Sent You Away~Silence Is Golden

<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>Sixth 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>   |   <A HREF="id202.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sent You AwayLet Me See What Spring Is L"><U>Sent You Away~Let Me See What Spring Is Like</U></A>   |   <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>   |   <B>Sent You Away~Silence Is Golden</B></div> <div> Sent You Away~Silence Is Golden</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 </div> <div> disposed </div> <div> of Mandy, hiding her body so effectively that nobody even noticed </div> <div> she'd </div> <div> gone. Separately, Shelley (kuebsr@yahoo.com) wrote "Does Anyone </div> <div> Really </div> <div> Miss Her?" in which Donna managed to enlist Mandy in the Israeli </div> <div> 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 </div> <div> Shelley </div> <div> or Michelle, each with a basic premise. How did Donna dispose of </div> <div> Mandy? </div> <div> Motive? She might have several, but love for the Dimpled One is </div> <div> probably reason enough.</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.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Sent You Away: Six</div> <div> Silence Is Golden</div> <div> By Shelley</div> <div> kuebsr@yahoo.com</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Silence Is Golden (1/1)</div> <bR> <div> It was a lucky thing that one of the editors at Forston Publishing </div> <div> had taken a liking to Donna when they met at a fundraiser in NYC. He </div> <div> had tried to lure her away from Josh with the promise of a job in the </div> <div> exciting world of publishing. Like it could possibly be more exciting </div> <div> than the White House. Like she would ever consider leaving Josh.</div> <bR> <div> The guy was a putz, but he had come in handy two months later when he </div> <div> called Donna and told her about a book by an ex-Bartlet staffer named </div> <div> Mandy Hampton that was making the rounds. A book that painted </div> <div> everyone in an unflattering light--but no one more so than Josh.</div> <bR> <div> Donna had needed to move fast to make sure that the book never saw </div> <div> the light of day. She had to come up with a plan quickly. Luckily, </div> <div> she had just been given an assistant of her own, a very resourceful </div> <div> young lady with a devious mind and an unparalleled ability to keep </div> <div> her mouth shut.</div> <bR> <div> It had taken quite a bit of searching to find just the right convent, </div> <div> but Donna had finally located one in a remote location, outside of </div> <div> the US, that wasn't too fussy about rules. And to be honest, this </div> <div> convent wasn't actually run by the Catholic Church---it was run by an </div> <div> ex-priest who had started his own church called the Divine Light Of </div> <div> The Galaxy. And it might have been a bit more accurate to call it a </div> <div> cult as opposed to a church, but hey, the nuns wore habits and that </div> <div> was close enough for Donna. Besides, the convent was in such </div> <div> desperate need of Donna's "donation", made in American dollars at </div> <div> their insistence, that they were willing to provide the </div> <div> extra "security" that Donna requested. She knew she had to make sure </div> <div> that Mandy had absolutely no contact with the outside world. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> Donna booked the first available flight for herself, Mandy, and her </div> <div> new assistant. They were met at the convent gates by the Mother </div> <div> Superior, a sweet, good-hearted, if somewhat clueless older woman. </div> <div> She was the perfect choice to head the convent. She had a heart of </div> <div> gold, and she didn't ask many questions. The church's founder never </div> <div> shared some of the seedier goings on with her, and she seemed happy </div> <div> to simply minister to the needs of the young women who came to her </div> <div> seeking spiritual enlightenment. </div> <bR> <div> The Mother Superior didn't think there was anything suspicious when </div> <div> two young women arrived with their "sister". They did look like an </div> <div> odd threesome, but they had explained that their mother had been </div> <div> married multiple times…</div> <bR> <div> "Ah, yes," Mother Superior said disapprovingly, as she secretly </div> <div> celebrated the fact that she and the sisters of her order didn't need </div> <div> to deal with those things any longer. The convent was located deep in </div> <div> the jungle, quite secluded from the outside world. They had no </div> <div> television, no radio, and no phone.</div> <bR> <div> Donna told the Mother Superior that she felt this was exactly the </div> <div> kind of environment her "sister" required. She needed a way to break </div> <div> free from all of the demons that plagued her back in the US. The </div> <div> older nun was touched by the care that Donna was giving her "sister". </div> <div> She had no idea that Donna had slipped the church founder an extra 5K </div> <div> to guarantee that Mandy wouldn't be able to contact the outside </div> <div> world. It had taken every penny of the money her grandmother had left </div> <div> her but it was worth it. </div> <bR> <div> The Mother Superior looked questioningly at her new charge, who </div> <div> looked a bit disoriented. Donna explained sadly that her "sister" had </div> <div> fallen in with the wrong crowd, that she suspected drugs were </div> <div> involved. Mother Superior placed a supportive arm around Donna's </div> <div> shoulder and assured her that her "sister" would be well taken care </div> <div> of. Donna cast a look at her companion, and they quickly exited the </div> <div> convent, trying desperately to contain their laughter until they </div> <div> reached the Jeep. 'Josh is right,' Donna thought. 'Having an </div> <div> assistant really comes in handy sometimes.'</div> <bR> <div> By the time Mandy's mind cleared, she had been at the convent for a </div> <div> week. Things were not going smoothly at all. She asked repeatedly to </div> <div> be allowed to use the phone but was told that there wasn't one. The </div> <div> church founder had a cell phone, but he only visited the convent </div> <div> sporadically. If Mandy wanted to leave, she was told that she would </div> <div> have to walk out of the jungle to the nearest village, about 100 </div> <div> kilometers away. </div> <bR> <div> Mandy actually started off for the town one time, but the sounds of </div> <div> the jungle, not to mention the sight of a bug as big as a German </div> <div> Shepherd, sent her running immediately back.</div> <bR> <div> The Mother Superior had then patiently written page after page </div> <div> explaining the vow of silence to Mandy. The nuns of the order were </div> <div> forbidden from speaking to each other. The Mother Superior, because </div> <div> of her position, was allowed limited communication with the outside </div> <div> world.</div> <bR> <div> She had seen this before. Many of the new recruits had adjustment </div> <div> problems. However, she had rarely had to take the extreme measures </div> <div> that she had taken with Mandy. When, on one of his rare midnight </div> <div> visits, she had explained the problems she was having with her newest </div> <div> charge to the church founder, he had thought up a way to deal with </div> <div> the problem himself. He desperately wanted to keep the "donation" </div> <div> Donna had made, as well as any she might make in the future. He </div> <div> couldn't take a chance on anyone believing what Mandy had to say. So </div> <div> he had passed down the order on how Mandy should be handled. And, in </div> <div> fact, he had sent in his own representative to take care of the </div> <div> matter. Mandy now had her own 24-hour supervisor. Named Sister Rocky.</div> <bR> <div> The woman was an ex-prison guard who had joined the Church of the </div> <div> Divine Light of the Galaxy after she was fired from her job for being </div> <div> too aggressive. She had tried to find her kindler, gentler self, but </div> <div> it hadn't worked. The church founder--Father Rico--had assured her he </div> <div> could find a place for her to use her special skills. Mandy was moved </div> <div> to a secluded part of the convent where Sister Rocky could keep a </div> <div> close eye on her. Every time Mandy began to utter an inappropriate </div> <div> phrase, Sister Rocky gave her a swift hand to the back of the head. </div> <div> It was a punishment that would have made Donna smile. Mandy now </div> <div> seemed to be going through life with a perpetual headache; she just </div> <div> wouldn't shut up. The Church of The Divine Light of the Galaxy </div> <div> believed in strict discipline. </div> <bR> <div> It was bad enough that Mandy fell asleep during morning prayers and </div> <div> that she tried to silently bribe the other initiates to do her chores </div> <div> by passing them the leftovers from her dinner. Father Rico felt-- and </div> <div> Mother Superior agreed-- that Mandy needed to learn that hard work </div> <div> was good for the soul. The demon "drugs" had taken hold of this girl </div> <div> and the older nun was determined to help her break free. It was a </div> <div> solemn vow that she had made to the young woman's "sisters".</div> <bR> <div> As her one-year anniversary approached, things had improved, but only </div> <div> marginally. Mandy understood that her chance to make contact with the </div> <div> outside world was fast approaching, so she was on her best behavior. </div> <div> She had been promised one phone call if she would settle down and </div> <div> follow the rules.</div> <bR> <div> Finally, the day came. Mandy announced haughtily that she wanted to </div> <div> call the White House. She wished to talk to Deputy Chief of Staff </div> <div> Joshua Lyman. Josh would help her get to the bottom of this.</div> <bR> <div> 'She is obviously still getting the drugs out of her system,' the </div> <div> Mother Superior thought. 'She is having delusions of grandeur. </div> <div> Thinking she knows people at the White House.'</div> <bR> <div> The Mother Superior dialed the phone and handed it to Mandy as soon </div> <div> as someone answered. Mandy heard a heavily accented female voice on </div> <div> the other end of the phone.</div> <bR> <div> "John Wyman's office," she said.</div> <bR> <div> "What did you say?" Mandy demanded. "I'm trying to reach Josh Lyman, </div> <div> Deputy Chief of Staff."</div> <bR> <div> "This is Mr. Wyman's office," the voice said slowly, as if talking to </div> <div> a child. "Are you sure you dialed correctly?"</div> <bR> <div> "YES I'M SURE," Mandy screamed into the receiver.</div> <bR> <div> Sister Rocky sighed; it looked as though all of those smacks on the </div> <div> head were starting to take their toll.</div> <bR> <div> "Please check the number and dial again," the woman's voice said. </div> <div> Then Mandy heard a click on the other end of the line, then a dial </div> <div> tone.</div> <bR> <div> "Nice work," Donna said to her assistant as she watched her hang up </div> <div> the phone. "The accent was a nice touch."</div> <bR> <div> "Thanks," Daisy said with a smile. "You're so much more fun to work </div> <div> for than Mandy ever was."</div> <bR> <div> Donna blushed at the praise.</div> <bR> <div> Meanwhile, at the convent, Mandy was desperately trying to convince </div> <div> the Mother Superior to allow her another call. It was all in vain. </div> <div> Rules are rules. She would have to wait twelve months for another </div> <div> chance to use the phone. Donna's latest "contribution" had reached </div> <div> Father Rico, thereby assuring another year of silence.</div> <bR> <div> Donna and Daisy both circled the day exactly one year in the future </div> <div> in their day runners. They knew that Father Rico would use the </div> <div> promise of a phone call to keep Mandy in line for another year.</div> <bR> <div> "We'll have to come up with a plan for next time," Donna said.</div> <bR> <div> "I'll start working on it right away," Daisy said. </div> <bR> <div> "What would we have done if she had decided to call her family </div> <div> instead?" Donna asked.</div> <bR> <div> "It's taken care of," Daisy answered. "Once I explained to them that </div> <div> Mandy had entered the Witness Protection Program after she testified </div> <div> against the mobsters that were trying to infiltrate the government, </div> <div> they were more than happy to accept the unlisted phone numbers and </div> <div> the new social security numbers I offered them. They are so deep in </div> <div> hiding she'd need a private detective working full-time for a month </div> <div> to find them."</div> <bR> <div> "You have a very devious mind," Donna laughed.</div> <bR> <div> "Thanks. I learned from the best," Daisy said, paying tribute to her </div> <div> new boss.</div> <bR> <div> They both quieted suddenly as Josh entered the bullpen.</div> <bR> <div> "What are you two talking about?" he asked, noticing their smiles.</div> <bR> <div> "Nothing," they answered in unison.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>