Title: True Lies Part 3
Author: Rhasa
Rating: Pg-13
Category: Drama
Disclaimer: Not now, never was, and never will be
mine
Author's Note: I take no responsibility whatsoever for
the following as it is four o'clock in the morning as
I write this. Enough with summer already!
True Lies Part 3
by Rhasa
"Josh?" Donna's head appeared in the doorway to his office.
"Yeah?" he looked up.
"Your three o'clock is here."
"Remind me once again. Who is my three o'clock?"
"Me," she grinned.
"Oh." Josh's stomach just fell to the floor. He had been dreading this moment all day. In fact he had been totally preoccupied in his office for the last twenty minutes trying to come up with a way of asking Donna the inevitable that he had forgotten he had scheduled a time with her to discuss it. He sighed heavily and grabbed his mug from the desk. "Okay, just give me a minute would you. I'll be right back."
"Sure," she said as she took a seat and watched him walk out the door.
He forced himself to focus on regulating his breathing. This should be easy, he told himself. A few simple questions. So how come it felt anything but?
He poured himself a cup of coffee and almost as and afterthought poured a second one.
Donna was more than a little surprised when he handed her the warm cup a few seconds later as he re entered his office and shut the door.
"What is this?" she asked, holding the mug in her hand and staring at strangely.
"Just coffee," he shrugged.
"You brought me coffee?"
"Yeah."
"Josh," she said cautiously.
"What? It's just a cup of coffee."
"Okay Josh, what's going on."
"Nothing."
"Joshua Lyman, in all the time we have worked together when have you brought me coffee?" she continued to eye him suspiciously and didn't allow him to answer . "Never. Never have you brought me coffee." "Well, that's not strictly true. I've brought you back a latte from Starbucks on several occasions."
"Okay, that doesn't count."
"Why not?"
"Well for starters, that's only been when I've known before hand that you were going there and I have specifically requested you bring me a cup. You have never simply gone and poured me a cup at he office before. Ever. Never ever. So give. What's going on."
He took a large sip from the mug and placed it on the corner of his desk next to the spot where he was now sitting.
"Donna, there is something I need to talk to you about. It's sensitive, and to be honest I have been trying all day to figure out a way to bring this up."
"Oh God."
"What?"
"You're resigning," she said matter-of-factly.
"What?"
"You're resigning as Deputy COS."
"No."
"No?" she asked surprised and relieved at the same time.
"No. And why would you think that as your first choice?"
"I don't know. You've been worried, secretive all day."
"And there couldn't be another reason, other than my supposed impending resignation?"
"Like what?"
"Well like a number of things. Like... like me firing you," he regretted those words as soon as he said them.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Well because I'm impervious. You can't fire me. And even if you could, you'd have Leo do it."
"True," he nodded, taking a sip from his coffee as he began to relax - just a little
"You're not firing me are you Josh?"
"No. Your impervious, remember?"
"Well then, you're not resigning and I'm not being fired. Are you going to tell me that you have some secret disease that you've been keeping from all us for the past six years?"
"No."
"Are you addicted to drugs, booze-"
"No! Donna-"
"Did you accidentally sleep with a prostitute?"
"No. And how do you know about that-"
"Are you gay?"
"What?"
"Are you gay?"
"No!"
"Not that I have anything whatsoever against gays, and I know that's the first thing everyone says when they hear that, but it's true. I could fix you up with some really cute guys. We could double date. Like on Will and Grace."
"Donna! I'm not gay, okay?"
"Okay."
"And I'm not here to tell you about any of those other things either."
"Okay."
"In fact I'm not here to discuss anything about me whatsoever so-"
Donna began to nod her head but then suddenly her eyes grew wide. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"This is about... you know."
"No. What's 'you know'?"
"You know," she said with more emphasis as if the tone of her voice alone would jog his memory as to what she was referring. "You know. The photocopy room."
"The photocopy room?"
"Yeah, look, Josh," she began suddenly extremely uncomfortable. "I know I should have told you about that. Really, I was going to tell you, but I just felt so confused and sick and... oh god you don't know how much I really wanted to talk to someone about it. But I was worried about my job and Sam's job and if word ever got outside this office about what happened, well there was sexual harassment laws to consider and-"
"Okay, Donna? I have to stop you right there. All I'm hearing is 'Sam', 'photocopying room' and 'sexual harassment' and I'm doing my best not to freak out here."
"I know... I know... I was freaked out too. God, Josh you don't know just how freaked out about it I was and not really about the actual kiss, well okay, I was totally freaked out about the actual kiss, but it just kind of took me completely off guard, and I didn't expect it and I certainly wasn't asking for it or sending out any signals or whatever they want to call it-"
"Kiss?"
"Yeah," she said her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"Sam kissed you?"
"Yeah."
"In the photocopy room."
"Yeah."
"You weren't expecting it."
"No," she said. "As I said it took me completely by surprise, Sam too, I guess."
"And you were worried about sexual harassment."
"Well yeah. I didn't know what to do. I didn't welcome the kiss but I didn't want to get Sam in trouble. It was only that one time. And I told Sam that. It was a mistake. I didn't ask for it but I didn't want our careers ruined because of one small mistake. And Sam is my friend. We'd promised one another that we'd just forget about it. But I couldn't forget about it, because I was so worried that someone would find out and they would think... and I wanted so badly to talk to someone... but if they found out they would think that I..." Donna, obviously upset couldn't continue.
"Donna, it wasn't your fault," Josh soothed as he came to crouch in front of her and placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. "Listen to me, it wasn't your fault. And if you needed to talk you could've just come to me. You can always come to me," he soothed.
Josh inwardly groaned. He hadn't known about Sam and the kiss, and he didn't know if he was more upset about that or by the fact that his not knowing meant there could be plenty of other things he didn't know about. This conversation had thrown him for a loop. He certainly wasn't where he thought he would be. Trying to gather his thoughts, he remained silent at her side.
"What are you going to do?" she asked a little fearfully.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked genuinely.
"Nothing. It won't happen again."
"How can you be so sure? Maybe I should have a quiet word with Sam."
"No. No don't do that. I don't want Sam to know that I've been talking to you. Besides, the transfer will be coming up soon."
"Transfer?" Sam was transferring somewhere?
"Yeah. End of the month. Then we won't see each other anymore which will make things easier. I won't have to worry-"
"What transfer?"
"Rotation, Josh," Donna stated as if it should have been obvious to him what she was talking about.
"Okay help me out, here. Sam is transferring?"
"Yeah, as part of rotation."
Josh still looked utterly confused.
"Rotation of interns," Donna said.
"What has the rotation of interns got to do with the Deputy Chief Communications Director?"
"Well nothing, What are you talking about?"
"I'm just wondering why when the interns rotation comes up you won't be seeing Sam anymore."
"Because of the fact that she will be rotated out of here."
"She."
"Yeah."
"She?" his voice got higher.
"What's wrong with you, Josh?"
"SHE!"
"Yes. She. Oh god," and the light suddenly dawned on Donna's little world. "You didn't think- Oh god, Josh you didn't know I was talking about Samantha Moore? You thought I was talking about Sam Seabourne? You didn't really know about any of this?"
"No."
"Oh god. JOSH!"
"I gotta tell you Donna, when I thought that Sam SEABOURNE had taken advantage of you in the photocopy room, I was ready to go over there and punch his lights out, really I was, despite the fact that he is my best friend."
"Well, there's no need. Because it was Samantha Moore who kissed me in the photocopy room."
"Yeah and that just brings up a whole 'nother set of images in my mind," he muttered, but not low enough for Donna not to hear.
"Josh," she complained.
"I'm sorry. I really am."
"Imagine if another guy came up to you and gave you a big unexpected lip lock."
"No we totally don't want to go there. But I am sorry, Donna. I don't mean to make fun of what must have been and still is a very distressing situation for you. I will do anything you ask me to do in regards to this matter. Honestly. Really. This is me being totally professional and boss like in an extremely delicate situation."
"Totally professional huh?"
"Well yeah."
"Right now you're wondering what it looked like, the two of us kissing, aren't you?"
"There's really no way I can answer that question without inviting actual bodily harm," he said.
"I thought so," she shook her head. "I don't want you to do anything, Josh. I'm glad I told you though."
"So am I," he replied in a total non sexual way.
"But if it wasn't about the kiss in the photocopy room that you wanted to talk to me about, then what was it?"
Josh looked down at his feet. He couldn't bring himself to begin the discussion that he knew he had to have with her. He admitted to himself he was looking for any kind of excuse to postpone or cancel it altogether, and her alarming yet intriguing revelations of the past few minutes provided him with enough of an excuse to let it go for now. He was off his game. He needed to distance himself from her a bit in order to question her and he couldn't do that after he had just sat and comforted her after she had cried and poured her heart out.
"Nothing, never mind. It can wait."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"It's not about me charging underwear to your credit card is it?"
"WHAT?" Josh roared.
"Nothing. Never mind," she said as she practically ran out the door...
Josh contemplated rising to the bait, but changed his mind and collapsed into his chair before her head appeared in the doorway again.
"You would have really gone over there and punched his lights out?" she asked softly.
"Well yeah, of course. Like I said, I'm a professional."
She smiled a genuine smile at him.
Suddenly his heart felt lighter. This was exactly the Donna he knew. The it-could-only-happen-to-you Donna and everything else they were saying about her was total utter bullshit.
The end but tbc which means this is going to be longer than 3 parts.
Rhasa4@yahoo.com
True Lies Part 3
by Rhasa
"Josh?" Donna's head appeared in the doorway to his office.
"Yeah?" he looked up.
"Your three o'clock is here."
"Remind me once again. Who is my three o'clock?"
"Me," she grinned.
"Oh." Josh's stomach just fell to the floor. He had been dreading this moment all day. In fact he had been totally preoccupied in his office for the last twenty minutes trying to come up with a way of asking Donna the inevitable that he had forgotten he had scheduled a time with her to discuss it. He sighed heavily and grabbed his mug from the desk. "Okay, just give me a minute would you. I'll be right back."
"Sure," she said as she took a seat and watched him walk out the door.
He forced himself to focus on regulating his breathing. This should be easy, he told himself. A few simple questions. So how come it felt anything but?
He poured himself a cup of coffee and almost as and afterthought poured a second one.
Donna was more than a little surprised when he handed her the warm cup a few seconds later as he re entered his office and shut the door.
"What is this?" she asked, holding the mug in her hand and staring at strangely.
"Just coffee," he shrugged.
"You brought me coffee?"
"Yeah."
"Josh," she said cautiously.
"What? It's just a cup of coffee."
"Okay Josh, what's going on."
"Nothing."
"Joshua Lyman, in all the time we have worked together when have you brought me coffee?" she continued to eye him suspiciously and didn't allow him to answer . "Never. Never have you brought me coffee." "Well, that's not strictly true. I've brought you back a latte from Starbucks on several occasions."
"Okay, that doesn't count."
"Why not?"
"Well for starters, that's only been when I've known before hand that you were going there and I have specifically requested you bring me a cup. You have never simply gone and poured me a cup at he office before. Ever. Never ever. So give. What's going on."
He took a large sip from the mug and placed it on the corner of his desk next to the spot where he was now sitting.
"Donna, there is something I need to talk to you about. It's sensitive, and to be honest I have been trying all day to figure out a way to bring this up."
"Oh God."
"What?"
"You're resigning," she said matter-of-factly.
"What?"
"You're resigning as Deputy COS."
"No."
"No?" she asked surprised and relieved at the same time.
"No. And why would you think that as your first choice?"
"I don't know. You've been worried, secretive all day."
"And there couldn't be another reason, other than my supposed impending resignation?"
"Like what?"
"Well like a number of things. Like... like me firing you," he regretted those words as soon as he said them.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Well because I'm impervious. You can't fire me. And even if you could, you'd have Leo do it."
"True," he nodded, taking a sip from his coffee as he began to relax - just a little
"You're not firing me are you Josh?"
"No. Your impervious, remember?"
"Well then, you're not resigning and I'm not being fired. Are you going to tell me that you have some secret disease that you've been keeping from all us for the past six years?"
"No."
"Are you addicted to drugs, booze-"
"No! Donna-"
"Did you accidentally sleep with a prostitute?"
"No. And how do you know about that-"
"Are you gay?"
"What?"
"Are you gay?"
"No!"
"Not that I have anything whatsoever against gays, and I know that's the first thing everyone says when they hear that, but it's true. I could fix you up with some really cute guys. We could double date. Like on Will and Grace."
"Donna! I'm not gay, okay?"
"Okay."
"And I'm not here to tell you about any of those other things either."
"Okay."
"In fact I'm not here to discuss anything about me whatsoever so-"
Donna began to nod her head but then suddenly her eyes grew wide. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"This is about... you know."
"No. What's 'you know'?"
"You know," she said with more emphasis as if the tone of her voice alone would jog his memory as to what she was referring. "You know. The photocopy room."
"The photocopy room?"
"Yeah, look, Josh," she began suddenly extremely uncomfortable. "I know I should have told you about that. Really, I was going to tell you, but I just felt so confused and sick and... oh god you don't know how much I really wanted to talk to someone about it. But I was worried about my job and Sam's job and if word ever got outside this office about what happened, well there was sexual harassment laws to consider and-"
"Okay, Donna? I have to stop you right there. All I'm hearing is 'Sam', 'photocopying room' and 'sexual harassment' and I'm doing my best not to freak out here."
"I know... I know... I was freaked out too. God, Josh you don't know just how freaked out about it I was and not really about the actual kiss, well okay, I was totally freaked out about the actual kiss, but it just kind of took me completely off guard, and I didn't expect it and I certainly wasn't asking for it or sending out any signals or whatever they want to call it-"
"Kiss?"
"Yeah," she said her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"Sam kissed you?"
"Yeah."
"In the photocopy room."
"Yeah."
"You weren't expecting it."
"No," she said. "As I said it took me completely by surprise, Sam too, I guess."
"And you were worried about sexual harassment."
"Well yeah. I didn't know what to do. I didn't welcome the kiss but I didn't want to get Sam in trouble. It was only that one time. And I told Sam that. It was a mistake. I didn't ask for it but I didn't want our careers ruined because of one small mistake. And Sam is my friend. We'd promised one another that we'd just forget about it. But I couldn't forget about it, because I was so worried that someone would find out and they would think... and I wanted so badly to talk to someone... but if they found out they would think that I..." Donna, obviously upset couldn't continue.
"Donna, it wasn't your fault," Josh soothed as he came to crouch in front of her and placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. "Listen to me, it wasn't your fault. And if you needed to talk you could've just come to me. You can always come to me," he soothed.
Josh inwardly groaned. He hadn't known about Sam and the kiss, and he didn't know if he was more upset about that or by the fact that his not knowing meant there could be plenty of other things he didn't know about. This conversation had thrown him for a loop. He certainly wasn't where he thought he would be. Trying to gather his thoughts, he remained silent at her side.
"What are you going to do?" she asked a little fearfully.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked genuinely.
"Nothing. It won't happen again."
"How can you be so sure? Maybe I should have a quiet word with Sam."
"No. No don't do that. I don't want Sam to know that I've been talking to you. Besides, the transfer will be coming up soon."
"Transfer?" Sam was transferring somewhere?
"Yeah. End of the month. Then we won't see each other anymore which will make things easier. I won't have to worry-"
"What transfer?"
"Rotation, Josh," Donna stated as if it should have been obvious to him what she was talking about.
"Okay help me out, here. Sam is transferring?"
"Yeah, as part of rotation."
Josh still looked utterly confused.
"Rotation of interns," Donna said.
"What has the rotation of interns got to do with the Deputy Chief Communications Director?"
"Well nothing, What are you talking about?"
"I'm just wondering why when the interns rotation comes up you won't be seeing Sam anymore."
"Because of the fact that she will be rotated out of here."
"She."
"Yeah."
"She?" his voice got higher.
"What's wrong with you, Josh?"
"SHE!"
"Yes. She. Oh god," and the light suddenly dawned on Donna's little world. "You didn't think- Oh god, Josh you didn't know I was talking about Samantha Moore? You thought I was talking about Sam Seabourne? You didn't really know about any of this?"
"No."
"Oh god. JOSH!"
"I gotta tell you Donna, when I thought that Sam SEABOURNE had taken advantage of you in the photocopy room, I was ready to go over there and punch his lights out, really I was, despite the fact that he is my best friend."
"Well, there's no need. Because it was Samantha Moore who kissed me in the photocopy room."
"Yeah and that just brings up a whole 'nother set of images in my mind," he muttered, but not low enough for Donna not to hear.
"Josh," she complained.
"I'm sorry. I really am."
"Imagine if another guy came up to you and gave you a big unexpected lip lock."
"No we totally don't want to go there. But I am sorry, Donna. I don't mean to make fun of what must have been and still is a very distressing situation for you. I will do anything you ask me to do in regards to this matter. Honestly. Really. This is me being totally professional and boss like in an extremely delicate situation."
"Totally professional huh?"
"Well yeah."
"Right now you're wondering what it looked like, the two of us kissing, aren't you?"
"There's really no way I can answer that question without inviting actual bodily harm," he said.
"I thought so," she shook her head. "I don't want you to do anything, Josh. I'm glad I told you though."
"So am I," he replied in a total non sexual way.
"But if it wasn't about the kiss in the photocopy room that you wanted to talk to me about, then what was it?"
Josh looked down at his feet. He couldn't bring himself to begin the discussion that he knew he had to have with her. He admitted to himself he was looking for any kind of excuse to postpone or cancel it altogether, and her alarming yet intriguing revelations of the past few minutes provided him with enough of an excuse to let it go for now. He was off his game. He needed to distance himself from her a bit in order to question her and he couldn't do that after he had just sat and comforted her after she had cried and poured her heart out.
"Nothing, never mind. It can wait."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"It's not about me charging underwear to your credit card is it?"
"WHAT?" Josh roared.
"Nothing. Never mind," she said as she practically ran out the door...
Josh contemplated rising to the bait, but changed his mind and collapsed into his chair before her head appeared in the doorway again.
"You would have really gone over there and punched his lights out?" she asked softly.
"Well yeah, of course. Like I said, I'm a professional."
She smiled a genuine smile at him.
Suddenly his heart felt lighter. This was exactly the Donna he knew. The it-could-only-happen-to-you Donna and everything else they were saying about her was total utter bullshit.
The end but tbc which means this is going to be longer than 3 parts.
Rhasa4@yahoo.com