I just accidentally started shipping Margaret Hooper and Ronna Beckman from The West Wing.
We know that Ronna has a relationship with a woman in Election Day Part 1, and then in The Wake Up Call, Margaret comes by Toby’s office to check out the beauty pageant winner just like the male staffers do, so they are both conceivably wlw in canon. I know they don’t really have any scenes together, but I feel like they would be really well-suited personalities, with Margaret’s quirkinesses and Ronna’s cheeriness, and they’re both really loyal, supportive people.
I headcanon that Margaret stays on in the CoS office with Josh, at least for a little bit, because she runs it “like a Swiss watch,” and she’d be really helpful in smoothing the transition. Talk about institutional memory, Margaret has seen it all. And we know that Ronna takes over for Debbie. So imagine if Margaret takes Ronna out for coffee a few times to help her get her feet under her in the west wing, answer questions, and offer advice, and also just so they can have a little commiserating time. But then they really like talking to each other, and so they keep going on these little coffee dates. And Ronna could talk about how she wants to move up into more policy and politics in her career, and Margaret could give her advice because, again, she’s just seen it all, but also Margaret could talk about why she is really happy with her job as an assistant and how the specific demands of that job fit her personality and strengths well, and so she wants to keep doing that type of work. And they could both be really supportive of each other.
Then they start hanging out other times, and Ronna meets Margaret’s son, and she thinks he’s like, the cutest baby in the whole world, and somehow he very quickly just adores Ronna. Then one night, Ronna’s over at the Hooper apartment and she’s just helped put the baby to bed, and she and Margaret are on the couch together in the living room. By this point, they both have raging crushes on one another, but they’ve each been uncertain if the other one sees it as any more than friendship. But Ronna decides to take a chance because exhausted Margaret in casual, baby-burping clothes with her hair sticking up and for once out of its careful style, just looks so beautiful, and so Ronna leans in and kisses her, and for a second Margaret freezes in surprise, but then she’s kissing back and they both pull back and just smile at each other.
Margaret hadn’t really been looking for someone to date, especially with a baby at home, but then the two of them have stumbled into this, and her son adores Ronna almost as much as Margaret does, and by the end of the first year of the administration, they’re living together. By the end of the second year, they have a Christmas commitment ceremony [ie: wedding, but this is 2008 so no gay marriage yet 😕] because Margaret seems exactly the type to have a Christmas wedding. And their friends from the administration come, and I even feel like President Santos would come, even though it might have some political ramifications, because Ronna had worked with him for so many years when he was a congressman and he’s really happy for her, and for Margaret whom he’s gotten to know. She’s a bit bemusing to him, but she and Ronna are really good together and so he’s happy for them. Also, Margaret’s son gets to be the little toddling ring bearer. Halfway down the aisle he tears away from his grandmother and runs to his mom(s). Also, if it’s legally allowed at the time, Ronna adopts him too. It’s a beautiful ceremony, and then the two of them take off the week between Christmas and New Years for their honeymoon [the only week they can possibly conceive of getting away. Even so, Josh is in a panic and things get a little chaotic that week].
Also, I think Margaret and Donna seem to have a fairly close relationship because they would have had to work pretty closely in the Bartlet Administration, and also how quickly Donna got Margaret fully on board with her carpal tunnel slow-typing-strike, so that relationship would be fun to explore, with maybe a little teasing from Margaret about how long J/D took. In my own personal imagining of Josh and Donna’s future, I think they have their first child in the spring of 2009, so I imagine at the commitment ceremony, Margaret teasing a pregnant Donna (in a good-natured, loving way, but still quite dry because this is Margaret we’re talking about) that even though Josh and Donna have been on a collision course since 1998, Margaret still technically beat them to having a spouse and child. Margaret also gives Donna parenting advice and Donna is really supportive of Margaret and Ronna, and she helps Ronna move into legislative affairs sometime in mid 2008.
Margaret and Donna work together to establish an on-campus daycare in the White House. At one point, Josh is holding a big block of cheese day to honor Leo, and when Margaret hands out assignments, she gives Josh one. He thought he would be exempt now that he’s Chief of Staff, but Margaret says, no, he has to take this one. When he looks at the file, it turns out he’s meeting with Donna, along with some experts she’s brought in, about the daycare and how helpful it is for working parents *pointed look at Josh from a pregnant Donna*. Margaret also decided to sit in on this meeting, and chimes in with her support at the end. It gets approved because, let’s be honest, when it comes down to it, Josh could barely stand up to either of them, so if both Donna and Margaret are in cahoots, he has no chance. The daycare is a great success and certainly makes Margaret’s life a lot easier.
Margaret and Ronna are very happy together, and their son grows up knowing both of them as his moms. Ronna continues to advance in Democratic politics, and Margaret continues to be absolutely amazing at her job. Oh, and also, Josh sometimes jokes with Margaret about “our ‘onna girls.” Margaret always gives him a pity smirk for his sense of humor. The two couples’ children have playdates together. It’s all very cute.
So now I’ve accidentally acquired a new ship, but there’s no content for it 😭. Please let someone else find this interesting and talk to me about it!
