It’s been more than three and a half years since I put the task of “Complete one West Wing fanfic” on my 101/1001 list. It was #3, even before the Trixie fanfic task (#4) that took over my life. *g*
It wasn’t long after I started writing my Roads Not Taken uni that I began pondering the idea of a Trixie Belden/West Wing crossover. Although it was a couple of years in the making, and not one of the stories I had begun writing years in advance on the timeline, it was always there in the back of my mind, and the logistics of it became easier and easier as I went along. Trixie, seeking a career that would best suit her, stumbled into the U.S. Treasury (of which the Secret Service was a branch until after 9/11) and it snowballed from there.
I’ve enjoyed putting in hints and minor crossover moments up until this point, beginning with Trixie’s discussion with her program director at the Rowley Training Center about a possible stint as part of the Secret Service team guarding Zoey Bartlet (West Wing character, President Bartlet’s youngest daughter, just starting college at Georgetown in January of 2000) in Chapter 20-The Secret Sits.
I let psychiatrist Stanley Keyworth (West Wing character) creep into the story, in Chapter 22—The Trial by Existence, as Jim’s therapist, a little more than a year before he meets Josh Lyman (West Wing’s Deputy Chief of Staff) and later treats the President himself.
Trixie has her first Secret Service assignment in that same period of the uni, taking a pre-advance assignment in Beijing for Vice President John Hoynes (West Wing character) in Chapterette 22A-Accidentally On Purpose.
And finally, the President himself and his lead agent Ron Butterfield appear in Chapter 26—What Fifty Said, confirming that our schoolgirl shamus will be heading to Washington for this coveted position on the White House staff.
But this story is officially (grin) the West Wing crossover. I certainly hope I’ve done it well enough that my readers enjoy it fully, whether they are Wingnuts like Annette and I, or have never seen an episode of what is absolutely my all-time favorite television series.
A note about Trixie’s place in the series: With apologies to The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin and actress Jorja Fox, the most suitable way to bring Trixie into this story was to replace Fox’s character, Special Agent Gina Toscano, with Trixie as one of Zoey’s personal bodyguards. This is not meant in any way to be disparaging of this character. It was simply the smoothest way for Trixie to be a part of this story.
A note about blatant plagiarism: I should probably apologize to Sorkin for stealing so many of his lines and taking directly from several episodes but in my mind, it’s not stealing. It’s simply knowing that his words are far better than any I could ever pen myself. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. (grin)
I’m not taking credit for those words. Although Jix Authorship no longer tracks word counts, I will add that I didn’t count anything I didn’t write myself as part of the total word count for the complete story (word count on each individual installment includes all words, both mine and Sorkin's). 92.7% of the story is mine. (grin)
Throughout the story, there will be lines originally spoken by Gina Toscano/Jorja Fox that are now Trixie’s. Throughout the story, there will be entire scenes taken directly from episodes of The West Wing. The words, the ideas, the characters, all belong to Sorkin (and Warner Brothers). I will note them in the Author’s Notes. I am making zero profit from using them here, and they are most certainly used with great love and respect for the original. I am indebted to The West Wing Transcripts and my seven seasons of The West Wing on DVD for helping me maintain accuracy in transferring those words to my story. I am equally grateful for The West Wing Continuity Guide and Bartlet for America for all those little tidbits I constantly needed to look up, like where President Bartlet studied, the charges brought against David Arbor, what kind of car Toby drives, where Sam grew up, and what Liz Bartlet’s kids’ names were. Two fonts of West Wing biographical trivia!
For West Wing fans, this story begins (after the Prologue) in February 2000, as the Season 1 episode “20 Hours in L.A.” takes place, and runs through the Season 2 premiere.
The title of this story is not a Robert Frost poem title or taken from a Robert Frost poem. No matter how long I stared at my list and delved into my “Complete Works” book, nothing struck me as "just right". Though Robert Frost was America’s poet laureate in 1958-1959 (and a WW episode from Season 3 is entitled “The U.S. Poet Laureate”), though he wrote poems about presidents and for presidents and for presidential inaugurations, nothing really seemed to fit.
The title of this story, In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, is also the title of the Season 2 premiere of The West Wing. So, I’m still being lazy by not coming up with a title myself but I’m giving Mr. Frost a little break from my thievery. My apologies to Mr. Sorkin!
And without further ado...