Title: Suits and Suitors
Disclaimers: Not owned by me, wish it was but it belongs to the big man Sorkin!!
General: This is hopefully going to be a long series and its my first go at long fan fic and not just short pieces so don't expect wonders. Lots of Josh/donna stuff and a few other couplings thrown in for good measure though who you'll have to wait and see!!
Feedback: please!! Love reviews, love feedback!!!
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"Josh"
"Yeh" I look up as Sam walks into my office looking…. well, Samish.
"The meetings in half an hour."
"I know Sam, Donna told me and you called half an hour ago to tell me the meeting was in an hour. I know!"
"OK" I watched as Sam twisted nervously as if he wanted to say something but was desperate to leave, what now?
"What's up?" I ask trying not to sound too agitated, I'm kinda busy getting ready for Senator Borges but people never seem to think that I might actually BE busy.
"Nothing."
"Yeah, right. What's up?"
"Nothing, it's just a fairly important meeting…"
"What? I'm not going to screw this up Sam, we've been going over this for the past two days, I have done this a million times Sam, what're you so worried about?" Its one thing for Donna to question my coping skills but I really wish everyone else wouldn't.
"I know Josh, but…. do you know who Senator Borges is bringing with him?" I look at him blankly, "Maggie Jenson." I laugh
"Sorry Sam, for a second there I thought you said Maggie Jenson was coming to the very important meeting with Senator Borges."
"I did." I gulped.
"Er, right…. right, no problem. That's fine."
"Josh."
"That's ok Sam, I'm a grown man, I can do this fine. It's not a problem."
"You sure?"
"Yeh" yeah right!!
"OK, just…ok." Sam nodded, obviously trying to convince himself that he was ok with this and that I was ok with this and that everything would be fine, and that I was going to be fine. Of course I was, I'm Joshua Lyman, Deputy Chief of Staff, Fulbright scholar, graduate of Harvard and Yale. I can handle anyone, even an old girlfriend who broke my heart in two, no problem; I'm Josh Lyman.
"Donna!!"
"Josh, I am literally five paces away from your door, there is absolutely no need for you to scream at me as if I was-"
"Donna!!"
"Fine, be like that, but trust me I will not have any sympathy for you when your lungs give way and you can only whisper." Donna walked into my room looking calm and collected, I on the other hand was…. well a little tense."
"Donna look I need another suit."
"Ok, look I think you have enough already, but if you want to go shopping that's fine with me…."
"No, Donna…stop for just, one second. I need another suit to wear now; I need my light one. This one is not very…. well I need my other suit."
"Your Joey Lucas suit" she says deadpan, but I can see her smiling and a little curiosity in her voice.
"It is not my Joey Lucas suit! But yes, that suit."
"Is she coming?" Donna said looking excited at the prospect of yet more teasing me about Joey Lucas.
"No." I'm still hunting around or about four files which I know I don't need but I need to look important in there, I know, I know, but files make me feel important. Don't ever tell Donna I said that she would eat me alive!
"Then who's it for?" she said with a frown.
"No, one. It's just…. look I just want that suit could you possibly go and get it for me in like, 20 minutes?" I cringe as I wait for the barrage of protests.
"What? Do I look like your slave Josh, I am sorry but one I am your assistant not your personal dresser and secondly there is no way I could get from here to your apartment and back again in 20 minutes!!!" There it was, but then… "20 minutes? Isn't your meeting with Senator Borges in 25 minutes? Why do you want to wear your Joey Lucas suit for Senator Borges, is there something you never told me Josh." she says smiling wickedly,
"No, Donna!!" I know, I'm whining "Its not for Senator Borges its for…nevermind." but I've let her in now, I'm stuck I've given her the ball and now she can run with it, damn it!
"Who? Josh?? Whose coming to the meeting??"
"Senator Borges and his staff." I say evasively trying to get passed her and out of the office but she's blocking my way and I have learned well that you don't try and barge past Donna Moss.
"Now who is on Senator Borges staff??? Let me see, there's Mike Hidges, Tom Choronophsky, umm, July Hayes but she's like 50, Maggie Jenson." I must have done something, shifted slightly, looked away for a brief second cos even though I was trying to look uninterested in all of the names she pounced,
"Maggie Jenson! Am I right?"
"No." I say dully,
"I am!! Maggie Jenson?? Now how do you know Maggie Jenson? Why does she deserve the Joey Lucas suit??" but now I can't let her guess anymore, this is stuff she knows nothing about and though I'm not quite sure why I do NOT want to tell her. So I storm out of my office saying something about having to see Leo about something and walk away leaving Donna standing in my doorway.
Maggie Jenson. Maggie Jenson?? Why does he want the Joey Lucas suit for Maggie Jenson? There is something he's not telling me, I can tell. Is she an old girlfriend? Is she a new girlfriend? Is she a prospective girlfriend? Maggie Jenson??
All these thoughts are swimming through my head as I stand in his doorway watching him almost sprint towards Leo's office. I know I joked about it, but at that moment my heart sank a little further. Again there was someone else, another Mandy or Joey, another person who I had to get in line behind. I never wanted to admit it but I cared about Josh more than he could ever know. At first it had been a crush but the long hours after the shooting had made me see that my feelings were stronger and that to lose him would destroy me. I needed him so much and it hurt so much that I knew he didn't or couldn't feel the same way about me. I watched as I told myself once again that it could never come to anything anyway and that I should just get on with my life…yeah right!! How many times have I told myself that one!
So, I'm wandering around, not sure quite what to do, I didn't actually have to see Leo and Sam is still arguing with Toby about punctuation so I had nowhere to go. So I'm still wandering when I hear a familiar voice calling my name, I'd know that voice anywhere.
"Josh, still loitering around the corridors of power I see"
"Maggie" we hug, politely but still warmly and I remember the way she used to make me feel and I realise she still makes me feel like I'm tumbling downwards on a roller coaster.
"How are you?" she asks smiling
"Pretty good, and I'm not loitering I'm just waiting because these are my corridors of power."
"I thought they were the Presidents."
"His too." I say and I know I'm grinning, got to stop grinning, I look like a teenager.
"So how are you, I see you're with Senator Borges now."
"Yeah, I have been for about 6 months. I have to say its great to be back in D.C., La's ok but its nothing compared to DC."
"Well its good to have you back."
"Yeah, I'll see you in a few minutes I just have to make a couple of calls before the meeting."
"Sure." is all I can say, as she walks off already speed dialling someone on her cell phone. I can't help but stare. I am miles away when…
"Josh, you said you were going to be fine!" Sam's voice jolts me out of my nice world, it was really nice.
"I am, I…look I was just…I'm going to be fine Sam, don't worry, I was the perfect gentlemen, it was all very polite." Sam is still frowning at me
"Josh you were sighing. You're not allowed to sigh at Maggie Jenson, not today at least!"
"Ok, I know! You do realise you were doing that Toby thing where your voice was getting louder and louder." I say with a smirk
"I was?!" Sam looks shocked and devastated
"Yeh."
"That's scary."
"You're tellin me."
"Good morning Gentlemen."
"Good morning Senator" We both say in unison (we are such a team!) and everybody starts the whole routine; shaking of the hands and offers of Danish pastries.
The meeting starts off ok, we are talking about putting through a new bill about reforming medical insurance so that all patients can get the same quality of care whatever their insurance company and balancing out the power a bit so people have a better chance and can get the treatment they actually need.
As I said, things STARTED ok.
"Look, Josh, I am not going to outright go against this bill, I can't you've put me in too tight a spot I would look like I am more interested in the interests of the insurance companies than the patients-"
"I'm sorry Senator, I thought that's exactly what you're interested in." Sam gives me a look and I realise I should have held my tongue but it had to be said
"I beg you pardon?" so do I back down, do I compromise so we can get this meeting out of the way and the Senator where we want him?
"I said you're more interested in the insurance companies. You have shares in at least three of the major companies in the country and used to make a substantial salary while working for one of those three. I would say you had big interest in the insurance companies." I don't.
"What Josh is trying to say is -"
"I know exactly what Josh is saying and I do not need a moral lesson from you Mr. Lyman. I have no interest in this argument. Yes I do have stocks in several companies but my main concern is my constituents and some of them would not like this bill at all."
"We understand that Senator Borges, " Sam interjects trying desperately to diffuse the situation "But we do need your support on this matter, reorganising the medical insurance system would help thousands of your constituents get better health care and have the same chance of good health care as anyone else in the country."
"But a lot of my constituents would also get higher premiums; the load would fall on the middle classes. I'm coming up to the end of my term, I need those votes. But, as I said I am not going to go against this bill, but I will not give you any help and I will not be there if you fall"
"Thankyou Mr. Senator, that's all we needed to hear." Sam is already standing, and we all shake hands.
"I told you it would be fine."
"Yeah great, he hasn't actually said he'd vote for it Josh, he only said he won't publicly speak out against it."
" I know but we could maybe get around him through his staff."
"You mean Maggie Jenson."
"No! I didn't mean her, but yes she would be a good one to talk to, I know she shares our sentiments maybe she can help."
"Fine I'll talk to her."
"No, its k I'll talk to her."
"Josh!"
"Sam, it'll be fine, besides it'll be easier to do informally and seeing as I know her that will be easy."
"I know what you're doing Josh."
"Good. Maggie wait up!" I shout as I see her heading towards the door, this is purely business, I am not looking for anything else, I know nothing else will come of it…. but I can definitely hope.
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