I don't own any part whatsoever of The West Wing or its characters.
This is just a fluffy post-ep/AU to "17 People". I've pretty much written exclusively angsty fiction, so I thought it would be a nice change to write something upbeat. First "happy"story, please be liberal with the reviews, they are always nice to receive! Thanks!
The Roosevelt room emptied as Donna cleared away the empty Chinese food cartons from the table. "Hey" Josh called softly from the doorway and moved to help her. "Listen, I know it's Friday, but we gotta go over some numbers and stuff before the Correspondents' dinner but I really don't want to stick around here any longer..." "Slavedriver," Donna muttered but then straightened up and sighed, "Alright. Your place in like fifteen. Just make sure you pick up more beer on the way cuz we drank the rest last weekend." Josh smiled sarcastically, "Yes dear, should I pick up some milk too?" Donna turned back to cleaning up, "Go away from me now."
Much later, Donna watched with amusement as Josh, with a little crinkle between the eyes, concentrated intensely... on stacking the empty beer bottles into a pyramid on the coffee table, "Shouldn't you be doing, you know, real work?" Donna asked, getting up from the pile of folders on the floor. Josh threw her a look, "I am working, in fact, as we speak I am thinking about the Mexican economy, and the eminent collapse of the peso…and just so happen to be building a magnificent feat of architecture, because I am da man. Seriously though, if they don't devalue soon, their entire economy could collapse." Josh took another sip from his beer and followed Donna who had headed to the kitchen for another.
He wandered back there as her voice came from his freezer, "Are you going to eat the rest of this ice cream in here?" He leaned against the door frame, "Nah, go ahead, you're talking about the chocolate fudge brownie right?" She poked her head out to grin at him, "Of course, it's my favorite" she said, grabbing a spoon and the carton. Josh puffed himself up, "I know it is, for not only am I a man of occasion, but I also anticipate your every need." "Oh shut up" she snorted, but couldn't help smiling as she hopped up on the counter to eat. "Josh, Josh, Joshua, Josh," "This gonna be a thing with you now?" he asked-concerned once again about what the hell was going on "you want a bite?" she smirked, holding out the spoon. She suddenly got an idea. "Ok, go stand back by the door; I'll let youplay for it." He shook his head but enjoyed her playful mood and did as he was told. She scooped a big spoonful of ice cream and held it in front of her. She closed her eyes, "Green light." Josh rolled his eyes and walked forward. He froze when her eyes snapped open and she cried, "Red light!" She eyed him carfully, "Don't move…" "Hey, I know the rules, I was five too." "Yea, I can't believe you can still remember-" "Hey now-" "Greenlight!" She cut him off, shutting her eyes. "Redlight!" She cried to find him right in front of her, grinning, and frozen in the act of reaching for the spoon. She moved to feed him the ice cream, but at the last second ate it herself. "Hey Ado Annie, what the hell was that?" She swung her legs, adopting an exaggerated pout, "You didn't actually win you know. And besides, I suddenly remembered how mean to me you were tonight, and thought twice about you deserving any of my ice cream." she replied haughtily. "Your ice cream? Oh give me that!" Josh lunged for the ice cream as Donna laughed, twisting and struggling to keep the carton out of his reach. But suddenly, her arms pinned overhead against the cabinets, his face inches from hers, it wasn't so funny any more. He brought her arms to her sides but still held onto her without looking away. In his eyes she could see a familiar mix of desire, one she always pretended not to notice, had told herself was imagined. She had seen it earlier that night in the office but she knew that this was different, this time he wasn't going to stand up and walk away, this time they weren't in the West Wing, and, she also knew her eyes looked the same. She could barely breathe to whisper, "I didn't say greenlight…"but she was cut off by gentle press of his lips against hers.
He pulled away, "Josh?" she whispered. He backed off and started pacing in front of her, running his hands through his hair, "Donna, sorry, I don't know what came over me, I mean just tonight with the joking around, and the flowers, and the red lights, Donna I wouldn't stop for red lights either you know, you have to know that, but I mean, I don't know what I was doing, and if you don't want…" "Joshua, stop." He looked up and took a breath. He moved to stand in front of her once more and let her put her hands on his shoulders. She put her finger to his lips when he tried to speak again. "Would you just stop for a second? I know you wouldn't stop for red lights. I know that, and I know everything else, everything you don't have to tell me. I do." And before he could speak she kissed him again.
He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer as she tangled her fingers in her hair, and her legs around his hips. He pulled her off the counter their contact growing more intense, more desperate, more urgent, making up for years of denial and restraint. "Donna," he mumbled against her neck as her hands paused pulling his t-shirt from his jeans, her breath coming shallow. She pulled back a little, and rested her hands on his chest, feeling his heart race, "hmm?" He covered her hands with his, and kissed her again before saying, "The thing is, I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with you." Another kiss. "And I just have to tell you that I don't want this to be a one night thing,…" He grinned shyly and stumbled on, "I, I would even go so far to say I want this to be a rest of out lives thing, so if you want to back out now it'd be ok." She laughed softly, "You know, your voice just got really high just then. Let's just see how it goes ok?" He smirked, "See how it goes? Like we're not going to be amazing at this" "That's not what I meant…" but before she could finish he was kissing her again fiercely and leading her back towards his bedroom.
She woke up to find her head on his chest and smiled against his skin, remembering how they had come to be tangled up in each other. She propped her chin up to find Josh's eyes closed, still sleeping or so she thought until he mumbled, "Good morning Sleeping Beauty, whatcha pondering there, my rugged good looks?" Donna crawled up to his face and kissed him gently. "Ah, it must have been my sexual prowess you were considering, or my alluring lips that attract beautiful women far and wide." She groaned but couldn't wipe the grin from her face, "Impervious. But no, I was just rethinking that whole, rest of our lives thing you briefly mentioned last night," His eyes snapped open and he smiled, "Hmm, so it was the fact you couldn't live without me that was on your mind." She rolled her eyes, "That, and the fact that you cheated at a game a five year old could win." He sat up a little straighter, "That's ridiculous, I definitely won, you want a rematch?" Donna tossed the pillow at his head, "This is going to be an unbearable day!" "Bet your ass," Josh answered but stopped in his move to kiss her, as she put her hand up. "What?" She held his face in her hands, and simply said,"Greenlight"