Title: Cowboys & Indians
Author: Melanie-Anne
Email: melani_anne@yahoo.com
Rating: PG 13 for some friskiness
Pairing: Josh/Donna
Spoilers: miniscule one for "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen", events of the current season do not apply to this story.
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, no money is being made and no infringement is intended.
Summary: Josh. Donna. Halloween. Add some costumes and a party and we're ready to play :o)
~*~
October 29, 2003
The White House
"No."
Donna pouted and crossed her arms. "Please?"
"No."
It was clearly time for another tactic. She shut the office door and walked around the desk, resting her hands on Josh's shoulders. Slowly, deliberately, she ran her thumb along the side of his neck.
"Donna—"
Almost there, she thought. Time to pull out all the stops. She started massaging him, digging her fingers into his muscles. His head flopped forward and he let out a soft sigh of contentment. She smiled.
And stopped.
"I guess it's fine," she said. "If you really don't want to . . ." She flipped her hair as she went out.
"Hey, wait. Donna!"
His voice echoed after her as she returned to her desk.
"Donna!"
She ignored him, sat down and decided that now was a good time to check her email. Three, two, one, she counted silently. Right on cue, Josh appeared at her desk. She pretended she couldn't see him.
"Donna."
She looked up, smiling sweetly. "Joshua."
"I'd like you to finish that thing."
"What thing?" Sometimes half the fun was getting Josh to give in, she thought.
"That thing you do . . ." He lowered his voice. "That thing with your thumbs."
"You mean a massage?"
"Yeah."
"It comes with a price."
"Donna—"
"Fine." She shrugged and turned her attention back to the computer. "No thumb thing."
He groaned. Donna tried not to let him see how much she was enjoying this. "Fine," he mumbled. "I'll go with you."
"Great." She clicked the mouse, slowly scrolling down the screen.
Josh shifted uncomfortably next to her. "So, are you going to finish the thing?"
"Later. You have a meeting with Leo in about—" She glanced at her watch. "A minute."
"You're evil, you know that?"
She smiled. "That's why you love me."
He shook his head and headed to Leo's office. "Evil!" he called over his shoulder.
"Oh, Josh! You have to dress up!" She couldn't help giggling at his muffled curses. With two days to go before the party, there would be no time for Josh to find himself a costume. Fortunately Donna had already picked one for him. With a choice between King Kong, Spiderman or a cowboy, she'd decided to go with the last one. Josh was still enough of a little boy to like it and besides, she'd always had a thing for cowboy hats.
*
October 31, 2003
Josh Lyman's Apartment
Josh stood in front of his bathroom mirror and adjusted his Stetson. He wondered how it was that he'd been suckered into going to this party. It was inevitable though; when Donna put her mind to something, she was practically a force of nature. Something as insignificant as what Josh wanted couldn't stand in her way.
He had to admit though, that he looked pretty good in his cowboy outfit. He slid his hand across the brim of his hat and winked at his reflection. Donna had thoughtfully not provided him with a gun; since Rosslyn he had developed issues with guns, whether they were real or fake. She had given him a lasso instead. Despite an afternoon of practice, he had yet to master it.
"Josh Lyman! Are you done in there?" Donna knocked on the door. "We're going to be late."
That's the point, Josh thought. Maybe he could persuade Donna to stay in and they could play their own version of Cowboys and Indians. He was really not in the mood for Donna's ex-roommate's Halloween party. Especially not when Donna would be the only person he knew, and when there was an Alfred Hitchcock movie marathon on TCM.
He opened the bathroom door, ready to suggest a private party, and froze. He opened and closed his mouth, but couldn't manage to form a single word. Donna twirled around, modeling her costume.
"You like?"
He liked. Lots. A private party was looking more and more appealing. Donna was dressed as a Sioux princess. She wore a black wig, the contrast with her pale skin doing strange things to Josh's nether regions. He gulped, and took in the rest of her costume.
Her belly was showing. He suddenly had difficulty breathing.
"You ready to go?" she asked.
He nodded; where were they going again? He didn't care; he'd follow her anywhere right now.
"Good." She turned to leave and flicked her braid across her shoulder. Josh groaned; this was going to be a long evening.
*
Amber Grayson's Apartment
Georgetown
In truth, Donna didn't plan on staying at the party long. Not that she intended on sharing this with Josh, of course. When they had arrived, she had proudly introduced him to her friends. He'd smiled politely, looked uncomfortable, smiled some more, and found the punch. Donna frowned. Now that she thought about it, he'd been consuming an awful lot of punch in the time they'd been here.
She excused herself from her conversation with Luke Skywalker and Catwoman, and made her way to the drinks table.
"Josh."
He grinned, knocking back a glass of punch. "Donnatella. You know, it sounds like you should be a song. Donna-tella . . . Like Rosanna. I'd listen to the song. If there was a song. I'll write you a song. No, wait. I'll ask Toby to. He writes well."
Donna smiled at the thought of Toby as a songwriter. They'd go ice-skating in hell before that happened. She pried the glass from Josh's fingers.
"You should have some punch. It's great. My compliments to the cook. Chef. Whoever made it."
"I think you've had more than enough for both of us," Donna said.
"Hey, you two! Say cheese!" Chewbacca said.
Josh pulled Donna against him and planted a kiss on her lips as the flash went off.
"Thanks," Chewbacca said and headed across the room to Robin Hood, Elvira, Cruella de Vil and Mother Theresa.
Josh grimaced. "Donna, I don't feel so good."
"We can go in a minute. Let me just say goodbye to Amber." She found Tinkerbell in the kitchen. "Hey, Amber, we've got to run. Thanks for a great party."
"You're leaving so soon?" Tinkerbell put her wand down and hugged Donna. "It's still early."
"Yeah, we've, uh, got a thing," Donna lied. She'd had plans, but Josh getting drunk hadn't been part of them.
"Well, I'm glad you came."
"Me too." Donna smiled.
*
In the cab on the way home, Josh slid across the seat and bent his head to hers. "Guess what?" he said.
"What?"
His breath on her neck tickled. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
"There was no alcohol in the punch."
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "None?"
"Uh-huh." His hand was warm on her thigh. "Your friends are strange."
"Really." She wasn't listening. His hand crept further up her leg.
"Mmm . . . I've never seen so many weirdoes in one place. Well, there was that time I had that meeting up on the Hill . . ."
She chuckled.
"Anyway," he continued. "I remembered we had another party to go to."
"Oh?" She arched her neck, giving his mouth easier access to her skin.
"Yeah. A very special VIP party—"
"That's redundant."
"Whatever. I got the only two tickets."
"What kind of party is it?"
"A theme party. Cowboys and Indians."
"Imagine that."
There was the sound of someone clearing his throat. Donna opened her eyes to see the cab driver looking at them, clearly amused. She elbowed Josh.
"Guess what, cowboy. We're home."
Josh paid the driver and they got out of the car, almost stumbling up the steps in their haste to get inside.
"Hey, Donna. Are you going to do that thing?"
She shook her head. "You're going to do the thing."
"What thing?"
"The thing thing." She tugged at his shirt, pulling him towards the bedroom. She tripped on the rug and they ended up in a tangled heap on the couch.
"Oh, the thing thing," he said.
"Mmm . . ."
He started to pull her wig off but she stopped him. "Uh-uh. We've got to play Cowboys and Indians properly."
"I've never played it this way."
"Do I have to teach you everything? Here, put your hat back on."
"I see where you're heading." He smiled and leaned down to nibble her earlobe. "Hey, next time, I want to play Cops and Robbers."
~*~