Disclaimers: His

Notes: This is weird. I very rarely break in the middle of a series,
but it came to me last night and I can't shake it. Sort of nice to be
back in the present for a bit, but I'll be quickly returning to
Patriots for the climactic finish!

Very short. Spoilers thru season 3. Sometime that summer.

Title: A Lion's Pride (1/1)


"Donna!"

"I'm right here," she said standing at her desk organizing her day
for tomorrow. She would never understand his need to shout when she
typically could be found in one of two places. His office. Her desk.

"I've got to go. Amy and I are having dinner so we can go another
eighteen rounds on who's right and who's wrong, but why it's
important that we stick this out even though I'm a jackass." He
sighed tiredly. "Tell me again why I'm doing this?"

"I don't know," she mumbled under her breath as she shuffled her
papers.

"Huh?"

She lifted her face to his and smiled brightly. "Because it's what we
do, Josh. We meet people, we make connections, and we hope to find
love, build a relationship, get married and have a family one day."

"We do?" he asked aghast.

"Go."

"I'm going." He ran into his office to get his backpack and stopped.
It was raining outside. Not a gentle summer rain, but more like a
torrential downfall. Josh scooped up his backpack and slung it over
his shoulder. When he turned around Donna was standing in the doorway
with an umbrella in her hand.

"It's raining," she announced.

"I see that. It looks bad. You know like that storm. Last year. You
remember that?"

"Yes. Here take the umbrella."

"Donna, I hate umbrellas. They're queer."

"They're not queer on a night like this. Take it. And tell Amy I said
hello."

He looked at her. "You leaving now?"

She pointed over her shoulder. "I've got some things I want to get
cleaned up. And I need to hand out tomorrow's memo. I'll leave soon."

He nodded and brushed by her on his way out. He stopped half way down
the hall and turned back to her. "Hey, you're not trying to make me
feel guilty. This isn't like the snow thing is it?"

"Go," she told him then headed back to her desk. He heard the click
of his heels on the floor and realized she must be the last one here
for the night.

Donna scooped up her memos and started making her rounds. She liked
the office at this time of night when it was just her and the
cleaning staff. The west wing was actually peaceful, something it
could never accomplish during the day. The lights were low, and she
could hear the wind from outside pound against the office windows. It
did sound like a bad storm.

She turned into CJ's office and gasped when she saw the dark
silhouette sitting behind her desk.

"Oh my God, CJ, you scared me."

CJ reached for a glass half filled with ice and half filled with some
dark liquid that sat in the center of her desk.

"Sorry."

"Do you want me to turn the lights on..."

"No. I've been crying and I'm half into Toby's bottle of bourbon. God
knows what my eyes look like. You know this all your fault, don't
you? You read that email and ..."

Donna put the memos down and walked over to lean on her desk. "And
you know I don't regret it for a moment and if I had to do it all
over again to protect you I would."

CJ barked a harsh laugh. "Protection. That's funny. That's what I've
been sitting here thinking about. Because you know I don't need it.
Not anymore that my crazed stalker has been caught." She reached for
the glass again and stood up on somewhat shaky knees. She turned to
the window and stared out into the pummeling unforgiving rain.

"But you needed it then," Donna told her.

"Yeah, but not now. I mean look at me. I'm strong. Single.
Independent. I'm almost six feet tall, but do I let that stop me from
wearing high heels?"

"Hell no."

"Hell no!" She sipped her bourbon and set the glass down on the
window sill with a thunk. "I say what I want. Do what I want. Go
where I want. I've never backed down from anything. Have I? Have I
ever backed down?"

"No," Donna said quietly, hurting inside because she knew her friend
was hurting.

CJ turned to her although Donna couldn't see her eyes in the
dark. "You know I watch these nature channels sometimes late at night
when I can't sleep."

"I like those too."

"There was this one about lions on the other night. And it was all
about how the women do all the hunting and rearing of the young."

"Naturally."

"But if something happens to the head honcho lion then they have to
go out in search of a new lion for protection. And I thought hah! I
don't have to do that. Isn't it great to be me? Strong independent
me. I don't need protection. I don't have to go looking for another
lion."

Donna heard the tears in her voice and reached for her hand,
squeezing it to let her know she was there for her.

"But thing is," CJ continued her voice cracking. "Even though it was
his job. Even though he was being paid to protect me... the thing is... I
felt really protected."

CJ covered her face with her hands and sobbed freely. Donna pulled
her inside her arms and simply rocked her for a time.

"I miss it. I miss him. But I miss it too. Does that make me
horrible?"

"No," Donna assured her.

"It makes me weak."

"It doesn't."

"My father didn't raise me to be weak."

"Mine didn't either."

"I miss it, Donna," CJ admitted again.

"I miss it too," Donna said then wished she hadn't.

The older woman looked at her for a moment then nodded in
understanding. She took a few deep breaths to gather herself and
reached for her now empty glass and set it back on her desk.

"It's late. We should go. I'll drive." Donna heard the window rattle
with the force of the wind and rain. It wouldn't be an easy trip
home. But they would make it.

"Let's make a deal, CJ. How about I protect you for a while?"

Even in the dark she could see her smile. "Okay. And I can protect
you."

"Okay," Donna said and smiled back.

"Hey."

The two women turned startled at the sound of the male voice. Josh
stood in the doorway dripping wet.

"What are you two doing in the dark?"

"Just listening to the storm," Donna told him quickly. "It's better
with the lights out."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Why did you come back? Did you forget something?"

"No. But it's really bad out there. And you know your car, Donna. It
stalls any time it hits anything bigger than a puddle. I'll drive you
home and pick you up tomorrow."

"You will?"

"Yeah, what did you think?"

"Nothing. We have to take CJ too."

"Okay."

CJ grabbed her coat and stepped into the hall. Josh saw her face and
opened his mouth, but her statement which she knew clearly
said, `don't ask', shut him up. They walked behind him, with Donna's
arm linked in CJ's to steady her a little.

"It doesn't make us weak," she told Donna.

"Okay."

"What?" Josh asked, turning to walk backwards so he could see them.

"Nothing," Donna said. "Turn around. You're going to bump into the ..."

"Ow! Damn, when did they move that desk there?"

The two women laughed hysterically.

"He's not much of lion," Donna told CJ.

"But he's a lion nonetheless."

"What? What am I? CJ have you been drinking?"

The two women just laughed harder.

They had already dropped CJ off and had inched their way to Donna's
apartment. The rain hadn't let up for a second and sight was barely
possible outside the Josh's front windshield.

"You think this is a hurricane? Because it looks like a hurricane."

"It's not a hurricane," Donna corrected him. "Don't make me go into a
lecture about gale force winds okay."

"No argument here." He stopped the car in front of her door and
handed her the umbrella. "You take it. You know I won't use it."

Because she knew that was true, she took it. "Thanks for coming
back." She reached for the handle on the door, but stopped when he
reached for her arm.

"You knew I was going to come back, didn't you?"

She looked at him for a moment. "No, I didn't. But I'm glad you did.
Tell Amy I'm sorry that you're late. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that she opened the door, snapped open the umbrella, slammed the
door closed before he could make a comment, and made a run for it.
She did note, however, that the car didn't pull away, until after she
was inside.

The End.