crack_van | The Air Stings Like Autumn by ELG (R)

Fandom: The West Wing
Pairing: gen (albeit with some slashy Josh/Sam overtones)
Author on LJ:

elgrey
Author website: Bunnyfic

Why this must be read:

I've always loved long, plotty, ensemble stories, and they don't seem to be all that common in this fandom, although there are some wonderful and well-known ones that have been recced previously here on

crack_van. I was quite excited to discover this lesser-known fic, which has an interesting plot, snappy dialogue, and nice characterizations of the ensemble, although it's a Sam-centric fic. It's a season 6 AU in which Sam has decided to run for office again, and is kidnapped by white supremacists after he makes a fiery speech denouncing their activities. Sam, as the central figure, is a wonderful mixture of passionate, vulnerable, and resolute, and the author doesn't "woobify" him too much. Another aspect of this story that I appreciated was its alternative narrative structure--it starts with the moment that Sam is found by the FBI, and moves back and forth in time from that point.

Here's a taste: Let's invade somewhere," Josh suggested.

"What?" She looked up at him and he wondered how long it was since she had slept. Then he remembered that glimpse of himself he'd seen in the mirror this morning as he tried to shave with a hand that shook with anger and fear; that long pause as he told himself that there could still be a happy ending to this story; that it wasn't necessarily the case that Sam was never again going to stand in his apartment, bubbling over with enthusiasm about something, until a hungover Josh threatened to throw him out of a window if he didn't dial down the nauseatingly optimistic good cheer.

"Let's invade some country that's pissing us off."

CJ moistened her dry lips. "Just to pass the time?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay, I'm in. What are you thinking? Canada?"

Josh shrugged. "Well, it's close. Makes it easier to mobilize the troops when they don't have so far to travel."

"A lot of Canadians speak French in a particularly supercilious way. I'm sure we could work that up as an act of treason against the United States."

"Plus, they tried to annex Donna. Moving the borders like that."

"I think it was INS that moved the borders actually, Josh, but it's as good a reason as any. Oh wait! The seal pups. Let's go to war over the seal pups."

There was no reason at all why seal pups should have forced that image of Sam into his mind; Sam wasn't particularly small or fluffy. But now he was seeing the ice red with Sam's blood, his skull cracked. He staggered and CJ was out of her chair in an instant and holding his arm. "It can't be much longer now."

Go read and enjoy! The Air Stings Like Autumn