I've Got Your Picture, I'm Coming With You Part 7
As always, I don't own anyone, none of this is real, blah blah blah, you know the drill.
Vegas always did stupid things to Jack, even before he and Holly broke up. He avoids it as best he can now, and when he can’t, like when they have a show to play there, he tends to go a little crazy. More than his normal fun-loving self. Things got so bad last time they were here, that this time he is on a very short leash with Matt. He’s not allowed to go anywhere without clearing it with Matt first, and he’s not allowed to go anywhere outside of the venue alone. I’m sure as hell not letting him out of my sight unless he’s going to the bathroom. Waking up at 4 am to get a phone call of “Umm, we lost Jack... the State Troopers are looking for him now.” was not a pleasant experience at all. In the 24 hours it took me to get to Vegas, they still hadn’t found him, and were treating it as a body search, not a missing person search. Needless to say that when Jack did turn up two days later, there were very serious conversations and it was agreed that he wasn’t allowed to be alone in Vegas ever again.
Of course, nobody had bothered to tell Jack that we were in Vegas today. I guess they’d all just assumed that I would do it. Thanks boys. Ordinarily, Vegas would mean a hotel stay, but after last time, their managers had decided that it was probably best if we were in town for the least amount of time possible. Bus call was about an hour after the show tonight, and then we’d be driving on to the next town so as to avoid any ‘incidents’ this time. Nobody was going to take any chances this time.
Jack was still sleeping peacefully next to me, so I didn’t have to worry about telling him anything about where we were just yet. I was wondering what had happened to him last time, what had made him run the way he did. Everyone on this bus had tried to kill him when he’d arrived back, “payback for our heart attacks” they’d said, but nobody had bothered to work out why he’d run away in the first place. Jack had just taken the abuse, and dealt with it by himself. I think Alex had tried to ask when he’d first gotten back, but knowing Alex, there was probably very little tact involved, and Jack wouldn’t have answered. Beside me, Jack had started to stir, shifting around as he tried, and failed, to stay asleep for just that little bit longer.
“I’m going to assume that was a “where are we?” but I’m not quite sure. Wanna clarify that for me?” Jack had mumbled something out, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I’d been on tour with Jack often enough to know what his first questions in the morning were. He didn’t say anything else, just nodded his head. He still hadn’t opened his eyes yet.
“Do you seriously want to know?” He opened one eye to look at me.
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Pettttaaallllll”
“We’re in Vegas. Or rather, on our way there,” Jack visibly cringed and snuggled back into me. “Told you that you wouldn’t like it.”
“How long?”
“Another couple of hours I guess. We’re only staying until after the show, and then we’re gone.” Jack just nodded. “Can I ask you something?” I waited until he was actually looking at me, and had answered before I asked what had been bugging me all morning.
“Sure. You can ask me anything, you know that.”
“I’d really like an answer to this though.”
“Well, spit it out then.”
“What happened here last time?” The words hung heavy in the air, and I could tell that he was struggling with something. “You don’t have to answer, but it’d be nice to know, that’s all.”
He tucked his head back into my neck and we lay there for another ten minutes, maybe longer, before he answered.
“I called her. To see how she was.” I rested my cheek on top of his head, and waited for him to continue like I knew he would eventually. “Some guy answered. When I asked to speak to her, he informed me that he was her husband now, and that I should let her go. I ran. I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do. I’m so sorry.” He was crying now, not that I could see it, but I could feel it, soaking into the shoulder of my shirt.
“Shh, Jacky, it’s okay. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere. We only got so mad because you had us so scared, we didn’t know what had happened to you. We didn’t know where you were, who you were with. Jacky, we all love you so much, we were so scared we were going to lose you.” We lay like that for a while, Jack crying on my shoulder, mumbling “I’m so sorry” over and over again, me hugging him tightly, telling him it was okay.
Vegas always did stupid things to Jack, even before he and Holly broke up. He avoids it as best he can now, and when he can’t, like when they have a show to play there, he tends to go a little crazy. More than his normal fun-loving self. Things got so bad last time they were here, that this time he is on a very short leash with Matt. He’s not allowed to go anywhere without clearing it with Matt first, and he’s not allowed to go anywhere outside of the venue alone. I’m sure as hell not letting him out of my sight unless he’s going to the bathroom. Waking up at 4 am to get a phone call of “Umm, we lost Jack... the State Troopers are looking for him now.” was not a pleasant experience at all. In the 24 hours it took me to get to Vegas, they still hadn’t found him, and were treating it as a body search, not a missing person search. Needless to say that when Jack did turn up two days later, there were very serious conversations and it was agreed that he wasn’t allowed to be alone in Vegas ever again.
Of course, nobody had bothered to tell Jack that we were in Vegas today. I guess they’d all just assumed that I would do it. Thanks boys. Ordinarily, Vegas would mean a hotel stay, but after last time, their managers had decided that it was probably best if we were in town for the least amount of time possible. Bus call was about an hour after the show tonight, and then we’d be driving on to the next town so as to avoid any ‘incidents’ this time. Nobody was going to take any chances this time.
Jack was still sleeping peacefully next to me, so I didn’t have to worry about telling him anything about where we were just yet. I was wondering what had happened to him last time, what had made him run the way he did. Everyone on this bus had tried to kill him when he’d arrived back, “payback for our heart attacks” they’d said, but nobody had bothered to work out why he’d run away in the first place. Jack had just taken the abuse, and dealt with it by himself. I think Alex had tried to ask when he’d first gotten back, but knowing Alex, there was probably very little tact involved, and Jack wouldn’t have answered. Beside me, Jack had started to stir, shifting around as he tried, and failed, to stay asleep for just that little bit longer.
“I’m going to assume that was a “where are we?” but I’m not quite sure. Wanna clarify that for me?” Jack had mumbled something out, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I’d been on tour with Jack often enough to know what his first questions in the morning were. He didn’t say anything else, just nodded his head. He still hadn’t opened his eyes yet.
“Do you seriously want to know?” He opened one eye to look at me.
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Pettttaaallllll”
“We’re in Vegas. Or rather, on our way there,” Jack visibly cringed and snuggled back into me. “Told you that you wouldn’t like it.”
“How long?”
“Another couple of hours I guess. We’re only staying until after the show, and then we’re gone.” Jack just nodded. “Can I ask you something?” I waited until he was actually looking at me, and had answered before I asked what had been bugging me all morning.
“Sure. You can ask me anything, you know that.”
“I’d really like an answer to this though.”
“Well, spit it out then.”
“What happened here last time?” The words hung heavy in the air, and I could tell that he was struggling with something. “You don’t have to answer, but it’d be nice to know, that’s all.”
He tucked his head back into my neck and we lay there for another ten minutes, maybe longer, before he answered.
“I called her. To see how she was.” I rested my cheek on top of his head, and waited for him to continue like I knew he would eventually. “Some guy answered. When I asked to speak to her, he informed me that he was her husband now, and that I should let her go. I ran. I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do. I’m so sorry.” He was crying now, not that I could see it, but I could feel it, soaking into the shoulder of my shirt.
“Shh, Jacky, it’s okay. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere. We only got so mad because you had us so scared, we didn’t know what had happened to you. We didn’t know where you were, who you were with. Jacky, we all love you so much, we were so scared we were going to lose you.” We lay like that for a while, Jack crying on my shoulder, mumbling “I’m so sorry” over and over again, me hugging him tightly, telling him it was okay.