Disclaimers: Everyone belongs to the NBC. I owe the sales persons in this chapter though.

Again thanks to Jordan. :-D

The weekend

Pt. 2.

At 9.13 a.m. the next morning she awoke to the ringing telephone. She found herself entangled in his arms. Once she had freed herself from him, carefulnot to wake him up and sitting up, she reached for the phone. "Donna Moss," she said drowsy into the mouthpiece of the receiver.

"This is Leo," the voice of Josh's boss, the Chief of Staff, said on the other end. She froze. "Sorry that I had to wake you up Donna, but do you by any chance know the whereabouts of Josh today? He's not answering his home phone or his cell phone."

"No I don't know where he is," she lied and glanced at Josh there beside her. His boss shouldn't have to learn that his Deputy had spent the night in his assistant's bed. No matter how innocent the whole thing had been. "Have you tried his pager?"

"Yes. But there was no answer there either," Leo answered her.

"I'll see if I can track him down somewhere, and then have him contact you," she suggested.

"You do that," Leo said. "Bye Donna."

"Bye Leo," Donna said.

"Who was that?" Josh asked as he was waking up.

"That was your boss," she informed him. "And you might like to know that I had to lie to him on your behalf," she answered him.

"What did Leo want?" he asked again as he sat up.

"He couldn't reach you on neither your home phone nor your cell phone," she answered him. "Nor on your pager. So I told Leo I would try to track you down, and then have you contact him."

"I forgot all about bringing my cell phone in here last night," he said. "I'll give it half an hour before I'll call him. Using the excuse that I was out getting the papers and forgot to bring my cell phone. That way you could have had time to track me down without it being suspicious."

"Good plan," she said.

"Good morning by the way," he said to her with a smile.

"Good morning to you too," she said back to him. "Hope you slept well," she said, sending him an identical smile.

"I indeed slept very well," he said and looked at her. The version of the just awoken Donna he had seen before, but never had he been waking up to the said version, after sleeping in her bed.

"You look to have done that also," she informed him, looking at his hair. It was spiking in all directions and more than it usually did on a daily basis.

"I suddenly got a brilliant idea," he said. "How do you like the sound of eating brunch together? I'll go home for a quick shower, a change of clothes, then call Leo and then finally come back to pick you up again," he asked her.

"Sounds like an excellent idea," she said.

"Okay," he said. "The time is now 9.20 a.m. so I should be back here somewhere between 10.30-10.45 a.m," he said as he looked at her alarm clock on his way out of her bed and went to get his suit pants and his shirt from the living room. "Just keep the sweat pants here until some other time."

"Okay," she said after him as she herself got out of bed. She picked up his socks from the floor of her bedroom on her way out to him in the living room. "Your socks," she said and handed them to him.

"Thanks," he said as he was buttoning his shirt. He put on his socks before trying smooth his hair.

"Wait here for a sec," she said as she went to get a hairbrush for him. "Use this." She smiled as she watched him begin to primp his hair as well as he could.

"Thanks," he said as that task was done and he handed the hairbrush back to her. Before he opened the front door he gave her a kiss on her cheek. "See you later, Alligator."

"In a while, Crocodile," she said playing along with his act, as he walked out the door and left her standing in the open door. Then she decided to take a shower and get ready before anything else.

When Josh had returned home, the first thing he did was to call his boss. Leo accepted his little white lie and his boss just wanted him to check a matter regarding an important bill. After that he took a quick shower and a shave. He put on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, a thin body-clinging sweater and his sandy construction boots.

Since the weather was great that day he decided to wear his black leather jacket. Looking at the time he figured that it was time to head out the door again to go pick up Donna.

Before she headed for a shower, Donna grabbed the half empty beer cans that had been sitting on the coffee table since the night before and went to throw them out. After taking a shower she put on lighter makeup

than she used at work and she decided to wear jeans, a T-shirt, a shirt and stuck her feet in her favorite pair of sneakers. She had to dig out her light brown leather jacket to wear that day and she chose that one over her denim jacket. Then she waited for Josh to come pick her up.

Josh pulled up in front of her building exactly one and a half hours after he had left it. He knocked on the door after climbing the stairs.

"Hey Alligator. You ready?" he asked her with his smile when she had opened the door, picking up from earlier.

"I am Crocodile," she answered him as she put on her jacket and grabbed her purse. Then she went out into the hallway where he was waiting, and locked the door and together they walked down to his awaiting car.

Josh had carefully been navigating the car through the busy Saturday morning traffic of the capital. They had been eating brunch in this great diner that he knew about, and spent a good two hours there. They discussed their respective weekend plans, which were really non-existent for the both of them, so they finally agreed on spending that whole Saturday together. After much discussion they had agreed on going shopping. So they had been on route to her favorite mall to stroll and after parking the car they had been strolling it for about 20 minutes when they passed a jeweler.

"Oh, I fell in love with this beautiful silver necklace with an azure pendant in this brochure," she said. "It was from this chain and no price was in the brochure, so I just want to check that."

"Okay," he said as she grabbed a hold of his jacket sleeve and hauled him into the jeweler.

"There it is," she said excitingly after she had been looking around and was still holding onto his sleeve. They halted in front of the locked glass case where she let go of the sleeve. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah it is," he answered her.

"200 bucks!" she said, bummed after checking the price tag. "I can't afford that. Not now anyway."

"Don't you worry! he said as he squeezed her shoulder lightly for comfort. "The necklace will probably be here for a while." He tried to reassure her.

"I guess it will," she said.

"So, how about a cup of coffee," he suggested. "I believe they have a coffee shop in here."

"Okay," she said as they left the jeweler to search for coffee.

They had a cup of coffee outside the said coffee shop. He studied her as she was sitting across from him. She still had the look of sadness from the fact that the necklace had been way too costly. He then made a decision. He excused himself saying that he had to find the boys room. He asked her to wait for him there at the coffee shop. Instead of going to the boys' room, he rushed back to the jeweler, navigating directly to the glass case where the necklace was displayed.

"Excuse me," he called to one of the female jewelers that were behind the counter.

"Yes sir," she said and came over. "What can I do for you?"

"I was in here before with my friend to see this necklace," he said.

"Yes," she said.

"I would like to buy it for her," he said. "As a surprise."

"That is very nice of you sir," she said as she walked back to the counter. There she found the key to the closet under the glass case. She found the right one sitting in its box, and then she locked the closet again, walked back to the counter to begin the wrapping.

"Yeah. She's my best friend and assistant," he said. "Our jobs are very, very demanding and exhausting, so I just want to show her my gratitude, for everything she does for me both in her job and as a friend."

"She sounds special," the female jeweler said.

"That she is. With no exceptions whatsoever." he said as he pulled out his wallet to pay her.

"Good luck sir," the jeweler said as she handed him the now wrapped necklace.

"Thank you," he said, taking it and heading out the door. "Thank you very much."

"Don't you know who that man was?" the second female jeweler asked the first.

"No," the first answered. "Am I supposed to know him?"

"Only if you are interested in politics that is," the second answered. "That man was Joshua Lyman. He is the

Deputy White House Chief of Staff so he is on the staff of President Bartlet," the second said excitedly.

"What was he doing in here?"

"I am not really that big in politics," the first said. "He was in here before with a female friend of his." The first began to explain. "He came back without her and turns out that his friend is both his assistant and best friend." She went on. "He wanted to surprise her with that necklace over there. So, I guess he was right when he told me that they had these very demanding jobs. That she did a lot for him and the necklace was to show her his gratitude. For, as he said, all she did and had done for him."

"Not many bosses do that," the second said dryly.

"Missed me?" he asked her as he approached her with the wrapped box in his hand, keeping his hand on his back.

"Always," she answered him.

"I know it's a lousy atmosphere here," he began."But I want you to have this," he said as he handed her the wrapped box.

"What is it?" she asked him in the usual fashion as she began to unwrap it. She had no idea that it contained the necklace that she was so in love with. "You didn't…" she said as she spotted the wine red velvet jewelry box. When she had opened the box and saw that it was the necklace she exclaimed, "You did!" She let go of the box and hurled herself into his arms, hugging him tight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He hugged her back just as tight. "But why? What?" she asked him, both confused and touched as she let go of him and looked him straight into his eyes.

"Just for being you and for being the one you are and for being you, Donnatella. Also for understanding how to handle me, but nothing else really," he answered her looking back into her eyes. "For being my best friend in the world and letting me stay with you last night."

"You are just so sweet Joshua, " she said to him as her eyes welled up with tears. As a lone tear ran down her cheek, he did nothing else but reach out and dry it off with his thumb.

"Here, let me help you," he said as he reached for the box on the table. He carefully took the necklace out of it, went behind her, and pushed her long hair away from her neck. He opened the lock making sure the pendant was showing its azure blue stone. Then he put it gently around her neck and closed it. After getting around her he looked at her with the necklace. "It looks beautiful on an even more beautiful lady," he told her. He watched her as she suddenly blushed, looking absolutely happy.

"Thank you so much Joshua," she said, smiling and giving him another hug. "I gotta find a mirror," she said. Turned out the only mirror to find, nearby, was just inside the jewelry shop.

The two female jewelers were still standing behind the counter as Josh and Donna walked in. She began to look at herself in the mirror and touchthe necklace as she admired it. Josh stood beside her looking really proud of her.

"There he is again," the first jeweler said. "And he has his friend with him."

"And it appears that he has given it to her already." The second jeweler said to the first.

"Yeah and she is admiring herself now," the first said. "She looks much younger than him. Like she is in her late twenties," she remarked. "You know those politicians. You wouldn't happen to know how old he is?" she asked the second.

"I think he is somewhere around forty. On the good side," the second answered.

They saw her throw her arms around his neck, and him sneak his arms around her waist then they hugged each other. They were interrupted by the jarring sound of a phone rifling through the jewelry shop.

"Josh Lyman," he said into his phone when digging it out of his pocket. Donna went back to look at herself in the mirror again.

"Hi honey!" the cheerful voice of his mom filled his ear.

"Oh hi Mom," he greeted his mom back as a smile spread across his face. "How are you?"

"That's your mom?" Donna asked him as she turned her attention from the mirror, over to him and his phone conversation.

"Just fine sweetie," his mom answered him. "Where are you? I couldn't reach you at home, so I tried your cell phone. Are you on your way to work?" His mom fired questions at him.

"No work whatsoever today, hopefully," he answered his mom. "So Donna and I went shopping and we're now standing in her favorite mall," he noticed that Donna followed the conversation intently, smiling.

"Could I say hi to her?" his mom asked.

"Sure you can, Mom Just hold on a minute," he answered her. "My mom wants to say hi to you," he said to Donna as he handed her the phone.

"Hi Rebecca," she greeted his mom when she had accepted the phone and put it to her ear.

"Hi my dear girl," his mom greeted back from the other end. "How are you, sweetie?"

"Just fine, Rebecca," she said as she smiled adoringly. She loved Josh's mom.

"So, no work today?" his mom asked. "So you two went shopping."

"We did go shopping," she said. "And yes, no work." She debated whether to tell his mom about the necklace but in the end she decided not to. It was a thing between Josh and her. "And how are you?"

"I'm fine," his mom said. "Thanks for asking, my dear girl."

"Its great to hear," she said to his mom. His mom had called her "my dear girl" ever since they had met each other the first time after Josh had been shot. And Donna didn't mind it because she loved it.

"Can I have my son back now?" his mom asked her.

"Sure you can," she answered her. "It was nice talking to you again, Rebecca."

"Me too, my dearest girl. Take care of my son," Rebecca said.

"I sure will Rebecca," she said. "Bye."

"Bye, dear girl," his mom said and then Donna handed the phone back to Josh.

"I'm back again now Mom," he said when he had received the phone again.

"What suddenly brought this shopping trip on?" his mom asked him.

"We decided to eat brunch together this morning since we didn't have to go in. Then we found out that neither one of us had any plans, so we decided to go shopping together," he explained, leaving the part about the night and the bracelet part out.

"That was such a good idea," his mom agreed. "I think I'll leave you two to your shopping. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Okay Mom," he said to her. "It was nice to hear you too."

"I love you," his mom said.

"Love you too," he said back.

"Take care of yourself and Donna. Bye honey," she said.

"I sure will. Bye Mom," he said back to her. He pushed the end button and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Have anyone ever told you that you are very sweet to your mom?" she asked him.

"No one except for you," he answered her. Then he realized that were still standing in the jewelry shop. "Maybe we should get out of here," he suggested. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her out.

Next chapter will be up in time.

Reviews again please.