on_thecouch 11.1 Memory
(I really don't know what I'm doing with him anymore, so let's jump into the past. Jamie mentioned is from canon past. I've delved into it elsewhere, and here briefly (I think), but a lot of it I crafted myself from what we saw in canon. You're warned - it's long. Kinda an overview of their whole relationship.)
He leaned back in the chair as he surveyed the room. His knee shook. He wasn't nervous. No. Not at all. His eyes landed on a girl with long dark hair and legs for miles. A smile crept to his lips. He kept his eye on her for awhile as other students were called away. It took him awhile, but he did make his move. He slid down to the seat beside her.
"Who are you trying out for?"
She turned and looked at him, almost giving it deep consideration, before brushing her hair behind her ear and smiling softly. "Kathy. You?"
"Don," he nodded.
"Good luck."
"You, too. Maybe if we get in...we can run lines together." His smile turned to a grin and she laughed.
"Maybe."
~~~~
"We're supposed to be practicing," she said. He nodded, keeping his eyes locked on hers. He stood before her to block her in between himself and the piano. They'd been stuck in the small music room for hours, "practicing". She bit her lip and moved back against the piano to put space between them. He only moved closer. "Larry..."
He moved his hand to her hip and leaned in. "I like you, Jamie."
She groaned softly and her eyes closed. "We have work to do."
"We're in college," he chuckled. "Work can wait." He kissed her quickly and her arms moved around his neck.
~~~~
"What do you want?!" He shouted loudly. He turned and kicked the dorm room door shut, then spun back around to face Jamie.
"I want you to stop flirting with girls." She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"I don't...flirt with girls!"
"You do, Larry. I'm sick of it. You're supposed to be with me."
"I am with you! I'm with you!" He moved closer to her as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Just me."
"It is just you!"
"Good," she said shortly. She nodded and he shook his head as he watched her. Even though she seemed calm, she'd been just as pissed off as him. That was something they were good at. Yelling. They stood their ground and stared at each other for several minutes before he closed the space between them and kissed her gently. "I hate fighting with you," she whispered between kisses.
"Then stop," he replied, moving her towards the bed.
~~~~
He leaned her against the counter in their shithole of an apartment and smiled. "Welcome home."
She grinned and leaned in to kiss his lips lightly. "I love you."
"Love you, too," he answered, pulling her back for a longer kiss.
~~~~
"Maybe I should just move out!" He shouted.
She stormed after him as he went for the bedroom. "Maybe you should! Or maybe you should just threaten it for the millionth time!"
"Maybe it says something about you that I keep threatening!"
"Or maybe you're just not man enough to do anything!"
He spun around to face her and threw his finger up to her face. "Shut up!"
"Or what? You're gonna leave?" Her arms crossed as she glared at him. "Get a new story, Larry! If you hate me so much - leave!"
"I don't hate you! You just..." He growled loudly and frustratingly and clenched his fingers into a fist. He took a deep breath or two, then fiercely pulled her into his arms. "You drive me crazy."
~~~~
"We can't have a baby," he said quietly, shaking his head.
"We can," she nodded as she sat down the couch from him. She wanted him to look at her, but he wouldn't. More of that distance he'd been putting between them lately. "Larry...it can work. We can be a family."
"What right do we have trying to have a family, Jamie?"
"We love each other." She reached down to take his hand, but he pulled away. "I know we fight...but there's love, too. Or else we wouldn't have been together as long as we have."
He looked over and shrugged. "Since when has that ever been enough?"
"It can be enough," she assured him gently. She placed a hand to his cheek, and when he didn't pull away she moved closer. "We'll make it work." She kissed his cheek and he leaned into her.
"Okay," he said softly.
~~~~
"I'm leaving," he said, quietly. His hands were deep in his pockets and he studied the floor below his feet.
"Fine," she nodded. She turned and walked back into the nursery where Sam slept, and shut the door behind herself. He nodded in her absence and turned to walk out the front door, his car already packed.
~~~~
"We belong together, Larry. You, me, and Sam. We're a family."
"I belong here," he said softly. "With Ally."
"What about your son?"
"He's still my son, but...this is my home."
~~~~
Larry knocked on her front door and waited for her to open it. When she did she just looked him over slowly. He brought his eyes to her and shrugged. "Are you going back to her?"
"No," he said softly. "I'm here to stay. For Sam...not us."
"Okay," she nodded slowly.
~~~~
He grinned and stepped over to kiss her cheek. "You look gorgeous. Hot date?"
"Something like that," she chuckled, pawing through her purse. She turned over her shoulder. "Sam! Your father is here!"
"Okay!" Sam shouted down the steps.
"What about you?" Jamie gave him a look. "Anyone making it past the second and third date yet?"
He shuffled on his feet a bit. "Uhh..no. Not yet."
"Mmm, I worry about you."
"What's new there?" He looked up as his eleven year old son came running down the stairs, already launching into conversation. It took him a full minute to inturrupt and remind him to tell his mother goodnight. The parents laughed as Sam headed out the door. Larry met Jamie's eyes.
"Have a good night," he said gently.
"You, too," she nodded. He walked out the door and she closed it behind them. Larry packed Sam into the car and they headed to Larry's small Toronto home.
Jamie wasn't around two nights later when Larry dropped Sam off with Jamie's parents. And he didn't see her in the next couple days before the phone call came.
“My little girl.” The broken tone of Jamie's father's voice hit Larry all wrong.
“What is it? What's wrong?”
The man started to cry in his ear. “My little girl...she's dead.”
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He leaned back in the chair as he surveyed the room. His knee shook. He wasn't nervous. No. Not at all. His eyes landed on a girl with long dark hair and legs for miles. A smile crept to his lips. He kept his eye on her for awhile as other students were called away. It took him awhile, but he did make his move. He slid down to the seat beside her.
"Who are you trying out for?"
She turned and looked at him, almost giving it deep consideration, before brushing her hair behind her ear and smiling softly. "Kathy. You?"
"Don," he nodded.
"Good luck."
"You, too. Maybe if we get in...we can run lines together." His smile turned to a grin and she laughed.
"Maybe."
~~~~
"We're supposed to be practicing," she said. He nodded, keeping his eyes locked on hers. He stood before her to block her in between himself and the piano. They'd been stuck in the small music room for hours, "practicing". She bit her lip and moved back against the piano to put space between them. He only moved closer. "Larry..."
He moved his hand to her hip and leaned in. "I like you, Jamie."
She groaned softly and her eyes closed. "We have work to do."
"We're in college," he chuckled. "Work can wait." He kissed her quickly and her arms moved around his neck.
~~~~
"What do you want?!" He shouted loudly. He turned and kicked the dorm room door shut, then spun back around to face Jamie.
"I want you to stop flirting with girls." She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"I don't...flirt with girls!"
"You do, Larry. I'm sick of it. You're supposed to be with me."
"I am with you! I'm with you!" He moved closer to her as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Just me."
"It is just you!"
"Good," she said shortly. She nodded and he shook his head as he watched her. Even though she seemed calm, she'd been just as pissed off as him. That was something they were good at. Yelling. They stood their ground and stared at each other for several minutes before he closed the space between them and kissed her gently. "I hate fighting with you," she whispered between kisses.
"Then stop," he replied, moving her towards the bed.
~~~~
He leaned her against the counter in their shithole of an apartment and smiled. "Welcome home."
She grinned and leaned in to kiss his lips lightly. "I love you."
"Love you, too," he answered, pulling her back for a longer kiss.
~~~~
"Maybe I should just move out!" He shouted.
She stormed after him as he went for the bedroom. "Maybe you should! Or maybe you should just threaten it for the millionth time!"
"Maybe it says something about you that I keep threatening!"
"Or maybe you're just not man enough to do anything!"
He spun around to face her and threw his finger up to her face. "Shut up!"
"Or what? You're gonna leave?" Her arms crossed as she glared at him. "Get a new story, Larry! If you hate me so much - leave!"
"I don't hate you! You just..." He growled loudly and frustratingly and clenched his fingers into a fist. He took a deep breath or two, then fiercely pulled her into his arms. "You drive me crazy."
~~~~
"We can't have a baby," he said quietly, shaking his head.
"We can," she nodded as she sat down the couch from him. She wanted him to look at her, but he wouldn't. More of that distance he'd been putting between them lately. "Larry...it can work. We can be a family."
"What right do we have trying to have a family, Jamie?"
"We love each other." She reached down to take his hand, but he pulled away. "I know we fight...but there's love, too. Or else we wouldn't have been together as long as we have."
He looked over and shrugged. "Since when has that ever been enough?"
"It can be enough," she assured him gently. She placed a hand to his cheek, and when he didn't pull away she moved closer. "We'll make it work." She kissed his cheek and he leaned into her.
"Okay," he said softly.
~~~~
"I'm leaving," he said, quietly. His hands were deep in his pockets and he studied the floor below his feet.
"Fine," she nodded. She turned and walked back into the nursery where Sam slept, and shut the door behind herself. He nodded in her absence and turned to walk out the front door, his car already packed.
~~~~
"We belong together, Larry. You, me, and Sam. We're a family."
"I belong here," he said softly. "With Ally."
"What about your son?"
"He's still my son, but...this is my home."
~~~~
Larry knocked on her front door and waited for her to open it. When she did she just looked him over slowly. He brought his eyes to her and shrugged. "Are you going back to her?"
"No," he said softly. "I'm here to stay. For Sam...not us."
"Okay," she nodded slowly.
~~~~
He grinned and stepped over to kiss her cheek. "You look gorgeous. Hot date?"
"Something like that," she chuckled, pawing through her purse. She turned over her shoulder. "Sam! Your father is here!"
"Okay!" Sam shouted down the steps.
"What about you?" Jamie gave him a look. "Anyone making it past the second and third date yet?"
He shuffled on his feet a bit. "Uhh..no. Not yet."
"Mmm, I worry about you."
"What's new there?" He looked up as his eleven year old son came running down the stairs, already launching into conversation. It took him a full minute to inturrupt and remind him to tell his mother goodnight. The parents laughed as Sam headed out the door. Larry met Jamie's eyes.
"Have a good night," he said gently.
"You, too," she nodded. He walked out the door and she closed it behind them. Larry packed Sam into the car and they headed to Larry's small Toronto home.
Jamie wasn't around two nights later when Larry dropped Sam off with Jamie's parents. And he didn't see her in the next couple days before the phone call came.
“My little girl.” The broken tone of Jamie's father's voice hit Larry all wrong.
“What is it? What's wrong?”
The man started to cry in his ear. “My little girl...she's dead.”
1076