"On this day, we've sworn in a new President. President Lyman won the White House after a very tight and, often bitter, contest…"
Josh stood in the Oval Office and the memories were so thick in the near darkness around him that it made it hard to breathe.
Bonnie appeared in the lit doorway, her presence disturbing the air and dispersing the fragile ghosts of the past. Josh turned to smile at her.
"Feels like home, doesn't it?" She said reverently.
"Yeah. " He said it on a deep exhale. "Where is..?"
"She's gone up to the residence." Bonnie replied with a grin.
He nodded his thanks. "Good night, Bonnie. Go home. There's nothing left to do today, and a lot to do tomorrow." and gave her one last smile as he walked out the door to the West Colonnade.
As Josh got to the bedroom door he felt a strange trepidation. He'd been here many times before but he'd never just opened the door and gone in. He'd always felt at home in this building, and he'd certainly slept here many times, but never quite like this before.
Then he reminded himself that his wife was on the other side. Smiling, he turned the handle and pushed the door open.
Sounds from the direction of the bathroom told him where she was.
"Donna?" He called out anyway, surprisingly softly, and after a short moment she poked her head around the door, smiling at him past toothpaste and brush.
"Give just me a minute." She replied and ducked back in.
He gave a long sigh, took off his tuxedo jacket, cast around for a place to put it and finally just placed it on a chair. He threw his bow tie alongside it. Then he looked down at the bed and his mouth quirked.
"Is it bad," He called out to her. "That I'm suddenly thinking of how many people we know who've had sex in this bed?"
"Josh!" The exclamation came from the bathroom.
"Should I be checking the frame for structural integrity? " He flopped down into a chair.
Donna came out of the bathroom dressed in her long blue satin robe. As ever, even after so many years, she took his breath away and he sat up straighter.
"Hey." She said with an almost shy smile.
"Hey." He replied, his voice a little raspy.
"We did it." She said confidently. "We're here."
"Yeah, but only just." He raked his finger through his thinning hair and sighed. "The country needs something to unite them now, more than ever. We've got a lot to do tomorrow." He cautioned.
She nodded seriously, thoughtfully... and suddenly reached for the tablet computer on the table. She began fiddling with the touchscreen. He looked at her aghast.
"Are Sam and Ginger still in the building?" She asked absently, not looking up.
"You wanna work on things now?!" He demanded incredulously, all too aware of her naked body under that thin robe. This wasn't what he'd had in mind for tonight.
"We should throw around some more ideas for the schedule. We've got a small window of calm. Maybe we should bump up the childcare initiatives, that's gonna be the biggest single thing we can do for working families right off the bat..."
"Donna..." He tried to cut in.
"Easier to get through than the living wage..." She raked her hand through her hair and turned away from him, fiddling with the computer.
"Donatella Lyman!" He yelled as he leant forward. She stopped abruptly and turned back. Their eyes met and held. "Tomorrow." He insisted softly.
She smiled and let her stance visibly relax.
"Tomorrow." She agreed. She turned away to put down the tablet, and when she turned back her face showed a different intent. She walked with a sway over towards him.
He watched her intently as she lifted the robe, ever so slightly, managing to show nothing, before straddling his thighs. He closed his eyes and turned his head in anticipation of their lips meeting. He could feel her breath on them but the kiss never came. He opened his eyes again to find her watching him, amused. His head tilt was an unspoken question.
"Don't you think," She began, her voice low and seductive. "That this is a little inappropriate?"
"Inappropriate?" He echoed, suddenly concerned.
"The boss and the assistant?" She smiled naughtily.
He laughed as he got the allusion to their history together and she joined in but then stopped abruptly with a gasp as he ran his hands down her satin clad body; down her waist, over her hips, momentarily cupping her behind, before moving down her thigh and then up again, under her robe this time.
"Well," He began, his voice dropping low again, as he moved his hand further upwards.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"I serve at the pleasure of the President." He said against her lips and then kissed her.
After a few hungry moments, he pulled back slightly, cupping her face with his free hand. He opened his eyes and looked down at her in wonder. His other hand paused.
"How did it take me so long to see that the realest thing of all was standing right next to me?"
She kept her eyes closed as he touched her lips gently.
"I thought I was Leo to Santos's Jed." He mused. "It took me so long to see that I was really Leo to you."
Her eyes opened at that and she glanced away and then back at him. With a very deadpan voice she replied.
"You realise how weird that sounds, right."
"Yes!" He exclaimed, laughing and pulled her into his arms. "First female president!" He exclaimed again and they hugged, laughing happily.
"First Gentlemen." She teased.
"We are not calling me that!" He insisted. "Besides, I'm Chief of Staff. THAT'S my title." He corrected, a little indignant, but still laughing.
After a minute, it was Donna's turn to pull back and look at him seriously.
"You know I wouldn't be here without you, without you believing in me." Her lips quirked into a smile.
"No," He replied, totally serious. "This was all you. This is the Donatella Moss who walked into my office and hired herself. This is the women who walked away from me when I was holding her back, and proved herself more than capable of making her own path…" He smiled. "Then came back and claimed me, to join her for the ride."
"I did not claim you!" She objected, swatting him on the arm.
"Yeah, you did." He replied grinning.
"Yeah, I did." She agreed grinning, but then turned serious again. "But even after everything, after everything I've done, some people still think I'm your puppet. That you ran your wife as proxy for you, because you'd made too many enemies to be able to run yourself. How do I convince them that I'm my own woman?"
He sighed and rubbed her shoulders reassuringly.
"You won't." He said flatly. "Some of them will always believe that, and they'll be taking pot-shots at you every day for it." He replied honestly. "It's easier for them to believe that you're a front for a man, rather than believing that a woman can do this job. They refuse to see that you are capable of doing this because of who you are, not who you happened to fall in love with. You're the woman who made herself so good that people couldn't help but notice her talents and promote her, who took a step back from it all for motherhood and then came out swinging by finally getting the degree she deserved, and then elected too. You've been an amazing Congresswoman, an incredible politician. You dazzle me, Donna, you always did." He smiled as he stroked her hair. "You're not gonna convince them, but you're gonna prove them wrong. You're gonna be a great President. I'm here to help, but you are the boss now. Never let anyone - especially me - forget that."
They looked into each other's eyes for a long intense moment. "I won't." She answered firmly and seriously. "You step out of line, undermine me for even a second, and I'll kick your hot little ass up and down the West Wing." She smiled coolly, taking only a little of the threat out of it.
"Good." He smiled back and gave her a kiss that was almost chaste.
"Er, Joshua." The seriousness had disappeared in an instant and instead she looked up at him from under her lashes. "Weren't we in the middle of something?"
She wiggled a little on his lap, totally changing his focus.
"Yes we were." He grinned and gripped her hips, pulling her more firmly against him.
"Then stop giving speeches and get back to it." She ordered.
"Yes ma'am." He replied.