FicWad

A/N: Hey guys! I got a lot of new songs on my iPod recently, but none of them showed up on the shuffle this weekend. But they'll come. I promise! XD For now, you guys'll just have to deal with James Taylor. Heh.

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to "Shower The People"

Song Used: James Taylor's "Shower The People"


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Sixty: Shower The People
Puppet: Keefe O'Kane


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You can play the game and you can act out the part,
Though you know it wasn't written for you,
But tell me, how can you stand there with your broken heart,
Ashamed of playing the fool?
One thing can lead to another; it doesn't take any sacrifice,
Oh, father and mother, sister and brother,
If it feels nice, don't think twice...

Once, someone asked me if I was either a) an actor already, or b) interested in becoming one.

I hadn't understood why he asked me that question then, and with a spit of annoyance I sent him scurrying off into his little hole again. Of course I wasn't an actor; quite frankly, the idea of dressing up as someone that wasn't me was...weird.

But what I'd made myself so blind to was the fact that I was constantly 'dressing up' like someone that wasn't me. When someone insulted me, I put on an angry mask and hissed something cruel right back, when really I'd feel hurt. When someone meant something to me, I didn't show them just how much I liked them, whether they were my parents, siblings, or friends; if I did, surely I would feel that much worse when they betrayed me.

That's what humans did, after all. Destroy things. Even if it wasn't on purpose, we tore things down, ripped them up, wore them out.

But it was very, very hard to keep my feelings in check all the time. I was lucky that I had so such a huge amount of self-control, otherwise I'd never been able to last this long with my need to hide.

I guess one could say that Casey made me change my mind about my facade, though. At first, it wasn't because I wanted to drop it; I did. I really wanted to hide it all away, not be so vulnerable to a girl I hardly knew, remain stoic and stable. But it was so hard! She was such a pretty girl, and I felt such an overwhelming attraction, a magnetism, a draw toward her that it was simply impossible to keep everything locked up inside.

But then, after taking the chance and allowing those strong feelings go, I realized that it felt so good. It was like having a huge amount of pressure suddenly lifted off my chest; love, happiness, warmth all rushed and surged forward like wild tigers leaping from their open cages and out into the jungle after spending far too long in captivity.

It felt good, being free.

Of course, I would never, ever lose that part of me that wanted to keep my soul under wraps. I would always, always have my secrets; no one, not even Casey, not even Mac, nobody in the world was quite ready for the full depth of my emotions, my thoughts, my soul. It was more than being afraid of being hurt; it was the fact that in this world of fake smiles and false laughter, an ardent, genuine fellow like myself was...well, feared.

But I wanted to be free.

Just shower the people you love with love,
Show them the way that you feel,
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will,
Shower the people you love with love,
Show them the way that you feel,
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will...

“Ya' know something, Raven? We didn't always used to get along so well, remember?”

The barn was warm and cozy, contrasting with the cold snow just outside the thick wooden walls. The smell of horses and hay was strong, but I'd grown accustomed to them after the six months of working here. The feel of the horse's inky, close-laying fur under my fingers was familiar and strangely calming. She snorted and bobbed her head as if saying, “yes, of course I remember.”

Dust was clinging to her coat and recently, she'd been looking a bit more like a dark gray rather then the beautiful black she was. I'd taken the liberty of grooming her, and was almost done; her coat gleamed like a well-polished onyx stone. Still, it'd taken me quite some time to get her clean, and I was starting to wish that I hadn't skipped lunch. That was the time I got to see Casey during the day, after all, and I hadn't gotten a chance to see her this morning.

Just a few hours and I missed her terribly. I had half a mind to take a break and go down to find her, but that would be shirking my duty and I may find myself in trouble.

“Yeah,” talking to Raven helped take my mind off of her, “couple of months ago and you wouldn't have stood still enough for me to do this.”

I froze my rhythmic stroking motion, cocking my head slightly to one side as the sound of the barn door creaking open and groaning closed. Footsteps came a little closer, but no voice came forth. I went back to work, not phased by it at all. Someone was coming, but it wasn't any of my business.

“Keefe?”

Instantaneously I recognized the sound of my Casey's voice, but I managed to keep myself from turning around. I continued to brush Raven, a slight tingling in my nose making it tempting to sneeze. “In Raven's stall, Case!” I called back.

I put down the brush, patting Raven's muscular shoulder and turning to look over the stall. Just a few seconds later, my tow-haired angel appeared on the other side. I smiled brightly at her; it felt so good to see her! Without giving her a chance to open the stall first, I rested my crossed elbows in the door, leaned over and kissed her.

It was as if numbness and hypersensitivity rushed through my lips all at once. It was as if I wanted to pull away from the strangeness of it all and lean in closer to see if it got better all at the same time. I pulled away and smiled fondly at her, reaching one hand over to stroke her cheek. “Hi.” I whispered, feeling much better already.

She smiled, giddy laughter in her eyes. “Well howdy, cowboy,” she replied, graciously giving me a tender nuzzle, “you seem to be in a good mood.”

You can run but you cannot hide,
This is widely known,
And what you plan to do with your foolish pride,
When you're all by yourself alone?
Once you tell somebody the way that you feel,
You can feel it beginning to ease,
I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel,
Always getting the grease...

I pressed my forehead against hers and closed my eyes, feeling so whole now that I had her company. “Yeah, well, I was just thinking about you.” I admitted, even though it was incredibly rare for me to voice what I was thinking. Even for something as general as that.

She knew it was incredibly rare, too. She knew me – though not better than I knew myself – quite well, actually, and naturally she was surprised. I could sense the widening of her eyes, the startled twitch of her lips, and the slight intake of air as she gasped, even though I couldn't see any of it. “Is that so?” she asked flirtatiously, quickly regaining herself, “What exactly were you thinking about?”

I smiled lightly in amusement. A couple of months ago and I probably would've retreated back into my mind again, refusing to answer such a silly question. It wasn't as if she needed to know, anyway. I would've been far too proud to admit that I'd been missing her. Too ashamed by the fact that I'd been feeling broken after only a few hours of separation.

But now, now I knew that that wasn't going to get me anywhere. I could afford to give up my dignity if it meant that I meant something to her. I could live with the momentary embarrassment of admitting weakness if it meant that I could have someone else by my side in this walk of life. It wasn't like I lost something; if anything, I gained something.

“How much I missed seeing you,” I answered finally, returning the gentle Eskimo kiss, “you really need to come visit me more often down here.”

She laughed and I peeked open both eyes, pleased to see her face sparkling with merriment. “I'd love to,” she conceded, taking my cheeks in her hands and kissing me very briefly, “but I don't think you'd get much work done if I did.”

“Mm...” I muttered contently, veiling my irises again. I got so much more out of telling the truth, out of saying what was really on my mind, than I did by locking it up in a cage. “That's probably true...”

With one hand I reached around and unhinged the stall door from the inside, allowing her access if she wanted to be a little closer (which I'm sure she did). I smirked mischievously. “But then again, it wasn't like that stopped you this time, did it?”

“No, but that's just because you worked all through lunch,” she said matter of factly, “I think you deserve a break.”

“A break?” I repeated, opening one eye, smirk still in place, “But won't your dad get mad at me?”

Casey laughed. “Only if he catches you.”

Better to shower the people you love with love,
Show them the way that you feel,
Things are gonna be just fine if you only will,
Shower the people you love with love,
Show them the way that you feel,
Things are gonna be just fine if you only will...

I liked that about her. I prided myself in being brave, but Casey took that word to a whole new level; she was more than willing to bend the rules a little while I wasn't. Had it been any other person, I probably would've refused to stray from my rigid standards, but for Casey? That was different somehow.

“So the fact that I'll also be with his daughter will have nothing to do with it, right?” I replied, holding on desperately to my stubbornness, disguising it as coyness.

She chuckled lightly. “That might be a factor, yeah,” she agreed, “but I bet you're gonna end up coming with me anyway.”

“You think so?”

“You bet. Especially if I do this...”

The stall door hinged open and Casey abruptly swung her arms around my neck, leaning back and forcing me to stumble forward, out of the stall. Startled but knowing what she wanted, I rested my hands on her hips and brought her close. I smiled impishly down at her, nudging the stall door closed with my foot so Raven couldn't get out while we were a little distracted.

But to my puzzlement, she wouldn't let me kiss her. No, she pulled away, giggling like crazy. “Dance with me.” She requested, her hips already swaying as if she were listening to a slow, calm tune.

It sounded fun, but there was no music; I felt stupid and didn't move at first. There wasn't any point in this. It wasn't going to get us anywhere. I had my pride to look out for, here; what if one of the guys came in and caught us dancing with no music and thought we were crazy?

“Please, Keefe!” she begged in a wheedling, though playful tone, “You never dance with me!”

It was true. I didn't ever dance with her. I'd never liked to dance because I felt as if I didn't have the skill for it, but it sounded fun right now. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to.

Just let go. It doesn't matter if anyone sees us. Show her you want to make her happy.

Stiffly I followed her lead, feeling a bit awkward at first. It'd been a long time since I'd danced with a girl; not since junior year in high school, actually. I guess I'd never really felt comfortable enough with anyone since then.

However, I was a quick learner. Quickly I adapted to the rhythm, and even quicker did I decide that I wanted to lead. Practically purring with contentment, I coaxed her into taking my hand and twirled her. Laughter of two souls bubbled in the quiet air of the barn as we gradually sped up. Spinning, swaying...

Shower the people you love with love,
Show them the way that you feel...

I didn't feel stupid about it anymore. I was free again. I couldn't think of anyone who could make me feel this way. Here I was, laughing about the dumbest thing, incredibly happy just because I got to dance with some girl.

But then again, Casey wasn't just 'some girl.' She was my girl. I loved her so much; she was the only person who could make me feel like this, and she'd shown me that I didn't have to be so proud all the time. Just let go, and life suddenly is a whole lot easier. Don't think twice. Just show those special people how much they meant, and one's burden could be that much lighter.

Finally, we stopped to catch our breath. I swallowed hard and panted slightly from the effort, grinning and unable to stop. I pressed my forehead against hers and the tips of our noses touched; her breath was hot on my skin, but oh so familiar...

“I'm sorry I've never danced with you before.” I said after a moment, smiling sheepishly.

“You should be!” she replied playfully, pecking my cheek fondly, “If I'd known you could dance like that, I would've asked you a long time ago.”

I smiled graciously at the compliment. With most other people, I would've thought that they only wanted something from me if they were going to try and flatter me like that. But, as always, Casey was different. I trusted her. I didn't think that she would lie to me when it came to judging my skill at things, because she was an honest girl. Just like I was an honest boy.

For a long time, the two of us simply stood there, steadying our breath and looking unflinchingly at one another. Not once did her eyes dart aside; I adored that about her. I should say something. “I love you,” I murmured finally, softly pressing my lips to her forehead, “never forget that.”

“Never in a million years,” she promised, pushing her head underneath my chin and burying her face in my neck, her breath soft and wonderful against the skin there, “love you back.”

You'll feel better right away,
Don't take much to do,
Sell your pride,
They say in every life,
They say the rain must fall,
Just like pouring rain,
Make it rain,
Make it rain,
Love, love, love is sunshine,
Oh yes,
Make it rain,
Love, love, love is sunshine,
Yeah, all right,
Everybody, everybody,
Shower the people you love with love.


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A/N: Personally, I think the entire scene with these two is incredibly adorable. It was a little hard to nail the meaning of the song, but I think I got it. What do you guys think?