Title: Legacies
Author: krissi75la (krissi75la@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: Not mine - just for fun
Category: Romance/AU
Setting: Right after Santos becomes President; sometime during the
summer months
Rating: Teen
Note: No betas - all mistakes are mine

Chapter One

"Josh, there's a man on line three for you," Carol announced from the
hallway. "He said he's been trying to get in touch with Donna, but he
can't get through on her line."

Josh turned away from the woman who had been sitting across from him,
chatting about non-issue legislative affairs for over an hour, hoping
she'd leave after Carol told him of the phone call, and picked up the
receiver. It had been such a hectic day and for the last 60 minutes
he had to listen to Amy rant and rave about things he could care less
about at this point in time, especially when there was a possible war
about to break loose in the Middle East. His mind was simply on
things more important than her social agenda. "Thanks, Carol," he
yelled back at his assistant.

"I'm heading out to lunch now. Want me to bring anything back for
you?"

"Nah, I'll grab something later," he said as he punched the button
for the third line. "Hello, this is Josh Lyman." He eyed Amy,
motioning with his head to the door. Of course, she ignored him,
staying right where she was in the visitor's chair across from him,
biting her nails.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lyman. This is Eric Green. I'm sorry to bother
you, but I can't get a hold of Donna and she gave me your number as a
secondary source."

Josh leaned forward on his desk, resting his elbow on the mousepad,
wishing he had some Tylenol. This day had definitely been one of the
top five worst days since Santos took office. "Sure. What can I help
you with?"

"Well, um, Donna left her cell phone at our place yesterday and - "

Josh shot out of his chair. "Excuse me? What do you mean `our'
place?" He could feel his blood pressure spiking, so he took some
deep breaths. His mind was racing with all kinds of ideas - and not
the ones he thought he would ever have about Donna.

Josh vaguely heard the man for all the thunder rolling in his
head. "Uh, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

As Josh listened to the man repeat himself, he saw Amy pick up her
briefcase and wait at the door.

"Uh huh. So, she was there yesterday afternoon?"

Josh focused on the conversation again, hearing the man's
response: "Yes. I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have. I
just assumed you knew."

Josh fell hard into his chair. "No, no, I really didn't see this
coming."

"Okay, well, I'm going to go now," Eric sounded like he was
embarrassed. "I just wanted to let Donna know and that she can come
by whenever she wants."

The click of the disconnection of the phone stung in Josh's ear
before he absent-mindedly hung up. When he looked up, Amy was staring
at him with a look he couldn't register. She almost looked smug, but
what would she have to be smug about? "So what did she do this time,
Josh? Is she already cheating on you with one of her Republican guys?
I mean, come on, it's only been what - not even a year?"

"Not now, Amy." Ignoring her, Josh pushed himself away from the desk
and slipped passed Amy, taking off in a near run toward the East Wing.



Disclaimer, etc. in first part

Chapter Two

"I need in there now," Josh pointed to Donna's office, ignoring the
pleas from Donna's assistant to stop.

"But, Mr. Lyman, Ms. Moss can't see you ..."

"Oh, yes, she can. In fact, she is," Josh said as he crashed open the
door and stepped into the room. "Donnatella Moss, we need to talk.
Now."

Donna's head snapped up from the paper in front of her, recognizing
the impatient tone in Josh's voice. "Josh, I'm kind of busy at the
moment." She gestured to the couch on the opposite side of the room,
where Annabeth and Mrs. Santos sat, but Josh didn't pay any
attention.

Josh plowed ahead, without missing a beat. Walking until he stood
right in front of her, he leaned down until he was eye-level. "Is
there something you would like to tell me?"

Donna dropped the pen in her hand, unsure what he was getting
at. "About what, Josh? You're going to have to be a bit more specific
here."

He stood up. "Have you received any cell phone calls today?"

She pondered that and shook her head.

"Do you know why you haven't?"

Perplexed at this line of questioning, Donna reached out to touch
Josh's forehead. "Are you sick, Josh? What's going on?"

He grabbed her hand and held onto it. "Just answer the question,
Donna."

"No, I guess I must have left it off." She reached into her purse.
Shuffling the items around, she glanced up at Josh with wide
eyes. "It's not here. I never forget it. Josh, where is it? Do you
have it? Is that what this is all about?"

He sat down on her desk. "No, I don't have it, but someone by the
name of Eric Green does."

Donna's breath hitched and she shut her eyes. "Green? Eric Green?
How, uh, um ... how did you find out about him?"

"He just called me. Seems your line was busy all morning and he
couldn't get through. He called me to let me know that he has your
cell phone. So, I ask you, again - Donna, is there something you
would like to tell me?"

Forgetting about the two pairs of eyes that were currently glued to
the scene enfolding in front of them, Donna sniffed as a stream of
tears fell down her cheeks. "Josh, I'm so sorry. I really didn't want
to tell you like this. Please, can't we do this later?"

"No. I want - I need - to know now." So he waited, and that's when
she lifted her blue eyes to meet his brown ones. 



Disclaimer, etc. in first part

Chapter Three

Taking both of her hands in his, he rubbed his thumbs along her
knuckles. "Donna, just tell me, please."

Donna felt her heartbeat race. She didn't think she'd be this
nervous. In a whisper, she said, "Josh, I wasn't planning on telling
you like this. I was going to tell you later ... after work, not here."

"Donna, I just got a call from a strange man, who basically told me
about things that I had no clue were even happening. Don't you think
I have a right to know - now, not later?"

She heard the pleading in his voice. "Oh, Josh, yes, I believe you
should know." She tugged one of her hands free and wiped the tears
from her face. "I just wanted it to be special."

"Donna, just tell me."

With a toothy grin plastered on her face, Donna gazed into Josh's
eyes and placed the hand of his that she still clasped over her
stomach. "You're going to be a daddy, Josh."

Just as he prepared to scoop her into his arms, the shrill of screams
froze him in place.

Donna laughed at his expression. "Oh, Annabeth and Mrs. Santos, I'm
so sorry. I forgot that Josh and I weren't alone."

They rushed over to hug both Josh and Donna. Mrs. Santos was the
first to speak. "This is so wonderful! When did you find out?"

Donna's eyes met Josh's. "Last night, after work."

Finally feeling Josh's arms surround her, she closed her eyes. "I'm
sorry I didn't tell you before now, Josh, but you got home so late
last night, and I was already asleep. And this morning you had to be
in here so early that I didn't even hear you leave."

Josh cupped her face and kissed her lips. "That's okay, Donna. I just
can't believe this, I'm..."

Donna saw him staring at the other two women in the room, who seemed
intent on listening in on the conversation. "Um, ma'am, Annabeth,
could Josh and I have the room for a bit, please? I kind of want to
talk to him in private."

Mrs. Santos jumped in her spot. "Oh, oh, of course. So sorry. I guess
we should leave." Turning to Annabeth, she pulled her
alongside. "Come on; let's so see if we can grab a decent cup of
coffee."

"Mrs. Santos and Annabeth" Josh said, "please don't tell anyone about
this yet. I think we'd like to break the news when we're ready."

"Sure thing," Annabeth remarked as she closed the door, cloaking
Donna and Josh in privacy.

Grabbing a Kleenex, Donna wiped her eyes and smiled up at Josh, who
had a look of awe on his face. "What, Joshua?"

A goofy grin brought out the dimples. Stuffing his hands in his
pockets, he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet. "So,
Donna, we're gonna have a baby?"

She laughed. "Yes, Josh. We're gonna have a baby." Becoming serious,
she looked down at the floor. In a small voice, she asked, "Are you
okay with this? I mean, it's not something we discussed or even
planned on."

She felt his right hand caress her cheek. "I couldn't be more
pleased. It's you and me." She met his eyes and felt the back of his
left hand slide up and down her stomach, leaving a path of heat
everywhere he touched. "We created another person, Donna. You're
amazing."

"We're amazing, Josh." And in the middle of her office, with just the
calm of their breathing surrounding them, Donna kissed Josh. It was
the sweetest, purest kiss they had ever shared. His arms encircled
her, anchoring her to him, where not even the tiniest particle could
pass between them. 



Disclaimer, etc. in first part

Chapter Four

After several minutes had passed, Josh softly ended the kiss and
draped his arms around Donna's shoulders. But before he could say
what he wanted, Donna found her voice first. "Josh, I really am sorry
that you found out like you did. I had planned on telling you tonight
over dinner."

"Well, I did push you into revealing it, but I just had to know." He
grinned. "I will admit, though, I wish you had told me you were going
to see the OB/GYN. I would have gone with you."

"I know, but I wasn't sure and I didn't want to either get your hopes
up or disappoint you. Plus, like I said before, Josh, we've never
discussed children before. I wasn't sure if you would want any."
Donna had slowly walked over to the far window, overlooking the
magnificent flowers in bloom just outside her office.

Josh followed close behind. "Donna," he cupped her chin, forcing her
to meet his gaze. "I realize that we never talked about children, but
that doesn't mean I wouldn't want any."

"Well, between our new relationship - and it is new, Josh; we've only
been a couple for about seven months - and our new jobs, I just
wasn't sure if having a baby fit into your plans."

Ignoring her comment about the new relationship for the moment, he
posed a similar question: "What about you, Donna? Do you want this?"

Without hesitation, she smiled and ran her left hand over her still
flat tummy. "More than I ever thought possible."

His right hand joined her left. "Then we feel the same. Sure things
will be tough, but we've got people who will help us." Snapping his
fingers, he grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket.

Startled, Donna settled her fingers over his, stopping him from
dialing. "Who are you calling?"

"My mom. Come on, Donna, you know she's going to be thrilled. She's
always wanted grandchildren. Plus, I thought we could ask her to move
in with us if we need help." Forgetting the call, he started to
pace. "Of course, we're going to need to look for a new place to
live. A house would be nice. As long as it's close to the White
House. We'll need a big back yard, too. Probably a four-bedroom home.
Oh, and I guess this pushes up my proposal date, too. But that's
okay. I really would like to be married before we have the baby. I
was thinking we could do a winter wedding, but I'd be fine with a
late summer or early fall wedding." Suddenly facing her, "What do you
think?"

Stunned at his outspoken stream of consciousness, Donna plopped down
in her seat with a thud.

"Donna?" Josh rushed to her, crouching down in front of her. "Donna?
You okay?"

Breathlessly, she whispered, "Yeah." Then with a clearer voice, "You
were going to propose to me?"

Chuckling, he rubbed his thumbs over her clasped hands. "Yes, Donna.
I'm going to propose to you. I'm just going to move it up a bit."

"You've thought about this?"

"Yeah, haven't you?" Standing, he straightened away from her. "You do
want to get married, don't you? I mean, I thought that's where we
were headed. After our conversation in Hawaii, I thought we were on
the same track."

"Oh, Josh, of course we're on the same track. I just didn't realize
you had given marriage a serious thought. When you asked me to move
in with you, I thought that was your big step."

"What? You would have really moved in with me, stayed with me, and
never expected that we would one day get married?"

"Yeah, Josh. I love you. I don't want a life without you and if
living with you became the only way to accomplish that goal, then so
be it."

Josh put his arms around her. "Donna, don't you think we've come too
far to settle for less than a full commitment? I want to marry you.
Don't you want to marry me?"

Placing a hand on his chest, she pushed back. "Yes, Josh, I want to
marry you. But that better not be my proposal."

Laughing, he kissed her forehead. "Nah, I got it all planned. Trust
me, you'll be surprised."

"As long as there are flowers and a nice, romantic restaurant
involved," she teased. "And just so you know, I want nothing more
than to be your wife and a mother to our baby."

"Good, because I want nothing more than to be your husband and a
father to our baby," he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss. 



Disclaimer, etc. in first part

Chapter Five

Just as the kissing was getting hot and heavy, Donna's assistant
burst into the office. "Oh, so sorry."

Donna and Josh pulled apart, slightly off balance for getting caught
making out in the East Wing. They vowed never to engage in such
activity in the White House. Well, Josh mused to himself, they had
reason to celebrate. Turning toward Donna's assistant, he
asked, "What's up, Emily?"

"Um, Mr. Seaborn is trying to get in touch with you, Mr. Lyman. He
has already called five times. I didn't know whether or not to
interrupt sooner, but he sounded antsy this last time."

"Okay, thanks." Running his hand down Donna's arm, he reached her
hand and squeezed her fingers. "I've gotta go, but we'll finish this
discussion later."

"Sounds good," she smiled.
Almost out the door, Josh turned back around. "Don't forget to pick
up your cell phone. If you want me to go with you, come by and get
me."

"Thanks, Josh, but that's okay. You know I'll be out of here earlier
than you. I'll pick it up and then grab some take-out at the Chinese
place."

Nodding, he began to shut the door. "Okay. See ya at home then. Love
you."

Josh sidestepped around Emily's desk and headed back to the West Wing
with an extra bounce in his step. Apparently, he still wore a smirk
on his face because the first words out of Sam's mouth when he
entered his office were: "What's got you so happy?"

Sitting in his chair, Josh plopped his feet up on his desk and folded
his hands behind his head. "Life, Sam. Isn't it weird how one moment
it feels like everything is falling apart, like everything's out of
your control and then suddenly - wham - the planets have aligned to
make your life perfect once again?"

Perplexed, Sam sat forward and grinned at his friend. "Okay. Is this
a `you're da man' moment? What gives?"

"Oh, yeah. I am so da man, Sam. Just ask Donna. She'll vouch for me -
I am without a doubt, 100 percent da man." Knowing he shouldn't say
anything without Donna's consent, he pushed that notion aside,
realizing that she probably wouldn't mind if he made an exception for
Sam. After all, this was his best friend - well, besides Donna. With
that he sat up straight and looked Sam in the eyes. "In a few months
there will be irrefutable proof that I am, in fact, da man - if you
get my drift." Josh couldn't help the duo-dimpled grin that appeared.

Sam, not typically one to put two-and-two together in an instant, had
no trouble deciphering Josh's code. "Seriously? Donna's pregnant?"

Josh laughed. "Yeah."

Both men jumped out of their seats and wrapped each other in a
hug. "Congratulations, buddy. I can't believe it - you, a father -
who would've thought?"

"I know. Trust me, it's a surprise for both Donna and me, but we're
gonna do this." Stepping back, Josh crossed his arms across his
chest. "I think I'm still in shock, but I'm so excited. You know, I
don't think I have been this excited since the morning I learned that
President Santos tied Vinick in the polls."

"Really? What did you do after you heard that bit of news?"

Scratching his head, Josh looked at the floor. "Um, well, I kissed
Donna for the first time."

Sam chuckled. "You never told me that."

"Well, I will play the role of the gossip girl for you someday," he
said, wondering how his best friend could act so girly at times. "For
now, I feel like celebrating this particular bit of news."

"Right." Sam said. "Got any beer?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "We're still on the clock with a couple
meetings left."

"Gotcha. Sensitive system and all," Sam laughed. "Yoo-hoo it is." 



Disclaimer, etc. in first part

Chapter Six

After wrapping up the last two meetings of his day, Josh tossed the
files on his desk and stretched his back, raising his arms high above
his head.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist. "How are you
doing?"

Grinning, he turned in her arms and kissed the tip of her
nose. "Better now that I've got you."

Kissing his chin, Donna hugged him close. "You've always had me,
Josh."

He thought about that for a moment and then tipped her chin
up. "You've never been without me, either, Donnatella. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I told Sam about the baby."

Moving out of his arms, she grabbed a bottle of water out of his
refrigerator for herself and another for him. Handing it over, she
asked, "How long did it take him to break you of the news?"

Since a smile was gracing her face, he knew she wasn't upset with
him. "Not long." He sat next to her on his couch. "I've been thinking
since this morning," he took her hands in his, "can we call my mom
now? I really want to tell her."

Rubbing her fingers up and down his arm, where he had rolled up his
dress shirt sleeves, she held his gaze. "You don't need my
permission, Josh. Let's call her now."

Jumping off the couch, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled
out his cell phone. Hitting the pre-programmed number, he heard his
mother answer and then put her on speaker phone. "Mom, what are you
doing?"

"Josh, is that you?"

"Very funny, Mom."

"Well, it is before 5 p.m. and it's a weekday, so you could
understand my uncertainty that my son is calling me at this moment."
"Ha-ha, Mother." He put an arm across Donna's shoulders, pulling her
close to him. "Donna's here with me."

"Well, hello, sweetie. To what do I owe the pleasure of getting a
call from both of you?"

"Hi, Deborah. Josh and I had some news to tell you and, well, we
couldn't wait any longer."

"News, huh? Well, it can't be political if you're calling me like
this, so I'm guessing it's personal?"

Josh couldn't control the excitement in his voice. "Yeah, Mom, it's
personal - something you'll love."

"You better not have run off and gotten married without me being
there. You know how long I've been waiting for that day, Joshua."

Sighing, he said, "Yes, I know. And, no, that's not the news."

Josh and Donna heard the hitch in his mother's breath. "That's not
the news?" Deborah asked.

"No, Mom. What we wanted to tell you is that - "

"Oh, my gosh!" Deborah exclaimed. "Finally! After almost a decade of
hoping and praying - it's about time, you two. It's about time!
Finally I can brag to Sophia and Jane that I'm going to be a
grandmother. When do you want me there? I can be on the next plane
out and stay as long as needed. Give me the details..."

"Mother!" Josh stopped her rambling. "We'll call you tonight with the
details. We just found out, so we're not sure about all the planning
yet. How did you guess that was the news?"

"Oh, my dear son." Deborah laughed into the phone. "Only two pieces
of personal news would be of significance that you'd call me this
time of day with that much excitement. You told me you weren't
married yet, so it had to be that Donna was pregnant. Speaking of
which, how are you, dear? Are you feeling okay?"

Donna smiled at Deborah's quick deductive reasoning and
sincerity. "I'm fine, Deborah. I've never been better," she said with
her gaze holding Josh's.

"Good, that's good to know. But if you need anything, anytime, you
call me, alright?"

"Yes, Deborah. You will be our first call."

Hating to end the call, Josh knew they had to wrap up things for the
day. "Sorry, Mom, but we will have to go for now. We'll give you a
call later tonight, though, so we can talk longer."

"I understand. Go back to the business of the country and I will talk
with you both later. Take care of yourselves."

"We will, Deborah. You, too."

"Love you both. Talk to you tonight."

And with repeated "love-yous," they disconnected the call. Just as
Josh was leaning forward to get off the couch, he noticed Amy
lounging in the doorway. "How long have you been there, Amy?"

Donna quickly turned toward Amy, who held slumped shoulders and a
fake half-smile on her face. "Long enough," Amy replied. "Look, I'm
sorry. I didn't intend to overhear your conversation. I was just
coming over to talk with you about HR 778." She paused a minute, then
cleared her throat. "It seems congratulations are in order."

"Thank you," Donna said, pushing on Josh's thigh to stand. "We're
really not telling people right now, so if you wouldn't mind keeping
it to yourself until we're ready, we'd appreciate it."

Waving her hand, Amy looked between the couple, knowing once and for
all that she had lost Josh forever. "Yeah, no problem." Raising the
file in her hand, she nodded to Josh. "We can go over this tomorrow.
I'm just gonna head home."

"Okay. I'd kinda like to get out of here early, so I really wouldn't
have been able to talk with you tonight anyway."

Nodding, Amy silently left the office while Donna faced Josh. "I've
got to grab my purse and briefcase and then go pick up my cell phone.
Don't forget that I will be getting dinner on my way home."

"Sounds good." Josh kissed her on the cheek and then sat behind his
desk. "I need to make a couple calls and then check my schedule for
tomorrow. I should be about 30 minutes."

"Okay. See you at home."



Disclaimer, etc. in first part

Chapter Seven

After the last phone call, Josh sat back in his chair and pondered
the last few hours. And that, of course, led him to consider the last
few years of his life.

It's amazing, he thought. He had the most beautiful, wonderful,
caring woman in his life. Yet, there were so many times he almost
lost her. So many times he thought she would never be in his life
without a desk between them. In fact, he wouldn't even have her like
he did now if she had never walked into his office that eventful day
in Nashua. And he never would have been there if Leo hadn't sought
him out - once again, he owed Leo. Just the mere thought of never
meeting Donna sent shivers down his spine.

It was too scary to even consider.

But then came the fond memories: Donna tying his bowties; Donna in
the red dress; Donna nursing him back to health; Donna putting
herself on the line to protect him; and, his personal favorite,
throwing snowballs at her window, and then bundling her in his coat
just seconds after Charlie admitted that he went without a coat to
show his love for Zoey. The irony never escaped Josh. Whether anyone
else caught it that night or not, he knew what it meant to give Donna
his coat that night. He did precisely what Charlie had done - he took
off his coat to show Donna how much he loved her.

He knew it then, but he didn't know exactly what he wanted.

Now, he knew what he wanted, but there was one thing that suddenly
hit him like a ton of bricks: he didn't know how to do it. How did he
become a dad?

The panic set in - and that's when he reached for his cell phone,
dialing the number of the only person whom he trusted in this
situation.

Hearing a grumpy "hello," Josh held his breath.

"Josh, I know it's you. I have caller i.d., ya know?"

Clearing his throat, Josh rocked back in his chair. "Yeah, Toby. Um,
I need your help."

"You're calling me for help? You know I can't go anywhere near policy
right now."

"Yeah, um, it's not professional. It's personal."

"Okay." Toby patiently waited. "Josh, I don't usually do personal you
know. But, hey, I'll make one exception - just for you - but you've
gotta tell me what's up. I'm not psychic."

Taking a deep breath, Josh jumped in. "Donna's pregnant, Toby."

Josh didn't hear anything. "Toby? Still there?"

"Wow. I mean, wow, Josh. Mazel tov."

"Thanks. There's just one problem - I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean, Josh? They burp, sleep, eat and poop. You'll get
the hang of it."

"No, I mean, I don't know how to be a dad."

"Ahh ... the question all men ponder."

"Yeah."

"Well, let me just begin by pointing out that babies come with hats."

Josh chuckled. "Hats, huh? Mets' hats?"

"Yeah, Josh, all babies come with Mets' hats - that's the real
miracle."

Suddenly, Josh felt a weight being lifted.

"You have a few minutes, Josh?"

"Sure. I have to leave in about 10 minutes to have dinner with Donna,
but what'cha got?"

Josh heard Toby pop his footrest out on the recliner. "Let me tell
you a story." And with a hint of amusement in his voice, Toby
launched into a time many years ago, during Bartlet's term when he
sat in Josh's current office and had a heart-to-heart with the man
who brought so much wisdom to all who knew him.

Once again, Josh thought as he listened to his good friend, all roads
lead right back to Leo.