See Part One for disclaimers

-----------------

"Trust me, she's great," Cliff commented sarcastically to himself. He looked around the restaurant from his perch at the bar. Still no sign of his blind date. After sitting there for the past hour, he was getting the distinct feeling this 'great' woman wasn't going to show. Maybe she saw him when he wasn't looking and ran away screaming. Of course, he probably would have heard screaming.

"Bill please," he requested, once the bartender came to his end. The woman went down to the register and brought up his total, depositing the piece of paper in front of him. Cliff put down a twenty dollar bill and told the bartender to keep the change.

He wandered over to the coat check and picked up his jacket, then went outside to grab a cab. Cliff breathed in the cool night air, allowing it to clear his head.

The doorman waved down a cab that was approaching. Fortunately it stopped right in front of him, so he gave the doorman a tip, then opened the door to the cab.

Out stepped a surprised Donna Moss. "I thought we were going to meet inside?"

Cliff stood there for a moment, his mouth opening and closing in a very good impersonation of a fish.

"You didn't know, did you?" she asked as she moved from the edge of curb.

He shook his head. "No, she didn't tell me. But I'm glad it is you."

Donna smiled, then shivered as a cool breeze brushed the bare skin on her neck. "How about we go inside and you buy me a drink?"

Cliff held out his arm and she took it as they walked in to the restaurant.

The maitre d' smiled pleasantly when he saw Cliff reenter, this time with a lovely blonde. He observed her as she slid off the shawl she was wearing. He couldn't help but admire the fire engine red shift dress she wore, a 'kerchif tied around her neck, both ends floating down mid-back.

He led them to a table near the window, taking out Donna's chair and pushing it in once she sat down.

"Your waiter will be with you momentarily," he told them as he put down their menus. He gave the blonde a lingering glance before he left.

"I think you have an admirer," Cliff teased, once the other man was gone.

Donna blushed. "Somehow I don't think so." She opened her menu and pretended to study it intently.

"Only one of many, I'm sure," he replied, making her blush more deeply.

Their waiter appeared before she could make any response and he took their drink orders. He disappeared and returned a few minutes later with her whiskey sour and his bourbon on the rocks.

Once Donna took a sip she let out a sigh of happiness.

"That good?"

She grinned. "Oh, after the day I've had, it's heaven." She paused, taking another drink. "Not only filing every paper imaginable, but my boss was even *more* of a pain than usual, keeping me late..." Donna trailed off, realizing what she was doing and mentally chastised herself. "Oh gawd, I'm sorry. Here I am babbling on about stupid things and it's only our first date!"

Cliff gave her a reassuring smile. "Actually I don't mind. Makes me glad that you feel comfortable enough with me to babble."

The blonde returned the smile, relaxing.

~ * ~

"I really enjoyed dinner," Donna stated once they'd stopped in front of her apartment building.

"So did I."

There was a moment of silence before they both spoke at once.

"Normally I wouldn't.."

"Would you like to.."

They laughed, then Cliff indicated to Donna to go first with a wave of his hand.

She took a deep breath. "Normally I wouldn't ask a guy in on the first date, but..I don't know, I just feel so at ease with you, and we had a good time tonight..."

Cliff looked surprised. "Wow," was all he got out.

Donna flushed deep red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." She moved to get out of the car, then stopped when she felt Cliff's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to face him again.

"Don't be," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

She felt herself tense momentarily in anticipation of the kiss, waiting for her usual disappointment. Instead of the normal sloppy, open-mouthed, bad-breath smooch she was used to, he kissed her gently, his lips brushing against hers. Donna found herself leaning in to him more, enjoying the feel of him as she deepened the kiss.

~ * ~

Donna bounced and hummed around the office as she cleaned up some files, much to Josh's annoyance.

"Donna!" he yelled.

She jumped, then stopped, getting an annoyed look on her face. "I'm not two feet from you, Joshua. There's no need to yell."

"There is if you're being a pest."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're just ticked off because I'm happy," Donna commented, waving a file folder at him.

Josh got up from his seat and grabbed the flapping folder from his assistant's hand, throwing it down on his desk. "No, I'm ticked off because there's work to do and you're too busy whistling Dixie." He turned away from her and left the office, Donna following quickly behind him in the direction of the coffee station.

"For your information, I was humming, not whistling."

He looked up at her as he poured his coffee. "And the difference would be?" he asked, his tone indicating how much he didn't care. Josh put down the pot and picked up his cup, walking back to his office.

"Fine, Deputy Downer, I'm just going to ignore you then!" Donna shouted as he disappeared in to his office, shutting the door. The blonde then looked around as she realized the rest of the bullpen was staring at her. She quickly headed to her desk, avoiding looking at any of them.

"A little bird told me you've been having a good time lately," Ainsley's voice sang out from around the partition.

Donna looked up and gave the lawyer a smile. "Yeah, we have been."

"So you two have gone out *twice* already! Goodness, it's only been three days since your first date!" she cooed, sitting on Donna's desk.

The assistant laughed. "Is it so inconceivable?"

"Oh no, just..I've never known Cliff to move so fast."

Donna blanched at Ainsley's words. "Move fast?"

"Yeah, he normally doesn't go out with a woman two consecutive nights. Twice in a week, maybe, but not bam..bam," she clarified, motioning with her hands as she finished off.

Donna sighed with relief, glad that Cliff had not mentioned all that had gone on the past two evenings.

"So, are you going out with your boyfriend again tonight?"

"Ainsley!" the assistant exclaimed, flushing.

"What? Is there something wrong with calling him your boyfriend?"

"I..I'm not sure." Her phone rang and she excused herself as she answered it.

"Donna Moss." She paused and smiled as she listened. "Hi Cliff."

Ainsley grinned and motioned silently that she was leaving. Donna waved to her as the other woman slipped off the desk and went down the hall toward Sam's office.

"Oh, that's fine. Yeah, there's lots to do. Okay, I'll talk to you later."

Donna hung up, feeling a bit letdown. Cliff had said that he had a new case he was working on and that he wasn't sure when they could see each other again. She knew that both their jobs carried a certain amount of importance, but she had become used to seeing him in the evening.

She shook her head. Maybe it was a good thing they wouldn't see each other for a while. They had moved forward so quickly, much more quickly than she ever had with any other man. Donna could see herself becoming dependent on him, and this bothered her. She hadn't been like this since Jonathan, or as Josh affectionately called him, Dr. Freeride.

"Donna!" Josh bellowed from behind the closed door to his office.

"Yeah, lots to do," she repeated sarcastically to herself.

End of Part Three