Singing

By Kirsten

Summary: Michael decides to take singing lessons so that he can properly serenade Ben.
Rating: PG
Archive Date: 25 September 2006
Notes: Inspired by Hal Sparks' performance on "Celebrity Duets"

The bell over the door of Red Cape Comics tinkled, causing Michael to look up from his computer to see who was coming in. A smile came to his face when he saw his longtime friend Emmett.

"Emmett thanks so much for stopping by," Michael said as he came around the counter to embrace him.

"Of course, sweetie," Emmett replied, returning the hug. "You know that I'd drop anything to help you out. Well, almost anything," he continued, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "What's up?"

"Well, you know that Ben and I will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary soon..." Michael began.

"And you want me to plan the party, right? I'd be honored. I can't believe it's been five years already, time has really flown by, hasn't it?"

"Tell me about it. Yes, we do want you to plan the party. We'll probably have you over for dinner later in the week to really discuss it. No, what I wanted to talk to you about was my gift for Ben."

"Sure...I'd be glad to help. What were you thinking?" Emmett asked.

"You remember, back when we first started going out, I freaked out because of the whole HIV-positive thing?" Emmett nodded. "I broke up with him, and then I almost immediately regretted it, and did everything I could to try and win him back. Including singing the song "Ben" at karaoke night at Woody's."

Emmett groaned at the memory. "Unfortunately the sound of your singing voice is burned into our memories forever," he said.

"Thanks a lot," Michael complained.

"Now now, honey, it worked, didn't it?" Emmett said.

"Yeah...it worked."

"Then why do you care what any of us think about your performance? It did the trick; you got your man, now you're living happily ever after."

"I suppose..."

"To tell you the truth," Emmett continued, "I was impressed with your courage that night. It took balls to get up on that stage and sing your little heart out, no pun intended. It really was incredibly romantic."

Michael blushed, and said, "Thanks, Em. That means a lot to me."

"So your gift idea...?"

"Oh, right. I want to take singing lessons. I want to be able to sing a song to him in a way that won't cause everyone to cringe. I still have my guitar, so I could get it restrung and tuned so I could accompany myself; I just need to get my voice in shape. I was hoping that you knew someone who could help me out."

Emmett clapped his hands happily, saying, "Sweetie, that's a wonderful idea. I'm sure Ben will love it. And I know just the person, Sara Clark. I met her through Godiva when I first came to Pittsburgh. She spent a few years singing on Broadway, but she got tired of the grind, and never felt comfortable living in New York, so she came back home to the Pitts. She teaches occasionally at PIFA, but mostly she just gives private lessons. I'll get her number for you."

"Thanks, Em. I'm really excited to do this. Now, about the party itself. Can you come to dinner, maybe Thursday? That way the three of us can get organized."

"Of course. I'll see you and Ben on Thursday."

~~~~~~~

Michael looked down at the directions he had written down during his conversation with Sara to confirm that he was at the right house. Yup, 425 Steele Street, a small yellow bungalow in the north end of town. It was a Tuesday afternoon, so he'd left Terry in charge of the store while he was having his lesson. Terry was under strict orders not to tell ANYONE where he was, especially Ben. He wanted this to be a surprise, and he didn't want any of his friends to try and interfere. Emmett had been sworn to secrecy, and even though Em tended to be a bit of a gossip, Michael knew he'd keep this to himself.

Walking up the steps he rang the doorbell, waiting for her to show up. The front door opened, revealing a tall, leggy brunette with bright green eyes and a big smile on her face. "Are you Michael?" she asked.

"Yep, that's me. Sara, right?" Michael responded.

"In the flesh. Come on in, let's get started." Sara moved aside, showing Michael into the house.

Michael looked around as Sara led him to a room in the back of the house that held a piano and stacks of sheet music. The house was small, but neat and clean. The decor was vaguely country, but not overpowering. The overall feeling of the house was homey and lived-in.

Sara seated herself at the piano, and gestured for Michael to have a seat in a nearby chair. Her fingers gravitated toward the piano's keys as she talked, playing as if they were on auto-pilot. "So Michael, Emmett gave me a little bit of background on your situation, but why don't you tell me what you're looking for."

"Well, my husband and I are about to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary...," he began.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. Anyway, we're going to have a small party with close friends and family, and I want to be able to sing him a song. Very early in our relationship I sang the song "Ben", his name is Ben, by the way, at a karaoke night to try and win him back. I'd broken up with him for what I thought was a good reason, but soon realized that he was my destiny, my soul mate, and I had to get him to give me a second chance. Luckily that gesture seemed to finally do the trick, and we've been together ever since."

"Sweet story."

"Not so sweet if you were there that night. My singing left something to be desired, as my friends have often reminded me. What I'm hoping you can do is help me find a song that's better suited to my voice, and get me to the point where I can sing it well. I have a guitar and can play it pretty well, so I can accompany myself."

"I can see what you mean about finding a song better suited to your voice - Michael Jackson seems a little out of your range," Sara commented. "Why don't we get started so I can get an idea of what we're facing, then I can make some song suggestions."

"Great," Michael said as he stood up. "What do you want me to do?"

~~~~~~~

As the weeks went on Michael started getting nervous. He was feeling more confident about his voice, but he and Sara still hadn't found a song he liked. He'd tried a few, but they didn't seem to say what he wanted to say.

One Tuesday after his lesson, Sara handed him a sheet of music and a CD as he was getting ready to leave. "I think this is the one," she said.

Michael looked at the title of the song, and the singer, then looked at her quizzically. "A country song?"

"Michael, I know that country isn't your favorite genre, but give it a chance. Read the lyrics and listen to the song. It's a simple song, and it's in a good range for you, and after talking to you about your love for Ben, I think the words really fit. Just keep an open mind, and I'll see you next week."

When Michael got back to the store he went to the back room and popped the CD into his player and took out the song's lyrics. As he read along while the song played he realized that Sara was dead-on with this suggestion. A simple song with a simple melody, but the words really spoke to him.

He'd brought his guitar to the store so that he could practice when business was slow. He pulled it out and looked over the sheet music to get a feel for the chord progressions, then played the song again, trying out some of the words and chords. He picked it up quickly, as if it were meant to be.

When he got to Sara's house the next week, he brought his guitar with him. Without any prompting from her, he pulled out the guitar and sang the song all the way through. He didn't even use the sheet music for help with the chords or lyrics.

When he finished, Sara just sat there, mesmerized. "Michael, that was beautiful. How do you feel about it?"

"I love it. I had my doubts when you handed it to me, but the words and chords came so easily to me, I knew it was the right choice."

"I'm so glad that you like the song, it certainly suits you. I'd like to go over a few things with you, then I think you'll be ready for the party."

"Let's get to it."

~~~~~~~

The day of the party finally arrived. Emmett came over early in the afternoon to supervise the setup and decorations. Since the traditional gift for a fifth wedding anniversary is wood, he made sure that wood was present throughout. He used carved wooden boxes as part of the centerpieces on the tables, and had even found wooden napkin rings that had either the letter 'M' or 'B' carved into them.

Ben and Michael greeted all of their guests as they began to arrive. Deb and Carl, Ted and Blake, even Justin came back into town to celebrate, accompanying Brian. Hunter had taken a long weekend break from college to be a part of the festivities. Lindsay and Melanie came as well, having moved back to the U.S. after an unsuccessful attempt to relocate to Canada. Everyone that came through the door offered hugs and kisses along with their anniversary good wishes.

Emmett had hired a local catering company to handle the food, so that it would be a truly spectacular affair. The meal included shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, a spinach and mandarin salad, and filet mignon as a main course, along with plenty of fresh vegetables and crusty French bread. The close-knit group enjoyed the food and conversation, sparked by bursts of laughter.

Once the dinner plates had been cleared away, Emmett had the caterers bring out the cake, which was decorated to look like a wooden box, and make sure that everyone had a glass of champagne. A chorus of "Speech! Speech!" spilled from the group.

Ben and Michael stood up and acknowledged the group as the cheers slowly quieted down. Michael gestured to Ben, allowing him to go first. Ben cleared his throat, looked down at his husband, and then smiled as he faced everyone. "I just want to say 'Thank you so much' to all of you. Your love and support have meant so much to me, to both of us. I can't believe that it's already been five years since we got married, but in a way it feels like we've been together forever." He looked back at Michael, and said, "Michael, I love you so much. I treasure every day that we have together, and I'm looking forward to many, many more." With that he leaned into kiss him, a kiss which threatened to turn into something more dangerous if Emmett hadn't cleared his throat to get their attention. They broke apart and smiled at each other, knowing that there would be more to come later.

Michael finally tore his eyes away from Ben, in order to make his speech. "I also want to thank all of you for coming and helping us celebrate our wedding anniversary. It has been an amazing five years, and I'm looking forward more celebrations like this."

"Ben, I have a something to give to you. I know that we agreed not to buy each other presents, and I didn't. Not really." As Michael spoke, he pulled his guitar case out of the hall closet and opened it, settling into a chair with the guitar in his arms. "When we first started dating, and had broken up for a while, I sang to you to convince you to take me back. To celebrate our anniversary, I want to sing you a song that's meant to be a celebration of our love."

As Michael took a deep breath and prepared to play, he missed the grimaces and forced smiles on his friends' faces, his focus solely on the guitar and then on Ben. Ben smiled gently, inwardly preparing himself to be positive, regardless of the quality of the performance.

I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
I still believe the words we said
Forever will ring true

Grimaces turned into genuine smiles as they all listened to Michael pour his heart into this performance. Such soft and gentle words sung so sweetly melted even the hardest of hearts. A tear fell down Debbie's cheek as she watched, moving closer to Carl for loving support.

It's a little and a lot to ask
An endless and a welcome task
Love isn't something that we have
It's something that we do

Ben was blown away. He remembered telling Michael that he couldn't sing - how wrong he was. He'd been impressed by Michael's perseverance at the time, and the guts it took to get up on the stage that night, which he correctly felt was an indicator of how Michael might react if any health issues arose. But now, he could see just how talented his husband really was, and how truly blessed he was to have Michael in his life.

Love is wide, love is long
Love is deep and love is strong
Love is why I love this song
And I hope you love it too

Emmett, Brian and Ted all smiled at each other. Their little Michael had stood up to them when it counted, and had gotten the man of his dreams. They were all very proud of him.

There's no request too big or small
We give ourselves, we give our all
Love isn't someplace that we fall
It's something that we do

As the last chords faded away, the group exploded in applause. Michael stood up and put the guitar aside as Ben got up and kissed Michael, conveying the love and emotion he felt from the performance. They both had tears in their eyes, laughing as each reached up to brush them away from the other's face.

"I love you, Michael."

"I love you too, Ben."

They embraced, melting into each other as the group continued their applause.

~~~~~~~

"Something That We Do" - Clint Black

End of "Singing" by Kirsten (eli_ollie@yahoo.com)

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