Alison Ashmore Again
This is the story of one Alison Ashmore and how she went on a date with Bruce "The Goose" O'Brian.
As a Valley Girl, Alison lived a pretty typical life of a middle class American. The one major variation to her story that many others would not share was that her father in addition to being a car dealership magnate, moonlighted as a professional poker player, frequently taking trips across the US and sometimes abroad to compete in high stakes tournaments. A career made on vice wasn't exactly something that Alison was thrilled to take pride in or inform others of, but at the end of the day her father's success allowed her to live a very comfy lifestyle on par with some of the minor Hollywood elite and Alison never found want of anything.
However, this did have one very unfortunate drawback in that her father's exposure to a world of vice and debauchery coupled with her mother's paranoia for their only child made the Ashmores very controlling parents who flipped out if their daughter deviated from the all-American girl image they held of her. Usually this didn't present too much of a problem for Alison, but one party that went a little wild thanks to spiked punch, punch she didn't even take a sip of, and she was grounded. When her father was set to play in a major Vegas tournament, instead of being content with leaving Alison at home as he usually did, her parents decided they needed to bring her to Vegas with them. Sure being forced to go on a Vegas vacation was a dream for many, but not for Alison when most of the city was off limits legally and under the perview of her parents, forcing her to sit around and lounge at the hotel, bored out of her mind and just barely passing the time through poolside excursions or the tv.
One night, she managed to slip out of her parent's hawkish gaze as they went to see a comedy show and patroled the game floor, trying to live in a temporary fantasy that she was an adult on her own vacation and free from her parent's grasp. She then went to the bar, hoping to bullshit her way to get some alcohol to drink the night away, and while trying to come up with a tactic to score a drink, she was approached by Bruce.
At the time in his pre-MASH days, Bruce seemed to be a decently handsome guy with a bit of charm to him, but he was far from the sexy hunk that he would be known for years later. His confidence and kind demeanor when approaching Alison did catch her attention a bit when he introduced himself, but for one reason or another there just wasn't any magic spark that she could claim would be the start of something more. Assuming him to just be a decently-looking staff, she pulled her charms and tried to flirt her way to get a drink. Bruce easily picked up on her underage status and told her no, though he wasn't much help on that front since he seemed to be an entertainer and not staff.
Realizing she wasn't likely to drink her boredom away, Alison decided to entertain Bruce's advances and spent a few minutes talking to him. She was about to head back to her room when she caught her parents walking towards her, and wanting to play a small prank on them, got all close and handsy with Bruce, acting like she was on an impromptu date and he was a charming gentleman. Unfortunately, this turned to be an unwise choice as Bruce apparently did an Irish comedy gig and showcased every swear in the English langauge, which got her parents immediately hostile and suspicious. To Alison's faint surprise, her mother managed to talk her dad into allowing them to go on a date, but this resulted in them having a table while their parents watched just a few feet away, John Ashmore ready to beat the shit out of Bruce and throw him to the mob at the first sign of trouble.
It was a real shame to Alison that her parents had to act as mood killers because after spending some time with Bruce, Alison picked up a faint feeling that he seemed to be a decent guy and wouldn't have even gone for a kiss until a couple dates later. He was very polite, curteous, and decently friendly; although it was clear he didn't have any romantic experience, having the passion and flair of a stiff office worker.
No matter how many times Alison tried to make the date fun or exciting, she ran into brick walls and kept on glancing towards the clock as she spent more time with a guy who could basically be summarized as decent and above average in looks, charm and personality. Bruce wasn't awful, but he wasn't outstanding either. Alison had to carry most of the talking, and after she ran out of stuff with her passions, interests that Bruce did not once share, she kept on shooting blanks thanks to their meeting beforehand being brief and accidental and the constant overwatch of her parents really limiting her options for fun and conversation.
To Bruce's credit, he was a good listener and at least paid attention to her talking, eyes meeting hers instead of lusting over her body, something more than a few guests had done throughout the night thanks to her dress. That had by default made Bruce better than half of the guys she had dated. He did ask intelligent questions about her passion for fashion and did seem genuinely intrigued and fascinated with what she said. In return, he held her interest over his experience working in Hollywood and deep love for filmmaking, and had he gotten some prominent roles she would have probably been hooked. Alas, cinema to Alison was never more than fun times with family so his interests never carried too deeply, and over an hour in there was a mutual feeling that the date was the definition of meh and nothing was going anywhere.
Once the two of them had finished their meals, Bruce took a chance to leave, and on a whim to reward him for at least being a decent gentlemen, Alison wrote her phone number on a napkin for Bruce to keep in touch after he went back to LA. A akward handshake and thanks for the time was the last she saw of Bruce O'Brian, her father's tournament ending the next day and then Alison heading back to the city of angels without getting to see Bruce again.
When she got back home, Alison realized she made a terrible mistake by giving Bruce her number and not asking for his in return. While annoying, it was also a great weight of social responsibility lifted off of her shoulders by forcing the initiative on Bruce to call her when Alison was unsure if she wanted to go for a second date when the first was so messy. Thus she waited. Hours turned into days, then weeks, and after the fifth week, Alison gave up on Bruce and from then on, he became "The Irish asshole who stood her up" in vents about romantic troubles to her friends. After a few months, Bruce completely slipped from her mind beyond brief flashes whenever Vegas was brought up.
Fast forward to late summer of 1974. Alison was about to start her second year in UCLA. Her first had been an overall joyous time where she pursued her dreams in fashion education, made several great friends, took great classes, and finally stopped enduring her parent's paranoia and was treated as an adult. It was an overall great time for Alison, her only downside being her frustrating romantic life, never holding down a boyfriend for more than three months and most guys on campus proving to be insufferable.
One Saturday, she did her best to take her mind off of guys by having a fun time in Santa Monica with her best friend Veronica. The two Valley Girls hit the town and ended the day with a pleasant dinner at a seafood restaurant. As they were finishing their meal, Veronica stretched to the side and then her eyes nearly bulged out in shock at what she saw behind Alison. "HOLY SHIT, holy shit, holy shit!" She whisper yelled, Veronica's body shaking as she taped on the table repeatedly in excitement.
"What?" Alison asked in confusion.
"Be cool, act natural. There's Hollywood hottie sitting a few tables behind you at eleven o'clock!" Veronica gushed.
That certainly perked Alison's attention up, as despite living in the city of film all her life, she never really had a celebrity encounter aside from a minor Director who bought from her dad once. "Really? Who." Alison asked.
"Bruce O'Brian, the smoking hot dreamboat from MASH and American Graffiti." Veronica whispered in euphoria at the sight.
While Alison was familiar with both shows, she only saw Graffiti once and just casually watched a few episodes of MASH. More so, the name wasn't an automatic alarm bell because the Bruce she met in Vegas never shared his last name.
Eager to catch a piece of some film eye candy, Alison subtly turned around and observed the man Veronica was doing best to point out. Catching the sight of a raven haired and well muscled hunk casually sipping on some water, Alison took a liking to what she saw as Bruce proved to be every bit as intoxicating in person as he was on screen with that sexy smolder and cool demeanor. But as she continued to stare at Bruce, something clicked in Alison's brain and she panickingly hid her face in her crossed arms and groaned at the realization.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Alison groaned.
"Ali? What's the matter?"
"Don't freak out, but I'm pretty sure I went on a date with Bruce before."
"YOU WHAT?!" Veronica yelled, then slid down her chair in embarassment as half the restaraunt's eyes were on her, including a brief glance from Bruce. She then leaned across the table. "Ali, why the fuck didn't you tell me you dated Bruce O'Brian, the sexiest man alive?" She whisper yelled. While Alison didn't follow Bruce's career, Veronica was a full blown fan girl and had a plethora of Bruce posters in her room along with many diary pages that went into heavy detail on her dreams of becoming Mrs. Veronica O'Brian.
"Because it was nearly three years ago and he was a nobody and an awkward dork, the guy barely had any muscles on him." Alison explained. She distinctly remembered some slight buildup in the arms but that was it. Now Bruce was a human machine with large biceps and a strong chest that put most UCLA athletes to shame.
"Oh that's bullshit, you don't go from a nerd to a Greek god within a couple of years." Veronica retorted, with Alison rolling her eyes in response. "Well, did you have a good time?"
"Not really, it was okay but mostly weird cause mom and dad were there and he wasn't all that great at conversation." Alison complained. As hot as Bruce was, she wasn't interested in making a fool out of herself again, and looks didn't mean much if it didn't come with a personality.
"Well as the funniest guy on TV, he's gotta be better at talking now and your folks are nowhere in sight. Ali, you're smoking hot, you've got history, go over there and make him your man!" Veronica said excitedly.
"What?" Alison asked increduously.
"Ali, you've been striking out since Junior Year, everyone on campus are hippies or douchebags, and you've got the sexiest man in Hollywood across the room, and you got history. This is a sign, the start of your romance with a Hollywood icon."
"But-" Alison protested.
"Girl, if you don't make your move then at least act as my support, and if you don't go there and start talking then I won't help you with math for the rest of the semester." Veronica blackmailed, forcing Alison into action as she hated math and relied on Veronica for a passing grade.
"Ugh, fine, but you're taking the check." Alison moaned. Veronica happily agreed and scooted Alison off to be with her prince charming.
As she walked across the restaurant, Alison looked at herself anxiously, trying to brush her hair into something decent. While still very pretty in her opinion, she was far from the hot bombshell she appeared in Vegas, just wearing a simple red sundress and flats.
'Oh well, if nothing else I at least get a lame story to tell for parties.' Alison thought.
When she arrived at Bruce's table, he turned to face her from staring at the back, looking at her with a mix of caution and apprehension. "Can I help you?"
Feeling some annoyance and hostility, and not wanting to seem like a dumb fangirl, Alison decided to just get to the point, "Hey Bruce, long time no see." Alison greeted with an timid wave.
Bruce narrowed his eyes at her, "Do I know you?"
"Well it's been a few years, but I went to one of your shows at Vegas and we had a dinner together." Alison said with an akward flip of her hair as she cringed to death on the inside. Bruce continued to stare at her blankly. Alison gave a sigh, "My parents chaperoned our date." Alison said in defeat.
Bruce's eyes lit up at the information, though to her dismay instead of excitement, there seemed to be more nervousness. "Alison?"
"Hi."
Bruce gave an akward laugh. "Holy shit, that feels like a lifetime ago. How have you been?" Bruce asked, anxiously switching focus between her and what looked like to be the restrooms.
"Oh um, pretty good. Right now I'm going to UCLA, majoring in fashion design." Alison answered.
"Oh yeah, you said you were a tailor. You working for Gucci now, or maybe doing some work in costuming?" Bruce asked.
Alison was pleasantly surprised that he remembered such a detail, giving her a tiny sliver of hope. "Nothing really, just do some minor jobs for my friends and classmates. I'm actually looking to start an internship by next year." Alison said, with Bruce absently nodding. She desperately tried to search her brain for some remnants of information about Bruce, but outside of him stating he was an actor, she was drawing total blanks and the conversation turned to a very awkward pause.
Bruce then broke the ice, "Listen Alison. I had a....decent time with you, but right now I'm in a very committed and loving relationship."
At the news Alison experienced a mixture of soft heartbreak and annoyance, sad that a star she dated once had moved on after he became famous, incredibly annoyed that he automatically assumed she was pining for him when he stood her up, even though technically it was kind of true....
Not wanting to seem like a doe-eyed romantic fangirl, Alison sought an out. "Actually, I came over because my best friend over there is a huge fan and I promised to get her an autograph. I know you're trying to have dinner and probably get harassed by a lot of crazy people, but I just really wanted to do something nice for her and I thought it was cool to run into you after you hit it big."
Despite being an Emmy-winning actor, Bruce fell for her bit hook, line and sinker; groaning slightly in embarassment. "I'm sorry for making an assumption like that. I'm perfectly fine with giving autographs, it's just that you were the last person I went out with before my girlfriend, and I didn't want any mixed signals."
"It's okay." Alison said with a forced smile. It was still annoying that he thought she was pining for him after so many years, but he seemed like a decent guy, and even if he was taken, maybe they could stay in touch as friends, and maybe there would be something more later down the line? After all, Hollywood romances were notorious for being fleeting.
"Sorry for taking so long Bruce, one of the toilets was clogged and I had to wait on a line." Came a rich voice from behind Alison. Turning as frozen as a deer in headlights, Alison slowly turned around and found herself face to face with another Hollywood star, this one being a young woman she was more than familiar with and an actual fan of as she wrote and starred in her now favorite movie Some Nights, Carrie Fisher.
"Whose this?" Carrie asked cautiously. Based on Bruce's body language, Alison started to connect the dots with Bruce finishing her train of thought.
"Carrie, this is Alison. She's a...acquaintance I know from a while ago. Alison, this is my girlfriend Carrie." Bruce introduced, Alison wanting to curl up in a ball and roll away over not even being friend zoned, but acquaintance-locked. Now Alison wasn't the type of bitch who stole another woman's man, but even if she was, she knew she stood no chance in hell in competing with Carrie Fisher.
Knowing well she never had anything to begin with, Alison sought to de-escalate and retreat with as much dignity as she could. "Oh my gosh, I'm such a huge fan of Some Nights, everything was just so beautiful and the color coding and costume design were simply perfection." Alison stated truthfully, disarming Carrie's hostility at the praise. From there the trio engaged in a minute of polite small talk, and Alison managed to get Veronica over and get her that autograph, with Alison getting one from Carrie.
Wanting to get as far away as possible and not suffer under embarassment, Alison threw some cash on their table and shepherded Veronica out the restaurant before she became weird with Bruce. When they were a good distance away, Alison smacked Veronica's shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Why the hell didn't you tell me he's dating Carrie Fisher?!" Alison yelled in annoyance.
"I didn't think they were." Veronica protested.
"Didn't they kiss at the premiere of Some Nights?" Alison prodded, remembering a tabloid headline she saw at the store once but not bothering to read such trash.
"Well yeah, but I thought it was just a stunt. Half the magazines I read say they're faking it, and you know those actor relationships never last long. Although now that I've seen them, they do make a cute couple."
Rolling her eyes at how her friend transformed so quickly from an O'Brian fangirl to a shipper, Alison did her best to purge the night from her mind and accept the fact that she never had anything with a movie star and probably never well.
If there was one thing that Alison could take some solace in, it was that at the end of the day Bruce was just a talented B-lister. Sure he may have starred on Graffiti and was a core member of the MASH ensemble, but at the end of the day it's not like Bruce was the biggest name in Hollywood or the greatest actor ever? Surely she could find someone to date who was better than Bruce right?
A few years later, Alison would cry into her pillow for hours over the blown opportunity to date Han Solo.
Bruce and Carrie POV
With their anonymity partially exposed and having long finished their meals anyways, Bruce and Carrie decided to head back to Bruce's car through a long walk alongside the beach, the two holding hands as they enjoyed their leisurely stroll under the setting sun.
As they had searched for a house, Bruce had more than once had stray thoughts to acquiring beach property for their new home, but in the end both the needs of business and a desire to make Carrie comfortable and happy pushed him to become a Beverly Hillbilly. To settle any minor feelings of buyer's remorse, he had decided to take Carrie out for a beach date at Santa Monica.
Up until that point, the day had been very pleasant with lots of fun under the sun and best of all for the two rising actors, no media harassment. All thanks to a phenomena Carrie liked to call "The Bruce Effect", cause when they were together they could enjoy life incognito while when Carrie was alone there would somehow be a paparazzi around the corner. There had been a dozen fan encounters, but those had been for the most part warm and pleasant.
"And the day ends with seven for Bruce the Goose and five for Carrie Fisher." Carrie playfully announced, the two having made a game over who would be recognized more in public. In the past Bruce could usually win with shutouts, but since Some Nights Carrie had been on the rise in fame and was providing tough competition or winning some games.
"As the victor of today's exhibition, I would like to receive my award." Bruce said dramatically, with his prize then being awarded a few second later with Carrie pulling him down for a tender kiss on the lips. Usually the two's games managed to end with both being winners.
"You know, pretty soon I think you'll be dominant with shutout streaks and I'll just be known as Carrie Fisher's boyfriend." Bruce joked.
Carrie waged her finger, "Ah, ah, ah; you'll be known as Carrie O'Brian's husband." She said in a tone that was both playful and heavily earnest, especially around the last few words, something which made Bruce smile deeply.
As a rising actress, singer and writer who was dominating theaters with Some Nights as the start of a likely long and illustrious film career, Bruce had been accepting for Carrie to follow her mother and many other actresses to keep their maiden names in marriage. When the topic came up one day, Carrie denied any such desires and strongly insisted that the day they wed was the day she would become Carrie O'Brian, expressing that she wanted to have the last name of the man she loved for the rest of her life over her absent bastard of a father.
"Yes, and it'll be my greatest honor to be known as such." Bruce said lovingly, causing Carrie to hug and nuzzle his arm in a affectionate response.
For the next minute the two walked slowly in quiet bliss, until a nagging feeling of anxiety caused Carrie to ask a question.
"Bruce, who was she?" She asked tepidly, scared of an answer. She could easily tell despite Bruce's downplaying that they had some history, and while Bruce didn't hide that he had some romantic experience before, Carrie never felt it until today, preferring to pretend that she was Bruce's first and only, afraid that past experiences meant she would be compared to and found to be lesser.
Knowing fully who she was referring to, Bruce briefly debated over how to tell her, before deciding that there was absolutely no harm in the truth. "Alison? She's just this girl who I went on a date with in Vegas a year before I met you. It was a pretty meh time, and to be honest I completely forgot about her until today."
Despite telling the truth, Carrie was unconvinced, "Bruce, you don't have to downplay your time together, I can take it." A statement that didn't match her uneven tone.
"I'm telling the truth, we just had one date in Vegas and that was it." Bruce said.
"A date in Vegas is never just a date." Carrie affirmed.
"It is when her parents are hovering over you like helicopters and she had a personality as dry as a cracker." Bruce affirmed, setting Carrie at ease while catching her interest. He then went to explain in detail the semi-disaster of a date, how the hawkish behavior of the Ashmores had helped to kill the vibe as it started and how they both struggled to make any chemistry or connection beyond just light fascination when they talked about each other's passions.
"-When I got back to LA I was tempted to give her a call and maybe see if there was something more, but everytime I got close to using the phone, something inside just told me there wasn't anything worth pursuing and there was someone better out there, or I should say right here." Bruce said with a nod of his head towards Carrie, making her blush. "Procrastination turned days of hesitation into weeks and months, and with the hell from MASH, I completely forgot about her. Well actually, I was very tempted to give her a call a few weeks before we met, but I thought it was kind of scummy to ask for a date a year after we met with no further contact, and there really was nothing there besides looks, so I decided to just let her go and take my shot at fishing for love in LA."
"Did you meet anyone else?" Carrie asked, Bruce shook his head firmly.
"No, Cat getting blacklisted kind of killed the mood for me. So I had planned to hold off for a month or two, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions in my life, as I fell head over heels for a beautiful brunette bookworm at the library." Bruce said flirtatiously, causing Carrie to gush at the praise.
"Who else did you date before me?" Carrie pushed, wanting to put her anxieties to rest.
Bruce thought hard on the matter for a few seconds, his past love life being near erased from his mind after he met Carrie. "Well, when I was 13 my parents set me up with a date to our church's Valentine's Dance with one of our neighbors, Julia O'Hare. We had a decent time and went on a couple of dates but there was never much romance and we were more friends so we mutually ended it. When I was in my final year of high school, I dated a Freshman named Sofia Corelli. We were together for a few months in the fall and winter but she dumped me because she thought I was too serious and clingy and she felt a bit uncomfortable to be with someone who was going to graduate four years early. After that was Alison, and then last and best of all, you."
Carrie stared at him with an open mouth and shock, completely flabbergasted. "You're shitting me, I was number four?"
Bruce panicked, "Carrie, believe me, I wish you were my first-"
"How the hell did you not have more?!" Carrie exclaimed, causing Bruce to nearly trip in bewilderment.
"Huh?"
"You're the hottest guy in the world! You're funny, smart, strong, super talented, why didn't you have more girlfriends?" Carrie asked, producing a snort from Bruce in response which annoyed her. "I'm serious."
"Carrie, once upon a time before I met Bruce, I was just a scrawny dork who was too smart for his own good, obsessed with the theater, and was shit at humor, still am for the latter." Bruce said. Every now and then, Bruce had a spiraling train of thought, a what if on if he had never trained in martial arts and boxing, would Carrie have still shown interest in him at the library, when her first impression was that of a strong and handsome soldier?
"Well I love your intelligence, I admire your passion for theater, and you are the funniest man alive, so I think I would have fallen for that scrawny dork." Carrie declared confidently, as if answering his silent doubts directly.
In response, Bruce picked Carrie up and spun her around in a hug, then setting her down with a deep kiss, leaving his girlfriend heavily flustered and bashful with a scarlet blush.
"I'm really grateful that you are my first Bruce." Carrie whispered happily.
"And I'm thankful for stumbling for so long, all so I could meet you." Bruce returned.
A/N: I decided to make this Omake as a fun little closer to the tale of Alison Ashmore, Bruce's first and only romantic interest in the Quest besides Carrie back in Turn 8. Kind of wild we were pretty close to trying a date again and going for Alison O'Brian instead of meeting Carrie with the nat 99, but Magoose Dice finds a way.
