"Is there something going on between you and Josh?" C.J. was sitting at her desk looking over the morning wires.
Donna felt her heart slam against her chest. "How do you mean?"
"You two are acting incredibly weird. Did you get into a fight or something?"
Donna wanted to cry out in relief. "We're just a little off lately. Nothing to call the press about."
C.J. looked up and met Donna's gaze. "Donna?"
"Yes, C.J.?"
"Is there something going on between you and Josh?"
"No, we haven't had a fight. We're fine."
"Nothing going on that the press would need to know about."
C.J. nodded. "Okay, well call me later maybe we could do lunch or something."
Donna smiled and turned around and headed out of the office. She let out a low sigh of relief and muttered to herself, "No nothing at all."
She sat down in her chair just in time for Josh to bellow her name for the twentieth time that day and it was barely ten o'clock. She headed into his office and leaned in the doorway.
"What's up, boss?"
"I need the thing and what time is my meeting with Rupert?"
"Eleven and I put the thing on your desk like an hour ago when you yelled for it." Donna strutted over to his desk and rummaged through the piles of paperwork and files on his desk. She pulled out a green folder and handed it to him.
"Thanks." He glanced up at Donna. "What's with you all of the sudden?"
"C.J. called me into her office," she said causally.
"Okay."
"She was wondering if there was something going on between us."
Josh nearly spit out all of his coffee.
"She was wondering if we were having a fight or something. It seems we've been acting unlike ourselves."
"What did you tell her?"
Donna turned around and sauntered out of the office, saying over her shoulder, "That there was absolutely nothing going on."
Josh watched her leave. He had been in crash position since he went to Leo's office that night after he and Donna kissed for the second time. It had nearly been another week. He had been dying to pull her into his office and show her how he felt, but things kept coming up. Every time an opportune moment presented itself something else would happen. He hadn't been avoiding her...well maybe a little. He also hadn't done much to make it so they could see each outside of the office.
He let out a long sigh. Donna reappeared in his doorway a couple of minutes later. "Leo wants to see you."
Josh stood up and tugged his suit jacket on and headed down the hall. "Hey, Margaret, he wanted to see me."
"Yeah, go on in."
Josh stepped into Leo's office; he was sitting behind his desk talking on the phone. He motioned for Josh to shut the door and enter. Josh shut the door just as Leo hung up.
"What's going on with you and Donna?"
Josh froze and his entire mind went blank. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play stupid with me, son. What's going on?"
"Honestly, Leo, I don't know what you're..."
Leo interrupted, "Are you sleeping together?"
Josh started coughing and he put his hand on the back of the chair in front of him to keep himself from falling on the floor. "Leo, what the hell..."
"You two have been acting weird around each other and people are noticing and asking questions."
"Who are these people?" Josh was trying to act astounded not guilty.
"It doesn't matter. If something is going to happen between you and Donna...and stop giving me that look, Josh, you know damn well what I'm talking about...if something is going to happen we need a heads up. No one is going to stop you or anything it's just something we're going to have to get geared up for."
"Which we're willing to do." Toby's voice came from behind Josh.
"Okay, see now I'm confused." Josh looked back and fourth between the older men and asked, "Are you encouraging me or asking me?"
"A little of both." Toby glanced over at Leo. "It seems to us that you two have put this thing between the two of you off and we think maybe that's why you guys are starting to act weird is because it's starting to get to you."
Josh looked down at the ground. "That's not why we're acting weird."
"Then why?" Toby sat down on the couch.
"Because three weeks after the abortion incident I kissed her then a week in a half after that I kissed her again and it's been a week since that and we're off kilter because we haven't talked about any of it."
Leo chuckled to himself and Toby smirked. "You two do realize you're not in high school anymore, right?"
"If you're just going to make jokes, I'm leaving right now."
"I'm sorry, Josh, but you really are just hopeless when it comes to women."
Josh let his head hang hopelessly. "Can I go now, Leo?"
"So what is going to happen now?"
"Nothing. I think Donna's pissed at me now and it's probably all over. I think I ruined something before it even started which is even a record for me."
"Well find a way to get back on track one way or the other. Now get out of here." Leo watched as Josh sulked out of his office. He turned to Toby who was still smirking. "I think it's time we get geared up for this."
"Sam was right, the two of them are so far in denial about each other that even when they admit it out loud they're clueless about how they feel." Toby stood up. "The longer they let this drag the bigger the explosion in the end."
Donna looked up as she saw Josh approaching. He was in deep thought she could tell. He glanced over at her, their eyes locked and Donna suddenly felt pinned to her chair. His eyes never left hers until he passed her and went directly into his office and shut the door.
She suddenly felt very on edge. She waited a good five minutes before she walked over to Josh's office. She tapped lightly and opened the door. He peered up from his desk.
"What's up?"
"Here's the thing you need for your meeting with Rupert which is in ten." She walked the folder to his desk and turned around to leave.
"Donna?"
"Yeah."
"Did I ruin everything?"
She tilted her head and looked at him for a moment. She let a small smile curve over her lips. "No," she murmured. He smiled back with full dimples and she felt a little weak in the knees.
She scurried back out to her desk and answered the phone just as she reached it.
"Josh Lyman."
"Donna?"
Oh my god!
It was nearly nine o'clock in the evening when Josh wandered out in the bullpen. "How's it going?" He sat on the edge of her desk.
She leaned back in her chair. "It's nine o'clock at night on a Friday, I'm doing just fine. How are you?"
"I'm ready to go home."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's Friday night, do you want to have a drink with me?" Josh felt his stomach twist.
"Tonight?" she squeaked.
"That was kind of the idea. I thought maybe we could talk."
Donna just started to laugh. "You are unbelievable."
"What? What I'd do?"
"I would love to go out and have a drink and talk...but I can't. Jack called me today and asked me to give him a call at his hotel when I got off. He says that he has to talk to me as well. He's only in town for a couple of nights and..."
Josh held up his hand to stop her from going on any further. "Commander Wonderful is back in town?"
Donna just nodded.
"So that's it then?"
"What do you want me to do, call him up and tell him I can't see him, my boss whom I see everyday wants to have a drink and talk?"
"Yeah!"
"Josh!"
"What? I don't want you to go out with him."
"It's not a date, Josh, he just wanted to see me."
"Donna, be realistic, do you really think he just wants to have dinner."
"Maybe not, but at least Jack didn't hesitate to ask me out to dinner or anything else for that matter."
"Jack isn't busy running the country. Jack is sitting in a hotel room wondering what his ex-girlfriend is doing so maybe he can get a little action."
Donna stood up and poked Josh in the chest. "So you're saying the only reason why he would call me is to get a little action because lord knows how easy I am?"
Josh opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out at first.
"That's just great, Josh. I don't know why you would want to go have a drink with the D.C. whore. Have a good night! I will not be in tomorrow!" She grabbed her purse and her jacket and stormed out of the west wing.
Josh stood there trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
It was nearly eleven when Josh heard a loud pounding on his door. He moved off the couch and headed to the door.
"Donna?"
"Hello, Mr. Lyman."
"You're drunk."
"Turnabout is fair play. You've shown up drunk to my apartment far much more than I have shown up to yours." She wavered a little bit and Josh reached out to hold her steady. She pulled out of his grip. "I'm fine!" she snapped.
"I can see that. What are you doing here?"
"I couldn't find my keys or it turns out my apartment and for some reason I had no trouble remembering where yours was, so here I am. I thought this would be better than a headline that said, 'Deputy Chief of Staff's Assistant Found in Gutter.'"
"Good call." He dragged her inside and closed the door. "Why are you drunk?"
"There was wine at dinner."
Josh helped pull off her coat and hung up it up on the coat rack. His eyes traced over her body. She was wearing a red slinky dress. Josh felt angry and aroused all at the same time. He loved when she wore red and here she was wearing red for Commander Wonderful.
"Why did you get drunk?"
"After Jack proposed I was feeling the need to relax a little."
Josh stopped suddenly in his tracks causing Donna to run into his backside. "Proposed another dinner invitation?" he asked hopefully.
"Marriage."
"Ah." He turned around to face her. "What did you say to him?"
"About what?" Donna began swaying.
"The proposal."
"I didn't have to say anything. After about two hours of me ranting and raving about my lunatic boss he retracted the proposal and put me in a cab."
"Why were you talking about me?"
"According to him...it's because I'm in love with someone else."
Josh's stomach was starting to twist for all new reasons. "Are you?"
Donna glared at him. "You were mean tonight."
Josh led her to the couch and pushed mute on MSNBC and turned back to Donna. "I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings. I was just not thrilled about you going out with Jack."
"Why couldn't you just say that, instead of making it about me?" She pouted.
"Because I'm an idiot. You know that. Why are you surprised when I do stupid things?" He sighed. "I'm sorry, Donnatella."
She smiled. "I would've said no anyhow."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why? I mean he was great to you."
"Don't love him."
Josh nodded. "You should go to bed. You're going to have one hell of a hang over tomorrow."
"Where am I going to sleep?"
"My bed."
"Will you be there?"
"No I'll sleep on the couch."
"I always give you the couch when you're drunk."
"Do you want to sleep on the couch?"
"No, but I don't want you to sleep on it either."
"Where should I sleep?"
Donna woke up feeling dizzy, nauseated and blurry. She didn't move for a very long time. She kept her eyes closed because every time she opened them, the sunlight blinded her and seared her headache. It took a long time for her to notice that there was an arm draped over her hip. She retraced her memory. She remembered having dinner with Jack and she remembered that there was lots of wine. She remembered him proposing and then the rest of her memory was hazy.
Oh no! She slowly opened her eyes letting them get used to the light. She peered over to her right and saw a fully clothed Josh sleeping next to her. He was on top of the covers laying face down with his arm draped over her waist. She then remembered seeing him last night, but she couldn't remember much more than that.
The blankets had shifted over the night and were now down around her knees. Donna spotted her dress flung over in the corner of the room. She wondered if she took it off or if Josh had. She looked down at her red bra and panty-clad body, her matching garter still holding up her stockings. She shifted a bit trying to reach the blanket without disturbing Josh.
"Donnatella, stop squirming," Josh mumbled into his pillow scaring Donna half to death. He reached down and pulled the blanket up over her chest placing his arm over her waist again. Then he twisted his head around and looked at her through blurry morning eyes. "What are you doing awake?"
"My body always wakes up at five thirty," she muttered.
"Tell it to go back to sleep," he whined.
"Josh, why is my dress lying in the corner of your bedroom? More importantly why am I in your bedroom?"
Josh raised his head off the pillow. "How many bottles of wine did you drink?"
"Too many."
"You came over last night. You didn't want to sleep on the couch and you didn't want me to sleep on the couch. Then once we got in here you stripped off the dress and threw it across the room and got under the covers."
"In front of you?"
"Don't I wish! No, I was in the bathroom."
"Why did I come here and not go home?"
"You said you couldn't find your keys or your apartment."
A flash of a memory came from the night before. Jack had told her that she was in love with Josh. He put her in a cab and she decided that she was going to go tell Josh that she was not in love with him, but when she got to the door all she could think about was how darn cute he looked.
"Right, it's all coming back to me now," she let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes and cuddled back down into the covers.
"Now I'm all awake," groaned Josh.
"I should go home, so you can get some sleep." Donna started to sit up but Josh pushed her back down into the pillows, throwing his leg over hers so she couldn't move. "Joshua, what are you doing?"
"Holding you hostage."
"What on earth for?" He turned his face into his pillow. He said something but Donna couldn't make it out for the life of her. "Joshua, I didn't understand that."
"You don't understand 'pillow talk?'"
She glanced over at him to see him smirking. "What'd you say?"
"I like laying here with you and I don't want you to go," he whispered. Donna looked at him for a long moment.
"I appreciate the sentiment but I'm laying here in my underwear while you're fully clothed, it's a little..." She trailed off as he sat up and pulled his t-shirt over his head and then slipped out of his jeans discarding the pieces of clothing on the floor. He pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed in nothing but his boxer briefs. Donna's mouth just kind of hung open from surprise and lust.
"Better?"
She felt his furry leg graze hers. She turned onto her side to face him. "What's going on here, Josh?"
"Don't you think it's high time we had that talk we should've had like a month ago?"
Donna smirked. "Oh sure it takes a proposal and me laying half naked in your bed for us to get here!" Josh glanced over her body. "You know you got a whole show when I stripped, this isn't exactly fair."
"Joshua, you were talking."
"Right." He brought his gaze back up to hers. Her blue eyes were shining brightly. "You're beautiful in the morning," he said at last. Donna couldn't help but smile. There were a few sobering moments that she had had with Josh. The night she told him about Dr. Freeride stopping for a beer, the night he told her to keep the red dress that she had bought to go out with some gomer, the night of the Inauguration balls when he told her she looked amazing.
"Talk, Joshua!"
"I guess the easiest way to say this is that I'm in love with you."
Just then Josh's cell phone rang. "Oh my god," Donna growled.
"Josh Lyman." Josh didn't say anything but his expression got darker and darker as the minute went by. Finally he said, "Okay, we'll be in a few minutes." He looked at Donna and flipped his phone shut. "We have a problem."