Title: Ain't No Other Man
Author: MRM
Rating: PG (language
Category Romance
Spoiler Info: Post Ep for King Corn
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Aaron Sorkin and The West Wing. The song is Christina Aguilera's. No infringement of rights intended or implied.
Archiving permission: just ask
A/N: Well the first time I posted was encouraging so I'm going for it again. I love these two. Why, oh why Mr. Sorkin tortured us for so many seasons I'll never understand. Thanks to Jeanne and Flow!!
Josh bolted upright jerked from the restless sleep he fell into after an awkward encounter with Donna in the hall. He wondered what woke him as he mentally checked his body for the usual after effects of a nightmare. 'Nothing,' he thought and then he heard her scream cutting through the thin walls of the hotel where they were both staying. Grabbing his cell phone and key card he flew out of his room and across the hall to Donna's.
Reaching her room, he paused a moment remembering when he was outside this door earlier this evening intending to knock but not finding the courage to do so. Donna had changed and he was still stung by her leaving. Now as he leaned his ear against the door hearing her gasping and sobbing, he realized it didn't matter.
"Donna, open the door," he called through the wood-paneled barrier between he and Donna. He listened again to hear if she was coming towards the door hearing only her thrashing around and whimpering. He knocked again.
"Donna, please," he pleaded quietly willing her to hear him. He jumped and his heart thundered in his chest as the sound of her shrieking his name cut into his soul; the sound heavy with her pain. "Oh God!" he exclaimed as his jumbled brain frantically tried to formulate a plan to get into her room. He turned placing one hand on his hip the other raking through his hair. He looked one way down the hall then the other and saw Will running towards him.
"You have a key?" Josh asked hopefully thinking later he would want to know why Will Bailey had a key to Donna's room.
"Yeah," Will stated plainly as he slipped the card through the lock, got the green light and paused watching Josh hesitate at the door. "Aren't you going in?" he looked at Josh quizzically.
"Uh," Josh hedged.
"You'll hate yourself if you don't," Will prodded.
"Not like I don't already," Josh countered rubbing his hand through his close shaven hair.
"Time to change that," Will challenged the other man with his entire countenance.
Donna willed her thundering heart to slow, taking deep breaths in and out as she watched the two men at the door by the light of the hallway. She dropped her head as she saw Josh falter and the tears that were tottering on her lashes slid down her cheeks. She knew it; he was too hurt, too angry for the way she left him.
Josh caught the door as Will let go and made his way back to his room. Josh shut the door with a soft click, turned, leaned against it and looked towards her waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Donna observed the war of emotions play across Josh's face and the way his hands fidgeted against his sides.
"Go back to your room, Josh," Donna stated sternly. Josh looked down at his hands, then back at her and set his shoulders before he spoke.
"Does this happen often?" he asked softly taking a step toward her.
"God Josh, go back to your room," Donna said again this time pleading.
"No," he stated his voice cracking.
"Excuse me," Donna replied with ire.
"No," he responded with a bit more force as he stepped further into the room standing by the bed hands on his hips.
Surprise and weariness leaked the energy from Donna's anger. She studied his face for a moment. He looked unbelievably tired. She figured out he was sleep deprived in the few times she'd seen him. She could tell that his back was bothering him by the way he stood. She could also tell that he'd existed on all the wrong foods. The campaign was wearing him out.
"Why are you here?" she asked softly.
"Huh?" Josh questioned eyeing her warily and then watching her drop her head in her shaking hands. She felt the weight of the bed shift as he sat on it. Josh's eyes took in her slumping shoulders, trembling body and taut muscles. He recognized the signs; he'd seen them in him.
"Gee Donna, I don't know, trying to get an unknown nominated for President," Josh joked. Donna noted that the humor didn't reach his eyes. Josh stared at her a moment longer and sighed.
"You were screaming Donna," Josh whispered softly. "You screamed my name. So I'm going to ask you again, does this happen often?"
"Uh," Donna started looking down at her wringing hands, "Not since just after, you know." She glanced at him and then dropped her head again.
"Gaza?!" Josh queried as he stood to pace. "Why didn't you say anything? Did you see someone?"
"Yes Josh, I'm very familiar with the signs and the need to seek help for them," Donna responded a bit more harshly then she intended. Her words stopped Josh and he rested his hands on his hips brown eyes boring into hers.
"Did they stop?" Josh asked his voice soft and full of care.
"Yes until lately," Donna admitted without ire gazing into his warm, brown eyes.
"So when did they start again?" he asked with trepidation, he had a feeling he knew the answer. Donna tore her eyes from his and looked down at her hands. "They started when you first saw me, right?" Josh whispered. Donna nodded her head without looking up. He grimaced and started to head for the door.
"Thanks for stopping by," Donna snorted sarcastically as she lifted her head and watched his retreating form.
"Tone duly noted Donnatella," Josh retorted over his shoulder.
"You're abso-freaking-lutely amazing, you know that Joshua Lyman," Donna accused icily.
"I'm saving you the heartache Donna, I never should have come in the first place," Josh replied as he reached for the door.
"Is that why you didn't call?" Donna asked standing. Josh froze closing his eyes, clenching his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. He knew this conversation was coming. How many times did Toby tell him to call her? Why didn't he call her she wants to know? Does she really have no idea? He felt like throwing something or punching the wall and then he realized she was still talking.
"Not once did I hear from you, I quit, the next day there was a temp in my chair and still you never called. You quit, pick the real thing without me and still you never called. Why Josh? Didn't I matter enough? I thought after Gaza I did, but obviously…" Donna's voice trailed off when Josh turned on his heel and turned towards her, his eyes flashed with fire and they hardened with the anger boiling inside him.
"Obviously you never knew me then did you Donnatella," Josh bit through clenched teeth. "Because if you did then you knew I needed you, you should have known that I was brooding, as you call it, over something and in earlier days you would have pushed or you would have known. You knew how things were and still you left. You. Left. Me! Deal with it Donna, you bailed, I didn't."
"Joshua, you bailed on me the minute I stepped back into the White House from my medical leave," Donna sighed and her body sagged with the effort, suddenly tired enough to sleep through any nightmare. Josh recoiled from the truth of her words and turned again to go.
"I hope you call whomever you'd been seeing about the nightmares Donna. I know from experience it helps," Josh whispered over his shoulder. Donna lowered her head to her hands catching the flood of tears that poured from her eyes.
"Damn it," Josh bit out as he leaned his forehead against the door, listening to her cry; silent tears of his own coursed down his cheeks. He knew this was it—their only last chance and if he walked out this door it was over. Josh knew one thing for certain in his life and that was he would never love a woman the way he loved Donna.
"You're right," he admitted, his voice hoarse and heavy with emotion. "I was scared out of my wits Donna. You almost died. I was scared of the ramifications of me leaving to be by my assistant's bedside. Not to mention another man had you, had been with you in ways I could only dream about, had your heart and I was scared I lost the chance to love the most amazing woman I had ever met in my life," he stated as he turned around and looked at her tearstained face and watery eyes. He thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world right then and every time he had the good fortune of looking upon her face. "I'm sick and tired of being scared Donna."
"God I think that's the first honest thing you've said in months." Donna smiled slightly and Josh responded in kind.
"It's a new thing I'm trying." Josh smiled sheepishly stepping away from the door, drawn by her smile. "Not being, you know, me."
"Really, and what brought this on?" Donna asked eyes wide with amazement.
"The Congressman seems receptive to it," Josh admitted chagrined as he took another step into the room now standing by her bed side. Donna reached up and laced her fingers through his hand.
"I love you too Joshua," Donna admitted softly looking from their intertwined hand to his face awash with love and his eyes filled with hope. "I always have." She gave a tug on his hand and pulled him into her bed relishing that he responded by pulling her body close to his. After a few minutes he started to fidget and Donna knew his mind was not letting him relax.
"What?" Donna exhaled frustrated.
"We've gotten ourselves into quite the mess here Donnatella," Josh stated with a sigh, his hands stroking her arm where it rested on his chest. "What are we going to do now?"
"While I admit we do have a bit of a situation here. It's late, I'm tired and right this moment Joshua I'm going to enjoy the fact that a, we aren't angry with each other anymore, b, you are holding me in your arms in this very nice, very warm bed, and c, we still have a few hours before we have to be up," Donna listed sleepily not raising her head from where it was tucked in the crook of Josh's shoulder and neck. "So close your eyes, shut off your brain and enjoy it with me."
"Ah kay," Josh murmured turning dropping a kiss on her forehead reveling in the feeling of simply holding this beautiful, amazing, infuriating woman. "For now," he added feeling her soft breath exhale across his chest.
It wasn't long before Josh, plagued by a question about Heathcliff, couldn't settle.
"God Josh, what is going on in that brain of yours now?" Donna huffed lifting her head seeing his face covered with a frown.
"Did you love him?" Josh asked softly and Donna felt him pull into himself emotionally and physically. She saw him cover his eyes afraid to look into hers.
"Joshua Lyman look at me," Donna directed him shaking him with her hands. Josh lowered his hand, lifted his head and looked directly into her beautiful blue eyes. "I love you. I have only loved you for so long now. I'm sorry about Colin. He was a mistake I made on the bad advice of someone I trusted." She lowered her gaze and shook her head to rid herself of the memories of that discussion with CJ. "I'm only going to say this once and at great risk of inflating your ego beyond repair, but I guess you need to hear it. There is no other man ever going to take your place in my heart. It is like I was born to love you Joshua Lyman and it is you whom I will love until the day I die. Now can we go to sleep?" She smiled at the smirk on his face, leveraged her body closer to his and captured his lips in hers.
"Hmmm I gotta tell ya Donnatella, after a speech like that sleep is the last thing on my mind," Josh flipped her over on her back and ravaged her mouth with such fervency she felt she was going to pass out from the pleasure of it or lack of oxygen. And really, she thought to herself, was it such a bad way to go?
Ain't No Other Man
I could feel it from the start,
Couldn't stand to be apart.
Something about you caught my eye,
Something moved me deep inside!
Don't know what you did boy but
You had it and I've been hooked ever since.
I told my mother, my brother, my sister and my friend
I told the others, my lovers, both past and present tense.
Everytime I see you everything starts making sense.
Just do your thang honey!
Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
You got soul, you got class.
You got style with your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man its true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.
Just do your thang honey!
Never thought I'd be all right. No, no, no!
Till you came and changed my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
What was cloudy now is clear! Yeah, yeah!
You're the light that I needed.
You got what I want boy, and I want it!
So keep on givin' it up!
Tell your mother, your brother, your sister, and your friend.
And the others, your lovers, better not be present tense.
Cause I want everyone to know that you are mine and no one else's!
Oooooooo, oh!
Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
You got soul, you got class.
You got style your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man it's true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.
Break it down now!
Ain't no other, ain't, ain't no other! (other)
Ain't no other, ain't, ain't no other LOVER!
Ain't no other, I, I, I need no other!
Ain't no other man but you!
Ohhhh!
You are there when I'm a mess
Talk me down from every ledge
Give me strength, boy you're the best
You're the only one who's ever passed every test
Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
(You're the kinda guy, a girl finds oooo yeahh)
You got soul, you got class.
You got style your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man it's true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.
And now I'm tellin' you, so ain't no other man but you.
Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you
Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do
(what you do).
You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon.
You got soul, you got class.
You got style your bad ass - oh yeah!
Ain't no other man it's true - all right -
Ain't no other man but you.