Chapter One

As usual, Donna beat her boss to the White House. She walked around the bullpen while sipping her coffee in a leisurely fashion. Most days she was ready to crack the whip when she walked through the security check, but today she was feeling tired and lazy. She'd wait till…Fred Astaire showed up.

Oh my God! Please get that crazy string of pictures out of my head. Work!


There he was. Josh sauntered in, cell to his ear. It was more than evident that someone had fired him up this morning and Donna had to guess that it was his girlfriend. Josh didn't like talking about it to her, but she knew that Amy Gardner spent more nights at Mr. Lyman's townhouse than he suggested.


Savaged to death by a rabbit? What the…You are never watching Monty Python ever again. Though…it was kinda cool how he didn't care and then he took me off to my-


"Donna!" Josh was already yelling just as they made eyesight of one another. She glanced at him expectantly, awaiting directive. "Can you get me the polling stats for the women's groups?"


"You made her mad this morning, didn't you?" She berated playfully as she followed him into his office. She repeated her question as soon as he hung up his phone.


"No." He looked genuinely offended. He wasn't good at acting. "Yes," he begrudging conceded a moment later. "It was nothing, but she likes to throw the vendettas of women around the world at me whenever--" He stopped and looked up at her.


"What?" She didn't know why he had stopped, but she could tell that he hadn't miraculously forgot how to talk.


"It's…" He never minded talking to her about things, but he admitted that he felt awkward talking about his women with her. Mainly the ones that he slept with. He didn't like hearing about the men she dated and figured that he would bestow the same courtesy. "Polling stats?"


She had her arms folded across her chest now. Donna needed a real answer to send her on her way.

"I didn't compliment her haircut," He resigned with a groan. He shrugged and started pulling files out of his backpack. "I guess she got a trim yesterday and I never noticed. When she finally told me that was why she was irritated, she added that it was because men never pay attention to the atrocities of women."

Donna couldn't help it and released a snicker. She tried to cover her mouth, but it came forth and he looked up at her with surprise. "You find it funny?"

"C'mon, Josh!" She laughed now. "A haircut? Of all the stupid things you did that might alienate the Women's Coalition yesterday, the haircut got you to the doghouse?"

He had to grin as he noticed how amused it really made her. It was ironic. But he knew he'd pay for everything else later when word got out. "Glad you're amused, but polling stats please."

She nodded and headed out the door only to turn and pop her head in once more. "Just imagine what would happen if she had got highlights."

"Out!" But he was chuckling as she closed the door.

*~*~*

It wasn't until about 10:00AM that Josh realized that Donna didn't look as chipper as she had when he first arrived. Everything had become more and more hectic-he had a trade meeting with Toby and things hadn't slowed before senior staff. It was when she handed him his briefing memos as he walked toward the Oval that he noticed that no more wisecracks were flowing from her plethora of material. "Is everything all alright?"

She paused a moment, taken aback before giving an absent nod. "Fine." She adjusted his tie before patting his shoulder. "You're going to be late again." .

"Yeah." He wasn't convinced. He knew that the work of the past few weeks had been getting him down a little, but he hadn't stopped to consider it from her standpoint. Donna was here before him most every morning and wouldn't leave until he had things wrapped up. He would steal away her lunch and sometimes her dinnertime as well.

He decided that he was running late, and that interrogation would have to wait until staff was over, even if it was still on his mind.

"All right," Leo started as soon as a tardy Josh sauntered in. He didn't even bother wasting a glare. "Let's make this quick. Josh?"

"Do you think I work Donna too hard?"

A harsh grunt escaped from Toby's vicinity, but it didn't slow Josh down.

"She seemed all distracted just a minute ago." He gestured to the door he just entered. "I just wondered if I maybe work her too hard." He looked around the room and realized that he was probably more concerned than the rest.

"What happened?" CJ took the bait. It was a slow day and she figured amusement awaited the tale.

"Well I didn't notice that Amy got a haircut--"

"How did Amy's haircut deduce you to the fact that you work poor Donna too much?" The President was in the game now. "Which you do, I should add. And yourself son."

Leo couldn't take much more. He now cast a glare at Josh who had the sense to blush. "Look what you did!" He turned to Bartlet. "Mr. President," he sighed. "Can we please get down to business?"

"Yes mother," He sardonically stated. "Let's talk shop." But Bartlet had to have the last word. "Was it a trim, Josh? The ladies always try and wrangle you with the trim."

*~*~*

If it was humanly possibly, Donna looked even more unstable when Josh made it back to his desk nearly an hour later. She was on the phone, but motioned that he had messages on his desk.

He waited as patiently as an impatient Joshua Lyman could until she was off the phone before motioning her in his office. He gestured for her to close the door behind her as she walked in. "Talk to me," He said as soon as it closed.

She paused and took a collective breath. "Well, you have the thing with Toby in the Roosevelt Room at one. If you looked over your messages, I suggested that you should call the Minority Whip back first. He sounded a bit insistent and he would probably would have the latest count on the vote."

"Donna."

"OK." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Amy did call. I put her on your schedule for 4:45. She found out about the trade negotiations and wants to talk."

"Huh?" That wasn't what he was expecting. "Great," he muttered before deciding that he would cross that bridge later. When he found the kerosene and matches so he could burn it before Amy had the chance to run across and tackle him. "I meant you, though."

She gave him a look before simply stating, "Don't ask. Don't tell. Good strategy for the military and a good one for me today."

"You seem all…out of it." He searched for better phrasing but that was the best he came up with. Though he wasn't the most eloquent, his sincerity was prevalent.

Donna had to smile at his concern. She didn't feel top of her game, but that was mostly due to the stress she was dealing with and the lack of sensible sleep. "I'm fine. Just don't show up at midnight on my doorstep dressed like Fred Astaire."

He blinked. "A dream?" She nodded. "That's OK. Last night, I think I dreamed that the Mets had to win the game against the Yankees or the end would come to campaign reform."

She stood there a minute before deciding that she wasn't going to try and top him. Too easy. "You better return those calls before lunch." She started to open the door.

"You never answered me."

Persistent little wanker. "I dunno, Josh." She didn't know what he was looking for and walked over to the chair across from him and plopped down. She had a feeling it would take a minute and the one foot that never got rescued last night was in agony. "I could probably rant about a dozen different things going on in my life right now."

"Two."

She arched a brow. "Huh?"

"One professional and one personal." When it still didn't dawn on her, he continued. "I normally blow you off, but today I will listen to a personal and a professional rant free of tease."

A look of satisfaction filled his assistant's features. She bit her lip as a gleam crept back to her eyes. Where would she begin? "Personal first," was the declaration moments later.

The thought was put on hold moments later when Josh's phone rang. As she gave him a look that stated that he wasn't out of the woods, he smiled and she walked out. The slight irony was not lost on her that the night before, he had been the one interrupted when trying to say his peace, but here today, the tables had turned.

Lunch was over and his meeting with Toby before she was able to break into his free time. She followed him into his office as he began looking for another one of the endless files that were held within the confines of the White House. "I have to buy my sister a present." It wasn't the direst of her personal stresses, but one that had been nagging at her conscious the past couple of days.

"Her birthday?" He was listening, but looking over memos at the same time as he sat down at his desk.

Donna shook her head though she knew he could not see. "Baby shower."

He absently nodded in what seemed a lack of interest before looking up at her inquisitively. He arched a brow. "You don't have more than one sister. Right?"

She pretended to ponder long and hard. "Well there was the one time when my mom and the milkman had a little…no."

This made his face grow more comically curious. "Didn't she just have her wedding not six months ago?"

"Yup. What can I say? Us Moss girls are known throughout Wisconsin."

He sniggered. "For what? Giving it out before the wedding?"

She tossed him a look to kill. "No. The fertility system of a Moss woman is very potent. My mother conceived her wedding night and that is the same with my sister. They postponed…consummation until they were officially legally bound."

"Really?" Josh was impressed. Traditionalism wasn't something you heard much of these days. Especially if you worked in the Democratic party. "Well, good for them. How far along?"

"They're guessing about six months." She spoke like it should be more than obvious. "The shower is in a couple of weeks and I haven't had the opportunity to go pick something up. I want to get it done and shipped so that it gets to her before the shower. That way, if someone gets her the same thing, mine was first."

"Good thinking. So what's the problem?"

"Well, unless I pick her present up at the grocery store, which I haven't even been able to get to for a week, then I won't be able to send the baby anything but a White House coffee mug."

"Send a key chain." She gave him a weary glance. "It can serve as a teething ring." Her groan was enough of a response. He continued. "Fine. Why don't you take tomorrow afternoon off and go get something?"

"Really?" There had to be a catch.

He seemed to think about it for a moment more before agreeing again with a nod. "Yeah. You can take off at lunch and just have the rest of the day. I was thinking that I don't give you any time, so this would kill two birds with one stone."

She was now looking at him as though he had grew a second head- one that was singing show tunes. "Did you do something?" When he simply blinked, she elaborated. "Did you do something that you feel guilty about? 'Cause I really don't think that you've been that much of a jackass this week, Josh. You can save your Get Out of Donna Jail for a later date."

He gave her the look that melted her defenses every time. She had a feeling that he knew it, though how she couldn't guess. He gave her a smile that revealed all his dimples while showing with his eyes that no arrogance was intended. He was trying to make her happy and in turn, pleased himself as well. She couldn't resist. "Who will watch you?" She sighed.

She had already cracked. He could tell and was tickled pink. "You know that I have a whole staff. Actually, I am the third highest ranking nonmilitary official in this building, so finding a replacement for a few hours shouldn't be out of the question."

"Fine." She gave him a thankful smile as she walked back out to the bullpen.

"Uhh…Donna?" Josh called when she had made it to her desk. She turned around to see him standing in his doorway. "Just leave your cell on, will ya?"

*~*~*

"How is it working for the enemy?" Josh teased his best friend. He was in a surprisingly good mood, considering Amy had pummeled his ass not half an hour ago.

"Good. You wouldn't believe how I suddenly have this surge of desire to destroy the country and ruin every initiative that I worked four years to stabilize."

"That's all? I'm impressed."

"Well, that's besides this unquenched need to reach my hands into the pork barrel and rub the lard all over myself and the entire California 47th."

"Whoa, Sam. Getting a little more graphic than I wanted."

"Oh? Then I won't say how I dream of wallowing around in it and covering my naked flesh with the evils of taxpayer exploitation."

"You have a lunch tomorrow?" Both men were laughing now.

"No. Business or social?"

"Social. I haven't seen you hardly since you knocked the party's socks off. Ebbits at 12:30?"

"Deal. See ya, Josh." Sam was almost tentative to hang up the phone.

"Bye, buddy."

Josh looked at his watch. No more meetings today, but he knew that it was time to start gearing up for tomorrow.