"Man, that was some taping," said Drew, pouring himself
another drink and sitting back
down on the couch in the green room. It was the wrap party
after the taping of the
hundredth episode of Whose Line, and everyone was having a good
time...drinking,
chatting, and generally congratulating themselves for the success
of the show. Drew
Carey was in an especially good mood, and was making no secret
about it. "Makes a
hundred episodes look easy."
"Yeah," replied Greg jovially, raising his glass as if
in toast to the others. "Here's to a
hundred more."
"Aw, you just want a hundred more so you have more chances
to wear the biker gear,"
laughed Wayne into his drink, thinking back to their Village
People number that night.
"Captain S&M."
"And you want us to forget that you can't spell,"
replied Greg, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Notice how Greg carefully neither confirms nor denies the
allegations of his interest in
S&M," Ryan remarked innocently, from his seat beside
Colin on the couch across from
Drew's.
"Also notice how nobody asked just how Colin would know he's
the best-hung," Greg
smirked. "And also, how Ryan would know he
isn't."
Ryan smirked back at him, then put his arm around Colin.
"Now, you know that I
couldn't let that little comment go unchallenged, now could
I?" he asked, tapping the
Canadian on the nose.
Colin said nothing; he just smiled and took another sip of his
drink.
"Still," Ryan continued. "I suppose we
could've just showed them how I know..." He
raised an eyebrow suggestively, giving the other man's shoulders
a squeeze.
Colin shook his head, but he was still smiling. "If
we'd have done that, it would've
ended up in the 'outtakes from the first 100 episodes' bit."
"Too bad we couldn't do what Greg and Wayne did during the
'outtakes' bit," replied
Ryan, sounding a little wistful.
Colin turned to him and took his hand. He knew how much it
bothered Ryan to have
to hide their relationship in public...especially since they'd
started the American version
of the series. He planted a quick kiss on Ryan's
cheek. "Maybe during our two-
hundredth show."
"Maybe," the American said, noncommittally.
Colin leaned in against him, hoping to offer some comfort and
support; and as he did so,
he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Drew was watching
them and looking slightly
worried. He elbowed Ryan, gesturing almost imperceptibly towards
the Whose Line
host, and then gave him a 'play along with me' look.
"Oh, I don't know," said Colin nonchalantly.
"We might be able to slip something in
before that."
"What do you mean?" asked Ryan.
"All I'm saying is that I don't think we have to be all that
careful," he said in explanation.
"This is the twenty-first century, after all. Why
should we have to hide what we're
feeling?"
"So...you think maybe we should start going at it hot and
heavy in the middle of
'Greatest Hits'?" Ryan suggested. Colin could tell he
was trying his best to keep a
straight face; if Drew wasn't so drunk, he probably would have
been able to tell too.
Colin rubbed his chin, as if seriously considering his friend's
words. "Y'know, that might
be fun..."
Drew's face fell. "Oh no," he declared
emphatically. "You two are not doing anything
of the sort..."
"Oh Drew, we wouldn't do anything that obvious, of
course," Ryan replied loftily. "Just
a little something to tantalize the fans, that's all."
"The fans are already tantalized enough -- have you seen
some of those Internet sites?"
Drew exclaimed. "They're practically
pornographic."
Ryan looked at him innocently. "But don't people like
shows with lots of sexual tension?
Don't they usually get high ratings?"
"Yeah, Drew," said Colin, egging him on.
"You know, I'd really like to beat 'Friends',
just once."
"Guys," said Drew, looking increasingly worried.
"People may like shows with sexual
tension, but--"
"But nothing," Greg said, jumping in. "What
a great idea. We'll keep the audience
guessing...will they or won't they? Are they or aren't
they?" Ryan and Colin nodded
enthusiastically. "What do you say, Drew?"
"People watched 'Moonlighting' for the sexual tension.
People watch 'The X Files' for
the sexual tension. People do not watch
'Whose Line Is It Anyway' for the sexual
tension!" Drew sputtered in drunken indignation.
With that, he passed out.
Ryan, Colin, Greg, and Wayne all gazed down at him. Then
Wayne dissolved into a
fit of laughter, quickly followed by Greg.
"Oh man," hooted Greg. "You guys really got
him."
"If only we'd been recording this," Wayne gasped,
wiping at his eyes.
Colin grinned at Ryan. "You do realize that Drew's
going to be panicking over this
once he sobers up."
"If he even remembers it," laughed Greg.
"Oh, we'll make sure he remembers it," Ryan said.
"He'll be worried about this until
we do our next show."
"You're going to keep him stewing until the next
taping?" Colin teased gently. "That's
not until fall."
"Yeah," laughed Ryan. "Just think...we've
got all summer to drive him nuts."
Colin shook his head, gazing at Ryan affectionately. He
raised his glass. "Here's to
Episode 101, then."
Ryan raised his glass in return. "May it fulfill all
our fantasies..."
"...and all of Drew's nightmares," Greg and Wayne
proclaimed in unison.