Title: The Only Thing Missing is a Van Morrison Cover Song
Characters: Andrea Wyatt, Toby Ziegler, Matt Skinner, and Sam Seaborn.
Word Count: 845
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Nobody’s mine. Besides which, I’m too broke to sue.
Notes: Written for
tww-minis album prompt. Originally, I had intended to write something for all 11 songs off Jason Manns self-titled debut cd. Instead, I ended up with an EP of five songs. Also, in regards to the title, Jason Manns really does do a lovely
cover of Crazy Love. (Which, by now, I am pretty sure that every single Supernatural/Jensen Ackles fan on the planet has heard, but hey, it makes me stupidly, uncontrollably happy, so I’ll pimp it out some more.) As ever, immense love to
raedbard, who wasn’t afraid to tell me to tone down all the commas, and then squeed all over the very next sentence. ♥
2.
Another Number (You’re never gonna have to worry about my love)
One of the great things about Andy (professionally, at least) is that she rarely takes sick days. Even when she was a little girl, she hardly ever got sick enough to warrant a day spent at home, lying on the couch watching cartoons and drinking soup. The downside to this is that when Andy gets sick, she gets sick, and it makes her a little loopy.
The last time, it was a cold. Most people would just drink a carton of orange juice, take a few Tylenol, and maybe take a nap on their lunch hour, but Andy’s body doesn’t work that way. Which is why she found herself reaching for the phone at 11pm, hoping that the voice on the other end would bring relief.
"Why didn’t you just call the drugstore and have them deliver the stuff?"
"I couldn’t remember their phone number."
"And yet you remembered mine."
"You’re second on my speed-dial, you know that."
"Did you try calling information?"
"...I may have also forgotten the name of the street the store is on."
"It’s down the block from your house, Andy; you can practically see it from your upstairs guest-bathroom window."
"Matt, are you gonna be mean to me, or are you gonna pick me up some aspirin and more apple juice?"
"I’ll be there in twenty minutes."
5.
Journey (I’m with the only person that knows me)
Years later, they still disagree on what they had been fighting about in the first place. Somehow during this argument, wires had crossed in their brains, so that "Because I think you’re wrong!" came out of Toby’s mouth as, "Because I want you to marry me, that’s why!" and immediately following that, Andy’s, "The hell I am!" came out as, "Of course I will!"
A moment or three for the dust to settle, during which time they sit down on opposite ends of the couch. The leather creaks and shifts under them, and then, quieter:
"Did you really mean that?"
"Yes."
They meet in the middle of the couch, and stay there until the sun’s gone down.
6.
I Remember (It’s the little things you do that drive me crazy)
After a long discussion (over hot dogs from the cart down the block, and cheap wine from the deli downstairs), they come to the conclusion that Andy will move into Toby’s apartment and not vice versa. For one thing, Andy really does love the idea of being able to walk downstairs in her pajamas for ice cream at 2am, and for another, Toby doesn’t want to move his couch back down those four flights of stairs until absolutely necessary.
The first week she lives there for good, Andy states that she really doesn’t like that couch. She claims that it’s too lumpy in all the wrong spots, the leather sticks to her bare legs in hot weather, and that particular shade of brown makes the whole living room seem tinier than it already is.
Toby raises an eyebrow and leans down to dig around in the cushions for a moment. When he straightens back up, holding one of Andy’s bras and three completely different socks, Andy at least has the grace to blush.
"You want to tell me that again, Andrea?"
10.
All I Ask (And I have so many questions for you)
"She can’t wear that, Toby."
"Look, I know I may have pushed the idea of little signs a bit too hard, but--"
"Toby, look at the length of the chain that thing’s on. Does that look like it will fit comfortably around the neck of a 6-week-old baby girl?"
"That’s what the kid at the store said it came with, Andy. It’s not like I’ve done this before and know better."
"Just...just take it off the chain, okay? There’s some ribbon in a drawer somewhere; I’ll cut a little piece and we can use that instead."
"So, you agree that the idea of little signs to tell them apart is, in fact, a good idea?"
"I was going to say that I think it’s a nice little show of a father’s affection for his daughter, but if it will make you feel better, then yes, I am okay with the idea of a little sign."
11.
Without You (You made a man out of this boy)
Sam is the second person Andy calls. He’d known a call like this would come; he’s been both dreading and waiting for it for nearly 18 months. She asks if he can be back in D.C. the next morning and isn’t surprised when he’s hugging her on her doorstep seven hours later.
"I wasn’t sure what I should bring," he says, bringing his luggage inside. All the mirrors are covered and the radio’s off, but Andy’s wearing a grey dress with a bold green tie instead of a black dress with a rip in the sleeve, so Sam thinks maybe it’s possible that the book he read on the flight over here was full of shit. He kneels down, unzips his carry on bag, and produces a brown paper bag that he offers to Andy with a weak smile. "Um, I had a two-hour layover in New York, and I figured you might need something to eat, so I picked up some bagels."
Andy smiles, and Sam can tell it’s real. "Thanks, Sam."
*I highly recommend checking out the whole album, which you can buy
here. Also, if any of these links go down, just comment and I'll get them back up asap.