FicWad

Someone to Live For
Fighting With Microphones

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In which Joanne is not a theatre person. Christmas Eve after Mark graduates; approximately concurrent with musical timeline.

DISCLAIMER: Not mine; just borrowing. Will return when finished.
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Joanne's given up on trying to fix the digital delay by herself. She still doesn't know why Maureen wanted her to do this - she's a lawyer, not a theatre person, and if anything this is proving it. Maureen said she'd call one of her friends in to come help, but she's such a bundle of nerves right now that Joanne doesn't know whether she'll follow through.

She doesn't notice anyone else is in the lot until a guy's voice says, "Joanne?" When she looks up, there's a blonde guy standing there with a Hispanic girl on his arm. Possibly a girl, anyway - Joanne's been temporarily fooled by a couple of good drag queens before, so she's learned to be careful in her assumptions.

"You must be Mark. Good, she did follow through."

"Of course she did. It's her protest."

"True. Maureen speaks highly of you. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a cause for concern."

Mark grins. "You don't have to worry about competition from me. She's given up trying to snag me."

"Well, who do I have to worry about competition from, then?"

"Anyone who can hold Maureen's attention for ten consecutive seconds."

"That's... encouraging. How can I be so sure you're not a threat?" She's trying to keep the mood light, but if Maureen's wandering eye is really that bad, it seems like a good idea to make sure.

"Joanne, this is Angel," Mark says, indicating the (possibly) girl who came in with him. "We've been together for years - Maureen's not worth giving that up."

Angel grins. "So you're Maureen's girlfriend?"

"Already famous, am I? She's quite the woman."

"Good luck."

Mark snorts. "Yeah, seriously. You're gonna need it."

"Oh, she can't be that bad, can she?"

Angel raises an eyebrow. "I pretty much had to make out with Mark in front of her before she stopped trying to get into his pants. More than once. And then we had to convince her we didn't particularly want an audience. You tell me."

"She's determined," Mark says. "Always has been."

"She's a lunatic. If you can keep a handle on her, you've got my deepest respect."

"You certainly get props for trying."

Joanne laughs. "I think there's more to her than you two have seen."

"If you find it, let us know. We have yet to see more than insane and annoying."

"Hey now," Angel says, "she's actually not too bad now that she's stopped trying to sweep you off your feet. But I do think she needs to grow up some. Didn't you have a protest to save?"

"Right, about that. What seems to be the problem?"

"Digital delay's being uncooperative," Joanne says. "The cable seems to be fine, but it's not working, and I really don't have the first clue how to fix it."

"Sounds like an easy fix." Mark heads for the stage, and Joanne turns to Angel with a smile.

"He is so wrapped around your little finger."

Angel giggles. "That wasn't my intent, I swear."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive. If I'd tried, I would've scared him off. And I definitely didn't want to do that."

"How long've you two known each other, anyway?"

"...Little over seven years, I think? We've kind of stopped keeping track."

"That's saying quite a bit, these days."

"We met in high school. Things... just sort of happened, from there."

Joanne smiles. "They seem to have happened well for you both."

"Thanks. And if you ever feel the need to rant about Maureen, feel free to drop by the loft. Neither of us know from dating her, but Mark knew her when they were kids, and we both shared living space with her for a while. Odds are we can sympathize, at least a little."

"I just might take you up on that. Thanks."

"No problem."

"And we're patched," Mark says into the microphone, the last word echoing through the speakers thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Angel applauds, and Joanne raises an eyebrow.

"That was fast."

"Not really. It's an easy fix, if you know what you're doing. Could show you how, if you want."

"Long as it holds up for the night, I should be good. But if Maureen decides to hire me for another of these crazy things, I'll let you know. Still not sure why she wanted me to do this in the first place."

Mark shrugs. "Maureen, in my experience, rarely makes sense. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you stop expecting her to."

That's a lot to ask of Joanne, even if she can't expect Mark to know how much she likes logic yet. "We'll see. I think her logic's just well camouflaged."

Angel looks at Mark and says, "Want to go try dragging Roger out again?"

"Sure. You want to come?"

Joanne considers. "I should stay here, actually. Maureen ought to be along in a bit, or at least calling to see if things are fixed yet."

"We'll probably see you later, then." Angel stands, holding out a hand for Mark. "Lovely meeting you. And again, good luck."

"Nice meeting you two as well."