Donna woke slowly from her sleep, taking a moment to process what was happening. Why was she awake? Was there a noise? She couldn't be sure. She rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, blinking a few times and glancing at the clock on her nightstand. 3:52am. Just then, her phone rang.
"Mmmpfh," she groaned, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. There was only one person calling at this time of day.
"What do you want, Joshua? I have to get up in an hour anyway," she whined.
"Open your door, Donna."
She sat upright in bed. "Huh? You're here?"
"Yes, I'm right outside," he told her, holding the phone with his shoulder as he shifted a still sleeping Audrey to his other hip.
"And you're not bellowing," Donna teased. It may be the middle of the night but she could still banter with him.
"Audrey's asleep," he told her, not a hint of humor in his voice. "Just open the door."
She was out of bed in a flash, throwing the locks open and letting Josh and Audrey inside, forgetting for a moment that she was sporting only a pair of panties and an oversized tshirt. A tshirt that she'd stolen from him at some point, actually. "What's wrong," she asked immediately, locking up behind them and quickly moving closer to him, reaching out to gently rub Audrey's back.
"She's fine," Josh assured her, placing a large briefcase on the counter and glancing down at Audrey.
The little girl's eyes fluttered opened and found Donna, who gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Go back to sleep, Sweet Pea," Donna told her.
"Can I lay her down in your bedroom so we can talk?" He was all business this morning.
Donna nodded her head to Josh, wondering what could have possibly brought him over at this time of day. He looked awful- tired, worried, you name it. Whatever it was, Donna was sure it was important and she likely wouldn't be going back to bed any time soon. She shuffled to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.
Josh eventually emerged, leaning on the counter to Donna's kitchen, lost in thought. The coffee maker beeped lightly and Donna stretched on her tip toes to reach the mugs on her top shelf, her shirt riding up and exposing her long, lean legs and the very bottom of her butt. Josh looked away, trying for restraint. He couldn't go there right now.
"Donna?" He squeaked, "Want to put on some… ya know… pants?"
"Hmm?" She questioned, looking over at him, and then glancing down and turning a bright shade of pink. She sat the mugs on the counter and dashed into her room, quickly pulling on a pair of pajama shorts and a zip up sweatshirt before returning to the living room to take a seat and see what was eating Josh.
He followed her wordlessly, perching on the edge of the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees as he hung his head. He sat silently and very still, which set Donna on alert immediately. Josh was many things, but still was not typically one of them.
He took a deep breath, obviously trying to determine where to begin.
"Donna, I…" he trailed off, unsure of how to begin. He scrubbed his hands over his face and cleared his throat. "God, I don't know where to start," he admitted, leaning back into the cushions.
She placed her hand gently on his forearm. "Josh, talk to me," she encouraged. "What's wrong?"
He closed his eyes and remained silent.
"Is your Mom okay," she asked, trying to figure out what had him so flummoxed.
"She's fine," he almost whispered, not adding anything else.
She studied his face a moment- he looked exhausted. He was so beat down. She could tell that something had been bothering him for the better part of a week, but given the state of affairs in the White House she also knew that there was much he couldn't discuss with her.
"Joshua, you're scaring me," she told him.
"Donna, I trust you. Do you trust me?"
"Of course," she told him, furrowing her brow in confusion. What in the hell was he talking about?
"Okay. Well, I need you to trust me today. You know that I tell you as much as I can- but sometimes I just can't tell you everything." He stared at her, the political mask completely off, his vulnerability apparent.
She nodded her head slowly. "I know."
He stared at her, moving to position himself on the couch so that they were facing each other. "Donna, I need you to take Audrey and get out of DC for a little while," he stated evenly, trying his best to remain calm, but the look in his eyes portrayed the urgency of his request. "My car is parked in front of your building and everything you'll need is packed."
"What?!" She couldn't hide her shock.
"Donna, I can't get into it. I explained things to Audrey the best that I could before we came over, so she won't be blindsided." The look he gave her spoke volumes- he just couldn't tell her what was going on. "I need you to pack a suitcase and get on the road as soon as possible, okay? Take her to my Mom's condo in Florida. I doubt anyone will look for you there." In his current emotional state, he couldn't help but to reach out and touch her, gently tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, pausing for a moment to cup her face.
"And they'll be… looking for us? Who? Oh, God, Josh, are you in danger?" She took his hand as he began to pull away from her, not wanting to lose contact with him.
"No, I'm not in danger," he told her quickly. "And you certainly aren't. I'm talking about the media. I just- I can't explain, Donna. I know I'm asking a lot, but I just need you to... blindly trust me on this one." His eyes pleaded with her.
She nodded her head slowly. "Okay." She paused for a moment to make sure he understood her willingness to do as he asked without hesitation. "And you're sure you don't need me in the office?"
He shook his head. "I just need you to drive straight to my mother's condo. And I need you to be on the road within the hour, okay? Don't call anyone at the White House, that's... taken care of. And promise me you'll only answer your phone if its Leo or my mother, okay? Nobody else, nobody, until Leo gives you the go ahead."
"Josh..." she didn't know what to say, but the fear in her voice spoke volumes.
His face softened. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he assured her.
Something shifted inside of her at his words. He was being so genuine. He was, in that moment, so open, so gentile, so… vulnerable.
"I'm sorry, but I can't stay," he told her. "I'm just going to say goodbye to her," he told Donna, standing and walking back to Audrey.
Donna remained sitting on the couch as Josh said goodbye to Audrey. She still had about a thousand questions but she knew she couldn't ask. She had to just trust him.
He emerged a few minutes later, his eyes red and watery, and that's when Donna really became concerned. He walked back over towards her in the kitchen, his shoulders slumped, a defeated look in his eyes.
She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him. Unsure of what else to do, she simply held him tight. Eventually, he pulled back just enough to kiss her on the forehead, his lips slowly moving to leave feather light touches on her eyelids, a kiss on the nose, and her cheek, where he lingered, his face brushing against hers, and then gently on the corner of her mouth. It was though he was completely entranced by her, and she by him. For a few moments, they were spellbound.
"Josh," she whispered, wanting more- wanting everything. Her hands ran up his chest to wrap around his neck, her fingers finally able to find their way into his curls.
But Josh knew he couldn't go any further. He'd already gone too far. He wouldn't do that to her- not now. Instead, he buried his face in her shoulder taking a deep, shaky breath and absorbing as much of her as he possibly could. He committed every detail to memory.
"God, Donna." The words, shaky and raw, finally escaped his lips as almost an admission. It was, Donna thought, almost as though he was apologizing for something.
"Josh, you're scaring the hell out of me," she admitted softly, holding onto him tightly.
"Don't be afraid. Please, don't ever be afraid of me," he whispered before slowly, hesitantly, pulling away and standing up straight.
"Bye, Donna," he cleared his throat and told her as if he was suddenly completely removed from the current situation, as though he was bidding her farewell in the same way that he did when she popped over to the mess to pick up his lunch.
She studied his face curiously, taken aback by the entire situation. "Bye, Josh," she told him, squeezing his hand. "Be careful."
And with that he gave her a small nod, slipping out her front door.
Donna remained frozen to her spot in the kitchen, staring at the closed door for several minutes, before she shook her head, snapping herself out of it. Whatever it was, she trusted him, so she had things to do.
Taking a very quick shower, she pulled on some comfortable clothes for driving and packed a small bag for herself. She bit her lip, looking around the dimly lit apartment, and, in true Donna Moss fashion, tossed a few more items in her duffel- just in case.
She threw the bag over her shoulder before reaching to pick up a still sleeping Audrey. The little girl stirred at the movement, blinking slowly at Donna.
"Hi there," Donna spoke softly, pulling her closer.
Audrey rubbed her eyes, still groggy.
"We're going to get back in the car now, okay? Did Daddy tell you that you're going on a trip with me?"
Audrey hesitantly shook her head yes, tightening her grip on Donna.
"Go back to sleep," Donna told her, dropping her things into Josh's already full trunk. Donna buckled Audrey into her car seat and placed Walter the Bunny in her arms, kissing her on top of her curly mop of hair.
Donna slid into the driver's seat and locked the car doors, an uneasiness settling over her as she took a deep breath and started out into the night, taking the interstate out of town. Exiting the city in the silent car, Donna felt a chill as she watched the sun rise. She had a bad feeling about this.
They'd been driving for several hours, Donna completely lost in thought. As Josh had requested, she'd remained out of contact with the world, most of which was just waking up.
She began to fill the tank with gas, pulling Audrey out of the vehicle for a quick bathroom break and a bite of breakfast. As the two split a banana and a granola bar, Donna tried her best to put on a cheery façade for Audrey's' sake, but even a child could sense when something was wrong. She made it through breakfast and was becoming a bit anxious. Her cell hadn't made a peep all morning- no call from Leo. As though she could sense exactly what was needed, Audrey's little voice piped up just as Donna was exiting the back seat.
"Donna?" Audrey asked somewhat hesitantly.
"Hmmm?"
Audrey gave her the sweetest little smile. "Love you," she told her.
Donna beamed, leaning in to kiss her on the forehead. "Love you too, Sweet Pea."
Returning to the interstate, Donna briefly engaged Audrey in some light conversation before she dozed off again as the car sped southbound. Needing something to keep her mind off of miles in front of her, Donna flipped on the radio, the nationally syndicated news channel already preprogrammed into Josh's radio. Turning the volume to a level that wouldn't disturb Audrey, Donna sat back to listen, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard the announcer's voice come over the speakers.
"…and if you're just joining us, breaking news this morning out of the nation's capital where Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman has surrendered himself into federal custody for crimes relating to the cover up of President Bartlet's MS diagnosis…"