10: Knowing Grins

Next to Leo, CJ was Josh's least favourite person to make confessions to. If getting bawled out by Leo was like being up before the principal, going to see CJ was like seeing your third grade teacher; the well-loved but often scary teacher who could manage to be amused, furious and disappointed in you all at the same time.

He strongly suspected that 'amused' was going to be the big one here. Normally that would seem like a pretty good trade-off against getting shouted at, but today he wasn't so sure.

It didn't help that he and Sam were both so utterly mortified that hell, even he would suspect them if they didn't know better. He seemed to be aware of eyes on them as they were walking together through the corridors - an awkwardly far distance apart compared to normal, their usual flow of conversation off-kilter.

Dammit, I do not flirt with Sam. I don't!

It was just as well they weren't having a secret affair, if they were both this self-conscious about the curious stares. Hell, he got flustered when Donna started making double-entendres, and he and Donna...

Well, there was absolutely nothing going on there, either. But it was a conspicuously different kind of 'nothing going on' to the one between him and Sam.

"I'd swear there are more assistants in this place than usual," he muttered to Sam, tight-lipped. It seemed like every corner they turned they'd come upon Cathy, or Ginger, or Bonnie... standing around completely innocently with just the slightest hint of a knowing grin...

"I know. I think they're cloning them," Sam grated. And on a normal day they'd go off to some crazy conversation about clones and technology and sci-fi films off that, one of those convoluted discussions like he had with Donna.

Oh God, I talk with Sam the way I talk with Donna?

I do not flirt with Sam!

Much to his chagrin, Carol kept shooting them sympathetic looks as they lurked outside CJ's office. Carol knows, he remembered from talking to Donna. Then he shook himself.

The story, Josh. Carol has heard the story. She doesn't know. There's nothing to know. Get a grip.

But then CJ appeared in her doorway, and he forgot about straightening his thoughts out, and started looking for an escape route. CJ took one look at the pair of them fidgeting there, and closed her eyes in silent despair. "Why don't you come in, boys? Don't take a seat. I strongly suspect there'll be blood shed before this is over, and I'd rather it wasn't on the furniture."

As they quaked their way inside like mice hypnotised by a snake, Carol gave them a surreptitious thumbs up and mouthed 'good luck!'.

Josh would have preferred a suit of full-body armour and a riot shield.

"So let me get this straight." CJ broke off to guffaw loudly. Josh's adoration of her bubbling laugh was definitely beginning to wane. "For want of a better term," she added, smirking. She turned to Sam. "You. Were bitten by a girl you picked up in a bar."

"Yeah," said Sam weakly.

"And now you're a werewolf."

"Yeah."

"And Josh went to check on you in your office this morning."

They both nodded.

"Where he found you in a state of undress."

"My shirt was undone," Sam hastened to defend himself, blushing furiously.

"He moved towards you to examine the bite scar on your shoulder."

They nodded again.

"At which point, Cathy and Ginger entered the room."

Josh winced at the memory.

"And what Cathy and Ginger saw was the pair of you, semi-undressed, pressed up against each other in the early hours of the morning."

Josh closed his eyes, and blurted it out before he lost his nerve. "Donna said they thought it looked like we were kissing."

"What?" yelped Sam in distress. Apparently Cathy hadn't seen fit to furnish him with that little detail.

Josh kept going, voice doing that getting very high thing Sam had called him out on before. "-And now they've told Donna and Bonnie and Carol and Margaret, and then Ainsley overheard, and probably loads of other people know by now, and how come you never told us everybody in the office thinks we're gay?"

CJ took one look at the expression on his face, and started to shake with uncontrollable mirth. They waited for her to pull herself back together. "Oh, that," she dismissed. "It's kind of a running joke. Hardly anybody ever took it seriously." Her expression suddenly clamped down into 'boy am I pissed' mode. "Until now. Do you boys understand that I'm very annoyed at you? I'm going to be very annoyed. Just as soon as I stop laughing-"

The peals of throaty laughter that rang out threatened to shake the entire West Wing.