Shallow Water, Part 10
By Missy



SERIES: Shallow Water
PART: ten of ten pieces
Author: Missy
Email: lasfic@yahoo.com
RATING: PG-13 (This part), for dramatic angst.
PAIRING(s): L/L

DISTRIBUTION: To LW, Kai, and FG so far; any other archives are welcome to ask (Please Email Me), but disclaimers must be included, my email left intact. send a URL, and provide full disclaimers as well as credit me fully. Please inform me if you are going to submit my work to any sort of search engine. Please do not submit my work to a search engine that picks out random sets of words and uses them as key words, such as "Google"

Please contact me in order for this story to be placed on an archive, or if you want know of a friend who would enjoy my works, please email me their address and I will mail them the stories, expressly for the purpose of link trading. MiSTiers are welcomed! Please do inform me that you'd like to do the MiSTing, however, and send me a copy of the finished product. I'd also love to archive any MiSTings that are made of my work!

DISCLAIMER: Laverne and Shirley, of course, not my property and belongs to its creators.

CATEGORY: Humor, SOL, Horror, Drama, L/L
CANNON/SPOILERS: California era. Hippie-era, pre Altamont.
FEEDBACK: PLEASE?!
SPOILLER/SUMMARY: Laverne accompanies Lenny on his first ever professional music tour...and then tragedy strikes.
NOTES: The conclusion!

****

The agent frowned at them. "I don't think you get a say, little lady."

Lenny's hand cupped Laverne's shoulder. "I think she does."

"Excuse me?"

"She's the mother of my baby an' the love of my life. She's the only reason I didn't go inta shock an' die right on th' highway. I'm willin' to record. I'm willin' ta do a few local gigs. But no bus'. No travel. I gotta plan fer the future, and the future's here."

"This is breach of contract. You'll be lucky if your ass isn't hauled into court!"

"Yeah? Well, then I'm gonna tell them about how THEIR record company hired a drunk ta drive us around an' killed four people!"

Lenny's agent controlled his anger. "I'll see what I can do, Kosnowski. You got guts."

"Where? I can't see 'em...."

Laverne shrugged lamely at the pointed gaze of the agent. He shuffled away, leaving Laverne and Lenny alone.

"You ain't mad?"

"Fer what?"

"Fer me speakin' out, decidin' what we're gonna do without askin' you."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "What's that new MeatLoaf song that just came out?"

"You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth?"

"Uh-huh."

***

Two Months Later

"We dedicate this table, this one right here, to the memory of Carmine Ragusa."

Uncapping their beers, Lenny and Squiggy raised their bottles in the direction of the empty table. Shirley sniffled, swallowing the last of her beer in one fell swoop. Frank looked enormously satisfied with the little brass plaque fixed to its side, which had come out of his own take from this week's receipts.

Laverne's expression, undeniably, was misty. She and Lenny had been through too much in the past few months; the accident, Carmine's death, his rehabilitation and Squiggy's coma. All of this had been complicated by Lenny's recurrent panic attacks, usually whenever he sat behind the wheel of a car.

Laverne felt sad, incredibly sad. Driving was one of those things that Lenny was incredibly good at, and to see him robbed of it broke her heart. The Squiggtone's latest recording session proved to have a calming effect upon him, however; the latest album was in the mixing process.

Shirley was breaking her heart right now. "You gonna be okay?"

Shirley's eyes had locked upon the table. "Carmine always said he was gonna be someone. Remember? He said he was gonna be a big star." She wiped away a tear. "Where did his big chance go, huh? Who and what pointed at him and said 'out'."

Laverne sighed. "I don't know. I don't know why I'm alive. I feel bad enough about it, Shirl..."

"No! Don't." Shirley groaned. "I'm so confused. Why didn't I agree to come with you?"

"Because you were lookin' at houses." Laverne teared up. "For the two of you."

"No, Vernie, don't cry! The baby!"

As if to remind her, the baby kicked in protest. "It's been hard for me too, Shirl."

"I know." She shook her head. "I thought I was already over it. I knew for weeks before you but I never even cried over him..."

"That's how ya survive." She pointed out.

Shirley hugged her best friend. "I love you, Laverne."

"I love you, Shirley."

Lenny re-appeared before her, dangling the keys. "Want me to get the car?"

"You wanna try that?"

He shrugged. "Better here when we can call a cab, ya know?"

She nodded, accepting his hand, nearly tilting out of her heels on swollen ankles. After kissing her pop and Squiggy and even Rhonda goodbye, they headed out into the parking lot.

Lenny eased into his seat before sitting down in his side. He took a deep breath.

"Len...if you don't wanna..."

"No, I gotta...someone's gonna drive ya to the hospital in a few months."

He turned the keys in the ignition. His breathing remained even. He pulled backward. Nothing. Then out of the lot.

"You did it!"

He nodded. "I guess...I wasn't the one drivin' Laverne. But sometimes, I think I coulda stopped it."

"Me too." She squeezed his hand.

He pointed his headlights toward home.



To Part 9









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