002: Exodus: Part One (The Universal Conspiracy)

The old Harley had been in Gary's shop for more than two years, collecting dust, waiting on a part that was never destined to come in. When it had, he'd called it a blessing in disguise. Now he could unload that albatross and it wouldn't involve taking a loss on damaged goods. He'd told his old boss at the shop to fix it, knowing that he was the only mechanic in the world he trusted enough to do the job.

Exhausted, strung out from the long trip in from Virginia, he wasn't really planning to let anyone know he was passing through. It was going to be quick and painless but when Lex passed by Reggie's and saw the name on the sign, he had to swing into the lot.

Some Herd Trouble. Hunter Donimari – a guy he still considered his brother even though the divorce had been final for years – was the frontman for the band.

I'll just pop in for a drink, he told himself. Stretch the legs. Catch a song or two.


Stop moping around. Get out of the house and have some fun.

Her brother's words were still ringing in her ears as she stepped up on stage, forcing a smile as she met Hunter's eyes. He threw his arm around her and ushered her towards center stage, his voice booming over the microphone. "You guys are always a fucking awesome crowd and I think you're gonna enjoy what's coming up next." He gestured to Hannah who laughed nervously. "This chick's my sister and tonight she's gonna sing. So please go easy on her." He laughed as the crowd did give her a smattering of applause and catcalls.

Hannah nervously waved as her brother stepped back and grabbed his guitar. The buzz from the drink she'd downed started to hit her just in time as the drummer started playing first, followed by the guitars. The opening to Ballroom Blitz began as her anxiety melted away and her voice grew louder, surer as her confidence soared. She owned the stage, strutting and playing to the crowd by the time the chorus kicked in.

Hunter watched, proud of himself for forcing her to do this – he'd known she'd be a natural. She needed this, if for nothing else than her self-esteem. She'd never had much from the time she was a small child until now.

Singing her heart out, she was lost in the music, her eyes moving over the crowd without seeing anything individual until she thought she saw a familiar denim jacket moving through the crowded tables. It was too dark, too smoky to really tell for sure and before she knew it, the song was over. The audience responded with claps and cheers and she stood there frozen for a few seconds, trying to convince herself that it was a trick of the light. She looked at Hunter who was giving her a look that screamed he'd been right. Hannah handed the mic over and took a bow.

"Alright, Derp, good job." He said into the mic, "now get the hell off my stage." He was laughing as he said this, obviously joking as he pretended to smack her in the butt with his guitar.

Laughing, she waved to the crowd and strutted off the stage with her head high. The rush she got from her performance was amazing and the grin on her face stayed as she got to the bar and ordered another Jack and Coke. The band started playing Michael Jackson's Billie Jean as Hannah enjoyed the music and buzz.


The tap of metal against wood was loud, against the wall right next to her ear. She turned her head and the first thing she saw was that jean jacket. The sleeves were torn off now, it had been transformed into a vintage vest but she knew it so well because he'd had it since he was seventeen. The old punk buttons had been there just as long and seeing it now made her feel so light she thought she might float away.

He tapped his hand against the pillar again, that ever-present skull ring of his making more noise. Lex watched the surprise on Hannah's face transform into a smile and he winked, leaning in close enough that the cold buttons on the vest touched her arm. "Nice pipes."

"I had... no idea you were gonna be here." She leaned over and hugged him, trying to hide the flush in her cheeks. "Not complaining, I'm happy to see you." There was a mixture of confidence, a buzz, and happiness going on internally and her face reflected it. "So, hi!" She pulled back, still grinning.

"Passin' through." He couldn't help his grin in response, glancing back at the stage. "Didn't expect to see you. Had no idea," he chuckled sheepishly, "gotta stop meetin' like this. People're gonna talk." The joke fell a little flat as he sighed, shaking his head, "surprised me, seein' you up there, rockin' out harder'n Tia Carrere."

"He thought it would be good for me." She turned her barstool so that she was facing him. Crossing one leg over the other, she took a sip of her drink. "Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here. I've gotten lucky to see you so much." She nodded, taking another drink. "It's been nice... being friends again."

"It's nice having friends again." He countered, tapping his knuckles on the bar to get the attention of the tender. "Bottle of Bud Light, please an' thanks." A folded twenty appeared from his palm, held between his fingers as he glanced over at her, "you want another? That one's lookin' a little low."

"Sure." She turned her attention to the bartender for a moment. "Another Jack and Coke, please? Thanks." Hannah turned back to Lex, finishing the rest of her drink. "How long are you gonna be in town for? If it's possible, the peanut would love to see you."

"Gotta head out shortly. Another stupid match coming up I gotta prep for." He bent the truth a little, knowing he wasn't going to put any effort into what he knew what was going to be his last WWH fight, hating to see the hope in her eyes fade. He reached for his beer, stalling while he took a long swallow. "It's... damn. Wish I'd known."

A fresh drink had been slid over to her as she barely noticed. "Known what? What is it?" She was sad that he wouldn't be able to stay long, but she was grateful for the little bit she did get to see him.

"You were gonna be here," he replied, shrugging on the heels of another gulp of beer, "I mean…" he looked down at his dusty jeans and motorcycle boots, "just spent too much time on the bike comin' in from the old shop in Valpo, y'know? Not like I'm at my best."

"You look fine to me." She took a semi-long sip from her drink. She was well on her way to being really drunk and knew that she needed to be cut off soon. "Do you have anywhere to stay? Until you have to leave?"

"I was gonna just stop in, listen to a few songs an' get back on the road." A sheepish grin was on his lips. "You know how it goes. I don't sleep much an' the roads call my name louder after midnight."

She couldn't hide the disappointment she felt, unable to keep it off her face. He broke eye contact, looking up as the music died down, only to find the band was taking a break. When had that happened? "I," he shook his head slowly, "are you gonna sing again? I mean, I'd kinda like to hear that. If you were gonna."

"She's totally gonna sing again." Hunter's voice was full of good cheer as his hand closed over Lex's shoulder. "Good to see you, Brother. Been a long time since you were at one of our shows."

Four years, at least. He didn't bother to supply the information as he watched Hannah's head whip around, a shocked look on her face. She shook her head, finishing off her drink. "Okay, and just what else am I singing?"

Hunter had a beer in hand as he took a drink. "Sam Cooke." His gaze slid to Lex's, something unspoken there before he swallowed. "You'll go on next. We got five minutes 'cause I need to pee." He left them in a hurry and went to the bathroom.

Hannah stared after him, that shell-shocked look still on her face. "Well," her voice came out quiet, "guess I'm singing Sam Cooke." Her attention went back to Lex; her smile with him was genuine. "I'm already apologizing for bombing the song."

There was something going on here that he didn't quite understand but he was struggling with the press of the crowd behind them and the travel exhaustion to even try to puzzle out the meaning. "Guess I'm stayin' for another song." He leaned in to push her empty glass away, adding his empty beer bottle to it. "Can we get a couple Pepsis instead? Or Coke. Whatever brown, bubbly stuff you got on tap." He rested his hand gently on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "You got this. I know you do."

"Not gonna lie, I'm kinda scared shitless." She wanted another alcoholic beverage to counter her panic which had seemed to make her buzz fade. "I practiced Ballroom Blitz with the guys. This next one, I know it. I know I know it, but... shit." She laughed at herself and shook her head. "Remind me to smack my brother when it's all said and done?"

"Smack 'im for you. If it goes sideways. Fair deal?" He winked, giving her a quick hug around the shoulders. "You'll be awesome. Just close your eyes if you gotta. Pretend there's nobody else here."

Hannah patted the hand of the arm that was around her shoulders. Turning her head, she looked him in the eye. Her face had gone serious as she kept a hold of his hand. "Will you be close by?"

"Right here. Up front if I can." Lex's smile was gentle as he met her gaze.

Just as she was about to say something, Hunter's voice on stage via a microphone, got their attention. "Hannah, paging Hannah. Getcha ass on stage!" She turned and saw that he had his guitar ready to go.

"Dear Lord." Hannah muttered as she got up, giving Lex a slight smile as she made her way through the crowd. "Yeah, yeah, calm your ass." She said the words mixed with laughter. Being pulled on stage, Hunter handed her the mic. Placing her hand over it, she leaned in and whispered in her brother's ear. "You are my brother and I love you, but right now I wanna smack the shit outta you. You know I'd never wanna sing this in public, let alone with Lex here?"

"Kill it," Hunter replied with a smile.

"Rather kill you," she fired back, the microphone picking it up. She pulled back and gave him a quick look that was mixed with hurt, sadness, and anger. Just as quickly as the look came on, it changed into playful one. "Play the damn song, boys."

Hunter didn't meet his sister's eyes, instead he looked down at his guitar. The slow and jazzy riffs of Sam Cooke's Bring It On Home To Me filled the bar. Hannah closed her eyes and began to sing. She couldn't meet her ex-husband's eyes. Ever since things had ended, this had been on heavy rotation. Even Allegra knew the song by heart.

By the time she got through the first verse, she felt the prickle of tears. She kept going, didn't bother wiping at them, used the emotions she felt to help her through the rest of the song.

"Bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin', bring it on home to me..."

There it was, the final line and the emotions shone through. Before she knew it, the song was over and she was putting the mic back on the stand. Not even stopping to say a few words or take in the applause, Hannah got off stage and walked to the front entrance. She needed a few minutes to get herself together as the tears flowed freely. Once she was outside, she leaned against the front of Reggie's and buried her face in her hands, struggling to keep her composure.

Normally stealthy, Lex made it a point to shuffle his feet and clear his throat as he stepped through the door. "That was nice." The way he said it held so much more meaning than just a simple compliment. He leaned against the wall next to her, giving enough space so that he wasn't crowding her. "I... uh..."

"You can kinda understand why I didn't wanna sing that." She had dropped her hands, her resting against the wall of the building. "Jesus Christ." She was too embarrassed to meet Lex's eyes.

"I…" he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I dunno what to say. I guess that shouldn't really be surprising, right? Usually don't."

"I don't know what the fuck he was thinking...." She let out a deep sigh, her arms wrapping around herself. "You don't have to say anything." She wasn't sure what he could say.

"Alright." He nodded, lapsing into silence for a few seconds. He didn't look at her, didn't seem like he was judging her meltdown in any way. "Never heard that one before. So it was new an' the lyrics were real good. I mean, as far as songs go, it wasn't the junk they play on the radio these days. People seemed pretty into it."

Hannah nodded, "it's one of my favorites." Clearing her throat and wiping at her eyes, she turned so that her shoulder was leaning against the building.

Lex sighed, "sorry I showed up an' made it weird."

"You didn't do anything wrong," she sighed as well, "so I don't accept your apology." She forced a shaky smile, turning her head to look at him. "I'm glad you're here tonight."

"Was nice to hear you sing. I mean, on a stage like that." He smiled sadly, lifting his hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I think... maybe… I should go?"

"I'm sure you've got a lot of miles to cover." It sounded so lame to her ears but she couldn't think of anything else. She took a few steps in his direction, trying to fix whatever it was that felt like it was breaking. "Promise me you'll be safe?"

"Oh yeah. I gotta survive." His own smile turned bitter as he watched her move closer, "two people might miss me if I didn't. An' I mean, I can't let those dicks who wanted to see me check out early have the satisfaction. Gotta keep bein' the rebel, Dottie. Like always."

"You're gonna outlive us all," she hesitated, stopping before she invaded his personal space. "And you're wrong, there's more than just two people who would miss you."

"Four if I count that doofus inside, right?" He shook his head, cutting off the rebuttal he could read in her eyes, "it's alright. I wasn't bein' serious." Before she could say anything else, he stepped in close, wrapping his arms around her for a tight hug. His lips were right next to her ear when he said, "I know you'd miss me most of all. Appreciate that more'n you know."

"I have," she replied, her chin resting on his shoulder, "I do. So much."

"Yeah," his breath was warm on another sigh, "me too."

She pulled back, surprise there for him to see mixed with hope and confusion, "Lex... what are you-"

He cut the question off with a bitter snort of laughter and a shake of his head and then her back was against the wall and his lips were on hers. He kissed her hard. He kissed her in a way he hadn't since they were in high school, rough and unrestrained and she clung to him for dear life, hoping it would never end. It did and did the worst thing possible – he stepped back. "I…" he took another step away from her, "I gotta go."

He turned without another word and she watched while he put on his helmet and started his bike. It was loud. He wouldn't have been able to hear her even if she'd called out to him but she couldn't bring herself to even exhale. She held her breath until it hurt, until she saw black creeping in the edges of her vision. She hoped he'd turn back, she hoped he would feel her eyes on him and know how much she needed him to understand what that song had meant. He pulled out into traffic and she waited until she couldn't see his taillights anymore before walking to her car. She needed to go home and try to process what had just happened. What did it mean? It felt a little too much like fleeing the scene of a crime and she wondered what he was feeling right now? Was his heart racing? Was it breaking?