When I make my way out of CJ's office, I'm happy to find Donna still hanging around, chatting with Margaret and some of the other staffers. She says a couple of quiet goodbyes as I hover around the outer door, waiting for her. My hand presses gently against her back as I usher her through the doorway, pushing her just a little as she gives me a confused look.

"Isn't CJ coming up, too?"

"She had some calls to make first," I answer as we start to wind our way through the halls to the residence. We're quiet then, and I wait until we're somewhere between the offices and the Residence before coming to a stop, grabbing onto the hem of jacket so she won't go very far. "Donna…"

"Josh? What's going on?" Her forehead crinkles in concern, her head tilting to the side.

"Come over later," I repeat; it sounds more like a demand than a request.

She sighs, shaking her head. "We already talked about this."

"I know, I know, but…I just kinda want you there."

She reaches out, stroking my cheek for the briefest of moments. "It's sweet, I guess, that you're trying this hard for a booty call—"

I grab at her hand before she can pull it away entirely, pressing it to my chest. "No, not a…one of those. I need someone there with me."

She tenses up, her smile looking forced. "You should probably ask Amy then."

"Amy? Why the hell would I ask Amy?"

"Isn't she your savior?"

"What? No! Donna…" My mind races as I try to figure out why she'd say something like that.

"C'mon, Josh. We need to get up there." She tries to walk away. Her hand is still on my chest so I just tighten my grip, trying to pull her back to me.

"Donna, please. I need you tonight."

"But what about the next night?" Her voice grows quieter, and I have to lean in to hear her. "I need somewhere to stay for a week or two until I can get back into my apartment. I'm supposed to blow off CJ for tonight and expect her to welcome me back into her home tomorrow?"

"Not at all—"

"And the bigger question is, do you need me, or do you just need a body?"

Has she lost her mind? "Donna, what the hell are you talking about?"

She leans away from me, trying half-heartedly to tug her hand free. "Well, if you're just looking for company, call Sarah Potrero. She's nice, and you never know—she might need some 'company,' too."

"I'm not calling Sarah—"

"Fine. Ask Amy, then. I'm sure she'll be happy to—"

"Donna, Amy has a boyfriend now."

Her eyebrows quirk, the corner of her mouth twisting a little. "I'm sure if you just mentioned it, she'd come running." My eyes grow wide at the hint of vitriol in her voice. "That's the only reason you're not asking her to come over—she's already involved with someone?"

Realization dawns over me—Donna has somehow gotten the idea that she's my second choice. Nothing could further from the truth. "I wouldn't care if she was wearing a flashing neon sign that said 'Open For Business,' I'm not interested in Amy."

Donna's face softens a bit, thought she still looks skeptical. "You're sure about that?"

"I've known her for a long time. We have a lot of history—"

"I'm aware," she mumbles, avoiding my gaze.

I can't help but wince at that. Donna definitely had a front row VIP seat to my relationship with Amy including scheduling dates, sending flowers when we had a fight, receiving calls from while I was lounging around in Amy's bed. It couldn't have been fun, and if whatever is going on between us is something that's been building for years, I'm sure it had an added level of horror for her.

"But none of that means I want her with me instead of you." I release her hand but immediately grab onto her hips, stepping closer. "Maybe this isn't exactly what you want to hear, but I really could use a friend right now. I mean, no matter what's happening, we're friends, too, right? And we've both lost someone we care about."

A lump forms in my throat that I can't clear away and my head drops forward, my chin resting on my chest. "I don't want to be alone. I want to be with you."

"You want your own personal celebration of life, don't you?" My head whips up but she's smiling at me gently, her eyes teasing, and I immediately feel myself relax.

"Well, now that you mention it…"

She chuckles a little, taking a step closer to me. "I'll think about it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Not the answer I'm looking for, but better than a flat out "no" like before. I lean in and press my lips to hers. She makes a noise of surprise but only hesitates for a second before responding. I try to keep it gentle but I haven't kissed Donna so many times yet that I don't still marvel at how unbelievable it feels.

"You know," I breathe against her lips, reluctant to pull too far away, "you can stay with me as long as you want to. The invitation isn't just for tonight." I kiss her again. "If that changes things."

"I'll think about it," she repeats, barely coming up for air between kisses. I'm hoping she won't be a hard sell because just casually doing this is awesome.

It occurs to me at that moment that I'm making out with Donna Moss in the middle of the White House. Despite the circumstances, about five million fantasies are coming true at once. I've definitely imagined scenarios very similar to this one in the last eight years or so. I feel myself being pulled closer and smile against Donna's mouth when I realize she has me by the lapels. Kissing her may not make everything better, but it sure as hell doesn't make anything worse.

Vaguely, I hear a noise down the hall and remember that CJ is probably heading this way now. Donna tries to shove me away but I hold onto her for a couple of long moments. Whatever this is, even if we're not advertising it, shouldn't be treated like it's something unseemly. We're not doing anything wrong. Besides, if we yank apart like that, it'll inevitably look like we're trying to hide something.

I take a step back, my lips the last thing to leave her, and take a deep breath. I wipe my hand over my mouth, hoping that it doesn't look like I'm wearing Donna's lipstick. She wipes at the edges of her mouth and I can't help but feel satisfied that her already full lips look even more swollen right now. Her cheeks are flushed, her hair is a little mussed, and she looks a lot like we've been doing something more than kissing.

"Hey," CJ says, her voice full of surprise as she catches up to us. "I thought you'd be up there by now."

My mind draws a blank. It's on the tip of my tongue to say that we were making out like a couple of teenagers, but I don't know either of the two women before me would appreciate that.

Donna jumps in, shaking her head and waving her hand dismissively. "We had some other stuff to talk about but it didn't seem like it'd be appropriate for the Residence."

I have to admire that—Donna managed to tell CJ the truth without giving away any of our actual conversation or actions.

"Well, is everything all right?" CJ asks, concerned.

"Okay as it can be for now," I answer, impressed with my own diplomatic answer.

CJ gives me an odd look but I try to brush it off. A lot of us are behaving strangely right now; hopefully she won't put too much thought into anything that seems more off than it should be. "Are you ready to get in there, or did you need a few more minutes?"

Before I can answer, Donna jumps in, shaking her head. "No, let's go." She and CJ turn to walk down the hall and I just shrug, falling into step next to Donna. I'm not brave enough—or dumb enough—to put my hand on her or my arm around her, so I press myself as closely as I can to her side, happy for any contact I can get.