Unlikely Confidant
Donna confides her feelings in the least likely person -- Donna And Leo
Notes: I do realize that this is an unlikely conversation for these two to be having (hence the title), but I liked the idea so I wrote it anyway. See what you think.
Donna and Leo aren't mine, I'm just borrowing them for a short time.

Leo and Donna were being driven back to the airport, following a surprisingly successful town hall meeting. Donna was trying to make some notes using the SUV's interior light, Leo was on the phone to Josh. After a couple of minutes, Donna gave up and decided to wait until they were on the plane. She sat and stared out at the darkened landscape while half listening to Leo's end of the conversation. She was a little jealous of how easily Josh and Leo had fallen back into the routine of working together, she wished her and Josh could do the same.

"Giving you a grilling?" Donna asked when Leo hung up.

"How'd you guess?" Leo smiled. "He isn't convinced it could have gone as well as I said."

"Sounds like Josh," Donna said. "It was a good meeting, more like the campaigning I remember."

"Our campaign strategy a little different to Russell's?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, this is better."

Leo was glad Donna was happy working for him, but he had to ask. "Why'd you go work for Russell?"

"Why? I, I don't know. I needed to move on, I needed... I don't know," Donna shrugged.

"To get away from Josh?" Leo asked.

"Maybe."

Leo nodded. "Are you angry with him?"

"No. Why, what's he said?"

"When you left, he told me you were pissed at him," Leo replied.

"I needed to move on work wise, I didn't move on from him."

"Okay."

They drove on in silence for a few minutes before Donna spoke again. "He thinks it's his fault," she said. "The bomb, me getting hurt."

"Of course he does," Leo agreed. "He's Josh. He always thinks it's his fault when someone he cares about gets hurt."

"I tried telling him... he doesn't listen, he beats himself up."

"You don't have to tell me." Leo was well aware that Josh felt guilty about letting him go off on his own at Camp David. He knew Josh would always mentally kick himself, and worse, for leaving without checking were Leo was first.

"That's part of why I had to leave," Donna was saying.

"I don't understand."

"I know it sounds selfish, but I couldn't deal with his guilt and my own feelings as well. It was too much. If I'd have stayed I'd have said something that I could never take back."

Leo looked toward Donna in the darkness. "Did you talk to someone?"

"Yes."

"Did it help?"

"After a while."

"Good," Leo nodded. "And it wasn't selfish," he added.

"I'm not sure Josh would agree with that."

Leo wasn't sure what Josh thought. He knew the younger man had been upset by Donna leaving so suddenly. One more thing after a very bad six months for Josh. But he also knew that Josh of all people didn't expect anyone to hang around just to make sure he was alright. If anything, he expected people to leave. But then maybe that was what made Donna's going worse, she was the one person he thought wouldn't.

Donna watched the distant lights of houses and of passing cars. She hadn't realized how much she was going to miss Josh until she'd started working for Will. Now they were working together again but something was missing, the banter wasn't there. He had it to a certain extent with Rhonna, Ned and Bram, but it seemed forced with her.

"Why did you send him to Germany?" she suddenly asked.

"Because if I hadn't he'd have imploded in the Oval Office," Leo replied.

"Really?"

"He was right on the edge, Donna. Letting him go to be with you was the only way to stop him falling him off."

"Giving him something to do?" Donna suggested.

"For God's sake," Leo sighed. "You and Josh may think you've had everyone fooled for the last eight years, but you really haven't. No one, not one person in the west wing, not one member of the press pack, no one questioned why Josh had suddenly dropped everything in the middle of an international crisis to fly to Germany."

"They thought he was representing the White House?" Donna tried to suggest.

"No they didn't," Leo replied.

"Oh," Donna knew that sounded pathetic, but she really had no idea what to say. If it was anyone but Leo she was talking with, she could have admitted her feelings, but this was Leo and the whole conversation just felt weird. "He stayed the whole time," she said. "He came into the OR, all gowned up," she smiled slightly at the memory. "He was there when I woke up, he was the first person I saw." She glanced over to where Leo was sitting. "He looked like hell, like he hadn't slept in days, which I guess he hadn't."

"No," Leo agreed.

"I couldn't handle it, not then."

"And now?"

"I don't know," Donna lied.

Leo had known for years, on some subconscious level he chose not to visit, that Josh and Donna had strong feelings for each other. Feelings that ran much deeper than friendship. He knew that Josh has realized his feelings had been all too obvious after the bomb attack. At the time Josh hadn't cared who saw, all he'd cared about was getting to Donna. Afterwards though, once they were back at work, he'd tried to distance himself from her.

Donna stared back out of the window, this really wasn't a conversation she should be having with Leo. They should be discussing the campaign, not her feelings for Josh. And she couldn't deny that she did have feelings for him, feelings that were as strong now as they'd ever been. She was fairly sure he felt the same, she'd caught him watching her in the way he used to when they were in The White House. The difference now, was the huge gulf that seemed to have developed between them.

"I should talk to him," Donna told the darkness, not intending to speak out loud.

"Yeah you probably should," Leo agreed.

END