8 - With A Song In His Heart, He Picks A Fight

"Those guys were fast," Rory said, still sounding surprised.

"I thought you said you've been to a hockey game before?" Marty frowned.

"That was between two high school teams though," she replied, glancing sidelong at him. "They were nowhere near that fast. They were snail-like in comparison!"

"Congratulations, Miss Gilmore, you now know the vast difference in skill between professionals and amateurs," he deadpanned, walking beside her on their way towards her apartment building. It had become somewhat of a routine for them since meeting up almost a month earlier. They agreed to meet up someplace, do an activity of some sort decided by one of them, followed by a bite to eat, which was then finished by with him escorting her home. Tonight had been his turn to chose their activity, so he had taken her to a Blackhawks game. Rory was surprised and told him sporting events weren't her thing but she went along with it anyway.

"Why thank you, Mister Harrison, for that learning experience," the blue eyed brunette said with an exaggerated southern accent, which only served to remind Marty on who was currently absent from his life. She apparent picked up on that as well, because he noticed Rory wince slightly after the words had left her mouth. "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay, Rory," he smiled, shaking his head.

"When does Andy get back?" Rory asked, surprising Marty a little by the question. With the exception of their first get together, she seemed to actively avoid any conversation concerning his girlfriend. In fact, Rory would change the subject whenever her name came up. "Marty?"

"Oh, um, in about two weeks," he answered.

"Where do you think they'd be right now?"

"Seattle."

"She travels a lot, huh?"

"Rory?" Marty asked, stopping to grab her attention.

"Yeah?" She replied, stopping as well.

"What's with the questions on Andy all of a sudden?"

"No reason," she shrugged and gave him a smile that seemed a little forced. "Just curious."

Despite not buying that answer for a second, Marty decided to drop the matter. He looked up and noticed where they were standing, just across the street from Andy's favorite live music venue. "Huh."

"What?"

"Comet Club," he gestured with his chin.

"Really?" Rory squeaked, following his gaze before turning back to him. "You know, I've walked by it so many times, but never been inside."

"Andy loves that place," Marty said, then wondered at the unreadable expression on her face. "Rory?"

"Let's head inside," she suggested, gripping his sleeve and dragging him towards the nearest crosswalk.

"Sure, why not?" He sighed, allowing himself to be lead along. A few moments later found them inside, the pair sitting down at the bar.

"Hey, Marty," the bartender greeted.

"Okay, never a good thing when the bartender knows your name," Rory joked.

"You're not Andy," the bartender noted with a frown.

"No, I'm Rory," she introduced herself. "I went to Yale with Marty."

"Hello, Rory, I'm Lorne," the bartender smiled, then turned back to Marty. "Did Andy finally smarten up and leave your silly ass?"

"Nice, Lorne," he rolled his eyes. "And no, Andy's on tour."

"Hmm, too bad, that girl's a great draw on open mic nights," Lorne said sadly then quirked an eyebrow at him. "Speaking of open mic..."

"No," Marty told the bartender, vehemently shaking his head at the subtle suggestion. "No way."

"You sing?" Rory piped up, surprised.

"Not only does he sing but our man can play the guitar," Lorne informed her.

"Oh, this I have to see!" she squealed.

"Crap, I'm going to have to go up there, aren't I?" Marty groaned, somehow knowing that Rory would endlessly pester him if he didn't.

"Go, go, go," Rory grinned, waving him towards the stage.

"Fine, but don't be surprised if I totally bomb," he told her with a sigh, then started to make his way towards the stage.

When he reached the small stage, he picked up the acoustic guitar placed near a drum set and began tuning it.

"Take off your shirt," he heard Rory yell from her seat near the bar, making the small crowd laugh.

"Um, no," he said into the mic, licking his lips. Marty took a quick breath, then wondered a second on what he should play. The crowd began to murmer, restless at his apparent stage fright. He glanced at Rory, seated way in the back, and had a song pop into his head. "Okay, this is song I heard a while back, just after I graduated from college, and it just sort of stuck with me. Mind you, I was in a dark place back then, so bear with me."

He took a steadying breath, then began to softly strum the acoustic.

'The tiger waits
In the bushes by the lake,
But I'll never tear you apart.
With a love so pure,
Our knees will shake,
And tremble...'

Marty's eyes were drawn to Rory, his brown eyes meeting her shining blue, which were still visible to him even in the dim glow of the club.

'There were tracks in the silt,
Where the stream becomes still...
...But I'll never rip out your heart.
You're such a gentle beast...
Oh, you never got tough,
Like I got tough,
Like I got tough...'

The beat of his playing became louder, his strumming more pronounced as he began the next verse.

'The faces in the window?
They're just my friends.
I promise I won't let them in.
Oh, they live in the corn,
Where they die and they're born -
Where the blades go around,
Churn up the ground
To open the over-toiled soil.
Ooooooooo baby,
Ooooooooo baby,
Ooooooooo babe...'

His voice took a rougher tone, his eyes borrowing into Rory's.

'Slashed 'cross the back,
Your spine almost snapped.
I put three bullets in its face,
And I hung it from a tree,
For the other ones to see
What happens if
You mess with me...'

The crowd began clapping as his voice trailed off, but Marty's eyes didn't leave Rory, who had the most confused expression on her face. She shook her head, then walked towards the exit.

"Thank you," he muttered into the microphone, putting the guitar down and rushing after Rory. He may have just finished singing on stage, but Marty knew he was about to face the music once he got outside.

I kind of forgot how dark that song is...