Thank God the next day is Saturday and for once they don't need to go into the office. He dresses in his nicest casual clothes. Truth is he doesn't have that many casual clothes to choose from. He settles on a navy sweater and decent looking jeans.

He stops at the florist on the way to her apartment. He's usually pretty good with flowers. That's why he sends them to her every chance he gets. It's his way of saying he cares. His way of saying thank you. His way of saying I'm sorry.

Yes, he's usually pretty good at flowers, even yesterday. After all, look where they got him.

But yesterday's flowers aren't enough. He didn't know then what he knows now. He wants to give her something that will start a whole new conversation.

Her reaction may very well tell him what he needs to know. Does she feel the same way as he does?

Really, it ends up being not that hard to choose the flowers either. A bouquet of red roses says it all. "I love you."

He just hopes it's the right thing to say.

Donna opens the door to his incessant knocking, bleary eyed, a bit disheveled, and, in his opinion, looking every bit gorgeous as she does every day.

"Josh! What are you doing here?"

"I came to give you these." He thrusts the bouquet towards her.

She opens the door all the way and he walks into her small living room. It's gotta mean something that she lets her boss into her home at 8 am on a Saturday morning, while she's still in her pajamas, right?

"Are you trying to butter me up? Don't tell me we need to go into work!" She groans.

Well, he guesses the meaning of red roses isn't as clear as he'd hoped.

"No, no, no. We don't need to go into the office. I just wanted to give you some flowers."

"You gave me anniversary flowers yesterday."

"I realized some things yesterday. And I'd like to create a new anniversary."

Then, he doesn't know what to say, so he takes a step closer to her, happy that she doesn't back up, even though he's invading her personal space. And he looks into her eyes and sees a little bit of confusion, but a whole lot of hope. Then he takes her face in his hands and places a very light, very soft kiss on her lips.

"Is this okay?" He murmurs.

She can only nod. But her agreement floods through him, as he leans in and touches her mouth with his, and tries to tell her exactly how he feels, without words.

It's not a frantic kiss, full of desperation. It's a gentle and tender exploration. Getting to know another side of someone that you already trust with your life. Discovering more about someone you are already completely comfortable with. It's like coming home.

When they finally break apart, she smiles at him in wonder. "That was . . . nice."

He almost laughs. From anyone else the world, in this context 'nice' would be an insult, but from Donna, it's just right.

"So, not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on? Showing up unexpectedly on my doorstep with flowers, then kissing me!" Suddenly, her eyes narrow. "Am I dreaming?"

He laughs out loud at that, and takes her hand, and leads her toward the couch.

"You're not dreaming. And if your idea of a nice dream is an old, rumpled, politician kissing you, then you need to read something more titillating before you go to bed!"

His comment earns him an eye roll, but he just grins back at her.

"Seriously. What's going on Josh?"

"Well, I was thinking about our conversation in my office last night."

"Oh?"

Now she's feeling a little weary. She was taking a baby step. Giving him a little more of a clue about how she felt. Trying to change the narrative a little. But she didn't expect this.

"Yes. Um. . . . "

"Josh?"

Her senses are on high alert. Something's not quite right here. The kiss was amazing, incredible, everything she ever imagined. Except that she imagined that it would lead to them ripping their clothes off each other and having sex against the wall, not that it would lead to a conversation on the couch and him looking at her with sad, puppy-dog eyes.

"I don't know how to say this. . . . um, did you lie to me yesterday?"

Her heart drops. He figured it out. He knows.

"About what?"

She stalls, trying to give herself enough time to sort out the sudden sense of loss. She's never wanted anyone to know her secret. She wants to be given opportunities on her merits, not because someone feels sorry for her. And she wants Josh to see her for who she is now. Not who she was back then.

"Were you really in a car accident?"

The way he's looking at her makes her heart break. Her shoulders slump. Her eyes drop to her lap for a minute, as he continues.

"Because honestly, slip and fall, an accident, . . . those sound like excuses"

She summons all her strength. And she looks him in the eye. It is what it is. And at least from this moment forward, they won't have this secret between them.

"I didn't hurt my ankle in an accident. Paul kicked me."

She watches him flinch, and feels sorry for him for a moment. But he asked for her honesty, so that's what she'll give him.

"He was always a little rough when he was drinking. We were arguing about when I could start taking classes again. I went back to him because he said he loved me. He swore that he wasn't cheating on me, and he said I could go back to school. But then when I got there, he went right back to his old ways. He thought of me as a possession. He didn't love me, he just didn't want anyone else to have me. And he didn't want me to improve my life, or be a better person. He just wanted me to pay the bills, and wait on him hand and foot, and most importantly, to blow him whenever he was in the mood."

Josh flinches again at her words. And the tone of her voice. He's never heard her speak quite so bluntly. It's shocking to hear. He had tried to prepare himself for scared, sad, weeping Donna, but that's not who she is.

She smiles softly at him then. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shock you."

"No . . . no . . . it's okay. I've just never heard you like this before."

Then it's her turn to look sad. She doesn't want to be his pity project. She wants his love, not his sympathy.

"Josh, did this kiss just happen because all of a sudden you think I need saving?"

"No."

"Because I don't. I'm not broken. I'm not in a bad relationship. I don't need to be rescued."

"I know."

"Do you? Do you really?"

She pauses and looks intently at him. He's looking back at her in a way he never has before. It's full of love, and . . . . pride.

"I admit it. I went home last night and I researched how to help someone in an abusive relationship. But part of the way through my research, I realized that you AREN'T in an abusive relationship. You already left."

"That's right."

"I mean, it's been several years since you left Dr. Freeride, and although you have dated some gomers since then, I don't think any of them mistreated you, right? It's not like you have battered woman syndrome or anything."

"No, I don't. Therapy and being around people who honestly care about you does a body good. Paul was a mean drunk. He doesn't get to dictate who I am or how I feel about myself."

She smiles at Josh and he's once again blow away by her. She just does that to him. Somehow her words can take him away from the primal part of him that wants to kill Paul and let him focus instead on what's right in front of him.

"I didn't know what you overcame, but I've always loved your tenacity. The way that you got the job. The way that you came back. How you put everything you've got into doing your part to make this world a better place. Heck, into making me a better person!"

He picks up her hand and looks into her eyes.

"Donna, figuring out this little piece of your past is only part of what I figured out last night. The more important thing I figured out is that I LOVE YOU! I mean, I should have already figured that out sooner. There are so many parts of you that I love. I don't know why I didn't put it all together. I don't just love all the parts of you. I love you. I love all of you. I love you, Donna."

Now it's her turn to be blown away. He loves her? He knows he loves her? He's willing to say it out loud? First.

This is a turn of events that she hadn't expected today. She's known she loves him almost since the day she met him. The day he listened. The day he gave her a chance. The day her life changed.

Sure, she's spent a lot of the time since then trying to convince herself that he's just a nice man, and that it's just a crush on the first guy that didn't treat her like dirt. But deep down she's known that's not what it was. She just didn't think it could ever be mutual.

"Umm… this would be a good time for you to say something."

Instead of saying anything, she moves closer to him. Then leans in and kisses him in a way that leaves no doubt about her feelings.

When she's done kissing him. She offers him the words that he needs to hear.

"I love you too. Almost from the beginning. I tried to convince myself that it was just a crush. And I tried to keep it professional. But deep down, I knew. You're the one."

"God, I love you so much. How'd I manage to get a girl like you?" He asks rhetorically, planting another quick kiss on her lips.

"Just lucky, I guess." She jokes.

But then a little bit of concern seeps through. "So, now what? Am I going to lose my job?" She tries to keep it lighthearted. But this is uncharted territory. For both of them.

"What?! NO! Of course not." Josh is adamant.

But she's not as convinced. Surely there are rules or something. . . some reason they haven't figured this out sooner. She'll always have just a little bit of insecurity to overcome. He just said he loves her, and she believes him, but what happens now? What's he looking for?

"I mean, if we are about to start something here, I don't know, dating… or whatever, do we have to keep it a secret? Will we get in trouble?"

"No, I checked the regulations. There's nothing specifically against co-workers dating. I think we do need to give Leo a heads up. He'll want some assurances from you that I'm not pressuring you into anything." He grins at her.

"So I don't need to call a lawyer, right? I'm not about to be hit with a harassment suit, am I?"

And that does it, the cocky grin and the bit of banter. It's what she needs to know that everything is okay.

"Why would you need a lawyer? I thought you claimed to BE a lawyer."

"Everyone knows that the lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." Josh quips, eyes sparkling.

He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. "But seriously, Leo might want to start doing your reviews himself, just to leave a better paper trail. You know, so that they aren't tainted by my love for you."

"You don't do my reviews now! I do all the reviews for everyone under you. You just sign off on them."

"Well, yeah, but Leo doesn't know that. You're not going to out me are you?"

"I guess not. . . . since you love me and everything."

"Come on," he stands up and then tugs her up as well.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought I'd take you to breakfast. Our first date."

"Okay." She smiles happily at him, then looks down. "Oh. I need to take a shower, and change."

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Or I could just join you in the shower."

She rolls her eyes and starts to walk down the hallway. After a second she stops and looks back at him.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing. In fact, I wouldn't stop for red lights."