"This is Captain Foley speaking. We will be landing at Andrews Air Force Base in approximately twenty-two minutes. Washington D.C. time is currently 9:54 pm, and the temperature is 54 degrees Fahrenheit."
Groggily, Josh awakened in stages, finding that while the leather seats on Air Force One looked plush and inviting, his back was still cramped from sleeping in an awkward position. As he started to move, he realized that Donna's head was still resting on his shoulder, and her fingers had become inexplicably intertwined with his own at some point while they were both asleep. He smiled, and carefully looked around to see if they were being observed. Fortunately, the staff cabin was still deserted- CJ and Toby must have stayed in the other conference room, working with Sam, Bruno and Connie on the upcoming campaign strategies. Momentarily, he wondered why they hadn't come to get him- and then he decided that he didn't care.
Quietly inhaling the scent of Donna's hair, he felt peace flow over him. These were some of the moments that he cherished most from the first campaign, and from the past three years in office: the quiet times where he and Donna fell asleep together. Of course, it was perfectly innocent in the fact that they had never pursued a romantic relationship, and it would be no lie to say that nothing physical had happened with them-- their bond was much deeper than that. Without speaking a word, Josh felt that Donna understood their relationship-- knew the pitfalls that would lie ahead if they verbally acknowledged their mutual attraction-- and so, they performed this delicate ballet of banter and subterfuge and misdirection because to give in, to consciously admit their feelings aloud-- would be the end of their working relationship, at least for now.
Soon, he would have to wake her up, let her know that they were landing at Andrews. From experience, he knew how cold he would feel once her warm body was no longer safely nestled against his chest, how bereft his shoulder and hand would feel without her touch. He wasn't ready to face that feeling just yet- and so he stayed still, memorizing her heartbeat and matching her relaxed breathing to his own, not wanting to leave the moment just yet, even though his shoulder ached from the position.
"Josh?" came her sleepy voice, several minutes later. "Josh, are we there yet?"
"Shh... yes, we'll be landing at Andrews in about ten minutes," said Josh quietly.
Donna slowly pulled herself to a sitting position, smoothing her hair and rubbing her eyes. As she started to rise from the chair, Josh impulsively gave her a quick hug before she left his arms. She looked surprised for a moment, and a flicker of... something... showed in her eyes for a second, and then the mask of professionalism settled back on her face. She casually walked over to the bathroom and returned a moment later, wearing her (now dry, but wrinkled) blouse, handing him back his shirt. As he put it back on over his t-shirt, and started to button it, he joked,"Wow, looks like someone slept in this." She returned, "At least this time, it wasn't you and your sensitive system!" They both smiled, as the banter (safely back in place), brought them back to their accustomed roles.
Quickly packing up the files that were scattered over the tables and floor, Donna restored order to the room and returned to her seat as the intercom announced the imminent landing. As Air Force One taxied onto the runway, Josh and Donna were discussing the schedule for the next day. "Josh, do you think that the subpoenas will be handed down this week?"
"I'd be surprised if they weren't handed down starting tomorrow, just to try to get them into the current news cycle. Donna-- you know that you will probably be subpoenaed as well, right? They are going to ask you a lot of questions-- some polite, but most just to do some digging, see if they can find any dirt on the administration."
She looked at him. "So I shouldn't mention my Catholic schoolgirl uniform and my equipment to House Oversight?" she said playfully.
"Well...if you do, I may have to tell them about your favorite hobby-- philately," Josh smirked.
As the plane rolled to a stop, they gathered up their belongings and headed towards the cabin door, getting ready to join the rest of the staff to disembark. As Donna exited the room with Josh touching the small of her back, he looked back towards their seats and saw their reflection in the window. He smiled at the picture of them together.