I do not own the West Wing.

The Conference

"Hey," Josh began, "got a minute?"

"What's you got Mi Amour?" replied CJ.

"Well you always said you're our first call, so."

"What did you do?" asked an alarmed CJ, already imaging headlines.

"Well I was asked to replace a speaker at a conference I'm going to this weekend. There won't be a large press presence but there may be some and I didn't want you surprised on Monday," replied Josh.

"That's all?" CJ relaxed, "What's the conference on anyway?"

"That's the thing," replied a suddenly nervous Josh, "It's a men's conference put on by the diocese."

"The diocese," said CJ slowly, "the Catholic diocese?"

Josh nodded.

"You're Jewish."

"I'm going through RCIA," Josh replied calmly, "I'll be confirmed this Easter. The topic of my speech is why I'm converting."

"You're converting," stated a slightly frazzled looking CJ.

"Josh, as your friend, I'm happy for you. But this is pretty sudden. I hate to say this but you know how this may look to some," CJ continued referring to how his conversion would seem to others with it being the same religion as the President.

"I know, but this something I have to do," stated Josh.

"Here," Josh set a couple papers on the table. "There is some information on the conference and a copy of my speech. I'm leaving now for the Hill and I'll head home after I finish there. I just wanted to let you know."

It took a few minutes after Josh had walked out for CJ to get over her shock. She slowly got up, picked up the papers and heeded over to Toby's office.

"Dang it Sam," she heard Toby well through the office door.

"Got a minute" CJ asked opening the door.

"Yeah," Toby sighed, "just going over the remarks for next week's meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland."

"Look all I'm saying is," Sam began only for CJ to cut him off.

"Josh is converting," CJ blurted out.

The revelation shook the small room. Sam looked both surprised and slightly confused. It hit Toby the hardest, not really surprising, he and Josh were both Jewish after all. He appeared turn between shock, hurt, and anger. CJ couldn't blame them she was still pretty shell shocked herself.

Raising the papers still in her hand she began, "He's speaking at local Catholics men conference on why he's converting this weekend, I have his speech."

"Let's hear, it then," growled out Toby. Based on his face he still couldn't decide on how he should be feeling. Though it appeared he was defaulting to anger, his pupils were still wide with shock, and she could tell there were traces of hurt in his voice.

"I'll reading," offered Sam. CJ wordlessly handed him the papers.

"I met the love of my life when I started working on President Bartlet's campaign," Sam began only to be cutoff by CJ's shriek and Toby collapsed into his chair his head in his hands.

"Great a sex scandal on top of everything else," CJ began.

"Donna's still here," Sam began, "Maybe we can."

"No," cut in Toby, "Donna's Anglican. It doesn't fit, keep reading."

"Okay," Sam said still shocked at the revelation that his best friend was in love. "Our love wasn't expected really, with the differences between us. For those of you who don't know I'm Jewish. I'll be coming into full communion with the Church this coming Easter Vigil. She, well I won't go into much detail or we will be here all day, but she was born and raised in a very Catholic household."

"Okay," CJ let out a sigh, "It's not Donna. That's one positive."

Toby didn't look up and Sam continued, "Religion wasn't overly important when we started. Just friendship you know, then somewhere it switched to romance. It was a natural evolution and is the most precious thing I've ever had. Honestly the most active I've been was the holidays with my family, for the past two years I've just sent my mom Hanukah cards and attended Temple when Toby dragged me. My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and to be honest that makes up most of my Jewish identity."

Toby had finally looked up and appeared interested. Josh had never really expressed much in their conversations about faith. He hadn't truly realized how far Josh had lapsed. Maybe he should have dragged him to Temple.

"Then my life changed, I was going to a Father," it was the most shocking revelation so far, "He's going to be a Dad?!"

CJ collapsed the incoming scandal flashing before her eyes, "What is he thinking!?"

"Was," Toby croaked out realization in his eyes, "continue Sam."

Shakenly Sam read on, "It was just a few weeks before Rosslyn."

Sam was now white as sheet and CJ had started crying.

"Read on," Toby ordered, eyes misty and all traces of anger gone.

"I know, I know no sex before marriage. We shouldn't have but we did. To be honest some of you may know love evolves. I'm not the same man I was then and our love is not the same, if anything it's stronger more mature. Then you know what happened the president was shot, so was I. What no one knows was it caused a miscarriage. I lost my child."

Sam paused for a few minutes to let everyone dry their eyes.

"It could have made or broken our relationship. To be honest we were both scared of having kids. Her family, heck my family even didn't know about our relationship. It would have been a media circus. Not to mention our friends reactions. Still the loss brought us closer than ever. I started attending meetings with her priest about our loss. That's what brought me here. The Church gave me comfort hadn't known before. I look forward to our future children we'll have one day, after we are married. I'll tell the stories my grandfather told me, pass on the lessons of the past but unlike past Lyman's my little ones will be raised Catholic."

"That's all," Sam finished softly.

"Did he say who the girl was?" asked Toby after a minute passed.

"There's another note," remarked a tear stained CJ. Flipping through the other papers Josh had left. Most were on the conference but there was a small note card placed in with the rest she just noticed.

"Well," Sam and Toby chorused.

CJ,

I know it's a lot to take in, sorry for springing it on you like this. Look there would still be a lot of scandal if I came out with my girlfriend publically. We're going to tell our family soon.

Sorry'

Josh

"Well that's informative," said Sam, "how are we going to spin this?"

"We're not," said Toby slowly piercing together the plan, "We express our sympathies of course, but the line is; The White House does not comment on the personal lives of our staffers."

CJ nodded slowly already forming up the plans for facing the press.

"And when his relationship breaks?" asked Sam.

"We'll try to get more out of Josh then plan once we have a better idea of the impact of the scandal," stated Toby.

"I'll brief Leo," said CJ getting up, only to stop when Toby paled.

"His family doesn't know. When his mom finds out," Toby began.

"Leo's a family friend, leave it to him to decide what to tell Josh's mom," cut in Sam.

"Okay, then," stated CJ as she went to find Leo.

AN Well it end here for now. I have a few more ideas and we may see a follow up to this snip in the future.