Sent You Away~Let Me See What Spring Is Like

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="03fc8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B>Third in the "Sent You Away" series. </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Smiles, Tears, & Happy Endings</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Smiles, Tears, Happy Endings"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id196.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Little Of Each..."><U>A Little Of Each...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id197.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Murder On The Campaign Express"><U>Murder On The Campaign Express</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id200.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sent You Away A Good Year For the Roses"><U>Sent You Away~ A Good Year For the Roses</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id201.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sent You Away All You Can Be"><U>Sent You Away~ All You Can Be</U></A>   |   <B>Sent You Away~Let Me See What Spring Is Like</B>   |   <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sent You Away Water Sports"><U>Sent You Away~ Water Sports</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sent You Away Blood of Kings"><U>Sent You Away~ Blood of Kings</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sent You AwaySilence Is Golden"><U>Sent You Away~Silence Is Golden</U></A></div> <div> Sent You Away~Let Me See What Spring Is Like</div> <div> When Michelle (cat@hiley.demon.co.uk) wrote "Personal Assistant's</div> <div> Plan/West Wing Assistant's Game" she speculated that Donna had disposed</div> <div> of Mandy, hiding her body so effectively that nobody even noticed she'd</div> <div> gone. Separately, Shelley (kuebsr@yahoo.com) wrote "Does Anyone Really</div> <div> Miss Her?" in which Donna managed to enlist Mandy in the Israeli Army.</div> <div> We obviously saw this the same way. A writing partnership was born.</div> <bR> <div> The Sent You Away series is a number of little fun ficlets, by Shelley</div> <div> or Michelle, each with a basic premise. How did Donna dispose of Mandy?</div> <div> Motive? She might have several, but love for the Dimpled One is probably</div> <div> reason enough.</div> <bR> <div> So far:</div> <bR> <div> Sent You Away One. A Good Year For The Roses by Michelle.</div> <div> Sent You Away Two. All You Can Be by Shelley.</div> <bR> <div> By the way, these stories are pro-Donna. We both adore her, and our</div> <div> sympathies are very much with her in this.</div> <bR> <div> "I sent you away, oh Mandy." - Barry Manilow.</div> <bR> <div> Characters belong Aaron Sorkin, story is mine please ask before</div> <div> archiving. First posted 30th August 2001. Thanks to Shelley for reading</div> <div> this through, and to Brenda for archiving it.</div> <bR> <div> Sent You Away: Three.</div> <bR> <div> Let Me See What Spring Is Like.</div> <div> by Michelle Hiley.</div> <div> cat@hiley.demon.co.uk</div> <bR> <div> It was a dark and stormy night.</div> <bR> <div> Donna pulled her coat tighter around her, and grumbled. Back in DC, it</div> <div> had been a pleasant evening; warm, as you'd expect for this time of</div> <div> year. Hard to believe that here, only a few miles away, it was raining.</div> <div> Still, these summer storms didn't usually last long. And it might be</div> <div> useful at that - it would keep nosy people indoors. The fewer people who</div> <div> witnessed this the better, though if anyone did....well, there were ways</div> <div> of dealing with them, if necessary. Effective ways. Her friend had his</div> <div> methods, and Donna didn't bother to ask what they were.</div> <bR> <div> At her feet, the woman let out a muffled cry, under the tarpaulin that</div> <div> Donna had thrown over her, to protect her from the rain. Well, she</div> <div> wasn't *cruel*. No need for Mandy to get wet, and catch cold. That would</div> <div> just be vindictive.</div> <bR> <div> "Not long now," she told the huddled figure on the ground. "We got here</div> <div> early - I wasn't sure how long the drive would take. And hey, the</div> <div> storm's passing!" She smiled, cheerfully, as the rain ceased, and shook</div> <div> out her coat, before pulling the tarpaulin off, and staring down at her</div> <div> captive in the torchlight.</div> <bR> <div> Mandy struggled, eyes wide, and Donna felt a wave of pity for the</div> <div> gagged, bound, and clearly terrified woman. Really, Mandy hadn't done</div> <div> anything that bad. The whole memo business wasn't her fault - she'd been</div> <div> on the other side. Mandy's job had been to beat the Bartlet team, and</div> <div> she'd been doing that job. Donna understood that, even if not everyone</div> <div> agreed. Mandy had been dating Russell when she wrote it. A woman did</div> <div> what she had to, to fight her corner and protect her guy.</div> <bR> <div> But the memo had hurt Josh. It had been mean about him. If Mandy were</div> <div> allowed to remain, she might write something to hurt Josh again. Donna</div> <div> couldn't permit that. A woman did what she had to, to protect her own.</div> <div> Just as Mandy had helped Russell then. Just as Donna was helping Josh</div> <div> now.</div> <bR> <div> "Sorry. It's really nothing personal," she explained, then bent to check</div> <div> the bonds. "Just so you know. You were only doing your job. I'm only</div> <div> doing mine. Problem is, this town just isn't big enough for the both of</div> <div> us. Truth is, this planet isn't big enough for the both of us. You</div> <div> understand what I'm saying?"</div> <bR> <div> Mandy shook her head, then stared at the dark woods, clearly baffled and</div> <div> frightened, still struggling against the ropes. Donna sighed, but waited</div> <div> patiently. Her friend had given her the time, and co-ordinates. A good</div> <div> friend, that one. Donna kept him supplied with inside information from</div> <div> the White House, and in exchange, he helped her protect Josh. It was a</div> <div> mutually agreeable trade, and her only complaint was that after their</div> <div> meetings, her car always smelt of cigarette smoke for hours.</div> <bR> <div> The lights started to dance over the trees then, and Donna watched as</div> <div> the craft swooped slowly towards the ground, graceful as a bird in</div> <div> flight. She signalled with the torch, smiling as they landed in the</div> <div> clearing, before her. A glow.....strange figures silhouetted against the</div> <div> light. Mandy stopped struggling and stared.</div> <bR> <div> "This is where you leave us," Donna told her. "Sorry. Though really,</div> <div> it's not so bad. New experiences. They promised not to dissect you, or</div> <div> experiment. They seem to want you more as a cultural ambassador. You'll</div> <div> be in your element, teaching them." She dragged Mandy to her feet.</div> <div> "Although to be honest, the important thing is that they're taking you</div> <div> all the way home to Procyon Nine, and by the time you get there, we'll</div> <div> all be dead. Some sort of space time thingy. You don't age, but we do.</div> <div> So have fun. You'll be back in seven hundred years, tops. We ought to</div> <div> have a new President by then, unless the Republicans really never get</div> <div> their act together."</div> <bR> <div> Mandy squealed, beneath the gag, as the spindly figures came towards</div> <div> them. Donna gave her a push forward, and stepped back.</div> <bR> <div> "And you'll never, ever, get to hurt Josh again," Donna murmured, and</div> <div> smiled. Mandy gave her a shocked look, as she was dragged into the</div> <div> craft. A moment later, it was taking off, and Donna shielded her eyes,</div> <div> watching as it hovered over the trees then vanished.</div> <bR> <div> "Bye bye, Mandy," she said, turning back to the car, for the long drive</div> <div> home. A job well done, she thought. It had been a bit of a nuisance,</div> <div> since it meant she'd had to miss the meeting at Rosslyn tonight, but</div> <div> Josh hadn't needed her there, and there would be other meetings. Mandy</div> <div> hadn't been invited, since she was still sort of in the doghouse over</div> <div> the memo. Donna wondered how long it would take them to start</div> <div> investigating Mandy's disappearance. It didn't matter. No trace would</div> <div> lead back to Donna, she'd made sure of that. And thanks to the meeting,</div> <div> the others had an alibi.</div> <bR> <div> Whistling happily, she gunned the car away through the dark Virginia</div> <div> woods, back towards Washington and Josh.</div> <bR> <div> *****</div> <bR> <div> 'Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars.</div> <div> Let me see what spring is like, on Jupiter and Mars....'</div> <bR> <div> - Julie London. 'Fly Me To The Moon' (written by Bart Howard.)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>