Like A Bad Penny
by: Evelyn (bookfan221209@yahoo.com)

Summary: Sequel to Calling The Question. Josh and Donna's new found
happiness is threatened.

Disclaimer: Aaron Sorkins owns everything, except Carolyn Moss, but
I'd very happy if he wanted to include her in the show.

Category: Romance, Josh/Donna

Rating: TEEN

Author's Note: : Thank so much to Shelley for her careful, thoughtful,
insightful reading of this story - and most especially for her
encouragement. Thank you to all those who wrote such lovely feedback
for my earlier stories. It is better than Cherry Garcia ice cream!
This is a sequel to "Calling the Question." I wondered what happened
to Amy after she left the meeting with Abbey and Josh. Soon we'll all
know :-)

It was a good dream, a very good dream. It had Josh Lyman naked in it.
Dreams don't get much better than that.

So what was interrupting this very, very good dream? Donna swam her
way to consciousness and realized it was the phone ringing on the
nightstand next to her bed. She fumbled for the receiver.

"'Lo," she murmured.

"You've got the chain on the door."

"What? Who is this?" Donna asked struggling to sit up. "Josh?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you?" Donna asked, looking at the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning.

"Outside your door. I was going to use my keys, but you have the chain
on the door."

Donna clambered out of bed, ran to her front door and opened it. There
stood one sheepish Josh Lyman, not naked, but definitely looking
disheveled and, to his newly minted fiancee, adorable.

"What's the matter?" Donna asked concerned.

"I couldn't sleep," Josh admitted, walking in and putting his arms
around Donna, pulling her close. She smiled. "You were almost asleep
when I left a few hours ago. I thought you were pretty relaxed," she
grinned.

"I can't sleep without you next to me," Josh argued.

Donna put on her slightly stern face. "Let me get this straight. You
sleep without me for 40 years, then after two nights together, all of
a sudden, you get insomnia if I'm not in the bed with you?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Josh nodded with a grin.

It had been a heady two days - and nights. Donna had unexpectedly been
offered and accepted a job as The President's executive assistant.
Once he'd gotten over his shock and dealt with his feelings, Josh
Lyman had proposed to Donnatella Moss. He'd finally admitted to
himself that even if he could function in the office without the best
assistant he'd ever had, he couldn't envision his life without her.
Now, he was standing in her apartment, making it clear that he
couldn't conceive of sleeping in his king-sized bed for even one night
without her.

"We talked about this Josh," Donna began firmly.

"No, Donna, you talked about this and I didn't get a vote," Josh
interrupted. "I don't see what the big deal is. We're engaged now.
We're going to be married. People won't be surprised that we're living
together," he said, snaking his hands under Donna's t-shirt. "I didn't
think you were a prude, Ms. Moss, although I would hardly call what
we've been doing the past two days prudish," he added with a grin.

"Joshua," Donna began, trying to slip out of his grasp because she
knew she didn't think clearly when Josh was touching her. But her
fiancee held her close and whispered in her ear, "I just want to hold
you while you sleep. Nothing's going to happen."

"I think I heard that line in eleventh grade from Tommy Fairgate the
night of my Junior Prom," Donna giggled. She gave Josh a quick kiss
and then stepped back.

"I want to be with you too, but let's go over this one more time."
Ticking off the points on her fingers, she began, "You are deputy
chief of staff. There is enough going on in this campaign that we
don't need to add any ammunition to the Republican arsenal. We've got
to be careful. We've got to maintain separate apartments until we're
married. We can wait."

"Maybe you can wait, but I can't," Josh said petulantly.

"Josh, I know patience is not one of your greatest virtues," Donna
said with a smile, "but you'll thank me for this in the long run."

"I think I heard that line from my mother when I was in fourth grade
and she insisted I take ballroom dance lessons," Josh retorted.

"Can we talk about this tonight? I have to be up in another hour. I
want to get to the office by 7:30." Grabbing Josh's hand, she started
pulling him toward her bedroom. "Come on," Donna said.

"I thought you just finished saying I couldn't sleep here," Josh pointed out.

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Donna answered with a smile.



Donna stood in the doorway and took a deep breath. She'd been in this
office countless times in the last four years, but it had never been
"her" office. It had belonged to a wonderful woman named Delores
Landingham. Donna's eyes started to fill as she thought about the
kind, sharp-witted, intelligent woman who had first served as an
assistant to Governor Jed Bartlet and then moved with him when he came
to Washington. Their friendship had spanned more than 30 years and
with her death, the President had chosen to leave the position open
rather than try to find someone to fill Mrs. Landingham's shoes. Donna
was honored and more than a little overwhelmed that the President had
selected her for the position. With a fierce look of determination,
Donna walked over to the desk, sat down, and then smiled. There,
sitting in the middle of the desk, was a mug full of steaming coffee
with a post-it note attached.

"Congratulations on your new job. My turn to bring you coffee," and it
was signed Abbey Bartlet.

Donna took a long sip and turned on her computer. She was just
bringing up the President's calendar when the door opened and in
walked Charlie, carrying two paper cups from the Mess. He grinned and
said, "I see somebody beat me to it." He placed one of the cups on
Donna's desk, before walking over to his own.

"Thanks so much. I'll save it for later," Donna laughed. "Even
reheated it's so much better than the stuff out in the bullpen."

Donna and Charlie spent the next half hour reviewing the President's
appointments for the day, pulling the files he would need, and talking
about office procedures. The plan, for the next two weeks, was to have
Donna work a half-day in the President's office, and then return to
her old desk in the bullpen as she first found and then trained her
replacement for her old job as Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff. She had
explained to Josh, as she lay curled up in his arms in bed, she was
hoping that Deborah, the moderator of LemonLyman.com would be
available, muu-muu and all. That had earned her a swat on the arm,
followed swiftly by another round of love-making.

Just then the door opened and Sam came striding in with a mug of
coffee in one hand. "Donna," he said with a broad grin, "Here."

Sam foisted the mug into her hands. "To celebrate your new job." After
she put the mug down on her desk, Sam pulled Donna in for a hug and
said, "And Congratulations on your engagement. You know how happy I am
for the two of you." Then lowering his voice to a whisper, Sam said,
"It gives us all reason to believe in happy endings." Donna hugged Sam
tightly before stepping back.

"You're here for an 8:00 meeting with the President, CJ, and Toby?" she asked.

"Yes, they'll be along in a minute," he answered, just as the door
opened and CJ rushed into the room, with a mug full of hot, dark
liquid. "Donna," she said thrusting the cup upon her. "I'm so happy
that you're back, in this job, and most important of all, engaged to
the biggest idiot and luckiest guy on earth," she finished with a
grin.

Donna took the proffered drink and smiled broadly. "He may be an
idiot, but he's my idiot," she replied saucily.

CJ looked down at the various cups on Donna's desk and started to
snicker, which turned into outright laughter when Toby walked in with
a grande Hazelnut Latte from Starbucks which he offered to Donna with
a small smile, while murmuring "Mazel Tov." Donna took the cup from
the bearded Communications Director and gave him a big hug.

The three walked into the Oval Office and Donna sat down at her desk,
carefully moving the cups of coffee to the edge. She was going over
the file on welfare reform when Josh came hustling into the office. He
stopped short and looked miffed as he surveyed the array of drinks on
his fiancee's desk.

"I brought you something for your first day," Josh said tentatively,
with the look of a small boy holding a handful of daisies for his
first-grade girlfriend. But instead of flowers, he held a mug with
'Josh' written on the side. Donna had bought it for him as a Chanukah
gift the first year they were in the White House. "I wanted to somehow
be with you while you worked," he said shyly.

Donna grinned and felt her eyes fill with tears once again. She took
his hand and squeezed it, wanting to hug him but remembering that they
had promised to keep things strictly professional in the office. "I
love you," she whispered.

Getting herself under control, she looked at him sternly and said,
"Now get out of here. You've got a country to run."

Josh smiled and simply said, "No."

Donna warned, "Josh. We agreed that you couldn't hang around my desk.
We've both got work to do."

Josh smiled more broadly and again said, "No, I can't leave."

"Can't or won't, Josh," Donna argued.

"Can't, Donna. I need five minutes with the President as soon as CJ,
Toby, and Sam are done," he explained.

"I don't think so, Joshua. You're not on the appointments list for the
morning. There are rules about the President's time," Donna said with
a smile.

"Don't tell me we're starting with 'rules', Donnatella," Josh said,
feigning horror.

"Definitely, especially where you're concerned," Donna countered.

Just then the door opened and the three communications staff members
walked out, followed by the President.

"Josh. You need to see me? Come on in," he said waving him into the office.

Josh walked in behind the President, but turned his head quickly and
stuck out his tongue at his fiancee's astonished face. "Excuse me,
Sir, but let me give you fair warning about the 'rules'," were the
last words she heard before the door closed.



"CJ? Got a minute?"

The Press Secretary looked up and saw Katie, the reporter from the
Boston Globe, standing in her doorway. It was late afternoon and CJ
was reading some memos trying to get ready for the last briefing of
the day.

"Sure, come on in.."

"I explained to Carol it was sort of important and that I needed to
speak to you privately," the reporter said hesitantly.

"OK," CJ said, putting down her binder. "What's up?"

Katie looked down in her lap, bit her lip, and paused, clearly
weighing her words.

"I just got a tip that Donna Moss is pregnant and that Josh Lyman is
the father," Katie said in a rush.

"Back up. Where did that come from?" CJ said.

"It's from a guy I know who works for The National Enquirer."

"Well that's a reliable source," CJ snorted.

"Their stories aren't always just gossip. And I know this guy. He's
careful about what he writes, checks his sources. He's usually on the
money," Katie insisted.

"And I'm telling you he's blowing smoke on this one," CJ said flatly.

"I've seen the pictures, CJ," Katie asserted.

"Pictures?" CJ asked, with just a hint of doubt creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, I saw two. One had Josh with his arm around Donna going into
his apartment. The other was a snap of them sharing food off the same
plate, looking into each other's eyes, the whole nine yards. I hear
there are other telephoto shots of the two of them," Katie revealed.

"Between you and me, Katie, I'm calling in a favor. What else do they
have?" CJ asked.

"Their 36-Point Headline is currently, 'Love Baby at the White House.'
CJ, what's going on?" Katie demanded.

"Katie, you know it's the White House policy not to comment on the
private lives of staff," CJ said deliberately. "But I'm telling you
there's no there, there. Give me a break. Why are you interested in
crap like this?"

"You know I like Donna and Josh a lot but I've got a job to do," the
reporter insisted. "The story's out there whether you like it or not."

"Katie, I can't control what the National Enquirer prints, but you're
a professional journalist. You've got better things to investigate
than the love lives of two single adults," CJ said angrily.

"Excuse me, CJ. The issue isn't whether Donna and Josh are in love.
The National Enquirer will cover that. My paper is interested in
whether the two of them were using the Oval Office for late night
romps. My paper wants to know if they shared a room while on business
trips and whether tax dollars were spent to finance their clandestine
affair. And frankly, from what I hear, the House Government Oversight
Committee is considering holding hearings on just those issues, "
Katie said hotly.

CJ looked at the reporter, took a deep breath, and then said. "Katie,
I'm going off the record with this because I do believe that you are a
friend to Josh and Donna, and you've always been straight with me. I'm
telling you with absolute certainty that before last Friday there was
no affair between those two. They maintained a strictly professional
relationship. Were they close friends? Yes. Were they in love? Yes.
Did they act on those feelings? No, they were in complete denial and
nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, happened here in the White House,
or anywhere else for that matter, that would pique the interest of
anyone, not even Mary Marsh. Donna Moss is not pregnant, period."

"What happened Friday?" Katie asked.

"Last Friday, the President of the United States asked Donna to become
his executive assistant. She accepted. Later that night, Josh asked
Donna to marry him. She accepted. That's it, that's the whole story,"
CJ insisted.

"What about the photos," Katie pushed.

"I don't know anything about photos. If they show Donna working at
Josh's apartment, so what? I work at Toby's place all the time.
Haven't you ever gone to your boss' house? And as for eating off the
same plate, yeah, if that's a crime, then we're going to have serious
problems in the prison system," CJ responded.

"Look I buy everything you say. Really I do." Then Katie took a deep
breath and said quietly, "But somebody out there is pissed. Somebody's
working overtime to give Josh and Donna a hard time. I don't know who
it is yet, but if I were you, I'd find out."



 "She yelled at me."

"Get over it, Josh."

"Donna, the woman yelled at me."

"Josh, from what I hear, you questioned her loyalty to the United States."

"Donna, the woman didn't know who the Majority Leader is. I'm not
convinced she knew how many states there are in the Union. Are you
sure she's a citizen?"

"First of all, you don't have to be a citizen to work in the White
House. And second of all, Sharon Bostwick did know who the Majority
Leader is, she just got flustered because you were yelling at her. She
has a master's degree in Political Science from Georgetown and has
worked as a researcher for the last fifteen years at the Library of
Congress. Trust me, she can do the kind of research you're going to
need for the campaign."

"I just...just didn't have a good feeling about her," Josh said,
beginning to pout.

"Joshua," Donna said in a low, seductive voice.

Josh head snapped up because he had just heard Donna Moss' "you're
about to have mind-blowing sex" voice he'd grown to love in just a few
short days.

"Yes, Donnatella?"

"I'm willing to work very, very late at night with you for weeks until
you find someone you're comfortable with," Donna purred.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I'll stay until one, two, even three in the morning, if
need be. But of course, unfortunately, I'll be too tired to do
anything else that might be interesting," she said with a small smile,
"but I understand your reluctance to jump at the first seemingly
qualified candidate."

"When can she start?" Josh asked eagerly.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Donna and Josh looked up and
saw CJ standing there, shifting back and forth nervously.

"Got a minute?" CJ asked.

"Sure," Josh said. "What's up?"

"I'm going to tell it to you straight. Next week The National Enquirer
is running a story that Donna is pregnant with your child," CJ said
bluntly.

Donna and Josh both stared at her, and finally Josh found his voice.
"You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding, Joshua?" CJ answered.

"Who made up this crap?" Josh said, his voice starting to rise.

"Katie came to me this afternoon with the story. I spent the last hour
tracking it down and I got copies of some of the photos that will run
with the article," CJ explained.

"What photos? To be honest, CJ, we didn't leave the apartment the
entire weekend," Josh said, blushing. "Unless someone's got a hidden
camera in my place..." his voice drifted off.

CJ walked over to the desk and put down two photos. The first was a
picture of Josh and Donna, eating in a restaurant, laughing and
sharing a piece of pie. The second was a shot of Josh, with his arm
around Donna, walking up the steps to his apartment. "Do you recognize
these scenes?" CJ asked.

Josh looked them over and pursed his lips, clearly puzzled by what he
was seeing.

"Well, the first was taken at O'Briens, you know that bar we sometimes
go to in Georgetown. I'm trying to remember the last time we ate
there. Yeah, it was about a week ago. We'd worked here all day, and
then I suggested that we grab a bite to eat. We had a fast dinner and
decided to share a slice of pecan pie. Then we headed over to my place
to finish up the energy initiative report. I'd left some files we
needed there. And the second picture is of us going into my place. I
have my arm around Donna because she'd just stumbled over the chip in
the second step, see there?" Josh pointed out the offending step. "But
I didn't see any photographer that night," he said confused.

Josh glanced over at Donna, slumped in her chair, and saw silent tears
running down her cheeks.

"I should have known something like this would happen," she murmured.
"That telephone call last week..."

He crossed immediately, pulled her to a stand, and put his arms around
her. "Shhhh, it's going to be ok. We'll figure this out and kill the
son of a bitch who's behind it."

"Isn't it obvious who did this," Donna said in a voice so soft Josh
had to strain to hear it.

"No, who?" Josh asked.

"Amy Gardner," Donna answered simply.



"Donna, get a grip," CJ started to argue. "She may be a bitch, but
this is like moving into scary stalker stuff. You really think she's
capable of that?"

Josh didn't say anything. He turned back to the desk, picked up the
photos that were to accompany the story in the National Enquirer, and
stared at them again. Putting them back down on the desk, he then
engulfed Donna in his arms, held her close, and murmured, "I'm so
sorry, so very sorry. I can't believe I could have been such an
idiot."

"Josh, are you saying you agree with Donna? You really think that this
is some kind of 'Fatal Attraction' business from Amy? C'mon, I don't
like her, but she's a major player in this town. Why would she do
this?" CJ looked at Josh and Donna with doubtful eyes.

"It's the only thing that explains what she said last week," Josh said quietly.

"What do you mean?" CJ demanded.

"Last Thursday, before everything blew up between Donna and me, Amy
called and asked Donna what she had been doing at my apartment the
previous Sunday. Donna asked me how Amy knew they we had been together
and I just blew it off thinking it didn't matter. Then once I told Amy
that we were through, I just forgot about it. I didn't know it would
come back to bite me like this," Josh said ruefully.

"And she's doing this because she's so broken-hearted that you dumped
her? You're charming, mi amor, but..." CJ persisted.

"Nah, she doesn't even like me," Josh replied. "This is all about
power. Amy Gardner doesn't like to lose and she's playing a game that
makes me the loser no matter what I do."

"How do you figure that?" CJ asked.

"It's all about perception. Obviously I can't represent the President
if I'm caught in a sex scandal," Josh said heatedly

"We can fix this. We'll spin it, that's what they pay me for. I'll
make it seem like, hell it is, the great American love story...," CJ
said with fire in her eyes.

"I'm sure you can spin it," Josh spat out. "But Amy wins anyway
because, in the short run, she manages to paint Donna as...as..."

"A whore," Donna said in a whisper.

"Well, I'm not ready to concede the win to the bitch," CJ said with
determination. Lowering her voice, she looked straight at Josh and
added, "But the story in The National Enquirer isn't even the bad
news."

"God, what else?"

"The House Government Oversight Committee is considering hearings on
whether you and Donna used tax payer dollars to finance your affair,"
CJ admitted.

Josh inhaled sharply and Donna buried her face in his chest.

"I think we need to see Leo," Josh said, pulling away from Donna.

Just then the phone rang, once, twice. On the third ring, Josh reached
over and picked up the receiver. "Josh Lyman." His face softened and
he said, "She's right here." He handed the phone to Donna and
whispered, "It's your mother. CJ and I are going to see Leo. We'll be
back soon."



"Hi, Mom," Donna said in a subdued voice.

"Hey Baby Girl, how are you?" Carolyn Moss said, her mom-radar on high
alert from the tone of her daughter's voice.

"Not so good," Donna admitted.

"What happened since we talked yesterday? How was your first day on
the job?" Carolyn wanted to know.

"The job's wonderful, but I'm afraid it's going to be short-lived,"
Donna said with a catch in her voice. The tears started to fall, and
she struggled to gain control.

"What in God's name happened, Donnatella?" Carolyn demanded.

"Well, your clients are going to get an eyeful when they read next
week's National Enquirer," Donna said hesitantly. Carolyn Moss owned a
small beauty parlor in Madison. Her customers regularly read the rag.
In fact, if she were honest about it, Carolyn frequently scanned it
while standing in line at the supermarket.

"What are you talking about?"

"There's going to be a story about the love child I'm having with
Josh, conceived, apparently, in the Oval Office. And if that's not bad
enough, the House Government Oversight Committee is planning on
holding hearings on whether taxpayer dollars helped finance this great
affair that Josh and I have supposedly been conducting for the last
four years. I think I was probably right last week when I came home. I
should have just stayed there and ...and," Donna burst into tears.

"Donnatella," her mother said sharply. "Get hold of yourself. You've
got to think clearly and you can't do that if you're crying."

Donna fought to get herself under control. She took several deep
breaths and was wiping the tears off her face when Josh and CJ walked
back into the office. Josh took one look at his fiancee and went to
hold her. CJ murmured that she'd be back shortly, and left the office.

Josh took the phone from Donna and said, "Mrs. Moss, it's Josh."

"Is Donnatella still crying?" Carolyn wanted to know.

"No, she's stopped," Josh said softly, holding her in his arms, the
phone cradled against his ear.

"OK, then. You have one of those speaker phones, Josh?"

"Sure. Give me a second," and Josh pushed the button and sat down in
his desk chair. Donna sat across from him, arms crossed across her
chest, holding onto herself tightly as if to contain her emotions
inside.

"You there, Mrs. Moss?" Josh asked.

"Yes," replied Carolyn, her voice filling the room. "I'm assuming that
woman," Carolyn paused, and then asked, " what was her name?" she
asked.

"Amy Gardner?" he said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, her. I'm assuming that Amy Gardner is behind all this, right?"

"That's what we think, but how do you know that?" Josh asked.

"Oh, please. You don't have to be head of the FBI to see a woman who
hates to lose written all over this little set-up. I hear these kinds
of stories every week from my customers. You just play on a more
public stage, Josh," Carolyn impatiently explained.

"I'm going to speak to Leo in the morning, Mrs. Moss. He's gone for
the night, but we'll bring the full force of the White House to squash
any hearings. CJ will put a spin on this story at the next press
briefing. Sam will bring suit in federal court to try and stop the
Enquirer from printing the story," Josh ticked off the strategy that
he and CJ had started to devise as they came back from Leo's office.

"Whoa cowboy. Bringing all that ammunition to the fight will only
result in a lot of collateral damage. It's absolutely what Amy wants.
Lots of publicity that focuses on you and Donna, none of it good,"
Carolyn said firmly. "Give me a second to think." After a few moments
of silence, Carolyn spoke up. "Got it. OK, here's what we're going to
do. That bitch isn't going to know what hit her."



 "There are two fronts of attack, right?" Carolyn asked.

"Yes," Josh said thoughtfully. "She's leaked a story to the tabloid
press, and she's gotten some Republicans muttering about Congressional
hearings."

"But even if you shut down the hearings, and even if you can somehow
quash this particular story, you still have Amy Gardner out there,
just waiting to wreak havoc. It's like a snake. If you don't cut off
the head, it'll just keep biting you."

"OK, I'll call Amy and set up a meeting. See if I can make a deal,"
Josh offered.

"And have at least five tabloid photographers ready to take some
candids of that encounter? Hell, no, you can't do that Josh," Carolyn
responded.

"What if I meet with her," Donna suggested. "I know she hates me, but
maybe I can make her understand..."

"Absolutely not," both Carolyn and Josh said at the same time.

"Why not?" Donna demanded, her voice growing stronger.

"I don't want you anywhere near her," Josh growled. "I don't want you
to get upset."

"Josh, I don't need you to protect me," Donna started, angrily.

"Yes you do, that's what husbands do."

"I can take care of myself. If anything, you need me to take care of
you. I don't want you meeting with Amy," Donna said hotly.

"Stop it, both of you," Carolyn shouted over the phone. "Josh, while
it's noble of you to want to protect Donna, right now she doesn't need
Sir Lancelot riding in on his steed, especially if he's going to get
his ass kicked by a media-savvy broad. And Donnatella, you aren't
going to meet with Amy, not because I don't think you could take her
in a fight, but because you are going to be above this fray. You meet
with her and the media is gonna scream 'cat fight' and you're going to
be portrayed as the blonde bimbo. So both of you calm down, and if
you're not holding hands right now, it'd be a good time to start."

Both Josh and Donna blushed at Carolyn's words, but then looked at
each other and grinned. They stretched their hands across the desk and
grabbed hold. "So what do I do, Mrs. Moss?" Josh asked.

"Well first, you're going to make sure that my daughter doesn't shed
another tear over this bitch," Carolyn said softly.

"I promise," Josh said smiling at Donna.

"And Donna, I need you to promise that you're going to get down off
your high horse and work with Josh as a team. You did that for years
in the office, but it's even more important as husband and wife,"
Carolyn insisted.

"I promise," Donna said, returning Josh's smile with one of her own.

"OK, here's what we need to do. Donna, can you go to your desk and
book me on a flight to Washington for tomorrow?"

"Mom, I don't want you to have to come here. You've got too much to do
in Madison. What will your standing appointments say if you cancel at
the last minute?" Donna argued.

"Jessie and Molly will take care of my regular customers. Don't worry
about it. And we're going to clean up this mess within two days so
I'll be back in time for the Friday rush," Carolyn said reassuringly.

"Two days, Mrs. Moss?" Josh asked doubtfully. "It might take more time
than that. There's a lot to do."

"Joshua, no wonder you're a Democrat. Big government isn't necessarily
efficient government," Carolyn said with a chuckle. "We're gonna cut
off this snake's head so fast that the tail will still be twitching
when we throw it in the trash and take it out to the curb. Now scoot,
Donnatella. I need to know my flight so I can call Jessie and Molly."

"OK, Mom," Donna stood up and left the office.

After a moment, Carolyn asked, "Is Donna out of the room?"

"Yes."

"Good, turn off the speaker phone and let's talk. Here's what I need
you to do," Carolyn said stealthily.



After finishing his conversation with Carolyn, Josh hung up the phone
and stared into space, postponing what he knew he had to do. Instead,
he walked out to Donna's desk where she was still struggling to make
her mother's plane reservations.

"All set?" Josh asked.

"Not yet," Donna said. "I'm trying to cover this with frequent flyer
miles, otherwise the fare is outrageous, but I used up most of my
miles last week..."she stopped not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Use my credit card," Josh said, fishing it from his wallet and
handing it to her. She smiled at him and then went back to surfing
airline websites trying to get a reservation for the morning.

Josh hung around Donna's desk for a few more minutes, rubbing her
shoulders, running his hands through her hair, but finally took a deep
breath and said, "I have to make some calls," and returned to his
office.

Flipping through his rolodex, he found the number he needed,
hesitated, then dialed. The conversation was brief, but served its
purpose. He looked up another number, looked at his watch, considered
the hour, and then dialed. This conversation was longer, friendlier,
but left Josh frustrated and furious with himself. If he hadn't felt
like the biggest jerk on earth already, it had now been confirmed for
him in spades.

He was sitting there lost in his thoughts when Donna came back into his office.

"Mom gets in at 10 tomorrow morning, but said she'll take a cab here.
If it's ok, she's going to come to your office because I'll be working
the reception the President is hosting for the new White House
interns," Donna explained, her voice trailing off as she recognized
that dark, brooding look on Josh's face.

"Josh?"

"What? Sorry. What time does your mother get in?" he asked.

"10, she's going to come to your office," Donna began tentatively.

"Sure, you have that thing with the interns, right?"

"Let's go," Donna said, grabbing Josh's hand and pulling him to the door.

"I'll drive you home, then go back to my place. I have...I have some
stuff I have to go over," Josh said hesitantly.

The ride to Donna's apartment was quiet. Josh was withdrawn, lost in
his thoughts. He walked Donna up to her apartment. They'd barely
gotten in the door, when he pulled her close for a kiss and held her
without saying a word. Then he stepped back and said, "I'd better get
going."

"Don't," Donna said simply.

"I have to go over some papers for tomorrow," Josh began.

"Don't go. I need you tonight," Donna insisted. "Just stay with me
until I fall asleep. I can't sleep without you," she said shyly,
echoing his words.

Josh smiled, the first bright sign he'd shown in the last few hours.
They walked back into her bedroom. Donna went into the bathroom,
slipped out of her clothes and donned a thin cotton nightgown. After
washing her face and brushing her teeth, she came back into her
bedroom. Josh had shrugged off his suit jacket and taken off his
shoes, but otherwise remained clothed. He was laying on Donna's bed,
still lost in that dark, forbidding forest of his mind. She crawled in
next to him, and turned off the lamp, but the moonlight streaming
through her window gently lit the room.

He wrapped his arms around Donna and she snuggled closer to him, her
head resting on his chest. He softly stroked her arm, but didn't say a
word.

"I love you Joshua," she murmured, her hand caressing his cheek. "I'm
not going anywhere."

There was silence, and finally, in a voice so soft that Donna was
barely able to hear it, he said, "Maybe you should."

"Not a chance," Donna said firmly, pulling him tighter.

Josh shifted around and looked deeply into Donna's eyes, searching for
any signs of doubt. All he saw was unconditional love. He kissed her
hungrily and she responded with an equal amount of passion. There was
a desperate quality to Josh's lovemaking, as if with every kiss, every
touch, he found confirmation that what he had with Donna wasn't going
to disappear. He tried to tell her with his body and with his
whispered words of love how much she meant to him.

At last, exhausted and content, Donna fell asleep in Josh's arms. He
stared at her, transfixed by her beauty, his fingers playing with her
hair. He fought the urge to drift off to that same peaceful,
dream-filled world that Donna was enjoying. Reluctantly, he eased
himself out of bed and dressed. Before leaving the bedroom, he leaned
down and kissed her gently. He had an early appointment with someone
he'd thought he'd never face again, but for Donna, he was willing to
confront the devil himself.



Josh's heels clicked loudly against the marble floors as he walked
swiftly through the halls of the Longworth House Office Building. It
was 6:30 in the morning and the offices were, for the most part,
empty. They'd deliberately chosen such an early hour for the meeting.
Less people present to explain why these two men were in conference.

He came to the massive oak door and knocked.

"Yeah," came a voice from inside and Josh pushed the door open.

"Lyman," said the man sitting behind the huge cherry desk.

"Calley," Josh answered, nodding his head in acknowledgment. He
crossed the room, the Persian carpet muffling his footsteps. Neither
man offered a handshake in greeting. Cliff Calley, Majority Counsel of
the House Government Oversight Committee, indicated to a chair across
from him, and Josh took a seat.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Calley waited, knowing
that Josh was the one coming to ask the favor. His silence reflected a
power play, and Josh knew it. Ordinarily he was a master at these
games, but this morning he wasn't playing for himself. He swallowed
his pride and began.

"What do I have to do to make the hearings go away?" Josh was blunt.
He didn't even have to explain what hearings he was talking about.
Calley had understood when Josh had called so late the previous
evening that it wasn't just the routine business of government. That
could have waited until morning and been conducted by someone less
senior than the Deputy Chief of Staff.

"There's nothing to talk about," Calley said cooly.

Josh felt his blood pressure rise so fast that he thought his heart
would burst. He almost reached across the table and grabbed the
Republican counsel by the throat. He fought for control, knowing that
there was too much at stake to risk an ugly confrontation.

"What do you want?" Josh spat out the words.

"Nothing," Calley replied.

"You know these hearings are bullshit. There was no taxpayer fraud, no
late night romps in the Oval Office. Donna and I haven't been having
an affair, but if you insist on conducting these bogus hearings..."
Josh started to rise from his chair.

"There will be no hearings," Calley said quietly.

"What? Why?" Josh looked warily.

"I know better than anyone that you and Donna haven't been conducting
an affair," Calley offered, leaving unsaid why he knew such intimate
facts.

Josh was dumbfounded. He'd come to the meeting ready to offer himself
up in exchange for protecting Donna from a vicious media circus. It
drove Josh absolutely crazy that he would owe this bastard anything.
But he knew he already did. Calley had conspired with Josh to make
sure that Donna wasn't indicted for perjury over her diary lie and had
taken the high road when Leo was testifying before the committee.

"What happens next?" Josh asked.

"I'll handle it," Cliff said confidently. "First of all, this kind of
crap isn't what Republicans should be focusing on. There are too many
critical issues that need serious attention and on which we
fundamentally disagree with the Administration. But more important,"
Cliff added, lowering his voice, "Donna deserves better than this.
She's a smart, funny, kind woman and I won't let her become the victim
of a partisan witch hunt."

Josh just stared at Cliff. He hated this man with every fiber of his
being. In some ways he didn't want this guy to do the right thing. He
wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp for having slept with Donna. But
in that moment, Josh reluctantly acknowledged to himself that Cliff
Calley was a decent guy who'd also gotten caught last fall in the
cross-hairs of a messy situation. Calley had been wrong to go out with
Donna, knowing the conflict of interest. But Josh now recognized that
his unwillingness to deal with his own feelings had driven the love of
his life straight into another man's arms.

"I...I asked Donna to marry me," Josh confessed.

"Good. I'm glad for Donna. It's what she always wanted," Cliff
answered with a small, regretful smile.

The two men stood. Josh considered offering his hand, but was still
too shaken by the knowledge that none of this would have happened if
he'd been honest with himself. He turned and walked out the door. One
problem had been solved, but the snake was still alive.



Josh was working in his office when Security rang and told him that
Mrs. Carolyn Moss was at the gate. Donna had already arranged
clearance for her mother. He stood up from his desk chair, ran a hand
nervously through his hair, and walked out to the lobby.

Josh had met Carolyn only twice. Once when the campaign made a stop in
Madison. Donna had arranged for her mother to come to a reception the
state Democratic committee was holding before a rally. Josh had been
so busy putting out the fires sparked by in-state rivalries that his
first meeting with his now future mother-in-law had consisted
primarily of a quick handshake and a rather sharp comment to Donna
about how he needed her to take care of some calls.

The second time he'd met Carolyn, he'd been a little more polite, but
no less frazzled. It was early in the administration and Carolyn had
come to visit Donna. Josh had spent a total of ten minutes making
small talk before dashing off to a meeting on the Hill. Donna had
taken her mother to the Oval Office for what was to be a quick photo
session with the President. It turned out to run a little longer when
President Bartlet discovered that Carolyn Moss could argue politely
but fervently about the superior quality of Wisconsin maple syrup
versus the kind produced in New Hampshire. President Bartlet had been
surprised that anyone other than himself had tasted both products.

So when he considered that his in-person meetings with his future
mother-in-law had been less than memorable, and added in the fact that
Donna had missed two Christmases in Wisconsin because of him, plus
been subpoenaed to testify before a Congressional committee because of
her job with him, not to mention the fact that Carolyn was a lifelong
Republican who'd voted against Bartlet, Josh figured he wasn't exactly
at the top of his future mother-in-law's hit parade list. And then he
skipped to the bottom line. He'd made her daughter cry, probably more
times than he knew, and that couldn't be good.

But when he saw Carolyn Moss waiting for him in the lobby, he was
greeted by a big hug, a kiss on the cheek, and a surprising, "I'm so
happy for you and Donnatella. It's a match made by God," and he could
see in her eyes that she meant it.

Josh picked up Carolyn's small overnight bag and they started back to
his office. "Can we make a brief stop at CJ's office? I called her
last night and asked her to get me some information," Carolyn said.

"Of course," Josh said clearly puzzled.

"Don't worry," Carolyn laughed, squeezing his arm.

Josh asked Carol if CJ was free. She nodded yes and Josh knocked on
CJ's office door.

"Come in," CJ yelled.

Josh and Carolyn walked in and CJ rose from her chair behind her desk
and put out her hand to Carolyn. "I'm so glad to meet you again, Mrs.
Moss," CJ said warmly.

"The pleasure is mine. You've been a good friend to my daughter,"
Carolyn replied with a smile. Then she added, "I know you're busy. We
won't hold you up. Were you able to get the information I needed?"

"Yes," CJ said doubtfully, "but I still don't see how she is going to
help solve this problem," and handed her a piece of paper on which was
written, Amber Fisher, an address, telephone number, and the time, 2
p.m..

"Once we've talked, I'm sure Amber will be more than happy to help.
I'll bet that she has her own ax to grind," Carolyn said with
certainty. "Do you have the photo?"

CJ handed Carolyn a photograph of Amy Gardner. "It was taken two years
ago, her hair's longer now," CJ explained.

Carolyn studied the picture, looked at Josh and arched an eyebrow.
"Your mother must have been beside herself," she said shaking her
head.

"She wasn't the only one," CJ agreed with a knowing smile.

Josh felt his face flush and wished that the floor would just open up
and swallow him whole.

Carolyn turned her eyes back to the photo of Amy Gardner, and then
looking at CJ for confirmation, asked, "Twice a week, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" CJ answered in astonishment.

Carolyn snorted, and said, "I've been doing this for over 30 years, I can tell."

Putting the photo in her bag, she then asked, "Were you able to get
that other information I'll need?"

"Yup. Sam gave me the details this morning," and CJ handed Carolyn a folder.

"And finally, what time is the meeting with the reporter," Carolyn asked.

"It's set for 5," CJ replied.

Josh gasped, looked at Carolyn and said, "You're meeting with a
reporter? CJ? This is a bad idea, a very bad idea."

"Joshua, we've got this under control," CJ said with more confidence
than she actually felt.

"Then I'm almost set." Carolyn said, a smile teasing at her lips.
"Thank you again, CJ," and she gave the press secretary a warm hug.

Josh and Carolyn walked back to his office and talked for 20 minutes.
At last, Carolyn checked her watch, saw that it was close to noon, and
said, "It's time. I've got to get moving." Josh accompanied her to the
gate. Catching a glimpse of the worried look on his face, she hugged
him and said, "Don't worry. I've been snake hunting before," and with
a grin, walked out onto Pennsylvania Avenue.



Amy Gardner walked into Jean Pierre Beauty Salon for her 2 p.m.
appointment. She looked at her watch impatiently, waiting for her
regular stylist to meet her. She glanced in the mirror and was
frustrated to see the grey very clearly showing at her roots.

"Ms. Gardner?"

Amy looked up and nodded coldly to Amber Fisher, a woman of about 35,
who was her regular hair dresser. Amy was determined to look good, but
had never managed to control her unruly locks. She hated that left
untreated, she would have a head full of grey, lifeless hair. So for
the last three years, she'd had a standing twice-a-week appointment
with Amber.

"Amber, I was going to have just a regular shampoo and blow dry, but
look at these roots," Amy said in an accusing voice, as if her grey
hair were someone else's fault.

"Actually, I've been consulting with a color specialist," Amber
explained with a small smile, "and I think I'm going to change your
formula."

"Well, you'd better do something and do it fast," Amy snapped. "I've
got an important appointment at 5." She sat down in the salon chair,
and Amber wrapped her in a cape, and began applying the color. She set
the timer for 20 minutes, and then said, "When you hear the ding, go
over to the shampoo corner and get it washed out." Amy nodded as Amber
left the room.

When the timer rang, Amy moved to the shampoo area. She glanced
quickly at the woman next to the sink, and thought she looked vaguely
familiar, but didn't recognize her as the usual shampoo girl. Amy sat
down and leaned her head back into the sink.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Gardner." Amy was surprised that this woman knew her name.

"Water warm enough?"

Amy mumbled "Yes," beginning to relax from the warm water and the
strong hands massaging her scalp.

"I think you'll find this new formula will cover your grey longer,"
the woman continued. Amy shrugged further back into the chair,
thoroughly relaxed.

"My daughter's lucky," the shampooer continued, "She's naturally
blonde. She won't ever have your kind of coarse, frizzy grey hair. You
should be grateful that you found a talented stylist like Amber,
especially now that you're single again," the voice continued nicely.

Amy was irritated. Had other customers been gossiping to Amber about
Josh dumping her?

"And a woman as important as you needs to look good when she meets
with the press."

Amy nodded slightly, her head filled with soapy suds, but the hairs on
her arm beginning to tingle.

"Like that meeting you have tonight at 5 with the reporter from the
National Enquirer. You're going to have to look especially good when
you sell him on this new story."

Amy started to sit up in the chair, but strong hands held her back.

"I think you want to listen closely, Ms. Gardner," said Carolyn.
"Unless you want me to send some very interesting information I have
about your college days to your board of directors."

"I don't know what you're talking about," hissed Amy.

"Josh spoke to his old roommate Chris late night. You do remember
Chris, don't you?" Carolyn asked quietly.

"Of course I do," Amy answered, slightly nervous.

"Chris remembers you too, although I can't say with much fondness. He
does, however, clearly remember writing your senior thesis for you.
And he mentioned the name Brian McFadden. Does that name ring a bell?
You know the guy you were sleeping with your sophomore year who wrote
your take-home bio final? Apparently there's a whole Amy Gardner fan
club at Harvard. Were you planning on going to your 20th reunion
dear?"

"I prefer to think that Chris and Brian were making a contribution to
the women's movement. What do you want?" Amy snarled.

"You know I always like people who cut to the chase, so here's the
deal. There's nothing to negotiate, so listen carefully the first
time," Carolyn said. "I'm even giving you extra conditioner just so
you have time to hear it all."

"First, you're going to meet the reporter as scheduled, but you're
going to insist he must have misunderstood you. I'm not sure how
you're going to do it but you do have your ways, don't you dear."

Amy stiffened, then muttered, "He's going to need something to give to
his editors, no matter what I do."

"I know, that's why you actually do have a great story that the
Enquirer's readers are going to love. Did you know the gold at Fort
Knox was abducted by aliens?" Carolyn said. "What are you crazy?" Amy
spat out.

"Absolutely not. I have it on highest authority from the White House
and I've put a folder with the information in your briefcase."

"Next, tomorrow morning CJ will announce Donnatella and Joshua's
engagement. When asked by inquiring minds, you're going to say that
you're thrilled to hear that the two of them are getting married and
that you are offended that anyone could suggest that a woman can't
fall in love and still be the consummate professional. Of course,
you're not speaking from personal experience, but I'm sure you can
handle it. You really ought to have considered drama as a major."

Amy squirmed in the chair, but Carolyn's hands held her in place. She
turned on the warm water and rinsed the conditioner from Amy's hair.

"One more thing. Amber works 50 hours a week and has two young
children. Those tips you've been giving her are insulting. Double them
and at Christmas, remember cash is always in good taste. And the next
time, Amy, you give Amber a box of Godiva chocolates, take out the
card addressed to you." With a final spray of water, Carolyn stepped
away from the chair and handed Amy a towel.

She looked Amy Gardner directly in the eyes and said firmly, "You ever
come near my daughter and her husband again, you won't know what hit
you." Carolyn turned on her heels and walked out the door.



 "You don't have to wait with me," Carolyn insisted. They were at
Reagan Airport and her plane was scheduled to leave in a few minutes.

"I want to Mom. We haven't had much time together," Donna said, giving
her mother a quick hug. "You've been busy," she added with a smile.

"You're all set," Josh said, coming up to them. He handed Carolyn her ticket.

"I just want to say thank you again," Josh began.

"Don't," Carolyn interrupted. "We're family now," she said warmly.

"You'll be back soon, right?" Donna asked.

"Definitely, we've got a wedding to plan," Carolyn declared.

"I've been thinking about that," Donna began tentatively. "We haven't
had a chance to talk about it, but, if it's ok with you," she turned
to Josh, "I'd like to be married in Washington. It's the only way that
President and Mrs. Bartlet will be able to attend."

"I was hoping you felt that way," Josh said relieved.

"I'm not surprised," Carolyn said. "But of course, the first thing you
have to decide is when."

"In two weeks," said Josh, while simultaneously, Donna declared,
"maybe Christmas?" They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I'm not waiting six months, Donnatella," Josh said firmly.

"What about my honeymoon to Hawaii? We're in the middle of a campaign,
Joshua" Donna asked mischievously.

"We'll take a long weekend when we get married and I promise a week in
the 50th state when the election is over," Josh offered.

"Two weeks," Donna countered.

"Deal," Josh said and hugged her close.

"Well I guess I'll be back sooner than I thought," Carolyn laughed.
Just then Carolyn's flight was announced. As they started walking
toward the gate, Carolyn suddenly remembered something, a gleam in her
eye.

"Tell Mrs. Bartlet to call me when she gets a chance," Carolyn announced.

"About the wedding?" Josh asked.

"No, Bobby Sullivan and....," Carolyn answered, looking knowingly at Donna.

"Ooh, good idea," Donna squealed.

"He's finished and going to..." her mother pointed out.

"Really? That's certainly convenient. July 1, right?" Donna said
conspiratorially. "Don't worry, I'll tell her. She'll be thrilled."

At the gate, Josh hugged Carolyn tight and whispered "thank you" one
more time. Donna and Carolyn held on to each other for a few moments
and then with a hitch in her voice, Donna said, "I love you Mom."

"I love you baby girl."

Carolyn went through the security gate, waved to Josh and Donna, and
walked down the hall.

As they started to walk away, Josh asked with a smile, "Want to
translate Moss code?"

Donna tucked her arm through Josh's and looked up innocently. "Just
trying to be helpful," she answered with a twinkle in her eye.

"Who's Bobby Sullivan?" Josh demanded.

"My next door neighbor's son. He's graduating University of Wisconsin
Medical School and going to Hopkins for his residency starting in
July," Donna patiently translated.

"And this is good because...." Josh said confused.

"Because Ellie is a medical student at Hopkins," Donna explained, as
if she were talking to a three-year-old.

"Ohhhh," Josh nodded, as he and Donna walked to the car. Then a thought hit him.

"Wait a minute. Your mother's neighbor, you say."

"Uh-huh."

"The Sullivan who's the Republican state senate leader? Donna, is his
son a Republican too?" Josh asked indignantly.

"Of course, but the good kind," Donna said with a grin.