Disclaimer: I dont own them.

Sequence: Set sometime early in the fifth season, but for the purposes of my story it has first administration staff, aka Sam. Only because I love the relationship he has with Donna. Like 'I just know I'm going to be the best man at your wedding someday, so lets be friends'. Anyway, thats where this takes place, but dont try and fit it anywhere too much. x

AN: I haven't written fanficiton in a long time, and I have never done a West Wing fiction before, but this was a lot of fun to write. Chapter two will be up soon. I hope you like it- Jess x

Danny followed CJ back into her office and closed the door behind them. He appeared uneasy, and gave CJ an awkward smile as he leant on the door, tilting his head to the side as he spoke.

"Hey I have a question." He stated, as CJ opened her mouth, no doubt to jump on his awkward stance with some verbal missile. "It's kind of an awkward question, because it's gossip and you know I don't do that, but a columnist asked me to get into it because I know you and you know them and-"

"Danny?"

"Yeah."

"You going to get to the point soon?"

"Yeah. Is Josh dating Donna?" he asked, quickly, CJ's mouth snapping closed, seesawing with her now wide eyes. "Because I know they've been whatever for a long time, but now it's going around the pressroom that they've been seen out you know, in a more than friendly-"

"Josh Lyman and Donna Moss?" she asked, not sure whether to laugh with relief, curse their foolishness or fear the media ramifications. She raised her eyebrows sceptically.

"You don't know? I can guess that you don't want to comment, but-"

"It's none of the business of-"

"I know CJ, but that theories never really worked before, right?" Danny replied. Such was their banter that they now rarely finished sentences. "You should tell them to be careful. Our gossip columnist's carrying it tomorrow, and I don't know how many others are going to do the same. You'll be asked about it in the morning. For anyone who knows Josh and Donna it's a non story, but to the white house press core it's a sex scandal in the west wing in a slow news week, so…"

"Yeah, I'm on it." She said, sighing, and running her hand over her temples. Danny went to leave, his hand on the doorknob, but he turned back around, a smug grin on his face.

"But off the record…"

"About time?"

"What I thought." He called back, as he walked down the hall, Carol appeared in the doorway, and CJ looked up, grimacing.

"Yeah, ok, tell Josh I'm coming. And make sure Donna's there. And make sure their decent." She added, with a slight laugh at the absurd nature of her job.

Carol gave her a quizzical look, but CJ shook it off with a shake of her head, as she walked swiftly down the hallway. Sam met her halfway, popping out of an office to her right, and following just beside her.

"What's with the face?" he asked her, creasing his forehead and surveying his friend with a mild amusement. CJ gave his a reproachful look.

"This face? This is my face!"

"Its not. It looks like your torn between throwing a birthday party and committing murder." He explained, a slightly smirk on his own visage. CJ ignored him.

"Do you know anything about Josh and Donna?" she asked, as they walked.

"Well, rumour has it she's his assistant?" Sam suggested, still smiling. CJ turned to him this time, stopping in the corridor just before Josh's.

"Seriously, they haven't said anything to you? Because if I go in there and throw this at them and it's just Danny's grapevine screwing with me then Josh is going to have a whole lot of nutty to throw my way." She told him. Sam laughed.

"I know nothing, but if there is anything then it's wonderful, and the white house does not comment on the personal lives of its staffers." He replied, failing to suppress a grin. "And that is why it is no business of mine or anyone else's what goes on between you and Danny's grapevine." He finished, with a curt nod. CJ ignored this too.

"So you haven't heard anything about them…"

"No. But I was fairly sure Josh was dating a girl from the OEOB." He said, confused. "That might be over. Or maybe I got them mixed up with someone else. Maybe me…" he said, slowly, thinking for a moment. CJ hit him over the head with her folder.

"I'm not saying right NOW!" he replied, indignantly. "I'm just saying, it's not out of the question that some point or another I went out with a girl from the OEOB!" CJ stared at him for a moment.

"Sam, you want to take a meeting for me?" she asked, suddenly.

"Sure, with who?"

"With the Deputy Chief of Staff and his-"

"Nooooo."

"But I don't want to be the one to ask and then-"

"Noooo."

Sam continued to walk down the hall, and CJ reluctantly, moved away too.

"CJ!" he called after her, making her turn around. "It's a good thing." He assured her, a genial smile on his face. She nodded, unsure, and continued to Josh's office.

"He's in there…" Donna said, not looking away from whatever she was typing. "And have fun, he's in a particular cheery mood tonight." She said, sarcastically, still not looking at CJ. CJ gave her a questioning look.

"Donna!" came the bellow from inside Josh's office, cutting off CJ as she opened her mouth to speak. "CJ's on her way over, you've done something wrong!" he yelled, his voice echoing out through the hallway. Donna stopped, and looked up at CJ, where she stood.

"Right." She said, standing, and walking into the office, sitting on the edge of Josh's desk and facing CJ, tentatively.

CJ walked in, and shut the door.

"First of all, no one did anything wrong, and I haven't come here to get mad at either of you for anything you may or may not be doing together, but you shouldn't have kept it to yourselves and then go flaunting around Washington, that was the stupid part, and neither of you are that stupid! But it doesn't matter now because Danny's gossip columnist is carrying it tomorrow so we need to talk and you two have to be prepared because it's a west wing white house whatever sex scandal in a slow news week or whatever the hell it was that Danny said, and I don't want it to become anything more than a paragraph in the gossip columns saying how cute it was when your outfits matched on a Friday night, you got it?" she said, quickly, looking from Josh to Donna. Both of them wore blank expressions on their face, and they blinked up at her, stunned.

"CJ…we don't actually know what you're talking about." Donna explained, slowly, folding her arms across her chest and frowning. CJ looked to Josh, and he nodded again, affirming this. CJ deflated.

"You two aren't together?" she asked, bracingly. Josh and Donna's eyes widened, and they sat, frozen for a moment.

"You mean, here, in this room or…"

"No, together, together.'
"No." they both said, simultaneously. CJ nodded slowly.

"Right, well, a columnist or two is printing that you are tomorrow. People who look like you are dating, then, so I guess that's going to be easy to not comment on." She said, relieved. She ignored the tiny unprofessional part of her that was disappointed by their reply.

Josh's face dawned with comprehension.

"Amber…" he said, slowly. Then he looked at CJ, and determinedly avoiding Donna's eyes as she spun around to face him, jumping off the desk so she was standing next to CJ. "They would have seen Amber and I…" he explained, apologetically. "I'm dating a girl from the OEOB, she's tall and blonde and gorgeous, and I suppose someone could mistake her for Donna, I've never really thought about it." He lied, skilfully. If there was one thing that Josh was getting good at in this area it was lying. Of course he'd thought about how much she looked like Donna. The word 'transference' was synonymous with 'Amber' in his mind these days. He left out, in this description, the way they had met- she mistaking his amazed staring at their similarities as an advance. CJ smiled.

"Sam will be glad to know that it wasn't him dating her after all." She said, in a way she was sure would have confused the pair of them, but she didn't mind much. Their undisclosed love for each other had just caused her a few minutes of slight panic, so she had no sympathy for this momentary plight.

Donna looked upset about something, and CJ had no problem deciphering what, but she ignored it, knowing that to question would only be to bring up things that shouldn't be brought up.

"So the papers are carrying this tomorrow morning?" she asked CJ, with a slightly shaky voice. She had always worried what would happen if she were to date Josh. Would the press care? Would the president? Would it be positive or negative or would she be fired, or moved, or demoted? She supposed that some of these questions would be answered tomorrow, and the answer to these questions without the perfection she longed for in the question was a non-event for Donna. CJ nodded.

"Danny just told me." She said, with a small smile. "For the record, he wasn't at all surprised." She added teasingly, before leaving the room.

Josh stood up, and moved around his desk, the door closing softly behind CJ. Donna bit her bottom lip.

"You alright?" Josh asked, leaning on his desk so that he was facing Donna, who was still visibly upset.

"I don't like it when the press focuses on me." She explained, only telling the tiniest corner of the truth. "It's like the time I mucked up with the communist, or tripped over a goat at that farm, or…I don't know, it's always for bad, stupid stuff, and it always puts an emphasis on the fact that I'm only an assistant, and it takes away from all the things they should be reporting. " she said, quietly, and very quickly.

She hated any pity coming from Josh. She hated it, but he could tell when she was upset, and she had to have a reason other than- oh, you know, because I love you, and you have a girlfriend and you're my boss.

Josh frowned. He stood up, and pulled Donna into a hug.

"Come here." He muttered. "Don't say assistant like it's a bad thing, not many people could do what you do for me, and don't read what they write tomorrow, I'll bet no one even cares…well, one person will probably care, but I'm planning on calling her and tipping her off, and…" Josh let out a laugh, over Donna's shoulder. "…And this time it's not for something bad, this time it's for dating me, so no problems there."

He said, cockily. Donna let out a short, sharp laugh, and hit him lightly on the back. The door opened, and Sam stepped in, his face horrified when he found Donna and Josh locked in an embrace on the other side.

"I'm sorry, CJ told me, I really should have knocked! Carry on!" he said, before closing the door quickly. Donna broke away, and laughed.

Josh gave her a humoured look.

"Well we should probably get ready for some more of that." He admitted, grinning, before heading out the door after Sam.

Donna slammed the papers down on Josh's desk at eight the next morning. She'd high lighted what he had to read that day, including three small mentions in three different papers, the largest the one which Danny had mentioned, which described her role in the administration, Josh's, and the 'friendliness' they had displayed at a Washington bar last Saturday night. Donna thought back to the ten thirty finish that night, and racked her brain for a mention of the girl who looked so like her.

Another column told of the way they had 'been physically affectionate' at a club down town on a Thursday night, and Donna's thoughts flitted to the excuse of an 'early night' that he had fed her on this particular evening. Why was he hiding this girl from her? When had he ever done that before? He had always preferred to flaunt them, or ask for her help in getting their attention.

The third was rather accusatory, calling for a comment from the white house on the scandal in their administrative staff, and demanding to know whether the pair had given any 'thought to their professional careers and example they were setting to other Americans."

At this Josh laughed.

"Hell if the example we're setting is to date me then this might be a pretty good day." He said, smirking, as he read over the highlighted print, and smiled up at Donna, who was standing in front of his desk, the next paper in her hand to lie on his desk.

"What?" he asked, his eyes falling on her face, a little worried. "They're not that bad, they could have been worse." He said, smiling. Donna nodded, and forced a smile, but what he had said had been the exact reason for her glum disposition. Yes, they could have been worse. They could have been as bad as she had imagined in her head all these years, when she had allowed herself to ponder upon a relationship between herself and the man sitting before her. And yet the world had not ended when people learnt that Donna Moss was dating Joshua Lyman. In fact, the most interesting thing that anyone had said yet was CJ saying Danny wasn't surprised. If this was all that was stopping them then why hadn't she told Josh years ago?

All right, so there were plenty of sufficient answers to this question. The fact that he washer best friend and her boss were only two of them, and the fact that he had a girlfriend was definitely up there on the list now. But the word was out there, and no one seemed surprised that Josh and Donna were dating.

The first sign that the administration remained nonplussed by the news came that morning, when Donna went down to the mess to get breakfast, and coffee. Ginger was in front of her in the cue, and she turned to Donna and smiled brandishing the muffin.

"Thanks for breakfast." She said, grinning broadly. "You bought me a muffin. I had ten bucks on Bonnie that you two would get your act together before Christmas, but she's alright, because she's up at Margaret's desk right now claiming her twenty for getting the year right." She explained. Donna was stunned, momentarily, and was about to protest when Ginger moved away, and rushed back upstairs.

Obviously Sam hadn't told her.

Josh had explained the situation to the rest of the senior staff the night before, after CJ had been to see them. Leo had nodded, unspeaking, and Toby had resisted the temptation to make a dig at the irony of Josh dating a girl who looked even a little like Donna. CJ had already done all the mocking she felt necessary, but Sam was noticeably vexed.

"I was kind of relieved that it was all over." He told Josh as they walked back to the bullpen hat night.

"What was all over?" Josh asked, off handedly, not sure if they were still on the topic. He was preoccupied, thinking of the conversation he was gong to have to have with Amber about his new 'girlfriend' on the papers the next day.

Sam shook his head at his friend's ignorance.

"The pretending that we don't notice you and Donna are crazy about each other." He said, bluntly, in a low voice. Josh gave him a sideways glance. Over the years he'd been called on this by many people, but he had always reasoned with himself that it was all right, because it was usually people they barely new. Joey Lucas had been the first. Amy had asked soon after that, and often alluded to a matching of this sort in a jovial manner when he would come home very late from the office. Commander Wonderful had mentioned something, and he had never really been strong in his conviction in denying it. Even Leo had alluded to something once, although he had stopped short of accusation. Although each time they asked him about his feelings for Donna, or the other way around, he had appeared confused and stammering, he had, inside, felt a sense of elation. They thought he was with Donna, or that Donna liked him. How anyone who barely knew them could see that was crazy, wasn't it? Surely if they spent more time seeing how she perceived him purely as a friend and colleague they would change their minds, and realise they were wrong.

Obviously not. Because here Sam Seaborn was, their best friend in the world, and the person they saw the most of, and he seemed to say the same thing. Was he really that bad at hiding it? Donna had never realised, obviously his covert skills were honed enough to keep it from her. Josh shook his head none the less.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, finally, in a small voice. Sam gave him a rueful laugh.

"Sure Josh. All right. We don't notice." He said, with an ironic hint in his voice that slapped Josh across the face.

There was only one question on Josh and Donna in the pressroom that day. It came from a magazine in the back row, who wanted to know if the president was aware that two of his west wing staffers were engaged in inappropriate workplace relations. CJ replied that if they were referring to herself and the special relationship she had with the copy guy then yes, he encouraged it fiercely. Despite the laughs that ensued, the reporter persisted, and CJ gave a small smile.

"It's not my place to comment on the personal lives of our senior staff, however, I can tell you that there have been some false claims made today in three gossip columns, there is no truth to these whatsoever." She assured, catching Danny's eye and giving him a small sad smile.

Donna was not having a good day. She felt, for the most of the time, like all the eyes in the world were peering in on her, and she found herself clearing the fax machine more frequently than usual. She wasn't going to let any of the comments flooding in get to her. And for that, Josh had to be kept away from the fax machine. The biggest problem she was facing was the fact that when you deny something that you wish was true enough; it can really do a lot to get you down.

"Donna!" he called, and she scooted into his office, laying out a memo on his desk, handing him another and taking old ones from a pile to his right.

"I have a meeting at…"

"One, on the hill, and you have Toby at three." She told him, on beat. He nodded, into the paper he was holding, unsmiling. Then he looked up.

"Oh, and you have Sam." He told her, as she straightened up his phone and threw the rubbish off his desk into the bin.

"I do?"

"Yuh huh, while I'm on the Hill he's taking you for lunch, he said you looked sad, and I had a meeting, so he's keeping you company." He explained.

"I don't look sad." Donna argued, though she really did want the company.

"I know, but he knows this things got you preoccupied, and he had a free hour, so- Listen, I need help, I'm taking Amber for dinner tonight, should I go Salverto's or El Cavado's?" he asked, and Donna thought for only a split second before replying.

"You want my advice now?" She told him, "Salverto's, the other place has tacky music."

Josh nodded and his eyes flitted to the other memo she had laid down on his desk. Donna caught the letterhead, and then looked at the memo she still had in her hand and cursed in her head. She'd left him the fax…

"Donna what is thi-"

Donna snatched it out of his hand.

"It's nothing." She said, quickly.

"It didn't sound like nothing." She said, concerned.

"It is nothing. Honestly. I have ten of them on my desk, each with varying degrees of violence or rudeness. Most of them mean the same thing. The Lyman Hoes only needed three words, so if they get their way I'm going to hell, but I didn't want you seeing any of them because they only inflate your head." She explained, with a small smile at the end. Josh still wasn't smiling.

"What did you mean before when you said now you want my advice?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers. Donna didn't smile.

"Nothing." She said, fax safely in her hand. "I meant nothing."

Donna walked back into the bullpen and checked the clock on the wall. She had half an hour until her lunch with Sam. Sighing, she slipped the fax into the shredder, and cringed as she heard the fax machine slip back into gear and churn out another one. Terrific. The Californian Lyman Crew wishes her a good luck in the bitch of the year contest. Charming.