W.W. –Saturday night

Josh was sitting on the edge of the bed in the small train compartment, looking out the window as the lights of the darkening countryside rolled past. His face was relaxed but his eyes were fixed, lost in thought as he let the train carry him back to Washington.

"Penny, Josh?" Donna asked as she came back into the compartment from the small washroom. She was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and his Harvard shirt.

"Sorry, what?" He blinked a few times as he came back to earth from wherever he'd been for the last half hour.

"A penny," she repeated, "you know, for your thoughts." She sat down next to him.

"I'm not sure I was actually thinking." He shrugged after a moment. "Just, you know, trying to imagine this coming week."

"Are you scared?" Her tone said that she almost hoped he'd say yes. She didn't know if she wanted to him to be scared with her, or to have him be decisive and sure so she could be scared without having to be the strong one.

"I don't think so. It's like when I left college. I loved school, the challenges and the late nights and the constant competition. I knew where I stood and I knew where I was going. When it was over, I was sad to go but I was eager to get on with the next thing." He took her hand in his. "This is like that."

"There are going to be people who think that you're taking a step down, you know," she told him. "They're going to say that I took you off the fast track, that you're throwing something away."

"There are people who say that the moon landings were filmed in a warehouse in Burbank, Donna. Some people are just idiots." He watched her grin flash, then fade. "Come on, Donna. I'm excited to be working with students, to make a new generation of bright kids think that maybe government is worthwhile. If just one takes to public service like you did, I'll have had a successful career."

"So you're out looking for impressionable coeds to take my place already?" She grinned openly this time.

"Only at the White House, not in my life." He frowned. "I do wonder a bit what they'll say about you. You know there will always be people, and not just republicans, who want to think the worst of any woman who winds up involved with someone in a position of power or authority. I wish I could protect you from that."

"Do you love me?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Well, yeah," he replied like she was being silly.

"Are you going to stay with me, and take care of me and let me take care of you?"

"Yes." He nodded solemnly while slipping a hand up under her shirt in the back to rub her bare skin.

She smiled and leaned against him. "Well then, I say screw those people."

He laughed and put his other arm around her. "Well, I have a better idea, actually…"

She sighed, and shook her head. "You're crazy. Certifiable and-."

She bolted upright and looked at him with eyes like saucers.

"Josh, what day is today?"

"It's Saturday. Um, the 8th, why?" He reached out to her and she shrugged off his hand.

"Oh. Oh, damn it. Crap, crap, crap." She was talking fast and had grabbed her satchel, the big bag she'd brought all her personal items in. "No, no, no," she chanted softly.

"Okay, this is now officially freaking me out, Donna. Are you going to tell me what's wrong or-" he stopped and watched with dawning realization as she took a small, plastic oval from the bottom of her bag and popped it open.

"Is that… That's what I think it is, isn't it?" he asked softly.

She was examining four rows of color-coded pills, a number of which had been punched out. She kept counting the punched out spaces and getting the same answer. "Well," she said softly, "shit."

It shook him, her cursing, more than the situation. He'd never seen her this way before, even when she was furious at him, or scared for her job, or for his.

"Donna, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay." He wanted to take her in his arms, to be comforting and supportive and not, you know, him, for a minute.

"Sure," she said, looking at him for reassurance. "It's not like no one's ever missed a pill before… or five. Damn, five. I'm probably fine. You know, what are the odds, just one or two times."

"Well, more like six or seven times," he reminded her warily. He didn't want her to panic but he also wanted her to face what was going on with accurate information.

Her face fell. "Eight times," she said after a moment, looking past him at the blank wall.

"Are you sure?" they were both doing the count in their heads. "First night, then before breakfast… then second day… Oh," he said, remembering.

"Walk-in shower," they said together, nodding.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You know, whatever happens, I'll be fine." She started punching out some pills. "You don't have to worry."

"We," he said. "We'll be fine. Right?"

She nodded, not listening, and started to get up with a number of pills in her hand.

"Donna," he said, taking her by the hips as she tried to go past, "what are you doing? Are you listening to me?"

"The pills," she waved her hand, a closed fist around the missed pills, "I remember from college, you're supposed to take them right away. It can help your body to- Well, it can help. Just in case. At least I think that's what they said."

"Donna, can't we talk about this? I think this is something we should talk about, don't you?" He wished she would just sit and talk to him.

"It's my fault. I should have been more careful, but with everything going on, and it's been so long since I was, since I needed to worry about them, I just forgot. They're always with my toothpaste and this time they were in the bag. I can't believe I forgot."

He stood, and suddenly she was in his arms. Her cheek was moist against his chest and she realized she was crying. "I'm sorry, Josh. I'm really sorry."

"Hush," he chided, kissing her on top of her head and holding her against him. "It's my fault too. What kind of guy just assumes? I didn't think about it because I didn't want to think about it. It was easy to just leave everything to you, and we both know I'm doing too much of that in my life now anyway, right?"

"I think I should go take these, just in case."

"Are you sure? I mean, if you are… if we, well, if it was too late, might it be bad for, for you or, you know… Hell, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I just don't want anything bad to happen."

"Maybe it's too late for that." She sounded like a very young girl, not at all like the confident happy woman he'd so enjoyed traveling with the last few days.

"Would that be so bad? I mean, the timing is a little rushed, but really, what's the worst thing that could happen?" The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. Donna was lovely. Happy Donna was beautiful. Expecting Donna? Radiant would fail to describe her.

"So we should just wait and see? You're okay with that?" She snuffled into his chest and tried to sound more like herself.

"Of course I am." He pulled back and kissed her cheeks, one after the other, then briefly kissed her lips. "In the last few days, you've graduated college, we've fallen in, or more like admitted, love, and we've been on planes, trains, boats and monorails together. We're quitting our jobs and moving to a new state where we know virtually no one except my mom and her new boyfriend. It's not like we haven't been prepared for change, either way, right?"

"You're a politician with an ego bordering on monomania, Josh Lyman, but there are times I particularly love you." She sighed, and sat down, putting the pills back in her bag.

"Josh," she asked softly, "Could I, if you don't mind, can I have just a few minutes to myself. You could go have a drink or whatever, just for a few minutes. Please?"

"Of course," he said, "Why don't you go to bed, and I'll take a little walk. I want to make a few calls anyway and I don't want to keep you up. You need your rest. Not because you, uh, regardless, you should rest some."

"Well, okay." She smiled as she got under the covers. "You sure you don't mind?"

He leaned over and kissed her again. "No, I need to walk a little. Get some sleep, and I'll be back soon."

"Mmm," she mumbled. "Well, 'kay. Hurry back."

He turned out the light and headed out towards the lounge car, looking for a quiet spot to check his messages and make an important call in private.

W.W.

"Telephone!" The call came from up stairs as John Moss was watching the season's last Packers' game on his TiVo. He'd been saving it for weeks, for a time when he had three hours of uninterrupted time. He knew they'd won, but he still wanted to savor each play. He pretended to not hear his wife calling, knowing that it wasn't going to work, but Favre had the offense moving and things looked good for another score.

"Jack? Jack, telephone!" His wife was stomping down the stairs. He sighed and paused the game. In the sudden quiet he called back to her.

"Who is it, Annie? Come on, it's Packers night."

His wife came into the den. She'd been getting ready for bed, and the long dark brown hair she usually pinned up was down in waves over her shoulders. He smiled at her despite her annoyed expression. No doubt about it- he'd married up. Christ, look at her.

"It's Donna's boss." She didn't say his name. Donna's boss was something of a sore point in the Moss household. Without him, she'd have been home a lot more over the last few years. Of course, without him she'd also still be living with that smarmy son-of-a-bitch she'd been with at UW. It was a tradeoff that was constantly reevaluated in the Moss family.

"Is it about the school? I thought she called you?" They were still shocked and pleased that they now had another college degree in the family, even if they had missed out on the actual diploma ceremony.

"He says he needs to speak with you and it won't wait. Talk to him." She jabbed the phone at him. When he took it, she stood there with her arms folded across her chest and one eyebrow raised, a pose that their daughter Donnatella had inherited virtually unchanged.

"Hello, this is John Moss." Jack tried to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Good evening, sir. I'm sorry for calling late. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time, sir." The man sounded nervous, almost scared. Jack sat up straighter and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the man at the other end of the phone and not on the way his wife was tapping her fingers on her arms impatiently.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Lyman? Is there a problem?"

"No sir, and please, call me Josh. I'm calling about your daughter Donnatella. I understand you and your wife have seen some stories in the press this weekend?"

Jack scowled. "I told my wife that stuff is all nonsense. If something were going on in Donna's life we needed to know about, she'd be sure we knew. And you can call me Jack, Josh."

"Well sir, uh, Jack, sir, I'm afraid events have sped ahead of news updates a little this week. I apologize and I sincerely want you and your wife to know I regret anything that may have come as a shock to you regarding your daughter and myself."

"Son, I notice that was very carefully not a denial. Are you telling me there is something to that program I should know?" Jack's eyes narrowed and he raised an eyebrow to his wife.

"Sir, I'm sorry that I could not be there in person, but there is something that I wanted to ask you and I'm afraid that I can't wait till I have a chance to come to Madison."

"Go ahead." The white blonde hairs were lifting on the back of Jack's neck, and his ruddy cheeks paled slightly. He looked at his wife, and motioned for her to step closer.

"Jack, sir, Donna and I are on a train right now heading back to DC. When we get there we're going to be very busy preparing to move back down to Orlando. Uh, moving down together, sir." Josh was trying to sound calm, but his voice was thick with nervous emotion.

Annie, who had been trying to listen in, asked loudly, "Josh, are you saying you plan on asking our daughter to move in with you when you go to Florida?"

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Moss." Josh swallowed loudly. "Um, no ma'am. The thing is, I wanted to tell you that tomorrow morning I plan on asking Donna to marry me, and I thought you should know."

"Are you asking my permission, Josh?" Jack's mouth was dry, and Annie looked like her mind was moving a mile a minute.

"No sir, I really think it's up to Donna, but I know whatever choice she makes I'll be happier knowing you heard it from me, not reading about it somewhere afterwards."

"Josh, I want to talk to Annie about this, but it sounds like you two have been through a lot recently, and we're going to have to trust Donnatella to make the right decisions. I do have one question for you: is my daughter pregnant?"

"Jack!" Annie punched him hard on his arm, shouting out, "Don't answer that Josh! It's none of his damned business!"

"That's okay, ma'am. I understand, and let me tell you honestly, to the best of my knowledge, that I love your daughter and I hope she'll marry me, but that neither of us in any way should feel obligated to take that kind of step." Josh's voice cracked a bit during this speech which made it either very emotional or a pack of bull, Jack wasn't sure which. Possibly both. Josh sounded resigned and still a little nervous, but not hesitant.

"Fair enough. And Mr. Lyman? Just so we're clear: you make my little girl cry, and I will be after you with a father's wrath, you understand?"

"Jack, I do. I just want her to be happy, sir, more than anything else in the world. Good night, Mr. Moss."

Jack hung up and commented, "You'll notice that was not precisely a denial. Politicians."

Annie, who was still fidgeting, looked at him in disgust. "You didn't tell him to call us back after he asked her, you idiot." She punched him on the arm again. "How are we going to know what she says, by reading a paper?"

"She's her mother's daughter, Annie. You'll hear. Pretty soon after, I'd imagine."

"I better." She fussed about a little while, trying to straighten up the already clean living room. She moved some throw pillows from one side of the sofa to the other, then after a moment moved them back again. There wasn't actually any mess to clean up, but habits of 36 years are not easily broken.

"I'm going back to watching the Packers. Could you get me a refill?" He held up his Green Bay coffee cup.

"As if I'm going to get you coffee at a time like this, Jack" she snorted. "I should call him back. It won't kill you to get your own coffee."

"I guess we'll find out," he sighed. Just once he'd like to have a nice hot cup of coffee and a slice of cake, and watch his game without getting up every five minutes. When Donna was living at home, she always brought him his coffee in the evenings. He wondered if she'd be doing if for Josh Lyman now for… well, for always.