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    Note: Attempts to explain the animosity between Helen and
    Amy in The Last Hurrah.




















    "Sam, is that you?" A voice purred from above.

    Having gotten off the phone with Toby, Sam had been
    engrossed for the last fifteen minutes in reading
    campaign speeches, assessing the rest of the
    speechwriting talent. But now he jerked his head up to
    find none other than Amy Gardner lounging on the edge
    of the desk.  He hadn't even heard her enter the office.

    "Amy."  He sat back in his chair and took off his glasses.  
    "How are you?  What are you doing here?"

    "I work here."

    "You do?" Sam's eyebrows rose in surprise. That seemed
    like something Josh would have mentioned.

    "I could ask you the same. What are you doing here?"

    "My first day.  Deputy Chief of Staff."

    "Wow, I'm impressed Josh got you to give up a high six-
    figure partnership in Los Angeles." Amy smirked before
    leaning suggestively across the desk, pressing her
    cleavage towards Sam in what could only be interpreted
    as an inviting manner.

    "You know, there are chairs right there.  Visitor chairs.
    They are there so visitors to the office can sit in them.  
    Since you're a visitor, you could sit in them, and then
    they wouldn’t go to waste."

    "I'm looking for Josh," Amy replied silkily, but she did
    push herself off the desk and slink down into one of the
    aforementioned visitors’ chairs.

    "I'm sure you are.  He didn't tell me he hired you."

    "He didn't. The President-elect did. Director of
    Legislative Affairs."

    "I see." Sam nodded; that made much more sense.  
    "That will be some change for you."

    "He challenged me to start building things rather than
    tearing them down. You know I can't back away from a
    challenge."

    "Well, it will be… interesting working with you again."

    "Oh, right, the last time we worked together." Amy
    frowned sadly at him. "I hope you don't blame me for
    the fact that you lost your campaign."

    "Of course not."  Sam felt the stab that hit his gut
    anytime someone mentioned his failed Congressional
    run.

    "So where's Josh?" Amy looked inquiringly around his
    office.

    Sam smiled internally and looked to his watch.  "I'm
    guessing right now he's at a cruising altitude of about
    30,000 feet."

    "He left?  Where'd he go?  Some other top recruit he has
    to hunt down?"

    "Not exactly."

    "Well, when can I reach him? I have a lot of… things… to
    go over with him."

    "He'll be out of touch for some time.  Can I help you?"

    "Uh… not really… I'll call him when he lands."

    "When I say he's going to be out of touch, I mean it. If
    it's urgent, you probably should discuss it with me."  

    "Oh… well, actually, it's a private... matter."

    "Really?"

    "Yes."

    Sam just stared at her with one eyebrow cocked, until
    she finally relented.

    "Fine, if you must know, I'm trying to set Josh up on a
    date.  He's at the point in his life when it's just pathetic
    for him to be all alone.  He's like this sad, wretched
    figure, rattling around this place. I have a name and
    number to give him, a friend of mine. Actually, I've
    already given him the name; I just need to get him the
    number.  So if you could just tell me how to get in touch
    with him, then I'll call and give him the information and
    he can embark on a new relationship that will inevitably
    end badly, but at least he'll get laid."

    Sam's curiosity won out over an urge to roll his eyes.  
    "You're setting Josh up with a friend of yours?"

    "Why is that surprising?"

    "I guess I always assumed you liked Josh… available."

    "That's ridiculous, I'm living with someone." Amy
    smirked again, though this time she also looked like the
    cat that had eaten the canary. "But you think I should
    date Josh?"

    "No. No, I do not.  So did Josh agree to this set-up?"  
    Sam asked, highly amused but trying to hide it.

    "Not exactly, but it’s Josh, he has to be forced into these
    things."

    "Yes. Forcing a man into a relationship, that always ends
    well."

    "I didn't sell it as a relationship; I told him it was for sex
    and conversation. Even Donna thought it was a good
    idea.  And you know she watches everything he does
    like a hawk, so if she approves it's practically a done
    deal."

    "Donna approved?"  Sam coughed twice to cover a snort
    that had almost escaped, but couldn’t stop himself from
    asking, "When was this?"

    "A few nights ago, at the White House reception for Leo."

    "Interesting." Sam kept his expression inscrutable.  Josh
    really had been getting it from every direction.  Poor
    bastard.  "You know what I've always thought?"

    "No, what?"  Amy's eyes danced as she leaned forward
    in the chair suggestively.

    Unconsciously, Sam leaned even further back in his
    chair.  The woman was a man-eater.  "That Josh and
    Donna would make a nice couple."

    Amy's expression froze.  

    "They've been through so much together; they obviously
    adore each other and have fun.  They understand each
    other, and no matter what happens in their lives, they
    gravitate back to one another.  Not to mention the fact
    that they've always had a very obvious… thing."

    Amy forced a smile and replied huskily, "You know what
    they say about dipping your pen in the company ink.  
    They work together.  I think in order for him to have a
    successful relationship, it’s important that Josh date
    outside the West Wing.  That's why Sarah is perfect.
    Outside the building, but inside the beltway."

    Sam clasped his hands together and nodded as if he
    were in deep thought.  "Valid point.  However, I think,
    and I'm pretty sure Josh agrees with me, that he ought
    to be with someone he's in love with, regardless of
    where she works.  But if the rumors are true, Donna
    won't be in the West Wing, removing that obstacle."

    "She's going to turn down a job with the
    administration?" Amy perked back up; she liked the idea
    of working with Josh, but without Donna underfoot every
    minute.

    "Not exactly.  Think East Wing."

    "What…" Amy's lip automatically curled into a derisive
    sneer. "As the First Lady's Press Secretary?  Or maybe
    her Deputy Director of Special Projects?  I assume those
    positions would offer her an overwhelming challenge,
    although they would probably be a step down from what
    I'm assuming Josh will offer her." She brushed some lint
    off her sleeve before offering casually, "I'm not sure he's
    objective when assessing her talent."

    "Is Chief of Staff to the First Lady a step down?"

    Once again Amy froze, but this time when she answered
    she rolled her eyes. "You're kidding?"

    "No, I'm not."

    "How is she possibly qualified to be the First Lady's Chief
    of Staff?  Not a year ago she was still Josh's assistant."  
    Amy was shaking her head with disgust.  She scoffed,
    "Well, Mrs. Santos is a stay-at-home mom, so maybe
    Donna is exactly her speed.  They can plan a national
    bake sale together."

    "I think she's very qualified."  A voice interjected from
    the doorway.

    With a start, Sam looked up and immediately jumped
    out of his chair.  "Ma'am!"

    "I'm sorry for interrupting. I was just in my husband's
    office and he said an old friend of Josh's had been hired
    as the Deputy Chief of Staff. I wanted to introduce
    myself."

    "You're not interrupting anything, Mrs. Santos."  
    Horrified at what she'd obviously just overheard, Sam
    quickly crossed the room from behind Josh's desk. Once
    in front of Helen, he offered his hand with a smile that
    he hoped conveyed apology and innocence. "Sam
    Seaborn."

    "Nice to meet you. Please call me Helen." She smiled
    warmly as she shook his hand.  "I remember you from
    your Congressional run."

    "I did make a lot of headlines, didn't I?"  Sam relaxed
    slightly at her friendly demeanor; he also didn't feel the
    pang this time at the mention of the failed Congressional
    race.  Apparently, it was all in the delivery and tone.

    "I won't embarrass you by telling you how some of my
    girlfriends referred to you."  At Sam's worried
    expression, Helen teased reassuringly, "Let's just say
    they thought you were handsome."  

    "I see." Sam blushed before turning to the still-seated
    woman in his office.  A woman who had just made one of
    the largest faux pas he'd seen in recent memory.  In a
    bit of a strained voice he asked, "Do you know Amy
    Gardner?"

    "Only by reputation." Helen's voice was decidedly cooler,
    but she extended her hand.  Amy slowly uncoiled herself
    from the chair, rose and accepted her proffered hand.

    "Nice to meet you, Amy. What is it you do here?" Helen
    questioned curtly.

    "It's nice to meet you, Helen. Your husband hired me to
    be Director of Legislative Affairs."

    "Feel free to call me Ma'am," Helen corrected with a
    forced smile, and Amy suddenly looked as if she was
    going to throw up.  However, she willed herself to regain
    her composure as Helen continued talking. At the very
    least, she prayed she wasn't squirming. "Amy, I may
    only be a stay-at-home mom, but I do plan on making
    the most of this position.  I'm going to do what I can to
    further my husband's agenda, and along the way carve
    out some territory of my own.  I know that you'll be
    coming out of the gate with his education plan; Donna
    has some great ideas on how I can help with that. You
    should talk with her; she knows the policy inside and
    out.  Oh, and in the future, I wouldn't be so dismissive
    of stay-at-home moms.  It seems to me you're going to
    need the support of moms if you hope to convince a
    reluctant Congress that we've got a better way to
    educate children in this country."

    With wide, stricken eyes, Amy watched the other
    woman. Feeling completely dumbfounded, she had no
    idea what to say… not that she could have said much
    anyway, what with her foot still wedged firmly in her
    mouth.  She managed to mutter, "Yes, Ma'am."

    "Well, I suppose I should get going." Helen turned a
    genuine smile back to Sam. "I'm sorry to have
    interrupted."

    "Oh, you didn't interrupt anything. Amy just stopped by
    to set Josh up on a date," Sam answered matter-of-
    factly.  It was the kind of thing he would have said
    automatically, without thinking, in the old days. Tonight
    was slightly more calculated.

    At that, Helen turned back immediately and studied Amy
    with pointed curiosity. "Really?"  

    Amy gave Sam a death glare before explaining, "Josh
    and I go way back."

    "Oh, so you're close?'

    "Very."

    "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you appear to be a straight
    shooter…"  When Amy nodded, Helen continued. "Don't
    you think that's a little… malicious? Not to mention
    rude."

    "Ma'am?" Amy asked as her eyes filled with terror; that
    wasn't the response she was expecting.

    "If you're as close to Josh as you say, then obviously you
    must know that he's already in a relationship."

    Amy swallowed hard and then looked to Sam for help.  
    All he did was nod and shrug.

    "If you know he's with someone, I find it quite spiteful
    that you're in here trying to set him up with another
    woman."

    "He's in a relationship?"  Amy's voice was a bit hoarse
    and she couldn't hide her astonishment.  This time she
    couldn’t curb the squirming.

    "Yes, surely you must know he and my unqualified, bake
    sale-planning future Chief of Staff are an item?"

    "Oh…" Now Amy relaxed and waved her hand. "You
    mean Donna.  Everyone thinks that.  Personally, I've
    always found it un…" Amy had been about to say
    something about it being unprofessional, but her voice
    trailed off when she saw the look in the future First
    Lady's eye.  However, she did muster her courage and
    finish, "But they're just friends.  She was even in favor
    of me setting him up."

    Helen looked the woman up and down before asking,
    "Just friends, huh?  I don't have any friends that take
    me away for a romantic week-long vacation in
    paradise."  She turned to Sam. "Do you?"

    "I can't say that I do," Sam agreed as he watched the
    women volley back and forth with fascination.  
    Admittedly, he hadn't expected to find Helen Santos this
    formidable.

    "They're on vacation?" Amy's façade crumbled and she
    looked like she'd been smacked across the face.

    "Yes." Sam and Helen both nodded.

    "During transition?"

    "Yes."

    "That's impossible. Josh would never leave right now.  If
    I know nothing else, I know that."

    "Apparently, you don't know him as well as you think
    you do.  He and Donna left this afternoon."  

    Amy opened her mouth, but nothing came out.  Feeling
    her work was done, Helen turned back to Sam.  "My
    husband told me you're getting married."

    "You're getting married?"  Amy finally found her voice.

    "Yes, as soon as I can move my fiancée out here."

    "So she'll be new to town?"  Helen asked, sounding
    genuinely interested.

    "She won't know a soul, but on the not-exactly-bright
    side, she'll be kept busy studying night and day so she
    can retake the bar exam.  She's giving up a lot." Sam
    smiled ruefully.

    "As it happens, I'm new as well, and DC isn't always the
    friendliest of towns." Helen looked pointedly at Amy
    before she continued, "Promise me you'll bring her by to
    meet me when she arrives."

    "Absolutely; I know she would be thrilled."

    "Perhaps the six of us can even have dinner some time?"

    Sam perked up at that suggestion. "We would be
    honored."

    "Great…" She stepped back and towards the door.  "Now
    I'll really get out of your hair. Sam, it was nice to meet
    you." Once again, her voice became a bit colder before
    she turned to the other woman.  "Amy. Likewise."

    "Yes, Ma'am, it was nice to meet you." Amy's expression
    twisted into a pained smile as she watched the
    retreating figure.  As soon as Helen was gone, a sneer
    marred her features. "She hates me."

    "Oh, yeah." Sam nodded once.

    "That's not good."

    "I wouldn’t think so."

    "Just because she likes Donna."

    Sam laughed out loud. "I think your fate was sealed the
    moment you charged her with hiring someone
    unqualified, and then said she was a stay-at-home mom."


    "But that's what she is," Amy defended.

    "Yes, but you were patronizing and used it to categorize
    her in a derogatory sense.  You suggested she would
    hold a national bake sale as part of her political agenda."

    "You're rubbing it in?" Amy slumped in the chair while
    massaging her temples with one hand.

    "Sorry." He bit his lip to keep from chuckling. "But it's
    painfully clear why you can't keep a job for more than
    six months."

    "I'm currently lying here prone, Sam, do you want to
    kick me, too?"

    "Can I give you a piece of advice?"

    Removing her hand from where it covered her eyes, she
    glared at him for a second before relenting with a shrug.
    "Sure, why not?"

    "If you want to keep this job-- the way you talked about
    Donna in here today… don't say that in front of the Chief
    of Staff.  I don't think he'll be as nice about it as Mrs.
    Santos was." Sam looked at her pointedly.

    "Thanks for the tip," she replied, but couldn't stop
    herself from rolling her eyes before asking, "They're
    really together?  He's serious about her?"

    Sam nodded, suppressing a grin.

    "I guess it was only a matter of time.  But I still think
    my friend would have been better for him.  I'll keep her
    number handy for him, for when this whole thing goes
    down in flames, which it inevitably will."

    Sam just dismissed her with a wave.  "You just don't
    want to lose."

    "What?  I'm not losing anything. I don't want Josh."

    Sam sat back in his chair and studied her. She had an
    agenda; she always had an agenda.  Personal or
    professional, that's what it always boiled down to with
    her.  But what was her agenda with Josh?  "Crazy thing
    is, I actually believe you when you say that you don't
    want Josh. But I also believe you don't want Donna to
    have him, either."

    "I just don't happen to think they're a good match. She's
    not enough for him."

    And her agenda became clearer.  Sam knew this was
    trouble.  With a capital T.  If he didn't nip it in the bud,
    it could become a serious problem and a distraction
    down the line.  It was now his job to cut off problems
    like this before they started, and that was exactly what
    he was going to do.

    He pinned her with his gaze.  "Are you crazy?"

    "What?!" Amy yelped with obvious offense.

    "Why are you jeopardizing the opportunity of a lifetime
    over this?"

    "I don't know what you're talking about, Sam." She
    narrowed her eyes at him.

    He threw up his hands. "Look, I suppose it's
    understandable. When you dated Josh, Donna was
    always in the middle between you. Always the
    unspoken, unrecognized reason you and Josh were
    never going to work.  It sucks to be with someone who is
    in love with someone else, I get that.  So, of course your
    ego can't accept the fact that Josh and Donna are the
    real deal.  It actually makes sense what you're doing in
    here; you're trying to sabotage his relationship by
    setting him up on a date with another woman."

    "That's ridiculous. I didn't know there was a relationship
    to sabotage," Amy defended hotly.

    "But you knew that it was inevitable. So you figured
    you'd try and set him up with someone, anyone, in order
    to distract him from whatever potential he had with
    Donna.  Give it up, Amy. Move on with your life. Josh
    did, a long time ago.  And if you're really his friend, you
    would be happy for him, because I believe he's finally on
    a road that will ultimately make him happy.  Leave it
    alone before you do any more damage to yourself.  This
    pointless grudge you have against Donna has already
    caused you to make an ass of yourself in front of Mrs.
    Santos.  If you have any hope of making this work,
    you'll do your job and stay out of Josh's personal life.  
    Think about it; is making sure that Donna doesn't get
    Josh really worth sabotaging yourself?"

    Her mouth opened, but no words came out.  His speech
    stunned her.  She didn't want to recognize herself in his
    comments, but she did. "That is not what I'm doing."

    "Yeah, it is."

    "That's ridiculous."  She dug deep for righteous
    indignation and found it in her hatred of being analyzed
    by an armchair psychologist.  She turned back to what
    she thought was logic. "You call me crazy because I'm
    not sold that they've got it all worked out? Sue me for
    being skeptical that after all these years, they can just
    wave a magic wand and do the happily-ever-after thing."

    Sam shook his head before fixing his gaze on her again.  
    "The brutal truth is that your opinion on the matter has
    no bearing on the situation."

    "It's not just my opinion.  It's fact.  If they're so solid,
    why did they lie to me at Leo's funeral? Why didn’t they
    just admit they're together?  Why did Donna say setting
    Josh up with Sarah was a good idea?"

    Sam blew out a frustrated breath.  "I'm guessing that
    however close you think you and Josh are, you knowing
    what's going on in his personal life is in no way a
    priority for him. And I'm certain it's not a priority for
    Donna."

    Amy crossed her arms over her chest huffily. "You're a
    real ass tonight, you know that, Sam. I thought we were
    friends."

    "Actually, a friend is exactly what I'm being to you right
    now.  I'm being a friend by telling you like it is.  The
    only way that you in this administration is going to work
    is if you let it go, mind your own business and do your
    job."

    "You're not my boss, Sam."

    "The hell I’m not."

    "I was hired by the President."

    "I realize you haven't worked fully in an administration
    before, but you're no longer a free agent, reporting just
    to the guy who hired you.  In the White House, I'll
    report to Josh and you'll report to me.  And I won't stand
    for any unnecessary… distractions.  You're good, Amy.  
    You would be an asset, but your destructive tendencies
    are not going to turn this administration upside down,
    do I make myself clear?"

    "The President-elect is not going to let you fire me,
    Sam."

    "Amy, we both know that if he had been standing next
    to his wife earlier over hearing you, he would have fired
    you on the spot."  

    "Because I told the truth about Donna's lack of
    qualifications and Her Highness's status as a stay-at-
    home-mom?"

    "No, because you were patronizing and disrespectful
    about people who are on your side, people you should be
    working with.  Because from those comments, it's
    obvious you're a pain-in-the-ass. The fact that it was his
    wife you were insulting, just would have made it easier."

    Amy sat for a moment, seething. Truth was, she was
    more than a little embarrassed.  All she'd set out to do
    that evening was give Josh a phone number, a phone
    number that he could call in order to start a relationship
    with someone who wasn't his assistant. Fifteen minutes
    later, she'd made an enemy of the future First Lady and
    the Deputy Chief of Staff was staring her down and
    telling her that her job was in jeopardy.  Neither Josh
    nor Donna was worth this. "We're clear."

    "Good." Sam watched her exit his office and stalk off
    down the hallway.   But he knew whatever agreement
    they'd just reached wouldn't hold.  One way or another,
    her agenda would get in the way.  Whether it was a
    personal agenda or professional agenda didn't matter.  
    He gave her three months-- six months, tops-- before
    she was gone for good.

    The End
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