Author's Note: This is just a quick prompt-fic based on a Tumblr prompt I received from avengerassembled, who asked for "where Bob Russell is president and things are fine. Not good, not bad, just fine." I am still taking fic requests, if anybody is interested. My Tumblr is also etraytin.

...

"Okay, I need you to meet with Jared and the policy shop people tonight, see if you can light a fire under them before the State of the Union." Will tapped his foot unconsciously against the leg of Donna's visitor's chair, looking very much like a small boy impatient for recess. "We need new initiatives to roll out, ideally something that we can actually pass, so they've gotta be popular."

Donna made a note in her planner, then sat back in her own chair, which she still sometimes thought of as CJ's when she wasn't paying attention. She knew CJ had moved offices, knew that this had been Leo's office for the last year of the Bartlet term, but she hadn't been around for most of that. "I'll give them a call tonight to rev them up," she told him, "but meeting with them tonight would be futile. You know how they are, Will. Besides, I've got a date."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I heard he was back in town. He relaxed his stance on sleeping with the enemy?" He made a face and immediately tried to walk it back. "I'm sorry, Donna. That was uncalled for."

"Really was," she agreed quietly. "I have a briefing to prepare for."

"Yeah." He put his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet. "The President wants us all in the Oval at four to talk midterm strategy. You'll be able to duck out to brief if it runs long."

"I'll be there," she promised, turning back to her notes. She missed Leo.

…...

"And so I'm going to want all of you coordinating campaign efforts through Angela's office, and she'll keep me appraised on the state of the races. We'll pull a few long nights, I imagine, but I'll try and get you all home before supper whenever I can." President Russell rearranged the stack of papers on the Resolute desk, putting them in order with a solid tap. "That'll be all. Donna, a moment please?"

Donna obligingly stayed behind as the other senior staff members filed out, trying not to drum her fingers against her leather folder. She had seven minutes until the evening briefing, and a press corps left alone too long would start inventing their own stories. "Yes, sir?"

"I'm going to be relying heavily on you for the press strategy on the midterm campaigns," the President told her, drumming his fingers lightly on the desk. "You know what a squeaker we had last time, and our coattails weren't exactly long. Picking up a few seats would make it a lot easier for us to actually pass a few bills around here."

"Yes sir, I've been working with my deputies to outline a strategy, I've given Will a rough draft-"

He waved a hand. "Yes, I've had a quick look at it, you're on the right track. We need to be supportive, but not overly supportive. We can't let ourselves get dragged in too deeply on any of these races, in case they don't go the way we want. I don't want egg on our faces, Donna."

"No sir," Donna agreed. "I'm sure we can find a balance-"

"Balance is good," he agreed over top of her. "That's what I'm really looking for here. That's what I think we're all looking for, isn't it? Not too much of one thing or the other."

Donna bit back the reply she wanted to make, that the Democrats probably would prefer them to be a little bit more of one thing than nothing at all. It wasn't as though she'd have gotten all the way through her sentence anyway. "Yes sir, we can do that. Will that be all?"

"I know you need to brief, I won't keep you long," he assured her in that laconic way that had begun to grate shortly after Inauguration. "Word has it that Josh Lyman is back from exile. Did you hear anything about that?"

"He's back in DC, yes." Donna resisted the urge to shoot a glare towards the Chief of Staff's office. "I believe he finished out his teaching contract at Harvard last month."

"Has he picked himself up a candidate or two?" President Russell asked. "We may have beaten him and his guy last time, but he's still got a top-drawer political mind. I'm sure folks are asking."

"I'm not sure, sir," Donna replied, carefully polite. "We haven't had a chance to talk very much."

"But I imagine you probably will soon," he surmised with that odd half-smile. "We could use him around here, Donna. You know our legislative agenda is stalled. I could make him... well, to be honest, nothing around here is particularly lucrative, but I could make him a prestigious offer. It's been more than a year, and we're all Democrats. It's time to mend fences and get some laws passed."

There is no way in a thousand hells, Donna thought, but managed to keep it off her face. "I'm really not sure what his plans are," she repeated, "but I can take his temperature, see if he might be interested."

"You do that," he acquiesced with a nod. "And you can remind him that if he comes on board as senior staff, there's no rules about fraternization amongst yourselves. In case that's important."

Donna felt her cheeks flushing, but there was absolutely nothing she could say to that without losing her job. "Yes sir. The press briefing?"

"Go on," he told her, waving her to the door. "Work your magic on them. Let me know if you find out anything tonight."

"Thank you, Mister President." Donna retreated gratefully to the outer office, wondering whether it would be less painful to cancel the date, or to spend two hours listening to Josh rant about how he'd never join Bingo Bob's band of blunderers. Six of one, really. At least she always had her press room.