Title: Writers and Soapboxes
Author: lj user"rowanceleste"
Characters: Ensemble, with mentions of Logan/Veronica, Harriet/Matt, Danny/Jordan,
Word Count: 2, 149
Rating: PG - 13
Summary: Slight future-fic. This is also a cross-over between Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Veronica Mars.
Spoilers: Up to 3x09, Spit & Eggs (Veronica Mars) and up to 1x11, The Christmas Show (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
Author's Notes: This is my lj comm"santalamb" present for lj user"krilymcc" . She has the good taste to love Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as well as Veronica Mars. She also said she enjoys crack!fic and since I'm not the Queen of Crack!Fic like lj user"sarahp" , it took me a good long while to come up with anything. I hope it doesn't disappoint! This is the first time I've ever written Studio 60 fic or had the focus not be so much on Veronica Mars so hopefully it doesn't feel too AU to anyone. X-posted to lj comm"veronicamarsfic"
Tossing the portfolio towards Matt, Danny leans back in his chair. After a few minutes, he laces his fingers behind his head, waiting for Matt to finish reading and glance up.
"So what did you think of this kid? He is a kid, right?" Matt asks, still skimming through the papers in front of him.
"I thought he was sarcastic, witty, intelligent, funny and borderline obnoxious. You'd love him. In fact, he kind of reminded me of you in the early days, only not so 'wet behind the ears'," Danny adds with a smirk. He gestures to the folder in front of Matt. "As you can tell, the kid's got talent, otherwise I wouldn't have even wasted your time."
Nodding in agreement, Matt tosses the portfolio back onto the desk. "You're right, the kid does have talent, but I thought you didn't have a problem with me writing the next few shows by myself? If you thought it was a bad idea, why did you let me give the newbies a few weeks off? Didn't we agree it was best not to let them get burnt out?" he asks in a slightly irritated tone.
"I'm fine with giving the newbies a few weeks off, but I don't want you to get burnt out either. If you pull out any more of your hair, Harriet's going to wonder if you're going prematurely bald." Dropping his chair back to the ground, Danny stands up and walks around to the other side of his desk. He waits for Matt to look at him, before leaning against his desk and holding his hands out in supplication. "Look. Just meet the kid. If you don't like him, you don't have to use him, but I wanted you to know we had some options out there."
"Options? Does this kid have a clone that I don't know about? This looks like an option to me, not options," Matt counters as he looks over the portfolio again.
"Yeah, well, the other options we had kind of sucked, so it's either you alone or you and the kid. Or we keep looking and maybe we'll find someone else by the time the newbies are back from vacation."
Shrugging, Matt stands up. "By the look of it, this kid could hold his own with the newbies, even after their trial by fire." He glances over his shoulder at Danny. "I take it you have him stashed down in the writers' room?" At Danny's nod, Matt heads out the door, the portfolio clutched loosely in his hand.
Looking through the window of the writers' room, Matt notices a lean teenager slouching at the far end, idly flipping a pen between his fingers. He strides into the room, dropping the portfolio onto the table before reaching out to shake the other man's hand and introduce himself. "Matt Albie. I'm one of the co-executive producers of Studio 60."
"So I've heard. Logan Echolls." He sits up a little straighter after they shake hands, continuing to twirl the pen in his other hand. A relaxed expression graces his face, as he refuses to let the butterflies in his stomach show.
Matt sits down in a chair across from Logan and pulls the folder towards him. "I don't know if Danny told you this already, but this is great writing." He notes the brief flash of pleasure in the boy's eyes before his mask falls back into place. Gesturing around the empty room, he states, "This isn't where I'd expect to see the son of former A-listers and given some of your writing, it seems like you have a disdain for Hollywood. Why do you want to be a writer anyway? Didn't Mommy & Daddy leave you millions?"
Refusing to rise to the bait, Logan shrugs as he replies honestly, "This isn't Hollywood. There are no red carpets or flashing cameras here." He gestures to Matt and snickers softly. "The paparazzi look to the actors, actresses and producers for their stories. They just ask the writers for directions to the bathroom. I can deal with Hollywood as long as I'm not part of the spotlight. As for the millions, let's just say that my living accommodations are eating into my stipend and I figured that maybe if I found something I didn't hate, it will tide me over until I'm 21 and the rest of that money is freed up. At that point, I may devote my life to getting shit-faced in Ibiza, depending on how things work out."
"Be that as it may, once the press finds out that Logan Echolls is writing for Studio 60, you won't be able to hide from them. Not to mention, those A-listers that you scorn in your writing won't be too happy that one of their own is roasting them for the amusement of the masses." He glances at Logan again. "Anyway, shouldn't you be in college or something?"
"I'm just taking the semester off. There was nothing keeping me there."
"Girl troubles, huh?" Matt asks knowingly. Noting the closed expression on Logan's face, he goes back to the subject at hand. "You need a pen name or something. Something that doesn't shout 'Trust fund baby'. Got any ideas, kid? Your Mom's maiden name is too obvious since she used to be a starlet before she got married."
A contemplative look crosses Logan's face before he breaks out into a grin. "How about Logan McCormack?"
Snickering softly, Matt quirks his eyebrow at the teenager. "Let me guess. It's your girlfriend or ex-girlfriend's last name, right?"
Shaking his head, Logan throws the pen towards Matt. "No, believe me, Mars would have been a lot more obvious. McCormack's just an old friend that's bailed me out a few times."
"Why do I get the impression you mean that literally?" Matt asks curiously. Holding up his hand, he halts any response. "Never mind, I don't want to know. When can you start?"
Glancing up from the script in front of him, Matt shoots Logan a pleased nod. "This is it. This is the one. Let's try it out during dress tonight." He claps Logan lightly on the back, oblivious to his slight instinctive flinch. "Is there anyone you want to invite to the wrap party? Maybe give them a call and let them know what you managed to accomplish?"
Logan hesitates a moment before shaking his head. "There's no one I plan to call, but if you don't mind, I'd like to put a name on the list."
Matt rolls his eyes as he leans back in his chair. "What? Do you think your girl's got psychic powers or something? Why don't you just call her already?"
"It's something like that. If she wanted to know, she'd know. Besides, between you and Harriet and Danny and Jordan, I don't think either of you are qualified to give advice on my love life," Logan retorts.
"Hey, I finally kissed Harriet instead of just obsessing over her," Matt states defensively. "Danny's got his work cut out for him though. Have you been listening to the stage gossip?"
Logan shrugs with a lack of concern. "Stage gossip is the most accurate gossip out there at least. You really think the sketch is good enough for dress?"
"It's a damn good sketch, Logan. If I were you, I'd probably be a little worried when you head home though. I don't know if you've changed the names enough to protect the incompetent," Matt smirks. "Is your Sheriff really that much of an idiot?" Snickering at Logan's answering nod and grin, Matt ushers Logan out of the room. "Well, hopefully he doesn't actually watch our show."
Observing the laughter in the crowd, Danny tosses Matt a triumphant grin. "I told you the kid was great."
"You also told me that he had a smart mouth and reminded you of me when I was younger," Matt counters.
"Well?"
Breaking into a reluctant grin, Matt shrugs. "He's got a smart mouth and reminds me of me." He glances at Danny. "Ohh and he doesn't think either one of us are qualified to give him advice on his love life," he adds.
"Hey, just because I've been divorced twice and you've got issues doesn't mean we're not qualified..." Danny starts defensively before trailing off. "Fine, the kid's right, but do you know if he even called his girl? Veronica, isn't it?"
Shaking his head, Matt rolls his eyes. "No, he didn't call her. He did add her to the VIP list though and said if she wanted to know, she'd know. I can't believe he says we've got issues. How does he expect her to figure out what he's doing? He hasn't told anyone else in Neptune. He took the semester off and he's using a pseudonym. She'd have to have a detective keeping track of him."
"Maybe she is a detective?" Danny muses speculatively.
"There's no way. She's in college, same as him. I got that much out of him, at least. You can tell he's got his hopes up too. Poor kid. If she doesn't show up, he's going to assume it's because she doesn't care about what he's doing, not because he successfully hid his identity."
"Maybe we should call her?"
Shrugging helplessly, Matt asks, "How? He barely spills any information and he's not the kind of guy to leave his cell phone around."
Danny stands up and pats Matt on the back in reassurance. "We'll have the cast and crew look out for him. Make sure he's not sitting in the corner alone, drowning his sorrows when he should be celebrating his success."
Turning around, Matt looks at the petite, but gorgeous blonde tapping him on the shoulder. Smiling charmingly, he quirks an eyebrow at her. "Please tell me that you're looking for me."
Veronica shakes her head, a brief, flirtatious smile crossing her lips. "Well, you are cute, but I'm sorry to tell you that I'm looking for someone else." She glances around the room before shrugging helplessly. "It's a little crowded in here and I'd hate for him to think I didn't show up."
Matt looks at her more closely before asking, "You're not Veronica, are you?"
Eyes widening in surprise, Veronica stares at him. "You knew I'd be here?"
Shaking his head in astonishment, Matt answers, "No, I knew that Logan added you to his list, but I didn't think you'd be here since its not like he told anyone what he was doing, plus he wasn't even writing under his own name." He looks at her again, a small grin crossing his face. "I have a feeling I should probably be a little scared, shouldn't I?"
Grinning in response, Veronica holds her thumb and index finger an inch apart. "Just a little. But as long as you're not cheating on your spouse, wreaking havoc on my campus or you know, dating me, you have nothing to fear." Standing on tiptoes, she tries to glance around the room again. "Do you know where Logan is?"
Matt nods and holds out his arm for her. "Yeah, he's hanging out with Tom and Simon. I'll walk you over to them. We were a little worried he'd be drowning his sorrows in a corner when you didn't show up. You should be pretty proud of him, you know. A lot of people work for years and never make it as a writer."
Grabbing onto Matt's arm, she lets him steer her through the crowd before acknowledging his comment. "I am proud of him. Sometimes I wondered if I saw more potential in him than he was willing to see in himself." Spotting Logan sitting on a couch next to two other guys, she turns to face Matt. "Logan is smart, loyal, loving and while he can be a jackass sometimes, he has so much to offer. I'm just glad that he finally found something that makes him happy and that he can feel like he deserves."
"It sounds like you know him pretty well. Now, are you going to go over there and get your man?" Matt asks as he releases her arm.
Smiling, Veronica nods her head. "You know, I think that's the best idea I've heard in a long while." She strolls over, noting Logan in intense discussion with the man next to him. "Excuse me? Mr. McCormack? I don't mean to interrupt, but could I get your signature?"
A wide grin splits Logan's face as he looks at the woman standing in front of him. Reaching up, he grabs the pen out of her hand before pulling her onto his lap. "Sure thing, babe. Where would you like it?" He laughs in amusement as Veronica whispers her response in his ear. Standing up abruptly, Logan wraps his arm tightly around her waist as he directs her out of the room. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but I promised this young lady a signature."
The End