Chapter 20

Once the decision was made all they had to do was put it into practice. Amelia called the manager of her store and explained her need to go away for a while. The announcement caused no surprise, Amelia often went on trips. Standing and walking into her bedroom she packed her belongings, and prepared her sword for the trip to Seattle. She stopped and gazed around her room making sure she had packed everything she needed. Going to Seattle was going to be hard on her, but not as hard as going to New Jersey was going to be for Jon. In that instance she made a decision that she was sure was right, but she wasn’t sure if it was going to help. Moving to the side of the bed she sat and reached for her phone and dialed the number the television had listed to call with information on Jon. Taking a deep breath she waited for someone to answer the phone. She figured it would be a bank of workers or policemen answering the phone so hearing a voice she remembered was a pleasant surprise.

“Hello,” the gruff voice said, “If your calling on a prank please hang the fuck up, no time for niceties, however if you have information on my friend Jon please start talking.”

Although the words were rude, the sound of them showed the evident worry the man had for his friend. Taking a deep breath Amelia started talking. “Richie, I know that’s you, no don’t ask who I am it doesn’t matter. I’m calling you to let you know Jon’s on his way home. He’s ok for the most part,” her voice trailing off as Richie’s voice interrupted her.

“Who the hell are you and what the hell do you mean for the most part?” Richie’s words nearly fell over each other to get out of his mouth.”

She nearly laughed at his speed speech; he hadn’t changed in twenty years. Get Rich excited and he forgot how to talk properly. “Listen, the particulars aren’t important right this second, he’s alive and in one piece and on his way home. I just need to know where his home is so I can get him there. The rest of the questions you or his family have will be answered when he gets home.”

Richie quickly gave her the address to Jon’s home. He wanted to ask so many questions, but he got the impression it wouldn’t help. It was the oddest thing though, that voice tugged at his memory. He’d lay money he had heard it before, but where? As his mind began to delve into its extensive memory banks, the voice started again. “Oh, one more thing, your his best friend; he’s going to need you more than ever. You see, he can’t remember who he is, not one spec of a thing. I’m counting on ya Sambo, to alert everyone and not let them crowd him when he returns.” With that the phone clicked off, leaving Richie staring at the wall in shock. Not many had ever just called him Sambo and hearing it told him that whoever had found him knew them somehow, knew them more intimately than the general fan. Holy fuck, he needed to tell the family! Standing so quickly he knocked his chair over Richie flew from the phone room to let everyone know Jon was on the way home.

Settling the phone gently back into the cradle Amelia stood and picked up her bags. Walking into the living room she gaily tossed out a “No time like the present boys, as neither of you have bags, the store’s all taken care of and the house is ready to be locked. Let’s take Seattle by storm!”

Within moments all three were settled into Adam’s Range Rover headed down the country roads towards Seattle. A few hours later the Seattle city limits came into range. They stopped a few times to either fuel up the car, take a walk or get a bite to eat, but they had made decent time none the less. Twenty minutes later he was pulling into the parking lot at Joe’s Bar. Amelia glanced up at the battered façade. It hadn’t changed in twenty years. “Bloody well time for something more than coffee,” Adam uttered as they came to a full stop. Switching the ignition off he climbed out of the car and with an arch of a fine brow on his patrician face smiled. “Well? Come on you two.” Amelia and Jon had no choice but to follow, or as she knew, be stuck outside until Adam was as lubricated as he wished to be. Before she could move though, Jon had gotten out and reached her door, opening it for her. With a nod of thanks his way they began to walk inside.

As they entered the dim bar both Amelia and Adam scanned the interior quickly, Adam to find Joe, and Amelia to familiarize herself with the bar that had done so much to change her life twenty years before. A moment later a slightly older, but still grizzled man walked from the back office. “Adam! Where you been old man,” said the owner with a grin as he quickly settled a mug of beer before him.

“Oh you know me Joe, doing this and that, mostly that,” Adam said grinning as Amelia placed herself onto a stool next to her teacher. “Look who I brought with me,” he said as he nodded towards Amelia.

Amelia smiled and leaned forward giving Joe a swift peck on the cheek. “It’s good to see you again Joe. It’s been awhile.”

It was then Joe noticed the man tagging along with them. Turning back to Adam the evident question glinting in his eyes he spoke softly. “Adam?” with a shake of his head Adam indicated the time for stories would come later. “Seen MacLeod around recently Joe?” Joe nodded in the affirmative, “He’s supposed to stop in soon Adam. He’s been wondering where you got off too.” As they chatted quietly, Amelia studied Jon. He hadn’t taken a seat; he’d actually started wandering around in the bar, first stopping at the stage then moving to the booths. She couldn’t see his face but his body language screamed watch out.

This place nagged at him somewhere deep inside. This small bar with the stage in back, it felt familiar somehow, but how? Jon’s blue eyes roamed the area restlessly. He glanced back at the bar, the people there seeming to fade as he stopped in front of a booth. He could almost hear, the chatter of voices eddying and flowing about him. At the edges of his mind he could almost hear the soulful wailing of a guitar playing. The music was growing to a crescendo in his soul, teasing his mind and his will, begging him to follow. Leaning his head back he closed his eyes and let the music have its way.

As the music swirled around him, he wondered for the umpteenth time at where she was. Richie was making that guitar wail and she was missing it. As he glanced at the ladies room he caught a flurry of motion to the side. What the hell? Some big ugly guy had her by the throat and some tall man with an odd accent was trying to help. He rushed up and struggled to get to the bar, struggled to get to her. The smell of blood was thick in his nose, the music had stopped and she had vanished. There was blood on the floor and on the dark haired man’s clothes. He had to find Jacqui; he had to make sure she was ok. My God if she was hurt he’d die, he knew it. The man wouldn’t let him pass, he hit him, and damnit he deserved it. WHERE WAS SHE!!

Jon jerked forward, his eyes opening as he found himself sitting in a nearly empty bar. He pushed himself from the booth and hurried to the woman at the bar, his blue gaze unfocused and worried. “Jacqui! My god, are you ok? You ARE ok right?” He looked her over intently, slightly confused at the lack of blood or blood smell. He reached for her and pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t ever do that again babe, don’t stay gone for so long.”

Amelia looked at him, worry painted in her golden flecked green eyes. “You called me Jacqui. Why did you call me that?”

“It’s your name silly woman. Now where did my bro go? He was just on stage a minute or two ago.”

Adam spoke up softly, worry coating his baritone voice. “Jon man, what year is it right now?”

Giving the dark haired man a look that proclaimed clearly he had to be daft, Jon replied. “It’s the summer of 1986.”

Amelia turned in Jon’s arms to look up at Adam with something close to panic on her face as Adam responded. “So its 1986 and you would be?”

The grin that launched a million fantasies graced Jon’s face as he said, “I’m Jon Bon Jovi dude, and this lady you were chatting up is my lady Jacqui.”

Amelia spoke up then, “Jon, What happened yesterday?” Jon glanced down at her, a loving yet quizzical look on his face. “You mean on the bus or before babe?”

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up into the eyes of the man she remembered. Turning in his arms slightly she glanced up at Adam, her eyes speaking the volumes she couldn’t say out loud. Jon Bon Jovi was back, only he was 25 and not 45.

Oh Shit just didn’t cover it.