Disclaimer: I own not the creations of the thing with the magic I so love.

Author's Note: I love that you love it. Love more.

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She came back late Friday afternoon. Her mind wandering so much she ran into someone on her way through the lobby.

"Sorry," she managed, as she carried on through to the bullpen.

She hung up her coat and sat down directly at her desk. She felt odd, happy almost. She smiled to herself as she ran through the messages in front of her.

Suddenly C.J. was hunched over looking at Donna intensely. The staff had been trying to figure out what was wrong all week. C.J. stared at her pryingly.

"I don't get it Donna," C.J. said with an air of humor. "You spent all week being irate, and distracted but well now... now you're glowing."

Donna couldn't help but smile widely. She backed away from C.J. and riffled through some files on the opposing cabinet.

"I guess I'm just happy to be alive," she told her lightly.

C.J. continued her stare. "Not that that is a bad reason but there has to be something else. What aren't you telling me?"

Donna didn't say anything but pulled out a paper and went back to her chair. "Did you need something C.J.?"

"Is Josh in?"

Donna looked at her watch. "He should be back soon."

"Alright," C.J. said walking towards her office. "But I'm not done with you," she remarked pointing her finger accusingly.

Donna softly laughed and smiled deeply. Just as C.J. turned to go back down the hall Josh stormed through the doorway at high speed.

He walked straight over to Donna. "Donna!" his voice rang.

He was sorely interrupted by C.J.'s impending murmur. "Josh I need to talk to you."

Josh looked up at her with a look of pure insanity. He was too distracted to recall who she was. He barely understood what she had said.

"Josh," Donna said trying her best to pull him back. His head quickly turned and to look at her. "Don't worry… talk to C.J. It can wait."

Josh stared at her and for a brief moment didn't move. When the words finally hit him he only managed a nod.

C.J. found it hard for her feet to move, her mind still fixated on the bizarre scene she had witnessed the bullpen. Finally she managed to follow Josh into his office wherein she shut the door.

"What's up?"

"It's Carole Young again," she began.

"You've got to be kidding me," he began flexing his strength trying hard not to scream. Who gives a damn about Carole Young?

C.J. nodded. "It's still not a hush problem, but she's let out another statement."

"What's she..."

C.J. began to read off the paper in her hands. "President Bartlet's not keeping his promises. Millions of Americans are still waiting for the day to come when their needs shall be meet and the promises made to them fulfilled."

"Well that's not so bad…"

"That is why," C.J. continued. "There should be further investigation into the President and his administration. Who knows what he keeps behind closed doors. He has already demonstrated his skills at lying. There is no question that should go unanswered. We already know the President has deceived the public, we just don't know how often."

"Right well," Josh said, nodding his head. "What did Toby say?"

"He said nor to worry," she answered him shortly.

"Then don't worry about it," Josh told her honestly.

"Josh!" C.J. yelled. Then seeing his face turn from mild recollection to complete misapprehension. "Forget it. Obviously you won't be much help here." She turned to leave.

"C.J. I..." Josh began.

C.J. turned and glared at him. "We've got it covered."

Josh thought about starting up again but C.J.'s tone was too sharp and serious to ignore. Plus he really couldn't care less about Carole Young, so he probably wouldn't be much help.

C.J. stormed back down the hall making heads turn. Donna sat at her desk, looking through her research trying her best to avoid Josh's office.

"Donna?" came a timbered cry.

She barely turned around seconds before the phone rang. "Hello?"

Josh was standing behind her. He stood braced against the cubicle frame.

"Leo needs you," she told him as she hung up.

Josh didn't move he just kept staring. "Donna I..."

"Josh go to Leo's office," she said getting up ready to push him through the halls.

He began to walk and she took up step beside him. For a moment there was silence between them.

"Donna when..."

She hit him with the folders in her hands. "This isn't something we are going to discuss while walking through the halls."

By the time they reached Leo's office Josh was facing his defeat. "Please tell me something," he pleaded looking ready to fall unto his knees in front of Margaret.

She smiled and placed her finger underneath his chin. "They'll all know soon enough." She turned aimlessly around leaving him to contemplate her meaning.

Margaret stared at him.

"Hi," Josh said and walked into Leo's office, avoiding her eyes.

He tried his best to hide his grin. He was pretty sure he knew what Donna had meant. Then again he'd never been very sure what Donna meant.

"Why the hell are you so happy?" Leo asked him.

Josh sobered up and stared at Leo with the sternest face he could manage. "Happy who me?" Josh tried to ask in a serious tone.

Leo barely hid his smile. "What's going on?"

"I..."

"Because you've been acting weird all week."

Josh didn't know what to say. "Did you ask me to come here so you could harass me?"

"No," Leo chuckled. "I need you to go to a meeting with Senator Kyles."

"Why?"

"We need his support for the ISA Bill," Leo told him.

Josh stared at him in disbelief. "The ISA Bill? Why would we go to Kyles? He... well he hates us... and I'm pretty sure we hate him too..."

"Yes Josh he does and we do," Leo said taking a seat at his desk. "But he supported the Bill until about three hours ago."

"So forget him."

"I would gladly," Leo began as he turned through the notes on the edge of his desk. "But he carries eight of the votes."

"What happened..."

"I don't know," Leo told him. Leo looked at the glossy eyed Josh. "You can do this can't you?"

"Yeah," a dazed Josh informed him. "Is that all?"

"No," Leo said with a glossy smile. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Josh stared. "What are you talking about?" Josh asked in a tone that reciprocated his guilt.

"Josh?"

"Nothing," Josh lied. "There's just... I don't think I can tell you right now."

"You can't tell me?"

"Yeah."

"You know before I was just joking with you but now... well now I'm a little worried," Leo told him.

"Yeah," Josh said standing still in the middle of the room. "When's the meeting?"

"Today at four," Leo told him. "You sure you can do this?"

"Leo it's my job. It's what I do," Josh said as he began to back away to the hallway door. "I'm going now."

"Yeah," Leo said looking at the papers on his desk.

Josh ran down the halls and through the Lobby to his office. When he saw Donna at her desk he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into his office.

"Josh!" she whined as he closed the door.

He only stared at her. Slowly he walked up close to her and held her softly by the shoulders. "So?" he asked.

Donna opened her mouth to speak but before she could let the words out a knock came to the door.

"You have got to be kidding me," Josh sighed. Donna stepped away from him and opened the door.

She walked past Toby and went back to her desk.

"What do you want?" Josh asked seriously thinking of slamming the door in his face.

Toby stared at him for a moment the tone of his voice one that he rarely faced. "Did you hear about Kyles?"

Josh spun around to sit at his desk. "I have a meeting with him at four."

"Josh?" Toby began. "You're not going to screw this up are you, because you've been out of it all week? Yesterday you practically insulted the Agricultural Committee out of the building..."

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Josh began. "I will not screw it up. I can do my job."

"Yeah," Toby began. "You've just seemed more stressed than usually. And please don't mistake this for me caring, I would just rather not have to deal with the Deputy Chief of Staff imploding on my watch."

"Yeah," Josh responded picking up a folder on his desk.

Toby stood in the doorway and gruffly sighed after realizing Josh wasn't going to continue the conversation. He left silently and went back towards the Communications Office.

"Donna?" Josh yelled, his frustration with the day building up.

She didn't come.

"Donna!" He stepped out of his office only to find that she had disappeared from her desk.

He went back into his office and riffled through his folders trying to find information on the ISA Bill. As greatly as he had emphasized his capability to perform the task at hand he had forgotten to tell Leo that he had no idea what the ISA Bill was.

Donna was in the bathroom. Her head hung over the toilet as she tried to catch her breath. She'd been sick for three weeks; she amazed herself by not logically thinking why.

Morning sickness? she thought to herself. They should call it morning, noon, and night sickness.

When she eventually regained control of her body she sat down on the bathroom floor, holding herself in a tightly knit hug.

God, she thought to herself. I can't believe I'm doing this.

She lifted herself from the floor as she heard the voices of Bonnie and Ginger enter the room. She didn't know what to do. She felt overwhelmed, like balling right there.

Get a hold of yourself, she silently screamed.

She exited the stale and mockingly washed her hands.

"Hey Donna," Ginger cried. "How have you been? We haven't seen you much this week."

Donna had pretty much lived in her own world all week. But for the telephone encounters and people stopping by the office she had pretty well avoided everyone. She hadn't thought they would notice.

"I'm great," she lied, hoping there wasn't any evidence of her recent exertion somewhere on her face or her clothes. "Just been busy I guess."

She quickly left them before they could make any more inquiries. She returned to the bullpen, starting to feel sick once again. She reached into her purse and took out a small bottle of pills. She stared at it skeptically before opening it and popping a pill.

"Hey Donna," a voice suddenly remarked above her shoulder. "What's that?"

She hastily tried to put it away. "It's just some pills for... uh... nothing."

Sam gave a quiet chuckle. "There's been a lot of that going around Josh's office."

"A lot of what?"

"Nothing."

Donna playfully smiled at him daring to show her annoyance but hiding her frustration.

Sam took note of her expression. "Can I see him?" he waved over to Josh's office.

"Go ahead but I'm not sure he's in," she muttered softly.

"Wait," Sam stopped in his steps. "You're not sure he's in?" he repeated. "Well now I know I've entered an alternate reality."

Sam walked in to see Josh rifling through a large pile of papers, most obviously lost and disorganized.

"Josh!"

"Yeah?" came the returning cry as his head jumped up from the papers.

"Are you meeting with Kyles today?"

"You didn't come here to harass me did you?"

"No," Sam said surprised, a little taken a back.

"Because Leo and Toby have covered that," Josh directed him, pushing his chair back and standing. "I do know what I am doing. And a little more stress than per-usual isn't going to distract me from this."

"A little more stress?" Sam asked with keen interest.

Josh stopped realizing what he had just said. "Never mind."

"Right," Sam began. "Shouldn't Donna be helping you in here?" Sam asked directing his attention to the piles of disheveled work on his desk.

"I haven't seen her for half an hour," Josh began.

"She's at her desk," Sam remarked quietly.

"What?" Josh asked then began his spurt for the bullpen. "Wait here," he motioned to Sam.

When he saw Donna at her desk he felt a rampage of frustration overcome him. "Donna!" he said loudly. "Where were you?"

She wasn't exactly sure how to answer him. If they had been in closed doors she might have told him she had been throwing up for the past twenty minutes, but out where everyone could hear her she didn't know how to respond.

Josh saw the look she had and his emotions immediately changed. "I need..." he began tenderly.

"Information on ISA," she finished handing him a folder.

"Could I also get…"

"Information on Senator Kyles," she added handing him a second folder. "Anything else?" she asked knowing very well what he wanted to ask.

"How do you do that?" Josh asked with a smile taking the folders.

She smiled back, "I'm attuned to you."

He looked at her with a dimpled smile. He remarked slowly after a short pause. "Sam's in my office." He was gazing at her.

"I know," she told him. She desperately wanted to tell him something. She knew there had to be the slightest of words she could utter that would ease his frustration.

"I just wanted to say…"

Suddenly Sam's head popped through Josh's doorway. "Did you need something Josh?"

Donna and Josh stopped looking at each other for a moment and gaped at Sam.

"Yeah," Josh broke the silence. He walked back into the office. "I can trust you right Sam. If I tell you something you won't tattle-tell to Leo or Toby?"

"Tattle-tell?" Sam asked sarcastically.

Josh tilted his head. "You're not going to run and tell on me. You'll help me, closed-lid."

"I'm your man," Sam said mockingly.

"Right well... You know a lot about the ISA Bill right?"

"I know many things about it," Sam began. "You might even call me an expert."

"Good," Josh said with a smile. "Then you can help me right?"

"Josh?"

"Let's just say when I spoke with Leo telling him I knew exactly what I was doing and there was no possible way I could screw this up."

"Yeah?"

"I may have been overstating it a little."

"Overstating?"

"Yeah I'm pretty sure I know next to nothing about this Bill," Josh said to Sam's utter horror. "And I might add I have only a vague recollection of Kyles."

"Didn't you work on the ISA Bill?"

"I don't really remember," Josh told him honestly, trying his best to mask that he was trying very hard to recall if he had.

"Okay," Sam said as he began pacing. "Okay this is fine. When's your meeting?"

"At four," Josh told him.

"That leaves us two hours," Sam began. "You're screwed!" he shouted.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Josh said sarcastically. "Seriously are you going to help?"

"Yeah alright," Sam said sitting down.