Disclaimer: I dont own West Wing
A/N: I hope everyone enjoys this. I got the urge to write a series that centred on the others but involved sam, so here it is. This begins during the episode where Josh is interviewing Joe Quincy and there's a shooting. Please review.
"…an indeterminate number of shots was fired at the White House from the sidewalk…"
The news was plastered with images of the White House and flashes of words like 'shots' and 'terrorist'. Sam had been planning on calling Josh that night anyway, and seeing this as he turned on his television as he walked in the door that night only made Sam quicken the speed at which he dialled his friends number.
A shooting at the White House. It was the sort of bad excitement that hadn't happened when Sam was there, and it made him a little frightened, to think of the White House in a way that he hadn't seen it before.
When he imagined the west wing from his place in California he pictured regurgitated scenes of helping people or frantic nights spent up typing, as he had experienced many times in his stay there.
He couldn't fathom what it would be like to be in a lock down because someone was shooting at them.
There would surely be a repercussion from the shots, and not just on the news, or with terrorism.
Psychologically the White House Staffers had a history…
Which was why it was no surprise that it was a worried sounding Donna who answered Josh's phone and not the deputy Chief of Staff himself.
"Hey Donna, it's me." Sam greeted, noting how timid her address had sounded to him, even though to someone calling merely on business it would have sounded as professional as ever.
Maybe he was projecting the image he had in his head- the image of Josh beaten up by the mere sound of a gun and the picture of Donna being the only one, as ever, that he would let comfort him.
"What's going on?"
"Someone shot at the White House."
"I heard. I mean inside."
"Inside the White House or…"
"Yeah Donna, I'm worried, but don't get too philosophical for me."
"It's calmer than I thought it would be. CJ's trying to calm the press and everyone else is playing poker."
"And Josh?"
"He didn't hear it. He-"Donna began to cry, and she walked quickly into Josh's office and shut the door, resting her back against it and cringing. She never let anyone see her cry. She refused to. And yet here she was on the phone to Sam and she was about to start sobbing.
"Donna are you alright?" Sam, asked, softly, sighing. She tried to be too strong for her own good.
"I'm fine Sam."
"You heard the shots?"
Donna didn't say anything. She nodded, and even though he couldn't see her he knew that she had. He could hear her crying, and he felt the familiar pang of guilt that he was in California and not with his friends.
"And you thought it was Josh again?" he asked, softer this time, as he heard Donna let out a small sob.
"It wasn't Donna, he's safe, and he's alive, and it was all two years ago now, you don't have to be scared anymore." he told her, simply. Donna nodded again, and let out a small chuckle.
"Sorry for spilling." she said, mopping her eyes up and composing herself .
"Don't be. You know you don't have to be that strong all the time right? You're aloud to be human as well."
"Not with this I cant. I don't like him knowing I'm scared Sam."
"Right." Sam said. Donna waited a moment while she made sure it wasn't obvious she'd been crying, and she walked into where Josh was interviewing Joe Quincy.
Donna stood in the door, waiting for them to look around.
"I'll just get Josh, he's interviewing a guy for Ainsley's job. I don't think he's handsome though others do-"
"Are you talking about how attractive you don't find Joe still."
"Of course not, I was just telling Sam how handsome you are."
"Give me that- Hey!"
"Hey man. You're giving her a night off every once in a while aren't you?"
"Not with this guy."
"You think he's attractive?"
"I think he's male."
"Right." Sam laughed. "How are you with all the guns?"
"I'm fine Sam, you're as bad as Donna, she was calling Stanley for crying out loud, I didn't even hear them."
"You sure she was calling him for you?" Sam asked, exasperated.
Josh paused.
"Who else would she be calling for? She may have a thing for Quincy but I don't think she's that protective of him yet."
"She heard the shots Josh, and last time someone she knew was shot it was you and I've never seen anyone more worried."
"She seem shaken to you?" Josh asked, concerned now, leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"More than shaken."
Josh cursed under his breathe and nodded.
"I have this thing now but I'll talk to her after. Why couldn't I tell?"
"She's pretty good at hiding things from you."
"Donna is terrible at hiding things from me."
"How would you know that?" There was a pause in which Josh pondered, somewhat worried. "
"I just do. I have a terrible time hiding things from her."
"Tell me about it. Get back to your interview."
"Hey have you ever heard of a guy called Joe Quincy?"
"Nope. He wants Ainsley's job?"
"Yeah. It's just weird I haven't met him is all."
"Why, because he's an attractive male in Washington?"
"Exactly Sam, that's exactly it." he replied, laughing.
"Don't over think it. If he's good hire him. Donna however, there's something I give you permission to over think about."
"See ya."
"Yeah bye."
(How was the first chapter? Let me kow, please, so I can change the following ones so that they're better! Leave me a review, it takes like, two sceonds! I reply to them. toodles, Jess x))