Title: Peripheral Vision

Author: Tinkerbell99

Rating: T

Disclaimer: The characters are not my creation, they belong to someone else.

Summary: And so it was that Donna joined the campaign, but what else happened that day? Told from the points of view of those on the outside of the main event.

A/N: Though the catalysts are Josh and Donna, this story is centered on and is told primarily through the voices of other characters: Margaret, CJ, Sam, and Abby to name a few. I wanted to know - what didn't we see in Nashua?

POV: Margaret

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"There's a strange woman in your office."

"Huh?"

"The woman. In your office?" Surely he's aware of the leggy blonde in his office. I would think leggy blondes are something Josh Lyman would definitely notice. "She's not accounted for on the daily register of volunteers."

Josh rips a page from a giant blue binder. "Margaret, is it?" I nod. "She's…" He cranes his neck back and looks at me for a moment while he continues shuffling through the binder. "She's new here. She just…drove in. From Wisconsin."

Some people have no regard for the system. This isn't the first time this has happened. This isn't even the first time it's happened with Josh Lyman. He also failed to register an employee when he first came in from Washington. It upset the count for days before I realized and corrected the problem.

"See, this is where the system always gets upset. You really should run all new employees through this office. My office. Leo's office. It helps avoid the overflow."

He looks up at me for a moment like he just discovered a moldy substance in the fridge and isn't quite sure he wants to know what it is. "The…overflow?"

"Yes." He still looks confused. I really don't have time for this today. I wouldn't think that he would either, but that's his call. He puts down the binder. "And the overflow is…?" He obviously needs an explanation.

"The overflow is what happens when volunteers are allowed to choose their station of work." He's started walking through the main lobby now, heading back toward his office. Lucky for me, I have long legs and can keep right on talking while we move. "When volunteers choose their station of work, they're more likely to pair themselves with certain areas of campaign activity or with certain campaign pointpeople."

"Pointpeople?"

"Yes. People of notice in the campaign. You, Leo, and CJ for example. They're also more likely to want to work for an attractive person of the opposite sex or with someone who is perceived as vital to the campaign. Perhaps a boss likely to stimulate an exciting and enjoyable work environment." He comes to a sudden stop beside the copy machine.

"Really." Somehow that didn't sound like a question.

"Yes. And when that kind of overflow occurs, certain areas of the campaign are inevitably left understaffed. This, in turn, affects the overall effectiveness of the aforementioned campaign."

"Really." There's that voice again. He leans against the copy machine with his eyebrows raised. "You've done…some sort of…research on this?" He looks confused again and his eyes are all squinty.

"On the overflow? Yes." I nod my head. Why is that so hard to believe?

"Ahh…kay. So basically what you're telling me is that if all the volunteers don't funnel themselves through you, no one will want to work for Toby."

I've gotten through to him at last. "Exactly."

"Right. Right." Mrs. Landingham is headed toward the copy machine and Josh starts to back away from me. "Well, thanks, um, Margaret. I'm gonna just…I've gotta head back to my office and-"

"I'm sorry. I can't let you do that." He stops in his tracks and looks up at me. His eyes aren't squinty anymore. In fact, they're kind of wide.

"W…Why?"

"You're not wearing your campaign badge." Honestly, this should be perfectly clear to him.

"I…I…uh…I left it…uh…"

He's started walking away from his office now, and back toward the main lobby. Obviously he needs another explanation. "When you entered the building, you were handed an identification badge. The badge is a necessary part of coordinating campaign pointpeople and volunteers. The organization achieved by the badges helps us avoid the phenomenon of over-"

"Overflow. Right. I get that. But, I have a badge." He's stopped walking now and is looking up at me with a nervous little smile on his face.

"But you're not wearing it."

"Well, I-"

"If you're not wearing a badge, you're not allowed in the offices."

"Okay, first of all, it's not 'the offices.' It's my office. It has my name on it. And I was wearing a badge." He looks at me as if this was supposed to clarify the problem. We stand in silence for a few seconds before he gives in. "All right. I'm a team player. I play by the rules. I'll get another badge from the box and-"

"You can't do that." I close the top of the cardboard box before he can reach his hand in and pilfer another badge.

The squinty-eyed look is back. "Why not?"

"If you take a second badge from the box, it upsets the daily volunteer count. An accurate count assures that the phenomenon of-"

"Ok, right! Overflow! I've upset the overflow! I get it!" He puts his head in his hands and runs them through his hair wildly for a few moments before looking back up at me. "Margaret." He takes a deep breath and begins speaking very slowly. "If I swear never to upset the overflow again, and I swear to keep my badge around my neck until election day, could I please, for the love of God, have a badge and GET BACK TO WORK!"

I look at him for a moment. He seems sincere. After a few moments of silent consideration, I raise the top of the box to allow him access.

"Thank you!"

"Mr. Lyman?" I have one more question for him.

He stops on his way back to his office. He keeps his back to me, but I would imagine the squinty-eyed look has returned. "Yes?"

"If you could just inform me of the location of the original badge, then I could adjust the counts and regulate the overflow."

He turns and I see that I was right about his eyes. "I gave it to the…I gave it to Donna. I gave it to my assistant."

Normally I would need to remind him of the ramifications of such an action, but I'm a little shocked that he's managed to find himself an assistant. Besides, if this Donna person manages to stick with him for a week, I can stop doing double-time with the filing. Lord knows, he needs someone to keep track of him and Leo's enough for one woman to handle. After the press mix-up this morning and with us moving on to South Carolina tonight, it's only likely to get worse. Besides, he looks sincerely sorry…and a little bit pleased with himself.

"Okay then." I give him a nod and head back to work.