Life After You

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Summary: Some chances come too late.

AUTHOR: Zippit
EMAIL: zippit@cryptoffic.com
RATING: PG-13
CHARACTER: Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr; Casey POV
CHALLENGE: Christmas Request 2009
COMPLETED: December 24, 2009
WORD COUNT: 1,593
WRITTEN FOR: amanda_488
DISCLAIMER: If you recognize anyone in this piece, I am in no way affiliated with or know them personally. I am neither making a profit nor plan to do so. This is nothing more than an exercise in fiction. This is a result of an overactive imagination and I claim no truth to these words.
BETA: Thanks to Catw00man for the beta. All others errors are mine.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I like the quiet friendship that Junior and Casey seem to have in this and how everything played out. Enjoy!
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Whisky River – Dirty Mo’ Acres – Mooresville, North Carolina

The party crowd’s dwindling at Junior’s private oasis as most of them are being carted home by designated drivers. Only a select few are allowed to crash in the hotel next door to the saloon. But right now he doesn’t need that. Right now what he needs is sitting across from him sipping Bud like it’s going out of style in a dirt smudged green and white AMP hat. “Mears, you been subdued tonight.”

He shrugs and slouches down in the seat. “Didn’t want to get completely plastered tonight, Earnhardt. I’ve got to head into the shop tomorrow for some meetings.” It’s a bald faced lie because he needs to end this tonight. He needs to find a way to tell Junior that this thing they’ve been dancing around for months isn’t going to work and he needs to find a way of doing it without letting Junior know the real reason why.

It’s been a tough deal keeping it secret but he and Trish aren’t sure what the hell they’re doing yet. Abortion’s not even in the question. It’d be easier if it was but it’s just…not. So now he’s stuck between what he wants and what he’s supposed to do. Casey looks up when Junior rises from his seat and only slightly wobbles when he moves over to the pool table. “Wanna play, Case?”

He looks around and everyone that’s not in Junior’s posse is gone. It’s only TJ and Snider left besides him and Junior. Why not? Shove up from the seat and grab two more beers before he joins Junior beside the pool table, offering him the beer. “You know I’m gonna beat you.”

“Why’s that?” Junior’s clearly skeptical look makes him smile and he leans a hip against the table. “Because you’ve had way more to drink than I have.”

“Well don’t you know there’s a point when drunk where I’m a helluva lot better pool player than when I’m sober?” Casey goes to pick up a cue from the stand and chuckles to himself.

“Yeah, but wasn’t that a couple beers ago?” He can hear Junior pouting even before he turns around and yup, there it is. “But I’ll try and go easy on you.” Casey winks and nudges Junior with the end of the pool cue. Junior futzes with racking the balls then breaks them with no sign he’s had any beer at all.

“You got solids.” Huh, Junior’s letting him go first. This is new. Usually it’s all about pressing the advantage. Something’s up and that can’t mean anything good for him.

“You sure? That’s not your usual style.”

“Indulge me. It’s the beer.” He makes his point by popping the top on the beer Casey gave him and chugging a sip.

Casey shakes his head but lets it go, walking around the pool table to find a good shot to take. Junior’s eyes are on him the whole time. He’s not paying attention to the game at all and the atmosphere is far from what Casey’s used to. It’s unnerving. He takes his shot and by some miracle it only barely misses going into the corner pocket, instead spinning off the edge and back out into the middle of the table.

Junior makes a “hmm” and now it’s his turn to wander around the table while Casey doesn’t take his eyes off him. What the hell is going on here tonight? There’s no bullshit being tossed back and forth and usually the guys would come over to pick sides. Not tonight. Something is most definitely up. He wonders just how drunk Junior is because this sure as hell isn’t the rowdy redneck he’s had the pleasure of hanging out with.

The only sounds drifting through the saloon are the low murmurs of TJ and Josh’s voices and the player piano music. Casey almost wishes the big crowd from the earlier party was still here. “So does anyone else know?”

His head jerks up and he locks eyes with Junior who’s leaned over the pool table for his shot. “What-what are you talking about?”

Junior’s eyes flick down to the table and his arm pulls back, uncoiling to send the ball straight into a pocket. “I’m talking ‘bout you and Trish.” Swallow hard because he can’t know, can he? He’s been hanging with Trish a lot to figure out what they’re doing but Junior can’t know, right?

“What’s there to talk about?” He tries to play it off when all he wants to do is run and hide. No one’s supposed to find out. If Junior knows, who the hell else does too? He clutches the beer tighter and takes a deep swallow as he watches Junior circle the pool table.

“Nuthin’ really, I guess, ‘cept the fact she’s pregnant.” He inhales sharply then freezes when Junior nails him with a piercing gaze. This can’t be happening. This conversation isn’t happening. He was supposed to be the one that let Junior down easy. This was supposed to be his show tonight. Junior stands his cue on end and leans into it. “Nothing to say, Mears?”

“I…who else knows?” Junior snorts then shakes his head before he stalks around to find another shot. Casey feels the panic subside into anger. It’s not his fault Trish got pregnant. They weren’t being reckless. It just…happened. It’s not his fault he and Junior have this thing they’re dancing around. “Don’t you pull that shit. It’s not my fault.”

“No one else knows. I’m just not fucking blind.” He sinks another shot and Casey’s beginning to think drunk plus pissed off Junior equals one fucking scary talented pool player. He gulps more of his beer only to find he’s finished it somewhere along the line.

“Look Junior, I’m sorry. I was gonna--”

“Let me down easy tonight?” Oh fuck. Nothing’s going to plan. Why the hell does Junior have to be that damn perceptive? He’s not the reckless party boy rockstar everyone thinks he is. It’d be easier if he was. He drags a hand over his head and closes his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Right now he really wishes he had another beer. Several actually. He’s nowhere near drunk enough to be having this conversation. It was a horrible idea to come tonight. He should’ve done something else.

“We ran out of time, huh?” The words are gentler than he expects and he opens his eyes to find Junior prowling around the pool table again, determinedly not looking in his direction. “Bet your parents are happy though. Nice little grandbaby to spoil.”

Is that wistfulness he hears? Fuck, why did the world have to screw him over? It’s not bad enough his career’s nowhere what he wants it to be it’s that the one time his personal life might turn out to be something other than a series of mistakes, it’s derailed by fucking faulty birth control. “Guess we did.”

“So…what’cha gonna do?” Okay, Junior’s seriously scaring him. He’s sunk almost all his balls without a mistake. This game of pool’s just as lost as whatever he and Junior were on the edge of having.

“What else can I do? I’m going to take care of Trish and the baby.”

“But you haven’t made it public.” Wince and enough’s enough, he needs more beer before this conversation goes any farther. There’s a cooler pulled near the pool table and he grabs two. Junior probably needs another just as bad as he does. He sets one on the tabletop then pops the other to take a long swallow.

“We’re still deciding how we’re handling this. Our families know. We just don’t want the fans to know.” Junior pockets the last pool ball then grabs the new beer and comes to lean against the table next to Casey.

“Doesn’t explain why you haven’t told anyone at all. I get the fan thing but Rick doesn’t even know. Hell, I don’t think you’ve told Jeff or Jimmie, have you?” Fidget under his gaze and can’t meet his eyes. Fiddle with the can top because he knows he’s screwed. “If it was really ‘bout the fans, you’d have told Jeff and Jimmie.”

“I didn’t want it to happen, you know. Shit, I was more than happy partying every night.” Turn and lean against the edge of the pool table beside Junior. “I’m not ready to give that up yet.” Junior nudges his shoulder with his own.

“We all grow up at some point.” He has a point and this probably is one of the nicer ways to get that wake up call. Still, he would’ve rather kept his life the way it was. “Just know, you’re always welcome here. Even if you’ll have a ball and chain.”

He snorts a laugh and elbows Junior in the side. “You’re an asshole, you know that?” The grin Junior shoots him makes something flare in his stomach. Something he can’t act on now or probably ever in the future. “Gonna miss this.”

“Take it you mean this unnamed whatever and not the partying ‘cause I just told you you’re always welcome.” He doesn’t say anything because they both know he is. Nothing’s going to be the same after everything gets settled. There’s just no way. “If you ever get it sorted, look me up, Mears.”

Casey looks over at Junior and nods, letting their arms brush together as they lean against the table together. It’s the little they can do and if there’s any chance down the line, he’ll be taking Junior up on that offer.

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Zippit - zippit@cryptoffic.com