Disclaimers, etc. as in Part 1
**
"Alright, everyone is to stand over there," Charlie said after he had signaled that their time was up. "The President doesn't want any hints on who made which snowman, he wants the judging to be fair."
"Charlie, –"
"Hey, they're his orders, CJ, I would suggest you don't go against them," Charlie stated.
All the competitors moved off to the area Charlie had pointed to and waited for the arrival of the President; Josh and Donna had already removed the cones from around their area so there was no real evidence of who had built what. They were all standing behind the snowmen, watching for the President, when Josh suddenly walked in front of everyone, moving towards Toby's snowman.
"Josh, what are you doing?" Toby growled.
"Nothing," Josh replied innocently. "I just spotted one of Ginger's hairclips on the ground in front of your snowman; it'll give the game away about whose this is."
Toby and Ginger watched him suspiciously but their attention was drawn away when Donna said that the President was coming. Josh took advantage of not being watched for a second to do what he and Donna had planned and then he quickly took his place by Donna's side in time for the President's arrival.
*
"Josh, what's that on your snowman's head?" Sam asked quietly as they waited for the President to join them. "It wasn't there a few minutes ago when we came to stand here. In fact, your snowman didn't even have clothes a minute ago. What's going on?"
"Donna and I took a few extra moments to walk over here," Josh replied with a shrug. "We had to add the finishing touches. You'll see what they are in a moment."
"Well, well, I can see you've all been hard at work," the President commented as he and Leo arrived in front of the snowmen and started surveying them.
"Yep, we have. We just hope it's been worth the effort, Sir," Josh replied eagerly, bouncing around on his feet. Donna put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Hmm, well, let me have a look. I will announce the winner once I've studied all the entries properly."
They all waited behind the snowmen while the President looked at their work but they were soon beckoned to join him at the front. As the others saw Josh and Donna's snowman they all gave them evil glances.
"Well, I'll start with this one," the President said, standing in front of Sam and Bonnie's snowman. "I don't think I've seen a snowman with a pen behind its ear before. It's a nice touch though. Good effort. There is one thing that lets it down though."
"What's that, Sir?" Sam asked in a tone he hoped wouldn't reveal that he had built the snowman.
"It's coat," the President replied.
"Sir?" Sam asked with a questioning look.
"This snowman is wearing what I believe is my favorite sports coat. Now, as much as it shows the snowman has good taste, I do believe this means someone either broke into the Residence or roped someone else in to help them," the President said, looking at everyone in turn. "Since no-one has been tied up by the Secret Service, I'm going with the second option." He gave Charlie a stern glance. "Charlie? Did someone ask you to borrow my coat?"
"Someone might have, Sir, yes," Charlie replied with a grin.
"Hmm, I could have you brought up on charges for that, you know," the President stated with a gleam in his eyes. "However, I will forgive you, for now. Moving on…"
He walked to the next snowman, built by Toby and Ginger and looked at the faces of the Senior Staff and their Assistants. He smirked a little as he saw Toby and Ginger glaring at Josh.
"Well, it looks like this snowman needs to learn to give up smoking, doesn't it?" he said mischievously; the snowman had a cigar in its mouth, a cigar that had been lit by Josh a few minutes before, causing part of the snowman's face to melt. "A melted face is not going to win a competition, you know," the President stated, trying to stop himself from laughing at the menacing scowl on Toby's face.
The President walked to the next snowman, CJ and Carol's, and then turned a mock-glare on everyone. "Someone obviously really wants to participate in my discussion, don't they?"
"What do you mean, Sir?" CJ asked, looking from her snowman to the President and back again.
"Well, why else would this snowman be wearing the colors of the Michigan football team if its builders didn't want to lose the competition?" he replied.
CJ turned a steely glare on Josh and Donna, who both looked back innocently.
"And, finally, we have this snowman," the President said, now standing in front of Josh and Donna's entry. "Well, I think I can safely say that we have our winner. This is fantastic; a Notre Dame sweatshirt and baseball cap, sweatpants tied around the waist, neatly combed hair. Yes, someone put in extra-effort with this entry and it deserves to be rewarded." The President turned to face everyone again. "Okay, well this snowman is the winner. Now, all of you go and stand by your respective entries."
Everyone did as requested, but not before several glares were directed at Josh and Donna.
"Ah, so our Deputy Chief of Staff and his lovely Assistant are the winners, are they? Congratulations." The President stretched a hand out towards Josh but was stopped from shaking it by the sound of Sam's voice.
"Sir, can I just point out that there is no way they should be winning."
The President turned an amused face to Sam. "And why not, Sam?"
"Well, they went out of their way to sabotage all the other entries," he explained. "Josh lent me the sports coat, your sports coat; Donna loaned CJ the Michigan sweats, knowing that CJ would have no idea what they were, and I'm pretty sure Josh lit the cigar on Toby's snowman just as you were arriving."
The President looked at Josh and Donna. "Well, Josh? Donna? What have you to say to these accusations?"
Josh shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "We plead the 5th, Sir," he replied with a grin.
"Okay, well," the President said, addressing them all again, "I think that Josh and Donna's actions, if they did do the things you accuse them of, Sam; I think it shows great ingenuity and a willingness to win. I think it gives me even more reason to announce them as the winners."
Collective groans could be heard from the rest of the competitors as Josh and Donna high-fived each other. The White House Press Corps had been invited to watch the competition and many were making copious notes and taking photographs of the looks on everyone's faces, particularly the victorious grins of Josh and Donna.
"So, you two will have the pleasure of dinner in the Residence tomorrow night," the President told Josh and Donna, who were still grinning.
"Tomorrow night, Sir?" Josh replied with a furrowed brow.
"We've all lost too much time already today, Josh, through this competition. The dinner and discussion will be held tomorrow night, barring emergencies, so that tonight we can all catch up on work," Leo explained.
"Besides," the President added," I'm sure you and Donna will want the chance to dress appropriately for the occasion."
Josh rolled his eyes but smiled warmly at Donna when he saw the glint in her eyes.
"So, who would you like to invite to join you for dinner, Josh?" the President asked.
"Well, actually, Sir," Josh replied, keeping his head dipped to avoid the glares he knew would soon be directed at him, "Donna and I discussed this earlier and we decided that if we won, we wouldn't want to invite anyone."
"Really?" the President asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah. We wouldn't want to deprive anyone from your lect—sorry, discussion on the finer points of the snowman tradition, Sir," he responded with a wide grin.
"Okay, well, I'll let the stewards know to set the table for two. Donna," he said, turning to her, "you and Josh should be in the Residence for 8pm tomorrow for dinner, and the rest of you," he turned to look at everyone else, "should be in the Oval Office at the same time."
Josh and Donna noticed numerous mutterings and glares aimed at them from the rest of the Senior Staff and Assistants as they walked back to the West Wing but they ignored them; they were still slightly euphoric about their victory.
*
"Josh, I'm just gonna go and get ready, okay? I won't be long," Donna told him as she poked her head into his office just after 7 the following evening.
He looked up at her with a furrowed brow.
"Donna, we still have an hour until dinner, why do you need to get ready now?"
"Josh," she replied in exasperation, "you do this every time. We're having dinner in the Residence, I need time to get myself organized, you know, grab a shower in the gym and stuff."
"Yeah, but it's only us that are gonna be at the dinner, Donna, there's no need to make a big deal out of it," he responded. He noticed her pout, and the sad look in her eyes, and he quickly amended his statement, "Not that it's not a big deal or anything, I mean…look, okay, you go and get ready. I tell you what, everyone else has been told to be in the Oval by 8 at the latest, how about you go to CJ's office just before 8 and I'll pick you up from there," he suggested.
"Why?" she asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of her tone.
"Because, that way it will seem more like the occasion it is," he replied seriously, looking directly into her eyes.
"Okay," she said brightly, her spirits having been lifted again by his words. She started to turn away but then thought of something and looked back at him. "You are gonna change before we eat, aren't you, Josh?"
"Yeah, I am, don't worry about it. Go make yourself beautiful, Donnatella," he instructed, then added to himself once she was out of earshot, "make yourself even more beautiful, not that it's possible."
*
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your big date?" Sam asked with amusement as he stepped into Josh's office around 7:30.
"What big date?" Josh replied casually.
"Your dinner with Donna," Sam answered, in a tone meant to convey he wasn't buying Josh's nonchalance.
"It's not a big deal, Sam."
"Oh, I beg to differ, Josh," he stated, taking a seat in the visitor's chair. "After all, you two could have invited other people to join you; you could have had us eating out of your hands to save us from our Presidential discussion tonight, but instead you chose to eat alone, just you and Donna."
There was no way Josh could miss the insinuations and amusement in Sam's pointed remarks, but he tried to keep his face and tone neutral as he raised his head to answer.
"Like I said before, Sam, we didn't want to deprive you of your trivia lesson."
"I still don't believe you, Josh. Anyway, where's Donna? She's not at her desk."
Josh looked at him briefly and then dipped his head again.
"Uh, she went to get changed."
"Really?" Sam drawled. "When did she go?"
Josh kept his head dipped and answered very quietly. "About a half hour ago."
"Yeah? And you don't have to be in the Residence until 8? But it's not a big deal, huh?"
Josh didn't even need to look at him to tell that Sam was smirking and he groaned inwardly. "Shut up and get out, Sam. I have to get changed," he announced, standing up and heading for his closet where his other suit was hanging.
"Okay, buddy. Well, I'm gonna go get tortured by trivia…since you didn't save me from it; make sure your night alone with Donna is worth it."
"Out, Sam!" Josh ordered, shaking his head at his friend's obvious enjoyment.
*
Josh knocked on CJ's office door a little before 8pm.
"Hey, Donnatella, you ready?" he asked gently as he entered to find Donna sitting on the couch waiting for him.
She stood up as he approached and discretely looked him up and down, noting with pleasure that he was now wearing one of his best suits. He held out his arm for her to take and escorted her to the Residence.
The table had been set for their meal and the stewards poured them both a glass of wine before leaving them alone for a few minutes until their first course of soup was ready. Josh was seated at the head of the table, with Donna sitting immediately to his right where they could easily see each other and talk. The room was dimly lit with candles on the table and Josh was silently musing about whether the room would have been set out the same if it hadn't just been him and Donna for dinner. He shook himself out of his thoughts as he heard Donna sigh.
"Everything okay?" he asked softly, looking at her intently; she smiled in response.
"Yeah, I'm just thinking how beautiful this place is…I can't believe I'm having dinner in the White House Residence," she replied in awe.
"And you're wishing you were having dinner with the President as well, instead of just me?" he inquired.
She looked up sharply at his words. "No! Of course not, Josh. I…I couldn't ask for a better dinner companion than you," she replied honestly.
Josh fought to keep the smug smirk from forming on his face, settling instead for a warm smile. "I forgot to tell you something earlier," he said seriously.
"Oh, Josh, this isn't about work is it? I was hoping we could just forget about work for tonight."
"No, it's not about work," he replied gently, watching as Donna met his piercing gaze. "I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look." He looked directly into her eyes for a second then let his gaze fall to the dress she was wearing before raising his eyes to hers again.
"Thank you, Josh," Donna said breathlessly.
Before either of them could say anymore, the steward arrived with their soup.
During the meal, they chatted about the competition, how their sabotage attempts had been so successful and Donna decided she should finally forgive her brother for cheating in their childhood competition for so many years since she had now benefited as a result; Josh was mentally forming plans for a 'chat' with Frankie about the snowball fights - he wasn't prepared to forgive him for that, even if Donna was. They also discussed their colleagues and wondered if they were managing to stay awake during the President's discussion; Josh grinned widely as he informed Donna that Leo and Margaret had been 'invited' to join the discussion as well, despite Leo's protests.
They had just finished dessert and were starting on their coffee when Charlie entered the room.
"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt," he said apologetically as Josh shot him a slightly annoyed look.
"It's alright, Charlie, am I needed?" Josh asked in a disappointed voice.
Charlie shook his head. "No, the President just sent me to give you a message," he replied, waving Josh back into his seat. "He said to tell you that the snow has got pretty bad again, it's off for the moment but no-one will be able to get their cars out of the lot. Everyone is getting drivers to take them home; the main roads out of the White House have obviously been kept clear. Anyway, he said to let you know that you should just ask for a driver when you're ready, there's no rush though."
"Okay, thanks Charlie," Josh said, giving him a smile but effectively dismissing him.
"Yeah, have a good night," Charlie replied with a small smirk before making his way back to the Oval Office to report back to the President on how Josh and Donna's dinner was going.
*
"Do you want me to call a driver for you, Sir?" the steward asked once Josh and Donna had completely finished their meal.
"Is it still snowing?" Josh asked in response.
"No, but there's still a lot of snow on the ground."
"It's okay, we want to walk home, walk off all this rich food. Thank you for this evening, we appreciate it," he said, standing and helping Donna from her chair.
The steward brought them their coats and they made their way out of the White House, into the cool, crisp night air.
*
"You alright, Donna?" Josh asked as they were walking home, side-by-side.
"Yeah."
"It's not like you to be so quiet."
"I'm just concentrating on not falling in this snow, Josh."
Josh stopped walking and Donna followed suit a few seconds later when she realized he was no longer beside her.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing, I just…you still don't see the joy in snow, do you? I mean, even after the snowman thing yesterday, you're still not a fan of it."
Donna shrugged her shoulders as he looked at her. "I guess not. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but it's just the way I am," she stated quietly.
Josh took a step towards her, stopping just in front of her. "It doesn't disappoint me, well you don't disappoint me anyway. I just…can't you see it's appeal?" he asked, turning her to look across the street.
Donna noted the couples across the street, the little snowman with the crooked button eyes at the corner, but still couldn't find the allure of it.
"Josh, yes it's beautiful, it's just not…" she sighed, not knowing how to finish that thought.
Josh sighed, taking stock of his surroundings and trying to find the best way to make his point. Finally, he said, "Look at the people out on the streets right now. There aren't many around since it's late, but look at those who are. People walking back from working late, couples who've probably just had dinner together…look at those two holding hands and huddling together," he continued, nodding at a couple on the opposite side of the road. "Snow can be nice…it's romantic."
"I agree that it's romantic, Josh," she replied, dipping her head before continuing, " for other people."
Josh used a gloved finger to raise her head to look at him. "I'm sorry," he said gently.
"For what?" she asked in confusion, her brow furrowed.
"Well, you'd probably see the romance of the snow if you were with someone other than me tonight," he answered in a crestfallen voice.
"That's not true, Josh," she said quietly, her head bowed as she started to walk again.
He jogged to catch up with her and slowed down his pace to walk beside her again.
"You know, I don't think I really appreciated the snow as much until tonight," he confessed as they continued walking.
"What do you mean?" Donna asked as she looked at him.
"Well, I never…tonight, as we've been walking, I realized some added benefits of the snow."
"Like what?"
They both stopped walking again; Josh drew in a breath and looked at her intently before responding. "The way it reflects off your fair, sorry, alabaster skin and highlights your hair. The way the cold makes your cheeks rosy yet brightens your eyes. The way the snow has achieved what I thought was impossible – it's made you look even more beautiful," he said honestly, his voice husky and filled with emotion.
Donna turned her head away, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Josh, what…" She was unsure of how to finish her question, not really sure what she wanted to ask.
Josh took her right hand in his left and started walking again. "Do you know why I wanted to win the competition so badly?" he asked, trying to get her to speak to him, to say anything.
"No," she replied shakily.
"As soon as I heard what the prize was, I knew I had to win it."
"To avoid the President's discussion?" she guessed.
"No," he replied sincerely, squeezing her hand gently, "to get to have dinner with you, just the two of us, completely alone."
Donna stopped walking again and let go of his hand, shocked by his openness and honesty. "I…" she stuttered, still not able to respond.
"Why did you make such an effort tonight, Donna? With your dress and everything?" he asked probingly. "I mean, it was just you and me, why was it so important? Don't get me wrong, I appreciated it, I really appreciated it, but why did you make the effort?"
Donna knew what he was trying to get her to admit but she struggled to form the words, her thoughts and emotions crashing together to render her speechless.
"Donna?"
She finally looked up at him, blinking back tears, and answered him in a tone he had never heard before. "Because it was just you and me, Josh. I made the effort for us."
It was Josh's turn to not believe what he was hearing and he stood motionless for a few seconds, trying to process what was happening between them; he had an inkling about how Donna felt, it was why he felt safe enough to probe about her feelings for him, but to hear her confirm his suspicions, his hopes, left him breathless. Finally, he took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, placing his lips tentatively against hers. The kiss deepened quickly and it was the cold night air that eventually forced them apart.
"Josh?" Donna said quietly as they neared her apartment; their hands were tightly joined and they were walking as close together as possible, but they had remained silent on the journey between where they kissed and their current location.
"Yeah?" he replied just as quietly.
"I've changed my mind…or rather you've changed my mind," she said, looking directly into his eyes. "I love snow."
Josh gave her a dimpled grin and another lingering kiss. "So do I, Donnatella, so do I."
"Just so we're clear though, no more snowballs aimed at me," Donna said through her own grin.
Josh let out a burst of laughter and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "You'll have to offer me something in return," he quipped suggestively; Donna drew him into a passionate kiss. "That's not fair," Josh whined as they broke apart, "you've got a new bargaining tool."
Donna quirked an eyebrow. "Are you complaining?"
"No, not at all," he grinned, drawing her close again. "What do I get for restraining myself?"
Donna just gave him a mysterious look as she took his hand and led him into her apartment.
**
THE END