Title: Lessons Learned
Genre: Fluffy fic
Timeline: Transition post ep
“I thought we’d never get here.” Josh sighed and dropped the luggage in the foyer.
“Tell me about it.” Donna muttered.
“What was that Donnatella?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Donna kept her innocent face on, but it didn’t fool Josh.
“It was a freaking long flight.” Josh noted.
“Incredibly freaking long.” Donna agreed.
“And it wasn’t on any cushy Air Force One or campaign plane either.” Josh continued moving closer
to her.
“The pain and agony you must have endured, traveling with the unwashed masses.” Donna cooed
and moved back a step for every step that Josh advanced on her.
“You’re not kidding. I’m sure some of them were Republicans. I’ve probably got, like, Republican stuff
all over me.” Josh steadfastly advanced on her.
“Oh, no, baby, I’m sure they were sitting in First Class, not back in business class with us.” Donna
assured him.
That stopped Josh short. “It was a last minute purchase, Donna. There weren’t any First Class seats
left and we have a limited amount of time.”
“So you explained.” Donna teased and watched his eyes narrow. “I’m sure you did the best you
could. You’re a very handsome and powerful man. The airlines clearly just don’t understand that.”
“Not a lot of women would have the gall to complain about the ticket to Hawaii they received as a gift
from their…” Josh trailed off, unsure of how to categorize himself.
“Yes?” Donna prodded.
“Their former boss.” Josh decided and smirked. “It’s pretty cheeky.”
“That’s just one of the reasons you love me.” Donna teased, but Josh turned serious and tucked a
few strands of blond hair behind her ear before leaning in to kiss it.
“I guess it is.” He agreed and Donna’s head shot back to look him in the eyes.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Josh shrugged and took her mouth in a kiss. Donna decided to let it go for the
moment since his mouth was currently engaged in such an incredible kiss. She shouldn’t really
distract him.
Finally, he raised his head. “We should probably unpack…look around…get something to eat…?”
He phrased the statement like a question but Donna didn’t rise to the bait.
“Okay.” She picked up her bag and walked further into the condo Josh had rented for them. She
flipped on the lights and really saw the place for the first time. “Wow…” she turned a slow circle
taking in the gorgeous condo with the floor to ceiling glass that looked out onto the beach. “Wow…”
She repeated.
“You Ayn’t seen nothin yet.” Josh told her and grabbed his bag with one hand and her hand with the
other hand and led her further inside. They walked through a state of the art kitchen and up a short
flight of stairs to the Master bedroom on the second floor where again, floor to ceiling windows faced
the ocean view. Donna dropped her bag on the floor and stared. They had a private balcony and a
skylight over the bed. When she shook herself out of her amazed stupor she looked into the master
bath to see a Jacuzzi tub and a shower large enough for…more than one person, surely.
“Ummm…Josh?”
“Feeling bad about the business class tickets crack now, aren’t you?” He guessed. Donna merely
nodded.
“I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Donna proclaimed and fell onto her back on the King sized bed
looking up at the moon and stars through the skylight.
“Not yet, I hope.” Josh dropped down next to her and looked out the skylight to see what she was
seeing. He quickly grew bored with it though and turned his attention back to Donna. “We don’t really
need to unpack do we?” He trailed a lone finger down her cheek, neck and along her collarbone.
“The clothes will get all wrinkled.” Donna pointed out.
“Donna, I think you overestimate the number of clothing items you’ll actually be wearing on this
vacation.” Josh told her sincerely. “In fact, you don’t have to wear any clothes at all as far as I’m
concerned.”
“You are TOO good to me, Joshua.” Donna chuckled.
“I try.”
“I can see that.” Donna kissed him quickly. “And I was all excited to show you my new bikini…”
“Bikini?” Josh repeated with a voice that was very high and squeaky.
“A…red bikini.” Donna added that pertinent detail.
Josh mulled this over. “Is a bikini really considered clothing? I mean, it hardly covers anything at all.”
“Yes, it is most definitely clothing.”
“Hey! But bikini’s aren’t going to wrinkle in the suitcase, right? So we’re all fine.” Josh decided and
went back to touching Donna. This was all still new enough that he was reveling in every touch. Yes,
they’d just traveled long hours from DC to Hawaii together, but they’d just traveled long hours from
DC to Hawaii together and he hadn’t been able to touch her the whole time…well, not like this…well,
except for that one time, under the blanket….but that didn’t really count. Donna had shut that down
immediately.
“Don’t you want to check in with Sam first?” Donna asked as Josh’s hands got more productive.
“Uh-uh.” Josh murmured and exposed more of her alabaster skin.
“Excuse me? Did you just say, ‘no’ to checking in with Sam?” Donna checked.
“Sam’s fine. If I didn’t trust him I wouldn’t have flown out to California to personally recruit him.” Josh
explained before bending his head down to kiss his way across her chest.
“But, what about checking your emails? Maybe the President Elect needs your advice on
something?”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Check my emails.” He continued the kissing which was very distracting but Donna was still stuck on
the fact that he wasn’t calling or emailing the transition team.
“Why not?” She pressed on.
“Didn’t bring my Blackberry or my laptop. I’m technology…less.” Josh decided and started working on
pushing the straps of her dress off her shoulders. She wore no bra, which was extremely helpful with
Josh’s immediate plans…until she sat up in shock, holding her dress to her chest.
“What?!”
“I didn’t bring-“
“I heard you the first time. WHY didn’t you bring your laptop or Blackberry?” She asked suspiciously
and Josh laughed.
“Donna. We’re in a luxurious condo in Hawaii for God’s sake. I have waited, literally YEARS, to have
you like this, all to myself, and you think I’d prefer to check email?”
Donna processed this for a moment. “No?”
“Absolutely not.” He crossed his heart. “Whatever Sam can’t tackle on his own with the team that’s
already in place will wait until I get back. This is just about us; you and me.”
“It’s just that you have never before-“ Donna pointed out.
“I was never with you before.” Josh said simply and watched comprehension dawn on her.
“You really love me?” She asked quietly.
“With all my heart, Donnatella.” He kept his eyes on hers and even refrained from touching her while
she took that in. He waited for a beat, then two, before she tackled him, knocking the breath out of
him from the force of her attack and attached her lips to him. He was gasping for breath when she
finally released him.
“I love you too, Joshua.” She paused to tell him before she reclaimed his mouth.
“I’m getting that impression, yes.” Josh smiled when they separated again.
“And not just because you’ve brought me to this incredible place or because you’re a handsome and
powerful man either.”
“But that other stuff doesn’t hurt right?” He teased.
“Certainly not.” Donna agreed smiling too. “I think I have the answer to our dilemma.”
“We have a dilemma? Already?”
“Yes, the no clothes dilemma.” Donna clarified. “I feel all grimy after the flight-“
“I told you there were Republicans flying with us.”
“I think a bath is in order.”
“A bath?” Josh’s dream of hot sex with Donna under the skylight was dimming.
“That bath is big; easily big enough for two.” Donna pointed out and a whole new set of fantasies
filled his head.
“And you women say size doesn’t matter.” Josh snarked and pulled her off the bed and toward the
bath. It was hours before they emerged downstairs driven by another kind of hunger.
“How about an omelet of some kind?” Josh suggested looking into the pre-stocked fridge.
“An omelet?” Donna repeated.
“I can make an omelet.” Josh defended himself.
“Okay. That would be great.” Donna smiled and settled into the chair at the kitchen island to watch.
“You could make some toast to go with it or something.”
“I could…” But Donna continued to just watch.
“Fine. Be lazy.”
“I like watching you move around the kitchen making a meal for me. It’s hot.”
“Well, then…just sit there and watch.” Josh decided.
Donna chuckled and reached for her purse. She pulled out her cell to check for messages when
Josh exploded.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Checking for messages.”
“No, no, no!” Josh pulled it out of her hands. “If I’m going cold turkey, so are you.”
“But Helen doesn’t know about the cold turkey thing. I told her she could call with questions or
concerns.” Donna explained.
Josh thought about this for a minute. After all, he understood about professional obligations, but…
“Okay, you can make one call to her, and only her Donna, explaining that you’ll be out of touch for
the duration of our trip.” Josh allowed and Donna started to dial.
“No, wait!” Josh stopped her. “Just text her.” Donna looked up at him quizzically. “Then you won’t get
sucked into any conversations. Just text her then turn it off really fast.”
“Should I keep my hands in view at all times? Would you like me to slide it slowly toward you so you
can disable it?” She teased.
“I’d like you to chuck it into the ocean, personally, but I don’t think you’ll go for that.” Josh muttered
but Donna heard him.
“There. All done.” She made a show of powering the phone down and placing it, with two fingers like
it was a bomb of some kind, back into her purse. “Happy?”
“Extremely.” Josh agreed and kissed her as a reward. “I just wish there were some coffee or toast to
go with this delicious omelet I’m making for you.”
“Fine. I’ll make the toast, but I don’t know if we want to be drinking coffee right now. We had more
than enough on the flight out.” Donna perused the fridge. “Milk? Juice?”
“Milk is okay.” Josh chose and Donna’s eyebrows rose. “I’m going to be in a very stressful job,
Donna, I need to make healthy food choices.”
“Okay, that’s it. Who are you and what have you done with Josh Lyman? Josh Lyman does not leave
his technology behind, nor does he voluntarily make healthy food choices.”
“That’s all going to change.” Josh declared, then reconsidered. “Well, not the technology thing, that’
s just temporary, but the eating and relaxing? That’s going to change.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Then keep your eyes open.” Josh warned her and slid her omelet on the plate she handed him and
kissed her soundly. “I want us to have decades together, Donna, and that means I need to make
some changes.”
Donna was stunned into silence with that quote. His declaration of love was more than she expected
on this trip. A declaration that he expected to spend decades together was overwhelming. She just
stood there motionless and speechless.
“Eat your omelet.” He instructed and having no better idea of how to respond, she followed his
instructions.
“This is really good!” She exclaimed after taking a bite.
“Nah, you’re just starving.” Josh decided and Donna laughed.
“Well, there is that, but still, it’s quite good.” Donna complimented him. “Can I expect more meals
prepared by you or is this the extent of your repertoire?”
“This is pretty much it.” Josh admitted sheepishly. “But I’d be willing to expand my repertoire. Maybe
you could give me some lessons…” He suggested as he took a seat next to her at the kitchen
counter.
“You’re just picturing me in an apron and nothing else now, right?” Josh shook his head ‘no’ but
smiled so big his dimples popped out.
“Maybe we can arrange a few lessons.” Donna allowed. “But I want quid pro quo.”
Josh’s eyebrow’s rose again in a silent question. Donna was really amazed how much he managed
to convey with his eyebrows; questions, humor, surprise, oh yes and desire…She must not forget
that one.
“Just what do you want lessons in?” He asked.
“I’ll come up with something.” She promised. The sun was just coming up as they finished their meal
and Donna was able to convince him to take a walk on the beach with him even though it required
the much detested clothing.
It was on day four that Donna couldn’t take it anymore and broached the subject.
“Josh?” He looked up from the book he was reading while on the beach with her. “You’ve shown
amazing restraint so far.” His look turned puzzled. He could recall NO self restraint with her this week.
“About the…no technology/communication thing. I mean it! I’m very impressed.” Donna smiled.
“Ah-kay.” He went back to his book.
“What I’m saying is that if you wanted to use my phone and check in, that would be fine with me.”
Donna told him.
“I’m fine.” Josh shrugged without looking up from his book this time, so he missed Donna’s eye roll. “It’
s kind of…freeing actually.”
“Sure, but if you wanted to just, say, turn on the phone simply to access your email and nothing
more, I wouldn’t have any problem with that.”
“Good to know.” Josh mumbled. “This is totally unbelievable! What author in their right mind would
come up with an idea to pair global warming and-“
“Oh, for God’s sake, will you please let me turn on the damn phone?!” Donna shouted and Josh
looked over at her in surprise.
“Why, Donna. It appears you’re rather vexed about the ‘no phone’ rule.” Josh noted.
“I simply think that if there was going to be a no phone rule, I should have been made aware of that
when you made this offer of a trip in the first place. It’s hardly fair to slap it on me once we arrive and
expect me to go along with it.” Donna argued.
“Because, being made aware of that rule ahead of time, you might have reconsidered saying ‘yes’ to
an offer to go with me to Hawaii?” Josh asked, closing his book and lifting his sunglasses on to the
top of his head to see her expression more clearly.
“I might have…” Donna wavered when his damn eyebrows went up again. “Okay, no, I wouldn’t have,
but I would have been mentally prepared.”
“Mentally prepared?” Josh laughed out loud.
“I could have…told people not to expect to hear from me…and I could have…I don’t know, something
else that would help me get around this dumb rule of yours!”
“You’re calling my rules dumb?” Josh said, echoing a fight they’d had years ago about rules that she’
d instituted.
“Josh…” Donna resorted to whining.
“Hey, go ahead. Use your phone. I really thought I’d be the one to cave first, but clearly you’re the
one having a hard time letting go of work.” Josh shrugged, dropped his glasses back over his eyes
and opened his book again.
“Come back to the condo with me?” Donna asked.
“No.”
“No?”
“Maybe if you hadn’t said my rule was dumb.” Josh deadpanned but Donna caught the twitch in his
cheek.
“Joshua…” she growled. He tossed the book and his glasses into the sand without a second of
hesitation and ran for the surf.
“You think the water is going to save you?” Donna shouted, running after him.
Josh didn’t answer but simply dove into the water a few short feet ahead of her. Donna stopped in
her tracks to admire the view. How could anyone who worked 15 hours a day in an office look that
good nearly naked and all wet?
“Why Donna…it appears you have stopped, once again, at the water’s edge.” Josh teased from his
waist deep spot in the ocean. “Why is it that I haven’t seen your delectable feet step more than a few
inches into the water?”
“I don’t want to mess up my hair for when we got out to dinner later.” Donna shouted back.
“Uh-huh.” Josh laid back into the ocean and made a few lazy backstrokes. “You don’t have my kind
of technological will power-“
“That’s only because you can’t use most of it!” She shot back.
“And you’re scared to get your hair wet?” Josh shook his head sadly. “I never would have thought
you were that…girly.”
“You haven’t seemed to mind my being ‘girly’ at any other time during this trip.” Donna quipped and
Josh stood again to walk closer to her.
“No, that wasn’t being girly. That was being womanly. There’s a big difference. Come here, I’ll show
you.” He reached a hand out to her and she nearly jumped backwards to avoid his grip.
“No, thanks.”
“Donna…” he made a come here motion with his hand.
“No! I’ll go get your towel.” She offered and turned around to fetch it, which in retrospect was her first
mistake. To her credit, she realized it the second she heard the splashing from behind her. “Josh,
no!” She shrieked when he picked her up and carried her deeper into the water. Her arms tightened
around his neck to the point that he was nearly choking.
“If you suffocate me, I’ll drop you.” He warned her.
“You’re going to do that anyway!” Donna shrieked again.
“Well, yes, but…” Josh quit chuckling when her arms tightened further. “Donna, it’s just a little water.
We’ll both get wet. No big deal. Your hair will still look beautiful for dinner.”
“I don’t care about dinner, you moron.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
I can’t swim, you idiot!” Donna shouted, her fear of the ocean finally outweighing her embarrassment
in the fact.
“Seriously?” Josh asked surprised and she gave him a ‘duh’ look. He ran their relationship back
through his personal viewer, trying to picture any time they’d been around a pool. Donna could
nearly see the wheels turning. He remembered her being in the pool before, but now that he thought
about it, she was always in the shallow end, and usually she was parked next to the pool working on
her tan, just as she’d been since they arrived here.
“I’ll be damned.” Josh muttered.
“Just put me down.” Donna demanded, but then when he started to comply she cried out again. “Not
here! Over there! In the sand without water all over it.”
“Donna, relax.” Josh spoke soothingly to her. “Is this what you were talking about when you said you
wanted some lessons from me?”
She nodded slowly and shyly.
“Why didn’t you say something then?”
“I felt stupid.” Donna admitted.
“Then let’s start now.”
“NO!”
“Why the hell not?” Josh was getting frustrated now.
“Because now I’m more scared than ever. Take me back to the sand. Please, Josh.” Donna begged.
“Donna…” Josh spoke softly and calmly. “Trust me. I’ll never let you drown.”
“Josh…” Donna’s whole body was tense.
“Trust me…please?” He asked and waited for her small, uncertain head nod.
He walked her deeper into the water and she shivered but he couldn’t tell if it was from fear or from
the chill of the cool water on her hot skin. “It’s actually easier to float in salt water. This is going to be
a piece of cake.”
“I’m supposed to just…float?” She asked in alarm.
“I’ll help you. I won’t let go of you for a second until you tell me it’s okay, I promise.” Josh assured her
and walked a little deeper. “Now let go of my neck.”
“I don’t think so.” Donna shook her head slowly. “How do I know there aren’t sharks here, anyway?”
“Are you afraid of drowning or being eaten by sharks?” Josh inquired.
“Well, they’re about equal at the moment.” Donna admitted.
“Don’t you think that if there were a shark here, he’d be taking a bite out of me right now?”
“No, they always attack the woman first. I watched Jaws I, II, and III.” Donna told him. “But maybe you
should get out of the ocean too, just to be safe.”
Josh laughed. “You didn’t seem so concerned any other time I was swimming in the ocean this week.”
“That’s because you weren’t holding me at the time. And I watched you very carefully from the shore.
I would have had someone out there to save you as soon as I was able to run back into the condo
and dial 911. See? Another good reason to have my cell phone on and- What are you doing?”
“I’m lowering us into the water. Relax, I’ve got you.”
“I can’t relax when I’m being lowered into the ocean inch by inch.” Donna explained.
“Sure you can.” Josh told her and kissed her once. Twice. The third time she forgot where she was
while she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations of Josh’s mouth on hers, his hands moving
over her body, and water lapping up over her stomach. What the hell?
“Joshua!” She was lying on her back with his strong arms underneath her helping her stay afloat.
“See? You’re doing it!” Josh exclaimed and Donna forgot her panic long enough to hold her body
still and feel that she was, in fact, floating on her back in the ocean. “Now tilt your head back a bit.
That’s it. Don’t make any sudden movements. I’m going to let go in a second-“
“No!”
“I’m going to keep my hands under you the whole time.” Josh promised. “If you start to sink, I’ll grab
you right away.”
“This is just a sadistic way to grope me on a public beach?” Donna quipped.
“That’s my girl.” Josh smirked. “Here you go.” Donna could feel one hand and then the other release
her. She tried to just keep breathing and waited for the sensation of water lapping over her face as
she sank but it didn’t come. “You’re a natural.”
“I’m floating. All by myself!”
“You certainly are.” Josh’s voice was filled with pride. “I knew you could! Now when you’re ready,
slowly let your legs drop and stand up. The water is only about chest deep here.”
Donna followed his instructions and slowly rose from the water like a mermaid. Josh felt his mouth
dry up despite being surrounded by water. “Donna Moss, you’re an amazing woman and quite a
vision rising up out of the sea.”
A smile bloomed across her face. She leaned closer to him. “Teach me something else.” She
whispered. He showed her some basic strokes, some of them even in swimming, and reveled in her
delight at each one. It was like they were alone on the island which was what made their departure
from the ocean even more disconcerting.
“Josh Lyman? Shouldn’t the Chief of Staff to the President Elect be organizing the transition team?”
A reporter called out as they waded to shore. Josh’s smile turned grim.
“No comment.” He called back and stood protectively in front of Donna in her highly touted red bikini.
He’d been afraid of something like this for the past 24 hours, just after several people recognized
both him and Donna at a fancy restaurant he’d taken her to the day before. Shit. He turned to
Donna who was still half hidden behind him. “Go straight inside. I’ll grab our stuff and distract them a
minute.” Without waiting for a response he started walking in the opposite direction of their things
and engaged the reporters in some light banter about Hawaii and getting a tough assignment from
their editors.
“Shouldn’t you be in D.C.?” One of them asked.
“I got a note from the President Elect and everything. Give me a break guys. I just need a few days
to decompress here.”
“Looks like you’re getting some help in the decompression, Josh.” Another noted and had the
dubious thrill of seeing Josh’s eyes spit fire at him.
“Oh, you do NOT want to go there.” Josh assured him.
“Didn’t Donna Moss work for you in the White House?” someone asked.
“Will she be working for you in the Santos Administration?” asked another.
“The President Elect would be lucky to have Donna Moss working in the West Wing, but she’s
already been poached by the East Wing. She’ll be serving as the First Lady’s Chief of Staff.” Josh
hoped he wasn’t stepping on toes with that impromptu announcement but he needed to change the
story. “Excuse me please.”
Josh sidestepped the rest of their questions, grabbed their things and retreated back to their condo.
They followed him, of course, but Donna had wisely pulled the curtains closed when she’d returned.
“Is this going to be a thing?” She asked tentatively from where she was sitting on the bottom stair.
Josh didn’t answer her directly. “Looks like you get your wish. Turn on your phone.”
He spent a few minutes talking to the President Elect to give him a heads up and Donna did the
same with Helen.
“Let me guess; no dinner at the Hyatt tonight?” Donna surmised.
“We can still go, but you’re going to get your picture taken.” Josh warned.
“I think I’ve already had my picture taken, thanks.” Donna drawled. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like
either of us were elected. What’s the big interest here?”
“It’s nothing but slow news days between the Election and the Inauguration.” Josh shrugged. “We
were both all over the news on a daily basis for the last several weeks. They just want to sell some
papers.” He joined her on the bottom stair.
“I really wanted to have dinner at the Hyatt.” Donna pouted.
“Then let’s go.” Josh offered. “We’re on a vacation, not an illicit drug deal. Let’s go.”
“It’s ruined for me now. I don’t want to go and have questions shouted at us and flashes going off in
our faces.” She sighed. “I’m going to go up and take a bath; wash this salt out of my hair and off my
skin.”
Josh nodded his head but let her go. It had all been so wonderfully anonymous so far. He called the
security of the condo association and was assured the reporters would be escorted off property
within minutes. Then he went with his second half of the plan.
“Josh? Would you care to join me?” Donna called from the master bath.
“That’s okay. I’ll just take a shower when you’re done.” He called back and then winced at how she
might have taken that. Well, it couldn’t be helped now. He had a lot to do and little time to do it in.
When Donna came out in her silk robe and a towel wrapped turban style around her head, she
found the small table on their balcony had been set with candles and fancy cloth napkins. Josh was
standing with his back to her so she was able to sneak up behind him and wrap her arms around his
waist.
“It’s lovely, Joshua.” She murmured into his back. He slowly turned around to face her.
“So are you.” He told her before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “Have some wine?”
She took the glass he poured and tasted a sip. “Delicious.”
“Dinner should be here soon. It’s being delivered from the Hyatt.” He smiled when her eyes bugged
out. “If Mohamed can’t go to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohamed.”
“This day couldn’t possibly get any better.” She leaned into him and he unwrapped her towel from
her head so that her hair spilled everywhere.
“Let’s just see about that.” He challenged before he kissed her. Donna relaxed her body into his
grasp just as she did in the ocean earlier in the day. And just like in the ocean he made sure she
didn’t drown except in him. Her senses were overflowing with him; his touch, his voice, his scent. It
was all him.
After a few minutes, he set her away from him. “Donna, I have something important to ask you.”
“Work important or personal important?”
“Can we assume, you know, from now on, that if I’m kissing you we are not in any way having a work
related discussion?”
Her lips twitched. “Okay.”
“I…I love with you all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Josh said intently.
Donna’s eyes were already brimming over with tears. “Joshua…”
“I don’t want to go back to Washington and take on this huge new responsibility without knowing you’
ll be with me every step of the way. I don’t want to go another day without knowing that after waiting,
God, forever, for this, we’re not going to be apart anymore. I need you in my life, Donna. I want to
marry you and have a family together.” He pulled a small ring box out of his pocket and opened it for
her to see the ring. “Will you marry me?”
Donna looked from him to the ring and back. “You didn’t buy that here.”
“No.”
“You bought it before we left?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Donna…” Josh rolled his eyes.
“When?” She insisted. Now his whole head rolled back on his shoulders.
“Why does it matter when-“
“When, Joshua?!”
He weighed the idea of lying to her during a marriage proposal against the emotional kick the truth
was going to be. He couldn’t lie. Not about this. Not when she was asking point blank.
“In Germany.” He said quietly.
“Germany?” Her eyes rounded in shock.
“I came back to the hospital with red roses and the ring in my pocket but you were being taken into
emergency surgery and then things with us just got so damn complicated and I-“
Donna covered her open mouth with her hands and then the crying began in earnest.
“Donna, don’t; please.” He tried to take her in his arms but she refused.
“Germany?!” She asked again and flipped over the ring box and saw the name of a German jeweler
on the bottom. “Oh, God…”
“Donna, just take a breath, will you please?”
“I can’t believe…Germany!” She nearly wailed the last word. “All this time? I thought you were so
angry with me and all this time…I screwed things up that badly between us?”
“No!” Josh denied it. “Well, yes, but we both did. Donna, we both did!” He insisted. “I chickened out
and then I tried to put things back on a professional footing once you came back. I mean, seriously,
how could anyone put that genie back in the bottle.” Now Josh was pacing back and forth on the
balcony and Donna sank down into the closet chair.
“You shoved her in there pretty good.” Donna muttered. “Then I didn’t help anything with…Colin and
then quitting.” He could see her replaying that scene in the hallway when she quit in her mind.
“Let’s not do this.” Josh took her hands in his. “Let’s not replay every moment of our relationship for
the last nine years, okay? Have there been missteps? Sure. Do I wish I’d gotten my act together
sooner? Sure. But the most important thing to me is where we are now and where we’re going from
here. I want to marry you, Donna. Will you marry me?”
Donna nodded her head silently and gently kissed his lips. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” He slipped the ring
on her finger and made love with the woman he was going to marry.
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“Why aren’t you nervous? You should be more nervous.” Sam declared.
“I could fake it if you like.” Josh teased and readjusted his tie. “I need Donna to fix this. Donna!”
“She’s already left to meet Mrs. Santos and Dr. Bartlet.” Sam informed him. “Your guy is about to be
sworn in as President of the United States.”
“I’ve been here before.” Josh shrugged.
“But this time you’re the guy the guy counts on. You’re the Chief of Staff. In another couple hours
you’re going to have your own Secret Service detail.” Sam expounded.
“Okay, are you trying to freak me out?” Josh asked point blank. “Because as daunting as all that
sounds, that’s nothing to finally getting Donna to agree to marry me, so you’re going to have to work
a little harder at all this if that’s your goal.”
“Can I just say again how awesome that whole deal is?” Sam grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“No.”
“Not that you couldn’t have gotten her a lot sooner if you’d just listened to my advice about Donna
for the past, I don’t know, eight years or so?”
“Shut up.” Josh said good naturedly. “And you never-“
“I thought it.” Sam countered and both of them laughed. “I’m really happy for you, my friend. And I’m
even this close to forgiving you for bringing me back here and dumping everything on my shoulders
for 10 days while you frolicked in the sand and surf.”
“I, at no time, frolicked.” Josh refuted.
“The pictures in the National Enquirer tell a different story.” Sam pulled it out again as he had weekly
since Josh and Donna’s return . “The New York Post had some good ones too.”
“Doctored.” Was Josh’s one word rebuttal.
“Too bad, cause Donna in that red bikini? Wow.”
“Are you ogling my fiancé in that rag?” Josh accused.
“Ogling is a pretty derogative, not to mention subjective term.” Sam pointed out. “I would say
‘admiring’.”
“Yeah, well I don’t like everyone with the price of a paper in their pocket ‘admiring’ my fiancé.” Josh
growled.
“Well, I’m sure if you explain it to people just that way…” Sam opined.
“Can we please go now?” Josh whined.
“Are you ready for all this?” Sam asked once more.
“As long as Donna is with me I can handle anything.” Josh said simply and Sam could see the truth
of it in his friend’s eyes.
“I’d like to think I have SOMETHING to do with your confidence in this new position.” Sam complained
as they walked to the car.
“Sam…” Josh chuckled. “Why do you think I flew out to California to get you?”
“You flew to Germany to get Donna.” Sam pointed out. “That came out sounding completely wrong.
Can we forget I ever said that?”
“God, I hope so.” Josh rolled his eyes as his cell phone rang. When he saw the caller ID he smiled.
“Hi, beautiful!”
“Is your tie crooked, Joshua?”
“Yes, but you can fix it when I see you.”
“Are you in the car yet? You should be in the car by now.” She told him.
“You know it’s no longer your job to get me places on time, right? Or to fix my tie?”
“It was never my job. I just liked doing it. Now it comes under the fiancé job description.” She
explained.
“There’s a job description for that?”
“Definitely.”
“Does it include bringing me coffee?”
“You wish.” Donna laughed. “But it does include taking care of you for the rest of your life.”
“That’s a good trade off then, I guess.” Josh decided.
“Are you in the car?” She repeated.
Josh waited until he and Sam were physically inside the vehicle. “Yes, I am in the car. We’ll be there
in a few minutes.”
“See you in a bit.” She told him before she ended the call.
“Okay, here we go. A whole new administration, a whole new job, a war in Kazakhstan…piece of
cake right?” Sam asked.
“It’s a lot.” Josh agreed. “But I managed to get Matt Santos elected President and Donna to agree to
marry me so…what’s next?”
The End.