Title:
The Path Which Has Led to the Present (11?)
Author:
Aerial312
Rating: PG-13. This one's got some swearing.
Category:
Humor/Fluff/Angst/Romance (a little of everything)
Spoiler Info:
Pre-Series.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.
Feedback:
Greatly appreciated. Sure. Just
let me know where its going.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who responded to my question about the Convention site. Consensus: it was never said, so I'm going to make it up.
"Joshua Lyman!"
Josh spun around. There was no mistaking that voice. "Mandy."
"Where the hell were you this morning?"
"Sleeping in."
"And you didn't hear my knocking at your door for five minutes?"
"You were knocking on my door?" Going for complete ignorance of the matter.
"For five minutes."
"I was out cold." Not technically a lie. He had been sleeping through the knocking. It work Donna up.
"You were sleeping? Don't you claim to not need sleep to function?"
"Even superheros need to recharge sometimes, Mandy."
"Oh yeah?" she asked seductively, stepping toward him.
He smirked, "Rarely."
"That's what I recall." She closed the distance, wrapping her arms around his waist to grab his ass.
Josh groaned, but stepped away. As much as he'd rather not, there were still times he found Mandy extremely sexy. "So, what are you doing with us again?"
"You say that like I'm not good at what I do."
"I wasn't saying that."
"Leo appreciates my work. He brought me back on to deal with image heading into the Convention."
"I see."
"Only two weeks to go."
"I'm aware. Leo thinks we need help?"
"Leo wants the best."
"How modest of you."
"Look who's talking. Superhero." She ran her finger down his chest.
Josh grinned. Okay, that was hot.
"Anyways," she continued, "I need to go over a bunch of policy stuff with you today. When's good?"
"I have no idea."
"Still a mess, are we Josh?"
"What I mean is, I'll have to check with Donna. My schedule is totally in her hands. She just tells me where I need to be when."
"She came back?"
Josh nodded.
"When?"
"Beginning of the week."
"Boyfriend break up with her again?" Mandy snickered.
"Don't start."
"How long do you think she'll stay this time?"
"Mandy—"
"How long?"
"She's back for good. She—"
"So she says."
"She is. I'm trying to get Leo to put her on salary."
"Weren't you trying to get Leo to put her on salary before? I think she needs to show some staying power before she gets a salary."
"Ever think they're directly related?"
"Huh?"
"Without a salary, its hard for her to afford to stay."
"If it was important, she'd find a way."
"Not everyone has a trust fund, Mandy."
"You do too."
"Yes, but I understand how tight Donna's financial situation is. She's going to need a salary to get by."
"Plenty of campaign volunteers get by without salaries."
"Students. Students get by without salaries. Interns who still rely on Mommy and Daddy."
"Who probably have more education and experience than she does."
"And half the innate ability."
"She has no degree. She didn't even come close to graduat—"
"But that has nothing to do with her ability. She picks up stuff faster than anyone I know."
Mandy glared at him. "You're going to need a real secretary when we take the White House."
"Aren't you being a little premature? Anyways, I disagree."
"Her secretarial skills—"
"Don't matter. She's invaluable to me for her organizational skills alone—"
"Doesn't hurt that she's young and blonde."
Josh wasn't going to even grace that comment with a response. "You can't learn those kinds of skills. She can learn how to be a secretary, and she's already doing great."
"Anyways," Mandy cut into Josh's praise, "I need some time with you today."
"Fine. DONNA!"
She appeared from around a corner. "You bellowed? Hi Mandy."
Mandy nodded towards her.
"Mandy needs some time with me today."
"How long?"
"How long?"
" I heard her ask. An hour, hour and a half."
"That's going to be tight," Donna sighed, opening the planner. "We leave for the rally in 10, before the rally starts you and Leo need to track down the mayor and make sure his speech, uh, works." Josh chuckled that she had indeed written down exactly what he said that they needed to do to the Mayor's speech, and was revising it on the fly as she read it out loud. "Then at 2pm we get in the bus and drive to Philly."
"I can meet with him on the bus."
"Leo is conducting a senior staff meeting on the bus to discuss the Convention. My guess is that you have that too."
"Oh…right."
Josh smirked, and Mandy glared at him.
"Then we meet with the local office at 4:30, you have a conference call with Congressmen Dolan and Calhoun at 5:30, Dinner at 6—"
"I can meet dur—"
"—with Toby and Sam to discuss tonight's town hall—"
Mandy growled.
"—then the town hall meeting at 7:30. Which is scheduled until 9, a d followed by a cocktail party—"
"We can skip," Mandy began
"—that you have to go to because you have a meeting with Pete Slevin, the State Democratic Party Chair during it."
"And then what?" Mandy sighed.
"That's all."
"So, superhero. It looks like you and I are going to have to have this meeting in your hotel room tonight."
"Not mine, no. It we have a…uh…late night…policy…meeting, its going to be in your room."
"Why?"
"Because then I'll give my room to Donna so she doesn't have to sleep on the bus!" Josh realized he was committing him self to spending the night with Mandy.
"Fine then," she smiled as she walked off. "See you tonight, Josh."
"See you tonight, Josh," Donna mimicked.
"Oh, shut up!"
"Superhero?"
"I…uh…may have implied…that…uh…"
"Your skills are akin to a superhero?" Donna grinned.
"No!"
"No?"
"Well…uh…more that my…uh…stamina…is akin to a superhero."
"Oh really?" That was also quite hot.
"We were talking about sleep."
"Sure you were."
"And how I don't very often, but managed to sleep through her knocking on my door this morning."
"Ah. She doesn't believe you?"
"I don't think so."
"So you're staying with her tonight?"
Josh sighed, "Yeah…"
"Good. Maybe getting laid will do you some good." Say what?
"What?"
"I'm just saying—"
"Sex with Mandy is never relaxing…it's a full sparring event."
"You didn't seem to be fighting against the possibility so much."
"No…"
"I could have probably gotten rid of one of your meetings during the day, but it seemed like you—"
"I guess."
"You need some…"
"Some what...?"
"Some."
"I see. You don't think I've…uh…gotten…some recently?"
"I…if you did, it didn't work."
"Work?"
"You're still full of stress."
"Right, because it was with Mandy."
"You make it sound like you don't want any."
"I do." Though, increasingly, Josh did not think it was with Mandy.
"Was it a good idea to tell her that you were going to give me your room?"
"Why wasn't it?"
"Well, you're kind of stuck now."
"I'm not stuck."
"If you and Mandy have a terrible fight, she'll still stick her claws in because she knows you gave your room to me."
"If we have that bad a fight, she won't care, she'll just be glad to get rid of me."
"But—"
"Donna, you've seen our fights before…we tear into each other. Especially if this…uh…session is starting with policy discussion."
"So you're not even giving it a chance."
"I am. I'll give it a chance."
"Good."
"Good?"
"You need some extracurricular activity."
"I do?"
"You're high strung."
"I tell you—"
"Sex is great stress reliever."
Indeed. But he was picturing it being especially calming with her, not with Mandy. Not good.
"We have to go to the bus."
"Yeah."
"Come on."
"I mean it when I say I'm coming back if things don't work out."
"Okay."
"Okay then."
"Are you anticipating things not working out?"
"I don't know."
"Don't be a pessimist."
"Why not?"
"You need to get laid." So hot.
"Who says that things necessarily have to not work out before sex?"
"Touche."
