Chapter Text
“Josh Lyman,” a vaguely familiar voice said as the man in question headed up the stairs. “No, he’s not available right now. This afternoon?”
He bounded up the last several steps to his office area to see the young woman holding the phone, a wide, mischievous smile on her face as she leaned against his desk.
“What the hell?” he asked, almost shocked at the sight of the President's youngest daughter standing there. “Zoey?”
“It’s great to see you too, Josh,” she replied, letting out a small giggle at his reaction before coming over to give him a hug.
Josh returned the hug awkwardly. “Who was that on the phone?”
“No one, actually,” she grinned at him. “I heard you come in, and remembered one of the old stories…” She hesitated, and her smile faded a bit. “...people used to tell, and I thought it might get your attention.”
Josh’s expression was pained. “Okay. So to what do I owe the pleasure of you dredging up old memories.”
“Well, I was talking to Liz, and she said you looked like crap,” Zoey said, seriously.
“Thanks, I never get tired of…”
She interrupted him. “Turns out, my big sister was being kind. When’s the last time you slept? Or ate? And I don’t mean something from a vending machine.” She held up a Snickers bar wrapper delicately between two fingers to prove her point before depositing it in the wastepaper basket.
He shrugged. “I’m getting by.”
“You’re really not.”
“Look, Zoey, it’s great to see you and all, but if you’re just going to bug me, could you maybe not? I’m not having the best of days here, and I’ve still got a crapload of stuff to get done.” Josh pulled out the chair, slumping down into it before he started going over the papers on the desk.
“You need an assistant, Josh,” Zoey said.
Josh’s face went stony, and an uncomfortable silence spread around the area. It was several seconds before he trusted himself to speak. “It’s not in the budget.”
“You just need a volunteer for the position,” Zoey insisted.
“Look around, Zoey,” Josh said, his arm waving vaguely off in the direction of the rest of their slapdash headquarters. “We’re not exactly overloaded with staff here, paid or otherwise.”
“Look closer,” she replied calmly. “There’s someone you haven’t accounted for.”
He stood up, a little slower than he would’ve liked, and with a wince he couldn’t quite mask. He looked down where the Congressman, Ned and Ronna were sharing a laugh over… something. The mood had been a lot lighter after Zoey’s sister had left a check for the maximum individual donation, but it still wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.
“Aside from a handful of kids handing out fliers,” he said as he turned back to her, “it’s really still just the four of us, Zo’.”
“Count again,” Zoey said, with a slight smile.
“Congressman Santos, Ronna, Ned, me. Four.”
“Five,” she said. “Well, six, but Paul’s already got a job.” She indicated her agent who’d taken up a position watching the door.
“Where are you getting five? Or six?” He began, and then looked at her, then her agent and then back at the smile spreading across her face. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not,” Zoey said. “I’ve just graduated with a Master’s in International Studies from Georgetown. I speak fluent Italian and passable French. I can type seventy words per minute, and I’m better organized than you are.”
Josh was dumbstruck. “I… do you know how it would look? The President’s daughter, working for the longest shot of longshot campaigns? And right after your sister gave us…”
“You need help, Josh. I was looking to find something to do before settling down for a nine to five. CJ has Charlie just as busy as my father ever did, and I was going stir crazy hanging around the East Wing. And I was remembering how much fun we all had eight years ago, you and me and D… and I thought, why not. You need me. And it’ll look great on my resume.”
Josh heard the name that Zoey had omitted, now for the second time. “And you think I might find you valuable?”
Zoey saw the look of recrimination cross his face and moved forward to take his hand. “I think you need me, Josh. I want to help. I’m not trying to replace her. But I’m your friend and I know I can help you and Congressman Santos.”
Josh shuffled a bit in place, his expression apprehensive.
She looked him in the eye. “So what do you say?”
He bowed his head, exhaling a sigh a mix of surrender and relief. “Okay.”