First Love | James Hetfield

What Are We Doing?

1984

Annie was slumped in a chair with crooked sunglasses on and a baggy sweatshirt when James first spotted her in the airport.

Beatrice and Aurora were playing some kind of hand game on a chair when they heard the unmistakeable laughter of Lars. They both shot their heads in the direction to see him strutting confidently toward them while the three others trudged slowly, evidently very tired.

"Hello ladies!" Lars waved, pulling Aurora into a hug and then Bea. "Ha!" Lars smacked James' arm, eyeing Annie. "She fell asleep on you." The guys had been teasing him the whole flight about how excited he was to see Anneliese.

James ignored Lars and approached Annie, ducking his head to be at eye level with her. He grabbed the crooked shades and lowered them off her closed eyelids.

"She's actually sleeping?!" Lars howled with laughter.

James sent a glare in his direction. "Shh." He hissed, then turning to face Annie again. He pulled the sunglasses all the way off her face and tucked the stray hairs behind her ears that accidentally went with the glasses.

"Anna."

"Anna? That's a new one." Cliff snorted, sharing a look with Bea.

Anneliese was drifting back into consciousness and the first thing that filled her senses when she inhaled deeply was the dearly missed scent of James. Cedarwood and beer.

James watched as Annie shifted in her spot and eventually opened her eyes a little bit, then immediately wrapped her arms around James' shoulders.

James was now stuck in an uncomfortable position with his back bent as Annie trapped him in a warm embrace. He eventually slid his large hand around her back, then the other, pulling her chest firmly against his.

"Annie, my back..." his voice was strained as he patted her back, signaling for her to let go. "Come on..." he muttered.

"I'm tired." She mumbled in a sleepy voice. "Okay." James chuckled. She could feel the vibration from his laughter in his chest travel through hers. "We'll go home and you can sleep."

Annie refused to let go and James had no choice but to stand upright or his back would give out and he'd collapse on her. "Jesus christ, Buckley." He groaned. Annie got to her feet but shifted her weight completely on him, still clinging her arms around his neck with her eyes closed.

James watched as everybody else started walking toward the exit while Annie would not let go. "Jesus fucking christ, how are you this strong?" He used almost all of his strength to rip her arms off him.

Annie rubbed her eyes and laughed softly as she began tiredly following him out of the airport.

They were the last to make it to the parking lot, and Annie was the first to spot Bea's truck.

"Oh shit!" Annie pointed to the moving truck. "What the fuck?" James grumbled, speed-walking in the direction of the truck, then eventually sprinting at full speed as he saw Lars duck outside the window, laughing loudly and pointing a finger at him.

"You fucking assholes! Get back here!"

Annie ran as fast as she possibly could, which was about the same speed as a sloth as she was still not fully awake.

"They'll come back." She said breathlessly, grabbing onto his shoulder for support. James gave her a weird look at how out of breath she was from running the short distance.

The truck eventually pulled up in front of them again and James tossed his bag in the bed that already held their other gear. Lars was still dying of laughter, as everybody else now was.