The next morning, Josh lay in bed, waiting for Donna's wake-up call. He'd
been up reading the stuff for the meeting he had later that day until
around 2 or so, so he'd gotten at least 6 good hours of sleep. That was
more than usual. The phone rang.
"Yeah?" he mumbled, for effect.
"Good morning," Donna chirped.
He smiled at how awake she sounded. "How was your night?"
"Glorious," she gushed. "Simply perfect," she smiled. "And your's?"
"Wonderful as well. I prepped for a meeting all night," he told her.
"It's good to be prepared," she told him.
"I'm on my way in," he told her.
"I'm in," she smirked.
"I told you to take it easy today," he accused.
"I wanted to be here," she hushed him. "Now get a move on. Everyone else is already here and I might start to whine that I had to be here while you lounged around at home." And with that she hung up and Josh ran to the shower.
----
"Donna?" CJ asked coming into Josh's office where Donna was busy prioritizing his files for the day.
"Hey, CJ!"
"You have a minute to run down to the Mess?" CJ asked.
"He'll be here in a minute," Donna sighed. "I'd have to be quick," she finished the folders and followed CJ down the hall.
They sat at a corner table with coffee in hand and CJ smiled at the younger girl.
"What?" Donna asked.
"How was your date last night?" CJ smiled.
"Pretty good," Donna smiled. "Winston's pretty okay."
"Pretty okay?" CJ laughed. "Jeez...there's a ringing endorsement."
"He's a good guy," Donna insisted. "A little uptight about my job....but a good guy."
"Uptight?" CJ questioned.
"He got mad when I called Josh a couple of times...to check in and what not," Donna explained.
"Donna! Josh's a big boy," CJ told her. "He has a mother and he doesn't need you looking after him all the time."
"He'd still be at the damn office if it wasn't for me," Donna insisted. "Looking after Josh is my job. It's what I do."
"Carol never calls me to check in," CJ continued.
"You're a together woman," Donna brushed off.
"Josh is a grown man," CJ insisted.
"Ah...grown, but not together," Donna smiled. "He needs to be coddled or he can't function."
"You need to cut the cord," CJ told her honestly. "Josh is too old for a babysitter."
"I like taking care of things for him," Donna said quietly.
"Or do you just like taking care of him?" CJ asked, knowingly.
Donna's head jerked up quickly in response to that last comment. "CJ..."
"Donna. You have to stop this. It's not right," CJ told her, looking at her intently.
"It's not anything," Donna insisted. "He just needs to be coddled every now and again and I don't mind doing it.
"It's nothing else, maybe?" CJ asked, fishing for more details.
"Ladies," Josh bellowed as he appeared next to their table. "Donnatella...were you going to bring me coffee?" he asked with a dimpled grin.
Donna laughed and swatted at his arm as he presented her with a raisin muffin. "Not on your life, Lyman," she smirked and grabbed the muffin from his grasps. "But thanks for the muffin."
"Did you know that the calorie content in these things is all wrong?" Josh asked her as he pulled up a chair.
"Margaret mentioned that before, I think," Donna recalled.
"Yeah," Josh said. "I think she told Toby and he told Sam and Sam told me or something," Josh recalled. "Weird."
"Yeah," Donna murmured, breaking a piece off to give to Josh.
CJ sat there and watched the two of them. It was like they were all alone or something. "So...I'm gonna get back to work," CJ said, making her presence still known.
"You want some of Donna's muffin?" Josh offered.
"No thanks," CJ smiled. "I'll see you guys later."
"Yeah," they both murmured as she walked away.
"Is she okay?" Josh asked.
"She was being a little weird earlier," Donna admitted. "She's mad that you're coming shopping tomorrow."
"Why?"
"I don't know. She thinks I'm too nice to you or something," Donna guessed.
"You're just nice enough to me," he whined.
Donna laughed. "C'mon...there is work to be done, I'm sure."
"Okay," he sighed as he followed her out.
----
"Spanky?" CJ seethed into the phone.
"Claudia Jean...how lovely it is to hear from you," Sam smirked at her tone. "What can I do for you?"
"What are we going to do with Josh and Donna?"
"Did something happen since last night?" he asked concerned.
"I was just with them," she sighed. "Donna and I were talking about how she should let Josh take care of himself and I was being supportive and all," she insisted.
"Uh huh," Sam laughed.
"And then Josh came in and it was like I wasn't even there," she exclaimed. "Is it possible that they do this all the time and I'm just only now realizing it?"
"Yes," he answered.
"Yes, what?" she asked.
"Yes it's possible," he grinned. "She's got that boyfriend...Winston or whatever," Sam insisted.
"Yes, she does. But she called Josh last night a couple of times while she was out with Winston," CJ continued.
"I know...I found that troubling as well if you recall," Sam sighed.
"Oh...Toby's here," CJ told Sam. "You're going on speaker."
"Toby?" Sam asked.
"It's bad, Sam," Toby sighed. "I called him and he thought it was Donna and he sounded all swoony-like."
"What are we going to do?" CJ asked the boys.
"Nothing," Toby sighed. "We do nothing. Cause if we do something, we'll manage to screw it up somehow."
"Toby..." Sam whined.
"No. They're both clueless. If we start being involved, we could alter their perceptions," he insisted.
"But Leo already thinks something's up with them," CJ sighed, sitting down at her desk.
"Nothing's up," Toby insisted.
"I don't think he knows anything," Sam offered.
"Last night you were all worried," CJ accused.
"Yeah...but Josh is the master of denial. He does it well," Sam surmised. "I think the denial could work a while longer."
"And if one of them figures it out?" CJ asked, afraid of the answer.
It was quiet for a minute while they all thought about the possible outcomes to that particular question. "They're gone," Toby said, somberly.
"Well...maybe just Donna," Sam added.
"I like Donna," Toby sighed.
"Me too," CJ sniffed.
"They can't be together," Sam decided. "For everyone's best interests."
"Except their own," CJ whispered.
"I gotta go," Toby sighed and walked out.
"Later CJ," Sam whispered.
"Bye," she sighed and disconnected.
----
"I'm going out tonight," Josh said as he walked past her desk.
"With?" she inquired politely.
"My buddy from college. He's in town with a couple of guys and we're going to grab a drink or something. Maybe play some pool," Josh threw in with a grin.
"Be careful," she warned.
"Donna," he whined.
"What? You have a very sensitive system and you know it," she told him. "And you suck at pool. Don't bet on the games. You'll end up drunk and penniless and I'll have to drag your sorry ass home," she smirked.
"That was one time," he yelled.
"Ha. I'll always remember it," Donna smiled. "I told you it would come in handy some day."
"You're ridiculous," he smiled.
"I am not," she laughed. "I'm resourceful."
"Uh huh. You can go. I have that last meeting and then I'm off to the bars, I tell you!" he gloated.
"Be careful, Josh," she smiled at him as she gathered her stuff.
"I'll see you for the shopping trip from hell tomorrow," he told her.
"You don't have to come," she told him.
"I must ensure that you get a worthy product for my money," he insisted.
"You're too much," she laughed.
"I think I'm just enough," he sighed and trotted down the hall.
----
Hours later, Donna was laying in her bed with a pint of Ben & Jerry's in hand talking to Winston on the phone when she got another call.
"Winston? Can you hold on for a moment?" she asked and she clicked over once he obliged. "Hello?"
"Donnatella Moss?" the voice asked.
"Who's this?" she asked concerned.
"This is Brad...Josh's friend," he told her. "Josh said that you'd be the person to call."
"Where are you?" she sighed as she jotted down the address and thanked him for his help. She then clicked back over to Winston. "Hey," she smiled.
"You have to go." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah, something came up," she said.
"Uh huh," he sighed. "Something usually does," he replied.
"Winston?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Just frustrated is all. It's my problem," he told her. "Go on...do your job. We'll talk tomorrow after you get back from lunch or whatever."
"Thanks for being so understanding," she smiled.
"Good night, beautiful," he whispered before hanging up.
"Night," she murmured and hung up. She paused for just a moment before she threw on some clothes and grabbed her keys and went off in search of Josh.
Before too long, she found him. He was propped up in a booth in the back of a seedy pool hall. She slid into the seat across from him and looked at him with a grin. "This makes it twice," she told him and earned a half smirk.
"Donnatella?" Brad asked as he approached the table.
Donna smiled and went to introduce herself, but Josh beat her to it.
"Brad...this is my Donnatella...Donna...this is...this is..." he thought.
"Brad," Donna smiled. "Thanks for calling me. I'm Donna," she told him and shook his hand. "Josh? What happened?"
"I suck at pool," he told her.
"Well...as it turns out I in fact knew that," Donna smiled.
"I really suck at it though," he whined.
"You do," she agreed.
"He had a bit too much to drink, I guess," Brad explained. "We wanted to take him home but he couldn't really give us directions. He gave us your name, so we figured we'd give you a call. I hope you don't mind," Brad smiled at her.
"Not at all," she brushed it off. "I live for dragging his drunk ass home with me," she answered slyly.
"Not funny," Josh whined.
"I know," she agreed.
Brad laughed. "What'd Lyman ever do to deserve a woman like you?" he asked Donna.
"I'm not his..." Donna tried to explain. "I mean...we're not...really...."
"I'm lucky," Josh murmured and smiled at her. "I'm very lucky."
She smiled back at him just because he looked so pathetic. "C'mon Josh," she offered him her hand. "Let's go home."
"I can't find my keys," he answered.
"Okay," she smiled. "We'll go to my place, pick up my copy of your key and we'll get you to bed," she assured him.
"What would I do without you?" he asked as she helped him up and wrapped his coat around him.
"I perish the thought," she smiled at him and then turned to Brad and his friends. "Thanks guys," she smiled brightly. "It was nice to meet you," she told Brad. "Let me get him out of here before he embarrasses himself further."
"See ya Josh," Brad said as he patted his old friend on the back.
"Yeah," Josh mumbled as Donna dragged him away.
"C'mon there buddy," Donna smirked as she dumped him in her car.
When she got in herself, he looked over at her all dimpled and smiled. "Thank you," he slurred. "For..a...coming and all..."
"I couldn't very well leave you here, could I?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "Ya could. But you don't," he smiled carefully and cocked his head. "Why?"
"Why what?" she asked, refusing to go where he was attempting to take her.
"Why do you do all the things you do for me?" he asked seriously.
"Because I am the best damn deputy, Deputy Chief of Staff there is," she joked.
"Donna..." he moaned.
"It's my job to take care of you," she said seriously. "Now just shut up until we get home, okay?"
He closed his eyes and laid his head back and murmured, "Kay."
"Tonight is taking a very dangerous turn," she murmured to herself as she made way back to her apartment.
---- "Brad?" Sam asked when he picked up his ringing cell phone.
"Yeah. So...as predicted, Josh still can't hold his liquor," Brad laughed. "And he still sucks at pool. Why does he bother to do these things if he can't do them well?"
"He's Josh," Sam offered as an excuse.
"Yeah," Brad agreed.
"So...Donna show up?" Sam asked, already assuming the answer.
"Yeah," Brad answered. "She's a nice looking woman," Brad added.
"How'd Josh react?" Sam asked, ignoring the comment.
"He insisted that we call 'his Donnatella' because 'she could fix everything,'" Brad smirked. "If he wasn't so sad looking it would have been kinda sweet."
"And she came?" Sam asked, sighing.
"Right away," Brad answered. "No questions asked."
"Yeah...that's Donna," Sam agreed.
"He also said he was lucky to have a woman like her in his life," Brad added.
"Yeah?" Sam asked. "Did she deny it?"
"She started to, but then decided against it," Brad explained. "Who knows why," he sighed.
"Yeah," Sam said.
"Is this what we wanted to happen?" Brad asked.
"Yes and no," Sam sighed. "Thanks for your help, Brad. We'll talk soon," Sam said and disconnected from him to immediately call CJ. "CJ?"
"Spanky!" she smiled. "What's up?"
"She took him home," Sam told her.
"Kay," CJ said. "I'm calling Toby and then we'll take care of it," she told him.
"Call me later," Sam told her.
"Yeah," she smiled and hung up and got Toby on the line.
"What's up?" he asked.
"He's at her apartment," she told him.
"I'll pick you up in five minutes," Toby sighed and threw down his briefing memo.
----
Donna got them into her apartment, barely, before Josh collapsed on her couch and turned on CNN. "You're hopeless," she laughed and sat down next to him.
"I know," he sighed.
"Why do you do these things?" she asked.
"Drink or play pool?" he asked.
"Both," she giggled.
"I don't know," he answered. "To be cool," he offered.
"And being dragged all around town by your assistant portrays coolness these days?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow.
"Being picked up by a long legged blonde woman who fawns all over me is not in the uncool category," he smirked.
"Josh," she said, blushing. "You shouldn't say things like that," she told him.
"I know," he told her.
"Yet you did," she informed him.
"I'm drunk," he offered up the excuse.
"You are," she smiled and smoothed his unruly hair.
"So I probably won't remember much of this in the morning," he figured.
"Most likely not," she agreed smiling at him.
"You look very nice tonight, Donna," he whispered, looking in her eyes.
"Josh," she tried to interrupt him.
"You do," he told her.
"Thanks," she smiled.
He pushed himself up in a seated position. "I hate Winston," he told her.
"You don't know him," she laughed.
"You're dating him?" he asked.
"Uh huh," she said.
"Then I hate him," Josh reasoned.
"Okay," she smiled. "Whatever you say, Joshua."
"Why do you do that?" he asked.
"What?"
"Call me Joshua sometimes...It drives me crazy," he said in a husky voice.
"Crazy good or crazy bad?" she teased.
"Both," he reasoned.
A piece of hair fell in front of her eye and he reached up to move it out of the way and his hand came in contact with her skin and she sort of leaned into the touch. "Josh," she whispered.
Then the door flew open and CJ and Toby were standing in her hallway looking worried.
"Josh! Are you okay?" CJ asked, worried.
"What's going on?" Josh asked, turning away from Donna.
"Someone from the bar recognized you and said you lost your keys and they found them and called the White House," CJ continued, looking at Toby to jump in.
"So naturally we were worried," Toby continued. "You didn't pick up your cell phone," Toby told him.
"It's in your car, I think," Josh said, glancing at Donna.
"We'll look tomorrow," she smiled at him.
"So you're okay?" Toby asked, trying to seem normal.
"Just drunk and a terribly pool player," Josh smirked. "No worse for wear."
"Okay. You need a lift home?" CJ offered. "So Donna can rest up for the shopping spree tomorrow?"
"Yeah...I mean we're going that way," Toby sighed.
Donna smiled at them. "Looks like we don't need that spare key after all."
"Guess we don't," he smiled at Donna. "Thanks...for tonight and all."
"Sure thing," she smiled back at him. "Get some sleep, Joshua," she whispered.
"See ya," he whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse.
"Okay," CJ cleared her throat. "Let's get moving. Donna, I'll pick this lug up tomorrow and meet you here by 11 or so," she told her.
"Josh, I'll call you at 9," Donna called after him as Toby dragged him down the hall.
"Yeah," Josh called back.
Donna smiled as she watched CJ and Toby throw him in the elevator and then she went back into her apartment and got ready for bed.
Meanwhile, Toby threw Josh in the back of his car and he and CJ got in as well.
"What the hell is your problem?" CJ asked him.
"I suck at pool?" Josh offered.
"Wrong answer," Toby told him quietly.
"You're the Deputy Chief of Staff," CJ informed him.
"Thanks for the head's up, Claudia Jean," Josh shot back.
"You should be held to a higher standard," she explained further. "Public drunkenness is not looked upon favorably."
"Again, thanks for that little bit of information," he sighed. "It won't happen again," he promised.
"Yeah," Toby muttered.
"Josh...you can't just go make a spectacle out of yourself when you have friends visiting," CJ sighed. "It's not good for the Administration as a whole. Neither is your assistant dragging you around town because you can't seem to function yourself," she added.
"Cheap shot," Josh muttered.
"Josh...she's your employee, not your slave," Toby reasoned, quietly.
"I know," he whispered.
"So you called her because..." Toby pressed.
"I knew she had a key to my place," Josh admitted.
"Why does she have a key to your condo?" CJ asked, seriously.
"After the shooting...she'd come and go at weird hours," Josh explained. "I couldn't move all that well at first, so it was easier for her to let herself in and out, ya know?"
"That was years ago," Toby stated.
"I never asked for it back and she never offered it back," Josh told them.
"Uh huh," Toby muttered.
"Josh...what is going on with you and Donna?" CJ asked bluntly, earning a glare from Toby.
"Nothing," Josh answered quietly.
"What was that, Josh?" Toby asked, wanting to be sure he heard the answer.
Josh cleared his throat, "Nothing." He swallowed before continuing. "She's my assistant and she's my friend. And that's all," he told them.
"You're sure?" CJ pressed.
"Of course," he smirked. "Why?" he asked with a grin. "Did you guys think it was something else going on?"
"What would be going on?" CJ asked, innocently.
"That's what I'd like to know," Josh answered.
"Nothing's going on," Toby concluded. "End of story."
"Toby," CJ started.
"No, CJ," Toby told her. "Josh is right. What could possibly be going on with a member of his support staff? That would be ridiculously stupid. I mean...no matter how innocent it would most likely be, the appearance of impropriety would be great. Politics is Josh's life. He wouldn't want to ruin his career on something like that. "Not that Donna wouldn't be worth it," he amended to Josh quickly. "It's just not something that Josh would do. He's too smart for that," Toby smiled and looked back at Josh while he stopped at a red light. "Right buddy?"
"Yeah," Josh mumbled, looking out the window. "I'd never do anything to harm the Administration. And besides, I told you, Donna's my assistant and my friend, but that's about it. I don't even think she likes me half the time," he added with a sad grin.
"See, CJ?" Toby asked. "You were worried about a non-existent problem!"
"I'm sorry, Josh," CJ told him. "You know how I can get when I'm overtired," she smiled. "I was letting my imagination get the best of me."
"No problem," Josh told her as Toby pulled up in front of his house.
"You okay to go up alone?" Toby asked.
Josh got out and gathered his thoughts for a moment. The conversation certainly sobered him up quickly, he thought. "Yeah," he told them. "See ya in the morning, CJ," he smiled.
"Okay there, killer. Get some sleep," she told him.
"Night," Josh mumbled as he made his way inside.
CJ grabbed her phone and dialed up Sam as they pulled away.
"What?" he asked.
"Sparky?" CJ asked with a grin. "We did it."
"What?"
"Josh now believes that he would kill the Administration if he pursued Donna romantically," CJ explained.
"Good," Sam smiled. "How bad was it when you reached Donna's?"
"Bad," CJ admitted. "They looked...close," she explained. "But it's okay now. Josh knows what he has to do."
"Good. I gotta go," he told her. "Tell Toby bye for me...I'll talk to you guys later," he smiled.
"Night, Sparky," CJ laughed and hung up.
"We did it," CJ smiled, turning triumphantly to Toby.
"Did we?" Toby asked. "Or did we just further the idea along in his head?"
"No...he knows what would happen," CJ insisted. "You just told him!"
"I did," Toby agreed. "But maybe we just convinced him that if he indeed were to consider a relationship with Donna he'd need to stage a massive cover-up."
"He couldn't pull it off alone," CJ said. "He'd ask Sam for help!"
"Maybe...maybe not. He could be wary of Sam," Toby reasoned. "He could go elsewhere."
"Where?" CJ wondered.
"I have no idea at the moment, and actually I'm tired of thinking about Josh's love life or lack there of this evening," he sighed. "I'm taking you home."
"Yeah?" he mumbled, for effect.
"Good morning," Donna chirped.
He smiled at how awake she sounded. "How was your night?"
"Glorious," she gushed. "Simply perfect," she smiled. "And your's?"
"Wonderful as well. I prepped for a meeting all night," he told her.
"It's good to be prepared," she told him.
"I'm on my way in," he told her.
"I'm in," she smirked.
"I told you to take it easy today," he accused.
"I wanted to be here," she hushed him. "Now get a move on. Everyone else is already here and I might start to whine that I had to be here while you lounged around at home." And with that she hung up and Josh ran to the shower.
----
"Donna?" CJ asked coming into Josh's office where Donna was busy prioritizing his files for the day.
"Hey, CJ!"
"You have a minute to run down to the Mess?" CJ asked.
"He'll be here in a minute," Donna sighed. "I'd have to be quick," she finished the folders and followed CJ down the hall.
They sat at a corner table with coffee in hand and CJ smiled at the younger girl.
"What?" Donna asked.
"How was your date last night?" CJ smiled.
"Pretty good," Donna smiled. "Winston's pretty okay."
"Pretty okay?" CJ laughed. "Jeez...there's a ringing endorsement."
"He's a good guy," Donna insisted. "A little uptight about my job....but a good guy."
"Uptight?" CJ questioned.
"He got mad when I called Josh a couple of times...to check in and what not," Donna explained.
"Donna! Josh's a big boy," CJ told her. "He has a mother and he doesn't need you looking after him all the time."
"He'd still be at the damn office if it wasn't for me," Donna insisted. "Looking after Josh is my job. It's what I do."
"Carol never calls me to check in," CJ continued.
"You're a together woman," Donna brushed off.
"Josh is a grown man," CJ insisted.
"Ah...grown, but not together," Donna smiled. "He needs to be coddled or he can't function."
"You need to cut the cord," CJ told her honestly. "Josh is too old for a babysitter."
"I like taking care of things for him," Donna said quietly.
"Or do you just like taking care of him?" CJ asked, knowingly.
Donna's head jerked up quickly in response to that last comment. "CJ..."
"Donna. You have to stop this. It's not right," CJ told her, looking at her intently.
"It's not anything," Donna insisted. "He just needs to be coddled every now and again and I don't mind doing it.
"It's nothing else, maybe?" CJ asked, fishing for more details.
"Ladies," Josh bellowed as he appeared next to their table. "Donnatella...were you going to bring me coffee?" he asked with a dimpled grin.
Donna laughed and swatted at his arm as he presented her with a raisin muffin. "Not on your life, Lyman," she smirked and grabbed the muffin from his grasps. "But thanks for the muffin."
"Did you know that the calorie content in these things is all wrong?" Josh asked her as he pulled up a chair.
"Margaret mentioned that before, I think," Donna recalled.
"Yeah," Josh said. "I think she told Toby and he told Sam and Sam told me or something," Josh recalled. "Weird."
"Yeah," Donna murmured, breaking a piece off to give to Josh.
CJ sat there and watched the two of them. It was like they were all alone or something. "So...I'm gonna get back to work," CJ said, making her presence still known.
"You want some of Donna's muffin?" Josh offered.
"No thanks," CJ smiled. "I'll see you guys later."
"Yeah," they both murmured as she walked away.
"Is she okay?" Josh asked.
"She was being a little weird earlier," Donna admitted. "She's mad that you're coming shopping tomorrow."
"Why?"
"I don't know. She thinks I'm too nice to you or something," Donna guessed.
"You're just nice enough to me," he whined.
Donna laughed. "C'mon...there is work to be done, I'm sure."
"Okay," he sighed as he followed her out.
----
"Spanky?" CJ seethed into the phone.
"Claudia Jean...how lovely it is to hear from you," Sam smirked at her tone. "What can I do for you?"
"What are we going to do with Josh and Donna?"
"Did something happen since last night?" he asked concerned.
"I was just with them," she sighed. "Donna and I were talking about how she should let Josh take care of himself and I was being supportive and all," she insisted.
"Uh huh," Sam laughed.
"And then Josh came in and it was like I wasn't even there," she exclaimed. "Is it possible that they do this all the time and I'm just only now realizing it?"
"Yes," he answered.
"Yes, what?" she asked.
"Yes it's possible," he grinned. "She's got that boyfriend...Winston or whatever," Sam insisted.
"Yes, she does. But she called Josh last night a couple of times while she was out with Winston," CJ continued.
"I know...I found that troubling as well if you recall," Sam sighed.
"Oh...Toby's here," CJ told Sam. "You're going on speaker."
"Toby?" Sam asked.
"It's bad, Sam," Toby sighed. "I called him and he thought it was Donna and he sounded all swoony-like."
"What are we going to do?" CJ asked the boys.
"Nothing," Toby sighed. "We do nothing. Cause if we do something, we'll manage to screw it up somehow."
"Toby..." Sam whined.
"No. They're both clueless. If we start being involved, we could alter their perceptions," he insisted.
"But Leo already thinks something's up with them," CJ sighed, sitting down at her desk.
"Nothing's up," Toby insisted.
"I don't think he knows anything," Sam offered.
"Last night you were all worried," CJ accused.
"Yeah...but Josh is the master of denial. He does it well," Sam surmised. "I think the denial could work a while longer."
"And if one of them figures it out?" CJ asked, afraid of the answer.
It was quiet for a minute while they all thought about the possible outcomes to that particular question. "They're gone," Toby said, somberly.
"Well...maybe just Donna," Sam added.
"I like Donna," Toby sighed.
"Me too," CJ sniffed.
"They can't be together," Sam decided. "For everyone's best interests."
"Except their own," CJ whispered.
"I gotta go," Toby sighed and walked out.
"Later CJ," Sam whispered.
"Bye," she sighed and disconnected.
----
"I'm going out tonight," Josh said as he walked past her desk.
"With?" she inquired politely.
"My buddy from college. He's in town with a couple of guys and we're going to grab a drink or something. Maybe play some pool," Josh threw in with a grin.
"Be careful," she warned.
"Donna," he whined.
"What? You have a very sensitive system and you know it," she told him. "And you suck at pool. Don't bet on the games. You'll end up drunk and penniless and I'll have to drag your sorry ass home," she smirked.
"That was one time," he yelled.
"Ha. I'll always remember it," Donna smiled. "I told you it would come in handy some day."
"You're ridiculous," he smiled.
"I am not," she laughed. "I'm resourceful."
"Uh huh. You can go. I have that last meeting and then I'm off to the bars, I tell you!" he gloated.
"Be careful, Josh," she smiled at him as she gathered her stuff.
"I'll see you for the shopping trip from hell tomorrow," he told her.
"You don't have to come," she told him.
"I must ensure that you get a worthy product for my money," he insisted.
"You're too much," she laughed.
"I think I'm just enough," he sighed and trotted down the hall.
----
Hours later, Donna was laying in her bed with a pint of Ben & Jerry's in hand talking to Winston on the phone when she got another call.
"Winston? Can you hold on for a moment?" she asked and she clicked over once he obliged. "Hello?"
"Donnatella Moss?" the voice asked.
"Who's this?" she asked concerned.
"This is Brad...Josh's friend," he told her. "Josh said that you'd be the person to call."
"Where are you?" she sighed as she jotted down the address and thanked him for his help. She then clicked back over to Winston. "Hey," she smiled.
"You have to go." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah, something came up," she said.
"Uh huh," he sighed. "Something usually does," he replied.
"Winston?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Just frustrated is all. It's my problem," he told her. "Go on...do your job. We'll talk tomorrow after you get back from lunch or whatever."
"Thanks for being so understanding," she smiled.
"Good night, beautiful," he whispered before hanging up.
"Night," she murmured and hung up. She paused for just a moment before she threw on some clothes and grabbed her keys and went off in search of Josh.
Before too long, she found him. He was propped up in a booth in the back of a seedy pool hall. She slid into the seat across from him and looked at him with a grin. "This makes it twice," she told him and earned a half smirk.
"Donnatella?" Brad asked as he approached the table.
Donna smiled and went to introduce herself, but Josh beat her to it.
"Brad...this is my Donnatella...Donna...this is...this is..." he thought.
"Brad," Donna smiled. "Thanks for calling me. I'm Donna," she told him and shook his hand. "Josh? What happened?"
"I suck at pool," he told her.
"Well...as it turns out I in fact knew that," Donna smiled.
"I really suck at it though," he whined.
"You do," she agreed.
"He had a bit too much to drink, I guess," Brad explained. "We wanted to take him home but he couldn't really give us directions. He gave us your name, so we figured we'd give you a call. I hope you don't mind," Brad smiled at her.
"Not at all," she brushed it off. "I live for dragging his drunk ass home with me," she answered slyly.
"Not funny," Josh whined.
"I know," she agreed.
Brad laughed. "What'd Lyman ever do to deserve a woman like you?" he asked Donna.
"I'm not his..." Donna tried to explain. "I mean...we're not...really...."
"I'm lucky," Josh murmured and smiled at her. "I'm very lucky."
She smiled back at him just because he looked so pathetic. "C'mon Josh," she offered him her hand. "Let's go home."
"I can't find my keys," he answered.
"Okay," she smiled. "We'll go to my place, pick up my copy of your key and we'll get you to bed," she assured him.
"What would I do without you?" he asked as she helped him up and wrapped his coat around him.
"I perish the thought," she smiled at him and then turned to Brad and his friends. "Thanks guys," she smiled brightly. "It was nice to meet you," she told Brad. "Let me get him out of here before he embarrasses himself further."
"See ya Josh," Brad said as he patted his old friend on the back.
"Yeah," Josh mumbled as Donna dragged him away.
"C'mon there buddy," Donna smirked as she dumped him in her car.
When she got in herself, he looked over at her all dimpled and smiled. "Thank you," he slurred. "For..a...coming and all..."
"I couldn't very well leave you here, could I?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "Ya could. But you don't," he smiled carefully and cocked his head. "Why?"
"Why what?" she asked, refusing to go where he was attempting to take her.
"Why do you do all the things you do for me?" he asked seriously.
"Because I am the best damn deputy, Deputy Chief of Staff there is," she joked.
"Donna..." he moaned.
"It's my job to take care of you," she said seriously. "Now just shut up until we get home, okay?"
He closed his eyes and laid his head back and murmured, "Kay."
"Tonight is taking a very dangerous turn," she murmured to herself as she made way back to her apartment.
---- "Brad?" Sam asked when he picked up his ringing cell phone.
"Yeah. So...as predicted, Josh still can't hold his liquor," Brad laughed. "And he still sucks at pool. Why does he bother to do these things if he can't do them well?"
"He's Josh," Sam offered as an excuse.
"Yeah," Brad agreed.
"So...Donna show up?" Sam asked, already assuming the answer.
"Yeah," Brad answered. "She's a nice looking woman," Brad added.
"How'd Josh react?" Sam asked, ignoring the comment.
"He insisted that we call 'his Donnatella' because 'she could fix everything,'" Brad smirked. "If he wasn't so sad looking it would have been kinda sweet."
"And she came?" Sam asked, sighing.
"Right away," Brad answered. "No questions asked."
"Yeah...that's Donna," Sam agreed.
"He also said he was lucky to have a woman like her in his life," Brad added.
"Yeah?" Sam asked. "Did she deny it?"
"She started to, but then decided against it," Brad explained. "Who knows why," he sighed.
"Yeah," Sam said.
"Is this what we wanted to happen?" Brad asked.
"Yes and no," Sam sighed. "Thanks for your help, Brad. We'll talk soon," Sam said and disconnected from him to immediately call CJ. "CJ?"
"Spanky!" she smiled. "What's up?"
"She took him home," Sam told her.
"Kay," CJ said. "I'm calling Toby and then we'll take care of it," she told him.
"Call me later," Sam told her.
"Yeah," she smiled and hung up and got Toby on the line.
"What's up?" he asked.
"He's at her apartment," she told him.
"I'll pick you up in five minutes," Toby sighed and threw down his briefing memo.
----
Donna got them into her apartment, barely, before Josh collapsed on her couch and turned on CNN. "You're hopeless," she laughed and sat down next to him.
"I know," he sighed.
"Why do you do these things?" she asked.
"Drink or play pool?" he asked.
"Both," she giggled.
"I don't know," he answered. "To be cool," he offered.
"And being dragged all around town by your assistant portrays coolness these days?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow.
"Being picked up by a long legged blonde woman who fawns all over me is not in the uncool category," he smirked.
"Josh," she said, blushing. "You shouldn't say things like that," she told him.
"I know," he told her.
"Yet you did," she informed him.
"I'm drunk," he offered up the excuse.
"You are," she smiled and smoothed his unruly hair.
"So I probably won't remember much of this in the morning," he figured.
"Most likely not," she agreed smiling at him.
"You look very nice tonight, Donna," he whispered, looking in her eyes.
"Josh," she tried to interrupt him.
"You do," he told her.
"Thanks," she smiled.
He pushed himself up in a seated position. "I hate Winston," he told her.
"You don't know him," she laughed.
"You're dating him?" he asked.
"Uh huh," she said.
"Then I hate him," Josh reasoned.
"Okay," she smiled. "Whatever you say, Joshua."
"Why do you do that?" he asked.
"What?"
"Call me Joshua sometimes...It drives me crazy," he said in a husky voice.
"Crazy good or crazy bad?" she teased.
"Both," he reasoned.
A piece of hair fell in front of her eye and he reached up to move it out of the way and his hand came in contact with her skin and she sort of leaned into the touch. "Josh," she whispered.
Then the door flew open and CJ and Toby were standing in her hallway looking worried.
"Josh! Are you okay?" CJ asked, worried.
"What's going on?" Josh asked, turning away from Donna.
"Someone from the bar recognized you and said you lost your keys and they found them and called the White House," CJ continued, looking at Toby to jump in.
"So naturally we were worried," Toby continued. "You didn't pick up your cell phone," Toby told him.
"It's in your car, I think," Josh said, glancing at Donna.
"We'll look tomorrow," she smiled at him.
"So you're okay?" Toby asked, trying to seem normal.
"Just drunk and a terribly pool player," Josh smirked. "No worse for wear."
"Okay. You need a lift home?" CJ offered. "So Donna can rest up for the shopping spree tomorrow?"
"Yeah...I mean we're going that way," Toby sighed.
Donna smiled at them. "Looks like we don't need that spare key after all."
"Guess we don't," he smiled at Donna. "Thanks...for tonight and all."
"Sure thing," she smiled back at him. "Get some sleep, Joshua," she whispered.
"See ya," he whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse.
"Okay," CJ cleared her throat. "Let's get moving. Donna, I'll pick this lug up tomorrow and meet you here by 11 or so," she told her.
"Josh, I'll call you at 9," Donna called after him as Toby dragged him down the hall.
"Yeah," Josh called back.
Donna smiled as she watched CJ and Toby throw him in the elevator and then she went back into her apartment and got ready for bed.
Meanwhile, Toby threw Josh in the back of his car and he and CJ got in as well.
"What the hell is your problem?" CJ asked him.
"I suck at pool?" Josh offered.
"Wrong answer," Toby told him quietly.
"You're the Deputy Chief of Staff," CJ informed him.
"Thanks for the head's up, Claudia Jean," Josh shot back.
"You should be held to a higher standard," she explained further. "Public drunkenness is not looked upon favorably."
"Again, thanks for that little bit of information," he sighed. "It won't happen again," he promised.
"Yeah," Toby muttered.
"Josh...you can't just go make a spectacle out of yourself when you have friends visiting," CJ sighed. "It's not good for the Administration as a whole. Neither is your assistant dragging you around town because you can't seem to function yourself," she added.
"Cheap shot," Josh muttered.
"Josh...she's your employee, not your slave," Toby reasoned, quietly.
"I know," he whispered.
"So you called her because..." Toby pressed.
"I knew she had a key to my place," Josh admitted.
"Why does she have a key to your condo?" CJ asked, seriously.
"After the shooting...she'd come and go at weird hours," Josh explained. "I couldn't move all that well at first, so it was easier for her to let herself in and out, ya know?"
"That was years ago," Toby stated.
"I never asked for it back and she never offered it back," Josh told them.
"Uh huh," Toby muttered.
"Josh...what is going on with you and Donna?" CJ asked bluntly, earning a glare from Toby.
"Nothing," Josh answered quietly.
"What was that, Josh?" Toby asked, wanting to be sure he heard the answer.
Josh cleared his throat, "Nothing." He swallowed before continuing. "She's my assistant and she's my friend. And that's all," he told them.
"You're sure?" CJ pressed.
"Of course," he smirked. "Why?" he asked with a grin. "Did you guys think it was something else going on?"
"What would be going on?" CJ asked, innocently.
"That's what I'd like to know," Josh answered.
"Nothing's going on," Toby concluded. "End of story."
"Toby," CJ started.
"No, CJ," Toby told her. "Josh is right. What could possibly be going on with a member of his support staff? That would be ridiculously stupid. I mean...no matter how innocent it would most likely be, the appearance of impropriety would be great. Politics is Josh's life. He wouldn't want to ruin his career on something like that. "Not that Donna wouldn't be worth it," he amended to Josh quickly. "It's just not something that Josh would do. He's too smart for that," Toby smiled and looked back at Josh while he stopped at a red light. "Right buddy?"
"Yeah," Josh mumbled, looking out the window. "I'd never do anything to harm the Administration. And besides, I told you, Donna's my assistant and my friend, but that's about it. I don't even think she likes me half the time," he added with a sad grin.
"See, CJ?" Toby asked. "You were worried about a non-existent problem!"
"I'm sorry, Josh," CJ told him. "You know how I can get when I'm overtired," she smiled. "I was letting my imagination get the best of me."
"No problem," Josh told her as Toby pulled up in front of his house.
"You okay to go up alone?" Toby asked.
Josh got out and gathered his thoughts for a moment. The conversation certainly sobered him up quickly, he thought. "Yeah," he told them. "See ya in the morning, CJ," he smiled.
"Okay there, killer. Get some sleep," she told him.
"Night," Josh mumbled as he made his way inside.
CJ grabbed her phone and dialed up Sam as they pulled away.
"What?" he asked.
"Sparky?" CJ asked with a grin. "We did it."
"What?"
"Josh now believes that he would kill the Administration if he pursued Donna romantically," CJ explained.
"Good," Sam smiled. "How bad was it when you reached Donna's?"
"Bad," CJ admitted. "They looked...close," she explained. "But it's okay now. Josh knows what he has to do."
"Good. I gotta go," he told her. "Tell Toby bye for me...I'll talk to you guys later," he smiled.
"Night, Sparky," CJ laughed and hung up.
"We did it," CJ smiled, turning triumphantly to Toby.
"Did we?" Toby asked. "Or did we just further the idea along in his head?"
"No...he knows what would happen," CJ insisted. "You just told him!"
"I did," Toby agreed. "But maybe we just convinced him that if he indeed were to consider a relationship with Donna he'd need to stage a massive cover-up."
"He couldn't pull it off alone," CJ said. "He'd ask Sam for help!"
"Maybe...maybe not. He could be wary of Sam," Toby reasoned. "He could go elsewhere."
"Where?" CJ wondered.
"I have no idea at the moment, and actually I'm tired of thinking about Josh's love life or lack there of this evening," he sighed. "I'm taking you home."
