Title: Tomorrow Is Much Too Late (2?)
Author: Trish
Rating: PG-13
Category: AU - Angst/Romance
Spoiler Info: Transition, but goes completely off cannon.
Disclaimer: Not mine, but how I wish they were. LoL.
Feedback: Very much appreciated.

Archiving: Sure. Just let me know where it's going.
A/N: This is my first venture into writing fanfiction and I'm extremely nervous. I have been reading so many great Santos Administration stories lately and going back and reading more angsty stories. I was inspired to combine the two and go completely AU. I've changed some of the dialogue and events that happen in Transition to suit this story line. All thoughts and feedback are greatly appreciated, but please be gentle.

A/N 2: The timeline in this chapter is going to jump forward pretty fast.

Three weeks and six days had passed since Josh and Donna talked. She had begun organizing things in the First Lady's office and loved it. Josh was getting everything sorted out as best he could for the Santos Administration. Things at home had been somewhat rocky. Donna was quieter than usual, which Josh didn't understand. He thought, maybe she was reconsidering the timeline. However, he was wrong. Donna had paid the first month's lease in advance on a new apartment in Georgetown.

That night when Donna got home from work, she finished putting things in boxes and moving them to the storage space where she kept the other furniture and such from her old apartment. She just hoped that Josh wouldn't notice until now. She was hoping not to have this conversation till the last possible minute. At the thought of that she began to cry in their, no, his living room and when Josh came home that night she got her wish.

"Hey." Josh said as he walked in the door. "Donna? What's wrong?"

She couldn't speak, but she was shaking. He ran into the kitchen to get a glass of water and to the bedroom for a sweater for her. It was then he realized nothing of hers was there.

"Donna," he said as he re-entered the living room, "Where's all your stuff?"

"Josh… I-I told you four weeks." Donna sobbed.

"What! You're going to end this because I didn't meet your deadline? Donna, please. Things have been so crazy and so hectic. You have to understand. I-I-I…" He wanted to say he loved her, but he didn't want the first time he said it to be taken as a way to make her stay. "I don't want to be with anyone else. How can you end this over a timeline?"

"Josh, it's not just a timeline. You didn't even try to make an effort to split your time between me and your job. How can you be the only person in the White House who can't do that? Sam can, President Elect Santos can, for God's sake even Lou can! What can't you! Am I just not important enough? Am I just not worth it?" She shouted.

"No! God, Donna, no. You-You mean everything to me."

"Oh Josh," she touched his cheek, "Actions speak louder than words and you have done nothing to show me you are capable of balancing your job and your personal life. I'm not asking to come first, but I'm asking you to want to try."

"Donna, please, let me prove it to you. I'm just so over-whelmed. You said yourself that it all happened amid absurdly heightened emotional circumstances. I'm glad that it happened, but we never got a chance to be together when our lives weren't completely chaotic. Please, can you let me try to make this work?"

"Josh. I-I'm moving out. If you wanna make this work under normal, non-chaotic circumstances, then its best if I moved out."

"But, Donna…" He protested.

"If you want to make this work, I'll give you that chance. Trust me, though, it's for the best if I move out."

"Fine. Ok. Whatever you think is best. I want to be with you, Donna, more than anything."

"Josh." She whispered, leaning in to kiss him. The tension of the past few weeks and the weight of the conversation led them very quickly to Josh's bedroom. The conversation was put on hold.

The next morning, Josh and Donna woke up tangled together as they always had before that conversation four weeks back. Josh had woken up first and looked at her in the early morning light. God, he thought to himself, I love this woman so much. She's always been there for me, done everything for me. How is it that I can't do this one thing for her? He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "I love you, Donnatella. I will make this work, I swear."

Josh got up shortly after that to make breakfast for Donna. She strolled in about fifteen minutes later to the smell of omelets and coffee.

"Morning you." She whispered in his ear, her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Good morning." He smiled back.

"So, last night was nice. On the nice scale, it was way up there in terms of, you know, niceness." She said smirking.

"I should have known you were going to throw that back at me."

"So, you made breakfast. What's the occasion?"

"I'm turning over a new leaf, Donnatella. This is just the start."

"Josh, while this is very sweet, you don't need grand gestures. You know what I want, what I need from you."

"Yea," he didn't know what to say, but she was right. "Breakfast is served, my dear."

They ate breakfast and talked happily as if nothing was wrong between them. Donna got dressed in the bathroom while Josh got dressed in the bedroom and then went into work together. As they drove, however, a silence fell over the car, screaming of the changes that were to come.

"So, um, I was thinking that maybe, if you wanted to, you could, ya know, help me move into my new place. We could order dinner in and talk about…" She paused not know how to say this next part.

"Talk about what comes next." Josh finished for her. "Yea. That would be good. I'd love to help you." He smiled genuinely over at Donna and squeezed her hand.

For the first time in four weeks, Donna felt a sense of hope.

By the time they had moved everything into Donna's apartment it was 10:30, so they ordered a pizza and just talked and talked. When Josh finally looked at his watch it was a quarter to two.

"Wow, it's late!" He said, showing Donna his watch.

"Oh my gosh! Well, we didn't get to talk about what we are going to do. Do you wanna talk now?"

"Well, it is kind of late…"

"Yea, I mean, you could stay once we talk, since it's late."

"No, yea, we should talk. Talking is good and when that's done, we'll just go to bed. Yea, let's talk now." Josh replied, a little too eager. Donna simply shot him a look.

"Ok. Do you mind if I talk first?" Donna asked and Josh nodded. "Kay. Well, I think you were right. We never got a chance to do this," she motioned between the two of them, "without a time of complete stress. I think if we want to make this work we should start from the beginning. Go out and date and spend time together like a normal couple that's just starting out. But, Josh, you need to be able to balance the two aspects of your life. I know you love your job and it's what you live for but…"

"No, Donna," he cut her off and she was surprised by his words, "I love my job, but it's not what I live for."

They looked at each other and the love in their eyes spoke volumes that their words could not. Donna knew what he was saying and was relieved he didn't actually come out and say it. She was fairly certain she wouldn't have been able to go through with taking it from the beginning and taking it slow if he had.

"We need to start over, not erase what we've been through or what we mean to each other, but we have a clean slate. You know what I mean?"

"Yea, I agree."

"Ok. So we'll start over, take things a little more casually, see other people, and see wher-"

"WHAT!" Josh screamed. "You want to see other people? Is that what this is all about?"

"No, Josh, no. How could you even think that? Its just in the beginning, when you start to see someone you aren't exclusive right away. I thought you, we, should have that option."

"I meant what I said, Donna. I wanna make this work. You're the only woman I want to be with."

"Thank you. You know I feel the same, but…"

"Yea." He sighed. "You do what you need to, but the only person I'll be seeing is you."

She smiled up at him. He couldn't help but lean in and kiss her.

"I think that's enough talking for tonight."

Two weeks later, Josh was still as great as he said he would be. Donna didn't think she could be happier, but she still wanted things to go slow.

That afternoon, Donna had a meeting with Congresswoman Andy Wyatt to discuss some pieces of legislation the First Lady was interesting in.

"Hi Donna! How are you?" Andy said hugging Donna.

"I'm well thank you. How are the kids?"

"A handful, but good. I heard you moved out of Josh's."

"Wow. Word spreads fast. We're still seeing each other, but, well, you know."

"Yes, I do." Andy said somberly. "Ya know, my campaign manager is quite handsome, and single. Maybe I could give him your number?"

"Um, yea, sure." Donna said, regretting it once the words were out of her mouth.