bring the bass back

I'm being normal about this!!!!

Bill Nighy

Hugh Laurie

James McAvoy

John Lithgow

Katherine Parkinson

Keira Knightley

Kit Harrington

Leo Woodall

Mackenzie Crook

Mathew MacFadyen

Matt Berry

Nick Frost

Paul Whitehouse

Peter Serafinowicz

Riz Ahmed

Shirley Bassey

Simon Armitage

Simon Pegg

Stephen Fry

Stephen Mangan

Because oh my god the beautiful metaphor of having to try and keep everything locked inside only for your body to physically turn those feelings into beauty that slowly choke you to death?

I love it. I'm sorry you're not getting a whole fic, but you're getting a whole concept. I hope you like it!

In the month before Season 1, Frank and Abby's marriage is exactly where it is in S1, except they try to do something about it. A nice trip, a week at a hotel by the beach. The kids are with her parents. If this doesn't rekindle the marriage, nothing will.

Except Frank's not a great flyer, and his back is killing him after lifting both their suitcases, so the first thing he needs when they get there is a nap. Not an ideal start. Abby leaves him to it in favour of getting a tan at the pool. Frank nags her about sunscreen so much when he's there, so she's happy to get some UV rays in unsupervised. Meanwhile, Frank is getting some benzos in.

Mel arrives on the same day, heartbroken that apparently Middle Hill is better than the vacation she splurged on for her and Becca, and seriously questioning her life because she couldn't find anyone else to go with her to save her life. But the room is nice and the ocean is right there, and she might as well make the most of it, she's about to start her R2 year, who knows when she'll get away next. So she slathers herself in sunscreen and heads out to the beach. By sunset, she has a jar full of pretty shells and one incredibly cool rock, and if that's not success she doesn't know what is.

The Langdons and Mel get dressed for dinner. It's not a formal place, but it's no shoes no shirts no service. Mel's in a flowy dress. Gets seated, does some people watching because what else is she gonna do. She brought a book in her purse, but she figures she might as well just soak up the atmosphere, see how that feels. There's a live band, so that's really nice. She doesn't see Abby and Frank arrive. He's in a long-sleeve button-up, tie, loafers and formal pants, and he's dying in the heat. Abby is in a ballgown, she looks stunning, and they both look super out of place.

It happens halfway through dinner. "IS THERE A DOCTOR HERE?!"

Someone's choking, Mel and Frank are running, they get there within seconds of each other. They both try a heimlich, but the man passes out, they can't dislodge the piece of food. "We need to do a tracheotomy, he'll have brain damage by the time EMTs get here." They agree. Introductions happen between vitals. They're both in emergency medicine? What are the odds. They call out orders to the staff. Vodka and a really sharp knife. Does anyone have a pen that unscrews?

The flow is so natural and they get an airway, taking turns with CPR and blowing in breaths. The world around them falls away as they check his colour, feel for spontaneous heartbeats. The EMTs arrive, get a monitor on the guy, resume efforts, take him to the hospital. Frank and Mel both offer to go with but are turned down when the EMTs ask if they have a licence to practice in this state, they don't.

So there they are, sat on the floor together in the carnage, soaked in blood, smiling as the crowd applauds. Abby left, or leaves in that moment for Frank to see. Why does he always have to put work first, this was meant to be a nice dinner, couldn't he have let it go just once? There was someone else there to help. Frank looks for her in the crowd, heartbroken when she's gone. People help them up, pat their shoulders. The hotel manager insists on bringing them a bottle of champagne, and are they here together? What an incredible couple. "No no, we just met."

Frank goes through the motions of chasing after Abby, but visibly deflates at the prospect, also he's still pumped high on adrenaline and he wants to talk to Mel about what just happened, debrief. "Well my wife seems to have left, so we might as well share this."

So he takes off his blood stained shirt and tie, leaving him in an undershirt. Mel ties the parts of her dress that got blood on them into a knot to avoid scaring the children, and they sit down, open that bottle. They get glasses brought to them an even though this is a buffet-style hotel restaurant, the chef sends out handmade nibbles for them. They debrief about the patient, talk about emergency medicine, realise they're in the same city, and then later realise that they're actually gonna be colleagues. Frank is so fucking happy. He tells her all about her future colleagues and he's in the middle of a cowboy intubation story of Robby's when Abby shows up. "What is this?"

"Abby, this is Melissa King, she's the other doctor who helped-"

"No, Frank, why are you here still."

Frank excuses himself and Mel tries not to listen in on the fight that's happening very much within earshot of her, sipping her champagne. Frank stops by to say bye, but leaves with Abby quickly after that.

From that day, Mel can't help keep an eye out for him, and it seems to be mutual, because he seems to have a habit of spotting her right back. She keeps her distance, but sneaks glances at them at dinner. The air is frosty. The dress code falls to the wayside, they just look like any other couple now.

Mel is in the lobby bar one late night, they have soft music and comfortable armchairs, she has a cocktail where she can't taste the alcohol and a good book, when she senses someone walking up to her.

"Dr. Langdon!"

"Dr. King." He smiles. "Mind if I sit?" She tells him of course not, and he takes a seat in the armchair next to hers.

"How's your vacation going?"

"Well... I just dropped my wife off at the airport, because apparently a $500 flight home was better than spending two more nights here with me. So, on a personal level, not so great. BUT, the hotel reception desk got word to me today that our patient survived. I thought you should know, in case they hadn't told you."

"That's great news! The patient, that is. I'm sorry about your-"

"Yeah, yeah, me too." He sighs, looks at her drink. "That looks good, what are you having?"

"I really don't know. I asked Michael over there to make me something that doesn't taste like alcohol. It's really good though. "

Frank gets up and approaches the bar. "Michael, good sir, I'll have a Dr. King special, and keep them coming." He points at what is now their table. And so they sit and they chat and they drink. Mel's book disappears into her bag and Michael brings them two more cocktails each before his shift is over. The area stays open, but the bar closes from 2 AM, and so they sit and they chat and at some point they moved their arm chairs closer. They're not flirting, but when Mel goes to the bathroom at some point, her heart is pounding, and Frank is also holding his sternum while she's gone because he hasn't felt this close to anyone, possibly ever, and definitely not in recent memory.

They hold that line of pleasantly tipsy, to slightly drunk, and Mel asks if he wants to go see the sunrise, because the idea of cold ocean water sounds amazing right then. So with the last of their cocktails, they head out to the beach and sit with their feet in the water.

"I think I'm getting divorced." It's sinking in now.

"Sometimes things just don't work out, no matter how much you try."

"It's gonna suck for the kids."

Mel shakes her head. "My parents really loved each other, and they both died. That sucks. Yours will still have both of you."

They look into the distance where the first rays of sun are coming up over the water.

"To a brand new day?" Frank suggests, and they clink their glasses.

The sun rises, and the world around them comes to life.

"Do you want to have dinner tonight?" Frank asks when he walks her back to her room. Mel agrees. They both have flights the day after. They find out over dinner that it's the same flight. They take the same shuttle to the airport and Frank asks if she'd sit with him, since he has a free seat next to him. Mel does, and it's... there's something equally charged and peaceful about the whole trip. It's like they naturally move at the same pace, they naturally gravitate towards the same queues, they stand the same distance from the conveyer belt. Much like during that emergency at the hotel restaurant, they just flow.

They share a taxi home and exchange numbers on the way, before stopping at hers first.

"Mel? I can't wait to work with you." Frank tells her when she gets out. And he wants to say other things, but they're about to be colleagues and he's about to go home to whatever his still-wife has to say. Now is not the time to make a move.