Title: A Friend in Deed Author: Cathy Rating: T Category: Romance/Humor Disclaimers: They're not mine, but since Aaron Sorkin isn't playing with them anymore... Timeline: right after "Celestial Navigation" Donna looked up from her typing to see Chris Wick standing in front of her. "Hey, Donna. Has he got a minute?" "He's just finishing up with Sam and Toby. He should be back in a few minutes. Would you like to wait in his office?" "That's perfect, thanks. Oh, Ben, this is Donna Moss. Donna keeps Josh from being fired twice a day." Chris introduced them. "It's nice to meet you Ben. Make yourselves comfortable, Josh should be back soon. Can I get you anything?" Donna asked. "I'd love some coffee if it's not too much trouble." Ben mentioned. "Nothing for me, thanks." Chris added. She had only been gone a couple minutes when Josh came into his office; head buried in a report Toby had given him. "Doonnnnaaa? I need the new budget numbers from transportation." he said without looking up and almost ran into Ben. "Man, are you loud." Ben observed causing Josh's head to snap up. "Ben Abrahms? What the hell? How did you get in here?" he demanded as he pulled Ben into a one armed hug. "I got this guy to vouch for me." he answered; indicating Chris. "Well, okay, but how did HE get in then." Josh replied smiling. Chris had come a long way since the two of them had tussled about the weapons ban. He'd matured into his position and was becoming one of the Congressmen Josh could count on in a clinch. Just then, Donna came back with the coffee for Ben. "Here you are, sir." she said as she handed him his drink. "You got him coffee?" Josh asked. "Of course." She replied. "Now what was it you were bellowing for a moment ago?" "Coffee?" Josh tried. "I think we both know what a waste of breath that would be." "Well then, the new budget numbers from transportation would be a close second." He answered. "They're in your `in' box in the blue folder marked transportation budget." She said without missing a beat. "Anything else?" "If I think of anything, I'll be sure to call you." "Do that." She sauntered back to her desk, smiling at them over her shoulder. "Are you sure she works for you? `Cause it looks pretty much like SHE'S in charge to me." Ben teased him. "And you are here in my office because...?" Josh shot back. "I need a favor." Ben admitted. "Of course you do. I think you should insult me a little more, though, before you ask me." "Man, is your hair line receding!" Ben responded. Josh growled. "As much fun as it is to watch you two spar, I have a meeting with the leadership. Ben, give me a call later and we'll meet for drinks. Goodbye Donnatella!" Chris called as he left. Ben took a seat in the visitor chair, but angled it slightly so he could observe Donna in the bullpen. This move was not lost on Josh. "What's going on Ben? I haven't seen you since Jeff's Wedding last year." "I'm in town for some interviews. I want to get back to D.C." "I could have told you Philadelphia sucked. No, wait; I DID tell you Philadelphia sucked." "Yes, you were right again. You're always right. Is that what you want to hear?" "As a matter of fact that is exactly what I want to hear." Josh smiled. "Some things never change. Anyway, I have two interviews tomorrow and another on Friday." "And?" Josh prompted. "And, while I have no shortage of job interviews, I don't actually have anyplace to stay while I am in town, so I was wondering-" "No. Absolutely not." Josh stood up and shook his head. "No." "Oh come on, it's just for a few days and D.C. hotels are so expensive." "No." Josh refused again and started thinking. "What about Chris? Stay with him." "Give me a break. Jennifer just moved in with him and they can't keep their hands off each other for five minutes." "There's got to be another alternative...I could pay for your hotel. That's it!" Josh exclaimed. "Josh, it won't be like last time. Besides, last time wasn't that bad." "Wasn't that bad? I think I'm still paying the legal fees, and the smells were so bad I had to move." "You exaggerate so much, Lyman." Ben laughed. "We split the legal fees, and I hear your new place is much nicer. I really did you a favor getting you out of that rat infested hell hole." "It wasn't rat infested before you came to stay with me." Josh retorted. "It's just three days, and I'll buy the meals while I'm here." Ben negotiated. "Meals and alcohol." Josh countered. "Meals AND alcohol? I might as well rent a hotel room." Ben complained. "Fine, I'll have Donna get you the names and numbers of a few hotels nearby." Josh smiled. "Okay, you win; meals and alcohol." Ben capitulated as he glanced out at Donna again. "Hey, what's the deal with you and her?" "The deal? There isn't any deal. She's my assistant. Why would you think there's a deal?" Josh got defensive. "Just a vibe I got; like there's some spark between you." "Well, there's no spark, no vibe, no deal. She's my assistant." "Then I'd be clear to ask her to join us for dinner?" "You want to ask my assistant to go to dinner with us?" "Sure, why not? She's cute, she's funny..." "She's my assistant!" Josh objected. "She's not my assistant, and since I'm paying for dinner anyway, I'd rather look at her face across the table than just yours. You could bring someone too...Are you sure there's nothing going on?" "There is absolutely nothing going on. Go ahead and ask her; doesn't bother me." "I will. What time for dinner?" "Ask Donna, she knows what works for me." "I'll bet." Ben laughed and walked out. Josh watched as Ben approached Donna and she looked up and smiled at him. They chatted for a minute then Donna's head turned around sharply to meet Josh's eyes. He shrugged at her to indicate disinterest in her answer and she turned back to Ben. After another minute of talking and consulting Josh's schedule, Ben smiled, sent a jaunty wave to Josh and headed out to the door. `It looked like she said yes', Josh mused. That was fine; it was even good. Ben was a great guy, a successful attorney, and a good friend. At least she wouldn't be hanging out with some loser. Donna deserved someone who'd be good to her and treat her well. Yeah, this would be good for her... Still, as he turned back to his work, he couldn't explain the itch at the back of his neck or the aching pain in his chest. It just didn't make sense. Chapter 2 Sam wandered into Josh's office to find him slamming drawers and digging through piles of paper. "Everything okay?" he asked. "No...yeah, I'm just looking for something." "Why don't you ask Donna for help? She knows where everything is in here." "Yeah, but no, I better just find this by myself." "What are you looking for?" "Sarah Cole's business card. She gave it to me at the fundraiser last month. I can't find it anywhere." Sam surveyed the disaster area otherwise known as Josh's office. "Gee, that's almost hard to believe. Who is she and why do you need her business card?" "She's a beautiful woman who wants to experience my company, Sam" "But you stuck this beautiful woman's card somewhere in your office for the last month? Why do you need it now?" "Because I would like to make her an offer of dinner tonight." "Tonight? It's like, 4:45 Josh!" "The dinner reservation isn't until 7. Two hours is plenty of time." Sam laughed, "You made dinner reservations for a woman you haven't even asked out, yet?" "I didn't. Ben and Donna did." "I think you need to back up a second. Who is Ben and why are he and Donna making dinner reservations for you and Sarah Cole?" Josh took a deep breath and told Sam the entire story. Sam just shook his head. "Good luck with that, but you don't have much time. If I were you, I'd ask Donna to help you find the card." "I ...don't think that's a good idea." "Why not?" "Last time I asked her for help finding a woman's number, she threw things at me." "Why?" "I'm not exactly sure. There was this whole rant thing going on about respect for women, and planet sized egos, but the result was that she threw things at me and then didn't speak to me the rest of the day." "Yeah, you're going to have to find the number yourself." "This is what I'm saying. Did you need something?" "Believe it or not, I was going to see if you wanted to go get something to eat in the mess." "Maybe that's what I should do; just back out of dinner entirely...No, I better stick around and make sure Donna's okay with Ben." "Haven't you known Ben for like 20 years? Why wouldn't Donna be okay with him?" "I don't know. Anything could happen!" "Josh is there something else going on here?" "What do you mean?" "There seems to be a lot of subtext here; Donna throwing things at you, you worrying about whom she's having dinner with." "Subtext? I don't even know what you mean by that. I look out for her, just like you do for Cathy." Josh brought up Sam's assistant. "Not even remotely like me and Cathy. Just think about it while you are searching for Ms. Cole's number, or, you know, sitting by yourself across the table from Ben and Donna." Josh's POV I have died and gone to hell. There is no other explanation for it. We are at a wonderful Italian restaurant, but Donna has not monitored a single drop of my alcohol intake, she let me order a high fat, high calorie meal without comment, and she has not stolen a single bite off my plate. She has completely ignored me. Ben has tried to bring me into the conversation a couple times, but Donna quickly turned the conversation back to Ben. Well, not entirely...she did mention me a couple times. She told him all about my secret plan to fight inflation and about my inability to tie my own ties. After those comments, I was happy to change the subject. I try to look at my watch without being obvious, but Donna catches me and makes a face at me like I AM the one being rude. Just as I am contemplating stabbing myself with the dinner knife, my phone rings. Please God, a national emergency of some kind. "Hello?...Oh, hey Margaret, what's up?...Tonight? No, no problem, I'll be right in." I snap the phone shut and give the happy couple a regretful smile. "Sorry, duty calls." I tell them and pull a key off my ring. "Here's the key to my place. Make yourself at home...or on second thought, don't. Come on Donna." Donna and I rode over together and met Ben here. I can drop her off on my way back to the White House, or better yet, bring her with me. "That's okay, Josh. I'll see Donna home after we have dessert." Ben smiles winningly at her. No, no, no, this was not how it was supposed to go. "The thing is, I might need Donna's help with this thing tonight." I hedge. There is no way Donna can help me talk through this amendment in the Oval tonight, but it makes me feel better when I know she's waiting for me in the office when I'm done. And it makes me feel a lot better knowing she is waiting in the office for me than knowing she is having dessert with Ben. Is that subtext? Damn Sam Seaborn! "What thing, Joshua?" Donna asks. "The President wants to go over the policy implications on the Rowlings amendment." I answer a little too quickly. "You don't need me for that. But if the President is waiting for you, you had better hurry." Donna isn't even looking at me. She's just staring at Ben. "See you later, Josh." Ben ignores me too as he says goodbye. "Right...later." I leave the restaurant from hell, but I don't feel any better once I'm outside. It's past midnight when I let myself into my townhouse. I open the door quietly, not wanting to disturb Ben on the night before he has an important interview. I walk inside and freeze. Donna is in my townhouse! Donna is in my townhouse with Ben. They're sitting all cozy on my couch, drinking my wine, and laughing. Laughing at 12:26 in the morning! What the hell? "What the hell?!" I demand of them. "Oh, hey Josh." Ben acknowledges me. `Hey, Josh'? Was he not expecting me to sleep in my own home? "Do you two know what time it is?" "No, Dad, have me missed curfew?" Donna asks smirking. "As a matter of fact, you have. You-" I say pointing to Donna, "have to be at work in 6 and 1_2 hours. And you-" I turn to Ben, "have an important interview tomorrow. Yet, here you both sit at 12:26 in the morning, laughing and drinking my wine." "It's my wine, Josh. We bought a bottle on the way over." he tells me. "That's not the point!' I tell them. "What is the point?" Ben asks. "The point is, that it's 12:26 in the morning and you two should be in bed!" I yell. Wait...that came out wrong. I try again. "Asleep. You both should be asleep." Nope that wasn't it either. Once more. "Separately. You should each be in your own bed, asleep." That was it. I smile with the victory. Ben and Donna exchange looks with each other and then look at me again. "Have you been drinking, Joshua?" Donna looks at me concerned. "You know you can't handle much alcohol because of your delicate system." Ben bursts out laughing; I send him my evil glare. "I have spent my evening in the Oval Office with the President of the United States." "You are a very powerful man." Okay, she is just mocking me now. "Get your stuff and I'll take you home." I tell her. "I can take a cab." "No, you can't, it's too dangerous at this time of night." "Since when?" she laughs. "How many nights have I taken a cab home after working this late?" "Just get your stuff, would you?" I stand right next to her as she gets up and gets her purse and coat. She pointedly moves past me and gives Ben a kiss goodnight on his cheek. "Goodnight, Donna. Thanks for spending your free evening with me." "Thanks, Ben. I had a wonderful time." she tells him. Wonderful? She had a wonderful time? What was so wonderful I would like to know. I give Ben another glare as I walk her out. What kind of friend is he, anyway? Chapter 3 Donna's POV I think Josh may have gone round the bend. I know the whole Mendoza/secret plan to fight inflation thing stressed him out last week, but today he has been acting quite bizarre. It all seemed to start when an old friend of his from college dropped by with Chris Wick: Ben Abrahms. Now don't get me wrong, Ben is handsome and charming and I enjoyed flirting with him a little; particularly when it annoyed Joshua. However, I didn't expect it to lead to anything. Josh usually spares no time in explaining the hands off policy to anyone who wanders too close to me. You see, it's a little game we play. I pretend to be interested in someone else, and he has his fun swatting them away like flies and ruining any chance of me having a relationship with anyone besides him. That way I can test his interest and he can claim me without actually having to, you know, admit it or anything. What? It works for us. Today was different though. Although he was initially irked by the whole bringing Ben coffee thing, a few minutes later, he sends Ben out to my desk to ask me out! That is not how we play the game, ladies and gentlemen. So, after checking in with him, our visual non- verbal cuing is exceptional, he gives me a shrug of assent which shocks me, I admit. So, with some trepidation, I agree to dinner with Ben who tells me we will be joined by Josh and his date. Now, I almost fall out of my chair. With instructions to consult Josh's schedule and make reservations for the four of us, Ben says he'll see me later, and swaggers out the door. Is that something they teach at Harvard? Oh my. What have I gotten myself into? Josh looks a little panicked when I tell him I've made reservations for 4 at Luigi's, but he nods and turns back to searching his desk for something without a word. I almost offer to help him find whatever it is he's looking for, but instead I remember that I'm pissed at him for setting me up with his friend and leave without making the offer. At 6:45, he walks into the bullpen and says "Let's go." That's right, he sets me up with his friend, has me make the reservations, but won't let me leave early to get ready or anything. I get up to follow him out of habit when a thought occurs to me. "Are we picking up your date?" I ask. He falters for just a second. "No, she had to cancel at the last minute." "Nobody called the office." I note with increasing interest. Again, just a slight pause. "She called my cell." I don't believe him for a second, and I don't believe that he believes that I believe him for a second, but neither of us say another word until we arrive at Luigi's. Ben is already seated when we arrive, but he gets up to seat me when we get to the table. He looks around for Josh's date and Josh volunteers, "Sarah had to cancel. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid." Sarah? Sarah Cole? That strumpet who put her card in his pocket at the fundraiser last month? His front pant pocket, I might add. How did he get her number? I burned that card the minute I got my hands on it. Oh, no. He didn't have her number, and he didn't call her. What game is he playing? Well, whatever it is, I am sure two can play. I begin to lay it on thick with Ben, and I mean thick. I ignore Josh ordering hard liquor before he has a bite to eat. I don't bat an eye when he orders a meal that could give Richard Simmons a heart attack, and I CERTAINLY don't touch a thing on his plate, no matter how delicious and tempting it might be. Ben provided a perfect foil. He laughs at my stories, especially the ones that mock Joshua, and gives me his undivided attention. When Josh's phone rings, I figure he's going to be going back to work. My initial instinct was to get up and go with him. Then I remember...I'm still pissed at him. So I hang him out to dry and stay at the restaurant with Ben who offers to take me home after dessert. Josh has hardly passed through the door before Ben turns to me and his expression changes from flirtatious to seriously probing. "Donna Moss, what the hell have you gotten me into?" "What? What are you talking about?" I stammer. His transformation from interested suitor to cross examining attorney is astonishing. "You want to mess with Josh a bit; I can get on board with that. Once upon a time it was a favorite hobby of mine. But he is seriously pissed that you agreed to come with me tonight and he's trying desperately not to show it. That tells me something more serious is going on here. I don't mind jerking Josh's chain, but I don't hurt my friends or trespass on their territory." Okay, that was a nice little speech; especially the part about how he wouldn't hurt Josh. I think I'm going to have to be honest with him. "I have no idea what you mean." Maybe honesty is harder to come by than I thought. "I think you've misinterpreted my relationship with Josh. He's my boss and my friend and that's all. He doesn't care who I see personally." "No, I've known Josh a lot longer than you have and I know all his tells. If there had been any doubt in my mind about him being upset that you came to dinner with me, it was completely squelched when you refused to go back to the White House with him. He is seriously smitten." Ben finished his analysis and took another drink of his wine. "So are you going to tell me the real story here and let me see if I can help, or do I bid you goodnight and send you off in a cab?" Help, definitely help. So right there in Luigi's I completely spilled my guts to Josh's old college friend. I explained about the flirting/sabotaging game, the misdirection, and the complications that could ensue if we pursued a more personal relationship. Ben listened intently, nodded sympathetically, and asked a few questions. When I was done with my story, I waited for his commentary. "Donna Moss, let's go to Josh's place and get drunk." He got up and gave me his hand and I have to say it was as good a plan as any I could come up with. We didn't get drunk at Josh's although we were nicely buzzed. He encouraged me to talk to Josh and assured me that the feelings I had were not one-sided, but I was still nervous about this plan. He had just finished telling me about some Harvard Ho that had chased after him in college, when the door creaked open and the man himself came cautiously inside. With very little provocation from Ben, Josh went off on a tirade about curfews and sleeping that even I had trouble following. Ben and I exchanged a look in which he told me `see, he's nuts about you...tell him!' It was a very charged look, I promise you. At this point Josh insisted on driving me home so I could sleep separately from Ben, for Gods sake! It was then that I decided this was it. This was my chance to tell Josh how I felt. I would let Josh take me home and when he walked me to the door, I would simply look into those gorgeous brown eyes and confess all. With a kiss of thanks to Ben, I left with Josh my resolve intact. Josh and Donna walked to the car in silence; Donna because she was nervous and Josh because he was embarrassed about his earlier display. "How'd it go in the oval?" Donna tried for a neutral topic. "It took awhile to bring the President around and then he wanted to talk about the price of tea in China..." Josh responded. "The price of tea in-" Donna was stumped. "He insisted on talking about everything and nothing for the last hour and a half." "He was in one of his moods, was he?" "You aren't kidding." "There seems to be a lot of that going around." Donna muttered. "What is that supposed to mean?" Josh asked defensively. "Nothing...it's just been an unusual evening." "I thought you said it had been a `wonderful' evening." "When I said it had been wonderful...I might have been overstating it a bit." Donna admitted. Josh did a double take as he parked his car in front of her building. "Did something happen?" Josh looked alarmed and Donna rushed to reassure him. "No, nothing like that." "Well I'm sorry if I interrupted things by coming home to my own house. I'll see you tomorrow." he dismissed her without another look. "Josh, I didn't mean- That's not what I- Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee or something?" "It's late, I'm tired, and that last thing I need is a cup of coffee while you give me more details than I ever wanted to know about your love life with a good friend of mine." "Fine then. Go home. I never asked you to drive me in the first place." Donna opened her door to get out of the vehicle. "Well somebody has to look after you! God knows what would happen to you if you were left to your own devices." "Excuse me?" Donna stopped in mid-exit. "You get into one relationship mess after another. No wonder running off to New Hampshire seemed like an inspired idea." "I did not `run off' to New Hampshire. I chose to go to New Hampshire to work for a man I believed in. A man who has integrity, principles, compassion, and honor. Too bad he couldn't find a deputy chief of staff with the same qualities." Donna slammed the car door shut as Josh stared at her like she'd grown a third head. Donna ran up the steps and into her apartment. Josh sat there for a few minutes before slowly putting the car in drive and returning home. When he got to his place, he found Ben eating popcorn and watching a movie on TV. "I'm surprised to see you still up." Josh commented. "I'm surprised to see you here at all." Ben replied. "I do live here." "Yes, I know, but I thought maybe you'd stay at Donna's." "What are you talking about?" "Didn't you and Donna talk tonight?" "Of course we talked. You saw us talking." "No, I mean alone, at Donna's." "I just dropped her off, that's all. What the hell, Abrahms?" Ben shook his head and ate some popcorn. "I saw you graduate magna cum laude. I've watched you work countless political campaigns including one that took a dark horse candidate from obscurity to the oval office. Every day, you wrangle with some of the most brilliant political minds in the world." "Really, they're just members of Congress. What's your point?" Josh asked as he pulled a beer from his fridge. "My point is: knowing all of that makes it hard to believe what a complete moron you are." Ben reached for another handful of popcorn. "I'm a moron?" Josh pulled off the top and took a swig of beer. "Maybe moronic ass would be a better description. Let's start with why you encouraged me to ask Donna to dinner when you obviously have feelings for her." Josh sprayed himself with the beer that he spit out at his friends' unexpected remark. "Are you crazy?" Josh sputtered. "Are you obtuse?" Ben countered. "She's my assistant!" "I know she's your assistant. It has been clearly established that Donnatella Moss is your assistant. What has that got to do with the fact that you're in love with her?" "I am NOT in love with Donna." "You're doing a pretty good impression of someone who is. This news is going to ruin my credibility." "Your credibility?" "I just told Donna that having known you and watched you for years, I could assure her, without a doubt, that you were as in love with her as she was with you. Now my credibility is shot...unless you'd like to revise your answer, counselor?" "Ben, do you have any idea of the political implications of the Deputy Chief of Staff dating his senior assistant?" Josh asked wearily. "Politics has never been my thing, Lyman, but I can promise you that legally you would be on solid ground." "The Republicans in Congress would scream from the rooftops about immorality in the White House, the Democrats in Congress would hang us out to dry, and Leo and the President would be put in the awkward and very public position of having to fire one or more likely both of us to end the scandal." "Yeah, that doesn't sound too good. You're right, she's better off with me." "Not even on one of your best days..." Josh tipped his head back on the couch and closed his eyes until something Ben said hit him. "Wait a second. Did she really tell you that she was in love with me?" "Finally, the shoe drops. She didn't have to tell me Josh. Didn't you notice how hard she tried to ignore you all through dinner? During dessert she confessed what I had already surmised for myself. You need to talk, Josh. You talk to strangers and politicians for a living; surely you can talk to Donna." "Not about this. This must be avoided at all costs. I know what I'm doing here. Trust me." Josh responded sadly as he closed his eyes again. "Hardly ever..." Ben answered. The next day began just like any number of others. Donna arrived in the office first and began to sort through the messages and mail; prioritizing responses for Josh. When Josh got to the West Wing, he walked past Donna without looking up or saying a word. He knew she was probably hurt and angry about what he had said to her last night, but given the situation, that might be for the best. If she was angry with him, there would be little talk between them and absolutely no banter. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it would be for the best. It took less than an hour for word to spread through the West Wing; Josh was to be avoided at all costs. He was biting off the heads of hapless interns left and right. More disturbing than that, was the fact that he was using intermediaries to talk to Donna. "Allison, tell Donna to add a meeting with Bentson at 6 tonight." "Donna, Josh wants you to add-" Allison began. "Allison, please tell Josh that he already has a 6:00 meeting with Leo and O'Halloran; which he would already know if he either A) read the schedule I gave him this morning or B) had me schedule the meeting with Bentson in the first place." Donna interrupted. "Allison, please tell Donna that the Deputy COS can schedule his own meeting whenever he damn well pleases." Josh retorted. "Then the Deputy COS can also RESCHEDULE a meeting all by himself when he screws it up in the first place. Right, Allison?" Allison looked like she was at a tennis match her head was snapping back and forth so quickly. "Could I be excused, please?" "Sure." Donna answered. "I think she was asking me Donna, since I am the one in charge of this department." "Oh I think I could find more than a few people who would testify otherwise, Joshua." Their eyes met and snapped angrily at each other. Sam, drawn out of his office by the shouting, watched the proceedings with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Hey, guys? Is everything alright?" "Fine." Donna answered and walked back to her desk. "Perfectly fine." Josh one upped her and walked to his desk. "Naturally." Sam said out loud to no one. "Why would anyone think there's a problem?" The rest of the day continued in the same vein and, at times, escalating slightly. Sam, CJ, and even Toby attempted to broker a peace deal between them during the day and early evening, but neither side would even acknowledge a problem, let alone work towards a solution. Finally, when Josh had been late for his 3rd meeting with Leo because Donna had `forgotten' to remind him of his meetings throughout the day, the shit hit the fan. Josh and Donna were both summoned into the Chief of Staffs' office for a `come to Jesus' meeting. "Listen up, you two. I don't know what's going on with you today, and frankly, I don't care, but it's affecting the whole West Wing now so it's time to stop. I got interns in here crying, assistants asking for bullet proof vests, and Toby just told me the negative energy is affecting his ability to write. Toby is complaining that it's too negative, for crying out loud." Josh and Donna both looked at the floor, unwilling to meet Leo's gaze. "I don't have time for this knucklehead stuff. I need to go back to the oval; so sit down right here and neither of you leave until things are back to normal. Do I make myself clear?" Leo demanded. Donna nodded and Josh muttered a `Yes, boss.' Leo left, slamming the door shut behind him so hard that Donna jumped. "Well, say something! We have to get back to work." Josh stated. "Not until you apologize for the ugly things you said last night." "You weren't exactly sweetness and light yourself there, Donnatella." "I would never have said those things if you hadn't hurt me so much." "And I would have never hurt you if I hadn't been so jealous of you and Ben!" "Don't make excuses for your- What did you just say?" "I... might have been...a little jealous that you wanted to have dinner with Ben." "I didn't. I thought you were setting me up with Ben because you had figured out how I felt about you and wanted to push me off on someone else." "You're certifiable. Why would I set you up with Ben? Or anyone else for that matter? Haven't you noticed I sabotage each and every date you have with each and every gomer you pick out? If I'm too insecure to let you date a gomer, why the hell would I set you up with decent guy like Ben?" "Then what was the whole non-verbal thing you were doing when Ben asked me to dinner?" "I was trying to play it low key so I could convince Ben there wasn't anything between you and I." "But there IS something between you and I?" she asked hesitantly. Josh paused and thought about all the possible answers he could give her. He couldn't lie to her or to himself anymore, but he still couldn't change anything between them. He took a deep, frustrated breath and tried the truth. "Of course there is. Did you think it was your imagination?" "Sometimes. Sometimes I did." She smiled and started to walk towards him, but he took a step away. "That doesn't mean our relationship can change. It would be too detrimental to you, me, and the administration. I wish it could be different, Donnatella, I swear I do. I just can't figure out a way to make it work where no one gets hurt." "I can't either." Donna smiled sadly. "Where do we go from here?" "Back to how things were yesterday?" "I don't know if I can do that Joshua. I know I don't want to." "Me either...but we need to try, okay?" "Okay..." Donna turned to go back to the bullpen. "I'm really sorry about the things I said last night, Donna." "Me too, Joshua. Me too." Donna apologized and went back to work. Thursday night Josh, Ben, Chris, and Sam were all at the Hawk and Dove indulging in some alcohol and college stories. Sam, Josh was sure, was taking notes, but he really didn't have the energy to call him on it. Ben hadn't had enough to drink to be drunk, but he also didn't think Josh had noticed that fact. Ben was concerned about his friend who had been quiet and withdrawn all evening, not even retaliating when he and Chris had told the most embarrassing stories to Josh's friend Sam. When there was a lull in the storytelling, Sam changed the subject. "Josh said you're in town interviewing. How's it been going?" "Great. I got a job offer this afternoon." "That was fast! Where was the offer from?" "Hogan & Hartson." Ben replied. Josh's eyebrows met his receding hairline. "Holy Shit, Abrahms! They're ranked #1 in D.C.! Why the hell would they want you?" "Thanks buddy, I appreciate your confidence in my abilities." "Please, you used to cheat off Elizabeth Brolin's papers all the time." "Which is why I practice civil litigation instead of tort reform. Besides, Elizabeth Brolin worked very well in briefs." Ben leered. "Oh my God. And you haven't been charged with sexual harassment anywhere before because?" "Because I have the good sense not to get involved with anyone I work with." `Direct hit, my friend.' Josh thought as his mood plummeted even lower. Even Chris and Sam, who might not have been as informed about the Josh/Donna dilemma as Ben, got the subtext of that comment. "Getting involved with someone you work with isn't the kiss of death." Chris interjected. "It is in politics." Josh muttered as he finished his third drink. "Not necessarily." Sam offered. "It would just have to be handled carefully..." Sam's eyes met Josh's. "Otherwise it could be ...bad." "Disastrous. Catastrophic. Tragic. Ruinous." Josh opined from where his head was laying on the back of the booth they occupied. "We need to get him home." Sam suggested to the group at large. "Yeah, when he starts sounding like a Thesaurus, he's truly toasted. I'll get us a cab." "Sam?" Josh called. "Yeah?" "It would be disastrous, right?" Josh confirmed with his friend. "Maybe you could...yeah, it would be disastrous. Sorry." Sam agreed. "Me too." Josh slowly got to his feet, heading home to sleep off the drinks. {Okay, to anyone who doesn't like this, blame Rick who insisted on seeing the dark and dreary world of Donna Moss as Josh is getting himself drunk with his pals.} Donna watched through Josh's office window as Sam and Josh left the building. She had overheard them making plans to meet Ben and Chris at the Hawk and Dove. A few days earlier, she would have been invited to go along with them and she would have been thrilled to spend her precious free time sitting next to Josh and monitoring his alcoholic intake. Now everything was different. Josh had certainly dropped the harsh manner and cold attitude since their chat in Leo's office, but things were far from back to normal. Josh took great pains not to be alone with her and made sure not to touch her in any way at all, not even placing his hand on her back as was his habit as they walked through the West Wing. Donna thought about going home once Josh had left with Sam, but the truth was she had nothing to do at home. It was relatively early for a Thursday and Josh had already told her not to come in over the weekend; he would manage okay without her, he insisted. This was yet another sign that he was trying to distance himself from her. Anyway, with nothing to do and no one to do it with, she was in no hurry to go home. She decided to start researching the questions Margaret had just dropped off from Leo. By 11:30 she had put together a pretty comprehensive report on the questions Leo had for Josh and she decided to leave it on his desk. Margaret was on the phone, but motioned for Donna to go on in to Leo's office. Leo looked up when she came in and looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. "What are you doing here so late? Josh said the plan was to head to the Hawk and Dove about 5 hours ago. I only wish I could have gone too, the majority leader is giving me a migraine." "I think it was just meant for the guys tonight." "No, he asked CJ and Carol right after staff." "Shut up Leo." Margaret demanded as she came into his office with papers to sign. But the warning came to late as their meaning hit home for Donna and Leo. "I'm just heading home, Leo, and wanted to give this to you before I left. I didn't really feel like drinks with the boys." Donna hedged. "Is this the stuff on welfare reform?" Donna nodded. "Thanks. That was fast." "No problem." "But if the idiot boys are out on their own, who is going to make sure they get home safely and without, you know, getting arrested?" Margaret asked. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Goodnight Leo, goodnight Margaret." Donna got into her car to head home, but on the way, discovered she had instead driven to Josh's neighborhood. What if Josh drank too much and had trouble getting home? What if he and Sam got some crazy notion in their head and had no one sensible to talk them out of it or bail them out afterwards? Surely, it wouldn't hurt anything to drive by and see if his light was on. When she drove by his building his light was off. That couldn't be good. Josh's sensitive system couldn't handle drinking for this many hours without severe repercussions. Just as she was debating calling him on his cell, a cab pulled up and Josh, with the help of his friend Ben, disembarked and stumbled up the front stoop. For a moment, Donna was tempted to get out and help. She knew where the Advil was and she knew how to work his coffeemaker. It would only take an hour or so....No, she was going home. Why was this so hard? She'd been in love with Josh since the day she met him and he took a chance on hiring her. This chemistry between them had been bubbling below the surface since that very first day. Why was it so painful now? Was it simply that they had admitted their awareness of their feelings? No, Donna thought, it was because they admitted there was no where to go with their feelings. As long as it had been under the surface, officially unacknowledged, she could trick herself into believing there was a future for them. Once it was spoken out loud and they admitted there was no way they could develop their relationship while they worked at the White House, she could no longer pretend. There was something to be said for living in a dream world, she thought, as she drove home. Chapter 7B Josh's POV Why on earth would anyone be calling me on the phone, when I am clearly dying? Someone please make it stop! Thank God. It stopped. Wait, why did it stop? Is someone else here? Am I being robbed? That would explain the pain throughout my entire body. I came home from work, was ambushed and beaten, and left for dead on my bed as the thieves (there would have to be more than one to get a jump on me) ransack my apartment and answer my telephone. No, that doesn't make sense, even in my hung-over state. That's it! I'm hung-over. Why am I hung-over? Donna always stops me before I have too much to drink, especially on a work night. I'm going to have to speak to her about this...as soon as I have the strength to move and the room stops spinning. This really is a dereliction of her duty to me. "Josh, that was Donna. She wants me to remind you have a meeting on the hill at 7:30 with Wilkinson and that your Advil got moved to the kitchen cupboard above your coffeemaker." "Tell her to come in here. I want a word with that woman." I say without raising my head from the pillow or opening my eyes. "Not here, pal, on the phone. Donna was on the phone." Ben told me. Wait. What is Ben doing in my apartment? Didn't he move to Philadelphia? "Probably afraid to face me after she let me drink too much last night." I mumble. "Donna wasn't with us last night, Lyman." "Oh, that explains it then." I pull another pillow over my head. "Donna never lets me drink too much." "And she apparently know you pretty well, too, since she told me to take the pillow from over your head and push you into the bathroom to take a shower. She made me promise you wouldn't be late, Lyman. Get moving!" I unenthusiastically start the shower and hesitantly look at myself in the mirror. Holy God, I look like I was in a fight! "Abrahms? Did we get into a fight of some kind last night?" "No, why?" "I look like I have a black eye." "Oh, that. You fell and hit your head on the coffee table when we got home last night." "I am going to hear about this forever." I grumble again as I come into the kitchen for coffee after my shower. "You must promise me that if anyone asks, I got this shiner defending the virtue of a young Mother of 3 being assaulted at a bus stop on the way home." "Right." "It could happen! Just remember the story." I insist. "Would you like to write it down for me? That way I won't mess it up when I'm at the White House for my interview later." "What interview at the White House?" He never told me where his interview was before this. "You never told me that before now!" "I didn't want you to run interference for me. I'm interviewing with Lionel Tribbey at 10 for an associate counsel position...you always tell me how much better it is to use your skills to serve the President, right?" "I'm not sure I'll be back from the Hill by then." "That's okay. If you're not back by then I'll visit with Donna and wait for you. The three of us could do lunch to celebrate my job new job." "Which one?" I scoff. "We'll decide at lunch." He smiles like he doesn't know I'm trying to avoid Donna. "No, you two go ahead. I think she'd enjoy that...I know she'd enjoy that." I feel sick again, but not because of overindulging in alcohol. "Maybe you should make it dinner; something special." "Let's play it by ear. Head out before you're late and Donna blames me." "Yeah, good luck with Tribbey. And whatever you do, don't get him started on anything about cricket." I leave him with those cryptic words and head to the Hill to do battle with Congress. Suddenly, I'm in the mood for a fight. Donna's POV Having Josh on the Hill first thing in the morning has advantages and disadvantages. In the plus column, there's the fact that it's considerably quieter, his office stays organized a few hours longer, and I can get my work done undisturbed. In the minus column, there's the fact that it's considerably quieter and there's no one to banter with. Although there isn't any banter at all, lately. Ben popped in a few minutes ago on his way to an interview with Lionel Tribbey. He was in a very good mood and didn't even make a pretense of looking for Josh. He told me to save some room for a celebratory lunch, but I told him I didn't think I would be able to get out for lunch today. He'll want to talk about Josh and the discussion I had with Josh and I'm just not up for that today. Margaret stopped by with another research project from Leo. I love Margaret, I really do, but the sympathetic looks she was giving me just started getting on my nerves, so I was glad when Leo called her back to the office. I dug into the research, I love making notes cards for these projects, and had a lot accomplished by the time Josh returned. I recognized his footsteps coming down the hall and looked up, excited to tell him about what I'd discovered in my research when my jaw dropped to my desk. "Oh my God, Josh! You were only on the Hill for a few hours. Who did you get in a fight with?" Josh has a black eye and I can't imagine the apology bouquet I'm going to have to send now. Then another thought occurs to me. "Should I call CJ? Is this going to be a thing?" "Your faith in me is heartening, Donnatella. I did not get into a fight on the Hill. I got this last night defending the virtue of a young mother of 2 who was being assaulted at a bus stop on my way home last night." Josh responded. "Uh-huh. You got drunk didn't you?" "That's my story, Donna, and I'm sticking to it." I know he's telling a lie and not a little lie either, but a huge whopper of a lie. Still, it's kind of like bantering, so I accept it and move on. "Okay, as long as I don't have to send an apology bouquet to anyone... Ben stopped by. Did you know he was interviewing here for a position in the counsel's office?" "Yeah. He mentioned it this morning." "He's planning on coming back after his interview and wanted to have lunch." "We don't have anything scheduled over lunch, do we?" "No, but-" "You should go. I think he wants to celebrate his new job." There was a pause as our eyes met and a silent message was sent between us. "He's a good guy, Donna. Maybe he'll even take the job in the counsel's office." "Maybe..." I tried to smile, but failed. "I'll let you know when he gets here." "Thanks. Get Hardin on the phone for me, will you?" "Sure." Happy for the excuse to get out of his office, I quickly turned around and went back to my desk. Josh is telling me I should go out with his friend, not because he doesn't want to go out with me, but because he can't and he'd apparently rather see me with someone he knows and trusts than the usual `gomers' I pick out on my own. Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better. "Leo, Lionel Tribbey wants to know if you can spare 10 minutes to meet a candidate for the associate counsel's position." Margaret informed him. "Why do I have to meet him? If Tribbey likes the guy, he should hire the guy." "Apparently, `the guy' is being courted by the big firms in D.C. and Lionel feels that a meeting with the Chief of Staff might help seal the deal." "How about a meeting with the Deputy Chief of Staff? Put him on Josh's schedule." "Lionel said we can't do that since he's an old college friend of Josh's." "Fine, I'll meet with him for 10 minutes, but that's really it." "I'll have him escorted up." Margaret nodded and went to relay the message. Within 5 minutes there was another knock at his door. "Ben Abrahms, may I introduce Chief of Staff Leo McGarry." Margaret introduced them before exiting the room and closing the door. "Mr. Abrams...have a seat." "Please, call me Ben, sir. It's an honor to meet you. I appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule." "Lionel tells me you're considering a job in the counsel's office." "I was." "But you aren't any longer?" Leo tried to understand. "I got an offer at Hogan & Hartson yesterday." "Well, you'd have to be pretty stupid or pretty dedicated to turn that down." "I think Josh would tell you I'm neither." Ben returned with a smile. "Then what are we doing here?" Leo was getting agitated. "Originally, when I scheduled the interview, I was sincerely interested in the position. Josh has told me about what a great privilege it is to work for President Bartlet, and how much he's learned from you." Leo paused a moment as he took in this indirect praise from a man he considered his son. "Well, at the risk of inflating his already oversize ego, I'd have a hard time getting the President's agenda through Congress without Josh Lyman." "He won't hear it from me. It's just that seeing him again, it's made me realize the sacrifices he's made to serve at the pleasure of the President, the least of which is financial." "That's part of the service, I'm afraid. Long hours, crappy pay, and living in the spotlight. Working at the White House is a glamorous job." Leo smiled. "May I ask you something, sir?" "Sure." "Josh mentioned living in the spotlight, too. Is he really under that much scrutiny? Do other people really care what he does when he's not working? Where he goes, who he dates, that sort of thing?" Leo's antenna went up at the mention of dating, but he answered the question. "In the course of pursuing the President's agenda, Josh has sometimes had to play the heavy and as a result he has made quite a few enemies on the other side of the aisle..and even a few on our side of the aisle." Leo paused. "What's this about, Ben. Why go to all the trouble to come in and interview for a position you don't really want?" "I care about my friend. He helped me out at a time when I was going through some tough times and he's always been a loyal, caring friend. I'd like to return the favor, and there was no other way someone like me could get a meeting with someone like you." Ben let the silence hang for a few seconds. "Have you noticed anything different about Josh in this last week?" "He's been quiet, but he had a big thing with Donna earlier in the week, so I figured it was due to that. Is there something else I should know about?" "When Donna and I had dinner the other night, she told me that you frequently tap her to work on special projects for you. She said she particularly enjoys working on those projects because she feels like she's making a substantial contribution when you ask for her help." "She does great work. Donna's research is always thorough and well thought out. I'd steal her away from Josh in a heartbeat if I didn't think it would give Josh a coronary." Leo admitted. "Actually, sir, it might be the best thing you could do for his heart." Ben replied and waited a beat for his meaning to sink in. "You really think so?" Leo asked. "Having spoken to both of them, I am in a unique position to know so... I won't take any more of your time, sir. I appreciate it." Leo stood to shake hands with Ben. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to persuade you to reconsider a position here. I think you'd make an excellent addition to the team." "Thanks, but I'm sure Josh could give you a laundry list of reasons why you're probably better off without me. Goodbye, Mr. McGarry." Ben opened the door to leave and Margaret almost fell inside. "Goodbye, Margaret." A/N: This went a little long, but I didn't want to break it up. Thanks to everyone who has sent me feedback. I love hearing from all of you. Ben sauntered over to Donna's desk convinced that he had done his good deed for the day. "Hello, beautiful. Ready for lunch?" "Let me tell Josh you're here." Donna gave him a non-answer as she rose to knock on Josh's door. It had been closed since he got back from the Hill, and that disturbed her. "Josh, Ben is here for lunch." She told him. "I'm pretty tied up here. You two go ahead." He replied without even looking up. "Come on, Lyman. It's your favorite kind of lunch...free!" Ben interjected from behind Donna. "Thanks, but I can't. Maybe you could bring something back for me?" "Sure, no problem. Come on, Donna. Let the man get back to work." "Maybe I should stay, too. Josh is hopeless about finding things he needs." Donna hesitated. "I think Josh can take care of himself for an hour. I watched him very carefully at Harvard and I know he's got hidden depths." Ben reassured her. "Tell her it's fine to go, Josh." "It's fine to go Donna. It's really fine." He finally met her eyes and Donna saw the resignation in them. She nodded and left with Ben without another word. Josh tried to concentrate on what he was reading, but in the end he had to turn and look out his window as Ben and Donna walked away from the White House together. Nearly an hour later, one of the interns from human resources knocked on his door. "Whatever that is, give it to Donna, will you?" He requested, barely sparing the intern a glance. "Which one is Donna?" the intern asked. "She's right outside my- never mind, I forgot she's at lunch. I'll take it." When he glanced at the inter-office mail he noticed it was for Donna from human resources. What the hell? Without giving a thought to the ethical line he was crossing, he opened the envelope and stared in disbelief at the paper inside. It stated that the request for Donna's transfer to the Chief of Staff's office had been approved and was effective immediately. It had even been signed by Leo! `Okay,' he thought, `I know things have been tense and awkward lately, but to request a transfer without even talking to me about it?' Josh sank back in his chair as the reality of the situation hit him. After a few minutes, he got up and carefully placed the transfer request on Donna's desk and went out in search of Sam. Sam would know what to do. Ben had a meeting at his new law office directly after lunch, so Donna walked back to the White House alone. She noticed Josh's door was open, that was a good sign, but as she drew closer she saw it was empty. Maybe he left her a note about his whereabouts on her desk. There was a piece of paper, but when she picked it up and read it she literally dropped into her chair. She was being transferred? Josh requested that she be transferred and it was effective immediately? She launched out of her chair and bolted down the hall to Leo's office. "Margaret, can I see Leo a minute?" "I'm sorry, Donna, he's in the Oval. Should I call you when he's done? Is everything okay?" "Yes, I mean no...I'm not feeling well and I need to go home. I don't know where Josh is and I need to go home. Will you please tell one or both of them I went home sick?" "Sure, but are you okay to drive?" "I think so, yes. Thanks Margaret." Donna paused only a moment at her desk to retrieve her purse and then she practically ran to her car. Once inside her vehicle, she started to cry. She kept it together until she got inside her apartment, but then the sobs overtook her. It was going to be a long weekend. Sam walked up the stairs with Josh. Josh was visibly upset, and although Sam kept assuring Josh there must be some kind of explanation, Sam couldn't figure out what it was. He did convince Josh to go with him to talk to Leo, though, so that's where they were headed now. The two men literally ran into Leo outside the Oval office just as Leo was coming out. "Just the guy I was looking for." Leo motioned to Josh. "I tried to find you earlier, but you were still on the Hill. I made a decision you may not like at first, but I want you to hear me out and think about all the implications before you over-react." "How the hell could you transfer Donna without talking to me first?!" Josh burst out loudly. "How did you find out already? I literally signed the paperwork like 30 minutes ago?" "Can we skip past the part where you are amazed that I found out so quickly and go back to the part where I am amazed you did this behind my back?" Josh was getting seriously unhinged. "Josh, calm down." Sam began. "Let Leo explain." "What possible explanation could he have? What crazy ass reason could he possibly give for stabbing me in the back like this? Why would he think that once I `thought out the implications' I would be okay with Donna requesting this transfer?" Josh was completely round the bend now. "Josh!" Sam tried to bring him back. "Donna didn't request any transfer Josh." Leo explained. "It was completely my idea. Or mine and Ben Abrahms." Josh looked bewildered. "Let's go into my office and discuss the rest of this privately, shall we?" Leo led the way to his office. "Leo, Josh, I need to tell you-" Margaret started. "Not now, Margaret." Leo held up a hand to her. "But-" "Just five minutes Margaret, and then you can fill me in on whatever it is." Leo slammed the door shut as soon as Sam and Josh cleared the doorway. "First of all," Leo hit Josh up the back of his head with the file folder he was holding. "Don't ever speak to me that way in front of people again." Leo fixed him with a glare, Josh nodded reluctantly. "I'm sorry, boss, I just- this just blind sided me, that's all." Josh took a seat next to Sam. "That's my fault. I should have talked to you before I signed off on the paperwork. NOT that it would've changed my mind, but at least you wouldn't have been taken by surprise." Leo admitted. "Now let me say again, now that I feel you can actually hear me; Donna did NOT request the transfer. It was my idea." "Why Leo? We worked out our problem. Things were going just great between us again." "Were they really, Josh?" Leo probed. "`Cause I got to tell you it didn't look like it from where I'm sitting." "Your friend Ben Abrahms came in today; about the associate counsel position? We got to talking and some of his comments made me realize that you might be in a difficult position with Donna reporting directly to you. He also mentioned how much Donna enjoyed the challenge of some of the extra projects I've asked her to take on. After giving it a little thought, I figured out I could get two birds with one stone. Donna could get a promotion she has earned, and you could benefit from not having her as a direct report to you." Leo paused and waited to se if Josh understood what he was getting at. Leo could tell from the beginnings of a smile on Sam's face that he was already there. "I need her in my office, Leo." Josh objected. "Oh, I believe you need her, Josh, just not necessarily in your office." Leo responded. "As research assistant to the Chief of Staffs' office, she will report directly to me, but I would assume that in that position, she would need to work closely with my deputy on various assignments." Josh absorbed this information with growing interest. "You mean, we could still work together, but she would have added responsibilities and report directly to you." He clarified. "Exactly." "See, I told you there was a logical explanation, Josh." Sam beamed. "Why don't you go tell Donna about it now, before the rumor mill gets a hold of this and SHE misunderstands the transfer thing?" "Yeah, I'd hate for her to hear about it before we had a chance to tell her why I did it." Leo commented. "Oh, shit." Josh exclaimed. "The paper! The transfer paper. That's how I found out about it. I left it on her desk." Josh was losing it again. "Go and get it before something bad happens." Leo ordered and Josh dashed out of his chair and into Margaret's office where she stopped him dead in his tracks. "Not now, Margaret. I have to find Donna." Josh told her. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, Josh. Donna went home sick." "Sick? What are you talking about? She was fine an hour ago." "Well she didn't look good a few minutes ago when she came to see Leo. She was pale and shaking and her eyes looked glassy. She said to tell you and Leo that she was going home." Margaret reported. "Damn, she must have seen the transfer order. Leo I need to go talk to her." Josh implored. "We've got two many irons in the fire this afternoon, Josh, I need you here. Try to call her. Otherwise you'll need to wait until we're done for the day." "Leo!" Josh protested. "I know, and I'm sorry, but the President needs you here until after the meeting with Hardin." Leo apologized. "Understand?" "Yeah." Josh answered resignedly as he walked back to his office to try to call Donna. Three hours later, as he went into the final meeting of the day, he was frustrated by his inability to reach Donna. Figuring she was employing caller ID, he gave up trying to call her himself, and instead convinced Sam, CJ, and even Toby to try to contact her, but they had no success. Donnatella Moss was unavailable. The pounding on the door increased in intensity, but Donna continued to ignore it, just like she'd ignored the ringing phone all afternoon. There was no doubt in her mind who was knocking. It had to be Josh. He had left message after message asking her to pick up the phone and offering to explain about the transfer request, but she was in no mood to talk to him. He was just upset that she found out before he had a chance to smooth things over with her. The hot bubble bath and 1_2 bottle of wine she consumed had done nothing to improve her depression, so she sat on her couch in her robe, her eyes swollen from crying. She hadn't worked out a plan yet, but she would. She had the entire weekend to come up with a plan and planning was something she excelled at. The knocking started again. Donna couldn't take it anymore. "Go away Joshua, or I'm calling the police." She yelled at the vicinity of the door. "It's not Josh; it's Ben." "Is Josh with you?" There was a brief scuffle in the hallway before Ben answered. "No..." "Go away, Ben, and take that immature cretin of a friend of yours with you." "Donna, I sent him away. Just let me in for a minute. I want to make sure you're okay. This is all my fault, anyway. I'm the one who suggested the transfer to Leo." That got her attention. She walked unsteadily to the door and checked through the peephole. The only figure there was Ben Abrahms. He gave her a half hearted smile as she opened the door and let him in. "God, you look like hell." He commented as he gave her a hug. "Thanks for opening the door. Just so you know, Lyman is waiting downstairs in the entryway having several farm animals...Come sit down with me a minute." He pulled her arm until she sat next to him on the couch. "Josh did not request that transfer, Donna, Leo-" "Leo did it for Josh or Josh requested it himself. What difference does it make? Obviously, one or both of them think-" she broke off. "No, it was my idea; or at least my suggestion. When I met with Leo McGarry today I suggested that it would be beneficial to you and Josh if you weren't in a direct report position with one another." "Why would you do that? I know I shared my feelings with you, but I was dealing with it just fine. I was being professional; so was Josh!" "Yes, but neither of you wanted to be; at least not all the time. Josh cares about you just as much as you care about him, but you were taking your cues from him and he would never indicate anything as long as he was your direct supervisor. It crossed too many lines for him. And that's not even counting the fact that he's still not sure how you really feel about him and what you want in this relationship." "But now we can't work together anymore. What if he doesn't want more in our relationship? At least before I got to work with him everyday, talk with him, eat with him. Now what?" "Now you need to talk to Josh." Ben was asking her permission to let Josh in. She slowly nodded her head and Ben got up to go to the door. "Don't waste this opportunity, Donna. I leave D.C. tomorrow. I'd like to see my friend happy before I go." Less than a minute later, the door slowly opened to admit Josh to the apartment. "Hey, I brought some coffee over from Starbuck's, but it's probably cold by now." Donna took both coffees from him and walked to the kitchen where she put them in the microwave. Josh followed behind her. "I thought YOU requested the transfer." Josh admitted quietly. "That's when I realized how much you meant to me. I thought my chest would explode. All I could think was that I'd finally hurt you enough times that you couldn't stand to work with me anymore." "When I got back from lunch and saw the transfer paper, I thought you didn't want me near you. You pushed me out the door with Ben, and then pushed me out of your department too." "Donna, I swear, that's the last thing I wanted. I talked to Leo after I saw the paperwork. He said we can and should still work together. We make too good a team for this administration. He's just changing who you report to so we would have some options...if we wanted them." Josh hesitated. "And do you...want options, I mean?" she raised her eyes to meet his. Josh leaned forward and kissed her, letting his lips and hands answer her question. After a few minutes, Donna pulled back from him. "Just so there's no additional misunderstanding; that was a yes, right?" she clarified. "That was a definite `yes'." Josh told her earnestly. "So, you'll accept the transfer?" "I don't know...is there a raise involved?" Donna teased. "I can say with great relief that the subject of pay is between you and your new boss, Leo McGarry." "I can see there may be more than one advantage for you in this new arrangement." "I certainly hope there is more than one advantage for both of us." Josh replied as he took her mouth in another kiss. Their kisses became more passionate and Donna began moving them toward her bedroom as she removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. They didn't leave her bedroom for the rest of the weekend. Even Ben, who was indirectly responsible for their current circumstances, only got a phone call saying goodbye, and a promise to help him move when he got back to D.C. Monday morning, the Deputy Chief of Staff came into the West Wing and everyone in the bullpen stopped to gauge his reaction. Sitting at Donna's desk was a temp and the sight of a temp at Donna's desk was normally enough to send Josh Lyman into orbit. Everyone prepared to take cover. "Good morning, Beth, thanks for stepping up and helping out today. I'm going to warn you that you're going to think your name is Donna by the end of the day, but don't take it personally. I just need a little adjustment time." Josh smiled and continued walking to his office. "Can you bring me my schedule for the day and the files for my meeting with State?" Sam, who had been part of the throng in the bullpen watching the proceedings, almost fell off the desk he had been sitting on. He followed Beth into Josh's office and heard him thank her before she returned to Donna's desk. "Who are you and what have you done with Josh Lyman?" Sam asked. "Morning, Samuel, isn't it a glorious day?" Josh responded. "What do you mean who am I? Don't you know your best friend?" "I thought I did, which is why I bet $20 bucks you'd blow a gasket when you saw the temp here this morning." "She's not a temp. Well, hopefully she's not a temp. She's Donna's replacement." "Okay, now I know something's wrong `cause you just send the words `Donna's replacement' with a smile on your face. What gives?" "Donna picked her out personally and Donna knows what I need, so I'm sure it'll be fine." Josh assured him as he went through the first file Beth had given him. CJ walked into Josh's office while Sam was digesting this information. "Hey Sam! Josh, I just got back from Donna's office and she's all settled in, but I thought it would be nice if we took her to lunch as a sort of congratulations thing. What do you think?" "I think that it's sweet you want to congratulate her for snagging one of D.C.'s most eligible bachelors Ceej, but shouldn't that be a girls only thing?" Josh joked. "Donna snagged a- Donna snagged Ben?" Sam was still confused and got his head cuffed by CJ and calculator chucked at him by Josh. "What? Isn't that who Donna has been dating?" "Maybe earlier last week, but that's over now." CJ said matter of factly. `Walk with me and I'll catch you up on our way to staff." Lunchtime found Josh, Donna, CJ, Sam, and Toby at a nearby restaurant celebrating Donna's new position. Josh watched Donna carefully as they lunched with their friends. There was a glow about her, and despite what people said about his ego, he knew it wasn't all about their new relationship. He had been in the room with her when she called Leo to assure herself that her new responsibilities had truly been earned. It took Leo over 20 minutes, but when Donna hung up the phone, she tackled Josh onto the floor and had her way with him, so he assumed Leo answered all her questions to her satisfaction. Yes, it was different with Beth, but she had a good sense of humor, a strong work ethic, and best of all...legible handwriting (though he wouldn't be mentioning that to Donna; he wasn't a complete idiot). What he had with Donna now was more of a partnership: at home and at work and that was worth breaking in 100 new assistants. A flash in his face brought him back from his reverie and he saw that Sam had snapped a picture of he and Donna with his cell phone. "Planning on selling that to the tabloids?" Josh teased. "If you need some extra cash, you should just ask me." "What would tabloids want with a picture of you two?" CJ asked. "There's nothing newsworthy here." "Well there is the fact that I'm a very eligible bachelor here in D.C.-" Josh stopped abruptly as CJ kicked him and Donna elbowed him at the same time. "Yeah, but you still don't know when to keep you mouth shut." Noted Toby. Sam was still fiddling with his cell phone and Josh realized he was sending the picture to someone. "Who are you sending that to, Sam?" he asked his friend as he made a grab for Sam's phone. "Just a mutual friend in Philadelphia. I promised him an update." Sam smiled and Josh did too. "That's okay, I guess..." Josh allowed "Oh and your Mother too." Sam added laughing. "Sam!" Josh exclaimed as his friends laughed at his expense... The End.