I should probably preface this by saying I unashamedly love this show to pieces so….
fast talkers the newsroom, don/sloan: AU where Will doesn’t return to work in The Greater Fool
There is no such thing as News Night Without Will McAvoy, Charlie Skinner decides.
Please empty your desks and leave.
On the plus side: she has a job. On the minus: she’ll think of one in a second.
Mackenzie’s halfway to Syria already, Neal’s found himself a niche at CNN and she can begin to see things returning to normal when he appears by her desk.
She quirks an eyebrow. “It seems I am leaving after all.”
“You’re not leaving.”
“I don’t know which particular rock you’ve been underneath for the past week but it may have come to your attention that I no longer have a job at ACN.”
He opens and closes his mouth the way he only usually does when talking about Maggie. So you can imagine her surprise when he says, “You have a job at ACN, Sloan. It starts on Monday.”
She likes working with Elliot. He’s mellower than Will, less conflicted and generally just easier for her to read. He lends her his Gypsy DVD, and she half-wonders what the deal is with ACN anchors and musicals.
Elliot grins when she says this, “You and Don are made for each other.” He says.
It’s a joke. Except it’s not.
Three months pass. She gets her own office.
“I haven’t forgotten what you said, you know.” He murmurs in the doorway. It’s late, after the show and she really doesn’t want to have this conversation now. Or ever.
“Well please try to because these are not circumstances I foresaw and frankly if I had a TARDIS the whole thing would have been wiped from the universe by now.” It all comes out too quickly and she bites down hard on her lip to stem the flow.
He cracks a laugh, and she’s not sure if it’s at or with her. She’s trying hard not to care, either. “You can’t do that. Don’t you remember the episode with the flying time monsters?”
“I have 2 PhD’s, Don, I wouldn’t recommend trying to out-Who me.”
She also has a wicked right hook, but she likes to keep an element of surprise.
She finds herself in Hang Chew’s with Elliot. He’s a poor substitute for Mac, in that his personal life is so mind-numbingly boring they have to talk about hers instead, but otherwise he holds his liquor well and laughs in roughly the right places.
“What happened with you and Don?” He asks, when she finally runs out of Wall Street anecdotes.
“A mistake,” she replies, and it’s not until he smirks that she realises what she said. “Didn’t mean that kind of mistake.”
“You’re alright kiddo. I got you.”
It’s 2012 and she’s not entirely sure how. The ratings are up, and only 41% of Americans don’t know what the debt ceiling is, which she supposes counts as progress. There’s talk, too, of her own show, maybe Will’s old slot, bringing Mac back to head up production and yeah, she’d like that quite a lot.
Her point is: it’s 2012.
Her last show’s the end of March. There’s a cake and a standing ovation, a toast from Elliot to the cleverest fucking kid in town and more applause.
She lets the party flutter away around her, smiles and kisses and handshakes until it’s just Don left.
“Congratulations.” He says, voice low. She’s avoiding his gaze, and trying very hard not to make that fact obvious.
So she pulls a smile at the floor. “Good show tonight.”
A pause. “Sloan-“ He begins, stops.
She looks at him now, instantly wishes she hadn’t because shit the look in his eyes is not something she can rationalise.
She can rationalise what happens next even less. Let’s leave it at that.
I enjoyed this immensely and it's really everything I want which is basically fic where Sloan, Elliot and Don are friends and colleagues and quietly take over the world (and possible fight crime).
Ahhhh, this is so great! These were two were easily my favorite element of the show, and you captured them so well here! I love the voice you've given Sloan here, and I have to echo that comment above me: Sloan, Elliot and Don teaming up would be the greatest thing to happen to me (and the show?) haha.
But for real, this was so enjoyable. Thank you for writing it!
she half-wonders what the deal is with ACN anchors and musicals.
asdfghjkl; coming from one of my favourite writers ever this is 501 different shades of awesome omggggg (seriously your Inglourious Basterds fic is what got me into fandom way back when...)
hahaha, I love all the Don Quixote/Man of la Mancha references (my terrible taste in TV once again rearing its ugly head) but really Sorkin, not all cable news anchors are frustrated broadway stars.
AW, MAN, YOU'RE MAKING ME BLUSH! haha. Thanks, man! AND OH MAN, THE GLORY DAYS OF INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS! That was such a fun fandom to play around in! I blame it entirely for why/how I got so into tumblr in the first place LOL.
fast talkers
the newsroom, don/sloan: AU where Will doesn’t return to work in The Greater Fool
There is no such thing as News Night Without Will McAvoy, Charlie Skinner decides.
Please empty your desks and leave.
On the plus side: she has a job. On the minus: she’ll think of one in a second.
Mackenzie’s halfway to Syria already, Neal’s found himself a niche at CNN and she can begin to see things returning to normal when he appears by her desk.
She quirks an eyebrow. “It seems I am leaving after all.”
“You’re not leaving.”
“I don’t know which particular rock you’ve been underneath for the past week but it may have come to your attention that I no longer have a job at ACN.”
He opens and closes his mouth the way he only usually does when talking about Maggie. So you can imagine her surprise when he says, “You have a job at ACN, Sloan. It starts on Monday.”
She likes working with Elliot. He’s mellower than Will, less conflicted and generally just easier for her to read. He lends her his Gypsy DVD, and she half-wonders what the deal is with ACN anchors and musicals.
Elliot grins when she says this, “You and Don are made for each other.” He says.
It’s a joke. Except it’s not.
Three months pass. She gets her own office.
“I haven’t forgotten what you said, you know.” He murmurs in the doorway. It’s late, after the show and she really doesn’t want to have this conversation now. Or ever.
“Well please try to because these are not circumstances I foresaw and frankly if I had a TARDIS the whole thing would have been wiped from the universe by now.” It all comes out too quickly and she bites down hard on her lip to stem the flow.
He cracks a laugh, and she’s not sure if it’s at or with her. She’s trying hard not to care, either. “You can’t do that. Don’t you remember the episode with the flying time monsters?”
“I have 2 PhD’s, Don, I wouldn’t recommend trying to out-Who me.”
She also has a wicked right hook, but she likes to keep an element of surprise.
She finds herself in Hang Chew’s with Elliot. He’s a poor substitute for Mac, in that his personal life is so mind-numbingly boring they have to talk about hers instead, but otherwise he holds his liquor well and laughs in roughly the right places.
“What happened with you and Don?” He asks, when she finally runs out of Wall Street anecdotes.
“A mistake,” she replies, and it’s not until he smirks that she realises what she said. “Didn’t mean that kind of mistake.”
“You’re alright kiddo. I got you.”
It’s 2012 and she’s not entirely sure how. The ratings are up, and only 41% of Americans don’t know what the debt ceiling is, which she supposes counts as progress. There’s talk, too, of her own show, maybe Will’s old slot, bringing Mac back to head up production and yeah, she’d like that quite a lot.
Her point is: it’s 2012.
Her last show’s the end of March. There’s a cake and a standing ovation, a toast from Elliot to the cleverest fucking kid in town and more applause.
She lets the party flutter away around her, smiles and kisses and handshakes until it’s just Don left.
“Congratulations.” He says, voice low. She’s avoiding his gaze, and trying very hard not to make that fact obvious.
So she pulls a smile at the floor. “Good show tonight.”
A pause. “Sloan-“ He begins, stops.
She looks at him now, instantly wishes she hadn’t because shit the look in his eyes is not something she can rationalise.
She can rationalise what happens next even less. Let’s leave it at that.
end.
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So perfect. And I love the added DW comments.
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But for real, this was so enjoyable. Thank you for writing it!
she half-wonders what the deal is with ACN anchors and musicals.
I LAUGHED OUT LOUD.
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hahaha, I love all the Don Quixote/Man of la Mancha references (my terrible taste in TV once again rearing its ugly head) but really Sorkin, not all cable news anchors are frustrated broadway stars.
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LOL FOR REAL! Classic Sorkin!
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