A/N: this occurs near the end of season 1. You will recognize a portion of the conversation from later in the series... but still, it's season 1. I'm play god here.
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"Okay, I'm leaving," Donna announced from the doorway to Josh's office, trying to exit swiftly.
"What time is it?" He didn't look up from the memo he was reading.
"It's seven o'clock."
"You're not leaving. It's not even late."
Donna let out an exasperated sigh. "Joshua, I told you I was leaving at 7. It's 7. I'm leaving."
"But..." he lifted his head to make a joke, catching a glimpse of her. She looked spectacular. "Whoa. Where are you going."
She shifted a bit uncomfortably, looking at an insignificant point across the room. "I'm meeting someone. For dinner."
"Someone? A man?" Josh realized that he was becoming a bit more worked up than he was probably allowed to be about this.
"Yes, Josh. I'm having dinner with a man."
"A date?!" He didn't care. He was worked up.
Donna sighed. "Dinner. It's just... a quick dinner."
"He squeezed you in for a late meal. Yeah, I'm sure he's a real winner," Josh snarled.
"I'm going to be late." And with that she grabbed her bag and left.
OooooooO
"Hey," CJ handed Josh a file. "Here's the thing you wanted."
"Thanks," he muttered, clearly irritated.
"Donna wasn't at her desk," CJ attempted to keep things brief, but she was ready to head home after a long day.
"She's on a date," Josh stated flatly.
"Really?" CJ seemed intrigued, leaning her hip against Josh's doorway as though she was waiting for additional information.
"Yeah. Why?" Josh kept working.
"Well," CJ shifted uncomfortably. "I just really didn't think she'd go... I mean, she's put all this time and effort into making a life for herself without Paul and now he just waltzes back in..."
"PAUL?!" Josh bolted up out of his chair. "You're telling me she's out with Dr. Freeride?!"
CJ was somewhat shell shocked by his reaction. "I, uh, yeah. I mean I guess she is. He called and left a message on our machine asking her to dinner tonight but I thought she'd decided against it."
Josh rummaged around on his desk and grabbed his keys hopping up. "Where is she?"
"What?" CJ was once again startled. "Josh, sit down. You're not going to get her."
"Like hell I'm not." He was defiant. All he could see was an image of her in that dress after he'd been an ass all week. He wouldn't let that jerk talk her into anything.
"Do you even know where she is?" CJ crossed her arms, raising her voice to try and break through to him.
He stopped to contemplate, raising his eyebrows. "No," he admitted. "Do you?"
"Not a clue."
"We'll find her," he stated, somewhat unsure of himself.
"What are going to do, Josh? Drive around to every restaurant in DC until you find her? That'll sound great in my press room tomorrow morning."
Josh sighed, slumping back into his seat.
"It's just dinner," CJ told him. "It's not like she won't be at work in the morning or something."
Josh's eyes darted up to meet CJs. He didn't know how to respond to that but the depth of his worry was readily on display.
"I'm going home," CJ announced when Josh didn't respond. "Try to get out of here at a decent time tonight, mi amor."
OooooooO
Josh sat in his office, brooding, for a few minutes before he accepted the fact that he wasn't going to get anything accomplished. That's why, only half an hour later, he found himself hesitantly ringing CJs doorbell.
"Hey," she furrowed her brow. "What's going on?"
"Oh, I, uh, thought you might like some company," he began, knowing it was a weak cover. He lifted a bag to present to her. "I brought Chinese."
CJ raised an eyebrow at him. Though she'd been looking forward to a rare night at home, she opened the door and let him in. There was definitely something on his mind.
Making himself at home on the couch, Josh removed the takeout while CJ grabbed drinks.
She watched him closely as he picked at his dish, moving the food around in the carton more than actually consuming it.
"Want to talk about it?"
Josh eyed her skeptically. "I just thought you'd like some company for dinner." It sounded like a flimsy excuse even as he said it.
"Cut the crap, Josh," CJ sat her chopsticks down.
"I just don't understand what's so great about him that she'd want him back."
CJ sighed. "She doesn't want him back. She's just going to dinner with him, not packing her things and moving to Wisconsin."
"How do you know that?" Josh was suddenly timid, a stark contradiction of his normally commanding personality.
"Because I do. I've known her a long time, remember?" CJ gave him a friendly smile. "Her confidence has grown by leaps and bounds in the last years, Josh, thanks in no small part to you. She's not trying to get him to take her back tonight, she's trying to get some semblance of closure. She's trying to show him what she's made herself into, and to show herself that she didn't let him break her."
Josh was quiet and amazed, somewhat surprised at CJs words. He hasn't thought of that. All he could think of was her in that dress and some asshole stealing her away from him. Convincing her that she was somehow less than the woman she truly was.
"So, with that, I'm going to take a hot bath and go to bed early for the first time in a long time," CJ stood. "You can leave a note for her to call you when she gets in or you can stay and wait for her. And since I'm pretty much positive you're going to take me up on the latter of the options, I'll go ahead and tell you to make yourself at home."
Josh smiled sheepishly, but he was grateful she wasn't making this an issue. He wouldn't relax until he saw her- he wanted to be here when she got in. "Thanks," he muttered.
She began to walk down the hallway but paused again, turning to face him. "I don't pretend to even begin to understand the complexities of your friendship with Donna, but you're very sweet, Josh. To both of us."
OooooooO
Josh heard the door unlock and quietly close again, a flash of red rounding the corner to head down the hallway.
"Donna?" He questioned, getting up from where he was seated to follow her.
"I'll, uh, be right there," she called softly, a small quiver in her voice.
He furrowed his brow, easily able to tell that something was off. Still, he gave her space, standing awkwardly in the living room for a few moments. When she didn't return after several minutes he checked on her, opening the cracked door a bit more.
"Donna?" He asked. "Everything okay?"
"Fine," she muttered from the bathroom, in just washing my face.
Hearing the water running, he sat on the edge of her bed and waited, looking around a bit and smiling at the trinkets and memories around the room.
"Want some pajamas," he asked loud enough for her to hear.
"Top drawer," was her only reply.
He smiled a bit as he grabbed his own Yale shirt. "Hey, are these my boxers?"
"You think they're itchy, so they're mine now," she stayed, grabbing the clothing through the cracked door. She emerged only a moment later, with a clean face and a pony tail.
Josh thought she looked adorable expect for one thing. "Have you been crying," he asked. "What's wrong."
"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm just tired," she blew him off. "Wait. What are you doing here?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I was just in the neighborhood. Thought I'd stop by."
She was too tired to fight with him.
"Why are you crying," his concern was increasing. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. I just wanna go to bed," she told him, ignoring him once again.
Unsure what else to do and thrown completely off kilter by a crying Donna, Josh pulled the sheets back for her. She shot him a funny look but climbed in nonetheless. He tucked her in and loosened his tie, crawling on top of her comforter. He opened his arms to her and kissed the top of her hair as she curled into his chest.
They lay silently until Donna finally fell asleep in his arms and Josh quietly let himself out of CJ's apartment in the middle of the night.
OooooooO
Josh's buzzer woke him from his sleep. Groggily he got up and shuffled over to the door.
"Yeah?" He scrubbed his hand over his face wondering who in the hell could be here this early in the morning.
"It's Matt Skinner. Let me up."
Confused and not thinking clearly yet Josh took a moment to process the information before clicking the buzzer and opening his door, wandering back in to make coffee.
A minute later his door opened and closed, Matt appearing in Josh's living room. "Wow, this place is a mess," Matt stayed flatly, looking around Josh's apartment.
"Can I help you with something?" Josh was not a morning person.
"Grouch."
"It's 5am on a Saturday and there's a Republican in my living room. What do you want, Matt?"
"Look, Josh, I hope I'm not overstepping here, but last night I was out with some colleagues-"
"Who?"
"Walken, Haffley and Calley..."
Josh pulled himself into political mode, ready for a fight.
"...but that doesn't matter. We, uh, God this is hard," Matt shifted uncomfortably. "We ran into Donna."
Josh's head spun over to Matt from the coffee he was making, giving the other man his full attention. "Last night." It was a statement more than a question.
"Yeah. Listen, Josh, it's none of my business but I thought you'd want to know... she was with some guy and he was, well he was being pretty rough with her, Josh."
Every muscle in Josh's body tensed. "What do you mean, rough with her?"
"I don't know the whole story, but she tried to leave and he made a scene. He was yelling, made a scene, and she got up and he grabbed her-"
Josh was seeing red. If he hasn't seen Donna come home last night, and know that she was safe and sound, he wouldn't have been able to continue this conversation without racing out the door to find her.
"Anyway, we finally realized who it was and I walked over and this guy- who was a real prick by the way- wouldn't back off."
"How'd she get out of there?"
"Walken's driver was waiting outside. He sent her home in his car."
Josh ran his hands through his hair, still trying to formulate a coherent thought out of the anger coursing through his veins.
"Look, Josh, this isn't going to be a thing."
"Everything is always a thing with Haffley," Josh muttered.
"Not this," Matt jumped in. "Nobody's going to bring it up, we all like Donna. We don't want to see anything bad happen to her. Besides, worst case scenario for most people on my side of the aisle is having to deal directly with you instead of Donna. I just- wanted to give you a heads up. I don't want to think about what would have happened if she'd left with him."
He was somewhat stunned, his mouth dry, but he managed to mutter a thanks. Matt nodded his head and showed himself out.
Josh thought he was going to be sick. He glanced at the clock, knowing she'd be in the office soon, and got dressed to head in and meet her there. He'd think of what to say on the way.
OooooooO
Josh practically slid into the bullpen, stopping himself to intentionally slow his movements just before he reached her.
"Hi," he said softly, trying to read her.
"Hello," she greeted. She looked tired, and Josh knew when she was faking a smile- and that was a fake smile.
He jerked his head towards his doorway, implying that she should follow him, and she did. Closing the door behind him he sat his backpack down softly and leaned removed his jacket, moving them over to sit in his visitor chairs.
"Donna," he began so softly it was very audible. "I need you to tell me what happened last night."
She blushed a bit, looking away from him to stare at a point on the floor, fidgeting with her sleeves. "I'm sorry about that." It came out as a nervous rush. "It was nothing. I was just stressed and tired and I shouldn't have cried..."
He reached out and clasp her hands in his. "Slow down," he whispered, rubbing soft circles on the tops of her hands with his thumbs. "I know what went on at the restaurant," he admitted. "I'm asking you if you're okay. If he hurt you."
"I'm fine," she supplied, but he didn't believe her. There was something off in her voice. Something a little too rehearsed. That, and the fact that she was wearing long sleeves in mid-July wasn't lost on him.
"Donna? Look at me, please."
She did, albeit reluctantly.
"He grabbed you," Josh stayed calm, though he was teetering on the edge of insanity at the thought of someone hurting her. He wanted to be wrong about this, but he knew he wasn't. "Donna, did he leave a mark?"
She bit her lip but didn't respond, her silence all the answer that he needed.
"Donna-"
"It's nothing."
"What do you mean, it's nothing? He grabbed you. It's not nothing, it's battery! It's never nothing."
"No, it wasn't."
"Yes, it was! I did go to law school you know!"
They stare at each other, wondering who will be the first to blink. Finally Donna sighs. There's no way he's going to let this go. And she doesn't have that many long sleeve blouses. She looks away while she unbuttons the cuff and rolls up her sleeve. It's already an ugly bruise, the same size as Paul's hand, completely surrounding her wrist. It wasn't a frequent occurrence but it's not the first time he's left her bruised, either.
Josh tries to conceal his gasp and roughly runs his hand through his hair, trying to keep himself in check. "I'm going to fucking kill him," he muttered under his breath.
It's just the first time anyone cared enough to notice.
"How do you feel?" He switched gears quickly, immediately. "Did you ice it? Do you need to see a doctor? We could get Dr. B down here..."
"Josh, I'm fine," she repeated herself for the millionth time, cupping his cheek with her palm. He realized that somehow she was no comforting her.
"I should have been there," Josh stared blankly off into nothingness, speaking to himself more than her. "I should have been able to protect you."
"You did." Her voice was crystal clear in the silent room.
"What?" He's become lost in his own thoughts to some extent.
"I said that you did protect me. Do you think the Speaker of the House just sends any girl who looks like she's on a bad date home in his town car?"
He stared at her, perhaps considering this for the first time.
"It's the same reason I'm always looked out for in DC," she continued. "My car had a flat tire a few months ago, and do you know who helped me change it? A Congressional Chief of Staff. And last week a legislative liaison from a Senators office helped me load my groceries. You are watching out for me. I'm under your veil of protection and this whole town knows it. All the time."
"But I should have been there. Me. It should be me that you call, Donna. And not just last night... you should have called me when you had that flat tire."
"You we're going to change my tire?" She quirked her eyebrows up at him, desperate to lighten the mood together.
"Well, I... no. But I have that auto club thing. I would have called the auto club and sat there while we waited for them."
Donna let out a little puff of air, almost bordering on a giggle. "Maybe you should call me when you have a flat tire, Joshua." Her hand moved from his cheek to his hair as he remained crouched down in front of her.
Josh cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the rest of the conversation that he couldn't avoid. He softly took her hands back into his, a stark contrast from the way Paul had grabbed her the night before. "I need you to do two things, okay?"
She slouched back a bit, realizing their moment of playful banter had ended.
"First of all, please, please, stay away from Paul. Or any other man who would ever think that behavior like that is acceptable- even for a second. And if you're ever in that position again, call me. Immediately. Alright? I don't care what time it is or where you are or... just, if anything at all is ever wrong, promise you'll call. Okay?"
Donna nodded her head ever so slightly, the pooling tears in her eyes threatening to fall.
"Donnatella, I need to hear you say it."
"Okay," she managed to get the words out. "I'll call."
Josh had to summon every bit of strength not to pull her close and hold her. To kiss her palms and whisper that it was all okay now. To completely erase the last 12 hours.
"The second thing... is I need you to tell CJ what happened okay?"
Donna sighed. She thought that was probably coming. "Yeah," she croaked. She didn't want to. She really didn't want to have this conversation.
Josh paused for a moment before standing and quietly opening the adjoining door to CJs office and summoning the press secretary with a simple look.
"I'll leave you two for a few minutes," Josh stated. "I'll be back with some ice and a few bottles of water."
Donna nodded softly as Josh exited his own office.
He took his time walking to the mess for a bag of ice and a few drinks, scrounging up a small towel as well, the makings of an ice pack for Donna's arm.
He knocked softly and re-entered the office, closing the door softly behind him. CJ stood up and silently hugged him, before settling back in to his visitors chair. She watched curiously as Josh gently tucked Donna's sleeve out of the way, placing the ice and towel on her bruised arm, and opened the bottle of water for her. He then slumped to the floor, taking a seat leaning against Donna's chair.
They were sitting quietly when CJ spoke again. "Donna? Tell me the truth about how you broke your ankle."
Josh's eyes widened. She'd told him she'd slipped on the ice. That it was a late thaw...
"I was in a car accident," Donna admitted.
"You were in a car accident?!" Josh sat up and turned around to look at her.
Donna ignored him for a moment, placing her hand on his shoulder to calm him. "It was nothing to do with him. It wasn't like that. I told you..."
"YOU were in a CAR ACCIDENT," Josh repeated himself, unable to move on from that.
"Im just asking you," CJ stated, putting her hands up in surrender. "You left him right afterwards."
"It was something else," Donna mumbled.
"As in...?" CJ wasn't letting it drop.
Donna rolled her eyes and told CJ the real story.
"I'm just glad you're out of there. You can always come to me okay?" She cleared her throat, pulling her emotions together. "I've got a thing." CJ said, standing up and hugging Donna. "See you at home tonight."
"I should get back to work," Donna told him. "Thanks for everything," she blushed, but she meant it so sincerely.
"You can go home if you'd like," he offered.
She shook her head 'no,' stating that she'd rather get back to work on the briefing memos. Frankly, he was relieved. He was glad to have her nearby.
"Donna?" His voice was hesitant. "One more thing..."
She couldn't deal with any more of the serious conversations she'd had all morning, so she shifted the demeanor on her own, making an attempt at a joke.
"Yes, you are better than my old boyfriend." She pretended she knew what he was going to ask. Really, she had no idea. This was one of the rare times she could read him.
Catching on to her plea to return to a normal morning with normal banter, he decided to comply. "I'm just sayin' if you were in an accident, I wouldn't stop for a beer."
Donna stood and walked towards the doorway, ready to get back to work. "If you were in an accident, I wouldn't stop for red lights."
THE END
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A/N: that's the end of story 2! Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! You may think this is an odd place to stop BUT I wanted to give a taste of them in cannon, on the campaign and in the White House. Now we're at the end of season 1 and I think we all know what that means at this point (yikes.) and why I want a whole new story to begin for them. Promise I won't keep you waiting too long on the first chapter of the next one. Also, if you wanted to read something specific and you let me know and haven't read it, I haven't forgotten! It's probably just coming later! :)
Let me know what you thought!