Title: Feathers
Author:S A Martin
Synopsis: Trust is like the feathers on a goose, according to CJ.
Characters: Ensemble
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Post S5, Shut Down
"Well, Abbey's been slaving over a hot stove all afternoon, so I'd better not be late," Jed told Leo after the staff had left. "This is going to be the strangest state dinner in history. I believe CJ has bought a new dress that she's not going to get to wear now."
"I don't think she'll mind somehow, Sir" Leo smiled. "They needed that."
"We all needed that, Leo. Maybe the cloud of depression that's been hovering for the past few weeks can start to lift now, for all of them."
Leo ignored the implied meaning in that comment. "You'd better go and have dinner, Mr President."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Leo."
Leo went back to his office, feeling lighter than he had since July. Jed was right about the cloud, maybe they will all get back on track now. He had a few phone calls to make and then he was going to celebrate the victory with Jordan -- a nice meal and good company, he hadn't seen enough of her in recent weeks.
As the rest of the staff returned to their offices, through an eerily quiet West Wing, even Toby was grinning. "We did it."
"Yeah," Will agreed, sounding a little stunned. "It was quite a turn around on Haffley's part."
"The president made it clear he wasn't going to cave," Josh grinned. "Haffley didn't have much choice."
"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm pumped," CJ laughed. "I mean, wow."
"Well put," Josh was still grinning.
"I've got to go and brief, then I say we all go and get very drunk."
"Yes," Toby agreed.
"Oh yeah," Josh nodded.
"Bring Donna," CJ told Josh. "It's good to have you back."
Josh smiled, "It's good to be back."
As they walked past the Roosevelt Room they were accosted by Donna. "Well?" she asked.
"We've got a budget," Angela told her.
Donna turned to Josh for confirmation, "We do?"
"Yes," he nodded. "You'll be able to make your rent."
Donna still wasn't convinced though, "What did we give away?"
"Nothing," Josh replied. "We got everything we wanted." He looked at Toby and smiled, "including tuition."
"Oh my God," Donna laughed.
"Yes," Josh agreed, quickly suppressing the urge to sweep her into his arms and kiss her, in celebration of course. "We're all going to get very drunk."
"I'm up for that," Donna told him.
Leo watched as Josh, Toby, CJ and Donna walked through the West Wing on their way to celebrate. He hadn't seen them look this happy in a long time, not since the inauguration, and he was glad, they all needed something to celebrate.
Josh slowed down and looked toward Leo, his eyes questioning, hopeful, but Leo's expression remained neutral. Josh chewed his bottom lip and his shoulders slump slightly. Then CJ called to him and he caught the others up, Toby put his arm around Josh's shoulder, causing Leo to briefly wonder when Toby got to be so tactile. Toby said something, CJ replied and they all laughed. A second later they were gone, their laughter echoing through the lobby.
"You gonna punish him forever?"
Leo turned at the sound of Angela's voice. "What?"
"He was good today. Him and the president turned a unwinable situation completely around, suddenly we were the good guys. He beat Haffley at his own game."
"That's his job."
"I know, but if that doesn't get him back into the DNC's good books nothing will."
"Was that for me?" Leo asked.
"Yes it was," Angela said. "You going to let him back inside now?"
"That's where the president wants him."
"I think you've succeeded in showing him who's the boss, Leo. I think you've brought him down from whatever pedestal you think he'd been placed on."
"Meaning?"
"I'm pretty sure he knows that if anyone's the 101st senator, it's certainly not him."
"That has nothing to do with what's happened."
"Good, because I never thought you could be that petty."
As Donna sat down, CJ was laughing at Josh. "'Cept you can't actually play pool,"
"I can play pool," Josh protested. "Charlie," he shouted across the bar.
CJ grinned, "Every Charlie in the neighborhood has just turned round."
"Funny," Josh smiled. "Where've you been all day?" he asked Charlie.
"At the shutdown party with Donna. I got sent home too. Which is lucky 'cos I missed the hike to the Capitol."
"That's was classic Lyman," CJ smiled. "As was stopping to talk to the tourists."
"That was the president's idea," Josh told her. He held out his beer bottle, "He's back," he grinned.
"Yes he is," CJ agreed, clinking her glass against the bottle. "And so are you. You've had a great day."
Josh didn't answer. He had had a good day, the best for months, but it was still overshadowed by Leo. At first Josh had been upset by Leo's actions, now he was just angry.
"Josh," Toby called, "get Charlie and we'll play pool."
Once Josh had left them, CJ turned to Donna. "Is Josh alright?"
"Yeah, of course he is. They beat the odds."
"I know, but he seems a little subdued."
"He doesn't understand why Leo's still mad at him. It's been weeks now, he doesn't get why Leo can't let it go."
"Hasn't he?" CJ asked. "He brought Josh back into the war room."
Donna shook her head. "He told me Leo said the president wanted him back in there, those were his words, 'the president wants you in the war room'. Leo's still mad at him."
CJ knew that was true. Just before they left the Oval Office, everyone congratulated everyone else again, except Josh and Leo, who almost fell over each other in an attempt not to have to talk or even look at each other. "They'll get there."
"I don't know, CJ. It's a lot harder to repair a friendship like theirs than if they were simply colleagues. This has gone way beyond work, it's become personal. Leo's....." Donna trailed off as Angela joined them. "Hey," she smiled.
"Don't stop on my account. You're right and I told Leo that," Angela said. "So how come only the boys get to play pool?"
"They're scared we'll beat them," CJ laughed as Toby returned to the table to find a cigar.
"You think you could beat us?" Toby asked.
"Is that a challenge?"
"It is. Just let me and Will finish the slaughter of Josh and Charlie and then we'll play."
"Not in public, Toby," CJ teased.
Toby just grinned and went to take his shot.
"What did Leo say?" Donna asked Angela.
"He denied that it was personal," Angela replied.
"You think it's more than Carrick?" CJ asked.
"I think Leo's been under a lot of pressure the last few months and maybe he hasn't handled everything as well as he could have," Angela dodged the question. She saw CJ and Donna were both unhappy with that answer so she elaborated. "Leo's been running the country since July, I think things he'd normally have shrugged off have angered him."
CJ nodded, Angela may have been deliberately vague, but it was pretty obvious what she was talking about. "You think the article in the Post annoyed him?"
"It wasn't very subtle."
"It wasn't Josh," Donna said, "it was Amy. Her idea of a birthday gift. Josh told her it was out of line, I think it was one of the reasons they broke up again."
As the bar started to empty, the boys were sat at one table arguing over baseball, Angela had left and CJ and Donna are having a drunken conversation at another table. "You think it'll be more normal now?" Donna asked.
"God I hope so," CJ replied. "I don't know how much more I could take of how things have been. You think Josh and Leo will be okay?"
"No," Donna replied. "Josh is really angry and Leo hasn't changed his attitude at all."
"Are you angry with Leo?"
"Of course I am, he upset Josh. There was no need for him not to support him privately at least. Of all the people who could have done that to Josh." Donna shook her head. "I don't know what the hell happened to, 'as long as I've got a job you've got a job'!"
"What?" CJ asked.
"Umm?"
"As long as...."
"Oh, it's what Leo told Josh after he was diagnosed."
"He has still got a job."
"No thanks to Leo. You know what he told me?"
"Leo?" CJ asked, as she finished the last of her beer.
"Josh."
"No?"
"He told me that he'd told Toby he could count on one hand the people he trusted. On one hand," Donna declared, holding up her hand for emphasis, while glancing over at the man who was her boss and best friend.
"I'm not sure I want to know, but did he say who they were?"
"Yes, that was the point."
"And?"
"What?"
"Who were they?"
"The people?" Donna asked and CJ nodded patiently. "Toby, Sam, you and me."
CJ understood now."Not Leo."
"No. He said it was the first time he can remember that he hasn't felt he could trust Leo."
"That's not good."
"No," Donna agreed. "I'm not sure how they can come back from that. I don't know whether this is repairable. Can you get back trust?"
"Like the feathers of a goose," CJ suddenly declared.
Charlie chose that moment to sit down. "The what?" he asked.
"The feathers of a goose," CJ repeated.
"Goose?" Josh asked, as he and Toby joined them, leaving Will asleep at the other table.
"What's like the feathers of a goose?" Charlie asked.
"Trust," CJ informed them.
Toby shook his head and smiled. All of them were affected differently by alcohol. CJ started saying bizarre things, Donna went quiet and then suddenly very loud. Charlie can hold his drink pretty well and just got happy. Will fell asleep or fell over and Josh either got happy and stupid or very melancholy, depending on what mood he was in to start with.
Today Josh seemed to have been in a very good mood because he was regarding CJ with a stupid grin. "Trust is like the feathers on a goose?" he asked.
"Yes. Well not exactly. You pluck a goose and the feathers go everywhere."
"Okay?" Charlie asked.
"Well," CJ paused to think, but found that she couldn't so she ploughed ahead with her analogy. "Reclaiming trust is like trying to put the feathers back in the goose, in the right places."
"You shouldn't drink," Josh told her.
"Well you can talk," CJ replied.
"You're right," Donna agreed.
"I shouldn't drink?" CJ asked.
"No," Donna shook her head vigorously."Trust, it's virtually impossible to trust someone again. I tried with Phil, but it was doomed."
That claimed Josh's interest. "Phil?" he asked.
"Dr Freeride," Donna clarified.
"That jerk! You couldn't trust him pick up a pizza on his way home."
Donna smiled, "No I couldn't." she agreed. She did think that CJ was right though. Once someone you love and trust does something to destroy that trust it was very difficult to reclaim it. That doesn't bode well for Josh and Leo.
The same thought had occurred to Toby, but he didn't want to go there tonight. "I think they want us to leave," he said.
"I don't want to go home," CJ complained.
"Then someone wake Will up and we'll go to Josh's," Toby told them.
"Why mine?"
"You're the only one who lives on the first floor," Donna replied.
"Fair enough," Josh agreed.
"I hope you have beer and snacks," CJ told Josh, as she woke Will up.
Josh stood and followed the others across the bar. "I'm providing the surroundings, you can't expect me to provide food as well."
"The perfect host," Donna smiled as she put her arm through his, "that's what you are."