Part I: Thursday

Jack could tell by the way Josh was schlepping around his office, half asleep, that this was going to be another one of those mornings. But as he heads over to the coffee pot to pour his temporary boss yet another cup of coffee, Jack remembers that it was his voodoo doll that got him into this mess in the first place. Who would have thought that stupid felt piece of crap (it didn't even look like Donna.. Jack had used cheap yellow yarn for hair) would yield enough power to put Josh Lyman's assistant in the hospital, and leave the Deputy Chief of Staff's office without its trusty blonde backbone?

Jack later came to find out that Donna didn't even realize she'd bumped Jack from the CODEL trip to Gaza. Jack wished death upon her, and it almost happened. It happened to everyone else in that SUV, though. How could such a crappy voodoo doll do so much damage? Jack was so wracked with guilt he applied for a transfer to Josh as soon as he could. Josh didn't argue; Jack was an able assistant, and Jack was beginning to see that working for Lemon Lyman wasn't such a horrific undertaking after all.

Jack flits into Josh's office and places a full cup of coffee in front of him, as Josh immediately grabs it and takes a large gulp. "This coffee sucks," he blurts out after a swallow.

Jack rolls his eyes. "My, aren't we grumpy today. Get up on the wrong side of Donna's couch?"

Josh shoots him a look of death, but Jack is impervious. "Relax, it's just a joke. Jeez. Here, this should cheer you up: I got the thing about the money stuff," he says as he pulls a piece of paper seemingly out of thin air.

Josh tilts his head down and looks up at him in disdain. "You sure you're a Communications major?"

"Uh huh," Jack grins. "With a minor in Musical Theatre."

"Just give me the damn thing," Josh says.

Jack hands it over, saying, "It's that internal memo you wanted. From the Treasury Secretary."

Josh grabs the sheet of paper and reads. " 'Congress mistakenly seems to think that the Treasury Department is akin to the Franklin Mint.' Hmmm."

Jack raises his eyebrows. "Is there going to be a rumble?"

"I smell a real back alley brawl coming on. But Leo and I will smooth it out, because, that's what we do."

The phone begins to ring, but Josh continues, "We are the referees of politics. We blow our whistles, we get in there and pull everyone off of each other, and we set it up for another round."

"Sounds kinky," Jack says.

The phone rings a third time.

"Are you going to get that or what?" Josh sighs, nodding at the phone.

"Josh Lyman," Jack says curtly into the phone. After a moment, he hands the receiver to Josh. "It's Donna," Jack says as Josh puts the phone to his ear.

"I'm coming in," says the voice on the other end.

Josh smiles. "No you're not."

Jack raises his eyebrows at him as he makes his way out of Josh's office.

"I should come in." As she holds the phone to her ear, Donna surveys her apartment for things to clean. She begins to wonder why she even bothered getting dressed today. "Is there anything you need me to organize? How's the filing?" Donna twirls the phone cord anxiously between her narrow fingers.

"It's fine," Josh says through the receiver.

Donna isn't convinced. "What about the faxes? Did you check the faxes?"

Josh cradles his phone between his shoulder and cheek as he thumbs through a file. "It's under control."

Donna sighs. After a short moment, she can't help herself. "So what are you working on?"

"A bunch of Republicans are trying to push legislation through to put Reagan on the 10 dollar bill. The man's not even cold yet. And the Treasury Department is already pissed off. But Leo and I are looking into a compromise.. Something to do with Monopoly Money and arcade tokens."

Donna can practically hear Josh smirking. "Okay, well, can you just email me some notes on that and then I can give a you a snaky rebuttal?" she deadpans. "Because, Josh, I'm dying here. Let me come in."

"The doctor said Monday."

"Josh.."

"Monday. It can't be that bad."

Donna begins to pace in her livingroom. "No, it wasn't that bad, and then Lucas left Sami for Manda on Days of Our Lives and I've been in a downward spiral ever since."

Josh raises his eyebrows. "Donna.."

Donna looks up to notice a fresh headline on CNN working its way across her television screen. She frowns. "The Postmaster General resigned?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Not sure yet, but I think it could be because we made him put a Puerto Rican on a stamp a while back."

"Hey!" Jack shouts from Donna's desk, annoyed.

"Quit eavesdropping, Deep Throat," Josh shouts back.

Before Donna can even laugh at what she's heard, there's a quick knock at her door. She doesn't usually have visitors call in the middle of the day, and she decides on a hunch that it's important. "Hey," she says to Josh, "There's someone at my door. I'll call you later."

After a quick goodbye from Josh, she presses the OFF button on her phone, takes a deep breath, and pulls open her front door. Standing there in the dim hallway light is the First Lady of the United States. Behind her, a secret service agent faces away from them and touches his ear.

Donna cannot hide her shock. "Dr. Bartlet! What are you.. I mean, it's so nice of you to.."

Abby gives her a gentle smile. "Donna, it's so good to see you. May I come in?"

Donna laughs at her own fumbling hospitality. "Please," she says as she shows Abby Bartlet to her overstuffed couch. "Can I get you anything?"

Abby waves her off. "No, no. Come sit with me. How are you doing? How's the leg?"

Donna eases into the couch next to her, and smiles politely. "Much better, thanks. I'm planning on going back to work next week."

"That's wonderful. You don't mind that I came and visited you, do you?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Donna begins. "I'm honored. I'm just glad I decided to get dressed today." Donna winces at what just came out of her mouth.

Abby's eyes twinkle. "Donna," she says, placing a hand on hers, "Refresh my memory. Years ago, when Stackhouse filibustered the Senate, you were the one who figured out he had an autistic grandson, right?"

Donna shrugs. "Yeah. But I'm sure someone would have gotten it sooner or later.."

Abby interrupts her. "And you knew the minutiae of Senate rules that allowed Stackhouse to shut his trap for 5 minutes."

"Yes," Donna says meekly.

"You also organized a senior assistant uprising to instigate new OSHA policies."

Donna winces again. "Well.. .yes."

"And you were deep in the budget negotiations with Angela Blake not too long ago, weren't you?"

"Yes, but that didn't go so well."

Abby nods. "The shutdown. But thanks to you, the social security checks for millions of Americans still went out."

Donna begins to look more confused. "Yes?"

"And you even called me out on my attitude problem about Jed. On my birthday, no less."

Abby looks off into space for a moment, recalling that day.

Donna winces a third time. "Oh god. Yeah, yeah I did. Mrs. Bartlet, I don't understand. What are you getting at?"

Mrs. Bartlet shrugs. "Nothing. Just making conversation. And perhaps a teeny.. Tiny.. Job interview. Of sorts."

"A job interview?" Donna frowns. "But I already have a job. Or, I did.."

Mrs. Bartlet pats her hand to calm her. "Donna," she says.

Donna gives Mrs. Bartlet a look of concern. "Am I being replaced? Have I been replaced? Because Josh didn't say anything.."

"Donna, I'd like you to be my new Chief of Staff." Abby blurts out.

Donna hesitates. "Me?"

"Yes."

"You want me to be your Leo?"

Abby smiles at her. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Donna blinks. "But I'm not qualified."

"Donna, I don't know if you heard that conversation we just had, but it sounds like you're very qualified. Look, I'm not kidding myself, the Office of the First Lady is more about PR than legislation. For previous First Ladies, this was a creampuff position. But that's not the case in this administration. And it's not what I'll expect when I hire you."

"Yes m'am."

"I'm hiring you because I think you'd be wonderful at it. And, frankly, I'd like to work together. I think we could make an excellent team. What do you say?"

"I can't believe it, I mean, I don't know what to say.." Donna stammers. But then, she straightens her back a bit and continues, "I mean, yes. Yes, yes thank you. I'm honored."

"Good." Mrs. Bartlet stands, smoothing out her skirt. "I'll have Janice messenger some things over to you later on today, to help get you prepared. And then, god willing, we'll start first thing next week."

"Okay. I mean, yes m'am. Thank you, m'am."

Dr. Bartlet makes her way towards the door, but before she leaves, she turns to her new Chief of Staff and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Donna," she winks. "If you can handle Josh Lyman for 6 years, this will be no sweat."

As Mrs. Bartlet exits, Donna stands, frozen, in the entryway. She looks out in the hallway after the First Lady as a pounding thought begins to throb in her head: Josh.

"Shit, what about Josh? This happened so fast! What am I going to tell Josh?"

Josh finds Sam easily in the crowded main dining room of The Monocle Restaurant, and as he sits down at their table, he eagerly leans in towards his friend and begins to whisper in a clandestine manner. "So, do you think she's onto me? Do you think she knows?"

Sam is utterly confused. "Who?"

Josh gives him a chiding look. "Donna!"

"Um.. No?" Sam says mockingly as he picks up his menu.

Josh doesn't move. "You said it like a question. What is that? What does that mean?"

Sam glances over his menu. "Josh."

"I mean, is my poker face that bad, or.."

"Josh," Sam says again, putting down his menu. "I didn't ask you to meet me for lunch to talk about Donna."

Josh looks almost hurt. "You didn't?"

"No. It's actually work related."

"What's up?" Josh leans back in his chair as he switches gears effortlessly.

"We have a problem," Sam begins dramatically.

"Small problem or big problem?"

"I don't know yet. You're aware that there are protestors on Pennsylvania Avenue right now."

Josh nods. "Yeah. A bunch of college kids skipping school in the name of saving trees."

"Actually, they're Students for Environmental Action."

"And the president doesn't have an issue with them," Josh interjects. "I don't really know why they're out there, except that it's the White House and they're guaranteed some publicity. What's this?" he says as Sam passes a few pages to him.

"A speech the president gave at a Labor Conference in Chicago."

"I don't cross picket lines. I never have, and I never will." Josh reads. "Okay."

Sam continues. "Thursday, the president is going.."

"..to the opening of the exhibit on The American Presidency at the Smithsonian." Josh says, his gears turning.

"Yes."

"And if the picket line is still there.. And there's the problem." Josh looks up, understanding.

"Yes."

"There's actual picketing? Like, with sticks and signs and stuff?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't that waste paper? I mean, isn't that kind of defeating the whole point?"

"Josh," Sam interjects.

Josh pauses for a moment, thinking. "Do you really think that's why they're out there?"

he begins. "To make good on some speech from.. Wait, what is this from? I don't remember this. When did the President give this speech?"

Sam looks away. "1996."

"8 years ago? You're sweating about some loaded quote from 8 years ago? If that speech was a zygote, it'd be in 2nd grade by now!"

"I think there's going to be a question from the press about it."

"Sam, There's not going to be anything about it.."

"Oh yeah?" Sam raises his eyebrows. "It's a very distinct possibility that the next time the President gives a briefing, the entire Press gaggle will start taunting 'Liar Liar Pants on Fire'"

Josh is shaking his head. "It's not news. The press won't bite. That quote is like 85 years old in dog years."

Sam picks up his menu again. "If you say so."

Josh again hesitates for a moment, looking at his friend. "Why didn't you come into the office for this?"

Sam shrugs. "In case it wasn't anything. Besides, I don't want to be a distraction."

"Sam," Josh smiles. "You're not a distraction."

"Yeah, okay. So how is Donna?"

Josh cocks his head a bit. "Good. She's a little stir-crazy. I'm going to try to go over there later."

"Before or after the President goes back on his word and betrays the trust of protestors everywhere?"

Josh gives Sam a look of exhaustion.

A few hours later, Donna is sitting Indian-style on her living room carpet, surrounded by stacks of papers, binders, and folders. She's listening to her phone intently as it rests between her cheek and shoulder. Her arms, meanwhile, make busy work of the papers in front of her. The sound of the intercom buzzer gets her to her feet, though, and while still on the phone, she walks over to her intercom and presses a button. "Hold on a sec," she says into her phone before shouting "YEAH?" into the tiny box speaker mounted on the wall.

"It's me," a voice shouts back through the speaker.

"Okay," Donna replies as she hits the button to open the downstairs door.

Josh opens the door to her apartment only moments later, but Donna is already pacing around her apartment, stepping around the papers and files, still on the phone.

"Okay, great," Donna says into the phone. "Yeah. Fax the whole file over. Ok, thanks, Janice." Donna hangs up the phone and smiles at her new guest. "Hi," she says.

"Who's Janice?" Josh says, slightly bemused at the scene in front of him.

"She's an intern."

Josh walks over to her, mindful of the paperwork piles on the floor and also on various tabletops. "You snaked an intern into sending you work from the office?"

"Not exactly," Donna says. "I tried calling you.."

"Yeah," Josh winces. "I'm sorry. Leo pulled me into about 15 meetings this afternoon. But, I brought you something."

"Oh?" Donna's face brightens.

"Yeah." Josh says, pulling a few files out of his messenger bag. "I managed to scrounge up some notes on two federal budget meetings that need to be typed up."

Josh keeps looking around, though, and he can't help but notice the obvious quantity of work Donna seems to be buried in, compared to the four measly files he's handing her.

"What are you working on?"

"Oh, some stuff from the General Accounting Office. They're auditing the Postal Service. Apparently, they've got a lot to say," she says, eyeing her living room.

Josh cocks his head. "How did an intern get her hands on that?"

"Well," Donna begins. "Janice is from the office of the First Lady."

"You're helping Mrs. Bartlet with something?" Josh says as he throws down his bag and sits on her couch.

"Yeah," Donna says, following him to the couch. She sits down next to him and says, "Actually, starting Monday, I'm helping her with a lot of things. She asked me to be her Chief of Staff."

Josh's draw drops. He stares at her, stunned. "And you said yes?"

Donna looks away. "I tried to call you."

Josh shakes his head. "Of course you said yes. That's.. that's great, Donna." He turns to her, taking her hands in his. He looks into her eyes and gives her his best 'I'm Happy For You' face. "This is good. This is a really good thing."

Donna smiles at his posturing. She sweeps her hands around him and pulls him in for a hug. "Don't worry," she whispers into his neck. "Nothing's going to change."