Enemies

Ok, for this one my AU side has really taken over. When I began this fic it was supposed to be strictly based on the facts of the episode, but I've enjoyed creating small alternate scnearios. Only that I wouldn't like to take it too far, because I meant for each chapter to still make sense in the light of the next WW episode. Tell me if you think this was too much. Oh, also, something here might not be very realistic, I didn't research that much, and it does sound a little ridiculous. But forgive me for the sake of:

Payback

It's nearly three in the morning and I'm awake and writing this. Why am I awake and writing this? Yeah, the phone call. My cell starts ringing, I hardly realize what's going on and a voice asks into my ear: "We should go to Shenandoah!" Of course, Joshua.

God, I could kill him. I was really hoping to grab some decent sleep tonight. He babbled about Acadia being often overlooked and when I tried to complain he just said I deserved it for abandoning him tonight. Abandoning him, I mean, that's what I call drama. I left at 11pm. We were doing absolutely nothing, so I left. After getting him a soda to stop him from whining about my "tragic departure", I should add. So, I came home while he stubbornly stayed to talk to the President and he paid the consequences.

I try to explain this over the phone but it's useless, three in the morning and both of us are tired and incoherent. He keeps saying I abandoned him with the National Parks-nerd (we really shouldn't call the President that, but it's late), I repeat the time and the inconvenience of his call, but he just tells me: It's payback.

Oh, he'll get payback tomorrow.

Revenge is sweet. True, using Mandy was not very creative but still quite enjoyable. You see, she's become kind of an inside joke among the staff, and threats about sending someone to talk to Mandy if they don't shut up are common, because really, what could be worse? And of course, this morning Josh comes in saying he had no sleep because of National Parks and that his main request for the day is for me to save him from Mandy. Yeah, well… what do you know? For once,I actually enjoyed leaving them alone in his office.

I should've known better. I saw the death glare he sent me after letting Mandy in, but really didn't acknowledged it as a menace. Should've known he wanted to get back at me. Of course he didn't because he's not good at it and had to settle with snapping. Then let's assume that I don't. And he did it again with I need it faster. Really Josh? Yeah, I'm scared, what else? I just want to get out of here, but I have to wait till he's done talking to the President. And even though I know a whole day's work gave him no solution at all he had this weird smiley look before leaving that makes me wonder…

Again, three o'clock in the morning and I'm awake and writing. But this time for much better reasons. I just got home, actually Josh drove me here. He'll have to pick me up in a couple of hours 'cause my car stayed at the White House. Why was he dropping me off at three in the morning, you ask? Well, if you must know, because it turns out my assistance was helpful and inspirational, and so we took an express celebratory field trip.

After talking to the President I was waiting for him in his office, leaning against his desk, and when he came in he just grabbed me by the shoulders (for a minute I thought he was about to hug me, but seemed like he decided against it), and looking me right in the eye said: "I'm taking you to Shenandoah. Right now". Of course, I thought he had finally lost it, but he told me: "You were great today, you worked hard like you always do, but you were also the inspiration I needed to find some light. We were trapped and you saved us. I'm taking you to Shenandoah, grab your purse".

I know, I should have pointed out the inconveniences and impossibilities of his plan, but I really found it hard to say no. Next thing I know, he's driving us to Shenandoah. Sounds ridiculous? Well, it was. And it wasn't. I knew he felt relieved about solving the crisis of the day, but he also seemed bugged by something else. I felt it was a little about Mandy's comment after leaving his office, and in the calmed silence of the road I thought about it.

When he got there I surely felt a little dumb, of course it was closed, and dark, and cold and pretty late and far away from our work.

Then, it didn't feel so stupid when we finally found a bench in the outer part that had a fairly illuminated vista. We sat there as Josh handed me an ice-cream and he opened the other. He just said "Stole them earlier from the Mess". The atmosphere felt a little weird so I used some key tools in our dynamics: I complained about the flavor and told him marshmellow was a very childish ice-cream. He answered only by saying it was his favorite, but he also smiled broadly at my comment and I felt better. That's when I decided to try talking about what I guessed were the real things on his mind:

-Josh, you are fighting the fights you get, the ones you can. And you are fighting for the right reasons. Because I know you, all of you, and you are ultimately doing it for the people. It's not about enemies. It's about the reasons that brought us all here.

-Thanks Donna. But now that you mention reasons, why is it again that you dragged me here at this ungodly hour?

-You dragged me! But if you want to convince yourself of the opposite, then consider it my final payback, bringing you here.

-Works for me.

(long pause, then he sighs, leans back and lets out a smile putting his arm a little around me, but not quite. At this point the night wind and the smell of trees really fill the air, so different from what we are used to breathing in the city. And I might be imagining things, but I thought I heard an owl just before Josh spoke again)

-God, I never thought I would admit this. I mean, I had tried it before, and never appreciated it… but the President was right.

-When?

-When he said I would enjoy nature.