Title: The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship (first in a series)
Author: Kathleen
Summary: On the night of the Illinois primary, two people strike up a
friendship. Josh/Ellie friendship, pre-relationship
Spoilers: the flashback scenes in ITSOTG I and II, Ellie, and the
first three episodes of season 5 (just for the names of Elizabeth's
husband and son)
Disclaimer: All WW characters belong to Aaron Sorkin and company. The
character of Alice Marshall is from the motion picture Air Force One
and does not belong to me.
Author's Note: This is the first in a series of ficlets and fics that
center around the relationship between Eleanor Bartlet and Josh Lyman
(a relationship that exists only in my fantasy world).
Also, it would be wise for me to note that in this alternate
universe, Toby and Ginger were married before she joined up with the
campaign.
**
It should have been a night of celebration. A night of triumph. The
righteous ones had prevailed and the other guy had just had his ass
handed to him.
Yup, that was exactly what had happened in this place tonight. In a
different circumstance, Josh supposed he would have never thought of
the state of Illinois the same way again. The rush had been unlike
anything he had ever felt before. The feeling had left him riding
high, along with everyone else, and any lingering doubts that he had
had about jumping ship on Senator Hoynes had been trumped right out
of existence.
Until Donna had delivered that awful news. The news no one who has
parents ever wants to hear.
And that's how he'd ended up downstairs in the hotel bar, alone. He
couldn't even bring himself to tell Sam and had left a strict order
with his new assistant to keep the news of his father's death to
herself for the time being. He'd just gotten off the phone with his
mother, who had urged him to wait until morning to come home to
Connecticut. Reluctantly, he had agreed.
He was shaken out of his reverie when someone plopped down on the
stool next to him. He turned sideways and managed a half-smile when
he recognized his new companion as one of the Bartlet girls. This one
he had just met tonight. What the hell was her name anyway? Emily?
"Josh, right?" she asked, signalling the bartender.
"Yeah. Josh Lyman..." he paused, concentrating, "Uh, Emily?" he
cringed, knowing he was wrong.
"Emily's my middle name." she replied as the bartender walked up.
"What can I get for you? Congratulations on the primary, Mr. Lyman."
he grinned.
"I'll have a Jack and club on the rocks with a twist." Eleanor said,
then turned to Josh. "You're not gonna make me drink alone, are you?"
"Sam Adams." Josh instantly said, knowing a challenge when he saw
it. "You're Zoey's older sister."
"And Elizabeth's younger sister." she said. "Have you met her husband
yet?"
"No." Josh rubbed the back of his neck. "From what Leo said, your
father'd be perfectly content to not have any of us meet him."
"My father'd be perfectly content to forget there are some people
connected to the Bartlet name who are not extraordinary but merely
ordinary people. Some by marriage, some by blood." Eleanor replied as
the bartender brought their drinks. She sipped it
contemplatively. "Is the campaign trail usually like this?"
That got Josh's attention. He had never seen her before, but he'd
also assumed that was just because their paths had never managed to
cross. Now it appeared that he had never seen her before because she
had, in fact, never been around before.
"The governor's not exactly new to the campaign trail." he said. "Was
he really that popular in New Hampshire that he didn't have to
campaign like this?"
Eleanor shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I usually stayed home with Aunt
Millie. If you want to know about my dad's overwhelming popularity,
you'd have to ask those who bask in the glow of such things with him.
Which would be my mother and both of my sisters."
"Which is why you're down here drinking by yourself." Josh said. "Are
you even old enough to drink?"
Eleanor simply took a long sip of her Jack and club, her eyes never
leaving his.
"I don't like having all those people around me. They make me
nervous." she stated. "Besides, you're down here drinking by
yourself."
"Hey, I wasn't drinking till you showed up. You're a corruptive force
on poor little innocent me." Josh took a swig of his beer. "Besides,
even if I was, I've got a pretty damn good reason."
Eleanor drummed her fingers on the edge of the bar. "I overheard that
blonde chick on the telephone. I'm sorry about your father. Were you
close to him?"
"Yeah." Josh replied, finding that he didn't really mind talking to
this girl, who might not even be old enough to drink. He grimaced,
trying to not think of what might happen if Governor Bartlet came
down looking for his daughter. Oh, well. He could just plead
ignorance. Besides, it was the bartender's fault anyway. He really
should've asked for her ID. "Well, as close as we could be. He and
Mom live in Connecticut."
"Mmm..." Ellie nodded. "My roommate Alice and I are headed for
Connecticut tomorrow. Her parents live in New Dover six months out of
the year, Florida the rest."
"Their IQs are dropping every year then." Josh took another swig of
beer, then paused in the middle of swallowing. "Did you say New
Dover?"
"Yeah. They live outside of New Dover, but it's the closest town.
They're country people now." Ellie said. "That's actually partly why
I'm down here. Even if most of the people cleared out by now, I'm not
exactly looking forward to telling Mom and Dad I'm leaving in the
morning. Not that they really notice when I'm here."
"Hey, exactly how old are you anyway?" Josh asked. At her pointed
glare as she inclined her head towards the bartender, he hastily went
on. "I mean, you're obviously over the age of eighteen. Are you in
school, or in the armed forces, or something like that? Drug dealer?"
She laughed. "No, actually, I'm a senior at the University of New
Hampshire. I've already been accepted to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
In fact, I've been taking prep courses there, it's where I met Alice.
She's in the police academy in Baltimore and once I move down there
we're rooming together full-time."
"Wait a minute." Josh used the beer bottle to point at her. "Okay,
lemme get this straight. You're premed at UNH, in your senior year,
and you're flying back and forth to Johns Hopkins for prep courses?"
"Yeah?" Ellie stirred her drink.
"And who would the not-so-extraordinary people in your family be?"
Ellie blushed. "Thanks."
"Em, what's your GPA?"
Eleanor flushed. "That's none of your business. And why are you
calling me Em?"
"You still haven't told me your first name. And since your middle
name is Emily, I figured... I'll tell you what my GPA was." Josh
offered.
"I know what your GPA is. You were bragging about it to Ziegler and
his wife earlier." Eleanor replied. "And it's Ellie, by the way."
"That short for something?" Josh asked.
"That would be Eleanor. Eleanor Emily Bartlet." she replied. "Eleanor
is my godmother's middle name."
"New Dover, huh?" Josh went back to the earlier subject. "Do you
think your roommate would mind if I rode with you two tomorrow? My
parents live in New Dover...er..." he frowned when he realized what
he had just said.
"I'll have to double check with Alice, but I don't see any problem.
Anything we can do for you, Josh." Eleanor finished off her drink and
got up. "You're not gonna get shit-faced, are you?"
"That just sounded really wrong coming from someone with that sweet a
voice." Josh remarked, then could have bitten his tongue upon
realizing how much that sounded like a line. God, would the
governor's daughter think he was hitting on her?
"You want me to walk you back to your room?" Eleanor asked. "Alice
and I are in with Margaret. Leo's Margaret, you know?"
"Yeah, I know Margaret." Josh said. "You didn't get a room to
yourself?"
Eleanor shrugged and started tugging at his arm. "Come on, Lyman, I'm
tired, and I've appointed myself your damsel in shining armor for the
next few minutes. Or until I fall asleep. Whichever comes first."
"For your knight in distress?" Josh shot back.
"Let's go." she took a five out of her pocket and tossed it onto the
bar.
**
Like? Dislike? Love? Hate?
Hate it so much you wanna browbeat me?
Love it so much you want to pay me?
Feedback, good and bad, is welcome. Flames don't particularly bother
me, so if you feel that strongly, go ahead, but if you must flame,
please do so OFF-LIST and to me PRIVATELY.
Carry on,
Kathleen
Author: Kathleen
Summary: On the night of the Illinois primary, two people strike up a
friendship. Josh/Ellie friendship, pre-relationship
Spoilers: the flashback scenes in ITSOTG I and II, Ellie, and the
first three episodes of season 5 (just for the names of Elizabeth's
husband and son)
Disclaimer: All WW characters belong to Aaron Sorkin and company. The
character of Alice Marshall is from the motion picture Air Force One
and does not belong to me.
Author's Note: This is the first in a series of ficlets and fics that
center around the relationship between Eleanor Bartlet and Josh Lyman
(a relationship that exists only in my fantasy world).
Also, it would be wise for me to note that in this alternate
universe, Toby and Ginger were married before she joined up with the
campaign.
**
It should have been a night of celebration. A night of triumph. The
righteous ones had prevailed and the other guy had just had his ass
handed to him.
Yup, that was exactly what had happened in this place tonight. In a
different circumstance, Josh supposed he would have never thought of
the state of Illinois the same way again. The rush had been unlike
anything he had ever felt before. The feeling had left him riding
high, along with everyone else, and any lingering doubts that he had
had about jumping ship on Senator Hoynes had been trumped right out
of existence.
Until Donna had delivered that awful news. The news no one who has
parents ever wants to hear.
And that's how he'd ended up downstairs in the hotel bar, alone. He
couldn't even bring himself to tell Sam and had left a strict order
with his new assistant to keep the news of his father's death to
herself for the time being. He'd just gotten off the phone with his
mother, who had urged him to wait until morning to come home to
Connecticut. Reluctantly, he had agreed.
He was shaken out of his reverie when someone plopped down on the
stool next to him. He turned sideways and managed a half-smile when
he recognized his new companion as one of the Bartlet girls. This one
he had just met tonight. What the hell was her name anyway? Emily?
"Josh, right?" she asked, signalling the bartender.
"Yeah. Josh Lyman..." he paused, concentrating, "Uh, Emily?" he
cringed, knowing he was wrong.
"Emily's my middle name." she replied as the bartender walked up.
"What can I get for you? Congratulations on the primary, Mr. Lyman."
he grinned.
"I'll have a Jack and club on the rocks with a twist." Eleanor said,
then turned to Josh. "You're not gonna make me drink alone, are you?"
"Sam Adams." Josh instantly said, knowing a challenge when he saw
it. "You're Zoey's older sister."
"And Elizabeth's younger sister." she said. "Have you met her husband
yet?"
"No." Josh rubbed the back of his neck. "From what Leo said, your
father'd be perfectly content to not have any of us meet him."
"My father'd be perfectly content to forget there are some people
connected to the Bartlet name who are not extraordinary but merely
ordinary people. Some by marriage, some by blood." Eleanor replied as
the bartender brought their drinks. She sipped it
contemplatively. "Is the campaign trail usually like this?"
That got Josh's attention. He had never seen her before, but he'd
also assumed that was just because their paths had never managed to
cross. Now it appeared that he had never seen her before because she
had, in fact, never been around before.
"The governor's not exactly new to the campaign trail." he said. "Was
he really that popular in New Hampshire that he didn't have to
campaign like this?"
Eleanor shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I usually stayed home with Aunt
Millie. If you want to know about my dad's overwhelming popularity,
you'd have to ask those who bask in the glow of such things with him.
Which would be my mother and both of my sisters."
"Which is why you're down here drinking by yourself." Josh said. "Are
you even old enough to drink?"
Eleanor simply took a long sip of her Jack and club, her eyes never
leaving his.
"I don't like having all those people around me. They make me
nervous." she stated. "Besides, you're down here drinking by
yourself."
"Hey, I wasn't drinking till you showed up. You're a corruptive force
on poor little innocent me." Josh took a swig of his beer. "Besides,
even if I was, I've got a pretty damn good reason."
Eleanor drummed her fingers on the edge of the bar. "I overheard that
blonde chick on the telephone. I'm sorry about your father. Were you
close to him?"
"Yeah." Josh replied, finding that he didn't really mind talking to
this girl, who might not even be old enough to drink. He grimaced,
trying to not think of what might happen if Governor Bartlet came
down looking for his daughter. Oh, well. He could just plead
ignorance. Besides, it was the bartender's fault anyway. He really
should've asked for her ID. "Well, as close as we could be. He and
Mom live in Connecticut."
"Mmm..." Ellie nodded. "My roommate Alice and I are headed for
Connecticut tomorrow. Her parents live in New Dover six months out of
the year, Florida the rest."
"Their IQs are dropping every year then." Josh took another swig of
beer, then paused in the middle of swallowing. "Did you say New
Dover?"
"Yeah. They live outside of New Dover, but it's the closest town.
They're country people now." Ellie said. "That's actually partly why
I'm down here. Even if most of the people cleared out by now, I'm not
exactly looking forward to telling Mom and Dad I'm leaving in the
morning. Not that they really notice when I'm here."
"Hey, exactly how old are you anyway?" Josh asked. At her pointed
glare as she inclined her head towards the bartender, he hastily went
on. "I mean, you're obviously over the age of eighteen. Are you in
school, or in the armed forces, or something like that? Drug dealer?"
She laughed. "No, actually, I'm a senior at the University of New
Hampshire. I've already been accepted to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
In fact, I've been taking prep courses there, it's where I met Alice.
She's in the police academy in Baltimore and once I move down there
we're rooming together full-time."
"Wait a minute." Josh used the beer bottle to point at her. "Okay,
lemme get this straight. You're premed at UNH, in your senior year,
and you're flying back and forth to Johns Hopkins for prep courses?"
"Yeah?" Ellie stirred her drink.
"And who would the not-so-extraordinary people in your family be?"
Ellie blushed. "Thanks."
"Em, what's your GPA?"
Eleanor flushed. "That's none of your business. And why are you
calling me Em?"
"You still haven't told me your first name. And since your middle
name is Emily, I figured... I'll tell you what my GPA was." Josh
offered.
"I know what your GPA is. You were bragging about it to Ziegler and
his wife earlier." Eleanor replied. "And it's Ellie, by the way."
"That short for something?" Josh asked.
"That would be Eleanor. Eleanor Emily Bartlet." she replied. "Eleanor
is my godmother's middle name."
"New Dover, huh?" Josh went back to the earlier subject. "Do you
think your roommate would mind if I rode with you two tomorrow? My
parents live in New Dover...er..." he frowned when he realized what
he had just said.
"I'll have to double check with Alice, but I don't see any problem.
Anything we can do for you, Josh." Eleanor finished off her drink and
got up. "You're not gonna get shit-faced, are you?"
"That just sounded really wrong coming from someone with that sweet a
voice." Josh remarked, then could have bitten his tongue upon
realizing how much that sounded like a line. God, would the
governor's daughter think he was hitting on her?
"You want me to walk you back to your room?" Eleanor asked. "Alice
and I are in with Margaret. Leo's Margaret, you know?"
"Yeah, I know Margaret." Josh said. "You didn't get a room to
yourself?"
Eleanor shrugged and started tugging at his arm. "Come on, Lyman, I'm
tired, and I've appointed myself your damsel in shining armor for the
next few minutes. Or until I fall asleep. Whichever comes first."
"For your knight in distress?" Josh shot back.
"Let's go." she took a five out of her pocket and tossed it onto the
bar.
**
Like? Dislike? Love? Hate?
Hate it so much you wanna browbeat me?
Love it so much you want to pay me?
Feedback, good and bad, is welcome. Flames don't particularly bother
me, so if you feel that strongly, go ahead, but if you must flame,
please do so OFF-LIST and to me PRIVATELY.
Carry on,
Kathleen