Part One

She sighed as she flipped through the channels on the television in her apartment. He was in town. She knew he was coming...but now he was actually here. They all were.

If she let herself get sentimental, she would have to admit that she missed them. It'd been two years....and now Sam was running for President. He deserved it...he was groomed for it. His stint as a Congressman served him well and now he was the shining star of the Democratic Party. His nomination was blessed by President Bartlet and the entire staff as well as the DNC. He married Mallory just last year at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden with the entire Presidential Family in attendance. The press ate it up. She was invited but didn't go down. It was too soon, she thought. She wasn't ready to see everyone. She'd sent the happy couple a lovely note and something from their registry. Sam had sent her pictures and CJ had filled her in on all the details later.

When she left DC, there were questions. Everyone was confused by her departure and Josh didn't quite no how to explain it. There was crying...yelling...definitely a lot of yelling, she remembered.

Danny had seen them. They were in Virginia...at a little restaurant dancing. They were happy. Then, Donna looked up and saw Danny and a new reporter at the Post walking through the restaurant. The reporter looked in their direction questionably, as if trying to place them in his mind and Danny met Donna's eye. He shook his head and steered the new guy to a table in the back corner...allowing Donna and Josh an out. They left. They drove to his place in silence and then she grabbed her stuff and left without a word. By the time Josh got the nerve to go over to her place the next morning, she was packed and he was furious. He wanted to say reporters be damned! He didn't care what the media did or said about them. But Donna knew. She knew that Sam was going to run. She knew that Josh was going to be his Chief of Staff. She knew that all of her friends were going to have secure jobs. She knew that a scandal could ruin their plans...Josh's plans. It was a fling, after all. They'd both said so on numerous occasions. So why was he yelling? Why was he accusing her of abandoning him....and their relationship? He was the king of nonchalant...but he was furious that she could leave just like that. She managed to tune him out. She wanted to be her own person. She didn't want to live in his shadow or be the fly in the group's political ointment. She wanted Josh to be happy. Politics made Josh happy.

He'd called her last week. She smiled, remembering the conversation. It was the first time they'd spoken since she left.

"Donnatella Moss," he breathed when she answered the phone.

"Josh," she remembered being taken aback. "I didn't know you had this number."

"I begged CJ for it. Don't be mad at her....I can be quite convincing," he smirked and Donna smiled in spite of herself.

"What can I do for you? I'm a little...busy at the moment...homework and all," she pressed.

"I just...we're coming up there for some rallies and stuff...I just...I mean...I thought that you should....I don't know....come out and see everybody," he hedged.

"Josh...I have work and school...and a dog...I'm a little bit involved here," she sighed. "I don't know if I'll be around all that much."

"Well...I know that CJ and Sam....hell....the First Lady...they'd all love to see you, Donna. I....they....we miss you, ya know?" he tried.

"You guys are using the President's old Headquarters?" she asked already knowing the answer. She'd been down there quite a few times volunteering getting things together with Zoey.

"Yeah....'member where it is?" he smiled, feeling hopeful.

"I think so," she sighed. "Josh...I gotta go, okay? I have class in a few minutes," she lied. She needed to stop talking to him. She was considering going to see them all and that, she knew, was not right for her. She was just starting to be herself. She'd almost separated herself from that girl and that time. Her only real contact to the past was with Zoey. She was up in New Hampshire full time now and since they were both studying Political Science more or less and neither had too many friends, they'd become close. Zoey knew the whole story and had long since stopped pleading with Donna to profess her undying love to Joshua Lyman.

Josh was quiet for like a full minute...which seemed like a lifetime. "Okay...I'll see you soon, Donnatella," he breathed.

Donna was ready to answer but then the line went dead and he was gone.

That was a week ago. She knew that they were in town. Zoey had called her late last night to given her the heads up. Now, she was scared. She wanted to go see everyone. She missed them. Over her years with the Administration, these people had become the most important individuals in her life. Zoey had been wanting to hang out with them while they were in town to be close to Charlie. They'd been emailing back and forth for over a year now and she had high hopes that once her father was out of office they could maybe consider getting back to where they once were. Donna was unsure so Zoey hung back. Instead of opening the HQ that night with her family, she was standing in Donna's living room watching her best friend flip aimlessly though the media coverage of her father and Sam's arrival.

"Get up," Zoey ordered pulling the plug on the television set.

"What the hell,"Donna huffed. "Where am I going, Ms. Bartlet?"

"We're drinking. You could use some alcohol and damn if Charlie don't look good on television...so I could use something too," Zoey said matter-of- factly grabbing Donna's jacket from the closet and petting her dog Sparky as she made her way to the couch to drag Donna up.

"Zoey," Donna tried. "C'mon...I just want to sulk. They'll be gone in a week...then I can go back to the regularly scheduled bar hopping festivities."

"You really want to come...I can feel it," Zoey smirked.

"I really don't....you know that," Donna insisted, even as she stood by Zoey, reaching for her coat.

"You love me," Zoey smiled, as she helped Donna get into her coat.

They left the apartment - Zoey skipping down the hall dragging a sulking Donna behind her.

As they walked down the road to their favorite bar, Donna looked at Zoey seriously. "Did he bring Amy with him?"

"Donna....she works on my mother's staff again," Zoey tried.

"That's not what I asked. Did he come here with her?" Donna pressed.

"She's his girlfriend, Donna," Zoey tried to reason. "Was he supposed to leave her in DC?"

"It's not like I care," Donna tried to brush it off. "I was just curious is all."

"Right....you care not about our dear Joshua," Zoey laughed. "And he feels the same way about you. He was only pressing me about your local gomer tally for casual conversation. If you two morons think that for one moment that I believe any of you I got a sack of magic beans that I can sell you!"

"He asked if I was seeing anybody?" Donna smiled a little.

"Why should you care?" Zoey asked with a grin as they entered the bar.

"I...um...I don't...I just think he's ridiculous is all," Donna tried to say with honest sincerity.

"Yeah...I got first round," Zoey promised as they propped themselves onto bar stools.

"Bartender," Donna called.

"Donna Moss...Zoey Bartlet...how are we doing this evening," asked Toby Ziegler without even turning around in his stool.

Zoey shrieked and threw her arms around him and Donna had to smile. Of course they would run into Toby at alone at a local bar, she thought. Donna smirked as they got there drinks and she turned to him and smiled. "Imagine us seeing you in a place like this," Donna commented before allowing herself to hug him tightly.

Toby was startled by Donna's hug. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until he saw her again. Two years was a long time and the West Wing hadn't been quite the same without her and Josh's constant banter. "I've missed you," he whispered in her ear while she was still engulfed in his arms.

Donna teared up and smiled sadly. "Me too, Toby," she replied.

"Of course, I'll deny I said that to anyone else," he laughed as he pulled back and smiled at Donna and then at Zoey. "So....how have you been, Ms. Moss?"

"I've been good, Toby. I'm back at school full time and I have a job...not like a great job or anything...but I waitress at a restaurant down the street and...enough about me," she said when she felt like she was rambling a bit. "How are you? How is everybody? Zoey gives me the general updates," she said smiling at her friend. "And, then there's always the networks and news channels for campaign updates...but...I just want to make sure that everyone is...happy and stuff."

"We're going to spend another eight years in the White House, God help us," Toby sighed happily. "We're happy. Josh is moving up on the totem pole and he's obviously thrilled and Sam...Sam and Mallory are going to be the perfect encore to the President and the First Lady."

Zoey smiled and Donna looked wistful as Toby talked about this and that from DC. He found himself opening up to Donna more so then usual. He proudly showed off pictures of his children and told her how well Andi and the twins were doing.

Donna had to admit that she missed everyone so

much. She soaked up tidbits about everything. From Danny buying CJ a replacement goldfish after Gail's unfortunate passing to Margaret's spilling coffee on the Tony Blair just to get the chance to try to wipe it off.

Donna and Zoey laughed and drank and laughed some more. Then Michael walked in. Michael was a PolySci Professor at her school and she'd had him about a year or so ago. They had met up recently at her work and he'd asked her out. She'd been seeing him on and off for about four months now. He was sweet, charming, attractive, and conservative as hell. She loved the constant debating in their relationship...Josh had given her that. The constant banter was wonderful foreplay and she'd never really mentioned that she used to be involved in the Bartlet Administration, so Michael never took her too seriously. He just thought she was a wide-eyed woman looking to turn her life around. She liked that. No pressure, no questions. Zoey hated him. But then again, she was taking his class at the moment and struggling to maintain a "B" average.

"Professor," Zoey smiled as he approached the bar and Donna turned around.

"Michael," she smiled nervously as he leaned down to kiss her. "How are you?" she asked when he moved to drag a stool behind her.

"Good, babe. Who's your friend?" he asked nodding to Toby who was looking at him with no real expression.

Zoey smiled. "Dad's in town. Toby here works for him. Communications Director. He used to be Sam Seaborn's boss," she giggled. "Ironic, isn't Toby? You used to boss our little Sammy around and now...now you'll be working for him. Him and Josh," she laughed loudly.

"He has to win it first," Michael smirked. "And I've heard that Mr. Seaborn has quite a few skeletons in his closet."

Toby raised an eyebrow at Zoey before turning around to face Michael. "Sam's a good man. He'll do fine." Then he looked at Zoey, "I'll still boss him around. He enjoys it, I believe. I do think I'll have issue with Josh though. He's been cranky for a while now and I am thinking the bigger office and responsibility will only serve to make him piss me off more so then he usually does," he smiled, looking over at Donna.

"Has he been okay?" Donna asked suddenly. "I...I mean I saw him on CSPAN the other day and he looked washed out. Of course he wasn't wearing a good suit for television. Or a good tie for that matter," she remembered. "Toby...couldn't you make sure Margaret or Ginger gives him a once over before he goes in front of a camera again? I am hoping the suit was what was making him look so blah."

"Yeah...I'll see what I can do for ya," Toby winked at her concern as Zoey nudged him.

"So you know these people from....what...Zoey and stuff," Michael asked, clearly confused at Donna's bluntness about someone from the Barlet Administration's clothing.

"She used to work with us," Toby said simply. "Now I must be going," he said to Zoey and Donna. "Josh and Amy will be on like round fifteen and he usually ends up in my room bitching right about now. If I'm not there, Sam and Mal have to deal with him. And I left him with a six-pack in his room so who knows what I am gonna get when I get back," he smirked.

"He shouldn't take aspirin for his headache," Donna found herself saying. "Give him plenty of water and two ibuprophins before he sleeps. Then he'll be fine in the morning."

"Thank you Donna," Toby smiled. "We all are forever indebted to you for that little bit of information. Now...we'll be here a week," he said looking at Donna seriously.

She smiled, "I know."

"So...I'm assuming I'll see you down at Headquarters," he stated more then asked.

"I'll try to make an appearance," she found herself smirking.

"Will wants to see you about training his assistants to deal with his scatterbrain-ness like you used to with our very good friend Mr. Lyman," his face softened as he saw her begin to tear up a bit.

"I'll stop by. I told CJ I would definitely see her when she came to town and I wanted to tell Sam and Mal congratulations in person finally, so now is as good a time as ever, right?" she asked.

"I'll drag her down there with me, Toby. Have no fear," Zoey promised.

"You want come back to the hotel with me, kiddo?" Toby asked Zoey.

"I'd love to," she responded. "Donna?"

Toby smiled at Donna knowing her answer to Zoey's hanging question already and kissed her on the cheek before grabbing Zoey's coat and holding it out to her. "I'll see ya," he said to her as Zoey grabbed her jacket and Toby made his way to the door.

"I'm good here, Zoe," she smiled sadly as she watched Toby disappear onto the street.

"I'll call you in the morning," Zoey promised. "I wonder if Charlie's done work for the night," she called back with glee as she exited the bar.

"What the hell was all that about?" Michael asked confused. "You never told me you actually worked for those people!"

Donna looked questionably up at Michael and couldn't quite forget how Michael said 'for' and Toby said 'with' when talking about her job with the Administration. "It was a lifetime ago," she said casually.

"You now know the errors of your liberal ways," he whispered as he drug her close to him and placed a soft kiss on her head.

She smiled sadly. "I'm not that girl anymore," she whispered before she leaned up and kissed him firmly on the mouth. "It was..." she sighed looking at the confusion in his eyes. "You know what?" she said brightly. I'm drunk enough for the night. What do ya say we go home?"

He followed her out of the bar and drove them to her apartment where they spent the night.

Michael slept soundly, as he usually did. Donna, on the other hand was quite restless. She hated Josh, she decided that night. Despised him. She hated that after two years isolated from him, one word from Toby about him drinking had Donna worried about his hangover and his delicate system. She did have to smile a bit, because she knew that Toby had set her up for that one. She fell for it hook, line and sinker and she didn't really feel too badly about that. Josh used to be very important to her. Used was the operative word in that sentence. She hated that Michael didn't know her. Not the real Donnatella Moss, anyway. She had to laugh at that because he didn't even know that Donnatella was her real name. Only her parents and for some odd reason Josh got away with calling her that. She smiled remember the way her name rolled off his lips. She felt Michael shift beside her and pull her closer and she relaxed in his arms. She was not that girl anymore, she reminded herself. She wasn't sleeping her way through the ranks at the White House anymore, she thought. She shuddered remembering that's the headline that Danny said they'd use if her and Josh's relationship ever came out. She knew he was right. She also knew that the President didn't need another scandal plaguing his Administration. She knew she did the right thing. She loved her new independent life. She just hated knowing what she was missing.

She fell asleep finally in the wee hours of the morning. As the sun was beginning to peak through her blinds, she noticed that Michael was not there. Not a second later, she smelled bacon and eggs in the kitchen and sighed happily. He loved making breakfast for her. Then she heard the door. Then there were hushed voices. Then she panicked.

In the living room....

"Oh...gosh. I'm sorry," the voice stuttered. "I must've gotten the wrong apartment or something," he said glancing down to the note he had in his hand and back up to the number on the door.

"Who are you looking for," Michael asked. "I know most people on this floor."

"Um....Donnatella Moss?" Josh asked questionably and a little sadly as he realized that he did in fact have the correct apartment.

"Donna? Who are you?" Michael asked.

"Who are you?" Josh countered.

"I'm her boyfriend. Michael Winston," Michael said offering his hand.

"Josh Lyman," Josh said in response. "You know what? I shouldn't have come here. I'm just gonna go," he started to turn around when he saw a glimpse of Donna coming out of the bedroom. "Hey," he whispered to her so softly that he wasn't sure it was audible.

"Josh," she smiled at him and leaned her head on the corner of the hallway wall. "Why are you here? And how did you know where here was?"

"I work for the leader of the free world," Josh answered cockily. "We know things."

"And you got Zoey liquored up and pried it out of her," Donna offered.

"There may have been liquor involved," Josh smirked.

"How's your head? Toby said you may have been drinking," Donna tossed out.

"I took the pills...drank the water....and my system's not as delicate as you seem to think," he whined.

"Okay," she said simply and smiled sadly at him as his eyes pierced right through her.

"Um...Donna? Breakfast is going to get cold," Michael offered, attempting to break the silence.

"Yeah," Donna remarked, still looking at Josh standing in her door.

"You know...we have kind of a thing this morning," Josh said standing up straight.

"Yeah...I kinda figured," she smiled. "Go run the country now Joshua," she said nodding to the hallway.

"I'll...see you later?" he threw out. "I mean...I don't really care so much as Sam and Will and CJ and the President and First Lady and Charlie and the girls and all do, you know what I'm saying?"

"You're saying that everyone wants to spend time with me but you and Amy?" she tried to joke.

He smiled at her and shook his head, "You know what I mean."

"I'll see you later," she whispered from the couch, meeting his gaze and smiling at him.

"Nice to meet you...um...Matthew was it?" Josh said as he darted down the hallway of her floor.

"It's Michael, Joshua. And you knew that already," she called after him. "You know things!"

"Who the hell was that?" Michael asked as they sat down for breakfast.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman," she answered between bites. "My former boss."

"You worked for that clown? Thank goodness you made it out of there alive," Michael remarked.

"He's a good guy," Donna insisted. "A little crazy at times, but a really good guy. He'll make a great Chief of Staff," she marveled.

"In fantasyland, little girl. It's high time this country had a morally strong individual in the oval office. And as highly as you regard this Seaborn character...the Seaborn/Bailey ticket is completely wrong for our country. I mean....he slept with a prostitute for goodness sakes," Michael pointed out.

"Her name was Laurie, and she was a call girl," Donna automatically corrected him. "She's a lawyer now, I think."

"Donna...these people...whoever they were to you....they're your past. I'm your future, baby. And I want a future with good things so that we can raise our family in a safe, secure, and morally sound environment," he said earnestly.

"You see us having kids?" Donna asked, confused as to the new direction the conversation was going.

"I love you, Donna," Michael whispered before he kissed her.

She smiled and dutifully kissed him back and sighed. Donnatella sounds so much better with the words I love you, she thought for a moment before she automatically whispered, "I love you, too."

Their declaration was cut short by her ringing cell phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"Donna...It's Zoey," she whispered. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Why are we whispering," Donna asked as she whispered into the phone.

"I might have accidentally told Josh where you live," Zoey cringed saying the words outloud. "He was a little out of it last night when we got back to Toby's. In fact, he was wondering the halls singing or something I think. But, we when inside and Toby always has a nicely stocked mini- fridge...and I may have had a little bit too much and I was persuaded to tell Josh where you live. I don't think he's crazy enough to show up unannounced or anything today, though. He left bright and early to go get ready a thing of sorts so...tell me you don't hate me," Zoey demanded when she took a breath.

"He was here. He had to go do the thing so he left. I don't hate you and Michael and I are in the middle of something here," Donna said, as calmly as possible. "He has a meeting in an hour...so come over. We'll talk then. I'll fix you something for the inevitable headache that you now have from hanging out with Toby last night," Donna smiled. "Tell him I'll see him later. Bye, Zoe."

Zoey hung up and looked at Toby. "He already had been there and left. Ya think Amy knows Donna's here," Zoey asked as she laid down on the extra bed.

"Who knows? She's kinda only talking to your mother's staff and Josh at the moment," Toby sighed and slumped in his armchair. "Donna's happy with the Michael fellow?"

"Oh shit. She said Michael was there. Which means he stayed there and that means that Josh met him this morning," Zoey realized.

"Donna's allowed to have a boyfriend," Toby reasoned. "Josh has Amy."

"So? You think that makes sense in the mind of Josh? I think not. You're going to the thing?" she asked glancing at the television to see the time on CNN.

"Yeah...Sam and your father have a rally or something with the unions I believe this morning. They'll be using my work. I like to hover," he smirked as he straightened himself up.

"Thanks for the information...I was just gonna ask what exactly the 'thing' was today," she laughed. "You people and your crazy communications skills."

"It's a gift," Toby smiled. "Now you better get a move on and get out of here before anyone else finds out you're here. Secret service cut you a break and I know Josh and Charlie can keep a secret...but if your mother finds out that I got you drunk and kept you here...I'm a dead man. And I'm needed around here."

"I'll be by the office later today. With Donna," she promised.

"Ya think?" he asked.

"She saw Josh for like a minute. He gets under your skin and you crave more of the Lyman charm. Trust me. I had a crush on him for years," she giggled. "But then, I grew up and got tired of the arrogance," she winked and snuck out the door.