TITLE: Connect, Chapter 7 - Photographs
AUTHOR: Jacinta
SUMMARY: The secret's out and not everyone's happy.
SPOILERS: Anything up Disaster Relief
CHARACTERS: Ensemble
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: All the property of NBC
Donna opens her eyes to find Josh lying on his side looking at her. "How long have you been lying there watching me?" she asks.
"Not long."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just enjoying the view," Josh smiles.
Donna grins, "So I'm just good eye candy am I?"
"No. You're much more than that."
Donna looks at the clock and sighs, "I should go home."
"Stay."
"I can't, if I stay the night someone's bound to see me leave and then we'll have some explaining to do."
"Okay then, let's tell people."
"I thought we agreed that was a bad idea. For a start Leo will move me."
"He might not."
"Josh!"
"I don't want this to be a secret anymore. We've been together for two months. We should at least tell CJ."
"She tried to fix me up with a journalist."
"When?"
"Couple of days ago."
"What did you tell her?"
"That it's too soon after Joe and I broke up, that I didn't want to date anyone."
"She knows."
"You think?"
"Yeh, I'll talk to her tomorrow."
"You really think that's a good idea?"
"Don't you want people to know?"
"Yeh, course I do." Donna protests, then she grins, "If only to stop my mom keep hassling me to find a nice man."
"Will she consider me a nice man?" he teases.
"Yeh, you'll do," Donna grins. "Okay, talk to CJ. But we should tell our families first."
"There was something I wanted to tell you, mom."
"I don't know if I like the sound of that," Ruth Lyman replies.
"It's something good." Josh takes the phone and sits in the living room. "Donna and I are dating."
"Since when?" Ruth asks.
Josh can't quite gage his mother's reaction, he wishes he could see her face. "August."
Ruth can hardly speak for smiling. "That's wonderful, and about time."
"What does that mean?" Josh grins.
"It's taken you five years. I thought your father could be slow on the uptake, but you make him seem positively astute."
Josh smiles. "So you're pleased?"
"Pleased? How can even ask that? Donna's a lovely girl. What do your friends think?"
"We haven't told anyone yet. That's why it's taken me two months to tell you by the way."
"Who was I going to tell?"
"I dunno. We're going to tell work soon." Josh sighs. "Leo's going to kill me," he admits.
"Leo should be happy for you. That man needs to learn that there's more to life than work."
"It's his job to think of the administration first."
"I suppose," Ruth agrees. "Just as long as you don't end up like that. So, when are you both coming to see me?"
When Donna had told Josh her parents would be pleased, she wasn't exactly sure they would be. They're all Republicans and Josh is high up in the Democratic party, so she's been a little nervous about telling them. She needn't have been.
"Oh, Donna, that's wonderful," her mother laughs. "Hang on while I tell your father."
A minute later Larry Moss comes on the phone. "Donna, that's great news. I mean it'd be better if he was a Republican, but you can't have everything. You must both come and stay soon."
Donna smiles with relief. "We will, dad. We haven't told work yet, so don't tell anyone."
"Why?"
"Because it's not going to look good. He's my boss. It could look wrong."
"Only to people who don't know you, Donna. What are people going to think, that he's used his position to force you into a relationship? That's not very likely is it?"
"Well, we know that. But there's some elements of the press and public who won't see it like that."
"Yeh? Well you send them to see me. What do his family think? Have you met them?"
"There's just his mom. We met after Josh was shot, she's nice, you'll like her. She lives in Florida so he doesn't see much more of her than I do of you, but we will make the effort to visit. I promise."
Donna walks into the living room from the bedroom just as Josh is hanging up the phone. "What did she say?" she asks.
"She called me slow," Josh smiles. "It seems she's been waiting, impatiently, for years for me to give her the good news. What about yours?"
"My mom was amazingly happy and I think my dad's preparing to come to Washington to fight our corner if the press, or Leo, give us a hard time."
"We might need to take him up on that. My mom wants to know when we're going to Florida."
"My dad wants us to go to Madison."
"We should go there first, I haven't met your family."
"We could do something almost unheard of and take a whole week off work. That way we could make both trips."
"We may have to do it in three days, but we'll find a way. It's too long since I saw my mom."
The following morning Josh and Donna arrive at work together, fully prepared to tell the world, but they were too late, it seemed the world had found out on it's own.
"Are you a complete idiot?" CJ shouts as she slams Josh's office door closed and stands in front of his desk.
"Probably," Josh agrees nervously.
"This isn't a joke, Josh," CJ drops four photographs on Josh's desk. "Recognize anyone?"
Josh studies the pictures. They're of him and Donna. The first is at a reception they all attended, him and Donna are dancing. The second is outside the White House one evening. The third is in the Hawk And Dove and the forth is on a trip to Boston. "They're of me and Donna."
"Yes."
"So?"
CJ glares at Josh, "Look closely. On this one, well I don't think you could be holding her any closer without squeezing the life out of her. This one, you're holding hands outside the White House, Josh, the White House. It was posted on the internet on some family holiday pics site."
"We're not holding hands."
"Your hands are definitely touching. And this one, you've got your arm round her waist."
"Shouldn't you be more worried about why someone's taking pictures of Donna and me in a bar?"
"They were just taking pictures. When they got them developed they saw this," CJ points to the picture. "And let's not leave out the best of the lot, where was this one taken?"
"When we were in Boston last week."
"You're kissing her."
"So who's little collection is this?" Josh asks.
"Luckily for you, they were sent anonymously to Danny and he thinks it's great. Something about snowballs?" CJ shakes her head. "How long have you been seeing each other?"
"It's really no one else's business."
"No one else's... I'd have expected that line from Sam, Josh, but not from you. You're the White House deputy chief of staff and Donna's your assistant, of course it's someone else's business."
"Since the Camp David trip."
"That was two months ago. Please tell me you didn't do anything at Camp David."
"I asked her out then, but you'll be relieved to here, we didn't actually start our sordid little affair until the Sunday we got home," Josh snaps.
"You think I should be relieved?" CJ asks.
Josh glares at her. "I thought you were our friend, in which case I think you're suppose to be happy."
CJ sits in the visitors chair. "I am your friend, and as a friend I'm happy, extremely happy. As the Press Secretary, I could wring your neck. Why didn't you tell me so I could be prepared?"
"We haven't told anyone."
"Which should tell you something."
"We haven't told anyone because we didn't want it becoming the subject of office gossip and media crap. Anyway, I thought you knew."
"Why?"
"You tried to fix Donna up on a date with some journalist."
Yes. He's a friend, he likes Donna. I thought she was single."
"Oh. I was going to talk to you today."
"Because you thought I'd already guessed. Leo's going to kill you, but that's nothing compared to what Toby's going to do."
"I may have lied earlier, Toby already knows."
"He what?" CJ asks quietly.
"CJ's just congratulated me," Donna says as she hands Josh his mail.
"Someone sent Danny some pictures of us."
"What?"
"They look like holiday snaps, we just happen to be on them. She was a little pissed that we didn't tell her early, and I think I may have dropped Toby in it."
"Why would someone send.....?"
"Where did this letter come from?"
"In the mail," Donna guesses. "Why?"
"It says that pictures of you and me have been sent to Danny and Leo."
"Leo?"
"Yeh. It says some other stuff," Josh replies as he re-reads the note. "I'm going to kill her."
"Who?"
"Amy."
"It's from Amy?"
"Doesn't actually say so. But the stuff in it is a little, it's things only she'd know."
"Like what?"
Josh hands her the note.
"Lots of people know this stuff," Donna comments.
"Not that also know about Sarah. The only people here who know about her are you, Leo and Danny, and Amy of course."
"Josh, stay behind," Leo instructs as the rest of the staff file out of the office.
"S'up?" Josh asks, trying to sound casual.
"I received an anonymous letter this morning, at home."
"Who from?".
"It was anonymous," Leo repeats.
"Yeh, I meant, what kind of letter?"
"Photographs, photographs of you."
Leo takes the envelope out of his briefcase and hands it to Josh. Inside are three photographs, different to the ones Danny was given, these are far more intrusive. The first is of Donna leaving Josh's apartment one evening, they're stood on the front stoop as he kisses her goodbye. In the second they're walking into his building, Josh has his arm around Donna's waist. The third is the most alarming though, it's taken through his front window and it's of Josh with his arms wrapped around Donna.
"You know who took these?" Josh asks.
"I'm more concerned with the content," Leo replies.
"You're not serious?" Josh asks, trying not to shout. "You don't think someone standing outside my apartment taken a picture through my front window isn't a little creepy, to say the least? It was Amy by the way."
"I don't care," Leo replies. "What the hell do you think you're doing. Donna's your assistant. Do you know how it's going to look?"
Josh glares at Leo. "You don't care?" he asks quietly, before his temper breaks free. "You know, I should have asked Donna out years ago, because I haven't been this happy for a very long time. If you have a problem with that, then there's something wrong with you." Josh knows he's gone too far. It doesn't matter how angry he is, or how long he's known Leo, that's no way to speak to the White House chief of staff. "Leo, I'm sorry," he begins.
"We'll talk later," Leo dismisses him.
Once Josh has left, Leo summons CJ, Angela and Toby to his office.
"Someone's stalking Josh?" Toby asks.
"You don't seemed surprised by the content of the pictures," Leo comments.
"I'd have thought someone camping outside Josh's apartment waiting to take photos of him was more worrying," Toby replies.
"He thinks it was Amy," Leo tells them.
"Danny received some photographs as well," CJ says, handing the photos to Leo. "He thinks it's great by the way."
"Does he?" Leo replies dryly.
"Leo," CJ sighs. "You asked me about this months ago, I told you it was spinable. I honesty believe the press corp aren't going to care, most of them anyway."
"We need to act before they find out," Leo tells them.
"Shouldn't Josh be in on this?" Angela asks.
"No," Leo replies.
Angela considers arguing, but decides it'd be pointless. "So what do you plan doing?"
"Moving Donna."
"You can't," Angela tells him. "Not unless it's to your office or the office of the president."
"Why?"
"Angela's right," CJ agrees. "If you think it'll look bad the Deputy CoS is sleeping with his assistant, it'll look ten times worse if you then demote her."
"I didn't say......"
CJ continues, "Donna's one of the most senior assistants, you move her and it'll be a demotion. Plus, I don't think Josh will let you."
"Josh can't stop me." Leo's knows they're right though. "What do you suggest?" he asks CJ.
"No one who knows them, no one who's ever seen them together, is going to be surprised by this and they're certainly not going to think he's abusing his position. He told me they've been seeing each other since September. None of us have noticed, so you can't say it's affecting their work. Leave things alone for now."
"He told me back in September, when he asked her out," Toby admits. "I don't think it's anyone else's business. They're both professionals and they're both good at their jobs, they're not going to let this affect their work."
"You've known...." Leo begins, "never mind. What about the press?"
"Well, whoever took these pictures isn't going to let it drop, so we need to leak it. Danny's the best bet."
"Okay," Leo agrees.
"Josh," Danny calls across the street.
Josh stops and waits for Danny to catch up. "How can I help?"
"I just wondered if you had any good gossip."
"You started writing for the social section now?"
"Feels like it," Danny comments. "I hate to admit this but, I don't know what to do with it. I mean I'm not sure why I would write about it."
"It?" Josh asks. "Would that be me and Donna?"
"Yes. I think it's great by the way, but you know there's plenty who won't?"
"Yeh I know. Leo for one."
"Leo'll just worried about how it'll look."
"I'd noticed."
Danny lets that one drop. Gossip really isn't his thing. He doesn't think a perfectly good relationship between two consenting adults, who happen to be his friends, is anyone else's business. "What does your mom think?"
"She thinks I'm a little slow on the uptake," Josh smiles. "She likes Donna and it's a long time since my mom's liked my girlfriend. So what you gonna write?"
"Who took the pictures? I'm asking 'cos the ones I got sent looked like they were innocent tourist shots, but the ones sent to Leo, they were kind of weird."
"I got a note warning me she'd sent them. It said that people should know what the White House deputy CoS was up to with his assistant."
"She?"
"Amy, I think. I can't think of anyone else who knows all the stuff in the note and who also has any reason to send the pictures."
"What did it say?"
"It said that Donna and I were in Boston to meet Steinberg. We danced together in Atlanta. We always sit together on Air Force One. The sender knew my address, Leo's address."
"Josh, Amy's not the only person who knows about you and Donna dancing together and her sleeping on you on Air Force One. Granted finding you and Leo's addresses could, or at least should, be difficulty, but not impossible," Danny reasons.
Josh glances at Danny as the wait at a crossing. "I know."
"So?"
"It said Donna was a poor substitute for Sarah."
"You're kidding? Why would she say that?"
Josh is beginning to wish he hadn't started this. "When Amy and I broke up it was because she wanted us to live together but I didn't want to. We had the whole fear of commitment fight, over and over. She told me I had to let go and move on, that it was twenty years ago. That I was never going to find a substitute for Sarah."
"Shit, that was harsh. How did she know?"
"She was dating my roommate when Sarah died."
At 10pm Leo wanders through the almost deserted west wing. He hasn't seen Josh or Donna all day. Josh has been on the Hill all afternoon and Donna's been keeping her head down, so it seems anyway. As he walks through Josh's bullpen there's no sign of Donna, but the desk lamp's on in Josh's office and he can hear Josh talking. When he knocks on the door and walks in, Josh turns from the window.
"Mark, can I call you back in the morning? Yeh I know, speak to you tomorrow." He hangs up the phone and looks up at Leo. "You need me?"
"Where's Donna?"
"Gone home." Josh resists the urge to add a sarcastic 'perks of sleeping with the boss'.
Leo smiles slightly, "She actually let you stay?"
"I promised I'd be right behind her. I lied," he adds. "What's going on?"
"I wanted to talk to you both. I should probably have come earlier. You've spoken to Danny?"
"He walked to the Hill with me earlier."
"What's he going to write?"
"Nothing. He's going to do any responses, so are Steve, Katie and Robby, apparently. Seems the members of the press corp he's spoken to are happy for us but other than that they really don't care."
Leo nods. "There's still going to have to be rules."
"I didn't doubt it," Josh comments.
"I saw the note you got. That was a pretty shit thing to say. You're sure it was Amy?"
"Unless it was you, Danny or Donna, pretty sure yeh."
Leo shakes his head. "I..... it's possible I over-reacted before, this morning. I'm sorry. I am pleased for you both. I am pleased you're happy."
"Thank you," Josh replies with a ghost of a smile.
"Leave things with Amy, Josh, don't go looking for trouble."
"I can't just leave it, Leo. Who knows what she'll do next?"
"She's played her trump card, she tried to get you in trouble at work, she hasn't succeeded. Although she may still succeed with the press, but if she'd really wanted to do that she'd have chosen a different reporter. We'll just have to wait and see. You've no proof it was her."
"It was her," Josh is adamant. "But I'll leave it. Hopefully she'll get the hint."