Fanfic: No Woman in the World - Archie, Julianna RPF - revised
Title: No Woman in the World
Author: Schwarmerei1
Fandom: The Good Wife, RPF fic
Pairing: Archie, Julianna with cameo appearance from Gillian Anderson
Rating: PG
Genre: RPF
Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect, I jest because I love.
This is revised from the original written for the sweetjamielee "It's a Lockhart-Gardner Tradition" 2012 Summer Ficathon from the randomizer prompt: Julianna, Archie, talking Jules into K/A.
Archie has a few more arguments at her disposal - total shoutout to TWoP forum posters.
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Kalinda's endless devotion to Alicia has become a bit of a running gag at season 3 script readings. Last time they reached yet another act on Kalinda's part on behalf of the title character, Matt kicks it off prodding Archie with his foot and sniggering. Christine pulls her glasses off her nose and smirks "The twelve labours of Kalinda! I can't wait until you have to clean the Augean Stables." Archie looks sideways at Josh and starts laughing, hand on his heart face all false sincerity as he says "It just cuts me bro..."
Julianna generally just rolls her eyes and doesn't say much.
They're very good colleagues and have been from the get go. Julianna's a big star and the show is a star vehicle, while Archie's easily the least known of the cast. Good parts in some good films, but not much of a profile or following. Julianna's always gracious to just about everyone on set, but the two of them really hit it off and it shows.
All their scenes together in the pilot sparkle. It was supposed to be about Alicia being intelligent, showing her initiative, not following Diane's instructions, rediscovering herself in a role outside wife and mother. Kalinda was there because the pilot was all about reinvestigating the pro bono case and to give Alicia someone who wasn't her boss to interact with and show what was going on in her head. When she was being cast they even told Archie a lot of her part was going to be about advancing the narrative for the case of the week that the network demanded be the backdrop to Alicia's journey.
Instead she looks like the sidekick, future BFF and drinking buddy. Test audiences love her and the network wants more, tighter, shorter and wearing more leather. Which is fine, you don't know what you'll get until you actually make the show. And it's great for Archie, it's her big break and suddenly there's media buzz and interviews and lots of fan interest. And Jules knows, because pretty much the same thing happened for her with the exception that it was always planned for Kalinda to at least survive the pilot.
The fact all three women get nominated for an Emmy in the first year feels good to everyone. People go out of their way to tell Archie that it's a big deal she got nommed being a relative unknown, no one says it "but you won't win," is implied. Then she does! And even though Jules was supposed to be a lock for lead actress she's genuinely pleased for her.
There is a bit of a shift though when they start back to film season three after the hiatus. There's been such a reaction, mostly not because Kalinda slept with Peter, but because so many people are distraught that the friendship between the two women has been destroyed. Forums are alight with despair and references to the Bechdel Test. And from what Archie's heard some of her colleagues have actually copped it in public. Poor Tim Guinee actually got verballed in, what was it? Airport? Coffee shop? And told off for ruining Alicia's life on a night she could finally be happy.
And apparently Jules has also been accosted multiple times and censured like she is Alicia for sleeping with Will while she's still married to Peter. Which, one do they get that the title is meant to be ironic not literal? And two, ouch!
Probably the identification of the actor with the character helps Archie. Her fans are invariably respectful and want nothing more than an autograph, a photo and to hear her real accent. Perhaps they think she'll whip out a baseball bat or a semi-automatic handgun if they question Kalinda's moral choices. And really, if you were going to go there, where would you even start?
So Archie can see it, and she doesn't disagree that if the two characters are ever going to be friends again, it would take both time and changes. But she also doesn't disagree with what she reads online when the episodes air that season three does drag at times, and the show does miss that sparkle in the central dynamic. She actually finds it endearing that the Kalicia fans respond with such unabashed delight to each little thaw and crave more.
But then, she has time to read stuff like that. She's not the lead with her longer schedule, and she doesn't go home to a family including a young child each night. Just thinking about it makes Archie feel tired. Plus Kalinda gets more location shooting and scenes without the rest of the cast for the case of the week than anyone else which always takes ages to shoot. And what are you going to do for hours alone in your trailer, sometimes in the middle of the night? She tries to be virtuous and read good books and the like, but sometimes bludging on the internet is easy on the brain. And she finds it doesn't change her acting choices. There's enough of a gap between filming and going to air, and she finds it interesting to read how people respond.
It’s nice though, to have gone home during hiatus. Done her bits in The Fall up in Northern Ireland and actually played a character other than Kalinda, flat shoes and medical scrubs indeed. Complete immersion in one character for three years wasn’t something she ever expected to do. She wonders though, what the mood will be like when they are back to start season 4. The finale got a lot of buzz, and it wasn’t about whether Alicia would go back for pizza. And also, the Kaliciaites were out in force, poor Kalinda going to say goodbye for the last time, then staying, and she’d like take a bullet for her. I mean that’s love! So yeah, she wonders what Jules will think of all that.
Plus, about a dozen people emailed her about the interview Jules did for the LA Times. And what she said did surprise. I mean this is TV, good TV, but not real life. You throw conflict into a relationship to explore it, not destroy it forever.
So far so good though, Jules asks her how her break was, how her filming went. And Archie did have a great time, Gillian was hilariously constantly inappropriate and it’s just as well they don’t work together full time because they’d annoy the shit out of everyone by constantly losing it and giggling. She decides not to mention the slightly drunken conversation she had where Gillian asked her if she was making the most of playing a hot bisexual.
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Said Gillian “It’s too bad you’re such a morally upstanding type, you could be pulling in the chicks on the side.”
Archie, giggling madly, “What makes you think I’m morally upstanding?”
“I looked you up on DataLounge. And there was NOTHING!” She threw her hands wide. “You must be a good girl if anonymous strangers on the internet can’t be bothered making shit up about you.”
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Then a surprise, Jules actually brings it up. “You know, I hope it didn’t feel like I was dumping on your character or anything.”
“No no, of course not.” Archie always deflects anything approaching an apology.
Jules looks at her speculatively. “I guess the whole relationship is going to get more intense now with the whole thing about Kalinda’s husband and it being Alicia’s fault he found her.”
“Yeah probably, there’s a lot of potential there for Kalinda to open up about her life. Be more forthcoming.”
They haven’t gotten scripts up to the point where Alicia realises what the consequences are for Kalinda, but it probably would be the case that Alicia will feel guilty for her part in what happens to Kalinda, however unintentionally it was done.
Archie continues, “And yeah, maybe it will be something that Alicia has to think about, why Kalinda is the way she is. But Kalinda wouldn’t blame Alicia for anything that happens. I’m sure.”
“Who are you? Emily Nussbaum?”
Archie snorts rather, thinks to herself that Nussbaum is a perceptive critic, “You can’t say that’s not maintext though after season 3. Even if you don’t agree think that Alicia would ever feel anything like it back.
“You know there’s people who actually want them together together right?”
Archie hasn’t confessed to anyone how much she knows about what’s online in the fanfic realm, apparently actors aren’t supposed to read it. (Probably everyone does though!) She hopes fervently that Jules has no idea what an RPF is.
“Well, I mean, Kalinda is flexible. You know, it’s not necessarily a stretch to go there.” She says cautiously.
“Yeah, and Alicia’s straight, so I can’t see it. Not even in a the-man-in-her-life-treated-her-like-shit-and-humiliated-her-so-try-a-woman way.”
“Well Owen’s gay... and Grace does have her ‘moments’. They do say it runs in families...”
“That’s the best you got? Gay genes?”
“You just said she was straight! I’m just pointing out that there’s a textual basis on which you can say Alicia could have inclinations.”
Jules looks very wry, whispers “You’re in league with them... the shippers.”
“Well Alicia is a gay icon. And that guy in the bar did say we were hot.”
“We? Characters Archie!” Jules starts poking her.
Archie waves her hands, “You know what I mean. Anyway, I’m not the one that got all bitchy about your love interest now am I?”
“Alicia thinking that Lana sucks doesn’t have to mean anything. I mean god Archie, she really does!
Archie laughs, there’s no doubt - Kalinda can pick ‘em. “You don’t find it interesting that Kalinda’s women tend to go ballistic on Alicia?”
“I don’t see what that has to do with Alicia’s feelings.”
“Alicia was always pretty interested in finding out whether Kalinda was gay. Just saying.”
“Oh come on! That doesn’t mean anything!”
“I think even if you don’t find it believable that they could go back to being friends, it was a structural problem dramatically because Alicia became completely internalised last season because she didn’t have Kalinda to talk to anymore.” Archie of course, only has the best interests of the show at heart. “And Jules, it was special, it was different, what they had. It doesn’t make people wrong to miss seeing that.”
“Well even if I could buy them becoming close again, or even closer than before, I just can’t see a relationship happening.”
Archie decides this is progress, decides to start teasing. “Yeah, but a relationship with Kalinda’s got huge advantages for Alicia. The kids already know her. No awkward introductions... If Grace developed a crush, Kalinda would even have the full set of Florricks.” She remembers Graham apologising for having to look at her ass in that shot in ‘Nine Hours’ poor kid!
“You didn’t used to be this bad.”
Why does everyone think she’s such a good girl?! Jeez!
“Besides, just imagine the scenes you could do around it. Eli finding out, or Jackie. Not to mention Peter.”
“Or Will?”
Archie snorts. Poor Will.
“Or, they could just have a one-time thing, where Alicia’s curious and exploring possibilities and Kalinda knows it’s the only chance she’ll ever get. Then the sex can be so amazing Kalinda will ruin Alicia for all others.”
“You think that would happen?”
Archie decides to assume Jules is asking whether Kalinda is actually that good. She rearranges her muscles to Kalinda’s face, slips into her accent, looks Jules full in the eyes from under her lashes.
“Yeah...”