Fic: Two Lornes; One Town Rating PG
Title:Two Lornes; One Town
Fandom: SGA/A:ts
Pairing:Major Evan Lorne/Lorne
Words:2243
Rating:PG
Summary:Major Lorne goes on vacation back on Earth. He meets a friendly green demon with a passion for Sea Breezes and Karaoke and gains some insight on himself.
Big thanks to nawag1r for beta'ing this and coming up with the title. She is queen!
I wrote this some time ago, but didn't have the guts to get someone to beta it. So it's here at long last.
Major Evan Lorne was back on Earth and on leave. Somehow his cousin Steven had talked him into going to Las Vegas with the family.
'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!' That tourist slogan has been getting a lot of use. The Air Force could use it when it comes to the SGC and to Atlantis.
'What happens in Pegasus Galaxy, stays in the Pegasus Galaxy.'
As long as Major Lorne didn't see a Wraith on the Strip, he was fine with it. 'Man, what a year it's been,' thought Major Lorne. 'The Wraith almost kicked their ass. The Genii almost had them over a barrel too.'
Lorne turned off the Strip and headed down another street. He liked his job, but there were times, when he wished he had an easy job that would bore the hell out of him. Working in the Pegasus Galaxy wasn't boring that was for sure.
Stopping at a stoplight, Lorne heard the sound of running feet coming his way and they were coming fast. He took a step back and got ready for almost anything. Out of the darkness a group of teenage boys were running toward him. A couple of seconds later out of the darkness came a tall man with blondish hair, greenish skin and horns on his head. His eyes looked like they were glowing red. Lorne was surprised by the sight. Guy must work at the Hilton with the Star Trek show.
“Hey buddy, you okay?” asked Major Lorne.
“Yeah, but those boys picked my pockets,” said the horned man.
Major Lorne looked at the guy and he was wearing a suit with sequins sewn into the outfit. “Um do you work at the Hilton?”
“Do I look like a Star Trek Alien?” answered the guy.
“Well you do look like you belong on the DS9 holodeck with that singer they had, Vic something,”
“Vic Fontaine,” said the horned man.
“Yeah that is the one,” said Major Lorne. “Ummm, so I'm Major Evan Lorne, USAF.”
“I'm Lorne too, sugar,” said the horned man.
“You're kidding?” said the Major.
“Well if I said my full name, you'd trip over it like a cha-cha. Lorne is easier to say.”
“Well it's a small world,” said the Major.
“Yeah it is,” said Green Lorne. “So what are you doing in Sin City?”
“On leave and the family talked me into coming out with them,” said Major Lorne. “I've been ...” Major Lorne thought for the best way to say it, “on a dangerous assignment.”
“Oh I know how that can be,” said Green Lorne. “I moved here from LA. Now that place almost went to hell the hard way. So I took a break from all my friends and let my feet lead me here.”
“How dangerous could LA be? I mean really, did a major star get a paper cut?” asked the Major with a laugh.
“You know there are more things going on in the universe then most people see,” said Green Lorne.
“Oh I know,” said Major Lorne. “You never know if today will be your last or not.” He had lost the ancient ship in the battle with the Wraith, the loss of so many people. Lorne still couldn't understand how Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard handled it day in, day out.
The green Lorne watched the Major. He could see something was going on in the major's mind. “So do you sing, Major Lorne?”
“Me sing? Not unless I'm drunk, or at my Grandma's house or in the shower.”
“Really?” said green Lorne with a smile. “Well then sugar, come with me and I'll see which one we can find first.”
Major Lorne looked at green Lorne, a little weary, but he was going to go along any way. Green Lorne pointed the way down the street where he had come from. The two walked down the semi dark street. The two walked a bit and spoke very little and it felt alright. Green Lorne pulled out a set of keys out of his pocket and headed toward a warehouse. Using the key, he unlocked the door. Walking in, he turned on the lights as Major Lorne stood in the doorway.
The club didn't take up the whole warehouse. Just a small section, but the man did the club up nice. When Major Lorne finally came into the club, green Lorne had walked over to the bar. He was getting some glasses out for them. Looking around the club, Major Lorne could see the stage and the tables set up around it. There was a karaoke machine on the stage.
“You own this place?” asked Major Lorne.
“No,” said Green Lorne. “I just rent the place. I use to own a club like this in LA, but there were some accidents that destroyed it a couple of times. So I gave up and went to work for a P.I. Then later on the PI became the CEO of an evil law firm.”
“Aren't all law firms evil?” Major Lorne wasn't sure if this guy was pulling his leg or not, but it was a nice bar. Sheppard would like it, though the Major would give anything to see McKay drunk and doing karaoke.
“So do you like karaoke?” asked green Lorne. He just smiled at the question about lawyers.
“You do know that karaoke is Japanese for torture?” said Major Lorne with a laugh.
Green Lorne started to laugh. He liked the Major, he reminded Lorne of Gunn. “Yes true and those who can't sing should be taken away and barred from opening their mouths when a mic is in front of them.”
“Yeah very true,” said Major Lorne. “Do you ever allow people to play their own instruments?”
“Yes,” said Green Lorne. “There was this lawyer in LA, who sang like an angel. He got his hand chopped off. He wouldn't come near the club anymore because he couldn't play his guitar. Then one day he showed up with a new hand. He played and sang like he never had before.” Lorne never felt bad about killing Lindsey, he did regret the loss of the music though. Now that one hurt still after all this time. “So would you like a Sea Breeze?”
“A beer is fine,” said Major Lorne.
“Oh so boring,” laughed Green Lorne as he went to get the drinks.
“Hey beer might be boring,” said Major. “But it's no fuss over it.”
“Honey they both come out of a bottle and all I do is pour.” Both men laughed.
Major Lorne sat down on a bar stool, “So do you like it here in Vegas?”
Green Lorne looked up at the man. That was a trick question that was for sure. Every entertainer wanted to play Vegas. It was how you knew you made it. After he had been forced to play at the one of the casino, Lorne was weary of the place. He also missed his friends - Angel, Wesley, Fred, Gunn and even Spike. None of the trouble that happened in LA was his fault, but Lorne had stuck it out as long as he could. He helped them kick the Black Thorn's ass. After that he wanted some space. Some time to do some thinking. Time for Lorne. Time to himself.
Not long ago, Lorne thought he saw Spike and Illeryia on the Strip. He didn't get too close to them. It hurt so much to see them. That brought LA a little closer then Lorne wanted.
“I like having the club back,” said Green Lorne to answer the Major's question. “I like being in charge of my life again and not having to worry about anyone else, but at the same time it's so damn lonely, I can't stand it.” Handing the beer to the Major, Lorne finished making his Sea Breeze. Both Lorne's took drinks of their drinks.
Green Lorne walked around the bar and headed for the stage. Getting up there he turned on the karaoke machine on and started to look through the different list to pick out something for the Major to sing. “So what is your taste in music, Major?”
“I like pretty much anything,” said Major Lorne. “But when I sing in the shower, it's classic rock, The Police or Bowie.”
“A Bowie Fan?” commented Green Lorne. He did something to the machine and smiled.
“Yeah a little.”
Lorne kept his eyes on the screen until he found the song he was looking for. Picking up the mic, he held it out to the Major.
Major Lorne took another drink of his beer and put it down on the bar. Getting up, he walked up onto the stage and took the mic from the other Lorne. Looking down to see what was picked by Lorne.
David Bowie's song 'Fame' words stared back at Major Lorne. About now he wished the Wraith were breaking down the door. At least he knew what he was doing with them. “Um you don't want to sing with me, would you?”
“Oh pud, this one is all yours. Thanks for not singing Manilow. I had my fill of him.” Green Lorne sat down at a table and waited to read the man.
The music started to play and Major Lorne now was panicking. He really wished the Wraith would attack. Getting his courage together, he started to sing. The pained look on green Lorne's face, was telling the Major, he was killing the song. So he closed his eyes and pictured himself in the shower and belted out the song.
Green Lorne didn't know anyone could kill Bowie that badly, but what he was picking off the Major was scarier then how he was killing the song. Then the Major got into the song. Lorne was seeing lots of scary stuff, but at least the man wasn't killing the song any more.
Where ever the Major had been stationed at, he had been involved in some wild stuff. Guess the Air Force knew what it was doing, well maybe. This one seemed a bit over their heads. Lorne got a flash of something he had seen before. Something old and familiar too. He just couldn't place it just yet. He would though, give him time. “That's enough, Major,” said Lorne. “You’re a little shy, but once you've got it, you've got it right.”
“I told you I don't sing in public,” said the Major.
“Well I can tell you that you've been under a lot of stress, but all the things you feel are your fault, aren’t. You act like the world in on your shoulders, trust me, it's not.”
Major Lorne laughed, 'If you only knew how wrong you are.'
“Listen lamb chop, I've had friends just like you fighting the good fight protecting the world. They went down swinging. They won some, lost some more. Until it was too much for me. After the last big battle, I did my part and walked away. I couldn't handle it any more. We lost some of our people. That hurt the most. Now what is left is spread out on the planet, doing their best,” said green Lorne.
“In the Air Force, we do what we are told to do. We aren't there to question the reasons,” said Major Lorne as he came down off the stage and went to the bar to get his beer. He moved back to the other Lorne and sat down next to him. “We pretty much jump when the President says too. Losing people is hard, but it's part of the job. We all know that. What I've done or had to do has been hard. I had to lead people to their deaths.”
“We all feel like we've failed those who mean the most to us,” said green Lorne.
“No kidding,” said the Major. “There are times since coming home, I've wanted to run home and hide in bed and come out only when my Mom cooks dinner.”
“You haven't done it,” said Green Lorne smiling at the Major.
“Yes I know, but there are times I wanted to do it.”
“You know Major, if you worry this much over things, how are you going to make General?”
“Colonel is before General.” The two men started to laugh.
“So why don't you bring your family around while you are in town.”
“We have a couple of kids with us.”
“Okay lock them in the trunk of the car,” said Green Lorne with a smile.
“You're bad.”
“I actually love kids, but with booze, I can't have them in here unless I served food.”
“Don't worry about it,” said Major Lorne. “Grandma is with us and most likely would stay with them at the hotel.”
“Well that fixes that problem. Just come on by any time.”
“Thanks for just being there to listen to me,” said Major Lorne.
“Hey no problem there, Major,” said green Lorne. “It's part of my job. Now finish up the drink or I'll be hurt and I'll charge your family triple prices.”
“Oh man, you are hard hearted,” laughed Major Lorne.
“Well yeah, but that is because I like you,” said green Lorne as he held up his drink to salute the Major. He wondered if he should mention to the Major, that his heart was located in his left butt cheek… No that might scare the man.