A/N: Don't be mad guys. It's like that old saying "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Except, it's "Don't cry because she hasn't finished her other stories, smile because she has a new one to torture you with."

Honestly though, guys. I couldn't help myself with this one. And it's for the holidays!

I won't give anything away yet, I'll let you read the first two chapters ;) But at the end of those, I'll tell you what's going on and (some of) what my plans are.

I love you all. Thanks for bearing with me, yet again.

Rating: T?

Reviews: They make my day. All day, every day.

Disclaimer: None of these lovely characters are mine. If they were, they'd be so much happier. Not as entertaining, but happier.

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Stanley Keyworth looks up from the table where he'd put up shop in the West Wing at the soft knock on the door. A young blonde woman enters and smiles at him meekly before closing the door behind her.

"You must be Dr. Keyworth."

"Call me Stanley. You must be Donna." He notes the circles under her eyes.

"Yes. Nice to meet you." She takes his hand politely before sitting down across from him.

"I've spoken to many of your coworkers in the past few days." He looks down at his notes. "CJ Cregg, Toby Zeigler, Sam Seaborn. Have they told you anything about how this works?"

She doesn't quite meet his eyes. "A little."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard. I've just got a few questions for you, about Josh. I don't want you to feel like this is prosecutorial, because we're just trying to help him."

"Right. Yes, of course."

"I understand that you're the one that brought Leo's attention to the matter."

She nods tightly. "Well, someone had to."

"You didn't think it would resolve itself?"

"I, um. No. I was worried it wouldn't."

"Okay. And you wanted to hand it off to someone who could deal with it?"

She bristles, as he'd expected her to. "No! I mean, yes. I wasn't foisting him off on anyone, you know. It's just that he's rather stubborn, and well, he wasn't exactly going to deal with it unless confronted, so, yes. I wanted some... Help."

He nods, jotting something down. "Understandable. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

She takes a stiff breath. "It's fine."

"How old are you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How old are you, Donna?"

"I don't understand how that's relevant."

"I'm just trying to get a picture of things. The dynamic, around here, you might say."

She just out her chin bravely. "Twenty-five."

Stanley nods stoically, not betraying a thing. "That's quite young."

"Quite young for what?"

"I don't know. Quite young to be dealing with all this, that's all."

"I'm perfectly capable."

"I'm sure you are."

She blinks, taking a moment to rein herself in. "Right. Right, well, ask me anything you want."

"How old is Josh?"

She looks deeply irritated again. "Don't you have that information?"

"Well, yes. I suppose I could look for it." He makes a big show of moving aside a large pile of folders and papers.

She exhales in frustration. "Thirty-five! He's thirty-five."

"Ah. I see." He doesn't say anything beyond that. "Your friends have been helpful, of course. Very helpful. But I'm hoping you'll offer me the most insight."

"And why is that?"

"Well, you spend the most time with him."

"Yes. I do."

"You're married to him."

"Yes. I am."

"Don't you think that affords some insight?"

She snorts primly. "You'd be surprised." Stanley merely looks at her. She seems to realize what she's been conveying throughout the interview, and quickly humbles herself. She folds her arms and looks down at the table. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I really do want to be helpful."

"I know you do."

"I really do want to help him. I want him to get better. I want..." She trails off before continuing in a near whisper. "I just want him back."

Stanley nods, jotting something else down. "Well. That's what I'm here for."

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Stanley is growing frustrated. He knew when most people had begun their description of the guy with "What you've gotta understand about Josh is..." that he would be working on quite the character, but this is just getting ridiculous! He's already endured an hour of the guy's snarky answers, his avoidance, his misdirection. God, it's Christmas Eve. Doesn't he want to go home, too?

Of course, it is all indicative of the pain he is in. But still. Stanley decides to pull out the big guns.

"So I understand that you're married."

Josh looks up at him sharply. "Yeah, I am. So?"

"I spoke to your wife a few days ago. A charming woman."

Josh glares at him. She spoke to him? Evidently, he hadn't been the only one hiding things in this marriage. "Did you, now?"

"She's very young. Beautiful, too."

"Okay, man, that's my wife-"

"I'm just pointing it out. You're very different."

Josh gives him another twisted smirk. "You're saying I'm not beautiful?"

"I'm saying you're an interesting pair."

Josh's voice climbs in volume and pitch. "If you're trying to imply that she's a trophy wife-"

"I never said that."

Josh swallows his indignation. "Well, good. She's not."

"Okay."

"I'm not that kind of guy."

"I'm sure."

"Well... Good."

"How did you meet?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Your wife. How did you meet her?"

"I don't understand what the fuck this has to do with-"

"If you wouldn't mind watching your language."

"I'm saying it's got nothing to do with why we're here."

"I'd say the most important relationship in your life has plenty to do with why you're here. She's your family, and your support network. At least, I'd assume so."

Josh nods almost imperceptibly.

"Well, okay then. I think it's relevant to getting a full picture of your well-being."

Josh looks out the window. "The campaign. We met on the campaign."

"She worked on the campaign?"

"Yeah."

"What did she do?"

"She was, um, an assistant."

"To who?"

"It's to whom."

"I'm sorry?"

"To whom. Not to who."

"Well, okay. To whom?"

Josh coughs. "To me."

"I see."

"Listen, it's not what you're thinking, okay? It wasn't like that."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

"She's very worried about you, you know. Donna."

Josh runs a hand through his hair, and smiles wryly. "Yeah, well. She has a funny way of showing it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"I understand you have a son."

"Yeah, I do." Stanley recognizes the slight puffing up as Josh says this, noticeable only to a fellow father. "Noah."

"How old is he?"

"Sixteen months."

"Hm. Good age."

"Yeah."

"How long have you been married?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"You probably wouldn't buy that I'm planning an anniversary gift."

"Stanley-"

"Josh, I'm going to ask you questions. And you're going to answer them. That's how this works."

"This is ridiculous-"

"You've got a young wife, and a young son. Now maybe I'm too modern, but I'm just wondering what made you want to get a jump on things, when the two of you obviously could've waited a few years."

"Don't talk about him like that."

"Who?"

"My son! Like he's, I don't know, a burden! Something we could've pushed aside and waited a few years for! Something we didn't want!"

"I'm sorry."

"We got married because she was pregnant, okay? Are you happy? We got married because she was pregnant."

Stanley nods, in that way he's sure Josh finds irritating beyond belief. "Yes, Josh. Yes, you did."

He knows why Josh doesn't care how late he gets home tonight. It's because there's no one there.

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Sorry to leave you this way! But you'll be glad to see I've already posted chapter two - at the end of which, I kind of sort of explain what's going on.