A/N Like all of my older stories that made the cut when I purged, this one has been updated.
The story line has not changed, but the writing style is hopefully more mature.
Immediately following Life after Leo
Donna and Josh had gone back to DC for the week.
The box was sitting on the floor by door when they got back to the town house. He had recognized Toby's handwriting, taking it in his hands. Cautiously like it may contain anthrax or something, he opened it. It was a small engraved piece of slate. It had the date of Leo's birth and death engraved beneath his name. Under that lay a piece of a poem from the Middle Ages.
Then the wounds are deeper in his heart, sore for what they want of his dear one. His sorrow renews as the memory of his kinsmen moves through his mind: he greets them with glad words, eagerly looks at them, a company of warriors. Again they fade, moving off over the water; the spirit of these fleeting ones brings to him no familiar voices. Care renews in him who must again and again send his weary heart out over the woven waves.
-The Wanderer
Attached he found the note from Toby.
Josh,
I had this made for your office.
Don't screw this up, Josh.
You're the closest thing to
a legacy we have left.
Toby
He handed it to Donna who smiled softly and traced her fingers over Leo's name.
It had only been a month since the funeral, but in election time it had been years. On the plane to Illinois they had played a little game, passing little folded notes with possible VP's on them.
She had screeched at Amy Gardener, practically pushing Josh off of his chair. He'd smiled wildly at her and laughed. She had seen the way Santos was looking at them, smiling along.
It was then that Donna got serious. This was a real game that they had to win.
"Josh?" She made eye contact with him. Insuring the name that she was slipping him would get serious recognition.
He nodded as she scribbled it down on the paper and tentatively pushed it across the table. He looked at her a long time before he opened it. If he was shocked he hid it well. He starred down at it for a long time before looking up at her.
"He may be our best shot." He smiled when she said this."No surprises, no alternate agendas."
Josh clenched his jaw. "I know its a risk, but voters love him. Everyone loves him."
Josh had nodded again folding the paper and putting it in his pocket before sliding her the name of the closer for the New York Mets.
"This is Crap! This is all a bunch of Crap!" Donna's head tilted back towards the ceiling as Josh's words ran through the entire floor of offices.
She saw Bram standing in her door way.
"A little help here please?" Donna grimaced at the irritation in Josh's assistants voice. She was ready to kill the man and his complete inability to come and get her before Josh hit the ceiling.
"What's going on?" Donna said innocently walking into the conference room. She knew what was going on, they were trying to find a replacement V.P candidate. Someone who would raise there hand and say they would take Leo's empty chair if Santos could, miraculously, win this election with his dead running mate.
"These people! Look at these people, Donna. Marshal, Vick, Anderson? Are you kidding me?" Donna wrinkled her nose at the list, not that anyone would have been good enough for Josh, but honestly, Arthur Anderson? The Sr. Senator from California had once asked Josh how much he had to pay for his hot little secretary. Bartlett's pit bull had, of course, bit his head off. Donna had sent him a muffin basket. Choosing the most disgusting sounding muffins she could find. "If we get this wrong, any slim chance we have is gone."
"Okay!" Donna stepped between Josh and the group. "Lunch time. We'll talk about this again at Strategy. 4:00 guys be fresh!"
Behind her, Josh hung his head, rubbing his face with one hand and knocking on the table with the other. She went to him when the door clicked shut, her arms folded tightly around herself.
"You've got to stop loosing it like that or they are going to have you put down." She whispered. He ran his hand over the back of his neck and into his hair before reaching out and tugging her towards him. He leaned his head against her shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his temple.
"You know, I enjoy these little sessions a lot more now that we can make out while you knock me down a few pegs, instead of yelling from the door way." She took the bait, pulling back and putting her hands on each side of his face and kissed him on the lips
"It's time, Josh." She told him simply.
"It's too risky." He shook his head standing up and pulling her into his chest. "What if it's too risky?"
"It's him or Anderson the pervert. I don't think there are enough apologetic muffin baskets in DC." She mumbled into his shoulder, Josh laughed. "It's time."
He pulled back from her, taking her by the hand and walking into his office. She closed the door behind them and sat on the corner of his desk. He smiled and shook his head at her again.
"You know that always drove me crazy." He said conspicuously, running his hand over her thigh.
"Yeah, I knew." She replied giving him a look.
His head kept shaking as he hit speaker phone and began dialing. Looking tentatively at Donna.
"Sam Seaborn."
"Sam." Josh started.
"Hey man what's up? You didn't screw up again did you? Because, I'm telling you, the answer to that question is always: 'Not as pretty as you. Sweetheart.' Did you shrug when you said it? Ainsley responds favorably to the shrug."
"Sam?" Donna smiled at the contempt in Josh's voice.
"Yeah." Josh sat silently for a moment, waiting for his best friend to catch on. "I'm on speaker phone right now, aren't I?"
"Yup." Josh said pressing his lips together, looking at Donna.
"Donna?" Sam said questioningly.
"Hi Sam." She said softly. "How's it going?"
"Well, been better actually."
"It's just us Sam, and I'm over the whole mom on 'Malcolm in the Middle' thing." Josh winced sheepishly.
"Great then, what's up?" His voice started to return to normal speed.
"Sam, I'm telling you this now so that you can drop everything and call Ainsley."
"Oh My God! Are you guys finally getting married? This is-. I can't believe Mr. Never in a Million years Lyman really-."
"Sam!" Donna said sharply looking at Josh's withering gaze.
"I did it again, didn't I?"
"Sam, just shut up and listen to Josh please." Donna said calmly. Shooting a look at Mr. 'Never in a million years.' Lyman. He raised his hands up proclaiming innocence.
"Okay go."
"Like I said, you hang up with me and go straight to Ainsley. If this gets out before you get to her, God help you. By the way my staff sucks and no one can keep a secret." Josh sighed and looked at Donna for one last conformation. She nodded. "At four thirty this afternoon Matt Santos is going to call you and ask you to hold a press conference saying you'd be willing to take Leo McGarry's place on the ticket."
"Josh?"
"At five Danny's going to call you and start writing your story. Consider it his last master piece before he hangs up his typewriter forever." Donna scowled at his crappy analogy. "Any way." He continued shooting her a look. "At six tonight Will's going to announce it in the White House press room."
"Josh?"
"Sam."
"Josh, I'm not the right guy. It's too big a risk for the campaign."
"Sam you're the only guy." He said simply, looking across the table at Donna. "This is the only risk that the campaign has left to take."
"Sam?" Donna called softly.
"Donna?" He squeaked.
"Hang up and call Ainsley."
"Okay." Sam breathed.
"Okay." Josh exhaled. "We'll need you both here by Tuesday." He ran his fingers across his head. "Some PR stuff with Mal."
"Okay." Sam said flatly. Josh hit the receiver and looked at Donna.
"I'll call Danny and Mallory. You call CJ and Will." Josh nodded, grabbbing her arm as she stood to leave. "Josh?"
"First," He looked up at her with worried eyes. "Do that thing you do to make me feel better."
She took his face in her hands as kissed him, rubbing her thumbs over his cheeks. He closed his eyes and she kissed his forehead.
"Better?" He nodded in silence. "Don't attack anymore staffers Josh, or I'm going to make you take a beige pill."
"Ainsley Hayes?" He took a deep breath before responding.
"Can you come home?"
"Sam? What's wrong?" He could hear the click of her heals on the marble floor of her office.
"Josh called." He heard her stop walking.
"What's going on? Is it President Bartlett?"
"No, everyone's fine. Ainse, can you come home?" He was more insistent this time.
"When?" Now, he thought closing his eyes.
"Before noon."
"Sam?" She was scared again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
"I'm being offered a job."
"Josh offered you a job?" She didn't try to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
"No, I'm being offered one today at 12:30 and I can't say no."
"Sam, I don't understand what your talking about. What job could Josh offer you that you can't say-?" He heard her gasp.
"That's my girl." He sighed realizing she'd figured it out.
"Oh My God, Sam."
"Ainsley." His tone warned her not to say it.
"I'm leaving now."
"Okay."
"I hate politics! I hate them. I'm ready for this damn election to be over!" Josh picked up a pile of files and tossed them back down on the desk. "DONNNNA!"
"What?" She yelled back from her office.
"Donna, I can't find the California poll results! Where are the damn pole results?"
"Have you opened a portal to the past, Josh?"
"Donna!"
"ASK YOUR ASSISTANT!" She yelled back.
"Donna, I'm going to rupture a very thin and compromised aorta here!" This was the kicker, they'd just come back from the cardiologist.
"Now that's just cruel, Joshua." He looked up at her in the doorway and for a moment he wondered if he had opened a portal to the past. She leaned in, one hand on the door frame, manilla folders in the other; her blonde hair swinging back and forth. She still looked 26.
"I'm freaking out here, Baby. Please?" She sighed at that and walked over to his desk and started rummaging with him.
"I love you." He said as she pulled the file out from under the stack on the chair.
"Anything to protect your fragile aorta, Josh." She walked back toward the door.
"Donna?" He followed her.
"Josh I have my own job to do." She whined. He turned her around and kissed her quickly.
"I know you do and you do an amazing job." He darted out a head of her with the file in his hands.
"I had a good teacher!" She yelled as he made it to the main door.
He turned around grinning at her with his dimpled face.
"CJ or Sam?"
"Defiantly CJ." She decided.
He had mouthed I love you again before running out the door to the waiting car.
She saw him open his phone as he got inside. She felt her own vibrating in her pocket.
"Josh?"
"Maybe if we loose this election, I would be able to take you home at night."
"Ooo. That would be nice." She walked back to her desk. "But how would we afford a home?"
"We could go to California with Ainsley and Sam. I do have a law degree."
"Joshua Lyman do not make me remind you that you've never tried a case in your life."
"Semantics, Donnatella. Semantics." He laughed. "You could work, you're brilliant. I could be your assistant."
"You'd be an awful assistant."
"I'd bring you Coffee."
"Of course you would." She looked at her desk full of press release. "Josh? I have to-."
"I know. Me too."
"I'll see you at home?"
"I'll be the naked guy with his arms around you at 3am."
"Oh good I was pretty sure that was you, but-."
"Bye." She could hear the laughter in his voice as he hung up.