Well... the inspiration for this story came from Toby Keith's "Hope On The Rocks", which I've been binge listening to for a few weeks now. So, I decided to do a story based kinda based on it, a little project to do on the side while I work on my main stories/canon timeline.

There will be discussion of mature topics, but not so much I'll have to mark it as mature. Just high 'T' rating. Topics include: abuse, PTSD, manipulation, and talk of suicide. If a chapter has this content, I'll be sure to mention it in the author's note, so you're aware. Also, all characters are older than they are in canon.

Anyways, hope you guys are ready for this, because I'm excited for it! This is the first time I've done a story like this, so I'm curious to see where it'll go myself.

This chapter is just sort of a prologue. Next chapter will dive into the meat of the story. So off we go!

Rain was pouring down, by the time the blond haired man was able to flip the sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'. He gazed out through the water streaked windows, at the streets lit by neon signs and street lamps, watching as a car drove by, tail lights glaringly bright against the dim setting. With a sigh, he clicked the lock closed and turned away from the door, heading towards the back of the building and towards the utility closet. He had maybe another hour of tasks to do before he could think about leaving, himself.

His phone beeped, giving the man pause as he pulled it from his jeans pocket. There was a new text message waiting for him.

Neffy
Not going to be home tonight. Having to cover a shift for another nurse who called in sick.

That's fine. I'm thinking I'll stay in the loft tonight. I don't feel like driving in this weather tonight.

Neffy
Just make sure you don't skip breakfast, babe. I know how you are when you focus more on work than yourself.

Hello pot, meet kettle.

Neffy
I'm a nurse who can work up to twelve hour shifts. What's your excuse?

With a soft chuckle, the blonde shook his head as he sent his reply.

Fair enough. I'll see you tomorrow. Stay safe, love you.

Neffy
Love you too, Chris.

With that, Christopher 'Chris' Cadelle pocketed his phone as he opened the storage closet out and pulled the mop and mop bucket out. He had water boiling back in the kitchen, ready to mix in with some lemon scented wood soap. He lost himself in the tasks of mopping down the floors and wiping down the tables and chairs of the bar and booths, before finally shutting off the lights in the kitchen and finally the bar area itself.

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. It'd been another long night, of people drowning their sorrows in cheap beer and greasy food. The dark weather seemed to have only added to the mood of the night, and Chris couldn't say it hadn't affected him either, with how physically and mentally drained he felt.

Most people might hear what his job and automatically assume it was an easy job. In truth, it was one of the hardest Chris had ever had, and he'd been in the game for close to ten years now. He hadn't expected to become a the manager of th local bar- it had been a paying job during his college days- but when the owner had decided to retire, he'd left the business in Chris' name.

Something along the lines of Chris being the only person he trusted to run the place properly, given the fact he had a solid head on his shoulders. It'd surprised Chris, but he'd been working at the place for five years before that, and he was soon to have a business degree under his belt, so he wasn't going to complain about having a source of solid income to fall back on. While before, he'd only been a busser, he was now the manager and bartender of Cadelle's: Bar And Grille.

Eh. The name change had to happen, and Chris wasn't going to change his mind about it, despite his wife of three years saying that he could have been a bit more original with the name.

With a long, drawn out sigh, Chris managed to find the energy to drag himself up the stairs and to the loft above the bar. The area was equipped with a small kitchenette, an open living area with two bedrooms, and a full bath. It was sparsely furnished, mostly covered in dust from lack of life on the floor, but occasionally Chris would find himself crashing in the bedroom, if the night had been especially long.

Both he and Nefertiti worked up to twelve hours a day. Nefertiti at the hospital, and Chris with his bar. Both knew it was sometimes better to just crash where they could before trying to drive or do anything else that required a lot of brain power.

Chris collapsed on the bed, only briefly debating taking his clothes off, before the inky darkness of sleep rolled over him like the slow build of thunder outside.

He woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Jerking in surprise to sudden awareness, Chris scrambled for the device, not even bothering to check the ID before mumbling out a slurred, "'Lo?"

There was a beat of silence, and Chris blinked the sleep out of his eyes, annoyed, "Hello?"

"Heyyyy... Chris?" A female voice spoke, "I... didn't wake you up, did I?"

Chris blinked again, and pulled the phone away from his ear. He didn't recognize the number, but he did see it was just after seven in the morning. He'd only been asleep for about five hours. He put the phone back to his ear, and sat up, "Who is this?"

"It's me... Christina," The woman said, sounding tired.

Chris jolted. Christina.

"CeeCee?" Chris choked out, "Crissie? Christina?! Is it really you?"

"Yep. Last I checked. Um listen-"

"Where the hell have you been for the last seven damn years?! No note, no phone call, nothing! You just dropped off the face of the earth!"

"... Funny story. I've been in jail,"

Chrisexe has stopped working.

"What."

"And I've got out on good behavior, but... if it's not too much trouble, could you come pick me up? I... I need a place to stay for a while, while I get my feet back under me again and- well, it'd be easier to explain in person and... I'm staying at a motel in Charlotte right now, and I've only got enough cash for another night here and-"

Charlotte, North Carolina was nearly a six hour drive from Birmingham. Nearly twelve to get there and then come back. On one hand, Chris almost wanted to hang up and leave Christina to her own. She'd vanished seven years ago, storming out on him and their parents and not leaving any form of communication at all. On the other, Christina was his sister... he'd learned his mistake the first time, as a runaway teen and practically abandoning her for his own journey of self discovery. From the story his parents had told afterwards, she'd fallen hard into depression.

... Fuck.

"You. Have so much. Explaining. To do," Chris stressed, as he stood up. Coffee. He needed coffee, "Is this your cell?"

"Yep," Christina answered, quietly.

"Good. Stay where you are, I'll call when I get to the state line and get the exact address from you. Understand?"

"... sure thing," Christina said. "And... Chris?"

"What?"

"Thank you. And... for what it's worth... I'm sorry."

"... We'll talk when I see you," Chris replied, and hung up. He let out a heavy sigh as he trekked into the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine. His phone was at half battery, though thankfully he had a charger in his truck. With another sigh, he sent off a few text messages.

You're in charge of the bar for the next two days, potentially.

Red
Sure thing. What's up?

Family emergency.

Red
Say no more, I got it handled.

Once that was done...

So, uh, babe? I may not be home for another day or so. My sister called. I'm going to pick her up in Charlotte.

Neffy
... North Carolina?

Yep.

Neffy
... Somehow I get the feeling we'll need something stronger than wine for this story. Yay.

Chris grimaced as he poured himself a to go cup of coffee.

His thoughts exactly.

Aaand that's it for this chapter! Hope you enjoyed and will be kind enough to drop a review!