The characters belong to Aaron Sorkin. I created Senator Lenz for the
story - so if there is a Senator called that, it's coincidence. The
story is mine, please ask me before you archive it - I'll probably say
yes, but I like to know where it's going. Rated I dunno, maybe aged
about 15. Mild language. Discreet sex scenes.
This is my first West Wing fanfic, and I've a few problems in writing
it. I'm not American, so writing dialogue for American characters can be
tough. If they say something an American wouldn't - oops, sorry, and
please mail me and tell me, so I can correct it!
Secondly, thanks to a deal in which the broadcast rights changed hands,
season two of 'The West Wing' has been delayed here for over a year. I
saw the season one finale, summer 2000, just after it aired in the US,
but I haven't yet seen season two. So if I screw up on characterisation
and plot - sorry. Reading about bits of it on-line is no substitute for
seeing it. Please let me know if I'm badly off base, and I'll fix it.
Disclaimer. I'm writing about the way one gender views the other. And
you know, men sometimes find women hard to understand, and women think
the same about men. So please, don't take offence at some of the
thoughts the characters have, because I'm not saying it's right. I'm
just reflecting the general bafflement about love, sex, and what the
hell the other person *really* wants, that I think a lot of us have
experienced at times.
Written and posted 4th April 2001. This story is set a few days after
'The War At Home' which of course I haven't seen, and has spoilers for
that episode.:)
Six Viewpoints Before (And After) Lunch.
by Michelle Hiley.
cat@hiley.demon.co.uk
1.57 am.
An apartment in D.C.
"All right!" I growled, wandering down the hall, tying my robe. Shit.
For once, I'd gotten home and got to bed at a decent hour, and now some
idiot was leaning on the buzzer. This had better be a goddam National
Emergency. It had better be, because if it was some kid playing around,
I was gonna kill them.
"What?" I snapped, hitting the intercom.
"Sam?"
"Who is this?"
"Sam, is that you?" a voice slurred. I blinked, trying to work out if
the speaker was hurt or drunk. Either way, it didn't sound good.
"Yeah. Who's this?"
"It's Josh," came the slurred reply. "Is me. Hey Sam. How you doing?"
"Josh? You got any idea what time it is?"
"No...lemmee check...." There was a sudden crash from outside.
"Josh?"
No answer. Shit, shit, shit. I grabbed my keys, and hurried out. Josh
was sprawled on the ground, blinking up at the intercom way above him.
"You OK?" I asked him, concerned. He gave me an innocent smile, and I
could smell the alcohol from here. Oh, so not good.
"I fell over," he explained, simply. "I was looking at my watch."
"You fell over looking at your watch?"
"Had to use both hands." He demonstrated, rolling up his sleeve with one
hand, and proffering his watch arm. Obviously he'd been holding onto the
intercom for support up until then. How he'd managed to get here in this
state, I had no idea. Crawled perhaps, by the state of his clothes.
He'd been missing for a meeting Leo had called early this evening, but
Donna had put her head round the door, with an excuse for his absence,
and Leo had accepted it. Now I saw it for what it was - Josh had skipped
out early, and Donna had covered up. He'd been quiet all day, come to
think of it. I should call Donna. She was probably worried. Then again,
it was nearly 2 am. Maybe I should let her sleep.
"I see. Think you can stand up if I help you?"
"You're a really good friend, Sam."
Oh great. Maudlin Josh. I wondered what had driven him to this. Not that
the guy really needed an excuse. The last few months would have driven
anyone to drink. But Josh had seemed to be coping without the need for
alcohol. I'd tried to be there for him, and I was pretty sure Leo had
been supportive. And Donna had been fussing round him, protectively, but
then that hadn't surprised me. But despite all that, something had
triggered Josh to go do this.
"We're all your friends, Josh," I said, trying to cheer him up, as well
as get him to his feet. He lurched upwards, and I helped him into my
apartment. "So, what brings you by? Didn't feel like going to yell at
Donna's cats this time?" That story had got around.
"Not hers. Roommate's," he muttered.
"Whatever," I told him. He sat down on my couch, and I went to get him
some water. When I came back, he was slumped dejectedly, holding a
cushion.
"You really didn't think it was weird?"
"What was weird?" I asked, putting the glass down on the coffee table.
"Donna...Donna wanting me to go out with Joey..."
Oh. So that was what this was about. Yeah, truth was I'd thought it was
weird. I'm not exactly the world's greatest expert on women, but it had
seemed obvious even to me that Donna had a crush on Josh about the size
of the Grand Canyon. Hell, it was obvious to pretty much everyone. So I
didn't know why she was encouraging him to go out with Joey Lucas.
I'd lied to Josh, told him I thought it was normal, then casually asked
Josh if he felt jealous about the guys she saw. He'd denied it. Because
he just hated her seeing guys, and ruined her dates because...well for
no good reason apparently. But not out of jealousy. Oh no. And I know a
bridge you can buy, buddy. Josh cared about Donna, and knew she was
forbidden fruit, so he settled for making sure nobody else got her. But
it didn't explain her encouraging Joey. Nothing explained that.
My assistant had enlightened me. Not that I'd repeated what Josh had
told me, but I hadn't needed to. All I'd said to Cathy was 'why would a
woman encourage her rival?' and she'd known who I meant instantly. It
was the hot topic of gossip lately, she told me - every female in the
office, except CJ, knew, though none of them had said anything to Donna.
I'd asked what poor CJ had done wrong, but it seemed Carol thought CJ
would get mad with Josh if she found out, so they'd left her out of the
loop. Probably right on that. CJ would go apeshit at the thought of the
headline - 'Deputy Chief of Staff caught in bed with Blonde Assistant.'
Though if I knew CJ, she'd find out pretty soon. It hadn't taken her
long to find out about Laurie.
Anyway, according to Cathy, Donna was encouraging Josh to go out with
Joey, because Donna wanted him herself, but wouldn't admit it. I'd
thought this was crazy, and said so, but Cathy swore blind it was true.
And then Ginger, from Toby's office, had overheard and agreed with
Cathy. All the women agreed apparently. This made perfect logical sense
to them. Crazy. Still, Donna was a woman, so Cathy was probably right.
"I really didn't think it was weird," I lied to Josh. Yes Josh. It's
weird. But apparently in Women Logic Land, it makes sense. It's like the
way they sometimes tell you not to bother doing something, then get mad
because you took them at their word. They are Beings beyond our
understanding. Surrender now.
"Joey Lucas said there were a hunnred of them," Josh slurred.
"A hundred what?"
"A hundred Donnas."
"Joey said there were a hundred Donnas?" I asked, puzzled. OK, whatever
Joey Lucas had said, I was pretty sure it wasn't that.
"Yeah. A whole army of them. Maybe there is. Maybe Joey knows it. A
whole army of Donna clones," Josh rambled. He started waving his arms,
trying to make the point. "Maybe Ainsley's one. Maybe Ainsley's a test
Donna clone, that they didn't get quite right."
"Yeah sure. I don't envy you the headache you're gonna have tomorrow," I
told him. "You want to stay on the couch here tonight? Because I don't
think you should try going far."
"You don't believe me," Josh said, in an outraged voice. "There might be
a hundred Donnas. Maybe Joey's tryin' to warn me. Maybe it's part of a
plot to steal my change, and make me buy ski equipment, and make me want
to...make me miserable 'cause I can see them but can't have them..."
I raised an eyebrow, and decided to play along for the moment. "Josh,
who would create an army of Donnas to torment you? The Republicans? You
think that's where their finances are being diverted these days?"
"Not the...not the Repuzzzlicans," he said, and closed his eyes, shaking
his head before forcing them open again. "Why do you have two coffee
tables the same?"
"No? Then who hates you enough?"
Josh leaned over, confidingly. "Mandy," he whispered. "You don't think
it weird she just upped and left like that? She's working for the
Government. She's on...on a clone project. And she's using it to get
back at me for what I did when we were dating."
"What *did* you do?" I asked, curious. He was right about that - Mandy
was really mad at him, for a really long time, though I'd never found
out exactly why. I mean, aside from the usual baggage of any
relationship. Maybe just their break-up was enough to annoy her.
"Doesn't matter. But she's doing it. She's trying to drive me crazy. It
won't work."
"It won't huh?"
"No."
I lost the battle to keep a straight face, and grinned. "Josh, Mandy's
brilliant at public relations, but she's not a top scientist. She's not
working with the Government to clone Donnas. And whatever Joey said, I
don't think she meant it as a warning."
"How do you know!" he demanded belligerently. "We don't know! We don't
know what the Government is doing!"
"Actually we do," I reminded him. "At least I do. And if you hadn't
skipped Leo's briefing today, so would you."
Josh's expression changed. "Leo," he said, guiltily. "Is Leo pissed that
I missed the meeting?"
"No. He thinks you were meeting with Senator Lenz to check she'd support
the new finance reform bill."
"Why?"
"She's been making noises about jumping ship. Leo wants to make sure she
stays on our side."
"No, why's Leo think I was talk..." He hiccuped, and I picked up the
water glass and offered it. Josh waved it away, and managed to complete
the sentence. "Why's Leo think I was talking to Senator Lenz?" he said,
slurring the senator's name.
"Donna covered for you, and told him you were," I said, not thinking,
then mentally kicked myself. Sheesh, way to go, mentioning her.
"Donna?" Josh said, in a lost voice, sounding close to tears. Oh God. I
wasn't going to have Josh start crying over Donna, was I? He was my
friend, and part of the whole guy thing was that you tried to be
supportive, but I had no idea *what* to say if he started crying over
Donna. I wished he'd just admit his feelings to her, get it over with.
"Yeah. So tomorrow, you'd better meet with Lenz, convince her to support
the bill, and hope Leo never finds out you were somewhere else today.
With luck, he'll never check the dates."
Josh had curled up on the couch, eyes closed, and I wasn't sure that
last part had registered. Poor guy. Bad enough he was trying to cope
with the shock of someone shooting him, now he had to work out what the
hell he did about Donna. His assistant. Who he relied on, and wasn't
supposed to touch, under office rules.
I smiled, remembering what he'd said to Toby, when Toby had found out
about me and Laurie. Josh had cocked his head, and jokingly said
something about 'Who among us hasn't known forbidden love?' I'd thought
it was funny, but Toby sure hadn't been amused. Looks like that comment
was coming back to bite Lyman in the ass.
There was a snore from the couch. Thank God, the alcohol had finally
made him pass out. I threw a blanket over him, put a bowl down in case
he woke up and needed to vomit, then turned out the lights and left him
there. Can't help you decide this one, Josh. When it comes to women,
you're on your own. But I can at least lend you my couch.
*****
8.15 am.
The West Wing.
"Good morning."
I glanced up at Donatella Moss. She looked tired, and a little strained.
Poor little thing. There was a great deal of gossip going around about
her, which I didn't approve of, since the girl must be having a hard
enough time of it as it was. In love with Joshua Lyman, the gossip said.
Well yes, obviously. I could have told them that months ago. It was a
shame they worked together, since I thought he felt the same way, and
they'd make a nice young couple. Well, they could always wait a few
years, if they had to, until there was a new President. But I did hope
Josh got around to telling her how he felt, so at least she'd know there
was some hope. Right now, she was walking around in agony, thinking her
feelings were unrequited. Really, men were so clueless sometimes. Did
Josh even realise she felt the same? Somebody was going to have to talk
to him.
"Good morning," I replied, giving Donna a sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry to bother you...have you seen Leo? Josh asked me to give him
this file....I can't find Margaret, but someone said Leo came this
way..."
"He's in with the President. Would you like me to give it to him when he
comes out?" I held out a hand for it.
She smiled, handing it over, and for a moment looked less careworn.
"Thank you, Mrs. Landingham."
"You're welcome, dear," I told her. "Have a cookie."
*****
10.27 am.
The West Wing.
"You feeling all right?" I asked Josh, looking at him with concern. The
man looked tired. Hell, we all looked tired, we never got any sleep
nowadays, but Josh looked worse than normal. He was pushing himself too
hard again, mentally, physically. Guy almost died, he couldn't expect
things to go back to the way they were before, not immediately. He'd
taken a few months off after the shooting, but he was still healing up,
even now. He needed a few weeks somewhere sunny, not running around
doing this. Trouble was, we needed him here, and he knew it. He'd
already lost a lot of time. Once we were out of power, then he could lie
on a beach all day.
"I'm fine," he said, but his mouth twitched slightly. Tell-tale sign he
was either lying or stressed about something. Josh never could hide it
if he felt badly, not once you knew the signs. That little twitch of the
mouth, the slightly averted gaze. His father had been the same, the same
mannerisms, the way he'd tilt his head slightly when you asked him
something. Hell, the same damn face almost. I'd look at Josh sometimes,
and for a moment, think he was Noah. Then I'd get mad with myself, for
letting my mind wander.
"OK," I said, letting it go. I knew he was lying, and he knew I knew.
But if he'd had a rough night, but didn't want sympathy, that was fine.
"How did things go with Senator Lenz?"
"Uh...not sure. Donna's arranged for me to meet with her again in an
hour."
"You couldn't get her to agree last night?"
"She was called away." Again, the slight uncertain twitch of the mouth.
He probably felt bad at not being able to convince her.
I sighed with exasperation. "Fine. But get her back on the team for this
one, Josh. I don't want to be embarrassed on this....."
"I'll get Lenz," he promised.
"See that you do," I snapped, fishing around for my pen. I looked up at
him again, and caught him off-guard. He was staring out of my window,
his mind clearly elsewhere. Come to think of it, he'd seemed pretty out
of it lately.
"Josh?" I said, queryingly.
Josh jumped. "Uh, sorry. Did you need anything else, Leo?"
"No. Get outta here." He was halfway to the door, before I called to
him.
"Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"Take a long lunch after you meet with Lenz. Or go see a movie tonight.
You look like hell."
He nodded, and left, as I looked worriedly after him. What the hell was
*really* wrong with Josh these last few days? It wasn't just the stress
from before....something new had happened. It had better fix itself, I
decided. Otherwise I'd haul Sam in for questioning.
*****
6.14 pm.
The West Wing.
"Josh is a doof. You know that, right?" I told Donna, sitting down on
the edge of her desk. Most of the others had gone home, and Josh was
sitting outside, getting some evening air. That's what he'd said to me
anyway, when I'd walked past and asked him. He looked unhappy, and a
little pale, and I guessed he'd maybe been drinking the night before,
and was in the final stages of getting over it. Fresh air would feel
good to him. And it meant he didn't have to sit and look at Donna.
Donna looked up at me, startled by what I'd said. "He can be," she
admitted.
"Totally," I replied. "I've known him for years." She gave me a worried
look, unsure where this was going, and I sighed. "Donna, if you want
him, you're going to need to tell him."
"What?"
"If you want Josh to go out with you, ask him out," I said patiently.
"What makes you think I want to go out with him?"
"Don't you?"
"I don't think we should be having this conversation....." she said, her
tone changing to a firmer one. The initial shock had worn off, and she
was starting to regroup.
"Why? I'm twenty. I think I'm old enough. Of course, it's none of my
business, but I might as well tell you anyway - Josh is not going to
make the first move here. Even though he likes you."
"He doesn't like me. I don't want him to anyway. I don't have feelings
for him," she said, tossing back her hair and making a great show of
disinterest. She reached for a file, as if that was the end of it, but I
wasn't fooled.
"Yes you do. Everyone knows it."
"*ZOEY*!"
"Well they do," I said calmly. "OK, not everyone......but it's pretty
obvious to a lot of us."
Donna looked at me, and I guess she could tell by my expression I was
telling the truth. She groaned. "Please, please tell me your father
doesn't know. Or your mother. Or Leo."
"Oh, Dad's clueless. So's Leo I expect. Men usually are. And Mom's not
been around much." I thought about it. "Sam probably knows, just because
he knows Josh so well."
"Zoey....please don't tell your father. There's nothing to tell anyway."
"OK. But there should be something to tell. You know, Josh is sitting
outside, miserable. You're in here, miserable. Ask him out. I asked
Charlie out. He wasn't ever gonna ask me...."
"I work for Josh. I'm not allowed to date him. Leo wouldn't like it. Nor
would the President."
"They'll get over it."
"No. It's more important than just them not liking it. If the Press got
hold of it....."
I shrugged. "So take a job somewhere else. Or keep it secret. But he
really wants to date you, Donna. You willing to let someone else have
him?"
She flushed. I smiled, and hopped down off her desk, heading out to the
Residence to see Dad. Hopefully I'd given Donna something to think
about.
******
7.30 pm.
A bar in D.C.
Well, so far so good. It had taken a lot of smooth talking, but she'd
finally agreed. I sat at the bar, straightened my tie, and glanced into
the mirror. Looking good.
As I started to turn from the glass, one reflection caught my attention,
and I looked again, then turned to stare at the end booth. The guy
sitting in the corner, leaning over and talking to someone out of my
line of sight. Josh Lyman. He laughed, and raised a glass to his mouth.
That wasn't beer. Was it Coke? Yeah. Lyman was staying sober. Was he
having an in-depth political discussion with someone, and if so, who?
Hey, I needed to know these things.
The waitress delivered a couple more Cokes to their table, interesting
me even more. So both Josh and his companion were staying sober. That
must be a *very* important discussion. Maddeningly, I still couldn't see
who he was talking to. Someone on the Republican side? Some Democrat
that the President wanted a favour from? Guess there was only one way to
find out. I glanced at my watch. I was early, I had a few minutes.
Better make it quick though. I got to my feet, and wandered over, to
where Josh was engrossed in his companion.
"Hey. Good to see the two of you," I said, pleasantly. Josh just about
jumped out of his seat with shock. OK. A very sensitive political
discussion, and obviously not one he wanted me to overhear.
Then I saw who he was talking to. Oh. *Oh*. Yeah, I'd been watching
that. It was my job to be observant. Very interesting. And a lesser guy
might have written it all up. I'd been tempted. But somehow.....Josh
deserved a break. He'd had a shitty year. If I thought it was in the
public interest, if I thought there was pressure or harassment going
on....I'd have written it. But what I saw was a couple of people in
love, who were starting to admit it. That wasn't news. It was gossip.
And like I'd told CJ, I was a good guy. Sam and his call girlfriend
hadn't been news. Nor was this.
I wondered if CJ knew. I thought not. She was gonna find out pretty soon
though. I balanced my options, trying to decide how to behave when she
did. If I admitted to her I'd known, and hadn't written about it, I
might score bonus points in the 'good guy' column. On the other hand,
the fact that I'd known, and didn't tell her, might make her mad at me.
Maybe I'd judge her mood when it happened.
Josh was looking at me, trying to find words, but Donna was cooler and
calmer. "Hey Danny," she said, and I grinned. She was much better at
covering up than Josh was. Josh's reaction had pretty much confirmed
this wasn't some innocent boss/assistant meeting.
"Hey Donna." I debated whether to ask if I could join them, but no. It
would be cruel. From their body language, they'd been deep in a very
personal discussion. Besides, I was meeting someone, and it was maybe
better if I wasn't talking to Josh when she arrived. It would bother
her, and it had taken me long enough to talk her into this date.
Hopefully they'd leave soon, before I had to call and warn her to meet
me somewhere else.
"Well I'll be seeing you." I leant down, keeping my voice low, speaking
directly to Josh. "She probably likes goldfish."
Josh gave me a 'get-out-of-here' look, Donna a puzzled one. I smiled. "I
didn't see anything," I told them, and saw the relief on their faces.
"Thanks," Josh said quietly.
I nodded, and headed over to the bar. When I glanced behind, the two of
them were leaving, almost, but not quite, touching. About time too.
*****
8.10 pm.
Donna's apartment.
I glanced up from my chair as the apartment door opened, and Donna came
home. To my surprise, she didn't greet me. She was smiling, happy, and
she was leading some guy by the hand. He looked pretty happy as well.
Looking him up and down, I recognised him then. Josh Lyman. He'd been
here before, and boy, did I hear a lot about him from her. I didn't mind
him, even if he did turn up sometimes when I was trying to sleep, and
make a lot of noise. As guys went, this one was noisy but harmless. Not
like that loser she'd dated once, who'd threatened to hit her, or the
one who tried to steal our stuff when nobody was looking. She'd dumped
them quickly, and good for her.
This one she cried over, a lot. She'd told me all about it one evening.
How she loved him, more than she'd ever loved any guy, but he didn't
seem to notice. How she didn't know whether to stay and continue to work
for him, or make a clean break. I'd sat there and listened, and she'd
ended up hugging me, before going into her room and crying herself to
sleep.
Things seemed to be going a little differently now though. Neither of
them had noticed me, and Donna had Josh pressed up against the door,
mouths locked together, hands roaming across one another. A moment
later, she was dragging him by his tie into her room. He didn't seem to
be resisting much. Interested, I got to my feet and followed them,
watching unobserved from the doorway. Clothes were being removed, and I
jumped aside, as Donna tore off Josh's shirt, and threw it across the
room, nearly hitting me.
Out of interest, I went closer. They were on her bed now, rolling
around, so I decided to join them. It looked fun.
Unfortunately, I misjudged it a little, and landed on Josh's legs. He
yelled in surprise, and Donna shooed me, flicking the sheets at my tail.
Offended, I jumped back down, and stalked off, leaving them to it.
Well really. She might at least have fed me first.
*****