#sam seaborn x reader

[niche-ish]

‘Sam sees you dressed-up for the first time…’

reader specifications: wearing a dress and has long-ish hair

It was the First Lady’s birthday dinner and she had dedicated it to a charity sending relief to the victims of a recent flood down in Florida. As such, the floor was full of reporters and their clicking cameras with punches of flash.

Sam hung by the edge of the room, having drifted towards one of the many refreshment tables whilst in conversation with Josh.

“I’m just saying,” Josh continued, with just enough amuse-bouche in his mouth as was prudent for such an event, “Me, Toby and the President? No chance. But I really believe that you, Leo and Charlie could pull-off high heels!”

Sam levelled him with a hiked brow. “The President and First Lady haven’t even arrived yet. We’ve only been here for like ten minutes; tell me you’re not drunk.”

Josh half-cocked a hip in a staccato movement. His eyes were on Sam in that really-looking sort of way; Sam hated it. Josh could be unnervingly deductive when he really wanted to, and Sam hated it. But he looked away to pick up a passing martini from a waiter, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief that he gotten out unscathed. The older man made a small noise of satisfaction into his drink before looking back up at Sam.

“Dry spell, huh?” He smirked around the rim of the glass.

Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to face the crowd on the floor. The movement was meant to say “I’m not dignifying that with a response” but they both knew it really said “… yes.”

Like a saviour, CJ appeared at Sam’s other elbow. She was wearing a dark blue, velour dress that perfectly swept the marble when she walked. It was a beautiful dress. There were lots of beautiful dresses in the ballroom tonight, of varying jewel tones and silkinesses. They all sort of blended together like a sweet jam.

“CJ, stunning as ever!” Josh greeted.

“Why, thank you, Mr. Lyman! You two don’t look half-bad yourselves.” She teased.

Sam smiled at the opportunity to tease Josh. “Well, according to Josh, I’d look better in a pair of stilettos.”

CJ didn’t miss a beat. “I wholeheartedly agree.”

Sam, betrayed, scoffed and turned away again.

It happened that he’d been left to face the direction of the door. He likely wouldn’t have noticed otherwise, but for you catching his eye as you walked in. Your dress was within the appropriate colour scheme, but somehow he felt it was much more intriguing than any other shade he had seen in his life, let alone tonight. Your hair was pulled up, away from your face, letting the golden light from the chandeliers bounce off the curves of your face unobstructed. You looked like heartbreak and heaven in one and Sam was left stunned.

Josh noticed his friend’s love-struck expression and gave him an encouraging nudge forward. “Looks like the dry spell’s over.” He smirked.

[imawkwardlysoc]

i made instagram profiles for anna and sam (including sam's congress instagram) from my fic it started off with a kiss... now it ended up like this

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #56: July 16th - July 22nd

Sorry for the technical difficulties: tumblr's new post editor hates us apparently, but we love you and we are glad to be baaaaack! Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from July 16 - July 22, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 

Challenges/Prompts:

No challenges or prompts that we know of this week. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from July 16 - July 22. 

Allison Janney posted graphics and photos of herself in SAG-AFTRA gear and on the picket line in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike: 1 | 2 | 3

Amy Landecker posted photos of herself with Brad and his daughter on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. 

Bradley Whitford posted a photo of himself with his daughter and his wife Amy on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. 

Dule Hill posted a photo of himself and his wife Jazmyn out with other actors on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines. 

Janel Moloney posted photos from her vacation in Brazil, including a selfie and photos of the Caiman Ecological Refuge. 

Josh Malina posted a video of himself in support of other SAG-AFTRA strikers from the picket lines. 

Marlee Matlin posted a video of herself at a Chicago Cubs game calling for the use of captions at Wrigley Field.

Marlee Matlin posted photos of herself and her son Tyler in celebration of his 21st birthday (and also a photo of how Gen Z celebrates). 

Mary McCormack posted a photo of herself with Beth Ostrosky Stern, her Private Parts co-star Howard Stern’s wife. 

Peter James Smith posted a photo of a residual check for $0.00 that he received in 2015 in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

Richard Schiff posted photos of himself and his wife at a restaurant in Italy. 

Rob Lowe posted a throwback photo from the 80s of himself with George Michael and Demi Moore. 

Rob Lowe posted a photo of his wife in celebration of their anniversary. 

Donna Moss Daily: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22

Daily Josh Lyman: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22

No Context BWhit: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22

@twwarchive: July 16 | July 17 | July 18 | July 19 | July 20 | July 21 | July 22

Edits/Artwork:

TWW x #Barbie [Josh x Donna] by @kennyharperz [PHOTO EDIT] #joshdonna: i just want to see you shine by @anidalakins [VIDEO EDIT] #joshdonna: come on baby come on over, let me be the one to show you by @iheldontoyou (twitter) / @sweetsouldhavernas (tumblr) [EDIT GIF SET]

Miscellaneous:

Happy birthday to Twitter user @schwifts! 

Editors’ Choice: 

Dear Readers, This week’s theme is epistolary fiction, or stories that are told in the form of letters, notes, messages, emails, or other written communication. We’ve also included some fics that are centered around correspondence, even if they are not only in letter form. If you want more, you can find stories we weren’t able to include this time under the Epistolary and Letters tags on AO3! 

24 Post-Its by isquinnabel for miss_slipslop | Rated G | Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn | Complete | The last of Ainsley's cookie stash mysteriously vanishes.

dear donna by swancharmings | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Josh tries to find the words.

The Inscription by sempreinsieme | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Donnatella, As you may have noticed, this is not a pair of skis. A peek inside the front cover of The Art and Artistry of Alpine Skiing.

With or Without You by kiss_me_cassie | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Sleight of hand and twist of fate; On a bed of nails she makes me wait [Ed. Note: This is a story told in emails]

People Underestimate the Value of a Good Deputy by raedbarde | Rated T | Sam Seaborn/Toby Ziegler | Complete | An unsent letter from the Seaborn files: being Toby Ziegler's deputy has its own rewards

An Open Letter to the Man Who Loves Him Next From the Man Who Loved Him First by Lily_Padd_23 | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | Josh writes a letter. Just in case.

for you i would ruin myself a million little times by crossingdelancey | Rated M | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler | Complete | She’s in love with him, and he knows that well. He knows this from across the country, and when she kisses Danny Concannon, she’s kissing Toby Ziegler. They write letters, because emails are too easy. Too impersonal, and too traceable. She’s always been a writer. Not in the way Toby writes; eloquent and neat, but in scribbles and post-it notes and reminders to pick up oat milk. Danny hangs over her when she’s writing emails, but when she’s pressed into the side of the couch scribbling with a biro, he leaves it alone. —— the letters across the country, and the moments in between

Please hold for a reblog with this week's fics coming in the next minute or two - it seems we have run up against the maximum length for a tumblr post and tumblr is no longer letting us post the newsletter in full in one post! We know it's a bit of a hassle, and we apologize. If you happen to be a tumblr wizards and know of ways we can troubleshoot us, please send us a message! Thank you! This week's fics incoming:

[jessbakescakes]

Hi hiii hope ure well!! Do you know any sam x reader/ofc fics?? Cant seem to fibd em :( ty!!

Hey anon! Thank you! That's not a ship I read, but I'm going to give some helpful tips in this post that hopefully you and others can use to find what you're looking for!

On AO3, there's a bar on the right side of the page for filters. You can include things, exclude things, search by keyword, sort in different ways. For example, if you're looking for Sam x OFC fic:

Then, if you want to exclude other pairings:

Or exclude crossovers:

When I search by those parameters I get 66 Sam/OFC fics.

There aren't currently any fics tagged with Sam Seaborn/Reader, but hopefully the OFC fics will have something for you!

[eminems-skittles]

Ok ok ok similar to the last one I sent, hoping you’ll enjoy this one!!

How would each of the West Wing characters react to their SO saying they feel sad? like just down with no discernible reason. How would they handle it?

Thanks bestie!! Love ya!

OMFG this has been in my inbox for literally a year i'm so sorry i didnt even see it

pairings: josh lyman x reader; toby ziegler x reader; sam seaborn x reader

—————————

josh

honestly he isn't the most emotionally intelligent

like he is working on it but it doesn't always turn out the way he wants it to

sometimes he can be really caring

does his best to cheer you up

sends you your favorite flowers, brings you candy, just exists with you

however sometimes he'll say like "i don't understand why you're unhappy" or something that is just insensitive

takes him awhile to understand what and what not to say to you

he's trying his best

sam

i get the vibes that he just throws money at situations idk why

like he will send you so many gifts to try to make you feel better

he's better with written word than actions tbh

probably will send you long emails/texts/handwritten letters about how much he loves you

but he can't figure out how to properly help if you don't know why you're sad so he just tries everything

toby

just lets you exist with him

like josh, i don't think he is super emotionally intelligent but he understands the feeling of being sad for no reason

doesn't push you to be happy

gives you space and doesn't smother you

but still checks in and makes sure the indiscernible sadness hasn't gotten worse

he has his own tips and tricks and tries to use those to help

[shutupanddance]

@girloncorneliastreet requested a fluffy Sam Seaborn oneshot that’s friends to lovers, so here we go!!

“Oh, give it a rest!” You shout at the TV, and the whole West Wing hears.

“Will you shut up already!?” Toby screams from one door down. He’s glaring at you through the adjoining window.

Sam looks at you, a warning. Don’t say another word, that glance cautions. You grumble something incoherent.

You and Sam were watching a recording of some late-night Republican talk show from years ago while you eat dinner. It was a tradition on nights when work ended later than dinner but too early to just go home and collapse. You’d pick some old TV politics program, and then debate. One of you would play the host, and the other would play a guest speaker there to fight the claims. It was fun. Whoever paid for dinner always played the host.

But you hadn’t even gotten through watching this whole segment yet, and you were already so pissed at the man on screen that you weren’t sure you could get through pretending to be him. 

“I’m going to strangle myself,” you whisper, and Sam throws a balled-up napkin at you, clearly not amused.

You whip you head around to look at him where he’s lounging on the couch.

“I was aiming for the trash can,” he deadpans.

You throw the napkin ball back. He grins.

You had known Sam for over three years now. When you got the job in the Whitehouse council team, you never expected to spend any time with the West Wing Senior Staff. But you had fit right in. And Sam had been your #1 from the moment you set foot in the building.

You spent most of your time together. When you weren’t working together, you were doing things like this (watching TV and eating meals together). He was your best friend in every sense of the word.

CJ liked to tease you about it, saying you and Sam were practically married. And you had heard Josh do the same for Sam. But you would always just roll your eyes and ignore it. Sam was your best friend, you’d reiterate.

You realize suddenly that you had been staring at him, and he’s staring at you, too. Your face heats up. It gets a little awkward.

“Aren’t you supposed to leave soon?” You ask, trying to deflect. Sam had a date with someone from a coffee shop tonight. It was going to be a late-night rendezvous at a theater. He checks his watch.

“I guess,” he says, and sits up slowly. He doesn’t look too excited.

“Come on, you’ve been trying to get this girl to go out with you for weeks. Go and have fun!”

Sam’s not so sure anymore.

Sam picks up his date, Chelsea, on a designated street corner. She hops in the car.

“Hiya Sam!” She kisses his cheek.

He smiles, and feels the butterflies, but something is missing. He ignores it. Just have some fun, he reminds himself.

Chelsea chats away while he drives to the theater. All about her day, her work, etc. Normally, Sam would find himself fully engaged with a beautiful date like this, but he’s distracted. He’s thinking of how he’d run the debate against you, playing the part of the host.

By the time they arrive, Chelsea is still talking.

They find their seats, and there’s a brief, glorious pause before she speaks again.

“So, tell me about your day!”

Sam opens his mouth to say something. And really, he tries. He can usually talk on and on about his day, and impress girls with his work at the Whitehouse, but for some reason, he stops.

He stops because he realizes that most of what he remembers about his day is you. He wants to talk about you, but as Josh has drilled into his head, you never talk about another girl on a date. Sure, he remembers other things about the day, but really, he’s not sure he can talk about it. Would Chelsea understand it all? Probably, but he knows she wouldn’t laugh at the right moments, or roll her eyes at others. She doesn’t really know him, he realizes. She’s just here for the butterflies. And maybe for the night after.

Sam wants to go back to the West Wing. He wants to go back to you, so he can talk and talk and talk with you until the early hours of the morning. Because, even though this girl is giving him butterflies, it’s not the same as being with you. It’s not the same feeling. It doesn’t really compare.

I love Y/N, he realizes suddenly. He loves you.

You were sort of enjoying the quiet right now. 

As you grabbed your coat and switched into some comfier shoes for the walk home, you wondered how Sam’s date was going. You hoped he was enjoying himself. Still, there was a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach that you couldn’t place. Jealousy? Certainly not. You shake your head.

You say goodnight to the security guards and custodial workers, and head out. You can’t wait to take a hot bath.

You’re almost halfway home when you hear someone running towards you from behind. You take your keys and place them between your fingers, then look in the mirror of a car to see who it is.

Sam.

You turn around.

“Hi!” He shouts.

“Shhh!! It’s past eleven! People are sleeping!” You whisper-yell. By now, he’s standing right in front of you. Grinning.

“What are you doing? I thought you were on a date.”

“I wanted to say goodnight.”

You raise an eyebrow and he’s still grinning. You know that grin. It’s the I have an infallible plan and I’m about to execute it grin. 

“Okay? Goodnight?”

He’s still grinning. He leans over, and pecks you on the cheek, but stays with his face so close to yours. He’s kissed your cheek before, it wasn’t uncommon. But he has this look in his eyes…

“Sam, what are you doing-”

He gently, ever so carefully, presses his lips to yours.

And it’s like fireworks go off in your head.

Damn.

You close your eyes, and lean in. You’ve never felt this way before. No, scratch that, you always have. You just didn’t realize it until now, until he’s kissing you slow. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you just a little closer, and the sweet kiss turns deep and even slower. It’s not careful anymore. It screams I love you from the highest balconies in the most loud way possible. You place your hands on either side of his face, and rub your thumbs across his cheeks.

You were kissing Sam like you were never gonna kiss anyone else ever again. You were kissing Sam.

He pulls away.

“I need to tell you something,” he says.

“I love you,” you interrupt, the realization coming quickly. You don’t have time to think before you say it.

He’s laughing now.

“That’s my line,” he says, and you can’t help but grin ear-to-ear.

Oh, Sam. You shake your head. My Sam.

Somewhere off in another part of town, Toby finds himself suddenly annoyed by something. He’s not sure what it is, yet.

Three years earlier

Standing in the Whitehouse for the first time is like being pinched by a friend who’s trying to wake you up. You’re grateful, but also in excruciating pain and discomfort.

The party has been going on for hours, and your feet are killing you. The lights are gorgeous, of course, and the food is delicious as always, but you’ve found the company to be bit boring, the men to be a little handsy, and the drinks to be less alcoholic than you desire.

Someone walks up behind you.

“Y/N!” The President practically shouts, and you turn to greet him.

“Hello, Mr. President.”

“I’d like to introduce you to someone,” he says, and it’s now that you notice the man standing next to him.

This man’s got the definition of “baby blue eyes”. And to say he cleans up well would be an understatement.

“Sam Seaborn,” he offers, holding out his hand. You shake it.

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

This was going to be a good night.

[psychiatristreturning]

masterlist

taglist is open!! message me or ask to be added to either the stranger things OR west wing list!

my twitter is @ cowb0ylikery

stranger things;

steve harrington 

run away with me

500 words|| steve needs you to know just how much he cares about you

remember prom? 

 1k|| when overhearing steve and dustin talk about a mystery girl, you get jealous. steve wants to know why. 

don’t fall on your ass

 1k|| dustin has a masterplan to get you and steve together that just may involve rollerskating. 

where did that come from?

 100|| steve finds you incredibly hot in the worst situation.

the snowball

625|| while dropping your sister off at the snowball dance you strike up a conversation with a familiar face. 

four times steve knew he loved you and the one time he told you

2.6k|| what it says

yell for it

270|| maybe the worst torture is being without him.

too cute

425|| el sees you and steve being cute and tells max. who knew it was so easy to tease the two of you? 

to hand holding

403||  steve always let’s you play with his hair, but you want to know if just thinks of you as a friend. 

she’s shy

530|| what did you hear steve say? 

being alive 

pt. 1  pt. 2 pt. 3 pt. 4

completed || a compilation of moments where you realized who was always there, no matter what, and truly loved you. steve harrington. (steve harrington x henderson!reader)

just a smoke

736|| when steve makes his way to his car after fighting with nancy, he runs into you, who is sitting on his car.

robin buckley

maybe this time

1.2k|| robin comes out, and maybe this time you’ll be lucky...

the art (or lack) of subtlety

839|| you and robin have been dating for awhile but aren’t public, but steve thinks he knows what’s up. 

hopper

two times you and hopper almost kissed and the one time you did 

1k|| just what the title suggests.

ranking

606|| teen!hopper x reader; you and hopper almost reveal your feelings for each other

the west wing;

sam seaborn

i was wondering..

550|| you and sam are getting married soon, and you need someone to walk you down the aisle. 

north dakota

1k|| toby knows that you’re in love with sam

who told you?

1k|| you aren’t telling anyone the sex of your baby, except one person...

not even my wife stayed

700|| josh is fine, but you’re shot at rosslyn. and sam is worried

i wouldn’t mind

1k|| being the president’s niece is nice, especially when the deputy speechwriter is really cute.

finally

650|| you never expected to see sam again.

dinner rush

500|| you would never come back, you vowed, unless...

they’re proud

1.3k|| the senior staff hasn’t seen sam in two years, little did they know that he had a family.

too early for this

600|| the staff wonders why you’re so secretive of your personal life, when the president lets it spill why. 

the bet

900|| you and sam got engaged, who will notice the ring first.

3:22 pm

1k|| the senior staff meets your daughter. 

when the vice president asks

730|| you and sam are in a fight, and josh just has to insert himself.

flowers

785|| you’re new to the white house and sam sticks up for you.

“suddenly he was in the radius of her perfume and kissing her breathlessly.”

680|| you finally attend a white house party.

toby ziegler forty minutes late

1.1k|| you’re not okay. and toby knows.

champagne problems

400|| you reflect on your unrequited love when toby’s twins are born.

no answer 

495|| the president is more off a busybody than you thought.

josh lyman i have my ways 

1k|| you tell josh something big, and hope he doesn’t hate you.

hope you like disney

1.3k|| donna and cj help you figure out something.

surprise

400|| donna has a vistor for josh...

bad idea

315|| sometimes you and josh both need a bad idea.

front page

843|| when you and josh are spotted out together, it’s published. how will your dad react to finding out that his daughter is dating his deputy. 

donna moss

“i love her and that’s the beginning and end of everything.” 

500|| a reporter asks c.j. about a rumor that you and donna are dating. is it true? 

gaza (can be part two to the above fic)

1,172|| you go to germany when donna is hurt during the gaza arc. 

headcanons;

toby ziegler:

first date

proposing

domestic

pet names

as a dad

sam seaborn:

while wife is pregnant

small drabble from prompt list!

josh lyman:

as a dad

telling stories

first date w/josh lyman

proposing

valentine’s day

cuddling

cooking dinner

pet names

donna moss:

dating donna moss

asking donna on a date

first valentine’s day 

finishing her degree (not x reader)

donna and board games

all headcanons relating to donna x reader with their daughter diana

donna + diana (older headcanon)

the guy on tv (adopted daughter headcanons)

sam and josh being cool uncles

robin buckley:

domestic life w/robin

robin being protective

coming out to robin

robin with a plus size gf

cuddling with robin

robin w/short gf

robin w/spiritual gf

first fight w/robin

pet names

period comfort

getting high

steve harrington:

sleepover

gf w/curly hair

tired s/o

dustin walking in

first fight w/steve

slow dancing and comfort 

working w/steve at scoops ahoy

braiding hair

dancer gf

hopper!gf

wheeler!gf

tall gf

volleyball player!gf

byers!gf

steve with a new baby

enemies to lovers (pt. 2)

pregnant wife

bisexual gf

small drabble

clingy gf

nurse gf

gf with freckles

nerdy teens

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Learning Teamwork

Josh Lyman x Reader

Words: 2184

Summary: Two colleagues that usually butt heads are forced to play nice when the President sends them to attend to a Governor's Ball in his home state.

Notes: I have so much Josh angst I wanted to write something a little fluffier that I could still capture his signature snark in. (For the purposes of this, I made up a Governor that would fit the story so if there was one discussed in the show, they aren’t in this one.) I also wrote this in two days so… bare with me.

-

If you hadn’t been in the presence of the President, you might have thrown something at him.

“If the President addresses this now, the Republicans will stop at nothing to get back at him for it.” He spoke in that smug, know-it-all tone that drove you insane.

“This is about real people, Mr. Lyman, not the little politics games that you play all day.”

“Okay, everyone, I think that’s enough.” The President’s order may have halted your argument, but you could still feel the heat rising to your cheeks as you stared Josh down. The rest of the team made a very quick exit, hoping to avoid becoming casualties in you and Josh’s on-going battle. But when the two of you started for the door, President Bartlet’s voice called you back. “Not. You. Two.”

You grimaced and turned back around, reveling a little in the fact that Josh looked just as uncomfortable as you did. One stern look from Jed Bartlet, however, was enough to diminish that.

“Is it physically impossible for the two of you to let me get through one meeting without going at each other’s throats?” He urged, his irritated gaze switching rapidly between the both of you. “Not only are you both a part of this team, you are adults for Christ sake!”

“Sorry, sir.” You gulped.

“My apologies, Mr. President.”

God, even apologizing, he had to try and sound smarter than you.

“I’m not finished yet.” The President walked around his desk and grabbed an envelope from under a pile of other papers. “The Governor of New Hampshire is hosting a ball on Saturday to celebrate something that I can’t even remember. Frankly, I think it’s because his wife enjoys parties a little too much, but who am I to judge?”

You and Josh exchanged a look that consisted more of confusion than anger.

Bartlet continued, “Well, seeing as I used to be Governor of my home state, he’s been kind enough to invite me, though I also think this is more of a way to get more Democratic backing for his next election. Nevertheless, while I am unable to attend due to this whole mess with possible terrorism, I know just the two members of my senior staff to send in my place.” He looked pointedly at both of you.

The excuses tumbled over each other as you and Josh blurted them out, desperately pleading to find something that would change his mind. You hated political gatherings in general but the idea of being forced to go with Josh? It twisted your stomach into so many knots you thought you’d throw up.

“There’s going to be political fallout from all of this and I should really be around-”

“C.J. and Toby are going to need me to-”

“Y/N could go by herself.” Josh said suddenly, making your jaw drop. That little snake. “I’m sure there are plenty of young men that’ll be thrilled to see you.”

“Says one of the White House’s most eligible bachelors.” You fired back, forgetting who you were standing in front of.

“Enough!” The President slammed the invitation down on the desk in front of the two of you. “This isn’t about who is more desirable than who. This is about you two learning how to work as a team and not biting each other’s heads off every time you’re in the same room together! Now, I am calling Governor Thompson and telling him you’re going and the two of you are going to be the picture of grace and maturity. If I hear one word of anything else, so help me god, your careers will be so buried, it’ll take years before they see the light of day.” His voice echoed through the Oval Office, rattling you down to the bone. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Good. Now go do whatever you need to to free up next Saturday.” He sat down, putting on his glasses to look over other documents. “Oh, and find something nice to wear. Mrs. Thompson has always been a bit of a stickler with the dress code.”

With that, you were dismissed and you felt the dread settling in your chest. You were going to a ball. In New Hampshire. With Josh Lyman for a date. As you shouldered out the door together, you cast glowering looks.

“I hate you.”

“I hate you more.”

-

If the snickers from Sam and C.J. weren’t enough to drive you crazy in the week leading up to your flight, scrambling to find a dress was not something you originally had on your schedule. Even when you had found one you liked, there was the matter of rescheduling everything you had the weekend you would be gone.

At least Josh seemed to be having as difficult a time as you were. Any time you saw him in passing, he looked frantic and disheveled- which would usually bring you a small amount of joy, but for some reason, knowing you were in the same boat actually made you feel better about going with him.

“Hey.”

You looked up from the piles of work from your desk, surprised to see your unfortunate date standing in your doorway. It was the day before you were set to leave and you both had mountains of work to try and finish.

“What can I help you with, Josh?”

“I just came to say that this might not be such a bad idea.” He moved from the door to the chair, but he didn’t sit down. He just stood anxiously behind it, leaning on the back. He actually looked sincere- and a voice in the back of your head pointed out that, without his usual cloud of arrogance that always hung around him, he was actually very attractive.

No. Definitely not. You hated him.

“Which part? Going to a ridiculous dance so that Governor Thompson can get more clout with Democrats or the fact that we have to go as a bonding exercise?” Your tone was cold, even more so than usual. Call it overcorrecting for your brain’s traitorous thoughts.

“I think the President is right.” Josh’s posture changed, standing up a little straighter as his tone grew defensive. “If this is what it takes to get us to work together, then I guess we deserve it.”

“Funny, since when he first proposed the idea you suggested that I go alone.” You stood up, crossing your arms.

Josh mimicked your stance, his brow furrowing with anger. “Look, I came in here to make some kind of peace with you, and I don’t understand-”

“I know what you came here to do, Josh. You want to show me that I don’t understand Bartlet the way you do while you play some kind of martyr for going on this trip.” You leaned forward with your hands on your desk and he did the same. Your faces must have only been a few inches apart.

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

You’d never wanted to kiss Josh Lyman more than you did in that moment and couldn’t hate him more for it.

-

Your seats on the plane were right next to each other. Because of course, they were. Josh got the window seat despite your protests, sticking you in the middle between him and a rather obnoxious businessman who was speaking loudly on his phone.

“Sir, I need you to turn that off as we prepare to take off.” The flight attendant instructed.

“Yeah, just give me a second.”

“Now, sir.” Her voice was a semi-irritated monotone that left little room for any argument. The man gave her an annoyed look and ended his call. “Thank you, sir.” She continued down the aisle to berate somebody else. Without the distraction of work, he sought out a new way to pass the time- you.

“What takes you to Concord?” He leaned a little closer to you than you would have preferred, but leaning back would basically put you in Josh’s lap so you stayed put.

“My coworker and I have an event to attend.” You motioned to the seemingly oblivious man on the other side of you.

“Just coworker?” His casual expression turned into a suggestive smirk and you felt his fingers run up your knee. You jerked away from him.

“Husband, actually, so how about you keep your hands to yourself?” Josh snapped suddenly, giving Mr. Handsy a death glare. You stared at Josh with wide eyes and forced your mouth shut to keep it from gaping in shock. The man beside you must have been as surprised as you because words came out as a whispered stutter.

“Sorry, I didn’t- she said- and I thought-”

“Yeah, well you thought wrong.” He stood up. “Here, honey, why don’t you take the window seat?”

You sat there, without moving, for a few seconds before he nudged your leg with his foot and you climbed over him to get to the seat by the window. Once you were both situated, the other man got suddenly very interested in the papers from his briefcase.

You leaned over and whispered in Josh’s ear. “Honey? Really?”

“Don’t start.” Though his voice sounded irritated, there was almost a small smile playing at his lips. You shifted awkwardly, trying to keep a smirk from your own lips.

“You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Do you want the window seat or not?” Now his smile had grown into a snicker, making you laugh lightly.

“Who would have thought you were such a gentleman?”

“Well, I’m a married man now, apparently.” He teased. You rolled your eyes.

“In your dreams, Lyman.”

-

After an hour of shaking hands and dancing with the Governor’s persistent son, you were ready to knock your head against the wall until you passed out. Oddly enough, you had yet to see Josh. Mrs. Thompson invited you to come early for tea so you hadn’t arrived together. You were beginning to think he’d bailed when you saw him across the room.

Pushing your way over to him, his eyes widened when he finally saw you.

“You look amazing.” He gasped, his eyes scanning your silky blue dress before settling on your eyes. “I mean… wow.”

You felt blush tint your cheeks as a smile spread across your lips. He cleaned up pretty well himself and you found yourself checking him out for what you wished you could say was the first time ever. What could you say? The man looked good in suits.

You must have stood there, staring at each other, for a few minutes before Ned Thompson came into view. Without a second to think, you grabbed Josh’s hand.

“Dance with me.”

“What?”

“Just do it.” You yanked him with you onto the dance floor, losing sight of the Governor’s persistent son.

Josh looked around, trying to see who you seemed so desperate to avoid as the two of you began to sway to the music. “What was that about?”

You checked one more time to make sure the coast was clear. “Ned.”

“The Governor’s kid?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t he, like, ten years younger than you.”

“He’s only eight, but yes.” You rolled your eyes, annoyed by his pestering. On the bright side, he was a pretty good dancer. “If I dance with him one more time, I think he’ll propose.” You couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Just tell him you’re married to me.” Josh smirked. “Worked the last time.” You both chuckled and continued dancing. For a while, you forgot why you were here to begin with. You were enjoying yourself more than you cared to admit. In a room full of people, the only one you wanted to dance with was the man you loved to hate.

Maybe it was the other way around.

-

You sat up in bed, sipping coffee and reading the paper while the sound of the hotel’s heater droned on. The fluffy white robe enveloped your body perfectly, but the real warmth came from the sleeping form beside you as he turned over, swinging his arm so it was around your waist and pulling you closer to him. You smiled in both amusement and complete bewilderment as to how you got here.

“I don’t think this is what the President meant by ‘teamwork’.” You noted, folding up the paper and setting it aside.

Josh peeked up at you, half his face still smooshed against the pillow.

“Goodmorning.” He greeted groggily, rubbing his eyes as he slowly sat up.

“I made you coffee.” You handed him the little Styrofoam cup and waited until he’d had enough to wake up a little more. “What are we supposed to tell him when he asks how everything went?”

He thought for a moment. “You know, we didn’t fight at all last night.” He was right. Between the ball and, well, everything after that, not a single argument was had.

You shrugged and held out your cup of coffee for a cheers. “To teamwork,” Josh smirked and tapped his cup against yours.

“To teamwork.”

[inknopewetrust]

While I work on the requests already in, has anyone watched The West Wing?? If so... should I add Josh and Sam to my list of characters I write about?

Let me know what you think! (of course they would be character x reader)

[meganwritesfanfics]

Baby Bottle (Josh Lyman x Reader Story)

Word Count: 1486

“Hey Y/N” She heard the chipper voice say as she made her way through the familiar halls. While she worked in the White House she hardly ever was in this part. 

“Hey Donna,” She smiled her hands instinctively landing on her stomach but she quickly dropped them not wanting to give anything away. “Is he in his office?” 

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.” 

“Is it that bad?” 

Just as she said it, the familiar voice called through the halls. 

“Donna!” 

“Told you,” Donna smiled as she grabbed a stack of folders heading towards the office. 

Slowly the short brown haired woman followed behind, praying that no one could hear the rattling coming from her purse. 

“Josh there is someone here to see you.” Donna said as she handed him the folders. 

“I don’t have time for…” Josh started but the minute he saw her he softened. “Hey what are you doing here?” He said instantly coming towards her pulling her into his arms. She felt his shoulders drop as he held onto her tightly. He was stressed, not that he wasn’t always, but today it was especially bad. 

“I didn’t have anything going on and I was wondering if you had any time to squeeze me in for lunch Mr. Lyman.” She teased. 

Josh sighed as he pulled away. “I wish I could Mrs. Lyman, but I have so much I have to do.” 

“That’s ok, I just need like five minutes I need to…” Suddenly there was a knock on the door. 

“Josh…” Sam said as he leaned through the door. “Oh hi Y/N” 

“Hi Sam,” Y/N smiled. 

“Am I interrupting something?” 

“No,” Josh quickly said. “What’s up.” 

Y/N looked at Josh slightly hurt. 

“Toby needs us in his office.” 

“Yeah,” Josh then turned to Y/N seeing the hurt. “Y/N I’m sorry, what was it you wanted to talk about.” 

“No it’s fine go. I’ll wait.” She smiled as she sat down in his desk chair. 

“Ok,” He smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. “I’ll see you later.” Then off he went 

She knew she shouldn’t be upset. This was their lives, he was the  White House Deputy Chief of Staff and she was the First Lady’s Press Secretary. Crazy was their normal, but for something like this, something as major as this, she just wanted a moment where the two of them could focus on them. 

As the time ticked on Josh came in and out of the office but only for a few moments at a time never even acknowledging her presence. 

Before she knew it her lunch break was over and she needed to head back to work. 

Sighing she pulled the baby bottle out of her bag, it was filled with M&M’s, Josh’s favorite candy and they each said dad on them. She put it on Josh’s desk before she stood up heading out of the office. 

“Y/N” She heard someone call her names, she felt her heart racing hoping it was Josh, but instead she found her secretary. 

“Stacy, sorry I…” Y/N started. 

“The First Lady is in the Oval Office and she would like to speak to you.” Stacy said. 

Y/N sighed knowing exactly what it was The First Lady wanted to talk about. While Y/N knew the first person who should have known about the pregnancy was Josh, but she also knew that being pregnant was a lot of commitment, especially for The First Lady’s Press Secretary. So of course The First Lady was the first person who needed to know. She was in on the planning of telling Josh, it was her idea to personalize the M&M’s. 

“Ok, I’ll head there. Thanks, I need you to start getting some prep for our interview tomorrow.” She said as she turned and made her way towards the Oval Office. 

“Hello Mrs Lyman, how are you today.” 

“I’m good Mrs. Laningham how are you?” 

“Oh fine dear, you can go on in she is waiting for you.” 

“Thank you,” She said and then she made her way through the doors. No matter how many times she had been in the Oval Office it still took her breath away walking, seeing the seal. 

“Y/N” It drew her out of her fog as she looked up to see both the President and the First Lady looking at her. “Did you tell him?” It was the First Lady who was speaking looking at her beaming.

“No I haven’t, he’s been pretty busy.” Y/N smiled. 

“Well I can call him in here and then you can tell him.”The President responded causing Y/N to giggle. 

“With all due respect Mr. President I think you have much more important things to worry about then helping me tell my husband we are going to have a baby. Besides I left the bottle on his desk so…” And with that suddenly she heard her name yelled out. 

“I think he figured it out.” The First Lady said with a laugh as suddenly Josh burst into the room holding the bottle. 

“Mr. President, First Lady I’m sorry I…” He said completely out of breath but his eyes were locked on Y/N. “Are you…” 

All Y/N could do was nod, her eyes filling up with tears when she saw the tears in Josh’s eyes. 

Josh gasped as he ran his fingers through his hair. “A b...baby.” 

“Yeah,” Y/N laughed breathlessly. 

“Is it a boy or girl?” He said as he slowly made his way towards her. 

“I don’t know it’s too early to tell.” Y/N said wanting Josh to close the gap between them but she wasn’t exactly going to jump him in front of the President of the United States.

“When… when is the due date?” 

“You aren’t going to like it.” She smiled and he quickly looked at her concerned. “November.” 

“You mean I might have to share my birthday with this kid.” He replied back smirking 

“Joshua.” Y/N snapped teasing. 

“You know I’m joking.” Josh said finally reaching her his hand landing on her stomach. “A kid, we are going to have kid.” 

Y/N nodded again. 

“I…” Josh started. 

“Oh for the love of God kiss her Josh.” Jed Bartlet yelled causing both of them to jump. 

Josh laughed as he leaned in giving her a big kiss before picking her up and swinging her around. 

“Careful Joshua.” Mrs. Bartlet said. 

Josh laughed again wiping the tears from his eyes as he set Y/N down his fingers interlocking with hers. 

“Well I think this calls for celebration, after work tonight why don’t we get a bunch of people to celebrate.” President Bartlet stated. 

“Only if you two are alright with telling everyone.” Abbey chimed in. 

“Of course we are alright with telling everyone!” Josh said excitedly. “I mean,” He paused for a second turning to look at Y/N. “We are alright with telling everyone?” 

“Yes of course! They are bound to find out anyway, you have a terrible poker face Joshua Lyman.” 

His face beamed. “I’m going to be a dad.” As he started for the door when suddenly he froze. “I’m going to be a dad.” This time his voice was filled with fear. 

“Come on let’s go Lemon.” Y/N teased as she patted Josh on the back as they left the Oval Office. 

That night while everyone was partying, Josh stood arms wrapped around his wife taking everything in. They swayed together to the music breathing in sync. 

“What are you thinking?” Josh asked kissing the top of her head. 

“Names,” She said as she turned to look at him. 

“Already, I still have barely wrapped my mind around the fact.” Josh laughed. 

“Now if this is going to upset you we don’t have to…” 

“I swear if you suggest Toby or Sam I will divorce you now.” Josh laughed but when he looked at his wife’s face he stopped. “Ok I’m listening what are you thinking?” 

“If it is a boy I was thinking Noah and if it’s a girl Joan.” Y/N said hesitantly. She knew how much it bothered him whenever he talked about his father or his sister. 

Josh froze for a moment just looking into his wife’s eyes.

“Josh if it upsets you…” Y/N started but Josh quickly lead in kissing her passionately. 

When they broke away Y/N saw the tears in Josh’s eyes. 

“I don’t think I say this enough but I love you. So much Y/N. You are amazing.” He said kissing her again. 

“You’re right you don’t say it enough.” She said causing him to laugh. “I love you too.” 

He wrapped his arm around her chest pulling her into him as they began to sway again to the music. 

[imawkwardlysoc]

i may or may not have forgotten to upload the links to the new chapters and posted them... but hey! chapters 23-30 are out now!

[duchesschameleon]

hehehehehehehe sam seaborn and the one who got away <3

alright the idea for this one evaded me so...i hope you like it!!

pairing: sam seaborn x gn!reader (not actually as a couple though)

this is the last place sam seaborn expected to see you. staring at you while you stood in the kennedy center waiting to go to your seat for tonight's performance. he doesn't know what to do, to approach you and try to talk after all these years apart or just let you be. just walk away, the same way you had. his feet are glued in place and he knows he needs to make a move soon, otherwise someone else will again be making the decision for him, to shit or get off the pot when it came to you. he can't let that happen again, so instead he watches you for one more second before turning away and heading towards the president's box.

because sometimes, things don't work out for a reason.

[eminems-skittles]

how they react to you stealing their sweater [west wing characters x reader]

requested by: @shutupanddance  pairings: josh lyman x reader; toby ziegler x reader; sam seaborn x reader; (ALL SEPARATE)  warnings: none ;) word count: 1.3k a/n: there will be a part two with will, cj, donna, and charlie

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

JOSH LYMAN

he honestly wouldn’t even notice unless someone pointed it out or until after the fact

i mean in the episode where donna is trying to convince the family in new hamsphire to vote for bartlet instead of richie, he didn’t even realize donna took his coat even though he said she could 

so here’s what i’m thinking

everyone is working late one night and donna, on her way to josh’s office, bumped into you 

you quickly scurried away before she could say anything so she just continued on her way

“you know y/n is wearing your jacket right?”

“wait? no she’s not. my jacket is right there.”

josh pointed at the now empty chair that was normally where he put his jacket

“okay so maybe she did...”

josh looked down at his desk, fighting the smile that was trying to appear on his face. 

donna rolled her eyes at the obviously smitten man

“do you know-”

“she’s in her office”

as soon as donna finished speaking, josh was out of his chair and making his way towards your office

“oh hey josh!”

josh felt a blush dust his cheeks as he spotted you 

“you’re wearing my sweater.”

“oh yeah i am. sorry about that. my office just gets really cold and your jackets are always much warmer than mine.”

“don’t worry about it. you can keep it if you want.”

SAM SEABORN

you and sam had been dating for a few months, closer to a year really

you decided to give him a key so that he could come over after work and spend the night

not like that, get ur mind out of the gutter LOL

anyway

one night he comes over after work

and you’re already asleep 

because the man does not know how to healthily balance work and well anything other than work (besides sailing but even then...)

anyways back to the story

so he gets home at basically the ass crack of dawn (not really but you get the point. he got home late)

since it’s so late, you’re already asleep 

and he’s envious of you

you look so peaceful and comfortable and the weight of how the country and the world sees the president isn’t resting on your shoulders the way it is his

after he puts his pajamas on (really just sweatpants and no shirt lets be real....brb thinking about shirtless sam) he climbs into bed next to you but behind you? like y’all are going to spoon

he pulled you close to him, his hands clutching the fabric of the sweater

you turned over and smiled sleepily at him

“hi sammy”

“hi hon”

the soft light of the bedside lamp hung over the two of you

sam’s eyes traced from your face down to your sweater

well to be more specific-his gray princeton sweater

“you’re a thief, you know that?”

“can’t help it. it was cold and that was the warmest thing i could find.”

you mumbled something under your breath

“what was that?”

“plus i missed you and it smells like you.”

upon hearing that, sam pulled you closer to him so you were pressed against his chest

“you can steal all of my sweaters.”

“good because i already have

TOBY ZIEGLER (not so much you stealing as he willingly gives you his jacket but still cute)

now we all know that toby isn’t the most warm...

his jackets however are incredibly warm

especially on cold winter days

the west wing team had gone up to new york for a few days and during a few hours of unusual downtime, you all decided to head down to central park to do some ‘exploring’

“y/n come on you need a jacket”

toby argued with you as they made their way to the elevator 

“no i don’t i’ll be fine. it’s only like 5 degrees colder than home.”

it was, in fact, twenty degrees colder 

the group was walking around central park, talking about work of course

“y/n are you okay? you’re shaking like a chihuahua”

donna asked, gaining toby’s attention.

“yeah i’m fine just kind of cold is all.”

without a word, toby slipped his own jacket off his shoulders and draped it across your shoulders

“told you you should have brought your own jacket.”

“yeah yeah. yours are so much warmer though.”

toby smiled and wrapped an arm around your shoulders

the two of you continued to walk while bickering about the importance of wearing jackets in cold weather

while you two were walking, donna turned to cj and said,

“how can they act like an old married couple yet they aren’t even together?”

to which cj said,

“oh donna, there’s so much you don’t know. let’s get you up to speed.”

y/n turned her head, making eye contact with her two friends

“you know we can hear you right?”

[shutupanddance]

Dinners on Fridays

Tagging @girloncorneliastreet​ This wasn’t requested, just something I loved the idea of <3

I guess you could say it’s a prologue to the one shot I posted just before it?

Anyway Ian Malcolm and Jim Kirk are up next! Then Josh Lyman after that.

Sam Seaborn is a simple man. He likes politics, and he likes to talk. He also happens to REALLY like good food.

- One night, after working really late, Sam offers to walk you home. Of course you say yes. You and Sam are the West Wing’s “dynamic duo”: everywhere you go, he goes, and vise versa. He’s your best friend, so you’ll take every chance you get to talk. - You realize about halfway through your walk that he actually lives only a few blocks down, and neither of you had any idea. You’ve been taking the same route home without ever seeing each other. It’s a good laugh, and Sam suggests that you do this more often. You agree.

- When you get to your small brownstone, the deputy communications director’s nose catches the wind. And like some weird wild animal, he says “food.” You laugh.

“I’m marinating some steak for dinner tonight.” You explain, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen the man more excited. “Would you like to come in?”

- Sam nods vigorously, so you invite him in for dinner. He takes one bite of your meal and his eyes go wide.

“Marry me,” he says through a mouthful of steak, and you dissolve into giggles.

- A new tradition is born.

- On Friday nights, Sam comes over and has dinner. Usually you cook and he does dishes, but if the day has been really stressful, he’ll do both. You’re surprised at his culinary skills, and even though he’s not 100% sure what the different spices you have are, he knows how to use them.

- Usually after dinner the two of you will recline in your living room and talk about the day, or whatever you’re doing over the weekend. It’s a great way to decompress after a long week.

- Sam is a major foodie (good food, mind you. Not the trash that Josh eats) so sometimes he’ll even go grocery shopping for you during the week. He has expensive tastes, but you discover that it’s nice to splurge from time to time.

- Your coworkers love to joke that you’re practically married to each other. Sam loves to grab your waist and make some wisecrack or stupid joke every time.

“Dear, would you please tell these people that I’m sick of them?”

- It’s all fun and games until he accidentally calls you “my love” in front of the President, the Joint Chiefs, and pretty much the entire senior staff of the West Wing.

- The President ships it.

- And Abby Bartlet definitely does not urge her husband to put the two of you together on assignments more often…

[psychiatristreturning]

sam seaborn while his wife is pregnant

a/n: @duck2005. i love dad!sam!! sorry it’s short.  word count: 258 warnings: pregnancy masterlist

the day you told sam that you were pregnant was the last day you were ever allowed to do anything

sam wasn’t going to mess it up

need a snack? sam was getting it

getting papers? sam already got them

i mean, you work next to josh, and donna helps you as well, now that you’re pregnant

she has to keep sam from the bullpen

just nobody lets him in

“hey i have-” “GET OUT” is the chorus heard throughout the west wing

donna being sam’s best friend has to tell him that you’re okay, and if there was anything wrong that donna would promise to get sam

josh just wanted sam out of meddling with you, who was just trying to get her work done, he couldn't take nine months of this

you didn’t mind, i mean of course, you threw up sometimes, and your body hurt, but it didn’t interfere extremely in your work

Hell if you didnt tell people, they wouldn’t know, besides ya know, your stomach, and also sam

Ii it’s a girl: donna, jean, or abbey (you both draw the line at claudia)

if it’s a boy: leo, percy, or josh (toby refused to be a possible namesake)

i’d say that person who was most excited when you told people you were having a baby was jed. he was so happy that you two were married AND having a baby. 

Like that micael scott quote, “i feel like all my kids grew up, and then they married each other. it’s every parents dream.”

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Black Umbrellas

Josh Lyman x Reader

Words: 2277

Part One

Summary: The funeral arrives and everything seems to fall apart. Josh tries to keep his temper in check with Celia, but soon the reason behind their ongoing feud is revealed. 

Notes: Josh is definitely one of my favorite fictional characters and it seems like more of you are liking his imagines. As always, comments are always welcome!- Side note: I know that it’s been forever since I posted part one to this, and I’m very sorry. I hope to be writing for more West Wing, including more characters. 

-

It was just like he would have wanted. The morning was bright and sunny and began with laughter. Josh was standing in the kitchen with your mother and something he had said made her laugh, making the rest of you feel a little lighter on a day that would leave a great deal of weight on your hearts. It’s how your dad would have wanted his funeral to start. Not with sorrow, but with the sense of being together. 

Your mother made blueberry pancakes for breakfast using your dad’s famous recipe and  the three of you had coffee on the porch. Celia and Thomas were still asleep, so there was no danger of an argument breaking out for now. 

“It’s a beautiful day.” Marissa hummed, taking a sip of her coffee. Josh nodded in agreement, wrapping an arm around your shoulders, drinking in the morning sun as it rose over the trees. 

“How are you feeling?” He whispered as you rested your head on his shoulder. You shrugged. 

“Best that I can be, I guess.” He nodded in understanding and sweetly kissed the top of your head. 

“I’ll be here the whole time.” You placed a hand on his leg, drawing circles on the denim. You loved it when he wore jeans. It made him feel like he was yours for the day and not rushing off to assist in a national crisis. But even now, he was still the Deputy Chief of Staff. 

You probably noticed his pager buzzing before he did. He looked at you mournfully, his tone apologetic. “I’ve got a call from Leo.” 

You gave him a small smile and a node. “You better take it.” 

He moved out onto the lawn for some privacy and your mother gave your hand a gentle pat. 

“You picked a good one.” She smiled. You both watched as he ran a hand down his face, his expression morphing from saddened to angered to calm in a matter of seconds. 

“Is he seriously working right now?” Your sister’s shrill criticizing voice emerged from inside the house. 

“He’s the Deputy Chief of Staff for the President,” You scoffed, “the world didn’t stop just because he’s here.” 

“Sorry, I forgot. Not all of us are lowly small town journalists like me and dad.” 

“Are you serious, right now?” 

“No, you’re right, I’m sure it’s a matter of national security.” She spat and you stood up from the swing. 

“It very well could be!” You shouted. You wanted to slap her. Who was she to criticize Josh? 

“Girls!” Your mother finally interjected. You both turned your heads towards her and you immediately felt guilty, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t do this today. Please.” 

“Sorry mom.” You both said, hanging your heads. While you could feel everything start to burn up in your chest, you pushed it down. You had to be strong today. Luckily, your own pager went off before any more arguing could occur. 

“Hey Sam.” You sighed in greeting, grateful for a distraction. 

“Hey, how are you doing?” His voice was sympathetic and sweet. Typical Sam. 

“Okay, all things considered.” You laughed lightly, hoping to keep the conversation from getting too emotional. “How are things there?”

“Crazy as usual.” He chuckled. “I just wanted to call and check in.” There was something in his tone that told you there was more. 

“Sam… something is wrong with the speech, isn’t there?” 

“Well,” He blew out a breath, “Since you pushed it back, we’re speaking after Congress is handing us our asses which means that Toby needed to make some changes so we don’t sound like-”

“Kids trying to start a fight on the playground?” You finished. Josh had said the same thing. 

“Yeah…” 

You thought for a moment, but couldn’t focus on any one thing. “Just make sure that he sounds like we’re still coming out on top.” It was the only thing you could do. 

“We’ll try.” He paused, but you already knew what he was going to say. “And Y/N-”

“I know.” You smiled slightly to yourself. “Thanks Sam.” 

You strolled along the wrap-around porch, hoping to avoid Celia for at least a few more minutes, telling yourself it was the stress of the day. She would cool off eventually. 

“I hope everything is doing okay.” Your mother’s comforting tone helped to calm you down. You shrugged. 

“As okay as it ever is.” She nodded with understanding. She knew how messy the political world was. It didn’t stop because someone died. 

Josh came back, the stress clear on his face. When he locked eyes with you, he tried to brighten up, but you could tell that there was something weighing down on his shoulders. You implored him with a look, but he shrugged it off. 

“The usual.” He whispered, draping his arm around you again. “Don’t worry about it.” He turned to your mother with a sad smile. “Leo McGarry and The President send their deepest sympathies.” 

“I appreciate that.” She nodded and looked out over the orchards. How was she so strong through all of this? You felt ready to fall apart at the seams, but your mother was the picture of grace. She always did everything for everyone else and now she wasn’t giving herself the chance to grieve. 

Celia had gone inside to make calls to the funeral home and Thomas was in town picking up groceries. He wanted there to be one less thing for all of you to worry about. 

With a few hours until the funeral, all you wanted was to make it through the day without any more arguments. Josh had a few more calls with Leo and did his best to hide it from your judgmental sister but there was still that tension between them. You took a few sympathy calls from Donna and C.J.- both of whom were very kind in expressing their regrets in not being able to make it to the funeral. 

It was about noon when the President called. Your mother must have spent an hour talking to him in her office before she came back into the living room, passing off the phone to you. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. President.” You started, forcing yourself to keep it together. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t catch you the other day before you and Josh left.” He sighed. “I wanted to give my condolences in person.” 

“My family and I appreciate it nonetheless, sir.” 

“I am truly sorry for your loss, Y/N.” His fatherly tone made you want to cry. Truthfully, you’d always seen President Bartlet as your work-father more than your boss. “Bill was a good man and a good friend.” 

“He would have been honored to hear you say that, sir.” There was a long moment of silence between the two of you as you both let those words sink in before he concluded. 

“He was always very proud of you, Y/N. I hope you know that.” 

Your breathing hitched as you held back a cry. “Thank you, Mr. President.” As you hung up, you tried to keep the tears from falling. Your quiet moment to yourself was interrupted by the sounds of whispers growing into shouts on the front porch. Celia and Josh. 

As you approached, their words became more and more clear. 

“When are you going to stop treating her like a child?”

“I’m sorry, but I figured I would let her go on thinking that her sister is a crazy lunatic!” 

“Keep your voice down! She’ll hear you.” 

“Let her hear, Celia.” Josh’s voice became a growl. “Let her hear that after all these years, you’ve just been jealous of everything that she’s been able to accomplish and you couldn’t.”

“I don’t know why we’re even having this conversation.” Celia scoffed. You opened the door a crack and watched her step closer to him. “I’m not jealous, Josh. I’m right. Y/N has had everything handed to her since the day she was born. She doesn’t deserve her job.. And she doesn’t deserve you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Josh ran a hand down his face and turned away, but she was persistent.

“We met first, Josh. We started seeing each other and then you fell for her little charms just like everybody else.” 

“You two were seeing each other?” You gasped, finally stepping out from behind the door. Josh let out a frustrated groan. 

“No, honey, we weren’t-”

“Is that why you two are at each other’s throats all the time? Because you were together?”

“We were never together!” He exclaimed. He reached to put his hands on your shoulders, but you stepped away, staring down your older sister. 

“You really think I don’t deserve my job… my husband… my life?” 

She said nothing. Her mouth formed a thin line as she gave you a silent, hard stare. You wanted to slap her. You wanted to scream. Instead, the sky let out a low, tumbling growl of thunder that served as the final straw. You looked up at the darkened clouds as the first raindrop landed on your cheek. 

“No no no no no. This isn’t what he would have wanted.” You cried, holding out a hand as more water fell. “It’s supposed to be sunny and beautiful and… and…” 

“Y/N,” Josh started, but you didn’t hear him. 

“I can’t deal with this right now.” Was all you said as you took off down the steps and towards the road. You didn’t know what to think, but the rain hitting your skin was enough to fuel your fury to hide your sadness. 

“Where is she going?” Marissa asked, feeling the tension in every thunder roll. Josh slammed his hand against the porch railing. 

“I don’t know. But I’ll take care of it.” He gave Celia a glare that could halt an army before running after you.

-

You ended up in an old tool shed somewhere in the orchard, your cries drowned out by the rain pounding against the wooden walls. Your clothes were soaked but you didn’t care. There was just an hour until the funeral and the storm didn’t show any sign of stopping. This was all wrong. 

Your dad was the only one who could have fixed this mess. Whenever either you or your husband fought with Celia, he was the one that could settle everyone down and make you all laugh until your sides hurt. What if you never laughed like that again? 

The rain turned into a soft- but consistent- drizzle and you were sure you heard the sound of a car approaching the shed. You heard your husband calling your name before you even opened the door. 

“How did you know I’d be here?”

He gave you a long, sad look. “When you ran off, your mother said it’d be best if I took a car so we’d have someplace warm to sit and talk. She said you’d probably come here.” He opened the passenger door of his car and just waited. 

Instead of running into the warm heat of the car, you ran into his arms. While you felt like you had no more tears to shed, your body just shook with silent sobs. After a while, he picked you up and put you in the car, quickly going over the driverseat so he could take you in his embrace again. 

“I feel so stupid.” You sniffed. “We’re supposed to be mourning dad and I’m running off like a child.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up.” He muttered into your hair. “Grief does something to our heads… everyone has to deal with it.” He pulled away to look at you. “I shouldn’t have argued with Celia.” 

“No.” You shook your head. “No, I’m glad I know what she really thinks of me. Of us.” 

He pushed a hair behind your ear and gave you a small smile. “You have to know that I would never hide something like that from you unless I thought it didn’t matter. Celia and I got drinks one time before I met you and now she likes to hold it over my head.” He sighed. “And don’t beat yourself up about what she said. You’re one of the hardest working, badass women that I know. You deserve everything that you’ve built.”

He kissed your forehead and you fell into silence again. Without any words, he knew that you believed him about Celia and that the whole thing was blown out of proportions by your sister’s need for attention. He just hoped that you and Celia could start over. As much as he despised her most of the time, he knew what it was like to lose a sister. 

“Why don’t we head back to the house and try and dry off before the funeral?” He suggested softly. You just nodded, laying your head on his shoulder as he drove back to your childhood home. 

-

It wasn’t the sunny day that you wanted it to be. Everyone stood with black umbrellas and somber faces and you did your best to keep it together. Josh held your hand the whole way through, his support not faltering for a single second. You knew this couldn’t be easy for him either and yet he was your rock through all of it. 

The clouds blocked the sun for the rest of the day but you told yourself that it was okay. They were the cloud-kingdoms your father always talked about. The ones he wrote in those little books tucked away in the house. And you took comfort in the fact that you knew, now, that he was up there with them.