Hello, everyone! If you all follow me on my Tumblr and Twitter (Tumblr mugiwara-lucy and Twitter mugiwaranolucy), you would all know that over the summer, I got into and watched the whole series of Army Wives and man was it a ride! =D
I really enjoyed the series as well as the acting by Catherine Bell, Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman and Brigid Brannaugh! ^_^ It was such an amazing series and I loved EVERY FREAKING SECOND of it! ^_^
….Until Season 6 when the writers forced in Jackie Clarke to be the new Jesus Christ and made four out of the OG five tribe members (Claudia Joy, Roxy, Roland and Pamela) to leave the show along with having the mains dropping idiot bombs and Season 7 when they actually KILL OFF CLAUDIA JOY (who is the heart of the show) and replace the OG tribe with another one that feels like the dollar tree knock offs of the OGs (Although I have a soft spot for Gloria! I dunno why but I just really like her XD).
However…..have NO fear! In my stories Claudia Joy will NEVER die! ^_^ And unless I make it strictly canon complacent, my stories will extend only to Seasons 1-5 since that's MY canon for Army Wives. (Not to mention that seems to be the general consensus within what I've seen from the fandom ANYWAYS XD).
But with all that said and done, let's get into the story! Now as shown by the image, it's gonna be a Claudia Joy X Roxy one-shot! ^_^
That may be a surprise to some as I haven't seen more of this pairing given that Claudia Joy was the FIRST person of Fort Marshall to give Roxy a chance and accept her and never judged her while I've seen a fair amount of Roxy X Denise fics (which strangely villainizes Claudia Joy and makes her as much of a bitch to Roxy as people like Lenore and Marilyn are to her in canon but….yeah) and I know everyone and their momma ships Claudia Joy X Denise along with Roxy X Pamela but Claudia Joy and Roxy just always had a unique bond since I LOVE the tropes of the popular ones ACTUALLY befriending outcasts and going against the norm of society like Claudia Joy did for Roxy since it shows not all rich, popular people are dicks and yeah ^_^
ANYWAYS….let me just get to the fic before you all get bored! XD
As a side note for when this takes place in the Army Wives timeline, this takes place after Roxy tells the tribe she was pregnant at the end of 4x02!
Now with all that said, enjoy the story! ^_^
During her time at Fort Marshall, Roxy Leblanc had never been so full of love and support from her girlfriends than she was now.
Okay…maybe that was a bit of a stretch. When "The Tribe", that Roxy was proudly apart of, consisting of Claudia Joy Holden, Denise Sherwood, Pamela Moran and occasionally Roland Burton, helped to prepare and celebrate Roxy's Twenty Sixth Birthday mere months after meeting and befriending her was enough to push the young blonde to tears, especially considering the lack of reputation she had on Fort Marshall at that time, no thanks to folks like Lenore Baker and her lapdog Marilyn.
And when the tribe all helped Roxy prepare and study for her GED exam, it made Roxy's heart flutter at their support of her. It was nice to have people other than Trevor and her sons have faith in her who expected her to do better, not worst which was proven to her when they surprised her with a surprise graduation party.
And now, with the announcement of her pregnancy, to say her friends was happy was the understatement of the century! She was practically smothered in hugs from her girlfriends followed by words of congratulations from a damn near sugar-rushed Pamela, a just as excited Denise and arguably the most happy and excited, a full of smiles and laughing Claudia Joy who kept staying close to Roxy, making sure she drunk her water and patting her shoulder so as to reduce stress once the hug fest was over with.
"You okay, honey?" Claudia Joy eyed her young friend that she always felt a need to protect despite Roxy's pride.
"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine!" Roxy reassured her friend who looked at her sharply before finally nodding. Whether or not Claudia Joy believed her was Roxy's guess.
"Okay…" Claudia Joy decided to drop it as everyone was happily helping her with her work for the evening by helping to put up chairs, straighten up and clean.
"Guys seriously, you don't have to do all this!" Roxy, while appreciating the help, didn't want to be helpless. After all, she prided herself in being self-reliant.
"Nonsense! You have a baby on the way!" Pamela said, mockingly-offended.
"We can't put much strain on your body with you carrying that small bundle of joy! I am a nurse after all." Denise pointed out, matter of factedly.
"Yes, you should never doubt your friends." Claudia Joy was a hundred and ten percent on Pamela and Denise's side, making the blonde sigh in defeat.
"Okay, fine." Roxy begrudgingly conceded defeat, realizing she was outnumbered and outmatched.
"Great!" Claudia Joy chirped with Pamela and Denise smiling in satisfaction as Roxy couldn't stop her own smile from coming.
Damn, she loved these girls.
As Pamela and Denise decided to head home with it getting late, Claudia Joy was left with Roxy, much to Roxy's relief as there was something she needed to get off her chest and this feeling had everything to do with Claudia Joy Holden.
"Hey, Claudia Joy?" Roxy began as Claudia Joy looked up from her broom.
"Yeah?" Claudia Joy raised an eyebrow.
"I just wanted to thank you for everything…..taking me under your wing as soon as we met along with all the things you've helped me with and taught me over the last three years. You're like the female Roland but slightly better." Roxy thanked her long-time friend who smiled and laughed and Roxy's praise of her.
"Haha well there's no need to thank me, Rox. You're someone precious to me and even if you weren't I'd still help you." Claudia Joy smiled tenderly at her young friend who returned the smile.
"No you're wrong. You have no idea how much I've appreciated everything you've done for me….Like helping Finn at the hospital when no one else even pretended to give a damn, helping celebrate my birthday along with helping me when that bitch tried to sue me for wrongful termination, reassuring me that I could hold things down when Trevor first left, helping me with golfing when Denise was too fixated on winning and standing up for me and helping when Michael tried banning the Hump Bar." Roxy laid it all out as Claudia Joy smiled, remembering all the intimate moments they shared along with the ones Roxy didn't mention.
"Oh Roxy…." Claudia Joy was about to comment as the blonde held up a hand.
"I'm serious. That night I spent at the Hospital, I realized none of the high ranking officers' wives would give me the time of day. When I requested help, I was mocked, ignored and laughed away. Until I met you…" Roxy's eyes fluttered in remembrance as Claudia Joy's smile sagged.
"Right…I remember. Back when Emmalin was in cheerleading, she needed a physical but I saw you getting into it was Joyce." Claudia Joy said with Roxy rolling her eyes.
"Ugh she was so fake." Roxy wasn't sure where that nurse was and she couldn't care less since that nurse was very patronizing.
Claudia Joy wasn't going to badmouth Joyce since she hadn't done anything personal with her but she knew Roxy wasn't lying.
"Right I remember, you were very upset and when you went off on me, I couldn't blame you. I saw a mother being denied help due to her lower rank." Claudia Joy said with Roxy rubbing the back of her head.
"I'm sorry but it was so frustrating. Literally a sick four year old but no one cared…but you…..However back then I thought you were doing that to get brownie points that actual kindness…..I thought at first you were just snooty…." Roxy admitted with shame that Claudia Joy saw as she put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know….which is why I invited you to my tea party." Claudia Joy smiled as Roxy laughed humorlessly.
"Yeah where I wasn't welcome one bit." Roxy chuckled sarcastically.
"What!? You were welcome." Claudia Joy tried reassuring her who stared at her.
"Don't lie to me." Roxy shook her head, making Claudia Joy bulk.
"I'm not lying!" Claudia Joy raised an eyebrow.
"I saw the looks and sneers everyone gave me when I stepped one foot on your lawn. I think a sewer rat would've gotten a warmer welcome." Roxy laughed, with more genuine effort as Claudia Joy wanted to argue against that but she heard the snickers everyone sent Roxy as well as wondering why someone as divine as Claudia Joy would even breathe the same air as someone so undeserving.
"And you never judged me there for my work clothes…why?" Roxy honestly wondered why Claudia Joy said not one comment on her skimpy dressing.
"For two reasons; One, I know you didn't want to embarrass yourself if you could help it and two, I had a feeling you were in a rush." Claudia Joy chuckled as Roxy returned the laugh.
"Oh? Was I that obvious?" Roxy blinked making Claudia Joy grin.
"You can be kinda predictable." Claudia Joy playfully shrugged as Roxy blushed.
"Well damn, I didn't think I was that easy! Haha, but you still didn't say anything about how I looked." Roxy pointed out as Claudia Joy slapped her shoulder.
"Because I admired you for essentially throwing yourself in the lion's den, just like when you came out of that bathroom stall wearing only a thong!" Claudia Joy pointed out with both women laughing at the funny memory.
"Oh Claudia Joy…." Roxy smiled as the women's laughter died down.
"And besides, not all officer's wife thought like that. Denise hit it up with you, after all!" Claudia Joy reminded Roxy who gave a small smile in response.
"But even then, Denise wasn't all that keen on me back then. It was really only because of you." Roxy said, remembering how withdrawn Denise used to be.
"Oh Roxy….that was only because of what she was going through with Jeremy. She didn't mean to come off as unwelcoming as Lenore." Claudia Joy comfortably reminded Roxy whose smile widened.
"I figured that out when she helped me get that mask and I gave her those self-defense lessons." Roxy looked at the night moon out of the window behind the two with a nostalgic smile adorning her lips as so much had changed in that time.
"I see…." Claudia Joy mused with her lips curved upwards, remembering how she felt when Denise told her how Roxy had defended her against Jeremy's physical abuse. What started off as a fondness and admiration evolved into full grown respect.
"Which reminds me, did you really mean what you said the other day on how you admired me and thought of me as an amazing woman?" Roxy asked with Claudia Joy smiling with the utmost love and comfort her motherly side brought out of her.
"Yes, I meant every word. I admire how fierce and unwilling to give up you are. You're damn more trustworthy than a lot of these so called 'classy' wives who'd walk over each other's dead bodies to get what they want. You may not have went to prestigious colleges like Lenore Baker but you're way more intelligent than she'd ever be. I love your humor and how you can brighten up any situation along with your never ending compassion and kindness and my favorite trait of yours is how unique you are. You're not the typical stereotypical army wife and I love that about you. You're amazing and kind but not docile and unwilling to go down without a fight, Roxy Leblanc!" Claudia Joy said with the utmost certainty before pulling the shorter woman into a tight hug.
Roxy felt tears in her eyes at the kind words of her friend….Her first friend at Fort Marshall.
"Claudia Joy….you're my first friend here….I just hope I become as good of a woman as you…." Roxy broke the hug as she wiped her eyes with Claudia Joy staring tenderly at her.
"You can….and you will." Claudia Joy reassured the younger woman who gasped at those words as those were the exact same words Claudia Joy told Roxy before the original Hump Bar blew up.
"Okay!" Roxy beamed.
However….sadly soon after, it turns out Roxy's baby wouldn't make it as she sadly suffered from a miscarriage.
Thankfully….with the help of her loved ones, she was able to overcome her grief and continue on with her life.
Although she never forgot her baby that could've been, she remembered what she did have.
She had Trevor, her boys, Roland, Denise, Pamela and most importantly.
She had Claudia Joy Holden, someone who believed in her and gave her a chance when no one else would...
Claudia Joy and Roxy really have a special bond, don't they? ^_^
The reason this story is even a thing was because of my annoyance at my realization at how the show really seemed to downplay Roxy and CJ's bond the longer the show went on. Like seriously, in Season 7, Roxy said it took until Season FOUR to realize how great Claudia Joy was to approach her on things when Roxy went to Claudia Joy TONS of times before then…like did the S6 and S7 writers not even bother to watch the first five seasons?
*Sighs* But let's not turn this into a rant -_-
ANYWAYS, I have other Army Wives fanfiction ideas I have in mind (LOTS of Claudia Joy and Roxy fic ideas ^_^) that I wanna publish because this fandom needs more fanfics like I was talking about with my friend, madam-kintobor on tumblr so hopefully she likes it! ^_^ But I'll put pin to paper and share them with you if you all are interested so let me know please since it's up to you guys! ^_^
With this story done and in the books please let me know your thoughts on this story and see you all in my next story! ^_^