Characters:The Santos Campaign
Pairing(s): Josh/Donna
Category(s): Romance, Post Season 6
Rating: TEEN
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine. Feel free to sue if you like, but it would be a waste of your time since you all have more pocket change than I have in my checking account!
Summary: The Santos' Campaign continues. Series: A New Day has Come #4
Spoiler: None, really, as long as you watch the show!
The next month was a whirlwind. The fundraiser had been a smashing success now everyone wanted on the Santos-McGarry bandwagon. Donna barely had time to sleep, much less to think about what the Bartlett women were planning for her and Josh down the road.
The Santos camp spent all the time they had criss-crossing the country. On more than one occasion, Josh and Donna ran into Bruno and the rest of the Vinnick camp – Donna couldn't believe that Bruno actually looked stressed.
The Congressman had become the most popular man in the country, seemingly over night. Schedules were arranged, re-arranged, and then re-arranged again! Josh and Donna tried to make sure that one of them was always in the main office, to deal with the satellite offices, contributors, lobbyists and what not.
Already, the battleground states were becoming apparently clear. Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina were all up for grabs. The battle for the White House was on.
Josh was so tired of Ohio. He swore that if he saw Cleveland or Akron or Columbus or Cincinnati again, it would be way too soon, and the campaign still had a good 5 months left to go.
Josh stepped off the plane at the Lunken Airport in Cincinnati and swore under his breath.
"What's the matter Josh?" Matt Santos asked as he exited the plane.
"How can you be so chipper? It's only 9 in the morning and it already feels like its a hundred degrees in this town!"
"It's refreshing!"
"You're insane!"
"Cheer up bucko! We are going to have a great time!"
"Seriously, I'm going to push in the river this time. I was joking the last time, but this time, I mean it!"
"Secret Service might have a problem with that."
"It's their idea!"
Matt Santos just laughed, slapped Josh on the back and strode off toward the limos that were waiting for them.
Caroline, Jane, Ned, and Jackson quickly filed out of the plane.
Matt looked over his shoulder and called out – "Lyman, Caroline, you two are with me!"
Ned, Jane, and Jackson snickered under their breaths. Caroline looked up from her notebook and gave Josh an exasperated look of terror.
"No way!"
"Caroline, just get in the car."
"You know he is just doing this to torture me. Shouldn't he be concentrating on, oh… I don't know, winning this election instead of picking on me!"
"Caroline, just ignore him."
"I'm sorry, do what?"
"Ignore him."
"Yeah, that's excellent career advice Josh – ignore the candidate. Seriously, how many times did you ignore President Bartlet in your 7 years working for him?"
"Honestly…"
"Oh shut up!"
Ned, Jane and Jackson giggled as they got in the lead limo. Caroline let out a huge sigh and got into the second limo right next to Matt Santos. He gave her a wicked smile and opened his mouth.
"Listen, Caroline, I had a great idea…"
"Please, Congressman, please, I'm begging you, can we NOT do this today, or at least not this morning? Yesterday was bad enough!"
"What? Josh thought it was brilliant!"
Josh shot him a look. "Leave me out of this."
"You're just mad you didn't think of it first."
Caroline could feel the headache already coming on. "Congressman, don't you think entering that pie eating contest at the fair would have made you look a little silly?"
Matt beamed. "I think it would have made me look like a man of the people. Besides, it was chocolate pudding pie – that's my favorite."
Caroline sighed. "You're driving me to an early grave Congressman, an early grave."
"Oh Caroline, ass kissing will get you everywhere in politics!"
"I quit!"
Josh looked up from the memo he was reading. "Yeah, that reminds me, Caroline, stop sending singing telegrams to the office with your resignation. Julia and Donna could barely stop laughing yesterday about the donkey singing 'Take this Job and Shove It'! I had to hang up on Donna because she couldn't talk. Besides, that doesn't count!"
Matt chimed in. "Besides, you work at the pleasure of… well, me, and I say you stay. I wouldn't be having near as much fun if you weren't here!"
Caroline sighed and slumped back into her seat. "You two suck!"
Matt laughed as he reached for the memo Josh was handing him. "Oh Caroline, there you go with the compliments again…"
Josh stared out the window as they drove from the airport to the Cincinnatian Hotel. It was now Friday and he had been traveling with the Congressman since Monday and they weren't scheduled to return to DC until late Sunday night. Donna had stayed behind to help prep Helen for the DNC's Women in Politics Dinner that she was co-hosting with Abbey Bartlet and to help Leo finalize his staff and schedule for the next few weeks. He didn't think he could have missed Donna more than when they were working for opposing sides, but boy, was he wrong.
Josh came out of his daze when Matt Santos shook him. "Snap out of it Josh, we're here."
As Josh was exiting the limo, his phone rang. His face lit up when he saw the number.
"Good morning Donnatella."
"Sweltering in Cincinnati yet?"
"What is it about this town? Its 9:30 and I could already fry an egg on the sidewalk! How's it there?"
"Wouldn't know – I'm still in bed!"
"What? What in the world are you doing in bed still?"
"I had a late night and I don't have anything scheduled till lunch today, so I decided to sleep in. Deal with it!"
"Late night? What kind of late night?"
"You know, the kind where CJ and Kate get me completely hammered and I wake up on the floor with a red thong around my neck."
"Your humor, this morning, is astounding."
"I'm a delight 24 hours a day Joshua!"
"Seriously, late night?"
"Yeah, all the prep is done for the trip to Detroit next month and then Sandra wanted some help polishing up Helen's speech for the event."
"And she asked you?"
"In case you forgot, I can bring the funny."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're an absolute riot!" Josh was now standing in the middle of the lobby while Matt worked the rope line on his way in. He was scanning the lobby when he saw her.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Son of a bitch!"
"What?
"You are NEVER going to believe who is here?"
"Franklin Roosevelt."
"You are on a roll this morning, Donna, a real roll."
"I told you – I bring the funny!"
"Yeah. Anyway, I need to go."
"Who's there?"
"Amy." He said through gritted teeth as he watched her cross the room toward him.
"Get an agent to shoot her."
"Donna…"
"No, seriously, Joe is with you all. He'll do it. He said he would do it."
"You don't think he was kidding?"
"Well, that's not something one should joke about. A sensitive system, yes, maiming Amy Gardner, no."
"Donna, it will be fine."
"Ned thinks she's stalking you."
"I'm beginning to agree with Ned."
"Josh…"
"Donna, really, it will be fine. Look, I've got to go get Matt. Caroline looks like she is about to have a fit."
"Josh…"
"Donna, please, don't worry about it. I love you and she's a pain in the ass. Don't worry about it."
"Ok!"
"Get out of bed."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Love you."
"Me too." With that, he snapped his phone shut. He hadn't seen Amy sneak up behind him.
"Hey J."
"Amy. What in God's name are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm doing some work for the DNC and I just happened to get assigned this event! Quite a coincidence, huh!"
"Yeah, if that's what you want to call it."
"So, how are things?"
"Fine. I've got to go."
"Let's get together later."
"I don't think so."
"C'mon J – for old times sake."
"Yeah, still, no."
"Don't be stupid. I'll catch up with you later."
With that, Amy headed back toward where she had come from. Josh just shook his head and moved back toward where the Congressman was.
"Sir, we've really got to get moving."
The morning was spent attending meetings and interviews with news outlets from all over the area. The staff had a late lunch in the Santos suite. They all took a few hours to rest and get ready for the fundraiser that evening.
Josh was laying on the bed reading a memo when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to see Amy Gardner, standing in front of him.
"Told you I'd catch up with you later" she said as she strode into the room.
"Get out."
"J, that's rude."
"Seriously, Amy, I'm busy. Get out."
"I thought we could catch up."
"Not interested."
"J, shut the door."
Josh sighed. "Not until you are on the other side of it."
Amy walked back over and shut the door for him. "There, that's better."
Josh crossed the room and flopped down in the chair behind the small desk. "What do you want?"
"What are you doing?"
"Campaigning. You?"
"C'mon J, don't be that way. We're on the same side."
"I don't think so."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Josh ran his right hand through his hair and sighed. "Nothing. Amy, did you need something?"
She smirked. "You could say that."
The meaning of that sentence wasn't lost on Josh. He got up and started to move past her to shove her out the door. "Ok, that's it, get out. Seriously, get out."
Before he had a chance to slide past her, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. His shock turned to sickness as he thought he was going to throw up when Amy tried to wrap her right leg around his hips. With all the force he could muster, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her as hard as he could. She landed with a thud on the ground in front of the bed.
"What the hell, Josh!"
"I told you, get out."
Amy pulled her self off the ground and sat on the bed.
"C'mon Josh – seriously, are you really going to try to convince me that you aren't interested?"
"There's no convincing to it, Amy, I'm NOT interested."
"Since when?"
"What, you want like a date or something?"
"Does this have anything to do with your secretary?"
Josh looked confused for a minute. While Amy may have considered Donna is secretary (and always would), Josh never saw her that way. He had always looked on her as an equal, no matter what anyone else thought or said.
"What does Ned have to do with this?"
"Who in the world is Ned?"
"My secretary, or assistant or whatever. What does he have to do with this?"
"J, I meant Donna."
Anger flashed before his eyes. He'd never hit a woman before in his life, but he was coming close to decking Amy.
"Get. Out. Now."
Amy looked thoroughly confused. "What?"
Josh counted to ten before he spoke. "Ok, listen to me and listen carefully cause I'm only saying this once. Don't talk about Donna. She's not my secretary, she was never my secretary and you know that. I don't know why calling Donna my secretary makes you feel better about yourself, but knock it off. She's more than that, she's always been more than that, and the quicker you realize that, the better off you will be!"
Amy stood toe to toe with Josh. 'No way is that blonde taking what is rightfully mine!' she thought to herself. "J, are you sleeping with her?"
"You bet your ass I am. But it's more than that Amy, more than I think you could ever comprehend. She's part of my life – always has been – and I like it that way. We are a team, a well oiled machine and the plans I make I make around her and us and the rest of our lives!"
Amy couldn't believe her ears. "Wait, so it's true! You're marrying HER!"
"Absolutely!"
"J, c'mon. She's not in your stratosphere. You need to be with someone who compliments you, who has your drive, your hunger for power and the kill."
And, at that moment, everything became clear in Josh's head. The guy that Amy was describing, yeah, that had been him 10 years ago. 10 years ago, he wanted nothing more than power and to be around the powerful. 10 years ago, he had been the guy – the guy that everyone wanted on their side because of his need for the kill, the battles and the power. Before Donna, all the women he had been with had been part of a 'power couple'. He had needed women who would help him succeed when he was at parties and galas. After Donna, all of that had changed. He saw that now. That day in Manchester all those years ago had really changed his life in more ways than he could have ever realized, until this exact moment.
Josh felt happiness and relaxation wash over, even as Amy fumed right in front of him.
"You know, Amy, I just realized that you just described me, but a me I'm not anymore. You may need to be part of a power couple, you may feel the need to power date and work your way up the Congressional ranks, but that's me, at least not anymore. The man that I am now is the man I was always supposed to be and Donna made that happen. Donna, not you. Donna has no interest in the power side of DC, in being part of a power couple. That may be what we are, but it's not what we intended. That's what you need, not her. Donna has no interest in that world and any world that Donna doesn't have an interest in, I have no interest in. Not anymore."
Amy's face turned bright red. "So, you're seriously going to go through with it?"
"As soon as humanly possible, if I have my way."
"ASSHOLE!" Amy screamed as she threw open the door and stormed down the hallway. Josh watched her careen down the hall, not missing for one moment what had just walked out of his life. As he closed the door, he mentally noted that he was closing the door on that part of his life and smiled as he realized what he was moving toward.
The next few days were completely uneventful. Amy, apparently, had made a spectacular scene as she left the hotel. Ned and Caroline had been in the lobby as a red-faced Amy stormed her way out, claiming that 'she was not to be overlooked or brushed aside for anyone'. As the events and days went on, no one really missed Amy Gardner at all.
By Sunday night, the Santos Campaign was exhausted and looking forward to sleeping in their own beds for once. By 11:15, Josh was standing in front of the brownstone, unlocking the door to his future.
He had barely had a chance to talk to Donna, but sure had talked to her voicemail a lot, just as she had talked to his. All he wanted was to see her face and fall asleep next to her.
The apartment was dark, except for the small light that Donna had left on for him. He dropped everything and tiptoed back to the bedroom. There he saw her – the future he had been talking to Amy about. The future was in the shape of a beautiful blonde asleep with a book on her stomach and the TV turned to CNN. He was in awe of her and the impact she had had on life. He quickly shed his clothes and got into bed. She started to stir as he pulled the blankets over him.
Donna opened one sleepy eye to look at the commotion that had stirred her from her sleep.
"You're back."
"Miss me?"
"Tons"
"C'm here." He said as he motioned for her to cuddle with him.
He leaned back as she threw her right arm across his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.
"How'd it go?" Donna asked as got comfortable.
"Matt Santos was a hit with Cincinnati."
"Did you have any doubt that he wouldn't be?"
"None at all."
"Anything else?"
"Nope."
"Did you get the agents to shoot Amy like I asked?"
Josh laughed. He hadn't had one thought about Amy Gardner since she stalked out of his room those few days ago. "No, but I don't think we will have to worry about Amy Gardner anymore. I don't think she will bother any of us again."
"If you're sure, but I still think you should have had Joe shoot her. Then we would know for sure."
"Go back to sleep Donnatella."
"I tried to wait up for you Joshua."
"Shh."
And they both laid there in silence, each lulling the other into sleep. As Josh fell asleep, he had pictures of the future Lyman family in his head and that gave him more happiness and contentment than he thought he could ever feel.
TBC…