Authors: Westwinger247 and Ellie
Thanksgiving week rushed by in a blur with drastically fewer people than normal taking time off. The reason for the vacation cancellations was arriving via the RAF a few days after the holiday. Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth Windsor and her husband Prince Philip were to be arriving in the United States for an official visit. Their arrival coincided with the United States and Britain being the first signatories to a new environmental treaty ratified by the United Nations. In honor of both occurrences, the White House was hosting a State Dinner the Friday evening after their arrival. The buzz the event created drove all thoughts and chances at a leisurely week at the office from everyone's minds. Toby and Sam locked themselves in a conference room to work on the President's remarks--giving special aim at the election looming on the horizon as well as the global economic summit on the schedule for early June.
The Office of Protocol made sure to give all staffers attending the dinner a refresher lesson on ettiquette--and tried in vain to do so with members of the press as well. Though there was the expected amount of grumbling, there was also an air of anticipation in the air, leaving all staffers who would be attending with a feeling of genuine excitement.
All except Josh.
He had vehemently argued seven different in failed efforts to wheedle his way out of attending. Time and again he heard his least favorite word in the English language: No. He finally decided to push all thoughts of the gala out of his mind, as though ignoring it might make it disappear. He hoped in the end to be overlooked in the bustle so that his absence would go unnoticed. However, at least one member of the staff would not let his plan move forward.
Donna knew that he was going and intended to be there as well. She walked into his office on a Wednesday afternoon with a steaming hot mug in hand.
"Good afternoon, Joshua," she said pleasantly as she set the mug in front of him.
He stared at it suspiciously then turned his questioning gaze on her.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a mug filled with a hot liquid made from the cocoa bean," Donna informed him. "In laymen's terms, it is known as coffee."
"I know what coffee is," he sighed. "I'm saying why are you bringing me coffee? I just spoke to Leo on the phone about a meeting next week so you can't be worried that I've been fired. That is unless something's happened in the last thirty seconds…"
"I want to go to the State Dinner tomorrow night," she said. "I think you should take me."
"Oh, and you think bribing me with coffee will make me say yes?" he smirked.
"I figured that telling you that you're a handsome and powerful man wouldn't work a second time," she surmised.
"Couldn't hurt."
"Josh."
"Donna, I don't even want to go to this thing," he said. "Why do you want to?"
"Because the queen will be there," Donna reasoned. "It's not everyday that an ordinary person gets to meet the queen."
"When did you become ordinary?" Josh asked.
"Come on," Donna pleaded. "You know what I think? I think you want to take me, but you just don't know it?"
"That's what you think?" Josh responded. "I think I might know if I wanted to take you."
"But you might not," Donna countered. "I'm your assistant. You can trust me on these things. You want to take me."
"Even if I say you can come," he continued, "that doesn't mean that you'll meet the queen. She'll be with the President and First Lady the entire evening."
"Okay so I won't meet her," Donna admitted, "but I can at least say that I was in the same room with her. And since you didn't say no yet, I'm taking that as an invitation to accompany you. So I accept."
"What is your fascination with royalty?" Josh asked. "Personally, I'm no fan of the peerage system. And, professionally, I think tomorrow's a waste of a perfectly good work day."
"You'll work right up to the minute I drag you out the door and then immediately after the gala's over," Donna said.
"Yeah, but the hours in between are wasted."
"So can I go?" she asked. "Please, Joshua."
Josh looked into her bright blue eyes filled with hope. He eventually sighed.
"That means you'll take me!" she ran around Josh's desk to embrace him. "Oh thank you! Thank you!"
"Donna…"
"Oh! Sorry," she blushed as moved back from him. She then walked back around the desk and took a seat opposite him.
"Do you not have enough work to do?" he asked as he looked up from his reading. "'Cause I can always give you more."
"Yeah, but I'll get to it," she said brushing off his remark. "Queen Elizabeth will be the second royal I'll get to see."
"Okay, I'll bite," he sighed, tossing his file aside and looking squarely at her. "Who was the first, Donna?"
"Lord Marbury."
"Right, the nutjob will be there."
"He's fabulous," Donna smiled.
"He's a lunatic," Josh declared.
"He is not," Donna replied. "You know for someone who claims not to be threatened by him, you certainly do a good impersonation of someone who is threatened by him."
"Go earn your paycheck!"
"He's suave and sophisticated," she said as she slowly stood. "He knows how to woo a woman. It's evident in his aura. Maybe if you paid attention, you'd learn a thing or two about how to woo a woman."
"So you've decided to go international to find your gomers?"
"Don't be nasty and don't change the subject."
"I wasn't changing the subject," Josh said. "I don't even know what the subject is."
"I'm discussing your lack of woo," she reminded him.
"My lack of…" he said stupefied. "What the hell does that mean?"
"You, Joshua Lyman, are woo-less," she proclaimed.
"I can assure you that I have woo… whatever that is. I just choose not to use it."
"Well, duh," she said with a rolling of her eyes.
"Find your desk."
************
The senior staff finished scribbling notes as the meeting in Leo's office drew to a close. It was late Friday afternoon but already evening was settling in as the first day of December's gray mists began to close in on the city. In another room not far away, a full scale assault for the sake or protocol was underway as the staff prepared to welcome the royal guests and commemorate the signing of a new environmental treaty, that had been spear-headed by the US and Britain, and had been signed earlier that week at the U.N.
"Okay, we're done," Leo proclaimed. "Now you can all go run home and put on your civilized duds. Everyone is in the East Room no later than 7:30--got that, Josh?"
His deputy was tipping back in a chair beside the desk, sketching pistols on his note pad rather than actual notes. In his hands were the latest FBI numbers regarding the effectiveness of the Brady Bill and more recent legislation regarding trigger locks. Josh was more interested in what federal statisticians being paid a quarter of his salary had to say than anything that had come out of Britain in the last 30 years--and had made no effort to conceal that opinion throughout the preceding 48 hours.
"Why are you picking one me?" Josh asked as the rest of staff rose and drifted out of the room.
"Because you're my problem child," Leo said as he returned to his seat and met Josh's innocent look with a scowl. "I don't want to go to this thing either, but I'm going."
"So since you have to suffer so do I?"
"In a nutshell," Leo said.
"Technically speaking, I don't have to go," Josh observed.
"Enlighten me."
"Would you take argument on a precedent decision?" Josh queried.
"You actually got one?" Leo asked mystified. "I know the President didn't write you an absentee note."
"A president did, in fact," Josh stated. "Thomas Jefferson."
"He's dead," Leo said firmly and unnecessarily.
"But he was the president."
"Was he really? The things I learn in this job..."
"Leo," Josh said hotly. "The gentleman from Virginia wrote us all a get out of jail free card where these people are concerned! It starts with the phrase 'We The People;' and to summarize, it says I don't have to do anything in honor of our friends across the pond."
"You'll do it because I said so," Leo said ending the discussion.
"Right."
*****************
Evening rolled around and the action at the White House increased. Agents from both the Secret Service and Her Majesty's Royal Guard could be seen throughout the White House, with the largest contingency hovering around the East Room. The President retired to the residence to meet the First Lady and change into the white-tie tuxedo that was his custom at these events. The senior staff was already changed. CJ was giving final instructions to the invited press members; Toby and Sam were going over the final draft of the President's remarks; Leo was meeting with the Senator Foreign Relations leadership about their final squabbles on the environmental treaty, and Josh was hiding in his office reading the report on the Brady Bill numbers.
Donna, clad in an ice-blue strapless dress, entered his office and watched him pacing for a few minutes. She saw that Josh had yet to put on his tie. This did not surprise her; it always seemed to be the last item put right on his body and the first to go askew. She had several theories on why this happened, including some sort of metaphysical repelling force emanating from his DNA. But, rather than while away precious moments on how someone many people--including herself--thought cleaned up nicely could simultaneously be so disheveled, Donna swept into action. She entered the room and grabbed his jacket from the back of his visitors chair then attempted to keep pace with him as he traversed the room silently reading from a file in his hands.
"Would you stop pacing?" she asked.
"I'm trying to work," Josh stated.
Donna stepped in front of his path and snatched the file out of his hands. "Not anymore."
"I was reading that."
"Well, now you're not," she placed the file on the opposite corner of his desk and folded his jacket primly on top of it then grabbed his tie from the floor. "Quit moving so I can do your tie. Honestly, I don't know why you don't know how to do this yourself."
"Can I have that back?" he asked reaching for the file. "And who says I don't know how to do it myself?"
With one hand pushing against his chest, Donna held him at bay. "Forget the numbers for now, Josh. And I've yet to see you tie your own tie. Really, is making this simple knot that different from the ties you wear on a daily basis?"
"Give me that," he said, whisking the tie from her fingertips and began fiddling with the knot. "Donna, these numbers on the Brady Bill are more important than dining with blue bloods. I should be making calls tonight and not listening to that arid sensibility that passes for dry British wit."
"Many of the people you would be calling will be in the East Room tonight, so you can work your magic there," she said. "Now, tie your damn tie."
Donna stood and watched as Josh fumbled with the piece.
"Donna!"
"Yes?"
"The tie," he fumed as he dropped the ends in frustration. "Just… do whatever to it."
"Having a little trouble?" she smirked.
"My mind is on other things," he stated.
"I've seen you do many things at the same time," she mused. "I'm surprised something so small has defeated you."
"Bullets are small and those defeat people all the time--which if you would let me finish with that report I could quote you numbers to back up," Josh proclaimed.
"I hate it when you talk like that," Donna said firmly. "Now, quit stalling with the tie."
"I'm not stalling with it," he proclaimed. "I'm protesting its necessity."
"Okay," she rolled her eyes and began knot the ends properly. "How could you have not learned this? Did you get your other girlfriends to tie it for you, too?"
My other...? Josh thought. No, no she didn't say other. She said old. Yeah, that's it. Old girlfriends. Wait, how does that make it any different....
Did I just say other? Donna thought in the same instant. I couldn't have. I didn't say it. I said something else. I definitely said something else. Oh please, dear God, let me have said something else.
Josh took a deep breath. "I can tie it, Donna. I usually have a mirror in front of me when I do it, that's all."
"Want me to find you one?"
"Just finish."
Donna smirked briefly then quickly finished the job.
"There." she said patting his chest and admiring the sight in front of her. "All done. You were a good boy, Joshua. Sorry, but I don't have a lollipop."
"If I thought it would do any good, I'd fire you," he said grabbing his jacket and thrusting his arms through the sleeves. "And let me get one thing straight, there's nothing you can do to make me enjoy this thing so don't even try."
"Heaven forbid, Joshua," she mocked. "I told you why I was here. I'm here to see the queen and the Ambassador."
"You have a thing for him," Josh observed.
"No," she disagreed. "I just want to say hello."
"He is one step shy of being a social embarrassment to his government," Josh commented. "You might want to avoid people like that."
"Why? I work with you," she smiled.
Josh scowled then turned deftly on his heel and left his office.
"Thanks again for letting me come," Donna said as she shuffled down the hall to catching up with him.
They navigated the warren of offices and made their way toward the East Room where they would be ushered into the gala according to protocol.
"Yeah. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts," Josh remarked. "I'm guessing the police will be here tomorrow afternoon for you."
Donna looked at Josh quizzically. "The police? Why?"
"After you return that dress," he explained. "You did get it specifically for tonight, didn't you?"
"Josh," she sighed. "I told you yesterday that I was wearing one that I already own. This is the same dress that I wore to the State Dinner two years ago. I wore this one last July as well."
"For what?"
"At the President's campaign fund-raiser before we all went to Manchester," she reminded him.
"If you say so," Josh shrugged.
"I should have known you wouldn't remember," she whispered before turning to face him. "You need anything before we go in?"
"A bottle of No Doze and a promise to make someone page me out of here in thirty seconds."
The doors to the East Room opened. The greeter announced that Mr. Joshua Lyman and Ms. Donnatella Moss had arrived. A Marine Guard in his dress blues escorted Donna into the room. Josh followed them to the area where the other staff members were hovering. A pleased sigh out of Donna several minutes later signaled that Lord John Marbury had entered the building.
"There's the Ambassador," she said gesturing to the man, who instantly parted with his statuesque companion. "Doesn't he look wonderful?"
"For what?" Josh asked. "An upscale rummy? A philandering rake? A lunatic of the first order? Yeah, he looks great."
Marbury flowed through the crowd, gripping hands and grinning for photos like a career diplomat. He made his way along on side and started toward the cluster of White House staffers milling about the room. Before long, his eyes eyes settled on the familiar visages of the Deputy Chief of Staff and his assistant.
"Ah, Josh!" Marbury exclaimed as he strode purposefully toward him with his hand outstretched. "How are you this evening?"
"I'm fine, Mr. Ambassador," Josh replied. "Good to see you."
"Yes, isn't it," Marbury responded. "And your companion is... Oh my, Donna, isn't it? I nearly didn't recognize you."
Marbury smiled as he picked up Donna's hand and kissed it.
"Ah, permit me to say that you look positively smashing tonight," Marbury said . "Doesn't she, Josh?"
"Yeah, she's a real kick in the head." Josh sighed and stole a glance at his watch.
Donna elbowed Josh in the ribs. "That's very nice of you to say, Ambassador."
Marbury expertly snagged two champagne flutes from the tray of a passing porter. He handed one to Donna and tipped the other for himself. Josh let his eyes roam and finally caught Sam's eyes. The deputy speech writer was standing rigidly in front of a woman with deep auburn hair who appeared to be lecturing him.
"Well, it's not everyday that I find myself in the company of such a fascinating, unattached and, may I say, gorgeous American woman," Marbury gushed. "It's as if the stars fell out of the sky and landed in your eyes."
"Oh, please," Josh muttered while he made minuscule head jerks toward Sam to rescue him.
In return, Sam made a similar motion toward Josh. It was then that Josh recognized Sam's assailant: Mallory O'Brien. Josh stifled a smirk.
"And did I hear correctly that you're full name is Donnatella?" Marbury continued, his hand now resting on her forearm. "I didn't think that you could get more ravishing. But, Donnatella is an absolutely beautiful name."
"Thank you, sir," Donna blushed.
"My dear, would you be so kind as to promenade with me?" Marbury asked as he offered Donna his arm. "I must make the rounds but to do so alone is dreadfully arduious--and just between us--with so many of my countrymen here I fear it will also be unspeakably boring."
"I'd be delighted," Donna smiled, then turned her head towards Josh. "I'll catch up with you later."
"I shiver with anticipation," Josh growled.
The Ambassador and Donna made their way through the crowd, ending up strategically at the bar, Josh observed. From his vantage point. Moments later, Josh saw Sam zigging and zagging through the crowd until he reached his friend's side.
"So Leo brought Mallory as his escort?" Josh asked, keeping one eye on Sam and the other on Donna.
"Yeah, Margaret strong armed him, I think," Sam replied, noting too that Marbury was at the bar and seeing Mallory gravitate to his circle of listeners. "Something about softening his image for the press. I don't know."
"She giving you the third degree for a new reason or one of the many old ones?"
"I don't quite know," Sam replied. "I gave her a compliment and the next thing I knew I was getting a lecture about the education lobby... I think."
"So you're gonna ask her out again," Josh observed, keeping his eyes focused on the Ambassador and his blond companion..
"Probably," Sam said, looking in the same direction with equal attention. "I see we've been graced by the presence of the diplomatic corps answer to Benny Hill."
"We didn't beat those people soundly enough in the Revolution, you know that," Josh snarled.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We were too easy on them, if you ask me."
"Look at it this way," Josh said, his gaze sharpening as Marbury's arm eased around Donna's waist. "Within half an hour there will be some crisis that needs our attention or Lord Fumbly over there will be three sheets to the wind and hitting on CJ. Should be a good distraction either way."
"No doubt," Sam said as he watched Mallory grinning at the Ambassador. "Do you see how she's just gushing over him?"
"I knew it!" Josh proclaimed as he stared at Donna. "So you see it too?"
"How could I miss it?" Sam replied. "It's disgusting."
"Revolting," Josh concurred as he watched Donna's coyly put a hand to her lips as she twittered with laughter. "I mean, what does she see in him?"
"He's arrogant," Sam stated.
"He's obnoxious," Josh affirmed.
"He's overbearing."
"He's overrated."
"He certainly thinks he's better than anyone else," Sam fumed.
"And he's no gentleman, regardless of what she thinks," Josh said. "He's pretentious."
"How can she not see what a phone he is?" Sam asked.
"And the way he looks at her," Josh said disgusted at Marbury's display. "How can she not be insulted?"
"He's eyeing her like a hungry animal," Sam scoffed. "That's..... offensive."
"He used the word ravishing," Josh said hotly. "Can you believe that? And then she giggled like she was 16. She's met high-ranking officials before. What's the big deal with this guy?"
"She's been to important functions like this before," Sam agreed. "Why does he command all that attention?"
"It's embarrassing the way she's fawning over him," Josh said.
"Ludicrous," Sam said as Marbury's other hand moved to Mallory's arm.
"You two look serious," Leo said as he approach them. "Should I expect trouble?"
"No," Sam said. "Not at all."
"Prince Valiant is making his presence known," Josh nodded over to the bar. "We were just… observing."
"And thinking of ways to kill him and getting away with it," Sam added.
"I don't suppose there's some way to get the Secret Service to stuff him in a coat closet somewhere… like, say, at the Watergate maybe?" Josh asked.
"If there was, I'd have done it already," Leo huffed.
"That's it," Sam stated after seeing Marbury whisper in Mallory's ear. "I've gotta save her."
"How?" Josh asked as Sam stormed towards the bar.
"He's going to break up Marbury and Mallory, looks like," Leo observed.
"Where's Mallory?"
"Over with Marbury," Leo said. "I thought you were observing."
Sam arrived at the bar and began speaking with the trio. He smiled at the Ambassador, then leaned in and spoke with Mallory. Seconds later, he led her out onto the dance floor.
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Leo groaned.
"She's safer with Sam," Josh remarked.
"Don't be too sure," he shot back.
"I feel bad for Donna," Josh said.
"Well, Josh, look at it this way," Leo said as they watched Marbury escort Donna to the dance floor. "Your assistant is having a good time, even though it's with the lunatic."
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Normally, you've got her working at these events," Leo said. "I'm saying it's about time that she got to enjoy herself."
"Well, enjoy has some narrow bounds," Josh seethed. "And I'm not sure Lord Wandering Hands there knows what they are."
Josh's eyes narrowed and a scowl crossed his face as the Ambassador leaned in to whisper in Donna's ear, causing her to blush.
"Like that," he said shortly.
"He's harmless, Josh," Leo said.
"You didn't seem to think so a minute ago."
"That's because he was with my daughter."
"Well, she's my…" Josh sputtered.
"Assistant," Leo interjected.
"Right," he agreed. "But I'm responsible for her."
"What are you, her father?" Leo teased.
"No, but her father did ask that I look out for her," Josh remembered. "I think this might fall into the area he was talking about."
"Josh," Leo admonished. "Donna's a grown woman. She can take care of herself; she knows what she's doing and she'll be fine."
"Leo, you don't know Donna like I do," Josh said. "She's… impressionable. She… has the worst taste in men and a track record that, frankly, should have taught her a stern lesson about her ability to judge a person's character but somehow did not."
"I'm not saying that she's gonna run off and marry the guy," Leo said.
"She's not going anywhere with him," Josh growled.
"Don't be too sure," Leo pointed to Marbury as he led Donna off the dance floor and towards the balcony.
"Where are they going?" Josh asked.
"What do I look like, The Amazing Kreskin?
Josh started forward. He was not going to let him take her... anywhere. He was two steps into his mission when Leo grabbed his arm and hauled him back.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
Before he could answer, his pager and Josh's went off and Leo's cell chirped. Both turned to their devices. A tense moment insued. Josh looked up and spoke first.
"Judge Rayburn was just on CNN," Josh said, invoking the name of the lead counsel for the special prosecutor investigating the President and his alleged illegal cover-up of his health status. Leo nodded, indicating that his call was giving him the same information. "I don't know what he said, but you can bet it wasn't good."
"It wasn't," Leo scowled as he ended his call. "Okay, we need..."
"CJ in your office in two minutes," Josh said moving forward. "We'll be there. I'll..."
"Get the others," Leo said, finishing his sentence as his deputy disappeared into the sea of people. "Another evening shot to hell."
*****************
The hours slipped past with senior staff members juggling phone calls between the White House Counsel's office, party leadership and news organizations. While CJ tangoed with the group in the press room, Leo sent the others to help her put out the flames. Josh was sent to the CNN studios and was the last to return. He was, however, the first to discover the second prong of Rayburn's attack. An hour after that discovery, he was seated again in his office. The quivers of abject rage had subsided and the sharp and stabbing thoughts of a proportionate response were darting through his mind.
It was in the middle of this thorny, quiet session that Donna peaked her head around the edge of his door beaming. She entered the office, still floating on her cloud of euphoria.
"Hi!"
"Huh?"
"I said hi," she repeated as she twirled like a dance step and settled gracefully into a chair. "Where have you been all evening?"
"Here," Josh replied tersely. "Where the hell have you been?"
"At the party," she smiled. "Oh, Josh, you wouldn't believe..."
"I probably wouldn't care either," he snapped.
"You can be grumpy all you like," she said. "I had the best time. I got to meet them, Josh."
"Lawrence Rayburn went on CNN tonight and said they're looking at expanding the investigation."
"What?" Donna said, snapping out of her trance.
"Who do you meet?"
"Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip," she answered, a sinking feeling forming in her stomach. "Why are they expanding the investigation?"
"Oh I don't know," Josh said harshly. "Maybe because they're looking to sink the administration; 'cause its an election year; or maybe just because the special prosecutor can pretty much do whatever he wants!"
"Don't shout."
"It's my office!" he yelled. "I can shout if I want to! Where the hell were you?"
"I was being introduced to the queen and her husband." Donna said, trying to remember the excitement of that moment to stem the anxiety that was radiating off Josh like heat from the pavement in August. "She said I was delightful."
"Yeah," he said. "Delightful and derelict in your duties."
"Why didn't you come find me?"
"What makes you think I had the time?" he asked, refusing to meet her eyes. His own were dark with anger and the angry dimple shone like a beacon, warning all who came near that the could lose their head if they did not tread lightly--and perhaps even if they did.
"I didn't have time to make you curb your social life," Josh continued. "I was too busy running across town to do some spin control and manage the phones in trying to convince some important people that we are not sunk.... yet. And then, to top it all off, I finished my evening in grand fashion...."
"What happened?" she asked trepidaciously.
"They subpoenaed me in the parking lot, Donna!" he shouted. "You know how I love being subpoenaed! Two hours after Rayburn hit the air we got nailed again. This was a strike; it was strategic and because we had that stupid thing in there we never saw it coming! We got bitch-slapped during prime time!"
"Josh, I'm sorry."
He slammed his head back into the cushion of his chair and sighed forcefully.
"You're sorry?" he remarked with strategic and eerie calm. "Oh, well that helps. Thanks. Really."
"What do you want me to say?" she asked defensively.
"They waited until we had our guard down," he seethed, oblivious to her question. "Those insidious bastards! It's a State Dinner for Christ's sake!"
"I'm sorry that you got subpoenaed," she said when he finally looked in her direction again. "Thank you for being your polite-self in accepting my apology."
"We got blind-sided," he said as he kicked one of the drawers of his desk.
"Who do you want me to call?"
"Call Rayburn and tell him to leave us alone."
"Okay," she nodded and lifted the phone.
"Donna."
She put the phone down, pleased to note the decibels had left his voice and some of the ire had drained from his expression. It confirmed what she expected. He was not angry with her--not especially at least. It was the events of the evening that were prickling his sensibilities.
"I'll sit with you," she offered as she slipped off her shoes and curled her legs beneath her in the chair.
"That'll be helpful," Josh said kicking his feet onto his desk and sighing forcefully.
Donna sat quietly to await Phase Two of the conversation. As Josh had not dismissed her, she knew there was more coming. After a moment, she was rewarded for her patience.
"We're having a meeting tomorrow--the senior staff--you gotta be there for at least part of it," he said eventually.
"Why?"
"You were the first assistant let into the loop," Josh said. "Toby gets to answer for that, but that's not your concern. Babish is going to speak to you, but I'll tell you the gist of it now. Avoid strangers. Someone says your name, unless you know the voice, don't turn around, don't answer them."
"Right. When am I meeting with Babish again?"
"Tomorrow morning with the rest of us," Josh said. "I don't know all the details yet. Leo's meeting with Oliver now. We figure Rayburn's gonna serve you soon, too. We don't know what they want, and we need to get a clue before they ask any questions."
"Okay," she agreed, feeling a knot of nervousness
form in her middle. "Guess I won't be wearing heels for quite some
time."
"This is no joke, Donna," Josh said.
"I haven't laughed yet."
"Neither have I," he brooded. "Look, you're gonna be served. Let's just buy some time. Restrict your social life if you can and be aware of who is around you whenever you leave or enter the building."
What social life? she though. My social life revolves around this office and my work area. And 9 times out of 10 I either enter or leave the building with you, so...
"And we aren't going to be seen together coming and going now," he said as though reading her thoughts. "You'll need to alter your schedule a little. Nothing drastic, but if they know you can be found beside me, then it makes their jobs easier--and I have no intention of giving them that luxury. Besides, if you duck them when you're with me, it hoists a new veil of impropriety. It either looks like I'm guarding you or that I'm obstructing the investigation."
"Aren't you just by telling me this?" Donna ventured, pleased that he was in his tutorial frame of mind again.
"Well, yeah, but this is legal," Josh explained. "It's all part of the game. I'm just giving you a run through of the ground rules and our strategy. Also, walk through the press area every couple days, just say a quick hi--so that it doesn't look like we're hiding you some place. All the assistants are gonna be told the same thing. Don't strike up a conversation of any substance, just say hi and make yourself seen. That way it looks like Rayburn's people are just being petty when they slam us to the press about this thing. The press can say 'you can't find 'em but we seem them roaming around every day.' Like I said, we know you're gonna get served; we just need to play defense for a little while and buy some time--a couple days should do it. And as for not being seen with me, I thought you'd appreciate that bonus."
"Well, I'm sure I'll appreciate that eventually," Donna sighed.
"You couldn't get away fast enough tonight," Josh observed.
"That was different."
"Well, if its pretentious accents you're into, Rayburn has a soft Georgia drawl that apparently even tickled Lincoln's fancy...."
"Lord Marbury is not pretentious," Donna chimed in. "He's charming."
"Snakes are," Josh replied. "He's an absolute reprobate, according to his ex-wives--notice the plural there," Josh said.
"I was treated like a princess tonight," Donna smiled. "All you ever do is stick me in a corner at these things. Tonight I got to have a ball. I can say I was Cinderella, only I didn't lose my shoe and my car didn't turn into a pumpkin... a lemon, maybe, but not a pumpkin."
"Cinderella?" Josh repeated. "They sent birds to pluck out the stepsister's eyes at the end of the real story, you know. Hardly a civilized end."
"I like the Disney ending better."
"Well, life does not have a Disney plot, Donna."
"Josh, I was treated.. .like I mattered," she sighed. "I felt welcomed and adored and... special."
"You're.... wanted here," he relented. "I don't treat you like you don't matter. I give you more responsibility than any other assistant in this building. That's trust, Donna. And trust is a hell of a lot more important than feeling adored."
"Sometimes a women needs to feel that way," she informed him. "That's how I know you know nothing about woo. I know how much you trust me, Josh. That means a lot to me. But tonight, I... I wasn't just Josh Lyman's assistant. I was Donnatella Moss. I got to dance with royalty. Someday I'll be able to tell my children that."
"They'll hang on your every word, I'm sure," he said
while rolling his eyes. "Their mother danced with a second rate cad who
inherited his title from his rake of a father. How can you think
like that? You're always Donnatella Moss. In fact, I'd argue that
if you don't feel that way normally, then perhaps you've got a bigger issue
to deal with. And you're right. I have no clue how it
feels to be you, but I can tell you that I'd rather have someone trusts
me implicitly than adore me."
"Deputy Downer returns," she said, her lips pressing together to form a tight while line.
"Fine," he said dismissively. "But this is what got me where I am. Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House. In my view of things, that's better than royalty. You say I push you into corners, but I don't see that. In fact, I don't know what you want from me, Donna. I don't fawn over your every word. I don't make tired, hackneyed comparisons about stars and your eyes. I treat you as a colleague, and you get the respect that such a position deserves. If that's not good enough, well then so be it. I can't stand that man and watching you with him.... well, it was frankly pathetic."
Sounds like jealousy, she thought and fought a losing fight with a smirk. It sprawled across her lips and even invaded her bight blue eyes.
"I don't expect anything like that from you," Donna said. "If you ever acted that way, I'd have you committed. Lord Marbury is unique. Okay, he's way out in left field. But, Josh. I'd never be remotely interested in anyone like that. It's just harmless flirting. If he ever came near me, I'd throw him off the Truman balcony."
"You could have fooled me."
"I've been with the likes of him before, I'm never doing it again."
"But you did tonight," he noted.
"I was not with him," she argued. "Not like that. I wanted to meet the queen. And the only way to do that was..."
"Throw yourself at the Sheriff of Knottingham?"
"I did not throw myself at him."
"The giggling, the blushing," Josh said, the angry dimple appearing again, making her smirk grow wider. "Donna, I mean really."
"He's quit witty," she said, stoking his mood for her pleasure. Josh might be a gifted politician, but Sam was right, he had the world's worst poker face.
"I don't want to talk about him anymore!"
"Okay," she relented. "Look, you want help with the thing? 'Cause I can change."
"I doubt that," Josh said, his own smirk appearing. "We did what we can do tonight. I've gotta meet with the President when he's done with his guests. You can go home."
"Yippee!" she exclaimed as she slipped back into her shoes. "Home to an empty apartment with a server camped out on my doorstep. I tell you, if that's not the ending to a perfect evening, I don't know what is."
"I told you, that's how all fairy tales really end."
"You know since I met you my life has changed in oh-so-many ways," she said.
"And you don't thank me enough, you know that?"
"You're a joy," she remarked.
"I am quite the ray of sunshine, aren't I?" he said as he stood and followed her out of his office and started toward the Oval Office. Before they parted company, he turned back to speak to her. "Hey, you looked good tonight, by the way."
She smiled and felt her cheeks grow warm. She nodded and thanked him.
"At the thing in July, you did your hair different," he said. "Made your outfit look different."
"You noticed?" she asked, slightly shocked. " I... I didn't think..."
"Of course you didn't," he said with a shrug as he walked away then called over his shoulder. "The meeting's at nine tomorrow, so be here no later than seven."
"Okay."