Work Text:
ONE MONTH INTO TRANSITION,
“Margaret, can I have a word with you?” Josh asked, looking a little nervous.
“Sure.” She smiled looking up from her computer.
He dithered and she looked at him squarely.
“Do you have any future plans?” He finally asked.
“Are you asking me out?” She asked, looking puzzled.
“No!” He exclaimed. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean…”
She grinned at him. He realised she was joking and looked incredibly relieved, which wasn’t entirely flattering but she understood.
He smiled sheepishly.
“Work plans.” He clarified. “For after...?”
“I’ve had a few offers.” She replied.
“How would you feel… about staying on… here?”
She looked at him seriously.
“Working for you?” She asked.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know if that’s…”
“Before you say no,” He cut in. “I think we could make a good team.” He grinned. “I’ve got the beauty, you’ve got the brains.”
She laughed.
“Josh, I don’t know. I wanted to spend more time with my family.”
“Margaret, I’m gonna need an assistant who knows what she’s doing right out the gate. Someone who knows how to… handle me.” He looked sheepish again.
Margaret smiled.
“And Donna’s unavailable.”
He laughed and grinned.
“Oh she’s still doing that, just in a different capacity.” He instantly grimaced. “That sounded better in my head. Never tell her I said that!”
Margaret made a ‘my lips are sealed’ gesture.
“You see!” Josh cajoled. “This is good. This is good executive/assistant work right here.”
“Josh…” Margaret said, laughing.
“Margaret, truth is,” He began again, serious now. He looked around to make sure no one was in listening distance. He leant forward across the desk. “I’m feeling on shaky ground here. I need someone who I know has my back.”
Margaret looked at him seriously now.
“You’re worried you can’t do this?” She was surprised. “But of course you can…”
“Leo and the President chose C.J. over me.” He cut in bluntly.
Margaret stared at him open mouthed. She snapped her mouth closed and frowned.
“Did Leo ever make you watch cricket?” She asked and he blinked at the left field question.
“Yeah.” He winced. “No sport should have games that go on for three days!”
“Did he explain the idea of a night watchman to you?”
Josh nodded, thinking, then replied.
“At the end of a day, if one of the batsman is out, they don’t put in another high ranking batsman. They put in someone they trust from lower in the batting order, expecting them to hold on to the wicket overnight, so they can put the better player in fresh in the morning.”
Josh realised what he’d said as he finished saying it. He gave her a look of genuine surprise.
Margaret nodded, smiling.
“They didn’t bench you, Josh.” She said reassuringly.
“That’s kinda mixing the sports metaphors there.” Josh smiled.
She looked at him contemplatively.
“One year.” She replied. “I’ll give you one year, and train a replacement.”
Josh grinned.
“Thank you!”
--
THREE MONTHS LATER,
“Margaret!” Josh yelled from his desk as he hunted through the files on his desk.
“Yes.” Her voice said through the intercom after a moment.
He looked up startled, his hands frozen mid search. He tentatively reached forward and pushed the button on the intercom.
“I, er, need the notes on Kitteridge.” He let go of the button and sat back.
“Okay, two minutes.” Her voice came through the intercom again.
“Okay.” He said. Then leant forward, pushed the button. “Okay.” He repeated.
He sat back and waited. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk. He put his hands behind his head.
The door opened and he dropped his hands quickly back down by his sides. Margaret came in and handed him a folder.
“There you go.” She said, smiling pleasantly.
“Er, thanks.” He replied as he took it.
She smiled again and left
He watched her go and close the door behind her. He stared at it for a long moment, then shrugged slightly, opened the file and started reading.
Donna stood outside with a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh, as Margaret closed the door.
“Did it work?” Donna asked, grinning.
“Quiet as a lamb.” Margaret smiled.
--
SEVEN MONTHS LATER,
“Josh, this arrived for you.”
Margaret was smiling as she stopped him to hand him a package.
He took it, saw the label and smiled too.
“Can I see?” She asked, excitedly.
"You won't tell her anything?” He asked warily.
“I swear!” She replied earnestly, crossing a finger over her heart. “Show me.”
He was grinning as he put a hand into the packet and pulled out a box. He levered the box opened and looked inside, before proudly turning it around so that she could see. She leant forward to look.
“Oh my god, they’re beautiful!” She exclaimed.
The matching wedding rings were gleaming silver metal on the edges and a central band of warm, marbled wood.
“They’re tungsten, inlaid with Hawaiian koa wood.” He explained, grinning. “Engraved on the inside.”
“Can I?” She gestured.
He nodded and she reached in to pull out the thinner band. She turned it so she could the inscription.
‘Never stopping for red lights’
She had no idea what it meant but it obviously meant something special. She started crying at the romance of it all.
Josh looked at her distressed.
“She’ll love them.” She told him emphatically.
He grinned again.
--
NINE MONTHS LATER,
“Margaret,” Josh said irritably into the intercom. “I need the crop reports for the thing.”
With his finger on the button, he was hunting through the files on his desk with his free hand.
“Today’s thing or tomorrow’s thing?” Margaret’s calm voice came through the intercom.
“Today’s.”
“It’s on your desk.”
“No, it’s not!”
Thirty seconds later the door opened and Margaret came in. She gave him a hard look as she saw the mess he’d made searching.
Josh stepped back and raised his hands up. She bustled forward shaking her head and started righting the files. She pulled out the crop report file and handed it to him with pointedly raised eyebrows.
He smiled sheepishly as he took it.
--
ONE AND TWO MONTHS YEAR LATER,
Margaret walked in to find a large bunch of flowers on her desk.
The card with them read:
“Thanks for staying.”
--
TWO YEARS LATER,
“Josh, Donna’s on her way down.” Margaret said urgently from the doorway. “She called to ask if you were available. She sounded pretty annoyed.”
Josh winced.
“She’ll have just heard about the change to the family planning bill.” He winced again. “Can you stall her, while I make a break out the window?”
“Pretty sure those windows don’t open.” She smiled wryly as she came further into the room to stand opposite his desk. “You could make a dash through the Oval…”
“The President and I should probably just hide out in there and have the secret service block the doors. He’ll be in for it too when Helen finds out.” His smile was rueful.
Donna appeared in the doorway looking annoyed. Josh winced again.
“Joshua Lyman, what have you done?” She demanded.
“I should… go…” Margaret said apologetically.
“Thanks Margaret.” Josh acknowledged.
Margaret headed for the door.
“Donna, there was no way we were getting the rest through any other way...” Josh started, trying head Donna off.
"Josh!” Donna exclaimed. “We talked about this…”
Margaret shut the door.
--
FOUR YEARS LATER,
"What the hell are you doing?” Josh asked as Margaret moved to stand between him and the door.
“I can’t let you go.” Margaret said.
“You can’t keep me prisoner in my own office!” Josh was incredulous.
“If you’re planning to go get coffee, then I can’t let you go.” She insisted.
“What?!” He exclaimed.
“Donna left strict instructions not to let you drink too much coffee today.”
“You’re not Donna’s assistant! You’re my assistant!” He shouted.
“I agreed with her.” Margaret replied firmly.
He raked a hand through his hair.
“Let me out of here Margaret.” He said threateningly.
“Too much coffee and you get cranky.”
“Cranky?! I do not get cranky!” His voice went high pitched. “Toddlers get cranky.”
Margaret gave him a look. He let out a harsh breath in frustration.
“Look,” He began trying to sound patient and rational. “With the election today, yeah, I’m a little on edge and I just need one cup of coffee before we get the next round of exit polls.”
“You could have one after we get them…”
“Margaret!” The rationality disappeared in an instant. “Let me out of here!”
Margaret gave him another hard look and then walked over to his desk. She picked up the phone and started dialling.
“What are you doing?” He asked, sounding a little panicked.
“I’m calling Donna.” She said without looking at him.
“Stop!” He shouted.
She looked at him. He sighed.
“Don’t call her.” He looked defeated. “I’ll wait till after the polls come in.”
Margaret put the handset back down.
--
FOUR YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS LATER,
Margaret came back from lunch to find the door to Josh’s office closed. She hung up her coat and put her purse under the desk. She checked to see if there were any messages but found nothing urgent. She added a few details to his call sheet, then checked his schedule.
So far at least, it was one of those rare slow days.
He had been scheduled for lunch with Donna at twelve, Sam at two, then nothing till a routine defence briefing on Israel-Palestine at four. It was now 1:50.
The door to the office stayed closed throughout and there was no sound, no sign of Josh’s presence. With this little scheduled he’d normally be out here, bored, and bothering her about now, unless…
Margaret went over and rapped lightly on the door. No response. She let herself in. She paused in the doorway and smiled at the sight that met her eyes.
Josh and Donna were asleep on the couch. She was lying on her back with her head on his lap. He had one arm curled around her, securing her place, and the other was clasped with hers, both lying protectively against her extended stomach.
Margaret quietly closed the door.
Back outside, she went to the desk, picked up the phone and dialled.
“Donna Moss’s Office.”
"Hi Bonnie, it’s Margaret.”
“Oh hi Margaret, I was just about to call you. Have you seen Donna?”
“She’s still down here.” Margaret replied, smiling.
“Again?” Bonnie laughed.
“Kodak moment.” Margaret laughed too. “Do you need her back urgently?”
“Not especially. She has a meeting at 3.”
"Okay, I’ll make sure she gets back up there for that.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Margaret cut the line and then dialled again.
“Sam Seaborn.”
“Hi Sam, it’s Margaret, would you mind if pushed your meeting with Josh to 3?”
“Again?” Sam chuckled.
“Even more adorable than last time.” Margaret smiled broadly.
Sam laughed.
“Okay. I can do 3.”
“Thanks Sam.”