Title: Campaign Snapshots: General Chaos Part 2/3

Author: Kansas J. Miller

Genre: Ensemble, multiple pairings

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: This is a pre-WH, campaign-fic, but there are spoilers through S5.

Summary: Follows the eight-part "Campaign Snapshots: Primary Colors" series, which can be found at my site.

This takes place in the months following the primary elections but pre- convention. A convention story will eventually be a part of this series.

Thanks to Rhonda, as always.

~*~ 2

The mood on the Bartlet campaign plane was sluggish. Toby was off by the window drowning in the morning newspapers while Josh's mouth hung open as he dozed. Leo and the Governor were huddled together in the back looking over strategy, and when CJ got on the plane, the first thing she noticed was the silence.

"C'mon everyone! Wake up!" She clapped her hands briskly together as Carol followed behind with a dry expression on her face. "Let's go people, energy, energy, energy!"

Josh cracked an eye. "Please. Shut. Up."

Sam hoisted his bag up into an overhead compartment as Carol slid out of his way and into her seat. "It's not even seven o'clock. How are you this awake?" he grumbled.

CJ turned around, surprise joining the smile on her face. "Yeah, I don't know. Usually, Sam, you're the chipper one."

Sam felt his stomach flip with nerves as he took the seat opposite Carol. He looked up at CJ with a shrug and knew he'd have to get Donna off of his mind. "And you, CJ, are usually half-dead at this hour."

CJ patted Sam's shoulder as she headed towards the Governor and Leo. "Not today!"

As she dug into her backpack for the schedule, CJ approached Leo and wondered really how in the world she was so energized. She'd stayed up half the night talking with Danny; it had been nearly four by the time she'd gone back to her room. A quick shower and what might charitably be called a nap were all she'd managed before the wake-up calls could be heard up and down the hall.

Nothing physical had happened between CJ and Danny the night before; CJ had kept her distance on an easy chair while Danny had sat on the bed. They'd shared a few drinks and hours of honest conversation. CJ hadn't felt so positive about her relationship with Danny in months, if ever. They were crazy about each other, that much was for sure, but they both conceded to the fact that *nothing* could happen beyond friendship until their jobs were no longer so closely tied. They would simply have to wait, and slowly, that idea was becoming palatable. They could do it, CJ knew, they could wait a few months or a few years if their feelings were truly what she thought they were.

"Leo, Governor, good morning. I need just a minute to review the itinerary for Kansas."

The Governor nodded. "We're making stops where?"

CJ paged through the document as the captain announced that the plane was taxiing to the runway. "Kansas City today, Manhattan tomorrow – Mrs. Bartlet will be flying in for the Nightline interview. And finally, we'll be out West in a small town called Colby the day after tomorrow for a few hours before our flight to Reno. I know it looks like we're taking a long time in this state, but it'll probably be our only visit during the general."

Leo smirked. "And we're probably not taking Kansas, anyway, Sir, so just let's get through it."

Governor Bartlet looked sideways at the general chairman and adopted a tone. "I like his attitude, CJ, because if we figure we're probably not gonna win this election and we do, we'll just have gotten through it."

CJ smirked at Leo and gave the Governor a smile. "Oh, and Sam wanted me to let you know that he'll brief you later, Sir. He and Toby are starting to work on the first draft of the Convention acceptance speech."

Leo craned his neck and looked down the aisle of the plane. "Sam doesn't look like he's even among the living, right now."

CJ glanced back to see Sam sitting with Donna, both nearly asleep on one another. She shrugged. "Well, we were all up pretty late last night. I'm about to catch a nap myself."

"See you in Kansas, CJ," the Governor murmured, waving the taller woman away. He turned back to the notes before him and smirked at Leo. "I guess this really is a pointless trip."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Not the last of which you'll make during the next six months, so like I said, let's just get through it."

The Governor chuckled and slipped his glasses back on. "Can't wait."

~*~

Josh sat on the campaign bus, the cell phone warm against his ear. He'd been on hold for the better part of twenty minutes, and he was getting cranky.

"DONNA!" he yelled, momentarily covering the receiver. When the blonde did not appear, Josh yelled for her again. "Donna! I need you!"

CJ popped up into the stairwell of the bus, only her head making an appearance. "Would you shut up? Donna is with Carol distributing the press packets, and Sam and Toby are with the Governor, who is about to address a crowd, so if you wouldn't mind, you know, not bellowing right now, that'd be great."

Josh frustratedly snapped closed his cell and tossed it behind him. "Well, fuck that."

CJ stepped up into the main area of the bus. "What's wrong?"

Josh sighed. "Mandy. She's refusing to take my damn phone calls, but then she'll call back and yell at me for not calling! It's ridiculous!"

"So you were yelling for Donna, why?"

Josh glanced sarcastically up at the taller woman. "So she could call the Manchester office for me, and actually get Mandy's ass to the phone...I just love our little games," he muttered.

CJ took a seat near Josh and turned to face him. With her hands in her lap, she pursed her lips. "I take it things are not going well."

Josh cocked his head. "That'd be one way to put it."

CJ scowled. "Josh, you couldn't keep a woman if your life depended on it. You need to find a nicer woman. "

Josh smirked in response, his voice full of badly-suppressed laughter. "Oh, thank you, queen of the long term relationship. I think I'll ask you for more advice! Oh, wait—"

CJ bit back her own laughter. Josh was right. She stood up, her shoulders bobbing. "Hey, just trying to be here for my best friend."

Josh watched CJ walk down the aisle of the bus. "I'm your best friend?"

CJ turned slowly around, a thoughtful expression coming over her. "On this campaign, yeah," she said carefully, a smile growing as she began to nod. "And one day, Josh, if you work really hard and don't piss me off—"

Josh grinned. "That would have meant a lot to me if you hadn't started with that last part."

CJ chuckled warmly. "I'm going back to work. I'll call Mandy for you after the event."

Josh nodded and sighed. "I'm almost glad she's not out here with us full time. We'd be in a perpetual state of World War three."

CJ's lip curled up. "Josh, you really might want to start considering the fact that maybe you and Mandy might not belong together. As a couple, you know?"

Josh waved CJ away without a word, turning back to his work. CJ nodded silently and stepped off of the bus. She almost understood where Josh was coming from; Mandy Hampton was a certifiable bitch, and she probably enjoyed being with Josh, if just to jack him around. CJ hated that about Mandy, but her mind was brilliant and they badly needed her consulting for this campaign. And that, CJ realized as she headed out into the sunshine, was the bottom line.

~*~

Donna's eyes kept finding their way over to Sam; he was standing in the back of the restaurant, a cell phone to his ear as chatter buzzed around them. The tables in the small barbecue joint were full of campaign staff on one side and the press surrounding the Governor's table on the other. The lunch-turned-press event had been CJ's idea, and Donna could see how well the images were going to play. An elite, Nobel-prize winning Governor at a picnic table, ribs and curly fries in front of him? No one could deny the appeal.

Sam looked distressed, Donna realized as she sipped her Coke and tried not to look like she was watching him. He looked worried, upset, and very, very tired. That, Donna blushed as she stared down at her pork sandwich, was most definitely due to their late-night activities – activities that Donna knew she would not soon get out of her head.

It wasn't like her, to sleep with someone so casually, but with Sam it held felt comfortable and right. Physically it had been amazing, and even Sam had admitted that they had shared an emotional connection. Still, he had quietly said, he wasn't sure he could promise her anything real, anything that she needed. Before Donna had come up with a reply, the wakeup call from the desk had shattered the mood in the room, and their day had been flung headlong into chaos. She'd wanted to talk things out with Sam, but on the plane they'd been unable to fight falling asleep. Now, it felt to Donna like Sam might be avoiding her, keeping his distance, and maybe even regretting his actions.

Or, Donna smirked to herself as Josh and CJ passed by with large "to go" containers, she could be imagining everything. Paranoia was easy to cultivate on a campaign like this; spending so much time with the same people was cause enough to lose your mind. Maybe, Donna felt her heart sink, that's what had happened last night. They'd both lost their minds and now it was all water under the bridge.

"You okay?"

Donna's head snapped up. Carol was hovering, her eyes concerned. The blonde quickly regrouped. "I'm so tired. I was up pretty late."

Carol conspiratorially looked around, watching as CJ and Josh took seats near the press. Danny discreetly winked at the press secretary before turning his attention back to the Governor, and Carol felt her heart jump. There was *definitely* something going on. "Donna, if you swear you'll keep a secret, can I tell you what I think?"

Donna's eyes widened as she gestured at the picnic table bench. "Yeah, is something wrong?"

Carol grinned and leaned forward. "No, but I think I know where CJ was until four in the morning..."

~*~

The room was starting to retain the distinct odor of booze. Vodka martinis for CJ, straight Jack Daniels for Toby, Sam was working on his third gin and tonic, and Josh was simply plastered. Donna sipped on a single can of Bud light, and as the others floated in and out of the Kansas City hotel room, the hour only grew later.

"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking," Josh slurred.

CJ grinned excitedly and leaned forward. "What are you thinking, Josh? Please tell us."

Toby, the most unaffected, slid his eyes towards CJ. "Why do you encourage this?"

CJ giggled and finished her drink. "'Cause. It's funny. Sam, My Man, will you make me another?"

Donna leapt up as Sam nearly took out the bottle of Vodka with his elbow. "Let me handle this," she said matter-of-factly, brushing Sam away from the Vodka. "You're not in any shape, Sam."

Sam caught Donna's wrist before she could reach the Smirnoff bottle. Their eyes met and Sam smirked knowingly. "I can bring it, Donna, you know I can."

Donna's stomach warmed at the heat in Sam's eyes. "Believe me, I've been thinking about that all day."

Sam grinned. "Glad to hear it."

Toby and CJ exchanged glances at the odd way Donna and Sam were staring at one another, and Josh slid further down in his chair. "Can we *please* get back to what I was thinking?"

As Donna and Sam began working together to fix CJ another drink, the tall woman turned her full attention on to Josh. "Sorry. We had a moment of distraction. Go. Talk."

Josh took a deep breath, as though he were about to launch into a soliloquy. "I was thinking that, uh, I was gonna break up with Mandy."

Donna and Sam looked up in surprise, and CJ nodded with self- satisfaction. "That's what I'm talking about. Good for you, Joshua."

Toby leaned forward, a look of horror on his face. "No, Josh, no! We can't have Mandy pissed at us! It's bad enough as it is getting those mean e-mails with capital letters and angry punctuation!"

Sam looked up as he stirred CJ's drink. "Yeah, Josh, you gotta take one for the team and continue to love Mandy."

"I do not *love* Mandy. But she is good in bed," Josh declared to the groans of everyone in the room. Waving his hand through the air, he sat up and gestured in the direction the alcohol that was littering the coffee table. "I need another shot. Someone?"

CJ took her glass back from Sam and had a large swig. "One more, Josh, and then you're cut off. The press does not need to be treated to another full-length version of 'American Pie'. All eight minutes is eight minutes too long."

Toby, Sam, and Josh bit their lips with humor before Donna, wide-eyed and amused, leaned over and tapped CJ's wrist. "Um, CJ? That was you."

CJ stared into her glass and then back up at the blonde. "Oh, my God, you're right. It was."

Laughter permeated the air as the door cracked open. Carol walked into the room, Margaret not far behind. The redhead waved her hand through the air and gagged. "It smells like a bar in here. Toby! I don't think you can smoke that cigar inside!"

Toby held up his hands in protest. "Do you see a no-smoking sign anywhere?"

Margaret glanced around and quickly located the said sign. She pointed at it and glared accusatorily at Toby. Toby sighed and with resignation, stuck his cigar in a glass of ice water.

CJ choked on a snicker. "Carol, did you find Danny for me?"

Carol and Donna exchanged knowing glances before the brunette focused back on her boss. "Yes, yes I did. He's in the lounge at the end of the hallway, but I don't know if you're in any...you know, shape to be working right now," Carol chuckled.

CJ shakily stood up with some steadying help from Toby. Nearly dropping her glass into Sam's lap, she weaved her way towards Carol. "No, no, no, this is a social visit. You know, to make sure he'll keep writing nice things about us."

Donna covered her mouth, and Carol bit her lip as CJ passed towards the door. "Have fun..."

Toby looked between the two obviously humored assistants. "What's going on?"

Carol shrugged and moved to take a seat. "Nothing more than the usual madness, right Donna?"

Donna only giggled in response turned her attention back to the soft conversation she and Sam had begun. Josh finally got around to downing the shot he'd carefully poured while Margaret joined Carol on the couch.

Josh leaned and nearly toppled towards Carol. He lowered his voice as his eyes drooped. "Stay away from this brandy. It's...potent."

Carol and Margaret giggled and began to pour themselves drinks while Toby sat back and tried to ignore the lunacy going on around him. Sam and Donna eventually left the room for some privacy, and by the time Josh began explaining the rules of the Senate, CJ and Danny were well on their way to another all-night conversation.

~*~

Toby sighed and hung up the phone, working against the very strong urge he had to chuck the cell onto the side of the road. "Goddamn-it!"

Leo turned around as the bus sped west towards Manhattan, Kansas. "What's your problem?"

Toby rolled his eyes. "Nothing, sorry."

Leo got up and took the seat beside Toby, his intuition telling him that Toby's trouble was of a personal nature. "Was that Andi?"

Toby sighed deeply, his irritation obvious. "How *could* you tell?"

Leo chuckled. "Maybe it was your tone of voice. Or the fact that I could hear her side of the conversation all the way over in my seat. Things aren't ok?"

Toby shook his head and looked down. "She's angry and upset, with every right to be. I guess I couldn't have picked a better time to completely up and leave for a few months."

Leo nodded knowingly. "You're still trying to get pregnant, right?"

Toby slid his eyes towards Leo. "Clearly, not at the moment. But yeah, we are. And it's been an uphill battle."

"There are things you can try, you know."

Toby shook his head vehemently. "We're not quite ready to go that route yet, but we have been looking at the options. It's almost May. Andi said she'd give it until December, and then we start really talking about alternatives."

Leo nodded and looked around. Standing up, he briefly squeezed Toby's shoulder. "Make more of an effort to go home, or to have her meet you more often. And take it easy. It'll work out."

Toby nodded and turned back to the newspaper on his lap, quietly appreciative of Leo's support. It wasn't often that the people on this campaign talked about their personal lives, though their personal situations were affected deeply by what they were doing out here on the road. It was a sacrifice on everyone's part; Josh had walked away from a sure thing in the Senate. Sam gave up the good life, and CJ had headed straight out of Beverly Hills. Then there were people like Carol and Donna who had simply walked into the Manchester headquarters looking for a way to make a difference, and people like Margaret who were so dedicated to their bosses that a few months on the road was simply an extension of the office. Toby knew they had a lot to be proud of, and despite all of the personal sacrifices, each and every person on the Bartlet for America campaign knew what they were doing and why. There was no stopping now, and though Toby suspected that it would only get harder, he never doubted the people around him and he never doubted the Governor. They were just steps away from making a man into a President.

~*~

Sam threw his bag on the bed and realized that this was his third hotel room in just as many nights. With a sigh, he hung up his suit jacket in the closet, locked the front door, and immediately headed for the bathroom. With the water warming up in the shower, he began to shed his day- old clothing, looking ridiculously forward to a mere ten minutes under the spray.

Things were all shaken up, torn apart, twisted and confused. Sam let the water wash over him as he stepped into the tub, and his thoughts began to churn. What had he been thinking, sleeping with Donna so suddenly like that? He wasn't really over Lisa –he wasn't even sure that he and Lisa were completely broken up. He'd spoken to her over the phone that afternoon during lunch, and she'd been more supportive and interested in the campaign than usual. Sam just hadn't been able to bring himself to tell her what had happened, and now he was standing in the shower, alone with the weight of his own actions.

As if it weren't bad enough to have been with Donna for a night, he'd only worsened the situation by drinking and then taking her back to his room again the next evening. They'd left their clothes on, but Sam knew he'd given Donna an impression that was just all wrong. He cared about Donna, that much was for sure, and Sam knew in his heart that he couldn't keep treating her that way. Donna was more than a plaything, and just the thought of Lisa made Sam see that she deserved better. They all deserved better, and Sam had no idea what to do next.

Maybe he would cut things off completely with Lisa, start out with a clean slate. That was probably best, especially since Lisa knew that he'd probably never come back to the life she had dreamed up for them. But that still left the problem of Donna – he couldn't hurt her, he didn't want to, and he certainly did not want to push her away. The problem lay in just how close they could and should become during this less than ideal time in their lives.

As the water continued to run over Sam, nearly scalding his skin with the heat, he knew that the first thing he would have to do after his shower was call his ex-fiancée. From there on out, he would leave everything up to chance. That plan had carried him this far – it had carried him to the front row on a Presidential campaign. Sam knew he would just have to keep on trusting fate. *