Chapter 03

Disclaimer – I do not own SVM/TB stories.  I just want to play with the Viking!

I hope you like it!

  Chapter 3

I couldn’t take my eyes from his.  I didn’t even blink.  He continued to stare and I was rooted to that spot, confined by his blazing, glorious blue eyes. My smile I’d been beaming just fell away.

This was not how I had wanted him to see me for the first time.

His look was both intimidating and exhilarating. How was that possible?  It left me feeling completely exposed and embarrassed simultaneously.  Then the corner of his mouth turned into a half smile, and my heart skipped a beat.

On the other hand, it could have been a sarcastic smirk and he was laughing at me?  Whichever it was, it was exactly what I needed to break me out of my trance.

He leaned over and I noticed someone speaking to him.  I could see it was a woman, but that was all.  She was sitting at a table in the back turned toward him while he remained standing.  Then he really did begin laughing. It occurred to me how awful I must look right now, but there wasn’t much I could do about it presently.

I glanced at JP.  His eyes had followed mine to the back and were practically bulging out of their sockets.  That must be how I had been looking at him, too.  UGH!  I grimaced inside.  I saw Maggie; she was smiling wider than I thought anyone could and sipping on her drink.  She waved happily.  I nodded and smiled in response.

I looked to the bar at Dan.  He looked down at the book and shook his head indicating that no one else had chosen a song.  You have got to be kidding me!  Fuck fuck fuck!  Why did I agree to this again?  Oh yeah, so we would get to know the crew and fit in…well, they would certainly remember me now!

In for a penny, in for a pound, I told myself.  I looked back to JP and motioned toward my water.  He brought it over to the stage with a napkin that he had, thankfully, already wet for me.  I turned to the stool on the stage, took a big drink and set the bottle on the seat.  I used the napkin to wipe under my eyes discreetly and handed it back to him.

Before he walked away, he whispered, “You’re doing great.  Think of this as any other performance.  Ignore the crowd and just sing.”  “Not helping,” I whispered back.  “Just sing like we do at home, grab your hairbrush and go for it,” That made me smile and I nodded.

I turned back around and picked up the microphone.  The room got quiet again as they gave me their attention.

“No takers?  You really want to hear me sing again?”

There was a resounding “Yeah!”  “Give us another one!” Someone shouted.

“OK.  You asked for it,” I heard several of them chuckle and I smiled.  Progress!

I looked at Dan and nodded.  I had no idea what would be coming next since I was not allowed to choose the music.  If the next one was anything like that last one…

I looked at the monitor when the name popped up.  This song had no intro, but, God help me, it was another heartbreaker, “Black Roses” by Lucy Schwartz.

I looked at my now not-so-imaginary IBF when I sang the first three lines, and then I closed my eyes and let the music take me… here we go…

I can see your eyes staring into mine.

But it’s a battlefield

And you’re on the other side.

You can throw your words sharper than a knife.

And leave me cold In another house on fire.

I lay low, lay low,

And watch the bridges burn.

I lay low, lay low,

What more could I have done?

I opened my eyes and looked at JP. He and Maggie were smiling, and they raised their glasses to me. I saw others do the same. Wow! This really was going well, so I really got into it as I sang the chorus.

Now you only bring me black roses

And they crumble in the dust when they’re held.

Now you only bring me black roses

Under your spell.

She told me twice, all her good advice.

But I couldn’t see I was clouded by your lies.

Up in smoke, a vision she foretold.

She said stay away ‘Cause that boy’s a warning sign.

I was now singing to the crowd and the emotion was growing in me again. They were captivated and I could see some of them swaying to the music, their faces conveying their feelings that matched the words.

I lay low, lay low,

And watch the bridges burn.

Now you only bring me black roses.

And they crumble in the dust when they’re held.

Now you only bring me black roses

Under your spell.

The bridge was one of the best parts of the song, so I belted it out as JP suggested; I was home alone with my hairbrush.

And I’m done try’na be the one,

Picking up the broken pieces.

And I’m done try’na be the one,

Who says I love you dear.

But I’m leaving.

Now you only bring me black roses.

And they crumble in the dust when they’re held.

Now you only bring me black roses

But I’m not under your spell,

I’m not under your spell,

I’m not under your spell. Ohhh ohhh

When the song was over, again, I got another huge round of applause and someone with an unmistakable accent, shouted, “Again!” I looked in that direction and saw ‘Jason’. He was smiling and raised his beer to me.

I took a big drink of water and looked at Dan. Another shake of the head, but this time he was smiling and shrugged. The tavern was packed with people and I knew there were dollar signs in his eyes. Cha-Ching!! The tables were full and people lined the walls.

The music started again. “Someone Like You” by Adele, yet another song about heartbreak. Was Dan a glutton for punishment or was it JP? These were my favorite songs and each one brought tears to my eyes and the eyes of some others it seemed.

I saw people going to the bar. Thank God! When the music started AGAIN, and no one came up to take the mic, I looked to Dan in question. He was laughing, and shook his head, pointing to me. What the hell? These were requests?!

It went on like that for hours! Every song was as painful and tear-jerking as the one before.

“Jar of Hearts” – Christina Perri, “Torn” – Natalie Imbruglia, “Crazy” – Patsy Cline, “Don’t Speak” – No Doubt, “Don’t Leave me” – P!nk, “What Hurts the Most” – Rascal Flatts, “When I Was In Your Heart”– David Gray…

The list went on and on. By the time I needed a break I had gone through four bottles of water and I had to pee like you wouldn’t believe! I finally shook my head at Dan and looked to JP.

He looked back and saw my eyes begging for help.  Understanding immediately, he stood, grabbed my purse, and then turned and grabbed Maggie by the hand.

They made their way to the stage as he loudly told her, “Come on, girl, we’re up!”  She giggled and followed him, just a little bit wobbly.  I looked to Dan.  He nodded slightly letting me know everything was under control.

I heard someone shout, “Awww, don’t go!”

I turned in the direction it came from and said, “Come on, guys, I need to take care of business!  Give someone else a chance!”

They laughed, and I could tell that many of them were drunk or getting there, but most of them were still wiping their eyes, and some were still visibly choked up.  What was going on?

As JP approached me, he took my hand and helped me step down, handing me my purse.  Squeezing my hand, his head gestured slightly toward the restroom.  I mouthed ‘Thank you’ and tried to make my way in that direction.

I was stopped when Maggie grabbed me in a tight hug and exclaimed, “Oh my God, that was awesome!  How did you do that?!  Everyone was enthralled the moment you started singing!  I’m going to figure you out!  You’ll see!”

What did that mean?  The frog in my throat refused to croak words, so I simply smiled at her and nodded my head.  All those gut-wrenching feelings, coming from me and on display, had simply left me emotionally exhausted.

I worked my way through the crowd.  People were smiling and complimenting me, but I barely heard them in my haste to escape to a toilet.

The music began to play in the background.  I heard, “Islands in the Stream” by the Bee Gees, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton style.  I laughed a little and shook my head.  JP had saved and calmed me all at once with that song.

Bless that man…and Maggie, too.  I liked her very much and could tell she would be a good friend.  I hoped we would keep in touch after she went home, especially since she was going to ‘figure me out’.

I entered the restroom and locked the door.  I entered the stall before I peed my pants!  I was washing my hands when I looked in the mirror.  I was horrified at what I saw.  Mascara was streaked down my face and dried tear tracks had made their way to my chin.  I looked down to see little wet spots on my blouse where they had fallen.  That’s perfect, just fucking perfect!  Goddam songs!  At least there weren’t black mascara stains along with them and the teardrops would dry soon.

I had just finished cleaning my face, when the door handle jiggled.  Then it opened, and in stepped ‘Pam’ or rather the actress that played Pam.  Damn, I thought I locked that.

She was dressed casually in an untucked, fitted, pink cotton blouse with a wide black belt and jeans that were tucked into gorgeous black leather boots.  I could see large gold hoop earrings peeking out of her hair.  Her hair had been straightened and was hanging down her back, shining and perfectly cut.  The top of it was pulled back in a black barrette with the sides down around her face.

She looked stunning, even more beautiful and flawless than on TV.  I recognized that she was the woman I saw earlier talking to my IBF.

“That was quite the show,” She deadpanned.  She wasn’t being rude exactly, but she wasn’t warm either.  I had heard she was so sweet and friendly.  This was not what I was expecting when I met her, if I ever met her.

“Uh, thanks,” I replied clearing my throat.  “Those songs get me a little emotional.”

“So I see,” she said, noting the droplets on my blouse.

I began to try to dry them with a paper towel and finally turned the blower up on the hand dryer and hit the button.  She was checking her hair in the mirror and eyeing me out of the corner of her eye at the same time with a smirk.  It was awkward and I tried not to look at her.

When the dryer stopped, I opened my bag, took out some eyeliner and mascara, and began to reapply it.  She was touching up her pink lipstick when she turned to me and leaned against one of the sinks.

“Don’t bother.  It takes much more than that to get his attention and hold it,” She turned back to the mirror and continued to primp.  Did she just follow me in here to insult me?

“What?  I wasn’t…I didn’t…who are you talking about?” I feigned ignorance.

“Oh, please.  I saw the way you couldn’t take your eyes off of him earlier.  Your mouth was practically hanging open.  Everyone saw it.”

Yeah, because I’m an idiot who was shocked that he was staring at me.  Of course at that moment, everyone was looking at me, but that’s not the point!

What the hell was her problem?  It’s not as though I thought I was some beautiful model, but I wasn’t bad looking and I had more attributes than just singing.

Yes, I wanted to meet him.  Yes, to be honest, I wanted him to remember me and, after my performance, he just might.

Let’s be realistic.  I wasn’t stupid enough to think I would have a chance.  Did she really think I was going to make a play for him?  Even if I did, what difference would it make to her?  As far as I knew, they weren’t together.  I had read they were good friends, but come on!  Wasn’t she married?  Besides, I would be the one making a fool of myself.  I know I’m nobody and some faceless townie, but she didn’t have to rub it in my fucking face!

I was starting to get a little pissed off at her pseudo-lecture.

“Don’t sweat it.  All the fans look at him that way.  It’s the price of being handsome and famous.  Just don’t get your hopes up,”  She looked over at me as she said it, with a smug grin on her perfect, stupid, bitchy, face.

Now I was really getting pissed!  What did she know about my hopes?  Was she trying to protect me or him?  It certainly didn’t sound like the former, but there was no reason to protect him from me that I could imagine.

Be nice.  Remember they’re just people.  Be nice.  Be nice.  Be nice. 

I repeated that in my head as I felt my inner panther start sharpening her claws.  I didn’t want to hurt our chances to be around or on the set, so I needed to maintain my composure.  Being rude to this woman was not the way to get my foot in the door, so to speak, regardless of how she was speaking to me.

I straightened to my full height, meeting her eye to eye in an effort to show her that she wasn’t succeeding in her intimidation tactics.

“Thank you for the advice.  I won’t.  I would like to meet him, though.  I really respect his work and yours.  You’re a great actress.  You know, I studied acting and it’s always a great honor to meet someone who has honed their craft as well as you,” I forced a smile that must have passed as genuine.  Thank you acting classes!  I meant the compliment, though.  Why else would I be such a huge fan of the show?

She smiled at that and her voice became friendlier.  “Thank you.  It’s the fans like you that make it all worth it,”  Obviously her acting classes were paying off, too.  “Would you like a photo?  Do you have a phone with a camera?”  Hell no!

“Not now.”  Shit!  “Sorry, that came out wrong.  I mean, not right now.  Not here, you know, in the restroom.  I would like to take one with you some other time though, if you wouldn’t mind,” I smiled again.

“Not at all.”

“I’m Cricket by the way,” I said and stuck out my hand.

“I know,” She grinned.  “I’m the one who was chirping,” She looked at my hand, turned, and walked out the door.

What the hell just happened?

~~~

Aurelia Gliwiski as Chelsea ‘Cricket’ Kerrigan

Alexander Skarsgård as Alex/Eric Northman

Sean Hayes as JP

Kathy Najimy as Maggie

 Vincent D’Onofrio as Dan

Ryan Kwanten as Jason

Kristin Bauer van Straten as Kris/Pam Ravenscroft

Jason Momoa as Tray

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A/N: As always, a huge thank you to MsBuffy for her editing on this chapter. I couldn’t do it without her. Thanks for reading!  Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.  🙂