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This is a Christmas gift for my friend Sylvia and the person that I received for the WL secret santa... Vega Pleiades. I combined their requests and this is the result. What did they want?
-flashbacks -Christmas -Ry/Col -Ry/Col -newsflash/three headed broadway star Also, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" is by Jimmy Ruffin. Bits and pieces of the song are used for this story, and they don't go in order. Title: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? Summary: "...can we go back to the days our love was strong? can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong? can somebody tell me how to get things back the way they use to be?..." What: Whose Line is it Anyway? Written: December 18th-19th Category: songfic/angst/hurt/comfort Chapter: one-shot. Rating: PG Pairing: Ry/Col, obviously :P Who had love that's now departed? The coffee was cold. His brand of cream was gone, and someone had used the last packet of Sweet’N Low. Chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies were strewn all around their trays haphazardly and the single slices of various kinds of cakes looked just about as old as he was. Napkins, spoons, forks, miniature paper plates and styrofoam cups littered the table and even some of the surrounding area. Over all, McDonalds was starting to sound better and better and the Canadian soon found himself scowling. Why had he turned down Drew’s offer of an Egg McMuffin? “Good morning, Col.” Colin started at the voice and looked up. Ryan smiled at his long time companion apologetically. “I’m sorry. Did I scare you?” The older man shook his head. “No. I was just… getting some coffee.” He said, reaching over and grabbing up one of the cleaner looking styrofoam cups. He pressed the orange, circular button on the coffee machine with a slight grimace. The stale liquid sounded hollow as it began filling his cup. “Looks yummy,” Ryan joked, and Colin nodded. “That it does.” He released the dispenser button and scowled again when he remembered all of the Sweet’N Low was gone. “Guess I’ll have to drink this black.” Colin smiled ruefully. Ryan chuckled and revealed two of the pink packets. “You know I got you covered,” he winked at the older man, reaching over and snatching up two chocolate chip cookies. “I’ll see you in a bit, Col,” Ryan said. Colin nodded and ripped open one of the pink packets. “Okay. Thank you,” he said, gesturing to his cup of coffee, and Ryan simply smiled once more and turned away from him. The Canadian watched Ryan’s retreating figure and took a long sip of his coffee. “And by the way,” he whispered to himself, staring down dejectedly at the grayish liquid, “I still love you.” Colin set down the cup with a quiet sigh and walked away. The second packet of Sweet’N Low, untouched, still, remained next to it. filled with sadness and confusion. Every day the heartache grows a little stronger. I can't stand this pain much longer. “… what I need from our audience is a time or an event that can really stress you out,” Drew said, and the room immediately erupted into shouts. Everything from birthday parties to weddings to first dates to when the baby finally comes along. Wayne, Colin and Ryan, who were standing and awaiting their suggestion for Three Headed Broadway Star, were chucking softly at both the audience’s enthusiasm and because some of the ideas that were being tossed to Drew really were quite silly. “Wait! Sshh, sshh,” Drew hushed the thunderous audience and pointed to the section directly across from the stage, “what did you say?” “Christmas!” A voice answered, and Drew laughed, nodding. “Okay, then,” he looked at Wayne, Colin and Ryan, “Christmas. Now, you three are going to pretend to be a strange, three headed Broadway star singing the hit love song from the show ‘Therapists Rock!’ So, whenever you’re ready, one word at a time, ‘Christmas’ the big, hit love song from the Broadway show ‘Therapists Rock!’ Take it away, Laura Hall.” Wayne laughed softly. The “show” and its “big, hit love song” had absolutely nothing in common. Such is the magic of Whose Line, he supposed and began, “I” “… have” Ryan replied, moving slightly to the rhythm, and Colin and Wayne followed his lead. “a”, added Colin. “therapist” “because” “I” “am” Ryan ended dramatically, “stressed!” Wayne and Colin chuckled quietly and Ryan smiled haughtily. “Christmas” “is” “something” “that” “really” “gets” Colin took a deep breath, “me!” The other two laughed at the Canadian’s attempt at a high note, and also at the fact that the older man had ended the sentence in a rather odd place. Colin simply shrugged and looked over at Wayne. He was grinning, but the gesture wasn’t quite able to meet his eyes. They looked sad… lost somewhere in a memory, maybe, even. Wayne frowned at that. “I” “don’t” “like” “Christmas” “that” “much” “because” “it” “hurts!” Both Ryan and Wayne looked over at Colin. The Canadian’s eyes, though, were now warily resting elsewhere… on someone, somewhere in the audience. Ryan discreetly tightened the arm he had lying across Colin’s shoulders and Wayne continued. “It” “doesn’t” “make” “me” Ryan took a deep breath and put on one of his infamous, over-dramatic expressions as he began to close the song, “happy…” “… anyyyymooooore!” Colin finished, hitting an abnormal, half-crazed note that only the highly thought of Canadian would hit. The audience roared with laughter and applause, but Colin’s normally animated, expressive face remained utterly blank. The three turned around to sit back down and Colin made it a point to laugh with Greg. Ryan watched. all that's left is an unhappy ending. “Colin.” “I don’t want to talk about it, Ryan.” The younger man sighed and nodded. Colin reached for another styrofoam cup and hit the orange, circular button a bit harder than necessary. At some point since that morning the cookies and the cakes had been replaced and a fresh batch of coffee had been brewed. The packet of Sweet’N Low, though, still lay idly on the table and Colin wasn’t about to acknowledge its presence. And Ryan knew better than to. He released the dispenser button and raised the cup to his mouth. “It’s fresh,” he decided after trying a little, “want?” Ryan nodded and handed Colin a cup. “Cream, no sugar.” “I know,” Colin replied softly, “I remember.” He added a bit of cream to the cup and mixed it for him. Ryan accepted the cup with a smile and Colin hurriedly looked away. He wouldn’t allow himself the pleasure of smiling back. Not today, and not now. Today… now… was one of the days when it just hurt too badly. Ryan knew this, but he also knew that there wasn’t anything he could do. “How’s Pat?” Ryan sipped a bit of his coffee and nodded. “She’s good, Colin.” “I’m glad.” Colin paused for another sip. “I haven’t seen her in a while.” “I know,” the younger man replied cautiously, “I just didn’t think you’d want to.” Colin looked up at him and narrowed his eyes in bewilderment. “Why wouldn’t I? Pat’s nice.” Ryan sighed. “Colin…” Colin cut him off with a hand. He drained what remained of his coffee and set the empty cup back down a few inches away from the packet of Sweet’N Low. “I’m sure intermissions almost over,” the Canadian said, “so we should get back.” He turned away from Ryan and sighed when the younger man stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. What used to be supportive and warm and comforting was now foreign and cold and cruel. Colin had loved Ryan… God, he had loved Ryan… and Ryan had loved him, too, but it just hadn’t been enough. Nothing had ever been enough. “Ryan, please, not now.” “Colin… Colin, c’mon,” he gently urged the older man to turn back around. Colin did so, tightening his lips as he did and daring himself to cry. To lose it. He had already lost it. Everything, even. Everything had been taken away from him and his everything had willingly left. Two weeks before Christmas over twenty years ago. “Colin, please don’t do this to yourself. You don’t…” Colin wiggled Ryan’s hand off of his shoulder and looked away from the taller man. “You’re right,” he established softly, “I don’t. I don’t have to feel this way… I don’t… have to miss you. I don’t. Just like you didn’t have to leave.” Colin gathered up their trash and dumped it into the wastebasket. “But you did. And I am. It’s all about choices, Ryan… you said this yourself.” Ryan looked at Colin and sighed. An uncomfortable and awkward silence fell over the two. Colin didn’t hate Ryan… he loved Ryan… but Ryan had left him. Had left him broken and bloodied because Ryan had decided that he couldn’t be with Colin. For whatever the reason, Ryan had decided that fighting to stay with Colin… fighting to be true to himself… just was not worth it. So he married Pat. So he was all right. But what becomes of the broken hearted? Dan called them back out to the set and Colin left without another word to Ryan. The packet of Sweet’N Low had been knocked on the floor when Colin had gathered he and Ryan’s garbage a few minutes prior, and Ryan unknowingly stepped on it as he made his way back out onto the set, too. searching for light. Cold and alone; no comfort in sight. Hoping and praying for someone to care… always moving and going no where. Now what's become of the broken hearted? Who had love that's now departed? the end |