This is something I've been working on for a while. A big thank you to Meghan for all the help. Please review and let me know what you think!!!

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Alternative Life

"Right, so obviously Margaret is going with Leo..." C.J started, reaching for another slice of pizza. "I want Carol."

"That's fine with me, I want Cathy." Sam added. "We're starting to work quite well together..."

"Plus he's scared what she'll do to him if she doesn't get a job." Josh quipped, taking a mouthful of his beer.

"Yes." Sam agreed, causing Josh, C.J and Leo to laugh lightly and Toby to roll his eyes.

Jed Bartlet had just won the election and in January he would become President of United States. Leo had appointed the senior staff and now they were trying to decide whom to hire as their assistants.

"Bonnie and Cathy worked well together." Toby stated. "So, I think they should continue to work together in Communications."

"Right, Margaret, Carol, Cathy and Bonnie have gone..." Josh leaned forward, taking the last slice of pizza. "Ginger can come work with me."

"What?" Toby looked up at him quickly. "Ginger's working in Communications."

"You already got Cathy and Bonnie working in Communications."

"You've got Donna!"

"No, I haven't."

"Donna's not going to be your assistant?" Sam frowned.

"No." He shook his head. "Who said, she was going to be?"

"Well, no one but she's been practically glued to your side since she turned up...we all just assumed that she would be," C.J claimed.

"I offered her the job but she didn't want it."

"And you're okay with that?" Sam asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because it's Donna."

"Yeah but I can't force her to take it."

"So, what is she going to do instead, then?"

He shrugged, focusing on the pizza and refusing to look at any of them. "She's going back to college."

"College?" C.J repeated.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" He asked, standing up and pretending to look for something.

"No big deal." Sam watched closely. "We're just saying..."

"Saying what?" He looked at him.

"Nothing just..." Sam started but stopped, glancing at the others again.

"You two became close," C.J stated.

"Yeah."

"Maybe closer then we know about?" She leaned forwards a little.

"Have we got any more beers?" He walked away from the group and over to the fridge.

"Josh!"

"What?"

"What's really going on?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Just...it's... it's complicated."

"But you and Donna?"

He looked at her but didn't say anything.

"I knew it!" She grinned widely and the turned to face Toby. "Didn't I tell you!"

"Can we get back to the meeting?" Toby rolled his eyes.

"Oh who cares? Bonnie and Cathy in Communications, Carol with me, Leo gets Margaret and Josh has Ginger...Meeting is done!" C.J listed and turned back to Josh. "When did it happen? What happened?"

"This isn't High School..." Toby started.

"They're our friends!" She insisted, cutting him off. "I'm just happy for them..."

"Okay, okay...It's late and I've had enough." Leo announced, standing up. "Everyone get out of here."

Toby and C.J left the office, arguing while Sam hung back to give Josh a silent pat on the back on his way out.

"Don't you have a home to go to?" Leo looked at his Deputy.

"No...Well, in Washington I do." Josh placed the beer he was holding down on the table.

"But you got a hotel room, right?" Leo questioned, dryly.

Josh smiled faintly. "I uh...I just wanted to talk to you."

"You don't have too...." Leo held up his hand.

"I do...You need to know...Nothing has happened." Josh stated but continued when Leo raised an eyebrow. "With Donna...Nothing has happened...yet."

"Yet?"

Josh sighed and walked back over to his seat. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"Okay, fine." Leo sat down opposite him. "I'm listening."

"She worked for the campaign, unpaid... I bought food for her, I paid for her to travel with us..."

"Yeah." Leo nodded.

"I was an idiot."

"Yeah." He agreed. "But did you do all of that to get her to sleep with you?"

"What?! No!" He exclaimed, defensively.

"Calm down...I know." Leo assured him. "But there are people that will ask and you need to be sure you are both up to those questions."

"I know."

"And are you?"

Josh leaned back against the chair, his head hitting the wall. "I don't know..."

Leo thought for a moment before speaking again. "If I told you, that if you wanted to be Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bartlet or have a relationship with Donna. What would you pick?"

Josh slowly lifted his head to look at him. "When my Dad died...I... it was hard, you know... I didn't know how to cope...He was my Dad... he wasn't meant to die...Donna was there for me... She held my hand... she let me cry... she let me shout... She was just there."

"I know." Leo said softly.

"That's when I realised that what I felt for her was more then a boss should or even more then a friend should." Josh claimed. "But we talked about it...We agreed that nothing could happen because neither of us want to harm the campaign."

"And now?"

"I offered her the job as my assistant… but she refused and we talked about it... There is no way we could be in a relationship if she took the job."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"She's given up a White House job for me...That's how much she cares about me and we haven't even been on one date." Josh pointed out. "I owe it to her, to give a White House job..."

"It's a bit different, Josh." Leo rolled his eyes.

"I owe it to myself too." He added. "I look at my parents...I want that... The relationships I've had before...None of them have been anything like what they have and I thought that's just what I wanted..."

"But?"

"But Donna started to steal my food then argue about it with me and when she thought I wasn't looking, she'd be smiling... She'd refuse to drive whenever we were travelling but would always criticise how I was driving." He listed, a small smile on his face. "When it had been exactly one month after my Dad had died...She came up with an excuse to get us out of going to the bar with everyone then she sat with me in silence."

"And that's what you want?" Leo questioned but he was pretty sure he knew the answer already.

"Yeah..." Josh nodded. "That's what I want...That and more...I want namesakes for my Granddad, Dad and sister...I want a big family again..."

"And you want a job in the White House?"

"That depends on what I'd have to give up."

"You don't have to give up anything." Leo rolled his eyes. "You think I'd ask you that? Hell, your Mother would hunt me down... with my own wife's help..."

Josh smiled. "Mom is pretty keen on Donna."

"Mothers always know, Josh." Leo informed him. "She probably knew you loved her before you did."

Josh stared at him. "Love?"

"Care about, then."

"Right..." Josh nodded, frowning a little causing Leo to laugh softly.

"Where's Donna now?"

"What?" Josh turned his attention back to Leo.

"Donna? Where is she?" He asked again. "Waiting for you?"

"No, she's gone back home for a few days." He replied.

Leo laughed again. "Is that why you've been so miserable all day?"

"I haven't been miserable!"

"Josh."

"Okay, maybe a little unhappy..."

"God and you haven't had your first date yet."

Josh ran a hand through his hair. "I know."

"You freaking out?"

"What do you think?" He asked. "I'm going to screw this up."

"Yeah probably." Leo got to his feet. "But she's understand and it'll be okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah and when she screws up, you'll understand."

"Yeah..."

"Get out of here...go to your room and call your girlfriend." Leo ordered. "Then get some sleep."

"Right..." Josh stood up. "But what about the Press."

"Who gives a damn what they say?" Leo replied. "We don't comment on the personal life of our staff.... get use to that statement, I've got a feeling in the next 4 years we'll be using it a lot."

Josh smiled. "I guess so."

"Oh, wait I meant to give you this." Leo searched through a box that was on the table and then handed Josh a package. "It's from Jenny."

Josh shook it. "What is it?"

"I dunno, food, I think." Leo shrugged and made his way to the door with Josh following. "Cookies and stuff."

"Cookies?"

"Apparently, you've lost weight."

Josh looked down at himself. "I have."

"Yeah and my wife thinks it's my fault."

"That I've lost weight?"

"Yes because I've been working you too hard."

"So, she made me some cookies and stuff?"

"She likes looking after you kids and Mallory is out of town for a few weeks on some teacher training course."

"Uh, Leo? I'm 35."

"Josh, she used to baby-sit you... She read you bedtime stories and she took you down the emergency room when you thought if you climbed the biggest tree you could find and flap your arms really fast, you'd fly." Leo continued to walk down the corridor. "You'll always be a kid to her."

"Okay, yeah I get your point but no one else has to know about that right?" Josh walked backwards in front of him so he could face him. "And in my defence Mal dared me too and promised to jump with me."

Leo gave him a look of disbelief. "She was 6 years old, Josh."

"And I was 7."

"One year older, one year smarter but you were the one that ended up with a broken arm."

"Hey, at least I got out of the tree." He shrugged. "How long did it take you to convince Mal to come down?"

"Go away already, would you." Leo scowled at him.

Josh grinned. "Okay."

"I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Get some sleep." Leo told him. "Oh and Josh?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm happy for you." He said softly. "For both you and Donna."

Josh smiled. "Thanks."

"Right, I'm out of here."

"Thank Jenny for this..." Josh yelled after him, waving the package around.

"Will do." He called back but didn't stop or turn around.

Josh watched him disappear before walking towards the elevator. He sighed and leaned back against the wall as he waited for it to reach his floor. He had got Leo permission and he was pretty sure that the President-Elect would be happy for them too. He just really hoped he wouldn't mess this up.

TBC

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