Author's Note: Takes place during season six's Drought Conditions. This is more than likely the last chapter of this story. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. If you did, keep an eye out for the prequel.

"Thanks, that was fun"

CJ walked up the steps to Josh's apartment wondering if she'd made a huge mistake coming over. She trailed the agent that was in front of her and took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. There were things between them that needed to be said. It took Josh's fight with Toby to truly get it through her head that he was not coming back. He was never coming back to them; to her.

CJ and Josh had seen each other throughout the day, but they barely said ten words to each other at the DNC soiree. She had some things on her mind and since she'd had a few glasses of wine at the party she decided that now was better than any other time to get things off her chest.

Josh opened the door to his apartment and looked surprised to see CJ standing there, but more surprised to see a Secret Service agent with her.

"CJ?" he asked.

"Sorry Mr. Lyman, I have to do a quick sweep," the agent said. Josh stepped aside and let the agent in giving CJ a quizzical look.

"What's going on?" he asked CJ.

"They frown upon me talking before they've secured the premises," CJ replied.

Josh rolled his eyes, but gave her a look of concern and they stood there staring at each other in silence for a moment before the agent came back and gave Josh's apartment the all clear.

"Hi," she said finally. "I took a chance you might be staying here tonight."

"Yeah," he said. "Come in."

He was still in his suit, though the knot of his tie was dangling mid-chest. She wondered if he was about to change when she interrupted him.

"What was that all about?" he asked after he shut the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," CJ said setting her purse on the small table in the foyer. "The threat level is up. With the president's health…they like to keep an agent on some key people nowadays."

"No one's made threats against you though?" Josh asked.

"No. I'm totally fine," CJ said reassuring him. CJ had to deal with a lot of feelings once agents had been sent to escort her again. Luckily she didn't have to deal with the horrifying thoughts of a madman being after her again. She didn't want to talk about the agent though.

"We didn't get a chance to talk at the party," CJ said as they walked into the living room. Josh motioned his arm to offer her a seat, which she gladly accepted.

"Wasn't that by design?" Josh asked with a little attitude. "We couldn't have the visual of you actually talking to me because that could reflect poorly on the president."

"Not poorly," CJ said as she crossed one leg over the other tightly. Josh shot her a look. "We can't have the press thinking Santos is the heir apparent and you know it."

"Yeah," Josh said simply. "Do you want something to drink? I think I've got water, vodka or a bottle of wine."

"I could go for a glass of wine," CJ said.

"Okay," Josh said. He left her alone in the living room while he went into the kitchen.

"Are you doing okay?" CJ called into the kitchen.

"Sure," Josh yelled back. "Do I not look it?"

CJ bit her lower lip. "I mean, are you doing okay after the fight with Toby," she clarified herself.

Josh came out of the kitchen with an open bottle of wine and two glasses. He handed one to CJ. "You heard about that," he said.

Now it was CJ's turn to give him a look. "You think I don't know what's going on in the West Wing?" she asked.

"It wasn't a big deal," he said pouring the glasses of wine.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You drew blood," CJ pointed out.

"So are you here to scold me? Is that what this is? I'm not really in the mood for a lecture from you on how I was mean to Toby, which by the way, I wasn't. He wants to be pissed at me for leaving then fine."

"I'm not here to lecture you."

"Sure you're not."

"I'm really not," CJ said sipping her wine. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"You don't have a dog in this fight?"

"No."

CJ took another sip of her wine. The wine was going down easy and maybe that was a good thing because she was about to betray Toby's confidence. "The fight had nothing to do with you," CJ informed him.

"It sure seemed like did."

"It wasn't. It was about Toby's brother," CJ said.

"I know David died, but trust me when I say that the fight today was all about how Toby hates me."

"He doesn't," CJ insisted.

"All due respect CJ, you weren't there."

"Not during the fight, but I was there after," CJ said. "Josh…I shouldn't tell you this, but I'm going to anyway."

Josh looked at her with rapt attention. It appeared he finally ready to listen to her. CJ inhaled deeply and said, "David didn't…it wasn't the cancer that killed him."

Josh looked at her inquiringly. He didn't really understand what she was trying to tell him and so he took another sip of his wine. "David killed himself," CJ said quietly.

Josh's eyes bulged a bit as she divulged the information. 'Toby told you that?" he asked.

"He doesn't want anyone to know. He said that David heard things were going to get hard and he quit."

"That's what he thinks I did?"

CJ shrugged and took another sip of her wine. "It might not make sense, but it is what it is."

Josh nodded and finished off his glass before pouring himself another. He gestured the bottle in CJ's direction in an offer to pour her more, which she gladly accepted.

"I'm sorry for him," Josh said.

"Me too," CJ said. They sat and drank in companionable silence for a moment before CJ started a new topic of conversation. "You're not coming back are you?"

"What?"

"The White House," CJ clarified. "You're really not coming back."

"No," Josh said. "I'm not. Did you think I was?" Josh was puzzled by CJ's question. He was in the race to win it, not become an also-ran. He was surprised that she ever entertained the idea that he would be back, though it gave him a pretty good idea of how well she thought his chances of winning were.

CJ rubbed her lips to together. "Yeah, maybe, sometimes," CJ said after a moment. "Maybe I just hoped."

"You don't think Santos has a chance, do you?" he asked.

"It'll take a miracle," CJ said, not harshly, but honestly. She knew she was telling Josh what he already knew.

"You don't believe in miracles anymore? Didn't it take a miracle to get President Bartlet elected?"

"Josh."

"What?"

"Nothing," she said taking a deep sip of her wine. "I'm happy for you. I'm happy you found something you believe in."

"No you're not," Josh said in a way that wasn't vindictive, just honest.

"Part of me is anyway," CJ said giving him a small smile.

"And part of me is happy to be out there," Josh said.

"How about the other part?"

"The other part misses how it used to be."

CJ nodded and drank more of her wine. She hadn't set out to have such a depressing conversation with Josh. It mad her sad or maybe it was the wine.

"I hired Cliff Calley for your job today," CJ informed him for lack of anything else to say.

"What?" Josh said with a little more intensity than he had intended.

"He wasn't my first choice," CJ said.

"Who was? Haffley? Maybe Walken?" Josh asked still in disbelief that she had hired Cliff Calley for his job. Putting aside the fact that he was Republican, Josh had a bit of a sorted past with Cliff because of Donna and now he was going to be sitting in his office; his old office.

"Leo thought he'd be a good choice," CJ said finishing her second glass of wine.

"Leo?"

"Yeah," CJ said with a puzzled look on her face. "I didn't really see it either, but if we've got to work with the Republicans I suppose it makes sense to have one on our team."

"And Cliff was fine with this?"

"It was more of a mafia offer," CJ said. Josh gave her a quizzical look. "When the mafia asks you to do something you don't really have the option of saying no."

Josh chuckled as he poured himself another glass of wine and topping off CJ's glass as well. "You were going to make him cement shoes otherwise?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure what I was planning to do otherwise. Believe me it didn't exactly hurt my feelings when he said no the first time."

"He said no?"

"Of course he said no."

Josh sat and thought about it for a moment. "He might not be such a bad choice," Josh conceded.

"He's not you."

"Who can be, really?" he asked her rhetorically as he gave her a huge grin that made his dimples pop out.

"No one mi amour. You are an original."

"I like to think so," he said drinking his wine again.

CJ leaned back a little on the couch and flipped her shoes from her feet. She curled one leg under her and her dress draped the couch cushion.

"Did I tell you how good you looked tonight?" Josh asked as she surveyed her figure. Her dress was low-cut; very low-cut. He'd noticed it at the party, but it had been a while since he'd had that kind of thought about CJ. The third glass of wine made it easier for him to verbalize his appreciation of her wardrobe.

CJ glanced down at her dress. "This old thing?" she asked sarcastically.

"I see you're flashing a little more cleavage than usual," Josh said with a sly grin.

"Such as it is."

"Mrs. Bartlet would approve."

CJ chuckled. "Yeah, maybe," she replied. "Do you remember when she was always trying to set me up?"

"She's not trying to find you a man anymore?"

"Definitely not."

"I'm not sorry to hear it," Josh said.

CJ gave him a questioning look. She wondered why he'd make a comment like that, especially now. "Really?"

"I always felt kind of bad for you," Josh shrugged as he finished off yet another glass of wine.

CJ finished off her glass of wine as well. In such rapid succession she felt light-headed. It was pleasant feeling that she welcomed. Things had been so stressful lately. It felt nice to just drink and forget about life for a while.

Josh noted how they had both finished their glasses and he stood up to reach for the bottle on the table. He sat down close to CJ on the couch and refilled her glass.

"I really shouldn't," she said as she willingly allowed Josh to top off her glass. He poured the remainder of the bottle into his glass.

"We killed that bottle," Josh said as he glanced at his watch. "In forty minutes."

"A new record," CJ said as she took another sip. "Good thing I'm not driving."

"When was the last time you and I got drunk on wine?" Josh asked. "New Hampshire?"

CJ thought back into the recesses of her memory. "During Bartlet for America," CJ confirmed. "The blizzard."

"God that was a good night," Josh said.

"Yes it was," CJ confirmed, but feeling melancholy at the thought of it. It was a night that she would never forget for a multitude of reasons, least of all the fact that she and Josh were snowed in at the time.

"I fell in love with you that night," Josh said plainly as if it wasn't a revelation.

"You did not," CJ said shifting close to him on the couch.

"I did."

"You didn't."

"Claudia Jean," he said looking her straight in the eyes. "I was in love with you."

She saw in his eyes that he meant it. If she had any inkling or hope once upon a time that Josh had truly loved her, she knew it for certain now. In spite of herself she started to chuckle. She set her wine glass on the table.

"I tell you I was in love with you and you laugh at me," he said.

"I'm not laughing at you," she said as she stopped her nervous giggling. "I'm laughing because we're idiots."

"Why is that exactly?"

"You're telling me you were in love with me," CJ said. "We're idiots because I was head over heels in love you then, despite my better judgment."

"You were?" Josh said gulping hard.

"Yes," CJ replied seriously. She ran her hand through her hair and tried to wrap her head around this new information. She didn't know whether it was hilarious or sad.

"You weren't," Josh said.

"I was."

Josh took a moment to understand the concept. He tried to put himself back in time when he and CJ were snowed in. Something happened that night that made everything different for him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought that maybe CJ had loved him, but he never really let himself entertain the thought seriously because it seemed so unbelievable.

"Vermont," he said as if the word would illuminate everything for her, which it did.

"Vermont was supposed to go a lot differently," CJ agreed.

"I was going to tell you how I felt that night," Josh informed her.

CJ chuckled again. "We think alike."

"You were not going to tell me that night."

"I really was."

"If only we'd scheduled dinner earlier," Josh said.

"Would it have changed anything?" CJ asked.

"Yes!" Josh replied. He also set his wine glass on the table, half full. "CJ, do you, did you ever think about how things could be different if that night had gone the way it was supposed to?"

"I used to," she said. "Not so much anymore. It was a long time ago. Although now that I know you were feeling what I was, things are a little different."

"I'm so sorry," he said.

"For what?" CJ asked.

"For that night," Josh said. "It killed me."

"I know," she assured him rubbing his shoulder gently.

"Do you?"

"Your eyes gave you away that night mi amour," she said reaching out and running her hand down his cheek. Josh leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. It felt nice to be this close to her again. At the same time it was heartbreaking to know that they had come so close to being so much more than this.

"You were really in love with me then?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she confirmed again. "I tried not to be, but you made it so damn hard to keep things casual."

"I did?" Josh asked, leaning back, but still close enough to leave his hand resting on her leg.

"Believe or not you did," she said. She intertwined her fingers with his because it seemed like the thing to do.

"Things could be so much different right now," Josh said again.

CJ nodded. "Who knows if they'd be better though," she said.

"You don't think they would be?"

"I know I wouldn't be working at the White House," CJ said confidently.

"Why?"

"Josh, there is no way Leo would have hired both of us if we were together when the president got elected," CJ said. "He wasn't exactly crazy about bringing Mandy on once he realized you two were on again."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do and so do you."

"Maybe I do," he said. "It could have been worth it though."

"We'll never know."

"I guess not," Josh said.

He sat there and looked at her. He felt so sad and yet vindicated. He hadn't imagined it. There was something real between them. All those years ago when he thought he'd broken her heart, he had. He didn't like knowing that, but he did take a certain solace in knowing that she had once really loved him as much as he'd loved her.

Josh leaned forward impulsively and kissed her. He ran his hand through her hair and pulled her face closer to his and CJ responded by inching her body closer to him. She opened her lips to him and felt his tongue explore hers in a delicate dance that had not been experienced in so long. She ran her hands through Josh's hair and clasped her fingers together behind his head. Josh moved his lips down her cheek, to her jaw line and down still along her neck until his lips found the delicate skin that was exposed in the plunging neckline of her dress.

"Josh," she half-moaned, half-whispered. Her call to him diverted his attention back to her lips and kissed her again to silence the call. His hand instead slipped under the hem of her dress and traveled up her leg. He felt her begin to pull his tie off his neck and the fabric being pulled slowly from his neck sent a shiver down his spine.

Before things got too intense CJ pulled back and looked at him. "This is okay?" she asked.

Josh smirked. "I'd say it's better than okay," he replied. "Although, how's the hearing on your guy outside my door."

"We'll just have to control ourselves," CJ chuckled.

"I'll give you my belt to bite down on," he said mischievously.

CJ took his comment as a suggestion and yanked on his belt while she laughed.

"I'm glad we're doing this one last time," Josh said.

"We already had our one last time," CJ reminded him as she planted tiny kisses down his neck as she unbuttoned his shirt.

"That didn't really count though because I didn't know it was our last time," Josh reminded her.

"You have a point," she said thinking back on how the last time they were together she'd just been promoted to Chief of Staff, though she hadn't told Josh at the time.

"That wasn't very nice of you," Josh said as he positioned himself over her and pulled her hips towards him.

"I'll make it up to you," she panted lightly his hand worked its way up her inner thigh and she freed him from his dress shirt.

"Promise?"

"Oh yeah," she replied before he covered her lips with his again. CJ had teased Toby earlier about getting drunk and forgetting they worked together. CJ had only been joking, but now it seemed that she was making her little comment come to fruition, though with a more willing, animated partner.

There was something about knowing that it was truly the last time for them that made any inhibition they had ever had before disappear. They were both taking full advantage of exploring each other fully one last time before this chapter of their lives would strictly be over.

A while later CJ rolled over on Josh's arm and looked at him. "I should go," she said.

"Yeah, I've got an early flight tomorrow."

"South Carolina?" CJ asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied. CJ rolled over again and Josh absently ran his hand down her bare back before she stood up from the couch and picked up her rumpled dress from the floor.

"My dry cleaner is going to have a field day with the wrinkles in this thing," she said pulling it on. Josh also stood up and started to set himself to rights.

"It was worth it," Josh said as CJ turned around and pulled the dress over her shoulder.

"No doubt," CJ agreed. "Will you get the zipper?"

Josh obediently reached out and zipped the dress slowly wanting to savor these last few fleeting moments. He placed a small peck on CJ's shoulder before releasing her. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," Josh said. "So now we're…"

"The best kind of friends as always," CJ replied.

"But just so we're clear this was the last time?" he asked knowing the answer to his question. Part of him was happy with knowing the door was closed on this part of his life, but there was a piece of him that wished the door could be left slightly ajar.

"Yeah," CJ replied with a small, sad smile. "I think it's for the best."

"It is," Josh nodded.

CJ started walking toward the door and Josh followed behind her in his boxers and t-shirt. "You don't think the agent knows what we were doing in here right?" he asked. He suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

"I don't know," CJ said. "I've never done this before. I might have a hard time looking him in the eye."

"Good luck with that," he chuckled.

"How's my hair?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"It definitely looks like sex hair," Josh teased her.

"Josh," CJ whined.

"It's looks great," he assured her.

"Okay. Bye mi amour," she said reaching out and kissing him gently on the cheek. "It's been fun."

"That, it has," he agreed. "I couldn't have asked for a better friend."

"Stay in touch," she said.

"I will," he assured her.

CJ opened the door and left. Josh leaned against the door after it closed behind her and he thought for a moment about how much things had changed. He let himself dwell for a moment on what could have been between them after learning that they had been in love once without really knowing it. Part of him wished he could go back in time and do it over just to see how things would end up. Then again the other half of him wouldn't trade the last eight years with CJ for anything in the world.

CJ made her way out to the car in silence. She thought about the events of night. She surely hadn't expected to be with Josh one more time, but she couldn't deny that it turned out to be just what she needed. She exited Josh's building and glanced up to his window. She saw him looking down to the street. Josh put his fingers to his lips and pressed his hand on the window. CJ looked up at him with a smile and put her hand over heart. It might well be the oddest relationship she'd ever had in her life, but she knew deep in her heart that it was also the most enduring.

The End.