quaggy: Elizabeth looking back at Mr. Darcy (Donna)
Quaggy ([personal profile] quaggy) wrote2007-01-02 01:16 am

FF: Alike

Title:  Alike
Category:  Future Fic... Very, very future
Disclaimer: I do not own The West Wing or any West Wing characters.
Rating: G
Summary: Set far in the future, Donna watches her daughter. 
Notes: This was written for [livejournal.com profile] amycurl in honor of the birth of her little girl.  I'm very late with this.  I'm sorry, Amy!  The good intentions were there!  The muse just wasn't.  For those of you who are wondering... Yes, that's Nora all grown up!



You watch your daughter thread her way through the party occasionally stopping to converse with people she knows.  It seems like it was yesterday she was singing “I’m Just A Bill’” at the top of her lungs.  Come to think of it, it WAS just yesterday.  She’s at that age when she can be a child one moment and grown up the next.

People say she’s like you, but you don’t see it.  You know your son takes after you.  Even if he hadn’t had your coloring, you both have the same quiet, gentle disposition. But Nora… Nora is Josh’s clone.  She has his eyes, his curls, his dimples.  His passion.  And his lungs.  She has his temper, too.  Which she is trying desperately to control right now as she talks to Senator Talrick’s youngest son, Paul.  She doesn’t want to make a scene at her father’s fundraiser.  Unfortunately, the young man in question does not share her restraint.   He has been standing too close, talking too loud and drinking too much.  Though you can’t hear the conversation, you have a bad feeling that he is assuming (not asking) that she will sleep with him.  She turns to leave him and in retaliation, his arm shoots out, not to get her to stay…but to push her into the pool.  He laughs at the splash she makes.

You’ll kill the little bastard.

One glance at your husband tells you that he has seen the whole thing.  He turns back to a very embarrassed Senator Talrick, fury etched across his face.  You can’t hear what Josh says, but you don’t need to.  Senator Talrick’s face has turned white and his eyes are set on his son with a cold anger.   You wouldn’t want to be little Paulie Talrick tonight.  Or for the next year, you’d bet.

Your daughter surfaces once to take a breath and then swims like a fish to the other end of the pool and you watch as she emerges from the water with grace and poise.  (You wonder for a moment if CJ gave her lessons should just this occasion arise.)  She is instantly surrounded by people offering towels and words of support.  Among them is Paul Talrick, who can tell when the crowd is against him.  Your daughter doesn’t even acknowledge his presence.  He just doesn’t exist in her world any more.  

She pushes her hair out of the way with one hand and then, almost stealthily moves it to her ears to check to see if her earrings (the ones you let her borrow for the evening) remained with her through her misadventure.  You want to go to her, but you’re afraid if you do, it will spoil the cool, in control image she is trying to project.  She catches your eye and smiles reassuringly.  Then, with a towel still wrapped around her like a shawl of the finest wool, she walks up to the house, with her head held high.

“How does she do it?  Where does she find all that grace and poise?” you wonder out loud, knowing without looking that Josh has materialized at your side.

“You should know, Donna!” he laughs.  “She gets it from you!”

You blink, startled.  You never even considered that before. You are saved from responding by the sound of another splash coming from the pool.  The jerk who pushed your daughter into the water is now flailing around and sputtering.

“Ooops,” your son says benignly and strolls away from the water’s edge.  You and your husband grin at each other and voice the same thought at the same time.

“He gets that from you!”

[identity profile] gatsbyfan.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
Aw, just Aw. It really is quite sweet. Oh and I love “Ooops,”. Now I have to re-read the Nora story.

[identity profile] phla.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
(I've become neurotic about leaving feedback, but I feel compelled.)

This is really great. It's kind of tough to get so much character in such a short piece, but I love it. It's really cute, and I'm in love with "(You wonder for a moment if CJ gave her lessons should just this occasion arise.)"

Very sweet.

[identity profile] eloriekam.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
The jerk who pushed your daughter into the water is now flailing around and sputtering.

Heehee. :)

[identity profile] teresadivicenzo.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 09:43 am (UTC)(link)
“Ooops,” your son says benignly and strolls away from the water’s edge.

Heck, I'd date him ;)

Great job, Quags.

[identity profile] teresadivicenzo.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
Aaron Lyman

*sniff*

All choked up here.

*sniff*

You've set me off again. After watching Torchwood I can't cope with any more emotion!

*waaaaaaaaaah!!!*

*blows nose*

[identity profile] teresadivicenzo.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
He's a bit young for me anyway. Besides, I'd be proud of a feisty Godson like that :)

[identity profile] artlawprod.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh Quaggy, I love these Future-fics where Josh and Donna are comfortable with each other and their kids are teens or grown and just fun people. I really liked this one.

[identity profile] cantbesilent.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw, I love it. I really do.

[identity profile] christinekh.livejournal.com 2007-01-02 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
aww... I love. Especially that Donna knew to let her handle it on her own and that she handled it so well! Hee!

[identity profile] seri-scribble.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Excellent! I love the last line. So perfect.

[identity profile] watson1.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Yay, a new fic. I'm happy that you're adhering to your resolution! It was very, very sweet. My favorite line: “He gets that from you!” It's something that Josh & Donna would definitely say.
kathyh: (Kathyh WW JD together)

[personal profile] kathyh 2007-01-03 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I love it. J/D future kidfic is always my crack of choice and yours is always spot on. The "Oops" is just perfect :)

[identity profile] amycurl.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww, Quags! Thanks so very much! Sorry it has taken me this long to read my wonderful gift.

I can only hope that BabyCurl would have as much grace and poise in such a situation. It's a lot for both of us to live up to, isn't it? :-)

You're the best, honey. I really enjoyed it--esp. the line at the end and the line about CJ--and I'm very honored that you wrote it all. :-)

Smooches.

[identity profile] janetmaca.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 07:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, it's just so cute. It's just so sweet and adorable.

[identity profile] crqcici.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
lovely! thanks so much for keeping the fandom alive, you made my day!
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