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caz963Here’s another little something written for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ww_renaissance, where this week, we’ve been watching The Crackpots and These Women.
This is all![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
christinekh’s and zinke’s fault. They made me get up off my sick-bed *cough* and write this – just because I said that I didn’t think Josh would have actually been allowed to return his NSC card, and that in my head, Leo would have given it back to him.
Usual disclaimers - these guys ain't mine, they're Aaron's.
Carrying the Card
“You wanted to see me?”
Leo looked up from the briefing book he’d been reading to see Josh hovering in the doorway. “Yeah. Close the door, would you?”
He registered the look of mild surprise on the younger man’s face before Josh turned, did as he’d been asked and then walked into the room.
Leo gestured to a chair with one hand while he opened a drawer with the other and pulled out a small envelope. He set it carefully on the desk in front of him, then leaned back and pulled off his glasses. “How’s it going in there?”
Josh scrubbed a hand through his hair and slumped down in a chair on the other side of the desk. “Well, Toby hasn’t killed Sam yet, but it’s early, so there’s still time.” He frowned. “And Mandy keeps taking off her shoe and waving it around, so -” he cleared his throat. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
She’s doing what? Leo frowned at him for a few seconds, then decided he was probably better off not making any further enquiries about that. “Okay. Look.” He picked up the envelope and took out the contents. “About the thing the other night. I’m sorry, Josh,” he said, holding up the small, plastic card Josh had been given by the NSC. “But you can’t give this back.”
Josh’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Leo, I – I don’t - ”
Leo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. God, this was difficult. Not that he’d expected it to be otherwise; he knew how hard this was for Josh to accept, but there were some things about these jobs that weren’t negotiable.
“You know you can’t, Josh,” he persisted, not unkindly. “It comes with the territory. This stuff - it’s down to national security and when we’re talking about the NSC and the Secret Service, well if an emergency situation like that ever arose, even the President would have to do what they told him to.” He paused. “And I know it’s no consolation, but he hates the idea of that as much as you do. Hell,” he smiled briefly, “I think they’ll have to carry him onto the plane if it ever comes to it.”
Josh managed a half-hearted grin at that, but he said nothing. Leo could see that he was struggling to keep the distaste – and the disappointment – from his face; but he knew - he knew that the acceptance of this small piece of plastic and everything it represented was completely contrary to everything Josh believed in and all that he was.
Leo knew that Josh carried guilt around with him in the same way that Jacob Marley carried around his chains.
He held out the card. “You’re going to be sitting in this chair one of these days, Josh – and when that time comes, there are going to be things …”
Josh sniffed. “Yeah,” and leaned forward to take it, turning it over in his fingers as he sat back in his chair. Leo breathed an inward sigh of relief. He’d known that Josh would see sense and that he’d take the card back if for no other reason than that he’d asked him to… yet he couldn’t help feeling proud of this man, who would rather be with his friends and family in the event of a disaster than be assured of his own safety.
Josh stared at the card impassively, then he sat forward and reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. “Okay,” he said, as he stuffed the card inside without giving it another glance.
“Okay,” Leo said, putting on his glasses and pulling the briefing book back towards him.
Josh stood and began to make his way to the door.
“Josh?”
“Hm?”
“With any luck, you’ll never need to use it.”
Josh turned and looked him directly in the eye. “I hope not.”
End.
ww_renaissance, where this week, we’ve been watching The Crackpots and These Women.This is all
christinekh’s and zinke’s fault. They made me get up off my sick-bed *cough* and write this – just because I said that I didn’t think Josh would have actually been allowed to return his NSC card, and that in my head, Leo would have given it back to him.Usual disclaimers - these guys ain't mine, they're Aaron's.
Carrying the Card
“You wanted to see me?”
Leo looked up from the briefing book he’d been reading to see Josh hovering in the doorway. “Yeah. Close the door, would you?”
He registered the look of mild surprise on the younger man’s face before Josh turned, did as he’d been asked and then walked into the room.
Leo gestured to a chair with one hand while he opened a drawer with the other and pulled out a small envelope. He set it carefully on the desk in front of him, then leaned back and pulled off his glasses. “How’s it going in there?”
Josh scrubbed a hand through his hair and slumped down in a chair on the other side of the desk. “Well, Toby hasn’t killed Sam yet, but it’s early, so there’s still time.” He frowned. “And Mandy keeps taking off her shoe and waving it around, so -” he cleared his throat. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
She’s doing what? Leo frowned at him for a few seconds, then decided he was probably better off not making any further enquiries about that. “Okay. Look.” He picked up the envelope and took out the contents. “About the thing the other night. I’m sorry, Josh,” he said, holding up the small, plastic card Josh had been given by the NSC. “But you can’t give this back.”
Josh’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Leo, I – I don’t - ”
Leo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. God, this was difficult. Not that he’d expected it to be otherwise; he knew how hard this was for Josh to accept, but there were some things about these jobs that weren’t negotiable.
“You know you can’t, Josh,” he persisted, not unkindly. “It comes with the territory. This stuff - it’s down to national security and when we’re talking about the NSC and the Secret Service, well if an emergency situation like that ever arose, even the President would have to do what they told him to.” He paused. “And I know it’s no consolation, but he hates the idea of that as much as you do. Hell,” he smiled briefly, “I think they’ll have to carry him onto the plane if it ever comes to it.”
Josh managed a half-hearted grin at that, but he said nothing. Leo could see that he was struggling to keep the distaste – and the disappointment – from his face; but he knew - he knew that the acceptance of this small piece of plastic and everything it represented was completely contrary to everything Josh believed in and all that he was.
Leo knew that Josh carried guilt around with him in the same way that Jacob Marley carried around his chains.
He held out the card. “You’re going to be sitting in this chair one of these days, Josh – and when that time comes, there are going to be things …”
Josh sniffed. “Yeah,” and leaned forward to take it, turning it over in his fingers as he sat back in his chair. Leo breathed an inward sigh of relief. He’d known that Josh would see sense and that he’d take the card back if for no other reason than that he’d asked him to… yet he couldn’t help feeling proud of this man, who would rather be with his friends and family in the event of a disaster than be assured of his own safety.
Josh stared at the card impassively, then he sat forward and reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. “Okay,” he said, as he stuffed the card inside without giving it another glance.
“Okay,” Leo said, putting on his glasses and pulling the briefing book back towards him.
Josh stood and began to make his way to the door.
“Josh?”
“Hm?”
“With any luck, you’ll never need to use it.”
Josh turned and looked him directly in the eye. “I hope not.”
End.
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:13 pm (UTC)This was very well-done. Thanks for sharing it! :)
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Date: 2007-10-25 07:15 pm (UTC)There were a couple of other drabbles for Crackpots over at the comm, if you haven't checked them out already.
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Date: 2007-10-25 07:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 08:02 pm (UTC)I've been with the show since the beginning, but I only started writing after it had ended (yeah, I'm dumb like that), so it's nice to be able to contribute these little scribbles.
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Date: 2007-10-25 08:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 08:27 pm (UTC)Thanks! :)
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Date: 2007-10-25 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 10:32 pm (UTC)But I'm glad you liked it:)
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Date: 2007-10-26 01:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 08:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 10:34 pm (UTC)Glad you liked it :)
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Date: 2007-10-25 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 11:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 11:13 pm (UTC)Did you see , this? (http://caz963.livejournal.com/110937.html). I haven't seen you around much lately, and I thought you might like to be prodded... :))
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Date: 2007-10-25 11:18 pm (UTC)I know I haven't been around much lately, but school has been kicking my ass and I was getting ridiculously stressed out over big projects. It's starting to get better, though, so hopefully I can keep track of my flist like normal again.
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Date: 2007-10-25 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 12:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 12:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 06:20 pm (UTC)HEY!!!!
Date: 2007-10-26 05:53 pm (UTC)Re: HEY!!!!
Date: 2007-10-26 06:27 pm (UTC)And you saw my last J/D fic (http://caz963.livejournal.com/110937.html), right?
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Date: 2008-02-02 03:18 am (UTC)I do love this. But then I love all Leo and Josh fics, when they're done well because I love Leo and Josh's relationship and one of the things that upset me most about S5 and 6 was the way it seemed like Leo and Josh suddenly grew apart. (Then again, I spent most of S5 and 6 swearing at John Wells for basically everything so what's one more to add to the list...)
I have to agree, on thinking about it, that they probably would make JOsh take back the card. It makes me want to really read an AU WW fic which writes about the reaction to 9/11 in the WW world-- written well, unlike one fic with that premise which I've seen-- when I'm sure Josh would have needed to use that card. *pokes* *runs away*
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Date: 2008-02-02 09:58 am (UTC)I love all Leo and Josh fics
Ah. Well you'll like the new one then :)
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Date: 2008-02-03 04:41 pm (UTC)