SN WIP: Partner fic
Mar. 12th, 2004 06:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out_thereSparked off by something ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
deadspiders said last weekend. Rough, but it's pretty much finished.
"…And this is my partner, Casey McCall," Dan finished with an overly dramatic flourish and the brunette smiled. The leggy blonde standing beside her shot Dan a questioning look, but Danny didn't even notice. He just grinned wider and rocked back on his feet, launching into conversation. "So why are you girls here?"
Casey had the distinct impression that Dan had already managed to drink far too much. They'd only been at Luther Sachs' cotillion (and Casey was calling it a cotillion, inside the sanctity of his own head at least) for an hour, and Dan looked suspiciously merry. He was smiling too much, laughing too loudly. Not that he stood out in this party.
Everywhere Casey looked, people were dressed up to the nines, holding glasses and tittering cheerfully. In fact, they all looked like they were having a good time. Even Dana was smiling widely, talking to some smarmy guy in a suit. Casey had taken note of the fact that she hadn't introduced him. She'd introduced the guy to Dan, but when Casey meandered over, she'd just hissed to keep a close eye on Danny, while the mystery guy disappeared to get her a drink. (Casey didn't like him already.)
He looked over to find the leggy blonde smiling at him coolly. Casey smiled politely, and tried not to look over her shoulder at Dana on the dance floor. Apparently the smarmy guy wasn't a great dancer. Casey swallowed another mouthful of champagne to hide the smirk, and tried to be well-mannered. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…?"
"Tiffani," she replied with another frosty smile. He ducked his head, and couldn't help thinking that an evening dress shouldn't have a split quite that high. A girl with legs that long didn't need to be tacky about it. Then he had a horrifying moment of realising he'd turned into his mom. "A friend invited us here," she said, and waved over a stocky dark-haired guy. He waved back.
"Ah." Casey was somewhat distracted by the way that Dan was leading towards the brunette. There wasn't anything wrong with Dan leaning towards a brunette. It was the unsteady way that he was leaning that concerned Casey. "Unfortunately, Dan and I have a long day tomorrow, so we're going to have to call it a night," Casey said, settling a hand on Danny's shoulder, both to steady him and to draw Dan's attention away from the brunette's impressive cleavage.
Dan blinked at him with glassy eyes, and it was obvious that he'd had far too much to drink. "Casey?"
"It's time to go home."
Dan scowled at him, shaking his head slightly. "I'm having fun. It's a good party. Good food, good drinks, great company." Dan grinned at the brunette, and she smiled back. "Carrie and I were having a wonderful conversation." Dan's voice was warm and happy. The slur was slight, but it was there.
"Well, maybe you can continue it some other evening," Casey said pointedly, squeezing Danny's shoulder slightly. Dan frowned at him and Tiffani narrowed her eyes. "We have a long day tomorrow, and Isaac's getting ready to leave."
At the mention of Isaac, Dan nodded. "Good point."
Carrie opened her tiny handbag, and pulled out a card. "My number."
Dan beamed widely and Casey resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Some other evening."
"It was nice talking to you," Tiffani said and her fake smile was bright. Probably as bright as Casey's own false cheer.
"You, too." Casey stood there, watching as the girls mingled away, and kept his hand firmly on Dan's shoulder. It was the easiest way of making sure Dan stayed upright. He turned, and started to propel Dan towards the exit. "I can't believe you got this drunk at Sachs' party."
Dan shrugged, but kept moving. "There is a certain appeal in free booze, Casey."
Casey rolled his eyes. "There's also an appeal to not embarrassing your boss."
"I didn't embarrass Isaac." Dan looked at him with wide eyes. "Did I?"
"You haven't embarrassed anyone yet. But I was talking about Luther Sachs," Casey said as they waited for the elevator. Dan snorted. "All the same, time for us to get a cab and for you to get to bed." The elevator dinged and Casey had a sudden thought. "Be back in a minute."
Dan sat down heavily on one of the chairs. "Where are you going?"
"I need to tell Dana we're leaving," Casey called over his shoulder as he walked back into the loud room. He took full advantage of his height, peering over the crowd for Dana's golden hair. Eventually, he spotted her near the buffet table, unencumbered by smarmy guy. "Hey."
"Casey." Her bright grin was nervous, and Casey was glad that only one of the Sports Night crew was overly intoxicated. "What is it?"
"I'm taking Dan home."
She covered her grimace quickly, pushing a curl back from her forehead. "How drunk did he get?"
"He's still walking and talking."
She harrumphed, but looked a little relieved. "I know Dan. That doesn't mean anything."
Casey laughed. Dan did have a remarkable ability to stay upright, when he really wanted to. "Anyway, I'm taking Dan home, and Isaac's already left. Will you be okay…?"
This time her smile was far more pleased. "I'll be fine, Casey."
"See you tomorrow," Casey said, and couldn't help look over her once more. She did look incredible in that dress.
"Tomorrow."
Heading back to the elevator bay, Casey got slightly disorientated, and somehow found himself at the wrong end of the room. Shaking his head to himself, he set off again for the elevators, staying close to the wall and avoiding the crowds in the middle. As he made his way through the people, he suddenly heard his name.
Looking around to get his bearings, he was surprised to hear familiar voices talking in hushed tones. Specifically, the voices belonged to the leggy blonde and the buxom brunette, otherwise known as Tiffani and Carrie, who were standing near one of the pots of overgrown ferns.
Sneaking closer, he tried to look casual as he eavesdropped.
"…Why did you give him your number?" Tiffany was asking, as she frowned at Carrie.
"He's cute." Casey rolled his eyes and decided that he wouldn't repeat this conversation to Dan. Dan's ego was swollen enough already.
"He's attached."
"What?" Carrie sounded just as surprised as Casey felt. Regardless of how many casual dates Dan might have, he certainly wasn't attached to anyone seriously.
"He was pretty obvious about it."
"He didn't mention a girlfriend."
"Not a girlfriend."
"A wife?" Casey had to bite his lip to stop himself from sniggering. He might have to tell Dan about this after all. Let him know he was acting like an old married man.
"No." Tiffany leaned closer to Carrie, and hissed something that Casey couldn't hear.
"Really?"
"Well, 'partner'… It isn't a term people use everyday."
"I just assumed… they worked together. You really think so?"
"Yeah."
Carrie sighed. "That's kind of disappointing."
"Tell me about it. His boyfriend was hot, even if his name was Casey." Casey had a moment of grinning to himself, and then he realised what she'd said. Boyfriend. Not best friend, but boyfriend. 'Boyfriend' and 'partner'.
"They look good together though…" Carrie offered half-heartedly, but Casey's mind was still stuck on boyfriend, and the connotations of that. On the idea that two highly attractive women considered them taken, for all practical intents and purposes.
Shaking his head, he remembered that Dan was still waiting for him, and headed back to the elevators. On his way, he noticed that the smarmy guy was standing next to Dana again, but really wasn't in the mood to be introduced now. He'd ask Natalie about it tomorrow morning.
He found Dan still sitting in one of the oversized chairs, turning over Carrie's card in his hands. "Think I should call her?"
"Now?"
Dan exhaled and stood up. At least he seemed a little steadier on his feet. "No. Sometime this week."
"To be honest, Dan…" Casey started as they stepped into the elevators and fell silent. There was no way he was repeating that conversation to Dan.
"Yeah?"
"I don't think she's that into you." Dan shot him a challenging look, and Casey could just see the seduction schemes starting to form in Dan's alcohol-soaked brain. "Besides, she mocked Chris Sabo's contribution to the 1990 World Series."
Dan frowned, and leaned against the elevator wall. "What about Billy Hatcher? Tell me she didn't insult Billy Hatcher."
There were times when it was easy to influence Dan. You just needed to know what was important to him. "She said it was all due to Jose Rijo. She mocked, Dan."
"I can't date somebody who mocks the Reds," Dan whined pathetically. "She was hot, too."
"You have to have some standards."
"I know." Dan nodded seriously. "Damn, I wish my standards were lower."
Casey covered his laugh with a cough. "Yeah, it's your high standards that causing you trouble."
deadspiders said last weekend. Rough, but it's pretty much finished."…And this is my partner, Casey McCall," Dan finished with an overly dramatic flourish and the brunette smiled. The leggy blonde standing beside her shot Dan a questioning look, but Danny didn't even notice. He just grinned wider and rocked back on his feet, launching into conversation. "So why are you girls here?"
Casey had the distinct impression that Dan had already managed to drink far too much. They'd only been at Luther Sachs' cotillion (and Casey was calling it a cotillion, inside the sanctity of his own head at least) for an hour, and Dan looked suspiciously merry. He was smiling too much, laughing too loudly. Not that he stood out in this party.
Everywhere Casey looked, people were dressed up to the nines, holding glasses and tittering cheerfully. In fact, they all looked like they were having a good time. Even Dana was smiling widely, talking to some smarmy guy in a suit. Casey had taken note of the fact that she hadn't introduced him. She'd introduced the guy to Dan, but when Casey meandered over, she'd just hissed to keep a close eye on Danny, while the mystery guy disappeared to get her a drink. (Casey didn't like him already.)
He looked over to find the leggy blonde smiling at him coolly. Casey smiled politely, and tried not to look over her shoulder at Dana on the dance floor. Apparently the smarmy guy wasn't a great dancer. Casey swallowed another mouthful of champagne to hide the smirk, and tried to be well-mannered. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…?"
"Tiffani," she replied with another frosty smile. He ducked his head, and couldn't help thinking that an evening dress shouldn't have a split quite that high. A girl with legs that long didn't need to be tacky about it. Then he had a horrifying moment of realising he'd turned into his mom. "A friend invited us here," she said, and waved over a stocky dark-haired guy. He waved back.
"Ah." Casey was somewhat distracted by the way that Dan was leading towards the brunette. There wasn't anything wrong with Dan leaning towards a brunette. It was the unsteady way that he was leaning that concerned Casey. "Unfortunately, Dan and I have a long day tomorrow, so we're going to have to call it a night," Casey said, settling a hand on Danny's shoulder, both to steady him and to draw Dan's attention away from the brunette's impressive cleavage.
Dan blinked at him with glassy eyes, and it was obvious that he'd had far too much to drink. "Casey?"
"It's time to go home."
Dan scowled at him, shaking his head slightly. "I'm having fun. It's a good party. Good food, good drinks, great company." Dan grinned at the brunette, and she smiled back. "Carrie and I were having a wonderful conversation." Dan's voice was warm and happy. The slur was slight, but it was there.
"Well, maybe you can continue it some other evening," Casey said pointedly, squeezing Danny's shoulder slightly. Dan frowned at him and Tiffani narrowed her eyes. "We have a long day tomorrow, and Isaac's getting ready to leave."
At the mention of Isaac, Dan nodded. "Good point."
Carrie opened her tiny handbag, and pulled out a card. "My number."
Dan beamed widely and Casey resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Some other evening."
"It was nice talking to you," Tiffani said and her fake smile was bright. Probably as bright as Casey's own false cheer.
"You, too." Casey stood there, watching as the girls mingled away, and kept his hand firmly on Dan's shoulder. It was the easiest way of making sure Dan stayed upright. He turned, and started to propel Dan towards the exit. "I can't believe you got this drunk at Sachs' party."
Dan shrugged, but kept moving. "There is a certain appeal in free booze, Casey."
Casey rolled his eyes. "There's also an appeal to not embarrassing your boss."
"I didn't embarrass Isaac." Dan looked at him with wide eyes. "Did I?"
"You haven't embarrassed anyone yet. But I was talking about Luther Sachs," Casey said as they waited for the elevator. Dan snorted. "All the same, time for us to get a cab and for you to get to bed." The elevator dinged and Casey had a sudden thought. "Be back in a minute."
Dan sat down heavily on one of the chairs. "Where are you going?"
"I need to tell Dana we're leaving," Casey called over his shoulder as he walked back into the loud room. He took full advantage of his height, peering over the crowd for Dana's golden hair. Eventually, he spotted her near the buffet table, unencumbered by smarmy guy. "Hey."
"Casey." Her bright grin was nervous, and Casey was glad that only one of the Sports Night crew was overly intoxicated. "What is it?"
"I'm taking Dan home."
She covered her grimace quickly, pushing a curl back from her forehead. "How drunk did he get?"
"He's still walking and talking."
She harrumphed, but looked a little relieved. "I know Dan. That doesn't mean anything."
Casey laughed. Dan did have a remarkable ability to stay upright, when he really wanted to. "Anyway, I'm taking Dan home, and Isaac's already left. Will you be okay…?"
This time her smile was far more pleased. "I'll be fine, Casey."
"See you tomorrow," Casey said, and couldn't help look over her once more. She did look incredible in that dress.
"Tomorrow."
Heading back to the elevator bay, Casey got slightly disorientated, and somehow found himself at the wrong end of the room. Shaking his head to himself, he set off again for the elevators, staying close to the wall and avoiding the crowds in the middle. As he made his way through the people, he suddenly heard his name.
Looking around to get his bearings, he was surprised to hear familiar voices talking in hushed tones. Specifically, the voices belonged to the leggy blonde and the buxom brunette, otherwise known as Tiffani and Carrie, who were standing near one of the pots of overgrown ferns.
Sneaking closer, he tried to look casual as he eavesdropped.
"…Why did you give him your number?" Tiffany was asking, as she frowned at Carrie.
"He's cute." Casey rolled his eyes and decided that he wouldn't repeat this conversation to Dan. Dan's ego was swollen enough already.
"He's attached."
"What?" Carrie sounded just as surprised as Casey felt. Regardless of how many casual dates Dan might have, he certainly wasn't attached to anyone seriously.
"He was pretty obvious about it."
"He didn't mention a girlfriend."
"Not a girlfriend."
"A wife?" Casey had to bite his lip to stop himself from sniggering. He might have to tell Dan about this after all. Let him know he was acting like an old married man.
"No." Tiffany leaned closer to Carrie, and hissed something that Casey couldn't hear.
"Really?"
"Well, 'partner'… It isn't a term people use everyday."
"I just assumed… they worked together. You really think so?"
"Yeah."
Carrie sighed. "That's kind of disappointing."
"Tell me about it. His boyfriend was hot, even if his name was Casey." Casey had a moment of grinning to himself, and then he realised what she'd said. Boyfriend. Not best friend, but boyfriend. 'Boyfriend' and 'partner'.
"They look good together though…" Carrie offered half-heartedly, but Casey's mind was still stuck on boyfriend, and the connotations of that. On the idea that two highly attractive women considered them taken, for all practical intents and purposes.
Shaking his head, he remembered that Dan was still waiting for him, and headed back to the elevators. On his way, he noticed that the smarmy guy was standing next to Dana again, but really wasn't in the mood to be introduced now. He'd ask Natalie about it tomorrow morning.
He found Dan still sitting in one of the oversized chairs, turning over Carrie's card in his hands. "Think I should call her?"
"Now?"
Dan exhaled and stood up. At least he seemed a little steadier on his feet. "No. Sometime this week."
"To be honest, Dan…" Casey started as they stepped into the elevators and fell silent. There was no way he was repeating that conversation to Dan.
"Yeah?"
"I don't think she's that into you." Dan shot him a challenging look, and Casey could just see the seduction schemes starting to form in Dan's alcohol-soaked brain. "Besides, she mocked Chris Sabo's contribution to the 1990 World Series."
Dan frowned, and leaned against the elevator wall. "What about Billy Hatcher? Tell me she didn't insult Billy Hatcher."
There were times when it was easy to influence Dan. You just needed to know what was important to him. "She said it was all due to Jose Rijo. She mocked, Dan."
"I can't date somebody who mocks the Reds," Dan whined pathetically. "She was hot, too."
"You have to have some standards."
"I know." Dan nodded seriously. "Damn, I wish my standards were lower."
Casey covered his laugh with a cough. "Yeah, it's your high standards that causing you trouble."
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no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 05:26 am (UTC)Brought to mind the picture of Josh Charles at WireImage where he's with a ridiculously tall woman in a bright yellow frock (she's wearing the frock, he isn't), and his eyes are absolutely riveted to her cleavage ...
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Date: 2004-03-12 06:53 pm (UTC)Well, I stand by the fact that they're a cute couple. And, add to the partner comment that Danny's flirting, and Casey's standing there with a (seemingly) possessive hand on his shoulder, and it's a very logical assumption.
Brought to mind the picture of Josh Charles at WireImage where he's with a ridiculously tall woman in a bright yellow frock (she's wearing the frock, he isn't), and his eyes are absolutely riveted to her cleavage ...
Bwahahahahaa! Actually, I was thinking of the ... "Dear Louise" episode, where he has the volleyball player sitting on the photocopier. She's gushing about his writing, and he's just staring down her top.
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Date: 2004-03-12 07:22 am (UTC)I started joking around with him, based on the assumption that Nick was his boyfriend (something about tattoos, etc.) and halfway into the conversation I realize that he meant his partner in the practice, the other doctor that shared his office. He totally realized what I thought, and smirked a little, but let it go. But c'mon! Partner! Tattoos! Trips to Costa Rica! What was I supposed to think?
This is great, btw. Looking forward to more!
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Date: 2004-03-12 06:38 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comments. (And that anecdote totally made me giggle.)
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Date: 2004-03-12 08:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 06:36 pm (UTC)Plus, they are a cute couple. *g*