Juggling Act (2/?)
Shorter chapter, but it was a good place to stop. Story starts at the opening of Season Four. Can Leslie juggle a relationship, a campaign, and a Little League Tournament?
Chapter 1
It was evident to Ann Perkins that the Health Fair she was planning was going to be put on the back burner today. Instead, she was going to have to help Leslie through whatever crisis she was experiencing at the moment. The quick click of Leslie's heels could be heard echoing down the hall.
"Can you read me the speech again?"
"The what? Oh are you serious? Again?" Ann opened up her top drawer and pulled out a bright red folder. Across the front was "PARKS AND REC TOP SECRET." Inside was a single sheet of paper, with a single line. Ann cleared her throat and started to read. "Leslie, Ben is perfect for you. He is worth it. Do not forget. Everything will work out in the end. Don't be stupid. Love, Leslie." Ann placed the paper down before looking at her best friend. "What happened this time?"
"Dave is back in town." She sighed staring at the floor. It took Ann a moment to remember who Dave was. Leslie hadn't mentioned his name in ages.
"Oh, did those old feelings come back when you saw him?"
"Oh god no. He found Ben and me making out in my car at Ramsett Park. We were trespassing after dark. I didn't think the cops still patrolled the parks."
"You two date like you're in high school, sneaking out, parking so Mommy and Daddy don't find you.” Ann snorted, picturing how the scene must have played out.
"Yeah, well Mommy already knows because she hit on him, and now Ex-boyfriend Dave knows. I just don't know how long I can keep this secret up.” Leslie took a deep breath, but that didn't help. The urge to hyperventilate was still there. “Every day someone else finds out, and soon it will be Chris and I'll get suspended and Ben will get fired." She started to pace. She always got ideas when she paced. Keep the energy flowing, keep the ideas flowing. But all she could think of is what if it all came to a crashing halt.
"Sweet beautiful Ann, help me," she whined. "Can you seduce Chris and make him forget about his stupid rule? Then we can be open about our relationship and happy, and I won't have to keep pulling my hair out?"
"As appealing as that sounds, no. You are the smartest person I know. You'll figure something out." Ann patted her hand in reassurance. Leslie forced a smile.
"Leslie is seriously a freak of nature." Ann ranted to the camera. Leslie was in the background, going over Ann's preliminary plans for the Fair. "I only work here 20 hours a week, and feel like I accomplish nothing. She could plan this whole fair herself in less time than that. Maybe I need to eat more sugar. Get my energy up to the level of hers. The amount of stuff she juggles at once, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she went to clown college."
"I went to a Clown camp one summer and can juggle 5 bowling pins at once," Leslie told the camera crew proudly. "Though I haven't juggled since that one incident with the swords. Fun Pawnee fact, it is against the law for clowns to juggle anything that is bigger than their clown shoes." Leslie paused and looked at the camera shamefully. "I may or may not be the reason for that law."
A small knock on her doorframe pulled Leslie’s attention away from the lists of sponsored items sitting on her desk.
Ben stood in her doorway, carrying his planner in front of him like a shield.
“You played baseball. Which would you have preferred? A $2 off breakfast coupon for JJs Diner? Or a baseball with the Sweetums logo?” Leslie held up the two promotional items for Ben’s review. “The Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring gift bags for the little league coaches. I’m supposed to choose what goes in them.”
“Uh, the baseball I guess. Can we talk for a moment?” Ben asked quietly.
“Yeah, sure, take a seat.” She gestured to Tom’s empty desk. To help make more room in the Parks Department budget, Ron and Leslie decided not to fill Tom’s position until he decided or needed to come back.
Ben closed the door behind him and sat down. They had been very careful not to be behind closed doors with one another since Lil Sebastian’s memorial. Leslie chanced a small glance to the left and noticed Ron watching them with his arms crossed.
“What’s wrong, Ben? You look frightened.”
“I just finished having a meeting with your mother.”
“Oh dear. Did she hit on you again?”
“No, no, not this time. Apparently the school busses that were purchased were, in her words ‘Not worthy to transport rotting cantaloupes, let alone our city’s youth.’ So she was trying to negotiate 2 more busses. But after I told her in no uncertain terms no, she instead invited the two of us over for dinner. She said she hasn’t properly congratulated you and would like to do so.”
“What did you tell her? You said no, right?”
“Not exactly. I stammered like an idiot and when trying to drink my cup of coffee to cover up my stammering, I instead dumped it down the front of me.” Ben pulled the planner away from his chest, showing off the new coffee stain on his white shirt.
“You should probably stick to wearing plaid shirts.”
Ben rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “So since your mother scares the crap out of me, we are having dinner at seven tonight.”
“Crap on a spatula.”
Chapter 1
It was evident to Ann Perkins that the Health Fair she was planning was going to be put on the back burner today. Instead, she was going to have to help Leslie through whatever crisis she was experiencing at the moment. The quick click of Leslie's heels could be heard echoing down the hall.
"Can you read me the speech again?"
"The what? Oh are you serious? Again?" Ann opened up her top drawer and pulled out a bright red folder. Across the front was "PARKS AND REC TOP SECRET." Inside was a single sheet of paper, with a single line. Ann cleared her throat and started to read. "Leslie, Ben is perfect for you. He is worth it. Do not forget. Everything will work out in the end. Don't be stupid. Love, Leslie." Ann placed the paper down before looking at her best friend. "What happened this time?"
"Dave is back in town." She sighed staring at the floor. It took Ann a moment to remember who Dave was. Leslie hadn't mentioned his name in ages.
"Oh, did those old feelings come back when you saw him?"
"Oh god no. He found Ben and me making out in my car at Ramsett Park. We were trespassing after dark. I didn't think the cops still patrolled the parks."
"You two date like you're in high school, sneaking out, parking so Mommy and Daddy don't find you.” Ann snorted, picturing how the scene must have played out.
"Yeah, well Mommy already knows because she hit on him, and now Ex-boyfriend Dave knows. I just don't know how long I can keep this secret up.” Leslie took a deep breath, but that didn't help. The urge to hyperventilate was still there. “Every day someone else finds out, and soon it will be Chris and I'll get suspended and Ben will get fired." She started to pace. She always got ideas when she paced. Keep the energy flowing, keep the ideas flowing. But all she could think of is what if it all came to a crashing halt.
"Sweet beautiful Ann, help me," she whined. "Can you seduce Chris and make him forget about his stupid rule? Then we can be open about our relationship and happy, and I won't have to keep pulling my hair out?"
"As appealing as that sounds, no. You are the smartest person I know. You'll figure something out." Ann patted her hand in reassurance. Leslie forced a smile.
"Leslie is seriously a freak of nature." Ann ranted to the camera. Leslie was in the background, going over Ann's preliminary plans for the Fair. "I only work here 20 hours a week, and feel like I accomplish nothing. She could plan this whole fair herself in less time than that. Maybe I need to eat more sugar. Get my energy up to the level of hers. The amount of stuff she juggles at once, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she went to clown college."
"I went to a Clown camp one summer and can juggle 5 bowling pins at once," Leslie told the camera crew proudly. "Though I haven't juggled since that one incident with the swords. Fun Pawnee fact, it is against the law for clowns to juggle anything that is bigger than their clown shoes." Leslie paused and looked at the camera shamefully. "I may or may not be the reason for that law."
A small knock on her doorframe pulled Leslie’s attention away from the lists of sponsored items sitting on her desk.
Ben stood in her doorway, carrying his planner in front of him like a shield.
“You played baseball. Which would you have preferred? A $2 off breakfast coupon for JJs Diner? Or a baseball with the Sweetums logo?” Leslie held up the two promotional items for Ben’s review. “The Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring gift bags for the little league coaches. I’m supposed to choose what goes in them.”
“Uh, the baseball I guess. Can we talk for a moment?” Ben asked quietly.
“Yeah, sure, take a seat.” She gestured to Tom’s empty desk. To help make more room in the Parks Department budget, Ron and Leslie decided not to fill Tom’s position until he decided or needed to come back.
Ben closed the door behind him and sat down. They had been very careful not to be behind closed doors with one another since Lil Sebastian’s memorial. Leslie chanced a small glance to the left and noticed Ron watching them with his arms crossed.
“What’s wrong, Ben? You look frightened.”
“I just finished having a meeting with your mother.”
“Oh dear. Did she hit on you again?”
“No, no, not this time. Apparently the school busses that were purchased were, in her words ‘Not worthy to transport rotting cantaloupes, let alone our city’s youth.’ So she was trying to negotiate 2 more busses. But after I told her in no uncertain terms no, she instead invited the two of us over for dinner. She said she hasn’t properly congratulated you and would like to do so.”
“What did you tell her? You said no, right?”
“Not exactly. I stammered like an idiot and when trying to drink my cup of coffee to cover up my stammering, I instead dumped it down the front of me.” Ben pulled the planner away from his chest, showing off the new coffee stain on his white shirt.
“You should probably stick to wearing plaid shirts.”
Ben rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “So since your mother scares the crap out of me, we are having dinner at seven tonight.”
“Crap on a spatula.”