Hi! This is not a songfic, let's just get that out of the way! This is a fic inspired by a song! The song that inspired this fic is Caroline, No by The Beach Boys. It's one of their lesser-known songs, but it's still beautiful (in my opinion)!

This is set quite a while after the events of Hairspray, about thirty years after the events of the movie or musical or whatever!

Please review, if you're so inclined!

He cranked up the radio as he exited the highway, entering the heart of downtown Baltimore. It was the first time that he had been in Baltimore for twenty-five years. He had left when he had turned nineteen, off to college in New York City, leaving the Corny Collins show behind for new adventures and experiences that he was sure awaited him in that big, beautiful world that lay out there somewhere. Now it was time to return, for no matter how short a time. The next day was the day of the Corny Collins show's thirty year anniversary special, and the original council, the kids who had started it all, the people who had helped the show go from its modest roots as a summer replacement show to a chart-topping hit show, which was a position that it had held, and grown quite comfortable in, for its thirty-year run. It had stayed in the same timeslot all this time, Corny still hosted the show, still going strong, even in his middle age. Velma was no longer the station manager, but that had happened while he was still on the show, so, all in all, things hadn't changed much.

Even though Brad was very much looking forward to seeing Corny and all the other council members (none of which he had kept in touch with), what he was looking forward to the most was seeing Tammy again. She was the only council member that he was really looking

forward to seeing, the only council member that he would truly be disappointed if they didn't show up. He and Tammy had sort of had a thing during those teenage years, it hadn't been nearly as serious as Brenda's relationship with Fender or Amber's clandestine relationship with Shelley which they thought nobody knew about but which was completely obvious to everybody but Velma and Corny, but there had been something between them, something that neither of them could deny, and it had continued to be there until Brad had left for college. Now, after two bitter divorces, several broken engagements, several abandonments by dates and just a general lack of luck in terms of love, Brad had seen the error of his ways in such areas, cleaned himself up, and was now going to try to re-ignite that old flame with Tammy, and, in doing so, perhaps make his life worth living again.

xxx

Brad entered the old set the next afternoon, lovingly re-created to exactly resemble the Corny Collins set of thirty years ago, before it had become all high-tech and stylized with every passing decade. The top-ten list, the podium, the dance floor, the décor hanging from the walls, the lovingly polished dance floor with the raised-up area in the back, everything was just as Brad remembered it.

Brad heard a familiar voice behind him, saying, "Brad! How great to see you!"

Brad turned around and smiled as Corny Collins came into his view. Corny stuck out his hand and shook Brad's hand warmly. Brad marveled at how little Corny had changed. Sure, his black hair now had tinges of gray in it, and Corny's face had a few more wrinkles in it than Brad

remembered, but other than that, Corny hadn't changed at all, even down to the suits Corny wore.

Corny beckoned toward the backstage area. "Link and Amber are back there," he said, "if you want to talk to them."

Brad nodded and smiled in response as he made his way backstage.

xxx

When Brad heard Corny say Tammy's name in his loud, warm voice, Brad barreled out of the backstage area as fast as his legs could carry him and started looking around eagerly for the face, the hair, the smile, the voice, the warm laugh that he remembered so well.

While he was looking, he suddenly became aware of a harsh voice behind him saying, "Brad, is that you?"

Brad turned around to reveal a woman standing behind him. She had long, tousled dirty blond hair. She had a rather pale, sunken face. Her eyes were hard, and it was obvious that she had had a hard time in her life.

"Yes. And you are…" Brad asked, expecting her to respond that she had been one of the makeup girls or a camera operator on the show.

"Why, Brad, don't you recognize me? It's me, Tammy!" the woman said, in sort of a hurt tone.

Brad just stood there, gaping at her for a second. He couldn't help it; it was just so hard to believe that this woman was once the girl he had known and loved. Once, however, he realized he stupid he must look, he forced a smile to his face and said, "Oh, of course you are!"

xxx

After the special had finished filming, Brad slowly shuffled out of the studio and slowly made his way to his car. He climbed into it and started to make his way out of Baltimore.

Baltimore held nothing for him anymore. He had come to Baltimore expecting to find love again, but instead, all he found was a loud, rude woman who seemed to derive great pleasure by mocking and making fun of others because of their mistakes. The woman he had just saw was not Tammy.Time had changed herinto a shell of a human. Time had ruthlessly run her down, leaving hera person gutted ,hard, and a bitter, mean person whose only joy was in causing people to feel the same way as herself, or as close as she could get.

It was on that day that Brad learned that some things were better left to memory.

I'd just like to say that this was pretty hard for me to write (I'm not fishing for kind reviews here), because I really like Brad and Tammy together!