A/N: Please review! This was just another post transition reaction series that was nagging me to be written. AKA High School Certificate procrastination. Enjoy.
Jess.x
"So you remember the other night when I commented that it took us long enough and then you said that that was fine, as least we beat them?"
"Yes, I vaguely remember it, among other recollections..."
"Well, I hate to erase that silver lining, but-"
"You're kidding!"
"I'm not."
"You're telling me that Josh Lyman, the King of romantic procrastination has beaten me?"
"I think he's been dethroned, yes."
"They got it together? An election campaign, a presidency, Leo, transition, how on earth did they decide that THIS, out of eight years, is the opportune moment?"
"Final three months, Chief of Staff and a change of career, Federal court case, Leo, and I could be asking you the same question."
"Well, I still think he just did it to bug me."
"Oh yes, because Josh Lyman is so dependant on our love life-"
"Wait! Wait he is! You mean that the other night when I sat down next to him looking particularly glum, it wasn't because he was at Leo's funeral, it was because you'd deprived him of sex?"
"When?"
"At Leo's wake! You spent the night with Donna."
"Then yes, probably."
"So if we'd talked then-"
"Then the two of you could have had your sense of male hood satisfied that night, and Donna and I would have drank a little less, yes."
"CJ?"
"Yes."
"You know what I think? I think you should come over tonight and we can do a whole lot of stuff that would totally negate Josh and Donna beating us."
"They're on a plane to Hawaii right now so I think you're pretty much beat."
"A plane to Hawaii?"
"Yes."
"I'm the new king of romantic procrastination?"
"You are."
"Charlie! I beat Charlie right?"
"No."
"No?"
"I cant tell you why not-"
"CJ if you don't think that THIS conversation, of all conversations, if off the record, then what on earth do you think the term was coined for?"
"Fine! You should take a look at Zoë Bartlett's left hand, if you know what I mean."
"You're kidding."
"Not at all."
"When are they announcing?"
"Soon. They were going to a week ago, but certain things..."
"Yeah...I cant believe I lost."
"You lost? Gee thanks, I feel like such a-"
"Come on CJ, out of the three of us, I wouldn't have thought I'd be the last to get my act together, I'm easily the best at this!"
"That you are."
"Really?"
"You think I care that Josh Lyman beat you? It freaks the hell out of me that you measure your success in love against a man who walks like he's checking for snipers and spent eight years sabotaging the dating life of his assistant!"
"So here's a thing- when I said you should start working out a staff, I wasn't inferring that you steal mine!"
"But its so much more fun that way!"
"I need Donna Moss! She's brilliant with the press she knows every nook of the white house, the names of congress, can work the senate, she was going to-"
"And this is trying to turn me off hiring her?"
"No. I'm just...expressing my displeasure at not having her in the pressroom."
"There's another thing."
"Another what?"
"I just hired a press secretary."
"You didn't take-"
"Annabeth accepted."
"Helen!"
"Apparently that's not my name any more, apparently my name is now ma'am."
"So Donna accepted?"
"got the call from her two hours ago."
"You might be getting another one soon."
"You talked her out of it?"
"No, no, nothing like that. You know there's this thing, where I was elected the President."
"I heard, there was some sort of commotion in the hotel room next to mine. People screaming, banners being waved-"
"Well it means that, for the first time of my life, whether I want it or not, I am more clued in on gossip than my wife."
"That's nothing to do with being president sweetie, that comes with your more effeminate nature-"
"You don't want to know the latest news?"
"Not if you're going to be all knowing about it."
"Well I have no desperate longing for you to know. Just wait for your stolen chief of staff to call you, she'll no doubt fill you in."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ok, what is it."
"You're relinquishing gossiping power?"
"If that's a title you truly want sitting next to 'President of the United States' then sure."
"You make a depressingly valid point."
"And?"
"Right. Your Chief of Staff?"
"Mhmmm."
"And MY Chief of Staff?"
"Donna and Josh?"
"Are flying to Hawaii tonight."
"So when you said you were in with the gossip, what you really meant was the epitome of gullible?"
"No, its true."
"It's true?"
"Josh just came and told me that he was going on vacation for a week, and leaving a man named Sam in his place."
"Josh Lyman is going on vacation for a week, in the middle of transition?"
"Yes."
"You know it really sounds like a punch line to some joke, are you sure that you didn't just get the wrong end of whatever this Sam guy was saying?"
"No."
"Sam wasn't making a funny?"
"No, my new Deputy Chief of Staff was being deadly serious when he told me that Donna Moss would be accompanying Josh to Hawaii."
"Hawaii?"
"For a week. Apparently it's been a long time coming."
" Wow. I wouldn't have thought Josh the whisking away to Hawaii for a week type."
" Funny, I wouldn't have thought Donna the being whisked away by Josh Lyman type."
" Really? You are dense."
" Dense?"
" You haven't sent he way they look at each other?"
" No."
" Well then, I believe I have officially dethroned your new gossip status."
A/N: review? I'll be eternally in your debt. x