The Day Before Tomorrow

The Day Before Tomorrow - Part 4 11:00pm - 12:00am

The following takes place at Crazy Girls in Los Angeles, between 11pm and Midnight, on the night before Tony Almeida's wedding

11:01 pm


The late arrival of Chase brought with it several challenges, none of which Tony felt particularly ready to face. The first was more alcohol - a shot of Jack that burned down his throat (and not the kind of Jack he particularly wanted down his throat...), and he coughed as he set the shot glass down. "You guys realize that I'm not going to have a damn liver by them you're done with me."

Chase grinned, taking the doll from him and wedging in a bottle of Heineken - another challenge - in the beer holder in the top of its head before handing it back to him. "Your liver will recover with the love of your beautiful new wife. Didn't you know that? That's how everyone survives their stag. Hey - who won the pool?"

"Michelle, apparently," Jack replied with a smirk.

"Aww man, Tony? You lost it before 9pm?" Tony shrugged, and decided it wold be easier just to shut up and drink the Heineken, leaning against the side of the table as Chase perched on a stool behind him and read down his back. "Get a girl to leave a lipstick kiss on your body... drink a porn star... shag a sheep?"

"That one was already checked off when I got it," Tony said quickly, and Chase laughed.

"Yeah, but apparently you still have to make sexual overtures to a traffic sign."

Tony took a long swig of the beer. "I thought this was supposed to be a celebration?"

Chase pondered this for a moment, glancing over to Jack. "No, you know I'm not sure that's really true. I think it's supposed to make you hate single life so much that you never leave your wife." At Tony's despondent look, he patted his back. "Okay, okay, we won't make you simulate sex with a traffic sign."

"You're too kind." He handed the doll to Jack, leaving the beer on the table. "I gotta pee - watch my date."

He wandered off toward the washroom, and Jack watched him go, turning back to find that Chase had stolen the sharpie from Milo, and was in the process of drawing a "hello my name is...." tag on the flesh coloured chest of the inflatable girl. "Hey Jack? He doing ok? He seems a bit... off."

Jack was silent for a moment, watching him draw. "Just some last minute jitters. He'll be fine."

"How about you?"

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

The younger man shrugged. "Best friend getting hitched. Things won't be the same."

Jack gave a soft laugh. "You act like we're unrepentant bachelors."

"Well, maybe just you." Chase grinned, then handed him the sharpie, turning the doll around. "Sign."

He glanced at the writing on the chest. "Hello my name is Barb?"

"Why not? Sexy name, for a midget. Now sign something for Tony. Or draw on it. It'll be like, a stag guestbook. And make it dirty."

He uncapped the pen and regarded the doll for a moment, then shrugged and gave the doll a nose ring with a chain leading to the ear. Then he wrote "Tony: Glad you have Michelle. - Jack."

"Classy," Chase regarded it with a grin, then started tackling the others, doll and sharpie in hand.

He ordered a beer, and sat quietly for a time with Tony when he returned, sipping at the bottle and watching Chase track down the others. "You feeling okay?"

Tony shrugged, tipping back the bottle. "Not too bad. Still kind of wish I was home...."

"Soon enough," Jack replied with a little smile.

Tony's eyes followed Chase as he started trying to get the bar staff to sign the doll. "It's still strange to see you working with a partner."

Jack shrugged. "Chase is good stuff. It's a nice change."

"Kind of like a mini version of you?"

He chuckled. "I think the world would end if that was the case."

Tony gave a soft laugh as well, and drained the bottle. "Still kind of wish we could do field again."

"You know why that would be a bad idea."

"And it isn't with Chase?"

Jack looked over sharply. "No. It would be like doing my nephew."

A shrug. "Okay."

He watched Tony for a long moment, rather perturbed. "Hey, how long have you thought...."

"I don't know. I tried not to think about it, honestly." A warm smile, a little relieved. "But I believe you, Jack."

They both looked up as Chase returned with the doll, Milo in turn. "Hey Tony. Your date got around when you were gone."

"I can see that," he replied with a laugh. "Oh god, who the hell drew a dick on her ass?"

Milo grinned. "Just in case people forget what they're for."

Tony decided rather prudently not to ask whether he was referring to dicks or asses. "... awesome."

Chase meanwhile, had rounded to peer at the list on the back of Tony's tshirt. "Okay yeah, we have to go."

Tony looked back at him. "Go?"

"To a bar. Someplace with girls that aren't being paid to be here. You still have to dance with two of them at the same time, and get five of them to kiss you. So lets relocate to a club."

He glanced to Jack, who shrugged. "It's your stag. We can stay here if you want."

Tony considered it briefly, then decided it might be a good idea to move on before someone decided to buy another bottle of champagne. "Yeah, it's okay. Lets go."


11:40 pm


The advantage - or perhaps disadvantage of moving venues was that it trimmed them down to a group of ten, which someone decided was enough to fit into two taxis. They decided on a bar quickly, one that Tony hadn't ever heard of but hoped wasn't too trashy, and hailed the cabs.

He wasn't particularly sure how they managed to fit five grown men and a blow up doll into one cab, although from somewhere behind him he could hear Jack complaining loudly about Milo having a bony ass. He concentrated on trying to keep the grafittied inflated plastic limbs from blocking the rear view mirrors during the lengthy trip, and was very glad when they stopped, and Jack's visa was thrust up between the seats to pay.

Chase's arm appeared from somewhere behind him brandishing the sharpie and a five dollar bill. "Hey driver. If you sign the inflatable midget, I'll double your tip. It's a stag party."

"I gathered that," the driver remarked, good naturedly, and signed her leg before finally letting them out of the car.


11:55 pm


Jack was all too happy to claw his way out of the cab - where he'd spent the better part of almost fifteen minutes with Milo Pressman's bony ass digging into one of his thighs. They'd been dropped off outside some nightclub called The Ruby, where the better part of the lineup appeared to be young twenty-something goths with multi-coloured hair in various combination of leather and fishnet. Who the hell had picked this place anyway? He groaned and stretched, giving a dismissive wave to Chase. "You guys go get in line. I need a smoke."

Milo grinned. "Didn't know you'd like having someone sit in your lap that much, Jack."

Jack shot him an unimpressed glare and told him where to go and how, before turning, fishing a slightly squished pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket and lighting one. He wandered aimlessly down the line, eyes slipping over the people there for potential threats without even meaning to. He'd been in the field far too long....

"Jack?" An all too familiar voice called his name behind him, and he turned, raising an eyebrow at the familiar figure that stood there.

"... Chloe?"

12:00 Midnight