Title: Starts and Stops
Notes: The fourth of the Suits and Suitors series. More couples stuff. I know a lot of ppl missed the third story cos the site hasn't been working properly so basically I'll give you an idea of what happened, not a lot! Well stuff happened but if I tell you then you won't go back and review my third one, hehehehe. Just kiddin, Josh hears CJ and Toby talking about going out and how last night was wonderful and quickly goes to tell Sam. Just before then he'd destroyed Donna again by messing up their whole banter session by mentioning Maggie and Sam has feelings for someone but that I'll leave you to find out. Woah I just wrote loads!
Feedback: Yes please!! Lots!!!! Hope this is ok and not so bad as to go into the "God Awful Fan-fiction" website but that site is sooo funny!
P.S.: I'm gonna try something where I move between three conversations in one bit, so I will use different fonts to help show which conversation is which, so I'll use "Normal" "Bold" "Italic". This may go horribly wrong but I'm experimenting so bare with me.
****
"Josh?"
"Donna?"
"Uh, is it ok if I go for my lunch break early?" it was at this point that I looked up. Lunch break, Donna never takes a lunch break, and an early one. But she never…
"What?"
"A lunch break? I would like to go for mine early."
"But you never…I mean you've never even had a lunch break, never mind an early one." I say still staring at her in amazement.
"I know, but it's important. An old school friend of mine has come into town and I can't really leave her all on her own because well she doesn't know her way around and she's an old Wisconsin girl like me, so she doesn't know what to do in a big city and I wouldn't ask normally, but she has no other friends in D.C. and I can't leave her on her own and I haven't seen her in years and it wouldn't be for very long because-"
"Donna."
"She has an appointment at one which is why I need to go early and I wouldn't ask otherwise. But I mean she's only in town for today and if I don't go now I probably won't see her for another four or five years an you know how difficult it is to see old friends these days-"
"Donna!" God, if she really gets babbling there's just no way of stopping her!
"Yes?" she says innocently
"Go, go…" I say waving her off. She smiles at me that beaming happy smile and starts to move towards me but then suddenly stops and turns around shouting,
"Thanks!" over her shoulder.
"You owe me!" I shout back.
"Impervious!" I smile and turn back to the figures staring at me from my desk. I'm just putting my head down when I see Sam walk past my door
"Sam?" I call after him but he doesn't answer. Maybe I got the wrong person. I shrug and get back to my intensely dull figures.
****
Ok, so I lied but how was I supposed to explain that I was going off for a private talk with Sam about something, and that I had absolutely no idea what the something was. He'd get all suspicious and would be difficult all afternoon and frankly I don't need it. But I still feel bad.
So we're walking from the White House and Sam leads me to this little patch of grass beneath a tree. I've always thought how wonderful it is that in such a busy and noisy city every now again you come across these lovely Oasis' of peace and tranquillity, especially near some of the most frantic and important buildings in the world.
We sit down and for a while no one says anything. Sam seems to be searching for words so I try and brake the ice,
"So…what did you want to talk about?" he looked up at me with this amazingly intense stare.
"Donna, I've known you for quite a while now and I realise that you are an amazing person and…well…" he seems to lose the thread of his sentence
"You're not that unamazing yourself." I say smiling, trying to lighten his mood. He smiles and seems to take courage from it.
"Donna, I like you. I mean really like you, I'm attracted to you and …oh God this is all coming out wrong…" he sighs in frustration but all I can do is stare at him.
I mean Sam is a nice guy, I like him a lot but…he's not Josh. But then I remember that Josh has someone and that that someone could be a permanent someone. Sam is a really nice guy, he is kind and considerate and maybe it is time to try on new people.
"Look what I'm trying to say is would you do the honour of coming out to dinner with me tonight?" he looks at me as if I may just explode and he's preparing himself for the blast. I smile at him,
"Of coarse" he smiles but then checks himself
"Really?"
"Yes!" now he smiles that huge goofy proud grin which I've always thought was pretty cute.
"So I'll pick you up at 8.00?"
"That would be perfect." now we're both grinning, we must look like a pair of idiots, but I don't care. Maybe this is my chance for second start, a clean page; one without Josh written all over it.
****
"Donna?"
"Yeah?"
"Uh, you know how I said I was going out tonight?"
"Yeah." she says still not looking away from her computer.
"Well, we're kinda not going out tonight."
"So…?" I stand there and cringe, I know she's going to explode I'm just preparing for it.
"Well, I need you to stay here tonight to work with me and Maggie." now she looks up.
"Oh no, no way! I told you I was going out tonight and anyway I'm not going be the third wheel with you two for an entire night."
"You won't be a third wheel, we'll be working. Strictly business."
"Hah! Yeah right!"
"Pleeeeaaaaase" I know, I'm whining again.
"No, I gave you prior warning. You said I could go out and you can't back out of it now. I'm not staying."
"You went out for a lunch break today" I mumbled
"I knew it! I knew you would use that! One lousy lunch break, I never go out at lunch, never! And this one time! Tonight is really important; I am not going to drop this because you have decided you need me! I have my own life Josh, these are my friends and this is a really important evening. One lunch break! I'm here every other night you want me, every time. Why can't for once I get what I want? No, no way am I staying tonight!" Woah, I mean I had been expecting her to be angry, maybe even say no but this, this was different. I just nodded and retreated to my office where I stayed hidden for the rest of the afternoon. I wasn't hiding; I was just… giving Donna time to cool off. I never saw her leave that night but by then I was too rapt up getting ready for Maggie to appear.
****
"Josh"
"CJ" I say staring at my desk. I wanna look professional for Maggie, should my pencil pot be on the left or the right?
"I thought you were seeing Maggie Jenson tonight?" she said frowning
"I am, we decided to have a working dinner instead." CJ nodded
"So…. you're gonna sort this…." she said looking doubtful.
"Yeah! Why shouldn't I?" I say holding my arms out in defense.
"Because this working dinner is with your latest squeeze."
"My latest 'squeeze'? CJ, exactly how many girlfriends have I had since you met me?"
"Urm…1." she said trying not to grin.
"So its my second squeeze in…" I stand there trying to count, I give up "a long time."
"Whatever. Look I just want to know that you're gonna work and not play footsie." I sigh
"We won't I promise, strictly business all the way. I won't even smile at her." then I remember what I had heard her talking about earlier in the day with a certain Toby Ziegler.
"So…what are you doing tonight, anything special?" I say trying to sound casual, I look down at some papers to hide my smile this is too much fun!
"Erm…no…no I'm just uh curling up with a few chick flicks." she was looking uncomfortable and looked at her watch twice. I grinned and said
"I hope you enjoy." she gave me a frown and then walked out of my office. Now…the right or the left??
***
"Toby…sorry I'm late."
"Don't worry about it. You look…fantastic."
"Why thankyou. You don't look half bad yourself."
"Thanks, I almost borrowed Josh's Joey Lucas suit but changed my mind."
"Speaking of Josh I think he knows."
"Knows?"
"About us."
"You serious?"
*
"You should have seen her face. She was trying so desperately to look casual and failing so badly. I think she kind of guessed I knew but it was so amazingly worth it."
"You know I think you've developed a mean streak Joshua Lyman."
"Well, she was having ago at us."
"Why?"
"She thought we wouldn't get any work done tonight and would be too busy playing 'footsie'."
"Well we have got some work done haven't we."
"Yes. Very important work."
"Yes."
"Now we can play footsie."
"Oh yes!"
*
"Hi."
"Hi"
"Donna you look…"
"Thanks. So do you."
"Thanks."
"Um…you didn't tell Josh that we were going out tonight did you?"
"No, should I have?"
"No, it's just that…I told a bit of a white lie."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I was having a night with the girls. He wanted me to stay and work with him and Maggie…"
*
"So did you get rid of your assistant for the night?"
"Actually I had asked Donna to stay with us, help us with some of the work."
"You asked your assistant along for our second date?"
"This is a date? I thought we were just doing business."
"Does this…look like business."
"No…I was going to send her home before we got to this bit."
"Oh good. Why didn't she stay? I thought you said she was good."
"Donnas the best! But…I asked her and she had a fit cos she wanted to go out with some of her friends."
"So…"
"Nothing…"
*
"You don't want Josh to know about us?"
"No! I mean not right now. I don't want anyone to know yet. We work in the same place things could get awkward and its too soon."
"I know what you mean. Hey, we're not the only two having an 'illicit affair'."
"An 'illicit affair'? Who else?"
"CJ and Toby."
"You're kidding!"
"Nope."
"Wow."
*
"He told you?"
"No, it was just the way he asked me what I was doing tonight."
"Hmmm."
"What?"
"He and Sam asked me the same thing this morning. They were acting…well like doped up teenagers."
"Oh God, you don't think Josh heard us outside his office."
"Shit!"
"The whole office will know by tomorrow morning those two are worse then any assistants for gossip!"
"Well is it such a bad thing?"
"Toby! We work together! I'm the White House Press Secretary, your the Communications Director, the press would have a field day!"
"No they wouldn't."
"They wouldn't!"
"No, it's just a simple story of two people falling for each other."
"You mean, you want other people to know?"
"Maybe."
"Toby!"
"Well, it would make it 'official'."
"You know you're far more romantic than you let on."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't let Sam know that ok?"
*
"I'm really glad I came Sam. Really."
"Me too. I've been trying to ask you out for so long. I just always imagined you'd say no."
"Why?"
"You'll laugh at this. I thought you loved Josh. You ok! You're drinks gone everywhere."
"I'm ok, I'm ok…why'd you think that?"
"I dunno. Little things I guess. But now I see that you two were just friends."
"Yeah."
*
"You seem very attached to your assistant."
"I suppose, we're great friends and we work well together. I don't know what I'd do without her."
"You did fine tonight all by yourself."
"True."
"I can't stand my assistant. She drives me round the bend, always loosing things, asking stupid questions, giving me stupid information, forgetting phone calls."
"Why don't you get another?"
"I will, as soon as I find a replacement. You better be careful with yours, this thing tonight…don't give her too much free reign or she'll take it and run."
"I doubt it."
"You're too soft that's you're problem."
"But that's why you love me!"
"True"
*
"So what's this Maggie like?"
"Maggie…? Well she's extremely clever, always was and just as bad as Josh about bragging about it. Those two used to have competitions about who had the most awards. She's really nice you should get to know her."
"Yeah. Sounds like they were made for each other."
"They were. I never understood why she left, one day she just left for almost no apparent reason, she'd torn him in two."
"Pretty harsh of her."
"Well she was never a subtle person."
"I was talking to her assistant, she says she's a real dragon."
"Yeah, she can be when it comes to work but she's ok. Hey we should go on a double date!"
"I…don't think so."
"I guess. Look enough talk about everyone else. I want to know more about you."
"There's not much to tell."
"I don't care, tell me every little detail."
"Finally a guy who wants to listen to my useless information!"
*
"Josh?"
"Yeah?"
"I do love you."
"I know you do. I love you too."
"I wanna know has there been anyone…anyone important since me?"
"Well there was Mandy, but that ended a few years ago, we're still friends and…"
"Who?"
"Well…I guess no one else. I mean a few other girlfriends but nothing serious."
"Saving yourself for me hey?"
"Yeah, something like that. You?"
"Me what?"
"Anyone serious."
"Nope."
"No one?"
"No one serious no."
"Oh."
"What?"
"Nothing…its just that I…I always thought you left me for someone else."
"What ever gave you that idea?!"
"I dunno it was just-"
"There was no one else!"
"Good."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Wanna go back to my place, we can play some more footsie."
"Can't we play a little more than that?"
"Only if you're a good boy"