Hello out there one the web. Ok the last chapter Donna was awful: she was not the Donna Sorkin created, but the Donna that Wells nurtured. I felt it was realistic to who she has become. Although, I love the fact that Donna sacrifices her dignity and values, all for nothing. The bill is killed by Vinick and Santos can't campaign on it. I like that bitter reality. Anyway this chapter Josh and Donna finally have their confrontation. I like the scene with Will and Donna because it SHOULD be a scene with Josh and Donna. Anyway, there might be a Morning chapter that ties together all the lose ends.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK! I love you guys!

NIGHT

Strappy shoes ended up being a poor choice for Donna. Her feet were ripped, torn and blistered. Her lower back was killing her, her head seemed like it wanted to escape her skull though her ears and she was exhausted. The last 16 hours were some of the most draining she had experienced in a long time. So when the limo pulled up the Hotel, and Will offered to buy her a beer, she declined and headed towards the elevators.

Josh didn't say anything during the car ride home, he watched the light and signs blur past him. He was unsure of everything, expect one thing. He was pissed and Donna Moss was the reason. When he saw her talking to Will, he found his body moving to be along side her. He barely caught the same elevator as her.

They stood, staring at the door, hearing but not listening to the music. Josh wished they were alone, but the elderly couple behind them prevented him from saying all that he wanted to say. Donna, on the other hand, was very grateful for their presence, because they were preventing her from saying all that she wanted to say.

The fifth floor Josh and Donna got off. She glanced over at him as they walked down the hall. "Your bowtie is crooked."

"I know."

"Has it been like that all night?"

"Yes."

"Sorry I didn't notice."

"It isn't your job to notice those things anymore." He hissed at her.

"Josh?"

"Well it isn't. I'm not sure what your job is, my looking out for me, isn't in the description. Beside I don't even know who you are any more!"

Donna stopped moving, she knew she wasn't walking but she was pretty sure her heart and blood stopped as well.

"What?"

"Donna you're unrecognizable. After all the stunts you pulled tonight, all I know is MY Donnatella would never do that!"

"Well, MY Josh would never treat me like I was worthless."

"My Donna never would have acted as if she was worthless. She never would have let some guy touch her. She would have never called her ex- boyfriend to get information. She never would have used her brush with death as some political maneuver!"

He was screaming, as if making the words louder made them easier to hear.

The truth was Donna wanted to go to bed so she could sulk in her own depression. All her years in politics she had never sunk as low as she did. She barely recognized herself, how could she ask someone else to do it. Josh just screamed what she had been thinking all night. And that pissed her off. He had no right to speak to her like that. Maybe a year ago, MAYBE, but not now.

"How dare you! I'm unrecognizable? You, you're entirely different person. Angry and you make stupid mistakes. Get off your high horse, Lyman, the air up there doesn't suit you. I did what I had to do, for YOUR guy. I gave him everything I could. So I called in a favor, Andi knew I would do it, and she wasn't running for reelection, it was now or never."

"And that makes it ok?"

"Not really, but I know if I had to do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same way." Josh was horrified, but Donna continued. "I would have switched vans with her, knowing what I know now. She's a mother, her life was and is more important than mine. Toby never would have been able to handle losing her, and I have no one."

Sub artic glares left his eyes, "You're right, you don't."

Donna turned to put her key card into her door. She needed to leave, close the door and runaway. The air in the hallway was getting too tight to breath.

"Running away are you?" Josh whispered. "Leaving again, not surprising. That's what you do best; fly into my life and fly just as fast out. No warning just some excuse like, 'oh crappy boyfriend wants me back,' or 'I want more for my career.'"

Donna clenched her teeth, her hands and stamped her foot, "that's not fair!"

"No Donna, that's completely fair. I can't even trust you; you always bail out or lie to me."

"When did I lie to you?"

"Tonight I asked you about the campaign plans and you said you didn't write them. I've been reading your writing for eight years, did you think that I wouldn't notice?"

"Why should I tell you the truth about them when you already made up your mind?" She took a second to breathe before speaking again, "I know I have a lot to answer for in the last few months, but you have just as much." She leaned in, "you told Amy about Cliff."

"I did not!"

"Liar!"

The hallway was empty, expect for them and some painting of flowers in between the doors. It seemed appropriated for some reason that they should fight here, in an empty, cold environment, someplace common and yet unfamiliar. There was something about how cold and sterile the hallway was to make fight seem more real. More them.

Donna wanted to rush into her hotel room and let Josh scream his little heart out all he needed too. But she couldn't, her cell phone rudely interrupted fight.

"Hello? Will? Are you drunk? How did you get drunk so fast? No. No. Fine I will be down in a minute." She glowered at Josh, "I have to go."

"We aren't done here." He followed her to the elevator.

"Yes we are." She pushed the glowing downward triangle. "Josh, there was a time I would have walked on glass into Hell for you if you needed me to. But that was then, when I thought I knew you, understood you. But now, I can't even stand to look at you."

The door opened and she stepped in, "If you want to take the elevator that's fine, but wait for the next one, because if you come in, only one of us is coming out."

She was still shaking with rage when she entered the hotel bar. It was a vast contrast to her previous surroundings, loud, dark and crowded. She spotted Will by the bar and started towards him. When he saw her he screamed, "DONNA!" Soon the rest of the bar joined his cries of praise, "Donna!"

She smiled and briefly felt like Norm from Cheers. "Hi Will." She smiled, they had been through this once or twice before.

"HI DONNA!" He screamed in her face.

She leaned back, "inside voice, Will. Remember."

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better. You?"

He wiggled his fingers in front of her face and smiled at them in amazement. "My fingers feel all tingly."

She looked around trying to process this information, "OOOKKKAYYY. How many shots did you have?"

Will is still preoccupied with his fingers to respond right away. "Four maybe five."

"Yeah well that'll do it." She reached into his coat pocket, his eyes widened.

Very seriously he stares at her, "Donna, not here, our love is one that must never be."

Donna rolled her eyes and that made him giggle. "Will, I am taking your cell phone."

"Why?"

She blinked at him disbelieving, "Remember the last time you got drunk, you called Toby."

Will seemed surprised by this information, "I did?"

"Yep, and he yelled at me the next morning."

"He did! That's not very nice we should call him up right now and yell at him." Will tried to grab his phone back, but Donna's reflexes weren't inhibited by alcohol.

"No Will. Now if you are a good boy I'll call Kate for you in the morning, but you can't reach for the cell phone all night."

Will placed a finger on his chin and thought it out for a second. "Ok. You wanna beer?"

Donna asked the bartender for a pen and started to write some information down on a napkin. "No, I am very sleepy and I desperately want to go to bed."

"But not with me, right? You don't find me cute or charming do you?"

"Nope, sorry."

"S'ok."

Josh entered the bar and was struck by the same sensory overload Donna had experienced a few minutes earlier. He scanned the bar, finding co workers, strangers and Will and Donna, (he was unsure what category they fell into). Pangs of jealousy stabbed his body as he watched Donna laugh with Will. He watched their interaction carefully, waiting for something, something to make him hate her more, or something to make him remember the old her.

Donna placed the napkin in Will's coat pocket. "The note says I have your cell phone and not to panic, (which I know you will) when you can't find it in the morning."

Will nodded, "Ok" He stared at her as if he was thinking very hard and looking at her for the first time. "You looked pretty tonight."

"Thank you."

"But you looked better that night we rescued you from your apartment and took you to some balls. Remember that night?"

Donna winced, it had been one of the best nights of her life, she was with Her Josh, the one she lo… she cared about. The one she thought she knew better then she knew herself. "Yes I remember." She recalled the way his hand felt around her waist as she sat on his lap on the cab ride back or the way his breath touched her neck while they danced. She remembered cursing that she might have to wait four years before they could be together. Tonight, she realized that was a dream never to be. That was another reason she wanted to curl into bed and cry. Of course her former bosses were preventing her from doing that.

"You had long hair then. Now you have short hair."

"Yep."

"Long Hair Donna was different. She would never do the things Short Hair Donna would do."

Donna looked sadly at the bar. "Yep."

"Don't get me wrong, I like both Donnas, but still." He paused the think. "You did something bad tonight."

She played with some water on the bar, running her finger though it and making designs. "I know."

"Long Hair Donna would not approve."

"Short Hair Donna doesn't approve either." She continued to make shapes on the bar.

Will placed his hand on her shoulder, "You feel really bad about this right?"

"Right."

"Good girl, I was beginning to think that this was my entire fault. Like I turned you into this monster, but you aren't one. I can tell."

"Thanks."

Will started to play with his untucked shirt, "Donna I did something bad once too."

"I know."

"You were really pissed at me."

"Yep."

"I'm really sorry about Baker's wife, will you forgive me?"

She smiled gently, "Yes. I do. Tonight I realized how easy it is to fall from grace." She placed her hand on her cheek.

"Will you marry me?"

"Nope."

"What if neither one of us are married by the time we are 50, will you marry me then?"

She laughed, "I can't I have the pact with Sam."

Will nodded, "Yeah he's a good one to have that with."

Josh continued his hunter like stalk on Donna, watching her, thinking about her. And he realized something. He had seen all these interactions before. She nurtured Josh when he was intoxicated, taken his cell phone, smiled and laughed with him. Josh thought, The woman the bar is MY Donna, but she was with someone else.

Donna laughed and told Will he could have three more drinks before he could call it a night. She turned to leave the bar when Santos stopped her. "Ronna spoke to me about Cliff and I want you to know, you don't have to have sex with him if you don't want to."

Donna blinked at him for a few seconds. "What?"

"You aren't really going to make me repeat that are you?"

"Sir, are you drunk?"

"Is Helen around?"

Donna surveyed the bar, "No."

"Then yes I am drunk."

"Ok then, I am going to leave now."

They finished their pleasantries and Donna turned and nearly walked into Josh's chest.

She frowned, "oh you're here."

"We weren't finished." Josh reminded her.

Neither spoke, the tension was still there but he wasn't as angry as before. She didn't kick him out of the elevator either. When they were one floor away from their own Josh finally spoke, "Are you in love with Will?"

Donna blinked. Then she blinked again.

Josh raised his eye brow and asked the question again, "Are you in love with Will?"

"I'm sorry I can't hear you over the laugher in my brain."

"Um?" Josh questioned.

"No, I'm not in love with Will, never have been, never will be. He's a friend that's it."

He wasn't sure how he felt about that, a part of him wanted Donna to be in love with Will. It was easier to hate her, her activities in the bar would be for any man she cared about. A part of him was relieved she wasn't in love with him, of course he knew why but he didn't want to admit it.

They walked out of the elevator, they stood in the same location they had been earlier that night. "Are you going to continue to insult me?" Donna questioned as she placed her key card in the slot for the second time this night.

Josh rubbed his head and shrugged, "I still have a lot to say."

She sighed, "Can any of it wait until tomorrow?"

"Some of it. I guess." Josh's tone was quiet, lonely and even a little sad.

"Can you say any of it nicely?"

Josh put her hand on the back of her head, "Its just I've never seen you be wrong about so many things."

"I guess not." She frowned.

"I mean, you're normally right. When we get into one of those messes you do the right thing. But tonight, you didn't."

Donna didn't speak right away, she just gazed at Josh for a while, "Tonight is not exactly my proudest night."

Josh nodded, smirked and knew she didn't need to say any more. Then Josh stared at his feet for a few seconds and in a low voice he admitted. "I hate Cliff."

Donna rolled her eyes, "You hate him because he's a republican and working in your old office."

"No. He's the one that made me realize that you wouldn't wait for me."

Time stopped. Motion stopped. Donna was unable to move. Sure, she had known, she wasn't dumb, she knew how he felt if she had any doubts they were crushed the instant he walked through the German hospital door. She knew, but she never expected him to say it aloud. And Cliff was years ago. "You expected me to wait?"

Josh rubbed his head, "um yeah. When I realized you wouldn't; I started to date Amy. Sort of a form of punishment for you but turned out far worse for me."

"Eight years is a very long time to wait."

"I know."

"It really wasn't fair."

"I know."

For the first time in this hallway, Donna let herself smile, just a little bit. "So you are admitting I'm right?"

Josh raised his eyebrows, "I am admitting I agree with you. But you will were wrong about other things tonight as well. Saying Andi's life was more important than yours, that it was for the best, because Toby wouldn't be able to handle it. You're wrong. If… If you hadn't survived… I…" Josh didn't want to finish his thoughts. Donna's once harden and icy face melted as she watched Josh struggle with his words. "Donna, I died that day. And if you didn't survive I wouldn't have either."

She placed her hand on his arm. He still couldn't look at her face; instead he watched her blistered feet.

Softly, tenderly she spoke, "I know. I was in your spot once before. And I shouldn't have used it for political gain. I just knew that was the only way I could help Santos. But I never went to hurt you."

Josh nodded and "I know." He paused, "I never said how proud I am of you. You grew so much in such a short time and a part of me knows it never would have happened if you still worked for me. A part of me was busting with pride and another part is devastated I only got to watch from a distance. I know you had to leave, I understand it was a long time coming. I just wish it could have happened on better terms. I wished I didn't miss you so much. "

Donna found her hand moving up his arm, an in a low voice that even surprised herself she admitted, "I know. I missed you too."

He looked into her eyes, took a deep breath and finally confessed everything he needed to, "Donna, I love you."

Donna blinked at him slightly taken back by the comment, "I know."

He moved in to kiss her. Donna pulled away and placed her hand on his chest as she asked, "What are you doing?"

Confusion lived on Josh's face, "um I was going to kiss you?"

"Why?"

"Because that's you're supposed to do."

Donna closed her eyes before asking the question she already knew the answer to, "You don't really think that confessing your love and kissing me would solve all of our problems, do you?"

Josh blinked and threw his hands up in the air, "Yes."

A sound that could have been mistaken as laughter escaped Donna's lips. "Well it doesn't."

"Then why would she lie to me?"

"Who?"

"Meg Ryan and all of her movies?"

Donna shook her head, hating herself for putting the reality back into the moment, "Meg Ryan left the father of her children to go have a fling with Russell Crow, so I wouldn't take any advice from her." She pulled her hand away from his chest and placed it firmly at her side. "Your confession doesn't solve the main problem, we both changed, grew up and grew apart." She stopped, blinking back tears and fighting the lump in her throat. "Even if saying those three words could make everything better…you… you aren't the man I fell in love."

Josh retreated both physically and emotionally. He cursed he waited too long. She was inches from him and yet they were never to be. He blamed himself and her, hell he blamed the President and Santos too but for reasons he couldn't pin point. He pushed his hand through his hair and decided to be a gentleman, "No, I understand. It's late and its been a long day. Good night Donna."

Donna swallowed the lump in throat that had been choking her, "Josh this doesn't mean we can't try, we just needed to reacquaint ourselves." She was pulling a straws and she knew it. Josh had been rejected, there was no going back to the way things were.

He nodded, "Sure, we'll have lunch tomorrow, a talk more." He turned at walked a few paced to a hotel door. He placed his card key inside slowly and pulled it out, red light.

He tried it again: red light.

Once more. Same results. "DONNNA!"

She had already walked into her room and stuck her head out into the hallway. An eye brow went up, "What are you doing Josh?"

"My key won't work." He pointed to the door.

She smiled, "Of course it won't work that's not your room."

Josh disagreed, "My room is across from the ugly paintings of the flower and five doors down from the elevator."

"But there are two elevators." Donna pointed down the hall, to a second hallway. Josh followed her finger, a seemed genuinely surprised to see the second hallway intersecting with the one they were standing in. He turned to point at the painting of the ugly flowers, when she informed him all the paintings are the same. Josh stood still in his confusion, rubbing his head and attempting some smart ass remark.

"I guess they were just giving the Fulbright Scholarship away that year."

Donna watched him, studied him, and her stomach began to dance. Waves of fire shot up and down her spine, as her brain came to the conclusion her heart had known the entire time. Only Her Josh could get a dark horse the nominations and not know which hotel room was his. Her Josh was a man of contrasts, brilliant and stupid wrapped up in one package. She walked in a daze until she was in front of him. She placed her hand on his cheek and looked into his familiar eyes. "I found you. You're My Josh." Her lips touched his lightly. He pressed his lips slightly harder against hers. Their first kiss was soft, sweet and loving. Their second kiss was passionate, eight years of harbored tension released in one kiss.

Josh smiled at her his dimples making their first appearance in a while, "I hope you don't think this will solve all our problems."

Donna shook her head, "No, but is a start."