Blame Aristotle
Ch. 6
You're a Strange One, Mr. McGarry
Summary: Leo tells Carol a storyLeo McGarry hung up his phone and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
'CJ's gonna kill me. She's absolutely gonna kill me for this.'
He sat there, in CJ's old office, reviewing his conversations with Donna & Josh. Two conversations that ended up drawing the same conclusion: Donna & Josh needed to own up to their feelings and to each other, no matter what.
And from what Josh had just told him, that is exactly what had happened.
'How I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that discussion' he chuckled to himself.
As he sat there, letting his imagination conjure up the possible scenarios that could have played out in his deputy's apartment, his chuckle progressed into full blown laughter- laughter that refused to subside.
Carol tapped on the door, sticking her head inside when Leo weakly called "Enter!".
"Is everything all right, Leo?" Carol asked.
Leo waved Carol into the chair opposite him, still trying in vain to control his laughter. As Carol sat there, a puzzled look marring her classic features, Leo finally managed to bring his mirth under control.
"Leo, what is so funny?" Carol couldn't stand it, after the stress of the few week, she could use a laugh or two.
"Carol, CJ is gonna kill me!" Leo chortled.
"How can that be funny, Leo?"
"Carol, what's the worst-kept secret in this building?"
"Well, it used to be your thing, but now I'd say…" her voice trailed off as the realization dawned.
"Josh and Donna? Leo, what do you know?" Carol demanded.
"Well, my dear Carol, you know that Donna quit, right?"
"Yeah, I do, and I understand why, but that doesn't mean I like it."
"I agree – anyway, 2 days ago I basically told Josh that he needed to take the next step and find his own Bartlet."
"Leo, if Josh resigns, that leaves CJ without a deputy!" Carol gasped, dismayed at the implications.
"Carol, it gets better, trust me." Leo replied.
"HOW?!?"
"Because then Donna called me – she was trying to find Josh and explain her reasons for leaving."
"AND??!"
"Well, I decided that they have put their lives on hold long enough, Carol. They've been shot at, blown up and put through so many wringers for this Administration, you know that as well as I do." Leo said.
"I remember," Carol mused, lost in the memories for a moment.
"Well, Donna needed a little push in the right direction, and by the end of our conversation, she was determined to make Josh listen and understand why she has to do this."
"Determined, huh?".
"Carol, she called me from his apartment, willing to wait for him and feed herself from whatever was available in Josh's kitchen. Do you understand what that means?" Leo asked.
"Wow, that's determination all right, Josh isn't known for his cooking skills." Carol replied with a smirk.
"Exactly."
"So, what happened next?" Carol asked.
"Well, it wasn't till much later that night that I finally was able to reach Josh on his cell. As it happens, he had just walked into his apartment and there's Donna, asleep on his couch. Josh and I then had a little heart to heart talk about what I would do to him if he screwed this up and hurt Donna in the process. I told him that he had to be patient and listen to what she had to say, and that he'd better be supportive or I would beat the crap out of him. I almost offered to referee their discussion, but I told Josh I didn't think that an audience would be a good idea."
" So then what happened? Carol prodded, eager for the rest of the details.
" Well, I talked to Josh a little while ago, and it sounds as if they both survived the initial conversation without too much damage."
"So how is this all funny, Leo? I don't get it." Carol just didn't get it.
"Do you know what Donna's new job is?"
"No, do you?"
"Yep, she's gonna be the Press Secretary for Russell's campaign.'
"WHAT!!!"
"You heard me right, Carol. Now, guess what Josh is doing." Leo just sat there grinning.
"Leo, I don't have any idea what Josh…"
"Josh is gonna try to persuade Santos to run for the presidency."
"Leo, how can this be good? Donna and Josh both leaving the administration, working on opposing campaigns, CJ without a deputy…" Carol stopped, her mind bogged down in the possibilities, and none of them were pretty.
"Carol, I'm a recovering alcoholic who's mere months removed from heart bypass surgery. The stress levels I have endured during my tenure as Chief of Staff almost killed me because I didn't take the time to enjoy life a little more. I have decided to change all that. I find this situation amusing because the people involved are passionate, hard working folks with good hearts. Two people who either didn't have a clue about how they felt, or who had gotten almost too good at misdirection and denial that they almost missed this chance to be happy together. Watching them figure out how to finally get what they want without worrying about the implications for this administration should be quite entertaining. Josh may have been Bartlet's pit bull, but Donna isn't exactly a cream puff, degree or not. She has handled Josh for seven years now, I think she'll do just fine on her own."
"I understand your position, Leo, but I still don't understand why you think this is so funny. You're right, CJ is going to kill you for being an instigator in this whole situation. Aren't you the least little bit worried about that?" Carol frowned, hoping she hadn't pushed too hard.
Leo chuckled. "It's funny to me because it's just the kind of stunt CJ wishes she could have instigated herself. The fact that I have managed to do so will drive her up the wall. And yet she can't help but give it her blessing because you know as well as I do that this is what we've all been praying for anyway, ever since Gaza."
Carol sighed, then started to chuckle.
"You know, Leo, I think I'm beginning to see the humor in this after all."
"Oh?" Leo quirked an eyebrow at her. "Do tell."
"Donna & Josh, well right there we are assured of some seriously funny antics, snowballs and what not. Especially if and when the press corps figures things out – can you see Toby fielding those questions during a briefing – especially if he hasn't figured it out yet – I can picture it now, can't you?" Carol grinned at Leo.
"Yes, I can! It should make for some interesting theater, don't you think?" Leo responded with a leprechaun's grin.
"Yes, indeed, sir!"
"Leo?"
"Yes, Carol?"
"When, how are you going to tell CJ?"
"Carol, I may enjoy a good laugh, but I'm not about to get a briefing book thrown at me."
"Meaning that you intend to be as far away from CJ as physically possible when she finds out." Carol surmised.
"Damn straight – I like my head where it is, thank you very much!" Leo shot back with a quick grin.
"Can I come with you? I don't really want to be at ground zero either, you know!" Carol retorted.
"Sure, kid – sounds like a good idea. Want to bet on who's gonna be the person foolish enough to be the one to tell her?" Leo queried.
"Nah, that's really pretty much a lock, don't you think?" Carol replied.
The two of them began to laugh, and continued laughing until the tears were streaming down their faces, with no end in sight.
"Josh!"
This chapter took a different direction than I'd originally planned – silly me! Thanks for the reviews – you've made it easy to keep this going. Enjoy!