The Musketeers
Show: The West Wing
Characters: Josh, Danny, Toby, Charlie, Will
Season: During season 4
Rating: T (just to be on the safe side)
Type: Missing scene from Inauguration Part 2: Over There
Summary: What happened between Josh finding out the truth and arriving at Donna's
Disclaimer: Not mine, though I wish it were
A/N: Anything in Italics is quoted from the show. There is also slight Donna/Josh undertones.
"I'm going to kill her" Josh said shaking his head
Danny frowned "Kill who?"
"Donna" Josh said simply, still shaking his head wondering why Donna would lie
Danny shook his head "I told you Josh she didn't know she was on the record"
Josh shook his head and looked at Danny, one of the only reporters that the senior staff actually liked "It wasn't her. Donna couldn't have known about the closures"
Danny frowned "Then who?" Danny asked wondering if there could be some sort of story in this or something, but tried to stay away from any story involving senior staff and their private lives but anything that they do in the West Wing always sold papers.
"I'm going to find out" Josh said with a determined look on his face as he made his way through the crowd.
Danny frowned as he watched Josh walk off and without even thinking decided to follow him, knowing that whenever Josh got that look in his eyes it would end up as a good story for his memoirs or a story for them to laugh and joke about at a later date, more than likely when the Bartlet Administration ends in four years "How?" Danny asked as he caught up with Josh
Josh stopped and turned to look at Danny "I'm going to talk to Donna" Josh said before making his way back through the crowd with Danny following him.
Danny shook his head as he followed and thought, yep definitely a story to laugh about and if he ever wrote his memoirs that this whole thing between Donna and Josh would definitely be a couple of chapters, hell maybe he'd even write a book about them. Just as Danny took instep right next to Josh he asked the next question "Now?"
Josh nodded "No time like the present"
Danny shook his head as he wondered how Josh was going to explain his absence for the ball, hell how he would explain his absence cause there was no way he was going to miss this. Just as they made their way to the door to the ballroom Charlie walked up to them.
"What's going on?"
"Josh is going to talk to Donna" Danny explained
Charlie frowned "Isn't she here?"
Danny shook his head "No, he's going to her apartment to talk to her"
Charlie nodded, knowing that this was a new chapter in the Josh and Donna chronicles "So why is Josh going to talk to Donna?"
"Because" Danny said as they walked through the ballroom door with Josh in the lead, leading them to the coat room, Danny frowned and looked back at Charlie "Because, actually I don't know"
"So Josh is just going to go to Donna's place to talk to her?"
Danny nodded "Yep"
"Ok" Charlie said slowly
"I'll be back" Josh said just as he put his coat on
"From where?" Toby said from behind him
Josh jumped not expecting Toby to be behind him, and not seeing Danny check out his own coat with a smile on his face "I'm going to talk to Donna"
Toby let out a deep sigh "Why don't you just give the girl a break" Toby said hoping to talk some sense into him, but knowing when it came to Donna all sense with Josh went out the window, at least Donna had some sense Toby thought
Josh looked at Toby and simply said "No"
Toby let out another breath "Well you're not going" Toby said that Donna can be stubborn if need be, just as much as Josh. Though Toby was surprised when CJ said that Donna was the leek because he never would have picked it, I don't think anyone on senior staff would've.
Josh looked at Toby as if he was told that he couldn't play with his favourite toy anymore "Why not?"
"Because whenever you get this excited about something you always end up doing something that cause's CJ a headache and I don't think she's appreciate another one and also with her yelling at you" Toby said, in which he actually liked it when Josh got yelled at by CJ but he also wanted Donna have some peace for when she got to work the next day it was going to be hell for her.
Josh looked at Toby and realised that he was right, because usually when he was like that Donna was the one that calmed him down but this time this was about her so she wouldn't be able to calm him down so it fell to Toby's shoulders "Then come with"
Toby frowned "No"
"Why not?" Josh asked, still itching to get to Donna's talk to her and come back before anyone noticed that he was missing, but the longer that they stayed here talking about it the less likely that it would happen and someone would notice.
Before Toby could reply Danny spoke up with him putting on his own coat "I'm in"
Josh, Charlie and Toby all looked at Danny and all of them knew that out of all of the members of the press core Danny knew the difference between a conversation between friends and what was fit for print and a conversation between Bartlet's senior staff and a member of the press corps.
"Me too" Charlie said with a smile, putting his two cents worth in
Josh looked between Charlie, who was like a younger brother to him, and Danny, who was a good friend, and Toby, who was like an older brother who tried to take the fun out of things but actually enjoyed it not that he would ever admit it. "Good" Josh kept his eyes on Toby "See I won't be going alone"
Toby shook his head "Yeah going with the President's body man and a member of the Press Corps to your assistants place in the middle of the night, that's a good idea" Toby said sarcastically shaking his head.
Danny shook his head at Toby's sarcasm and looked at Charlie "You don't want to stay?" Danny said asking wondering when Charlie and Zoey would get back together, because some members of the press corps thought that they are best suited for each other, with Danny being one of them.
Charlie shook his head "No" not wanting to see Zoey with Jean Paul for awhile, and that going with Josh to Donna's would be a great way to clear his mind "And anyway miss out on Josh making a fool of himself? Who would want to miss that" Charlie said with a smile
Danny
let himself smile at that "True"
Josh looked at Charlie a
little offended "Hey I won't make a fool of myself"
"I highly doubt that" Toby muttered "Though Charlie does have a point"
Josh shook his head "Well whatever, I'm going now"
Toby let out a sigh defeated "Alright" Toby said moving to check out his coat knowing that this would at least be a good story to tell CJ later, even if she would be a bit pissed that she missed it and that he didn't stop it but went along with it.
"Your coming?" Josh called out
Toby turned back to Josh "Someone has to make sure you don't harass her too much" Toby said before turning back to the coat room, knowing that Donna was like a little sister to him and that he loved her and would protect her anyway he could, and he also knew that Donna would do the same for him if he needed it, they had a strange friendship but they worked. Something that started when she first joined the Bartlet for America campaign when she was able to handle Josh without breaking a sweat and seeing that he didn't have an assistant would occasionally help him out when he needed it.
"I'm not going to harass her" Josh said simply "Just talk to her"
Toby turned and raised an eyebrow at Josh with both Danny and Charlie having the exact same expression on their faces, a look of total disbelief, that if Donna didn't talk to him then he would do whatever it took for her to talk to her.
Just as Toby started to put on his coat and moved towards the group a voice came from behind him
"Who are you going to talk to?"
Toby turned to face Will, the new comer, and wondered how much he had heard.
"Donna" Danny said with a smile
Will frowned "Why?" not really understanding the history of Donna and Josh but knew that Donna was in a lot of trouble because of the quote
"Because I need to" Josh said simply not wanting to get into why, having not really knowing Will whereas the others knew the history of Donna and Josh. Josh turned and looked at everyone "Anyone who's coming I'm going now" Josh said before turning back and walked towards the door and started to make his way to the entrance and to the taxi rank.
Danny, Toby and Charlie all looked at one another and Charlie was the one who looked at Will "So you in?"
Will shrugged, deciding that this night couldn't get any better and the fact that this seemed to be another story to tell "I'm in" Will said and turned to the coat room attendant to find that his coat was already there and the attendant had a smile on their face. Everyone moved to follow Josh as Will put his coat on. They all met Josh as he flagged down a taxi when Will asked a question they all were thinking.
"How is he going to get Donna to talk to him?"
Charlie shrugged "I don't know, but it'll be fun to find out"
Will shook his head, wondering what he was getting himself into.
Danny looked at Josh "You know he does have a point. How are you going to get Donna to talk to you?"
Josh shrugged "I'll figure it out on the way. But if worse comes to worse"
"Which it probably will be" Toby muttered and Josh just ignored him
"We'll just do good cop bad cop"
"And who would be who?" Danny asked
Just as the taxi pulled up to them Josh told them "I'm the good cop and you guy's are the bad cops" Josh said it in such a way that it made perfect sense to him but to them it made no sense what so ever, which hey wasn't unusual with Josh or anything non-political that involved him.
The rest of the group all exchanged confused looks as they climbed into the taxi and Josh gave the driver the address.
Toby just shook his head as the taxi driver began to drive them to Donna's.
Charlie just smiled at everyone "Let's hope no one notices where're gone"
Danny shook his head "Me too"
"Let's just hope CJ doesn't find out" Toby said
Josh looked at everyone "No one tells CJ" Josh said seriously, and that was something they all agreed upon because they didn't want to face CJ wrath.
The rest of the trip was made in a comfortable silence with everyone in their own thoughts and a few jokes made, mainly at Josh's expense, as well as some excitement about the upcoming event, mainly to see what Donna is going to do and what Josh is going to say.
Will just looked at Josh and wondered if anything had happened between Donna and himself because it always seemed that something was just beyond the surface with them.
Toby just looked amused at the entire situation, something that was rare for him, to be outwardly amused about something. Toby knew from experience that whenever Josh and Donna did something like this, or Josh just mainly embarrassed himself, made for a good story. As well as it was just another step in their dance. Toby also knew that neither of them would do anything about their attraction to one another whilst they were still in office, but he was dead sure that come the next inauguration day they would be getting together.
Charlie just enjoyed being away from Zoey and Jean Paul for a little while, and knew that this would be a great story to tell Zoey later, knowing that she loved these little things that Josh and Donna did and probably would be pissed at him for not telling her about it before hand so she could witness it. Though Charlie did know that once he told Zoey she would tell her mother and then in turn tell the President and then he would want to know what happened. Which was something he liked hearing about, Josh making a fool of himself and there be witnesses to the event.
Danny just looked at Josh and smiled and wondered if tonight could be the night that they would get together so the press pool could figure out who won, but something told him that tonight may not be the night because both Donna and Josh were experts at hiding their true feelings for one another. Though everyone who could see could tell that they were mad about each other but Josh and Donna themselves which was a shame because they were perfect for one another.
Josh couldn't keep his eyes off of the road as the taxi driver got them closer and closer to Donna's and began to think about what he was going to say to her when he saw her about the quote. But he knew no matter what he would be getting Donna to the rest of the balls even if he had to throw Donna over his shoulder and into the car to get her to them. They would just deal with the fallout of the quote tomorrow even though he knew that Donna would be having some intense conversations not only with himself but with CJ, Leo and the President about it.
Josh smiled as he saw Donna's apartment up ahead and practically jumped out when the taxi pulled to a stop and began to make his way to the door as everyone else got out of the taxi watching and waiting to see what was going to happen now all eagerly.
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