Get Will - by Willow
Summary: The campaign needs a speech writer and Josh has a plan.
Spoilers: Anything up to 2162 Votes
Characters Josh, Matt, Donna, Leo, Will
Note: In my campaign a/u I'm assuming Russell was the shuttle leak, partly because I don't like him but mainly because I hate the idea of it being CJ or Toby.

Campaign HQ

"I hate to bring this up again," Josh said.

"And yet you're going to," Matt sighed.

"You don't have time to write your own speeches. We need a speech writer."

"We have Mark, Henry, Gordon, not to mention Ned," Matt replied, knowing exactly what Josh was going to say.

"Yes, but it's their speeches you're constantly having to amend. We need someone better."

"Anyone in mind?"

"Will Bailey."

"Will Bailey?" Matt echoed.

"He's good."

"I know he is, but he was Russell's campaign manager, you really think he'd want to work for us, ignoring for a moment whether it'd be a good idea."

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Russell's in a bit a trouble at the moment, I don't know whether you'd noticed."

Josh shrugged, "That was nothing to do with Will. You know how I know? Because it was illegal and it was ill conceived, not to mention the fact that it was stupid."

"Yeah," Matt agreed.

Josh could sense he was wearing Matt down. "The next few months are going to make the last seven seem like a company picnic. You're not going to have time to keep writing your own stuff. It's your speeches that have got us this far, we need to keep that up."

"And you think Will Bailey writes as well as I do?"

Josh smiled and shook his head. "You know there's no way I can answer that question and win. He's good, you know he is."

"I do," Matt agreed. "I'm just surprised you didn't suggest Toby Ziegler or Sam Seaborn."

"Nah, neither of them would leave their current jobs. Is that a yes then? I can approach Will?"

"I'm amazed you haven't done so already," Matt smiled. "Don't look so pleased, you still have to convince him."

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Josh had decided Donna should be his first port of call in his mission to ensnare Will. He found her in her new office surrounded by paperwork. "Hey, you busy?" he asked as he sat down across from her.

"No, just sorting through my knitting patterns," Donna replied. "What's wrong?"

"We have to get a decent speech writer."

"Call Sam," Donna smiled.

"I wish," Josh returned the smile. "Trouble is he's far too happy doing what he's doing."

"And I don't suppose Toby wants to leave the White House."

"No," Josh agreed. He and Toby had been getting along much better recently, but Toby had made it clear that he had no intention of joining someone else's campaign half way through.

Donna gave Josh a suspicious look, "Who'd you have in mind then?"

"Will."

"No! God, Josh, don't ask me to do that."

"Why?" Josh asked.

"I left him."

"You left me as well," Josh replied without thinking. "Sorry I didn't mean..."

"I know."

"None of the writers we've got are good enough, we need someone in a different class."

"Santos's speeches have been fantastic."

"Yes," Josh agreed. "But only because he either writes them himself or fine tunes them."

"He won't have time to do that anymore."

"See," Josh smiled, "took me three days to convince him of that."

"What does Leo think?"

"If we can't have Toby or Sam, we need Will. We really don't have time to search for someone else."

"Possibly better not to put to Will in quite those terms though," Donna pointed out.

"You see why I need you," Josh replied. "There's no point in me going to see him. I turned him down when he asked me run Russell's campaign and I was pretty blunt. But he might do it if you approach him first."

Donna nodded. "I'll try talking to him."

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Washington - OEOB

"This is a joke right?" Will asked Donna.

"No, the congressman and Leo want you."

"And Josh?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Will," Donna sighed. "You haven't even thought about it."

Will stood up, he walked to the window and then started pacing his office. "When the Wilde campaign was over, I planned on going to Europe you know. I was going to go to Switzerland, Norway, Wales. Then Sam convinced me to work a few weeks at the White House. Next thing I know I'm Deputy Communications Director, then I'm in the OEOB with Russell, then campaigning," Will was pacing rather quickly now.

"Will, maybe you should sit down."

"I need a vacation, Donna. A long vacation. And you want me to put that to one side and go and work for Santos."

"Yes."

"No way."

"I told them you wouldn't want to."

"And yet you're here anyway," Will said. "I've had as much of politics as I can take for now. I need a break."

"I'll tell them, they'll understand."

"No they won't, at least Josh won't."

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Boston - Santos/McGarry Campaign HQ

"Donna talking to Will?" Leo asked.

Josh nodded, "She said she'd give it a go. I don't think she holds out too much hope. She should be back soon, then we'll see."

"You and her okay now?"

"Getting there," Josh said and then sighed. "I seem to be saying that about a lot of people at the moment."

"Toby?"

"I don't understand him."

"Did you ever?" Leo asked.

"Yes, we used to... I don't know. I always knew how he'd react to any given situation, but now I don't understand what's going on with him."

"I think David dying shook him up more than he'll admit. He told me he deliberately goaded you, that he knew exactly what buttons to press to make you loose your temper."

"Yeah, he told me that as well. I still shouldn't have hit him."

"No, you shouldn't," Leo agreed. He was about to ask Josh what he'd been thinking, if he'd been thinking at all, but Donna entered the office.

Josh could see from Donna's face what Will's answer had been. "No joy?" Josh asked.

"I sowed the seeds," Donna told them. "Now it's up to you to do the reaping."

Josh looked at her and smiled. "What is this cliche hour?" he asked.

"Shut up," Donna replied with a smile. "And have fun talking to Will."

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OEOB

"You want Vinick to win?" Josh asked.

"Vinick's a good man," Will replied.

"Yes he is, but he's also a Republican. He's got Bruno running his campaign, we're going to need to be better than good to beat him. We're going to have give this everything we've got. The speeches will need to be of a standard no one over there can match. It's going to be tough enough..."

"You're really selling this job."

"We need a top class speech writer."

"I agree that you do, I just don't agree that it should be me."

"Why?" Josh asked.

"Because I'm sick of Washington politics. I'm sick of the spin, the backstabbing, the plotting, the... 'do anything you can to beat your opponent' attitude."

"That's not how Santos runs his campaigns."

"It's how you do and you're the campaign manager."

"If you think that low of me why'd you want me to run Russell's campaign?"

"I didn't say I thought lowly of you, I said I'm sick of it. I want a vacation and then I want to return to local politics."

"So you're leaving Washington now, not staying 'til January?"

"My boss under arrest."

"And the president is looking for someone to fill his place."

"Yes I know, but that's kind of a tough sell isn't it? 'Have this job that will probably kill your career, oh and it's only for five months'."

"Still needs filling," Josh said. "Anyway, that's not my point."

"Then what is?"

"You want to stay here for five months working for someone who's basically just treading water, or you want to come and be the communications director on a presidential campaign."

"I want to go on vacation to Wales and... I told Donna all this."

"I know, we ignored you, it's what we do."

"I'd noticed," Will replied with a small smile. "I'd have a problem working with Santos anyway."

"What kind of a problem?" Josh asked.

"He writes his own speeches, he isn't going to just step back and let me take over. He isn't going to be happy standing up there and reading what I've written."

"Sure he will."

"No he won't. The man is a great speech writer and great speech writers are very jealous of their work."

"I've already had that discussion with him. He knows he can't write all his own stuff anymore, he'll have too many other things to concentrate on."

"Then why didn't you hire a speech writer during the primaries? I mean if he's willing to step back..."

"Because whoever we hired would have expected a salary and a hotel room and food and... you get the idea. We had no money, half the time we could barely afford to pay the staff we had. Now we can afford the best."

"Flattery," Will smiled.

"No, the truth."

"Then why aren't you asking Toby or Sam, or am I the stand-by?"

Josh knew Will would only believe honesty here. "Sam's happy in the private sector, he has no intention of leaving. And the president and CJ need Toby were he is."

"I could give you names," Will suggested. "Other good writers."

"Better than you?"

"As good."

"And as good a tactician as you? Who know Washington, know how to play the game?"

"It's the game that I don't want to play anymore."

Josh considered his options and decided to offer a compromise. "How about you take your vacation and join us in a month?"

"Do I get the month to think about it?"

"Two weeks, then if you don't want to do it give me the names and I'll leave you alone." Josh couldn't help smile at his own words. "Sounds like something from a bad movie."

"A little," Will agreed. "Okay," he nodded. "I'll let you know in two weeks. It'll give you time to work on Toby."

"Won't happen. We want you. So when do you leave?"

"Friday."

"Well have a good trip." Josh shook Will's hand and left the office. He now had three days before Will left for Europe, three days for Leo and Matt to talk to Will and hopefully convince him that on his return he should visit them in Boston.

END