Josh and Donna's Go To Guy

I came up with this after the finale. I really liked Josh and Sam's friendship, as well as Donna and Sam's. This was supposed to just a one-shot, but once I started writing, it became clear that it needed more than one.

Disclamer: I don't own West Wing. If I did, it would still be on the air.

Chapter 1

I've known all along that Donna was perfect for Josh. Actually, I think everyone knew. She was the sane one. She leveled him out. I don't know how in the world she tolerated him, but she did. And he tolerated her. Somewhere along the way he fell in love with her.

When Gaza happened, Josh didn't call me. I was upset that I had to hear about it on the news. Donna's my friend. When I called Josh's office, he didn't answer. He didn't answer his cell, either. So I called Leo. When I asked how Josh was, Leo simply said, "He went to Germany." I understood.

That's when I knew that Josh loved Donna. I knew that Donna loved Josh ever since Rosslyn, but now I knew that he loved her. I waited a few days before I called Josh. I knew he was falling apart and he probably didn't want to talk to many people. When I finally called him, the conversation was awkward. It went something like this:

"Hey Josh."

"Sam. Hey… I'm sorry I didn't call."

"No, it's okay. Leo told me that you're in Germany."

"Yeah."

"How is she?"

"She's okay now."

"That's good. How are you."

"I'm okay… I'll be okay. As long as she's okay."

And then it was confirmed. He loved Donna. I knew he wouldn't do anything about it… because he was Josh. And she was Donna. He would say that he was just her boss, her friend. But there was more to that. He knew it, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Okay, so I should have called Donna right after she left the hospital. She was my friend just as much as Josh was. I don't know why I didn't. I guess I thought that I would start getting sappy about her and Josh, and that probably wouldn't help her get better. I didn't contact her until a few months later, after Josh called me.

"She quit."

"Hey, Josh. Good to hear from you. I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Sam, Donna quit. She can't quit. We're Josh and Donna. I'm the deputy and she's my assistant. That's how it is."

"Whoa, slow down. Donna quit?"

"Yeah, she did. She said that she needed more. She didn't want to be an assistant anymore. But she went to Gaza. That was because she wanted more… and she almost died. Why does she want more? What's wrong with how things are?"

So then about an hour listen to Josh go on, and him finally telling me that he was going to be campaign manager for Matt Santos, I decided to write Donna a letter. I'm better at writing, and I decided that it would be less awkward.

Dear Donna,

I'm sorry that I haven't called you. I didn't know what I would have said. "Hi Donna, how are you?" just didn't seem like it would work. But I hope that you are doing better. I heard that you resigned from your White House position. Josh is freaking out, but I know that you have always been very reasonable and careful about your decisions, so I believe that you know what you are doing. I hope that you get the career and life that you want, and deserve. You are one of hardest working people I know. You deserve all the happiness in life.

If you ever need anything, you know that I'm here. Write or call anytime.

Love,

Sam

I know that it wasn't the best thing I had written, but it was short and to the point. About 2 weeks after I sent the letter, she sent me a postcard. It said:

Sam,

Thanks for everything.

Love,

Donna

It was a simple message, but it let me know that she was okay. Not great, but she was doing okay. After that postcard, I didn't hear from Donna. I spoke to Josh rarely. Once he casually mentioned that Donna was working for the Santos campaign. He said it bitterly, saying that he didn't hire her and he didn't think it was appropriate that she was working for Matt Santos after working for his opponent. I didn't buy any of that because I knew that he was thrilled that Donna was working for him again. I didn't say anything though because I knew that that would just get me another hour of him denying his feelings for her.

That happened to be our last conversation for a few weeks. Then, Josh walked into my office. I knew he needed my help. And I just prayed that I could help him this time.