FIC: Glance of Love (6/11) - A Much Ado About Nothing fanfic
Title: Glance of Love
Genre: Much Ado About Nothing (2011 performance)
Rating: T (with two chapters rated M - one for paranoia, the other with... more cause)
Pairings: Bendick/Beatrice, Claudio/Hero
Summary: One chance look shared on the night before the ill-fated wedding day drew a pair of dueling lovers together... a bit earlier. Thus altering the lives of those around them as well.
Dedication: To Shakespeare for writing the play. To the people who arranged to put on the amazing performance, to Digital Theatre for putting out a download, and - most of all - David Tennant and Catherine Tate for the silent exchange that inspired this fic - as shown here (and all pics within - unless otherwise noted - came from the same source):
http://eternity-online.net/screencaps/maan/images/maan155.jpg
Disclaimer: I didn't have the money to see this in person. So I own nothing except this idea. :( And a copy of the Digital Theatre download. :D
Author's Note: Title is a play on the song that was playing as this moment happened. My muse is a definite minx for coming up with this... and a few other MAAN-based ideas. :D
This would probably make more sense if you've seen that MAAN production, but I wrote it with the aim of trying to make things clear to any reader. Still, I know my peeps who had the great fortune to get tickets and see the play - or fans like me who had to wait for the Digital Theatre download - will get every last reference I make to the performance itself. I suppose this is also for the fans who either can't afford to get the download and the ones whose computers can't make it work - every Doctor/Donna fan should get to see this play.
Readers, this is the result of being an unrepentant Doctor/Donna fangirl, adoring the dynamic Tennant and Tate have in anything they do, and having an imagination that went into overactive squeegasm madness over several moments I refer to. :D Heck, spoiler footage of The Kiss powered me to reach NaNo winner status in under fifteen days. That and an Internet blackout at my house that prevented me from watching it over and over again. :D
Happy Birthday, sykira! Do remember to double-check the earlier posts - I discovered that I needed to go back and edit minor things for accuracy - and because I felt some things needed adding. Will have that done within a few days of this post. Definitely before Chapter 10 is posted. :D
Sigh No More, Ladies / Seals of Love / Light of Love / We Go Together / Come Away Death
Author's Note: This is one of the chapters where the song title is a bit... off, given the chapter's contents. Especially since I've stolen it from an entirely different scene. Still, I aimed to use all of the song titles from the soundtrack, and this was the only place that it remotely fit given the other chapters.
Chapter 6: Sonnet Rap
Benedick had never been more grateful to have stayed sober during a celebration than he was that morning. It allowed him a reasonable rest, despite the late hour he managed to get to bed. He was now alert, which he would need to be throughout the remainder of the month Don Pedro had said they would likely stay. Unless he held to his slightly drunken ramblings from before the teasing, and he intended to leave much sooner than that.
If so, he might have to leave his lord's service right away. In case he needed more time to prove himself to Beatrice. After all, he might be required to do so in order to help Beatrice reclaim control over her father's house. Yes, eventually he would need to set aside the courtesies and advancement opportunities that might still be in his future to be there for the woman he intended to wed. He did have the letter ready, to be presented whenever he had to.
He was dressed for the wedding. Although he hated having to wear the dress uniform. The sword was a relic of the past, a decoration that weighed a man down more than helped his image. And this was a costume piece. The real thing was far heavier, and thankfully almost never saw the light of day anymore. If a woman ever tried carrying the sword, then there might be a petition to discard it from the regulation standards.
He considered the possibility a mark of progress. Although he supposed some women would wear it with pride. Beatrice would very likely be one of them.
He smiled at the thought. Happy as he was that Beatrice had not been born a man, he could easily picture her as being the equal of any man he had ever seen on the battlefield - if not the superior.
He supposed she might prove a bit more bloodthirsty, but that might be partially due to her not being able to defend herself as she always wished she could. Then again, he hid behind humor and a bit of anger himself. So they could each help the other.
Now he had to get through the wedding and the party. He had none of the irritation he had the previous morning, but then again getting over a hangover-induced headache was never a delight. Still, all the joy and celebrations would not be pleasant to him since it would likely heighten Beatrice's own feelings of alienation.
Yes, he would suggest a very quiet wedding for them. The pomp and circumstance was for the society, the community - not necessarily for the wedded couple. Certainly not for him and his sharp-witted lady. It would be more of a trial than a pleasure for them.
Finished with his frustration with the bloody uniform, his mind turned back to his favorite subject. One that had probably been his favorite subject for years and he had failed to realize it: Beatrice. He hoped she had taken his suggestions to help herself get over the hangover. Perhaps he had done her a little favor in helping her avoid the worst of the aftermath. He hoped.
So... how to go about his quest? What could he do?
Inquire about her plans for running her father's house? Benedick had to wonder if Beatrice had even thought about that, given that she would likely have to wait until her uncle's death to have any chance of taking control of her wealth. And with her cousin marrying, that raised the possibility that her new cousin would be left in charge of Beatrice's wealth.
He scowled. Claudio needed guidance on many things related to wealth, being so young. And while Leonato was not truly old, he was neither toward his youth - having married a bit later in life. It might be one more cross for her to bear.
And something he could not mention. Therefore, the subject of her father's house was not acceptable.
Her intentions toward the bringing up of any children? She surely had many thoughts on what she remembered from when her father lived - and he had once met the man when he was a small child, although he barely remembered it - and from watching her cousin be brought up. But... could that also be seen as him imposing his will?
He sighed sharply and looked at himself in the mirror. Nothing was out of place, and his hair was slicked back - as was his custom. He was ready for the day. On the outside.
Life as a soldier was much easier than life as a man in love and trying to win his lady. Yes, he thrived on a challenge, but he usually had ideas as to how to reach his goal. In the harsh light of day, he could not figure out any plans for the life of him.
Had anyone ever had this much turmoil from being in love? Who else had found their heart choosing someone who wooing would present the greatest difficulty of their life? Could he even woo? Was his wit able to turn in such a direction?
His body screamed at his mind to hurry up and find a solution. They had come so close to disregarding propriety last night. Worst of all, he only felt guilty over the danger to her reputation.
But she had not blamed him. O no, she had eagerly joined him and learned from it. Innocent she was, but not without passion - and he craved more of it! Had he had the slightest hint of what she might be capable of back when they met, he would have been willing to humble himself for a second chance, and they would not have wasted over a decade in a war of words.
He swallowed hard. God help him control himself!
Then he realized it was rather quiet outside. He tugged his sleeve up to check his watch. Oh, dear! The wedding was upon him! He grabbed his hat and rushed out. It would not do to be late - that could not help his cause at all.
Chapter 7: The Rain It Rainth Everyday
Genre: Much Ado About Nothing (2011 performance)
Rating: T (with two chapters rated M - one for paranoia, the other with... more cause)
Pairings: Bendick/Beatrice, Claudio/Hero
Summary: One chance look shared on the night before the ill-fated wedding day drew a pair of dueling lovers together... a bit earlier. Thus altering the lives of those around them as well.
Dedication: To Shakespeare for writing the play. To the people who arranged to put on the amazing performance, to Digital Theatre for putting out a download, and - most of all - David Tennant and Catherine Tate for the silent exchange that inspired this fic - as shown here (and all pics within - unless otherwise noted - came from the same source):
http://eternity-online.net/screencaps/maan/images/maan155.jpg
Disclaimer: I didn't have the money to see this in person. So I own nothing except this idea. :( And a copy of the Digital Theatre download. :D
Author's Note: Title is a play on the song that was playing as this moment happened. My muse is a definite minx for coming up with this... and a few other MAAN-based ideas. :D
This would probably make more sense if you've seen that MAAN production, but I wrote it with the aim of trying to make things clear to any reader. Still, I know my peeps who had the great fortune to get tickets and see the play - or fans like me who had to wait for the Digital Theatre download - will get every last reference I make to the performance itself. I suppose this is also for the fans who either can't afford to get the download and the ones whose computers can't make it work - every Doctor/Donna fan should get to see this play.
Readers, this is the result of being an unrepentant Doctor/Donna fangirl, adoring the dynamic Tennant and Tate have in anything they do, and having an imagination that went into overactive squeegasm madness over several moments I refer to. :D Heck, spoiler footage of The Kiss powered me to reach NaNo winner status in under fifteen days. That and an Internet blackout at my house that prevented me from watching it over and over again. :D
Happy Birthday, sykira! Do remember to double-check the earlier posts - I discovered that I needed to go back and edit minor things for accuracy - and because I felt some things needed adding. Will have that done within a few days of this post. Definitely before Chapter 10 is posted. :D
Sigh No More, Ladies / Seals of Love / Light of Love / We Go Together / Come Away Death
Author's Note: This is one of the chapters where the song title is a bit... off, given the chapter's contents. Especially since I've stolen it from an entirely different scene. Still, I aimed to use all of the song titles from the soundtrack, and this was the only place that it remotely fit given the other chapters.
Chapter 6: Sonnet Rap
Benedick had never been more grateful to have stayed sober during a celebration than he was that morning. It allowed him a reasonable rest, despite the late hour he managed to get to bed. He was now alert, which he would need to be throughout the remainder of the month Don Pedro had said they would likely stay. Unless he held to his slightly drunken ramblings from before the teasing, and he intended to leave much sooner than that.
If so, he might have to leave his lord's service right away. In case he needed more time to prove himself to Beatrice. After all, he might be required to do so in order to help Beatrice reclaim control over her father's house. Yes, eventually he would need to set aside the courtesies and advancement opportunities that might still be in his future to be there for the woman he intended to wed. He did have the letter ready, to be presented whenever he had to.
He was dressed for the wedding. Although he hated having to wear the dress uniform. The sword was a relic of the past, a decoration that weighed a man down more than helped his image. And this was a costume piece. The real thing was far heavier, and thankfully almost never saw the light of day anymore. If a woman ever tried carrying the sword, then there might be a petition to discard it from the regulation standards.
He considered the possibility a mark of progress. Although he supposed some women would wear it with pride. Beatrice would very likely be one of them.
He smiled at the thought. Happy as he was that Beatrice had not been born a man, he could easily picture her as being the equal of any man he had ever seen on the battlefield - if not the superior.
He supposed she might prove a bit more bloodthirsty, but that might be partially due to her not being able to defend herself as she always wished she could. Then again, he hid behind humor and a bit of anger himself. So they could each help the other.
Now he had to get through the wedding and the party. He had none of the irritation he had the previous morning, but then again getting over a hangover-induced headache was never a delight. Still, all the joy and celebrations would not be pleasant to him since it would likely heighten Beatrice's own feelings of alienation.
Yes, he would suggest a very quiet wedding for them. The pomp and circumstance was for the society, the community - not necessarily for the wedded couple. Certainly not for him and his sharp-witted lady. It would be more of a trial than a pleasure for them.
Finished with his frustration with the bloody uniform, his mind turned back to his favorite subject. One that had probably been his favorite subject for years and he had failed to realize it: Beatrice. He hoped she had taken his suggestions to help herself get over the hangover. Perhaps he had done her a little favor in helping her avoid the worst of the aftermath. He hoped.
So... how to go about his quest? What could he do?
Inquire about her plans for running her father's house? Benedick had to wonder if Beatrice had even thought about that, given that she would likely have to wait until her uncle's death to have any chance of taking control of her wealth. And with her cousin marrying, that raised the possibility that her new cousin would be left in charge of Beatrice's wealth.
He scowled. Claudio needed guidance on many things related to wealth, being so young. And while Leonato was not truly old, he was neither toward his youth - having married a bit later in life. It might be one more cross for her to bear.
And something he could not mention. Therefore, the subject of her father's house was not acceptable.
Her intentions toward the bringing up of any children? She surely had many thoughts on what she remembered from when her father lived - and he had once met the man when he was a small child, although he barely remembered it - and from watching her cousin be brought up. But... could that also be seen as him imposing his will?
He sighed sharply and looked at himself in the mirror. Nothing was out of place, and his hair was slicked back - as was his custom. He was ready for the day. On the outside.
Life as a soldier was much easier than life as a man in love and trying to win his lady. Yes, he thrived on a challenge, but he usually had ideas as to how to reach his goal. In the harsh light of day, he could not figure out any plans for the life of him.
Had anyone ever had this much turmoil from being in love? Who else had found their heart choosing someone who wooing would present the greatest difficulty of their life? Could he even woo? Was his wit able to turn in such a direction?
His body screamed at his mind to hurry up and find a solution. They had come so close to disregarding propriety last night. Worst of all, he only felt guilty over the danger to her reputation.
But she had not blamed him. O no, she had eagerly joined him and learned from it. Innocent she was, but not without passion - and he craved more of it! Had he had the slightest hint of what she might be capable of back when they met, he would have been willing to humble himself for a second chance, and they would not have wasted over a decade in a war of words.
He swallowed hard. God help him control himself!
Then he realized it was rather quiet outside. He tugged his sleeve up to check his watch. Oh, dear! The wedding was upon him! He grabbed his hat and rushed out. It would not do to be late - that could not help his cause at all.
Chapter 7: The Rain It Rainth Everyday