A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please read and review, let me know what you think!

Chapter 5: Dinner and Days to Remember

Josh and Donna walked into the Moss' quaint three-bedroom Madison house and dropped their bags off. Josh looked around, it was nice. The furniture was older, but modern enough that it didn't feel like Josh had stepped into a 20th century mansion. A living room off to the left of the foyer gave way to a medium-sized kitchen that led directly to a dining alcove. But what caught Josh's eye right away were the pictures of the family in every stage of life, cramming the mantle and covering the walls.

Right beside a photo of what he presumed was Donna's parents at their wedding was a photo of them holding an infant Donna in front of the house. After that, it was all Donna. Donna at every birthday party. Every individual 8x10 school picture, up to and including her senior class portrait. A photo of her in a band uniform, wielding a flute. Her senior prom photo (he would have to ask her about that one later). Her framed diploma from Madison West High School. A recent photo of Donna smiling with Carol and Charlie in their West Point gear. And most recently, a picture of Donna in full cadet dress uniform, posing with her parents at the West Point graduation.

"Ah, you found the wall of fame, huh?" said a voice from behind him. He turned to see Donna next to him.

"Your parents sure have a lot of pictures of you." he commented. "Particularly from high school."

That earned him a smack on the arm. "Ow!"

"Don't laugh. It's not my fault I was a high school nerd."

"Well, then whose fault was it?"

""My parents thought I would look cute in a band uniform."

"So, you played the flute?"

"Piccolo."

"Huh?"

"Piccolo? A smaller form of a flute? Good grief, didn't you take music appreciation in high school?"

"Yeah, but not with that minutiae. And anyway, who was your prom date?" he asked, pointing out the photo of Donna in a typical 90s prom dress that looked like something Brenda Walsh on 90210 would have worn, standing next to a guy of equally awkward proportions. If anything, in fact, he looked intimidated by the fact that Donna was at least three inches taller than him.

"Aaron Bridges." she said quietly. "I only went with him as a favor to my parents, I was far more content to stay home watching-"

"90210? Or whatever that teen show was?"

"I was gonna say Law and Order."

Josh laughed. "Law and Order? Really?"

"I told you I used to want to be a cop."

Their friendly bantering was interrupted by Roberta Moss, who said, "Dinner's just about ready. Forgive me for it taking so long, but I wasn't expecting to have two extra people for dinner."

"I'm sorry I didn't call." Donna said apologetically.

Roberta waved her hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. It was a wonderful surprise. Now, come on, dinner's waiting."

Donna urged Josh to follow her into the kitchen, where a dinner of lasagna, salad, and rolls was waiting.

"Mom, it was like you knew I was coming!" Donna said. "This is my favorite."

"Well, she never stopped hoping." Daniel said with a twinkle in his eye.

After dinner was served up, Daniel raised his glass and said, "Well, we have a lot to be grateful for this holiday season. A roof over our heads, good food, and of course, being surrounded by our loved ones. Donna, it's wonderful to have you home, sweetheart."

"You said that right." Roberta replied.

"Thanks, you guys." Donna said, slightly red.

"So, Staff Sergeant Lyman," Roberta began the conversation. "Have you been at Fort Belvoir long?"

"Just a year, ma'am." Josh replied.

"How long have you been in the service?"

"Fourteen years."

"That's quite a long time." Daniel commented. "Certainly longer than I did."

"I didn't know you served, sir." Josh said. He looked at Donna, surprised at this new information.

Daniel nodded. "Served in Korea. Not during the war, but as a peacekeeper."

"How long were you in for?"

"Three years. Got out as soon as my contract was up. And I'm glad I did, because then I met Roberta here." He reached for his wife's hand.

Josh smiled at her parents' interaction. He glanced sideways over at Donna and silently wondered if they would ever be able to have that with one another.

"So, how about your family?" Roberta asked him. "Any Army family members?"

"Yes, ma'am. Um, my father was in the Army National Guard. We moved around a lot when I was little."

"Vietnam?"

"Two tours."

"Josh, I didn't know your father was in Vietnam." Donna said.

"Yeah, he didn't really like to talk about it, but he was proud of serving his country." Josh replied. He was starting to realize that he and Donna had far more in common than they realized.

"And yourself?" Daniel asked.

"Sir?"

"Did you go to war?"

"Dad!" Donna protested. She couldn't believe her dad would ask something so personal.

"No, no, it's OK. Um..I served in the Gulf about eight years ago."

"Desert Storm?"

"Yes, sir."

Donna's eyes widened. She had heard about Sam, Toby, CJ, and even Will all doing tours in the Gulf War, but for some reason it never occurred to her that Josh would've too.

"How long were you over there?"

"Only about six months."

"Something happened?"

Donna could see the moment that Josh froze. His face went pale and his body rigid.

"You OK?" Donna asked him. "Josh?" They may not have been close, but she still cared about his well-being.

After about thirty seconds, Josh snapped out of whatever it was. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you were OK."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Josh told her, shrugging it off.

"I apologize if I said something I shouldn't have…" Daniel started.

"No, it's all right, sir. I just...had a moment, that's all." Josh said, reassuring his hosts. Donna, meanwhile, was not as reassured. The dinner continued with polite small talk about baseball and other things, but Donna couldn't get out of her that moment. What exactly had happened to Josh overseas?

…

She would find out later that night. After dinner, Donna's parents had invited Josh and Donna to join them for Christmas Eve services. They went, and had a nice time. Even Josh thought it was oddly moving. For Donna, it was a throwback to a simpler time in her life, and was punctuated by people coming up to her and telling her how nice it was to have her back for the holidays.

Later, after they returned home, they each went to separate bedrooms, Donna in her former bedroom and Josh in the guest room. In the middle of the night, Donna got up for some water, and was distracted by a noise coming from the guest room. The door was cracked open, so she pushed it open to find Josh tossing and turning, obviously in the throes of a nightmare.

"Josh?!" Donna flipped on the light switch, and walked quickly over to his side of the bed. "Josh, wake up!" She reached over to try to shake him, and he accidentally clipped her on the cheek.

"Ow!" she cried, rubbing her cheek where a bruise had begun to form. Suddenly, that was all that was needed to rouse Josh from his nightmare. He sat up straight in a cold sweat, looking around wildly. His eyes landed on Donna, who looked concerned.

"Did I hurt you?" he immediately asked when he saw her rubbing her bruised cheek.

"I'm fine." Donna said, shrugging it off. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just had a nightmare." Josh replied.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Donna asked softly, sitting down on the edge of the guest bed.

Josh shook his head. "Not really."

"Is it because of what my dad said earlier?"

Josh sighed. He figured he would have to have this conversation with someone eventually. "When I was in the Gulf...we came up against a firestorm. I was shot in the chest."

"Oh, my God." Donna said. Her hand flew to her mouth. How could she have been so naive?

"I almost didn't make it. They didn't think I'd be able to go back to the Army, but I did. And ever since then, I've had...problems. Nightmares, and flashbacks."

"That's what happened at the dinner table earlier." Donna realized.

Josh nodded. "It's called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD."

Donna nodded. "I've heard of that."

"Lately, I've been doing great. But, tonight...it just set me off." Josh hesitated, because he knew that he was about to ask something that he wouldn't be able to take back later. "Donna?"

Donna's head snapped up. It was the first time he had called her by her first name in a while.

"If it's not too much trouble, could you maybe, I don't know-"

"Sit with you till you fall asleep?"

"How did you know?" Josh asked, wrinkling his forehead.

"My mom used to do the same thing for me after I had a nightmare." Donna explained, smiling softly. "Go ahead and lay down."

Josh complied, and Donna sat next to him by the bed. "Good night, Josh."

"Good night, Donna."

…

The rest of the night-and the visit-passed without incident. Josh and Donna never talked again about Josh's PTSD, although Donna felt that knowing about it brought them closer together. However, once they went back to post, things kind of hit an impasse. They were friendly to each other in the halls and at lunch, but were only cordial. There had been a shift in their dynamic that neither one of them really wanted to acknowledge, for fear that it would turn into something they wouldn't be able to follow through on. After all, she was an officer and he was an enlisted.

The next few months passed slowly for the two of them, but things would finally come to a head on Memorial Day Weekend.

On that Friday, Josh, Donna, Carol, Charlie, CJ, and Toby headed up to New York for Zoey's graduation from West Point. Officer Bartlet had gotten them all tickets, and they were eager to see Zoey's achievement-although none of them were more excited than Charlie. Soon, Donna found out why.

They were preparing to leave in CJ's Volkswagen station wagon, Charlie asked Donna if he could talk to her privately.

"What's up?" Donna asked him.

"Do you think Zoey would like this?" he said, pulling out a black box to reveal a diamond ring.

Donna squealed. "Charlie, congratulations! She's gonna love it! When are you gonna ask her?"

"Tomorrow night, at the graduation party."

"I'm so happy for you two." She hugged Charlie. "Did you ask her parents?"

"Yes, and they agreed, after Officer Bartlet threatened to send the 82nd Airborne after me."

Donna burst out laughing.

With that, the group got on the road. They were about 30 miles outside of Peekskill when CJ's engine started sputtering.

"What's wrong with the car?" Toby asked.

"How should I know?" CJ retorted. "I'm not a mechanic."

"CJ, just pull over." Donna urged.

They pulled over, and when they did, CJ got out to check the car.

"Great." she muttered. "There's a radiator leak."

"CJ, when was the last time you had this thing maintenanced?" Josh asked.

"I don't know, it's been a while." she admitted.

"How long a while?" Donna wanted to know.

"Two..five years?" CJ said. "In my defense, it's not like I'm driving it all the time."

"Okay." Carol said. "We need to get something to refill the radiator."

"Service station's half a mile back." Charlie added helpfully.

"Okay, I'll go." CJ told them.

"I'll come with you." Donna said.

They walked to the gas station, where the store manager was very polite and helpful. Donna wondered how much that had to do with the fact that they were in their dress uniforms for the reviewing parade later that day.

As they were walking back, CJ asked Donna, "So, what's the deal with you and Lyman?"

"What do you mean?"

"You guys seem really awkward around each other. What, is there some history I don't know about?"

Donna froze. Did she know about what had happened before she ever came on post?

"No." she said, recovering quickly. "Just...I think he's in love with me, and I might be in love with him, but there's the practical thing of us not being allowed to date."

"Does he know you like him?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really. I guess as long as you're his superior, you're right, it'll never work." They had reached the car by now, and CJ said, "Donna?"

Donna turned around.

"Just...be careful. Don't let it get too far."

Donna nodded, then they climbed back in.

…

They arrived just in time for the reviewing parade, and the Bartlets were all thrilled to see them. After staying in a hotel Friday night, they were all back at West Point bright and early, ready to watch Zoey graduate.

After going through the adrenaline and euphoria the previous year of being the one on stage, Donna was thrilled to relax and enjoy this special moment in her friend's life. When they announced Zoey's name, everyone broke out into applause. And finally, just as in every other year since the founding of the school, the President announced:

"Class of 1999, dismissed!"

Everyone burst out into cheers as the caps went up into the air. After that, it was several minutes before they could locate Zoey on the green.

"Zoey!" her father called out. Zoey turned around and ran straight into her father's arms.

"Congratulations." he said warmly. "We're so proud of you."

"I can only second that." Abbey said as she approached, kissing Zoey on the cheek and embracing her. "It's a shame your sister couldn't be here to watch."

Zoey shrugged. "She'll be home next month. She can watch the tape."

Then, she noticed all of the others.

"Congrats!" Charlie told her, picking her up off the ground.

Zoey kissed him on the lips. "I can't wait to be together all summer. Hi, Donna!"

Donna and Zoey embraced, then she shook everyone's hands in congratulations.

…

Several hours had passed since the graduation, and the party at the Bartlet farm was in full swing. Everyone was mingling with barbeque and other delicious foods, and a band was playing swing tunes.

There were many toasts said in Zoey's name that night. Finally, Charlie got up in front of the band.

"Hey, everyone. So, for those of you who don't know, I'm Charlie Young, and I've been dating Zoey now for two years. And I don't know about you, Zo, but these have been the best two years of my life."

Everyone "aww"d as Zoey beamed. "I'd like to ask her to join me up here now."

Donna smiled. She knew what was coming.

"Zoey, I love you. I've loved you for awhile, and all I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He got down on one knee as the crowd gasped. Zoey's mouth dropped open.

"Zoey Patricia Bartlet, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she shrieked as everyone burst out into cheers and calls of "Congratulations!" Elizabeth, Donna, Carol, and CJ all rushed over to see the ring.

"Nice job, Young!" Carol called over to Charlie. "I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Carol." Charlie said.

"That makes three of us." CJ chimed in.

After the excitement of the proposal had worn off, everyone went back to mingling and dancing. The band started to play a slow song. Donna recognized it from An Officer and A Gentleman, a movie she and Carol had watched a couple of times. Toby invited CJ to dance, and the two went off to the dance floor.

Josh stood up. "How about it, Moss? You wanna dance?"

Donna couldn't believe her ears. Josh Lyman asking her to dance?

"Well...sure." she said, accepting his hand. Surely one dance couldn't hurt, right?

Josh led her to the dance floor, pulling her close but putting a space between them. Donna was secretly grateful.

"I love this song." Donna commented.

"Yeah?" Josh replied as they moved easily to the music.

"Every time I hear it, I think of Richard Gere in that Navy dress uniform sweeping Debra Winger off her feet and taking her away from her humdrum life."

Josh smirked. "You ever think about that happening to you?"

"Sometimes." Donna admitted.

As they continued to dance and quietly chat, CJ was eyeing them closely. She nudged Toby, her dancing partner. "What do you make of that?" she asked him, gesturing to Josh and Donna.

Toby watched them closely. "I think they need to be careful before they get caught in something they can't undo."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." CJ agreed, turning back to Toby but side-eyeing Josh and Donna.

The music changed to a faster-paced jazz tune, and everyone was enjoying themselves when suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Everyone turned their heads.

Charlie, the closest, pulled open the door to reveal two officers in Army dress uniforms.

"Sir, we need to speak with Mrs. Abigail Bartlet."

"I'm Abigail Bartlet." Abbey said, approaching the officers. Officer Bartlet was behind her, his arms protectively around her.

Donna swallowed hard. It didn't take a genius to figure out why the officers were there, and she knew there was only one person it could possibly be about.

"Ma'am, maybe we should step outside?"

"No. Just tell me." Abbey said firmly.

"Look, these guys are all Army." Officer Bartlet said, gesturing to the group. "They all know what this is, so why don't you just say it?"

The officer nodded and took off his hat. "Officer Bartlet, Mrs. Bartlet, the Secretary of the Army wishes me to express his deepest regret that your daughter, First Lieutenant Eleanor Bartlet, was killed in a helicopter crash outside Kundu, Afghanistan…"

The officer continued, but Donna's ears were buzzing. Ellie dead? How is this possible? She felt the tears running down her face.

The only sound Donna could hear in the stunned silence was Abbey Bartlet's anguished wails as they filled the barn.

A/N: Sad ending, I know, but also realistic. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it!