You Took Her
Show: The West Wing
Characters: Helen and Matt, mentions Josh, Donna and Sam
Season: set during season 7, after the episode Transition
Rating: K+
Summary: Helen tells Matt that she's picked a CoS
Disclaimer: Not mine though oh how I wish it were
Matt Santos, the President-Elect, let out a deep breath as he climbed into bed and looked over at his wife who was reading a file with complete interest, Matt let a smile drift over his face as he looked at her and realised just how much he loved her and that she must be crazy for him with her agreeing for him to run for election and coming along for the ride, a ride that went all the way to the White House, a place he never thought he would end up in his life. Matt took in a deep breath before picking up his own file to read, something that he had to read before the next set of meetings the next day and thought about the days events.
Helen let out a breath as she looked at one of the files that Donna had given her to look through so they could make some head way into what type of First Lady she wanted to be and what work she wanted to do. As Helen looked through the file she was once again extremely glad in her choice for Chief, but then took a look at her husband and wondered what he is going to say when she told him, having told Donna that she would tell her husband that she had poached her from him, knowing that Matt had wanted her on his staff. Helen smiled at the thought that at least Donna was in the same building as him, so if he desperately needed her they could try and share her.
Matt frowned as he saw at the corner of his eye that his wife was smiling "What's the smile for?"
Helen shrugged "Nothing" Helen said still smiling
Matt just nodded and knew from experience that if his wife wanted to tell him then she would in her own time "So what are you reading?" Matt motioned to the file that was in her hands
Helen shrugged "Just something that Donna wanted me to look through, and some ideas and thoughts for the First Lady's office once you take office"
Matt nodded "Good" Matt said with a smile knowing that it was taking awhile for Helen to get into the whole First Lady thing and made a mental note to thank Donna in the morning.
Helen let out a breath knowing that it would be now or never to give Matt the news, because by morning he'll probably find out. After putting her file on the bedside table Helen moved and faced her husband "So I've been thinking about my Chief of Staff"
Matt stopped reading his file and looked at his wife with a smile "Yeah? Any ideas? Because I'm sure someone on staff would be able to help you put a list together" Matt paused "Donna could probably help with that" Matt said realising how invaluable Donna had been, the fact that she can keep Josh in some sort of line and the fact that she knew a lot about Washington politics and could help Helen out with that.
Helen gave Matt a small smile "She could"
Matt frowned "What do you mean could?" Matt asked wondering what Donna was doing and where she was going and if there was any way that he could get to her to come and work at the White House, though by the time they finished both her and Josh would have worked over ten years there.
"Well" Helen strung out
"Well what?" Matt asked
Helen let out a deep breath and said very quickly "Because I asked Donna to be my Chief of Staff and she accepted and she's also got Annabeth to come and work for me as well"
Matt looked at his wife as he took in what his wife had told him very quickly "Donna's going to be your Chief and she's taken Annabeth with her?"
Helen looked at her husband shyly and nodded "Yep"
Matt pointed his finger at his wife and whilst smiling said "You took her from me"
Helen nodded "Yep"
"I was going to put her in communications"
Helen shrugged "Well she'll be working for me now"
Matt shook his head "What am I going to do now?"
Helen frowned "What do you mean?"
Matt let out a small deep breath "Donna seems to be the only one who can keep Josh in some sort of line when he get's overwhelmed"
Helen nodded "Well she'll still be in the same building not the other side of town"
Matt nodded "True" Matt mumbled and turned to his wife "I really wanted her"
Helen nodded and placed her hand on his arm "I know"
Matt "When did you ask her?"
"Yesterday"
Matt let out a deep breath "She didn't say anything"
"When?" Helen asked
"Today when I spoke to her"
Helen shrugged "Well she came to me this afternoon and told me and then we started talking and that's when we got Annabeth on board"
Matt nodded and then looked at his wife "And if you don't want her anymore I'll take her"
Helen smiled "I doubt it. I plan on keeping Donna around for a very long time. She's got some great idea's that we could do, that doesn't affect your agenda and some ideas that our office could do to help your first hundred day agenda if we run it through your office" Matt nodded "Which was something Donna was adamant about, that our agenda doesn't affect yours and goes through your office and that both of our offices have some good communication between both, because apparently there were times that the offices didn't get along during the Bartlet administration."
Matt nodded thinking that it was a great idea for it to work that way, to have someone who has experience in the West Wing and how things are done there and how to get the East Wing to get along with the West.
Matt turned and put his files on the bedside table deciding to go through them quickly in the morning deciding that these moments with his wife were more important because once he took office they could came few and far between.
Helen let out a breath "So how many positions did you fill today?"
Matt let out a breath of his own "A few. But I now have a Deputy now"
Helen nodded "Who?"
"He's a friend of Josh's. He was President Bartlet's communication's deputy in the first term. He's names Sam Seabourne"
Helen nodded "Is he a good guy?"
Matt nodded "He is. And before you ask he isn't as intense as Josh he's actually very calm"
Helen nodded "That's good I don't think you'd need two Josh's" Helen said with a smile
"True"
"Do you like him?"
Matt smiled "Yeah I do. It'll be good to have someone else who's got some White House experience under their belt in Senior Staff"
Helen nodded good "So where did Josh bring him in from?" Helen asked thinking that he pulled him from some Congressman's office or something
"LA" Matt said "Sam was a corporate lawyer"
Helen raised her eyebrows "He's leaving a place where he'll earn more than what he'll be paid at the White House to work for you?"
Matt smiled and nodded "Yep. Something about unable to resist the need to work for the President"
Helen nodded and smiled.
Matt turned to Helen "Plus now the fact that you've got Donna at least now I'll have someone in my office that can talk sense into Josh when he get's well Josh-like" Matt finished not sure how else to describe it
Helen nodded "That's a good thing"
"Yeah. He made Josh take a vacation"
Helen eyebrows shot up in surprise "What? Sam's gotten Josh to take a vacation during transition?"
Matt shrugged "I don't know. All I know is that Josh is going to be unreachable for the next week"
Helen nodded "That's good, I don't think I've ever met someone who's needed a vacation more than him" Matt nodded in agreement "When does he leave?"
"Already did"
Helen nodded and then she remembered the meeting earlier with Donna asking if she could start next week and that if she went through the files that she had given her they would have a starting point for when they got to work and that Annabeth could help her out. Helen had agreed thinking that for the next few years a chance for a break for her would be hard so while they could she should take it. Helen smiled as it clicked into place, the certain looks both Donna and Josh had given one another, that they were taking a vacation together.
Matt didn't see the look on his wife's face as he pondered out loud "Maybe I'll just pick Donna's brain tomorrow about Sam"
Helen smiled and shook her head and knowingly said "I think that might be a bit hard"
Matt frowned and looked at his wife knowing the look on her face, the one that said she knew something he didn't "Why?"
"Because Donna's gone with him" Helen said with a smile
"What?" Matt said shocked and surprised by what his wife said, the second time that night
"Donna's gone with Josh on his vacation" Helen said knowingly
"What?" Matt repeated and shook his head "Donna and Josh?"
Helen nodded "Yep?"
"Donna tell you?"
Helen shook her head "No"
"Then how?"
"Because Donna's taken some time off the exact same time as Josh and have you not seen the way those two look at each other?"
"Look at each other?"
Helen nodded "Yeah. They look at each other the way that we look at one another" Helen said simply and placed a kiss on Matt's lips.
Matt looked surprised and then thought back to times that he had seen them together and realised that his wife was right, that there was something between them. Matt then shook his head and chuckled "She lied"
Helen frowned "Who did?"
"Donna"
"What do you mean?"
"I asked Donna earlier today if Josh was seeing anyone and she told me no that she didn't know"
Helen shook her head at her husband "One I can't believe you were asking about Josh's love life"
Matt butted in "I was concerned about Josh, he needed to relax"
"And you asked Donna?"
Matt nodded "At the time Donna's the only one who know Josh, but now there's Sam, so who else would she ask?"
Helen shook her head and smiled "Well I don't blame her. I don't think Josh and Donna even know what they are. And Second I can't blame her for lying"
Matt frowned "What do you mean?"
"I mean you asked her, the next President, asked her about Josh's love life, I don't think she knew how to respond to that. Plus when you asked her if Josh was seeing anyone what was she supposed to say me"
Matt nodded "True. I guess your right" Matt said in agreement to what his wife was saying.
Helen smiled "I thought by now you know that I'm always right"
Matt shook his head.
Helen looked at her husband "What did you say when Josh told you about going on vacation?"
Matt smiled "That if it didn't involve a motorcade I would drive him there myself"
Helen looked at the other end of the room with a speculative look on her face
Matt looked at her "What are you thinking about?"
"Where they went"
"You don't know?"
Helen shook her head "You? About Josh?"
Matt shook his head "Nope"
Helen nodded "I'm sure we'll find out when they get back then"
Matt nodded and then looked at his wife "Just promise me one thing?"
"And what's that?"
"That next time there's some sort of office gossip between our offices you'll tell me?"
Helen smiled knowing how much of a office gossip her husband was "I promise"
Matt looked at his wife "Don't worry I'll do the same"
Helen looked at her husband and knew that he might not hear too much of the gossip and that she'll have to make sure she's kept up to date.
Matt and Helen moved to turn off their bedside lights and moved to cuddle one another
Matt broke the silence "Who could've guessed about Josh and Donna?"
Helen shrugged "I don't know. But from what I can tell it seems to be a long time coming"
Matt nodded "Well they've known each other for over nine years"
Helen rose her eyebrows in shock "Nine years of denying the feelings you have for someone"
Matt shook his head "I couldn't have done it"
Helen nodded in agreement "Me neither"
Both of them thinking they wouldn't have been able to handle nine years of unable to say or do anything about their feelings for each other
"I wonder how long it's been going on?" Helen pondered
Matt shrugged "I don't know. But tell me when you find out" Matt said with a smile.
Helen smiled "It's kind of cute when you think about it"
"What is?"
"Josh and Donna dating"
Matt frowned "And how is that cute?"
Helen looked up to Matt "That our Chiefs are dating"
Matt smiled at that and shook his head "The press will have a field day with it"
Helen shrugged "Well I guess we'll just deal with it when it happens"
"True" Matt said.
A few minutes later they were both drifting off to sleep after saying goodnight to one another. Both wondering what the future may bring. Not only for the administration, their own future, but what the future may bring for their respective Chiefs.
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