----Four Years Later----

"Josh," Leo smiled at him. "You're really going to do it, aren't you?"

"Yeah," he said nodding his head. "I'm going to do this."

"He's going to win," Sam smiled proudly at his friend.

"We're going to win," Josh winked at him.

"Where are we setting up our base?" CJ asked.

"Where else," Josh nodded. "In Washington. We'll staff you guys out to various key states."

"Who's going to be you're number two?" Zoey Bartlett asked.

"Hmmm....too soon to tell, kiddo," he smirked at her. "We'll wait till all the primary dust settles and see who's still hanging around."

"Josh," Charlie smiled at him. "With all due respect, she's like an adult now."

"Shut up, Charlie," Josh laughed. "If she's an adult then I'm old."

"And...." Charlie prompted and earned a shove from Sam.

"If he's old, then I'm old and I'm too good looking to be old," Sam reasoned.

"So," Josh sighed, changing the subject. "Where's this thing we're going to tonight?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Some doctor guy or something," Zoey told him, glancing at the schedule.

"Rich people have money," CJ reminded Josh when he groaned.

"Right," Josh nodded.

----At the Fundraiser----

"It's so beautiful," Zoey awed when Charlie twirled her around the dance floor.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "It's a great ballroom. But I've seen better."

"Show off," she laughed and allowed him to dance her over to the bar.

"It really is a great turnout," CJ said, smiling at Josh who was leaning on a cocktail table with a drink.

"Yeah," he shook his head. "How much longer do we have to stay here?"

"Until they introduce you and you give your speech and the people clap," CJ smiled through gritted teeth.

Just then Danny came up behind them with Toby and Andie in tow. "Are we dancing, or what?" he asked.

CJ smiled and allowed Danny to lead her away from Josh.

"You really gotta get a girl," Andie told Josh with a grin.

"For what?" he asked.

"Because we all got them," Toby told him simply and led Andie to the dance floor.

"Hi Josh," Ainsley's voice pierced through the air.

"Ainsley," Josh forced a smile for Sam's girlfriend. "They don't check party affiliation at the door?"

"Not when you're dating the next Democratic Chief of Staff to the President," she smiled sweetly.

"Where is my best friend?" he asked, looking around.

"Getting me a Cosmopolitan from the bar," she replied.

"Figures," he scoffed.

"You know," she started. "I have this friend from college who would be just perfect for you."

"Not interested," he told her.

"Josh," she whined. "You haven't been interested in a woman for years," she rolled her eyes. "No one else will say this because they're afraid of your fragile ego or whatever. But, I'm not. You've been a stick in the mud since Donna left. It's time to admit she's not coming back. It's over. She's married. She has children. I know. Sam and I went to the christenings," she said it slower for impact.

"I can't hear you," Josh said putting his hands over his ears and closing his eyes.

"Are the eyes shut for effect?" Sam asked as he approached them.

"He's a baby. He refuses to have any fun and insists on making people as miserable as possible," Ainsley said taking her drink.

"Oh well," Sam smiled at her and nudged his friend. "We'll leave him alone now to wallow in his non-fun life."

"Bye bye, Josh," Ainsley said waving delicately.

"Have a blast," he said sarcastically.

"We will," Sam laughed back.

Josh sighed. It's not that he didn't want to have fun. He did. He loved fun. He was the king of finding the fun in most things. It's just that the last few years had kind of sucked. A Republican was in the White House. That sucked. His mother met a new man in Florida and the two had been dating quite steadily for more than two years. That sucked. Donna had gotten married. That sucked. Donna had two children. That sucked twice as much. Amy and Mandy were both happily married, which just added salt to the wounds. That sucked. He had an endless line of annoying inefficient assistants, none of which could hold a candle to the imperviousness that was Donna. That sucked. Everyone was happy, but him. That sucked. He sighed as he murmured all sucky things in his life to himself. "And Donna's at this party," he murmured. "That really sucks." Then he snapped out of his funk for a moment and looked up. "Donna is at this party," he whispered to himself again.

Donna walked in on Tom's arm smiling. It was a medical fundraiser and her husband was Chief of Staff at the local county hospital. Coming to these functions was old hat to her now. She loved fundraisers – she always did. Everyone always looked so polished. And now that she could actually have a closet full of beautiful gowns to wear she adored them even more than she did during her stint at the White House. "Tom," she said, looking up at him. "What's this event for?" she asked.

"The DNC," he said, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "You going to be okay for a minute? I just want to run over to see Dr. Marks for a second."

Donna smiled and scanned the crowd and sure enough she spotted her old life on the dance floor. "Yeah," she smiled at her husband again. "Go be charming. I know some people over there," she gestured to her old friends spinning around the dance floor.

"Okay," he smiled and wandered over to a group of doctors.

Donna took a deep breath and began to saunter over to CJ and Danny when Josh came up behind her. She stopped walking when she felt his hand on her side. Her eyes drifted closed and she sighed.

"Donnatella," he whispered into her hair.

"Josh," she smiled despite her overwhelming feeling of uncomfortableness. She turned around to face him and smiled broadly. "Josh you're really running for President!"

"I told you," he said with a stiff grin. "How are you?"

"I'm good. We're good. Tom and I and the kids," she continued. "We're good."

"Great. I always love hearing updates on you, Tom and the kids," he ground out with a fake smile.

"I bet," she nodded. "How's the new staff treating you?"

"I hate my assistant," he said. "She brings me too much coffee."

Donna burst out laughing. "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear you say," she giggled.

"I can't drink that much coffee. It makes me jittery," he said, trying to sound aloof.

"Right," she nodded. "I always told you that."

"I listened," he said.

"Sure," she smiled. "How're things going?" she asked seriously.

"Good," he nodded. "The campaign looks good. There are a couple of challengers right now, but nothing to worry about. Once the first few primaries are done, I'll worry about a running mate," he told her.

"Everyone on board?" she asked scanning the floor.

"Will will be back for the campaign," Josh told her. "CJ's on message and media, and I think Zoey's gonna be Press Secretary," he said smiling. "Of course the President is advising her against it, but she's always had a fondness for me," he said as his eyes twinkled.

"Most women do," Donna joked back and rolled her eyes.

"So, you're not working anymore?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "The internet thing I was working on went bust," she shook her head. "And then with the kids and stuff," she sighed. "Tom thought I should stick around the house."

"You don't have a nanny for them?" he asked taking in her jewel-covered neck and ears.

"Oh, we do," she nodded. "I just would rather be home with them. I like to take them to the park and on walks and stuff," she explained.

Josh nodded and smiled. "Motherhood suits you," he told her.

"Thanks," she blushed. "I love it," she told him. "I really do."

"You sound like you're trying to convince me or something," he said quietly.

"I just miss...stuff sometimes," she shook her head. "Sometimes, I just miss stuff."

"Like what?" he pressed. "When?"

"Like when I turn on MSNBC and see you or Sam or Toby yelling at Chris Matthews," she smiled. "When I hear about your campaign or your team," she said honestly. "I miss being a part of that. I just....I miss it," she sighed.

"Why don't you volunteer?" he asked.

"For what?" she asked quickly.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You could be the next member of the Lemon Lyman Looneys," he smiled.

"I don't want to be a member of your silly little fan club," she scoffed.

"But you could be a very valuable asset to my team," he told her honestly. "I'm just saying that maybe you could volunteer sometime," he shrugged. "No pressure."

"No pressure," she repeated.

"None," he whispered.

"I could think about it," she told him.

"I can wait for an answer," he said, leaning back on the table.

"I'd have to discuss it with Tom," she said looking over her shoulder to where Tom was in the middle of a colorful discussion about something that she totally didn't care about.

"Uh huh," he nodded. "Why'd you pick a doctor?" he asked.

She laughed as CJ and Danny made their way over to greet her.

"Donna!" Danny smiled and kissed her cheek. "How've you been?"

"Hi Danny," she smiled. "Hi CJ."

"Donna!" CJ smiled. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," Donna blushed. "You guys both look happy," she told them.

"We are," CJ smiled holding Danny's hand. "It's good thing."

"It is," Donna nodded. "What's up with Deputy Downer, over here?" she asked nodding to Josh who was now just kind of staring off into space ignoring them.

"Josh isn't happy," Danny said simply. "He pretends he's happy and that seems to work for him I guess," he shrugged. "God...the last time he was happy was..."he trailed off. "CJ? When was he last happy?" he asked.

"A couple of years ago I think. Zoey used something he did in the White House for a thesis paper or something," CJ recalled. "He was happy about that."

"That's so sad," Donna pouted a little.

"Yeah," CJ said allowing herself to stare at Josh for a just a moment and then she smiled brightly. "And where are your pictures of those adorable babies?" she asked Donna.

Donna smiled at Danny and CJ and dug into her bag and grabbed out a bunch of photographs and laid them on the table as Zoey and Charlie, Sam and Ainsley, and Toby and Andie came over to greet her and gush over her kids. Donna smiled politely and laughed and giggled over the sweet poses of her children and then, amidst the group's admiration, she made her way over to Josh. Josh was still staring blankly at the dance floor and he didn't turn toward her when she approached.

"What?" he asked.

She closed her eyes at his abruptness and swallowed hard. "What're you doing over here?" she asked. "There're some prime baby pictures over there, Josh Lyman. I think you could at least go over and compliment me on their cuteness," she said indignantly.

"I know they're beautiful babies, Donnatella," he murmured, just barely opening his mouth.

"What?" she asked.

"Ainsley," he sighed. "She has pictures. She shows them to me when I ask," he said simply.

"I thought you hated Ainsley," Donna said simply, not forcing him to turn around.

"I did," he sighed. "I do," he shook his head and turned around to face her. "She's a brutally honest person."

"She is," Donna smiled.

"She thinks I've been a pain in the ass for quite some time now," he smirked.

"She's probably right," Donna agreed.

"She gets that I miss you, though," he told her.

"Okay," Donna smiled sadly.

"She said you weren't ever coming back to me," Josh whispered.

"I'm not, Josh," she said softly, but clearly.

"You're back," he whispered. "Here you are....back in my life."

"I'm just at your fundraiser," she tried to clarify.

"It's bigger than that," he sighed. "I can tell." He turned around and stared back out at the floor and Donna stood in silence behind him for another ten minutes or so before Tom came up behind her.

"How's my lovely wife?" he asked and kissed her cheek.

She smiled and cleared her throat. "Josh," she smiled, touching his arm. "This is Tom. My husband," she felt the need to clarify.

Josh forced out a smile and stuck out his hand to shake Tom's. "Nice to meet you. Josh Lyman."

"Honey," Donna smiled. "I used to work for Josh at the White House," she reminded him.

"With," Josh corrected. "She worked with me," Josh said. "We were a team."

"Yeah," Donna smiled proudly.

"I remember you mentioned him," Tom shook his head. "Nice to meet you, Josh," Tom said with a smile. "Donna," he said. "You should go say hello to Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Cantor," he said nodding to the other side of the room. "They're interested in a play date with the children."

Donna smiled at him and then glanced at Josh's quizzical face. "Okay, dear," she smiled.

"I'm going to go talk with Dr. Swenson now," he told her and patted her arm before he left.

"A play date?" Josh asked, trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," she sighed and went over to gather up her pictures because the group had relocated to the bar area.

Josh followed her over and helped her collect them all. "Your children are beautiful," he told her with a sincere, full-dimpled smile.

"Thank you," she smiled. "It was really good to see you," she told him.

"You, too," he said nodding his head.

"Okay," she smiled. "I should go...and set up that thing for the kids," she said nodding her head toward where Tom had pointed earlier.

"Yeah," Josh agreed.

"See you around," she said.

"Yeah," he nodded.

Donna walked about ten steps away and then she turned around quickly. "Josh, where's your headquarters here?" she asked.

He had a card with the address sticking out of his hand and he offered it too. "It was nice to see you, Donnatella," he whispered and kissed her cheek as he was being called to the podium to address the guests.