Author: coffeeplease
Rating: PG (two bad words)
Category: Future fic
Spoiler Info: Everything up to Freedonia is game, but
its pretty spoiler free
Disclaimer: John Wells, Aaron Sorkin, WB and NBC...
they own everything. Everything. All I have is my
computer and my coffee mug. Please dont make me sell
them to pay legal bills.
E-mail address for feedback: jamhandy1@...
Archiving permission: Sure, just tell me first
Notes: Donna and Amy meet up in the future, in the
aforementioned grocery store. Somebody drools a great
deal. Fluffy, happy future for our heroes. Feedback is
better than coffee.
Donnatella Moss!
Today is just not a good day, Donna thought, exhaling
loudly through her teeth. The coffee maker had been
timed to PM, not AM, this morning. Josh had thrown a
mild temper tantrum. And Josh was leaving that night
to go out of town for two days, a situation making
neither of them happy. She cut herself badly in the
shower shaving her legs. The line at the post office
had taken an hour. And now she was at the supermarket,
the supermarket that was out of everything she needed
to make spaghetti tonight.
And the two-year old in the childs seat wouldnt stop
squirming, had chocolate frosting all over his face
from a donut and was well on the way to throwing a
mild temper tantrum himself.
Amy Gardner was calling her name.
I can play this one of two ways, Donna thought to
herself as she wiped Noahs cheeks and mouth down with
a baby wipe. I can be extremely sweet or I can be a
total bitch. I can not mention that Im married to
Josh or I can point out that Im the mother of his
child. This can go one of two ways. My God, this is
going to be horrible...
Amy, hi! Donna smiled as Amy came up to the cart.
She was holding a basket with green olives and herbal
tea in it and nothing else. Quite the switch from
Donnas cart full of Yoo-Hoo, Fruit Loops, hamburger
and Pampers. She had to get Josh on the potty training
soon.
Mama, stop! Noah exclaimed, batting away the wipe
and looking tearful.
Amy looked slightly startled, but only for a second.
Hows it going?
Good, good. Just... shopping for groceries.
Amy started to say something and then stopped.
Gesturing with her hand, she started again. Im
sorry... is it Donna Lyman now?
Donna could tell that Amy wasnt trying to be rude.
Her eyes looked sincere and she was smiling. Not
smiling like a cat eyeing a canary, but genuinely
smiling. Still, Donna felt nothing if not extremely
uncomfortable. It depends, um, on the situation. Its
Moss at work, but its Lyman at daycare and, you know,
everywhere else, I guess. As if to make a further
point, Donna fiddled with her wedding ring.
I see. Amys voice became more determined. I guess
you want an identity separate from Josh at work.
Josh! Noah exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
See Daddy, see Daddy!
Oh, jeez, Donna smiled at Amy and Amy looked back at
her with a surprising amount of amusement. Ever since
he learned that Josh means Daddy... he goes bonkers
when he hears Joshs name. Thinks were going to go
see him.
How old is he?
He just turned two. Noah was craning his head
around, looking for Josh. Back and forth, his little
head went, searching. He crinkled up his forehead like
his father, then pouted like his mother and then
proceeded to scream at the top of his little lungs.
If a piano could just fall out of the sky and land on
her head, Donna thought, the day would be perfect. She
turned her attention to her son, while most of the
shoppers turned their attention to her. Shh, shh,
Noah. Well see Daddy when we get home.
Im sorry, Donna, Amy looked genuinely sorry. Also
looked like shed rather have hot pokers through her
toes then be standing next to Donna at the moment.
Its okay. Hes cranky. Donna lifted him from the
cart and enfolded him in her arms. He quieted down
quickly. He had to skip his nap today because the
line at the post office was so long and this morning
Josh took him to the pediatrician and Noah hates
doctors... Donna didnt know if she should go on or
not. Non-parents sometimes didnt want details,
especially non-parents who were also ex-girlfriends.
But, now that Noah was quiet and sucking his thumb at
her neck, Amy seemed interested.
Mrs. Bartlet told me that Josh took almost a year off
when he was born, Amy reached her hand towards Noah,
as if to pet him.
He did. It was strange when he suggested it, I
actually checked his temperature, Donna laughed and
Amy laughed with her.
It certainly doesnt sound like Josh Lyman, Amys
hand made contact with Noahs back and she stroked
softly. Noah didnt seem to even notice. Donna knew he
was past exhausted.
Noahs baby drool was dripping from his thumb onto her
neck. Two weeks ago, she had found Josh at the
computer at 4 in the morning, researching Thumb
sucking and its effects. They wanted to ween him
off, but at the same time, since it stopped so many
tantrums...
You know, he said something really sweet to me right
after Noah was born, Donna said. She adjusted Noah
slightly. He said that I had done all the work for
nine months and now it was his turn. Donna found
herself blushing. He did other things with that time
besides care for an infant. He worked on his memoirs.
Now that totally doesnt sound like Josh Lyman, Amy
laughed, removing her hand from the babys back.
No, I guess not. Donna didnt really want to share
with Amy, or anyone else, the memories of those last
few months of pregnancy and first few months with
Noah. It was something, unlike anything else, that was
private between her and Josh. And maybe Josh Lyman
being a stay-at-home Dad didnt make sense to Amy or
even C.J. or Toby, but Donna was the one whose belly
he had caressed all night and who saw him assemble
furniture and pace the delivery room. She had checked
his temperature when he had suggested that he stay
home with Noah, but she wasnt entirely surprised.
Its just really hard to imagine Bartlets bulldog
changing diapers and watching Elmo. Amy fiddled with
the olives in her basket.
Donna smiled slightly. Noah was definitely asleep now
and he was burrowing his little face into her neck,
much like his father did. Except, Donna noted, Josh
could control the drool. Josh doesnt really watch
Elmo with him. Donna didnt want to share the details
and yet thats what she found herself doing. I think
they more watch C-SPAN.
But you know what I mean. Amys eyes pierced
Donnas. I would never...
... have gotten him to do that. Donna finished off in
her head. She continued to have a conversation with
Amy in her head, while trying to gently place sleeping
Noah back in his seat. No, Amy, Donna thought, you
wouldnt have. Maybe I got him to do that because I
never asked him to do that, he just did. I didnt get
him to do anything, Amy. I didnt get him to marry me.
I didnt get him to have a baby with me. I didnt wave
a magic wand and cast some spell.
Donna stared directly into Amys eyes as she thought,
too polite to say those things out loud, but hoping
Amy got the message. Hoped that Amy would understand,
in least in some small way, that Amys Josh Lyman
wasnt Donnas Josh Lyman. Hoped that the supermarket
down the street carried fresher tomatoes then this
one.
After all, being a wife and mother is all about
practicality.
Amy broke the silence with a slight wave of her hand.
Anyway, I think its really... great that he did
that. Does he cook now, too?
A laugh couldnt help but burst out of Donna, as she
remembered Joshs zucchini, chicken, cheese,
whatever from last week. Uh, no. That he does not
do, although he tries sometimes.
Is it edible?
Its not poisonous. Donna giggled again. Its also
not very delicious.
Amy smiled and Donna glanced at her lips to see if
feathers were peaking out. She had gone from fiddling
with her olives to her tea. The truth flashed before
Donnas very eyes: Amy was just as nervous as she was,
if not more so.
Donna... Donna had never heard Amy sound so....
lacking confidence. There are no hard feelings,
right? Between you and me? I mean, Amy broke into a
sideways grin that almost looked a leer. You got the
guy, in the end.
Donna found her confidence growing by leaps and
bounds. No, Amy. I dont have any hard feelings, I
mean, if anyone were to have hard feelings...
Well, I dont, Amy straightened up quickly. I dont
have any hard feelings, Donna. You won, you were
always going to win. I was.. distraction and
complication and competition. I knew the second you
hooked up with the Russell campaign, hed...
Thats not true. Noah was beginning to stir again
and Donna wondered how long she had before a meltdown
was to occur. Whether it would be Noahs or Amys,
Donna wasnt quite sure. You were more then that to
him. Also, its not true that I was.. naturally going
to win. And anyway, Josh Lyman isnt a prize to be
won. He and I dont consider our relationship that
way. Were a...a...partnership.
And thats why you were always going to win, Donna.
Amy didnt sound as sharp as she did a few moments
before. Because it wasnt a competition with you, it
was a partnership. When you were his assistant, when
you were his friend, when the two of you were
dating...
Donna flashed back to the last time her and Josh saw
Amy. When they were dating. Actually, when they were
making out backstage at the Democratic National
Convention. It probably was not the wisest maneuver on
earth and they had certainly gotten some looks. And
Amy had seen them and they had seen her, in a moment
when their lips and eyes werent cemented to each
others. Amy had waved slightly. They both had waved
back and then Josh had buried his face in her neck.
They had invited her to the wedding, but she hadnt
come.
Amy... And then Noah began wailing again. Shit... I
gotta run. But Amy...
Yeah. Amy had never looked more vulnerable to Donna.
Donna had many words she could have said, wanted to
say, were on the tip of her tongue. Some of them
cruel, some of them nice. She couldnt hate Amy.
Mandy, a whole different story, but Amy....
Take care of yourself, okay.
Amys face brightened considerably. You, too,
Donnatella Lyman.
They went their separate ways. Donna picked up a
sobbing Noah, rubbed his back gently. She quickly
grabbed her cell phone out of her purse, dialed home,
tried to move the cart towards check-out and ran over
her own toes. Shit!
Well, thats a polite way to say hello, Donna.
Josh, can you talk to Noah for me? Hes sobbing and I
need to get out of the grocery store.
Noah didnt wait for Josh to reply. He grabbed the
phone from Donnas hands, tangled it up in her hair
and squealed into the receiver. Daddy!!
Quickly plopping Noah back in the cart while he
babbled on to his father (and his father babbled back
to him), Donna began to unload her groceries onto the
belt. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amy
looking at them from an aisle. Then, she noticed that
something wet was on her hand.
The Yoo-Hoo was leaking.
It was just one of those days.