DISCLAIMER: I don't own RFR! Nor do I own the song "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down, whish this fic is named after.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright children, faithful fans, and boys and girls of all ages. The wonderful mistress of the universe yet again brings you another inspired one shot fic, for your reading pleasure.
Anyway, before my ego takes over, I suggest you all start to read or else I might keep talking. I'm in a little bit of a weird mood today…
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"I'm Question Mark, and I'm wondering: what are we going to do without you Shady Lane?" Robbie smiled sadly at Lily as she leaned into her mic.
"I really don't know, guys. This show needs a little bit of a feminine touch, and I hate to say it Smog but you're little transgender exploration a while ago just doesn't have as much staying power as I do." She swiveled her chair and grinned at Travis, who flipped the pitch dial up to a few octaves higher than his average voice and grinned back.
"Miss C doesn't understand what kind of insinuation Shady Lane is trying to make, but she does want to insinuate that Shady might be just a little jealous of Miss C's popularity with the opposite sex, mmkay? Even if it was the wrong sex- I think Pronto was starting to develop a little bit of a crush on me."
Lily let her head fall backwards as she laughed and Travis readjusted the pitch and went back to his normal voice. "But seriously Shady, you bring up a good point. We can't do this show without you."
"Which is why," Robbie interjected, "This is going to be the final broadcast of RFR."
And incredulous look spread across Lily's face and she immediately objected, "Guys, you can't do that just because I'm leaving. You started the show without me, you can do it on your own-"
Now Ray was the one to interrupt, "No, Shady, Question Mark's right. We can't do it without you, and even if we could, we wouldn't want to." Ray threw an old stress ball at Lily affectionately. "We're actually sort of fond of you, kid. Not that we want to pick out curtains or anything." He added, winking at Lily.
But Lily still wasn't smiling, "I'm serious, though. I don't want you guys to stop just because of me. The shows been on for almost a year, now."
"Which is more than enough time, Shady. It's all or nothing, we're not doing this without you, and that's final." Robbie sighed and looked at Lily, "And so, before we run out of time, we want to let you RFR listeners out there in on a little secret." Travis carefully adjusted a few things in the tech booth, restoring the sound of everyone's voices.
"So, for our farewell episode, this is Ray Brennan…"
"…Travis Strong…"
"…Robbie McGrath…"
Lily looked around at the boys, her jaw dropped slightly in awe, and slowly let a half smile cross her lips. "…and Lily Randall."
Robbie smiled at her and leaned into is mic, "Thanks for spending all of these afternoons with us. This is 88.1."
"Radio…" Ray chimed in.
"…Free…" Travis added.
"…Roscoe." Lily said sadly.
Travis flipped a switch in the back and Lily's first song ("Danger to Run from") played for a few seconds and then faded into the very first RFR theme.
"You're listening to Radio Free Roscoe, you're one watt flamethrower of TRUTH."
The last chords of the theme echoed in their heads and they pulled off their headphones, and Lily glared at the three boys as they got out of their seats. "Why didn't you guys tell me you were going to do that?"
They looked at her knowingly and Travis spoke up, "Because we knew you wouldn't let us."
Lily sighed exasperatedly but smiled at them just the same. "Well, thanks guys. You didn't have to, but you did. You're the best friend's a girl could ever have." She watched amusedly as the boys looked to the ground, embarrassed. "I have to go though, I have an 8 hour flight to the states to catch, and half of my house is already there." The boy's looked at her hesitantly and Lily knew what they were thinking. She stepped forward and wrapped Robbie in a warm hug, kissing him lightly on the cheek and whispering, "I'm gonna miss you so much." in his ear. Next she embraced Travis tightly, also kissing him on the cheek and quietly murmuring "I'll miss you, Smog." Last, she came to Ray. Lily stopped for a second to look him in the eye before she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "I'll never forget you." She said, squeezing him one final time before she let go.
She stepped back and looked at the three boys lined up in front of her one last time. "I'll come back and visit, I promise." A large lump was forming in her throat; she grabbed for her shoulder bag and turned to leave.
"Lily, wait!" Ray's voice came from behind her and she turned to look at him as he stepped forward and made eye contact.
"I just… can't let you leave without doing one last thing." His voice shook slightly and he leaned forward, tilted Lily's chin up and kissed her gently on the lips.
He pulled away to find Lily looking at him in disbelief, and he looked down at his shoes. "I have to go." And with that he brushed past her and slipped out the warehouse door.
Lily blinked and turned first to look at the door that Ray had just left through, then at an incredulous Robbie and Travis. "Did he just… and then… he just… left?" The two boys nodded and Lily brushed her hair out of her face, looking at the ground then up again, her eyes wide. In a split second she had dropped her bag and dashed out the warehouse door.
She could just see Ray's retreating figure as he made it halfway across the vacant lot outside the station. "Ray! RAY!" Lily yelled urgently and broke into a run to reach him. Ray turned to see Lily only steps behind him as she ran to catch up with him, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Lily slowed her pace as she reached Ray and without a second thought she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly on the lips. Ray's eyes widened slightly and a glint of happiness shined in them as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.
From behind them, Lily and Ray heard a sudden burst of cheers and then both turned to find Robbie and Travis at the door of the station. "Finally!" They yelled to them, and Lily grinned as she turned to kiss Ray again.
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A/N: Okay, just a final note: for anyone who didn't pick up on my subtle hints (I'm weird when I write, I don't like to come right out and say stuff because I don't want to interrupt the flow of the story.) Lily is moving to the states. I hope no one got confused, and if you did, my apologies. Just don't riot, please. Thanks for reading, please leave a review!