Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A- Areosmith or AC/DC

B- BTO/ Boston/ Blondie

C- Creedence Clearwater Revival

D- Def Leppard

E- Electric Light Orchestra or The Eagles

F- Fleetwood Mac

G- Guns ‘N’ Roses

H- Heart

I-Iron Maiden

J- Journey or Joan Jett

K- KISS

L- Led Zeppelin

M- Metallica

N- Nirvana

O- Ozzy Osbourne

P- Pink Floyd

Q- Queen

R- Rolling Stones

S- (Bruce) Springsteen

T- Toggles

U- U2

W- The Who

X- X Ambassadors

Y- Yes

Z- ZZ Top

Chapter Text

“Marianne, Earth to Marianne.” Dawn’s voice floated pleasantly enough into Marianne’s sleep addled brain.

She smiled lazily in her sleep, stretching out her stiff frame on her sister’s couch.

“Wake Up!” Dawn shout next to her ear.

Startled Marianne bolted up to a seated position, her momentum carrying her right off the sofa and onto the floor, dragging the blankets with her. 

“You can’t keep doing this” Dawn admonished, standing threateningly over her sister.

Marianne raised a hand to her pounding head.

“This self-destruction has to end!” Dawn demanded, stomping her foot.

Dawn marched over to the window and yanked open the curtains letting the early morning sunlight into the apartment Livingroom.

Marianne frowned and shielded her eyes from the harsh daylight.

“You came home drunk, again,” Dawn accused.

Marianne tried to protest but the evidence was against her. The sour taste in her mouth and the queasiness in her stomach enough to prove otherwise. 

“No, you don’t get to speak,” Dawn said, all tough love suddenly, “sit down and just listen for once.” 

Dawn helped guide her sister to a seated position on the couch.

“You’re my big sister, you drive me crazy, but I love you,” Dawn said staring her sister down, “but the Ronda incident was almost two years ago.”

Marianne’s stomach turned at the mention of her ex-fiancé.  

It didn’t matter that it had been two years. It could have been five, or a hundred years ago and Marianne was sure she would still remember every detail of the scene that had greeted her the morning she was supposed to get married. 

She had gone over to her soon-to-be wife’s apartment for a surprise visit and found the love of her life Ronda, a golden-haired, green-eyed southern belle, in bed with not just another woman but a man also. In that moment her world had come crashing down. It came to light that Ronda had never really loved Marianne, she had been happy in her Poly relationship and had only dated Marianne for the status and money that came with her. Marianne had felt so used.

She could have been understanding of the polyamorous relationship if Ronda had of told her about it, but she hadn’t. Instead Ronda had hid that away from her. The worst part was after the fact her father kept trying to get her to give Ronda another chance. As if! She was still a cheater and a liar. Didn’t her father understand all Ronda had cared about was marrying a Faye and her hair, not always in that order. It hurt more to know that Marianne had been ‘the other woman’ so to speak and that Ronda’s partners had known full well about the duplicity.  Marianne had even met them a couple of times at parties and such and she had been none the wiser. 

Before Ronda, Marianne had dated a mix of both guys and girls but Ronda had really swept her off her feet. She had been kind and charming on the surface, offering Marianne the odd compliment which had really been disguised insults. Her hair had this one perfect lock that always sat just right over her forehead, and her teeth had been a dazzling smile that easily hypnotized Marianne. 

“Marianne, are you even listening to me?” Dawn huffed, annoyed.

“I’m over her,” Marianne said truthfully. It hadn’t been Ronda this time that had sent her to drinking her misery away. Well not entirely. After the ‘Ronda Incident’ as it had become known as Marianne how made a vow to herself. Be it Man or Woman she would never fall in love again.

“They kicked me out,” Marianne mumbled.

“What?” Dawn asked, turning her head so fast she made her own blonde curls bob and sway. They were a paler shade than Ronda’s which Marianne was ever grateful for. 

“It was my band and they kicked me out!” Marianne shouted, “ME! It was my band!” she repeated still reeling from the shock. 

“Oh,” Dawn sat down next to her sister on the couch and awkwardly put her arm around her. 

Marianne had shunned most physical contact in the last two years but she welcomed her sister’s hesitant embrace and sunk into her side. The tears came hard and fast flowing down her cheeks. 

“They replaced me with, with her,” Marianne hiccuped. 

Dawn didn’t need to ask who ‘her’ was, Ronda had become the ‘she-who-must-not-be-named.’

“She can’t even sing that well,” Marianne snuffed.

“No, she can’t,” Dawn agreed.  

She supposed it had been all about looks for the band. They could have Ronda lip-sync to Marianne’s per-recorded lyrics.