Fic: All My Words Are Empty, All Their Power Gone (1/1)
Title: All My Words Are Empty, All Their Power Gone
Author: cranberry_pi
Rating: G.
Spoilers: Nope.
Summary: A short songfic, or drabble, or something, centered around Avril Lavigne's "Wish You Were Here." The entirety of her new album is Faberry-bait, and I can't stop listening to it!
The disc came in the mail, delivered straight to her mailbox via her agent. She stared blankly at the label, which was hand-written in a flowing, feminine script. There was no return address, and no indication as to who had sent it. Rachel called her agent, who refused to clarify the matter, only instructing her to listen to the disc.
She put the disc in her MacBook - who owned a CD player anymore, anyway? - and waited for it to spin up. The voice that flowed from her speakers nearly made her fall over in surprise.
“Hello, Rachel. It’s Quinn. I’m sorry for the cloak and dagger, but I, uh, I figured that if I sent this with my name on it you wouldn’t open it. I just,” Quinn’s voice was shaky, skirting the edge of tears. “I just needed to reach you, just once. I just needed one chance to say this, and please don’t hold it against Christine, okay? I all but got down on my knees and begged her to bring this to you. I - well, there’s more that I want to say, but I think I’ll take a lesson from you and sing. Please, please just listen to the words, okay? Because I mean every single word.”
Rachel waited for the music to start, her heart in her throat. She reached out for the stop button, but her hand stopped short. Quinn had all but broken her, all of those years ago, and she wanted nothing more than to cut off her voice, stop her from saying anything more, but there was some part of her that stilled her hands and perked her ears up - straining to hear every note in Quinn’s voice.
“I can be tough, I can be strong
But with you, it's not like that at all
There's a girl that gives a shit
Behind this wall you just walk through it
And I remember
All those crazy things you said
You left them running through my head
You're always there, you're everywhere
Right now I wish you were here
All those crazy things we did
Didn't think about it, just went with it
You're always there, you're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
(I wish you were here)
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
(I wish you were here)
I love, the way you are
It's who I am, don't have to try hard
We always say, say it like it is
And the truth, is that I really miss
All those crazy things you said
You left them running through my head
You're always there, you're everywhere
Right now I wish you were here
All those crazy things we did
Didn't think about it, just went with it
You're always there, you're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
(I wish you were here)
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
(I wish you were here)
No, I don't wanna let go
I just wanna let you know
That I, never wanna let go
Let go oh oh
Let go oh oh
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
(I wish you were here)
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
(I wish you were here)”
The last notes played, and Quinn spoke again, no longer skirting the edge of tears but crying brokenly. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. For everything. For the last five years, I’ve regretted what I did every single day. I - I don’t even know what I’m asking, honestly. Is there any chance that you could forgive a stupid, scared insecure teenage girl for breaking your heart? Or is what I did so awful, so fucking stupid and selfish that you can’t ever bring yourself to talk to me again? I - I’ll understand, I mean, it’s okay if that’s how you feel. But I need you to know - you made me better. You took me from a naïve little cheerleader to a person I was proud to be, and somehow instead of thanking you I let my fears rule my life and drive you away. I can’t ever be sorry enough, and I can’t ever make it up to you.”
She cleared her throat. “And, uh, I guess that’s all. I hope you call me, someday. My cell’s 555-468-7402. Take care of yourself, Rachel - you mean the world to me, and I just hope you’re doing all right. Goodbye,” the last word was a choked whisper. Rachel stood, tears on her cheeks, staring out the window into the Manhattan rain.
A questing hand found her cell phone, and her finger hovered indecisively over the first number.
Author: cranberry_pi
Rating: G.
Spoilers: Nope.
Summary: A short songfic, or drabble, or something, centered around Avril Lavigne's "Wish You Were Here." The entirety of her new album is Faberry-bait, and I can't stop listening to it!
The disc came in the mail, delivered straight to her mailbox via her agent. She stared blankly at the label, which was hand-written in a flowing, feminine script. There was no return address, and no indication as to who had sent it. Rachel called her agent, who refused to clarify the matter, only instructing her to listen to the disc.
She put the disc in her MacBook - who owned a CD player anymore, anyway? - and waited for it to spin up. The voice that flowed from her speakers nearly made her fall over in surprise.
“Hello, Rachel. It’s Quinn. I’m sorry for the cloak and dagger, but I, uh, I figured that if I sent this with my name on it you wouldn’t open it. I just,” Quinn’s voice was shaky, skirting the edge of tears. “I just needed to reach you, just once. I just needed one chance to say this, and please don’t hold it against Christine, okay? I all but got down on my knees and begged her to bring this to you. I - well, there’s more that I want to say, but I think I’ll take a lesson from you and sing. Please, please just listen to the words, okay? Because I mean every single word.”
Rachel waited for the music to start, her heart in her throat. She reached out for the stop button, but her hand stopped short. Quinn had all but broken her, all of those years ago, and she wanted nothing more than to cut off her voice, stop her from saying anything more, but there was some part of her that stilled her hands and perked her ears up - straining to hear every note in Quinn’s voice.
“I can be tough, I can be strong
But with you, it's not like that at all
There's a girl that gives a shit
Behind this wall you just walk through it
And I remember
All those crazy things you said
You left them running through my head
You're always there, you're everywhere
Right now I wish you were here
All those crazy things we did
Didn't think about it, just went with it
You're always there, you're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
(I wish you were here)
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
(I wish you were here)
I love, the way you are
It's who I am, don't have to try hard
We always say, say it like it is
And the truth, is that I really miss
All those crazy things you said
You left them running through my head
You're always there, you're everywhere
Right now I wish you were here
All those crazy things we did
Didn't think about it, just went with it
You're always there, you're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
(I wish you were here)
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
(I wish you were here)
No, I don't wanna let go
I just wanna let you know
That I, never wanna let go
Let go oh oh
Let go oh oh
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
(I wish you were here)
Damn! Damn! Damn!
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
(I wish you were here)”
The last notes played, and Quinn spoke again, no longer skirting the edge of tears but crying brokenly. “I’m so sorry, Rachel. For everything. For the last five years, I’ve regretted what I did every single day. I - I don’t even know what I’m asking, honestly. Is there any chance that you could forgive a stupid, scared insecure teenage girl for breaking your heart? Or is what I did so awful, so fucking stupid and selfish that you can’t ever bring yourself to talk to me again? I - I’ll understand, I mean, it’s okay if that’s how you feel. But I need you to know - you made me better. You took me from a naïve little cheerleader to a person I was proud to be, and somehow instead of thanking you I let my fears rule my life and drive you away. I can’t ever be sorry enough, and I can’t ever make it up to you.”
She cleared her throat. “And, uh, I guess that’s all. I hope you call me, someday. My cell’s 555-468-7402. Take care of yourself, Rachel - you mean the world to me, and I just hope you’re doing all right. Goodbye,” the last word was a choked whisper. Rachel stood, tears on her cheeks, staring out the window into the Manhattan rain.
A questing hand found her cell phone, and her finger hovered indecisively over the first number.