W.W. –Tuesday evening

"Josh Lyman's office."

"Hello, pretty lady… this is Josh Lyman speaking." She could hear him smiling.

"It sounds like someone's having a better day." She tried to keep her own frustration out of her voice. While Josh had his assorted exes traipsing around the office, his cleared schedule was causing hers to back up, not that he'd have noticed.

"Hey, this is going to take a while with Leo. I know you must be getting backed up over there. Try to push some stuff off on Ed and Larry. Don't try to do it all today, okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Listen, I was going to call my parents. I'd like to talk to you afterwards. Any idea what time you guys are breaking up over there?" She looked at her clock. They'd already been meeting for over two hours.

"Probably late. After this I need to see the President and I have some things I wanted to talk to you about too. Want to just meet for dinner?"

"Okay. Just let me know when." She figured they'd order Chinese and eat at his desk.

"Do me one favor?" She tried not to sigh, looking at the growing list of things already on her plate for the week. "Hey, I heard that sigh! Just one more thing- get us reservations somewhere nice, but not too fancy, just you and me, okay?"

"You mean, actually go out to dinner?"

He laughed. "Sure, the cat's pretty much out of the bag, and so I want get out and you know, be seen with you. You are particularly beautiful, you know? Gotta run."

She wanted to thank him, or at least ask if he'd been drinking, but he'd already hung up.

W.W.

"She is, you know." Joey was looking at him from across the room, while Kenny was talking to Leo and a guy from the NSA. Joey saw Josh's flash of puzzlement.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't realize at first that call was private."

"Oh, that's okay," Josh said, getting the sign for 'okay' correct and mangling the rest. Still, he'd been practicing, mostly at night when he couldn't sleep.

He grinned. "So you were reading my lips?"

She shrugged. "A little. But I've always known how you felt about her. I'm glad…" she said more, but he couldn't make it out.

"Sorry?" He said and signed. Trust Josh Lyman to know, and need, the sign for "sorry."

"She's glad you took your head out of your ass," Kenny called over, rejoining the conversation. "Me too, by the way."

"Thanks, to both of you. I think." Josh grinned at her, and then turned his attention to Kenny.

"So what do you think? Both of you- Is it possible?" Josh looked at Kenny. Sometimes it was hard to notice him, since he did such a great job of being Joey's voice and her ears, but he was obviously a smart, dedicated guy with a lot of exposure to politics and to politicians.

Kenny looked to Joey, and they fired a few rapid signs back and forth. The only ones Josh caught were "job" and "boss."

"I want to do it," she said. "I think that if we can't make this work, with you and Leo and the President, no one can."

"Excellent," said Leo, who had shown out the guy from the NSA. "Joey, Kenny, would you give us just a moment? I want to talk to Josh in the other room."

"Of course," Kenny said as Joey nodded.

"Be right back." Josh shook Kenny's hand, careful of the amazingly supple and expressive tool that was the translator's hand, and patted Joey on the shoulder on his way past her. Leo buttoned his jacket as he opened the door into the Oval Office. He and Josh stepped through and closed the door softly behind them.

"Mr. President? With your approval, we have our candidate for Deputy Chief of Staff." Leo was grinning, and Josh was looking more than a little wistful.

The President rose from his desk, the paper he was reading forgotten in his excitement. "She said yes? And Kenny Thurman, NSA passed on his screening?"

"There shouldn't be any obstacles to getting them both clearances, and they've already shown their commitment to the party and to the process." Leo shrugged. "Would you like to speak to her?"

"Josh, show them in, would you?" The President took off his reading glasses.

There were some questions, and of course, a little speechmaking by President Bartlet. Josh stood back, somewhat detached from it all. He could recall a time when he'd imagined Donna moving into his job and he into Leo's, when he was toying with ideas of how she could advance without leaving him. He remembered when he'd started working as a senior aid to the President, and the dull roar, which had turned out to be his pulse racing in his ears.

He saw the moment coming, and it stirred feelings deep within him, the ceremony that had started with Leo, had been passed on to him and Sam and CJ by Toby, the call and response that put into words what it meant to work in the service of something greater than yourself, your party, or even your own ideals.

"So will you, Josephine Leslie Lucas, take the responsibilities of White House Deputy Chief of Staff?"

"I serve," she said almost breathlessly, "at the pleasure of the President." She was afraid, much more than usual, of being too loud or talking too fast, and so of course she was both, but they could all see her response shining on her face.

"And Kenneth Aaron Thurman, will you accept the position of Special Executive Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff?"

"I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States," he said, and they were all a little surprised. His voice, when speaking for himself, was a little deeper, and somehow just different than when he was translating. Even when you knew it was coming it was always a surprise.

"Well, let's get C.J. in here. We have a lot of good news to get out and I'd like it to come from us for a change." The President nodded to Josh. "What's the matter, son? Got a hot date?"

Josh grimaced at the attention. He'd been caught looking at his wrist, where his watch should be. "No sir, I just…"

"Josh, have you spoken to her parents? Since your announcement to us last night?" The President had his full attention on Josh, who was starting to squirm a little.

"Not yet, sir. It's been a busy day so far and I'm sure they'll understand if…"

"Oh no!" said the President with a grin and a laugh. "Take it from a father of daughters: you need to call, you need to call often, and you need to let her do almost all of the talking. You head out, we'll talk to C.J. and have her brief you in the morning."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Josh nodded to Leo and Kenny, and took Joey's hand for a moment before excusing himself.

W.W.

"Claudia Jean. This is a surprise." His voice was smooth and mellow as an old scotch. She remembered why he was filed under "not as harmless as he looks" in her Rolodex. Literally.

"Hello, Marco. I need a favor, and I hope it's not an imposition…"

"C.J., really, your assistant already faxed me your notes. I know just the guy, over in Baltimore. He says he can look at it in the morning, as a favor to me."

"That's outstanding. Listen, I know I should have called before now, but things have been just crazy here."

"I didn't expect you to call C.J. Hoped, but not expected. I'm flattered you thought of me to help your friend." He sounded honestly pleased, despite the two years that had passed since she'd spoken to him.

"You're one of the good guys, you know that? Thanks again." She looked up to see Carol giving her the 'high' sign. "Damn, I have to go. Can you talk to Carol for a minute and give her all the information?"

"Sure. Adieu, Claudia," he said. Damn. She needed to dog-ear that card or something for future reference.

"They need you in the Oval," Carol told her, "to meet with the new Deputy Chief of Staff. We have a new DCOS?"

"I'll worry about that." C.J. handed her the phone on her way out. "Here, talk to a charming and sexy horologist from Paris who used to front a band called the Mollusks."

"If I had a nickel…" Carol sighed with a grin. Still, maybe it was time to trade up from a CIA analyst with great lips and an overbite. "Hello, you had some information, sir?"

"Hello again Carol. I'll fax everything back to you, ok?" She could tell. He was smitten, smitten with her boss. That was okay. Nate's overbite was actually kind of cute.

"Sure. Nice speaking to you again, Mr. Arlens."