SN Wip: Three Days

[out_there]

celli, honey, is there any chance that I sent you a copy of my Three Days wip? I know I started it waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when you had three days to go at your ex-job, but it's on my broken computer and I cannot find it online.

None the less, I'm still going to post the next tiny bit and live in hope that I can find the start. (For those of who aren't me, this story is set a few days before the next Sports Illustrated's 100 Most Influential Sportspeople list comes out.)


***

Dan walked into the office as Dana told Casey he was an idiot. (He, in this case, being Casey since Dan hadn't done anything ridiculously stupid for at least 48 hours.) She click-clacked out of their office with an almost unveiled threat about what was best for everyone and Casey doing as he was ordered.

Dan hung up his jacket before he asked. "So what was all that about?"

"That had to be about something?"

Dan nodded. Casey had a point but... "Normally there's at least some provocation to Dana insulting you in our office. If it was the conference room or the studio, I'd agree, but to walk all the way over to our office to insult you when she could've picked up the phone? Normally that's about something."

"Not today."

"I tempted to put my jacket back on and just go home. This is going to be one of those days, isn't it?"

"No," Casey said sharply, a little too sharply for someone claiming to be an innocent bystander of Dana's temper. "It's not going to be one of those days. It's going to be a good day, a normal day. We're going to write out show, we're going to host it, and then we're going to go home. There will be nothing about it to make it one of Those Days."

The last sentence was delivered with a sharp slap on the desk. Dan would say it was reminiscent of Judge Judy slamming her gravel, but hot coals couldn't make him acknowledge ever watching that show.

"You okay there, Casey?" The question must have come out a little more serious than Dan intended, but everyone was a little on edge at the moment. If Casey had decided that this year it was his turn to go kaplooey, a little warning would be good.

Dan was keeping watch for the warning signs: stout denial, manic cheer or a stiffly set jaw. In times of uncertainty, if Casey was pretending to be stoic, it was going to be bad.

Casey wasn't stoic. Instead, he grinned awkwardly and rubbed his palm. "And today's hyperbole award goes to me?"

"Nah. When it comes to making dramatic proclamations, Jeremy's still got you beat."

***

Most of the day was taken up with Rofalski's knees -- "There's definitely something going on with his knees?" Dan asked, and was told that a friend of Kim's had seen him limping, which meant everyone spent a lot of time on phones trying to get someone to go on record with actual facts -- and whatever bat had got into Dana's belfry was still alive and flying. In the noon rundown, there were pointed comments from Dana and flat glares from Natalie; from the way Casey suddenly jerked, a sharp shoe probably kicked his shin pretty hard in the eight o'clock rundown.

"I think it's time to do the sensible, mature thing," Dan said, once they were back in their office and could speak man-to-man, "and cave."

"Are we still talking about Rofalski's knees?"

"We're talking about Dana and whatever thing you two have going on today."

Casey stood up, hands crossing wildly in front of him, as if signaling to a crowd that the play was illegal. "Not happening."

"Casey--"

"This is a difference of opinion."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Meaning that you think she's wrong and she thinks you're an idiot."

"Meaning that she's being stubborn and I'm right. Come on, Dan, be with me on this."

"I don't even know what this is," Dan replied, and there came the stiffly set jaw. "Clearly, it has something to do with the--"

Casey sprang forward, grabbing Dan by the shoulders. "Don't say it, Danny. Don't, for all that is good and holy, say it. You will jinx it and there will be preternatural repercussions, and I don't know how you combat that type of karmic punishment, so don't say it."

"Do you really think that something that has already been decided, proof-checked and sent to publishers will be affected by us discussing it on the other side of town?"

"Yes," Casey said, eyes wide and intent, fingers digging into Dan's shoulders, "I do. I think exactly that."

"Dana's right. You're an idiot."

***

Comments

[celli]

I might. It's on the email account that crashed, though, so I have to get at it the back way. Do you have some keywords, a distinct phase or something you remember that I can search with? (Searching for "annie dan casey" is, unsurprisingly, a little TOO rewarding *g*)

[out-there.livejournal.com]

Searching for "annie dan casey" is, unsurprisingly, a little TOO rewarding *g*

Bwahahahahaa!

Um, we could try "three days" because that was the title of the damn thing. (And, yet again, I'm reminded why I need to eventually get my PC fixed. It's just that making sure the car runs and paying for the roof over our head -- botht the mortgage and getting the physical roof fixed -- are higher priorities right now.)

I'm fairly sure it started with a line like, "It was three days before..." And there was a blather about the bullpen being not tense so much as the wrong volume. And Natalie and Jeremy discussing the publishing schedule... "So we have three days?" , "Yeah, except... no."

Does that help any?

Also, what's the back way for getting into the deleted mail account? Hmmm? That was why I couldn't find it in my sent items -- all gone!

[celli]

I'll try with those when I get home tonight--unfortunately I don't think there's any way to get it from our mutual crash. :( But this is the other crash that was my Outlook instead of the email itself, and I kinda sorta have access to some of that through Google Desktop. Maybe. If I ask the right questions and offer the right sacrifices. *g*

[out-there.livejournal.com]

And walk three times in an anti-clockwise circle and throw salt on the ground?

[out-there.livejournal.com]

Hey, I know this is kind of random, but since I came across the end snippet, it got me thinking about the start. Any chance you could still search your email?
This time for "illustrating" because I know I had Dan making some dodgy pun about the Sports Illustrated lsit. And "jinx" might work as well, because Casey tells him not to jinx it.

[gothams3rdrobin.livejournal.com]

Ooooo - I hope you continue this!

[out-there.livejournal.com]

I think I'll sit down now and try to get some more done. Otherwise, it will languish. My wips always do.

[snoopypez.livejournal.com]

Aww. I love it already. :D

[out-there.livejournal.com]

And I love Danny in his Elmer Fudd hat, so it's all good.