Uncle Josh
Summary: Josh and Donna's niece enlisted Josh's help to write her government paper, and it didn't turn out as planned. Santos Administration/Slightly AU.
Disclaimer: I don't own West Wing
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One Week Before Thanksgiving
Chief of Staff to the First Lady Donna Lyman's phone had been ringing off the hook all morning. Just when she though she would finally be able to take a break to go find her husband for lunch, when her phone rang once again.
"Hello?" she answered
"Hey Donna." said the voice of her older sister, Annaleigh.
"Hey Annaleigh. What's up?" asked Donna, hearing the tension in his voice
"It's Nichole." said Annaleigh "Remember that paper Josh helped her on last month?"
Donna smiled at the memory, loving it when political superpower Chief of Staff Josh was replaced with the sweet, sensitive man he was deep down. Nichole's father had been killed in a car crash when Nichole was 5, and Josh was the only consistent male figure in her life besides her grandfather.
Four Weeks earlier
Nichole walked into the lobby of the White House, holding the hand of her mother, Annaleigh.
"UNCLE JOSH!" squealed Nichole when she saw her Uncle passing through the lobby with his deputy, Sam.
"Hey kiddo!" said Josh, catching her as she ran toward him at full speed. Josh and Nichole had always had a special bond, dubbing him "Uncle Josh" the moment she met him, knowing this was the man for Donna.
"Hey Annaleigh." said Josh, kissing his sister in law on the cheek, then introducing her to Sam.
"Donna's over in the east wing. You can head over and I'll meet you in a few." said Josh
"I wanna stay with you!" exclaimed Nichole
"Sure you can." said Josh. Josh assigned an agent to show Donna's sister to her office and took his niece over to the west wing.
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"Uncle Josh?" asked Nichole as they walked into his office
"Yeah?" he answered as he set her down and then sat down in his chair
"I have a paper to write on the what congress does. You work with congress, can you help me?" she asked
"Of course." said Josh.
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Donna and Annaleigh wandered in to Josh's office about half and hour later to find Nichole settled in Josh's Lap, sitting at his desk, telling her all about congress.
"What's going on here?" asked Donna
"Hi Aunt Donna! Uncle Josh is helping me write a paper about congress." said Nichole, running over to hug her Aunt.
"Yeah and I thought this afternoon I'd take her up to the hill and let her interview some congressman." said Josh, standing and walking over to his family.
"Oh Josh thanks so sweet of you, thanks for helping her out." said Annaleigh, leaning over and pecking her brother in law on the cheek.
"No problem." said Josh "But first let's get some lunch." said Josh, resting his hand on the small of Donna's back, as the took up the rear of the party. Donna smiled and leaned over to give Josh a quick peck, and wrap her arm around his waist.
One Week Before Thanksgiving
"Yeah what about it? Hey Josh just walked in." said Donna, turning her phone on speaker phone.
"What's going on?" asked Josh
"It's Annaleigh." said Donna, as he shut the door.
"Hey Josh. I called about Nichole." said Annaleigh "Remember that paper you helped her right about a month ago?"
"Yeah." said Josh, walking over to sit on Donna's desk.
"Her teacher gave her an F." said Annaleigh
"an F?" said Donna and Josh at the same time.
"Apparently she doesn't believe she got to talk to the white house chief of staff and some congressmen. I tried to talk to the teacher and she doesn't believe us. Would you and Donna mind coming to talk to them when you're down for thanksgiving next week?" asked Annaleigh
"Yeah of course we will." said Josh.
"Thanks you guys. I've gotta run. I'll see you guys next week." said Annaleigh.
"Bye John." said Donna, hanging up the phone.
"I bet she's a republican." said Josh
"Josh, you know you have to be nice." said Donna
"I'm always nice." said Josh, giving her a cocky smile. Donna stood and moved over to him, standing between his legs.
"You're so good with kids." said Donna, laying kisses on his neck.
"I don't think this is the place to make one." said Josh. Donna laughed as she playfully punched him on the shoulder.
"You know…" trailed off Josh "I can do one better than going down and talking to her teacher." said Josh, standing up.
"I'll be back." said Josh, giving her a quick peck as he left her office.
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One week later, in Wisconsin.
Two days before Thanksgiving, Josh and Donna sat in the office of Callie Cambell's at Madison Middle School with Annaleigh.
"Is Nichole coming?" asked Josh as they waited on Ms. Cambell to arrive.
"I told her last period teacher to bring her here when they were done with class." said Annaleigh.
"Hello Annaleigh, sorry to keep you waiting." said Mrs. Cambell as she walked in and sat down behind her desk.
"Thanks for meeting with us." said John. Mrs. Cambells eyes came to rest on Josh and Donna
"You two look familiar."
"I'm Josh Lyman, this is my wife Donna. We're the chiefs of staff at the white house. Donna is Annaleigh's sister."
"Right.." said Ms. Cambell. Prepared for that response, Josh tossed his white house ID on her desk.
"Forgive me. I'm not a Santos fan. Can't say I've paid much attention to politics since Bartlet was first elected." said Ms. Cambell, handing him is ID back.
"Well politics aside. We're here because you didn't believe the validity of Nichole using me and some congressmen as a source for her paper." said Josh. Donna glanced at her sister, politician Josh had arrived.
"I'm sorry but when a 13 year old hands me a paper citing high level officials, I'm suspicious." said Mrs. Cambell.
Josh leaned forward in his chair.
"Mrs. Cambell, quite frankly I don't give a damn why you failed her. I just want it corrected." said Josh, he picked up the file that had been resting in his lap.
"In this file, there is a stack of hand written letters, on official paper, one from me, and one from every member of congress Nichole talked to. If you're still not convinced, the direct line to the office of the president is written in the folder. He's quite fond of Nichole." said Josh, standing and then walking out with political swagger, with Donna and Annaleigh quickly following on his tail.
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"Now who wins the coolest Uncle of the Year award?" said a over confidence-testostrone-fulled-cocky-Josh, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist.
"You da man baby, you da man." said Donna. Josh felt a timid hand rest on his elbow.
"Thanks so much for doing this, Josh." said Annaleigh. Josh smiled and wrapped his other arm around her.
"Not a problem Annaleigh." said Josh as they headed towards Nichole's last class. They arrived at the door just as the bell rang.
"Nichole!" called Donna upon spotting her niece.
"Aunt Donna! Uncle Josh!" she squealed, elated to see her Aunt and Uncle a day earlier than expected. Josh caught her as she ran full speed towards them and Nichole gave him a big hug, and stretched her arm out to hug Donna's neck.
"What are you doing here?" asked Nichole, shrugging out of her backpack as her mother took it off her.
"I came to talk to your teacher about your paper." said Josh
"You heard about that?" asked Nichole, her eyes loosing the sparkle they had moments earlier.
"Yeah. But don't worry, your cool uncle took care of it." he said
"Really? You think I'll get an A?" asked Nichole
"I think you will." said Josh
"Thanks Uncle Josh!" said Nichole, hugging his neck again.
"Your welcome precious. I love you." said Josh, kissing her forehead.
"I love you too Uncle Josh." said Nichole, settling her head on his shoulder. Donna and Annaleigh smiled as they watched the scene unfold from a few feet behind Josh.
"I can't wait to have kids." said Donna.
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