Title: In Need Of Assistance (part 2)
Author: Willow
Synopsis: Being caught between Leo and the president was soon to be the least of Josh's worries.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Anything up to season 5, Memorial Day, but set in an a/u.
Notes: Second in the Stone By Stone series. Starts 2 weeks after Can't Sleep, Won't Slpeep.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
On Friday afternoon Josh and Toby were walking from Leo's office when something, or rather someone, caught Josh's eye and he stopped walking to watch.
"..... we should talk to Morgan before....." Toby paused when he realized he was talking to himself. "Josh?" he called.
Josh turned absently towards Toby and then glanced back in the direction of the press room, but Colin had gone.
"You coming?" Toby asked.
"Yeah," Josh fell into step beside Toby again, but turned to look back down the corridor when they reached the doors to the lobby.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you know where CJ is?"
"She's got a meeting with Henry to try and talk him out of leaving. Why?" Toby asked, but Josh had walked back to the briefing room and was looking through the window.
When Josh saw Colin sat talking to Steve and Chris he felt a wave of anger that CJ, and he knew it had to have been CJ, had got him a pass. But then he remembered she didn't know what he knew, or what he suspected anyway. He turned round and rejoined Toby.
"What's wrong?" Toby asked again.
"You remember the journalist Donna met in Gaza?"
"Yeah."
"He's in the briefing room."
Toby shrugged, "He's a reporter."
"I'm pretty sure he took the photos," Josh said.
"What photo's?" Toby began and then turned to look at Josh. "The cars?"
"Yeah."
That evening Josh followed CJ into her office and closed the door. "You got a minute?"
"Apparently."
"Who got Colin Ayres a pass?"
"I did, Donna asked me to."
"What does he want?"
CJ was a little taken aback by Josh's hostile tone. "He was in New York," she replied."He stopped in Washington to see Donna and she thought he'd like to see the White House."
"He couldn't just take a tour?"
"Josh, he's her friend."
Josh gave a humorless laugh. "Was it his idea or hers?"
"Hers I think, what's the problem?"
"I don't trust him."
"Other than the fact that he dated Donna, why?"
Josh knew he had no proof about this, just a very strong suspicion. "He took the photos of the cars after the bomb, at least I'm pretty sure he did."
"How do you know?"
"He told me he was there when the bomb went off, that there was nothing he could do but watch. The thing is, he never goes anywhere without his camera and if he was that close," Josh shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it wasn't him."
"But you're pretty sure it was."
"Yes."
"Have you told Donna?"
"Of course not. I could hardly tell her at the hospital and once she was home there didn't seem any point in upsetting her, I didn't know she was going to see him again."
"She's meeting him tonight, for dinner."
"Where?" Josh asked.
"I don't know," CJ lied, because she could imagine Josh tearing down to the restaurant and dragging Colin away from Donna.
Before Josh had time reply, they were disturbed by Carol. "Sorry, CJ, Steve wondered if you had a minute."
"I'll see you later," Josh said and left the office as Steve walked in.
"Josh," CJ called after him. "Just leave it with me for a while." Josh nodded his agreement and walked back to his office.
"What can I do for you?" CJ asked Steve.
"I was talking to that Irish journalist, Colin Ayres, earlier and something he said got me thinking so I did some checking with a couple of contacts. He's a freelancer, he gets some good stuff because he takes risks, will go places other reporters won't." Steve hesitated.
"Go on," CJ said, although she had a good idea where this was heading.
"He sold the photos of the cars in Gaza to Reuters. Apparently, there were other ones that they didn't use." He hesitated, he knew how angry CJ had been about the pictures anyway, "There was one of Donna in the car."
"It was definitely him?" CJ asked quietly.
"Yes."
"Thanks, Steve." Once Steve had gone, CJ walked to Carol's desk. "Do you know what time Donna was meeting Colin?" she asked.
"Round about now I think. He's nice, very charming," Carol smiled.
"Isn't he," CJ agreed dryly and went back into her office.
Josh stood in his kitchen making himself a drink, while listening to Sam on the phone. It was 9.30 and he was trying to decide what time Donna would be home from her date and what was happening between her and Colin.
"Am I boring you?" Sam asked.
"Sorry, go on." Josh carried the phone into the lounge and sat in the couch.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just been a strange day."
"Everyone alright?"
"Yeah everyone's good."
"But?" Sam prompted.
"You remember I told you about the reporter from Gaza, Donna's friend."
"Turned up in Germany," Sam remembered.
"Well today he turned up at the White House. CJ got him a pressroom pass."
"He's a journalist," Sam pointed out.
"A Middle East journalist, what's he doing in Washington?" Josh asked.
Sam had a good idea what Colin was doing in Washington. If he'd traveled from Gaza to Germany to see Donna, why wouldn't he come to America as well. But he didn't say that to Josh, instead he suggested, "Writing a story?"
"That's what worries me," Josh replied. "He took the photos of the car."
"Does Donna know that?"
"No. Steve told CJ this evening, but she couldn't get in touch with Donna. You think I should have told her sooner?"
"I thought you only found out this evening?"
"I suspected when they were published, but I didn't want to upset her."
"Donna's not an idiot, if he's after a story she'll see straight through him."
"Yeah," Josh agreed. "So how's Chloe?" he changed the subject.
"She's well. She's applied for a new job."
"Yeah?" Josh asked, trying to sound interested but still thinking about Donna.
"In Connecticut," Sam added.
"That's going to be long commute for one of you."
"I've applied for a couple as well."
That got Josh's attention. "In Connecticut?"
"Two in New York, one in Hartford."
"So you could be moving back the East Coast?" Josh smiled, suddenly cheered up by the thought of Sam only being a few hours drive away.
"We could. She's home sick and I have more connections over there than here, so I wouldn't mind moving."
In her apartment, Donna sat down and put her foot on the coffee table to ease her aching leg. She leaned back and sighed, how could she have been so stupid? Perhaps reporters were all the same, maybe it was just natural to them. Or perhaps her taste in men really did suck. She wished her roommate wasn't at work because she needed someone to moan to, to bitch with. Well if Candi was out there was only one other person she could think of who would sympathize entirely. She reached for the phone and dialed CJ's number.
"Hey," CJ answered. "I thought you'd still be out with Colin, it's not even 10 yet."
"I left early. Are you busy, I'm not disturbing you am I?"
"Well, you are interrupting a fascinating documentary on Discovery about the migration patterns of the Canadian Goose," CJ replied. "What happened?"
Donna poured herself a drink and hobbled back to the couch. "It was a disaster. Oh he started out as charming as ever. Asked how I was, how my mom was. He even asked how Josh was, which I thought was nice of him."
CJ smiled. "They didn't get on when they met?" she guessed.
"You know what Josh is like," Donna replied. "He feels he has to vet every man who comes near me."
CJ couldn't argue with that, of course now she knew why he did it.
"Then he started asking about the summit, how had it really gone, what were the tensions like. This was before the starter had arrived. It was like an interview, straight down to business."
"Surely he knows you weren't at Camp David."
"I told him that. He said Josh must have told me what had happened, which he had, but I wasn't about to tell Colin that. So I told him no and I had no idea what had happened. I tried to talk about something else, but he asked how the president was and then Leo. I think someone in the pressroom may have said something to him about them."
"I'm sure they've all noticed something's wrong. There's an atmosphere through the whole building. It's even worse than Josh and Leo last year."
"Josh said it was bad," Donna replied. "Anyway I told Colin that I wasn't at work, so how would I know what was going on."
"And he asked what Josh had said," CJ guessed.
"Yes. I told him if all he wanted to talk about was what Josh had said, maybe he should be having dinner with Josh. You think that was a little harsh?"
"No," CJ replied.
"He changed the subject then and we talked about family and general nothingness, you know. But as soon as the main course came he started again." Donna paused and drank some of her drink.
"What did he ask?"
"He wanted to know whether I thought the CODEL was worth while. Did I think it was worth the cost."
CJ waited for Donna to continue, when she didn't she asked, "Donna, are you alright?"
"How could he ask me that?" Donna asked quietly. "He sold the pictures he took, CJ. Of the cars after the bomb. I didn't know that."
"I know, Steve told me this evening. If I'd known before I wouldn't have got him a pass. Are you sure you're alright? I can come over."
"No, thanks, I'll be fine. I just need better taste in men."