[FIC] Ever After (Chapter 6/11)
Nov. 22nd, 2012 01:13 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
ocelotkitty.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
wl_fanfictionTitle: Ever After
Main Pairing: Jeff/Greg, with background Chip/Wayne and Colin/Ryan
Rating: R for language
Total Word Count: 17,890
Chapter Word Count: 1,333
Summary: Jeff’s a directionally challenged actor who can’t seem to catch a break. Chip promises that Jeff’s new GPS will be the solution to all of his problems, but why does it seem to cause more problems than it solves? Will Chip turn out to be right in the end? (Spoiler alert: of course he will. This is, after all, a fairy tale.)
Special Thanks: to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sungreen70 for patiently (lol) championing this story from its humble beginnings in 2009, subtly (lol) suggesting I finish it while recovering at home from surgery, and going above and beyond as a beta reader despite all the other demands — including Hurricane Sandy and a presidential election! — on her time. You are amazing! ♥
“Let’s try it from just before the act break,” Jeff said. He glanced down into his lap at the script. “Okay. I climb out the upstairs window and jump down into the grass. Wayne and Ryan pull into the driveway and I go up to their car.” Jeff looked back up at the traffic on the road ahead of him and nodded. “Okay, here we go. ‘What’s up, Wayne?’”
“One guess,” Greg said seductively, playing Wayne’s part to the hilt.
“You’ve got a lot to offer a boy.”
“Yeah. You know it.”
“What say, Stiles?”
“You’re lookin’ good, Jeff,” Greg said, adding a low growl to his voice as he took on Ryan’s role.
“Eat your heart out,” Jeff purred.
“Well, sloppy seconds ain’t my style.” Greg paused. “’Cause I neeeeeed a man! And my heart is set on yoooouuuuu—”
“Nothin’ left, nothin’ left for me to do,” Jeff sang, dissolving into laughter. “Who needs a script when you can just improvise, right?” He launched into another song, tapping out an accompaniment on the steering wheel. “Acting school dropout... no People’s Choice awards for you. Acting school dropout... skipped auditions and missed your cue....”
“Hey, isn’t that Drew’s number?” Greg asked.
“No such thing as being too prepared,” Jeff said, signaling left and getting into the turn lane.
Greg could hardly conceal his surprise. “How did you know you needed to turn here?”
“Because you just told me— oh, wait, that’s funny,” Jeff said innocently. “I don’t recall you saying anything about an upcoming left turn.”
Greg snorted. But privately he was proud of Jeff for the changes he’d undergone in just the past two weeks. With interest in the Whose Line movie from only five of the former cast members, Ryan had been toying with the idea of shelving the entire project. Jeff’s phone call to Drew had been placed just in time. After Jeff had signed on, Drew had rewarded him with a substantial role that would allow him to showcase the full range of his acting and singing talents.
Upon receiving the script, Jeff had launched himself into a grueling regimen of private rehearsals, learning all the parts and every musical number. He insisted on running his lines in the car, driving the length and breadth of the county so he could play off Greg, who voiced the other characters. Jeff had been on so many freeways in the last fourteen days that he was beginning, finally, to tell the 210 from the 710 and the 5 from the 405 — in other words, to learn his way around the city that had been his home all his life. Soon he won’t need me anymore, Greg thought with a pang. He’ll put me on eBay or Craigslist and I’ll end up—
“Hey,” Jeff said, interrupting Greg’s reverie. “We’re here.”
“Isn’t that my line?”
“Well, considering you always announce our destination about half a block early, I’d say you’ve missed your cue,” Jeff said sweetly.
“In point five miles, go to hell,” Greg retorted.
Jeff grinned. “Only if you’re in charge of the marshmallows.” He pulled up in front of a theatre in the NoHo Arts District, reversing neatly into a parking space. He switched off the engine and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” he said, his mood suddenly somber.
“Well, if this isn’t ready, I’d hate to see what unprepared looks like,” Greg said. “Oh. You mean—”
“Exactly,” Jeff said. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to rehearse in the car. I can’t answer my cell while I’m driving, and if I’m not home—”
“Chip and Wayne can’t turn up on your doorstep.”
“Right.” Jeff had managed to successfully elude both of them since the night he’d hung up on Wayne. He’d hardly spoken to anyone but Greg during that time, with the exception of two phone conversations he’d had with Drew. Jeff suspected that Chip had dropped by to check up on him at least once, though. It was the only plausible explanation for the enormous lollipop bouquet he’d found propped against his front door upon arriving home one night. The attached card featured a cartoon drawing of Snagglepuss on the front, and the inside read Heavens to Murgatroyd, I MISS YOU!!! Jeff had shown the card to Greg, who’d found it as funny as Jeff had.
Now Jeff selected a mango lollipop from the pile of candy in the centre console of his Mini Cooper. Having a manically persistent friend wasn’t all bad, he decided, giving the lollipop an experimental lick.
* * *
Jeff pushed open the door to the theatre where the first cast rehearsal for the Whose Line movie was to take place. He paused just inside, letting his eyes adjust to the low lighting. He was twenty minutes early, but Ryan and Colin were already on stage, engaged in dialogue that Jeff recognized immediately as the first scene in act one.
“I’m going back to Canada — I might never see you again!”
Ryan tipped Colin’s chin up with his index finger. “Don’t... don’t talk that way, Col.”
“But it’s true! I’ve just had the best summer of my life, and now I have to go away. It isn’t fair!”
Ryan looked at Colin’s upturned face. Gently he pressed his lips to Colin’s.
Colin pulled away reluctantly. “Ryan, don’t spoil it.”
Ryan sighed in frustration. “It’s not spoiling it, Col. It’s only making it better.”
“Ry... is this the end?”
Ryan pulled Colin into a warm embrace and planted a kiss on his head. “Of course not, Col,” he whispered. “It’s only the beginning.”
Jeff smiled and shook his head. Nothing had changed in the ten years since their taping days at Raleigh Studios. No matter what time the cast members were asked to arrive for a taping, a rehearsal, or even a production meeting, Ryan and Colin always turned up early. Sometimes by as little as fifteen minutes, sometimes by as much as two days, but always synchronized, always together. Jeff had concluded early on that Ryan and Colin lived in their own little world that operated by its own set of rules. A world with a population that would always be two, never more and never less. A world in which Earth logic didn’t seem to apply.
Jeff had always wondered what that would be like. How would it be to have someone who was so in tune with you that he could anticipate your reactions and finish your thoughts? Who knew exactly what you were trying to say even when you weren’t sure yourself? Like Greg does, Jeff thought unexpectedly.
“Hey! You made it!” Jeff looked down to see Drew calling to him from the front row.
Jeff began to descend the steps, feeling immediately at ease. “Just like old times, huh?” he said when he reached the bottom.
Jeff put his hand out, but Drew bypassed it in favour of a quick hug and a slap on the back. “You look great, man,” Drew said, holding Jeff out at arm’s length for an inspection.
“You too,” Jeff said, and he meant it. Drew still wore his trademark black-framed glasses, but his recent weight loss and new hairstyle gave him a younger, hipper look. Jeff looked around the theatre. “Is everyone else here already?”
“Nah, we’re still waiting on Wayne and—”
“Over here, Drew! I hope we’re not late!” Chip gave an enthusiastic wave and came bounding down the steps, Wayne right behind him. They both stopped short when they saw Jeff.
“Jeff!” Chip said. “How’re you doing, buddy?”
“Hey.”
“Hi Jeff,” Wayne said softly.
Jeff nodded and forced a smile. It was the first time in weeks that he’d faced a difficult situation on his own. I wish Greg were here, he thought suddenly.
Drew looked confused for a moment, then clapped his hands. “Uh, okay,” he said. “Looks like the gang’s all here! So... come on down and let’s have some fun!”
Main Pairing: Jeff/Greg, with background Chip/Wayne and Colin/Ryan
Rating: R for language
Total Word Count: 17,890
Chapter Word Count: 1,333
Summary: Jeff’s a directionally challenged actor who can’t seem to catch a break. Chip promises that Jeff’s new GPS will be the solution to all of his problems, but why does it seem to cause more problems than it solves? Will Chip turn out to be right in the end? (Spoiler alert: of course he will. This is, after all, a fairy tale.)
Special Thanks: to
sungreen70 for patiently (lol) championing this story from its humble beginnings in 2009, subtly (lol) suggesting I finish it while recovering at home from surgery, and going above and beyond as a beta reader despite all the other demands — including Hurricane Sandy and a presidential election! — on her time. You are amazing! ♥“Let’s try it from just before the act break,” Jeff said. He glanced down into his lap at the script. “Okay. I climb out the upstairs window and jump down into the grass. Wayne and Ryan pull into the driveway and I go up to their car.” Jeff looked back up at the traffic on the road ahead of him and nodded. “Okay, here we go. ‘What’s up, Wayne?’”
“One guess,” Greg said seductively, playing Wayne’s part to the hilt.
“You’ve got a lot to offer a boy.”
“Yeah. You know it.”
“What say, Stiles?”
“You’re lookin’ good, Jeff,” Greg said, adding a low growl to his voice as he took on Ryan’s role.
“Eat your heart out,” Jeff purred.
“Well, sloppy seconds ain’t my style.” Greg paused. “’Cause I neeeeeed a man! And my heart is set on yoooouuuuu—”
“Nothin’ left, nothin’ left for me to do,” Jeff sang, dissolving into laughter. “Who needs a script when you can just improvise, right?” He launched into another song, tapping out an accompaniment on the steering wheel. “Acting school dropout... no People’s Choice awards for you. Acting school dropout... skipped auditions and missed your cue....”
“Hey, isn’t that Drew’s number?” Greg asked.
“No such thing as being too prepared,” Jeff said, signaling left and getting into the turn lane.
Greg could hardly conceal his surprise. “How did you know you needed to turn here?”
“Because you just told me— oh, wait, that’s funny,” Jeff said innocently. “I don’t recall you saying anything about an upcoming left turn.”
Greg snorted. But privately he was proud of Jeff for the changes he’d undergone in just the past two weeks. With interest in the Whose Line movie from only five of the former cast members, Ryan had been toying with the idea of shelving the entire project. Jeff’s phone call to Drew had been placed just in time. After Jeff had signed on, Drew had rewarded him with a substantial role that would allow him to showcase the full range of his acting and singing talents.
Upon receiving the script, Jeff had launched himself into a grueling regimen of private rehearsals, learning all the parts and every musical number. He insisted on running his lines in the car, driving the length and breadth of the county so he could play off Greg, who voiced the other characters. Jeff had been on so many freeways in the last fourteen days that he was beginning, finally, to tell the 210 from the 710 and the 5 from the 405 — in other words, to learn his way around the city that had been his home all his life. Soon he won’t need me anymore, Greg thought with a pang. He’ll put me on eBay or Craigslist and I’ll end up—
“Hey,” Jeff said, interrupting Greg’s reverie. “We’re here.”
“Isn’t that my line?”
“Well, considering you always announce our destination about half a block early, I’d say you’ve missed your cue,” Jeff said sweetly.
“In point five miles, go to hell,” Greg retorted.
Jeff grinned. “Only if you’re in charge of the marshmallows.” He pulled up in front of a theatre in the NoHo Arts District, reversing neatly into a parking space. He switched off the engine and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” he said, his mood suddenly somber.
“Well, if this isn’t ready, I’d hate to see what unprepared looks like,” Greg said. “Oh. You mean—”
“Exactly,” Jeff said. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to rehearse in the car. I can’t answer my cell while I’m driving, and if I’m not home—”
“Chip and Wayne can’t turn up on your doorstep.”
“Right.” Jeff had managed to successfully elude both of them since the night he’d hung up on Wayne. He’d hardly spoken to anyone but Greg during that time, with the exception of two phone conversations he’d had with Drew. Jeff suspected that Chip had dropped by to check up on him at least once, though. It was the only plausible explanation for the enormous lollipop bouquet he’d found propped against his front door upon arriving home one night. The attached card featured a cartoon drawing of Snagglepuss on the front, and the inside read Heavens to Murgatroyd, I MISS YOU!!! Jeff had shown the card to Greg, who’d found it as funny as Jeff had.
Now Jeff selected a mango lollipop from the pile of candy in the centre console of his Mini Cooper. Having a manically persistent friend wasn’t all bad, he decided, giving the lollipop an experimental lick.
Jeff pushed open the door to the theatre where the first cast rehearsal for the Whose Line movie was to take place. He paused just inside, letting his eyes adjust to the low lighting. He was twenty minutes early, but Ryan and Colin were already on stage, engaged in dialogue that Jeff recognized immediately as the first scene in act one.
“I’m going back to Canada — I might never see you again!”
Ryan tipped Colin’s chin up with his index finger. “Don’t... don’t talk that way, Col.”
“But it’s true! I’ve just had the best summer of my life, and now I have to go away. It isn’t fair!”
Ryan looked at Colin’s upturned face. Gently he pressed his lips to Colin’s.
Colin pulled away reluctantly. “Ryan, don’t spoil it.”
Ryan sighed in frustration. “It’s not spoiling it, Col. It’s only making it better.”
“Ry... is this the end?”
Ryan pulled Colin into a warm embrace and planted a kiss on his head. “Of course not, Col,” he whispered. “It’s only the beginning.”
Jeff smiled and shook his head. Nothing had changed in the ten years since their taping days at Raleigh Studios. No matter what time the cast members were asked to arrive for a taping, a rehearsal, or even a production meeting, Ryan and Colin always turned up early. Sometimes by as little as fifteen minutes, sometimes by as much as two days, but always synchronized, always together. Jeff had concluded early on that Ryan and Colin lived in their own little world that operated by its own set of rules. A world with a population that would always be two, never more and never less. A world in which Earth logic didn’t seem to apply.
Jeff had always wondered what that would be like. How would it be to have someone who was so in tune with you that he could anticipate your reactions and finish your thoughts? Who knew exactly what you were trying to say even when you weren’t sure yourself? Like Greg does, Jeff thought unexpectedly.
“Hey! You made it!” Jeff looked down to see Drew calling to him from the front row.
Jeff began to descend the steps, feeling immediately at ease. “Just like old times, huh?” he said when he reached the bottom.
Jeff put his hand out, but Drew bypassed it in favour of a quick hug and a slap on the back. “You look great, man,” Drew said, holding Jeff out at arm’s length for an inspection.
“You too,” Jeff said, and he meant it. Drew still wore his trademark black-framed glasses, but his recent weight loss and new hairstyle gave him a younger, hipper look. Jeff looked around the theatre. “Is everyone else here already?”
“Nah, we’re still waiting on Wayne and—”
“Over here, Drew! I hope we’re not late!” Chip gave an enthusiastic wave and came bounding down the steps, Wayne right behind him. They both stopped short when they saw Jeff.
“Jeff!” Chip said. “How’re you doing, buddy?”
“Hey.”
“Hi Jeff,” Wayne said softly.
Jeff nodded and forced a smile. It was the first time in weeks that he’d faced a difficult situation on his own. I wish Greg were here, he thought suddenly.
Drew looked confused for a moment, then clapped his hands. “Uh, okay,” he said. “Looks like the gang’s all here! So... come on down and let’s have some fun!”
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no subject
Date: 2012-11-22 03:51 am (UTC)Unless the coolest thing ever is this: the enormous lollipop bouquet he’d found propped against his front door upon arriving home one night. The attached card featured a cartoon drawing of Snagglepuss on the front, and the inside read Heavens to Murgatroyd, I MISS YOU!!!
Jeff had concluded early on that Ryan and Colin lived in their own little world that operated by its own set of rules. A world with a population that would always be two, never more and never less. A world in which Earth logic didn’t seem to apply. AWWW! This totally makes me squish inside. Yay Colin/Ryan! And then I aww'd again at:
Jeff had always wondered what that would be like. How would it be to have someone who was so in tune with you that he could anticipate your reactions and finish your thoughts? Who knew exactly what you were trying to say even when you weren’t sure yourself? Like Greg does, Jeff thought unexpectedly. Oooh! I wonder if Jeff will ever find that out...??? :)
no subject
Date: 2012-11-22 06:40 am (UTC)Hmmm... I wonder ;-)
Thanks for all your wonderful comments -- you're the best! ♥
no subject
Date: 2012-11-22 03:55 pm (UTC)No matter what time the cast members were asked to arrive for a taping, a rehearsal, or even a production meeting, Ryan and Colin always turned up early. Sometimes by as little as fifteen minutes, sometimes by as much as two days, but always synchronized, always together. So sweet! And that seems rather like them. (Also, the bouquet of lollies from Chip is also very sweet, as well as being funny. I always love hearing Chip impersonate Snagglepuss.)
no subject
Date: 2012-11-23 06:33 am (UTC)Totally agreed.
Thanks for sticking with the story! :-)
no subject
Date: 2012-12-03 12:09 am (UTC)I feel so weird for shipping a GPS with Jeff, but DAMMIT, I do! *pushes them together, forcing Jeff to kiss Greg's screen.*
no subject
Date: 2012-12-03 07:02 am (UTC)Well, maybe it'll turn out that Greg's a real person... *glances around innocently*