5A/N: Just a quick one-shot that's been in my head for a while. Set during the second Presidential Bartlet campaign.
Disclaimer: I don't own the West Wing or any of it's characters.
Campaign Stop
Donna Moss was enjoying a relaxing morning for once in her life. There was no rush to get to the office, no jamming a piece of toast down her throat or getting a quick coffee to-go. She was having a nice plate of eggs and bacon with her parents and sister in her hometown of Meriville, Wisconsin.
"Look, Honey!" her father, Joe Moss, said, pointing to the front page of the newspaper in his hand. "We made it into the Madison Tribune!"
Sure enough, there was a picture of downtown Meriville, side-by-side with one of President Bartlet. The title read: 'President Bartlet Visits Local Farm Town on Campaign Tour.'
"You're going to meet the President of the United States tonight and you're excited that our city's in the newspaper?" Donna's older sister Heather said.
"Honey, you know your father is a big nerd," Donna's mother, Deb, replied.
They all laughed. Donna leaned over and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry Dad, so is the President."
"I still can't believe you work in the White House. I have a Master's Degree and I teach 7th grade biology," Heather said.
"It was nothing special. Just good luck I met Josh when I did," Donna said from her seat across from her. She never liked bragging to her family.
"And we've still never met this young man you work for. After almost four years!" her mother huffed.
"Well I've had almost no days off since working there. I'm lucky we had a campaign stop here and I actually got to visit."
"Well we sure are glad to have you, Honey," her mom said.
A shrill ringing cut through the air.
"Sorry that's me," Donna said as she picked up her cell.
Her mother gave her a sharp look as they had a rule of no phones at the table.
"Hello?"
"Hey it's me." Josh's familiar voice came from the other line.
"Josh I said I wanted two hours this morning to spend with my family," Donna started, already annoyed. "I never get any time off, so unless the hotel's on fire…"
"The hotel's on fire."
"What?" she exclaimed. Her family stared at her, as Donna was never one to yell.
"It was a small grease fire in the kitchen but they had to evacuate everyone just to be safe."
"Is everyone okay?" Worry laced her voice.
"Yeah we're all fine. Problem is we don't have anywhere to prep and work. So I had a thought."
"How unusual," she said with a sly grin.
"Ha-ha. Well, I was thinking, I mean if it was alright with your family," Josh started, suddenly sheepish. "Well I thought we could work at your parents' place. There's not really a lot of places we can go, especially short notice. And you've always talked about how spacious it is."
"Yeah, of course. That sounds fine to me but let me just make sure my parents are fine with it." She put her cell phone to her chest. "Would it be okay to have everyone come work here? The hotel had a small fire and they can't find anywhere else short notice," Donna said, looking at her parents.
"The President? Here? In our house? My God I'll have to clean up!" Deb rushed from her seat at the kitchen table in a haste, intent on making the house spotless.
Donna looked to her father who nodded with a knowing smile. "I think that's a yes," he said.
"Yeah Josh its fine. What time were you thinking?"
"Probably within the hour. We have to collect everything from the hotel. Are you sure this is okay, Donna?"
She smiled. "Please. My mother is going to have a panic attack she's so excited."
He laughed. "Ok. Thank them for me."
"Sure. See you in an hour."
"Bye."
"Josh says thank you," Donna said as she closed her phone.
Her father nodded. Although Donna physically resembled her mother, Joe liked to believe that her personality was more similar to his. They both had a fierce dedication to everything, whether it was a career, school, family, or friends. Although she went through a rough period almost a decade ago, she persevered and eventually found her passion. If one word could some up Joe and Donna, it was that they were stubborn. If they found something that motivated them, they would never give up on it. Joe was so proud that his daughter had found this in her life, even if it had taken her a long time.
Donna started to clean off the dining room and kitchen tables, preparing for the messy speech prep that was bound to occur.
"You like your job, right Sweetie?" her father asked her. Although he had faith in his daughter, he needed reassurance, as any parent would.
"Of course," she said, putting away some stray papers in a drawer. "I wouldn't be working there if I didn't love it."
"I just want to make sure. You work so much and we rarely hear from you," he replied, concern dripping from his voice.
"I know," Donna said, putting a dirty dish in the sink and moving to sit in front of her father. "I'm gonna try to call more. The campaign is just keeping everyone really busy. Josh is pretty much working around the clock. He barely leaves the office to sleep, so I'm trying to lighten what he needs to do, which means I'm working even more. Once the campaign's over it'll all settle down."
Her father gave her a concerned look. "I hope so. I don't want you overworking yourself."
"I'm not. I promise," she said whilst covering his hand with hers.
Joe knew that another trait that inhabited them both was that they were fiercely loyal. And although this is usually a good trait to have, he sometimes worried about what this would lead Donna to do. He was afraid that she might not know that she is working too much, because her loyalties are so strong with her boss and the administration. Still, he knew that she would always tell him the truth, and it seemed that she was holding everything together very well.
Forty-five minutes later and Deb had made the house seemingly spotless. Her family watched in amusement as she was franticly scrubbing the kitchen counters.
"Mom if you keep scrubbing that hard you're gonna tear a hole through it," Heather said with an amused grin.
"I just want everything to be perfect. The President's coming for God's sake," she said, scrubbing even harder.
"Ah just leave her be. I think it soothes her," Joe said whilst turning the page in his newspaper.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
"Ack!" Deb exclaimed. She frantically fixed her hair. "Do I look okay?"
"You look great, Mom," Donna replied as she moved into the hallway to open the door.
Four secret service agents nodded at her as they walked through the now open threshold. Two came into the kitchen and dining room while the others went upstairs. Donna moved back to stand by her family.
"Is this normal?" her mother whispered to her, taken aback by the serious manner in which the agents were inspecting her home.
Donna nodded. "They have to make sure any unknown place is safe for the President."
"Clear," one agent spoke into his cuff when the others returned to the front hallway.
The front door opened once more and in came the President of the United States. If anything can be said about the President, it's that he exudes confidence. Whenever he enters a room, everyone immediately is drawn to him. His confidence and authority is so immense that it can be intimidating. But to people who know the man beneath the title, it is extremely comforting.
"Donatella Moss! The savior of this campaign! What would we do without you?" President Bartlet said, smiling as he came to stand in front of Donna and her family.
"It was my pleasure, Sir," she replied with a smile on her face, immediately at ease in his strong presence.
Charlie came in from behind the President, a duffel bag in one hand and a briefcase in the other. "Hi Donna."
"Hey Charlie," she replied with a smile, happy to see the young aide.
"Where's a good place for these?"
"You can put them in the front room there," she replied, pointing in its direction.
"Charlie! You've interrupted my greeting," the President said dryly.
"Sorry, Sir," he said with a smile on his face.
"As much as it may surprise you, some people enjoy the pleasure of my company."
"Yes, Sir." He shot a smile at Donna and her family before moving to set the bags down.
"And who are these lovely people?" he continued, looking behind Donna.
"Sir these are my parents, Debra and Joe, and my sister, Heather."
"Mr. President it's such an honor to meet you and to have you in our home," Deb said as she vigorously shook his hand. She couldn't believe that the President of the United States was in her house. Knowing that her daughter worked for him was one thing, but to meet him was completely astounding.
The President shook all of their hands. "I'm very grateful to you all. Thank you, sincerely, for offering up your home to us. We were in a bit of a bind."
"It was the least we could do, Sir," said Joe, who couldn't keep the elation at meeting the President out of his face.
"You should be very proud of your daughter. She's an invaluable part of our team," he said, smiling. He turned back to Donna. "I'm sorry to interrupt your family time. I know Josh promised you a few hours with them, but apparently some of my staffers believe that this speech is somehow equivalent to the State of the Union."
Almost as if on cue, the senior staff walked through the doorway.
"I'm just saying that if we change the line, the speech would flow a lot better," Bruno said, clearly annoyed.
"And all I'm saying is that that line is stupid," Toby emphatically replied.
"It would make the President sound much less smart than he actually is," Sam jumped in, trying to ease the tension.
Josh came up behind them, backpack slung over his shoulder, shooting Donna a wry look before leaning back against the counter to enjoy the show.
"Keeping it the way it is makes him sounds elitist and like he's the smartest guy in the room," Bruno argued.
"He is the smartest guy in the room!" Toby exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.
Everyone, including the President, was all very amused by their antics.
"Boys," CJ said as she pushed inside from behind them. "Fix this problem before I strangle you."
"I'm not the problem," Bruno said quickly as Toby shot him a glare.
"Kick his ass, Toby!" Josh added, gleefully from his position on the sidelines.
"Oh not this again," Leo said, clearly exasperated as he came into the house. He dropped a box of files on the dining table.
"I'm finding it surprisingly amusing," the President said.
Leo rolled his eyes. "Of course you would. Work it out," he said with an air of finality.
Bruno turned to leave and bring his work to the living room. Toby and Sam said a quick hello to Donna and her family before following him.
A sharp ringing came from Leo's pocket.
"Hello?" he answered.
The President was making small talk with Donna's family when Leo came over to interrupt.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but there's a situation."
"Yeah, okay." He shook their hands again. "It was very nice to meet you all. Thank you again."
Before he could leave, CJ stopped him. "Sir, we have prep at noon and then I have to ask some mock press questions after that."
"Whatever you say, CJ." With that, the President and Leo walked out back to take the call.
Loud arguing from the living room broke the short silence.
CJ exhaled loudly. "I have a million things to do and for some reason I'm babysitting the communications department."
"What's first on the agenda?" Josh asked, referring to her press work.
"I was thinking I might shoot them," she said dryly.
"There's a rifle in the garage," Donna offered.
"Perfect." With that she turned on her heel and marched into the living room. She shouted a few unkind words to Sam and Toby.
Josh flinched.
"You'd think they'd learn," Donna said.
"You'd think." Josh smiled at Donna before looking to her parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Moss, it's great to finally meet you. Although I'm sorry it's while we commandeered your home." He moved to shake all of their hands.
"Josh, it's so good to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you," Deb replied, putting the emphasis on 'finally.'
"All good I hope."
"Actually I'm usually calling to complain," Donna replied with a smile.
Leo stuck his head in through the back door. "Josh, I'm gonna be with the President for a bit. I'm gonna need you to handle the call with Senator Litchfield and some stuff with Bruno."
"Okay. I've still got those files to look over."
"Give some to Donna. You wrote that memo on them, right?" he asked, looking to her.
"Yeah. I can look over them."
"Thanks." With that he closed the door.
Josh rubbed a hand over his face. "Okay. I'm gonna take that call. Charlie had those files," he said, looking around the room.
"They're in the other room. You make the call, I'll go through them." Donna immediately went into work mode.
"Okay." He started to leave the room, but stopped and turned back to her. "And can you make sure CJ doesn't murder them?"
"Go, go," she laughed.
Donna left to get the files from the living room and returned with them to find her family with dazed looks on their faces. She dropped the files on the table, shocking them out of their haze.
"Is it always like that?" her mother asked, thinking of how fast-paced everything was.
"That was pretty normal, yeah," Donna replied, as she started to go through the files.
"Josh was nice," Heather said with a smile.
"He's a nice guy," Donna said without looking up.
"Uh-huh." Her mother and sister shared a look.
"What?" Joe asked, oblivious.
"Nothing. I'm going to make some coffee for everyone," Deb replied.
After a few minutes of peace and quiet, Sam came bursting back into the kitchen. "I can't. I need a break from him." He collapsed into a chair across from Donna. "What're those?" he asked, nodding at the papers in her hand.
"The case files from last week. Caulfield."
"Right," he nodded.
Donna looked up to see Heather from behind Sam. "Cute" she was mouthing.
Donna shook her head, smiling.
"Coffee? Sam is it?" Deb asked.
He turned to smile at her. "Yes please."
"I'll get it," Heather said, a little too eagerly. She came and brought him a mug.
"Thanks," he said with an oblivious grin.
"So what exactly do you do at the White House, Sam?" Deb asked from her seat at the kitchen counter. Heather was seated across from Donna, with Sam in between them at the head of the table.
"I'm the Deputy Communications Director, so, along with Toby, I shape the messages the President wants to convey, along with speechwriting," he replied, humbly.
"And you're writing the speech for tonight?" Heather asked, impressed.
"Trying to at least," he responded. "Bruno has a message he wants to convey that doesn't exactly align with ours. He's stubborn."
Donna snorted. "Wonder what that's like."
Sam smiled. "Yeah well everything was going fine until the stupid kitchen caught fire. Now everyone's a little frustrated."
"Understandably," Deb replied.
Heather nodded, emphatically agreeing with Sam.
Donna put her pen down and looked at Sam, suddenly serious. "Were you guys all near the fire when it happened?"
He shook his head. "No we were all in our rooms prepping."
"How was he?" She looked at him, knowing he'd know what she was asking.
Heather and her mother looked in her direction confusedly.
Sam sighed. "A little frantic. But Leo was with him when it happened and then we all got out of the hotel together. He was a little obsessive trying to make sure we all got out, which is understandable."
Donna nodded with a solemn look on her face.
After a beat, Sam stood up from the table with a groan. "Back to the trenches."
"Nice talking to you, Sam," Deb said with a smile.
"You too Mrs. Moss," Sam smiled as he left to return to the living room.
"He's very sweet," Deb said. She knew that asking what that conversation was about would get her nowhere with her daughter, so she decided not to push.
"Cute too," Heather added.
"God Heather, you're married," Donna laughed.
"Doesn't mean I can't look," she smiled.
Donna got up and poured herself a bowl of pretzels then sat back at the table to review the files while Heather moved to sit with her father at the kitchen counter.
After an hour of working, Donna sighed and turned another page in a seemingly endless document.
Josh came into the room and plopped down into the seat next to Donna. He grabbed a pretzel from her bowl and started reading the files over her shoulder. "How's it going?" he asked, the pretzels garbling his speech.
Donna irritatingly put the files down. "Don't you have something else to be doing?"
"No."
"I'm reading these for you because you're too busy."
"Yeah."
"Well?" she asked, pointedly.
"What?"
"Be busy."
"I'm waiting for CJ," he replied defensively, grabbing another pretzel.
Deb watched their antics in amusement. She knew her daughter very well and was surprised at how comfortable their interaction was. Donna had a few close friends at home, but she kept herself very closed off to most people. She's only known Josh for about five years, but it seems that Donna has become very relaxed with him.
Donna picked the papers back up and continued to read them.
Josh started tapping his foot out of boredom.
"Josh, are you okay?" she said, not looking up from the file.
He stopped tapping. "Yeah, just anxious."
"I mean today. Are you alright?" she said, finally looking at him.
"Yeah I'm alright," he said with a softer tone while avoiding her eyes.
This must be the 'he' that they were talking about earlier, Deb thought.
"Okay," she replied. After a pause she added, "Do you think I can give Stanley a call? Tell him you might be calling later?"
He looked directly into her eyes. "I'm okay, seriously."
"Okay." After a beat she picked up the files and resumed her reading. Although she was worried about Josh and the memories she knew the fire would bring up, she knew that he would tell her if he really wasn't okay.
Before any of Donna's family could say anything, who were all paying attention at this point, CJ came into the room.
"Hey guys, Leo wants us all in the front room for a meeting before we prep."
Donna gathered up the papers into a neat pile on the table before she and Josh got up to leave the room.
"I'll be back in a bit," she said to her parents who nodded after her.
"Well they seem very close," Deb spoke when her family were the only ones left in the room.
"Oh please," Heather said.
"What?" her mother replied, almost innocently.
"Donna's not that stupid."
"Well what do you think they were talking about? It's obviously what her and Sam were talking about before."
"I don't know, Mom but I don't think it's any of our business," Heather replied, although she had to admit she was curious herself.
"You're right," she said. She knew her daughter would never have an inappropriate relationship with anyone, let alone her boss, but she couldn't help but wonder how close the two of them really were.
"What are we talking about?" Joe asked cluelessly, barely looking up from his newspaper.
"Nothing," Heather said.
"Well how would I even know anything?" Deb said, exasperated. "Donna barely calls and never visits."
"Oh she calls plenty," Joe replied.
"Not enough. And she never tells us anything about work."
"Who talks about work?" Heather said, defending her sister.
Deb shot her a pointed glance. "I just wish I knew a little more about her life."
Her daughter saw the sad look on her face and softened. "Look, I'm sure she'd call more if she had time. But she's doing really important work. And she's here now. Finally visiting. We get to spend time with her and meet her friends."
Her mother smiled back at her. "You're right, Sweetie."
After a few minutes Josh came back into the room, Donna following behind him reading the memo in her hand.
"I need the thing," Josh said as he rummaged through the papers on the table.
"It's in the bag," Donna replied, not looking up.
Josh moved to his backpack, rifling through its contents. "I thought you put it in-"
"I moved it."
"It's not-"
Before Josh could finish, Donna had moved towards him and pulled out a file from the bag.
"How do you do that?" Josh asked in awe.
"I'm a blessing, Josh. Accept it and move on." She sat down at the table to continue her work.
Deb smiled at their antics. The way they talked, it seemed like they were speaking another language.
Charlie came through the back door and took a seat across from Josh.
"Where's the President?" Josh asked, putting what he was reading down.
"He's in the back about to prep the speech."
"Oh yeah?" Josh asked with an amused grin. "How's that going?"
"That's it! This is the end result if I have to go out and read it myself!" Toby's shouts from the back rang through the kitchen.
Charlie smiled. "About as well as expected."
"I always knew the day would come when Toby murdered someone, I just assumed it would be me," Josh said.
"Are they always like that?" Deb asked, surprised at the hot-headedness of the staffers.
"They get worked up for the important stuff," Donna responded.
"A campaign speech in Wisconsin is the important stuff?" she asked, thinking that the staff has seen many more important times.
Josh looked up and smiled. "Don't let anyone tell you we don't take ourselves seriously. Despite what you may have seen."
"You should have seen them write a birthday message," Donna said.
"It was so good that the President wanted them to write his anniversary card to his wife," Charlie laughed.
Deb smiled, but she was inwardly marveling at the spirit these staffers had for their profession. It was hard to believe that the people she saw joking around with each other, her daughter being one of them, were actually helping to run the country, and were so passionate about their work.
Toby and Sam came into the room and took a seat at the table.
"Where did Leo find this guy?" Toby asked, exasperated.
"He got the Prime Minister of Israel elected," Sam said, unexpectedly vouching for Bruno.
"He's an ass!"
"We're all asses, Toby. Bruno's just worse at hiding it," Josh said with a grin.
CJ walked in from the living room. "What is this, a lunch break?"
"We're working!" Josh said, defending himself.
"They're chatting," Donna said as she continued to read through her memo.
"Tattle-tale!" Josh exclaimed, throwing an accusatory glare her way.
"Donna just finds us annoying," Toby said from his seat across the table.
"She's not the only one," CJ said whilst glancing at him.
Toby mocked hurt with a hand against his heart.
"We're needed outside for prep," CJ said after sharing a laugh with everyone.
They all stood up from their seats and made their way to the back door. Josh followed behind Donna, guiding her out the door with the hand on the small of her back.
Although it was hardly anything that could be deemed sexual, to Deb, it seemed so intimate. From what she could tell of the brief interactions she had seen between them, they had a unique rhythm. They bounced off each other in a way that she had never seen before. Even the way the senior staff acted together was surprising. They were one giant machine that was so cohesive it seemed that it would never fail. She couldn't help but be proud that her daughter was a part of something so special.
Deb moved over to the big kitchen window to observe the staff. She saw Toby putting as much distance between himself and Bruno as possible. Sam was engaging in a conversation with Leo, and CJ determinably watched the President's rehearsal. But she also saw something else.
Donna was standing next to Josh, watching the President rehearse his speech. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, with a sly grin on his face. Donna elbowed him in the side and laughed, before directing her gaze back to the President. But Josh was still looking at her.
And it was only for a second. But there was a flash of adoration in his eyes, before he too turned his attention back to the speech.
It was everything, and it was nothing.
Deb couldn't help but think that many moments like this had occurred. And suddenly, she felt like a voyeur, watching from the window. But she couldn't peel herself away.
After a few last looks, she turned and made her way back to the seat next to her husband.
Although she didn't see her daughter often, she was glad Donna had others looking out for her. People that she hoped would be in her life for a long time.
A/N: I haven't written anything since I was about 13, so jumping into writing off of Aaron Sorkin was incredibly difficult. I hope I did the show justice. I tried to keep the dialogue in the spirit of the show. The idea of Donna's parents have always intrigued me, as I know my family would want to know everything about my life if I worked in the White House. And she seems like someone who would have a good relationship with them.
Please leave me a review if you have the time. I would love any feedback!