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Story Notes:
Still don't own X-Men, or the many songs in this story.

Any suggestions for changes, edits, additions or omissions are more than welcome.

Also, the lyrics that I pulled are, for the most part, to be taken literally, even if the song itself has a different meaning... The songs are the only way the Jukebox can "speak"...

Enjoy! PS: I added a part about the bartender's mutation. 2/5/2013
Author's Chapter Notes:
Made some changes...

Let me know if they work
Don’t Rock the Jukebox, Let it Keep on Playing

“See ya, Bill! *hiccup* Take care o’ that Mustang o’ yers! *hiccup*” Old Jake yelled as he headed for the door.

I lifted my hand from wiping down the counter and waved at him. “Night, Jake! Drive carefully!”

“Yeah, yeah! *hiccup*” He waved me off as he stumbled out the door.

I just chuckled, hoping that he wouldn’t get into any trouble; his wife, Maggie, would have my hide.

Most of the other patrons had cleared out a while ago, and now it was just me and Phil cleaning up the place, officially closing for the night. He was currently mopping the floor as I was wiping down the bar, the last things that needed to be done for the night. We worked in companionable silence as we both finished up and I hollered at him to go home.

“Hey, Phil. Leave that bucket; I’ll take care of it.” I said as I noticed he’d finished mopping.

“You sure, Bill?”

I smiled. “Yeah. Go on home; ain’t the Missus been missing you recently?”

He smiled. “Yeah, she has. Thanks, Bill. Night!” He quickly grabbed his coat and left.

I smiled after him, silently wishing him the best, then I went to take care of the mop and its bucket. Hey, just because I’m a bartender in a slop of a place like this doesn’t mean I don’t care about my employees… well, employee. Phil’s been my friend since we were in diapers. When I opened this bar, neither of us had left town much, and so he came over and said he’d help out and you know what, we ain’t never needed any other person. Makes making a profit fairly easy to do, too. But now he found some pretty lady and they settled down not too long ago; and I hear a little one is on the way… either that, or they’re trying… I guess I should hire someone else to help out, give him some more time with his growing family… aw, hell, what am I meddling for? Guess I should just talk to him ‘bout it… Speaking of meddling…

I put the empty mop bucket in the closet and threw the mop head into the laundry bag and made my way to the counter. I grabbed a bottle of, you guessed it, “Four Roses” whiskey and a glass. Hey, it’s my bar; I can have a drink whenever I want to. Anyways, I grabbed the bottle and the glass and made my way over to the jukebox. Grabbing a chair from on top of the table, I placed it backwards in front of that jukebox and sat down, straddling the chair. I poured myself a glass and took a sizeable drink, while staring hard at that jukebox.

“You know,” I told it, “You’re gonna get me in trouble one of these days.”

Well, hello T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Tell me what in the world
You doin' A-L-O-N-E
Yeah, say hey, good L double O-K-I-N-G
Well, I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E...
Yeah

I snorted and said, “Yeah, that’s exactly what you are…” I took a drink as that damned thing played another song.

I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright

I chuckled and took another drink. “You do, huh? That ain’t the kind of trouble I was describing, but you keep thinking that… but you shouldn’t mess with other peoples’ lives, you here?”

One little girl in a pale pink coat heard
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hoo hoo
She yodeled back to the lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

Soon her Mama with a gleaming gloat heard
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hmm hmm
What a duet for a girl and goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

I just laughed. “You’re lucky my sis made me watch that movie a million times growing up. If you think you’re that ‘Mama with a gleaming gloat’ you’ve got another thing coming.”

You can scream and shout with all your might
Dig in your heels and hold on tight
Either you are wrong or I am right

I sighed. “I know you’re right… I know they belong together. You forget I’m a mutant, remember? I can see their auras, you nitwit.” I thought back to their auras...

Flashback

With my mutation, I can see auras. In fact, I can see them clearer, and easier, than some of the most spiritual people on this planet. And it was with them that I had studied. I learned to read the auras and what their colors mean.

To understand auras, firstly, you have to know that there are, in a way, “two sets” of colors. One is the main color that covers your whole body: it describes who you are as a person. And then, starting from your head, are “chakra” points, seven of them, with a color type relating to each chakra. These chakras can give more insight into how you are feeling both mentally and physically, even sometimes detecting where sickness is on the body.

Anyway, as she walked into the bar, I couldn’t help but notice her aura: it should have been orange, indicating a good-hearted, spirited person. But the orange had faded into, or was mixed with, light brown. The brown aura indicates discouragement or confusion, lack of self-confidence at a particular time. It wasn’t hard to figure out that she was brooding over something she didn’t feel she would ever have – and when you are brooding and at a bar, chances are it’s over love.

Then the Redhead had walked in and they had talked about the man that the woman – Rogue? – was pining for. The name, “Logan,” slipped out and for whatever reason I filed it away for later.

A few days later, low and behold, that surly brute of a guy – Logan – also walked in. His green aura – simply put, a down-to-earth, realistic, perfectionist – was mixed with dark brown. Dark brown usually indicates deceptiveness, selfishness, and fault-finding – most likely with himself. After having seen the two of them on their own, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

End flashback

Besides, they’d come here together, once or twice in the past, and it didn’t take much to see that the two had a relationship. In fact, a few of the regulars had commented once or twice just who the big guy was to the girl.

I’d never seen two auras so… connected, like they belonged together… It was a shock, really. A really nice, sweet girl – accent sounded slightly southern – and this rough and tumble guy who looked like he’d been through hell and back… I could hardly believe it. But the more I thought about it, the more that damned jukebox was right. But still…

I shook my head. “That still doesn’t give you the right to meddle in their lives.”

Then that damned jukebox actually played a full song… I listened, for a while, as Tanya Tucker’s song “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” played…

She's fifteen and he's barely driving a car
She's got his ring and he's got the keys to her heart
It's just a matter of time
They'll spread their wings and fly

Like two sparrows in a hurricane
Are trying to find their way
With a head full of dreams
And faith that can move anything

I just sat there, sipping my drink, as the song finished out. “You do know that the guy is still stuck on the thought that they don’t belong together, don’t you?”

You're the stubborn one
My great-granddaddy's son
The one who drank his whiskey from a coffee cup
Time has stripped you of
So many things you love
But you keep fightin' on
Cause you're the stubborn one

And that slid right into…

She's a wild one
With an angel's face
She's a woman-child
In a state of grace
When she was 3 years old on her daddy's knee
He said you can be anything you want to be
She's a wild one
Runnin' free

Ending with…

And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved

I finished my drink and poured another. “You’re not going to listen to me, are you?”

That, of course, demanded a response from Alan Jackson…

Dont rock the jukebox
I wanna hear some Jones
Cause my heart aint ready
For the Rolling Stones
I dont feel like rocking
Since my baby's gone
So dont rock the jukebox
Play me a country song

I laughed and finished my drink as the song kept playing. I put my bottle and glass away as the Jukebox played another song…

Oh let the jukebox keep on playing
Let that record roll around
Let my baby keep on sayin' she's the lonesome gal in town
Let her know that I'll be waiting till my lonely days are through
Let the jukebox keep on playin' till I'm holding you

I smiled as I grabbed my keys and coat, and made for the door. “Okay, okay… you can keep playing… it’s not like unplugging you will do me any good… tried that already.”

I turned around and looked at the jukebox all lit up and playing that very old country song. She really was a pretty sight… “Good night.”

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

I laughed, shook my head, and finally shut and locked the door. Whether that jukebox was playing or not didn’t matter: it wasn’t plugged in anyway.

I made my way to my battered old ’69 mustang. As I got to it, I stared up at the sky, thinking about my great-uncle who had given me that damned jukebox.

“Uncle Artie, I hope you knew what you were doing…” I sighed and got into my car, pulled out and headed home.

***

Seeing as there are too many lyrics to this particular part, I’m just going to give you the song titles and artists in order if you want to check them out:

T-R-O-U-B-L-E by Travis Tritt

I Feel Pretty from West Side Story

The Lonely Goatherd from Sound of Music

You Know I’m Right by David Gilmour

Two Sparrows in a Hurricane by Tanya Tucker

The Stubborn One by Trace Adkins

Wild One by Faith Hill

She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5

Don’t Rock the Jukebox by Alan Jackson

Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing by Carl Perkins (Mike Ness covered it too)

So Long, Farewell from Sound of Music
Chapter End Notes:
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