Walking The Wire

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="03fc8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B>Post-ep for 'Evidence of Things Not Seen" </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Smiles, Tears, & Happy Endings</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Smiles, Tears, Happy Endings"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brandys Stories"><U>Brandy's Stories</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Other Side"><U>The Other Side</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getaway"><U>Getaway</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Deserved Recognition"><U>Deserved Recognition</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The End of These Days"><U>The End of These Days</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moving On"><U>Moving On</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lessons Learned Shared"><U>Lessons- Learned & Shared</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="So, I Had This Dream..."><U>So, I Had This Dream...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id214.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Perfect Plan"><U>The Perfect Plan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell"><U>The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id216.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Whole New Story"><U>A Whole New Story</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id217.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Are Friends For? "><U>What Are Friends For? </U></A>   |   <B>Walking The Wire</B>   |   <A HREF="id219.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Foreshadowing, Omens Evidence of Other "><U>Foreshadowing, Omens & Evidence of Other Things in the Wind</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id222.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Up Against the Wall"><U>Up Against the Wall</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id223.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Sum Of My Fears"><U>The Sum Of My Fears</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id220.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Dance"><U>Our Dance</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shes Got a Way"><U>She's Got a Way</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Take My Hand"><U>Take My Hand</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May Perspective"><U>May Perspective</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How Bad Can It Get"><U>How Bad Can It Get</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id181.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Small Mistakes"><U>Small Mistakes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id182.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nightcaps"><U>Nightcaps</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id183.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Crazy Boys"><U>Crazy Boys</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id184.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Need For Comfort"><U>A Need For Comfort</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Looking Back"><U>Looking Back</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id109.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Nature of Family"><U>The Nature of Family</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id210.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wistful Thoughts On A Snowy Night"><U>Wistful Thoughts On A Snowy Night</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Good Brother/Son/Friend"><U>A Good Brother/Son/Friend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id111.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="When All Else Fails"><U>When All Else Fails</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Someone Like You"><U>Someone Like You</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id213.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Wish For My Friend"><U>A Wish For My Friend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id188.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Unspoken"><U>Unspoken</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Brief Glimpse"><U>A Brief Glimpse</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id190.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sanctuary"><U>Sanctuary</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id191.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contemplation"><U>Contemplation</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id192.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dirty Work"><U>Dirty Work</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id193.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Precious Moments"><U>Precious Moments</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id194.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Almost Normal"><U>Almost Normal</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id195.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Never Enough"><U>Never Enough</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id112.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The World According To Mark..."><U>The World According To Mark...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id135.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart Cards, Flowers Sweet Stuff"><U>Heart Cards, Flowers & Sweet Stuff</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id185.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Amazed"><U>Amazed</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Last Call of the Night"><U>Last Call of the Night</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Fortuitous Visitor"><U>The Fortuitous Visitor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Loose Ends"><U>Loose Ends</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id225.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TeaSympathy Under the Mistletoe"><U>Tea&Sympathy Under the Mistletoe</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id229.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Not So Much Looking Good As Being Good"><U>Not So Much Looking Good As Being Good</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id230.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Moment of Truth"><U>The Moment of Truth</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Control Choices"><U>Control & Choices</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Anniversaries AdoAnnie"><U>Anniversaries & Ado-Annie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The NonOccasion Occasion"><U>The Non-Occasion Occasion</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Interlude"><U>Interlude</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Misdirection Understatement"><U>Misdirection & Understatement</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meeting, Damn Depositions Rules"><U>Meeting, Damn Depositions & Rules</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Realizations Revelations"><U>Realizations &Revelations</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Liberating Quality"><U>A Liberating Quality</U></A></div> <div> Walking The Wire</div> <div> Donna’s POV~</div> <bR> <bR> <div>   In the Mess…</div> <bR> <bR> <div>   I know it’s kind of wicked to mess with Josh’s head when he’s preparing to interview someone, but he really did deserve it. Kind of. Hey, he referred to Ainsley as ‘sexy’. Not that I have a particular problem with that. Not really. I’m not the jealous sort. Not anymore. Not since Josh and I have…well, let’s say we’ve come to an understanding. To be more specific I’ll say that after Inauguration night we had a nice long talk and decided to be done with all the misdirection, mixed messages, and veiled innuendo and just speak to each other like the adults we are supposed to be. It was very nice, and very long overdue. Or maybe we just came to our right time. </div> <bR> <div>   Anyway, getting back to messing with Josh- which admittedly is a lot of fun- I decided that a little payback was due for him referring to Ainsley as ‘sexy’ right in front of me. Just a little payback. Like letting him know I consider this guy he’s interviewing is a very handsome guy. Not as handsome as Josh. Not in my book. Not that everyone needs to know that, mind you. Josh is the only one I consider handsome- and powerful. Okay, I threw in the ‘powerful’ thing just to get him all riled up. It’s not exactly the word, it’s the way I say it, all sexy and sultry, like the power-thing really turns me on. Yeah, messing with Josh is just all kinds of fun. </div> <bR> <div>   Of course, when I told him about letting other people - people around the office- think I consider Joe Quincy  handsome, that wasn’t just for fun. Really. If Josh does hire this guy- who quite frankly is Ainsley’s equal on the looks scale- he could prove quite useful. I mean, I wouldn’t mislead the poor guy, but I’m not above a little misdirection when it comes to my co-workers. In fact, I don’t think it would be out of line to say that, between Josh and myself, we’ve raised misdirection to an art form. Just because we aren’t practicing the art on each other anymore doesn’t mean we can practice it on others. </div> <bR> <div>   The thing is, while Josh and me now know exactly how we feel about each other, the others don’t. We want to keep it quiet for now. Not because we’re ashamed of it, or we feel like we’re doing something wrong. It’s just too personal, and too new to have it out there for the consumption and scrutiny of the masses. So around here we play it ‘business as usual’. We walk our fine line and let everyone think that nothing’s changed between Josh and I… and every once in awhile I get to have a little fun with Josh. Of course the fun we get to have when we’re not at work makes up for any complications or hurdles we have to overcome when we are here.</div> <div>  </div> <div>   I think it’s about time to go back to the poker game and see if I can make Josh a little money. Yes, I’m playing with his money. Do I look stupid? Debbie Fiderer is in that game. The same woman who tried her hand at being a professional gambler. I can afford to lose Josh’s money a lot more than my own. That said, I’m going to return to the game, and see if I can learn the art of the bluff from the consummate Ms. Fiderer. Wait … what was that sound? That sounded an awful lot like… No. That’s not possible. Or maybe it is possible, because just as I step out into the hall outside of the Mess  I’m met by two Secret Service guys who look pretty intense and they’ve just ordered everybody to stay where they are. The only thing is- where is Josh? More importantly, were was Josh in relation to (what I’m now more convinced than ever was gunfire) those shots? </div> <bR> <bR> <div> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <bR> <div> Josh’s POV-</div> <bR> <bR> <div>   The hall outside the Roosevelt Room…</div> <bR> <div>    The idea that we shouldn’t be quite so used to stuff like this is, at this moment, pretty overwhelming. But then, like they say, it’s amazing the stuff you can get used to. </div> <div>   I just got brought up to speed about the shots being fired into the Press Room, as well as the bombings in Malaysia and Germany, not to mention the sniper attack in Guam. Now we’re in lockdown. This sort of thing is becoming all too sickeningly familiar. At least, at this point in time, while I’m not exactly sure where Donna is, I know she wasn’t in the pressroom. That’s some comfort, at least. That, and the fact that CJ, Toby and Will are all okay. Of course, Donna probably doesn’t know quite as much as I do, and as a result is probably having a mild to moderate nutty wondering about me. So, I’m going to take a second, give thanks to whatever force of fate or will that kept the people I love safe tonight, then I’m going to finish interviewing this guy. This guy that Donna has assured me is not really that handsome to her, but she’s willing to fake it for the sake of appearances. Just so ‘people won’t suspect’. The misdirecting little scamp. I know what she’s up to. She wants to play our friends and co-workers like a three dollar banjo.  I know she can do it too. I just hope this Joe Quincy guy doesn’t take her little subterfuge too seriously. </div> <div> Furthermore,  she expects me to help her in pursuit of her little prevarication. That’s what that whole ’powerful’ comment was about. Delivered exactly as she did, in that captivating and sultry tone.  She thinks she can get me all riled up, and I’ll agree to anything. She is so wrong. Okay- maybe she’s a little right. I’m not easy, but I can be had- by Donna, anyway. </div> <bR> <div>   They must have the building secured enough to allow people to move around within the West Wing, because as I’m talking to Joe, I hear Donna tap on the door. I excuse myself and go to her.  Along the way I note the hundred and one emotions playing across her face. The most prominent ones being relief and lingering worry. I know what she’s worried about. She’s worried about the same thing she’s always going to worry about whenever either of us is in the vicinity of gunfire. She’s not verbally expressing that worry. She doesn’t do that. She doesn’t have to. She does a quick check of my emotional temperature, then she moves on to asking me about the interview. That’s Donna giving me the easy out. But before she goes she asks about touching base with Stanley. I tell her I’m okay, and she reminds me she’s not going anywhere before she lets me return to the interview. In Donna-speak this means ‘I’m here when you need me’.  Yeah, she’s going to call Stanley. I know that, and she knows I know that. It’s the way we are. We understand each other with almost frightening clarity. Even more so now. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> ~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <bR> <div>  Later that evening- at Josh’s apartment~</div> <bR> <div>    " So… we had some day, huh?" Donna said, flopping down on the sofa next to Josh. </div> <bR> <div>   " Yeah, but we’re all still standing, so I’d call it a success." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well, there is that. So, are you going to talk to Stanley tomorrow?" Donna asked. </div> <div>   </div> <div>   " Probably," Josh hedged. </div> <bR> <div>   " Does ‘probably’ mean yes?"  Donna asked with a very pointed look at Josh. </div> <bR> <div>   " In this case, apparently so." </div> <bR> <div>   " Good boy," Donna said with a pleased smile. </div> <bR> <div>   " You know it’s going to blow all to hell that illusion of power you claim I have if it ever gets out how you run me around," Josh claimed with a smirk. </div> <bR> <div>   " It hasn’t hurt you so far." </div> <bR> <div>   " Funny girl…So, do you really think that this Joe Quincy guy is as pleasing to the eye as Ainsley Hayes?" </div> <bR> <div>   " You mean do I think he’s sexy?" Donna asked with a challenging arch to her brow. </div> <bR> <div>   " I didn’t say sexy? I don’t even think I want to know- no, scratch that- I’m sure I don’t want to know if you think he’s sexy. Where did that come from?" </div> <bR> <div>   " You said Ainsley was sexy. In fact you used that exact word. Sexy- and you said it with feeling," Donna said, narrowing her eyes at him. </div> <bR> <div>   " Well… ummm… you know what that was, don’t you?  That was cover. You know- to keep up appearances. So the others wouldn’t suspect," Josh replied with a little grin, making sure to use the exact words she used earlier. </div> <bR> <div>   " You really expect me to buy that, don’t you.?" Donna asked, teasing him just a little.</div> <bR> <div>   " Yes. Because it’s the truth. See, while I may have given the impression I thought Ainsley was sexy, it was all a lie. You know why?" Josh asked moving closer to her and pulling her into his arms. </div> <div>  </div> <div>   " Why?" she asked, somewhat breathlessly, as Josh kissed his way along the column of her throat, behind her ear and finally capturing her mouth with his. </div> <bR> <div>   " Because you’re the only one I think is sexy. Just you, and you alone." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well then, I’ve got to applaud you for falling into step with my plan before you even knew I had one." Donna said, trying to keep her mind on the conversation and not on what Josh was doing with his mouth and hands. Talk about misdirection…</div> <div>   </div> <div>   " Well, what do you expect? I’m finally as in tune with you as you are with me. I anticipate your every need." </div> <bR> <div>   " Well.. If that’s true then why don’t you stop talking and…" </div> <div>   </div> <div>  " I’m way ahead of you. Come on," Josh replied as he pulled her off the sofa and into the bedroom. </div> <div>   A crazy day was about to turn into a wonderful night. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>   The End  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>