(no subject)
Title: All roads lead to the Crowbar
Characters: Lucky, Sonny, Lena, Tim, Gates, Frank. the last three are in brief mention more than anything else.
Author Note: I wrote this for Ella as a celebratory gift for getting through this past rough, stressful week! It's an AU where Rift!Chicago exists in the same universe as Port Charles. It's not the best thing I've ever written, but I was in love with the idea and wanted to share and wanted to give Ella something for being awesome. ;_;
Lucky does not remember when he first noticed it or when they first began. The strange things in Port Charles. At crime scenes, there were smears of some liquid either white or black that didn't identify as any usual subject. Paint, oil. The results never came back conclusively.
Once, he stared as a dog that had growths coming out of it, a long tongue, and wide teeth come barreling toward him. Luke shot it before it could sink its teeth into his leg. The veterinarian ruled it as a genetic mutation upon examining the corpse. It seems like an excuse, but he believes it because what other choice does he have? What other explanation is there?
They had an earthquake once which isn't common. Criminals that he would be chasing after could seemingly do impossible things. He would turn the corner, and it would be like they disappeared into thin air or they were almost too fast or almost too strong. People have been bringing strange objects to the police that are later sent to the feds because no one could identify what it was. A weapon? Something from space? They never get reports back on what the feds found if anything.
Lucky does not remember the first time he noticed how strange Port Charles was becoming.
He does, however, remember the first time he made something strange happen. It was small at first. He hardly noticed it. His hand would rest upon a chair or a wall, and he'd hear a whisper that he couldn't discern but no one would be around. The whispers grew louder until he could understand what they were saying, and he started to believe he was going crazy.
Who could he tell about something like that? Hearing voices. He would be locked up, and he has children to take care of. Everything else in his life is going well. He's going to marry Elizabeth finally. Why ruin that by mentioning something no one can explain? He doesn't want to end up in a psych ward like his mother.
It's a lonely life. He's terrified of it so he keeps it quiet. He keeps it a secret.
-----------------------------------
The first time that Lucky ends up in the Crowbar, it is after he confronts Elizabeth and Nikolas, and he is looking for someplace to go where no one knows his name. The Crowbar is new in a town that changes slowly. It's been settled for a year, but he's never been before.
Everyone he knows goes to Jake's, and why would he go anywhere else?
Except to be alone.
He ends up at the bar, ordering one drink after the other and explaining his situation to the bartender, a man with a dark beard and a mouthful to say.
"You should fuckin' drink this and then go use our back room. There's a punching bag back there. Then come back out and have another one of these drinks. Rinse and repeat."
The bartender has words with a nice looking man named Tim who points Lucky in the direction of the backroom... and is nice enough to stick around, in case Lucky is a lightweight and passes out.
Lucky does not pass out after the first or the second or even the third drink, which is impressive but not surprising. Addict. His tolerance is high. It is the fourth drink that does him in, and he doesn't pass out in the backroom but on the bar. When he wakes up, his head is pounding.
Two men are playing battleship in the corner of the room.
The bartender from last night is in front of him again. "Morning sunshine."
"Morning.... I'm sorry that I-- I didn't mean to-- Thank you for letting me... stay here instead of throwing me on the street." He massages his forehead. "Do you have an aspirin?"
The bartender nods, fetches Lucky an aspirin, and then waits. It seems like he's studying him in a way, and Lucky is too hungover, too broken to care.
"Do you ever notice anything weird or anything you can't explain? Anything weird that's... yours and yours only?"
Lucky freezes. He looks up, wonders what he said last night, remembers the boys and his mother, and shakes his head. "No. I don't know what you're talking about."
He leaves.
----------------------------------------
The second time that Lucky ends up at the Crowbar, he starts off at Jake's. He's nearly at rock bottom, and everyone that knows him can see it. He has not been able to find his way up out of it again. It has been months since he ended up at that bar with the bartender and his questions. Lucky would go back if it weren't for those questions.
He is not very drunk when he stands with a drink in his hand, bumping into a woman with brown hair. He loses his grip on his glass, and it flies forward, spilling all over the outfit she's wearing. The next thing he knows, she's hysterical and everyone is looking their way. "You ruined my outfit! Do you know who much weight I had to lose to get into this outfit? I haven't eaten in two days!"
She works herself into a frenzy and then faints. Lucky manages to catch her before she hits the ground. Her glass remains forgotten on the floor. Elizabeth is giving them both a look from the other side of the bar, but he actually hasn't noticed that his ex-fiance is even here.
"It's okay," he says with a wave to everyone else as he gathers her up into her arms. The whole bar has noticed at this point, and they are all sending their own looks of suspicion or confusion. Lucky tries for a sheepish smile. "She needs... some fresh air, I think. She'll be fine."
Lucky takes her out back, and as soon as they're out of sight of the rest of the bar, she opens her eyes and hops back on to her feet without a second to spare. She offers him a grin. "Thanks for catching me. Now if you'll excuse me..."
Lucky does not want to excuse her. He follows her looking for explanations, realizing there are only a few reasons why she'd want to fake fainting in a bar like that and questioning her. Somehow, he ends up wrapped up in what she's got going on. He thinks about mentioning he's a cop, about calling it in when they steal a car, but he's feeling self destructive enough and this seems... It feels right. More right than carrying a badge and handcuffs.
The rest of the night is history as they say. He came alive again, a cop (currently on indefinite leave) working on the wrong side of the law. A year ago, he would have never believed he'd be back in a life like this, but he trusted her. She was doing something for the good, and she noticed the strange when everyone else in PC seemed to be looking the other way. Her name was Lena, and his night went from drunken misery to an adventure faster than he could prepare for.
At the end of the night, he was not surprised to find that she lead him back to the Crowbar.
He's bruised, clothes are torn, but there's an almost smile on his face as he finds himself leaning against the bar again, wondering what in the hell this place is all about.
The bartender gives him a look that's difficult to discern. He is an intimidating man, and he does it all without having to try. "So... you ready to have that talk now?"
After that, nothing was ever the same again.
Lucky wouldn't have wanted it to be.
Characters: Lucky, Sonny, Lena, Tim, Gates, Frank. the last three are in brief mention more than anything else.
Author Note: I wrote this for Ella as a celebratory gift for getting through this past rough, stressful week! It's an AU where Rift!Chicago exists in the same universe as Port Charles. It's not the best thing I've ever written, but I was in love with the idea and wanted to share and wanted to give Ella something for being awesome. ;_;
Lucky does not remember when he first noticed it or when they first began. The strange things in Port Charles. At crime scenes, there were smears of some liquid either white or black that didn't identify as any usual subject. Paint, oil. The results never came back conclusively.
Once, he stared as a dog that had growths coming out of it, a long tongue, and wide teeth come barreling toward him. Luke shot it before it could sink its teeth into his leg. The veterinarian ruled it as a genetic mutation upon examining the corpse. It seems like an excuse, but he believes it because what other choice does he have? What other explanation is there?
They had an earthquake once which isn't common. Criminals that he would be chasing after could seemingly do impossible things. He would turn the corner, and it would be like they disappeared into thin air or they were almost too fast or almost too strong. People have been bringing strange objects to the police that are later sent to the feds because no one could identify what it was. A weapon? Something from space? They never get reports back on what the feds found if anything.
Lucky does not remember the first time he noticed how strange Port Charles was becoming.
He does, however, remember the first time he made something strange happen. It was small at first. He hardly noticed it. His hand would rest upon a chair or a wall, and he'd hear a whisper that he couldn't discern but no one would be around. The whispers grew louder until he could understand what they were saying, and he started to believe he was going crazy.
Who could he tell about something like that? Hearing voices. He would be locked up, and he has children to take care of. Everything else in his life is going well. He's going to marry Elizabeth finally. Why ruin that by mentioning something no one can explain? He doesn't want to end up in a psych ward like his mother.
It's a lonely life. He's terrified of it so he keeps it quiet. He keeps it a secret.
-----------------------------------
The first time that Lucky ends up in the Crowbar, it is after he confronts Elizabeth and Nikolas, and he is looking for someplace to go where no one knows his name. The Crowbar is new in a town that changes slowly. It's been settled for a year, but he's never been before.
Everyone he knows goes to Jake's, and why would he go anywhere else?
Except to be alone.
He ends up at the bar, ordering one drink after the other and explaining his situation to the bartender, a man with a dark beard and a mouthful to say.
"You should fuckin' drink this and then go use our back room. There's a punching bag back there. Then come back out and have another one of these drinks. Rinse and repeat."
The bartender has words with a nice looking man named Tim who points Lucky in the direction of the backroom... and is nice enough to stick around, in case Lucky is a lightweight and passes out.
Lucky does not pass out after the first or the second or even the third drink, which is impressive but not surprising. Addict. His tolerance is high. It is the fourth drink that does him in, and he doesn't pass out in the backroom but on the bar. When he wakes up, his head is pounding.
Two men are playing battleship in the corner of the room.
The bartender from last night is in front of him again. "Morning sunshine."
"Morning.... I'm sorry that I-- I didn't mean to-- Thank you for letting me... stay here instead of throwing me on the street." He massages his forehead. "Do you have an aspirin?"
The bartender nods, fetches Lucky an aspirin, and then waits. It seems like he's studying him in a way, and Lucky is too hungover, too broken to care.
"Do you ever notice anything weird or anything you can't explain? Anything weird that's... yours and yours only?"
Lucky freezes. He looks up, wonders what he said last night, remembers the boys and his mother, and shakes his head. "No. I don't know what you're talking about."
He leaves.
----------------------------------------
The second time that Lucky ends up at the Crowbar, he starts off at Jake's. He's nearly at rock bottom, and everyone that knows him can see it. He has not been able to find his way up out of it again. It has been months since he ended up at that bar with the bartender and his questions. Lucky would go back if it weren't for those questions.
He is not very drunk when he stands with a drink in his hand, bumping into a woman with brown hair. He loses his grip on his glass, and it flies forward, spilling all over the outfit she's wearing. The next thing he knows, she's hysterical and everyone is looking their way. "You ruined my outfit! Do you know who much weight I had to lose to get into this outfit? I haven't eaten in two days!"
She works herself into a frenzy and then faints. Lucky manages to catch her before she hits the ground. Her glass remains forgotten on the floor. Elizabeth is giving them both a look from the other side of the bar, but he actually hasn't noticed that his ex-fiance is even here.
"It's okay," he says with a wave to everyone else as he gathers her up into her arms. The whole bar has noticed at this point, and they are all sending their own looks of suspicion or confusion. Lucky tries for a sheepish smile. "She needs... some fresh air, I think. She'll be fine."
Lucky takes her out back, and as soon as they're out of sight of the rest of the bar, she opens her eyes and hops back on to her feet without a second to spare. She offers him a grin. "Thanks for catching me. Now if you'll excuse me..."
Lucky does not want to excuse her. He follows her looking for explanations, realizing there are only a few reasons why she'd want to fake fainting in a bar like that and questioning her. Somehow, he ends up wrapped up in what she's got going on. He thinks about mentioning he's a cop, about calling it in when they steal a car, but he's feeling self destructive enough and this seems... It feels right. More right than carrying a badge and handcuffs.
The rest of the night is history as they say. He came alive again, a cop (currently on indefinite leave) working on the wrong side of the law. A year ago, he would have never believed he'd be back in a life like this, but he trusted her. She was doing something for the good, and she noticed the strange when everyone else in PC seemed to be looking the other way. Her name was Lena, and his night went from drunken misery to an adventure faster than he could prepare for.
At the end of the night, he was not surprised to find that she lead him back to the Crowbar.
He's bruised, clothes are torn, but there's an almost smile on his face as he finds himself leaning against the bar again, wondering what in the hell this place is all about.
The bartender gives him a look that's difficult to discern. He is an intimidating man, and he does it all without having to try. "So... you ready to have that talk now?"
After that, nothing was ever the same again.
Lucky wouldn't have wanted it to be.