They're Playing Our Song: Before I Gaze at You Again
By C.
Disclaimer: Is it my fault that AMC doesn't take these characters off the shelf long enough to play with them? No, it is not. AMC owns these characters; I'm just having some fun! The subtitle is comprised from the musical 'Camelot' (Before I Gaze...) AN: It's been a while since I've written fics, so; forgive me 'cause I'm a little rusty!
Before I gaze at you again I'll need a time for tears Before I gaze at you again Let hours turn to years. I have so much forgetting to do Before I try to gaze again at you.
-Before I Gaze At You Again
Friday, November 7, 2003 – 10.56 pm
Upon retrospect, Liza Colby thought to herself as she sped away from SOS, perhaps that was not the most tactful approach to wooing Tad Martin. But, she reconsidered, a smile slowly spreading across her lips and a blush creeping to her cheeks – it was amazing.
Meanwhile, at SOS, you could find a very astonished Tad Martin surrounded by the Fusion females in full force; Greenlee, Simone, and Mia as well as a very determined Krystal – who had an inkling that this next conquest would prove to be a bigger challenge than originally anticipated.
The evening did not start off as frenzied as it ended – until a mere 20 minutes ago, the night was going rather well. The Fusion group gathered together for a pre-planning toast – with the Sexiest Man in America contest wrapping up, and their summer/fall colours out in the marketplace, the ladies had to plan the promotions for their upcoming winter collection. A simple night of drinks and gossip before the work began Monday morning. Or at least it was, until Tad Martin entered, with a woman on his arm.
Now, it wouldn't have been so awkward – if the moment the twosome chose to walk in, mid-snuggle, hadn't been the exact moment Liza chose to look up from the table and lock eyes with him. This sight, a slap to Liza's face, the salt in her wound that stung even more than the Simone ordeal – silenced her mid sentence, which led the entire table to look up expectantly at the two, leaving Tad no choice but to introduce his date to the table of women smirking at them.
The five minutes it took for Tad to lead their way through the Friday night crush of people was five minutes of furtive glances and catty comments behind closed, grinning teeth between the women. "Oh my God -" Simone began, "Does anyone know who she is?" "Did anyone know she even existed?" Greenlee asked "Where did he find her?" "I didn't know he was dating anyone! I swear – take every male stereotype..." Mia trailed off, shooting a sympathetic look in her sister's direction, and raising the timbre of her voice, "Hey Tad, fancy meeting you here - who's your friend?" "Ladies, this is Krystal Danner. Her daughter and Jamie go to PVU together." "Hi – nice to meet you all." Krystal smiled. On the whole, she was not an unattractive woman; long dark hair, fair skin, chocolate eyes – and there was nothing in the six words she had spoken, but – there was a definite chill in her demeanor felt by the entire table. "Mmmm, the PTA's friendlier since our day, is it?" Liza shot up at Tad, the bitterness in her voice double-edged, matching the daggers she shot out from her eyes. "Yeah," he began, "It's their new slogan." He laughed and began to introduce the table to Krystal "This is Simone, Greenlee, Mia and Li-za" This final introduction was interrupted by the woman in question with her hasty and wordless retreat to the bar.
And so this was the scene for the next 15 minutes, Liza at the bar, nursing her glass of whatever, and Tad, Krystal and the Fusion trio at the table, and not a word being shared between the two camps. Emptying her glass, Liza threw a few random bills on the bar counter and pushed and shoved her way to the door – no 'goodbyes', no, 'I'll see you later'. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to drive home and crawl into bed with a Bette Davis movie and a carton of ice cream and just repress. It wasn't until she had made it to the parking lot of SOS, and felt the cold November frost on her cheeks, heard the crunch of the snow beneath her feet, and caught a glimpse of herself running in the reflective windshields of the cars lined up before her did she stop – stopped by an urgent question of 'Is this how I want it to end? Without a fight?' Because, all emotions aside, she had invested 20 years of her life into this man, and maybe it came from love, and maybe it came from a sense of ownership, but she was not about to let some random woman waltz her way into town and usurp her 20 years of careful planning and preparation.
So, in the end, we're not quite sure what prompted Liza to brave the crush and crowd of SOS that second time, whether it was the wind on her face waking her up, or the thought of the last 20 years being for naught, or just a juvenile thrill of doing the impulsive (a quality she missed about herself now) All we know is she marched herself right back into SOS – only to find Krystal and the Fusion table making uncomfortable and gawky conversation that was halted by the reemergence of Liza, frantically scanning the club for a sight of Tad, who was weaving his way to the bar. Path before her firmly set, shoulders thrown back, Liza Colby marched her way to Tad, never once removing her eyes off of him. By the time she reached him, he had turned around, and caught off-guard by her sudden reappearance, said, "Hey, Liza, you left here so-" He didn't have a chance to finish that thought, the poor boy. He seemed to be distracted by Liza, who had swiftly run her hand through his hair and then led his head down to meet her lips with a hard and hasty kiss which slowly began to evolve into something slower and more provocative, the two taking time to meander through their passions and linger in their longings, both forgetting that they were in the middle of a club, with all of Pine Valley watching in on this moment. In fact, it wasn't until after the bartender had placed Tad's drinks on the counter and coughed did the two pull apart – and as suddenly as Liza appeared from the crowd, she made her way through it once again, catching Mia's eye and smirking. Perhaps the old Liza wasn't gone completely?
And what about Krystal, watching the spectacle from the Fusion table? The challenge had been set now – wordless, but obvious. "50 on Liza." Greenlee called out – placing a green bill on the table, locking eyes with Krystal. "I'm in, too!" Simone cried, "Make it 100!" Mia chimed in. "Did you want to get in on this action, Krystal?" Greenlee asked sweetly, waiting for an answer....
TBC...
By C.
Disclaimer: Is it my fault that AMC doesn't take these characters off the shelf long enough to play with them? No, it is not. AMC owns these characters; I'm just having some fun! The subtitle is comprised from the musical 'Camelot' (Before I Gaze...) AN: It's been a while since I've written fics, so; forgive me 'cause I'm a little rusty!
Before I gaze at you again I'll need a time for tears Before I gaze at you again Let hours turn to years. I have so much forgetting to do Before I try to gaze again at you.
-Before I Gaze At You Again
Friday, November 7, 2003 – 10.56 pm
Upon retrospect, Liza Colby thought to herself as she sped away from SOS, perhaps that was not the most tactful approach to wooing Tad Martin. But, she reconsidered, a smile slowly spreading across her lips and a blush creeping to her cheeks – it was amazing.
Meanwhile, at SOS, you could find a very astonished Tad Martin surrounded by the Fusion females in full force; Greenlee, Simone, and Mia as well as a very determined Krystal – who had an inkling that this next conquest would prove to be a bigger challenge than originally anticipated.
The evening did not start off as frenzied as it ended – until a mere 20 minutes ago, the night was going rather well. The Fusion group gathered together for a pre-planning toast – with the Sexiest Man in America contest wrapping up, and their summer/fall colours out in the marketplace, the ladies had to plan the promotions for their upcoming winter collection. A simple night of drinks and gossip before the work began Monday morning. Or at least it was, until Tad Martin entered, with a woman on his arm.
Now, it wouldn't have been so awkward – if the moment the twosome chose to walk in, mid-snuggle, hadn't been the exact moment Liza chose to look up from the table and lock eyes with him. This sight, a slap to Liza's face, the salt in her wound that stung even more than the Simone ordeal – silenced her mid sentence, which led the entire table to look up expectantly at the two, leaving Tad no choice but to introduce his date to the table of women smirking at them.
The five minutes it took for Tad to lead their way through the Friday night crush of people was five minutes of furtive glances and catty comments behind closed, grinning teeth between the women. "Oh my God -" Simone began, "Does anyone know who she is?" "Did anyone know she even existed?" Greenlee asked "Where did he find her?" "I didn't know he was dating anyone! I swear – take every male stereotype..." Mia trailed off, shooting a sympathetic look in her sister's direction, and raising the timbre of her voice, "Hey Tad, fancy meeting you here - who's your friend?" "Ladies, this is Krystal Danner. Her daughter and Jamie go to PVU together." "Hi – nice to meet you all." Krystal smiled. On the whole, she was not an unattractive woman; long dark hair, fair skin, chocolate eyes – and there was nothing in the six words she had spoken, but – there was a definite chill in her demeanor felt by the entire table. "Mmmm, the PTA's friendlier since our day, is it?" Liza shot up at Tad, the bitterness in her voice double-edged, matching the daggers she shot out from her eyes. "Yeah," he began, "It's their new slogan." He laughed and began to introduce the table to Krystal "This is Simone, Greenlee, Mia and Li-za" This final introduction was interrupted by the woman in question with her hasty and wordless retreat to the bar.
And so this was the scene for the next 15 minutes, Liza at the bar, nursing her glass of whatever, and Tad, Krystal and the Fusion trio at the table, and not a word being shared between the two camps. Emptying her glass, Liza threw a few random bills on the bar counter and pushed and shoved her way to the door – no 'goodbyes', no, 'I'll see you later'. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to drive home and crawl into bed with a Bette Davis movie and a carton of ice cream and just repress. It wasn't until she had made it to the parking lot of SOS, and felt the cold November frost on her cheeks, heard the crunch of the snow beneath her feet, and caught a glimpse of herself running in the reflective windshields of the cars lined up before her did she stop – stopped by an urgent question of 'Is this how I want it to end? Without a fight?' Because, all emotions aside, she had invested 20 years of her life into this man, and maybe it came from love, and maybe it came from a sense of ownership, but she was not about to let some random woman waltz her way into town and usurp her 20 years of careful planning and preparation.
So, in the end, we're not quite sure what prompted Liza to brave the crush and crowd of SOS that second time, whether it was the wind on her face waking her up, or the thought of the last 20 years being for naught, or just a juvenile thrill of doing the impulsive (a quality she missed about herself now) All we know is she marched herself right back into SOS – only to find Krystal and the Fusion table making uncomfortable and gawky conversation that was halted by the reemergence of Liza, frantically scanning the club for a sight of Tad, who was weaving his way to the bar. Path before her firmly set, shoulders thrown back, Liza Colby marched her way to Tad, never once removing her eyes off of him. By the time she reached him, he had turned around, and caught off-guard by her sudden reappearance, said, "Hey, Liza, you left here so-" He didn't have a chance to finish that thought, the poor boy. He seemed to be distracted by Liza, who had swiftly run her hand through his hair and then led his head down to meet her lips with a hard and hasty kiss which slowly began to evolve into something slower and more provocative, the two taking time to meander through their passions and linger in their longings, both forgetting that they were in the middle of a club, with all of Pine Valley watching in on this moment. In fact, it wasn't until after the bartender had placed Tad's drinks on the counter and coughed did the two pull apart – and as suddenly as Liza appeared from the crowd, she made her way through it once again, catching Mia's eye and smirking. Perhaps the old Liza wasn't gone completely?
And what about Krystal, watching the spectacle from the Fusion table? The challenge had been set now – wordless, but obvious. "50 on Liza." Greenlee called out – placing a green bill on the table, locking eyes with Krystal. "I'm in, too!" Simone cried, "Make it 100!" Mia chimed in. "Did you want to get in on this action, Krystal?" Greenlee asked sweetly, waiting for an answer....
TBC...