Title: Simoom
Author: Willow
Summary: A helicopter crash in The Middle East and the CCTV documentary keep the staff busy.
Spoilers/Episode: Set in an a/u that leaves the show's timeline after season 5, Memorial Day. This chapter takes place a month after chapter 10.
Characters: Ensemble and Danny
Rating: PG
Part III
Monday
"Good weekend?" Danny asked Josh when he caught up with him on his way into the White House on Monday morning.
"Yeah, nothing interesting happened," Josh replied.
"Nothing worth watching on TV then?"
"Worth watch?" Josh asked. "No."
"But you watched it anyway," Danny guessed.
"Yeah," Josh agreed. "Kind of hard not to."
"I know," Danny agreed. On Sunday evening he'd sat and watched the documentary, he'd watched the footage of Josh, and he'd silently cursed his old colleague for making it. "This is gonna start media attention again in some areas."
"You want a quote?" Josh asked with a small smile.
"Even if I did, I doubt it would be printable." Danny returned the smile, but had to ask, "You okay then?"
"I'm fine; it's other people who want to do bad things to Trevor Michaels and your friend Scott Bell."
"He's more of casual acquaintance."
"You gave him his first break."
"I did," Danny admitted. "Toby spitting fire?"
"Oh yeah," Josh agreed. "And Sam, CJ, Leo, my mom."
"It'll blow over."
"That's what I keep saying," Josh agreed.
Danny walked in silence for a few seconds before asking. "Did you talk to CJ about me last week?"
"Probably, you were annoying her."
"Everyone needs a hobby," Danny agreed. "I meant, she went from wanting bounce me round the pressroom, to almost agreeing to go to dinner with me, I don't get what changed."
Josh smiled. "She almost agreed to have dinner?"
"She did. See for two days she was trying to stop me publishing, even arranged for me to meet with Hutchinson and Alexander, and then she just let it drop."
"I don't know what to say," Josh shrugged.
"You told her about Michael," Danny stated.
Josh looked awkward. "Yeah. Look I'm sorry, I know it's personal but, yeah I told her."
Danny nodded, "Okay."
"Okay?" Josh asked.
"Yeah. I should probably have said something, but I didn't want to be making excuses. I don't want people thinking this a personal crusade, 'cos it isn't. They approached me."
"I know."
"Good. I may still beat the crap out of you."
"She almost agreed to dinner," Josh reminded him.
"Only almost," Danny replied.
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Josh watched Donna sit down at her desk and then walked over. "Morning."
"Good morning."
"Nice flowers."
"Yes, I must have an admirer," Donna smiled as she made as show of looking for a card in the six yellow and six white roses on her desk.
"It looks that way," Josh agreed. "One who knows you prefer yellow and white roses to red ones."
"He must know me quite well. I hope he was discreet when he ordered them."
"Oh, I'm fairly sure he was," Josh smiled. "You like?"
"I do. Who reminded you?"
"No one."
"Josh?"
"Sam may have mentioned that he'd got Chloe something, but I knew it was Valentine's Day."
"I feel bad now, I didn't get you anything."
"You didn't?"
"No."
"Okay," Josh looked confused.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just, I must have an admirer then."
"One of the Lyman Hoes?"
"Who knows my home address?"
"What did you get?"
"A card."
"Amy?"
"No, no way, she wouldn't." Josh looked worried for a moment and then saw the humor in Donna's eyes. "It was you."
"It was, sorry, no admirer."
"Ah well," Josh gave a mock sigh.
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Wednesday
"What?" CJ asked, when she couldn't take Josh's hovering a moment longer.
"A researcher from the The Taylor Reid show has just phoned me, they want me to go on tomorrow."
"What for?"
"To talk about being a victim of gun crime."
"What did you tell them?"
"I told them no, what would you think I'd tell them?"
"Don't snap," CJ said.
"Sorry."
"I did warn you that this documentary would bring up stuff again."
"Yeah, but...."
"Maybe you should do it," CJ said.
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Because it's Taylor Reid and if you don't do it, he'll mention it."
"Who cares?"
CJ continued cautiously. "He might start asking why you're so reluctant to discuss the shooting."
"Let him."
"He might start asking whether you're recovered," CJ continued.
"I know what you're getting at," Josh said. "But if I go on his show to talk about what it felt like to be shot, you can be damn sure he'll know whether I'm recovered."
"Okay," CJ nodded. "Did they say what the show was about?"
"I told you, victims of gun crime. It's supposed to be an in depth analysis on how gun crime effects people's lives."
"But it's Taylor Reid," CJ added. "So 'in depth' is probably unlikely. He goes more for sensationalism."
"Yeah, well if I go on he may get just that," Josh sighed and sat down.
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Sam looked up from his computer as the rhythmic banging became more insistent, he couldn't believe he'd actually forgotten about that, or maybe his mind had just blocked it out. He looked towards Toby's office, sighed, stood up and went next door.
"You have no idea how much I haven't missed that," Sam complained as the pink rubber ball bounced back into Toby's hand. "Did you need me?"
"It's why I've been throwing a ball against the window for five minutes," Toby replied.
"Wouldn't it have been quicker to have stood up and walked into my office?"
"Possibly," Toby agreed.
"What's up?" Sam asked.
"Josh has been asked to go on Taylor Reid."
"I didn't think we did Taylor Reid, well apart from the time he called CJ chicken, which by the way I wish I'd been here to see."
"He wants to talk to him about being a victim of gun crime," Toby continued.
Sam closed the door and sat down. "I told him the documentary would stir up all sorts of crap."
"Yeah."
"Well he can't do it," Sam decided. "It would be a really bad idea."
"You think?" Toby asked sarcastically. "He told them no."
"So what's the problem?" Sam asked and then answered his own question. "Reid's gonna mention it and possibly ask why Josh is unwilling to talk about it."
"Yeah," Toby nodded.
"He's going for sensationalism, he always does," Sam continued. "Even if Josh went on and was fine, Reid would make something out of it. He'd fish around until Josh snapped."
"Yeah," Toby agreed again.
"Do you have any ideas or are you just waiting for mine?" Sam asked.
"He can't go on and he should ignore anything Reid says by way of baiting," Toby replied.
"That's your plan, have Josh ignore being baited? Josh Lyman?" Sam asked. "In all the time I've known him he's never once ignored being baited."
"I know."
"So we need to talk to Leo," Sam decided.
"Yeah," Toby agreed.
Part IV >>>