White House Corridor

"Something's going on," CJ announced as she and Toby headed to their staff meeting the next day.

"Okay," Toby answered gruffly in his caring-pretending-to-be-uncaring way.

Well really, what was he meant to say? This was the same woman who would think something potentially damaging was going on if you put a bunch of nuns in the same room. 'It must be her press secretary side,' Toby thought. 'Makes her suspicious.'

"Tobias, pay more attention," she snapped at him. "Watch them, he's walking round like he's in paradise and she's so miserable she looks like she's going to break down in tears at any minute."

"So?" Toby asked, not seeing her point.

CJ sighed and rolled her eyes. "There's obviously something going on," she repeated.

"Like what?" Toby asked, his question making CJ be quiet for a moment while she thought about it.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I know someone who will."

And with that she hurried off faster down the hall, Toby jogged after her, cursing her long legs and fast speed.

"Tell me he's ready for us?" CJ asked Debbie as she reached the foyer for The President's office.

"Sure, go on through," Debbie answered with a smile that soon changed to a smirk when she saw Toby arrive. "You know gyms have those machines now to help you stay fit, you should try them," she informed Toby who snarled in response.

Smiling, Debbie got on with the sorting of papers while CJ and Toby entered The President's office.

"Well," Jed said seeing the two of them standing there. "Not that I'm not impressed with your eagerness for these meetings but what the hell are you doing here so early? There's still ten minutes to go."

"CJ seems to think you can shed some light on a situation she's become more than a little obsessed with," Toby answered, ignoring the glare he received from CJ.

"What situation?" Jed asked, confused and worried at the same time.

"It's about Josh…" Toby began to say but was cut off.

"What's he done now?" Jed asked impatiently.

"Well isn't that the million dollar question?" CJ quipped quickly before Toby could answer for her. "And it's not you I wanted to speak to; can I use your phone?"

"No," Jed answered but CJ had already picked it up but was dialling out.

"Don't let Josh in," she instructed as the phone began ringing.

"Seaborn's Sweatshop," a woman's voice answered sincerely. "How may I directly your call?"

In the background CJ could hear her old friend's voice shouting "Carolyn give me that phone right now!" There was a little crackling and muttered conversation before a familiar voice spoke on the phone.

"Hello?" Sam's voice sounded tired.

"Spanky," CJ responded quickly. "I hope you're working hard."

"How could I not be, Flamingo," Sam said, his voice seemed lighter now making CJ smile despite the 'flamingo' reference.

"I can still beat your ass Seaborn, don't you forget that," CJ advised him dangerously.

An irritated cough sounded from Jed but CJ still heard Sam laughing on the end and knew he was about to make some quick comment, she cut him off quickly.

"Look, as much as I'd like to chat we're meant to be doing the staff meeting and Josh is locked outside because…I need your help." Maybe it was her tone or maybe it was just Sam's nostalgia at hearing his old friend again but he was more than willing to help.

"Shoot," he said to her.

"Alright, hold on while I put you on speakerphone," there was a quiet click when CJ pressed the button and then she spoke again. "I want you to tell me what's going on with Josh."

- - - -

­Campaign Headquarters, California

The last thing Sam had expected that day was to hear the voice of the Acting White House Chief of Staff asking him for help, least of all about his best friend.

"I want you to tell me what's going on with Josh."

Her voice was so determined to get a response that he supposed she didn't want to hear "Josh? What about him? He's okay isn't he?" Luckily Toby's voice spoke up loudly, but not so lucky that it went right down his ear.

"Oh for God's sake Claudia Jean, will you get a grip? There's nothing wrong with him and even if he did how would Sam know? He's over two thousand miles away."

"Toby's probably right," Sam said, though he had no trouble believing it didn't sound like that, if there was even any sound at all because it sounded like there was murder at the other end.

"Two thousand miles away or not, they're still best friends. You're just pissy that Josh won't open up to you," CJ shouted at Toby.

"I prefer it that way; Josh gets really girly when he opens up."

"Oh, right, I forgot, Toby doesn't like feelings…Or emotions of any kind, they're weak." Her tone was taunting and Sam knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Er…Guys," he tried to interrupt but he was too quiet.

It wasn't like he could shout could he? Unlike them he was in a room full of people who already thought he was crazy keeping them up so late. While it was a normal time for the White House with their meeting at 8 am, it was still only 4 am in California and those staff who had been allowed to go home were more than likely asleep, Sam had made the others stay to help him finish this new approach to the campaign. However, he didn't need to worry about the shouting for much longer, a loud voice shouted in the room CJ and Toby were in, it was so loud that Sam, who already had the phone at least 5 centimetres away from his ear, jumped and pulled it away even further.

"Enough! You two are acting like a couple of school children, I bet Sam's happy to be away right now."

Sam laughed. "Yes sir, but you still have you're effect, I think you might have deafened my other ear."

Jed chuckled, "Sorry but you know how these two can get."

Sam smiled widely. "I remember. So, what do you need help about Josh with?"

Jed sighed, "I have no idea, CJ share with us all and please, speak." He slowly pronounced the last word to emphasise its importance.

"Alright," she said in her professional voice, one she often reserved for the press corps. "Well, here's the thing; Josh has been strutting around for the last two weeks grinning like the Cheshire cat while poor Donna's been getting worse and worse. I saw her before, she was in earlier than usual and she didn't look like she'd slept all that much. Something's going on and Sam knows what."

"No I don't," Sam answered a little too quickly.

"Sam?" CJ called sweetly.

"Yeah?" He answered nervously.

"You wouldn't be lying now would you?"

"Of course not," his voice was a little higher than normal.

"Spill it," this time it wasn't CJ talking, it was Jed and he sounded impatient.

That wasn't a good thing, the President in a good mood could be bad enough but making him angry, well, that was a whole different thing entirely.

"Alright, okay, but I never told any of you," Sam said, hoping they wouldn't say anything.

"Of course," CJ urged him.

Sam took a deep breath, if Josh hadn't told them then he didn't want them to know yet here he was, betraying his trust. "Joshua's in love and not with Donna," he said quickly.

"What?" CJ screeched. "Of course with Donna, who else would he be in love with?"

"Her name's Kim…I forget her surname…Jeffries or something like that, she works with Doctor Key –"

"Keyworth," Jed finished. "Stanley Keyworth, Kim Jenkins, right?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"But…" Sam could tell CJ was having trouble digesting all this. "What about Donna?"

"I asked him the same thing. He said, and these are his exact words, 'What about her? She's just my assistant, nothing more. I know you all hope there's something more, maybe I did at one point too, but it's not there anymore. It hasn't been for a long time'."

"'A long time' my ass," Toby announced. "If there was nothing there he wouldn't have gone to Germany and threatened to blow up the Middle East."

"I tried telling him that," Sam informed him. "But he just said something about that being care for his assistant and it was in the past now anyway because he has Kim."

"But it's nothing serious with them is it? I mean, they can't have been going out for more than a few weeks."

"Two weeks and two days," Sam answered, nodding even though they couldn't see him. "But you tell me how serious it is. He thinks he's in love and he asked her to move in with him a few nights ago."

"What?" CJ screeched again. "When…How could we not…Poor Donna."

Toby, who had been quiet for a while now, began laughing.

"Is Toby laughing?" Sam asked, he'd only heard that sound once so it was one he committed to memory, but even so, memories fade and he might not remember it clearly.

"Yes," CJ said harshly. "What's so funny?" She rounded on her best friend.

"You, 'poor Donna'," he mimicked her. "Maybe Josh genuinely isn't as in love with Donna as you thought; maybe he's happier with this Kim woman. And if that's true then it's better for Donna that she finds out now so she can move on and stop wasting her life."

"I don't buy it," CJ announced and, though Sam couldn't see it, he knew she had folded her arms and was giving Toby a stern 'we'll talk about this later' look.

"You don't need to, you just need to…"

What she needed to do Sam couldn't hear because someone was suddenly shouting him. "Guys, I have to go. Phone any time you like, I miss you guys."

"You too," CJ said.

"Yeah," Jed said in agreement.

"Get back here," Toby said in an almost desperate tone. "Bailey's going to drive me mental now he's with Russell."

"You can't get worse," Sam laughed before saying goodbye a final time and hanging up.

- - - -

The President's Office, West Wing

"Don't even give us that look," Toby warned CJ who was looking at him and the President with a desperate pleading look.

"But we need to do something."

"No," Toby answered. "We don't need to do anything, there's nothing we can do, and sometimes a person needs to make their own mistakes."

"Fine," CJ barked. "You'll will help me, won't you sir?" She looked at her President desperately.

"Sorry, I agree with Toby," he looked almost scared to say it to CJ.

CJ glared at the two men. "You two have no romance in your souls, you know that?"

"Yeah," Toby answered. "It's what keeps me sane, now can we get on with the proper meeting?"

"Oh God, they're still outside aren't they?" Jed asked heading for the door.

- - - -

Waiting Area outside the President's Office

"Oh good, I was beginning to think I was the only one not in there. We're not here at the wrong time are we because I haven't seen The President, CJ or Toby and Debbie's being more weird than usual. I think they might be in there though because I keep hearing muffled shouting." Josh was talking to Will who had just come running up.

"No," he said, taking a breath. "But it hasn't started yet? Good, I thought I was going to be late, Russell's had me running around since I got in this morning, and I only just got the message that The President wanted me here."

"He did? Why?"

"Didn't say," Will said with a shrug.

"Oh," Josh would have said more but the door to The President's office opened and sure enough there stood The President, CJ and Toby.

"What?" Josh asked with a teasing smile. "You held the meeting without us? I'm hurt you guys."

A/N: Two chapters in one day? You guys are lucky...Or I'm just really bored!

Meganfitz Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it.

kursk Donna, do something stupid? As if! And thanks for answering my question about Sam. I didn't think it was I just wanted tomake sure before I wrote this chapter.