Heroes ; Ted Sprague ; Ted E. Bher - a Fanmix
[Karen's thoughts run through Matt's head- calm down teddy bear is quickly followed by teddy im okay and teddy bear i love you. The words spill quickly out of Matt's mouth to the man starting to glow. Ted... Sprague. Ted Sprague, he looks at Matt as though he's teetering between killing the nurse and letting go.
His hands slip from the nurse just as Karen slips from them.]
He said:
'Mummy, don't worry, now Teddy Boy's here
Taking good care of you
Mummy, don't worry, your Teddy Boy's here
Teddy's gonna see you through'
And she said:
'Teddy, don't worry, now mummy's here
Taking good care of you
Teddy, don't worry, now your mummy is here
Mummy's gonna see you through'
Teddy Boy - The Beatles
[So maybe it's a bit Reservoir Dogs-ish, but the three of them- him, Ted and the man who wants them to call him nothing but 'Bennet', they make quite a team. Matt only hopes none of them are playing Mr. Orange.]
Lookin' for some happiness
But there is only loneliness to find
Jump to the left, turn to the right
Lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind
Little Green Bag - The George Baker Selection
[Bennet says they shouldn't stay in one place any longer than twelve hours. That's just enough time to have a meal, a shower and sleep. They stop at one place in Henrietta, a cheap little hotel called 'Hotel Henrietta'.
'What is this, the Eagles?' Ted mutters as he pushes their door open with his shoulder. Bennet was off scouting for a fast-food joint so they could eat in their rooms.
The woman behind the counter had barely battered an eyelid as they booked one double room and a single (they took turns sharing a room- Matt was bunking with Bennet at the next stop).
Matt shrugged at Ted's comment but couldn't get Hotel California out of his head for the rest of the night- no thanks to it running loudly through Ted's mind.]
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can’t kill the beast
Hotel California - The Eagles
['A day, maybe two,' Bennet says as they sit in a diner. They've just passed Oklahoma, but although they want to get there as soon as possible, Bennet demands avoiding all major routes.
'I think there's a maggot in this,' Ted growls, having ignored the conversation completely.
Bennet doesn't say anything to him, but Matt says, 'eat around it.'
Ted stares at him and even though he doesn't crack a smile, he squints at him in a way that suggests that he'd laugh if he remembered how.]
I've been through diamonds
I've been through minks
I've been through it all
Love stinks
Love Stinks - J. Geils Band
[Washington DC is a bright and busy place and for a small-time cop, Matt feels himself cowering slightly at the massive buildings, loud cars and the noise in his brain. Hundreds of thoughts rushing through, each one louder than the last. He's managed to handle a busy mall but Washington is no match, and he wonders how he's going to handle New York.
'Bennet,' he gasps, and reaches out. Instead of grabbing Bennet, though, his hand clasps around Ted's wrist. Ted spins around, and maybe it's Matt's own fever spiking but Ted's skin is hot under his palm.
'What,' Ted says, jerking his hand back.
'I... water. Rest.'
Bennet turns around. 'What's wrong?'
'Rest. Why are we here?'
'We need a new car. Virginia plates in New York. Can you make it?'
Matt groans. His mouth is dry, is head is pounding, and that woman approaching them is blabbering on her phone, and as she passes, Matt's world starts to grow black.
Before he can pass out though, he catches Ted's eyes. They're dark, pupils blown, but the quiet of his mind fills Matt. Only one thought is in his mind, in Ted's voice-
i am so not dragging you
'Matt?' comes Bennet's voice.
'I'm okay,' he rasps out, eyes still latched onto Ted's, 'I'm okay.']
Us, and them
And after all were only ordinary men.
Me, and you
God only knows its noz what we would choose to do
Forward he cried from the rear
And the front rank died.
And the general sat and the lines on the map
Moved from side to side.
Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who
Us and Them - Pink Floyd
[Leaving Washington DC is bliss. The small diner, where there's only two other customers, is like heaven on Matt's mind. Bennet is outside making a phonecall. Matt wonders if he's calling his daughter.
'You're married, yeah?'
Matt turns to Ted. He hardly talks about Karen- hardly even thinks about her. Actually, he doesn't think much. Maybe he's figured out a way to block his thoughts.
Being around Ted eases Matt. Sure, he could be giving him cancer, but the peaceful silence when he's not emotional...
'Yeah. We're having a baby.'
Ted blinks slowly at him and takes a drink from his stale coffee.
'Good. Great.'
Ted must have a way of blocking his mind off because only one thought fills Matt's mind-
congratulations, you fat bastard
Matt laughs.]
I drink good coffee every morning
Comes from a place that's far away
And when I'm done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say
I don't want you thinking I'm unhappy
What is closer to the truth
That if I lived till I was 102
I just don't think I'll ever get over you
I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You - Colin Hay
['Go to sleep, Ted!'
'I am sleeping.'
Matt rolls over. The single bed is oddly small and the sheets don't fit right. On the other side of the room, Bennet's form turns. Ted's sleeping in a cot between them.
'Your eyes are open,' Matt says.
'I sleep with my eyes open.'
'You never have before,' comes Bennet's mumbled voice.
'Oh, fuck you both,' Ted growls, getting up at heading into the bathroom.
There's silence. Not even the light flickers on behind the closed bathroom door.
After a few minutes, Matt says into the silence, 'Now you've done it, Bennet. Now who's going to provide the lively banter?'
Bennet laughs. Ted thumps the door with his fist. Matt smiles into his pillow.]
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you
Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds
[There's a throbbing beat in the McDonald's the stop at. They're almost at New York, now. Bennet spends more and more time on payphones with a map and pencil.
'He's looking for his daughter,' Ted says, tapping his spoon on his coffee cup in time with the beat.
'I figured as much.'
'We should kidnap her,' Ted states suddenly, deadpan. 'Hold her for ransom.'
Matt stares. Ted's mind is silent. 'Why?'
Ted waves up a fry. 'We might get a decent meal out of it.'
Then it clicks- Ted's version of a joke. Matt laughs loudly, causing the couple next to them startle. Sure, it's a very weak, bad joke, but it's a change.]
I cheated myself like I knew I would
I told ya I was trouble, you know that I'm no good
I cheated myself, like I knew I would
I told ya I was trouble, you know that I'm no good
You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
[One more stop, Bennet had said, and then we'll be in New York. Ted and Matt breathe a sigh of relief.
It's close to one AM. Bennet's by himself tonight. Ted had been tossing and turning all night, but at midnight he'd annouced to Matt he was going for a walk. Matt had grunted okay and fell asleep soon after the room door closed. But an hour later he'd shot awake with an urge to pee.
Crawling out of bed, he stumbled to the bathroom. Opening the door, a yelp caused him to jump back, hand to his thigh, searching for a non-existent gun.
'God, can you watch where you're going?'
'Ted, why are you sleeping in the bathroom?'
Ted doesn't reply. Matt sighs and retreats back to bed.]
That'll bring you happiness, happiness
Is hard to come by, I confess
I'm bad at this thing happiness
If you find it share it with the rest of us
Rest of us
Happiness - Grant Lee Buffalo
[Whatever block Ted's put on his mind disappears the next morning. He must be tired- he'd stayed in the bathroom for the rest of the night.
From the moment Matt woke up 6:12 (begrudgingly) to now, at 10:17, Ted's mind just hadn't shut up. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair seemed to be more wild and his clothes were wrinkled. He didn't even give his usual grunt of a good morning.
Ted leans against the car door, head rested in his palm, sighing softly to himself every three minutes. Bennet keeps changing the radio station.
jesus fucking christ just keep the radio on one thing or i swear im going to blow this fucking car up and youll all be dead oh god i need to piss was that a dead rabbit i hate this fucking music i should have sent the house up in flames when i had the chance i think i slept wrong i was sleeping on tiles that could do it i wonder if you can explode someones head just by thinking about it i bet someone can i wonder if matt can god that man is so lucky
Bennet changes the channel again. Ted sighs. Before Bennet can change it again, Matt speaks up.
'Just leave it on this one, okay?'
'Yeah,' Ted agrees.
Bennet looks at them from the driver's seat, but makes no move to go against them.
Patsy Cline. Crazy.
Ted sighs.
For the first time in the entire trip, Ted's mind is silent.]
I knew
You'd love me as long as you wanted
And then someday
You'd leave me for somebody new
Worry
Why do I let myself worry
Wondrin'
What in the world did I do?
Crazy - Patsy Cline
[Matt keeps close to Ted as they enter New York. He doesn't want another incident like what happened in Washington. Bennet trails behind them, apparently knowing where to go as he keeps calling out directions.
'It was our song,' Ted mutters.
'What was?' Matt asks.
Ted looks at him sideways. 'You know,' he says with a shrug of his shoulder.
Patsy. Karen.
'Oh.'
Ted shrugs his shoulder again. Even when Matt turns away, he can feel Ted's eyes on him.
Matt's thoughts are broken by a high-pitched 'Dad!']
He had no friends, he seldom spoke
And no one in turn ever spoke to him,
'Cause he wasnt friendly and he didn't care
And he wasn't like them.
Oh, no! He was a most peculiar man
A Most Peculiar Man - Simon and Garfunkel
['After this is all over,' Ted says, waving his hand around, 'I'd like to meet your wife.'
'Janice.'
'Yeah, that one.'
'As long as you don't hurt the baby, that should be okay.'
Ted nods, his eyes doing that squinting thing that's as close as Matt gets to a smile.
Ted turns, but before he can walk off, following Peter and Claire, Matt grabs his wrist. Ted's skin is as hot as before.
'Wait,' Matt says, digging into his pocket and pulling out a tape. 'This is for you.'
Ted takes it and eyes it cautiously.
'It's some music. For your trip.'
'Uh-huh. Ted E. Bher. Funny.'
Matt nods and takes a step back, breathing in deep. 'You stay safe.'
'Yeah. You, too.'
The corner of Ted's mouth lifts up for the briefest of seconds, but the smile was there. As Matt walks off to follow Bennet, he wonders when he'd be have the pleasant silence of Ted's mind again.]
Baby let me be,
Your lovin' teddy bear
Put a chain around my neck,
And lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear
(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley
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