Yes We Can (American Dreams, 1/1)
Summary: The show started with one historical event. Let's end it with another.
Rating: PG
A/N: Because it had to be written. If you never watched American Dreams but still want to read and understand the story (please do), here's some info.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meg stepped off the bus into the early morning winter cold, gawking in awe at the throngs surrounding them. “There’re so many people.”
Sam grinned as he exited behind her. “What, were you expecting a ghost town?” She smiled back and elbowed him playfully.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She’d appeared on his doorstep six months after she’d left, minus a boyfriend and plus a newfound maturity, more woman than girl now. She’d already gone home, but there had been yelling and harsh words, and she couldn’t get a hold of Roxanne, and she had no one else to turn to. I’m sorry, Sam. Please.
And so he had, because he’d never been able to deny her anything anyway, and he was overjoyed just to see her again. Helped her find a place to stay and a job as she slowly mended the relationships she’d torn apart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A smiling volunteer pointed them in the right direction and they set off, hand in hand. His left was in her right, and absently, out of habit, she rubbed her thumb across the gold band on his ring finger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He’d helped, and all the memories for both of them had come rushing back in the process, memories of caught breath and stolen glances, of slow dancing and one simple, sorrowful kiss. They’d been stopped before, but they didn’t want to stop now, and they weren’t children anymore, they could do whatever they wanted…
…and there was more yelling and harsh words, from both sides this time. But that all ended once they welcomed Amy into the world, born with her mom’s eyes and her dad’s smile and the ability to wrap her entire family around her little fingers-especially her grandfathers and her Uncle JJ and Uncle Nathan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took a long time to get through security, but they waited patiently, huddled together against the cold and talking and laughing with others in the queue. “Are you sure your dad is watching?” she asked Sam, and he nodded.
“I called Nathan earlier, to check, and they already had the TV on.”
Meg smiled as she leaned against his shoulder. “I haven’t seen him this happy since Amy had Jacob. His first great-grandchild.”
Sam wrapped his arm around her. “Can you blame him?”
“No,” she whispered, “I can’t.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was amazing, how times had changed. Her family’s rotary phone had evolved into the sleek cell phone that now resided in her purse. Television had gone from black and white to color to high definition. Computers that used to fill entire rooms could now be held in a person’s lap. The internet allowed you to talk to anyone, anywhere, information at your fingertips.
They’d lived through war and peace, assassinations and births, recession and prosperity. They’d seen the dawn of a new century, a new millennium. But with all they’d seen, they’d never thought they’d see this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They finally made it to the Mall, and moved as close as they could to one of the large screens that dotted the space. And then, along with the hundreds of thousands of people around them, they waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Their activism had faded with Vietnam, protests and signs slowly replaced by midnight feedings and doctor’s visits, school plays and football games, graduations and marriages, grandchildren and great nieces and nephews. But the spirit that had driven them to protest, to fight, had never died. Tonight they would take the bus back to Philadelphia, and tomorrow they would celebrate with their families, all the Pryors and Walkers, with Roxanne and Luke added in for good measure, an amalgam of people that could barely be contained in one house.
But today…today was for them. And there was no place they’d rather be.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The man on the screen placed his hand on the Bible. “I do solemnly swear…”
And Meg and Sam watched, happy tears in their eyes, as Barack Obama became President of the United States.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rating: PG
A/N: Because it had to be written. If you never watched American Dreams but still want to read and understand the story (please do), here's some info.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meg stepped off the bus into the early morning winter cold, gawking in awe at the throngs surrounding them. “There’re so many people.”
Sam grinned as he exited behind her. “What, were you expecting a ghost town?” She smiled back and elbowed him playfully.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She’d appeared on his doorstep six months after she’d left, minus a boyfriend and plus a newfound maturity, more woman than girl now. She’d already gone home, but there had been yelling and harsh words, and she couldn’t get a hold of Roxanne, and she had no one else to turn to. I’m sorry, Sam. Please.
And so he had, because he’d never been able to deny her anything anyway, and he was overjoyed just to see her again. Helped her find a place to stay and a job as she slowly mended the relationships she’d torn apart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A smiling volunteer pointed them in the right direction and they set off, hand in hand. His left was in her right, and absently, out of habit, she rubbed her thumb across the gold band on his ring finger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He’d helped, and all the memories for both of them had come rushing back in the process, memories of caught breath and stolen glances, of slow dancing and one simple, sorrowful kiss. They’d been stopped before, but they didn’t want to stop now, and they weren’t children anymore, they could do whatever they wanted…
…and there was more yelling and harsh words, from both sides this time. But that all ended once they welcomed Amy into the world, born with her mom’s eyes and her dad’s smile and the ability to wrap her entire family around her little fingers-especially her grandfathers and her Uncle JJ and Uncle Nathan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took a long time to get through security, but they waited patiently, huddled together against the cold and talking and laughing with others in the queue. “Are you sure your dad is watching?” she asked Sam, and he nodded.
“I called Nathan earlier, to check, and they already had the TV on.”
Meg smiled as she leaned against his shoulder. “I haven’t seen him this happy since Amy had Jacob. His first great-grandchild.”
Sam wrapped his arm around her. “Can you blame him?”
“No,” she whispered, “I can’t.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was amazing, how times had changed. Her family’s rotary phone had evolved into the sleek cell phone that now resided in her purse. Television had gone from black and white to color to high definition. Computers that used to fill entire rooms could now be held in a person’s lap. The internet allowed you to talk to anyone, anywhere, information at your fingertips.
They’d lived through war and peace, assassinations and births, recession and prosperity. They’d seen the dawn of a new century, a new millennium. But with all they’d seen, they’d never thought they’d see this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They finally made it to the Mall, and moved as close as they could to one of the large screens that dotted the space. And then, along with the hundreds of thousands of people around them, they waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Their activism had faded with Vietnam, protests and signs slowly replaced by midnight feedings and doctor’s visits, school plays and football games, graduations and marriages, grandchildren and great nieces and nephews. But the spirit that had driven them to protest, to fight, had never died. Tonight they would take the bus back to Philadelphia, and tomorrow they would celebrate with their families, all the Pryors and Walkers, with Roxanne and Luke added in for good measure, an amalgam of people that could barely be contained in one house.
But today…today was for them. And there was no place they’d rather be.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The man on the screen placed his hand on the Bible. “I do solemnly swear…”
And Meg and Sam watched, happy tears in their eyes, as Barack Obama became President of the United States.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~