---- Back in DC ----

"Thanks for coming to get me," Josh told Sam sincerely as they got into the waiting car at the airport.

"No problem," he shrugged. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Me neither," he laughed. "Donna had other plans, though."

"Ah," Sam shook his head knowingly. "How is she? And Livvie?"

"They're both really good. Donna seems happy for once and Olivia is getting so big," he smiled proudly. "I miss them both already."

"So...did going there help clarify some things for you?" Sam asked.

"I've decided that I need to be me again. I need to be the Josh Lyman I was 5 years ago. I need to concentrate on work, on politics, and on my life...in that order. I need to call my Mother once a week to ensure that she gets news from me and not Lynne or Donna or soon, I guess, Olivia," he laughed.

"And what about Lynne and Donna?" Sam asked.

Josh shrugged. "I didn't realize how much I missed being with Donna until the other day," he explained. "I kissed her and it felt like home," he sighed. "And then she mentioned Lynne and I just don't know," he shrugged. "I love Lynne," he said with authority. "I do. But...Donna's...Donna has consumed my heart and soul for so many years, now. How do I just give that up? And now she's the mother of my child," Josh sighed louder. "How do I give up my life?"

"You need to figure out you first," Sam told him. "You can't live to please Lynne, or Donna, or Olivia, or even your Mom. You need to live for you for a while. Find out what makes Josh Lyman Josh Lyman again. Then," he smiled. "Then you can figure out the rest. You just need to evaluate yourself, man. Get yourself together. You had all of us really worried."

Josh looked at Sam, his best friend for years, and realized they both had tears in their eyes. "Okay," Josh laughed. "Enough of this sap for tonight," he decided.

"You should get home," Sam told him. "Let Lynne know you're good."

"Yeah," Josh shook his head. "Let me call Donna real quick. I promised I'd call when I got in," he smirked and reached for his cell phone.

---- At Josh and Lynne's place ----

Josh walked in and found the place quiet. It was clean, too. It didn't look lived in. It looked like an abandoned mansion in the movies. "Lynne?" Josh called out. "I'm back, baby!"

"Josh?" she asked, coming down the stairs quickly. "I didn't know you were coming back tonight," she smiled at him.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, nervously toying with her hair. "How's Olivia? And Donna?" she asked politely.

"They're both really doing well," he smiled and showed her the picture in his camera of Olivia and Donna at the park.

"They look happy," Lynne smiled.

"Yeah," Josh agreed. "Why don't you?" he asked, taking a good look at her face.

"Because being an adult sucks," she told him and grabbed his hand and led him to their couch in the sitting room. "Sit," she told him.

"What's up?" he asked quietly.

"We're going to need to get a divorce Joshua," she told him quietly.

"You never call me Joshua," he said, his face still blank.

"Did you hear me? We need to get divorced," she repeated.

"Why?" he asked, confused. "I was only gone for like two days or whatever. Nothing happened!" he found himself saying. "I mean, I kissed her, but nothing happened. You're my wife, Lynne," he told her in an almost pleading voice.

"Josh," she held his hand and spoke in a calming voice. "I love you, Josh," she smiled at him through the tears that were quickly forming in her eyes.

"And I love you," he insisted.

"I know you do," she smiled and shook her head.

Josh sighed with relief and smiled through the panic in his eyes, "Okay, then."

"No," she shook her head. "I know you love me in your own way, Josh. But you don't love me like you love Donna. And I thought," she sighed. "I tried to look passed that. I thought I could be okay with that. But you know what I decided? I want someone to love me like you love Donna," she told him. "And that somebody can't be you," she summed it up simply.

"Of course I love Donna," he said. "It's natural love to love your first love forever. But that doesn't mean you can't move on," Josh explained. "I did. I did that with you."

"It doesn't mean that people can't move on," she smiled and he felt that she was talking so carefully around him like she thought he could snap at any moment – maybe she was right. "It doesn't mean that at all Josh – not for everyone," she sighed. "But you," she smiled and brought her hand to his face to wipe his falling tears. "You can't move on. You're trying to – almost desperately, but it's not working. And I deserve to be loved completely Josh. I deserve the kind of love that you reserve for only Donna."

"I don't know what to do," he cried.

"I know, baby," she said as she took his head to her shoulder and soothed his tears by running her fingers through his wavy hair. "You're a smart guy, though," she whispered as she placed a kiss on his head. "You'll figure it out."

"So you're just going to leave?" he asked.

"I haven't decided that yet," she told him. "I don't have a place in mind."

"Stay with me here. Please," he begged. "I love you, Lynne."

"Josh," she sighed as he pulled away from her and wiped his tears away furiously.

"I can love you like you want," he told her.

"If Donna came back tomorrow and said she wanted you," she tossed out. "Would you take her?"

Josh looked at Lynne blankly, knowing that his first thought would not be conducive to what Lynne wanted out of their relationship and too afraid to lie to her face.

"That's what I thought," Lynne pushed up from the couch and began to leave the room.

Josh watched her leave and shook his head. If she was leaving, she'd leave regardless, he decided. So he did what anyone would do. He jumped off the couch and grabbed her arm and spun her around, tossed her up against the wall and kissed her till she could barely stand up. And when her knees began to wobble, he moved her down to the floor and made love to her against their sitting room wall.

---- The next morning ----

Lynne rolled over and placed a kiss on Josh's scarred chest. "Morning," she murmured.

"Hey," he said in his raspy morning voice that made Lynne get all warm and fuzzy. "That was some night."

"Yeah," she blushed thinking of all that they did. "It sure was," she agreed.

"I am da man," he murmured, dragging her body flush against his and nipping at her neck.

"No arguments from me," she giggled. "But you know," she sighed. "It doesn't change anything. Good sex is good sex and I enjoy it as much as the next gal," she snorted. "But in a marriage, I think I deserve more."

"You do," Josh sighed. "You're a great person Lynne," Josh admitted. "And I wish I could love you like you deserve to be loved. I wish I could be your everything," Josh told her. "But...I don't even know who I am anymore, so I think I need to figure all that out first."

"That's a good start," she smiled at him. "So," she sighed, running her hands across his crest. "Is Donna coming home with Olivia anytime soon?"

"I asked her," Josh admitted. "She said she didn't know what she wanted to do yet about all that stuff. She did say that she still wanted to be with me," he told her.

"And...." Lynne prodded.

"She asked me what I wanted and all I could come up with was that I wanted to be me again," Josh explained.

"That's a great start," Lynne told him.

"Do you hate me?" he asked her.

"I love you, Josh," Lynne told him and kissed him on the mouth. "I always will. I want you to be completely happy. I think you can find that happiness with Donna."

"When did you become so smart?" he asked with a sexy grin.

"About the time you decided to start being an idiot," she told him.

"Ah," he nodded. "So it's all relative," he laughed.

"When do you want me to leave?" she asked him suddenly.

"Is never too soon?" he asked.

"Josh," she sighed.

"Stay," he told her. "I'll be completely by myself till November," he told her.

"Donna's coming for the election?" she asked.

"She said she would," Josh sighed.

"Okay," Lynne said.

"So," Josh proposed. "Stay till then, at least," Josh smiled. "You could stay longer if you want. I like having you around," he told her and kissed her forehead as he rolled out of bed to get ready for work. "And," he wiggled his eyebrows. "As you, my dear sweet Lynne have just said," he said, coming in real close and using his raspiest voice. "Good sex is good sex." And then he ran out of their bedroom and into the shower with Lynne tossing pillows after him.

---- Later that Day ----

Josh was at work and Lynne was in between conference calls when Donna called the house.

"Hello?" Lynne asked.

"Lynne?" Donna asked.

"Hi Donna," Lynne smiled, recognizing her voice.

"Hey," Donna smiled. "How are you?"

"Good. I'm getting divorced," Lynne tossed in, "but I'm good otherwise."

"You're getting what?" Donna asked. "Why? What happened? What did he do?"

Lynne laughed. "He didn't do anything," Lynne assured Donna. "He loves you like crazy is all," Lynne explained. "And damnit," she sighed. "I want someone to love me like that one day and I'll never get it married to Josh Lyman."

"Are you okay?" Donna asked.

"Yeah," Lynne smiled. "I'm good actually. How are you?"

"Good," Donna smiled. "How's Josh?" she asked.

"He was upset last night," Lynne said. "I think he just hates failing at things and this marriage is just another in a long line of screw ups or whatever in his book," Lynne explained. "And then he decided that we should have sex," Lynne shrugged. "That made things a little better," she giggled.

"I don't want to hear this," Donna laughed. "But I'm glad he's still stable."

"He's at the office. Something about needing to be him again or something," Lynne told her.

"He told me that's what he wanted most – to be him again," Donna smiled, remembering how sincere he looked at that moment.

"He loves you," Lynne told Donna. "I want someone to love me like that so badly it hurts."

"I love him, too," Donna admitted.

"And yet, he's here and you're there," Lynne smirked. "Color me confused."

"It's complicated," Donna sighed.

"And it's incredibly simple all at the same time," Lynne said.

"We're different people than we were before," Donna sighed. "Once he figures things out for himself, maybe there can be a second chance for us," Donna shrugged.

"Maybe?" Lynne asked.

"Yeah," Donna sighed. "We have plenty of love," Donna smiled. "That's never been the problem. Sometimes that just isn't enough, though."

"Sometimes it is," Lynne smiled.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was okay," Donna said, clearing her throat.

"Should I tell Josh you called?" Lynne asked.

"No," Donna said quickly. "Olivia misses you," she said quietly. "I just thought you should know that. She smiles every time she sees a picture of you."

"She's a great kid," Lynne smiled.

"I'll talk with you later," Donna sighed.

"Bye," Lynne said quietly and hung up.

---- The West Wing ----

"So," Sam sighed as he and Will joined Josh in the Mess for a late afternoon lunch. "How're things on the home front?"

"Or on the Hawaiian front?" Will asked.

"Lynne wants a divorce and Donna might grace us with her presence next month for the Election," Josh said as he toyed with his blackened hamburger.

"What?" Sam gasped.

"Yeah," Josh shrugged. "She said I couldn't love her the same way I love Donna and she deserves better than that," he said flatly. "She's not wrong," he shrugged again. "Maybe that's why I'm pissed – she figured it all out before I did."

"Are you okay, man?" Will asked, concerned.

"I still haven't jumped out a window, if that's what you mean," Josh smirked. "I'll be fine – it's just going to be an adjustment."

"Well, now you can move things forward with Donna more freely," Sam said with a half smile.

"Ah," Josh shook his head. "My dear Donnatella and I have decided that I need to be a whole person before I should join another person in life," Josh shrugged. "She has a point as well. Why the hell do I surround myself with uber-intelligent women?"

"You're lucky, I guess," CJ smiled as she and Toby pulled chairs up to the table and joined the boys. "How ya doing Joshy?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm doing pretty well, Claudia Jean," Josh answered with a smirk. "Are we okay?"

"Lynne mentioned she was going to ask for a divorce," CJ told him.

"She did – last night when I came back," Josh told her.

"Sorry man," Toby offered.

"No problem," Josh smiled at him quickly before looking back at CJ. "I did love her," he explained to CJ.

"I know," she smiled. "Just not the way she needed you to."

"Yeah," Josh sighed and shook his head.

"Did she leave?" CJ asked.

"No," Josh shook his head. "I left her in bed this morning," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and signaling an end to that portion of the conversation.

"I don't want to know," CJ smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Does Donna know?"

"I don't think so," Josh said. "No."

"Why didn't you call her right away? I would think divorce would make you available again for her," Toby said.

"I need to figure somethings out for me first," Josh shrugged. "Then, maybe we can discuss things," he said with a hopeful smile. "I know I'd like to."

"We're here for you, Josh," CJ smiled. "I know I was a bitch before...."

"It's over, CJ," Josh insisted. "It's a new chapter in all of our lives," Josh smiled. "We'll have to do with it what we want."

"Amen," CJ smiled and Toby rolled his eyes.

"So," Will sighed. "What now? After Election Day what's going on? Where are we all going to be?" he asked.

"The President and First Lady intend to do some traveling and Charlie plans to use that time to woo the charming Ms. Zoey Bartlett out of New Hampshire," he smirked. "I am going to spend some more time with Andie and the kids before I travel up to New York. Leo and I are going to open up a consulting business we've been discussing for years now," he laughed. "Wish us luck and we don't do discounts."

"I'm going back to consult on the West Coast," CJ smiled. "I figure I'll get to run into Congressman Spanky over there occasionally," CJ winked at Sam. "Will?"

"I've been offered a position at Sam's office," Will smiled at his friend. "Director of Communications."

"I'm stuck with you forever," Josh laughed. "We all know where I'm going," Josh nodded to Sam. "I am merely positioning myself to be the second most powerful man in the world in four more years," Josh grinned wild. This was the first time he'd mentioned the timeline of events.

"I thought it was eight?" Will asked confused.

"I got confirmation just before I left," Josh smiled. "One term only. He'll sign something as early as next week. You're it, Sam," Josh beamed.

"Well," Toby shrugged. "Then we all come back to Washington at the point. I want a bigger office."