Title: A Girl Named Donnatella (2/?)
Author: Julia
Spoilers: Everything up to DIW, just to be safe.
Disclaimer: After you read this there should be no doubt that I have nothing to do with the characters in an official capacity.
Summary: Amy comes up with a plan.
Archive: Just ask.
Feedback: If you're so inclined [jmarie_ib01@yahoo.com]
Notes: I'm so sorry it took so long to get this part out. RL and writer's block do not a happy combination make. I promise the next part will be out much more quickly.
As always, thanks to Jen and Christine for betaing.
This part is set during and just following The Two Bartlets.
A Girl Named Donnatella (2/?)
"What's wrong with Margaret today?" asked Ginger as she and Bonnie walked down to the mess.
"What do you mean?"
"She seems anxious." Catching Bonnie's skeptical look, she hastened to add, "More so than usual."
"I don't know. Maybe she's paranoid that Leo is going to keep trying to make his own appointments."
Laughing, Ginger said, "Yeah, that could do it. Speak of the devil."
"Hey Margaret," said Bonnie as she sat down across the table from Margaret, who was looking unusually tense. "Something wrong?" Margaret only looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights.
"No," she said after pausing just a little too long.
"Spill it," demanded Ginger.
"Leo just made me come in early today."
"Puerto Rico?"
"Yeah."
"Ah," said Bonnie.
"He makes you come in early everyday." Ginger was never one to give up easily.
"It was just- I don't want to be a gossip."
"Do you remember last Halloween when Ed and Larry showed up in costume?"
"Yeah."
"Who were they dressed as?"
"Sonny and Cher, I believe," answered Bonnie helpfully.
Margaret sighed, "Yes."
"Everyone knew about it by the end of the day. You all but sent out an e- mail."
"I didn't want to screw up the system again," Margaret mumbled into her muffin.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Look, my New Year's resolution was not to spread rumors anymore."
Ginger knew that she wouldn't last long. Margaret was, like Sam, a spokesperson. "You know where we'll be if you decide you'd like to share," she said with a falsely sweet smile.
***
Later that night Margaret found herself wandering towards the communications bullpen, half hoping that Toby had let Bonnie and Ginger go early. She didn't really want to be that kind of a friend. She knew that she should ask Donna about what she had seen before she started talking. The problem was that Donna had left early. Well, early for her, anyway.
She had been just about to take Donna aside for a cup of coffee and ask about what she had seen at the bar a few nights earlier, when she saw a very pissed looking Donna walking out of the building huffing something about party decorations and rum.
Margaret knew that she wouldn't last another day, and hoped that if she just told a couple of people, the story would remain quiet.
The communications bullpen was dark, except for a single office. Margaret stood by his door, weighing the pros and cons of knocking. On the one hand, she knew he probably would not tell anyone. He would probably not care at all. On the other, there was a very real possibility that if she interrupted him, she would not come out alive. The decision was easy, really.
"I'm not here."
"I just need to ask you a question."
"Tell Leo I'm not here."
"Leo didn't send me."
"Then why are you here?"
"I just wanted to pose a hypothetical situation, and get your opinion on it."
"If I refuse, you'll argue with me, win and I'll have to listen to this hypothetical situation anyway, won't I?"
Margaret just smiled.
"Just make it quick," he said, abandoning his work and leaning back in his chair.
"Okay." She paused to figure out the best way to word the question.
"What should one do if one sees one's friend… well, she- or he- is also a coworker- what should one do if… Okay. If you were to catch a friend and coworker- completely inadvertently, of course- having drinks and leaving a bar with… Okay-"
"Margaret, could you maybe just tell me what you're talking about and avoid the pronouns altogether?"
"I saw Donna on a date with Congressman Tandy. They left together in the congressman's car," she said in a rush.
"Maybe they're friends."
"I don't think so. He had his arm around her and the whole thing just seemed a little… romantic."
Toby sat and looked expectantly at Margaret. When she just stared back at him, he sighed and asked, "Was there a reason that you felt the need to interrupt me and share this?"
Margaret searched her mind frantically for an excuse better than, 'I really needed to tell someone and you were the least gossipy person that came to mind.' She finally settled on, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't think that it would look bad for a White House staffer to be dating a member of congress." The look that Toby gave her told her that her chosen excuse wasn't much better than the truth.
"I think the administration will survive," he said dryly.
"That's good to know," Margaret said as she backed slowly out of his office, as though she were trying to escape an angry bear. If he glared at her any harder she might have considered falling down and playing dead on Toby's floor. Fortunately for Margaret, he just began working again.
***
Margaret started to worry when Donna wasn't at her desk the next morning. When she asked around, Bonnie told her that Donna was serving jury duty. It was two days before she saw hre again.
"Hey, Donna," Margaret said as she approached Donna's desk. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure."
"I was just wondering… I saw you having dinner with Congressman Tandy and… I was just wondering if you and he are…" she trailed off leadingly.
"Oh. Uh, yeah, we're seeing each other." Something about Donna's behavior seemed odd. She was always the type to share information about whomever she was seeing. Now, however, she seemed very reluctant to say anything.
"That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure," said Margaret, hoping to diffuse the tension that had settled between them.
"Margaret?"
"Yeah?" she asked, glad that the awkward silence had been broken.
"Could you not tell anyone about this? I mean, it's just with all the gossip that goes on around here, I know how things can get blown out of proportion." She spoke quickly, using her hands, and Margaret had no doubt that there was more to this than met the eye.
"You're worried Josh will find out," Margaret said without thinking. She had meant to reassure her friend, and spend the rest of the day trying to forget about the whole situation.
"Yes. No. You know how he gets," Donna answered, becoming even more flustered.
"I think he'd be happy to have the Congressman dating someone." She was trying to diffuse the situation but got the distinct impression that she was digging herself deeper into a hole.
"Why would he care who John dates?"
"So he'd know that he's not out trying to steal his girlfriend. Amy, I mean."
"John dated Amy Gardner?"
"Yeah. My friend Joanna works as an assistant for the WLC and she said that he and Amy were pretty serious for a while."
"But that was a long time ago, right?"
"Pretty recently, actually. That's why I was so surprised when she started dating Josh. I thought she was still with the Congressman."
Donna's face had taken on a distinctly panicked expression. "I- I'm sorry Margaret. I've got to go… um, I've just got a phone call I have to make"
"Okay," Margaret said as she reluctantly left her friend at her desk, silently cursing her need to meddle.
Donna's flipped quickly thorough her rolodex, picked up the phone and tucked the receiver between her shoulder and ear. "Hi, this is Donna Moss calling for Congressman Tandy. Yes, I'll hold." Donna tried, without much success, to look like she was working while she waited to hear his voice on the other end of the line. "John, I need to talk to you."
Author: Julia
Spoilers: Everything up to DIW, just to be safe.
Disclaimer: After you read this there should be no doubt that I have nothing to do with the characters in an official capacity.
Summary: Amy comes up with a plan.
Archive: Just ask.
Feedback: If you're so inclined [jmarie_ib01@yahoo.com]
Notes: I'm so sorry it took so long to get this part out. RL and writer's block do not a happy combination make. I promise the next part will be out much more quickly.
As always, thanks to Jen and Christine for betaing.
This part is set during and just following The Two Bartlets.
A Girl Named Donnatella (2/?)
"What's wrong with Margaret today?" asked Ginger as she and Bonnie walked down to the mess.
"What do you mean?"
"She seems anxious." Catching Bonnie's skeptical look, she hastened to add, "More so than usual."
"I don't know. Maybe she's paranoid that Leo is going to keep trying to make his own appointments."
Laughing, Ginger said, "Yeah, that could do it. Speak of the devil."
"Hey Margaret," said Bonnie as she sat down across the table from Margaret, who was looking unusually tense. "Something wrong?" Margaret only looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights.
"No," she said after pausing just a little too long.
"Spill it," demanded Ginger.
"Leo just made me come in early today."
"Puerto Rico?"
"Yeah."
"Ah," said Bonnie.
"He makes you come in early everyday." Ginger was never one to give up easily.
"It was just- I don't want to be a gossip."
"Do you remember last Halloween when Ed and Larry showed up in costume?"
"Yeah."
"Who were they dressed as?"
"Sonny and Cher, I believe," answered Bonnie helpfully.
Margaret sighed, "Yes."
"Everyone knew about it by the end of the day. You all but sent out an e- mail."
"I didn't want to screw up the system again," Margaret mumbled into her muffin.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Look, my New Year's resolution was not to spread rumors anymore."
Ginger knew that she wouldn't last long. Margaret was, like Sam, a spokesperson. "You know where we'll be if you decide you'd like to share," she said with a falsely sweet smile.
***
Later that night Margaret found herself wandering towards the communications bullpen, half hoping that Toby had let Bonnie and Ginger go early. She didn't really want to be that kind of a friend. She knew that she should ask Donna about what she had seen before she started talking. The problem was that Donna had left early. Well, early for her, anyway.
She had been just about to take Donna aside for a cup of coffee and ask about what she had seen at the bar a few nights earlier, when she saw a very pissed looking Donna walking out of the building huffing something about party decorations and rum.
Margaret knew that she wouldn't last another day, and hoped that if she just told a couple of people, the story would remain quiet.
The communications bullpen was dark, except for a single office. Margaret stood by his door, weighing the pros and cons of knocking. On the one hand, she knew he probably would not tell anyone. He would probably not care at all. On the other, there was a very real possibility that if she interrupted him, she would not come out alive. The decision was easy, really.
"I'm not here."
"I just need to ask you a question."
"Tell Leo I'm not here."
"Leo didn't send me."
"Then why are you here?"
"I just wanted to pose a hypothetical situation, and get your opinion on it."
"If I refuse, you'll argue with me, win and I'll have to listen to this hypothetical situation anyway, won't I?"
Margaret just smiled.
"Just make it quick," he said, abandoning his work and leaning back in his chair.
"Okay." She paused to figure out the best way to word the question.
"What should one do if one sees one's friend… well, she- or he- is also a coworker- what should one do if… Okay. If you were to catch a friend and coworker- completely inadvertently, of course- having drinks and leaving a bar with… Okay-"
"Margaret, could you maybe just tell me what you're talking about and avoid the pronouns altogether?"
"I saw Donna on a date with Congressman Tandy. They left together in the congressman's car," she said in a rush.
"Maybe they're friends."
"I don't think so. He had his arm around her and the whole thing just seemed a little… romantic."
Toby sat and looked expectantly at Margaret. When she just stared back at him, he sighed and asked, "Was there a reason that you felt the need to interrupt me and share this?"
Margaret searched her mind frantically for an excuse better than, 'I really needed to tell someone and you were the least gossipy person that came to mind.' She finally settled on, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't think that it would look bad for a White House staffer to be dating a member of congress." The look that Toby gave her told her that her chosen excuse wasn't much better than the truth.
"I think the administration will survive," he said dryly.
"That's good to know," Margaret said as she backed slowly out of his office, as though she were trying to escape an angry bear. If he glared at her any harder she might have considered falling down and playing dead on Toby's floor. Fortunately for Margaret, he just began working again.
***
Margaret started to worry when Donna wasn't at her desk the next morning. When she asked around, Bonnie told her that Donna was serving jury duty. It was two days before she saw hre again.
"Hey, Donna," Margaret said as she approached Donna's desk. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure."
"I was just wondering… I saw you having dinner with Congressman Tandy and… I was just wondering if you and he are…" she trailed off leadingly.
"Oh. Uh, yeah, we're seeing each other." Something about Donna's behavior seemed odd. She was always the type to share information about whomever she was seeing. Now, however, she seemed very reluctant to say anything.
"That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure," said Margaret, hoping to diffuse the tension that had settled between them.
"Margaret?"
"Yeah?" she asked, glad that the awkward silence had been broken.
"Could you not tell anyone about this? I mean, it's just with all the gossip that goes on around here, I know how things can get blown out of proportion." She spoke quickly, using her hands, and Margaret had no doubt that there was more to this than met the eye.
"You're worried Josh will find out," Margaret said without thinking. She had meant to reassure her friend, and spend the rest of the day trying to forget about the whole situation.
"Yes. No. You know how he gets," Donna answered, becoming even more flustered.
"I think he'd be happy to have the Congressman dating someone." She was trying to diffuse the situation but got the distinct impression that she was digging herself deeper into a hole.
"Why would he care who John dates?"
"So he'd know that he's not out trying to steal his girlfriend. Amy, I mean."
"John dated Amy Gardner?"
"Yeah. My friend Joanna works as an assistant for the WLC and she said that he and Amy were pretty serious for a while."
"But that was a long time ago, right?"
"Pretty recently, actually. That's why I was so surprised when she started dating Josh. I thought she was still with the Congressman."
Donna's face had taken on a distinctly panicked expression. "I- I'm sorry Margaret. I've got to go… um, I've just got a phone call I have to make"
"Okay," Margaret said as she reluctantly left her friend at her desk, silently cursing her need to meddle.
Donna's flipped quickly thorough her rolodex, picked up the phone and tucked the receiver between her shoulder and ear. "Hi, this is Donna Moss calling for Congressman Tandy. Yes, I'll hold." Donna tried, without much success, to look like she was working while she waited to hear his voice on the other end of the line. "John, I need to talk to you."
