He's an attractive and friendly guy. You're an attractive and friendly girl. I don't see what the problem is?" Jamie continued, and Sarah raised her gaze to look at her teammate once more, and as she did so, she caught Cole Barker nodding in agreement.
"After the onslaught you all gave us both just earlier?" Sarah said as she scoffed briefly, and she began to rotate her gaze between the two teammates in her immediate proximity.
"Sarah, it was all in good spirits, mate. There's only one member on this team who would care if you both hooked up with each other tonight, and that's Bryce. And we all know why that is," Jamie said.
Sarah took in and she registered Jamie's words, but she didn't respond with a comment. Instead, she puffed out a sigh, and she raised a hand to rest on her chin.
Unwilling to let the conversation drop, Jamie continued on, "It happens all the time in the regular army. Being attracted to your teammate isn't a crime. Life in the army is no different to civilian life. If you're attracted to your coworker, then you're attracted to them, it's as simple as that."
"But this isn't the regular army, nor the civilian world," she said.
Jamie nodded. "Granted. But what's your point exactly?"
Sarah puffed out another brief anxious sigh, and she broke her gaze from Jamie briefly, before returning it back in place. "My point, Jamie, is that I am the first female in the SAS. I'm expected to carry that mantle, and to represent it well," she declared.
Jamie and Cole both began to shake their heads in frustration because they strongly disagreed with her point, and Cole quickly entered himself into the discussion, "That's bollocks! You can live whatever life you want to off-duty. You could date a pornstar, a painter, a builder, or an SAS soldier and it would be your business and nobody else's. It only gets sticky if you bring it to work, lass."
Sarah nodded. "But that's my point, Cole. What if it did end up being brought into work?" she asked as the three teammates continued to engage in their lively and heated discussion.
"You both have your heads screwed on. I'm sure you're both mature enough to not allow it to compromise or to impair your professional judgment with each other. And provided you both do that, then at least five of your teammates will root for you both because I do agree that Bryce wouldn't take it too well," Cole said.
Sarah once more remained quiet, because she didn't find verbally communicating her feelings to be an easy accomplishment, especially if it concerned her own love life, but she processed Cole's argument, and she continued to gaze at him.
"Sarah, look at Bryce and John over there," Jamie said as he paused and he nodded over to where the two teammates were stood, and they appeared to be having a great time as they were laughing and flirting away with members of the opposite sex. "They're off-duty just like you, and they're having a great time. While you're stood here, placing barriers that don't need to be placed between yourself and Chuck. If it's what you both want, then I say go for it, mate."
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
A short while later
Chuck was stood alone at a jukebox inside the pub. Abandoning her position at the bar, where Sarah had been seated alone for a short while, she began to walk towards her teammate with two drinks, one for herself, and one for Chuck. He quickly became alert to her arrival, and he abandoned his activity on the jukebox, and he turned his attention towards Sarah.
"Hi," she said as she came to a stop in his vicinity, and she began to gaze at him.
"Hiya," he replied as a loving grin directed towards her formed.
She returned his warm glance with a smile of her own, and she declared," I brought you something you might like," as she handed him his next drink.
Grinning, he moved to take the beer glass from her, and gazing into her eyes, he said, "Thanks, gorgeous."
Sarah broke eye contact with him for the briefest of moments as her mind began to register what she thought of his comment he had just made towards her.
And having successfully analyzed how she felt about his compliment, she returned her gaze to make eye contact with him once more, and she smiled at him.
They then began to take a sip from their drinks, and turning her attention towards the jukebox briefly, she nodded at it, before gazing right back at him, and she asked, "Whatcha doin'?"
He held his grin that had been present since she arrived in his company, and he declared, "I'm just picking some good old-fashioned music to jam to."
She suppressed a laugh while holding her affectionate smile towards him.
"Care to help me pick?" he asked.
Sarah turned a bit fidgety, and she broke her gaze briefly. "I'm not really into music," she admitted.
Continuing his gaze, he laughed as he said, "Nonsense, Sarah, what's your favourite band?"
Sarah remained in pause for an extended moment as she sought out an answer to his question, but nothing came to mind.
"Oh my gosh!" he said with a loving grin as he began to shake his head.
"I'm not into music, I don't like to speak about myself, and I'm not very funny. I must be lousy company for you," Sarah said as began to laugh in shame, now feeling like she had done something very wrong.
"Yeah, you are!" he said with a wide grin.
Sarah shook her head. "Thanks for that!" she said as she moved to swat his arm.
He began to laugh.
"Shut up," she said affectionately, and she began to laugh cutely.
His playful persona quickly ceased, and he turned serious. "Sarah, in all seriousness, without any of the joking or the teasing, I can be myself around you. You're a down to earth girl, and I have never not enjoyed your company since the first day I met you," he admitted.
Sarah began to scoff as she held her warm glance towards him. Sarah Lisa Walker had always had low estimations of herself. Beyond her outer confident and bossy persona, she had always been a girl that felt like she didn't have much to offer. She would even go as far as to consider herself boring to be around, so for Chuck to now say the opposite, it had her a little unconvinced, to say the least... "You're just saying that to get into my pants."
Chuck narrowed his eyebrows. "That was forward," he stated.
Sarah laughed. "It's true though, right?" she asked as she continued to stare into his chocolate orbs.
He shook his head. "Actually, it's not true at all. Not even remotely," he declared.
Smirking at him, she said, "So you don't want to get into my pants?"
He shook his head as he began to laugh briefly. "Sarah, I would have to be the dumbest guy on the planet if I didn't want that," he admitted as they continued to stare into each other's eyes.
She laughed as she began to nod. "See, I was right."
He shook his head in complete disagreement. "But Sarah, you were wrong, ok? You were totally wrong. Because we are talking about music, and we are talking about what kind of company you are to be around. We aren't talking about whether I find you appealing intimately or not, so you can't bring that into the discussion and use it to win an argument, because that's not fair. I didn't say what I said to get into your pants. I said it because, for me, it's the truth. I love being in your company, and it's not because I want to get into your pants, because that, comes separate," he said with confidence.
Sarah suddenly gulped a nervous breath of air. She didn't have a response to give him back. She had quite clearly lost the argument. Luckily for Sarah, he didn't gloat about that. Instead, he changed his attention towards the jukebox once more.
"I know just the perfect song to get you into music, starting from tonight," he declared as he pressed a few buttons, and a record began to play inside the pub.
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel
Chuck turned his attention towards Sarah once more, and he gazed at her, and she smiled at him as they began to enjoy the record together.
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
The jazz instruments began to play, and Chuck began to sway from side to side from where he stood while grinning at her, and she held her smile towards him as the teammates and friends continued to listen to the record.
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
"And I'm feeling good," Chuck declared as he held his grin towards her, and he took a sip from the beer that Sarah had handed him just earlier.
Sarah suppressed a laugh as she continued to gaze at him, and the teammates continued on with enjoying the record.
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
Sarah began to sway along with Chuck as they held their warm gaze on toward each other. She was really enjoying this particular song, and it was clear that even if she didn't have much of a feel for music, then Chuck certainly did.
Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
The record finished playing, and Sarah began to digest what she had just heard. There was certainly a lot of soul attached to that song. And, somewhat surprisingly to her, she actually really enjoyed the record that Chuck had just played for her.
"So, how was it then?" he asked, grinning at her as he moved to take another sip of his beer.
"I liked it," she admitted, returning his warm gaze.
"I knew you would. I'll soon get you into music. If any of the team had overheard you saying you weren't really into music, you would be lynched. Everybody loves music," he stated, holding his grin.
She smiled at him as she suppressed a laugh.
"If I have to, Sarah, then I'll bring you to concerts and music festivals until you have repented for your sins, and you have embraced the gift that is music," he teased.
"I'm not sure about that," she said, holding her affectionate smile.
"I won't take no for an answer!" he shot back, holding his warm grin.
"Ok," she laughed.
Chuck and Sarah then began to walk back over towards the bar, and they moved to take a seat next to each other on the bar stools.
"Do you fancy something stronger than that?" Sarah asked with a wicked smile, glancing at his pint of beer.
He nodded. "If you're buying, yeah."
Her wicked smile developed into a full, loving smile instead. "What's wrong with you buying for once?" she teased.
Grinning, he said, "I'll buy the next one," as he winked at her.
Sarah giggled sweetly before she proceeded to order something somewhat stronger for both herself, and for Chuck.
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
A short while later
Chuck and Sarah were still seated at the bar together, and they were turned on their barstools to face each other. There was a temporary break in their conversation with each other when Chuck began to notice out of the corner of his eye as a short Indian guy, and a Sam Kinison lookalike entered through the main entrance of the pub. Chuck adjusted his glance slightly so that he could better observe as the two men began to glance around the pub before the short Indian guy met Chuck's gaze briefly, but he quickly broke his gaze away from Chuck and seemed to turn nervous. The two men then began to stroll towards the bar, but the short one was now looking at anywhere but Chuck. They quickly moved out of Chuck's line of sight, because the two men had moved to stand behind him at the bar.
Chuck returned his gaze onto Sarah, who also broke from looking at the two men standing behind Chuck, and they began to make eye contact with each other again.
"Same again?" Chuck asked as he shifted his glance to the right of them, and he nodded at their consumed shorts.
Sarah nodded, and she sported him an affectionate smile, which he returned. They then adjusted themselves to face the front of the bar once more, and Chuck called out to Jim, "Same again, please, mate, when you're ready."
Jim nodded before he disappeared out from sight for the next minute until he returned, and he came to a stop just in front of Chuck and Sarah behind the bar.
"Two of the same coming right up for the happy couple," Jim stated with a smirk.
Chuck and Sarah began to shake their heads once more.
"Don't start that again, Jim! We're just trying to enjoy ourselves and have a good time after a long day, and we don't need people killing our feel-good mood!" Sarah protested.
Chuck nodded. "Yeah, you're becoming as bad as the team, mate. We'll take our custom elsewhere if you don't pack it in," Chuck threatened.
Jim chuckled. "I'm sorry. Your friends are a bad influence on my teasing side," he stated as he began to prepare Chuck and Sarah's drinks.
Chuck and Sarah were then joined where they were seated at the bar by Big Dan, John and Chris, who all came to stand behind their two teammates.
"Did he just call us a bad influence?" Big Dan asked, and Chuck and Sarah arched themselves to look behind themselves to glance at their teammates.
"Yeah, he did," Chuck said.
"I thought he did. The cheeky bastard," Big Dan said, glancing at Jim, who began to chuckle.
"Well, it's true. You are bad influences," Sarah declared as Chuck began to nod in agreement.
Big Dan, John Murray and Chris all began to wince.
"That's not very nice," John Murray said.
"Well you'll find that I'm not a very nice person to people I don't like," Sarah said, glancing at Big Dan.
Big Dan, Jamie, Chris and Chuck all began to laugh at her remarks.
Jim then returned with Chuck and Sarah's drinks, and Chuck handed him the money, and Jim departed out from sight to attend to something else.
"None for us?" Chris asked.
Chuck shifted his glance to look behind himself once more. "When you stop busting our balls, then maybe we'll be generous enough to get you something on the sly outside of our rounds," he said.
Sarah nodded in complete agreement.
"I mean, it's tempting," Big Dan said, but he paused to glance at John Murray. "What do you reckon, mate?"
John Murray raised his hand up to his chin, before he said, "Tempting, sure, but no deal."
Chris, John and Dan all broke into laughter before they proceeded to start the kissing noises once more, which caused Chuck and Sarah to begin to shake their heads. With the amount of head-shaking the pair had had to do today, it was a surprise that their necks hadn't already snapped.
Chris, John and Dan then departed away from Chuck and Sarah, and the two teammates turned to face each other once more.
"I give up," Sarah declared as she gazed at Chuck with a loving smile.
"Our teammates are sadists," Chuck said.
Sarah strongly began to nod her head, and she held her smile. "Agreed," she said, as the pair moved to pick up their drinks and they both took a large gulp from their glass to drown their sorrows together.
The pair then paused in silence, as they continued to share a warm gaze with each other, and Jim soon returned to the front of the bar.
"Can I get you two anything?" Jim asked, glancing at the two men that had entered the pub several minutes ago, and Chuck and Sarah began to glance at Jim.
"Excuse me?" one of the men replied.
Chuck then shifted himself so that he could glance at the two men behind him once more, while Sarah already had them in her sight.
Jim shook his head in frustration. "It's a pub, fellas. You've been standing at the bar for a short while, so would you like to order anything?"
The Sam Kinison lookalike began to shake a thermos flask in his hand, and he grinned at Jim.
Chuck and Sarah then watched on as Jim shook his head in frustration once more. "I'm sorry, only items purchased on the premises may be consumed here, so can I take your order?"
Chuck and Sarah continued to watch on as the short Indian guy turned to the Sam Kinison lookalike and he said, "Actually, Jeffrey, I am feeling a bit parched!"
The short Indian guy then turned to look at Jim once more, and he said, "I'll take a lemonade!"
"Can I have some pork scratchings?" the Sam Kinison lookalike asked.
Jim nodded, and he moved to collect a glass before he promptly returned to the machine housing the lemonade in the bar, and he was about to pour it, but he stopped short because the short Indian guy began to speak once more. "Actually, I'm feeling… adventurous! I'll have a Shirley Temple!" he declared as he began to laugh, and Jim shook his head once more, and he puffed out a long sigh before he began to prepare the newly requested order.
"This is a nice place, Jeffrey! Well, that is if you're a time traveller from the Middle Ages, and all you're used to is a tavern full of serfs! All they need is some straw on the floor, and a pig in the corner and the travellers will feel right at home!" the short Indian guy joked, and he began to laugh hysterically at his own joke.
Chuck and Sarah watched on as Jim overheard the joke, and the friendly barman's growing frustration continued to build.
The teammates then began to glance at each other, and with wry smiles stemmed from the exchanges between the Jim and the two idiots, they shook their heads at each other.
Jim then returned to the front of the bar with the prepared Shirley Temple, and he was about to speak, but he stopped when the short Indian guy began speaking once more, "Actually, homie, it's a Thursday! I'll go out in a blaze of glory, and I'll have a Dirty Shirley!" he said excitedly, as he began to laugh once more.
"Are you taking the piss, mate?" Jim said in frustration as he continued to shake his head at the two men.
Chuck now had to fight hard to hold in his laughter, and he turned to glance at Sarah once more.
"Shall we go back to the table?" she suggested as she began to smirk at him.
Chuck nodded, and the two teammates moved to stand. They then turned themselves to glance at Jim a final time, who still appeared to be in a pissed off state of mind.
Smirking, Chuck said, "Good luck with that, mate," as he nodded over at the two men at the bar.
Jim nodded, and Chuck and Sarah departed away from the bar, and they walked over to the large table that had been allocated to Red Team.
On arrival at the table, they climbed themselves in, and they took a seat next to each other on the large seating booth. Chuck began to outstretch his arm, and he rested it idly on the frame of the enclosure behind Sarah's back.
"That's actually one of the first times I've heard Jim swear in my three years of coming here since I've been with the Regiment," Chuck declared as he broke his gaze from looking over at the bar, and he began to gaze at Sarah who was seated just a few inches away from him.
Sarah broke her glance from the bar, and she arched herself to look at her teammate to the left of her, and she smiled at him. "I'm not surprised. He looked really pissed off," she said.
Grinning, he said, "It serves him right for getting in on the team's joke!"
Sarah developed a radiant smile as she held her gaze from where she was positioned in close proximity to her teammate. "I'll drink to that," she said as they collected their drinks, and they moved to touch their glasses together, and they took a hit from their shorts, as they held their purposeful gaze towards each other.
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
A short while later
Chuck and Sarah were still at the table assigned to Red Team, and they were still seated next to each other, only the rest of the team had now reunited together, and the entire team of eight were sat around the table.
"What is it with those weirdos?" Big Dan asked as Red Team glanced over towards the short Indian guy and the Sam Kinison lookalike.
"I'm not sure," Cole Barker said, and Red Team observed as the taller one began to glance all around the pub before he took a sneak gulp from his thermos flask on obviously feeling confident that nobody was watching him.
Red Team began to shake their heads, and they continued to observe for several minutes as the two suspicious men began attempting to talk to women at the bar. The tall one had a bag of pork scratchings in his hand, and Red Team watched on as he extended the open bag in his hand out, and he brought it towards one of the women's faces in an attempt at offering her some of the product. He did, however, not appear to get the reaction that he was hoping for, as the woman shot him a look of disgust, and Red Team watched on as the woman proceeded to slap away the bag of pork scratchings, and it fell out of his hand, and it landed on the floor of the pub.
The lively pub suddenly exploded with laughter, as all of Red Team in addition to numerous other tables inside the pub quickly filled with laughter as they observed as the Sam Kinison lookalike sunk to his knees and he began crawling around on the floor to pick up the dropped pork scratchings.
"What a total freak he is!" Bryce said, glancing at the guy on the floor that was rushing to pick up his pork scratchings.
"Mate, the other one is no better!" Jamie Hughes said.
Red Team sharply voiced their agreement with their comrade.
"From which lunatic asylum did those two originate from?" Chris asked.
"The most secure one in the country, mate!" Big Dan said, which earnt him some laughter from some of the tables in the immediate proximity of Red Team's table, and Red Team quickly joined in on the laughter once more.
The team then began to consume their latest round of drinks while they continued to observe the two strange men present inside of the pub.
A few minutes passed without incident until Red Team began to watch as the short guy handed the taller one his drink, and he confidently began to stroll over to an attractive, young adult female inside of the pub. What then followed, nobody inside the pub could have predicted, as the short guy and the female engaged in a brief conversation, before the young woman appeared to take offence to something that the guy had said to her. She then proceeded to line up a slap onto the face of the guy, and the slap connected with enough ferocity that it caused the short guy to fall backwards onto the floor of the pub.
The busy pub once more exploded with laughter, only this sudden outburst of laughter was substantially louder than the earlier outbreak, as every customer inside of the pub all began to laugh at the misfortunes of the short Indian guy that was now laid out on the floor of the pub. They then observed as he glanced all around the pub, before he unconvincingly shouted, "I'm ok!"
It took quite some time for the laughter inside of the pub to subside, and Red Team could only shake their heads in disbelief at each other over what they had witnessed since they had arrived back at their table together.
"That was a brutal knockdown! My missus would have been proud of that one!" Big Dan joked.
Laughter once more quickly erupted between Red Team, and also from the immediate tables around Red Team's table that had overheard Big Dan's joke.
"Yeah, that had to hurt," John Murray declared.
"Mate, why didn't any of us record that?" Jamie Hughes asked, with his mouth held agape in excitement from what he had just seen.
Red Team immediately began to groan at the missed opportunity, before they took ahold of their alcoholic beverages, and they took another drink from them.
O-x-O-x-O-x-O
"Are you ok, Lester?" Jeff asked, glancing at his friend who had now picked himself up off the floor.
"I'm fine, Jeffrey!" Lester said while he was holding his face with his hand from where he had just been slapped by the angry but attractive female that he had made an advancement toward. "I think she likes me!"
Jeff nodded, and he handed Lester back his Dirty Shirley, and Lester took the drink from his best friend. He then raised it up to his mouth to take a sip of it, while being careful to only drink from the right side of his mouth, because the left side was already beginning to swell from the ferocious slap that he had just taken from the angry female.
Jeff and Lester then returned to sit at the bar to continue to blend in so that they could observe Blondie and the overseer of the alien race that they had encountered while they were in Birmingham several days ago.
Jeff then began to consume his salvaged pork scratchings for several minutes. While Lester occasionally took sips of his Dirty Shirley from the right side of his mouth until he was alerted to the pub owner departing from behind the bar, and he was holding onto a microphone stand as he walked with purpose out into the main area of the open-plan pub. On arrival at his destination, he began to set up the karaoke for a few minutes.
Lester suddenly became very excited at the prospect of showcasing to the pub the talent of Jeffster, and he moved to elbow Jeff who was sat next to him to get him to pay attention.
Jeff shifted himself to glance at the contact from Lester.
"Jeffrey, he's setting up karaoke!" Lester exclaimed in excitement.
Jeff began to nod his head up and down, and a smile pursed through his lips. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Lester?" he asked.
"You're damn right I am, Jeffrey!" Lester said in continued excitement.
The best friends waited for several minutes, and their excitement began to build each passing second until finally, the owner of the pub started to speak into the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention," the pub owner said, and he waited until the lively chatter in the pub quietened, and the customers began to pay attention to him. "It's Thursday night, and you all know what that means. It's karaoke night!"
Lester suddenly darted up from the stool of the bar, and he began to jump up and down with immense joy. "Yes!" he exclaimed as he raised his fists into the air.
"As usual, I will be taking requests for a few minutes, and then we'll get on with the night," the pub owner declared.
Lester quickly hurried over to where the karaoke was set up, but there were already two people waiting ahead of him, and he waited patiently until the pub owner turned his attention towards him.
The landlord shook his head, and with a sigh, he said, "What's your name, mate?"
"It's Jeff and Lester, and we'll be performing together as Jeffster!" Lester said with excitement.
The owner of the pub sighed once more. "What song?"
"Mr. Roboto, by Styx!" Lester said with continued excitement.
"Alright, leave it with me. You're on second," he said.
Lester then returned back to the company of Jeff.
"Are we on?" Jeff asked.
"You bet your life we are, Jeffrey! We're on second!" Lester said.
Jeff nodded as the two best friends then paused in the bar for several minutes as they awaited the karaoke night to begin.
The landlord then began to speak into the microphone once more. "Ok ladies and gentlemen, please show your applause for Emily, who will be singing Mr. Brightside by The Killers!" he said, and the pub suddenly got very loud as the customers began to applaud the female that started to take to the microphone.
Lester rolled his eyes as he gazed at the female now stood over the microphone. The faster she finished her performance, the quicker he would be able to show the pub what real music sounded like.
"Thank you," Emily said with a smile as she glanced around the pub at all of the people that had applauded her.
The speakers then began to play the introduction to the song, and Emily quickly began to sing.
Coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
"Rubbish," Lester murmured as he began to cringe, and he covered his face with his hand in embarrassment because he couldn't bear to watch the trainwreck performance unfold before his own eyes.
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
"Boo! Move on! Next in line!" Lester shouted.
Now I'm falling asleep
"So am I!" Lester shouted in contempt.
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
"Tsk, tsk, Jeffrey, the modern generation has such poor taste in music! We'll soon change all that!" Lester said.
And I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control
"The Killers is a fitting name because I will be lucky to escape this performance without it inflicting death upon my young self!" Lester complained as he began to shake his head.
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
"This performance is like a crossover between Dracula and Freddy versus Jason!" Lester complained as he began to laugh hysterically at his own joke.
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside
"She has such a lovely voice," Lester heard somebody say, which caused him to laugh hysterically once more.
"I think someone needs their ears cleaning!" he stated.
I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
(It was only a kiss), it was only a kiss
"Jeffrey, go and fetch the keytar! We'll show these amateurs what real music is all about, my brother!"
Jeff nodded, and he quickly rushed off out of the pub to return to his van.
Emily continued on with her singing, while half of the pub began to join her in a singalong of the song that they all knew the words to as it was one of the most popular songs in the country.
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
"Hurry up! Real musicians are waiting to sing here!" Lester complained.
'Cause I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control
Ninety-nine percent of the lively pub had now joined Emily in the song as they all began to belt out the lyrics in perfect sync with each other "Jealousy, turning saints into the sea! Swimming through sick lullabies! Choking on your alibi! But it's just the price I pay! Destiny is calling me! Open up my eager eyes! 'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside!"
Emily smiled as she glanced around the pub at the large and friendly gathering of pubgoers, and she continued on to finish the end of the song.
I never
I never
I never
I never
Lester began to sing, "I neverrrr want to hear this again!"
In Lester's opinion, the song had finally come to an end and not at a moment too soon.
But it appeared that the rest of the people present inside of the pub did not share his opinion, as the lively pub erupted with rapturous applause, and many approving whistles were promptly directed towards the talented singer.
Emily quickly broke out with a joyful smile as she took in the applause from the friendly crowd, while Lester began to sigh deeply with such overwhelming relief because he no longer had to listen to such codswallop.
"Thank god!" Lester said as he waited to be called up to the microphone so that he could begin his own performance with his best friend, who had now returned into the pub, and he was armed with his keytar.
The landlord then moved up to the microphone. "Thank you, Emily! She was brilliant, wasn't she?" he asked.
The pub suddenly filled with loud voices of agreement over his question, while Lester began to sharply shake his head in disagreement.
"Next up, we have, Jeffster! Everyone give it up for Jeffster!" the pub owner said.
Lester excitedly rushed towards the microphone, with Jeff following on behind, and the best friends were met with many moans of complaint. With some customers inside the pub even going as far as to exit out into the open air.
The introduction to Mr. Roboto then began to play on the speakers inside the pub.
"Prepare to be mind blown!" Lester shouted into the microphone, and he glanced over at his best friend, and he proceeded to nod at him. Jeff nodded in response, and the best friends prepared themselves for their performance.
"Get on with it!" a customer shouted in complaint at the best friends, and the pub quickly filled with voices of approval over that particular customer's comment.
Jeff then began to play his keytar, and he started to sing into the microphone,
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Mata ah-oo hima de
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Himitsu wo shiri tai
"You're rubbish, mate!" a customer suddenly shouted, which earnt him an outpouring of loud, approving laughter inside of the pub.
Lester then began his own first verse of the song.
You're wondering who I am
Followed by Jeff
Secret, secret, I got a secret
Lester took over the duet once more.
Machine or mannequin
Followed by Jeff
Secret, secret, I got a secret
Lester once more took the lead.
With parts made in Japan
Followed by Jeff
Secret, secret, I got a secret.
Followed by Lester
I am the modren man
"You're fucking shit, mate, that's what you are!" someone tall from Blondie's table shouted at the two friends, which earnt further laughter inside of the lively pub.
Lester however, ignored the comments as he was too focused on blowing the pub away with their gifted music,
I've got a secret, I've been hiding, under my skin
"We already know your secret, mate! You're from the lunatic asylum!" another person from Blondie's table interrupted the two best friends as a large section of the pub burst into laughter for an extended period.
My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain I.B.M.
So if you see me acting strangely, don't be surprised
"We're not surprised, mate!" a customer joked as the pub erupted with laughter once more.
I'm just a man who needed someone, and somewhere to hide
To keep me alive-just keep me alive
Somewhere to hide to keep me alive
"Bring back Emily! We want an encore!" a customer shouted, and he was quickly met with loud voices of approval over the suggestion as Jeff and Lester continued on with their song,
I'm not a robot without emotions-I'm not what you see
I've come to help you with your problems, so we can be free
I'm not a hero, I'm not a saviour, forget what you know
I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control
Beyond my control-we all need control
I need control-we all need control
"Where's a power cut when you need one?!" a customer shouted as he began to shake his head, and the pub erupted with laughter once more as numerous other pubgoers began to flood out towards the exit, and Jeffster continued on with the rest of the song.
I am the modren man
who hides behind a mask
So no one else can see
my true identity
"Bloody hell! It's like Friday the 13th in here!" a customer complained and he promptly made for the exit as the pub filled with laughter over the customer's comment.
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
domo... domo
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
domo... domo
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
domo... domo
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
For doing the jobs that nobody wants to
And thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
For helping me escape just when I needed to
Thank you-thank you, thank you
I want to thank you,
please, thank you
"Jim, mate, why the fuck have you allowed these two jokers to ruin the night?!" someone from Blondie's table shouted, and he was met with strong expressions of agreement from every corner of the pub.
The problem's plain to see
too much technology
Machines to save our lives
Machines dehumanize.
"I can't take much more of this before my head explodes!" an angry customer from a corner of the pub complained.
"Same here, mate! Jimbo, go and fetch the paracetamol! But be warned, you're gonna need boxes of the stuff, fella!" someone from Blondie's table shouted back, and the pub erupted with laughter once more.
The time has come at last
Secret, secret, I got a secret
To throw away this mask
Secret, secret, I got a secret
So everyone can see
Secret, secret, I got a secret
My true identity...
I'm Kilroy!
Kilroy!
Kilroy!
Kilroy!
The song came to an end, and Lester threw his arms outstretched into the air as he waited for the applause from the crowd for a long moment, but it never came...
"Thank god for that!" a customer shouted in a frustrated tone, which earnt a loud outpouring of laughter from the rest of the customers inside of the pub for an extended period.
The landlord then began to move towards the microphone, but Jeff and Lester refused to yield the position.
The pub owner then spoke into the microphone, "Thank you. Thank you. Jeffster everybody!"
No applause came, and the landlord moved to stand between Jeff and Lester, and he began to speak into the microphone once more, "Next up, we have Niall with..."
The friendly barman was sharply interrupted, as Lester moved to grab the microphone stand, and he took it away from the landlord to stop him from completing his sentence.
"Who's for an encore?!" Lester shouted into the microphone, as he began to wrestle and fight with the landlord who had also gripped hold of the microphone stand, and Lester and the landlord started a tug of war with each other over the microphone stand as they pulled each other backwards and forwards in an attempt to gain control of the stand.
"NO!" the entire large gathering of customers inside the pub shouted in unison in response to Lester's question, as Lester also began to hear many explicits that quickly followed on afterwards.
"You only get one song, Lester! You've had your turn now pack it in and give me back the microphone!" the landlord complained as he continued to wrestle with Lester for the microphone stand.
Lester was now about to lose the tug of war battle with the pub owner, so he quickly moved to detach the microphone from the stand, and he ran off with the mic over towards another area of the pub, and the landlord gave chase. Lester had now reached another part of the open-plan pub, but the landlord was hot on his tail. He quickly moved to climb onto a large table that numerous customers were all seated around. His actions caused an intense outpouring of groans of complaint from most of the people present inside of the entire pub, and the whole pub locked their gazes onto Lester, who was now stood on top of one of the large tables as the customers that were seated all around that particular table all began to look at him with intense disgust and contempt. While at the same time, the landlord was stood at the foot of the table and he was attempting to reach out to grab Lester to get him down from the table, but he was being blocked from doing so by Jeff, who was running interference and he was stopping the pub owner from getting to his best friend.
"GET HIM DOWN!" a customer began to shout in anger, as he began to point angrily at Lester who continued to stand on top of the large table.
"Get the fuck down from that table right now, you pillock, or I'll throw you off it!" someone from Blondie's table, two tables away shouted at Lester.
"If you don't get down right now, then you're barred for life!" the landlord shouted in anger as he continued to try and reach out to grab Lester, but Jeff was doing a great job in obstructing the pub owner from reaching his friend.
"I have stayed quiet for too long! There is something I need to declare!" Lester started as he shouted into the open microphone.
He took a brief moment to make sure that all eyes were on him, and they were. Even all of the numerous customers that had left the bar during Jeff and Lester's car-crash performance had all returned into the pub to query the loud commotion that was now occurring inside the pub.
"Those people, on that table!" Lester started, as he pointed over at the table that Blondie and the men in her company were around, "are aliens!"
The entire pub suddenly burst into roaring laughter, and at least a dozen people present inside of the pub began to bend over in stitches over Lester's declaration.
"Do you think this is funny? Do you know what I think? I believe that this… place... is very likely a gathering place for your species! Oh, we are on to your little… gathering... You want rid of us because you are trying to hide the evidence! Well, Jeffster will not be silenced! You don't fool Jeffster!" Lester shouted into the microphone, which only furthered the laughter of the large gathering of customers inside of the pub, as they had never witnessed anything so funny in their entire lives.
"You may laugh now, but I have proof!" Lester declared as he shot his glance onto a middle-aged black-haired female that was seated around the table that he was stood on, and she was gazing at him in disgust over his actions. "That hair that you're wearing, that's not real hair! I'm sure that all of your species don't have hair, and that you're all wearing wigs! Oh yes, I know your game! And it's time I proved it!"
Lester immediately bent down towards the middle-aged female. Because his right hand was occupied with holding the microphone, he outstretched his left hand towards the head of the female. He then grabbed hold of her hair, despite resistance from the woman, and he began to yank away at the woman's hair to remove the obvious wig that she was wearing.
This quickly led to a massive outpouring of discontent from everybody present inside of the pub, as most of the customers all rose to stand. Things quickly threatened to turn ugly as the significant portion of the pub that was on their feet all prepared to intervene to help out the middle-aged woman that was having her hair forcefully pulled on by Lester.
"RIGHT, THAT'S IT! YOU'RE BARRED!" the landlord screamed at Lester, as he made another attempt to reach him to pull him down, but Jeff was still interfering magnificently, and he was smirking at the pub owner as he blocked him from getting to his friend.
"Will someone, please, lash this Indian lesbian out of this fucking pub right now before I smack him?" someone at Blondie's table asked in a Mancunian accent.
"Yeah, and Sam Kinison along with him before I deck him as well!" the guy that Jeff and Lester had seen with Blondie for several days shouted in extreme frustration as Blondie's entire table all stood up. The group from that particular table then began to prepare themselves to intervene as Lester started to kick away at people around the table he was stood on, in addition towards people that had arrived to help that particular table at because they were attempting to grab hold of his legs to pull him down from the table before he caused people around him any harm.
Lester continued to kick away at people for a short moment until his attention fixed towards somebody from Blondie's table. He was built like a giant, and he was at least six foot five, and he was heading straight for him.
Meanwhile, Jeff quickly abandoned his interference, because two members from Blondie's table were heading straight for him, and he rushed to take hold of a small round table. He quickly raised it into the air so that he was holding onto the legs, while the actual table piece was facing towards the two men that were coming towards him, and he prepared to use it as a battering ram slash shield.
Lester suddenly paused from kicking away at the people that were around the table, and he focused all of his attention towards the giant of a man that was purposely heading straight for him. Lester attempted to stand his ground as he prepared a kick in the direction of the giant. However, he didn't even stand a chance, as the giant reached up at him in a lunge, and he scowled at him as he took hold of Lester. The giant then proceeded to raise Lester up at least eight feet into the air, and he began to carry Lester towards the exit as Lester could only look down at the giant of a man that he was being carried by. They quickly arrived at the doorway of the pub, and Lester clattered into the wall that was hanging above the entrance, which caused laughter inside the entire pub before the giant kicked open the door, and he lowered Lester until he was now about four feet into the air, and he proceeded to throw him out onto the pavement outside of the pub, and Lester landed forcefully onto the pavement a short distance away from the entrance.
Meanwhile, back inside the pub, Jeff was engaged in a skirmish of his own as he was attempting to ram the two men that had come at him from Blondie's table. They were playing a game of cat and mouse with each other, as Jeff would advance a little, and then he would back off. Jeff began to walk backwards away from the two men that were advancing towards him once more, and as he did do, he clattered into the back of something which caused him to lose his balance. Jeff quickly adjusted himself as he turned himself to query what he had just clattered into.
Now in Jeff's immediate proximity was the same giant of a man that had just thrown out his friend, and he was staring at him in a pissed off state of mind. Based on the physical definition of the giant, he wouldn't look too unfitting at a zoo that housed gorillas!
"You don't scare me, you great big ape!" Jeff declared as he attempted to adjust the table still in his hands to use it as a shield against the huge man that was now towering over him.
However, his attempts were unsuccessful, as the giant moved to yank the table out of Jeff's hands, and he threw it onto the floor. He then proceeded to grab hold of Jeff with one hand to hold him in place, and with his other hand, he prepared an almighty slap that sharply connected onto Jeff's left-sided cheek which impacted with such force, that it caused a loud thudding sound as the slap connected onto Jeff's cheek.
Everybody inside the pub instantly began to wince from the sound of the slap connecting onto Jeff, in addition to watching the slap in real-time with their own eyes. The giant then began to drag Jeff towards the exit of the pub, and he used Jeff's body to open the door in front of him. Once the door was opened, the giant then prepared a forceful push, and just like his best friend, Jeff forcefully landed on his back out on the hard pavement on the grounds outside of the pub.
"And that's only a small taste of what will happen to you both if you even think about coming back inside this pub, you fucking pillocks!" the giant shouted at the two friends that were now laid out in discomfort on the floor outside of the pub.
He then turned around to enter back inside the pub once more...
End of Chapter
I think we now know why Red Team calls him Big Dan! LMAO!
This isn't the last of Jeffster yet, by the way. There's still about another ten chapters of them yet! (but not for a while)
Please review! This chapter is 12,000 words and I want to focus on preparing the next chapter, and I don't want to feel deflated to the point that I won't even feel like writing it if I receive a small number of reviews for a huge chapter that was filled with A LOT of free content.
The next chapter picks up immediately where this chapter finished, as Big Dan returns inside the pub, and the night reaches its conclusion. Events that will happen includes some Red Team scheming, more karaoke, even from a member of Red Team! (I wonder who it is!) The next chapter will be 99% Charah, and things are about to get VERY hot.