Vimes/Sybil Music Drabble Meme-ness
1. American Pie - Don McLean
“To forget.” Vimes answered for once when Sybil asked him why he drank.
Sybil opened her mouth ready to ask ‘forget what exactly?’ Old Sergeant Colon had accidentally mentioned that Sam Vimes had been brung low by a woman, was she what Sam wanted to forget? But she couldn’t bring herself to ask and while usually Sam preferred to keep his past to himself, for some reason, on this late May day, he opened up.
“Usually it works.” Vimes said, “But not today. I can’t forget today.”
Sybil nodded sympathetically. Ok, May 25th… She thought. Only then did she notice the sprig of lilac tucked behind his badge. She hadn’t Been There but she did know her history. And she was good at listening to how people Didn’t Talk About Things. And Sam had worked at the Treacle Mine Road watch house before the Dragon burnt it so it was likely that…
“Perhaps you can’t forget today because… well, you shouldn’t.” She said at last.
2. Ave Maria - Placido Domingo
Sybil Ramkin sat in Ronnie’s office waiting for him to finish some last minute work before they could go out.
“I got the part of Ironhammer.” She said.
“Uh huh.” Ronnie replied automatically.
Sybil sighed and walked to the door.
“I’ll just be out in the yard when you’re done.” She called.
“Uh huh.” Ronnie replied again without looking up.
The yard of the watch house was empty except for the pig, the chickens, the rabbits in the hutch and that old nag, Marilyn.
“Tell me what you think.” Sybil said to the animals and started to practice the Ransom Aria.
3. What If It’s You - Reba McEntire
“I’m not being soppy,” Sybil said firmly, “but when you think about…”
“Us?” Vimes suggested.
“Yes. If one thinks about it, there do seem to be a lot of circumstances pushing us together.”
“You think we’re meant to be?” Vimes asked, smirking. “Perhaps we’re two halves of the same soul and Fate decided long ago that you and I were destined to be together for all of Time?”
“There’s no need to be sarcastic.” Sybil said haughtily. “But you must admit that ours isn’t exactly a typical boy meets girl scenario.”
Well, Vimes had to agree there. It was more of boy sees mythical dragon, girl knows about dragons, boy asks girl about dragons, girl almost gets eaten by dragon, boy rescues girl from dragon.
“But soul mates might be stretching it a bit.” Vimes ventured.
“Yes, I know you’re quite attached to the idea of us both realized that we could avoid dying old and alone if we clung desperately to each other.” Sybil said smiling.
4. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Vimes walked home after leaving Carcer in a cell. Tomorrow there’d be a trial. But he wasn’t thinking about Carcer anymore. It was May 25th and he wasn’t even thinking about Sergeant Keel. He thought about young Sam Vimes. It was obvious that the lad wanted to be like old Keel when he grew up but… would he have wanted to be Vimes? What would Vimes’ younger self think if he knew, if he knew about being a Duke, Commander of the Watch, about Sybil and Carrot and Vetinari? About everything. It all seemed so unreal sometimes. Like Vimes had gotten someone else’s life by mistake. It should be Carrot, right? Carrot had it in him to do all the things that Vimes had done. Hell, a lot of them had been Carrot’s idea to start with. Vimes was supposed to a supporting character in the book of Carrot’s life. He’d still be the crabby old captain, adding the occasional dose of cynicism and earthiness to Carrot’s adventure. He wasn’t supposed to be the lead. Someone Up There must have made a mistake.
5. Te Conozco - Ricardo Arjona
“I’m sure Havelock shares with me the belief that you have hidden depths.” Sybil answered when Sam asked why he was being sent to Uberwald.
Just by the way he kept sulking told her that either he didn’t believe it or that he thought that whatever those depths were, were quite murky. Sybil continued planning their packing for the trip and occasionally looked at her husband and smiled faintly. He could think what he wanted but he did have hidden depths, hidden talents and was almost infinitely resourceful. And he was a restless sleeper, at least when he slept in a bed. He was as particular about his food as the haughtiest housecat. He only seemed happy when he was sulking or shouting at someone. Sybil knew all of Sam’s little habits even the ones that she wasn’t supposed to know about. She knew about the bottle in his desk drawer that was a permanent test and she knew that he did far more than was good for him. She knew her husband, from the top of his head to the worn soles of his boots. So when she said that Sam Vimes had hidden depths, she knew what she was talking about.
6. All I Care About - Chicago Soundtrack
“Don’t be stubborn, Sam. You need new boots.” Sybil said in that slightly scolding but still loving tone every woman ends up using when her man won’t see reason.
“No room in my budget this month.” Vimes replied sulking.
“What? How is that possible? You live at the Yard now, you eat most of your meals here and I know you haven’t bought any...” Sybil stopped suddenly. The Look Vimes gave her clearly asked if she’d been spying on him to make sure he didn’t drink anymore. She hadn’t been spying. She’d just asked Havelock. That’s hardly spying.
“The point is,” Sybil continued with aristocratic dignity, “you haven’t been spending any money. So where is it all going?”
Vimes coughed guiltily. If this… Thing with Sybil was going to continue, he really should tell her about Mrs. Gaskin, Mrs. Scurrick, Mrs. Maroon and Annabel Curry. But how do you start that conversation?
“To Mrs. Gaskin, Mrs. Scurrick, Mrs. Maroon and Annabel Curry.” Vimes said.
“What?”
No, not the best way to start.
7. Your Arizona Room - Everclear
Just another inn on the way back to Ankh-Morpork. Vimes yawned and stretched in an adequate but strange bed. Sybil turned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder and arm. It was the middle of the day and no one seemed to be in a rush to get up.
“What shall we do today?” Sybil asked sleepily.
“We could stay in bed.” Vimes said with half a shrug.
“For how long?”
“Until the sun turns into the moon?” Vimes suggested.
Sybil paused to consider this. After several seconds, she nodded as if she’d weighed the pros and cons of wasting away the day in bed with her husband versus getting up and trying to salvage what remained of the day.
“Sounds perfect.” Sybil said appreciatively.
Let’s be frank, there was nothing she’d rather do than have Sam all to herself all day.
8. Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
“What’s your name?” Sam shouting over the din of music that was more loud than good and people who’d started hollering to show what a good time they were having.
“Dagger. Chelsea Dagger.” Sybil answered smiling.
Well why not? Tonight, she wasn’t Sybil Ramkin, the nice girl that did her homework as soon as she got home and always obeyed her parents. As a joke, her friends christened her Chelsea Dagger, the wild child who sneaks out after curfew to got to rowdy parties across the river. Sam gave her a sidelong look. Any good copper knows when he’s been fed an alias. He shrugged, it was his night off.
“Wanna drink?” He asked.
Sybil nodded and kept dancing by herself while Sam got her a beer and one for himself while he was about it.
9. You May Be Right - Billy Joel
Sybil watched Sam carefully while the other guests of her dinner party talked and Willikins tactfully steered the drinks tray. The topic of conversation found its way towards dwarfs and the death of Mr. Hammerhock. Sybil sighed and refused to feel uncomfortable. A lot of her ‘friends’ didn’t have very enlightened views regarding other species but then neither did Sam, so why was she worrying that he was going to say something… Sam-like.
“Funny how they can be so damn cunning without showing any kind of intelligence.” Sam said as he turned a grape over in his fingers.
It was such a relief when Carrot arrived and asked to speak with him. Sam may have been right that this dinner party wasn’t a good idea. But Sybil wasn’t about to start her marriage by admitting to that.
10. Knights of the Round Table - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
It would be the first Hogswatch together, Vimes thought trying not to panic. That’s a big deal, a couple’s first Hogwatch.
“We could just spend Hogswatch Eve with your men at the Yard.” Sybil suggested sweetly, “Instead of it just being you and me here, I mean.”
Vimes thought back to how the Night Watch had spent last year’s Hogswatch. It was a little hazy as most Hogswatch parties tended to be. He was pretty sure that no one swung from the tapestry. The old watch house didn’t have tapestries but there must have at least been some singing… and well, he couldn’t have made up the chorus line across the tables. He wasn’t that imaginative.
“No, let’s not go to the Yard. The lads get a bit silly.” Vimes said eventually.