Ipod Drabbles
Title: Ipod Drabbles
Author: WHIZ
Pairing/Character: Mary/Marshall, Mary/Raph, Mary/Faber (don't shoot!), Brandi/Peter, Brandi/Raph, Ensemble
Rating: PG-13ish
Summary: Music drabbles
Spoilers: Through 3x7 Love's Faber Lost
Author's Notes: In an effort to get my muses cooperating with me again, I decided to do some drabbles to see if I could jumpstart the epic Fish or Cut Betta fic I wanna finish. There are a few that I want to turn into real fics, but they'll have to get in line.
Better than Me - Hinder
She leaves him after only a few weeks, saying "You deserve better than me." He tells her there's no one better than her, but she's adamant. He knows she's really doing it because she's afraid of being left first. He's always known she'd leave him, but he couldn't stop himself when he finally had the chance to be with her. He tries not to let it show how much she hurt him, but he knows she can see right through it. A month goes by with the two of them walking on eggshells around each other and one night, after having yet another argument, he tells her he can't stay anymore. She scoffs, not believing him. He'll always stay. When she gets into the office the next morning, his desk is cleared out and there's a note on her desk from him. "Mary, I'll always love you. I'm sorry I couldn't stay. -Marshall."
Whatever it Takes - Lifehouse
Marshall walks into the office one morning and wants nothing more than to walk out when he sees Faber leaning up against Mary's desk and Mary smiling at him as they talk. Stan walks by just then and hands Marshall a cup of coffee, patting him on the arm consolingly. "He’s just been reassigned here from Denver," Stan tells Marshall.
"Great," Marshall mutters.
Over the next few weeks, Marshall watches quietly as Mary and Faber spend more and more time together, and Mary starts blowing him off in favor of Faber. After a month of this, Marshall writes up a request for a transfer, but doesn’t give it to Stan. He's hoping that just writing it will make him feel better. He waits and waits, expecting Mary to find the letter and try to talk him out of it. It never happens. Mary doesn't even snoop through his desk anymore. After three months of having to watch Mary and Faber, and hear about it from Mary when she deigns to give him a few crumbs of attention, Marshall decides subtle isn't working. One evening when he knows Faber's working on a case, he goes over to Mary's house. She's surprised to see him, but lets him in anyway. Before she has a chance to say anything, Marshall starts, "I can't take it anymore. I can't watch you with him."
Mary sighs. "Marshall--"
"I love you," Marshall says. "And I have for years. I could almost get used to the idea of you and Raph, but Faber...I can't. I can't stay anymore."
He turns and walks out, leaving Mary staring at her own from porch. "Marshall! Wait!"
He can't not stop, but at least he can keep himself from turning around. He's surprised to feel Mary's presence so close behind him. She puts her hand on his arm. "Please don't leave, Marshall," Mary whispers. "I need you."
"I can't keep waiting for you, Mer," Marshall tells her. "We've been here before, and I stayed because you asked me to."
"And I'm asking again. Don't leave me. Please."
Mary saying "please" almost does Marshall in. He wants to say no, he wants to run and never stop. "Mer--"
"I cannot do this without you, Marshall. And I never, ever wanted to hurt you. I--you're my best friend and I need you," Mary tells him.
In that moment, Marshall knows he can't leave.
Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow
Brandi's plane touches down in Miami two hours later than expected, but she doesn't mind too much. Scott is waiting outside security for her. They can't decide if they should shake hands or hug, so they wind up doing both, awkwardly. The sun is shining as they get into the car and drive to Scott's apartment. Brandi's never been to Miami, but it reminds her a lot of New Jersey. She can't believe she's really here with her brother. She has a brother! She still can't believe that, either. The idea that he only wants money doesn't even enter into her mind. They're family, clearly that means something.
Over You - Daughtry
Raph may be the one who left Mary, but he knows she left him a long time ago. He can't believe he stayed as long as he did. Although, he really thought she wanted to get married. Their post-breakup sex was nice, but Raph knew it was meaningless. Neither of them were going to change. He's starting to think he should have stayed gone after she turned him down the first time. Maybe things would have been better for both of them that way. He's not sure. He never would have had to deal with Mary being shot. But, on the other hand, he wouldn’t have gotten to know Brandi at all, or be able to help her out of that jam with the meth. Maybe it was for the best that he stuck it out as long as he did. Now, he just has to figure out how to get over Mary.
Love Remains the Same - Gavin Rossdale
Boyfriends come and go, and Marshall sits through it all and listens to everything. Mary always thought it was because he was a good friend. She never thought he was in love with her. Well, she remembers something from just after she was shot…she was unconscious, so she's not sure how reliable that is. She thought she heard Marshall telling her he loved her. She never told him about it, probably because she thought it was just some trauma-induced hallucination. He finally tells him when her latest boyfriend asks her to marry him. Mary says yes, and tells Marshall at work the next morning. This time, he doesn't even try to pretend to be happy for her. He looks like somebody tore his heart out and when Mary asks him why he's acting so strange, all he can say is "I'll always love you, you know."
Never Too Late - Three Days Grace
Marshall gets shot one night when they're working with the Fugitive Taskforce, trying to apprehend a former witness. It's worse than the last time he was shot, but at least they've got cell service and are close to a hospital. The bullet was a Teflon-coated hollow-point round and Marshall's insides pretty much look like ground beef. While bouncing around his insides, the bullet cracked a few ribs, one of which punctured his lung, nicked an artery in his heart and lodged itself against his spinal column. Sitting in the waiting room with Stan's arms wrapped around her like a security blanket, Mary cries, silently begging a God she doesn't believe in to save Marshall. It took him getting shot again, but Mary realized she loves Marshall. Hopefully, it's not too late to tell him.
Someday - Nickelback
Stan wonders how his kids ended up like this. They won't speak to each other unless it's work related, and even when they do that, it's nothing more than the absolute minimum. Everyone walks on eggshells around Mary and Marshall these days, more Mary than Marshall, though. Last week, Charlie made the mistake of not detailing a report as much as Marshall would have liked and got his head bit off for his troubles, complete with an "everything matters" rant. Now, every time Charlie sees Marshall, he practically cowers in terror. Teresa and Mary have been locked in mortal combat over expense reports for the past three weeks and the temperature in the room drops ten degrees whenever they have to speak to each other. Stan can guess what happened, when he catches Marshall staring at Mary. The pain and longing in his eyes is obvious. When Mary looks at Marshall, it's with pity and sometimes confusion. The only thing Stan thinks this could be about is that Marshall finally got up the nerve to tell Mary how he felt and Mary told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't feel the same way. Just then, Stan could hear Mary and Marshall arguing in the bullpen, loudly. It's time to put an end to this. Stan steps out of his office. "Enough! Mary, Marshall, my office. Now!" The two walk into his office, both glaring at each other as they do. "I don't know what's gotten into the two of you, and I don't care. But I'm sick and tired of it affecting the entire office. Whatever happened, work it out or get it the hell out of my office! And don't come back until you do! Is that clear?" Both Mary and Marshall nod. "Good, now get out of here."
Pictures of You - The Last Goodnight
Bobby gets put on a taskforce in Chicago while Mary is still recovering from being shot. Among the personal effects he brings with him for his desk, he brings a picture someone took of him with Mary and Marshall. It's a candid shot and he can't even remember what they were doing, but it looks like he was arguing with Mary and Marshall was just standing there watching them, amused. That basically sums up the professional relationship he has with Mary and Marshall. On a more personal level, of course, he'd probably consider both of them friends, Marshall more than Mary, probably. Although, if Mary weren't seeing anyone…Bobby lets that train of thought end as he puts his stuff at his new desk. He checks his watch to see what time it is back home. It's just after 7, so he thinks it's a good time to call Marshall to see how Mary's doing.
Waiting for Tonight - Jennifer Lopez
When Marshall finally tells Mary how he feels, he’s terrified it'll end badly. It doesn't, but it doesn't end well, either. It's more of a neutral ending. Or maybe it's really the middle, not the end. Mary isn't ready, but she asks him to give her time. Marshall's willing to give her all the time in the world, and she knows that. Months go by and Marshall doesn't worry too much, and Mary stops screwing around, which makes Marshall secretly very, very happy. One Friday, at the end of a very long week, Mary suggests they go out to dinner. Something in the way she looks at him tells Marshall maybe this is more than just two friends grabbing a bite to eat after work. He suspicions are confirmed at dinner. They go to a quaint, romantic restaurant and the way Mary keeps looking at him tells him maybe he's finally done waiting.
Shattered - O.A.R.
Peter comes home from a business trip early. He's planning to surprise Brandi with flowers and then ask her to marry him. The sight that greets him when he comes home is certainly not conducive to a marriage proposal. There's a bottle of champagne out, two glasses on the coffee table, and clothes scattered from the living room to the bedroom. Their bedroom. He walks in, almost not wanting to, but need to, and even more shocking than Brandi cheating on him is the fact that it's with Raph. He doesn't say anything and just walks out. He drives around for awhile, desperately wanting a drink. When he finally stops the car, he realizes he's outside Mary's house. He figures she's better to talk to than anyone else, no matter what she's like. When he knocks on the door, Mary doesn't even say anything as she lets him in. It's like she can sense what's wrong. Either that, or she's smart enough to know he's not just going to show up at her place late at night without a damn good reason. They sit in the living room, the one that Peter helped Raph put back together, and he tells her everything. For once, Mary doesn't talk, she just listens. In the end, she brings him a cup of tea and tells him he can stay in the guest room if he doesn't want to go home tonight. Peter takes her up on the offer. He can deal with all of this tomorrow.
Author: WHIZ
Pairing/Character: Mary/Marshall, Mary/Raph, Mary/Faber (don't shoot!), Brandi/Peter, Brandi/Raph, Ensemble
Rating: PG-13ish
Summary: Music drabbles
Spoilers: Through 3x7 Love's Faber Lost
Author's Notes: In an effort to get my muses cooperating with me again, I decided to do some drabbles to see if I could jumpstart the epic Fish or Cut Betta fic I wanna finish. There are a few that I want to turn into real fics, but they'll have to get in line.
Better than Me - Hinder
She leaves him after only a few weeks, saying "You deserve better than me." He tells her there's no one better than her, but she's adamant. He knows she's really doing it because she's afraid of being left first. He's always known she'd leave him, but he couldn't stop himself when he finally had the chance to be with her. He tries not to let it show how much she hurt him, but he knows she can see right through it. A month goes by with the two of them walking on eggshells around each other and one night, after having yet another argument, he tells her he can't stay anymore. She scoffs, not believing him. He'll always stay. When she gets into the office the next morning, his desk is cleared out and there's a note on her desk from him. "Mary, I'll always love you. I'm sorry I couldn't stay. -Marshall."
Whatever it Takes - Lifehouse
Marshall walks into the office one morning and wants nothing more than to walk out when he sees Faber leaning up against Mary's desk and Mary smiling at him as they talk. Stan walks by just then and hands Marshall a cup of coffee, patting him on the arm consolingly. "He’s just been reassigned here from Denver," Stan tells Marshall.
"Great," Marshall mutters.
Over the next few weeks, Marshall watches quietly as Mary and Faber spend more and more time together, and Mary starts blowing him off in favor of Faber. After a month of this, Marshall writes up a request for a transfer, but doesn’t give it to Stan. He's hoping that just writing it will make him feel better. He waits and waits, expecting Mary to find the letter and try to talk him out of it. It never happens. Mary doesn't even snoop through his desk anymore. After three months of having to watch Mary and Faber, and hear about it from Mary when she deigns to give him a few crumbs of attention, Marshall decides subtle isn't working. One evening when he knows Faber's working on a case, he goes over to Mary's house. She's surprised to see him, but lets him in anyway. Before she has a chance to say anything, Marshall starts, "I can't take it anymore. I can't watch you with him."
Mary sighs. "Marshall--"
"I love you," Marshall says. "And I have for years. I could almost get used to the idea of you and Raph, but Faber...I can't. I can't stay anymore."
He turns and walks out, leaving Mary staring at her own from porch. "Marshall! Wait!"
He can't not stop, but at least he can keep himself from turning around. He's surprised to feel Mary's presence so close behind him. She puts her hand on his arm. "Please don't leave, Marshall," Mary whispers. "I need you."
"I can't keep waiting for you, Mer," Marshall tells her. "We've been here before, and I stayed because you asked me to."
"And I'm asking again. Don't leave me. Please."
Mary saying "please" almost does Marshall in. He wants to say no, he wants to run and never stop. "Mer--"
"I cannot do this without you, Marshall. And I never, ever wanted to hurt you. I--you're my best friend and I need you," Mary tells him.
In that moment, Marshall knows he can't leave.
Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow
Brandi's plane touches down in Miami two hours later than expected, but she doesn't mind too much. Scott is waiting outside security for her. They can't decide if they should shake hands or hug, so they wind up doing both, awkwardly. The sun is shining as they get into the car and drive to Scott's apartment. Brandi's never been to Miami, but it reminds her a lot of New Jersey. She can't believe she's really here with her brother. She has a brother! She still can't believe that, either. The idea that he only wants money doesn't even enter into her mind. They're family, clearly that means something.
Over You - Daughtry
Raph may be the one who left Mary, but he knows she left him a long time ago. He can't believe he stayed as long as he did. Although, he really thought she wanted to get married. Their post-breakup sex was nice, but Raph knew it was meaningless. Neither of them were going to change. He's starting to think he should have stayed gone after she turned him down the first time. Maybe things would have been better for both of them that way. He's not sure. He never would have had to deal with Mary being shot. But, on the other hand, he wouldn’t have gotten to know Brandi at all, or be able to help her out of that jam with the meth. Maybe it was for the best that he stuck it out as long as he did. Now, he just has to figure out how to get over Mary.
Love Remains the Same - Gavin Rossdale
Boyfriends come and go, and Marshall sits through it all and listens to everything. Mary always thought it was because he was a good friend. She never thought he was in love with her. Well, she remembers something from just after she was shot…she was unconscious, so she's not sure how reliable that is. She thought she heard Marshall telling her he loved her. She never told him about it, probably because she thought it was just some trauma-induced hallucination. He finally tells him when her latest boyfriend asks her to marry him. Mary says yes, and tells Marshall at work the next morning. This time, he doesn't even try to pretend to be happy for her. He looks like somebody tore his heart out and when Mary asks him why he's acting so strange, all he can say is "I'll always love you, you know."
Never Too Late - Three Days Grace
Marshall gets shot one night when they're working with the Fugitive Taskforce, trying to apprehend a former witness. It's worse than the last time he was shot, but at least they've got cell service and are close to a hospital. The bullet was a Teflon-coated hollow-point round and Marshall's insides pretty much look like ground beef. While bouncing around his insides, the bullet cracked a few ribs, one of which punctured his lung, nicked an artery in his heart and lodged itself against his spinal column. Sitting in the waiting room with Stan's arms wrapped around her like a security blanket, Mary cries, silently begging a God she doesn't believe in to save Marshall. It took him getting shot again, but Mary realized she loves Marshall. Hopefully, it's not too late to tell him.
Someday - Nickelback
Stan wonders how his kids ended up like this. They won't speak to each other unless it's work related, and even when they do that, it's nothing more than the absolute minimum. Everyone walks on eggshells around Mary and Marshall these days, more Mary than Marshall, though. Last week, Charlie made the mistake of not detailing a report as much as Marshall would have liked and got his head bit off for his troubles, complete with an "everything matters" rant. Now, every time Charlie sees Marshall, he practically cowers in terror. Teresa and Mary have been locked in mortal combat over expense reports for the past three weeks and the temperature in the room drops ten degrees whenever they have to speak to each other. Stan can guess what happened, when he catches Marshall staring at Mary. The pain and longing in his eyes is obvious. When Mary looks at Marshall, it's with pity and sometimes confusion. The only thing Stan thinks this could be about is that Marshall finally got up the nerve to tell Mary how he felt and Mary told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't feel the same way. Just then, Stan could hear Mary and Marshall arguing in the bullpen, loudly. It's time to put an end to this. Stan steps out of his office. "Enough! Mary, Marshall, my office. Now!" The two walk into his office, both glaring at each other as they do. "I don't know what's gotten into the two of you, and I don't care. But I'm sick and tired of it affecting the entire office. Whatever happened, work it out or get it the hell out of my office! And don't come back until you do! Is that clear?" Both Mary and Marshall nod. "Good, now get out of here."
Pictures of You - The Last Goodnight
Bobby gets put on a taskforce in Chicago while Mary is still recovering from being shot. Among the personal effects he brings with him for his desk, he brings a picture someone took of him with Mary and Marshall. It's a candid shot and he can't even remember what they were doing, but it looks like he was arguing with Mary and Marshall was just standing there watching them, amused. That basically sums up the professional relationship he has with Mary and Marshall. On a more personal level, of course, he'd probably consider both of them friends, Marshall more than Mary, probably. Although, if Mary weren't seeing anyone…Bobby lets that train of thought end as he puts his stuff at his new desk. He checks his watch to see what time it is back home. It's just after 7, so he thinks it's a good time to call Marshall to see how Mary's doing.
Waiting for Tonight - Jennifer Lopez
When Marshall finally tells Mary how he feels, he’s terrified it'll end badly. It doesn't, but it doesn't end well, either. It's more of a neutral ending. Or maybe it's really the middle, not the end. Mary isn't ready, but she asks him to give her time. Marshall's willing to give her all the time in the world, and she knows that. Months go by and Marshall doesn't worry too much, and Mary stops screwing around, which makes Marshall secretly very, very happy. One Friday, at the end of a very long week, Mary suggests they go out to dinner. Something in the way she looks at him tells Marshall maybe this is more than just two friends grabbing a bite to eat after work. He suspicions are confirmed at dinner. They go to a quaint, romantic restaurant and the way Mary keeps looking at him tells him maybe he's finally done waiting.
Shattered - O.A.R.
Peter comes home from a business trip early. He's planning to surprise Brandi with flowers and then ask her to marry him. The sight that greets him when he comes home is certainly not conducive to a marriage proposal. There's a bottle of champagne out, two glasses on the coffee table, and clothes scattered from the living room to the bedroom. Their bedroom. He walks in, almost not wanting to, but need to, and even more shocking than Brandi cheating on him is the fact that it's with Raph. He doesn't say anything and just walks out. He drives around for awhile, desperately wanting a drink. When he finally stops the car, he realizes he's outside Mary's house. He figures she's better to talk to than anyone else, no matter what she's like. When he knocks on the door, Mary doesn't even say anything as she lets him in. It's like she can sense what's wrong. Either that, or she's smart enough to know he's not just going to show up at her place late at night without a damn good reason. They sit in the living room, the one that Peter helped Raph put back together, and he tells her everything. For once, Mary doesn't talk, she just listens. In the end, she brings him a cup of tea and tells him he can stay in the guest room if he doesn't want to go home tonight. Peter takes her up on the offer. He can deal with all of this tomorrow.