FanFic100: #046 Star
Title: Rolling Stone, here I come
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Cadman/Lorne
Prompt: #046 Star
Word Count: 1.335
Rating: K+
Summary: It's Karaoke Night and the world... Atlantis is watching.
Author's Notes: Here we go with just another one (because I felt like it) ;) And yes, I know I used another cliché but "Let's start a Band" was just screaming to be used for a story like this... betaed, of course, by mackenziesmomma (I will never tire of at least mentioning it... credit where credit is due). And here's the LDT.
Rolling Stone, here I come
“Give me a stage and I'll be a rock and roll queen
Your 20th century cover of a magazine
Rolling Stone here I come
Watch out everyone
I'm singing, I'm singing my song.”
Amy MacDonald, “Let’s start a Band”
It’s Karaoke Night, and the world… Atlantis is watching. Well, those stupid enough to wander into the common room on the sixth level, anyway. Obviously some of the technician geeks managed to set up a trap by promising either heaps of chocolate or a secret alcohol stash, but what they really wanted was to lure people into their hell of totally scrambled lyrics and tortured melodies. And the worst is: She simply can’t turn away.
Seeing - and hearing - one of the Chinese biologists practically slaughtering The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” equals a very bad case of train wreck syndrome. It’s really horrible, but you have to stare at it nonetheless. She’s so busy with her fascination of the terrible that she needs a little time to register who’s going to be the next victim. Herself.
When the Chinese girl is done and the applause has ceased, she notices everyone staring at her and suddenly the mike is thrust in her hands. What the…? Oh no. “Hey, uh, guys, that’s really not such a good idea.” She feels herself blushing. And anyway, how did she get chosen, standing in the back, near the entrance, ready to bolt any moment?
“Aw, Cadman, don’t tell us you get stage fright!” it comes from the depth of the half dark room, and she recognizes the voice of Lieutenant Larry Hannigan. Yeah, of course that guy would guffaw something like that at her, having been at the receiving end of her sharp tongue often enough because of his tendency to get sloppy with highly explosive equipment.
“We’ll see how eager you are when it’s your turn.” Ha! He just got himself a ticket to embarrass himself this evening. No way he’s going to get out of this. But she still has to solve the issue with her not getting out of this. “And honestly, people… anyone of you seen Cameron Diaz in “My Best Friend’s Wedding”?” She throws a look in the room, and yep, people are nodding. “I’m worse. Much worse.” Unfortunately… that doesn’t have the desired effect. In fact… it ends up with the people practically dragging her to the makeshift stage. Ah hell.
Trying to make the best of it, she adapts a stance that’s just a tad diva and nods graciously in the direction of the techie in charge of choosing the songs. But as the first beats sound through the room, she’s nearly ready to flee again. “Holding out for a Hero”? Holy… someone has a sick sense of humor here.
Anyway… she’s a Marine, and she has to show these zoomies here - especially Lieutenant Hannigan - that Marines don’t back down from any challenge. And so she starts singing as loud as she can. At least she knows the lyrics to that, and it surprises her a little that she doesn’t even really have to follow the prompter. And that she’s actually starting to… enjoy the whole thing. The singing - as off-key as it might be - the fellow expedition members cheering her on… it’s giving her some drive and she really starts getting into the song.
But just as she’s singing, “It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet.” a familiar figure appears in the doorway. Major Evan Lorne. With a minor WTF-expression on his face. Oh crap. She really doesn’t mind her fellow Lieutenants watching her making a fool of herself, but her CO, who never makes a wrong step and always retains his composure, in any given situation? She’s feeling like a deer in headlights for a moment and even skips a bit of the lyrics.
But then her ambition to show those guys down there that she is good enough that she can even get this one off without a hitch and she isn't afraid of her CO wins and she continues singing, maybe even with a little more vigor than before. And when she reaches the last repetition of “I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light.” she even dares looking straight at Major Lorne. With an enormous satisfaction, she registers him breaking eye-contact first and looking a lot more uncomfortable now. Yep, she just managed to turn the tables on him. If he ever should go and dare to make some stupid joke about her and singing…
And then the song is done, and everyone is applauding again - probably because it’s finally over - and she leaves the stage with her head high. She even has the guts to toss Hannigan the mike and shout, “Your turn, Hanny. Show us the good stuff.”
Hannigan catches it and tries to talk himself out of it much fiercer than she tried. Yeah, she thinks, that’s flyboys for you. All talk and no action. Satisfied that she got through this with at least a minimum of dignity, she wants to find a corner in the back of the room, preferably not too close to the entrance, since Major Lorne is still standing there, now looking as inscrutable as always. But Fate seems to have other plans, because it makes him leave the doorway… and leads him straight to where she was headed. And he has already seen her, so it’s a matter of pride she doesn’t turn tail now.
Determined not to let herself be intimidated, she walks up to him and comes to stand beside him to watch how Hannigan really makes a fool of himself trying to sing a French chanson no one knows that the sadistic techie at the laptop chose. For a few moments, neither of them says anything, but then he startles her a little with dryly stating, “And here I thought there were enough heroes in Atlantis to keep you satisfied, Lieutenant.”
What the…? “Not the kind of heroes I dig, sir.” Oops. Should have kept her trap shut. At least that’s what the Major’s slightly incredulous face suggests.
“And what kind of heroes do you dig, Lieutenant?” Holy crap. Where’s this suddenly going? And how the hell does she get out of this?
“Surely not the ones that need to tell you how big a hero they are at every given moment.” Like Hanny for example… who doesn’t really look like a hero right now, but his ego is big and flexible enough to bear some dents.
“Then maybe there really aren’t enough heroes for you here.” Ah… case closed now, right? “However… seeing as you’re practically a celebrity here now…” Okay, that’s it. No jokes about her singing from the guy who didn’t have the guts to endure the little staring match from a few minutes ago.
“You can be my manager any time, sir.” Seeing as you’ve obviously discovered my potential and everything, she thinks a little sourly.
But the answer that comes… isn't quite the one she expected. “I’d rather be your hero.” Now her face has turned into something that can really only be described with major “WTF?” no pun intended. And it takes the Major a moment or two to register what he just replied a little absentmindedly. “And… I… should really be going now. Lots of paperwork to do. Uh… yeah.” With that, he turns on his heel and nearly flees the common room. She’s positively flabbergasted for a moment, but then she feels laughter bubbling up and has to leave the room.
When the initial laughing fit is over and she has calmed down enough, a thought gets stuck in her mind… namely that in all of Atlantis… Major Evan Lorne maybe is the one guy that comes closest to the definition of a hero she just gave him. So… if he still wants to be her hero… there’s a good chance he can become just that.
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Cadman/Lorne
Prompt: #046 Star
Word Count: 1.335
Rating: K+
Summary: It's Karaoke Night and the world... Atlantis is watching.
Author's Notes: Here we go with just another one (because I felt like it) ;) And yes, I know I used another cliché but "Let's start a Band" was just screaming to be used for a story like this... betaed, of course, by mackenziesmomma (I will never tire of at least mentioning it... credit where credit is due). And here's the LDT.
Rolling Stone, here I come
“Give me a stage and I'll be a rock and roll queen
Your 20th century cover of a magazine
Rolling Stone here I come
Watch out everyone
I'm singing, I'm singing my song.”
Amy MacDonald, “Let’s start a Band”
It’s Karaoke Night, and the world… Atlantis is watching. Well, those stupid enough to wander into the common room on the sixth level, anyway. Obviously some of the technician geeks managed to set up a trap by promising either heaps of chocolate or a secret alcohol stash, but what they really wanted was to lure people into their hell of totally scrambled lyrics and tortured melodies. And the worst is: She simply can’t turn away.
Seeing - and hearing - one of the Chinese biologists practically slaughtering The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” equals a very bad case of train wreck syndrome. It’s really horrible, but you have to stare at it nonetheless. She’s so busy with her fascination of the terrible that she needs a little time to register who’s going to be the next victim. Herself.
When the Chinese girl is done and the applause has ceased, she notices everyone staring at her and suddenly the mike is thrust in her hands. What the…? Oh no. “Hey, uh, guys, that’s really not such a good idea.” She feels herself blushing. And anyway, how did she get chosen, standing in the back, near the entrance, ready to bolt any moment?
“Aw, Cadman, don’t tell us you get stage fright!” it comes from the depth of the half dark room, and she recognizes the voice of Lieutenant Larry Hannigan. Yeah, of course that guy would guffaw something like that at her, having been at the receiving end of her sharp tongue often enough because of his tendency to get sloppy with highly explosive equipment.
“We’ll see how eager you are when it’s your turn.” Ha! He just got himself a ticket to embarrass himself this evening. No way he’s going to get out of this. But she still has to solve the issue with her not getting out of this. “And honestly, people… anyone of you seen Cameron Diaz in “My Best Friend’s Wedding”?” She throws a look in the room, and yep, people are nodding. “I’m worse. Much worse.” Unfortunately… that doesn’t have the desired effect. In fact… it ends up with the people practically dragging her to the makeshift stage. Ah hell.
Trying to make the best of it, she adapts a stance that’s just a tad diva and nods graciously in the direction of the techie in charge of choosing the songs. But as the first beats sound through the room, she’s nearly ready to flee again. “Holding out for a Hero”? Holy… someone has a sick sense of humor here.
Anyway… she’s a Marine, and she has to show these zoomies here - especially Lieutenant Hannigan - that Marines don’t back down from any challenge. And so she starts singing as loud as she can. At least she knows the lyrics to that, and it surprises her a little that she doesn’t even really have to follow the prompter. And that she’s actually starting to… enjoy the whole thing. The singing - as off-key as it might be - the fellow expedition members cheering her on… it’s giving her some drive and she really starts getting into the song.
But just as she’s singing, “It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet.” a familiar figure appears in the doorway. Major Evan Lorne. With a minor WTF-expression on his face. Oh crap. She really doesn’t mind her fellow Lieutenants watching her making a fool of herself, but her CO, who never makes a wrong step and always retains his composure, in any given situation? She’s feeling like a deer in headlights for a moment and even skips a bit of the lyrics.
But then her ambition to show those guys down there that she is good enough that she can even get this one off without a hitch and she isn't afraid of her CO wins and she continues singing, maybe even with a little more vigor than before. And when she reaches the last repetition of “I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light.” she even dares looking straight at Major Lorne. With an enormous satisfaction, she registers him breaking eye-contact first and looking a lot more uncomfortable now. Yep, she just managed to turn the tables on him. If he ever should go and dare to make some stupid joke about her and singing…
And then the song is done, and everyone is applauding again - probably because it’s finally over - and she leaves the stage with her head high. She even has the guts to toss Hannigan the mike and shout, “Your turn, Hanny. Show us the good stuff.”
Hannigan catches it and tries to talk himself out of it much fiercer than she tried. Yeah, she thinks, that’s flyboys for you. All talk and no action. Satisfied that she got through this with at least a minimum of dignity, she wants to find a corner in the back of the room, preferably not too close to the entrance, since Major Lorne is still standing there, now looking as inscrutable as always. But Fate seems to have other plans, because it makes him leave the doorway… and leads him straight to where she was headed. And he has already seen her, so it’s a matter of pride she doesn’t turn tail now.
Determined not to let herself be intimidated, she walks up to him and comes to stand beside him to watch how Hannigan really makes a fool of himself trying to sing a French chanson no one knows that the sadistic techie at the laptop chose. For a few moments, neither of them says anything, but then he startles her a little with dryly stating, “And here I thought there were enough heroes in Atlantis to keep you satisfied, Lieutenant.”
What the…? “Not the kind of heroes I dig, sir.” Oops. Should have kept her trap shut. At least that’s what the Major’s slightly incredulous face suggests.
“And what kind of heroes do you dig, Lieutenant?” Holy crap. Where’s this suddenly going? And how the hell does she get out of this?
“Surely not the ones that need to tell you how big a hero they are at every given moment.” Like Hanny for example… who doesn’t really look like a hero right now, but his ego is big and flexible enough to bear some dents.
“Then maybe there really aren’t enough heroes for you here.” Ah… case closed now, right? “However… seeing as you’re practically a celebrity here now…” Okay, that’s it. No jokes about her singing from the guy who didn’t have the guts to endure the little staring match from a few minutes ago.
“You can be my manager any time, sir.” Seeing as you’ve obviously discovered my potential and everything, she thinks a little sourly.
But the answer that comes… isn't quite the one she expected. “I’d rather be your hero.” Now her face has turned into something that can really only be described with major “WTF?” no pun intended. And it takes the Major a moment or two to register what he just replied a little absentmindedly. “And… I… should really be going now. Lots of paperwork to do. Uh… yeah.” With that, he turns on his heel and nearly flees the common room. She’s positively flabbergasted for a moment, but then she feels laughter bubbling up and has to leave the room.
When the initial laughing fit is over and she has calmed down enough, a thought gets stuck in her mind… namely that in all of Atlantis… Major Evan Lorne maybe is the one guy that comes closest to the definition of a hero she just gave him. So… if he still wants to be her hero… there’s a good chance he can become just that.