Title: The Path Which Has Led to the Present (13?)
Author: Aerial312
Rating: PG-13. This one's got some swearing.
Category: Humor/Fluff/Angst/Romance (a little of everything)
Spoiler Info: Pre-Series.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Sure. Just let me know where its going.

A/N: The last chapter was mislabeled in the actual file as part 11. It was part 12.

Donna glanced at the clock on her bed table. 5:02. She didn't have to be up for another 58 minutes, but there was construction of some sort outside the window. It sounded like drilling. It was annoying. However, she did not want to get up, having just gone to bed some 2 hours earlier. And it didn't hurt that she was wrapped in Josh's arms again. She'd fallen asleep, on her side, facing away from him. At some point they'd both drifted towards the center, and she was now spooned in Josh's arms. And regardless of whether it was a good idea or not, she intended to stay there for the next 58 minutes, drilling or no. She curled closer and closed her eyes.

Josh pulled Donna tighter to him. The way she was breathing, he had a feeling she was awake too. He wasn't sure exactly how to play off that they'd ended up in each other's arms again, and truth be told, he didn't really want to let go yet. They still had 56 minutes. So he decided to pretend he was still asleep. God, that drilling was annoying though. Josh rested his chin on the back of Donna's head, and stared at the clock. 5:05.

Her hair smelt nice, like peppermint. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe steadily to keep up the façade of sleeping. The drilling stopped, and Josh briefly entertained actually going back to sleep, but it was soon replaced by hammering. 5:10. Josh sighed, and looked around the room. They'd both moved in towards each other. Both. Josh sighed again and tried to lay still and just enjoy the moment. The hammering continued.

Being still was not one of Josh's strong points, Donna decided. He was obviously awake. She didn't want to read too far into the fact that he was trying to pretend that he was still asleep too. One of his hands lay on her stomach, and the other was toying with her hair. Man, he couldn't stay still. Eventually, one of them was going to have to break, while the other stayed "asleep".

5:30. Josh suspected he wasn't doing a good job faking the sleeping. He was twirling the ends of her hair in his fingers, and had started playing with the fabric of her T-shirt. She nestled closer, now completely pressed against him. And suddenly, that was all he could think about, and he realized that he was going to have to move very soon or this was going to get even more embarrassing.

Very slowly, he let go of her, and rolled away. He lay on his side, facing away. This was not good. Why was she all of a sudden having this affect on him? This really couldn't continue. It was going to get distracting. But she felt so good…

Donna got up and crossed to the window. "Next stop, hopefully we're not staying in a hotel that's being renovated."

Josh rolled back over to face the spot Donna had just vacated. "You don't like waking up to power tools?"

"Not my favorite alarm clock."

"We only got like 3 hours."

"Less. And technically we still have another 25 minutes, but slim chance of sleep."

Josh nodded. "Might as well start working." Working was safe. Lounging in bed was not.

"We can pour over some of the unemployment data that the labor reps want to see a position on."

Josh scowled. "Ah, yes. When did that finally arrive?"

"Ken, the lackey, gave it to me at the cocktail party."

"Where was I?"

"You'd left for your meeting with Mandy."

"Ah." Mandy had really been trying to get him out of there. "How big is this packet? Half inch?" Josh asked hopefully. Donna snorted. "Inch?"

"Try a copy paper box."

"Copy paper box?"

"Full."

"God."

"We're going to have a fun bus ride this afternoon."

"Ugh."

"I already started. While you were, uh, busy. I started to sort them into stuff you definitely have to read, stuff that might be good to read, and the stuff that I can read and just give you the salient points."

"I hope that pile's the biggest."

"You're in luck."

"Have you started to read any of it yet?"

"No, just sorting took an hour."

Josh shook his head. "Go get ready. When you're done, I'll take my shower and you can finish sorting before we go to the breakfast."

"Oh, I can finish sorting them before the breakfast, huh?"

"Just go."

"Going."

"Have you stopped reading?"

"I'm reading."

"My note cards."

"I need to read the note cards too, yeah?"

"Yeah, but you need to read those articles more."

"They're so dry."

"You expected labor statistics to be interesting?"

"I expected them to be more interesting than this."

"They're not that bad. I've read twice as many as you have now."

"Well, I keep getting called away to meet with Leo, and Sam, and Toby, and CJ."

"You told them to keep pulling you from this."

"I did not."

"I heard you tell CJ. With instructions to pass the word."

"Well, those meetings are important too! We've been hopping rally to rally across the state of Pennsylvania today. We need to be prepared."

"We are prepared. Each and every one of these rallies so far has been the standard stump."

"Tonight in Pittsburgh is different."

"Modified stump with Q & A."

"I thought it was a town hall."

"It essentially is."

"When did it get changed?"

"It was in the morning memo from Leo."

"Today?"

"Yes, today. You read it."

"I never read that."

"Just like I thought, you don't actually read the morning memo."

"Donna, I've got a pile of briefing reports to read. I skim the memo."

"Well, if you'd read it you'd know that tonight we are starting with a modified stump."

"But why?"

"Because its starting with the mayor speaking now, and Governor Bartlet is taking the stage half an hour later—"

"Why?" He was kind of cute when he was frustrated.

"You guys didn't talk about this in one of your many meetings today?"

"Why, Donna?"

"All this time escaping the labor statistics to work on the day's rallies and—"

"Donna!" Uh oh.

"Because of the baseball game."

"What baseball game?"

"Governor Bartlet has been invited to throw out the first pitch at the Pittsburgh Pirates game."

"When did this happen?"

"Obviously before the morning memo."

"But when?"

"I don't know. First I heard was when I read the morning memo."

"What do we have to do for the game?"

Donna shrugged.

"Go find out."

"Are you going to—"

"Keep reading? Yes. Go."

Donna wandered down the aisle of the bus. "Hey, Sam?"

"What's up?" Sam turned the screen of his laptop away from the aisle.

Donna grinned. "Whatcha working on?"

"Uh…" Sam grinned. "Solitaire. I'm bored. Nothing but the stump today."

"Except—"

"Except for the modified stump at the last thing tonight."

"What do you know about the baseball game?"

"He's just throwing out a pitch."

"What do we need to know about it?"

"Not much. Only CJ and Mrs. Bartlet and Leo are going with him. The rest of us are going ahead to the auditorium to make sure everything is all set."

"Oh."

"Josh didn't tell you that?"

"Josh had no idea about the baseball game."

"He was in the meeting about it. In body at least."

"Yeah, he's got a short attention span today."

"What are you guys working on?"

"Labor statistics. He keeps taking any excuse to do something else."

"Except Mandy."

"Except Mandy."

"Were you surprised that he ended up coming back to his room last night."

"No. He stayed longer than I thought he would."

"Yeah?"

"You disagree?"

"No…can I ask you something?"

Something about the tone of Sam's voice made Donna nervous. "Sure." Try to not show it.

"Are you comfortable sharing a room with Josh?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I…"

"I know it's a little weird, but haven't you ever just shared a room with someone?"

"I have."

"That's what it is."

"There's nothing…?"

"Sam?" Technically they weren't doing anything.

"I'm sorry. Forget I asked."

"Really, Sam. Nothing is going on."

"Sorry."

Donna turned and walked back to her seat. This was starting to draw some attention and that couldn't be good.