It was a Thursday afternoon and the rain beat heavy and hard against the West Wing windows. And Josh felt about as happy as the weather. He turned to watch the water run in rivulets down the panes of his office and absent-mindedly played with the pen in his hand. Oh God, what was he going to do?

Josh thought about his day, in particular, what had gone wrong with his day. He had gotten to work in such a good mood, which in itself, was kind of a rare occurrence. He was happy, and he had a bagel and coffee, and he had a full day of meetings, and the day seemed to have started off the best possible way any day could start off for Josh Lyman – Donna had met him in the lobby and walked with him to the office, bantering the entire time. Then it all went to hell, and Josh was really in the worst mood he could ever remember being in and he was angry and hurt and gloomy and depressed, and to beat it all, he wasn't exactly sure why he was all of these things. Josh just knew that today had gone downhill, and it had done it at the speed of an express train. Josh rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. He couldn't think about this now – he had work.

10 Hours Earlier

"Hey, watching out my window again?" Josh grinned as he shook the water droplets off his umbrella, and grabbed the bagel Donna handed him as they made their way through the lobby and into the heart of the West Wing.

"No I wasn't watching today. You told me you were here on the phone about 2 minutes ago, don't you remember? Besides, you seemed happy this morning when you called and I wanted to keep that mood going for the rest of the day. Meetings with you always go much better when you're chipper." Donna grabbed files as they made their way through the bullpen.

"What does that mean? My meetings always go well. And it's because of skill, not emotion. But I got to say, Donnatella, it's shaping up to be a glorious day in this great land of ours." Josh was beaming and practically skipping, and Donna had to admit that his good mood was rather infectious. There was just nothing like a happy Josh to make her day all that much better.

Donna laughed at him. "Well, I can tell it's going to be another one of your 'finest bagels and muffins in all the land' days, so I guess it's a good thing I brought you a bagel right off the bat. Unfortunately, I hope your first meeting doesn't bring you down from this 'high on life' thing you got going today. You're in the Roosevelt Room with Senators Russin, Jacks, Clawthorn and Henry. Here's your file for the Economic Address on Saturday, the Majority Whip wants to squeeze in a lunch meeting with you about Appropriations, and Toby said, 'Tell Josh to get his Senator-insulting ass into my office as soon is humanly possible or I will hunt him down.'" Josh gave Donna a quizzical look regarding her last statement, and Donna said, "Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger. What'd you do this time to piss him off?"

Josh just shrugged and kept grinning, "Eh, who knows. When don't I do something to piss off Toby? Or for that matter, when do I ever go one day of my life without pissing off some person in the world?" Donna just laughed, muttered, "Uh-huh, you tend to make me mad everyday," and pushed Josh towards his office doorway. "Just get in there and get your stuff off, your meeting's in three minutes!" Donna laughed again when Josh grinned goofily at her when he grabbed the file she held out to him as he left for his meeting. As she sat down at her desk to try and get some work done while he was gone, she couldn't help but think to herself, "I wonder what has him so chipper today?"

Josh was still in his barrage of meetings when Donna's stomach grumbled indicating that if she didn't seek nourishment sometime soon, she would just keel over. Luckily enough, Sam just happened to stop by as her stomach gave another thunderous moan.

"Donna, where's Josh? I thought I could maybe squeeze in a short lunch break with him before I head to the Hill to try and catch some firm decisions out of the unruly Republicans up there." Donna shuffled some files and typed a couple things into her computer before sitting back in her chair and looking up at Sam. "Um, he's not back yet, and he probably won't be for awhile. The Majority Whip cornered him into a lunch meeting today, and you know how much he loves meeting with them. I guess his good mood's gonna be shot to hell by the time he gets back." She sighed, a deep, tired sigh, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Donna hoped he was still in a good mood, because she was hoping to get out of the office at a semi-decent time tonight.

Sam watched Donna quietly for a moment and then grinned at her. "Donna, I have decided!" Donna looked at him as if he was speaking Chinese. "I have just come upon the most glorious idea that I have ever had the joy of which to think." Donna eyes him a little skeptically – okay a lot skeptically – and laughed.

"It's amazing you two aren't blood related." Now it was Sam's turn to eye Donna up as if she were kind of crazy. Donna just laughed and said, "So what is this big revelation upon which you have hit, Sam?"

Sam grinned down at Donna, just as her stomach audibly grumbled. "That solves it, Donna! You cannot refuse me now, not after what I just heard. You must join me for lunch. I was going to go with Josh, but I'm afraid that if I don't take you, you'll simply wither away and by the time Josh gets back there will be no Donna left, and then Josh would kill me." Donna stood up and moved around Sam perched on her desk corner, to grab some files and organize things for when Josh came back.

"I don't know, Sam. I was just gonna grab something quick. There's a lot to do here, and it's easy to get things done when Josh is tied up and not beckoning me to help him every five minutes," she laughed. Sam gave a puppy dog look, and whimpered. Donna turned and looked at him. She put her hand on his cheek and sighed, grinning at him. "Sam, if you whimpered and gave that look to any other woman in the world but me, you just might get them to fall in love with you, or at the very least give you sensitive State secrets. But I know you too well, dear friend," she laughed, and pinched his cheek, "and it just ain't gonna work on me!" Sam groaned and turned his body around on her desk corner to follow her as she headed to grab something off Josh's desk. Sam stood in the doorway by her desk and sighed. "Donna, come on!" he called after her. She reemerged from Josh's office holding a couple of files and a binder. "If only for the very reason that you'd be protecting my safety, come with me." Sam was not above pleading today. "See, even your body wants to!" Donna realized, with another well-timed grumble of her stomach, that she was going to win this argument with him. She shrugged at him and dropped off the files on her desk before, walking with him towards his office.

Josh practically skipped as he came into the lobby and headed towards the West Wing after his meeting with the DNC people about the Administration's stand on labor disputes in California. He couldn't seem to help it today; he was just in a really good mood. Despite the weather and his jam-packed schedule of meetings and appointments and other political affairs, Josh just seemed to radiate some inner happiness that he wasn't sure where it came from and he wasn't sure he wanted it to stop.

Josh wanted to just drop by his office before he headed out again, this time to meeting about Appropriations, and grab a few files that he needed, and see if Donna needed anything or had any messages for him. Josh in the hallway about 20 feet from Donna's desk to look over some things Margaret had just given him, when he lost all conscious breath and thought.

Donna was sitting at her desk and Sam was perched on the corner of it, grinning at her with his 'I'm-so-smart' grin. Donna was laughing at something he said, and normally Josh would have had no hesitation in going over and joining them, but for some strange reason, he decided not to today. He just stood and watched – a silent fly on the wall to their interaction.

Josh could only make out parts of what they were saying, and Donna was laughing harder now.

"Donna, I…decided," Sam was saying. Donna was eyeing him warily but still laughing. "It's amazing…" Donna laughed, "So what is…Sam?"

"Donna! You cannot refuse me now…You must…I…take you…kill me." Sam was still grinning.

"I don't know…I was just…it's easy…when…every five minutes." Donna was laughing again. Josh couldn't really see Sam with the position he was in right then, half-turned away from him. But then Josh watched as Donna's hand moved up to cup Sam's cheek and she was grinning at him. "Sam…you…gave that look…to…me…just might…fall in love with you. I know…and it…work on me," she was saying to him. Josh's mouth involuntarily dropped open very wide, as he watched Sam stand in the doorway to the bullpen and sigh. "Donna! Come with me…even your body wants to!"

Josh was shocked and dismayed and speechless for once in his life, and he couldn't stand in the hallway anymore. He saw them head towards Sam's office and ducked into Margaret's desk area to attempt to regain his composure. Margaret just stared at him. "Um, do you need Leo, Josh? Or a medic?" Josh looked at her and groaned. He felt it happen, in that short five minute time span; he felt his good mood turn bad. Suddenly the day looked only as good as the weather outside, and Josh was not even sure why.