Fandom: The West Wing
Title: Getting to Know You
Rated: PG
Characters: Josh, Helen Santos
Notes: I love Teri Polo. That is all.


[ getting to know you ]
by kHo

"Wow," she said, stepping up beside Josh and looking at him with
understanding in her eyes. "You're actually kind of human, aren't you,
Josh?"

He frowned, looking at her. "Huh?"

She smiled and reached out to touch his arm. "Don't get me wrong, I
know you're human. Matt's not fond of androids."

Josh shook his head. "Mrs. Santos, I don't--"

"Helen," she said, looking back out at the party going on around them.
"What I'm talking about is that lost puppy look on your face whenever
your eyes catch sight of that blonde across the room."

Any trace of amusement that had worked its way onto Josh's face now
fell, leaving it impassive. "I think you're seeing things, Helen."

"Matt tells me she was your assistant," she said, leaning a little
closer to him, close enough for him to smell the lilac of her faint
perfume. "He says you never talk about her." She smiled at him and
nodded. "Not ever."

Shrugging Josh turned to walk to the punch bowl, frowning as Helen
followed him. "I talk about her when I need to," he said, laughing.
"You know, when she comes up."

She nodded, sitting in an empty chair. "Right. And then you do
everything in your power to change the subject."

Josh did some quick calculations in his head at just how pissed Matt
would be if Josh were to turn his back and a blind ear to his wife,
and sat down next to her. "Where are you going with this," he asked,
lowering his voice and sending her a 'drop it now' look.

"You're doing it now," she said, her grin widening as she pointed at
him. "You're saying you don't care, but everything about you is
screaming at me to change the subject."

He sighed, handing her the extra drink he hadn't even really realized
he'd made for her and began to sweep the crowd with his eyes, making a
mental list of people who needed to meet Matt. "Maybe I don't want to
talk about it at a party, Helen."

"Why, will it sour your mood," she asked, her mouth twitching around a
laugh. "Josh, I'm just saying, you walk around here like a robot. You
walk around here like a person with no history, no feelings, no
emotions... except, of course, aggravation at my husband when he
disobeys your orders."

He looks at her quickly. "They're not orders."

"Okay," she says, raising her hands. "Recommendations then. I'm just
saying I was beginning to think maybe you didn't know how to be
anything other than a politician."

He shrugged, clenching his jaw for a moment before looking at her.
"Maybe I don't."

"He really likes you, ya know," she said, looking across the room at
where Matt was talking pretty animatedly with John Hoynes. "Not that
there's that many people that he doesn't like. But he likes you a lot.
I didn't understand why." She looked at him and frowned. "Which isn't
to say I think you're a bad guy, Josh, I'm just saying I didn't
understand what it was that made him like you so much."

Josh laughed, shrugging again. "Maybe it's my hair."

She laughed. "No. I don't think so."

His hand went up to rifle through is hair. "There used to be more of
it. Just so you know."

"I figured it out though, just now," she continued, crossing her legs
and looking at him. "You keep it all inside. It's there, you just keep
it all inside."

He nodded. "Okay."

"You do."

He nodded again, laughing uncomfortably. "Keep what inside?"

"All the personal stuff. All the stuff that isn't this," she said,
sweeping her hand through the crowd. "The stuff that isn't who to talk
to, and what to talk about, and how to talk about it, and how to not
piss people off. The stuff that's about you and how you feel? You keep
it to yourself." She nodded, hugging her arms to herself. "He sees
that."

Josh shifted in his seat, his legs literally jumping, twitching as he
forced himself to stay put. "Helen."

"You don't have to talk about it," she said, patting his leg softly
before wrapping her hand around her drink. "I just wanted to let you
know that we can't care about you if you don't let us."

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "What?"

"We're having a barbeque on Sunday, just us and the family," she said,
looking him in the eye. "We'd like you to come, but only if you
promise to not talk about the campaign."

He shook his head. "Wait. I'm confused."

She laughed. "Josh. Everything you do says back off. Everything you
do, and say, and project, says you don't want to get to know us. Matt
thinks that's a defense mechanism, and I do too. Now. Before I just
thought you were an asshole."

His eyebrow quirked up and he found himself laughing. "An asshole, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just another political hack that wanted out of my
husband what you could personally gain. But maybe you're not. Matt
says he was the wrong choice anyway, if that's what you were after."
She shrugged. "He's been trying to tell me there are moments where you
let it down, that wall around you. Just tiny little moments when he
thinks you're actually gonna crack a little and let him in."

"He's talked to you about this?"

She laughed. "Yeah, Josh. We talk about everything."

Josh smiled sadly. "That sounds nice."

"Is that what you had with her," she asked softly, tilting her head.

Josh sighed, looking across the room at Donna, who was looking across
the room at Will. "Yeah."

She nodded, taking a sip of the punch and setting the cup down on the
floor. "You don't have to tell us everything, just some things. You
don't have to tell us about lost loves, and deep dark secrets. Just
tell us that you like the Three Stooges and that Curly is your
favorite. Tell us that sometimes on Saturday's you actually like to
sleep in late. Tell us that there are times when you go to a coffee
shop and do nothing but watch people for three hours." She shrugs.
"Just tell us something personal. We're not hard to get to like,
Josh."

He smiled and looked down at the ground. "I know. I already like you."

"Okay," she said, nodding. "Then make it so I get to like you too,
okay? That's all I'm saying."

"Moe," he said, licking his lips and looking at her. "Curly's funny,
but my favorite was always Moe."

She smiled and nodded. "Mine was Larry. Mostly because Curly got all the love."

He laughed. "A fan of the underdog huh?"

She nodded. "You too," she said, smiling as Matt walked up and looking
at Josh. "Obviously."

"Ya know, the party's over there," Matt said, pointing behind him.

"It's okay, Matt," Helen said, standing and linking her arm through
Matt's. "We were just talking."

Matt looked wearily at Josh. "Getting along, I hope?"

Josh nodded, settling back in the chair and hooking his ankle over his
knee. "Yeah. Just tossing around a few nyuk-nyuk jokes."