Title:
The Path Which Has Led to the Present (34/35)
Author:
Aerial312
Rating: PG-13
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: I hate when you find the transcript with the information you looked for over and over AFTER you've posted the chapter you wanted it for.
"Where did this come from?"
"Huh?"
"This isn't your tie?"
"You know my ties by heart?"
"You have nice ties."
"This isn't a nice tie?"
"This is a crappy tie."
"No."
"Yes."
"So you're saying that I have good taste."
"I'm saying that this isn't yours."
"I didn't tell you the story?"
"What story?"
"The tie story."
"There's a tie story?"
"I can't believe I didn't tell you this!"
"You were distracted last night."
"Yeah…"
"Well?"
"So we were in the green room—"
"Where was I?"
"I'd sent you to talk to the woman—"
"Right. Okay, go on."
"So we were in the green room, and out the back door—the one that led to the alley—we hear the Governor yelling 'Oh shit! Oh shit!'. So, of course, we all ran out there. He'd been sneaking a cigarette—"
"Oh no!"
"And he lit his tie on fire--"
"No!"
"So Sam got the tie off him quickly, and he's okay, just shaken. But then, Dr. Bartlet's laying into him about the cigarette, giving him a really hard time. Toby's freaking out that she's destroying his focus—not to her of course, to me and CJ. The stage manager peeks her head out to call places, Leo says we need to move, Dr. Bartlet's still going on about how he shouldn't be taking risks like that with his health, and the stage manager comes out again and says he really, really needs to be in place now. He starts to follow her, cutting off his wife—"
"Without a tie?"
"Right. I realize this, and pull mine off, and slip it around his neck. CJ fusses with it, and makes it straight…we're walking the whole time, and she finishes, just as he gets to the curtain. She gives a nod, and he walks through. The rest you saw."
"Okay…okay. But how did you get this tie?"
"I was walking to the spin area, and I realize that if I'm going on TV, I need a tie—"
"So?"
"So I found this kid—an intern—he was doing some tedious listening task for Toby—and demanded is tie."
"You just demanded it?"
"Yeah. I said, 'I need your tie', he looked up at me scared, but immediately removed it, and handed it over."
"Any idea of his name?"
"Ask Toby."
"Got it. Are you finished packing yet?"
"I'm ready."
"You didn't fold a thing, did you?"
"It doesn't make a difference if I do. Stuff still comes out a wrinkled mess."
"All of that needs to be dry cleaned, badly."
"No time."
"I know. Have you seen the itinerary for our final push?"
"That bad?"
"We're scheduled 7am to midnight every day."
"Bus rides through the night?"
"Travel every night. Sometimes bus, sometimes plane. Until next Monday. We're in Manchester for the long haul."
"Its gonna be a long week."
"This order doesn't make sense. We're jumping back and forth between coasts."
"We're hitting the right states at the right moments. Leo worked hard to plot this out, and he's going to keep tweaking it from DC."
"He's not going to be on the road with us?"
"He's got some coordination to do, and work to get things in order for election day."
"Are you in charge?"
"He needs me to keep things moving on the road."
"You, staying on schedule?"
"I stay on schedule."
"Speaking of schedule, we need to get moving."
She grabbed her bag, and pulled open the door. He followed.
"What's up first?"
Donna grinned. "For the person who going to be keeping us on schedule, you should know what's up first."
Josh laughed, and turned to face her, walking backwards. "Okay, okay. We both know who's really going to be keeping the group on schedule."
Donna smirked. "Glad you realize that."
"You keep track of the schedule. I'm the Enforcer."
"The Enforcer?"
"Yup."
"Is that some kind of superhero?"
"You bet."
"Okay, if you're the Enforcer, what am I? What's the Enforcer's sidekick's name?"
"The Organizer."
"I can deal with that…the Organizer. Oh, stop!"
"What?" Josh asked, colliding with the elevator. "Oh."
"I told you to stop."
"I heard you."
"But you didn't."
"No."
They stepped into the elevator.
"Teach you not to listen to me."
"I listen to you."
"Usually."
"Usually is good enough."
Donna smacked his arm, hard, and he caught it, and held tight.
"Always with the violence, Donnatella."
"You sound like my mother."
"Hear that often?"
"Quite."
"Really?"
"I used to beat up my sister all the time."
"Your older sister?"
"Yeah. And mom would get really mad at me and bring out my full name. It was the only time she really used it."
Josh laughed and squeezed her hand. Donna smiled and squeezed back. The doors opened, and they saw the lobby was bustling with activity. Josh gave Donna's hand one last squeeze before releasing it.
"Governor, again, nice job last night. Now if you could just look at—"
"Thanks for that tie, Josh."
"Well, yours was kind of out of commission, sir."
"Could I keep the tie?"
"Sir?"
"It brought me good luck. It's a good luck tie."
"Umm…sure. You can certainly keep it if you'd like, sir."
"I'd like to wear it on election day."
Josh nodded. "You're not going to take it out on me if—"
"Are you implying that you think I might—"
"No, sir. I think we'll win."
"That's what I want to hear from the man I'll be taking advice from for the next week."
"Yes, sir."
"You're going to try to keep me on schedule? You realize how hard a task that is?"
"Yes, sir, I do."
Bartlet laughed.
Josh patted Donna on the shoulder. "It's a team effort, sir. Donna tells me when its time, and I'm the Enforcer."
"The Enforcer?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, I'm glad to see you're in good spirits about it now. We'll see how you feel about it come Sunday. What did you want to show me?"
Josh handed him a document. "If you could just look at this on the bus on the way over to the YMCA, sir. It's some data that I had Donna cull about their influence in the community."
"Will do." Bartlet strode off towards the bus.
"He seems to think it's funny that you're going to try to keep him on schedule."
"Sam! Do you have a finished copy of the Governor's remarks at the YMCA?"
Sam jogged over to them. "I thought I did."
"But?"
"But Toby is reworking it."
"He does realize that this is a 10 minute bus ride across town?"
"I think he's aware. He's on the bus already."
"So the first time anyone besides Toby is going to hear this, its going to be at the podium?"
"I'm afraid so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go be his whipping boy. He retools faster if I'm there to pick on."
Josh laughed. Donna fished around in her bag, and pulled out the tie.
"Sam, could you find out whose this is? Josh borrowed it from one of the communications interns last night after he gave his to the Governor."
Sam took the tie. "I was wondering where he got it. There was so much going on, and I was just busy getting the burning one off of him…it was yours."
"And now he wants to keep it," Josh sighed.
"Good luck?"
"Something like that."
Sam laughed, and trotted off toward the bus. CJ darted over to them.
"I'm getting questions about where we think we'll fall off the schedule today."
"You doubt my schedule keeping skills too, CJ?"
"Well, you're not exactly Mr. Organized—"
"That's why I'm the Enforcer. And I have my sidekick, the Organizer!"
CJ chuckled. "Anyways, that's not what I'm getting at. No matter what, the Governor falls off the schedule—"
"Not with m—"
"Josh, as much as you'd like to think you're a superhero, we all know it happens every day. Pick an event on there where you think we'll really begin to lose time."
"Why do they care?"
"If we end up skipping a stop, their outlets like to be able to plan for that and save expenses."
"We're not out to save the media money."
"Just look it over."
"I will on the bus."
"Or rather, you'll make me do it on the bus."
"All the same."
The three of them walked out to the bus.
"Toby's on the war path today," CJ warned. "I don't want to sit with him."
"Toby's just pissed that the Governor's been riffing on his material," Josh grinned.
"Don't worry, CJ. He's picking on Sam."
Donna slid into the row behind Toby and Sam, and CJ was about to slide in next to her, but Josh shoved her further on.
"I need to sit with my assistant."
"I'm sure you do…" CJ muttered.
Josh flopped down beside Donna.
"That was mean."
"What?"
"You pushed her kind of hard."
"You hit me kind of hard earlier."
"So you want me to look at the schedule and see where I think we'll lose time?"
"I'm determined to stay on schedule."
"I'll look it over, and give CJ my estimate." Donna pulled out the paper.
Josh snatched it away. "It will never work if the Organizer is convinced we'll never stay on schedule."
"But—"
"Fine. But give that back."
"Nope, you'll just let CJ know behind my back."
Donna grabbed for the memo. She caught Josh's wrist. He trapped her hand with his other. With her free hand, she continued to grab for the paper.
"Aww…can't reach? Oww!
Donna pinched Josh hard, and the paper fluttered to the ground. Donna lunged over Josh for it, kicking the seat in front of her. He caught her waist, and she kicked out again.
"Will you two stop that?" Toby bellowed, turning around in his seat to see what the commotion was.
And what a sight he saw. Donna was sprawled across Josh, reaching for the aisle. He had his arms around her waist. Toby shook his head and bent down to retrieve the fallen schedule. He handed it to Donna, who sat up as Josh released her.
"This is how you keep your head in the game?"
"Oh, did Leo coach you on that one?"
"Josh, what are you talking about?"
"That's how Leo put it."
"That you need to keep your head in the game? You do. But no, he didn't coach me. I don't need to coaching to see what's—"
"My head's in the game."
"The game was on the floor, and your head was on your lap. You were trying to keep the game out of it."
"Huh?"
"Think about that one, and I'm going to get back to fixing these god-awful remarks." He turned around and flopped down in his chair.
"Did Leo really—"
"Don't worry about it."
"But—"
"It's not a big deal."
"Is that what was going on yesterday?"
Josh laughed. "No…no…Donna, I would have been able to tell you that. We talked, and then he briefed me on this week, and told me to keep my head in the game. In those words."
"But he was talking about—"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Is this a problem?"
Josh looked at her softly, and leaned in, whispering, "We can't let it be."
"I know."
"We have to be…on our best behavior."
"Things like last night can't happen."
"Yeah…" Josh trailed off.
"What?"
"Do you…do you think we'd have stopped…do you think our consciences would have kicked in…if we hadn't fallen off the bed?"
Donna looked into his eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know."
"Me either."
"I mean, in my head I know we can't, but…"
"Yeah…"
"Should I stay with Ginger again from now on?"
"Do you want to?"
"It's not really about what I want."
Josh thought for a minute. "I think we're fine the way we are. I mean, last night, after we, uh, fell…we slept just like normal."
"Is our normal good enough?"
"It has been for several months…Donna, we've got a week left…after that…if we win…there are gonna be a lot more rules."
"Yeah."
"We can keep our heads in the game, and share a room still."
Donna nodded sadly. "We can."
