"I don't know why we didn't think of it before," Josh spoke enthusiastically, pausing only to take another sip of his beer. He had a one track mind lately. He didn't want to talk about anything but tuition reform.

"What is your sudden obsession with tuition reform?" CJ asked. "I mean, I'm all for it but it's like the two of you can't think about anything else," she eyeballed Josh and Toby.

Toby thought of his conversation in the bar with Matt Kelley, but Josh's mind went back to another honest talk in that same bar. Just like most everything else, she was his inspiration for this too. She was the reason he was hellbent on changing the system.

"I just want people to be able to go to college. To make it just a little easier. So we can make sure that Americans don't have to turn their lives upside down and sell everything they own to try and get an education."

Though he was answering CJs question his eyes were boring into Donna's as he continued to speak.

"To make sure that no one ever has to drop out and take a waitressing job to make ends meet ever again."

Donna blushed and looked at her hands. Everyone within earshot knew what he was saying. All of senior staff knew her story in varying levels of detail.

Donna shifted in her chair, clearly uneasy with the attention Josh was directing towards her.

Sam surveyed the scene somewhat hesitantly, easily picking up on the tension filling the table. "Let's, uh, grab another round," he stood, Toby joining him. "Josh? Come on, buddy."

Josh stood slowly and began to join the other men but stopped at Donna's chair and bent down to her eye level. He gently reached out and tipped her chin up with one finger until she was looking directly at him. He hated that this was a source of embarrassment for her. She was the brightest, most amazing woman he'd ever met and he wished so much that she'd carry her head high everywhere she went.

"I may not be able to fix the past, Donnatella, but I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure it's right in the future." He moved to kiss her gently on the temple, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I promise you, Donna, that I'm going to make sure that some day, when the time comes, our kids never have to worry." And with that he strode off to join Toby and Sam at the bar.

Donna's jaw dropped as her eyes widened at his words.

CJ simply stared at Donna. "Well?!" She wanted the dish. "What the hell was that?!"

"Uh-" Donna didn't know what to say. She was just as thrown off as CJ was. Josh's words echoed in his head. His gentle touch, the feel of his lips softly grazing against her skin as he whispered those words into her ear. "I... don't know," Donna responded honestly.

CJ continued to talk but Donna didn't hear a word that she'd said. She watched transfixed as Josh walked towards the bar.

"Just drunk Josh, being drunk Josh," Donna waived it off, but she couldn't focus on the conversation in front of her for the thoughts swirling in her head. 'He meant our kids as in his kids and my kids, not our kids,' she told herself, tamping down the feelings for him that had been resurfacing more and more frequently, and turning back to CJ to change the subject. She did, however, find herself stealing glances of him the rest of the night.

OoooO

Donna had just finished getting ready for the day and gathering her things when she heard a knock at her front door. Looking into the peephole she was almost taken aback when she saw Josh standing in front of her apartment fidgeting nervously.

"Hi."

"Hi." She leaned against the doorframe. He looked somehow different to her. Vulnerable, she thought.

"I think I need to explain myself," he began.

Oh. Her heart sank a little bit. His words from the previous evening echoed through mind most of the night, and for a few moments she'd allowed a little self indulgence. But she gave him the easy out. No need to make this any more painful than it needed to be. "You don't have to explain yourself, Josh. We're all exhausted and we were drinking... it was nothing."

"But it was something, Donna! It's everything," his tone softened as he stepped forward. "You're my everything. And I'm sick of pretending otherwise. I want to change the world for you. I want to change it for, God willing, our kids. And I'm not good at things like this. But I thought maybe asking you out for coffee would be a place to start?"

She blushed slightly, unable to hold back a smile. "Yes. I think maybe it would be. Then again..." her smile widened even more as she leaned forward and kissed him softly.

Yes, he thought as she wrapped her arms around him. He'd most certainly be willing to change the world for her.