Later that day...

"We're done here for now," Will sighed as his fist pounded the table in the back of the Headquarters. "Damnit will I be happy when this is over with," he said with disgust.

"You're just tired," Toby said quietly. "We all are. It'll pass."

"I need food," Will said and looked at Josh and CJ with expectation.

"I could eat," CJ shrugged. "I haven't eaten since....when did I last eat?" she asked.

"Last night?" Toby sighed as he dropped a stack of folders on the table. "I ate something last night I think."

"Food it is, then," Will said with vague excitement. "I'm ordering. Sandwiches and pizzas?" he asked.

"And cheese fries," CJ smiled in anticipation. "I love cheese fries."

"Josh! Earth to Josh," Will joked. "Does that work for you?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Save me something. I need to get on a conference call right now," he said distracted. "I'll be back."

"He okay?" Toby asked as he watched Josh leave.

"Donna's coming in a couple of hours," Sam shrugged.

"Is this it? I mean, do or die time?" CJ asked.

"Not even close," Sam smiled. "They've got to figure some stuff out," Sam said.

"They're never going to be over," Will shrugged. "No matter what."

"I'm calling Lynne," CJ sighed.

"I'm ordering food," Will said taking the landline as CJ reached for her cell phone.

"Good," Toby muttered. "I'm going to see Leo."

-----

"Is Donna's flight on time?" CJ asked her friend.

"Should be," Lynne smiled. "I just checked with the airport."

"You're really okay with this?" CJ asked.

"Yes, CJ," Lynne smiled confidently. "I am. I like Josh and I like Donna and they deserve all the happiness in the world."

"You're a better person than I would be in your situation," CJ said with admiration.

"CJ," Lynne sighed. "There are a million kinds of love in the world. I love Josh and he loves me – just not in the same way he loves Donna. He'll love Donna for the rest of his life in a way that most of the world will never get to experience for itself. It's forever, no matter what, kind of love. Even when he thinks he can't stand her he loves her," Lynne snorted. "It's actually a little disgusting."

"I guess you're right," CJ sighed, thinking back to Josh and Donna over the years she'd known them both. "They just fit," she shrugged.

"They do," Lynne smiled. "And Donna's a great person. I talk to her all the time and I find her more and more amusing."

"Ah," CJ smiled. "Her crazy stories and weird obsession to the strangest details," CJ laughed. "How we've all missed them."

"Josh swears I'll want to throttle her eventually, but for now, amusement best describes what I feel," Lynne explained. "How's Josh?" Lynne asked suddenly.

"He's fine I guess," CJ shrugged. "They boys figure he's nervous about Donna coming or something."

"Maybe," Lynne shrugged. "He just seemed off to me is all – but I'm probably reading too much into it," she decided. "He'll be fine."

"So, Donna in two hours?" CJ asked.

"Yes," Lynne smiled. "I'll be by the office as soon as I leave the airport."

"Is she moving back to Washington?" CJ asked suddenly before she hung up.

"Donna?" Lynne asked.

"Yeah," CJ answered.

"I don't know," Lynne answered honestly.

"Gut feeling?" CJ asked her friend.

"CJ I have to go," Lynne said quickly. "I'll see you later," she muttered and hung up the phone and sighed loudly. She honestly didn't think Donna was going to move back to Washington. From all the discussions she'd had, she seemed happy in Hawaii. And she knew that Josh would never leave Washington. It was seeped in his blood and he couldn't get away from the lifestyle and the politics and everything that he loved so dearly. Deep down she knew that Donna knew that and she knew that Josh knew how happy she was in Hawaii. Josh was a smart man. He may lack common sense every now and again, but in general, he was pretty smart. He knew what the options were in this situation and almost none of them worked out perfectly. She just prayed that she was wrong about the whole thing.

----

Josh finished his conference call and sat quietly in the back room for a bit. He needed to gather himself together before he joined everyone for food and before Donna stepped back into his life again – for no matter how brief a visit. He took a deep breath and called his Mother. "Mom?" he asked with a smile. "How are you?"

"Joshua, darling," his Mother said happily. "I'm good. And how about you? How do you even have time to call me? Election Day is....hmmm...when again?" she asked with laughter in her voice.

"Funny, Mom," he replied. "I'm swamped. I just wanted to call you and say hi. Can't a son do that?" he asked.

"Of course sons can do that. Just not my son," Mrs. Lyman snarked right back. "What's going on? Wait...is my darling Donna there with my angel Olivia?"

"No Mom," he said. "Donna'll be here later on and Olivia's with her parents in Wisconsin."

"Oh," she remarked. "Well after tomorrow you'll get a lot of Donna and Josh time then without the interruptions of a baby," she said hopefully.

"She's staying at Lynne's place," he told him Mom.

"Donna and Lynne are really getting along, huh? They are both such charming young women. I'm glad they've gotten to be friends. They're both so great with Olivia and I love them so much," his Mother continued. "And it's probably for the best that Donna stays somewhere besides your place, honey," she told him. "You guys have a lot to work out."

"Would you hate me if I don't think we can?" he asked.

"What?" his Mother asked, her voice going up four decibels. "What did you do, Joshua?"

"Nothing, Mother," he sighed. "Donna loves Hawaii."

"So?" she asked. "Given the opportunity I could love Hawaii too. Big deal."

"I don't," he shrugged. "I love Washington. I love winter. I love constantly running from one thing to the next."

"You always have," his Mother said softly.

"I won't move to Hawaii," he said with certainty. "I love Donna. I love Olivia. But I need to think about myself in this little scenario as well. I need to do what's best for me too," he said.

"Of course you do," she smiled. "Did Donna say she was staying in Hawaii?"

"No," he said quietly. "Not yet."

"Okay," she said. "Then stop getting yourself all worked up over something that might never happen."

"She could be coming to say goodbye," he said.

"It'll never be goodbye for you two. Not really," she smiled. "And if she wants to stay where she's at you'll let her. You'll be supportive and you'll visit and she'll visit and you'll find your way back to each other later on in life. Noah was it for me, Son. I loved him from the moment I saw him and I'll love him until I see him again," she said with a sad smile. "With some people," she sighed. "With some people you just know. And it's like that with you and Donna. I just know. Trust me. I'm your Mother and I'm always right."

"You're crazy," he laughed. "But I love you."

"Good boy," she smiled. "I love you, too. Now go and work or something. You need to win a Presidential Election tomorrow."

"Bye, Mom," he smiled and hung up.

Mrs. Lyman sighed as she hung up with her son and she hoped that things wouldn't be as difficult for him as he believed they would be.

----

Josh rejoined his friends around 8 o'clock and grabbed a beer and some pizza and sat in the corner of the room going over the latest targeted districts in Florida. He needed to ensure that everyone who was supportive got to the polls. The massive GOTV effort was well funded and well conceived. He was just making sure that things were going to go as he'd planned.

"We got Florida," Will told him, knowing what he was looking over.

"Yeah," Josh said, tapping his pen with one hand and holding his folded pizza in the other.

"Hey," Will smiled at him. "It'll be okay, buddy," he said. "I promise."

"I know," Josh laughed it off. "I know," he said shaking his head and trying to come out of his funk. "Claudia Jean! I want some of your cheese fries," he demanded, shouting across the room.

----

"He's back," Toby said to Sam as they observe Josh yelling at some State Campaign Managers when numbers were not where he expected.

"He is," Sam smiled. "For the moment at least," he said as he watched Josh reach for his cell phone.

"Yeah?" Josh said as he walked away from the speaker phone to answer his cell.

"It's me," Donna said softly.

"You okay?" he asked.

"We just landed," she told him.

"Good. Lynne's there waiting for you," he told her.

"Yeah," she said.

"Kay," he said, shaking his head and his urge to continue the conversation.

"You have to work," she said, sensing his mood.

"Yeah," he shook his head. "I'll see ya later," he told her and hung up.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked Josh as Josh walked back to the speaker phone of yelling grown men.

"Donna's in the District," he said. "She was just letting me know."

"That's great, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Josh shrugged. "I have to get back to these guys," he said gesturing to the phone on the desk.

"Yeah," Sam said shaking his head and shrugging at Toby.

"He's fine," Toby said with authority as he look strangely at Josh. CJ and Will looked at Toby questionably and he just shook his head. "Let's get to work," he said.

----

On the car ride from the airport to the Headquarters Donna was quiet. "You okay?" Lynne asked about half way there.

"I'm great," Donna forced a smile on her face. "How are things here? How's work and everything?"

"Donna," Lynne sighed. "We talk all the time. You know about my new place, work and my family. What's the deal with you at the moment?"

"Just nervous and anxious I guess. And I left my baby with my mother for the first time," she sighed. "That's a lot to deal with."

"I'm sure it is," Lynne smiled. "It's gonna be okay," she said.

"How do you know?" Donna asked.

"It has to be," Lynne shrugged. "There's no other way it can be."

"What if I don't know what I want?" Donna asked.

"Do you love Josh?" Lynne asked.

"That's never been the issue," Donna protested.

"Answer the question," Lynne demanded.

"Yes," Donna sighed. "I love him. I've loved him for as long as I can remember," she shrugged. "He gave me a chance when no one else would. He accepted me in a life that no one thought I belonged in. He was my friend. He listened to me complain and babble for years and he put up with my countless gomers," she laughed remembering how he'd try to thwart her dates. "He loved me. He loved me so much that he would have risked his career to be with me," Donna smiled. "He forgave me when I kept Olivia a secret," she sniffed. "And he still loves me," she shrugged. "I've done more stupid things than I can even remember," she laughed through her tears. "And still...he loves me."

"He does," Lynne said with a smile.

"But," Donna continued. "Love has never been our problem," she said. "We're both on two different tracks now."

"How do you figure?" Lynne asked.

"I used to work with him. We loved the long hours and crazy schedules. Now I'm all about schedules and naptimes and play dates. Not exactly hard- core political life, is it?" she asked.

"Josh loves his job. But he loves you and Olivia more," Lynne reasoned.

"I know," Donna smiled. "But I want Josh to be happy and the only way he'd be really happy is if he was working in politics. In DC politics," she clarified.

"He does love it here," Lynne agreed.

"And Olivia has friends in Hawaii," Donna said quietly.

"You don't want to come back," Lynne deduced.

"I don't know what I want right now," Donna answered. "All I know is that I love him. And I miss him and I can't wait to see him," Donna cried. "That's all I got right now."

"That's enough," Lynne smiled and reached over to squeeze her hand. "For now, it's enough."

"Thanks Lynne," Donna smiled as they turned into the parking lot.

"You ready to go in?" she asked Donna.

"It's now or never, right?" Donna asked, walking toward the door. "He'll be in campaign mode. I love when he's pretending to be powerful and important," she giggled.

"Knock, knock, boys and girls," Lynne said as she and Donna walked inside the Headquarters.

"Hey!" CJ and Toby smiled and walked over to give Donna a hug. Will and Sam abandoned their paperwork and phone calls and joined the hugging group.

"Where's my hubby?" Lynne asked Toby.

"In the back. On the phone again – yelling at somebody," he gathered.

"I'll just go say hi," Donna smiled shyly and set off into the direction that Josh's elevated voice was coming from.

"Damnit," he yelled into the phone. "I don't want to hear that talks fell through with Labor. I need the streets flooded with people tomorrow. Go. Make nice with them. Give them whatever they need." Josh groaned while he listened to the other person making excuses of some kind. "No. Listen. Get the bodies on the damn street. I do not want one...not one registered 'D' to not go to the polls. If we have to physically go to their homes and pick them up and cart them around the damn town we're going to do that. Am I being clear?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Good. Just get it done," he said as he slammed down the phone. "Freaking amateurs!" he yelled as he threw a phone book across the room.

"Did you make him cry? Because I don't think I have the fruit basket number memorized anymore," Donna said quietly from her vantage point by the door.

"Donna!" Josh said startled. "Jeez. Why do you sneak up on people like that?" he asked.

"It's my witch-given talent," she remarked smugly referring back to a conversation they'd had a lifetime ago.

"I always knew you were a witch," he responded with a smirk.

"You alright?" she asked.

He shook his head. "It's gonna be close tomorrow," Josh said.

"You'll win," she smiled with confidence.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"You're da man," she smirked. "Didn't you used to tell me that?"

"Figures you wouldn't believe it until now," he laughed. "How's Olivia?" he asked.

"She's adorable as usual," Donna beamed and handed over pictures from Halloween.

"Did your Mom do the flag?" he asked.

"Yeah," she smiled. "She really looked perfect didn't she?" she asked as Josh sorted through the pictures she'd handed him.

"How could she not?" Josh smiled. "Her parents are pretty perfect people."

"It's really good to see you," Donna smiled and looked at him intently. "Really, really good."

"I'm glad to see you, too," Josh smiled and his dimples appeared and Donna blushed.

"So," Donna sighed, collecting herself.

"Are you sticking around or heading back to Lynne's for the night?" he asked.

"I can help out," she suggested. "If that's okay with everyone else...."

"Of course it's fine," Josh smiled. "Lynne hates this crap so I'll drop you by there later tonight, okay?"

"Let's just go tell Lynne," Donna smiled as did Josh as he followed her to the main room.