(no subject)
Title: How Come No One Told Me You Were Such A Badass?
Author:
fc2001
Series: ER
Pairing: Neela/Ray
Spoilers: Up to and including 12.18 "Strange Bedfellows"
Notes: Well, here it is. On time and everything. I had hoped to make it longer than this, but real life interfered. It still says all it needs to :)
How Come No-One Told Me You Were Such A Badass?
The Neela & Ray Story
“It seems to be that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. One day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere, and the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.”.
The words uttered by one Dana Scully of the X-Files, in obvious reference to her relationship with long time partner, Fox Mulder. It may seem an odd choice to open an essay with a quote from another TV series, but a more succinct definition of Neela and Ray, their evolving relationship, and the primary reasons why I ship them together, I couldn’t find.
Dr Jumbomart
Neela Rasgotra - a Brit of Indian descent, 27. Her parents own a restaurant in Southall, and she has at least one brother, for whose education she is currently paying. She completed her undergrad in Biochemistry at Yale (according to 12.13 “Body and Soul”), and went to University of Chicago for medical school. She graduated in 2004, with views to taking up a specialist internship in Michigan. However, a crisis of confidence brought her back to Chicago, where she is now an R2 in County General ER, completing a specialist surgical elective. A brief dalliance with Ray’s bandmate Bret aside, her major romantic encounter so far has been with Michael Gallant, whom she married in 12.09 “I Do”.
Doc Rock
Ray Barnett - somewhat more of an enigma, the only inkling we have of his background is that he’s an only child, and that his mother currently lives in Philadelphia. It’s never been explicitly stated that this is where he comes from. He is introduced to us as somewhat of the “rebel” doctor - he’s in a band (the name of which is never revealed) with three other guys - Nick, Bret, & someone else we've never been given the name of. It isn’t clear how exactly he came to be working at County, and we similarly have no details regarding his past education. By Season 12, we see a changed Ray emerge - one who’s been dumped by his band, and made mistakes both professional and personal. He’s been beaten up both physically and metaphorically, and is well on his way to becoming the doctor we knew was in there all along.
A Brief History Of The Roomies - From “Only Connect” to “Strange Bedfellows”
Abby: “Are you mad?”
Neela: “Yes, yes I am.”
(“Only Connect” )
“Only Connect” contains the moment now widely considered as marking the beginning of the relationship - the handshake that sees Neela, albeit reluctantly, agree to become Ray’s roommate. Neela had been staying with Abby since she moved back to Chicago, but was keen to get out of Abby’s hair and give her fellow intern her space back, especially following the events of “Skin”. She is increasingly frustrated with the quality of accommodation on offer, and as such she was driven to accept Ray’s offer of a flat share; as it turns out he’s been let down by the person he was supposed to room with. The arrangement is sealed on the condition that they work opposite shifts - so days, weeks, even months could go by without them ever seeing each other.
This arrangement, purely of convenience it seems, does not last long.
To list every defining moment, every scene where they’ve lit up the screen, would take longer than I have. The final showdown of “A Shot In The Dark”, where Neela calls Ray out on his abandonment of Arlo - the teenager forced to make decisions about his policeman father’s treatment - is the first key turning point.
Neela: “Screw your gig, medicine isn’t a day job.”
(“A Shot In The Dark” - 11.8)
Neela felt passionately enough about the situation to take a taxi over to the gig and call Ray on his mistake. She could have let it lie. But she chose not to. The pure heat and energy of the scene is the first real indication that maybe they’re destined to be so much more than roommates. Despite herself, she does care, otherwise why would she be so impassioned about the situation?
The second, clear indiction comes in “Here And There” (11.16) where, again, they are bickering, and their bodies come that close to colliding. The pause is just long enough to be telling. There’s a momentary hesitation. In television terms, it is what is known as a “moment”. There’s a spark there, whether they admit it or not.
In addition to this spark, is the growing depth of the relationship. He protects her in “Alone In A Crowd” (11.15) - practically shielding her body with his own from the dead mother’s body - and she jumps in during the brawl in “Just As I Am” (11.14) when he gets floored by a metal bedpan. Both of these actions are seemingly instinctive, and completely natural within the context of the growing friendship.
There’s also a fun side to their relationship - as demonstrated by the snowball scene in “Twas The Night” (11.9) - where Neela aims a snowball at a retreating Ray’s back, then shrugs and simply says “Miami?” which is in turn a reference to where Ray would have been headed had bad weather not forced a change of plans.
Those three little words - “I love you” - are uttered for the first time during episode11.13 - "Middleman" - but merely in reference to Neela having gotten the shower fixed. Her reply may be “You owe me $80 bucks”, but it was the wistful smile that really said it all.
The opening episodes of Season 12 seemingly threw the relationship a double curveball - firstly with Ray’s underage partner, Zoe, and then with Neela’s marriage to Michael Gallant. But under these apparent roadblocks, the friendship stands as firm as ever, and small glimpses give the indication that it may in fact be developing into more just underneath the surface, apparently without the character’s cognitive realisation.
And what starts with a handshake seemingly ends on an equally, apparently low key note a season and a half later: -
Neela: I should move out.
Ray: Why?
Neela: I think we both know why.
(12.17 “Lost In America”)
Neela’s simple statement - “…. We both know why.” - is so telling it’s almost painful. The starkest indicator yet of just exactly how things have changed since she moved in, how she’s changed. The screaming subtext, of course, is that she has finally realised exactly what it is that’s always been pulling just beneath the surface between them.
And the difference between the characters is sharply defined. She is running from this realisation - it frightens her that she’s even contemplated it. He, on the other hand, has probably had more time to come to terms with his feelings, and therefore is less inclined to try and escape the situation.
Neela is, at this point, still a married woman. Although her husband has retreated back to Iraq and undoubtedly left their shotgun marriage in trouble, that word “married” is always nagging in the back of her head. A moral roadblock, if you like, something she cannot overcome.
To her, it seemingly isn’t a simple question of happiness. It is a question of duty. It is a question of her loyalty to the man she thought she loved. Loyalty & duty are two obligations that Neela feels strongly in every aspect of her life. Why should her private life be any different?
He, on the other hand, it seems is running headlong into the realisation. He has a somewhat chequered relationship history - from the off-screen girlfriend in Miami, to Jessica (“The Show Must Go On” -11.22) and the groupie slut briefly glimpsed in 12.03, to the downright disaster that was Zoë Butler (12.5 - 12.8 and then 12.12).
Nothing has been real. It hasn’t been true. The connection he’s formed with Neela is by far the strongest female relationship he has ever had, and the feelings that have grown from that are, as a result, intense. He’s never been in love before now.
And as a sign of just how far the character has come, he’s the one who isn’t afraid of it. He’s the one who faced up to it first. He’s the one laying himself on the line in “Strange Bedfellows” (12.18).
He’s rightly determined not to let her go.
Will this running into walls pay off? Will intensity of feeling and undeniable chemistry overcome loyalty and duty to a loveless marriage?
Time will tell.
Why do I ‘ship these two?
ER was, at one time, the master of the slow burn. The scintillating, sizzling build up of a relationship over a period of months and years, building up the scenes and the subtext gradually, until the consummation came and had viewers down on their knees begging for release.
It had gone off the boil. ‘Ships came and went, sinking without ever really having floated. Until the advent of Ray and Neela, that is. With the birth of their connection, along came the hope that we were to once again see a slow burning connection in the vein of Doug and Carol and the ultimately ill-fated Carter and Abby.
It is hard to exactly pin down precisely why I have become such an obsessive fan girl for this pairing. Their relationship just has everything in a pairing that appeals to me - complexity, power, passion, playfulness, denial, tension. You name it; it’s in there.
What started as an arrangement of convenience has evolved into a true, lie-down-and-die-for-you friendship. They have one of those magical, once in a lifetime, truly life-changing connections. The kind we all want. The kind most of us will never have.
Why their connection works?
On the surface, it may seem they are a match made in hell.
She’s the sharp, serious Ivy League graduate, academically bright but socially slightly inept, capable but lacking confidence in her own abilities. Born and raised in a British culture which explains her reserve.
He’s the picture-perfect stereotype of a bad boy, down to the love of rock music and the tattoos. Born and raised in middle class America, he is a rebel.
He is her anti-thesis. The chalk to her cheese, if you like.
Seemingly, they are a classic case of opposites attract. And if you choose to look at it from a simplistic point of view, that is what is at the root of what makes them special.
Their differences drive their relationship. They become a balancing force in each other’s lives. They are catalysts for change in each other’s lives.
I genuinely believe they are better people with each other than they ever were without. She has learned to let loose, she has developed a new found confidence. He has committed to medicine, started to take responsibility for himself.
They care, they protect, they bicker and they flirt. Their relationship isn’t all in the obvious - it’s in the little glances and the body language, the wistful smiles and the words not quite said.
And always there is just that hint of unacknowledged sexual chemistry, that spark that threatens so many times but has never lit (yet).
Add a healthy dollop of natural chemistry between the actors, and it’s a match made in heaven.
If you’re convinced, or even slightly intrigued, after reading this essay, below are some recs for more information and fic for the pairing, which will hopefully make your mind up once and for all.
Websites
www.rayneela.co.uk - screencaps, quotes, icons, fanfic etc
http://neela_ray.livejournal.com - episode recaps, screencaps, episode clips, icons and fanart, fanfic and general obsessiveness.
Oh, and FanForum (www.fanforum.com) has a friendly, and extremely welcoming, ER board and many a Roomies thread which I’d also highly recommend checking out if you’re a fan.
Fanfiction Recs
There is an abundance of well-written fanfic for this pairing - at every rating and for every scenario - by some of the most talented writers in the fandom.
Fanfiction.net has an expansive C2 archive - http://www.fanfiction.net/c2/13071/3/0/1/ - the recs below are by no means an exhaustive list.
"Should Have", by espergirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2756413/1/
"Holding Onto All That", by crimegirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2427096/1/
"I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas", by HoleInTheWorld - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2711165/1/
"Reluctant Resolve", by just-another-writer2 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2703574/1/
"Give In", by just-another-writer2 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2696013/1/
"Love Lies", by Dingbat142001 (from Fanforum) - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2678414/1/
"Soft Spots", by Dingbat142001 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2604533/1/
"Oh No", by espergirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519926/1/
"Ouch", by espergirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2514580/1/
"Explore This", by MotleyMuse - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2471616/1/
"Not So Bad", by Sarcastic Realist - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2367282/1/
"4:05", by MotleyMuse - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2256987/1/
"Not My Type", by HP-Magic - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2248810/1/
"In This Life", by Eyes-of-Pearl - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2680258/1/
"Order & Chaos", by Caliente - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2739247/1/
In addition to fanfiction.net, Doctors In The House LJ community (
neela_ray) also has a memories section full of great fic - a selection of which is listed below. And though I was loathed to rec my own work, my beta and good friend in the fandom
shadow_diva (Ash) insisted that I couldn’t not.
“The Beauty & The Spark” & “Physician, Heal Thyself” by
shadow_diva - Any of Ash’s fic is worth checking out, but these two are my personal favourites - the first is one of the reasons I’m on this ‘ship, and the second is a post-ep to “Just As I Am” which just says so much, the last line always gives me shivers (but in the best possible way!)
“To Those In The Dark” & “The Trouble With Panties” -
bingelybeep - One angst fic which simply moves me to tears, and one which makes me fall off my chair laughing just to balance it.
“Dear Neela - Series”, “I Don’t” and “The Best & Worst of Things” -
emony2 Again, anything by Em is worth checking out, but these are just my faves - especially the final one, which is a very strange take on a strange situation, but is so in character and well-written in never seems out that way.
“The 7 Sins Series” -
di_yani
“The Argument” -
aquagals
“Secrets & Lies” and “Second Time Around” -
fc2001 - Future fic and now AU.
Acknowledgements:
To everyone at
neela_ray and the Roomies at FanForum for your insights and opinions, and for everything else too - you guys all rule :)
To
shadow_diva for her help with everything :) I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.
Author:
fc2001
Series: ER
Pairing: Neela/Ray
Spoilers: Up to and including 12.18 "Strange Bedfellows"
Notes: Well, here it is. On time and everything. I had hoped to make it longer than this, but real life interfered. It still says all it needs to :)
How Come No-One Told Me You Were Such A Badass?
The Neela & Ray Story
“It seems to be that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. One day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere, and the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.”.
The words uttered by one Dana Scully of the X-Files, in obvious reference to her relationship with long time partner, Fox Mulder. It may seem an odd choice to open an essay with a quote from another TV series, but a more succinct definition of Neela and Ray, their evolving relationship, and the primary reasons why I ship them together, I couldn’t find.
Dr Jumbomart
Neela Rasgotra - a Brit of Indian descent, 27. Her parents own a restaurant in Southall, and she has at least one brother, for whose education she is currently paying. She completed her undergrad in Biochemistry at Yale (according to 12.13 “Body and Soul”), and went to University of Chicago for medical school. She graduated in 2004, with views to taking up a specialist internship in Michigan. However, a crisis of confidence brought her back to Chicago, where she is now an R2 in County General ER, completing a specialist surgical elective. A brief dalliance with Ray’s bandmate Bret aside, her major romantic encounter so far has been with Michael Gallant, whom she married in 12.09 “I Do”.
Doc Rock
Ray Barnett - somewhat more of an enigma, the only inkling we have of his background is that he’s an only child, and that his mother currently lives in Philadelphia. It’s never been explicitly stated that this is where he comes from. He is introduced to us as somewhat of the “rebel” doctor - he’s in a band (the name of which is never revealed) with three other guys - Nick, Bret, & someone else we've never been given the name of. It isn’t clear how exactly he came to be working at County, and we similarly have no details regarding his past education. By Season 12, we see a changed Ray emerge - one who’s been dumped by his band, and made mistakes both professional and personal. He’s been beaten up both physically and metaphorically, and is well on his way to becoming the doctor we knew was in there all along.
A Brief History Of The Roomies - From “Only Connect” to “Strange Bedfellows”
Abby: “Are you mad?”
Neela: “Yes, yes I am.”
(“Only Connect” )
“Only Connect” contains the moment now widely considered as marking the beginning of the relationship - the handshake that sees Neela, albeit reluctantly, agree to become Ray’s roommate. Neela had been staying with Abby since she moved back to Chicago, but was keen to get out of Abby’s hair and give her fellow intern her space back, especially following the events of “Skin”. She is increasingly frustrated with the quality of accommodation on offer, and as such she was driven to accept Ray’s offer of a flat share; as it turns out he’s been let down by the person he was supposed to room with. The arrangement is sealed on the condition that they work opposite shifts - so days, weeks, even months could go by without them ever seeing each other.
This arrangement, purely of convenience it seems, does not last long.
To list every defining moment, every scene where they’ve lit up the screen, would take longer than I have. The final showdown of “A Shot In The Dark”, where Neela calls Ray out on his abandonment of Arlo - the teenager forced to make decisions about his policeman father’s treatment - is the first key turning point.
Neela: “Screw your gig, medicine isn’t a day job.”
(“A Shot In The Dark” - 11.8)
Neela felt passionately enough about the situation to take a taxi over to the gig and call Ray on his mistake. She could have let it lie. But she chose not to. The pure heat and energy of the scene is the first real indication that maybe they’re destined to be so much more than roommates. Despite herself, she does care, otherwise why would she be so impassioned about the situation?
The second, clear indiction comes in “Here And There” (11.16) where, again, they are bickering, and their bodies come that close to colliding. The pause is just long enough to be telling. There’s a momentary hesitation. In television terms, it is what is known as a “moment”. There’s a spark there, whether they admit it or not.
In addition to this spark, is the growing depth of the relationship. He protects her in “Alone In A Crowd” (11.15) - practically shielding her body with his own from the dead mother’s body - and she jumps in during the brawl in “Just As I Am” (11.14) when he gets floored by a metal bedpan. Both of these actions are seemingly instinctive, and completely natural within the context of the growing friendship.
There’s also a fun side to their relationship - as demonstrated by the snowball scene in “Twas The Night” (11.9) - where Neela aims a snowball at a retreating Ray’s back, then shrugs and simply says “Miami?” which is in turn a reference to where Ray would have been headed had bad weather not forced a change of plans.
Those three little words - “I love you” - are uttered for the first time during episode11.13 - "Middleman" - but merely in reference to Neela having gotten the shower fixed. Her reply may be “You owe me $80 bucks”, but it was the wistful smile that really said it all.
The opening episodes of Season 12 seemingly threw the relationship a double curveball - firstly with Ray’s underage partner, Zoe, and then with Neela’s marriage to Michael Gallant. But under these apparent roadblocks, the friendship stands as firm as ever, and small glimpses give the indication that it may in fact be developing into more just underneath the surface, apparently without the character’s cognitive realisation.
And what starts with a handshake seemingly ends on an equally, apparently low key note a season and a half later: -
Neela: I should move out.
Ray: Why?
Neela: I think we both know why.
(12.17 “Lost In America”)
Neela’s simple statement - “…. We both know why.” - is so telling it’s almost painful. The starkest indicator yet of just exactly how things have changed since she moved in, how she’s changed. The screaming subtext, of course, is that she has finally realised exactly what it is that’s always been pulling just beneath the surface between them.
And the difference between the characters is sharply defined. She is running from this realisation - it frightens her that she’s even contemplated it. He, on the other hand, has probably had more time to come to terms with his feelings, and therefore is less inclined to try and escape the situation.
Neela is, at this point, still a married woman. Although her husband has retreated back to Iraq and undoubtedly left their shotgun marriage in trouble, that word “married” is always nagging in the back of her head. A moral roadblock, if you like, something she cannot overcome.
To her, it seemingly isn’t a simple question of happiness. It is a question of duty. It is a question of her loyalty to the man she thought she loved. Loyalty & duty are two obligations that Neela feels strongly in every aspect of her life. Why should her private life be any different?
He, on the other hand, it seems is running headlong into the realisation. He has a somewhat chequered relationship history - from the off-screen girlfriend in Miami, to Jessica (“The Show Must Go On” -11.22) and the groupie slut briefly glimpsed in 12.03, to the downright disaster that was Zoë Butler (12.5 - 12.8 and then 12.12).
Nothing has been real. It hasn’t been true. The connection he’s formed with Neela is by far the strongest female relationship he has ever had, and the feelings that have grown from that are, as a result, intense. He’s never been in love before now.
And as a sign of just how far the character has come, he’s the one who isn’t afraid of it. He’s the one who faced up to it first. He’s the one laying himself on the line in “Strange Bedfellows” (12.18).
He’s rightly determined not to let her go.
Will this running into walls pay off? Will intensity of feeling and undeniable chemistry overcome loyalty and duty to a loveless marriage?
Time will tell.
Why do I ‘ship these two?
ER was, at one time, the master of the slow burn. The scintillating, sizzling build up of a relationship over a period of months and years, building up the scenes and the subtext gradually, until the consummation came and had viewers down on their knees begging for release.
It had gone off the boil. ‘Ships came and went, sinking without ever really having floated. Until the advent of Ray and Neela, that is. With the birth of their connection, along came the hope that we were to once again see a slow burning connection in the vein of Doug and Carol and the ultimately ill-fated Carter and Abby.
It is hard to exactly pin down precisely why I have become such an obsessive fan girl for this pairing. Their relationship just has everything in a pairing that appeals to me - complexity, power, passion, playfulness, denial, tension. You name it; it’s in there.
What started as an arrangement of convenience has evolved into a true, lie-down-and-die-for-you friendship. They have one of those magical, once in a lifetime, truly life-changing connections. The kind we all want. The kind most of us will never have.
Why their connection works?
On the surface, it may seem they are a match made in hell.
She’s the sharp, serious Ivy League graduate, academically bright but socially slightly inept, capable but lacking confidence in her own abilities. Born and raised in a British culture which explains her reserve.
He’s the picture-perfect stereotype of a bad boy, down to the love of rock music and the tattoos. Born and raised in middle class America, he is a rebel.
He is her anti-thesis. The chalk to her cheese, if you like.
Seemingly, they are a classic case of opposites attract. And if you choose to look at it from a simplistic point of view, that is what is at the root of what makes them special.
Their differences drive their relationship. They become a balancing force in each other’s lives. They are catalysts for change in each other’s lives.
I genuinely believe they are better people with each other than they ever were without. She has learned to let loose, she has developed a new found confidence. He has committed to medicine, started to take responsibility for himself.
They care, they protect, they bicker and they flirt. Their relationship isn’t all in the obvious - it’s in the little glances and the body language, the wistful smiles and the words not quite said.
And always there is just that hint of unacknowledged sexual chemistry, that spark that threatens so many times but has never lit (yet).
Add a healthy dollop of natural chemistry between the actors, and it’s a match made in heaven.
If you’re convinced, or even slightly intrigued, after reading this essay, below are some recs for more information and fic for the pairing, which will hopefully make your mind up once and for all.
Websites
www.rayneela.co.uk - screencaps, quotes, icons, fanfic etc
http://neela_ray.livejournal.com - episode recaps, screencaps, episode clips, icons and fanart, fanfic and general obsessiveness.
Oh, and FanForum (www.fanforum.com) has a friendly, and extremely welcoming, ER board and many a Roomies thread which I’d also highly recommend checking out if you’re a fan.
Fanfiction Recs
There is an abundance of well-written fanfic for this pairing - at every rating and for every scenario - by some of the most talented writers in the fandom.
Fanfiction.net has an expansive C2 archive - http://www.fanfiction.net/c2/13071/3/0/1/ - the recs below are by no means an exhaustive list.
"Should Have", by espergirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2756413/1/
"Holding Onto All That", by crimegirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2427096/1/
"I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas", by HoleInTheWorld - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2711165/1/
"Reluctant Resolve", by just-another-writer2 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2703574/1/
"Give In", by just-another-writer2 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2696013/1/
"Love Lies", by Dingbat142001 (from Fanforum) - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2678414/1/
"Soft Spots", by Dingbat142001 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2604533/1/
"Oh No", by espergirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2519926/1/
"Ouch", by espergirl04 - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2514580/1/
"Explore This", by MotleyMuse - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2471616/1/
"Not So Bad", by Sarcastic Realist - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2367282/1/
"4:05", by MotleyMuse - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2256987/1/
"Not My Type", by HP-Magic - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2248810/1/
"In This Life", by Eyes-of-Pearl - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2680258/1/
"Order & Chaos", by Caliente - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2739247/1/
In addition to fanfiction.net, Doctors In The House LJ community (
neela_ray) also has a memories section full of great fic - a selection of which is listed below. And though I was loathed to rec my own work, my beta and good friend in the fandom
shadow_diva (Ash) insisted that I couldn’t not.
“The Beauty & The Spark” & “Physician, Heal Thyself” by
shadow_diva - Any of Ash’s fic is worth checking out, but these two are my personal favourites - the first is one of the reasons I’m on this ‘ship, and the second is a post-ep to “Just As I Am” which just says so much, the last line always gives me shivers (but in the best possible way!)
“To Those In The Dark” & “The Trouble With Panties” -
bingelybeep - One angst fic which simply moves me to tears, and one which makes me fall off my chair laughing just to balance it.
“Dear Neela - Series”, “I Don’t” and “The Best & Worst of Things” -
emony2 Again, anything by Em is worth checking out, but these are just my faves - especially the final one, which is a very strange take on a strange situation, but is so in character and well-written in never seems out that way.
“The 7 Sins Series” -
di_yani
“The Argument” -
aquagals
“Secrets & Lies” and “Second Time Around” -
fc2001 - Future fic and now AU.
Acknowledgements:
To everyone at
neela_ray and the Roomies at FanForum for your insights and opinions, and for everything else too - you guys all rule :)
To
shadow_diva for her help with everything :) I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.