Understanding Each Other
Rating: PG
Summary: Maria sings a song one night during her concert with The Whits for her mom. Don't know when this actually happened in the series, but Alex is still alive, everybody is friends, Mi/Ma and M/L pairings, but not dominating the story.
AN: I got this idea one day, but finally had the chance to write it on my nine hour car ride to college. The song used is "Me and Emily" sung by Rachel Procter. Hope you like the story and enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did I wouldn't be taking out college loans.
The Whits were rocking out on stage of the night club they were playing at Friday night. The crowd was into the group. Maria's voice had everyone entranced. With every song, Maria and The Whits had the crowd wrapped around her little finger.
"The house is great tonight," Kyle Valenti said to the rest of the people at their little table, occupied by Max Evans, Liz Parker, Isabelle Evans, Tess Harding, and surprisingly enough, Michael Guiren.
"Yea, this is probably the best reception I've seen them get." This came from Tess in her seat next to Kyle.
"It would be even funner if our parents hadn't crashed the party. I still don't understand why they all had to come. Maria's mom, the Sheriff, and Alex's parents I can understand, but why our parents and Liz's? Just to torture us or what?" Isabelle said from her seat between Tess and Max. All six of them turned to look at the eight parents sitting at a table not to far away, the ones plaguing their night of fun.
"Grauge bands have come a long ways since we were in school, huh Phillip?" Diane Evans asked her husband, as all the adults talked.
"Oh yes. And Amy, I never realized what a wonderful voice Maria had. She's really quite amazing." Phillip commented.
"That's all she seems to do at times. Sing, sing, sing, sing! And it's so personnal to her, the way she writes, she's amazing. Of course most of her songs convey frustration about a certain boy in her life…"
"Aww Amy, give the boy a break, he usually doesn't mean anything," Jim Valenti said, sticking up for Michael. "He just doesn't always have the best choice of words, and you know how Maria gets."
"But still, if that boy does anything…ohhh…"
"Amy, really, Michael is a good boy." This time it was Jeff Parker, Liz's father and Michael's boss, who spoke in his defense. "Besides, Maria can give back as much as she gets. Probably more so. Espically since she starts most of it." Jeff and Nancy laugh at what must be memories of the two in the break room, arguments and other things. "Oh, and Phillip," Jeff says after looking over at the table with their teenagers. "Tell your son to get his arm off my daughter," he said with a smile.
"And you were just telling Amy to lay off Michael?" Phillip retorted with the same amusement.
"Aww Phillip, it's not that I don't trust those two, it's just that I'll kill him if he hurts my little girl."
"You don't have to tell me Jeff," he replied. "I have a daughter too."
"Does that mean," Mr. Whitman jumped in. "That if out son turns up dead, we know who to blame?"
"All I'm saying is that depends on what he does with my Izzy."
"Boys," Diane finally stepped in. "Were here to watch the band, not warn each others son's through their fathers. By the way Mr. and Mrs. Whitman, Alex is a natural on that guitar."
Any reply was cut off by the applause of the crowd as the band finished it's latest high powered song.
Maria took a deep breath as she approached the mic for the last time tonight. This song was special. This was why she wanted her mother here for this particular performance, why everyone's parents had come, she could only guess. The only ones she couldn't come with reasons for were the Evans'. Mom was dating the Sheriff. Alex's parents were here to support him, the Parkers' because they were like a second set of parents and her two best friends parents were here, and also may have wanted to play chaperone, maybe the Evans' just felt left out? Who knows?
Maria looked over at Alex and got a smile and not of encouragement. He was one of the few who knew what this song meant, how much it meant to her.
"Alright everybody," she spoke to the crowd. "This is our last song and we're going to slow it down a little bit. This is a song very special to me, and I hope someone out there can see that I finally understand what it was like. So, you'll know who you are, this is for you. It's called 'Me and Emily' sung by Rachel Procter."
The music starts and Maria closes her eyes and grips the mic.
Floorboards filled with baby toys,
An' empty coke bottles an' coffee cups.
Drivin' through the rain with no radio,
Tryin' not to wake her up.
'This is for you, mom.' Maria thought. 'Please be listening.'
Cell phone says "low battery",
God, what if I break down?
I'm just lookin for an exit with a lotta lights,
A safe little interstate town.
There was silence all around the room, but not more so than the parents table. Amy could feel the emotion in her daughters voice and was zoned into her as if they were they only two in the room.
Just a cheap hotel,
With a single bed,
And cable TV:
Is good enough for me an' Emily.
Liz watched her best friend on stage with admiration. She was with Maria when her friend had first heard this song, driving to school in Amy's Jetta. It was almost as if Maria shut down. She was lost in the song.
Some day, when she's old enough,
She's gonna start askin' questions about him.
Some kid at school brings his dad for show an' tell,
An gets her little mind a-wonderin'
"Where's my Daddy? Do I have one
Does he not love me like you do?"
Oh, maybe I'll find someone to love the both of us,
An' I'll tell her when she's old enough to know the truth.
Will it break her heart?
Will she understand,
That I had to leave?
That's what was best for me an' Emily.
Amy had tears in her eyes as her emotions rose with the climax of the song.
That house was never clean enough; his dinner never warm enough.
Nothing I did was ever good enough to make him happy.
So, I guess, he gave me what he thought I deserved,
But it would kill me if he ever raised his hand to her.
(flashback)
"Leave, now," a 20 year old Amy Deluca hissed at the man.
"Fine. Why the hell would I want to stick around with a whore like you, you stupid bitch. And don't get me started on that stupid and worthless piece of shit." He yelled, pointing at the infant watching with big, scared eyes. "Guarentee it'll end up just like you, just some two dollar bitch on the stree-"
SMACK!
"Don't you ever, EVER, talk about my daughter like that. And she's my daughter. MINE. Don't you ever try to come back and claim her. Got it?"
"Why would I want to claim that, thing, as mine?"
"Get. Out. Now." Amy said in a deadly voice. The only answer was the sound of the slamming door.
"Mommy? Where'd daddy go?" said a crying two year old.
Amy goes over and embraces her daughter, and they both stay like that for a long time, crying for all the creul jokes the world has played on them, but preparing the two of them against the world.
(end flashback)
Big rigs are throwin' rain on my windshield,
An' I feel like they're laughin at me.
Fin'lly the storm is lettin' up,
An' the mornin' is breakin' free.
It's a brand new day,
It's a second chance.
Yesterday is just a memory,
For me an' Emily.
Maria didn't feel the tears coming out of her closed eyelids. She felt nothing but the music flowing through her.
Floorboard is filled with baby toys,
An' empty coke bottles an' coffee cups.
Least there's one good thing that he gave me,
An' she's startin' to wake up.
The music faded to a stop as Maria opened her eyes. The crowd was going crazy and the band took a bow and started to pack up their equiptment to leave as the crowd quited down as some of the current and classic hits started to come out of the jukebox.
As soon as Amy saw her daughter walk off stage, she went to meet her. When they met up again, Maria held her breath. Will her mom yell at her that was stupid and she still didn't understand? Will she hate me for bringing up the bad memories?
Amy stared at her daughter with tears in her eyes, then reached out and embraced her daughter which Maria more than returned. And like the day they both started to face the world side by side, they cried at the relief of making it and clung to each other for a long time oblivious to the crowd around them.