Author's Note: Takes place during season four's Angel Maintenance. I was struck by how Josh seemed preoccupied with how nervous Josh seemed about Air Force One and also him telling Donna to get CJ on the phone almost as soon as he found out about the plane.

"Phone Call from 32,000 Feet"

Josh read Donna's note again. He quickly tried to make sense of her penmanship and the implications of her note. There was a problem with the plane that much he understood. But, more to the point, the president was on that plane, and furthermore, CJ was on the plane.

Almost as soon as he was out in the hallway with Donna he had asked her to get CJ on the phone. Yes, there were things, important things, that he needed to discuss with her, not the least of which was the national security issues surrounding the turn of events, but mostly he just had a sudden, very urgent need to hear the sound of her voice.

Josh sat at his desk and stared at the phone.

"CJ is on line four," Donna called.

Josh picked up the phone quickly. "Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," CJ replied. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Josh shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. "I think you're where the action is."

"Lucky me," CJ said. "What have you heard?"

"There's an issue with the landing gear," Josh replied.

"Anything else?"

"No," Josh exhaled a breath that sounded like a chuckle. "Do you think they're keeping something from you?"

"I don't know," CJ replied. "If there is a problem and they can't fix it I don't think they're likely to tell us up here. I figured they'd tell you."

"They'd tell me when they know I'd get on the phone with you?" Josh asked. "Not likely."

"Good point," CJ conceded. "So you've heard nothing and I've only heard what the president has told us, which is that they're not sure if they have the landing gear."

"Yeah," Josh replied. "How does that happen exactly?"

"I don't know; something about a light not going on. Will seems to think it's not a big deal so…"

"Will thinks it's no big deal?"

"He said sometimes the light doesn't go on."

"Well that's comforting," Josh said with an ironic tone in his voice.

"Yeah," CJ sighed. She took a moment before she said, "I've got a plane full of reporters up here."

"Is Danny up there?"

"No, but he's not the only one who asks probing questions," CJ said.

"You think they're gonna suspect something?"

"I think when the Air Force decided to do a fly-by it became a very real problem for me."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Right now Ed and Larry are looking for a comet or meteor shower to distract them," CJ chuckled.

"Well there's not chance that won't work," Josh said sarcastically. "What's Plan B?"

"A strip-tease to the Notre Dame fight song," CJ deadpanned.

"Well now I kind of wish I was up there. I'd love to see you pull that off," Josh replied.

"Who said it was going to be me," CJ shot back. "I'm volunteering Will."

Josh chuckled. "It sounds like you're in good spirits."

"I want to land, but I've got bigger problems. How are things down there?"

"I'm fighting with the Democrats."

"You mean Republicans?"

"I wish I meant the Republicans. Why is it so hard to be bi-partisan?"

"A question for the ages," CJ replied.

"Yeah."

"Have you seen Toby?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, he's around here somewhere."

"Look," CJ said before a short pause. It was almost as if she was re-evaluating whether to say something. "If you see him, will you tell him to call me?"

"Sure," Josh said feeling slightly puzzled. "I feel like there's something you're not telling me."

"There is."

"Is there a reason?"

"I don't want you to worry about it," she told him honestly.

"Let me be the judge of whether to worry," Josh replied.

CJ thought about it for a moment. "If you see Toby just remind him of section four in the crisis communication briefing book."

"What's section four?"

"Information on domestic issues," she said vaguely.

Josh didn't say anything in response as he thought about her comment. She was basically telling him that Toby needed information on what to do in the event that the plane crashed.

"Okay," Josh said, not saying anything to give away the fact that he was indeed worried about her based on the comment.

"Thanks."

Josh heard some muffled words and then CJ said, "Josh, I've got to go."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's almost show time."

"For the striptease or the other thing?"

"The other thing," CJ smiled.

"'Kay," Josh said. "Hey CJ?"

"Yeah?"

He wanted to say 'stay safe,' but he thought better of it and it came out as, "Good luck."

"Thanks."

She hung up the phone and Josh put his receiver back into the cradle. He looked at the phone for a minute and tried to push the bad thoughts he was having out of his mind. She would be fine. The president would be fine. The plane would land and nothing bad would happen. But, just in case, he decided to take a minute and do some of the breathing exercising that Stanley had recommended when he felt stressed.

Damn Chris, CJ thought. Sure, having Will tell everyone to look out the opposite window of the plane wasn't the best plan. It probably would have failed anyway, but maybe not so spectacularly if Chris hadn't yelled to everyone that there was an Air Force escort out the opposite window of the plane.

CJ fidgeted with the phone cord as the switchboard connected her to Josh. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like she needed to talk to him. It was especially peculiar that she felt he would be the voice of calm in this situation. She needed to talk to someone and Will wasn't someone she knew very well. She couldn't talk to Charlie about it because for some reason she felt like she needed to project a collected, in control demeanor for him, lest he exploit it and get the upper hand on her one day. And Toby…well she'd just spoken to Toby and in his opinion was the press be damned. The story was embargoed and they'd just have to deal with it.

"CJ?" he said.

"It's me," she replied.

Josh felt his heart beat a little faster and a lump start to congeal in his throat. Ever since Donna found him and informed him that he had a call holding from CJ, he couldn't help but think that something bad has happened. It was ridiculous because why would Josh hear bad news from CJ before Leo or Toby knew about it, but he still couldn't shake the feeling.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I had to embargo the story," CJ said.

"They noticed the fighter jet outside the window?" Josh asked.

"Yeah," CJ sighed. "Not only did they notice, but they had a million questions, not the least of which revolved around sabotage and terrorism and they were all immediately picking up the phones and I had to do something."

She sounded a little frantic. It wasn't how Josh was used to hearing CJ. He figured part of it was due to the plane and the other due to the fact that they were hour 18 into a flight that wouldn't end.

"You cut off phones," Josh said knowingly.

"Yeah."

"You had to do it. It can't be a story right now. Not until you're on the ground."

"I know that and you know that and anyone with half a brain can figure that out. But Josh, they really hate me right now. They looked at me like…I haven't seen them look at me like that since the MS broke."

"They'll get over it," he assured her.

"I don't know."

"They will."

"I really want to land," CJ said.

"I know. We want you to land too," Josh said. After a moment he added, "Leo says you guys can pretty much fly around up there for days, maybe weeks."

"Josh."

"Yeah?"

"That's not a comforting thought."

"I thought it was."

"I was thinking that the sun eventually has to rise and by then we should have definitive confirmation on the landing gear."

"I guess that works too."

"Yeah."

CJ sounded so unhappy. Josh didn't know what to say to make her feel better. Talking to her had alleviated some of his fears, but he didn't feel like he'd helped CJ.

"You just need one," Josh said.

"What?"

"One reporter," Josh said. "You get one on your side and they'll all fall in line. They're like lemmings."

CJ chuckled. "I should take advice on the press from you?"

"Yeah. I've been told I'm great at dealing with the press."

"And by great you mean awful right?"

"I think if you lifted my lifetime ban from the briefing room you might see that I can be artful in dealing with the press."

"Josh, in the event that anything ever happens to me, I'm sending Toby into the briefing room before you. I may consider Mary Marsh as our designated spokesperson before I take my chances on letting you loose in there again."

Josh laughed. "Well it sounds like you'd better land soon if Toby, Mary Marsh and me are anywhere near a list for replacement press secretaries."

"From your lips…" CJ sighed.

"They only think they hate you right now," Josh assured her. "They'll come around."

"Yeah," CJ said looking at her watch. "What are you still doing there anyway? It's late."

"I'm not leaving for a while. I'm still working on this Chesapeake Bay thing."

"How's it going?"

"Not well."

"I'm sorry. It seemed like you were making progress."

"Yeah, I was. Hey, before, when you told me to remind Toby about section four in the binder?"

"Yeah?"

"There's some really crazy stuff in there."

"Yeah."

"You were pretty calm about it," Josh said.

"It is what it is," CJ shrugged.

"Seriously?"

"If there's nothing I can do about it personally, then why worry about it?" CJ replied.

"We're so different," Josh said.

"Yes, we are. You probably shouldn't have read it. It's going to be fine."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I guess I just hope," CJ replied.

"You're pretty calm for a woman flying in a plane that might not have landing gear."

"It helps when you've got the distraction of twenty reporters from all the major papers staring daggers at you."

"You're more concerned about that than the landing gear?"

"At this point, yes."

"Okay."

"We're gonna be fine Josh."

"Josh?" Donna said as she stood in the doorway. She mouthed the word 'Leo' and when he nodded she went back to her desk.

"Hey CJ? I have to go," he said.

"Okay," she replied. "Hey, if you need to talk you know where I'll be. It's not like the press is really excited to have me around tonight."

"They'll get over it," Josh reassured her.

"Thanks. Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let the parties get you down," she reminded him.

"I'll try. I'll see you when you land."

"As long as I don't have to celebrate my next birthday up here I'll be happy."

Josh smiled. "Oh wait, CJ?"

"Yeah?"

"When you land Donna is gonna be the one briefing you on Angel Maintenance procedures."

"Okay. I'll look for Donna when we get back."

"See you soon."

"Bye."

Josh hung up the phone. Although Josh knew that everyone up on Air Force One probably wanted to land more than anyone on the ground, Josh wasn't so sure he wasn't even more anxious for it to land. He had felt very tense about the situation, but talking to CJ helped. She was up there and her biggest concern seemed to be that the press wasn't talking to her. If she wasn't that concerned then he didn't feel like he should be either. There would always be that part of him that worried incessantly about the safety of those around him, but after a few conversations with CJ, Josh somehow felt like everything would turn out just fine.

TBC