Josh is feeling pretty good as he heads into senior staff on Thursday morning. Although the situation in Kundu is tense, and his best friend is in California finishing up a campaign he has virtually no chance of winning, Josh is flying high from the inauguration itself. Donna is back to looking at him like he hung the moon, and Jack is out of the picture.

He'd honestly surprised himself back in early November when he'd realized that he was deeply and irrevocably in love with Donna. And then moments later, he'd realized that he might have missed his opportunity.

He'd left Jack's office and gone to his desk, sat down, and examined his heart. That's when he realized that all the teasing and bantering wasn't just friendship. Sure, they were friends, and that was good. Really, very good. But he realized that he felt more than that for her.

The situation with Sam sort of drove it home. Sam was just as good of a friend as Donna. He'd even say they were both his best friends. The difference is, he could live without Sam. He had lived without Sam. And Sam leaving the White House for his Quixotic campaign didn't strike fear into his heart. Even though he knew, deep down, that win or lose, Sam wasn't coming back to the White House.

But Donna. . . the thought of Donna leaving, well it made him feel empty. And it wasn't for professional reasons. Sure, there was no doubt she made him better at his job. But it wasn't the idea of her taking a new job that scared him. He'd had to face that before and while he didn't like the idea, it didn't cause terror. No, what really bothered him was that Jack could whisk her around the world. That Jack could offer her things that Josh couldn't right now. Romance. Marriage. Family.

But he'd made his peace with it. Sort of. Jack wasn't a gomer, and as long as he made Donna happy, Josh wouldn't interfere. He loved her enough that her happiness was more important than his own.

So the holidays had been rough. All of November and December, and most of January, he'd listened to her babble happily about Jack. He'd nodded politely and teased a little. And he'd really tried to be happy for her, all the while his heart was breaking.

Just last week, she'd been teasing him about the number of buttons on Jack's pants and he wanted to crawl into a hole. And then she'd done two things that had really scared him. That had made him think that even their friendship was in jeopardy.

She'd called him sir. She was angry that Jack was being transferred, she perceived him as part of the problem, and she'd lumped him in with the establishment and called him sir. It hurt. And he'd wondered if it was an indication of what she really thought of him.

Then she'd lied for Jack. He was still scratching his head about what she'd thought she was accomplishing by that one. She really hadn't thought it out at all. She'd called CJ to take the heat off Jack. But what was the White House going to do to him at that point? Jack had already been transferred. Did she really think they'd go to bat with the DOD for him to keep him from worse if they thought it was her instead of him? Not a chance. If she'd actually been able to fool the White House into thinking it was her it wouldn't have protected Jack. It would have just got her fired.

Not that she could fool him. As soon as CJ had hinted that it was Donna, he'd defended her. He knew she'd never say something like that. Then even when CJ told him that Donna had confessed, he'd known something wasn't right. He just didn't have time to figure it out in the moment.

They were simply too busy. Rewriting the speech and rewriting foreign policy. He really didn't have time to get into it then. The day of inauguration Josh had called her. He told her to come to the ceremony, that he wanted to talk to her, that they needed to sort it out, that he'd help her navigate the fallout.

When she didn't show, Josh had gauged Leo's reaction to the situation. The fact that he didn't tell him to fire Donna was encouraging. Although Josh understood that when he said he'd be having a conversation with her later, it could mean that he was just sparing Josh from doing it. But at least Josh knew he'd have some time to get to the bottom of it.

Danny had saved him the trouble. Josh had no doubt that by the time Danny had showed him that article he knew that the unnamed aide wasn't Donna. He wouldn't reveal a source but he helped Josh figure it out for himself, like a good wingman.

Toby, Charlie, and Will too. Josh appreciated them having his back. Because when they went to get Donna it was about showing her she had support. More than just Josh's support.

Josh hadn't expected it to be a romantic gesture. But when she came down the stairs, looking so beautiful, and a little fragile in the cold without a coat, something took over. He felt a surge of protectiveness born out of love. And he realized that he would guard her with his life.

Since then, things have been better between them. The normal playful banter is back and it is a godsend in the middle of this crisis.

So he walks into the Oval Office feeling good. And he keeps that mood through the sobering updates of the rising death toll in Kundu. And through the round robin on the tax plan. And through the mundane discussion of the weekend California trip.

As he's about to turn to leave, Toby clears his throat in a manner that causes him to pause.

"Mr. President. It's been a few days, and I think we need to talk about the quote. Donna lied to all of us. She tried to cover for someone who deliberately attempted to discredit this administration. I don't think that should go unpunished."

"Toby's right." Leo responds. "I'm seriously considering firing her."

President Bartlet nods once and looks to Josh for his reaction. "Josh?"

Josh feels his heart stop. He isn't sure if he is being instructed to do it or asked for a response, but he knows without a doubt that whatever happens in the next few minutes will affect the rest of his life.

"NO!" He states emphatically, causing the other three sets of eyebrows in the room to raise in shock.

"I'm sorry, sir. But, no." He tries to speak in a measured tone. "I don't think you should fire Donna. Did she make a mistake? Yes. She shouldn't have tried to cover for Jack. But let's not forget that she wasn't the one who gave the quote. And while she lied to CJ, what harm did that really cause? She was just buying a little time, she knew that we'd eventually figure it out. I think she just hoped to persuade us not to have the DOD really bring the hammer down on him. She was trying to be noble. Although, I do have to say, he turned out to be a gomer after all. She really does know how to pick them. Anyway, it was just a little white lie, and who among us hasn't done that?" He stares at the President pointedly.

"JOSH!" Leo states his name harshly in a warning not to cross a line.

Josh gets the message, but concerned that it indicates that Leo wasn't moved by his speech, he continues, raising the stakes.

"Leo. Everyone in this room as lied at some point. We lie to CJ. We lie to the Press. We do it for what we think are good reasons. None of us has done it maliciously. This situation with Donna isn't any different. And no one outside the White House knows that she lied to us. It truly is a no harm, no foul situation. I swear, I will press upon her the importance of never doing it again. But I'm telling you now. As long as I have a job, she has a job. So if you decide to fire her, you'll have to accept my resignation first."