Disclaimers: They aren't mine, you know this by now, I know this by now and it is a stupid law that makes me state this.
Author's note: This takes place right after the Six Season finale. It's a little angsty and the story itself will be MUCH shorter then my other stories. Feed back is ALWAYS welcome and enjoyed. By the way I LOVE Amy's Secret Service name. This story is a little different from my other stuff but please bear with it and you will be satisfied.
Chapter 1 MORNING:
Two weeks ago
"We need more staff." Santos stated flatly and without much ceremony. After Josh's actions the last few months, he was considering getting a new Campaign Manager. The mere suggestion of using Baker's wife illness as some form of leverage should have been the last straw. But Leo convinced Santos to give Josh another shot. "Did we all make up our lists?" Helen, Leo, Josh and he were all given the opportunity to hire new blood for the last and most nerve wracking part of the race.
Leo went first, "I want Will Bailey and Donna Moss."
Josh looked up from his paper, dumbstruck, "I don't think she'll come."
"Oh, she'll come if I ask her." Leo stated overconfidently.
Santos beamed, "Oh she's wonderful, the Chicken Fighter, right! Yes! I want her on board too!"
Josh started pacing, "Look there is no way she would come work for me again."
Helen, looked at him blankly, "Oh, Josh, who said anything about her working for you?"
"I don't care about Bailey, if that's who you want, Leo fine. But I want the Chicken Fighter; I think she would be valuable to the team."
Josh cringed at the Congressman's choice of words. He crumbled his paper and tossed it in the trash, "Fine do what ever you want, I'll be looking over polling data." He slammed the door behind him.
Almost instantly after the door slammed Helen ran to the trash and pulled out Josh's list. A smile crossed her face and she read the lone name of the paper. Leo looked at it triumphantly. "See, told you."
"You think she will put him back on the right path?" The one day future president asked.
"No one else could do it."
"I think we should hire one other person." He scratched the named down of a sheet of paper, both Leo and Helen read it in horror. "What? At least it should be fun to watch."
Helen shook her head, "You're an evil man Mathew."
"But you love me anyway."
Today
Donna entered the headquarters unsure of herself. The way Leo insisted she start working here, she was sure this would be her last chance in politics. Most of her tension came from the uncertainty of her relationship with Josh. Sure he brought her and Will a beer, but he didn't say anything the entire time. When Santos walked off the stage, Josh gulped down the last of his drink and left. Well, no, he looked at her opened his mouth and shut it before leaving. When the door was closed Will asked, "that's it? You aren't going to say anything to him?"
Donna watched the beer as she swirled it around in the glass, "I really don't think there is much to say."
Two weeks later here she was in the former enemies lair. No one looked at her, she stank of failure, and they didn't want the smell to end up on them. But Will handed her a bagel and smiled. At least there she would have one ally here.
"Did you miss the motorcade again?" Donna nudged the speech writer with her elbow.
"I did no such thing." He smirked, "After all I got here before you, I could ask you the same question."
"You missed the motorcade again?"
Donna instantly recognized the voice behind her, her stomach flipped and she felt the unsets of a blush. She turned to the voice, "Yes, Josh I did because Will was to busy flirting with a local donator. The one thing I learned on that journey, Will is a breast man."
Josh's eyebrows were now at the top of his forehead. "Really, Will?"
Will put his hand to his chest, "look, men like the parts of women we don't have on our own body. They feel neat."
Donna scrunched up her nose, "that's gross, I haven't even had my coffee yet, I don't need to think about you touching neat female parts."
Josh smiled at her honest reaction.
Ronna came up to the Campaign Manager, wide eyed, "what's that thing on your face?"
Josh instinctively touched his face, "what?"
Ronna turned to the staffers milling around, "someone get a camera quick! Josh is smiling!"
Donna stared at with disbelief in her eyes at Josh. How is it possible he hasn't smiled? He always smiled before, she thought.
Will changed the subject, "um Josh did you hire anyone else?"
The smile was erased from his face, "I didn't, but someone else was hired." Almost on cue a new body entered the room, she gave a small wave to Josh. He sighed softly, defeat already in his eyes, "Hi Amy."
Donna was suddenly grateful that she hadn't eaten any of her breakfast yet, a wave of nausea washed over her. Was all the color draining from her face? She couldn't tell.
"Hi J." Amy grabbed his arm, and then glanced over to Donna and Will, "Morning Will." Amy's voice was chipper and clear when she spoke to Will, but Donna made her voice flat and empty. She gave her former rival a head nod, "Donna."
Donna gave her rival a small wave, "it should be fun working with you."
The morning meeting was starting, but Donna heard Will mutter under his breath, "it should be interesting to say the least."
They all sat around the conference table, Donna sat to the right of Will and handed him some coffee. Josh sat on the far side of the table, looking down at his papers and occasionally peering up from them to spy on the newcomers to the team.
Ned brought up Bill 473, or the No More Preventive Health Care Bill, that the White House has named it. Will muttered that Charlie needs to come up with better names to Donna, which made her smirk.
"The bill is designed to help insurance companies not the American public, its disguising." Helen could no longer hide her disgust.
Amy gazed up at Santos, "you should be the first to come out about this. You have a speech in a few minutes, state to the country that you don't believe in this kind of lack of responsibility and common sense. This bill lowers the quality of life for all Americans."
Josh stared at the steaming rising from Will's coffee and pointed his question to Donna, "Did you just bring him coffee?"
She shrugged, "it's no big deal, and he brought me breakfast."
"Unbelievable." Anger filled his voice and Josh tore his eyes off of Donna and returned them back to his papers.
"Josh is there anything you would like to say to the class?" Santos questioned.
Shaking off his disgust he stated, "You shouldn't come out against this, not this soon. Wait until Vinick says something first."
Amy stared at him with disbelief, "What and make it look like his reacting to Vinick's statement! No way, have you lost your mind?"
"I just think we should have Vinick a chance to make the statement first." Josh glared back at the coffee.
Santos asked the others what they thought. Most agreed with Amy. Will stated if the Congressman wanted to say something about it, he could fit in into his speech right now.
"Donna, what do you think?" Leo asked.
It was like one of those animal documentaries where all the birds turn their heads at once. Donna felt all the eyes burning into her.
"Um, I really don't know much about Vinick to make this call." She admitted.
"What does Vinick have anything to do with it?" Amy questioned. But Donna shrugged. "You know you are eating at the grown up table now."
Donna was stunned and wanted a witty response, but it was Ronna who filled it in, "Well maybe she doesn't want to say anything stupid and get herself fired the first day she's here."
Staffers exchanged knowing glances. Ned makes a little meow sound.
"If you want to talk about it, give it to Leo." Josh suggested.
Donna shook her head adamantly, "No, that's a very bad idea. It will look awful; Leo's not exactly the healthiest of people. Sorry Leo, but its true. The message will be stronger if it comes from Santos."
Santos nodded with agreement, "It settled."
"But." Josh argued.
"Sorry, Josh you just didn't make a very strong case. What's next?"
The rest of the meeting was a blur; all Josh could think about was Donna had betrayed him three times in twenty minutes. He didn't even know the woman sitting five feet away from him. His Donna would have never brought anyone coffee. His Donna would have crushed Amy with a witty comeback. His Donna would have supported him even if it was a bad idea. One thing was certain, this woman who shared Donna's name and appearance wasn't His Donna.
Josh left with Santos to go to the event that was scheduled, hoping he would be able to talk him out of Bill 473. He failed, again.
At the end of the meeting Donna approached Leo, who gave her a dissatisfied glance, "Donna you have to get in the game."
"I know Leo."
"None of this 'I don't know Vinick' crap. You're smarter than this."
With shame Donna looked down at her shoes, "Yes sir."
"Good call on the Bill though; it wouldn't look right if I spoke out against it." Leo placed his hand on her shoulder. Sometime it was easy to forget that Donna was still new at all this, that her year had been as rough has his.
Donna smiled at her old ally and pulled a file from her bag, "Um here I wrote this for you, if you wanted to take a look at it." She handed Leo a file names, "Why being the Vice President is better then being Chief of Staff." She pointed to it, "The number one reason is less stress."
Leo laughed. "Sure thing kiddo I'll look at it." Donna resented being called 'kiddo' it insinuated that Leo would never see her more the Josh's assistant. 'Kiddo' meant young, innocence and green. In eight years she had never heard him call CJ, or Toby 'kiddo'.
"Thanks Leo."
Will was supposed to be with Leo today, but he needed to run back to his room and get something. So he followed Donna, Ronna, Helen and Amy out the door. About four feet down the hallway, Donna's phone started to ring.
"Crap." She looked down the number display. "It's him again."
Will grabbed the phone, "Donna Moss' line. Oh Hi Cliff. How's it going? Nope she's not here. But I'll give her the message. No I am not cock blocking her calls, she's a big girl now and if she wants to blow you off, she can do it on her own. Good bye Cliff." He handed the phone back to its owner, "I think he thinks I'm in love with you."
Donna acted shocked and appalled, "You mean you aren't!"
Will rolled his eyes, "Seriously when are you going to set me up with Kate? I'm dying over here."
"When you can prove you won't be an asshole."
"I think we both know that isn't going to happen any time soon. Just look at my track record."
Ronna piled in, "Who's Cliff?"
"Cliff Caley, he's Donna's ex boyfriend. In fact she almost went to jail not because she slept with him but the two are very closely related. It's a good thing she had an overprotective boss to save her from being passed around like a carton of Lucky's." Amy filled in the blanks, spitefully. Donna was too blinded by rage to even speak. Will's knuckles become white and for the first time since childhood he seriously considers hitting a woman.
Helen picked up on the tension. "So Cliff wants you back?"
Donna shrugged, "He wants what any ex-boyfriend wants." The women instantly understood; he wanted sex on a couch. Never a bed, that's reserved for woman they love not women that just want to bang.
Jefferson the secret Service agent who had been walking with them the whole time spoke into his ear piece, "Mama Bear, Veronica, Maple Leaf, Cerberus and Elon are on the move."
Amy handed Helen a file, "I wrote up a strategy plan for you, I think you will be very happy with it, Helen. Its' called "The Road to Victory.""
"Try not to over sell it." Donna muttered.
Amy turned her attentions back to Mrs. Santos, "You know, Donna's jealous because I have all the thing she will never have, and education, class, dignity…"
"A ten page resume." Donna added and earned her a glare.
Ronna changed to subject, "Did anyone catch their Secret Service names, I'm Veronica, I have to say that's pretty lame. But Cerberus that's really bad." She made quick eye contact with Donna. "Which one were you?"
"Well, I'm Maple Leaf and Will's Elon …so I guess, Cerberus would be Amy? Wouldn't it?"
"Hmm. Isn't Cerberus he dog that guards Hell?" Helen questioned.
Will added, "well actually, Cerberus is a female."
It took Amy a few seconds to figure out the full meaning of this, then she starts bellowing, "JJJJJOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHHH!"
Ronna smiled, "well that's one way to get rid of her." Will took a different path to his room, hence leaving Donna alone with Ronna and Helen.
Helen eyed Donna up curiously, "I would like to know who it was one Russell's staff that suggested he go to my husband's debate back in New Hampshire."
Donna looked at the fire extinguisher, nervously, "um, why?"
"Because I don't know if I should kill them with my bare hands or name a holiday after them."
"I guess it would depend on your mood and the results on Election Day."
"Hmmm." Helen squinted her eyes. She turned always and walked into her suite to be with her children.
Donna had her deer in headlight look plastered all over her face as Ronna pointed to Donna bag. "Do you have a plan too?"
"Huh?"
"Did you write one too?" Donna nodded and pulled it out, the title, "How to get to the White House and Become First Lady without Killing Your Husband along the way," made Ronna laugh, "Yeah, I too would like to know who convinced Russell to join the debate, because she kept me employed." She gave Donna a knowing smile, "I'll make sure Helen gets this."