Thanks as always to my betas, HarmonyLover and chai4anne…

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Matt Santos stared at the wall in the private waiting room the hospital had provided him, his hand in Helen's. Peter and Miranda were sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, working on puzzles to pass the time.

He'd been discharged from the hospital a few hours ago, a bandage wrapped around his badly sprained wrist. He'd gone to see Ronna, and then had tried to find Josh. All he'd been able to get out of the receptionist was that Josh wasn't a patient of the hospital. He must have been discharged, Matt assumed, but now his campaign manager was nowhere to be found. He'd called Josh's cell phone a few times, but it had gone straight to voicemail.

Matt was still overwhelmed by the events of the past 24 hours. Shortly after he'd been admitted to the hospital, the television in the corner of his room had confirmed his darkest suspicions: the plane had been sabotaged. A delusional fringe candidate for President had somehow thought bringing down the airplane would advance his own aspirations.

Jesus. Matt closed his eyes. He'd meant what he'd told Josh earlier; he had gotten in the race to win. But he wasn't sure he'd fully absorbed the potential seriousness of the risks until now. It was one thing to understand on an intellectual level that political violence was a reality. That awareness was unavoidable in the current climate; in just the past six years, there had been Rosslyn, Zoey Bartlet's kidnapping, and the terrorist attack in Gaza. And of course Matt had worried about it sometimes, but he'd never actually believed it would happen to him. Certainly not at this point in the election, when no one thought he had a shot to win anyway. And it hadn't just happened to him; five people who had devoted themselves full-time to getting him elected had nearly been killed as a result. Ned, Lucy, and Andrew had all been on his staff for more than a year. Ronna had started as an intern in his office her senior year of college, during his first term, and had been with him ever since. And Josh had left one of the highest positions of power in DC to run his campaign. They'd all put their careers on the line to help him win, but had they known they'd also be risking their lives?

Josh probably had, Matt realized with a pang. It wasn't the first time his work in politics had nearly cost him his life. Matt closed his eyes, remembering the night of the Rosslyn shooting. He'd been speaking at a small rally in Houston, during his first campaign for Congress, when his chief of staff had walked across the stage and handed him a piece of paper. He remembered a voice that hadn't quite sounded like his own announcing that he'd just gotten word the President had been shot, and the cries of horror from the crowd. He and his campaign staff had soon learned to their relief that President Bartlet's injuries were not life-threatening – but that his deputy chief of staff was in critical condition.

Matt shivered, his gaze turning to Peter and Miranda. What if Peter hadn't had the sniffles and Helen had decided to come with him on the flight? What if she'd brought the kids? Their smaller bodies might not have survived the hours in the cold. A new sense of horror filled him as he realized how easily he could have lost both of them.

"Are you okay?" Helen asked, rubbing his hand.

"I don't know," he sighed. "Maybe…maybe you were right. Maybe it was a stupid idea, getting in this race."

"You're saying that because that lunatic sabotaged the plane?"

"You were almost on that flight. Peter and Miranda…"

"But we weren't."

"But you could have been." He let out a breath. When he spoke again, his voice was a mixture of fear and anger. "It's one thing to target me. I always knew that was a danger, ever since I first decided to run for city council. But apparently the terrorists and assassins don't just go after politicians anymore; now their staff is fair game. Now their families are, too. First it was Zoey Bartlet. Now this."

"I'm actually not okay with them targeting you, either."

He met her eyes for several moments before asking quietly, "Do you want me to quit?"

She sighed. "Matt, honey…" She was quiet for a minute. "If you're asking because you've realized politics is a disgusting business and you want no part of it, the answer is yes. But if it's because of what this wacko did…you can't give him that power."

"He's dead. He wouldn't know he's been given any power."

"The next homicidal maniac thinking of targeting a politician will."

He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. Finally he sighed. "Yeah. I know you're right. It's just…" His voice trailed off.

"If it'll make you feel better, the President called earlier. In light of the plane being sabotaged, he offered Secret Service protection."

Matt was quiet for a long moment, and then nodded grimly. "I think that's a good idea."

She nodded. "We'll be okay, Matt. All of us."

He sighed. "I don't know how President Bartlet did it, taking back his office and going on after what happened to Zoey."

"He did it because when you're President, you don't have a choice. You have to go on, no matter what." She paused and smiled. "And you will too, when you're President."

"When?" He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, smiling slightly.

"Hey, with Josh Lyman's 9-point plan, how can we lose?"

"Speaking of Josh…" Matt's mind turned back to his campaign manager. Where the hell was he? It seemed entirely unlike him to just disappear like this.

"Hey, congressman." His thoughts were interrupted when Leo McGarry opened the door and walked into the room.

"Mr. McGarry." Matt stood to greet the former White House Chief of Staff.

"Call me Leo." He paused and studied Matt. "How's your wrist?"

"It's fine. Not broken; just a sprain."

"Bet it still hurts like hell."

"A little bit."

"So anyway…" Leo paused. "I guess you probably heard that Josh checked himself out of the hospital."

"Yeah. Where-" Matt's voice broke off. "Wait. What do you mean 'checked himself out?'"

"It's a long story."

Matt's eyes narrowed. "I have time."

Leo sighed. "He checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice because Donna Moss was arrested over that incident with the Vice President. He went down to the jail to try and help her."

"I don't understand." Matt was dumbfounded. He'd caught something on the news about someone on Russell's staff being arrested after a minor altercation with the VP, but why would Josh be involving himself in that? "What exactly did he think he'd be able to do about it, anyway?" he puzzled out loud.

"I'm not sure he'd quite worked that out yet."

"He's not thinking straight," Matt concluded, his forehead creasing in worry. "He has a concussion. Someone needs to find him."

"He's fine. He knows what he's doing."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know Josh. And believe me when I tell you that when it comes to Donna Moss, Josh doesn't need a bump on the head to act a little bit crazy."

Donna Moss. It took a second for Matt to place that name. "She was the one who survived the attack on the CODEL last spring."

"Yeah. Do you remember hearing how Josh left DC to go be with her in Germany?"

"Sort of." Like everyone else in the House of Representatives, Matt had been too stunned by the murder of two of his colleagues to take much notice of the endless cable chit-chat and tangential stories that had swirled around the incident, but he did have some memory of the speculation about why the White House, in the midst of a massive international crisis, would send one of its top advisors to Germany for an indeterminate length of time. The rumors had ranged from the obvious theories about a romantic liaison to Donna's injuries being a cover story for some kind of secret diplomatic mission. Matt had always made a concerted effort to ignore the DC rumor mill, and he hadn't thought much about the story at the time, but now he suddenly found himself wondering if that first theory had actually been true. "So he and Donna…"

"Nothing ever happened between them," Leo quickly clarified. "He was her boss. It would have been unethical. And Josh is a professional, and supremely loyal; he never would have risked embarrassing the President with that kind of scandal." He paused. "But don't think both of them didn't want it."

Matt found himself remembering what Josh had said in the woods about the woman who had left him. "So what happened? I mean, obviously she isn't working for him anymore."

"I don't know exactly what happened," Leo's voice became slightly pensive. "I never really asked him; I guess maybe I should have. I know she quit, pretty abruptly I guess, and went to work for Russell." He paused. "Don't ever tell him I said this, but the truth was I was happy when he told me Donna quit. I figured that would be just the impetus he'd need to get out there and find the Democratic Party another choice besides Russell and Hoynes in this election. I guess that worked out pretty well." He smiled at the congressman.

"Yeah, if we can ever get out of the single digits."

"Oh, I have a feeling those single-digit poll numbers are about to be a distant memory." He paused. "There must be at least fifty different news crews waiting at the hospital entrance for a statement from you, and I'm under strict instructions to make sure you get in front of them early and often."

"But Josh-"

"Josh will kick your ass, and probably mine too, if he doesn't see your face every time he turns on a television today. Go, congressman."

"Now?"

"Yes."

Matt hesitated a moment, then nodded. Helen got up and wrapped an arm around his waist, and Peter and Miranda followed her. They headed out the door and toward the hospital exit, preparing to face the news cameras.

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Josh and Donna sat on a bench outside the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids. His arm was draped loosely around her and he was gently rubbing her shoulder, bringing back memories of her only other near-brush with the law, and another bench, that one in a park in DC.

The hearing had been short and to the point. She'd been charged with assaulting the Vice President, and on the advice of the attorney Josh had helped her choose, she'd pleaded not guilty. Bail had been set, which Josh had insisted on paying. She'd tried to talk him out of it. She was hardly rich, but she could have come up with the money. But Josh had maintained that it would have been more of a hardship for her than it would be for him to be without the funds until the legal proceedings were over. And it wasn't like she was planning on skipping bail; he'd get the money back. So she'd reluctantly agreed.

"So what happened?" Josh finally asked quietly, glancing at her.

"You saw the news," she answered flatly.

"Yeah, I did. I'm asking you."

"The Vice President is a jerk. That's what happened."

She felt Josh's muscles tense. "What did he do?"

"He…" she paused. "We had an argument."

"What kind of argument?"

She closed her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to tell Josh the truth, that she was partly responsible for the ordeal he'd just been through. She wasn't willing to jeopardize the warmth and tenderness that was already rebuilding between them. Not today, anyway.

"He just showed himself to be the calculating, uncaring son of a bitch he is. And I called him out on it, and tried to leave the room, and then he grabbed my arm."

"He grabbed your arm?" Anger tinged Josh's voice.

"…and then I pushed him away, and he fell into the table, and that's when the Secret Service walked into the room."

Josh's arm tightened around her, and she heard him let out a long breath. "So that's all…that happened?" he ventured after a moment.

"Yeah," she answered, probably a little too quickly. She wasn't quite sure what he was getting at. "He lied about it, too, you know," she added. "Flat out lied to the Secret Service. He denied grabbing me."

"How we ever ended up with that loser as Vice President…"

"I was so stupid. I can't believe I ever went to work for him. I tried to make him President, can you believe that?"

"Hey, you had no way of knowing what he was like."

"I had every way of knowing. I saw what he did to the President after the MS attack. I can't believe I went to work for him after that."

"Yeah, well you would never have taken that job in the first place if I…" his voice broke off for a moment. "I'm really sorry, Donna. I'm sorry for making your job so miserable you had to quit. I'm sorry…well, I'm just sorry for everything."

"You didn't make my job miserable. My job wasn't miserable. I didn't mean to leave the way I did, Josh. I meant to talk things over with you. That's why I wanted to have that lunch. And it wasn't really fair of me to get mad about it being canceled. I mean, my God, the day I quit, the President had just had his MS attack, we thought there might be a meteor headed for earth…now that I think about it, it sounds like one of those really bad end-of-the-world movies. Of course our lunch went by the wayside. I can't believe I lost my temper over it. I can't believe I just up and quit on you, on that day of all days."

"Yeah, but I'd putting off that lunch for two weeks. I feel awful about that. I know I ignored you. I was just…I guess I just got distracted. I was trying to figure out how much longer I was going to be staying at the White House. Leo told me I should be trying to recruit a strong Democrat, and as much as I kind of liked the sound of that idea, I didn't know if I could leave the President. But the alternative was that either a Republican or else Hoynes or Russell would be our next President, and I just couldn't sit around and watch that happen…plus to top it off we had Penn and Teller burning flags in the White House, and Arnold Vinick announcing for President…I mean, it was just insane all around those last couple weeks." he sighed. "But that's not an excuse." He paused and smiled affectionately at her. "Don't think I didn't notice how great you were on the Russell campaign. You're really good at this stuff."

Despite herself, a smile formed across her face. "I am, aren't I?"

"And so modest, too," Josh teased.

"This coming from the guy who demands muffin and bagel service whenever he completes a successful phone call."

Their eyes met, and they both smiled. Then Josh's face turned more serious.

"I know I should have given you a promotion," he said softly. "When you said you wanted more responsibility, I thought you meant in the job you already had…I guess because the idea of not having you around was so unthinkable that I just didn't…I should have paid more attention. Instead of sending you to that awful…" his voice broke off. "I should have found you a new job. A better job. You'd earned it."

"I didn't tell you what I wanted, not really. To be honest, I didn't even really know what I wanted. When Annabeth mentioned that if I did a TV movie about Gaza, I'd have to quit my job, I dismissed the idea out of hand. And that was only about a month or so before I did quit. I was confused, too. And it was so soon after what happened. I guess…I thought I was seeing things clearly, but I guess maybe I wasn't."

Josh didn't say anything right away. Instead, he just gazed at her.

"What?" she asked after a moment.

"There's something I think I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

He was quiet for a moment. "When the plane was going down, and…you know, I thought it might…be the end…God, this sounds cliché," he sighed. "I thought about things. My mom, and Joanie…"

"Oh, Josh." She took his hand.

"And you. I thought…I mean, I realized…I wished I had told you. That I loved you." He nearly choked out those last words, but she still heard them clearly. Her heart leapt into her throat.

You…you mean, like you'd love a best friend?" She wanted to be completely sure she hadn't misunderstood him.

"No." Josh's eyes met hers. "I've loved you for…for a long time. And I wanted to tell you, especially after...Gaza. But I was your boss, and it would have been...I mean, the last thing you needed was me messing up your job right in the middle of your recovery. Or maybe I was just scared to tell you, I don't know. Probably a little of both. But now…I just want you to know how I feel. And it's okay if you don't feel the same way. I don't expect you to; I know you're with Colin, and I'm not trying to ruin that for you. Although I can't help but notice that Blarney Boy isn't exactly here in your hour of need…"

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She supposed the sound that came out of her mouth was a combination of both. Then she leaned in against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I've loved you for the past eight years."

"You…have?"

"Yes. And I'm not with Colin anymore."

"You're not?"

"No. I broke up with him before I left Germany."

"You did?" Josh's face registered a flicker of embarrassment at how inarticulate he was being.

Donna smiled and pulled his face toward hers, kissing him. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his lips on hers. For the moment, at least, everything else seemed to fade away.

When the kiss finally ended, she buried her head against Josh's shoulder. She felt his arms around her, his hand rubbing her back. It felt so amazingly good that she could almost forget the secret she was still keeping from him. Almost.

"You know, I thought my job for the Vice President was such a big deal," she sighed. "I thought it meant I was finally going places. But you know what? I was serving my country with you at the White House. I was working for a great President, to try to get good things done. I don't know how I could ever have thought that was worth less than a job working…well, working for Bingo Bob." She chuckled shortly. "Not that it matters. I suppose I can pretty well assume I'm fired from the Russell campaign, not that I'd ever want to go back there anyway."

"Well, my offer still stands," Josh told her, gently tousling her hair. "There's plenty of room for you on the Santos campaign. I know it doesn't pay much, and it isn't all that glamorous, and I can't even promise that the job will be around in another month, but I really think he's the real thing."

"You can't hire me now," Donna said dejectedly. "Not after what I did. Do you want to make it look like the congressman condones physical assaults on his opponents? I mean, you probably shouldn't even be here-" suddenly her eyes widened in alarm, and she pulled back from him. "You shouldn't be here. Oh my God, Josh, what about the press? They must have seen you." There hadn't been as much media in the courthouse as there normally would have been; with the Santos plane having just been found, the level of interest in a campaign staffer who had pushed the Vice President hadn't been all that high. All of the high-ranking news personalities were at the hospital. Josh and Donna had gone out the back entrance of the courthouse to avoid the few junior reporters they'd recognized. But if any of the reporters had noticed Josh, his presence there could suddenly turn the whole thing into a much bigger story.

"So?" Josh shrugged off her worry.

"So? Josh, you can't let this turn into a thing. You have to get out of here. Now. Get back to the campaign, and if anyone asks, put out a statement saying you were just here to offer some personal comfort to an old friend."

"Donna, the congressman's a hero today. He's going to be up at least 20 points in the polls by Wednesday. No one cares what his campaign manager is doing right now."

"You really want to bet on that?" She shook her head. "Go, Josh. You have to leave. I'm serious. You can't be seen with me."

"And what about you? Where are you going to go?"

"I'll…" She suddenly realized she was at a loss. The hotel room she had been staying in was paid for by the Russell campaign; obviously she couldn't go back there. And every other hotel in the area was booked because of the Corn Growers' Expo. "I guess I'll…"

"Come with me," Josh offered. "You can stay with the campaign…with me…for a few days. Or however long you need to."

"I can't, Josh-"

"Sure you can." A hint of a smile formed on his face. "If anyone asks, I'm offering personal comfort to an old friend." Suddenly his face started to flush. "I mean…not that…you'd have your own hotel room. If…you know…you…wanted one…"

She couldn't resist laughing. Then she put a hand on his cheek and turned his face toward hers. "I don't want my own hotel room," she told him meaningfully.

His eyes gleamed. "That works, too."

She smiled and watched as he dug his phone out of his pocket. He'd turned it off during the court proceedings, and when he turned it back on, Donna could see that he had a number of voicemails.

"The congressman," Josh explained. "I told Leo to tell him where I was, but I'd better call him and check in. Make sure he's out of the hospital and back at the hotel."

Donna nodded, leaning her head contentedly against him as he dialed. Things were far from resolved. She was still jobless, and in legal trouble. But right then, all she could feel was a deep sense of joy.