Somewhere at the End of the World
Title Somewhere at the End of the World
Rating PG for thematic content
Word Count ~640
Characters All pairings are implied. Characters include Kris Allen, Megan Joy, Alexis Grace, Adam Lambert (implied), Ryder Joy and Katy Allen (both off page)
Summary For fabfourfest using the song "Hey Jude". Consider this a slice of AI/Dark Tower fusion.
Warnings/Notes Angsty. Off page character death. All characters are not mine, and I'm only borrowing the scenery from Mr. King.
Outside the shadows have fallen across the small windows of the bar, and Kristopher sits at the piano.
It is night now, so he's switched from light uneventful tunes to more robust music, designed to distract men from their troubles and possibly make them forget that they might hate each other, even if only for a night.
Megan is at the bar, wiping it idly and watching her girls walk the room. She looks fragile, but she is ruthless with anyone she thinks is cheating her. There aren't many problems, because between her and Kristopher, they've killed enough men to make others wary.
They aren't married. The local pastor denounces them every Sunday. But Kristopher has been married once, before he settled here. Megan doesn't say whether she was or not, and the fading photo of her son is the only indication of any previous relationship she has had. The mystery makes people look at him, but he is tight mouthed. Megan knows. Matt did, before he went off and joined the Good Man.
Sometimes Kristopher still sees her, his Katherine, young and sweet, unaware of how the world would fail her.
He'd prefer it if he could forget.
Kristopher plays the piano because it's the only thing he can think of to do other than go and fight in the same war that killed his wife. He remembers holding a gun once, wondering what it would be like to kill another.
He knows now, except mostly he's used the knife at his side, or his own two fists.
He wonders what Katherine would think, except the world has moved on and Katherine was left behind, buried in a shallow grave with a hasty prayer for her soul and lingering nightmares that trouble Kristopher's soul.
When the door opens and strangers enter, Kristopher tenses, but keeps on playing. He watches out of the corner of his eyes, calculating just how much trouble they will be.
There are three of them. They have guns. Kristopher almost misses the next chord before seeing that they have normal handles. Not sandalwood.
Not gunslingers.
Two head straight to the bar, ignoring the looks and smiling at Megan in a friendly way. She smiles back and motions for Alexis to come over.
The tall one heads towards Kristopher. He sits on the piano bench. Kristopher keeps playing.
"Do you take requests?"
Kristopher turns, changing to a tune so familiar his hands can play without him looking. He's surprised at how light the man's voice is, how he asks instead of demands.
"Depends on what you want me to play," Kris says.
The man nods. "I haven't heard 'Hey Jude', in a very long time."
"That I can play."
Kristopher turns back to the keys. He looks at Megan once, and she smiles. Then her clear voice starts out.
"Hey Jude, don't make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better,"
Kristopher joins her on the second line, and then the man chimes in, his voice high, clear, and beautiful. The whole bar is singing by the end, the drunkest ones swaying arm in arm. The song finishes, and there is a moment when Kristopher doesn't want to play again. But his hands work for him.
"Thank you. Very much."
The man stands and motions to his companions. Kristopher watches him. During the song, he had recognized something in the dangerous blue eyes, a lingering awareness that the world has changed, a desperation to forget everything that was before, and the knowledge that it will not happen.
The man turns once, looks at Kristopher and gives him a half smile that makes his heart ache.
Then they are out the door, and never heard from again.
Kristopher thinks about them, about what their story might be. Then the next day comes.
The next.
And they are forgotten in the stretching of days. Kristopher plays his piano, loves Megan the best he can, and sometimes doesn't dream.
The world moves on around them.
Rating PG for thematic content
Word Count ~640
Characters All pairings are implied. Characters include Kris Allen, Megan Joy, Alexis Grace, Adam Lambert (implied), Ryder Joy and Katy Allen (both off page)
Summary For fabfourfest using the song "Hey Jude". Consider this a slice of AI/Dark Tower fusion.
Warnings/Notes Angsty. Off page character death. All characters are not mine, and I'm only borrowing the scenery from Mr. King.
Outside the shadows have fallen across the small windows of the bar, and Kristopher sits at the piano.
It is night now, so he's switched from light uneventful tunes to more robust music, designed to distract men from their troubles and possibly make them forget that they might hate each other, even if only for a night.
Megan is at the bar, wiping it idly and watching her girls walk the room. She looks fragile, but she is ruthless with anyone she thinks is cheating her. There aren't many problems, because between her and Kristopher, they've killed enough men to make others wary.
They aren't married. The local pastor denounces them every Sunday. But Kristopher has been married once, before he settled here. Megan doesn't say whether she was or not, and the fading photo of her son is the only indication of any previous relationship she has had. The mystery makes people look at him, but he is tight mouthed. Megan knows. Matt did, before he went off and joined the Good Man.
Sometimes Kristopher still sees her, his Katherine, young and sweet, unaware of how the world would fail her.
He'd prefer it if he could forget.
Kristopher plays the piano because it's the only thing he can think of to do other than go and fight in the same war that killed his wife. He remembers holding a gun once, wondering what it would be like to kill another.
He knows now, except mostly he's used the knife at his side, or his own two fists.
He wonders what Katherine would think, except the world has moved on and Katherine was left behind, buried in a shallow grave with a hasty prayer for her soul and lingering nightmares that trouble Kristopher's soul.
When the door opens and strangers enter, Kristopher tenses, but keeps on playing. He watches out of the corner of his eyes, calculating just how much trouble they will be.
There are three of them. They have guns. Kristopher almost misses the next chord before seeing that they have normal handles. Not sandalwood.
Not gunslingers.
Two head straight to the bar, ignoring the looks and smiling at Megan in a friendly way. She smiles back and motions for Alexis to come over.
The tall one heads towards Kristopher. He sits on the piano bench. Kristopher keeps playing.
"Do you take requests?"
Kristopher turns, changing to a tune so familiar his hands can play without him looking. He's surprised at how light the man's voice is, how he asks instead of demands.
"Depends on what you want me to play," Kris says.
The man nods. "I haven't heard 'Hey Jude', in a very long time."
"That I can play."
Kristopher turns back to the keys. He looks at Megan once, and she smiles. Then her clear voice starts out.
"Hey Jude, don't make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better,"
Kristopher joins her on the second line, and then the man chimes in, his voice high, clear, and beautiful. The whole bar is singing by the end, the drunkest ones swaying arm in arm. The song finishes, and there is a moment when Kristopher doesn't want to play again. But his hands work for him.
"Thank you. Very much."
The man stands and motions to his companions. Kristopher watches him. During the song, he had recognized something in the dangerous blue eyes, a lingering awareness that the world has changed, a desperation to forget everything that was before, and the knowledge that it will not happen.
The man turns once, looks at Kristopher and gives him a half smile that makes his heart ache.
Then they are out the door, and never heard from again.
Kristopher thinks about them, about what their story might be. Then the next day comes.
The next.
And they are forgotten in the stretching of days. Kristopher plays his piano, loves Megan the best he can, and sometimes doesn't dream.
The world moves on around them.