Disclaimer - I still don't own these characters. They are still the property of Josh Wells, NBC and the fabulous Aaron Sorkin. Wait, hold on, I do own Dr. Curtis West. Yum. I don't own Damian Lewis, though and that is a true crime against humanity. Anybody got any ideas how I can resolve that little problem???? Just asking!

Rating - PG.

Pairings - Josh/Ellie, Ellie/OC

Spoilers – Seasons 4 and 5 – most anything that relates specifically to Jed and Abbey's marriage being in trouble.

Summary - Josh Lyman meets Eleanor Bartlet during the campaign and falls in love with the young, married medical student. For the purposes of my story, Ellie is several years older in this story and very different than she is on the show.

A/N – This is another very short chapter, but again, it's setting the stage for everything else, and adding anything else to the chapter wouldn't make sense!

Josh held the soft ivory vellum between his fingers, reading and rereading the text over and over again. "The President and Mrs. Josiah Bartlet request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter..." Hot, angry tears rolled down his cheek and he fought an overwhelming desire to hit something. He spun in his chair, resting his feet on the back part of his desk, staring absently out the window.

It was official and it was in his hands – her wedding invitation. His mind swirled with what ifs, and more importantly, swirled with what shoulds. What should he do now? Should he go find her, profess his love and hope for the best? Should he stay away and let her be happy, even though he knew she'd be happier with him? Should he just finally, once and for all, let her go? The mere thought pained his heart deeply and Josh closed his eyes. He wiped the tears away with the palm of his hand and opened his eyes.

He turned back to his desk and found his assistant staring at him sympathetically from the doorway. She was holding an invitation in her hands as well. "Josh," Donna said, coming into the office and crossing over to him. "I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and Josh leaned into her embrace, fighting back the tears teasing his eyes again.

"Thanks," he managed to mutter, finally pulling away from her.

Donna glanced at the invitation in her hand again. "You know, it's still almost two months away, things could still change."

"Yeah," he answered, feigning interest in an open file on his desk. "Donna, I have a lot of work to do."

She sighed, but smiled weakly and stepped out of the office. Josh ran a hand through his hair, then over his face. He stared again at the file on his desk, but found that the words were literally swimming over the page. He stood and grabbed his backpack. He rounded the corner of Donna's cubicle and poked his head inside. "I'm going for a walk," he announced.

She quickly studied at his schedule. "You don't have anything until three," she answered.

He glanced at his watch. That left him with nearly two hours. "Okay," he said, tapping his hand against the wall of her office before taking off toward the exit.

He wandered the streets of Washington, D.C., unsure of his final destination, but knowing he desperately needed to clear his head. He found himself standing in front of the antique bookstore where he'd been purchasing antique books for Donna every Christmas. He pulled open the heavy glass door and stepped inside, inhaling the strangely comforting scent of dusty, aged paper and leather.

"Ah, Mr. Lyman," the owner greeted him, stepping from behind the large desk to extend his hand. "What can I do for you today?"

"Would you mind if I just wandered around, Bill?" Josh asked quietly. "I'm not really looking for anything, I just..."

"I understand," Bill answered with a small nod. "Just yell if you need anything."

"Thanks," Josh muttered, taking off through the aisles. They were clearly marked and clearly labeled; something Josh appreciated every Christmas when he shopped for Donna. It had started off as somewhat of a joke – she wanted skis, he bought her a book about skiing, but now it was a tradition.

He glanced down at his watch again, finding he had a little more than an hour before he had to be back at the West Wing. He strolled first through the non-fiction, looking distractedly for something for Donna, but he found himself drawn to the fiction section. He started with the "A's" and it wasn't long before something caught his attention. He reached up to the top shelf and gingerly pulled down one of the books. He admired the ornate cover and the leather bound spine. He opened the cover, running his fingers over the title. Emma by Jane Austen. It was Eleanor's favorite book.

He recalled a conversation they'd had one night, lying in bed after making love. They were discussing the future – their future. How many children, whether they wanted boys or girls. Eleanor made Josh promise that if they ever had a daughter, they'd name her Emma. He felt an overwhelming longing in his heart for a little girl he'd never met – a little girl with curly auburn hair, her mother's sparkling emerald green eyes and her father's wit and charm. A little girl they would have named Emma.

He closed the cover of the book and walked to the front, laying the book on the counter beside Bill's register. Without a word, Josh paid for the book and Bill wrapped it in tissue paper, resting it gently in a handled bag.

He exited the shop and crossed the street to a small park, sitting down on a bench and taking the book out of the bag. He dug a pen out of his backpack and set to work on writing an inscription for the book. He just wasn't sure of what to say. He knew without a doubt that whatever he said in those few words would change his life forever. He was either going to tell her goodbye or ask her to be his again.

TBC....