Fanfic: Recognition - Archie/Jill RPF
Title: Recognition
Author: Schwarmerei1
Fandom: The Good Wife, RPF fic
Pairing: Archie/Jill with cameo mentions of Matt, Julianna, Kelli and Emily Deschanel
Rating: Pretty PG, but you know, girls
Warnings: British slang, and cricket
Word Count: 2900
Genre: RPF
Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect, I adore them both
Summary: Written too late for sweetjamielee’s 2012 Summer Ficathon, from the anonymous prompt: Archie/Jill: rehearsing "the scene"
Author’s note: The Emmy is a winged woman holding an atom symbolising the union of creative muse and science. The NAACP Image Award is a kneeling man holding a globe of the World. The Chopard Trophy is a gold filmstrip.
Emmy met Archie in September 2010. She had spent most of that evening standing nervously on a table with her sisters. One by one they had been taken by a series of strangers wearing dark clothes and disappeared behind a curtain. Then it was her turn. She was whisked away and found herself startled by the glare of bright lights, and people! So many people!
Briefly she was held by a tall woman with amazing bone structure called Emily who wore a purple dress. And then she was put into the hands of Archie. Emmy didn't know who Archie was at that time, but the moment she felt Archie’s hands wrap securely around her slender waist, she knew she had found the person she belonged with for life. It was only a few minutes later that Archie carried her into a different room. There were people asking questions and cameras flashing, it was all a bit of a blur. But what Emmy remembers is that Archie kissed her! It was Emmy’s first kiss, she never wanted anyone else to kiss her.
That was a long night. Emmy was passed from hand to hand of a whole lot of people who seemed to be Archie’s friends. Everyone was happy, Emmy was glad that she brought such pleasure to these beautiful people. And she was safe and secure in her knowledge of where she’d end up. Archie had whispered to her that she couldn’t wait to take Emmy home with her.
When Emmy first moved in with Archie she stood on a stone mantelpiece in the living room looking over the light-filled room with its framed movie posters. She’d watch Archie as she left in the morning and see her when she came back. She held her atom aloft to Archie. This! This! This is for you! And she knew that Archie felt better after a long day because of Emmy’s devotion.
Emmy saw a lot of comings and goings, like dinners, and friends coming over. She liked that pretty blonde man, Matt. She liked how much he seemed to like Archie, he treated her very well, and they often talked for a long time as they read things to each other and drank a bottle of red wine sitting on the beige sofa. She doesn’t like everyone as much as Matt. It’s disconcerting to have complete strangers pick you up. Sometimes they don’t put her down in the right spot, and she hates that! And nearly every time, they comment about her weight and say how heavy she is. It’s insulting! Archie sticks up for her and tells them that Emmy is perfect the way she is. And after people leave, makes sure that Emmy is put back in the right place and that their smudgy fingerprints are wiped off.
One day Archie moved Emmy from her place in the living room and took her into the bedroom. Emmy was ready, she’d been ready for a long time. Now she stands on a table by Archie’s bed. This is better, Emmy doesn’t get to see other people much, but she gets to spend so much more time alone with Archie. Archie works very hard, but Emmy feels like she’s helping her. She likes their evenings together when Archie undresses for bed and slips nude between the sheets. Emmy watches over her shoulder as Archie taps on her tablet computer, runs her finger over lines of script, tries different ways of saying things, records them and plays them back. Archie is amazing! Emmy is used to hearing her talking to people on the phone and visitors when they come over. But alone at night in her bed with Emmy watching as Archie talks to her computer she sounds like a completely different person. It’s incredible! When Archie finishes working, Emmy watches over her as she sleeps each night, and in the morning when she wakes up Archie smiles at her.
She doesn’t like Atlas. He just showed up one day in February 2012. Archie seems to hope that they will be friends. She puts him down next to Emmy and twists her around so that they are facing each other. They stare each other down, neither looks away.
He’s really... boring. Thinks he’s all that, holding up the world! He’s so serious, and he’s too short, even if he wasn’t kneeling. He should also put some clothes on! He’s not Emmy’s type and she doesn’t see how he could inspire anyone.
Archie seems to notice that they aren’t hitting it off a few days later and turns them around so they both face out into the room. Emmy likes it much better now that they stand side by side, she can give a mean side-eye too. She’s met Jules! Atlas doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.
This morning she can hear Archie walking through the apartment and talking on the phone. Earlier Archie had received an email, made herself a large mug of tea and climbed back into bed with her tablet. Emmy looked over her shoulder, Ah, that looked like a new script. Archie was sniggering when she got up to a certain part.
“So, girlfriend, or whatever you are these days. Get your script from Robert? Yes? Got some time to chat?”
Archie’s voice fades out and Emmy can’t hear. She must be in the kitchen. This is a long phone call. But now she must be back in the living room.
“Yeah, I kind of think that’s bollocks and double standards, a tender kiss and the boffing happens off screen.”
...
“I think it would be much more interesting if she goes there with that intention and then can’t go through with it. Don’t you?”
...
“And then Lana can be all up against it and rebuff Kalinda because she can’t deal with it.”
...
“I’m not trying to make you look bad.” Archie is sniggering again, “But I’m not the one who tried to get the woman she’s allegedly hot for killed by a meth dealer now am I?”
...
“Well if you’re ok with that, I’ll email Robert and see what he thinks. But we should get together. Rehearse, if you have time.”
...
“Tuesday’s good. Let me know when. Cheers Jill.”
Emmy is very pleased. She likes Jill. Jill is polite and has excellent manners, she always brings over a gift like a potted plant or something she cooked. AND she asked permission before she picked Emmy up. OK OK, she still commented on how heavy Emmy was, but who doesn't?
Archie has started looking out her suitcases and making trips back and forth from her closet. In a few weeks it will be that time of year when she’ll pack her things and leave Emmy alone for a few months.
“You know she sees other people when she’s in London? There’s someone called Chopard.”
Emmy ignores Atlas. Chopard! That doesn’t even sound like a real name. Where the hell is Chopard from? France, Switzerland? Emmy can’t even tell if that’s a man or a woman.
OK, Emmy doesn’t like it when Archie leaves her for London. Emmy gets itchy from the dust settling on her. But Atlas doesn’t know that when Archie comes back from London that’s the best. Emmy thinks it was probably the best night of her life. Once Archie was unpacked and showered, she put on a DVD, climbed into bed and held Emmy on her lap and not just wiped her with a soft cloth, but actually gave her a massage with polish and rubbed her down afterwards. And then they watched the movie together. It. Was. The. Best!
Emmy hears the doorbell and hears Jill’s voice.
“I baked.”
“Oh, you’re such a love. Should I make some tea?”
“Still trying to convert me to the tea drinking huh? Kidding, that would be lovely.”
She can hear Archie and Jill talk as drink their tea. At times like this, Emmy wishes she were still in the living room. It’s frustrating to not be able to see anything. There are sounds of cups and saucers being cleared now.
Jill! Emmy can actually see her now because Archie has brought Jill into her bedroom. Emmy hasn’t seen another woman in Archie’s bedroom since Kelli was here and that must be a year ago or something. Emmy wonders if Archie and Jill are going to lie down on the bed, talk a lot, write notes and kiss each other while rolling around like Archie and Kelli did. That was interesting.
Perhaps not though, Archie is lifting the picture off the wall at the side of the bed and puts it down in the corner.
“I think that’s enough room, don’t you?”
“That depends what you have in mind Arch.”
Archie is giggling, Emmy loves it when she giggles.
“Well I thought I would throw you up against the wall and just go from there.”
Jill backs up against the wall, Archie moves into her.
“This is really awkward, you’re much too tall.”
“Well you should be wearing boots.”
“Just a mo.” Archie goes into her closet, pulls out a pair of boots.
“Are those actual Kalinda boots?”
“Yep, Daniel got me an extra pair.”
“What, for domestic badassery?”
More giggles, “Among other things.”
Emmy loves Archie’s boots.
She zips them up. Jill is still too tall.
“Well if I’m at home and going to bed, I can be barefoot.” Jill kicks off her shoes.
She’s still a bit too tall.
“Maybe you can slouch a bit.”
That works sort of, their faces are level.
“But why am I slumping against the wall?”
“So I can kiss you obviously.”
“That doesn’t seem very Lana to me.”
“Maybe you’re weak at the knees because you’re so turned on.”
Jill’s laughing now.
“Or you know, weak with laughter.”
They both lose it at that point. It takes a while to recover so they sit on the bed.
“OK, this is Kalinda. I say she walks in and just starts fingering Lana and then shoves her against the wall and that’s why she’s weak at the knees.”
“You seem like such a nice girl Arch, but really you’re just...”
“I think Kalinda’s been rubbing off on me.”
Jill snorts. They stand up again, take their positions away from the wall this time.
“You know, I don’t know how much of this they’ll let us show now that I think about it.”
Jill shrugs, “I guess they can keep the camera high and just suggest what’s going on.”
“Yeah, I’m probably over-thinking it. Micahel’s directing this one, we can talk to him during rehearsal. You ready?”
Jill nods, Archie moves towards her, hesitates and starts laughing again. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just going to look wrong unless I actually have my hand there more or less right?”
“Yeah probably. Look, it’s OK with me, I’m on board.”
“There’s probably some joke here about the different meaning of the word fanny in England, but I can’t find it.” Archie still can’t keep a straight face. “God, I’m so bad at this stuff.”
“You’re not, scarily good at it more like it.”
“Well inexperienced maybe. That scene with Kelli is the only sex scene I’ve ever done. I’m a tender kiss kind of girl at heart.”
“Remind me again how you got cast as Kalinda.”
Archie snorts again, “Shit, I know, implausible isn’t it?”
“Arch, trust me, you were very convincing in that scene. It’ll be good.”
“How do you know whether that was...”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Archie smooths out her face, starts in on Jill. Extends her hand and then steers Jill into the wall. Jill slides down a little and Archie starts to kiss her.
“I think you should be responding more.”
They move against each other this time, Archie pushing into Jill, Jill letting her mouth fall open a little. And then they kiss again.
“I don’t think they’re going to let you use tongue on network.”
“I know, but it’s really hard to kiss without it. It makes my mouth feel weird.”
They start over. Archie puts on her intense expression. This time Jill adds the line “What, now you’re into me?”
“Dirty dirty girl.”
“Too much?”
“I take it Lana doesn’t have the painters and decorators in then?”
“Arch, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Archie giggles, “Sorry, flashback to teenaged self. I hope they let us leave your line in. Fingers crossed.”
They keep going, it’s all getting much smoother. The tenderness after the kiss seems more convincing. When Jill says, “It’s my job.” Archie pushes away, leaves the room.
“I think that’s getting there don’t you?” says Archie when she comes back in.
Jill nods, then puts on an expression of sadness “Poor me, after all that time chasing you and I get left hanging.”
“Given that I’m likely to end up with a bullet in my head, I think that’s pretty fair myself.”
Emmy agrees, how could someone endanger Archie?
They’re about to run through it again, when Jill pauses. “Hang on, how is it that you can touch me there anyway? What am I wearing.”
“I dunno, bathrobe.”
“What a nice fluffy one?” Jill is smirking.
“OK OK, an Agent Sexy bathrobe equivalent. I have a fitting tomorrow, I’ll mention it to Daniel.”
Archie goes to her closet again, pulls a short silk kimono off a wooden hanger. “Try that.”
Jill wraps it around her. That works. When Archie pushes her into the wall this time, she pulls the edges of the kimono apart, skims her hands down the sides of Jill’s breasts. It’s all sliding into place now.
“Gotta love that it’s Kalinda’s MO to start at third base and then run back to second and first.” Jill is smirking.
“Hang on, what is lesbian fourth base?”
“You should say home plate, or home run. But honestly, I’m not sure.”
“God, now I need to know.” Archie plonks down on the bed and starts tapping away at her tablet. Jill sits down next to her and reads too.
“That’s...inconclusive.” says Archie.
Emmy is really curious to know what it said.
“You probably shouldn’t rely on metaphors made up by teenaged straight boys. Maybe there’s a cricket term?”
“Bowling a googly?”
“You lost me there Arch.”
“It’s a ball bowled by a right-arm leg spinner that turns in the opposite direction to a leg break.”
“Still not getting it.”
Archie snorts, “It would take too long to explain. If you want to learn about cricket, black out five days in your calendar and we’ll watch a test match. Otherwise, inexplicable.”
“Do you think it’s all too sweet still?” asks Archie as they take up their positions again.
“Maybe we should do it a bit more intense.”
This time it’s much rougher, Archie really pushes Jill into the wall. Her kiss is punishing and longer, Jill’s breathy noises are louder.
“That felt like it looked hot.” Offers Jill.
“Maybe too hot for filming.”
Emmy can only agree. She looks sideways at Atlas. The idiot is looking up at his globe. Belonging to Archie is soooo wasted on him. Emmy can’t even.
They run through the scene one more time to make sure they have it down. Jill hitches her breath just right and Archie’s eyes glisten with vulnerability. Emmy stands a little taller on her toes, lifts her atom higher. This! This is for you! You’re amazing!
“So, you going to nominate again” Jill nods towards Emmy.
“I will go through the motions.” Archie shrugs.
“Oh come on, you’ll get nominated for sure.”
“And if there was an award for hot sweeps-based lesbian love interest, you’d win it every year.”
Jill snorts. “Which episode do you think you’ll use?”
“Maybe this one. Or the finale, Robert just sent out the script. It’s pretty juicy for Kalinda.”
“Well good luck getting Emmy a girlfriend. Hey, I’d better get going.”
“Thank you for putting up with me.”
Jill hugs Archie. “There’s plenty of women who’d like to be in my place.”
Archie is giggling again as she walks Jill to the door.
Emmy’s mind is reeling. A girlfriend? What? That sounds...Ok actually.
More author’s notes: The facts of this fiction, such as they are, are gleaned from a variety of interviews with Archie Panjabi and Jill Flint, Jill Flint’s Twitter and some real life fan-stalkery (by others.) If I knew how to footnote on LJ, I’d be tempted to. (And yes, Archie does sleep naked, but being classy she said it in French.)
This fiction also assumes that “Pinkey and Stevey” was recorded in Archie’s apartment.