Chapter Five: So Easy

I know the call is coming. Of course I do, for one thing I happen to be good at my job and for another...well I'm good at my job. Plus I can read CJ like a book, a particularly attractive book, which only serves to make my being good at my job thing all the more effective. So, whilst the rest of the reporters are grumbling about CJ not answering the question about Josh and Donna I'm busy writing my article on it because, unlike the rest of them, I know the call is coming.

CJ doesn't lie when she gets up behind that podium but she does play the distraction game, answering as many parts of the question as she possibly can without answering the incriminating bit. And she's good at it too, the corps might still clamour her name when she leaves the briefing room but more often than not they've got enough information to write their stories. Today that isn't the case but they're still trying to tie together all the Josh Donna links they've seen over the past few years and work out if anything had changed.

They'll be looking for that all day. The only reason I'm not is because I already found the answer. Hence the article which is appearing on my screen, the article which I don't really want to write (by the way) because I don't do personal stories like these, especially not when they're about people I like. Still, my job is my job and if I wasn't doing this then all I'd be doing is waiting for the phone to ring because I know the call is coming. At least, I hope it is because otherwise that would shoot both my 'being good at my job' theory and 'reading CJ like a book' theory in the foot.

See the thing about Josh and Donna is - I KNEW I WAS GOOD AT MY JOB! We'll get back to that part later because right now I have a call to take and the ID is flashing up 'Flamingo' (like I'm ever going to let her live that down).

"This is Danny Concanon, how can I help?"

"You can drop the act Danny, I've been watching you not wait for this call for the last hour."

"Were you? I thought you were in a top secret, hastily called, Senior Staff meeting that just happened to also involve Donna."

"You want me to confirm or deny that?"

"You want me to come into your office so you can ask me what you called me about?"

"Not particularly."

"Well we can get the answers out of the way anyway: yes I am free for dinner tonight and yes I will be bringing over Thai."

"Danny that's not happening."

"You keep saying that but one day it will."

"Yes Danny and when the Republicans take this place back they're going to start a National Health Service. Can we go back to the bit where you play the reporter and I play the Press Secretary-" she stops short, "I'm anticipating any joke you could possibly make right now, and I'm not finding any of them funny."

"You know when you have to repeat those one liners I know I'm having an effect on you."

"Focus Danny," but I heard her laugh before she said that.

"Focused."

"I was wondering if you could repeat-"

But I finish the sentence before she does, "Repeat the question in the next briefing as you didn't answer it before and now you actually have an answer."

"Someone's been playing investigative reporter again, have any of the others worked that out yet?"

"Well yes, mainly because I took the time to point it out to them."

"Have I said how glad I am to have you back?" she asks in the sarcastic tone she has spent the last few years perfecting.

"Well no, but then you did let me kiss you. My theory is I play my cards right today and you might even let it happen again."

There's a pause and then CJ says quickly, "Bring Italian." before putting the phone back down. This is my day of jubilee, to quote one of my favourite speech writers, my day of jubilee and at this rate my editor won't need me to write the 'expose' story about Josh and Donna. They'll be more than enough people from the paper wanting to do it for me and get their name on the front page. My day couldn't actually get any better, there is no way that this day could now become any kind of day that I wouldn't like...then my phone rings and the caller ID shows me something I really don't want to see. Why is it that I always manage to tempt fate this way?

"Danny Conancon is away from his desk, do you think you could save the lecture till later?" I say very quickly into the phone.

"Danny you are dead."

"You know Josh most people like to start off with a friendly hello."

"You know that time when you promised me on your honour and on the life of Gail that you wouldn't spill...it's time Gail found out what dry land is like."

"Leave the fish out of this!" I may or may not have yelped. In my defence when you spend time around Josh you have a tendency to pick up a few of his mannerisms.

"Danny how would you feel about meeting for a coffee to discuss your lack of loyalty?"

"I didn't tell them." I say quietly, calming down enough to realise that Gail's life isn't in any imminent danger.

"So I'm supposed to believe that the only reporter who knew about my relationship with Donna didn't spill it."

"Yes you are."

"Why?"

"Because of that time I promised you that I wouldn't tell anybody." When explaining a point to Joshua Lyman its sometimes advisable to talk really slowly. Just in case.

There's a pause and then a scuffling sound on the other end of the line and Josh whines "Donna...give it back" but evidently she hasn't because the next person to speak is a good deal too female to be Josh.

"Sorry about Josh, he felt the need to protect my honour or something and therefore tried to kill you."

"And they say chivalry is dead."

"It was a nice gesture." Donna says, more to please Josh than anything else I assume; you can practically feel Josh sulking through the phone line even though he's not on it anymore.

"I didn't sell you out Donna."

"I know, you wouldn't do that because it would upset C.J."

"Not to mention you and Josh, I don't really have any desire to write about your relationship any time soon."

"It's hardly a choice subject is it." Donna muses, "Well, sorry again Danny."

"Donna."

"Yes?"

"I think I know who might have told."

"Tell C.J. I don't really care who it was."

"Glad that you don't have to hold hands in darkened corners now?" I ask knowingly.

"Maybe a little. Okay Danny, I'm going to get back to work and Josh would apologise to you but he says that until you find out who it was he's not going to."

"Okay. Bye Donna."

She hangs up with a click and I finally find myself unpestered by people which allows me to return to the subject I raised earlier. The thing about Josh and Donna is -- sorry, I really will finish that thought some time soon but the Caller ID is flashing again. Sighing slightly I pick up the phone, holding it at arms length just in case the person in question is in a shouting mood.

"Danny how could you do that to Josh and Donna?"

"I'm impressed Sam, you managed to use your indoor voice."

"Danny I don't think you're in a position to be using that tone of voice. How could you tell on them?"

"By not telling on them."

"But the circle of people who knew is small: you knew; I knew; Mal knew; Josh knew; Donna knew; their parents knew; and that's it."

"I have a theory on that one."

"You going to share it with me?"

"Not till it's proof rather than a theory, you going to apologise for accusing me?"

"Did Josh apologise?"

"How did you know Josh called?"

"Because he's Josh, he's predictable. If he didn't have to apologise I don't."

"How do you know he didn't?"

"Because he's predictable, I'm betting Donna apologised for him."

"You guys need to socialise outside of each other more."

"I do! Mal's hardly West Wing staff."

"But she's related to West Wing staff."

"Oh like you can talk."

"C.J. and I aren't dating."

"Who says I was talking about C.J.?" Sam sounds far too smug for my taste.

"I'm hanging the phone up now Sam."

"Good luck with your lead Danny." he rings off and I am left to my own devices. In fact I think I'm going to go over to the water cooler so that nothing can interrupt me whilst I explain the thing about Josh and Donna. You see Josh and Donna have always been Josh and Donna and there's no denying it. You don't talk about The President and Debbie, you didn't talk about the President and Mrs Landingham, you never speak of Toby in connection to Ginger or Bonnie and the same goes for Sam, Carol works outside of CJ's office but you would never put an 'and' between their names, you always do with Josh and Donna. That's an all important 'and', it implies all sorts of togetherness and although that was just an implication for a time it's being proved more and more every day.

It's a reporter's job to watch things and one of the things I've watched over the years is the relationship between the Deputy Chief of Staff and his assistant. It started on the campaign trial and I was there for that, my late night chats weren't just with the President but also with Josh Lyman and the blonde assistant who followed him like a shadow and whom he sought to include in everything. It was nice to watch them together, cute even, and although his girlfriend sometimes came in to spoil the picture they had a tendency to look like a couple.

Of course that was back then, the time in office was different and their relationship changed a great deal but undoubtedly you know that. It wasn't at all obvious, however, that they were dating when they were; they were just Josh and Donna doing the same old dance that they'd perfected in the five years they'd known each other. Of course that's what everyone else thought, I for one am good at my job and I noticed that something had changed. Okay so maybe I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't stayed late with C.J for that late night picnic we had about four months ago, and okay, okay I didn't notice for the six months they were dating before that but at least I noticed. Or rather stumbled out on it.

C.J. and I had picnicked and she had refused my offer of a lift home, not at all disheartened I left the White House and was walking down to the road to get a cab (it is more than possible that C.J. knew I hadn't driven in that day) when I saw a blonde woman in a Burberryesque coat and a dark haired man with his arm around her. Donna is easy to spot at 100 paces, it's the hair and the skin I guess but I wouldn't have known the guy she was walking with had it not been for the fact he was wearing his little backpack. Only one man wears a backpack to the White House that I know of and his name is Josh Lyman. Suddenly there was a story and so I picked up my pace to hear their conversation. No I'm not going to defend what I did; I'm a reporter and I'm nosy by nature.

"Remind again why we're walking home?" Josh asked quietly

"Because my car is worth writing off and your car is at the mechanics because you didn't like the way the gears sounded." Donna reminded him.

"So basically it's your fault." he was teasing her, they always teased one another like this.

"Probably, but do take the time to explain it to me."

"Well you should have bought a new car by now and you were the one who insisted I get a stick rather than an automatic."

"As I recall you said you wanted a family car and you didn't like the automatics in that category."

"And who would I be getting a family car for?"

"Did you get Amy pregnant and leave her Josh?" Donna's humour is a high wire act to say the least.

"Firstly she left me, secondly that wasn't funny, thirdly don't think you can make it up to me but nuzzling your head into my neck like that...okay you can."

"Thought so." came the muffled response, "But I like the fact you bought us a family car, it's sweet Josh."

"Well I thought so, it's the first of several small steps I like to think of as part of us--"

"But no kids to go in it until after you get the next guy elected." Donna finished for him.

"We, till after we get the next guy elected."

"That's be nice for us." She sounded kind of drowsy and I really didn't want to interrupt them because they sounded so cute and all...but I still owe Josh for the goldfish thing.

"Josh! Donna!" I said brightly stepping forward to walk next to them, "How are you?"

"Oh Danny," Josh drew to a halt and sounded sort of flustered, "Didn't see me there, or hear you. You didn't hear us did you?"

"Course not, I heard nothing about family cars and children and election plans." Josh was looking panicked, as was Donna but I couldn't let them off the hook just yet, "So you guys, how long have you been keeping this a secret?"

"Keeping what a secret?" Ah Josh, Josh, Josh playing the fool never works with me.

"The fact that you and Donna have plans for a four by four with a safety seat in the back."

"It's a sedan, not a four by four." Donna interrupted mildly, "I thought facts were your forte."

"A sedan? Really? Josh is so much more a four by four kind of caveman."

"Danny." Josh growled, "Either say you're going to spill on us or go home and call C.J. and talk to her about your own plans for children."

"Joshua, I'm not going to make you into a story." I said with wide eyed innocence, "I promise you that I don't want to write this kind of thing into a story not least because C.J. would, quite possibly, never speak to me again. Don't worry about me. "

"You promise?" Josh asks suspiciously, "You promise on your honor?"

"I'm a reporter, I have none, how about I promise on Gail?" I could hear Donna trying not to laugh when I say this but she's not succeeding.

"Deal." Josh sounds suddenly very happy again.

"So you going to tell me about you guys?" I asked

"No, we're going to go home." Donna said with a smile, "See you later Danny."

"No fair, I want to hear." I said with a grin to their retreating backs.

I sort of figured that Josh would be pacing by now, after all Danny said he thought he knew who it was a good three minutes ago and still hasn't called back. I was expecting Josh to appear in the doorway of his office looking dishevelled at least two minutes and thirty seconds ago, I was anticipating the need for a walk and talk, heck I even put on my walk and talk shoes. You've got to understand Josh and I thought I did which is why I am so not leaning back in my chair to see if I can see into his office right now. Which I can't. Maybe there's something on my desk that he needs urgently, wait a second aha! No...no can't use that, I already used that excuse when he called Danny so that I could go in and confiscate the phone if Josh got all Josh like. There's got to be something...

"DONNA!" okay so maybe I don't need the something, and I was so right about Josh being in a pacey mood.

"You don't need to yell Josh." See, I can make my voice travel into his office without raising it.

"DONNA!"

"Okay, okay I'm coming." Forgive me Betty Friedan but sometime when Josh yells I have to answer.

He barely waits until I'm in his office before he asks, "Has he called you with a name yet?"

"No."

"Are you sure because I was on the phone to the State Department and I might have missed the little blinking light. Did he call through to you?"

"Just so we're clear you didn't recommend anything potentially destructive just to get off the phone quickly?" It had to be asked.

"Donnna," he whines.

"Josh, do I need to check that we're not at war right now?"

"Like I have the power to do that." he scoffs

"Can I just say that around ninety percent of the country is relieved."

"What about the ten percent?"

"Oh they want us to randomly throw nukes at people we don't like."

"Has he called?"

"No Josh he has not called."

"He said he'd call."

"And I'm sure he will call." I reassured him

"But when?"

"When he's found the lead Josh, don't worry too much about it."

"I can't help but worry, that person almost cost us our jobs."

"The important thing is that they didn't, and that Danny will call you as soon as he finds out who did that to us."

"Okay."

I'm about to ask if he needs anything else when the phone rings, sharp high pitched rings which make Josh start a little and make me hold my breath until Josh picks up the phone with a hand which is shaking ever so slightly.

"Danny, what have you got for me?"

The easy place to start would have been Amy, of all the people I would have assumed that Josh's jilted girlfriend would have been the culprit but Amy doesn't do things like that. Yes she is the dragon lady, yes she calls him J which infuriates me and I wasn't even around to hear that, but she has wit and charm and legs all the way down to the floor and women like that don't stoop to such things. My next thought was that it was some other assistant, someone who had been refused a promotion and had decided to take it out on the White House but there was no one who sprang to mind for that so instead I went back to the transcript for the Press Briefing, just to see what exactly it was that the question asked.

Josh Lyman has been screwing his assistant since the beginning .

And that's where I had it, because I'd heard someone using that particular turn of phrase just the day before, minus Josh's name but this particular person had been speaking to an intern and instead of doing what their job description told them to do and asking the questions, they were answering them. And from then on it was easy.

See the thing about Republicans is they never really do the dirty work themselves, the thing about Democrats is that they never pay attention to who is doing the dirty work. Except for me of course, but then I get paid to notice. It wasn't a jealous assistant, it wasn't Amy, it wasn't Cliff, it wasn't Jack, it wasn't someone out to score points against the White House. The person in question, the person who had started this all off should have known better but the point was that they did know better. No one is as capable of starting off an unnamed rumour like a member of the White House Press corps.

It wasn't too hard to find the person I was looking for, because they -- like me -- had been the only person who had not been part of the gaggle of people tying leads together. They, like me, had been writing.

"Good Morning." False sincerity, it's easy enough.

"Hey Danny."

"You know," I was never one to fill the time with small talk, "there's some gossip going round, says that you're being transferred out of the White House because you can't get the leads."

"I'm sorry Danny, if you were hoping I was about to leave and let you be king pin again you're mistaken."

"I only raised that," I continued with a merry smile, "Because that kind of news would make any reporter kind of desperate, it would almost make them spread a rumour around some White House staffers so that there could be a story...a story which they would have already written with the quotes from other White House staffers which no-one else would be able to get after the story broke." The man at the desk is looking at his computer screen, expressionless but he won't stay that way for long if I keep this up, "I only say that because your little rumour made it all the way back to the Press Corps today, in fact I think you were there for that. Only the rumour that made it all the way back to the Press Corps was wrong, you know it and I know it and everyone else knows it, but it doesn't matter because you can spin a story out of it when the rest of us can't. Because you have the quotes."

"It's not like it's true."

"And yet... it is plausible, which is why you said it." I smile happily, "Thanks for the confession there."

"I didn't confess."

"No but the quote from another unnamed White House Source did it for you." I say tapping at his screen before wandering off back to my phone.

I'm about to phone Josh immediately when I think how much more fun this would be to hold over his head, so instead I place my first call to CJ.

"How much do you love me right now?"

"Danny, what is this?"

"If I told you I found the perpetrator..."

"Have you?"

"It's John Wright, works for the Herald, how much do you love me right now?"

"Right now?" she pauses, "right now in this moment I do indeed love you."

"And one day you'll say that without me needing to prompt you." I grin into the phone, "See you in the briefing room in ten."

"You going to call Josh?"

"Of course." I hang up the phone with a smile on my face before dialling the next number, "Hey,"

"Danny, what have you got for me?"

"A very guilty member of the Press Corps."

"Danny, just this once I'm going to tell you that you did a good job."

"Thank you Josh, now I need to go back to work, I suggest you watch the briefing."

By the time I've trailed into my seat in the briefing room there is a whole crowd of people buzzing with the questions they want to ask CJ to complete their story. Just before she comes into the room I look over my shoulder and I can see Sam, Josh and Donna standing at the back of the room, waiting to hear what CJ has to say. They're not looking worried, not that Sam has any reason to be, they're just smiling and Josh and Donna are smiling in a particularly contented way.

CJ walks into the room and delivers some comments that I note down abstractedly, I get them down but I'm really not paying attention to that, I'm waiting for the question time. When it comes my hand is one of the first up.

"Danny, then Mark."

"CJ, just a follow up from this morning's briefing. Are Joshua Lyman and Donnatella Moss dating?"

CJ pauses, smiles slightly, "You know it's not White House policy to comment on the personal lives of those who work here but I've spoken to some people and we're decided to give you all a treat. Josh and Donna, our very favourite office romance, are not 'screwing' each other as it was alleged this morning, nor was Donna hired due to any romantic feelings that may have been felt; Donna was hired because without her we'd no doubt be at war with Mars. However, we're happy to say that they are in a mature, adult, committed relationship and the fact that Donna could get Josh to understand what any of those three words meant is almost as miraculous as the fact that you guys didn't even notice it for ten months. Mark?"

I am so going to get rewarded for that later.

AN: so this chapter has been sitting in bits on my laptop for a while now but thanks to the review of a certain wljohns I finally put it all together again. Sorry about the lonnng wait. I do believe the next chapter is all about Leo. That one might take me a while again and I do apologise if it does...but I'll hopefully get it all up soon.