Title: The Path Which Has Led to the Present (15?)
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.

"Beer tonight?" Sam asked, plopping himself down in the folding chair Josh had for visitors with a sigh.

"One of those days?"

"We're on the 100th draft of the speech for the Convention already. Literally."

"Shooting for 1000?"

"I'm shooting to be finished."

"No luck?"

"I've liked everything I've written today. My muse was with me this morning."

"Toby disagrees?"

"Toby's in one of those moods where if one comma isn't exactly right, the whole paragraph goes."

"Well you've got a week."

"I don't know if I can take a week of this."

"Awww, I'm gonna miss you and Toby have it out?"

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning at 7."

"Yeah, you'll miss it. I can usually make it two days of this before I go completely insane. You driving to Boston?"

"Yup."

"You're looking forward to it?"

Josh nodded. He was, actually.

"You're bringing Donna." The way Sam said that put Josh on guard.

"Yeah."

"Just you and her?"

"Yes."

Sam cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"There's no way you'd be looking forward to the drive if Donna wasn't going."

"I enjoy her company."

"Obviously."

"Sam…we've been over this. There's nothing going on."

"That's what you both say, but sometimes, the way you act—"

"You've talked to Donna about it!"

"Not this frankly, but yes—"

"Please don't."

"Why?"

"We have a good thing. Our working relationship. I don't want it to get weird."

"And sharing a bed doesn't make it weird?"

"It hasn't."

"How's that going to continue?"

"She's still not on salary."

"Will it stop when she is?"

Josh looked at him. That was something he hadn't thought would give him pause, but now that it was in the air out loud, he had to think. It was something they'd need to address. But he didn't need to address it with Sam. "Yeah, probably."

"Be careful."

"It's not—"

"Still be careful. Even if you're not…appearances…I'm not the only one who thinks—"

"We'll be careful!"

Silence. Sam sat up straight. "Beer?"

"And this conversation is over?"

"Over."

"Not to come up at the bar?"

"Right."

"Okay, I'm in. Let me just finish up."

"I'll go get CJ. She's coming too."

Sam left the door open as he left.

"DONNA!"

"Fighting with Sam?"

"Huh?"

"You got awful loud." Uh oh.

"Did you hear our argument?"

"Just loud voices. Here's the itinerary."

"For the whole week?"

"For tomorrow."

"All of those meetings tomorrow?"

"Flip it over."

"Ugh."

"All of the important meetings are before lunch."

"So, I'll be nice and cranky by the end of the morning."

"You'll be better then than in the late afternoon. Those are the blow off meetings."

"So most of the day is blow off meetings?

"Seems that way."

"When you say blow off, you just mean low priority, right? Or do I not have to go?"

"Nice try."

"I'm going to need—"

"It's all on my desk."

"How did you know what I was going to ask for?"

"You want the delegation breakdowns."

"Yes."

"And the contacts for the labor groups, the teacher's unions, and a plethora of other interest groups that will be courting us in Boston."

"Yes."

"All the info on the other meetings."

"And?"

"The vice president vetting files."

Damn she was good.

"How much space does this take up?"

"It's a few boxes."

"Excellent. Let's get beer."

"We do have to be up—"

"At the same time as usual."

"But then we have to drive…"

"Just a little while. Sam's getting people together. It'll be fun."

"No hard feelings between you two?"

"No, its over. We agreed to drop it."


"Who needs another?" CJ asked, getting up.

"Me!" Josh yelled.

"How many has that been?" Donna asked.

"Four, five?"

"That's enough." When you lose track, you've had too many.

"I can have one more!"

"Five is plenty. I think it was more than that anyways." She kicked herself for losing track.

"I can handle my liquor!"

"You're getting loud." And that was a sure sign he'd had enough.

"So?"

"So, no more."

Josh sat against the back of the booth, and pouted. Oh, that was adorable.

"You let her cut you off?" CJ laughed.

Josh looked up at her. "No. I'll have another!" He turned to Donna, and grinned. "Ha!"

"We'll see if you're this smug tomorrow morning."

"Donna, do you want another?" CJ asked.

"Sure, what the hell?" She might as well have some fun.

"Whiskey sour?"

Donna nodded.

"And a beer!" Josh shouted.

"Yes, Joshua, a beer. Sam, come with me."

"Why?"

"Four drinks, two hands."

Sam pulled himself to his feet and followed CJ.

"You're having another drink."

"I've had 2."

"You're drinking hard liquor."

"Josh, I…I can hold my liquor better than you can."

"I'm still on top of my game," Josh scooted closer to her in the booth. "Just mellow."

"If you're mellow, you're definitely drunk."

"No!"

"I seem to recall an evening in February—"

"The Iowa caucus—"

"—where you ended up—"

"—that was a rough night—"

"—puking for like 3 hours—"

"—but I'm drinking beer tonight—"

"—and me having to clean you up and make sure you—"

"—and I was drinking scotch that night—"

"—didn't choke on your vomit—"

"—a lot of scotch—"

"And then in the morning—"

"I haven't drank scotch since then—"

"—I had to practically drag your ass to the shower—"

"—I don't even really like scotch—"

"—you could barely stand—"

"That had been a terrible day."

"And it was followed by another terrible day."

"Yeah."

"Do you want our road trip tomorrow to be that miserable?" She looked at him pointedly. She was looking forward to this time in the car with him again. She didn't want him hung over for it.

"No."

"Then is another beer a good idea?"

"I'm not really that drunk."

"I know your not that drunk…yet. I'm trying to you from getting that drunk."

"Just this one, then I promise, done."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Lets shake on it." Donna extended her hand. Josh grasped it, and shook it, as CJ and Sam cam back with the drinks.

"Making a bet?" CJ asked, sliding Donna's drink across to her.

"A pact."

"A pact?"

"This is his last beer," she began. "Isn't it?"

Josh nodded. He still hadn't let go of her hand. He squeezed it under the table, and Donna's heart began to race.

"Why does he have to make a pact? What does he get out of it?" Sam asked, giving Josh a look Donna didn't like.

She smiled, broad and fake. "He doesn't have to listen to me go on and on about inane topics of my choosing on the car ride."

"That's all?" Sam questioned. CJ kicked him, hard under the table. She was trying to be discrete, but failing miserably.

"And, he doesn't get a hangover."

"Ah, the real benefit. She knows your limit better than you do."

"She does. Sometimes, I think she can read my mind. Today, she had all the files ready for the Boston trip before I even thought about them."

"I know what you need for everything on your schedule."

"Its freaky how well you know," Josh grinned, squeezing her hand again.

Donna hoped that CJ and Sam hadn't noticed that he still had her hand. She finished her drink, and pulled away from him a bit. "Well, I'm going to bed now. The 6am wake up call is going to come way too soon."

"You sucked that down quick," Sam laughed.

"Where are you staying, Donna?" CJ asked, kindly.

"I haven't had a chance to go anywhere yet. I figure I'll just get a room at the Motel 6 down the street for the night."

Sam looked to Josh. Josh looked up at Donna. "Those places are sleezy."

"Its fine."

"Its not. Let me at least walk down there with you. Its 1am…there are probably all sorts of characters in the lobby of a hotel like that."

"In Manchester, New Hampshire?" Sam snorted.

"Josh…" He still hadn't released her hand, and was now squeezing it very tightly. He stared at her intently. "Fine, walk me."

Donna released his hand, and stood up, he followed, leaving his beer half finished on the table.

"G'night, guys." They headed outside.

"Good night," CJ called, sharing a look with Sam.

"Josh…"

"Sorry."

"That was—"

"You can't stay at the Motel 6—"

"It's just one night."

"At this point, its 5 hours, and that's a waste of half your stipend."

"Josh—"

"Just stay with me. It's all you've done for two weeks, and what we're doing in Boston. What's different about Manchester?"

"I just wish you hadn't done it like that in front of CJ and Sam."

"They don't care…that much."

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable, but its weird to other people."

"Yeah."

"So, we hadn't talked about where I went when we were in Manchester—"

"Sorry, I should have—"

"I just don't want to draw a bad kind of attention—"

"Agreed." Josh offered his hand to shake. "Quiet."

"Yeah…"

He led her down the street, towards the quaint little hotel he was staying in, by the hand which he had yet to let go of.