Anywhere Else But Here (chapter 17)
Title: Anywhere Else But Here (17/?)
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jalex/ Riassadee/ John Ohh and Josh Franceschi
Summary: Jack has grown up in a world where music is a felony. It was believed to influence kids too much. Jack had never known the beautiful world of music. That is, until the day the beautiful Alex Gaskarth walked into his life and showed him the truth behind music. The beauty everyone had been hiding from him for so long.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone and the title cred goes to Simple Plan.
Master Post
Alex wasn't sure what he'd planned on doing once he got to the lookout. He wanted to say he had a spectacular idea, but, alas, that was not the case. When he finally was looking up at the tall structure, he was scared. He had to admit it. He wanted Jack beside him, holding his hand, telling him it was okay.
But nothing was okay and not even Jack could convince him of that.
Alex knew he could climb it. He was an expert at climbing things. He'd had to many times in his life. He sucked in a breath and put his hand on one of the poles, not realizing how bad he was shaking until now. He wanted to get them out of there. He wanted Jack to be happy again, like he had been those couple of days in Mark's studio.
He smiled at the distant memory. It was good motivation. He put his foot in the first groove and took the first steps to the top.
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Jack woke up in the middle of the night, not able to fall back asleep. He looked around, smiling at Rian and Cassadee cuddled up to each other and Sierra curled into a ball near them. But when he rolled over to see the face he most wanted to see, he saw only grass.
"Fuck..." He breathed, his mind jumping to every possible scenario... all ending in horrible things. He jumped to his feet and looked around, suddenly thinking of the watch tower.
"No... No!" He whispered, trying to not scream out in fear. Sierra stirred, looking up at him, smiling and then seeing the horror plastered on his face, her eyes grew wide.
"What's wrong, Jack?" She asked, getting to her feet. He couldn't speak for a moment. He didn't want to wake Cassadee and Rian. He grabbed Sierra by the arm and drug her into the woods, his hands shaking.
"Jack, you're scaring me." She said quietly when they'd finally stopped. He was pacing in front of her.
"Alex is gone. I know where he went. He's going to get himself killed." Jack said, his voice shaking beyong belief. Sierra took his hand and she made him look at her.
"We're going to find him and when we do, he'll be fine and lovely like always." She promised him. But not all promises are kept. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay..." He said softly. He winced when he heard a crack of thunder, followed by raindrops dropping steadily at first and then turning into practically a downpour.
"We need to find him... now!" Jack said, tugging on her and running towards the watch tower.
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Mark sat in the cell at the police department. Apparently they hadn't figured out what to do with him. He looked around, the dark and dank place giving him the creeps. This was a police cell, not Alcatraz.
"Mark?" He heard a voice then footsteps coming towards his cell. He stood up and looked through the bars to see Dave. He was completely shaved and wearing a black v neck and jeans, quite a different look from the police Dave.
"What are you doing here?" Mark asked. There was only one policeman on duty and from what Mark could see, he was fast asleep. It was, after all, about two in the morning.
"Breaking you out." Dave said, grinning. Mark just gawked.
"Are you nuts? They have cameras everywhere." Mark said.
"It's so easy to disarm those things, Mark. Really." Dave said, putting a key into the cell lock and turning it, the sound of the bars sliding open a relieving sound to Mark. He stepped out, a grateful rush taking over him. He hugged Dave without even thinking about it and pulled away quickly.
"Sorry... just glad to get out of this hell hole. Big fan." He said, stepping back.
"It's alright. I used to get that a lot." Dave said simply, laughing softly as to not wake up the cop on duty.
"Let's blow this popsicle stand." Dave said, leading the way to the door.
---------------------------------------------------
"I don't know. This seems fucking fishy as hell, John." Josh said warily as they walked down an alleyway, Josh holding John's hand tightly.
"It's fine... This guy is trustworthy..." John said softly. What was that Josh heard? Uncertainty? He shook off the feeling and held his breath as he saw a figure of a man standing at the end.
He could barely see him through the pouring rain, but he could tell that he was a bit shorter than John.
He motioned into the apartment door in the side of the building and Josh looked up at John, who nodded. Once they'd gotten inside, he could get a better look at the guy. He looked about his mid twenties with dark brown hair and eyes.
"How you doing, Tom?" John asked, shaking the man's hand.
"Been better. How about you, Johnny boy?" Tom asked, taking back his hand. John shrugged noncommittaly. Josh almost laughed at the nickname.
"This is Josh. Josh, Tom." John introduced them. Josh just nodded, mumbling a soft "hey".
"So, you've come looking for answers. Just as I had expected." Tom said, walking into the living room and sitting down. John and Josh took the incentive to sit down in the tattered couch.
"I was hoping so." John said, looking a little on edge. "We're looking for our friends. They were caught, but we don't even know the first place to look for where they could have been taken." John said.
"Funny... I was once in that situation. Except I was the one who was caught." Tom said, something more in his words. Josh felt a pang of sympathy at the look of remorse on Tom's face.
"Well... a guy they knew was taken in, too. I don't know if they take adults to the same place." Josh said, offering some information. Tom looked up at him, curiousity filling his eyes.
"Alex and Jack... two of the people caught... they were friends with the guy... Mark... I think that was his name." Josh added. Tom's eyes widened and he looked uneasy.
"Mark...?" He asked, as if he had heard wrong. Josh nodded. "Fuck." He muttered, looking at the ground.
"Do you know him?" Josh asked. Tom looked up at him, a mixture of emotions taking him over.
"I did... He was my best friend." Tom said, biting his lip.
"We need to find them." John said simply. "We can't just sit here and wait. Tom, you have to know something." John said, almost pleading.
"I know where we can find your friends... as for Mark though... I can't even imagine where he is now." Tom said. It was a curious thing that Tom would even know that it was his Mark. Josh assumed that when you know someone so well, you just know and there isn't a doubt in your mind. The thought made Josh's heart hurt.
"In fact, let's go now. The more time, the better." Tom said, standing up. And in that moment, Josh and John both knew this wasn't going to get any easier.
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"Oh my God, what if lightning strikes and... if he falls... and... and..." Jack was practically hyperventilating as he ran as fast as his legs could let him. Sierra was keeping up surprisingly well.
"Jack, calm down, please." Sierra pleaded, grabbing his hand and keeping up with him. The warmth of her palm on his was a little reassuring, but not enough.
When they'd reached the watch tower, Jack was frantic. He looked up, trying to see in the dark and pouring rain. Maybe by the will of God, Alex would just be starting his ascent. Maybe he wasn't even here.
But then, he saw a figure about thirty feet above their heads, steadily climbing up the beams. Jack couldn't speak. He felt choked. Sierra spoke for him.
"Alex! What the fuck do you think you're doing up there?" Sierra screamed, causing Alex to practically lose his footing. Jack cried out as he saw Alex's foot slip from the grooves and he just hung there.
"Alex!" Jack yelled, his voice giving out. He had never been more terrified in his entire life. Here was the boy he loved most in the world, dangling thirty feet above his head, out of reach. Everything in Jack screamed. Everything hurt.
"Alex! Just hold on!" Sierra yelled up, frantically searching. For what, she wasn't sure. Just anything.
"Jack!" Alex called down, in tears. He wasn't about to let himself go like this. "Jack, I'm fucking sorry. I should have listened to you! I just wanted you to be safe! I owe you way too much!" Alex cried. Jack couldn't believe his ears.
"Alex! You fucking moron! You owe me nothing!" Jack yelled, almost furious at Alex, but still horrified. "Please! Just get down!" Jack cried.
Then there was silence.
"Jack, I love you." Alex said, practically sobbing. And through the rain and thunder, Jack heard it. He heard it and it made him feel absolutely real and made everything in the world feel right. He couldn't speak.
Alex began his descent down, shuddering every time he slipped. Every time he lost his footing. Every time he thought... what if I don't make it down? He pushed the thought away and replaced it with Jack. Perfect Jack.
Jack could start breathing again when Alex had made it down about fifteen feet. It seemed like a lifetime getting there, though. And then it all went downhill.
It was like slow motion. Jack saw the lightning hit a few feet above Alex and then Alex's still body free falling. His mouth went dry. His vision was blurry. He couldn't function. He was pulled back to reality when he saw Sierra running towards where Alex would land. But he wasn't about to let her catch a free falling Alex. She was too small.
He didn't know how he made it in time, but before he could even think about it, Alex was landing in his arms, but not as gracefully as Jack had anticipated. The force of his fall caused Jack's knees to buckle and in seconds, they were both on the ground. It took Jack a few seconds to realize what had happened, but when he finally came around, Sierra was standing over both of them, her face a mask of fear.
"Sierra..." Jack croaked, sitting up, holding Alex's still body in his arms, trying to restrain his tears. She kneeled by them and took Alex's hand in hers, taking his pulse.
"He's alive." She said softly, looking at his face. His hands were burnt pretty badly, but that was about the only damage... externally.
"C'mon Alex. C'mon..." Jack started, his voice giving out. "I love you, too. I'm sorry I didn't... I didn't say it to you sooner. I love you so much, Alex. Fuck, just wake up. I can't do any of this without you." Jack cried, no longer able to descern tears from rain. He looked up at Sierra, hoping for words of comfort, but her face was solemn.
"He's gonna be okay. He's alive." Jack said, his voice constricted. Sierra pushed back the hair on Alex's forehead, leaning down.
"He's still pretty unresponsive, Jack..." Sierra said softly, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"That doesn't mean shit. He's fine, Sierra. He's fine!" Jack cried, never wanting to let go of that hope.
Sierra's doe eyes just looked back at Jack, her lip quivering. She hugged Jack, their bodies shielding Alex from the rain.
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jalex/ Riassadee/ John Ohh and Josh Franceschi
Summary: Jack has grown up in a world where music is a felony. It was believed to influence kids too much. Jack had never known the beautiful world of music. That is, until the day the beautiful Alex Gaskarth walked into his life and showed him the truth behind music. The beauty everyone had been hiding from him for so long.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone and the title cred goes to Simple Plan.
Master Post
Alex wasn't sure what he'd planned on doing once he got to the lookout. He wanted to say he had a spectacular idea, but, alas, that was not the case. When he finally was looking up at the tall structure, he was scared. He had to admit it. He wanted Jack beside him, holding his hand, telling him it was okay.
But nothing was okay and not even Jack could convince him of that.
Alex knew he could climb it. He was an expert at climbing things. He'd had to many times in his life. He sucked in a breath and put his hand on one of the poles, not realizing how bad he was shaking until now. He wanted to get them out of there. He wanted Jack to be happy again, like he had been those couple of days in Mark's studio.
He smiled at the distant memory. It was good motivation. He put his foot in the first groove and took the first steps to the top.
----------------------------------------------
Jack woke up in the middle of the night, not able to fall back asleep. He looked around, smiling at Rian and Cassadee cuddled up to each other and Sierra curled into a ball near them. But when he rolled over to see the face he most wanted to see, he saw only grass.
"Fuck..." He breathed, his mind jumping to every possible scenario... all ending in horrible things. He jumped to his feet and looked around, suddenly thinking of the watch tower.
"No... No!" He whispered, trying to not scream out in fear. Sierra stirred, looking up at him, smiling and then seeing the horror plastered on his face, her eyes grew wide.
"What's wrong, Jack?" She asked, getting to her feet. He couldn't speak for a moment. He didn't want to wake Cassadee and Rian. He grabbed Sierra by the arm and drug her into the woods, his hands shaking.
"Jack, you're scaring me." She said quietly when they'd finally stopped. He was pacing in front of her.
"Alex is gone. I know where he went. He's going to get himself killed." Jack said, his voice shaking beyong belief. Sierra took his hand and she made him look at her.
"We're going to find him and when we do, he'll be fine and lovely like always." She promised him. But not all promises are kept. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay..." He said softly. He winced when he heard a crack of thunder, followed by raindrops dropping steadily at first and then turning into practically a downpour.
"We need to find him... now!" Jack said, tugging on her and running towards the watch tower.
------------------------------------------
Mark sat in the cell at the police department. Apparently they hadn't figured out what to do with him. He looked around, the dark and dank place giving him the creeps. This was a police cell, not Alcatraz.
"Mark?" He heard a voice then footsteps coming towards his cell. He stood up and looked through the bars to see Dave. He was completely shaved and wearing a black v neck and jeans, quite a different look from the police Dave.
"What are you doing here?" Mark asked. There was only one policeman on duty and from what Mark could see, he was fast asleep. It was, after all, about two in the morning.
"Breaking you out." Dave said, grinning. Mark just gawked.
"Are you nuts? They have cameras everywhere." Mark said.
"It's so easy to disarm those things, Mark. Really." Dave said, putting a key into the cell lock and turning it, the sound of the bars sliding open a relieving sound to Mark. He stepped out, a grateful rush taking over him. He hugged Dave without even thinking about it and pulled away quickly.
"Sorry... just glad to get out of this hell hole. Big fan." He said, stepping back.
"It's alright. I used to get that a lot." Dave said simply, laughing softly as to not wake up the cop on duty.
"Let's blow this popsicle stand." Dave said, leading the way to the door.
---------------------------------------------------
"I don't know. This seems fucking fishy as hell, John." Josh said warily as they walked down an alleyway, Josh holding John's hand tightly.
"It's fine... This guy is trustworthy..." John said softly. What was that Josh heard? Uncertainty? He shook off the feeling and held his breath as he saw a figure of a man standing at the end.
He could barely see him through the pouring rain, but he could tell that he was a bit shorter than John.
He motioned into the apartment door in the side of the building and Josh looked up at John, who nodded. Once they'd gotten inside, he could get a better look at the guy. He looked about his mid twenties with dark brown hair and eyes.
"How you doing, Tom?" John asked, shaking the man's hand.
"Been better. How about you, Johnny boy?" Tom asked, taking back his hand. John shrugged noncommittaly. Josh almost laughed at the nickname.
"This is Josh. Josh, Tom." John introduced them. Josh just nodded, mumbling a soft "hey".
"So, you've come looking for answers. Just as I had expected." Tom said, walking into the living room and sitting down. John and Josh took the incentive to sit down in the tattered couch.
"I was hoping so." John said, looking a little on edge. "We're looking for our friends. They were caught, but we don't even know the first place to look for where they could have been taken." John said.
"Funny... I was once in that situation. Except I was the one who was caught." Tom said, something more in his words. Josh felt a pang of sympathy at the look of remorse on Tom's face.
"Well... a guy they knew was taken in, too. I don't know if they take adults to the same place." Josh said, offering some information. Tom looked up at him, curiousity filling his eyes.
"Alex and Jack... two of the people caught... they were friends with the guy... Mark... I think that was his name." Josh added. Tom's eyes widened and he looked uneasy.
"Mark...?" He asked, as if he had heard wrong. Josh nodded. "Fuck." He muttered, looking at the ground.
"Do you know him?" Josh asked. Tom looked up at him, a mixture of emotions taking him over.
"I did... He was my best friend." Tom said, biting his lip.
"We need to find them." John said simply. "We can't just sit here and wait. Tom, you have to know something." John said, almost pleading.
"I know where we can find your friends... as for Mark though... I can't even imagine where he is now." Tom said. It was a curious thing that Tom would even know that it was his Mark. Josh assumed that when you know someone so well, you just know and there isn't a doubt in your mind. The thought made Josh's heart hurt.
"In fact, let's go now. The more time, the better." Tom said, standing up. And in that moment, Josh and John both knew this wasn't going to get any easier.
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"Oh my God, what if lightning strikes and... if he falls... and... and..." Jack was practically hyperventilating as he ran as fast as his legs could let him. Sierra was keeping up surprisingly well.
"Jack, calm down, please." Sierra pleaded, grabbing his hand and keeping up with him. The warmth of her palm on his was a little reassuring, but not enough.
When they'd reached the watch tower, Jack was frantic. He looked up, trying to see in the dark and pouring rain. Maybe by the will of God, Alex would just be starting his ascent. Maybe he wasn't even here.
But then, he saw a figure about thirty feet above their heads, steadily climbing up the beams. Jack couldn't speak. He felt choked. Sierra spoke for him.
"Alex! What the fuck do you think you're doing up there?" Sierra screamed, causing Alex to practically lose his footing. Jack cried out as he saw Alex's foot slip from the grooves and he just hung there.
"Alex!" Jack yelled, his voice giving out. He had never been more terrified in his entire life. Here was the boy he loved most in the world, dangling thirty feet above his head, out of reach. Everything in Jack screamed. Everything hurt.
"Alex! Just hold on!" Sierra yelled up, frantically searching. For what, she wasn't sure. Just anything.
"Jack!" Alex called down, in tears. He wasn't about to let himself go like this. "Jack, I'm fucking sorry. I should have listened to you! I just wanted you to be safe! I owe you way too much!" Alex cried. Jack couldn't believe his ears.
"Alex! You fucking moron! You owe me nothing!" Jack yelled, almost furious at Alex, but still horrified. "Please! Just get down!" Jack cried.
Then there was silence.
"Jack, I love you." Alex said, practically sobbing. And through the rain and thunder, Jack heard it. He heard it and it made him feel absolutely real and made everything in the world feel right. He couldn't speak.
Alex began his descent down, shuddering every time he slipped. Every time he lost his footing. Every time he thought... what if I don't make it down? He pushed the thought away and replaced it with Jack. Perfect Jack.
Jack could start breathing again when Alex had made it down about fifteen feet. It seemed like a lifetime getting there, though. And then it all went downhill.
It was like slow motion. Jack saw the lightning hit a few feet above Alex and then Alex's still body free falling. His mouth went dry. His vision was blurry. He couldn't function. He was pulled back to reality when he saw Sierra running towards where Alex would land. But he wasn't about to let her catch a free falling Alex. She was too small.
He didn't know how he made it in time, but before he could even think about it, Alex was landing in his arms, but not as gracefully as Jack had anticipated. The force of his fall caused Jack's knees to buckle and in seconds, they were both on the ground. It took Jack a few seconds to realize what had happened, but when he finally came around, Sierra was standing over both of them, her face a mask of fear.
"Sierra..." Jack croaked, sitting up, holding Alex's still body in his arms, trying to restrain his tears. She kneeled by them and took Alex's hand in hers, taking his pulse.
"He's alive." She said softly, looking at his face. His hands were burnt pretty badly, but that was about the only damage... externally.
"C'mon Alex. C'mon..." Jack started, his voice giving out. "I love you, too. I'm sorry I didn't... I didn't say it to you sooner. I love you so much, Alex. Fuck, just wake up. I can't do any of this without you." Jack cried, no longer able to descern tears from rain. He looked up at Sierra, hoping for words of comfort, but her face was solemn.
"He's gonna be okay. He's alive." Jack said, his voice constricted. Sierra pushed back the hair on Alex's forehead, leaning down.
"He's still pretty unresponsive, Jack..." Sierra said softly, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"That doesn't mean shit. He's fine, Sierra. He's fine!" Jack cried, never wanting to let go of that hope.
Sierra's doe eyes just looked back at Jack, her lip quivering. She hugged Jack, their bodies shielding Alex from the rain.