A Thousand Years

by Blufle

Oneshot, songfic. Fry is suddenly and unexpectedly sent back into his own century, leaving Leela confused and questioning how she really feels about his departure.

A few things I'd like to say - this is a fic of many firsts: my first Futurama fic and my first songfic. So please, be nice in your reviews! Also, I originally didn't intend to write any Futurama fics (though I do like the series), but this idea just came to me and I thought how wonderfully it went with the song, so I wrote it. Also, the title of the fic is a reference to the title of the song (A Thousand Miles) and the fact that Fry and Leela live a thousand years apart. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Futurama or any of the characters, etc. I also don't own "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton.

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Making my way downtown

Walking fast

Faces pass

And I'm home bound

Fry was walking down the streets of New York City. Not New New York, regular old New York. After what seemed like a blur of events, he was finally back in his own time. He knew all along that the Professor had the ability to send him back home, he just never knew it was all going to happen so fast.

Staring blankly ahead

Just making my way

Making a way

Through the crowd

The nostalgia, longing to be back home, missing the century he was actually born in … sure, those were all emotions he'd encountered along the way of life in the future, but he didn't know they'd actually need him back home. Nibbler gave the message that he was to go back to his own century immediately. It all happened so fast … and though he missed all his friends, there was only one person he could think of at the minute.

And I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder...

Leela. How many times had he tried to win her heart and been turned down? How many hours had he spent dreaming of her, wishing she would say yes, just once? They'd always been good friends, but nothing more. And that's what he regretted about coming back to his own time. He stared up at the New York sky. No stars were visible yet, but he knew they'd be coming out soon, even if he couldn't see them.

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by?

'Cause you know I'd walk

A thousand miles

If I could

Just see you

Tonight

Upon finally reaching his apartment building, he walked upstairs to his room and dug into his pocket for the key. He opened the door and saw everything sitting just as he'd left it that fateful New Year's Eve. The scene was somewhat depressing, and he hung his head as he walked over to the phone and dialed the local pizzeria's number. He sighed, thinking how ironic it was that he was nostalgic for the future.

It's always times like these

When I think of you

And I wonder

If you ever

Think of me

Leela sat on her bed, her head in her hands. Fry's sudden and unexpected departure had left everyone feeling a little down, but right now she was experiencing an emotion she didn't know existed; something deeper than just simply missing Fry was going on inside her.

'Cause everything's so wrong

And I don't belong

Living in your

Precious memories

All those times Fry had tried to impress her, try to get her attention or win a date with her, she'd disregarded them as if he was a child that misbehaved so that at least one person would look at him. And it wasn't until he was gone that it hit her; that he really did love her, and this wasn't all a joke. She'd always thought Amy was the only one who could win a man, and maybe that's why she was holding back. But now she saw that there was truth in the saying, "You never know what you got till it's gone."

'Cause I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder...

She picked herself up off her bed and walked over to the window. Looking out at the stars surrounding her, she wondered what Fry was doing at this very moment, a thousand years ago.

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by?

'Cause you know I'd walk

A thousand miles

If I could

Just see you

Tonight

Fry answered the door and paid the pizza delivery man, not forgetting to tip him as well. He brought the box to the table and started eating a very lonely meal of anchovy pizza and soda. He stuck the leftovers in the fridge when he was done, but he wasn't sure what to do next. Watching TV wasn't something he felt like doing at the moment, so instead he took out a piece of paper and started writing a letter; a letter to Leela that he knew she would never read.

And I, I

Don't want to let you know

I, I

Drown in your memory

I, I

Don't want to let this go

I, I

Don't...

For a moment he wasn't sure what to say, and he bit the eraser of his pencil in thought. A second later though, the words seemed to come to him faster than he could write them down; this resulted in messy handwriting and a lot of mistakes, but that didn't matter to Fry.

Making my way downtown

Walking fast

Faces pass

And I'm home bound

He finished the letter and sat back, staring at it with a small sense of achievement. He'd poured all his emotion into that letter, and though the wording and presentation needed some work, he knew if there was any way Leela would ever get to read this, he'd win her heart for sure.

Staring blankly ahead

Just making my way

Making a way

Through the crowd

Leela walked over to her desk and fished out her personal journal and a pen. She hadn't written in the journal for what seemed like ages, but so much was bubbling inside of her that she felt she need to release some of it on paper. She scribbled, doodled, wrote, and sketched until she realized that despite her hesitance to return Fry's feelings for her, she in actuality felt the same way about him.

And I still need you

And I still miss you

And now I wonder...

"I'm so sorry," she said to herself, though the words were intended for Fry. They fell upon deaf ears though, as he was a thousand years away from her and there was no way he could hear her.

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass us by

'Cause you know I'd walk

A thousand miles

If I could

Just see you...

Fry walked to the window of his apartment, wishing it would hurry up and get dark enough to see the stars. However this was nearly impossible, living in a city, because the lights were so bright that one could hardly ever spot a star, even on the darkest of nights.

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by

'Cause you know I'd walk

A thousand miles

Leela glanced out the window and happened to see a shooting star whiz by at the moment. She closed her eye and made a wish.

If I could

Just see you

Fry decided to take his chances and make a wish on a star that might possibly be going by at the moment. He closed his eyes and wished with all his might.

If I could

Just hold you

The two of them opened their eyes and sighed, each of them knowing their wishes wouldn't come true, not in a thousand years.

Tonight…

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