Clandestine Hearts

Author: Shannie328

Pairing: J/D

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I do not own them. Never will.

Summary: Just how I imagined Josh and Donna might get together

Thanks for the reviews!

"DONNA! I want you and Josh in my office ten minutes ago!"

She flinched when she heard the click and then the dull dial tone. Turning around she saw Josh sitting up in bed, his hair ruffled, his shirt wrinkled, rubbing his eyes. If it had been any other time she would have found it to be incredibly cute.

"I think we have a problem."

Five months earlier

"What kind of problem?"

"It's no big deal."

"Donna, what kind of problem?"

"I'm fixing it."

Josh ran his fingers through his hair, stood up and rounded the corner of his desk. "Donna, you came in here with that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The look that says you've done something and you've rather not be punished for it. I'm beginning to not like that look."

Donna smiled, "Josh I've been messing things up since the first day you hired me. You're just beginning to hate that look?"

"Yeah, I've always hated that look. But for the record, I did not hire you."

"You did too." Donna turned around and walked back to her desk in the bullpen. Josh followed her and leaned his shoulder against the wall watching her shuffle papers around.

"I seem to remember you hiring yourself. You never gave me a choice."

Donna straightened up, "It always amazes me that after six years, you still manage to bring this up daily."

"You started it." He smiled and turned back toward his office. Before reaching the door he paused, pivoted around and walked back to the bullpen.

"What was the problem?"

"Huh?"

"Donna."

The warning tone in Josh's voice made Donna give in.

"You know the memo about the thing?"

"Yeah?"

"I lost it."

"Donna!"

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"How do you lose a memo?"

"I deleted it on accident. And I threw away your notes before I realized this. But I think what you need to remember is that…"

"Leo needs that by tomorrow! Dammit, Donna I'm already in hot water around here. I don't need this!"

Donna flinched at the tone of his voice. "Josh…"

Josh didn't even look at her. He just turned around, walked back to his office and slammed the door. Donna stared at the heavy oak door for while before turning back to her desk and sitting down to a blank computer screen.

Later that Night

Josh shuffled back to his office, blurry eyed from the meeting with Leo. It was 2:30 in the morning. He used to remember that it was easy to work this late into the night. When the president had first taken office he had loved being in the West Wing late at night. The dim lights, the late night murmur of voices. Now it all just seemed too much. Somewhere down the road it had gotten old. And he found himself wondering more frequently why he got out of bed every morning.

As he rounded the corner to his desk he noticed that the light over Donna's desk was still on. Out of curiosity he walked toward the bullpen. She was sitting there typing furiously and Josh found himself involuntarily smiling as remembered her horrible typing skills from earlier in the campaign.

"Donna?"

She looked up, startled, as if she had been caught at something.

"Josh."

They looked at each other for a minute, each willing the other to say something.

Finally Josh spoke, "What are you still doing here? It's two thirty in the morning."

Donna turned back toward the computer and continued typing, "I'm retyping the memo."

Josh ran his hands through his hair and let out a sigh. "Donna I didn't mean to yell at you earlier. I was just…"

Donna nodded without turning around, "I know."

He watched her and then thought of something, "Wait, you're doing that from memory?"

"I was the one that typed it."

"Yeah, but you had my notes."

"Uh-huh." Donna bit her lip as she typed the final word and hit print. She then saved it again and then checked to make sure it had been saved properly. Standing up, she worked the kinks out of her back, grabbed the pages out of the copier and handed them to Josh."

He looked at her for a moment and then down at the memo in his hands.

"You remembered it all."

"Yeah."

Josh smiled as he scanned the paper. "Donna…"

"I know." She smiled at him. "And I'm sorry. I know that you've been having a hard time. I don't want to make it harder. I just…"

"I know."

The two smiled at each other for a moment and then Josh cocked his head to the side. "Come on let's go. We can go get drunk."

Donna laughed as she clicked off the light and turned off the computer. "Josh, it's two thirty in the morning."

"What, too late for you?"

"Not for me. You have a senior staff meeting tomorrow morning and we all know that your sensitive…"

"Donna, don't start."

The two walked down the halls of the West Wing together. Their laughter echoing through the building.

"Hey Donna, earlier this morning you said you've been messing thing up since the first day…"

"Yeah."

"I just wanted you to know that's not true. You've done a lot more good than…"

"Josh, don't start."

Present

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't have answered the phone."

Donna pulled on her shoes and glared at Josh, "I told you not to start."

Josh ran his fingers through his hair and nodded, "I'm sorry, I just didn't think it would happen like this."

"I know."

"You think we can get out of this one?"

"It's Leo. I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out before now."

"We should have just told everyone when it happened."

"Yeah."

Josh grabbed his keys and opened the door of Donna's apartment. Together they walked outside into the cold night air. Josh shivered and looked up at the sky.

"It's cold out here. You think for June it would be warmer."

Donna nodded and continued on in silence.
Josh looked over and her and sighed, "Donna, it'll be okay." He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer. He placed a kiss on her shoulder. She looked sideways at him and gave him a small smile.

"I don't know Josh. This time…We're a couple of idiots, you know that?"

Josh laughed as he threw up his arm to hail a cab. " At least one of us. And that, I've always known."

Donna slid into the cab and blew on her hands to warm herself up, " You graduated from Harvard. You're the Deputy Chief of Staff. You're not a complete idiot."

After shutting the door and telling the cabdriver where to take them Josh turned to her and grinned. "So after all these years, you've been lying to me?"

"I didn't say you're not an idiot. I said you're not a complete idiot. Don't get too cocky."

"A little late for that. Don't you think?"

Donna laughed, "Yeah. Maybe."

"But that's what you love about me, right?" Josh tucked her arm behind Donna and she snuggled closer to him.

"Hmm Hmmm"