Song fic to 'if I were a boy' by Beyonce between Farid and Meggie set during InkDeath, ignoring the last couple pages of the book, obviously. [I might do another Meggie/Farid one after this, or maybe a Meggie/Doria, who knows.] I'm just post-poning that for a bit. It's just something I thought up while I was listening to it. Hope you like it. R&R.

Disclaimer – I don't own Farid, Meggie, or anything slightly resembling the contents of the Inkworld. & sorry it's a really wordy/long song fic, but I hate those super short ones.

Action.

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted

"Farid," Meggie whispered, "What are you doing?"

The boy stopped packing his few belongings and looked at the girl, an adventurous sparkle gleaming in his eyes. God, he still had the most beautiful eyes, she thought resisting the urge to run to him and stare into those brown pools for the rest of her life. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Farid replied flatly.

"Well…p-packing, b….but why?" She stuttered.

And go Drink beer with the guys

And chase after girls
I'd kick it with who I wanted
And I'd never get confronted for it
Because they'd stick up for me

"Well spotted. And, I'm going west, with Dustfinger for a couple months, Past the cave, and the giant trees and human nests. To see what's there and what we can find and ……… don't worry Meg! I'll come back to you soon." He finished off noticing the disbelief in Meggie's eyes.

"You know I hate when you go off like this. I just got you back now that Dustfinger is back, and I want to keep it that way Farid. Why do you have to go?" Meggie breathed slamming her and against the wall. Farid's eyes widened as her words and sudden outburst sent shivers down his spine.

"But…this is the first trip Dustfinger has asked me to go on with him. I have to go with him. What if something happens to him and I'm not there?" he countered.

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man

"What about us Farid? What about us?" She said turning away and bringing her hand down on the wall the dusty stone walls of the farm house again.

"You'll still be here love, I know you will. You love this story as must as the Bluejay does now. And, we have all the time in the world when I get back." He reasoned hastily, trying to keep the uncertainty from his voice.

Wind rustled the leaves as it blew through the trees, and a soft growl sounded in the distance, which Meggie took time to listen to before she uttered her reply. Did he really think she would just sit and wait for him to come back from where ever it was his adventures would take him?

I'd listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he's taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

She made her way to the door, taking her time with each step she took, not turning back towards the Arab boy until she had one foot out of the room. "I…I can't, Farid. I can't just sit here and wait for you." With that, she ran from the room, taking the stairs two at a time and fled out the door. She didn't stop until her need for oxygen was greater than her need to get away. It didn't occur to her where she was until she heard rustling in the brush near by, the forest behind her house. Mo had often told her not to go in there alone, but she didn't want to go back. Not if Farid was still there. She made her way high up into the nearest tree so the sky was visible through the trees.

If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it's broken
So they think
that I was sleeping alone

Why had she run? He knew it was unfair to make her wait for him so long, but he hoped she'd at least ask to come along instead of running off. She'd gone so fast he didn't even get a chance to see where she'd gone. Fear ran through him. He didn't want to tell the Bluejay his daughter had flown from the house, by herself, in the middle of the night, but he couldn't sleep without knowing she was okay. Actually, he wasn't sure he wanted to tell the Bluejay that last bit either.

I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for me to come home (to come home)

Tears ran from her eyes, and stained her dress. Why did she even care anymore? Because you loved him, idiot. But he didn't love her as much as he loved Dustfinger, and certainly not as much as she loved him. The thoughts ran through her head, again and again. She gathered her skirts, and wrapped them tightly around her before nodding off to sleep. It was cold, and she had left her coat at the house.

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man

As she woke, an owl hooted in the branches above her, but that's not what had gotten her up. It had been the sound of twigs snapping a little ways off that had done it. She bit her lip worriedly peering at the ground below her. Her heart gave a heavy thump of relief, Mo. How had he always been able to find her?

I'd listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted (wanted)
Cause he's taken you for granted (granted)
And everything you had got destroyed

He climbed the tree quickly, as if he had done it a hundred times before and sat behind her, his back against the trunk of the tree. "Shhh," He cooed into her ear, "It's alright baby girl, it will all be alright." In all honesty, she wasn't a little girl anymore, and he didn't know if it would be all right, but it made him smile when he was able to make her smile again.

It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake
Think I forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong

Farid was waiting on the door step when Meggie and her father came back the next morning, but Meggie simply turned away and went to the old barn when Farid stood up to greet them. Mo watched as the boy quickly followed his daughter into the barn. He wasn't too sure what was going on, but he said a prayer for the boy. Meggie was a firecracker when she was angry, an honest to god firecracker, with an amazing ability to hold a grudge for quite some time.

But you're just a boy
You don't understand (yea you don't understand)
How it feels to love a girl
Someday you'll wish you were a better man

"Meggie…" Farid started, not sure of what to say. "I'm sorry I-I didn't-"

"You didn't WHAT?" the girl interrupted, spitting her words at the wall. "You didn't think about me, or what I wanted, or us, or…ugh. You didn't ask me if I was okay with it, or if I wanted to come with. You just sat there like a git without giving me a choice. You didn't…" she said more quietly, the last of her words lost before the reached his ears.

Farid cast his glance down to his shoes now. "I'm sorry Meggie, but I have to go with Dustfinger, please. Try to understand."

"I'm sorry too," She whispered, "but I can't do this. I can't spend my life waiting. I'm sorry." And she walked out the door for the last time.

You don't listen to her
You don't care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you've taken her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
But you're just a boy…

His knees went weak and he gripped the work table as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. His stomach lurched as if the sight of his shoes suddenly made him want to vomit, and his ribcage was growing too small for his exploding heart. He dropped to his knees and stared at where she had just been standing. "I'm sorry," he cried to the floor boards, "I do, I do love you." Or did, he thought. Was it past tense now that she didn't love him back? No, he still loved her. Did she still love him too? How could he have been so blind, so stupid? He just let the best thing he'd ever known walk out the door.