Title: Full Circle

Summary: Future-fic. It's years after the Bartlet administration, and Josh has an idea.

Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah blah.

Author's Note: This idea popped into my head one day...the idea of this popping into Josh's head, and I figured that Josh, like me, would be amused at the symmetry of it all. I have more chapters building in my head, but for now, I realized that this could stand on its own, so I'm posting it.

Full Circle

September 2028

Josh resists the urge to pace. It's his natural instinct to stay moving, always busy, but he's actually grateful for the pause. He's nervous. Everything he's planned depends on this one conversation, and he doesn't know what he'll do if it goes wrong.

He's glad that CJ had been so determined to prove that she still had pull in Hollywood that she hadn't asked why he wanted to get on this set. He doesn't want to tell her until it's settled. He's not sure he wants to tell her once it is settled—she'll probably cry. Josh thinks it's possible that he never saw her cry while they were in the White House, but the years have made CJ emotional. The years, and Toby Zeigler's children. Josh is doomed.

He hasn't even told Sam yet. He's sure that Sam will be thrilled, but he hasn't told him yet. He hasn't told anyone. Not until he's sure that it's worked.

It has to work.

Josh glances into the room again. He'd been able to pick him out in a second. His head was down as he slumped over the table, writing in a notebook and not paying any attention to the meeting around him. It just screamed Ziegler.

A door opens, and Josh smiles politely at the girl who walks out. She returns the smile, peeking into the conference room Josh has been surveying. Her smile quickly fades as she registers what she is seeing, and she runs forward, opening the conference room door, and Josh can hear his voice.

"Maybe this should all end with Bailey realizing that it's James he truly loves."

Josh smirks. Met with silence, the boy finally peeks up from his notebook. The meeting is called to an end. The girl quickly retreats, and Josh nods self-confidently. The kid is far too good for this.

Josh hangs back as the room empties, and he briefly loses his mark in the shuffle. Then he hears a clear voice over the din.

"How was the meeting, H.B.?"

"It was…" H.B. lets out a soft chuckle, and Josh catches the slight twitch in his face when he stops himself. "Fine, Marcia."

"Sally called, what do you—"

"Catch those for me," he interrupts. "And could you…" he sighs. "Call my sister. Tell her she was right, and we'll work out the expenses when I call her later?"

"I sort of…already talked to her."

"You what?"

"She called before."

"And you had a conversation with her?"

"Who do you think told me about the article?"

"Marcia…"

"H.B.," she returns, teasing. Josh is almost afraid he's having a flashback.

"Just…block my calls? And get my stuff to Rivera."

"Yeah, Boss."

"Are they still filming?"

"I think they have two more scenes left."

"Okay. I'm gonna head over to watch."

"'Kay," Marcia says, already turning to something else.

He starts to walk away, and Josh realizes the time has come.

"Huck," he says, soft, yet commanding.

The boy stops and slowly turns to face Josh. "My name's H.B."

Josh grins. "I remember the day you were born, kid: your name is Huckleberry."

A gasp comes from Marcia the assistant. "You…cad!"

"Marcia, please—"

"You told me your name was Harold Baxter!"

"Marcia, work."

"Sure thing, Huckleberry."

He glares, turning to Josh. "It's been years since…who the hell are you?"

"I knew your father," Josh explains.

Huck takes that in for a moment, walking to a quiet corner. Josh follows. "I remember you from the funeral," he says. "You're one of the Bartlet Gang."

Josh smirks and holds out his hand. "Josh Lyman."

Huck shakes it quickly, not bothering to introduce himself. "You're the one who got shot."

"Yeah," Josh nods. "It's funny. All the things I've done, and I'm most credited for something I had no power over."

Huck grimaces. "I'm sorry."

"No. I said it was funny."

"You were shot. I'm sure it's not that funny."

"I guess," Josh chuckles. "Your father would have found it funny."

Huck snorts. "Maybe you didn't know my father too well."

"Maybe you didn't," Josh returns.

Josh cringes as he watches Huck's face go cold. That was the wrong way to go.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Lyman?"

"Yeah, you can call me Josh."

"Well, Josh, I'm working here, so—"

"You're a writer on a TV set. I always thought they were…you know, pretty useless during filming."

Huck groans slightly. "There are things that I—"

"You're looking busy by heading to the set to watch your work get butchered."

Huck rubs his forehead. "Nevertheless, I'm at work right now, getting paid and everything, so if there is a point to your visit here, if we could get to it quickly…"

"I'm here to offer you a job."

Huck smiles a little smile. "Great. Well, I already have a fairly successful job, so thanks for stopping by, hope you didn't waste too much time."

Huck starts to walk away, and Josh follows him. "My job offer is better than this."

"Really? Do you see where we are?" Huck asks, stopping and waving his arm in the general direction of the empty corridor they're standing in. Josh bites his lip to hide his amusement at the completely Toby-like gesture. "This show was the top rated new drama last season. We got eleven Emmy nominations. I'm not spinning plates here."

"Hey, it's a good job, sure, but mine's better."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Huck leans against the wall. "Mr. Lyman—"

"Josh," he sings.

"Josh. I don't know what to…you don't even know me."

"Sure I do."

"Why, because you used to changed my diaper twenty-five years ago?"

"No, I never changed your diaper. Donna did on my desk, once, but I never did."

"So you don't even have that going for you."

"No. But I've done my research."

Huck rubs his forehead. "What could research tell you about me?"

"You graduated suma cum laude from Stanford University with a double major in International Studies and Politics. You worked for Congressman Phil Deloni for three years, starting right after college, and running through two successful elections. However, after the last campaign, you left the job for undisclosed reasons, and two months later, you were working as a writer and consultant on the pilot of what became the most successful new show of the season, Capitol. This Sunday, you and the rest of the writing staff are favored to win an Emmy, and the gossip columnists are certain that you'll show up with up-and-coming starlet Sally Carlson. Although, from the conversation you just had with your assistant, the gossip columnists might be surprised."

Huck holds Josh's gaze, both men staring silently until Huck cracks a smile. "There's no way you could know all that and not have known that my name isn't Huck."

Josh grins. "I thought it would get your attention."

"You have any idea the amount of crap I'm going to be hearing from her?" he asks, his finger pointing over his shoulder.

"Well, I didn't know you'd told her your name was Harold Baxter. Why would you choose for your name to be—"

"It's bad enough that no one questions why I go by the initials, but it's not my…actual name."

"You don't have to hide from it, you know. Plenty of people have stranger names, certainly in Hollywood."

Huck snorts. "Yeah, the guy named 'Josh' doesn't get to tell me that I should be proud to be named Huckleberry."

Josh laughs, and soon after Huck joins him. They're leaning on opposite walls, facing each other from across the hall. Huck softens a bit.

"Did CJ send you here?"

"Well, she helped me get in, but she has no idea what I'm doing." Josh watches Huck duck his head, staring at his shoes. "I didn't want to get her hopes up. She would love the idea, and I wouldn't want her to end up disappointed."

"Was there an 'again' missing there?" Huck asks, looking up with his eyes.

"If you don't know that CJ—and your parents, while we're at it—have always been so proud of everything you've ever done, then you're an idiot." Huck just stares at him, not saying anything. Josh didn't expect him to. "I want you to come up to Sacramento tomorrow and listen to Senator Seaborn speak."

Huck scoffs. "What makes you think I could just go to Sacramento with…what, twelve hours notice?"

"Tomorrow's the Saturday before the Emmys, are you going to be doing anything other than waiting for it to be Sunday?"

Huck shrugs, but isn't willing to drop anything. "It's not like Sacramento's up the block, it's pretty far."

"I got your plane tickets covered. We leave at seven, you'll be back before five."

"You got me tickets? You don't think that's a little cocky?"

Josh smirks. "It's extremely cocky. When you've been in the business as long as I have, you get to be cocky."

"Well, I'm not in 'the business'. I'm in this business, and I'm happy here, so, I'm sorry that you've wasted your time…and money apparently, but…I don't know what you expect me to do, here!"

Josh waits a beat, then pulls out the plane ticket, holding it out. Huck takes it, mostly out of the instinct to take something that's handed to him. Josh smiles. "I expect you to come up to Sacramento tomorrow to listen to Senator Seaborn speak."

Huck, completely at his wit's end, waves his hands through the air. "Why?"

Josh chuckles. He was hoping Huck would ask that. Josh pushes off the wall and starts to walk towards the exit.

"Because," he says over his shoulder, "that's what sons do for old friends of their fathers."