Pride and Press Articles
The doors were held open for them and Josh and Donna casually walked into the lobby hand in hand.
“Morning Larry!” Donna said cheerfully to the doorman.
“Morning Mrs Lyman!” He replied cheerfully back and she beamed. “Mr Lyman.” He smiled at Josh too.
“Morning Larry.” Josh smiled as he completed the ritual.
They carried on walking until the point that they just couldn’t justify going in the same direction any more. Still holding hands, they leant in for a very brief, almost chaste, kiss.
“So, lunch,” Josh asked, doing his best endearingly boyish thing, as he moved back. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine?” She asked smiling. “Unless anything urgent comes up.”
He grinned back at her and they leant in for another quick kiss.
Sam walked up to them.
“You’re disgusting you know that?” He asked them dryly as they moved apart again. They were still holding hands. They both beamed at him. “Really, really disgusting.”
Donna leant towards him and kissed him on the cheek.
“Good morning to you too, Sam.” She said.
“Oh stop it!” He replied and grinned at her.
She turned back to Josh.
“I’ll see you later.” She said, fully aware that she sounded like a love struck teenager. She moved further away from him, her hand still holding his.
“Later.” He grinned foolishly at her, not caring where they were.
The contact between their hands finally broke as she got too far away. She turned, reluctantly, and walked off. He carried on watching her with a dopey look on his face. She turned back and smiled once more before having to turn a corner and disappearing out of sight.
“Oh god!” Sam exclaimed next to Josh. “Kill me now before I have to witness any more of this!”
Josh turned to him grinning.
“Isn’t it a beautiful day, Sam?” He asked.
“Allow me to ruin that for you.” Sam told him as he held out a newspaper to him.
Josh’s face fell as he took it.
—
“Morning Bonnie!” Donna called out perkily as she entered the First Lady’s office suite. “Morning Annabeth!” She said as she passed her office.
Annabeth came out to follow her down the hall.
“You’re disgustingly cheerful this morning.” She said.
“More or less disgusting than yesterday?” Donna asked as they walked down the hall towards her office.
“On a par with how you’ve been for past two months.” Annabeth replied brightly.
“I guess marriage will do that to you then!” Donna said, grinning at her as she reached her desk.
“Which, sort of, logically brings me to…” Her face fell apologetically.
Donna looked at her questioningly.
“What is it?” Donna asked, her happy mood faltering as she saw her face.
“We may have a problem.” Annabeth said as she handed her a newspaper.
—
“Get Lou.” Josh said to Margaret as he walked past her desk into his office.
He closed the door behind him, crossed to his desk and slumped into the chair. Spreading the paper out on the desk in front of him, he settled forward on his elbows to read the article.
The more he read the angrier he got. Once he’d finished he slumped further down in the chair and clutched his head with his right hand. Looking up across his desk he saw an item on there with a post it note attached.
He reached out for it and his face set even harder as he read it. He slammed it back down on the desk.
He stood up forcefully, went over to the door and yanked it open.
Margaret looked up, surprised.
“Get Donna.” He said, then paused. “And, Margaret, don’t let her straight in.”
He slammed the door behind him as he went back in. He grabbed the newspaper off his desk, screwed it up and violently threw it at the wall.
—
“Oh my god!” Donna gasped as she read the article.
“Yeah!” Annabeth, leaning on the edge of her desk, agreed on a breath.
Donna looked up at her horrified.
“Oh my god!” She said again, even more vehemently.
Bonnie appeared in the doorway. Both women turned to look at her as she cleared her throat.
“Josh wants to see you.” She said seriously. “Right now.”
“I’ll bet he does.” Annabeth said softly.
“Oh my god!” Donna repeated, slumping over her desk and putting her hands over her head.
—
Lou and Sam sat in Josh’s office and exchanged a worried look as they watched him pace.
“It’s not as bad as it seems.” Sam offered.
Josh stopped pacing and glared at him for a moment. He started pacing again.
Sam and Lou looked at each other again.
The intercom buzzed.
“Donna’s here.” Margaret said.
Josh stopped pacing long enough to lean on the button.
“We’re not ready for her yet.” He said and resumed pacing.
Minutes ticked by.
“Uh, Josh?” Sam said warily. “This really isn’t Donna’s fault.”
He stopped pacing and looked at him.
“I’m not blaming her.” He said.
“It’s no one’s fault!” Lou exclaimed in frustration. He turned to look at her. “It’s someone causing mischief to get you overreacting, to throw you off your game.”
“It seems to be working on that score.” Sam commented.
Josh glared at both of them and started pacing again.
“It’s a non-story.” Lou tried again.
Josh turned sharply on his heel. He went to the door, yanked it open and stepped back in surprise. Donna was standing right there, leaning on the door jamb, with a bland look on her face.
“You sent for me, oh master.” She deadpanned.
For a moment he just looked stunned, then he reclaimed his anger.
“You’re seriously joking about this?” He asked testily. “Get in here.” He got out of her way. He pointed at Sam and Lou. “You two, get out. Go do something useful.”
“Like perhaps, run the country?” Sam asked as he stood and headed for the door.
“Yeah, exactly like that.” Josh said and he shut the door after them.
He turned to find Donna sitting on the edge of his desk.
“Are you exploding?” She asked.
He walked towards her, then reached past her to grab something off the desk. He held it up for her to read. She frowned as she read it, then comprehension dawned.
“Bad timing.” She muttered.
“You think?!” He demanded mockingly.
She snatched the paper out of his hands and held it up.
“This, is a joke Josh. It was intended as a joke!” She said.
“It doesn’t feel that funny right now.” He replied, wincing.
“I get that.” She agreed.
“And it’s not like it isn’t part of a pattern.”
“A pattern?” She asked.
“You’ve read the article?”
“Yes.”
“Was there any part of it that wasn’t true?”
Her face fell, she slumped a little, let her head drop and bit her lip. At the sight of her slouching there, hurting, his anger drained away.
“Donna?” He said softly.
She took a deep breath and raised her head to look at him.
“It’s all true.” She said as their eyes met. “And you know it.” She looked away. “They’ve put the worst possible spin on it, but everything they cite is true.”
He looked at her and swallowed with difficulty.
She looked back at him.
“I understand why you’re upset Josh.” She said quietly. “I’m upset too. This hurts me as much as it does you. It’s not exactly flattering to be basically called a controlling bitch in the national press.”
“Donna…” He frowned as he reached out to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“My dad’s gonna read that.” She sighed.
“Donna…” He said, trying to get her attention.
She reached out to him, taking his hand.
“It’s one stupid article.” She said, sighing again. “You’ll get some teasing, which you’ll take in a manly fashion…”
“I will?” He cut in, actually smiling.
“You will.” She nodded. “But no one serious is going to take this seriously.”
“Donna…” He tried once more, frowning again.
“Josh,” She cut in, her face serious. “I know I do act a little controlling sometimes.” She winced. “And yes, I do sometimes conspire with Margaret to do things.”
“I know.” He smiled, moving his hand from her shoulder down to hold her other hand. They were now standing face to face holding hands.
“You do?” She asked.
“I knew the intercom thing wasn’t all Margaret’s idea.” He smiled.
“You did, huh?” She asked, looking up at him under her lashes.
“I watched her with Leo for seven years, and for another with C.J. She’d suddenly get weird about the intercom just because I take over?”
“So, why’d you get so angry about the article?” She asked, puzzled.
“Because I knew it would upset you!” He exclaimed.
“You were angry because it would upset me!?” She asked astonished. “I thought you were angry because I’d made you look bad!”
“No.” He said forcefully. “I don’t care what they say about me. God Donna they made you out to be this awful person strutting around the White House manipulating everyone in some giant Machiavellian scheme! I couldn’t stand it that they’d make people think that about you.”
“Oh Josh.” She said softly, squeezing his hands.
He met her eyes and smiled naughtily.
“I mean, it’s one thing letting you walk all over in me private…” He said.
“Letting me?” She asked, her voice lowering.
He grinned.
“I love it when you walk all over me.” He said, moving closer.
“Are you sure you wanted to admit to that?” She asked, smiling coyly.
“Was it something you didn’t know?”
He kissed her.
She let go of his hands and brought her hands up around his neck and he moved his hands around her waist. He suddenly pulled back sharply.
“But I’m not getting you skis for Christmas!” He told her.
“It was a joke!” She exclaimed.
“Sure it was.” He scoffed, then kissed her again.
A short while later,
“There may be fallout.” Donna said, sounding concerned.
They were lying on the couch in his office. She was curled against him with her head on his chest. He was playing with her hair and she was drawing lazy patterns on his arm.
“You may get a lot more calls if they think they can use you to get to me.” He commented.
“I get those anyway.” She said dismissively.
“You do?” He asked and she lifted her head to look at him with a ‘seriously?’ expression on her face. “Of course you do.” He replied.
She put her head back down.
“I’ve been getting those ever since people found out we were a couple.” Smiling, she said: “Most of them should’ve realised by now that it doesn’t work.”
He grinned.
“That’s my girl!” He said proudly.
“Girl?” She asked looking back up at him.
“It’s an expression!” He defended, then smiled and reached out to stroke her face. “My beautiful, political goddess!”
She put her head back down on his chest.
“That’s more like it.” She stated, then sighed. “We should get back to work.”
“We’ll call this an early lunch.” He said.
She looked back up at him.
“No lunch?” She pouted.
He reached down to kiss her again.
“I’ll cook you dinner.” He suggested.
“Oh no! Josh!” She sat up to look at him. “Didn’t we learn from the birthday cake incident that our life together should not involve you doing anything in a kitchen?”
“Really? Nothing in a kitchen…” He asked grinning suggestively. “Because I remember that ended quite well…”
“Okay, maybe you can do some things…” She replied, grinning too.
A thought suddenly struck him.
“Hang on!” He exclaimed, sitting up too. “That’s it!”
“What’s it?” She frowned.
“Our life together!” He stood up and started pacing again. “Since we let Hello cover our wedding, I’ve had a dozen calls from people wanting to do a ‘lifestyle’ piece on us. At home with Lyman’s, that kind of ridiculous crap. I’ve been turning them all down.” He stopped and stood in front of her. “Maybe we should let them.”
She caught his train of thought and stood up to face him.
“That’s a stupid idea.” She said. “We don’t want to open up our lives like that!”
“Why?” He asked. “It’s just like you’re always saying about Helen. That she doesn’t like to do the very media that would help her define herself, so the media keep doing it for her in unflattering ways that you have firefight.”
“I’m not First Lady. I don’t need to define myself in the media.”
“They seem to have other ideas.” He pointed out.
“Josh!” She exclaimed. “You don’t really want to do this?”
“No, I don’t, but we have already got fan sites on the Internet.” He said.
“And I thought I was through dealing with your legions of adoring fans.” Donna commented wryly.
“Ah, but, this time, it’s our adoring fans!”
“Oh, that makes all the difference!”
“Pretty soon you’ll have adoring fans that are all your own.” He grinned.
She looked at him and then cupped his face with her hand.
“There’s only one adoring fan I want.” She told him.
“Okay,” He agreed. “But I’m not building you a website.”
“That’s because you don’t know how to build a website.” She mocked.
“But I do know people who do know how to build websites, and I won’t be asking any of them.”
“That’s good to know.” She agreed.
“I could get t-shirts made, or badges.” He suggested. “I think I’m developing a fetish.” He mused.
“Josh?” She said.
“What Donna?”
“Shut up.”