The West Wing Fic: Semper Fidelis (AU)
Title: Semper Fidelis
Fandom: The West Wing
Rating / Genre: PG-13, Gen
Words: 825
Spoilers: I'm not sure how you spoiler-rate a College Band AU, but let's just say it's loosely based off events in series 6 and a comment made by Donna in series 2 and hope for the best.
Disclaimer: The West Wing is the property of NBC and was created by Aaron Sorkin. As ever, I'm a beta-less writer, so any mistakes are my own.
Author's Notes: Well, I'm really not sure how this happened. I asked for fic prompts in this meme, the next thing you know, goshemily is asking for a West Wing College band AU and the rest is history. Or, more accurately, the rest is a comment fic that got slightly out of control and turned into a one-shot and it was only when I got halfway through that I realised perhaps goshemily had a different kind of band in mind.
Summary: The West Wing. If the characters were in a high school marching band and had been watching a lot of Dawson's Creek.
~~~
Josh paused in the hallway, taken aback by Donna's answer and even more by the bite behind it.
"What do you mean, no?"
"I, mean, 'no'. It's a negative, Josh; I know that you don't hear it very often, but it's pretty simple for the rest of us."
"I know what 'no' means, Donna, I was just asking you-"
"- Actually, you were telling me. 'See you at practice!'" Donna said sarcastically mimicking Josh's tone, "Statement. Not a question."
"I wasn't-," Josh said trying his best to keep up with Donna's determined march towards the practice rooms. "Look, would you stop for a second?"
Donna stopped abruptly, turning to face Josh. "What?!"
Josh grunted as he tried and failed to accommodate Donna's sudden change of pace, dropping his armful of music stands in a metallic clatter. "Well, that was predictable."
Josh crouched to retrieve the scattered load, trying to arrange them into a neatly tessellating pile again. Donna watched, her expression softening as her anger faded. She sighed and reached down for the last pair of stands, placing them gently on top of Josh's reassembled burden.
"I've been asked to join the orchestra. I'm leaving marching band," she said softly.
"What?" Josh said, his surprise sounding almost like indignation. "When did this happen?"
"Will Bailey heard my piccolo at last Saturday's game, told Mr Russell, and he asked me to try out. They're down on flutes."
"And you're going? Just like that?"
"I've got the most experience, I'm going to start as first desk and move up to leader of the Woodwind section when CJ Cregg leaves for Berkeley in the fall."
Josh stared at her, his mouth half-dropped open like a river trout. "Since when did Will Bailey like sports?"
Donna's face fell, almost as if Josh had slapped her. "Really, Josh? That's what you take from that?"
"You don't even like classical music!" Josh exclaimed as Donna resumed striding down the hallway, trying to keep pace and control of the music stands in his arms.
"Says who?"
"You do! You said, the Tchaikovsky / Sousa medley sucked."
"It does suck," Donna replied, as she rounded the corner, "But that's because the arrangement's awful, not the original pieces. The 1812's got plenty enough going on without having Liberty Bell folded in there like an artichoke in an apple strudel."
Josh frowned, his frustration and confusion apparently joining forces to make him sound even more stupid, "Seriously, what was Will Bailey doing at a football game?"
"Scouting the band."
"For flutes?!"
"For talent." Donna replied brusquely, finally coming to a halt outside the practice rooms and turning to face Josh once more. Piano music, mournful and lonely drifted out into the hallway, filling the silence that fell between them.
Josh stopped with her, looking for the right words. "Donna.... You know, I think you're talented."
"No. I didn't."
Josh smiled warmly. "Of course I do, you always lead off in the right direction, you're timing is terrific, you never get nervous, I know I can rely on you to keep the pace going on Thursday night rehearsals, even when I know you'd rather be hanging out with Carole and Margaret."
Flattered by the compliments, Donna glanced down at her feet self-consciously. "Look, this isn't about you, or Thursday nights, or the ridiculous spiral formations you keep insisting will work even though it never, ever has."
Taking a deep breath, Donna stood up straight, and forced herself to look Josh in the eye .
"I told you I wanted to play more challenging pieces, that I could play more challenging pieces. You've been assisting Mr McGarry with the orchestrations for a year now and you know he always gives Toby's brass section the melody, no matter what. You said you'd talk to him about spreading the love to the flutes and clarinets but every season it's the same old tunes with the same old harmonies and I can't do it anymore. It would be so easy just to keep showing up each week and fall in line, but I need to be pushed, I need to do more than play embellishing trills at the end of everyone else's tunes. In orchestra, I'm going to get to do that. Do you understand?"
Josh blinked. "I guess."
Donna smiled sadly at him, "It's what I need right now."
Josh swallowed, his mouth dry as if Donna had somehow sucked all the words from him. "But you'll still come to the games, right?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's better if I take a break for a while." Gently, she reached out and took a music stand from his arms. "I'll see you Thursday though."
"One last practice for old times' sake?" Josh asked, his voice brightening.
"No," Donna said softly, and turning away to open the door of the practice room, not wanting to see Josh's disappointment as she answered, "I have to turn in my uniform."
~~~
Fandom: The West Wing
Rating / Genre: PG-13, Gen
Words: 825
Spoilers: I'm not sure how you spoiler-rate a College Band AU, but let's just say it's loosely based off events in series 6 and a comment made by Donna in series 2 and hope for the best.
Disclaimer: The West Wing is the property of NBC and was created by Aaron Sorkin. As ever, I'm a beta-less writer, so any mistakes are my own.
Author's Notes: Well, I'm really not sure how this happened. I asked for fic prompts in this meme, the next thing you know, goshemily is asking for a West Wing College band AU and the rest is history. Or, more accurately, the rest is a comment fic that got slightly out of control and turned into a one-shot and it was only when I got halfway through that I realised perhaps goshemily had a different kind of band in mind.
Summary: The West Wing. If the characters were in a high school marching band and had been watching a lot of Dawson's Creek.
~~~
Josh paused in the hallway, taken aback by Donna's answer and even more by the bite behind it.
"What do you mean, no?"
"I, mean, 'no'. It's a negative, Josh; I know that you don't hear it very often, but it's pretty simple for the rest of us."
"I know what 'no' means, Donna, I was just asking you-"
"- Actually, you were telling me. 'See you at practice!'" Donna said sarcastically mimicking Josh's tone, "Statement. Not a question."
"I wasn't-," Josh said trying his best to keep up with Donna's determined march towards the practice rooms. "Look, would you stop for a second?"
Donna stopped abruptly, turning to face Josh. "What?!"
Josh grunted as he tried and failed to accommodate Donna's sudden change of pace, dropping his armful of music stands in a metallic clatter. "Well, that was predictable."
Josh crouched to retrieve the scattered load, trying to arrange them into a neatly tessellating pile again. Donna watched, her expression softening as her anger faded. She sighed and reached down for the last pair of stands, placing them gently on top of Josh's reassembled burden.
"I've been asked to join the orchestra. I'm leaving marching band," she said softly.
"What?" Josh said, his surprise sounding almost like indignation. "When did this happen?"
"Will Bailey heard my piccolo at last Saturday's game, told Mr Russell, and he asked me to try out. They're down on flutes."
"And you're going? Just like that?"
"I've got the most experience, I'm going to start as first desk and move up to leader of the Woodwind section when CJ Cregg leaves for Berkeley in the fall."
Josh stared at her, his mouth half-dropped open like a river trout. "Since when did Will Bailey like sports?"
Donna's face fell, almost as if Josh had slapped her. "Really, Josh? That's what you take from that?"
"You don't even like classical music!" Josh exclaimed as Donna resumed striding down the hallway, trying to keep pace and control of the music stands in his arms.
"Says who?"
"You do! You said, the Tchaikovsky / Sousa medley sucked."
"It does suck," Donna replied, as she rounded the corner, "But that's because the arrangement's awful, not the original pieces. The 1812's got plenty enough going on without having Liberty Bell folded in there like an artichoke in an apple strudel."
Josh frowned, his frustration and confusion apparently joining forces to make him sound even more stupid, "Seriously, what was Will Bailey doing at a football game?"
"Scouting the band."
"For flutes?!"
"For talent." Donna replied brusquely, finally coming to a halt outside the practice rooms and turning to face Josh once more. Piano music, mournful and lonely drifted out into the hallway, filling the silence that fell between them.
Josh stopped with her, looking for the right words. "Donna.... You know, I think you're talented."
"No. I didn't."
Josh smiled warmly. "Of course I do, you always lead off in the right direction, you're timing is terrific, you never get nervous, I know I can rely on you to keep the pace going on Thursday night rehearsals, even when I know you'd rather be hanging out with Carole and Margaret."
Flattered by the compliments, Donna glanced down at her feet self-consciously. "Look, this isn't about you, or Thursday nights, or the ridiculous spiral formations you keep insisting will work even though it never, ever has."
Taking a deep breath, Donna stood up straight, and forced herself to look Josh in the eye .
"I told you I wanted to play more challenging pieces, that I could play more challenging pieces. You've been assisting Mr McGarry with the orchestrations for a year now and you know he always gives Toby's brass section the melody, no matter what. You said you'd talk to him about spreading the love to the flutes and clarinets but every season it's the same old tunes with the same old harmonies and I can't do it anymore. It would be so easy just to keep showing up each week and fall in line, but I need to be pushed, I need to do more than play embellishing trills at the end of everyone else's tunes. In orchestra, I'm going to get to do that. Do you understand?"
Josh blinked. "I guess."
Donna smiled sadly at him, "It's what I need right now."
Josh swallowed, his mouth dry as if Donna had somehow sucked all the words from him. "But you'll still come to the games, right?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's better if I take a break for a while." Gently, she reached out and took a music stand from his arms. "I'll see you Thursday though."
"One last practice for old times' sake?" Josh asked, his voice brightening.
"No," Donna said softly, and turning away to open the door of the practice room, not wanting to see Josh's disappointment as she answered, "I have to turn in my uniform."
~~~