"Go play, shortcake," Josh zipped Audrey's jacket just a little bit higher.

"Will you come with me?" She looked at him wide eyed and hopeful.

"I have to talk to Uncle Sam," Josh informed her. "But look," he nodded towards the merry go round, "all of those kids are playing together. Why don't you go over and make a new friend?"

Audrey bit her lip and looked towards the merry go round, stepping over a little closer to Josh and softly shaking her head no. "Donna said I'm not suppose to go on that," she informed him.

Josh sighed. "Well, it's okay this time since I'm here."

Audrey looked up at him with wide eyes and blinked a few times, considering what he was saying, before she ran off to play.

"What does Donna have against merry go rounds," Sam asked.

Josh shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She's always telling me stories about getting scraped up as a child. I think she was just a clumsy kid. She's got those long legs, you know?"

A sly smile creeped across Sam's face. "Oh, I know. Do you know?"

Josh furrowed his brow and shot Sam a glare.

Sam held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just asking a question. I'm not the one with the photo of my assistant on my desk."

"It was Audrey's first day of school! It's a good photo!" Josh was getting defensive, and rather indignant.

"It's a great photo," Sam commented, amused at the fact that he'd managed to get a rise out of Josh.

Josh looked the other way and muttered a few choice words under his breath. But before either of the men could continue their conversation Josh saw a blur of a hot pink jacket out of the corner of his eye and heard Audrey's cry. His feet were moving before he knew it, scooping her up and depositing her on a park bench where he crouched in front of her, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Where's it hurt," he asked, softly, brushing her curls out of her face in a moment of love and patience Sam rarely witnessed from Josh.

Audrey held her hand out to Josh and picked up her left leg to indicate pain.

He quickly determined that aside from light scrapes on her knee and palm, Audrey was fine. The fall from the spinning merry go round had just startled her more than anything.

"Okay, Shortcake," Josh picked her up to tote her to the car. "You're going to be fine, but let's go home."

She clung to him and he softly rubbed her back, whispering quiet words of reassurance as they walked. Audrey's cries had softened but still didn't subside completely until they reached his car. Josh buckled her into her seat and Sam slid into the front.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, kiddo?" Josh glanced into his rear view.

"You and Uncle Sam are going to be in trouble," she stated.

"What?" Sam piped in, turning to look at Audrey in the back seat, her eyes still puffy and her cheeks tear stained.

"Why?" Josh questioned.

"Cause," Audrey continued, "Donna will be mad that you let me get hurt."

Sam's eyes widened and Josh's eyebrows shot up. "It's not that I let you get hurt..." he muttered. "It was an accident."

Sam shifted in his seat a bit. "Maybe you should drop me off at my place on the way?"

Josh smirked. "Afraid?"

Sam didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Josh chuckled outright, making a left turn into his neighborhood. "You can run, Sam, but you can't hide."

OoOoOoO

"Ok, kiddo. Do we need anything else?" Josh held Audrey's hand and a shopping basket piled with essentials.

"I need lipstick," Audrey stated confidently.

"Lipstick?!" Josh was somewhat horrified.

"Yes." Audrey stood tall. "I'm out of lipstick."

"You're... out?! When did you have lipstick to begin with?"

Audrey rolled her eyes. "I wear lipstick, Daddy. I'm a lady."

Josh's jaw dropped. "Well... we're not buying lipstick."

"Hmmph," Audrey stuck her bottom lip out.

Josh just shook his head and walked to the cashier, completely befuddled. He'd have Donna explain it to him when they got home.

And when they arrived back at his apartment Donna was already there, waiting for them.

"We're home," Audrey announced in a singsongy voice.

"I'm in the kitchen," Donna responded. "Don't throw your backpack on the floor," she added for good measure, causing Audrey and Josh to exchange guilty glances with one another and both pick up their respective backpacks and hang them on their designated hooks.

"It smells great," Josh grabbed a beer and leaned against the fridge, loosening his tie.

"Thanks," Donna beamed. "It should be ready in 20 minutes. Go get changed."

He didn't think much of the fact that Donna had already changed out of her work clothes and was sporting a comfortable outfit she kept in the bottom left drawer of his dresser. He handed her his beer and she took a drink, stirring the sauce and watching Audrey play in the living room out of the corner of her eye. Josh continued to speak to her, recalling his last meeting with Leo and something that he'd heard CJ mention as he wandered into his bedroom to toss on some sweats.

When he rounded the corner to return to the kitchen he stopped in the doorway and stood quietly, watching Donna and Audrey.

His daughter handed Donna her art project from school that day and Donna oohed and ahhhed over it before hanging it proudly on the refrigerator. Donna then bent down to eye level with Audrey and removed the bow that she'd placed neatly in Audrey's hair that morning before gently pulling her soft curls into a pony tail.

"What did you learn at school today?" The question, Josh knew, was standard practice between Audrey and Donna.

"Mmmmm..." Audrey thought for a brief second. "Math."

"Oh really? And what about math did you learn?"

"Patterns," Audrey said distractedly, looking at the rolls rising for dinner inside the oven.

"Give me an example of a pattern," Donna requested.

Audrey thought for a moment before reaching out to softly touch the beads on Donna's necklace. "Purple, blue, white, purple, blue, white, purple, blue, white," Audrey repeated.

Donna smiled. "Very good."

"Donna?"

"Hmm?"

"I need lipstick."

Donna smiled softly. "Okay," she stood, grabbing her purse and pulling out a stick of chapstick.

Audrey watched on in awe as Donna took the cap off and gently applied the chapstick. "Stop biting your lip and it won't be so chapped," Donna told her, popping the cap back on as Audrey lightly smacked her lips together. "All better."

"Your turn!" Audrey stated excitedly, taking the chapstick and applying it very liberally to Donna's lips. Donna puckered up in a very animated fashion and Audrey grinned wildly, showing her tiny dimples as she proudly surveyed her work and letting out a satisfied little giggle.

"How do I look?" Donna asked Audrey.

"Beautiful," Josh responded breathlessly from the doorway. Even he was shocked to hear his response out loud, intending only to internalize his thoughts.

Donna and Audrey both turned to look at him, Donna emitting a nervous laugh and looking at the floor while she stood, fumbling with the cap on the chapstick and placing it back into her purse.

OoOoOoO

"I have a situation." CJ stated with a scratchy threat before she leaned on Donna's desk and took a sip of tea with lemon and honey.

"Oh?" Donna was listening but continued with her task, in a hurry to finish her project.

"It's Leo's birthday. And we've all been so busy planning for the state dinner tonight that it... slipped all of our minds."

"I sent a card," Donna commented.

CJ wasn't surprised by Donna's admission. She was able to juggle two dozen things at once, keep Josh Lyman in line, run the DCOS office and remember everyone's birthday. "Well, be that as it may," she let out a little chuckle, "the rest of us forgot. So I ordered a cake and we're all going to meet in his office later and sing." CJ smiled widely. "He'll hate it."

Donna chuckled too. "Okay, so what's the problem?"

"I'm loosing my voice so we need to find someone else to lead the singing," CJ coughed lightly. "Can anyone around here carry a tune in a bucket?"

"Josh can," Donna offered absentmindedly, never looking up from what she was writing.

CJ stopped what she was doing. "Josh?" She gave a little laugh at the thought.

Donna glanced up, a blank look on her face. "Yes. Josh has a beautiful voice. It's low and flawless." And it always cut straight to her soul, she thought.

"Well," CJ considered Donna's words. "Okay." She drummed her fingers on the desk a few times. "How do you know that?"

Donna gave a soft smile. "He sings Audrey to sleep. When she was a baby and she was crying in the middle of the night he'd pull her close and sing softly but in this rich baritone and he'd sway. It was the only thing that would get her back to sleep."

CJ couldn't help but to smile too. "Okay. Well, when the time comes we'll all follow Josh's lead."

Donna nodded her head, putting her memo away and heading off to get changed.

She returned a few moments later in a floor length gown, her makeup flawless and her hair pinned back loosely. She held her cell phone to her ear, saying very little to the caller on the other end of the line.

"Donna!" Josh sat the receiver of his phone down as he heard the soft click of her heels entering the bullpen. The phone line at his mother's had been busy all three times he'd tried to call.

He grabbed the bow tie off of his desk and wandered into the bullpen to find her putting on earrings while continuing to speak into the phone.

"Uh huh... uh huh... okay. I have to go now, Sweet Pea. But here's Daddy. I love you," she handed him the cell. "Your turn," she smiled.

Josh grinned. Of course Donna was on the phone to Audrey. If anyone was tying up the lines it was those two. He took the phone from her and listened to Audrey speak for a moment. "Time for bed, Shortcake," he told her, checking his watch after a few minutes. "I love you. Hang up the phone and take it back to Bubbe."

Josh closed the phone and sat it on Donna's desk before holding up his bow tie with a smile. Donna stepped closer to him, looping the fabric around his collar and letting her fingers find the familiar rhythm.

The dinner was well underway, senior staff coming and going to handle an escalating situation in the Philippines but for a brief moment Josh and Donna found themselves alone as she completed the last loop on his tie, swaying a bit.

"I love this song," she stated, listening to the music filtering in through an open door as she gave the bowtie a final tug.

"So dance with me," he asked before he could think about it.

"What? Here?" She looked around a bit.

"Yeah. Why not?" He was treading into the unknown, his heart pounding in his chest.

She blushed slightly, her eyes soft and welcoming when she met his gaze.

He took both of her hands with his, backing into his dark office as she followed, secluding them from the open air of the bullpen.

The music was barely audible but Josh didn't care. The room was illuminated only by the lights filtering in from the bullpen and the streets, and when he lead her into the shadows he found the courage to indulge himself and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms low around her waist, his hands grazing across the soft skin of her almost backless dress.

Donna's hands snaked around his neck, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the curls at the nape of his neck. She let herself melt into him, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, taking him in.

She'd never known it possible to be so perfectly at peace in a room with air so electrically charged. They didn't speak of this cosmic force between them, but in moments like this they couldn't help but to be swept up in it. She doubted so many things about how she interpreted her relationship with Josh. She didn't know how a man like Josh could possibly have feelings for a woman like her. But in the dark of the room, swaying together in perfect unison, it became almost undeniable. All she could conclude was that he was attracted to her, but he didn't want to be.

Josh moved to rest his head against hers, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply, his thumb caressing her lower back. He moved to whisper in her ear, telling her how beautiful she looked and how incredible she was. His lips brushed against her temple and he paused for just a moment resting his face against hers.

"Donnatella..." he whispered breathlessly.

"Josh..." she responded breathlessly.

"JOSH!" CJs voice rounded the corner from the corridor of the bullpen. "It's birthday song time!"

Donna jumped away from Josh on reflex and bit her lip, looking away as though she was afraid.

He was devastated. Everything he knew screamed that he shouldn't kiss his assistant in his office. But this was Donna. The woman he thought about all hours of the day and night. The woman he cared for more than he ever knew possible. The woman that he wanted by his side every second of the day. He held on to her hand, not wanting the moment to end just yet. But Josh realized the moment was broken. He gave her hand a soft squeeze before letting her go.

CJ peeked around the corner to the DCoS office and took in the scene before her. "Oh. Uh, well... whenever you're ready is fine." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm just going to... uhh... go..." she hooked her thumb over her shoulder.

"We should join everyone else," Donna stated softly, not looking at him.

Josh cleared his throat, thinking perhaps she was trying to let him down gently. And as much as he wanted to pull her close again and kiss the breath out of her lungs he knew he didn't want to do anything to hurt her, or to damage their relationship. He wanted her in his life, and if he had to settle for the role of friend rather than lover just to have her in his life at all, he'd do it. "Yeah," he told her in a rough voice, "I'll catch up to you in a minute."

Josh took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure before stepping into the bullpen. Whatever this was, he needed to figure it out.