Summary: In which Josh talks to Sam about Donna and Amy Gardner. JoshDonna hints.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in TWW. If I had invented them, I wouldn't let them go.
A/N: This is just a conversation that floated from my fingertips. Set some time in the latter half of Season 3.
Josh is leaning against my doorframe, his hands wedged in his pockets, staring at some point behind my head.
"Josh."
He blinks. He seems surprised to find himself in my doorway.
"Sam."
"You're standing in my doorway."
He considers this for a moment. "Yes."
I don't actually expect him to tell me why he's standing in my doorway without any prompting but I leave a silence just in case he should break out of character. He doesn't.
"Josh, why are you standing in my doorway?"
"See, Amy Gardner is a very attractive woman."
I'm a smart man. In fact, I'm a very smart man. But there is no way that I can connect Josh's standing in my doorway to Amy Gardner being attractive. I tell him as much. He takes this as an invitation to come in and plonk himself on my sofa.
"Amy Gardner is an extremely attractive woman."
Okay, he's not going to go at my pace, he's going to go around the houses a few times before he gets to his point.
"She is."
"I'm dating her."
"I know that Josh. It's quite the gossip cycle we have here in the West Wing."
"I'm dating a very attractive woman, Sam."
"She was extremely attractive a moment ago."
Josh gives me an irritated glance and I shut up.
"I'm dating Amy Gardner who is an extremely attractive woman."
I sigh. "Yes Josh, that is true. Is there a point to this? Normally I wouldn't mind but there's this speech that I have to write, which happens to be for, oh, the President of the United States. But of course, if what you're vainly attempting to tell me is more important than – "
"Donna doesn't care."
I stare blankly. "Donna doesn't care that I'm a speechwriter for the President?"
"No. Well, I'm sure she does but no. She doesn't care that I'm dating Amy Gardner, who, I may have mentioned, is an extremely attractive woman."
"You may have mentioned that," I agree. "Is Donna supposed to care?"
"Yes."
After a moment's hesitation I ask, "Why's that?"
Josh thinks for a moment. "Because she should."
Josh is a ridiculous human being and I want to tell him that. He wants Donna to be jealous that he's dating Amy Gardner and of course she is. But this is Donna we're talking about here. Donna will never let on to Josh that she's jealous of his relationship with Amy. That's the kind of person that Donna is. That's the kind of relationship that Josh and Donna have.
"Josh, I don't know what to say."
"Don't you think she should be jealous?" He sounds appalled that I don't seem to share his frustration at Donna's indifference.
"I don't think that she should be, no. But she is."
"No she isn't." Josh sighs dejectedly and gets to his feet. At the doorway, he turns and leans against the doorframe. I experience a bizarre moment of dèja vu. "Wait. You think Donna is jealous?"
"Yes, Josh, she is. And you know how I can tell? It's because whenever Amy calls you and Donna has to put the call through, she spends the next fifteen minutes in a bad mood. It's because whenever Amy comes by to see you, Donna's tone changes and she either makes herself scarce for the duration of Amy's stay or she deliberately interrupts the two of you more than is necessary. It's because whenever you go out to meet Amy, she spends the entire time that you're gone slamming files around her desk and speaking with obviously forced civility to anyone who speaks to her. It's because she hides all of this from you because she doesn't want you to know that she's jealous. But she is."
Josh stares at me in stunned silence. I lean back in my seat and watch my friend as he takes in my words. Eventually he speaks.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"Look, Josh, I really do have a speech to write so if you could …"
Josh stands up straight. He mumbles something in my direction and heads off across the Communications bullpen. He's just about to go into the corridor when I remember something. I jump to my feet and run out into the bullpen.
"Josh!"
He stops and turns back.
"Don't – don't – I didn't tell you any of that, okay?"
Josh smiles weakly. "Okay mom."
I smile back. As he steps into the corridor, Donna appears at his side. I can't hear what she says but I watch the two of them fall into step and I watch Josh watch Donna. Josh thinks it's normal that he cares whether his assistant is jealous of his girlfriend. I wish I could tell him that it isn't. It's a shame sometimes, when you can only tell somebody half a story.
End