TWW3

Summary: A short little story about Josh and Donna, not set in any particular time frame.

Disclaimer: These characters and The West Wing are not owned by me, and I am gaining no $ for this story.

Dedicated to my father, who introduced me to TWW and encouraged me to write. I love you Dad! I wrote this for you. Happy b-day, and enjoy! Love ~JEC

Coffee and Cinnamon Rolls

It was extremely late that night in the west wing. It couldn't even truly be counted as night any more, but rather as early, early morning. Donnatella Moss walked slowly into the office of her boss, Joshua Lyman, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff. She was exhausted. Her usually perky smile was absent from her face, and she didn't strike up any conversation with her boss like she usually did. Josh looked up from his work, rubbing his eyes, and watched her put a file away and walk out. He felt guilty suddenly, for making her stay so late. He quickly gathered his papers together, put all his files away, and organized his briefcase. Then he waited until she had come back into his office and had her back to him, when he crept up behind her and grabbed her around the waist, twirled her around, and swept her off her feet. She just looked at him, a little annoyed but mostly confused.

"Josh," she asked tiredly, "what are you doing?" He grinned at her and carried her to his desk.

"Grab my briefcase, please." he asked, mock politely. Donna looked at him suspiciously.
"You won't drop me?" she asked.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed in a hurt tone. She sighed and reached to grab his briefcase when he added devilishly, "Yet." Donna punched him lightly in the arm as he carried her over to the door. "Hit the lights, would ya?" Donna flipped the lightswitch and the office was plunged into darkness. Josh stood there for a moment with Donna cradled in his arms, and listened to the rhythm of their breathing. Abruptly, he turned around and marched to Donna's desk and deposited her gently to her feet. "Get your stuff together, okay?" Donna obediently gathered her purse and a few files from her desk. She returned him, smiling a little now, wondering what was going on. He handed her his briefcase, turned off the lights, and swept Donna into his arms again. He carried her out of the bullpen and out of the building, passing the tired but alert guard, who smiled when he saw them and waved them through. He carried Donna to his car, opened the passenger door, and seated her inside. Then he went to the driver's side and started the car.
"Josh, where are we going?" Donna asked. Her boss just smiled in response.

Josh drove them away from the city, where traffic was slow and every noise echoed in the still night air. The traffic lights seemed to shine much more brightly, as if their true colors could only come out when few people were around. Josh parked at an all-night diner and got out of the car.

"I'll be right back," he said, winking at her, and disappeared. A short time later Josh exited the diner with a bag and two cups of coffee that were steaming in the chilly air. He handed everything to Donna and drove some more, until they arrived at a small park, pocketed, almost hidden from sight in the middle of the suburb. He parked the car and got out.

"This is the end of the line." he told her, smiling. Donna got out of the car, with the bag still clutched in her hands. Josh led her over to a bench shaded by a large weeping willow. Its branches were completely still; no wind stirred them. They seated themselves on the bench and he handed his assistant one of the drinks.

"Go ahead," he said, sipping his coffee, "open the bag." Donna complied and pulled out two humongous, still warm cinnamon rolls. Josh promptly took one and bit into it. "Thewe's extwa fwosting in the bag." he said through a mouthful of sticky bun. Donna beamed at him and started eating her pastry. They sat there in silence for a while, eating and drinking. Licking his fingers, Josh was satisfied to see that Donna's cheeks were red and she was smiling again.

"You did it again, Joshua." she said, calling him by his full name, which usually meant he was in trouble.

"What?" he asked, a little dismayed. She laughed, a beautifully crystalline sound that rang and echoed throughout the park. She explained,

"First you keep me working until three in the morning, and I'm ready to snap at you if you so much as say another word, " she paused as Josh gave her one of his many 'I'm hurt!' looks in his repertoire. She held up a hand to keep him from speaking as she continued, "then you go and do something like this, totally considerate and incredibly sweet. You're confusing me!" she exclaimed, and smiled. Josh drank in her smile and tried to imprint all of her features in his mind. He finally said casually,

"I'm sorry if you were confused." and kissed her gently, fully, on her lips. She pulled back, surprise widening her eyes. Josh felt defeated. His one shot, gone. She would probably never talk to him again, she would quit work, and then his inspiration would be gone from his life forever. He had been too forward, he should've known... He hung his head. Then Donna leaned forward until their foreheads were touching, looked into his eyes, and hope filled his heart. Maybe, just maybe... Donna kept her eyes locked on his and brought her mouth closer to Josh's. He could smell her hot breath; it was spicy with cinnamon. She kissed him, roughly and passionately, wrappin her arms around him, pushing him down on the bench with her force. Now it was his turn to be surprised, but he recovered quickly and met her passion with the force of his own. Finally, they came up for air, panting and sweating, their status and jobs forgotten for the moment. All that mattered was that he was a man and she was a woman and they loved each other. Everything else could go to hell. After all, wasn't that what life was about? Making the world a better place for those you loved? Weren't your friends, your loved ones, what you did everything for?! In that sudden moment of clarity Josh knew that he and Donna could overcome any obstacle that stood in their way. Josh would do everything in his power to make her happy. Yes, that was all that mattered to him. Donna knew this, in that quirky way she knew everything he was thinking, and was flattered and amazed that someone could care about her that much. But of course, she reminded herself, it's Josh. Donna looked at him and smiled, a smile that came from her but that seemed to reflect the happiness singing within his own heart. Josh scooped her up into his arms, kissed her nose, which was cherry red from the cold, and trudged out of the park. Then the only sound that could be heard in the blanket of silence that covered the slumbering city was that of a car, driving away...

That's it! I know it's kinda fluffy, but maybe this is what I wish a guy would do for me. Please read and review and tell me what you think!

~RainShadow