Chapter One

Broadway is dark tonight
A little bit weaker than you used to be
Broadway is dark tonight
See the young man sitting
In the old man's bar
Waiting for his turn to die
Broadway is Dark Tonight
Goo-Goo Dolls

Late Evening
June 21st

Three weeks. Three long lonely weeks since Calla walked out the door on Andrew Hartley’s arm. Daniel still didn’t know what he was going to do. What was there to do? Chase after her like some smitten school boy? No, he’d had enough of that over the course of their marriage. If she wanted to be with Andrew Hartley then fuck her let her do what she wanted. She was a grown up she didn’t need him to tell her right from wrong.

Last week he e-mailed her and asked her what she wanted him to do with her clothes and belongings. They were just taking up space in HIS bedroom and in HIS house. She never answered him. Yeah, well, maybe the e-mail was a little rough around the edges it was 3 in the morning when he typed it out over a bottle of Southern. Maybe she didn’t like his tone and thought he wasn’t worth replying to.

Daniel sat on the barstool at O’Malley’s nursing his fifth shot. Geez the Immortal thing took a lot of getting used to. It took one hell of a lot of booze to get him any where near rocked these days. That was all right he had enough money to pay for it.

Calla, oh excuse the shit out of me, Callestah the soon-to-be World Famous Artiste kept in touch with his children, Daniel knew that much because Colleen and Nicholas both told him so. They didn’t share the details with him just that she’d been in touch. They encouraged him to e-mail her or write to her but, no, that wasn’t likely to happen again any time in the near future.

The other day he’d brought home a bunch of boxes and packed her shit up. He stored it in the basement. Now her side of the closet was empty and her dresser drawers had been cleaned out. There was so much room in HIS room he could hardly stand it and he didn’t know why he’d cleaned it all out it wasn’t like he had anything to put in its place. Now half the closet was just….empty and waiting for something to come along and fill it. Sort of like him

Cleaning out her dresser drawers proved interesting. Where she’d once kept an antique pill box stuffed with Valiums and pain killers he found a large manila envelope with the return address of Tom Dyer. From it fell the stack of photographs Dyer took of her the night before he died. She looked so beautiful—in most of them—Daniel couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Once upon a time the other side of HIS bed hadn’t been empty there had been a warm and beautiful woman who slept by his side. She was gone now and all he had was these damn photographs.

Going through the stack he came to the pictures which showed her with the dearly departed Antwone Booker and they weren’t in great shape. They had water stains on them and he figured she’d had a good drunken cry while she looked at those and before she crumpled them up only to straighten them out later and put them back in the envelope.

Funny…that was what he’d done with them too. Had a good cry, crumpled them up because he couldn’t stand looking at the faded scars on her back and then in the morning he’d straightened them out and put them away again just where she’d kept them.

“Another one,” Daniel pointed to his empty glass and Johnny the bartender came over and filled it up again.

“How are ya tonight, Doctor Jackson?” He asked as he filled the shot glass and tried to gauge the drunkenness of one of his best customers. Doc Jackson didn’t usually need a cab no matter how much he tossed down and tonight probably wasn’t going to be any exception to that fast growing rule.

“I’m here aren’t I?” Daniel groused and popped a few beer nuts into his mouth. He chomped them down while waiting for Johnny to finish his job. “Don’t go too far.” Daniel warned once the glass was full again.

“I’m always here,” Johnny smiled and walked off to tend to another drinker.

“Thank god,” Daniel returned with a smile and raised the glass to his full lips. Today was their 18^th wedding anniversary. She didn’t call. In the back of his mind Daniel thought was odd. There hadn’t been so much as a single CALLER UNKNOWN on the caller id yesterday. Maybe she’d forgotten about it, God knew he wished he could. If he ever saw her again—which at this point was a pretty big ‘if—he’d have to ask her how she did it maybe he could follow her lead.

It’s all just water under the bridge now, no big deal, just a little wasted time, that’s all.

Down went half the shot. Right now he just wished he could get her shit out of HIS house. Maybe he’d have it all hauled away to a storage facility some place where he wouldn’t have to look at it any more. The rest of the shot went down with a warm glow. That was better he was starting to feel it now. That hazy cloud was finally beginning to descent and his thoughts were slowing down the voices in his head—the ones that were always telling him what to do—were shutting up for the night. All except for the one which kept muttering that Limey Bastards name over and over; Andrew Hartley, Andrew Hartley, Andrew Hartley, that’s all it said like some stupid broken record.

All right, fine, if he was adult enough about it, Daniel had to admit that Andrew Hartley was one hell of a hunk of male flesh. Calla was a Goddess and before he came along, she was very accustomed to having some muscular male on her right hand side at all times. Someone God-like. Hartley probably called to that old part of her, the one he’d tried to make up for by lifting weights and working out over the years. Seemed he didn’t measure up to the young and buff Andrew J. Hartley. Calla knew it. Why shouldn’t she?

Fucking Hartley! Daniel’d like to grab that blonde haired son of a bitch by the scruff of the neck and just pummel him until he was a little greasy spot on the sidewalk.

Why, why, why did she run off with him so quickly!

“Because you didn’t ask her to stay,” he answered himself and chomped on the last ice cube in the glass. Daniel looked up and motioned for Johnny to come over and hit him again. Johnny the ever dutiful bartender walked over with a concerned smile and did his job. The glass was full again and he drank from it.

Andrew Fucking Hartley. Of all the men in the in all the world! Jesus H. Christ! If she had to leave him, just had to go, Daniel would rather see her with Ares than that asshole. Fuck, man, he’d rather see her with David! The man was a snake just waiting for his chance to strike at her. Why couldn’t she see that? What the hell was wrong with her? Daniel spent hours going over the dossier General Hammond gave him he knew more about Andrew J. Hartley than he ever knew about Ancient Greek Culture and more than he ever wanted to. All he kept coming back to was that Calla had to be so freaking furious with him that she just didn’t care about Hartley or what he was or what he did.

The rest of the shot went down. All those women. All those goddamn dark haired dark eyed dark skinned women! Even he was so irate he couldn’t see straight most days. How in the hell did he let that happen? It was so wrong.

Everything was just wrong!

Motioning for another shot, Daniel realized he had no idea of how to set it all right and get back to good.

Why did they all look like Sha’re? Was he subconsciously trying to hurt his wife even more? That goddamn Connection between them; they were both strung out the whole time and doing something terribly wrong, she painted it and he fucked it. Did the signal just get crossed? The wine and the pills and the drugs, did they screw everything up and keep them from helping each other the way they should have? If everything had been working properly between them surely he would have gone home or she would have come to him sooner.

Looking down at the fresh shot of Southern in his glass he realized he wasn’t helping his cause any but that didn’t matter right now. Maybe tomorrow it would matter, he hoped so anyway, but then again maybe not. There was a band in here tonight one Daniel hadn’t seen before they did a lot of old cover tunes which brought in an older crowd. Some nights there were a bunch of young punks in here but the college had let out for the summer and most of them were gone.

“Hey, Danny! Wanna shoot a round?” Tommy Tyler, another regular here in Lonelyville at O’Malley’s Bar n Grill, was asking as he caught Daniel’s attention and held up two pool cues.

“Sure,” Daniel got off the bar stool with his drink in his hand and wandered over to the pool table. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Or anyone waiting for him at home.

“I wanna shoot,” Rick Jones, yet another regular, chimed in and joined them at the pool table.

“We need a fourth if we’re gonna play teams,” Tommy said in a brisk tone. Rick was plastered and it was clear Tommy was trying to discourage him from joining in the round.

“All right, chill out,” Ricky slurred, “I got it covered. Hey! Nettie! Come over here!”

A woman at the bar turned around at the sound of her name and came over to where the men were standing. She was tall and leggy. She had shoulder length brunette hair and big doe eyes. “What?”

“Danny, Tommy, this is my sister, Antoinette. Nettie, Danny and Tommy.” Hellos were passed all around. “Come on shoot a round with us.”

“You know I don’t play pool.”

“Don’t matta we need a fourth you’re it.” He put a cue in her hand.

“I don’t play pool.” She said to Tommy and Danny with an apologetic smile. That Danny he was a cute one, look at those eyes! Her gaze slid a little further down him to take in that nice chest and those long slender fingers. There was a wedding ring there but that didn’t always mean something. Those fingers hinted at something else he might have that would be long and probably fatter. “I’ll play if you want.”

“Danny you take her,” Rick said and racked up the balls on the table.

“You and me ‘ll play later,” Tommy said in Daniel’s ear. “He’s cocked, just go along we’ll get ‘em a cab in a bit.”

“Yeah.” Daniel agreed quietly. “Nettie, come on over here I’ll show how to play.”

“Only he calls me that,” she tossed her dark head toward her brother, “I’m Antoinette.”

“I’m Daniel.” He said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same here.” She gave him a coy smile and she shook Daniel’s hand. Nice grip. Soft skin. He even smelled good. Maybe he was worth a shot. Tommy leaned over the table and broke the balls they scattered every which way and in the end Rick and Tommy ended up with stripes and she and Daniel had solids. Three striped balls sunk and then a scratch, their turn was up.

“Let her go first,” Rick slurred and drank his beer. “Ladies first,” he said then let out a belch.

The three of them smiled at his drunkenness and Daniel let Antoinette take a shot at the balls on the table. He stood there watching her trying to line up a shot when it was clear she hadn’t even lined up her body right. “Not like that,” Daniel said and walked up behind her. He moved her hips more to the left and leaned in to show her how to hold the cue. The firm curve of her ass brushed up against his crotch and there was inebriated electricity in the air. Leaning in further he pushed her dark hair out of the way so he could see the table and swore she actually backed up into him. She was warm and….”Now try it,” Daniel said and stepped away from her. Antoinette sunk the ball she was aiming for.

The next time her turn came up Daniel swore she stood crooked on purpose just so that he’d have to come and help her again and he did…all throughout the game. She didn’t seem to mind. He liked the way the short black skirt hugged her round hips and the way her full tits pushed out the front of her blouse. When he leaned over her from behind she smelled good, not like…..but still, she smelled all right.

By the time the game was finished and Daniel and she won the round, Rick was completely obliterated for the night and she and Daniel were horny as hell and it was getting late.

“Who’s driving him home?” Tommy asked.

“Not me, “Antoinette said with a huffed smile, “he drove here and his car is a stick shift.”

“Let me guess…you can’t drive it.” Tommy said and put the cues back on the rack.

“Nope.” She agreed. “I don’t know how.” She lied, she knew how to drive it but she was hoping for a better offer.

“I can ddddddddddrive my-my-my-self,” Rick stammered and slammed down the last of the beer in his glass.

“I don’t think so.” Daniel said lightly and had the bartender call him a cab. “Are you staying with him?” He asked Antoinette.

“No I live over in Golden Springs.” She held her breath as the space between her legs tingled and her ears waited for the cute Daniel Jackson to proposition her with that better offer for the night.

That was too far to drive tonight Daniel’d be lucky if he made it home in one piece and it was too far for the cost of a cab ride. “Wanna come home with me?” Why not? Colleen and Nick weren’t there. Calla sure as hell wasn’t there. A night of cheap meaningless drunken sex sounded good to him. As Andy once told Calla, there was no shame in reaching out. Besides she was pretty, no beauty queen to be sure but still cute enough and she had that nice set of tits sitting way up firm and high on her chest, the ones that were heaving at him and damn near begging him to touch them. Yep, they’d been winking at him all night, well that was, when she wasn’t pushing that round ass into his hardening crotch as they leaned over the pool table.

“Yeah,” she let Daniel lead her out of the bar and climbed into his car.

Antoinette and Daniel started making out in his car in the driveway of 1 North Cemetery Drive long before they got into the house. His hands were over and under her shirt while her hand massaged the hard cock between his legs. For a few minutes he thought he’d just take her in the back seat but that seemed too teenagerish. “You sure you want to do this?” He asked as he pulled away from her and laid his hand on the door handle.

“Oh yeah,” she said with bright eyes. “I want to do this.”

“I’m married,” Daniel confessed.

“I guessed that by the ring on your finger,” Antoinette told him. “Your wife home, she gonna join us?”

To him Antoinette seemed intrigued rather than disgusted by that idea. “I don’t think so,” Daniel stammered, “she’s not here. We’re getting divorced.”

Her hand came down over his, “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?” Antoinette said in a sympathetic voice but she already knew the story, she recognized Daniel Jackson from the pictures she’d seen in the newspapers and knew all about his wife and her infidelity. Why the woman would cheat on a guy this good looking was beyond Antoinette’s comprehension but she figured that was the soon-to-be ex-wife’s problem. Then again, she’d seen Andrew Hartley’s photograph as well and he was one hot steaming hunk! The soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Jackson must be getting it all over the place from him. Lucky girl.

“Maybe.” He opened the door and waited for her to join him. Together they walked into the house. “Want a drink?”

“Sure,” Antoinette said and got comfortable on the couch. “Nice place.” She commented as she looked around.

“Thanks,” he said hastily. “What’s your poison? I’ve got…I dunno just about everything.”

“I’ll take some that Southern Comfort,” Antoinette purred and kicked off her high heeled shoes. “Is anyone here?”

“Nope, it’s just us.” Daniel told her and brought the bottle and two glasses over to where she was sitting. He sat next to her and poured the both a drink. “Bottoms up.” He raised the glass to his lips.

“Umm, hopefully,” she agreed with a raised eye brow and took down half her glass. “You’re very attractive, Daniel.” Antoinette cooed and reached out to stroke his forearm.

“So are you,” and yeah, he would like to get her bottoms up. Why not? That bitch wife of his was most certainly getting her toes curled by Andrew Hartley. Why shouldn’t he have some fun too? Besides Nettie was ready, she knew what he brought her here for and she didn’t give him any trouble when he reached out to touch that healthy set of tits and then slipped off her blouse which was quickly followed by her black bra and then that tight short skirt. Nettie wasn’t any Beauty Queen but she’d definitely due in a pinch he thought as she stared down at the woman whose last name he didn’t know. The one who was heatedly moaning below him while she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, her drunken lips pressed against his.

This was wrong, it was so damn wrong. He was married! He had a wife and kids!

Besides his cock wasn’t going to let him wait, Daniel kicked his pants and underwear free of his body and slid her off the couch to the floor. He put her on her knees facing the couch and away from him and then entered her. No I love you, no taste, no blow job, he just went for it. If for nothing else than to prove to himself that he could do it and he didn’t Calla to get him off.

Pushing Antoinette further into and over the couch something outside the window caught his eye. Daniel looked over at it.

Just for a moment there she, his beautiful wife, she was framed by the window pane, one hand pressed against the glass and the other pressed to her mouth. “Calla?” No it couldn’t be, he was just drunk that was all and Daniel looked away from the window to Antoinette moaning in front of him and then back to the window again.

“Don’t stop,” the dark haired woman moaned, “fuck me Daniel.”

Very drunk and feeling as though he were about to completely lose his grip on reality he looked down at Antoinette again and stopped.

“No,” she groaned, “oh Daniel, don’t stop. Please.” He didn’t start up again at her entreaty. “It’s all right, Daniel,” Antoinette purred and looked at him from over her shoulder with big brown eyes. “You’re lonely so am I. So it’s just sex I don’t mind.”

There was a long moment of silence while Antoinette waited for him to resume, a silence that was broken by the sound of a car starting and then driving away from the curb.

She was there, Danny. You know it. Dat’s her drivin’ off now.

No it isn’t, he silently answered David. She in New York with Hartley. Daniel felt his teeth grit together at the thought and looked down at Antoinette.

You are a moron. David sort of folded his arms over his chest, heaved a sigh and walked away while Daniel went back to fucking Antoinette.

He fucked that bitch with all the anger he could find and she just begged him for more. Sometime around three in the morning, feeling completely spent, drained and dirty, he got her up from the living room floor and drove her all the way back to Golden Springs. Daniel didn’t get back home until almost 5:30 at which point he jumped into an extremely hot shower and then curled up in his lonely bed.

Graduation was in a few hours. Calla told them that she wouldn’t be able to make it even though she promised she would be there. That was so unlike her.

Hartley. David chimed in that snotty voice like when they were kids and Daniel would grab for a toy or something they both wanted and Davy would always get there first and just point to himself and say ‘bigger brother’.

Yeah, Hartley. And Ares and god only knew who else. Daniel turned over on his side away from the place where she once slept and looked at the empty closet. Still somewhere deep down inside he hoped she’d find a way to make it and keep her promise. It might be good to see her again.

End of Chapter One
Tarnished Heroes: Broadway is Dark Tonight--Daniel's Story
Continue to
Chapter Two