Title:  Promise of Things to Come

Rating: PG

Spoilers:  None that I know of

Disclaimer:  Still not mine, damn!

A/N:  This just popped into my head and wrote itself in about ten minutes – hope that doesn't show though g  It's very short but, since I only had the first 8 lines in my head when I started to write, I actually think it's pretty long. :-)

Archive:  This and all my fics can be found at my website, as detailed in my profile.

**

The look in his eyes was intense.

"You lied to me," he accused.

"I didn't," she replied, her voice eerily calm.

"You lied to me," he repeated.

"Josh, I –"

"You lied to me, Donna."

"I didn't lie."

"You hurt me, Donna."

She looked at him and saw the accusatory look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said seriously.

"But you did."

"Josh."

"No, don't try to apologize, it won't help."

"I wasn't going to apologize."  Josh looked at her again and she held his gaze.  "It couldn't have hurt that much, it was only a tiny piece of wood."

"It was a huge piece of wood."

"Josh, it was a tiny little splinter."  At his look, she continued, "But, if it was so huge then you should have expected it to hurt."

"I expected you to be gentle," he said with an accusing tone.

"I was gentle."

"No, you were sadistic, I saw the gleam in your eyes."

"You're being ridiculous," she laughed.

"It hurt!"

"Don't be such a baby."  Josh scowled at her.  "Now, since the huge piece of wood is gone, is there anything else you need?" she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

"Yes!" Josh answered just as she was leaving his office.  Stopping mid-step, she turned around and arched her eyebrows.  "I need a new desk," he informed her.

"A new desk?"

"Yes."

"Why do you need a new desk?"

"Because that one," he replied, pointing his injured finger at his desk, "attacked me."

"Josh."

"Don't roll your eyes at me!  That desk is evil and I don't want to be around it anymore."

"Well, according to you, I'm evil as well, or rather sadistic, so does that mean you don't want to be around me anymore either?"

"I really don't think you want me to answer that," he grinned.

"I don't think you should dare answer that," she warned with a challenge; Josh widened his grin, but didn't answer.

"I need a new desk," he repeated once more.

"Josh, you can't get a new desk."

"Why not?"

"How am I supposed to explain the expenditure?"

"What?"

"There are forms to fill out for new office furniture, lots of forms; what am I supposed to use as a reason?"

"Stupid bureaucracy and red tape," muttered Josh.

"And yet, you're happy to add to it."

"What?"

"You work for the Government, the place where red tape and bureaucracy are created," she smiled.

"Shut up."  Donna smiled victoriously, but soon sighed as Josh said, "I still need a new desk."

"And the reason?"

"My desk attacked me… it's risking the life of the DCoS if I have to use it again."

"A reason I can actually write on the form, Josh," she sighed, trying to stop a smile forming.

"Okay, my current desk is falling apart."

"It's not."

"It is," he insisted.  "That piece of wood was just the start, I'm trying to prevent anything even more serious from happening."

"More serious?  That teeny tiny piece of wood wasn't serious at all."

"Stop changing the subject and go fill out whatever forms are needed to get me a new desk."

"Josh, there's nothing wrong with your current desk… nothing that a few minutes with a file or planer wouldn't fix," she added as he started to protest.

"I still want a new desk."

"And how do you suggest I get you one, pull it out of my magician's hat?"

"If you can pull things out of hats, I'm sure I can think of better things than a desk," he smirked.

"Josh."

"Alright," he sighed.  "Okay, how about we swap?"

"What?"

"We swap desks."

"You want my desk?"

"Yeah… I mean, once you've cleared it of all the junk."

"It's not junk," she defended.  "But anyway, you can't have my desk."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"Uh, Donna, me boss, you assistant, remember?"

"Josh."

"Right," he sighed in defeat.  "Hey, we could swap it for someone else's desk."

"Like whose?"

"Toby's?" he suggested with a shrug.

"You're going to steal Toby's desk?"

"It's not stealing, it's swapping."

"And you think you can defend that in a court of law, can you?"

"Well, I am a lawyer."

"Don't even get me started on that one, Josh," she grinned.

"Okay, maybe Toby's desk isn't such a good idea."

"I would think not," agreed Donna.

"CJ's!"

"CJ's?"

"Yeah, I'm her superior, she can't argue."

"I don't think she'd agree with you there, Josh.  I mean, you are technically her superior, but I don't think it'd stop her arguing with you."

"Technically?  Donna, apart from two people, I'm everyone's superior, you seem to keep forgetting that fact."

"Whatever, it still doesn't mean that CJ won't put up a fight for her desk."

"Would she even notice?"

"What?"

"Well, we could wait until she's gone home and then just swap them round."

"Aside from the fact that she'll have locked all her stuff in the desk drawers, I am not going to help you move furniture around the White House."

"Once again, I remind you of who's the boss."

"I don't think that's quite in my job description, Josh, but nice try."

"Will you please get me a desk to replace evil incarnate over there," he pleaded.

"No, but I'll call Maintenance and ask them to come fix this one."

"Fine, but if it happens again, don't be surprised if the desk gets thrown out the window."

"Now that, I'd pay to see," she grinned.

"Go make the call."

"Yeah."  She started to leave the office again, but turned at the last second.  "Oh, Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"If it happens again, I promise I'll kiss it better next time."

Josh's jaw hit the floor as Donna smiled seductively and left the office.  He surveyed his desk and warily sat behind it once more.

"Next time desk, find a better place to attack me," he grinned.

**

The End