A/N: It was something that was on my mind for a long time and now I decided I'd give it a try. Leave a review if you liked it.
Through Good Times and Bad
"Here," Josh handed a bottle to Charlie.
"Thanks," Charlie said and looked back at the house. "Zoey sent you?"
"Yes and no. She told me something is on your mind. But I came out to escape the crazy talk about baby showers and wedding plans. Is it any wonder that men don't understand women?" he asked then hypothetically.
"Yeah," Charlie concurred. "So, how is the wedding coming?"
"It's okay. At least as long as they don't expect me to participate in the planning," Josh said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Yeah," Charlie said again, taking another swig of his beer.
"So, you wanted to escape too or just wanted to be alone?" Josh asked, looking at Charlie appraisingly.
"Well, not much chance of that now," Charlie said with a sarcastic undertone.
"Sorry," Josh said but had no intention on leaving.
"You know, he asked me once," Charlie started but Josh had no idea what he was talking about.
"By he you mean President Bartlet, right?" he asked to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah," Charlie said with a nod. "He asked whether I wanted to see him executed," he explained.
"Ah," Josh let out a sigh and then turned back to the house. "Does Zoey know that he is on the death row?"
"No, and I don't intend to tell her," Charlie said, throwing a warning look at Josh.
"Why not?" Josh asked, although he knew. Charlie wanted to protect Zoey. "Why stall the inevitable, Charlie? One day you'll tell her. Either because you'll be comfortable with it by that time or because she coaxed you into it, or-and that's the worse case scenario-because Deanna talks to her about it. But you know what happens then? She will be hurt," Josh said.
"Huh?" Charlie asked, not quite following Josh.
"She will be hurt because you didn't tell her. She'll be hurt because you shut her out, because she is your fiancée. She will say no to the marriage proposal you had been planning, or if you tell her when you two are married, she will use the oath you took when you married against you. Because there is a line: "through good times and bad." She will look at you with hurt in her eyes, and then you'll feel guilty, and then the both of you will feel guilty, and it's a downward spiral from then on," Josh laid out the future.
"How'd you know I'm planning a proposal?" Charlie asked.
"I have eyes and they are connected to my brain, you know," Josh joked.
"How did you get so wise about relationships?" Charlie asked. "Don't answer that, I know how. Was it bad without Donna?"
"No one can imagine how bad. I lost her as my assistant, as my friend and as my love," Josh said. "Those months… I'll never get back those months. I didn't know how to handle that, Charlie. I shut everyone out until she came back, and I realized that I can lose her again if I keep shutting her out. She told me we had four weeks to figure things out; I almost gave up on the fourth day. She didn't. I took her to Hawaii and I spilled my guts. I'm not proud about the way I did it, Hell, I even cried, and you understand if I hear about this from Zoey, I have to tell President Santos to draft you and send you to McMurdo, but I'm actually glad I did. Donna and I already went through good times and bad, but my 'baggage' would have stood in our way if I wouldn't have told her."
"Do you think he will pardon him?" Charlie asked then in a whisper.
"That's something we agreed we don't talk about. I told him I'll be there for him if he needs me, whatever decision he makes, but I told him he has to come to the decision alone," Josh explained. "What if he did?" he asked then gently.
"I was thinking about closure a lot these days," Charlie said. "I don't think his death will have a great effect on me. I've already come to terms with my mother's death. Although this certainly opened some wounds," he admitted then. "I know I can't get my mother back by his death but I want him to pay for his deeds."
"You know I'm against capital punishment," Josh said. "I'd say that the injection or the electric chair or whatever is an easy way out. For a few exemptions, those people are humans with a conscience. They are bound to experience pangs of guilt, remorse or whatever. The more time they spend behind bars the more they will realize what they did and that's real pain, Charlie. That's what I call punishment," Josh added then fiercely. "Let them rot in whatever prison and let them sort it out with God alone."
"Yeah," Charlie said non-committal.
"Okay, now that I know what's wrong with you I'll leave you and offer my two cents about a baby shower," Josh joked and patted Charlie's back reassuringly. "If you want to talk about it we are here. And President Santos asked me to tell you that you can call him anytime you want."
"Thank you. And I think I will. Could you send Zoey out?" Charlie called after him.
"Sure thing," Josh said and then walked back slowly to the house.
"He wants to talk to you, Zoey," he told Zoey once he found her and Donna in the kitchen, looking out the window.
"You know what's wrong with him?" Zoey asked, the fear in her voice not to be missed.
"Yeah, but that's his tale to tell," Josh said and looked after Zoey as she left the kitchen in a hurry. He felt Donna's hand on his shoulder then, and he turned to envelop her in a hug.
"You are a good man, Joshua Lyman," Donna told him.
"Yeah, because you made me one," Josh confessed.
"No, you've always been, you just didn't want others to see that side of you," Donna clarified.
"But you always saw it, didn't you?" Josh asked with trepidation in his voice. "Even when I was mean to you, even when I wasn't myself, even when I shut you out."
"Even then," Donna said with a nod. "You are a good man, Joshua Lyman and I love you."
"I love you too," Josh said and leaned in to kiss Donna. After they broke the kiss he glanced outside. Zoey held a crying Charlie in her arms. She looked up and saw Josh looking at them. Josh couldn't see her eyes but knew that Zoey was thanking him. He nodded and turned back to Donna. "Let's get this baby shower planned!"
"Josh, you don't want to frighten Ellie in her condition, do you?" Donna quipped, but linked her arm with his.