"You're up early," Ainsley observed brightly the next morning. She was up early herself, having eaten her pancake fill already and moving on to a blueberry muffin.

"Couldn't sleep," Donna yawned. "Where's Sam?"

"Had some work to do," Ainsley answered. "Should be back in a few hours though. Do you want to do something today?"

"I – uh – are the others going to be around?"

"No, don't you like them?"

"I don't know them." Donna reminded as she sat with a mug of coffee. "I don't know what to say or do around them."

"Same as you would with your own friends."

"Yeah…" She drifted off a little bit. "What do you want to do then?" She paused a moment. "Don't you work?"

"Of course I do, and in a proper office, too. I just took a week off to prepare for the wedding and I've booked a couple of weeks for the honeymoon after Congress gets out at Christmas."

"Oh," Donna said. "Well do you have anything in particular you want to do?"

Ainsley thought about it. "Feel like helping with last minute preparations?"

"Sure, just let me shower first."

The idea didn't thrill Donna, far from it. It reminded her of the dress she had upstairs, the plans she'd had for the perfect wedding since she was a child, the man she loved but had lost, the wedding that would never come. But there was a desperate plea in Ainsley's voice that hit Donna's need to help and she agreed. They finalised the details of the seating plan and Donna phoned the florist to ensure the flowers would arrive on Sunday. Ainsley made sure the caterers were still okay to deliver on the morning and made a phone call to her mother to make sure she knew what flight she was getting the next day. Though she was afraid to admit it, Donna quite enjoyed herself during those hours and oddly it did, if only for a few hours, take her mind off Josh.

- - - -

"Joshua…Josh, buddy, rise and shine." Despite Sam's coaxing Josh didn't stir or wake from his sleep.

In a last ditch attempt, Sam yanked open the curtains and poured a glass of cold water on his head. "Get your lazy up right now, Lyman."

"Don' wanna," he whined.

"Don' care," Sam mimicked. "Come on, you've only been here a couple of nights, if you're out of the getting up early routine already then there's something wrong with you."

"I had a lot of sleep to catch up on," Josh declared huffily, finally wiping the water from his face. "What was so important you had to wake me up so early anyway?"

"It's gone noon, Josh, and you're meant to be talking to Donna today."

There was a whining noise from Josh before he got out of bed. "I'm going to shower, go wait downstairs I'll be fifteen minutes."

"Any longer and I'm coming up to get you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Fifteen minutes came and passed but Josh didn't come down for he had gone back to bed. Sure enough Sam came and woke him by splashing water on him once more. This time he made sure Josh went in the shower before he left. Another fifteen minutes and Josh did come out of his hotel room to meet Sam downstairs in the foyer.

"Still would have preferred to sleep."

- - - -

From the hotel, Josh and Sam went back to the house where they talked with Ainsley and Donna for the rest of the day. There were several uncomfortable silences as conversation drifted to what can only be described as "dangerous territory" between the state of Josh and Donna's relationship. However, neither made any attempt to avoid or press such issues and by 5 that afternoon it was beginning to wear down both Sam and Ainsley.

"Who wants to go out to dinner?" Ainsley asked during one such silence.

"Sounds good to me," Sam agreed. "You two?"

"Uh, sure."

"Yeah, okay."

"Good, I'll go book a table." Ainsley got up and went into the hall to get the phone book and from there the kitchen to use the phone.

Sam followed her a couple of minutes later in time to hear, "A table for two at seven? Thank you. Name? Seaborn."

"What are you up to?" Sam asked her suspiciously when she got off the phone.

"Me? Nothing. Come on, we have to get back in there." She took his hand and led him back into the lounge.

"Table's booked for seven at Chez Francois. It's three blocks away from your hotel so you shouldn't be late after getting changed." She was talking to Josh.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He wore a pair of old jeans and a white t-shirt under his jacket.

Ainsley just gave him a disbelieving look.

"Alright, I'm going," Josh sighed. "It's under your name I assume?"

"Seaborn, yeah, see you in a couple of hours."

As soon as Josh left the house Ainsley turned to Donna. "It's going to just be you and Josh so look gorgeous, alright?"

"What?" Donna asked startled.

"Me and Sam are eating here tonight, you and Josh need to talk and we're not interrupting that so go get ready."

A sharp look off Ainsley stopped Donna arguing and going to get ready instead.

"I thought we were eating out, too?" Sam asked, marvelling at his fiancées initiative but disappointed since he had been looking forward to eating out.

Ainsley moved close to him, her mouth close to his. "I have something better planned for you," she whispered seductively.

Sam shivered at this but looked at her questioningly, she nodded and he grinned. "Guess I can live without eating out then."

- - - -

'Why did I ever agree to come here early?' Donna thought miserably. 'I bet she had this planned all along. Get us both here, force us into situations together and then have us end up happily ever after. Well it's not going to work." This last defiant thought was interrupted by a voice.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, name's Seaborn."

The maitre'd looked down at the list of reservations and nodded. "Very well, follow me."

He led her to a small table near the back of the restaurant. It had the typical white tablecloth and lit candles, perfect for a romantic dinner. Sat at the table was Josh wearing trousers, a blue shirt and an adorable confused look. Donna gave a small whimper, 'Maybe it will work after all.'

"Your table," the maitre'd gestured with a wave of his arm.

"Thank you." Donna smiled.

At hearing her voice Josh looked up and was momentarily stunned. She was wearing a silvery-grey dress; her hair was up in a loose bun. She looked more beautiful than he ever remembered. He stood up when he saw her getting closer.

"I think they made a mistake," he laughed.

"No, they didn't," Donna said as she took her seat on the chair Josh pushed in after her. "Ainsley set us up."

"Set us up?" Josh's frowned.

"Yeah, haven't you noticed it yet?"

"Noticed what?"

"That we're the only ones here early, that Sam and Ainsley conveniently 'forgot' they couldn't come out tonight. What have you and Sam talked about lately, Josh? Because nearly every conversation I've had with Ainsley has been about why you and I haven't got our acts together yet. Still think it's a mistake?"

Josh went quiet. "I guess you're right."

"I often am," she commented with a grin.

"I suppose we're meant to talk then?"

Donna looked over at a waiter. "No need to do it right now, is there? Let's eat, Sam's paying."

Josh smiled, "Well then, what's the most expensive thing on the menu?"

They ordered their food and, as they waited for it to arrive, made small talk.

"So you look good, Donna, real good."

"Yeah, better than you. It's good to know you didn't rely on me to make sure you stayed healthy," she observed sarcastically.

"I do alright."

"You look tired, you've lost weight and I bet you haven't been taking your medication."

Josh looked guilty. "It's your fault," he said childishly.

"How is it my fault?"

"You left," he spoke the words they were both trying to avoid, the words that were destined to lead to so much more.

"Yeah, well lets not get into that right now, alright?"

Josh nodded in agreement and they both took a sip of wine, staying quiet for a moment or two as they thought about where the conversation had almost led them.

"So what are you doing these days?" Josh asked. "I haven't seen you since we won that night."

"You mean you don't know?" Donna sounded surprised. "I got a new job."

"You did? Where?"

"You really don't know?" Josh shook his head in answer. "I'm working at the White House, I thought you were well in with this stuff now that you're the second most powerful person in the world," she teased him.

"That I may be but as omnipotent as I am I can't keep tabs on everyone all the time, can I? So help me out here."

She gave him an almost shy smile. "You're looking at the Chief o Staff for the First Lady."

"Really?"

"You sound surprised."

"No, I'm not. Well I am but not the way you think. I'm pleased for you Donna, really."

"I know," she began to feel a little embarrassed and took another sip of wine to calm herself.

"When did you get the job?"

"Uh…Well, I got a phone call off the First Lady the day after elections. She tracked me right down in Wisconsin."

"Wisconsin?" Josh frowned. "What were you doing in Wisconsin?"

"Visiting my family," Donna said in a rather withdrawn tone. "Oh, look, there's the waiter with our food."

Josh frowned at her hasty attempt to change subject but said nothing as the food arrived. Thirty minutes of silence later and with dessert on the way, Josh was tiring of the games.

"Alright, so you have a choice of two things to talk to me about," Josh announced to Donna who had been looking at the wall decorations with great interest.

"Oh?" Donna turned from the wall to look at Josh.

"Yeah. You can either tell me what you're not telling me or we can both talk about the thing we don't want to talk about."

"Neither sound like something I want to talk about."

"Tough, you're going to tell me one."

"I'm not your assistant anymore Josh, you can't tell me what to do."

"You're right, I can't and I don't plan on forcing you but as a man who loves and cares about you I'm asking you to please talk to me."

Donna couldn't look at him, her eyes filled with tears and she found it hard to breathe.

"I have to go…"

"Donna," Josh said in a warning tone and she couldn't help but let a little smile break out on her pained face.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she said again.

"Oh, alright then."

In the bathroom Donna was mentally scolding herself. "Just tell him," she told her reflection. "He'd want to know."

"Its not his job to know," her reflection seemed to say.

"Think he's going to give up if I just pretend nothing happened?"

"No."

"Alright then, so I tell him."

She left the bathroom as fast as she could and returned to the table where her dessert was now waiting.

"Only one person knows what I am about to tell you so please, don't let everyone know. It's none of their business and not up to them to worry."

"About what? What's happening Donna?" The concern in Josh's voice was enough for Donna to know he respected her wishes but she needed to be sure.

"Swear to me Josh."

"I swear," he said solemnly.

"Okay…"

So Donna told him it all, about how a couple of days after Russell's loss she received a phone call from her mom telling her to get to Wisconsin as soon as possible. She had gone only to find that her father was in the final stages of terminal lung cancer. He needed round-the-clock medical care and spent his last months in the hospital where doctors and nurses were always on hand. Donna had stayed, for her mother as much as her father. All her mom's money was taken up on medical bills so Donna got herself a job to ensure money was still coming into the house. Soon that money ran short and Donna had to use her own to pay for medical bills, and later the funeral. She spent her weekdays working a crummy 9 to 5 job and her weekends visiting her father. During her evening she attended night classes at the college. She was now back living in Washington for her new job with very little money but there was one vital difference since the last time she had been in this situation; she had that vital degree that had held her back for so long.

"Donna, you should have told me," Josh sounded harsh but Donna could hear the many levels of concern that layered his voice.

"I couldn't," Donna wept. Somewhere during Donna's tale they had left the restaurant and were now walking along the nearby stretch of sand that just about qualified as a beach. It was deserted except for this non-couple.

"Why not?"

"Because…I left Josh. We barely spoke that whole year and then I vanished. I didn't know if you still wanted to know…if you still cared…" She trailed off here, her words being cut off by a choked gasp for breath.

Josh, who already had his arm wrapped around Donna's shoulders, moved his head to kiss her hair before stepping forward and opposite her. He held onto her shoulder with one hand and lifted her head to look at her with the other. What he saw wasn't the fragile, upset, broken woman he had just been listening to but an unbelievably strong, beautiful woman who at this moment needed him.

"Don't you ever think I stopped caring," he told her. "I thought about you every day and I wondered what you what you were doing, if I'd known, which I should have done by the way, I'd have helped you. I want to have been able to help you Donna."

Then he wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him, holding her head tightly against his chest. He stroked her hair as she cried into his chest, he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt onto his chest but he didn't care. This, this was the thing that had been missing from his life for the past two years, this was the bond that could never be broken no matter how much it was tested. This was what his life should be about.

Donna pulled away from him, putting the slightest distance between them so that she could lean up and kiss him. It was soft and gentle and wild and needing all at the same time but most importantly it knocked all thoughts from Josh's head, leaving just one in its place; 'Or maybe this is what it should be about.'

A/N: My mother has a habit of messing up my life and this chapter was no exception. It would have been out earlier except that I had to take a 4-hour break to help her tidy the house, then I did a bit of DIY in my room. I put together 2 whole shelve units all on my own! Well, technically I had help on the second one but I didn't need it. So anyway, I saved the chapter onto disk and stole her laptop for the night. I typed all through Lost and I typed all through the film I was watching, Double Jeopardy, is that what it's called? The one with Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd. I think it is, yeah. Anyway, by the time I finished writing (with lots of interruptions from my mother, btw) it was 1.41 am and I had an 8 o'clock start because I have to collect my exam results I went to bed so you had to wait even longer to get the chapter, which I'm sure just made you appreciate it that little bit more. Anyway, off to get the results now. See how many I failed! Thanks to all my reviewers, for the support and the answering of my questions and if you just read through all that babble of an author's note and found it made sense then CONGRATS! I'll write more later. Mum's out for the day so it should be typed soon enough…So long as I don't get distracted :D

Oh, and spellchecker says maitre'd isn't a real word, I suppose that's 'cos it's French…

Rae