7.
The darkness surrounds me and it feels suffocating. I can’t breathe. Does Josh know I can’t breathe?
Where’s Josh?
A room comes into view. It’s brightly lit and a little fuzzy at first, but everything clears. There’s a man over in
the corner, but his back is to me. I can’t tell what he’s doing. “I think one dose ought to do it to start out with,
but I’m sure we’ll have to up it later; wouldn’t want you to O.D. before I’m finished with you. Don’t get me
wrong, Donna, I will eventually kill you.”
That voice… I know that voice. Whose voice is that? It’s not Josh’s. I’m tied to some kind of chaise and I
struggle violently against the binds.
“I wouldn’t bother with that.” the voice laughs. “Even if you DID manage to get out of those ropes, you’d
have to overpower me, which is impossible, and we’re in the middle of nowhere and you were unconscious
when I brought you here. You have no idea where you are and there is no one around to hear you if you
scream. Trust me; I’ve thought this through.”
“How did you get me out of Camp David?” I demand, my absolute terror clear in my voice.
“Oh Donna, you can hide anywhere you want and I’ll find you. Look how well I’ve done so far. You think the
secret service can hide you? No, Donna. I’m much more clever than that.”
He comes towards me and his face is completely obscured by some sort of scarf. All I can see are those
eyes…
I shake my head hard when I see he’s got a needle. His eyes are filled with hatred.
“Josh!” I call out.
The man laughs out loud. “Josh can’t help you now. And when he does ultimately find you, because I’ll
leave him bread crumbs Donna, the same fate that awaits you will await him. You’re going to pay…”
“JOSH!”
“Donna, wake up!”
“Josh!”
“DONNATELLA!”
My eyes fly open and my breathing is heavy. My chest heaves as I try and gain control of myself.
“Donna, look at me.” Josh orders. His hands are firmly on my upper arms. He must have been shaking me
to wake me up. My eyes dart around the cabin he shares with Toby, who is thankfully not here. I locate the
bathroom and make a dive for it. Josh is right behind me.
I vomit a few times before I sit back against the tub. Josh hands me a towel, some water and then some
mouthwash. When I finish rinsing my mouth, I stand up and flush the toilet.
“What happened?” he asks softly.
“I came back here to wait for you, you know, for the shower thing…” I whisper and his lips twitch a bit. “I was
tired, so I laid down on your bed and fell asleep.”
“He was in your dream.”
“I could hear his voice, but all I could see was his eyes.” I say and my eyes overflow with tears. “I was tied
up and he had a needle. He said he was going to eventually kill me and if you ever came and found me, he’
d kill you, too.”
“Sshh…” he says and wraps his arms around me. “Dammit.” I hear quietly against my ear. “You’re safe,
Donna.”
“In my dream, he got me from here! He kidnapped me from Camp David.”
“Your dream is just projecting your fears, baby, you’re safe. You’re surrounded by secret service, Marines,
the Navy, there’s snipers here.” He says earnestly. “He CANNOT get you here. As long as you’re in the
company of the President, you’re in a fortress.”
“But I’m not always with the President, Josh! Why hasn’t he killed me? Why is he terrorizing me like this? He
could have used real bullets instead of rubber ones. This would have been over for him by now. Why doesn’
t he just get it over with?” I collapse into his arms and he drags me back to the bed.
“He’s not going to kill you, Donna, I promise.” He vows forcefully.
“You can’t make that promise, Josh.” I smile sadly. “You’re just saying that to make us both feel better.”
“God Dammit!” he swears and turns away. “Of all the crappy-ass times to have to go away.”
“Go away?” I ask. “Who’s going away? We’re going somewhere?”
“Not WE, me.” He sighs.
“Where?”
“Mexico.”
“Mexico? Why?”
“Because Briggs and Jordan can’t do anything on their own.”
“I didn’t know the President was going to Mexico.”
“He’s not.” Josh says after a moment.
His words sink in and my voice is so quiet, I barely hear it myself. “You’re leaving?”
“Donna, I did everything I could first not to go and then to get them to let you come with me. They won’t
hear it.”
“Why can’t I go?”
“You have secret service protection.” He sighs.
“So do YOU!” I shout. “It’s okay for you to fly off and get killed?!”
“I guess they figure the threat is actually on you and I should be okay --”
“To get on a fucking commercial flight and fly to another God damn country! Yeah, that makes loads of
sense!”
See Donna. See Donna fly off the handle now. Someone please explain to me where the President and Leo’
s brains are?
“I can’t stop being the Deputy Chief of Staff, Donna.”
“Yeah, I get it.” I say and plop down onto the bed with a thud.
“Donna…” he sighs.
“It’s fine, Josh.” I say tonelessly.
“It’s not fine!” he insists. I look up at him in a little bit of surprise. “It’s not fine, Donna. None of this is fine. I’
d quit to stay with you, but then we lose half the detail. I don’t want to go to Mexico. What if something
happens and I’m in Mexico? Donna, I’m going crazy worrying about you. It’s not fine. If something happens
to you…” He runs his hand down his face and kneels in front of me. “Donna, if something happens to you, I’
ll never recover. You’re everything to me and I can’t stand to see you this way.”
I bring my hand up and thread my fingers into his hair and scratch lightly. I smile and pull his head to mine
for a kiss. He straightens up as far as he can on his knees and I wrap my legs around him, trapping him to
me. He breaks his lips from mine to explore my neck and I’m happy to hold his head there.
“When?” I half groan.
“What?” He asks picking up his head and looking at me.
“When do you leave?” I ask again.
“Tomorrow morning.” He cringes.
I throw a glance over his shoulder then look boldly back at him, “Lock the door.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I do as she says. I lock the door and turn around, just in time for her to push me up against it.
Wow, that was hot!
She pulls my shirt out of my pants as she now devours my neck. Donna’s lips anywhere on me feels like a
miracle. Having her in my arms is literally my dreams come true. I’m terrified that this is the last time I get to
hold her. I do not have a good feeling about Mexico. I know I’m not the one with the gun and I’m not the one
doing the actual protecting, but she feels safer with me and I feel better when I can see her for myself. And I’
m her last line of defense. I’ll jump in front of her and danger in a heartbeat because my life means nothing
unless she’s with me to share it. That much is crystal clear to me.
My body is on fire where her fingertips touch it. This is the last time I make love to a woman for the first
time. At least, that better be what’s going on here or I’m going to have to take the world’s longest shower.
I spin us around and trap her up against the wall. I pause to drink her beauty in. Her chest is heaving from
the physical exertion, her lips are swollen from my kissing her, her alabaster skin is flushed and her eyes
are a deep, smoky blue. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen before in my life and I’d love nothing
more than to just go ahead and push her up against the door and go for it, but we deserve better than that
for our first time together, especially since we’re going to be separated for a little while.
Instead of pushing her forward into the door, I slowly walk her backwards to the bed. Her bright blue eyes
are on mine the whole way and they’re overflowing with desire. How long have I waited for her look at me
like that? Everything’s been so flirty and mostly innocent up until now, but it kicked up a notch today and I’m
going to explode if we don’t do something about this, like, right now.
When the back of her knees hit the bed, she sits down slowly and looks up at me. She unbuttons and then
unzips my pants and leans forward and kisses my stomach. When she looks back up at me, I can see she’s
unwilling to wait any longer, too.
I lean down and capture her lips in a slow kiss then I tilt my forehead against hers. “I’m going to make love
to every inch of your body, Donnatella.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
8.
Josh's words send a wave of heat through my body. I half expected him to give me a weak argument why
we should wait to take this step, but I'm glad he doesn’t because I have no intention of backing away from
this now. My need for him has reached a level of desperation unlike anything I've ever felt before.
Being the verbal people we are, I want to say something sexy and clever back to him, but my brain can only
process the way he’s looking at me with eyes like heated chocolate and an expression I have no description
for.
Oh, it’s not the first time he’s given me that look. More than once I caught him watching me with it when we
were alone and working late or on occasion when I was wearing some especially amazing dress. It also
hasn’t escaped my attention that the number of times it’s made an appearance on his face has increased
dramatically since the night he kissed me for the first time. Every time I see that look, heat spreads like a
fire from my heart to somewhere very deep, dark and low in my body, leaving me weak-in-the-knees. What
makes it the look so much more incredible this time is that I know something is finally going to follow it.
I suppose I should be a little nervous that we're crossing this line, but I'm not. It feels as natural as
breathing. As if this was always going to happen and we are just now getting to our moment. Our ‘what’s
next’ is finally here.
He straightens and unable to bear that he’s even that far away, I stand up with him and close the distance
between us. His hands go to my shoulders and they caress their way down my arms until his fingers
intertwine with mine. Then his mouth moves in to capture mine in a kiss I feel right down to my toes.
I have to feel his skin under my hands so I slide them under the t-shirt he’s wearing and caress his back
with my palms as he kisses me. Releasing my hands, Josh mimics my movements and his hands move
under my shirt. But rather than choosing my back, his hands slide up over my belly leaving an almost
electric tingling in their wake until his fingers are teasing the underside of my breast. Even through the thin
barrier of my bra, the sensation is amazing.
When his hand retreats, I let out a little groan of disappointment. But the feeling is short-lived when he
bunches up the hem of my shirt and tugs it off. The air moving over my now bare skin mixed with my own
anticipation raises gooseflesh along my arms and chest.
Not wanting to get too far ahead of him in the missing clothes area, I reach over and pull his shirt off too. I
love the fact that Josh has such a great chest and arms despite the fact that he sits at a desk so much of
the time and I take this opportunity to appreciate it. We stand there for moment, touching each other
without a trace of shyness or hesitation, just simply enjoying this new level of freedom in our relationship.
My hand moves down to the open fly of his pants and the expanding bulge barely hidden by his boxers and
I caress him lightly. I’m very pleased to hear him let out a shaky breath. I’m glad that I get to him just as
much as he gets to me. Dropping my hand, I slowly circle around behind him, touching and smelling the
skin along his back and shoulders.
While the sweat that covered him earlier is gone, his skin is still a bit warmer than usual and the slightly
musky scent of male and recent exercise clings to him. Suddenly, I'm very glad he didn't take the shower he
teased me about earlier because the smell of him is incredibly arousing and I have great hopes that some
of that sweat will shortly be making a reappearance.
When I get to the nape of his neck I find that it’s still a bit damp and I can’t help but flick my tongue out to
taste him. I feel a little shiver of anticipation go through him. As I expected, his skin tastes slightly salty and
all Josh. I blaze a trail up to his ear and I lick and then lightly nip his earlobe with my teeth which causes
him to make the most interesting sound. Something between a squeak and a moan.
Filing that tidbit away for more examination later, I lick and kiss my way along his jaw until I'm back in front of
him and we're kissing again. This kiss is more intense, more desperate than the others that came before it
and I'm pretty sure we're done with the exploration portion of the program and are about to move on to
more serious things.
Note to any god, karmic deity or Murphy's Law agents out there, no one better even think about
interrupting us right now or there'll be hell to pay.
Right now I’d happily tell President Bartlet to get lost if he tried to interrupt us.
When we're forced to surface for some oxygen, we're both breathing hard. Without another word, Josh's
eyes lock on my face and his hands move around me to undo the clasp of my bra. Then he’s pulling it free
and tossing it somewhere I could care less about because the next sensation I have is his hands on my
bare breasts.
Oh...wow.
I never give Josh enough credit for the dexterity of his hands. And I can say with utter confidence that he is
a master in this area. First, he simply palms my breasts as if he's trying to learn the shape and feel of them
and I arch into his touch like a cat stretching in the sun. Then he rubs his thumbs over the already stiff
peaks making the most interesting amount of friction. Sensation flows into sensation as he starts to roll
them between his fingers, pinching with just the right force and now I'm the one making the moaning-
squeaking noise.
He must know that I'm quickly losing the ability to stand because he moves us back to the twin bed that’s so
small we have every chance of falling out of it. But hey, it's the nearest soft, flat surface so I'll guess we’ll
have to risk it.
Together we sink down onto it and Josh gently eases me back so I'm lying down. The spread is slightly
scratchy against my back, but I don't even give it a thought as his mouth replaces his hands on my breasts.
I repeat...oh...wow. I should have known that his hands would have nothing on the dexterity of his mouth.
Seriously, WOW.
Straining for more, my back arches slightly pressing my breasts closer to him and he uses his tongue and
his lips and his teeth to their full effect. I have a suspicion that with a little prolonged attention, Josh could
give me an orgasm from simply doing what he's doing to my breasts. For that alone he should get some
kind of award.
Hmmm, I can think of a number of creative ways to reward him.
I'm so caught up in the feeling of his mouth on my skin I don't realize that one of his hands had unzipped my
pants until I feel his hand sliding under the waistband of my underwear.
Thank God, my Joshua is a multi-tasker of the highest order. I look down and see his hand buried in the
front of my pants and I see his fingers moving beneath the thin cotton layer of my panties.
Okay, that's about the hottest thing I've ever seen.
Then his fingers are sliding over me, over the part of me that aches and throbs for him the most. The visual
of what his hand is doing is nothing compared to the sensation.
Oh...my...God.
There are no words for how good that feels.
I feel parts of my body melting and pooling together between my legs as if they’re drawn to his hand like a
magnet. Almost instinctively, I press myself more firmly against his hand and in response he presses his
fingers harder on my swollen, throbbing flesh and although it doesn't seem possible, his mouth becomes
more insistent on my breast.
Sensation drags me under, then I'm coming and like a mad torrent, fiery waves of pleasure rush through
me. Given where we are, I'm pretty sure that the sounds I’m making are louder than is probably prudent but
I SO don't care right now. I can't even remember my own name at the moment, but I manage to remember
his and I say it on a choked sob as I beg him not to stop.
My body bows harshly in response to the overload of feeling and I tremble violently beneath his touch as
the waves continue to wash over me in a seemingly endless procession.
And then, with inexorable slowness, the waves begin to ebb leaving me spent, panting and limp on the bed.
Eyes closed, I try to remember how to breathe and dimly I note that his hand has eased its way out of my
underwear. Next I feel him tug off my pants and my underwear until I’m lying naked on the minuscule bed.
Obviously and thankfully that was just the warm-up round and Josh has more plans.
Well, just as soon as I can get some oxygen going to my brain again, he'll see that he's not the only one.
I feel him settle on the edge of the bed next to me again and one of his hands travels back up to toy almost
idly with my breast. Finally, I find the energy to force my eyes to open so I can look at him.
He’s half sitting-lying next to me, propped up on one elbow and smiling...no, not smiling...he's smirking
which bring out his dimples in full force. There are times when his smirking annoys me, but right now it
makes me deliriously happy.
Not to mention, I’m helpless against the power of the dimples.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Okay, that was fun. I’ve dreamt of making Donna come like that...of getting to SEE Donna come like that
and it was still more than I imagined. She truly is amazing and now she's looking at me with eyes a color of
blue I've never seen before.
From now on I'm calling it 'satisfied Donna blue'.
With her mile long legs and mouth watering breasts, she's spread out before me like a banquet that I'm
itching to sample. The still healing bruises and injuries are the only things to mar her delicate skin, and I'm
going to do all I can to show her that they don't do anything to diminish her beauty. She smiles at me and
something does a little dance in my chest. Then she lifts a finger to my face and traces what I assume is a
dimple on my cheek.
"You look very pleased with yourself, Joshua," she says with a little purr in her voice.
I can't help but chuckle as I lean in and place kisses across her stomach. "And here I thought you were the
one feeling all the pleasure."
She trails a hand through my hair and I feel her stomach ripple as she laughs softly. "Yes, you were quite
impressive."
I grin at her. "I do my best."
Her expression turns from happy and satisfied to smoky and hungry on a dime. "Well, now it's my turn," she
says throatily.
For someone that looked like she had the strength of overcooked spaghetti a minute ago, Donna appears
to recover quickly because she sits up and starts to push me back against the bed.
I like this take charge attitude from her. I can see that she...
Crash! Thud...
Well, I suppose that was predictable, wasn't it?
I now find myself looking up at the ceiling from my place on the floor. Damn twin bed. I'd give up all the
money I have right now for a king sized bed. Donna deserves a big bed with soft sheets and down
comforters.
What is it about this place? Most people think it must be something out of the pages of Architectural Digest,
when really it's half a step up from the summer camp I went to as a kid. You know, first ladies are always
redoing the White House why can't they do the same to Camp David and get us a decor that isn't stuck in
the 1960's?
Not to mention some damn beds that aren’t the size of postage stamps.
Donna's face appears over the edge of the mattress, an expression of concern etched there. "God, Josh,
I'm sorry. I forgot about the bed. You okay?"
"Yeah..." I tell her rubbing the twinge where my hip hit the floor. "Nothing’s hurt but my manly pride and
dignity."
Now her expression turns to amusement...and if I'm not mistaken, plain old-fashioned lust. It's an interesting
combination.
"Well, I'm sorry about your dignity," she says as she pulls back the covers on the bed. "But from the bulge
that’s playing peek-a-boo with the opening of your boxers, I'd say your manly pride isn't too badly
damaged, so take your pants off and get up here because we're not done."
So, Donna can be demanding in the bedroom when the moment calls for it, who knew? I can see sex with
her will be fun...if it doesn't kill me first.
"Yes, ma'am," I tease as I pull myself up off the floor and try not to feel my age when a slightly sharper
twinge goes through my hip when I put my full weight on it.
Seeing my discomfort, Donna sits up and swings her mile long legs over the side of the bed. "Why don't
you come over here and let me kiss it better?" she offers with eyes gone smoky again.
Slowly, as if I'm in a trance, I close the gap between us until I'm standing in front of her. Then she hooks a
finger in one of my belt loops and pulls me in even closer so I'm standing between her knees and her face
is only inches from my hip.
Hey eyes lock on mine and her expression is hungry. As for me, I'm all but holding my breath waiting to see
what she's going to do. In typical Donna style, I don't have to wait long.
Sliding her hands inside the waistband of my boxers, Donna runs her hands down over my hips and pushes
my pants and my boxers down in one smooth motion. To save myself from any further embarrassment that
could be caused by tripping myself, I quickly step out of the remainder of my clothes and kick them to the
side.
Donna's hands grip my waist and she pulls me back to her. Gently, she leans forward and kisses the spot
on my hip that I was rubbing and then begins planting kisses across my abdomen toward...greener
pastures. The feeling of her lips and the rush of her breath on my skin is incredible.
It doesn't take a genius to know what she's planning and as much as I'd love to let her go ahead do it, I'm
going to have to stop her. If I don't, this will be over way too soon and she was right when she said we
weren't done. In my mind, we're just getting started.
Of course, before I can even open my mouth to say anything, Donna has wrapped her hand around me
and I'm rendered incapable of any kind of speech. But that's nothing to what happens next. She places a
light, sucking kiss on the tip of my erection then follows it up by pulling me into her mouth.
God.
I watch her blond head begin to move and despite my earlier decision to not let her do this right now, my
hand tangles in her hair almost reflexively. I can't even process how good the slick warmth of her mouth
feels wrapped around me. And the thing she's doing with her tongue is...well, let’s just say it defies
description.
Right about now I'm feeling anything but old. I also don't know how I'm still standing upright. I'm not sure that
I've felt this way since college...no, scratch that, not even then. Donna brings it out in me. I've never wanted
anyone so much before...never been so hungry for them.
Which is why I don't want things to end the way they’re going to end if I let her keep doing what she's doing.
"No..." I hear myself mutter as I lightly push on her shoulder and take a shaky step back. The parts of my
body that were previously warm and cozy protest at the cool air that now assaults them.
My resolve nearly crumbles as I look at her. Her lips are wet and slightly swollen from our activities and her
mouth is sporting a saucy pout. It makes me want to toss her down and bury myself inside her.
"Was I doing something wrong?" she asks with a little frown.
I can't help but smile as a sit down beside her. "No. In fact, if you did it any more right, I think I would have
blacked out."
"Then why did you stop me?"
“Because I don’t want the first time with you to be like that.” I grin as I brush some hair back from her face.
“And I don’t recover nearly as fast as you do.”
My words seem to relieve some kind of worry she was feeling and she smiles back. “So I take it you have a
better idea?” she asks me coyly.
“Oh, yes. And if we’re lucky we might even be able to avoid bodily injury this time.”
As I lean in to kiss her again, her hand moves to my hip where she traces little circles over the abused area
where flesh and bone met the floor.
“Avoiding bodily injury is good,” she murmurs just before our lips meet and our mouths turn hungry and our
tongues jockey for position.
I still can’t quite believe how arousing these full-throttle kisses with Donna are. So many things with her are
on a different level than with others I’ve been with. It’s kind of an apples and...well, Donna, comparison.
They're just not on the same plane of existence. It goes without saying that Donna wins each and every
time.
“What do you want me to do?” she asks breathlessly when we finally break apart.
Is it any wonder I love this woman?
I lift my hand to her cheek. “Just let me make love to you.”
I know I tease her about being ‘in tune’ with me, but I have to admit, she really is. In response to my words,
her gaze never leaves mine as she slides back up the small bed until the long, lithe length of her is
squarely in the middle of it. Then she crooks a finger at me.
Not needing any more encouragement than that, I slowly crawl over to her. As I make my way up her body, I
take the opportunity to explore her skin with my mouth and hands, paying special attention to the still
healing bruises that linger on her body. She trails her hand through my hair and alternates between sighing
and laughing softly when I hit a sensitive spot.
When our mouths meet again, Donna puts her arms around my shoulders and pulls me down against her.
Since there really isn’t any other place I’ll fit on this bed, I settle into the cradle of her body which is warm
and lax beneath me. She shifts her legs and they come up around my hips and I’m drawn even tighter
against her. I can feel my body pressing against her warm, wet center and it makes me ache to be inside
her.
"You sure?" I ask her quietly. "Last chance to change your mind."
"No, my last chance was the day before I met you." She says softly as her hand toys with the hair at the
nape of my neck. "I don't want to change my mind. I've wanted this forever, Josh. Don't make me wait any
longer."
With that, I rise up slightly and I start to slip inside her. Despite the fact that it’s a bit of a snug fit, she's
already so wet and aroused that I slide deeply inside her with really no effort at all.
“Yes, that’s it,” Donna whispers in a voice that is an aphrodisiac all by itself.
As I settle inside her, I watch her eyes flutter slightly and she lets out a sound that is part moan, part sigh,
and I think it may now be my favorite sound in the world. To me, it translates as ‘finally, thank God.’ The
reason I interpret it that way is because that’s how it feels to me.
Here I thought having her hand or her mouth wrapped around me was sensational. Having her legs
wrapped around me and being so completely enveloped by her is an entirely different level of feeling.
Nothing has ever felt so right. The sense of connection with her is like a tangible, living thing between us
and I’ve never felt it with anyone before.
That feeling is only intensified when I lean in and capture her mouth with mine. Partially to let her body get
used to mine and partially because it has basically become my new favorite past time, I continue to kiss her.
Then something interesting begins to happen...I feel Donna begin to squirm under me and she finally
breaks the kiss.
“I need you to move, Josh,” she begs, breathing hard. Whether it’s from the kissing induced lack of oxygen
or arousal or both, I don’t know. The great thing is I’m breathing exactly the same way.
Already unable to deny her just about anything... and especially her latest request, I have no problem
granting it. I brace an elbow on either side of her and slide part way out before sliding back in. As with most
things, we fall into an easy, natural rhythm. Slow at first, then increasing in speed.
We give and take, feeding off of each other, our eyes never leaving each other. There’s none of the
awkwardness that you can sometimes have when you’re with someone new and it occurs to me that if it’s
this easy with her now, it bodes very well for all the times we’ll make love in the future.
And there will be many I assure you. I plan to make love to her in every way possible as many times as she’
ll let me.
Looking wild and golden in the late afternoon light, her hair is spread over the pillow like white fire as her
body begins to writhe under me. It doesn’t take long for her sighs to turn into moans that come together to
sound out my name.
“Josh...” she pleads. “....please.”
“Tell me what you want, Donna,” I manage to grind out.
“So good..." she gasps. "...more...harder...”
I accommodate her willingly. To be honest, I’ve been holding myself back to make sure this is all I want it to
be for her. As things ramp up and I begin thrusting into her more urgently, I can feel the tension reaching a
fever pitch in her. As for my own body, it’s tightening like an over-wound clock, building toward the release
every cell in my body is craving.
Somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain an overly cautious voice is telling me that I’m driving into her
too hard, but it feels so good and Donna is the last one who seems to want to protest.
‘Yes...God, yes’ and my name are rolling out of her mouth like the most mesmerizing chant I’ve ever heard
and her eyes are alight with an inner fire I haven’t seen before. Her fingers grip my back and her nails dig
furrows into my skin but I barely notice or care. It’s only one of the myriad of sensations flooding my system
that are quickly becoming overwhelming and it only serves to drive me on with some kind of primal instinct.
Her body arches beneath me and her voice is rough and raspy when she cries out my name and I feel her
body clench around me as she finds her release. That’s all my body needs to know and with all the subtlety
of a semi-truck being flung over a cliff, the orgasm explodes through me. With three hard thrusts my body
feels like it shatters into a million pieces and I empty myself deep inside her.
Although I’m pretty sure she’s as exhausted as I am, somehow Donna manages to hold onto me as I bury
my face against her neck and collapse against her. We both lay there for a few minutes, sweaty and
panting like we’ve both run the Boston Marathon.
Very shortly, it occurs to me that breathing can’t be too easy for her with my all but dead weight pinning her
to the bed so I slide my arms around her and with a coordinated effort, we roll onto our sides without rolling
off the bed. Gently, I brush some hair back from her damp face.
“I’m sure I don’t say this enough, Donnatella, but you are, quite simply, amazing.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I smile happily at him. "Well, you were pretty amazing yourself there, Joshua."
If my heart wasn't already beating fast from making love with him, Josh's words would have done it. He's so
sweet and what we just did...well, it defies description. It makes me hate that we waited so long. Although
there is a case to be made for the argument that the timing wasn't right for us before now and it wouldn't
have been like this if we'd tried this before now.
You know, given the way he walks and does most things, I’ve always wondered if Josh would be a bit...
frantic in the bedroom. Oh, I had no doubt that he’d see to it that his partner was well satisfied because
that's the kind of person he is, but living his life at it’s usual fast forward pace, I could see him wasting no
time in this department too.
But I’m here to bear witness to the fact that he’s definitely a take-his-time-and-do-it-right kind of man.
God, am I lucky or what?
Our legs tangled together, we're laying on our sides holding onto each other so one or both of us doesn't
roll off the bed. Lazily, his hand is running slowly over my back as I run my fingers lightly through his damp
hair. I could happily stay like this forever, but I know the world will intrude on us all too soon.
"What are you thinking about?" Josh asks me softly.
I'm thinking that I don't want him to go tomorrow, but I'm not going to tell him that. I know he doesn't want to
go any more than I do, but short of him quitting, which I would never ask him to do, he doesn't have a
choice. So I put it out of my mind and give him another smile.
"I'm thinking if we shove these two twin beds together, we'd have more room next time."
For a just a moment, he looks like he's not sure if he believes that's what I was thinking or not, but he
seems to decide to go along with it.
"Either that or we’ll just roll over and fall through the crack between them when we make them slide apart
again," he teases.
I grin at him. "I'm willing to risk it if you are."
"Maybe I could pay Toby $50 to get lost tonight," Josh says hopefully.
"I'm not sure if $50 would do it. You'll probably have to promise him a case of Jack Daniels and some new
cigars," I suggest.
"For all that, he'd probably even help me push the beds together," Josh says with a grin.
I laugh softly. "Well, I can't quite see that happening."
We both laugh for a moment, but I see the seriousness slowly creep back into his eyes and it makes my
stomach jitter. "Donna, about tomorrow..."
"No..." I say flatly.
He looks surprised by my comment. "But I just want to say..."
"No..." I tell him more vehemently.
Like I said, I don't want to think about tomorrow morning. It's going to come soon enough.
Despite my protests, he still tries to finish his thought. "It's just that..."
"Stop talking." I say laying my fingers over his lips. "The only thing I want to hear you say is my name."
"But Donna," he says in token protest as I pull my fingers away from his mouth.
"No, not like that," I tell him as I send my fingers off on a new distraction mission between our bodies.
“Donna...” he breathes out as I wrap my hand around the length of him.
“That’s better,” I tease as my hand begins to move and I feel him start to harden against my palm. "But I
think you have room for improvement."
Much to my delight, my distraction technique works wonders and it doesn't take much to have him ready
again. Wordlessly, we shift around until he's under me and I straddle him. This is what I want, to be here in
this moment...with him.
Moving my hand between us, I guide him inside me. God, he feels so good. His hands grip my waist and I
let him set the tempo as I start to rock slowly over him.
"Oh, God, Donna..." he moans.
"Now that's how I like to hear my name..." I croon with smile as I continue to do my best to distract him.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I've often found it strange that the days you want to forget last the longest, and the days that you want to
last forever, go by in the blink of an eye. It like some great joke the universe likes to play on us.
Case in point, just as I suspected, tomorrow has arrived way too soon. No matter how long I wanted
yesterday to last, time was against us and now I find myself walking across the tarmac at Andrews Air Force
base trying not to let Josh see how worried I am.
Or how much I will miss him.
"It's just a couple days. I'll be back before you know it," Josh promises me as he gives my hand a squeeze
as we walk to the plane.
Due to the fact that Josh is going to Mexico as the President's personal representative and he's taking a
small Secret Service detail with him, the President is sending Josh there on a special military transport
plane. It's a small concession and it makes me feel better about his safety on the trip, not to mention the
fact that it lets me see him off in person rather than leaving him at an airport security checkpoint. But I still
can't shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling that tells me something is going to happen in
the next few days.
And if something IS going to happen, I'd rather be together when it did. Of course, we don't always get what
we want.
"I know," I say with more enthusiasm than I feel.
Clearly seeing through the brave face I'm putting on, Josh drops his overnight bag at the foot of the plane's
stairs and pulls me into a fierce hug.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine," he says softly in my ear.
That's not how it feels to me, but that's not what he needs to hear so I just hug him back.
"I know," I say again.
He pulls back to look at me. "Since you don't want to stay alone at my place while I'm gone, CJ said you
could stay with her and the secret service has already cleared it. You listen to them while I'm gone and
you'll be fine. When I get back we'll move back into my place."
Of course, he's not telling me anything I don't already know, but I understand it's his way of thinking things
through and making sure he hasn't left anything to chance where I'm concerned.
One of the pilots appears in the plane's doorway at the top of the stairs. "Mr. Lyman, if we're going to stay
on schedule, we need to go," he calls down.
Josh waves to the guy in acknowledgement. Suddenly I feel like he's slipping away from me and I can't do
anything about it.
I throw my arms around him. "Come back to me, Josh."
His arms are like steel bands as he hugs me back. "I will, Donna...I swear I will."
I inhale his scent as if it will keep a piece of him with me while he's gone. "I love you."
Pulling back, he lays his hand on my cheek. "I love you too."
He leans in and kisses me hard and fast, leaving me weak in the knees. Then without another word, he
snatches up his bag, runs up the stairs to the plane and disappears inside.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Title: Countdown (9/19)
Disclaimer: They absolutely belong to us at the moment.
Authors: The Electric Mayhem
Rating: R – This chapter is hard R for some Lyman lovin'
Category: Super-angst
Feedback: It’s only fair, really.
A/N: Since I’ve almost finished my bottle of wine, I do not plan to get up early to post. So you get it at
midnight.
9.
“We can have a girls’ night.” I offer and Donna smiles back, but her heart isn’t in it. “We’ll watch some chick
flicks, drink wine, and do each other’s nails.”
“Sounds great.” She replies.
I put an arm around her while she empties her travel bag in my guest room. “He’ll be back in no time.”
“I know.” She nods again. “It’s just that he’s only been gone a few hours and I can’t believe how much I miss
him.”
“Wait until he gets out of his meetings and starts calling you every five minutes. You’re going to wish he
didn’t have his phone.” I predict but we both know it’s not true.
“Ms. Cregg, we need you to reset the code for the door, please?” One of the Secret Service agents asks
and I startle at his appearance.
“Sure.” I agree and smile grimly. I have a security code to get into hallway from the elevator and the Secret
Service wants me to change it now that Donna is staying with me for a few days. Please don’t get me
wrong; I adore Donna and I wouldn’t want her to be alone right now, but the presence of all these USSS
Agents is making me jumpy…not to mention bringing up memories of another detail that I’d rather forget.
“I told Josh this was a bad idea.” Donna shakes her head.
“What are you talking about?”
“The last thing YOU need is Secret Service agents swarming all over your place.”
“Donna…”
“Don’t tell me it isn’t bringing up everything you’d wish you never had to think about again.” Donna notes.
She is very perceptive, our Donna.
“Look, I won’t lie to you. It’s a little uncomfortable, for very personal reasons, but that doesn’t change the
fact that there’s nowhere else I’d let you go right now.” I tell her honestly. “Who would understand what you’
re going through better than I would? And the Secret Service has already set up camp here before so they
know the lay of the land.”
“Right.” She rolls her eyes at me. “That’s not exactly a plus here, CJ.”
“I’m choosing to see it that way. And so should you.”
“I just want to be home.” She admits.
“Home or…home with Josh?” I tease.
“Home is Josh.” She answers sincerely and I find my eyes misting up. As happy as I am that my friends
have found this with each other, these are rotten circumstances that led up to it. I want her home with Josh
too; and not just for personal reasons.
Her cell phone rings to the tune of “Wild Thing” and she’s off like a rocket to answer it. “Josh?” She listens
for a second and then beams when she hears his voice. After another moment she chuckles. “Then maybe
you should leave the spicy food alone while you’re there, you idiot.” She rolls her eyes at me and we share
a smile before I leave her to have a private conversation.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“I’m serious. I think I’m going to throw up.” Josh complains. “My chest hurts with this horrible burning
sensation…”
“Would that be heartburn?” I ask drolly.
“Nah, if it was heartburn, the beer I washed it all down with would have taken care of it.” He laughs.
“How many beers did you have?”
“Not enough to forget what it feels like when you…”
“JOSH!” I interrupt him. “You’re on a cell phone.”
“A Government cell phone, Donnatella. It’s encrypted and everything!”
“That doesn’t mean the Government isn’t listening in on us.”
“Perverts.” He grumbles and makes me laugh again. “I miss you so much. How can it be possible to miss
someone this much after only a few hours?”
“It’s just the sex.” I tease ignoring my own advice about the cell phone.
“No, it isn’t.” Josh argues. “It doesn’t help, but it’s not just about that…my missing you, I mean.”
“I know.”
“I should never have agreed to this trip.”
“You didn’t have a choice, Josh.” I remind him.
“I could have quit.” He’s pouting now. I can hear it in his voice.
“That would make a lot of sense.” I say sarcastically and decide he’s had too much beer to get out of this
maudlin mood on his own. “Let’s talk about what we’re going to do when you get back.”
“I would…but you said I couldn’t say that stuff on the cell phone.”
“CJ and I are going to have a girls’ night.” I announce, trying to change the subject.
“You’re not going out?!” He nearly yelps.
“I think that might be objected to by one or more people on my detail.” I sigh. “We’re going to watch movies
and drink wine…and talk about men.”
“Be kind, Donna, I have to work with her too, you know.”
“Don’t worry, she’ll be suitably impressed when I’m done talking.”
“That really doesn’t do a lot to reassure me.”
“I can live with that.”
“Hold on a second.” Josh requests. “Donna, I have to go. I’ll call you again when I can, okay?”
“Yeah…sure. Everything’s okay?”
“We’re fine.” He hastens to add. “There’s just one secure phone and…”
“You have to share.”
“I hate sharing.”
“I know.” I chuckle. “Hurry up and get your work done so you can get back here.”
“As fast as I can, I promise.” There’s a slight pause. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Josh. Good night.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“What have you got for me, Ron?”
“Good morning, Mr. President.” He greets me. I’m thankful that small talk isn’t Ron Butterfield’s thing. I just
want the straight scoop this morning. My Deputy Chief of Staff, although working his ass off in Mexico, is
barely speaking to me and honestly? I can hardly blame him. If it were Abby or one of my girls…
“Please tell me an arrest is imminent.” I beg. Yes, I’m the leader of the free world, but I’m not above begging
under the right circumstances.
“That I can’t do, Mr. President.” He tells me gloomily. “We’ve run into some snags.”
“After all this time, I would think you must have run into several.” I snap and immediately regret it. Ron and
his team are top notch. I know that. I’m just frustrated.
“Mr. President, if you’d prefer someone else to run this investigation…” He offers and I feel like an ass.
“No, that’s not it at all.” I explain. “I just don’t like to think that it’s this difficult for anyone to elude the United
States Secret Service.”
“Neither do I, Mr. President.” He admits. “But it happens; more often than we like to admit.”
“What have you got?” I ask again and motion for him to sit next to me and review the latest report.
“The weaponry left in the apartment across from Josh Lyman’s was traced back to an illegal arms dealer,
but he’s no longer in a position to answer anybody’s questions.” Great another dead end; literally. “We’re
having trouble tracking down a few leads; a couple personal and a few professional that we think might be
behind the threats on Ms. Moss.” He opens a file folder. “These personal connections are a little more
nebulous, but in my experience it’s the personal connections that instill this kind of vitriol. In both cases, we’
ve been unable to get a positive location on them, though you’ll note in subject B’s case, his last known
location was in Europe and he’s made no attempt to re-enter the country so…”
“What about the doctor in Wisconsin?” I ask. Doctors are always a suspect class if you ask me.
“He’s noted in the addendum to the report, Mr. President; subject G on the last page. We maintained
surveillance on him for some time because of the multiple ties to Ms. Moss, but the team feels he has
neither the skills nor the resources to be involved in this. He’s not…doing very well in Wisconsin, sir.”
“These professional leads are troubling.” I say looking at the list. “A senior staffer to the Vice President?
When did he get added to the list of possibles?”
“When we intercepted some troubling emails that included Ms. Moss’ name in them.” Ron tells me. I don’t
want to know...Yes, I do.
“Explicit or implicit?”
“Explicit in regards to Ms. Moss…Implicit in regards to you.” Ron reports and gives me a look. “It’s the only
reason he’s still employed here; for the moment.”
“I was right. I didn’t want to know that.” I shake my head. “I’m not very popular in the VP’s office, Ron.”
“So I gathered, sir. But until unpopular crosses over into something else…”
“Right, right.” I nod, but I make a mental note to address this ‘unrest’ in the VP’s office with Leo.
“Currently, with Ms. Moss residing with Ms. Cregg, things have been very quiet and we haven’t received
any new communications from the individual threatening Ms. Moss.” Ron paused. “May I ask sir, when are
you expecting the Deputy Chief of Staff to return?”
“It had better be soon or he may not be my Deputy Chief of Staff much longer.” I admit. “Ron, he’s either
going to mutiny or bash in the skulls of the Mexican President and his Minister of Finance if he isn’t back in
the same room with Donna in the next 48 hours.”
“Then I’d bring him back soon, Mr. President.”
“We’re working on it, Ron, we’re working on it.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“You don’t sound okay. What’s wrong? Has something happened over there?”
“I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” She tells me but she still doesn’t sound right.
“You’re lying to me. What’s wrong?” I demand.
“Well…you’re not here, but other than that…” Okay, that was very sweet, but her voice still sounds off to
me.
“You’re sure nothing else is wrong?”
“I’m just having trouble sleeping.” She admits. “So I’m a little tired.”
“Take a sleeping pill.”
“No.”
“Donna…”
“I don’t want to be zonked out like that! What if I have to leave in a hurry?” Damn, she’s too scared to go to
sleep.
“Nightmares?” I ask quietly.
“How do you KNOW that?”
“I’m tuned to you too. And I have a little experience with nightmares and what they do to you.” I explain.
“Hopefully, when I get home tomorrow night, you’ll be able to sleep like a baby in my arms again.”
“Sleeping in your arms would certainly help, but…Wait! Did you say when you get home ‘tomorrow night’?”
She repeats.
“I did. We’re going to finish up with the last of our meetings and we’ll be on our plane heading home by
dinner.”
“Oh, Josh!” It sounds like she’s crying. God, I wish I could hold her right now. “That’s... that’s just wonderful.
The Mexican Government isn’t going to collapse again because you’re rushing back here?”
“No. The President is going to have to meet with Espinoza to finalize everything, but it’s a done deal…or at
least I hope it will be by 4 or so tomorrow.”
“Wait.” She tells me and I hear some strange noises on the other end. “If you leave at 4…you won’t get
back until…”
“Are you on the computer over there? You know we flew military down here, right? The airline schedule isn’t
going to give you the information you’re looking for.”
“With the travel time and the time changes you won’t be back until the next morning sometime. If you leave
by 4 pm, the earliest you’ll be here is around 7 am” Now she sounds bummed again.
“Then take the morning off and we’ll meet at the apartment.”
“Sure…I’ll just take the morning off when you’re due to arrive home. That won’t look bad or anything.” See it
sounds like she’s agreeing with me but I can tell she’s being sarcastic.
“I don’t care how it looks.” I whine. “I want to see you…kiss you…touch you…”
“Josh…cell phone.” She tells me again. It seems like half the time we’ve been able to talk during this trip is
spent with her telling me not to say certain things.
“CUT IT OUT!” I’ve had it. I’ve had it with all of this; Presidential orders, stubborn member of the Mexican
Government, threats against Donna, and being separated from Donna. I can’t take it anymore. “Look. I’ve
done everything I can here as fast as I can here. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be on my way home to you. We
just need to hold on for a few more hours, okay?”
“Right.” She agrees reluctantly. “It will be fine. I’ll just get through work tomorrow, do something fun with CJ
tomorrow night to help pass the time and when I wake up the next morning, you’ll be back here.”
“Right.” I agree and I wish, once again, that I could shake this uneasy feeling I have to rush back to D.C.
Right. This. Minute.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“What are you hungry for, for dinner?” CJ asks me.
“I don’t care.” I shrug. Truth is I’m not very hungry. My stomach has been upset all day. I just want Josh
home; safe and sound and where I can see him…and touch him…and kiss him...Okay, I need to stop that
or it’s going to be a long night.
“I thought I could order something now and then it will be there by the time we get home.”
“I’m really not that hungry, Ceej, and I have a dozen things left to do here before I’m ready to leave. With
Josh coming back tomorrow…”
Her face falls and she drops her bag. “Okaaaaaay. I’ll just go back to my office and, you know, work. You
come get me when you’re ready.”
“You don’t have to wait for me.” I protest. She was in at 4:30 this morning covering a dust up that happened
overnight…Don’t worry, it had nothing to do with Josh. “You must be exhausted. Go home already.”
“I don’t want to leave you here.” She shook her head. “I’ll just crash on my couch awhile.”
“CJ, you’re being ridiculous.” I tell her. “You’re not leaving me here alone. I have four close friends who won’
t let me leave the bullpen by myself let alone the building.” Ron Butterfield stopped by. I’ve stopped looking
forward to his visits. In the beginning of all this, each time I saw him coming towards me I was sure he was
coming to tell me that they’d arrested the creep who’s threatening us. Now, I realize he only comes to find
me with bad news. Anyway, the last time he stopped by, it was to tell me they were widening the net again,
and two people they were looking at had access to the White House, so my new ‘friends’ were going to be
on top of me in the building too from now on. Joy.
“I know you’re not alone, but…” CJ rolls her eyes.
“CJ, just go home, for God’s sake! I’ll get there as soon as I can.” I nearly explode. I know it’s not fair to take
my frustration on her, but these past few days have felt stifling. It’s like she’s afraid to leave me alone for a
second.
“I can’t!” she shouts back.
“Why the hell not?”
“I promised Josh, okay?” Her eyes get wide when she realizes what she just let slip. I’m sure if she wasn’t so
damned tired she never would have let that out.
“CJ…” I sigh. “Please go home. I’ll just finish up the things I can’t bring home with me and I’ll pack up the
rest and be right behind you.”
“But Donna, I promised him…in blood.” She lied. At least I hope she lied.
“Order some Chinese, and I’ll be -- we’ll be right behind you.” I indicate my agents stationed around the
office.
“Fine.” CJ capitulates. See? I told you she was exhausted. “But I’m ordering it right now, and if you have a
hope in hell of getting an egg roll…” That makes me chuckle.
“Right behind you.” I cross my heart and watch her walk out for a few seconds. I really wish Josh hadn’t
made her promise to stick with me. Just having the USSS around has made her jumpy enough without the
added responsibility of…Well, I can address that issue with Josh when I see him tomorrow. And if I don’t
want to be here, still working, when he arrives, I need to get moving.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“This is really good, Josh.” President Bartlet tells me while I board the plane.
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
“Seriously. I didn’t know you could do this kind of quality work this fast. From now on, I know just what to
dangle in front of you to get your productivity up.” He jokes; at least he better be joking.
“That’s not even remotely funny, sir.”
“Sure it is.” His voice booms through the cell phone. “Are you on the plane, yet?”
“Just boarding now, sir.”
“Great. Listen, you really went above and beyond on this one and I want you to know how much I
appreciate it.”
“I do, Mr. President. I’m just glad we were able to come to an agreeable resolution before the time expired
on the current agreement.”
“I don’t think anyone else here could have pulled his off, Josh; nobody.” The President reiterates. Did I
mention the President can be very long winded sometimes…a lot of times?
“That’s very kind, sir, but if you don’t mind, I’d really like to give Donna a quick call before we take off to let
her know I’m on my way.”
“Of course, of course.” He answers. “And when you talk to her, tell her the President of the United States
ordered you both to take the day off tomorrow…we’ll consider it a reward for the hard work you’ve both
been putting in the last few days. I’m guessing you’ll need to get Donna moved back home, right?” My smile
which had been growing bit by bit throughout his little monologue there just busted out into a full bloomed,
wicked grin.
“Yes, sir, that sounds about right. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. We BOTH will; thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Good work, Joshua!” He says enthusiastically before he disconnects the line and I waste
no time dialing Donna’s cell. We’re taking off a little later than we planned, it’s nearly 5, but that’s not so
bad on a Government schedule. I swear softly when I get her voicemail. She’s supposed to keep it on her
the whole time I’m gone! Nonetheless, I leave a message.
“Donna? What the hell are you doing away from your cell? We had a deal about this and…Never mind. I’m
on my way home. We’ll be wheels up in a couple minutes so start the countdown until I get to see you
again. By the precise calculations of my military pilot, he estimates that I will be back in D.C. by 9 am your
time. And when I get there? We will be taking the day off; by Presidential order. So don’t set the alarm, I’ll
wake you up personally when I get there…” I look around to see that nobody is paying attention to me. “I
love you, and I plan on proving it in approximately 9 hours and 47 minutes.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“Leo, there’s someone from the Secret…”
“Mr. McGarry.” A young man in his early thirties, with a trademark earpiece in his ear bursts past Margaret,
panting for breath. This cannot be good. “There’s been an incident. We have one agent down and two
others wounded; the target has been taken.”
“What?!” I growl.
“Ms. Moss…she’s been taken.” He repeats and now I stand up ready to…I don’t know what; do something, I
guess.
“Where? How long ago?” I demand just as the President enters from the Oval.
“A few minutes ago.” The agent reports, “They were on their way to Ms. Cregg’s and were ambushed;
somebody crashed into their vehicle and when the agents moved to get Ms. Moss out of it, one agent was
killed, two others were wounded, and Ms. Moss was taken hostage. I need to get back, but Agent Butterfield
wanted you informed right away.”
“I’ll want to hear from Agent Butterfield myself.” The President tells him before turning to me. “We’re going
to need to call Josh.”
“Let’s wait until we know something, Mr. President.”
“We know Donna has been taken, Leo!”
“And that’s all we know.” I insist. “Josh is in an airplane where he is getting no information and would be
powerless to do anything even if he had some. For all we know, we get a call a couple minutes from now
telling us they’ve got Donna and she’s okay and then this is all for nothing.”
“You really think that’s what’s going to happen?” He asks me grimly.
“We simply don’t know.” I hedge.
“I gave him my word that Donna would be safe while he was gone, Leo. And if I have to call her parents…”
he trails off and lets the threat lie.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“Mr. Lyman?” One of the officers on board shakes me awake. I look at my watch and see we’ve only been
in the air for about an hour.
“Yeah?”
He turns on a cabin light. This is a far cry from traveling on Air Force One. In fact, flying coach on Delta
might be…Why is this guy waking me up only an hour into the flight? It can’t be for the food and beverage
service.
“What’s wrong? Do I need a parachute?” We should still be in Mexican airspace so it’s not beyond the
realm of possibility…
“No, sir. There’s a call being patched through to you up front.”
“A call?” My heart starts to beat a little faster. People don’t call people on a military aircraft to share good
news. “What call? A call from where?”
“It’s being routed from a cell phone number…” He starts to read the number off, but four digits in I know it
belongs to Donna. Maybe the President felt bad we missed each other earlier and arranged for the call.
“Yeah, yeah. I know the caller. Where can I pick it up?”
“Follow me, sir.”
I practically push the guy to move faster until we reach the cockpit and I’m handed a pair of headphones
with a mic attached to them. “The caller is already on line, Mr. Lyman.”
“Thanks!” I slip the headphones on. “Donna?”
“You need to turn this on here, sir.” The guy flips a switch and I try again.
“Donna…? Donna, can you hear me?” There’s a little static and then I hear a voice, but it isn’t Donna.
“I’m sorry, Josh, Donna can’t come to the phone right now. Would you like me to give her a message?”
My blood runs cold and I give a panicked look at the other men in the cockpit with me.
“Who the hell is this?”
“I’m the one who’s going to decide whether or not you ever get to see Donna alive again.”
“What do you want?” There seems to be a deal to be made here and if there’s one thing I know is how to
make a deal. “I’ve got access to money. Just tell me how much and where.” My words and physical tension
must register with my fellow passengers because two heads swivel my way and I pull one of their pads of
paper away from them to scribble ‘Secret Service – Now!’ and pass it back to him. His eyes go wide and he
gets on another set of headphones.
“I’m not interested in your money, Lyman.”
“What are you interested in?”
“I want you. You come to me and we’ll discuss letting the precious Donnatella go.”
“As you’re probably aware, I’m on an airplane right now, so I’m not really in a position to meet you anywhere
at the moment.” I drawl.
“I’ll give you a little time; ten hours. Set that crappy watch of yours ‘cause you’re not getting any more time
than that. I’ll contact you again soon. Make sure I can get through to you there from another line.” There’s
a click and then silence.
“Wait! I want to talk to Donna. Put Donna on the phone!” Nothing. The officer turns back to me and plugs
my headphones into another jack.
“You’re connected to the Secret Service, Mr. Lyman.” He reports.
“I need to talk to Ron Butterfield.” I demand.
“I’m sorry, sir, he’s not…”
“DON’T tell me he’s not available. This is Josh Lyman, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of the
United States. Get him on the phone…NOW!”
“Yes, sir.” I think I might’ve scared the guy on the other end, but I don’t really care. Then it occurs to me
that maybe it’s a trick of some kind. Maybe this nut job doesn’t have her at all and he’s just trying to lure me
into something as soon as I land. Maybe…
“Josh?” Ron’s voice finally comes on.
“Just tell me one thing; do you have Donna?” I demand
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
10.
~Two Hours Earlier~
“Hey, Donna.”
I jump a bit at the voice from Josh’s office doorway. I smile slightly when I see Larry standing there.
“Larry…sorry.” I apologize with my hand to my chest.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He apologizes.
“It’s not your fault.” I reply. “I’m just a little jumpy.”
“Yeah.” He says slowly and looks over his shoulder. I know that Agent Weber is just outside the door
standing right next to Larry, even though I can’t see him. “I don’t really know what’s going on…” Larry starts
and takes a step over the threshold.
“Sir.” I hear Agent Weber say and his hand comes into the frame on Larry’s arm.
“Sorry.” Larry seems a little surprised and my eyebrows rise. Wow, they won’t even let Larry in here? I
wonder who’s actually been cleared to be in the same room as me.
“I’m sorry, Larry.” I smile sadly.
“Wow. I guess whatever it is, it’s pretty serious?”
“Yeah.” I say.
“Well, if there’s anything I can do…” he says awkwardly. I smile in return. Margaret once told me that she
thought Larry had a crush on me. I remember being surprised at the time and then wondered why if that
was true, he never asked me out. “I mean, I don’t wield a weapon or anything…” I chuckle as I watch him try
to dance around the chivalry.
“I could use all the friends I can get.”
He smiles, looks over at Agent Weber and then back at me. “Well, good night.”
“Night, Larry, thanks.”
Larry disappears and I sit down in Josh’s chair. It smells like him and I turn my head to get closer to the
scent.
“Hey, Donna.”
I turn my head and I’m surprised when Will Bailey walks right into Josh’s office. I sit up straight and my jaw
drops.
“What?” He asks when he sees the look on my face.
“How come you get to come right in?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve worked here 12 weeks; Larry’s been here four years, five if you count the first campaign and he
wasn’t allowed over the door.”
“I don’t know.” Will shrugs. “Probably because I’m an Air Force officer that’s cleared to staff Air Force One.”
“What?”
“I’m a First Lieutenant in the Air Force.” Will repeats. “I’m in the Reserves.”
“That must explain it.” I reply and sit back.
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I’m not disappointed.” I say quickly. “I just didn’t understand. Did you need something?”
“The President asked if you’d take a copy of the speech home with you tonight for Josh to take a look at?”
He hands me a file and I nod. “Thanks. The legislative language needs some work.” I slide the file into my
tote bag on the desk.
Will claps his hands together once and looks around the office. “Well…I guess that’s it.”
“Thanks.”
He leaves the office and I’m left alone for a few minutes…or as alone as I can get with an armed guard
outside the door. It’s frustrating, completely losing my freedom, but I do appreciate the Secret Service’s job.
I’m trying to keep it all in perspective and not complain too much. On the other hand, I’m sure I’m not the
most glamorous assignment. I mean, who am I? I’m nobody. Josh would flip out if he heard that…Josh HAS
flipped out when he’s heard that, but look who has Secret Service protection: the entire first family, past
presidents, Leo…these guys are stuck protecting an assistant? At least Josh’s detail gets someone with
some kind of power and importance.
I sigh and stand up. Josh’s coat on the back of the door catches my eye. It’s the dress coat he wears over
his tux in the winter. It’s probably been hanging there since Inauguration night. I walk over, pluck it off the
hook and put it on.
I feel marginally better. I feel safer when Josh is around. I don’t feel so vulnerable and exposed.
I’m not deluded. Josh left the Secret Service report from Rosslyn out at his apartment during his recovery. I
know I shouldn’t have, but I read it. Normally, I don’t read things I know I’m not allowed to, but I was so
desperate to understand what happened. I was the only one not there. I just…I had to know what happened
to Josh, what happened to my friends.
Anyway, my point here is I know these guys have skills. I pick up my tote bag and shut off Josh’s light.
Agent Weber leads me out of the bullpen where we pick up Agent Reed. Agent Reed is a hottie. Ginger’s
got a crush on him.
I know that these two men who are currently flanking me know many ways to kill someone. I know they will
cover me bodily.
But they’re not Josh. Unless they’re pulling me out of harm’s way, they’re not allowed to touch me. They can’
t keep their arms around me while I sleep.
This sucks. I won’t say it around them, but it does. We walk to the security desk and pick up another agent,
then wait under the overhang for the fourth agent to bring up the car. I pull my arms tight around me and
breathe in heavily. My senses are filled with Josh.
Now that I’m allowed to have these feelings, I realize I’m quite pathetic. I’m ridiculously lovesick here.
The car pulls up and Agent Reed opens the back door for me. The Agent from the lobby, I can’t remember
his name, sits in front. Agent Reed and Agent Weber sit in the back with me.
I get to be in the middle. In another life, I would have gone ga-ga over being surrounded by hot, armed men
that, for all intents and purposes, were all mine, but not anymore.
I drop my head back against the seat with a heavy sigh. I’m not even in the mood to make small talk with
these guys, so the car is silent throughout the drive. I look out the window past Agent Weber to try and see
which route we’re taking tonight. I never knew there were so many different ways to get to Georgetown.
Suddenly, I want nothing more than to be in Josh’s bed, but I know even if I ask to go home, they won’t take
me.
I know these measures are for my safety, but I really want my freedom back.
Suddenly, there’s the squeal of tires and the car jolts. I’m thrown to the side across Agent Reed who leans
down over my head and I hear gunfire! The weight of Agent Reed is suddenly gone and I’m yanked out of
the back seat of the car. I scream, but a hand clamps over my mouth and there’s more gunfire. I’m thrown
violently into the back of another car and I desperately lunge for the door in front of me, but there’s
suddenly a prick and burn on my leg and everything goes black.
When I finally regain consciousness, however long that took, my mind is hazy. Everything is out of focus. I’m
in some kind of cabin. At least, it looks that way from the inside. There’s a stone fireplace, with a fire going
inside, kitchen area, living area, pine paneling on the walls and cabinets, and a few different doors. What is
this place?
There’s a man at the kitchen counter. When my brain processes what happened, I scream a blue streak. I
scream louder and longer than I ever have in my life. Ever try to scream like those girls in the horror
movies? I scream louder than that.
“Scream all you want, there’s no one to hear you.”
That voice…I know that voice. I know that voice very well.
The man turns around and my eyes widen.
“Jack!”
“Buena sera, Donnatella.” He replies.
Those eyes. Those eyes from the sketch and my dream, they’re Jack’s.
I struggle to get up, but I’m tied down. Just like my dream.
“You’re not impressed I learned Italian?”
“Why aren’t you in Italy?”
“I came to get you.” He says sitting down.
“What?”
“We have some unfinished business, you and I.”
“What unfinished business?”
“Well, you, JOSH and I have unfinished business.”
“How could Josh have anything to do with you and I?”
“How about the derailment of my career?”
I’m stunned.
“What are you talking about?”
“The White House, Donna! My whole Naval career had been working my way up to the White House. My
whole career had been working towards national security. Then you come along and fuck it all up!”
I shake my head frantically. What the hell is he talking about? I found him dashing, I found him charming, I
found him…datable…
“I was so hellbent on impressing you that I never even saw it coming. Never once for a second suspected a
thing. There you were pretty, friendly, sweet. The god damn White House welcoming committee. Then there
was Josh, practically throwing you at me and offering you up on a silver platter. I admit, that gave me
pause. I was definitely thrown off the scent with that one. My gut feeling was that something was going on
with you two. But I was in the fortress of the White House and forgot to go with my gut.”
“Nothing was going on with Josh and I.”
“Oh, but it was. It’s so obvious. I’ll admit, you did seem interested in me, but not near as interesting as you
found Josh. I was tunnel-visioned trying to impress you, wanting to be the one to really win the girl. I thought
I won for sure the first time we slept together. I mean you were pretty…enthusiastic…in bed. But then again,
whores aren’t typically all that picky about who they take to bed.”
He starts slowly pacing the small living room, the wood floors creaking eerily under his feet. How could this
have gone so horribly wrong? How could I have spent so much time with this man and not have seen he
was a lunatic? He was a gentleman!
“You spent the whooollle weekend at the Washington Inn worried about Josh.” He continues. Well, yeah,
the Christmas Eve before he had put his hand through a window and he was alone that night. Plus, he had
said all that stuff about honestly not trying to keep me at the White House on purpose.
Okay, maybe I wasn’t completely THERE in mine and Jack’s relationship, but that hardly warrants THIS!
“Jack, listen to me.” I plead. “You’ll get kicked out of the Navy for this. You’ll never get back to the White
House --”
He throws back his head and laughs. It’s a deep, hollow laugh. When he looks at me, his eyes seem almost
vacant. My eye catches the empty bottle of scotch behind him on the counter and the pieces of the puzzle
begin to fall into place.
This is so much worse than I originally thought.
“I’ve already been thrown out of the Navy.” He predictably informs me. “I was a Commander, Donna,
remember? You don’t get to that rank over night. That was a career. A career that pretty much ended when
your precious hero Josh sent me to Italy. IT-A-LY, Donna! Not a very glamorous assignment for someone in
the Navy!”
He walks back to Josh’s coat and plunges his hand into the pocket, coming back out with my cell phone.
“What happened to the Secret Service agents?” I demand.
“They’re dead.” He says simply. “Tell me how to make this call Josh.” He thrusts the phone at me. Yeah,
right. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.
“You killed four Secret Service agents?”
“Well, they might not all be dead, but they’re definitely incapacitated. I was trained by the military, Donna,
you don’t think I can take the Secret Service? Who would win in a fight? The Navy or the Secret Service?
Ever wonder that? Looks like the Navy. Let’s call Josh.”
“I can’t call Josh, he’s on a plane.”
“I’m not an idiot, Donna. I’ve flown military shuttles before, you can get phone calls on them and surely his
precious assistant knows how to do it.”
“No.” I say simply and Jack laughs.
“You don’t think he’s going to be worried about you?” He asks. Well, worried won’t quite cover it. Frantic,
terrified, out of his mind… “You don’t want to at least assure him you’re okay? You know what? Maybe you
actually don’t care about him as much as I thought. Maybe you’re just a black widow, or a preying mantis.
You know, you fuck your man and then turn around his bite his head off and kill him.”
He has clearly gone completely insane. What did I do to make him think this way about me? What really
happened here?
“Untie my hands then and I’ll call.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to untie your hands. That’s a great idea. Not an idiot here,
Donna.”
“You overpowered four Secret Service agents, you don’t think you can handle little ol’ me?” I don’t care if
there’s nothing around me. Being lost in the woods in the dark is vastly preferable to being in this cabin with
a clearly mentally unstable man. I mean, at this point, I really think Jack is capable of anything. I really think
if I stay his captive, he is going to kill me.
“I made the mistake of being sucked in by you once, Donna, I’m not going to do it again. Tell me what to put
into the phone. I’ll let you say hello.” He smirks at me and I’m not sure I believe him, but if I can get the
chance to at least tell Josh it’s Jack…
I sigh and rattle off the number for the Andrews tower. Jack punches the numbers in and puts the phone to
his ear. “By the way, if this doesn’t work, I’m going to slit your throat.” Jack says in a completely off-hand
way.
I watch with a heavy heart as he asks to be connected with Josh. He sounds so official, and Josh is up there
completely unaware that he’s about to encounter a monster.
“I’m sorry, Josh, Donna can’t come to the phone right now. Would you like me to give her a message?” Oh
God, he’s got him on the phone. “...I’m the one who’s going to decide whether or not you ever get to see
Donna alive again.” I can feel the bile moving up into my throat. Suddenly, I’m finding it hard to breathe as
he dangles me in front of Josh. “….I’m not interested in your money, Lyman…I want you. You come to me
and we’ll discuss letting the precious Donnatella go…I’ll give you a little time; ten hours. Set that crappy
watch of yours ‘cause you’re not getting any more time than that. I’ll contact you again soon. Make sure I
can get through to you there from another line.” Ten hours! He’s flying from Mexico! He snaps the phone
shut and looks victoriously at me.
“You SAID I could talk to him!”
“I lied.” He shrugs. “You of all people should recognize a lie, Donna.”
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ten hours, my ass. The secret service has Donna’s location when I land and Ron Butterfield is waiting for
me on the airstrip. “She’s at a farm in Virginia. The team is out there already waiting to move in.”
“WAITING!? What the hell are they waiting for, Ron! Tell them to move in!” I shout.
“This guy’s waiting for you, Josh.” Ron shakes his head in return. “If he doesn’t get to at least see you and
THINK you’re going to meet with him, he might kill her on the spot.”
“Why does he need me specifically? Have we heard anything from him? Is it something he wants from the
President?”
“We don’t know who he is yet, Josh. We were just able to trace the cell phone call. We don’t know who he is
or what he wants or what connection he has to either of you.”
No, of course not, that would be the efficient course! The ride out to Virginia feels like hours, hours I don’t
have. Hours Donna doesn’t have.
Finally, we slow down on the side of the road and I see we’ve come to a dirt road. The Suburban slowly
turns down it then Ron presses a finger to his ear and looks over at the driver. “Go.” He says and the driver
tears off down the road pell mell.
“What’s going on?” I demand.
“They’ve moved in.” Ron says calmly. “They’re taking the house.”
My heart rate speeds up, and I desperately try to see what’s ahead on the road, but all I see is blackness,
until finally a little cabin comes into view. There are people moving everywhere and we hop out of the
Suburban and I follow Ron up the stairs and through the front door. I can scarcely make out the shadow of
a man in the corner who darts out the back door and every single agent runs after him.
My eyes are drawn to the middle of the floor where Donna is laying unconscious. There’s blood
everywhere. “Donna!” I scream. Where did everybody go? I pull her into my arms and onto my lap. Her
blood is all over me. “Donna! Wake up!” It looks like she’s been stabbed several times. I turn her head to
face me, and I immediately notice there’s no pulse in her neck and she’s not breathing.
God no!
“GOD DAMMIT DONNA! Open your eyes!”
“She’s dead, Josh.”
I look up and my father’s standing there, looking down at me and Donna with a sad smile on his face. I
shake my head up at him. I refuse to believe it.
“She is. She’s here with me.” He says again. “She’s a wonderful girl. I’m glad you got to know her while she
was there. I’ll take good care of her for you.”
“Dad, you have to send her back.” I demand.
“I can’t do that, Josh.” He says. “It’s too late. You’re too late. He gave you two hours.”
“No. He gave me ten.”
“Well, I guess he lied.” My father points across the room. Up on the fireplace mantle is my digital vote clock
reading zero hours.
I let out an anguished sob and look down at Donna. The blood is gone and there are needles and vials
everywhere.
“Donna!” I shout. God, Donna, don’t leave me.
“It’s too late, Josh.” Comes the sinister echo of a voice.
“That’s him, Josh.” My father says. “You should get out of here. Leave Donna with me. I’ll take care of her.
She’s already left you, Josh. Go!”
I shake my head frantically and hug her lifeless body to me. No, I’ll just wait for the psychopath to come
back, thank you, very much. If Donna isn’t here anymore, then I don’t want to be here either. There are
certain people I can live without and she’s not one of them.
The hot tears stream down my face and I lean down and kiss her forehead. It still feels warm against my
lips. “Just take me with you.” I whisper.
“Mr. Lyman!” I can hear my name from outside the cabin. Ron must be looking for me. I’m staying right
where I am.
“MR. LYMAN!”
My eyes jolt open. There’s a young airman standing over me. He says nothing about my erratic breathing
and the fact that I’m sweating.
“We’ve landed, sir.” He says and then walks away.
I thought the nightmare started when Ron and Leo first came to my office weeks ago.
I was wrong.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
11.
A myriad of emotions run through me as I watch Jack sitting at the small kitchen table typing away on his
laptop as if it was a routine day like any other. Anger at him for not letting me talk to Josh and anger at
myself for not realizing he was behind this all along. Fear over what he might do to Josh. Revulsion over the
fact that I ever let Jack touch me. And most of all, bewilderment.
How could I not know he was capable of this? I mean I slept with the guy, you'd think I'd know if he was
some kind of lunatic. I guess my finely honed ability to pick the biggest gomer in the room is coming back
to haunt me...again.
Still struggling against the rope he's got me tied down with, I try to clear my head of the fogginess that still
hangs over me from whatever he drugged me with.
Come on, Donna, think. Use your head. There has to be a way to get through to him. Maybe there's a deal
to be made. I'll do anything if it means sparing Josh this nightmare. I silently ask Josh to forgive me for what
I'm about to do and I steel myself for the words that are about to come out of my mouth.
"Jack?"
"Hmmmm?" he mutters not looking up from the computer.
"You don't need, Josh, you know," I say in my best sultry tone.
Now he does look up and the look he gives me is almost genial as he leans back in the chair. "Oh? And
why's that?"
"This is between you and me. Why involve him at all?" I ask him quietly. "We could go away some place
where they couldn't find us. Just you and me."
He's listening to me intently and for a moment a spark of hope ignites in me that maybe I'm getting through
to him. That is until he starts laughing like I've just told the funniest joke ever in recorded history.
"Wow, you must think I'm either really stupid or really crazy."
Right now I'm leaning toward the second choice, but I wisely keep that to myself.
"No, I don't think that," I lie. "I'm just saying you don't need Josh. I'll do whatever you want. Just leave him
out of this."
"Well, well, isn't that noble?" he says with a chuckle. "Trying to throw yourself at me to save your 'man.' You
know, if you'd shown me this kind of dedication when we were going out, maybe this whole ugly business
could have been avoided."
He gets up and walks toward me with a look in his eye that sends a new trickle of fear up my spine. Without
preamble, he climbs on top of me, straddling me on the couch. Even the layers of clothes between us aren't
enough to keep me from immediately wanting a shower. With his added weight and my hands tied under me
like they are, my position borders on painful, which I'm sure is what he intended. But I force myself not to
wince.
"Maybe I should let you make it up to me now," he says as he toys with the buttons of my blouse. "Is that
what you want, Donna? Would you let me fuck you over and over again if it saved your precious boss?
Would you beg me for it? I'd like it if you begged. Lord knows you made me beg for your scraps enough
times when we were together."
The bile rises in my throat. "I..." I try to force the words out. "I...yes..."
"Yes, what?" he demands.
"If it would save him..."
"I guess that will depend on how well you beg."
"Please, Jack, don't hurt him, I'll do anything," I plead. It's all I can do not to start crying. Somehow I think
he'd like it more if I cried, but I won’t give him the satisfaction. "Do anything you want to me, I won't fight you,
but please leave him alone."
He nods and begins to unbutton my blouse. "Now beg me for the rest of it."
I stare up at him helplessly. My stomach is threatening to revolt and my heart is beating so hard I think it's
going to explode from my chest.
"Jack..." I plead helplessly for a shred of mercy.
"BEG ME!" he snaps.
"Please..." I say in a small voice.
Angrily, he grabs both sides of my blouse and yanks popping the remaining buttons and sending them
flying. From the sound of it, he also tears some of the fabric along the way.
"Come on, Donna, you can beg better than that!" he says with an evil grin.
I feel disjointed and when I hear my own voice, it feels like I'm hearing it from outside my own body, almost
as if I've slipped outside myself. "Please have sex with me, Jack."
With a gleam in his eye, he leans down and I can smell scotch on his breath. It makes my stomach roll
greasily again, and if he kisses me, I’m not sure how I’m going to get through it without throwing up. His
mouth is hovering over mine when he whispers to me.
"I have to say, that was just about the worst begging I think I’ve ever heard,” he says malevolently. “And for
the record, I don't take Josh Lyman's sloppy seconds...not any more."
He sits up and slaps his hands lightly...almost playfully against my cheeks and I have a pretty good idea
what it feels like to be the mouse when it’s toyed with by the cat right before it gets eaten. Clearly, Jack is
not just crazy, he’s what my uncle, in his colorful way, used to call ‘bat shit’ crazy.
“But I've got to hand it to you, Donna. You really ARE quite the little whore, aren't you?" He grins. “You’ll
give it up for anyone won’t you? I wonder what your precious Josh would think about you begging me for
sex? When he joins us, I may just have tell him. The look on his face should be priceless.”
With a laugh, he shoves himself off of me and stalks across the room to the kitchen counter. Flinging open
a cupboard door, he pulls out a fresh bottle of scotch and pours himself a glass.
Scared, humiliated, now all but half-dressed, and with my hands still bound, unable to do anything about it, I
lay there and focus on a point on the wall. It’s the only way I can keep from bursting into tears. I feel as
cheap and dirty as Jack keeps saying I am and if Josh ever knew what I just tried to do, he’d probably never
speak to me again. It’s a safe bet that he’d never want to touch me again.
Jack turns back to me with the mostly full glass still gripped in his hand. “You see, Donnatella, what you fail
to realize is that Josh is an integral part of this. He's up to his neck in THIS. Being the selfish creature you
are, I know you think this is all about you, but really it’s about BOTH of you and what you took from me.”
“What did we take from you, Jack?”
“Why do you keep making me repeat myself?!” he snarls at me as he gestures wildly by swinging his hand
out. Consequently, he carelessly slops about half the remaining scotch in his glass all over the floor. “You
took my career and everything that went with it. It was all I had. When it was gone there was nothing left.”
“We didn’t have anything to do with you losing your military career,” I try to defend.
He laughs, but it’s an angry, bitter sound. “Are you kidding me? You had EVERYTHING to do with it. All I
had to do was tangle with you and the next thing I know you boss is getting me reassigned to the Navy’s
version of Siberia!”
I have no idea why I’m arguing him when it’s clear it won’t do any good, but I can’t seem to stop myself. “Italy
is hardly Siberia, Jack.”
“It is to someone high up in the Navy! I was commanding nuclear submarines...I was working in the White
House for Godsakes! People treated me with respect. By the time I got to Italy I was a joke!”
“I’m sure you weren’t a joke,” I tell him honestly. “In any case, it’s still not our fault. We didn’t send you
there.”
As least I don’t think we did, I amend silently. Not that I would hold it against Josh if he had. Actually I can
see him putting a word in with Nancy McNally or someone at the Pentagon to make sure Jack was as far
away from me as possible, especially after the thing with the quote.
“Don’t lie to me!” he explodes as he hurls the glass across the room and it slams against the wall above the
couch, showering me with scotch and bits of glass. “I know you did it! BOTH of you!”
He lets out a harsh breath as if he realizes that he’s running dangerously close to completely losing control
of his anger. When he speaks next, his voice is tight and controlled.
“But what I want to know is...why?”
“I keep telling you, I don’t know why you were sent to Italy!” I insist. “I didn’t know anything about it until you
told me you were being transferred. I asked Josh about it but he didn’t know anything about it either. I
always figured it was Secretary Hutchinson that sent you there in retaliation for the forced depletion report
you did for the President on Khundu.”
He stares at me for a long moment. “Are you incapable of saying anything that isn’t a lie?” he asks me. “No
one is going to banish me for a fucking report.”
“They do in Washington,” I try to defend. “Hutchinson and the President don’t always have the best of
relationships. Hutchinson loves to do things to further his own agenda even if it undermines the President
which is why you were asked to do the report and not him. I’m sure Hutchinson was pissed when he found
out that the President went around him and he took it out on you by having you transferred.”
“No, I don’t believe that,” he says angrily. “There has to be more to it than just that report. I’ve thought
about it long and hard and it all comes back to you and Josh. While I was in Italy watching my career crash
and burn I had an interesting conversation with a reporter. He told me all kinds of interesting rumors about
you and Josh.”
My stomach jitters, but I try to keep my voice level. “What kind of rumors?”
“Oh, the kind that say you and Lyman have been screwing each other since day 1. That the two of you hide
it because it would be a scandal for him and the President if it was ever confirmed.” He paces in front of the
couch. “You know, Donna, it would have been nice if you’d told me that you were fucking your boss when
we were...DATING!”
“It wasn’t like that!” I try to make him understand. “When you and I were dating, Josh and I weren’t...we were
never like that.”
I don't tell him that we're together now and, it could be argued, that it’s largely because of him and this
whole experience. Even if he believed me, I don't think he'd be very happy about that little tidbit.
Jack snorts out a laugh. “You could have fooled me...hell, actually you DID fool me. You two have looked
pretty cozy over the past couple of weeks and all you did during the entire time I knew you was talk about
Josh! The kicker is I ASKED him if I was getting into the middle of something when he was all but pimping
you out to me and he said no! And like a big sap I bought it hook, line and sinker!”
“You weren’t a sap and there was no story to buy! Josh was just my boss and my friend back then,” I try
and tell him, but he is too busy ranting to listen to anything I have to say.
“Even when that reporter filled me in I still didn’t want to believe it...but the more I thought about it, the more
sense it made.” He throws up his hands. “From the day I met you outside that damn polling place, my life
has gone downhill fast. So I ask you again, Donna, why? Why ME?!”
I have no idea what to say to him. He’s obviously beyond the point of actually wanting the truth. “I don’t
know,” is the only lame ass answer I can come up with.
He looks at me in disbelief. “You don’t know? You ruin my life and all you can say is ‘I don’t know’?”
Despite the being tied up and basically at his mercy, I can’t help the finger of anger that starts to rise above
my fear. “Why don’t you save us both some time and tell me what you want me to say?” I snap back at him.
His response is quick and painful. I'm too surprised to even cry out when he slaps me hard across the face
making stars dance in my vision and my cheek feel like it’s on fire.
“Don’t get cute, Donna, it’s not your forte and I’m in no mood for it,” he says as he turns away.
Blinking away the tears that automatically spring to my eyes, I force myself to look at him and ask the
question I probably don’t want to know the answer to. My mouth feels sluggish and mere act of trying to
speak sends little spikes of fire through the side of my face.
“What are you going to do with us?”
He leans back against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest thoughtfully. “It's pretty simple
really. I thought I'd let Josh watch me kill you and then I'll shoot him in the head. After that it's really just a
matter of clean-up. I figured I'd dump your bodies in the woods and be on my way out of the country before
anyone else figures it out.”
I was right, I didn’t want to hear the answer.
“But how are you going to outsmart the Secret Service and by now probably the FBI?” I challenge him. “Now
that you’ve got me and killed their agents they’re going to keep Josh under lock and key and they’re going
to be out for blood...your blood.”
“Tactics, Donna. You learn all about tactics and strategy when you’re in the military. I’ve got a plan. And it’s
a pretty good plan if I do say so myself,” he tells me, apparently unconcerned with the threat of the Secret
Service and the FBI. “Not to mention I’m counting on Josh’s need to come after you. I have a feeling he’ll do
exactly what I tell him regardless of what his handlers want.”
Silently, I have to acknowledge that he’s right about Josh. If he can find a way, he’ll come for me and then
Jack will have us both. I absolutely cannot let that happen. Now that I know I’m not going to be able to
bargain with Jack or talk him out of leaving Josh alone, there’s only one other option I have open to me.
I have to escape before Josh walks right into Jack’s waiting hands.
The problem with that is right now I’m in no position to do anything remotely like escaping. The only way, I’ll
have a chance is if I get him to untie me. And I’d better do it soon because I’m running out of time.
Think, Donna, think...there has to be a way.
Thinking gets harder when I see him pick something up off the counter. It looks like a gun of some sort and
I have to force myself not to panic.
“Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed our little talk, I’ve got some things to take care of before I call Josh,” he says
as he walks toward me.
No, it’s not a gun he’s holding, I’m not sure what it is. It looks like something out of a science fiction movie.
“What is that?” I ask.
“If you must know, it’s an automated pressure syringe, Miss Nosy,” he says holding it up. “The military
developed them for field use when groups of soldiers need to be inoculated against something quickly.
Depending on the size of the medication vial, it can deliver up to three hundred doses in under a half hour.”
He sends me a pointed look. “It’s also very easy to give someone an overdose by injecting them multiple
times.”
That hangs in the air between us for a moment and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle unpleasantly. If
I wasn’t lying down, I’m sure they’d be standing straight up.
Jack continues on as if we’re chatting about the weather and all I can think is that my time just ran out.
“This little beauty hasn’t made its way through the FDA yet though so it can’t be used outside the military. It
uses compressed air instead of a needle to deliver the medication and it can even go through something
as thick as a t-shirt. Pretty cool actually. I sort of...appropriated one on my way out of the Navy.”
“What are you going to do with it?” I ask trying to sink back into the couch as much as possible, even
though I already have a pretty good idea what he intends.
He grins at me. “Well, given that I’m holding it in my hand and moving toward you, one could surmise that I’
m going to give you a shot of something.”
My heart starts beating fast and hard again. That must have been the prick I felt during the car accident
before I blacked out. “What are you going to give me?”
“If I tell you then it won’t be a surprise then, will it?” he teases.
“That kind of surprise I can live without,” I respond.
“Well, you don’t have much of a choice now do you?” he says spitefully as he starts to lean in. “I don’t trust
you to not cause me any trouble while I’m getting things ready for Josh’s arrival so it's time for you to go
nighty-night again.”
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I say suddenly. In addition to the fact that I really do need to pee, it’s the
only possible way I can think of to get him to untie me.
Jack regards me for a moment, his eyes narrowed and assessing. Just about the time I think he’s going to
give me the shot anyway, he lets out a sigh and sets the pressure syringe on the kitchen table.
“Okay, since I don’t like things messy, I’ll let you use the bathroom. But don’t take all day, I’m on a schedule
here.”
He starts to untie me, then surprises me by wrapping a length of the thin but strong rope around my throat
and tightening it just enough to make it a little difficult to breathe. I have to force myself not to panic as he
leans in close enough that his face is only inches away from me when he speaks.
“And Donna...if you try and pull something or give me a moment’s trouble, I’ll make you very, very sorry. Do
you understand?”
I’m already very, very sorry I ever met you, I want to scream at him, but I manage to hold it in and I instead I
nod numbly. That seems to satisfy him because he loosens the rope, finishes untying me and steps back.
“Now get to it,” he says jerking his head toward the bathroom.
Trying to get up off the couch turns out to be quite the feat. My hands and arms are asleep from being tied
under me for so long and my legs feel a bit shaky, I'm guessing from the drug he gave me earlier. It takes
all my energy and concentration just to shove myself off the couch and walk the 10 feet across the room to
the bathroom on very wobbly legs.
"Oh, and leave the door partway open," Jack instructs.
Closing the door as much as I think he'll let me, I quickly relieve my full bladder and study they bathroom for
anything I can use as a weapon. There's not much. Either he hasn't been here much or he already thought
that I might try this because there isn't so much as a can of hair spray or a razor in the small bathroom.
Somehow, I don't think the bottle of antibacterial hand soap or the single hand towel is going to help me
much.
On the plus side the toilet, the small stall shower and the bathroom window are actually behind the door so
even with the door halfway open he can't really see what I'm doing. Since I can't see any available
weapons, I study the bathroom for an escape route. The window is actually quite promising. It's surprisingly
large and appears to only be secured with a simple latch. It's also over the toilet so I could use the tank as
a stepping stool to climb through it. Could it really be that simple? Could he have been that careless?
When I look out of it, I see it's not nearly as great an option as I thought. Outside the window are dense
woods so there's no way I can signal someone or throw or drop something outside in hopes of it being
found. If I was to climb out, I have no idea what way I should go to find help or how far the woods extend. I'm
also wearing a skirt and mid-level heels. Not exactly the best thing to wear to go running through the woods
in. What I wouldn't give for a pair of sneakers and some sweatpants right about now.
My heart really sinks when I press my face to the window and look down. Even though the cabin we're in
only appears to be one floor, it's built into the side of a fairly steep hill and the bathroom window is on the
downhill side. Consequently, I estimate that the distance from the bathroom window to the ground is the
equivalent of a second story drop. And, unlike the movies, there's no handy tree for me to use to climb
down. The only thing in my favor is that the ground looks like it's soil covered in leaves and might give me
some cushioning...but not much.
"Hey, you almost done in there?!" Jack calls making me jump.
It's quickly apparent that the window is my only choice. If I survive the fall, maybe I can lose Jack in the
woods. If I don't survive the fall...well, that's just not an option.
"Yeah, I'm just finishing," I say flushing the toilet. The sound from it covers any noise I make from unlocking
the window. Trying to retain some semblance of modesty, I tie the front of my blouse into a knot. If I wasn't
fighting for my life I'd probably laugh at how ridiculous I look. Kind of a cross between Daisy Duke and a
secretary.
Moving quickly, I turn on the water in the sink as if I'm washing my hands and I use the sound of it to mask
me opening the window and climbing up onto the toilet tank. To keep from twisting my ankle when I fall, I slip
my shoes off and shove them into the back of my skirt, tucking them into my pantyhose to keep them in
place. I figure I can put them back on when I get down on the ground.
I swing my leg out over the window sill and try to focus on climbing out the window and not the fact that I'm
stepping out over nothing and how far I'm about to FALL.
It’s a tight fit, but somehow I manage to swing the other foot around so I’m sitting on the window ledge
facing out. Looking straight out instead of down, I sit there for a second trying to decide if this was such a
hot idea.
“WHAT THE HELL!!!” I hear Jack roar behind me.
With that, the decision is made and I shove myself out the window.
The sensation of falling is terrifying, but mercifully brief as I slam into the ground below and fall forward.
Pretty much every bone, joint and muscle in my body from the waist down protests at the sudden stop, but I
don’t hear any crunching or other sounds of something breaking which gives me hope. Because the house
is on a steep hill, I don’t just come to a stop but my momentum has me rolling down and away from the
house. When I get to the bottom of the hill and stop, I lay there stunned for half a second before my brain
kicks in and I force myself to get up. One of my shoes got lost somewhere along the way and so I toss the
other one away and start running in my stocking feet.
Well, it’s more of a limping jog than running. My legs still feel sluggish as if they won’t obey my commands
to run faster and shooting pains go through my right hip and ankle with every step I take, but I force myself
to keep going anyway.
It doesn’t help that the woods are thick here with low hanging branches and under growth and I have
literally no idea where I’m going. Although it’s a little hard to hear over the roaring in my head, I’m pretty
sure that I’m also not being exactly being stealthy as I crash through the underbrush. My one consuming
thought is that I have to keep moving.
Then, somewhere behind me, I hear other footsteps crashing through the woods behind me and Jack’s
voice filled with murderous rage that makes my blood run cold.
“DONNA!!!!” he screams.
Time takes on a weird quality and I have no concept of how long I’ve been running but it feels like forever.
Except for chasing Josh around the White House, I’m not one for working out much so I’m not exactly in the
best of shape. In addition to the pain in my hip and ankle, I now have a cramp in my side that is just this
side of excruciating, my feet are stinging painfully and I’m finding it hard to even draw a breath.
Even though he’s stopped screaming for me, I can still hear Jack behind me somewhere giving chase so I
know that I can’t let up and somehow I keep going. I try to focus on where I’m going and the fact that if I’m
caught it will make things worse for Josh later.
Pain shoots through my foot when my toe connects with a large tree root and then I’m falling forward with a
crashing thud. I only have time to turn over before I catch a flash of Jack’s dark form as he leaps on me like
some kind of animal, pinning me to the ground.
I try with all the strength I have left to fight him off and we roll around on the damp ground for a bit. When
we finally stop moving, he’s straddling me but my arms and legs are free and I strike at him any way I can.
“Stop it!” he orders me but I ignore him.
Then his hands are around my throat and he’s slowly squeezing and it’s hard to breathe.
“I SAID STOP IT!” he yells at me.
Fighting to breathe, I scratch frantically at his face and his hands to try and get him to let go. As his hands
begin to tighten, I’m quickly losing the battle to remain conscious and a greyish-black mist begins to seep
into my vision and things begin to shrink, almost like I’m looking through the wrong end of a telescope.
The fight ebbs out of me and I come to grips with the fact that I’m probably about to die. It’s an odd moment
and not as terrifying as I would have once thought. Not for me anyway. My fear is mostly for Josh as are all
my regrets about all the things we never got to do. But as for me, I’m so tired, I just want it to be over. I’ve
never given much thought to the next life but I hope with all my soul that there is one and that Josh and I will
find our way to each other there.
With idle detachment, I notice that a little drop of spittle has gathered at the corner of Jack’s mouth and the
image makes me want to laugh a little. I have no idea why. Maybe it’s the oxygen deprivation.
“I told you I would make you sorry,” Jack growls quietly.
I don’t even pretend to care about having a response to his statement. However, very dimly, my brain
reports that he has removed one of his hands from my throat and it’s a little easier to breathe...or in my
case, wheeze. Unfortunately, I’m too dazed to do much about it.
Still breathing hard himself, Jack looks down at me and I see rage and oddly...pity in his eyes.
“I want you to remember that you brought this on yourself,” he says almost sadly.
With that, he balls up his fist, rears back and then with lighting quickness, lets it fly back toward my face.
In the instant before he connects I close my eyes.
I feel a blinding pain and then...nothing.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
12.
Nobody will answer my damn questions. I hurried off the plane and ran for the vehicle I was directed to but
nobody inside it can or will answer my questions. I can feel my blood pressure rising, but my medication is
in my bag and I’m not going back for it. The bastard called me two more times during the flight. The first
time he just told me I was down to 8 hours and disconnected the call. The second time he put Donna on the
phone for a few seconds; just long enough for her to call my name before giving me the updated 6 hours
and 13 minutes timeline. Then there was that awful nightmare. I haven’t had a dream that disturbing
since…It’s been a long time.
I swear my heart skips a beat when my cell rings again. I shakily lift it to my face so I can see the caller ID;
Donna. I take a fortifying breath and answer.
“Josh Lyman.”
“How’s it feel to back in D.C.?” Son of a bitch, I just landed! From a military transport flight! What the hell?!
“Put Donna on the phone.” I demand.
“Sorry, Donna hasn’t been behaving. She had to be punished and I’m afraid that includes loss of her
telephone privileges.”
“If you so much as touched her…”
“Oh, I’ve touched her Lyman. Maybe not as often as you, but I’ve touched her.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m sure they’re taking you to the White House now, but you better explain to them you don’t have that kind
of time…or at least, Donna doesn’t have that kind of time.”
“Tell me where to go.”
“That’ll be your next call. Be ready to move, on your own. If you bring the Cavalry, I’ll find out about it and I’ll
kill her on the spot. Four hours and 38 minutes, Lyman.”
“Tell me where? I’ll come now.” I offer but there’s only silence now.
“Mr. Lyman? We’re here.” My driver announces and my usual entourage of Secret Service agents escorts
me into the building. Just inside the doors is a face I’m thrilled to see; Mike Casper.
“What do you know, Michael?”
“Precious little.” He admits. “Secret Service has an agent down on this one so it’s their op but they’re
sharing information at the moment in exchange for assistance. You okay?”
“What do you think?” I snap.
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” He thumps me on the shoulder which is about all the physical support men
are allowed to give other men and we walk quickly together toward the Oval. “Ron Butterfield is running this
personally. The hit on Donna’s vehicle here was impressive.”
“Impressive?!” I repeat incredulously.
“I mean, that taking a subject from a four man Secret Service team is a formidable task. It looks like it was
some kind of military op.” Mike explains.
“A subject?”
“Josh, this is how we get the job done, okay? We analyze the evidence objectively. That’s how we get
Donna back.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I sigh and bust right into the Oval without so much as a nod at Debbie Fidderer.
“Josh…” The President stands up and crosses over to me quickly.
“Tell me we know something. Tell me some of the world’s best trained agents are right now, at this moment,
taking Donna from that…”
“Hold on.” The President interrupts me. “You don’t look so good, Josh. Sit down a minute.”
“Due respect sir, if it were Abby this guy had, how would you feel?”
“I hear you.” But I see him nod at somebody by the door and they slip out quickly. “They’ve been able to
trace the call to a cell tower area here.” The President indicates an area on a map spread out on his sitting
area table.
“Then they’re out searching the area now?” I feel a little hope for the first time in hours.
“It’s a 35 square mile area, Josh. It’s going to take lots of time and lots of manpower.” He tells me.
“How much time, sir? Cause that bastard just told me she’s got 4 hours and thirty some minutes now.” I
stress.
“He’s not going to hurt her now, Mr. Lyman.” Ron’s voice reaches me from the opposite side of the room.
“He’s determined to get you to his location and he can’t do that if Ms. Moss is incapacitated or dead.”
“That really isn’t reassuring, Ron.”
“It should be.” Mike interjects. “This is based on years of profiling, Josh. He knows what he’s talking about.
This guy can’t lure you to him without Donna and he’s going to know that you’ll demand to hear her voice,
see her face, before you do anything he says.”
“He said she wasn’t behaving. That she had to be punished and she lost her phone privileges.” I repeat
what I just heard.
“We know.” Ron nodded. Of course he knows. Everybody and their brother is listening in on these calls by
now. “But when push comes to shove he’s going to let you talk to her because he can’t get what he wants
any other way. You’re going to refuse to do anything else he asks if you don’t talk to Ms. Moss at regular
intervals.”
“The hell I am.” I scoff. “If that guy asks me to rob the Federal Reserve and get him out of town on the
space shuttle, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
“Josh?” Shit. Dr. Bartlet is here. “We’re going to quickly check your blood pressure.”
Notice how she didn’t ask my permission?
“Have you been taking your medication?”
“Not since we left Mexico, Ma’am.” I admit and she gives me a dirty look.
“Why don’t we rectify that now?”
“I would except the pills are in my suitcase and I left that on the plane.” I explain.
“I’m sure we can get some here for you in no time. I’ll take care of it.” She gives a regal nod to one of her
agents who takes off in search of my pills no doubt, while she takes my blood pressure and clucks her
tongue at the numbers while the conversation swirls around us.
“Agent Butterfield? We have confirmation.” One of his men announces.
“Confirmation on what?” I ask.
“Voice ID.” Ron states. “Don’t keep us in suspense, Williams.”
“Jack Reese, sir.”
I stand up involuntarily and Abby gently pushes me back down. “Jesus…”
The implications are mind boggling. I look over at Mike and see that he is not as shocked as I would expect
him to be. “You knew?”
“Suspected.” Mike corrects. “Nobody could put a location him since he was dishonorably discharged and
from the military look of the kidnap to the personal tidbits he dropped…”
“What damn personal tidbits?”
“He mentioned your crappy watch in one conversation; he’d have to know you and Donna pretty well to
reference that.” Mike ticks off the points. “Calls Donna, Donnatella in another. He makes a point of telling
you he’s touched her. It’s personal for him; his connection to you and to Donna.”
I feel sick. I must look it because Dr. Bartlet moves a trash can next to me. “Then he’s not looking to make a
deal; with me or the President.” I state.
“No.” Ron agrees.
“He’s going to kill her?” I ask, afraid of the answer. I’m perfectly okay with him lying to me at the moment.
“He’s going to try.” Ron levels with me. “And it won’t be just her. He sees you as an integral part of this
equation. He wants you both.”
“Great.” I laugh a little hysterically.
“In a way it is.” Mike tells me. “He can’t make a move to hurt her until he has you. That buys us both time
and leverage.”
“Right.” I roll my eyes.
“Ma’am.” An agent brings my bag in. I have no earthly idea how it got here so quickly unless it was already
on its way here. It hardly matters now. Nothing in any of those vials is going to bring my blood pressure
down to normal. I say as much to Dr. Bartlet.
“It’s going to prevent you from having a stroke or a heart attack though.” She points out. I guess that’s why
she’s got the medical degree. She hands me pills and water and I dutifully take them.
“He’s going to call again very soon, Mr. Lyman. We need you to be ready with a plan.”
“My plan, as I’ve already told you, is to do whatever the hell he wants until I see Donna again.” I reiterate.
“Josh.” The President sits down next to me. “You need to do exactly what Ron and his team tell you to do
now. That’s our best chance of getting Donna back unharmed.”
At that moment the door to the Chief of Staff’s office bursts open and I see Leo looking pale and shaken.
Maybe he should have some of my pills.
“It’s gonna be okay, Josh. Donna’s going to be okay.” He tells me with steel in his eyes. I think if he were 20
years younger he’d be suiting up for this one. He’s thinking he and the President sent me to Mexico during
all this and that’s adding a few layers of guilt.
“First things first, Mr. McGarry.” Ron interrupts the silent communication happening between us. “He’s
going to try to separate you from your detail and from anything that might help us track you.” Ron tells me.
“We can’t allow that.”
“Which means what?”
“We need to place some tracking devices on you so that even if we’re separated we’ll be able to follow
you.” Mike explains.
“What does that mean; place tracking devices on me?”
“We’re going to attach several small, dime size GPS trackers on you and your accessories; your watch,
your clothing, etc.” Ron clarifies and holds out his hand for one of his agents to pass him these tracking
devices. They are small; tiny really, but still easily seen if you’re looking for them and I have to assume Jack
will be looking for them.
Mike starts giving me the run down on the phone call that’s coming while Ron and his friends start ‘placing
the tracking devices’ which involves various stages of undress which apparently Abby Bartlet doesn’t feel
the need to leave for.
“First, you need to keep him on the line as long as possible.” Mike instructs me. “Keep asking him
questions; questions that will piss him off enough to stay on the line and fight with you.”
“Any suggestions on how to do that?” I ask.
“Should be a piece of cake for someone with your talents and skills.” He quips. “Make it personal, Josh.” He
advised in a low voice. “What gets guys the most? Ego. Attack his ego personally and professionally.”
“That I can handle.” I reply.
“I thought so.” Mike nods. “Cooperate as much as you can without giving him what he actually wants.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“If he wants to meet you somewhere, agree, but you pick the place. If he wants you on a train, you agree,
but…”
“I pick the train?” I guess.
“Not quite.” Mike drawls. “You want assurances that Donna is okay before you get in or on anything that
moves you closer to him. You need to hear her voice. Hell it’s the age of the Internet. Make him put her on
a videocam. That’s going to help ensure her continued good health and safety. Listen to me, Josh.” He
waits until I make eye contact with him which I do even though some strange guy literally has his hands
places I’m not comfortable with. “You can NOT give in on this point. You MUST refuse to do anything he
asks until you talk to or see Donna.”
“Yeah.”
“Every move needs to be on quid pro quo basis.” Ron picks up the speech. “He wants something from you,
you get something from him; every step of the way. The first thing he’s going to ask you to do is blow off
your detail and come alone.”
“Okay.”
“No, Josh, not okay.” Mike sighs.
“He said he’ll know if I bring anyone with me and if I do he’s going to kill her. I’ll go alone and you can track
me with all this…stuff.” I state.
“We’ll make sure we don’t do anything to endanger Ms. Moss, but you will have company on whatever trip
he has planned for you.” Ron states a little more forcefully than I did.
“Starting with me.” Mike informs me and I turn a look on him. “This is what I do. You think I’m going to sit on
the sidelines while you deal with this alone?”
“You’re going to let him bigfoot you on your operation, Agent Butterfield?” I ask.
“Agent Casper and I have come to mutually beneficial agreement.” Ron says seriously.
“Well I would have loved to have heard that conversation.” I note.
“I’ll re-enact it for you later.” Mike smirks. “Last but not least, if any of us, and I’m including Dr. Bartlet here,
if any of us tell you to get down, you hit the dirt like your life depends on it…because it probably will.”
“I feel much better now, Mike, thanks.” I snap.
“You don’t want to feel better now. You want to be on edge. It makes the adrenaline flow and increases
your reaction time to unforeseen events.”
“Now I’m really feeling ill.” I reply. “Tell me there aren’t going to be any unforeseen events.”
“There aren’t going to be any unforeseen events.” He replies with a straight face, but I know he’s lying to
me. He has to teach me how he does that someday. Sure, I can bullshit in political situations, but in real
life? Not so much.
“Josh, every possible resource is going to be at the disposal of you and these teams.” President Bartlet
assures me.
I’m about to respond when my cell rings again. Showtime.
“Josh Lyman.”
“How’s the President?” He asks.
“Getting his pen ready to sign your execution order, Jack.” I spit out.
“Those idiots at Treasury finally figured it out, huh?” Reese laughs. “Good for them. It took them long
enough.”
“They won’t take nearly as long to take you out.”
“They’re going to need to be very careful with their aim. I’m the only one on the planet who knows where
Donnatella Moss is. If something bad happens to me, she dies a slow painful death, all alone in the dark.”
I clamp down on my urge to threaten him and instead remember what Mike told me. Attack the ego. I send a
look at the room of people who are listening in on this call and go to work.
“I don’t think they’re going to have any trouble having Donna tucked safely into her bed by nightfall. They’
re really not so impressed with your moves so far.”
“Is that why I have Donna with me and one of their agents is dead?” He taunts.
“Anybody can get lucky and you’ve been gearing up for that move for what, months?” I laugh. “When you
have to make spur of the moment decisions and react instantaneously, you’re going to choke.”
“It’ll be Donna that’s gonna choke, Lyman, and if you’re lucky you’ll get to watch first before I put a bullet in
your head.” His volume has increased and his breathing sounds heavier. I try to think of this like a political
play. Reese has got tells just like any other opponent I’ve come up against. Tweaking his ego seems to
work too; thanks Mike.
“I’m in the White House surrounded by the best trained protection detail in the world. You don’t have those
kinds of skills, Jack. If you turn yourself in now, the President might be willing to consider taking the death
sentence off the table.”
“Fuck you!” Reese shouts. “And I don’t need to get to you at the White House because you’re going to
come to me, Lyman, hear me? You’re going to come to me!”
“What kind of drugs are you on that you can imagine a situation where I’d come to you, Jack?” I laugh
again. “Is that why you got booted from your sad, sad assignment in Italy?”
“I was only in Italy because you and your whore set me up!” He’s really losing it now. Well, I guess
technically you could say we already had ample evidence that he lost it some time ago.
“You were in Italy because you couldn’t cut it at the White House. You shouldn’t feel bad about that, Jack. A
lot of people don’t make the cut.” I offer.
“Shut the hell up.” He shouts and seems to re-group a bit. “You’re going to do what *I* say now, Lyman. I’m
in charge. And to show you that you don’t get to talk to me like that anymore, there’s going to have to be
consequences.”
My hand tightens on the phone. We didn’t discuss consequences when we prepped for this call. I whirl
around so I’m looking straight at Ron. He makes this calm down gesture with his hands.
“Walk out the main gates right now. Take a right on the sidewalk. Go 8 blocks until you get to 23 rd street.
Turn left. There’s a blue Mazda parked there. The keys are in the glove compartment.”
“You left the keys to a car in the glove compartment in D.C.? There’s no way the car is still there.” I scoff.
“The doors are locked.” He shoots back.
“Then how the hell am I supposed to get in?”
“Break a window. Or don’t the delicate gentlemen from Westport know how to do stuff like that?”
“What am I supposed to do once I’m in the car, Jack?”
“Start driving toward Virginia. I’ll call you with further instructions once the car is moving. Oh and leave your
phone in the Oval. You won’t be needing it any longer.”
“If I leave my cell here, how are you going to call me with further instructions?”
“I’ll take care of that.” Reese assures me. “Just do what I say and do it now. Don’t bring anyone or anything
with you. You fail to follow these directions and you never get to see Donna alive again.” My blood runs
cold but I remember what Ron and Mike said; quid pro quo.
“How do I know you haven’t killed her already?” I ask. “I’m not going anywhere until I speak to her.”
“That’s not an option right now.”
“Then I don’t move an inch and your little plan of retribution goes down the toilet. Put her on the phone or
we’re done with this conversation.”
There’s a long pause and I think maybe I’ve pushed him too far.
“Josh?” Her voice is shaking and sounds…off but it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
“I’m here, Donna. Hang on. I’m coming.”
“Josh, don’t…” She starts to warn me off but then there’s a scuffle and I can hear her crying as the phone
gets yanked away from her.
“You’d better get moving, because part of your consequences are that I just shaved off some of your
allotted time. She now has just 3 hours and 30 minutes to live.”
“Hold on!” I shout. “Just wait a second.”
“The clock is ticking on your crappy watch, Joshua.” He says in a sickening imitation of Donna. “You’d
better move your ass.”
“Jack, wait.” I insist.
“Oh and the other part of your consequences?” Jack says and there’s another pause before I hear a loud
thumping noise followed by Donna’s scream and then sobs. I nearly drop the phone. “I don’t care what
those highly trained agents told you Lyman. You’re not in charge here; I am.” The line goes dead and my
knees go weak.
“Let’s go, Josh.” Mike tells me and I look at him like he’s nuts. “We’ve got to move now. Donna’s depending
on us.”
“You can’t go with me.”
“I can and I will.” Mike insists. “Trust me. Let’s go.”
I decide to trust the man because I really don’t have much of a choice and I barely remember to drop my
phone before we take off at a jog.
The blue Mazda is right where Reese said it would be. I look at Mike for direction on how to break into the
vehicle. He takes out his weapon and takes off his jacket to wrap around the gun. A couple quick hits
shatters the passenger side window enough that he can reach through and unlock the door, then retrieve
the keys from the glove compartment. He tosses them to me and hits the automatic locks. I keep looking
around nervously as we get in and slowly pull the car out onto the street. I can’t believe we haven’t been
arrested yet. Did Ron put a call out to the DC police?
I maneuver us out into traffic and do what I was told to do; head for Virginia. Immediately a phone starts to
ring. I follow the sound and reach under my seat to pull out a small cell phone.
“Yeah?”
“So far, so good.” Reese tells me. “Looks like it’s true what they say about politicians; they’re all just really
crooks at heart.”
“Where am I driving, Jack?”
“Under your seat is a GPS device. Plug it into your cigarette lighter.”
“Hold on.” I hand Mike the phone and search for the GPS while I try to avoid killing us in D.C. traffic. I get it
plugged in and grab the phone back. “Done. Now what?”
“Hit the button for locations, then the location marked Donna.” He instructs me and I do as he tells me. I’m
told to follow the highlighted route. Mike takes it from me and tries to find the ending location but it appears
to be locked now with a blank screen so we only get the verbal directions as we need them. We share a
look of disappointment. Then it announces the ETA; 2 hours and 8 minutes.
“Hey! This thing says this little trip is going to take over two hours.” I complain.
“Yeah…I’d drive fast.” He chuckles. “Donna is waiting for you. I’ll try to keep her entertained until you arrive.
I’m sure I can find something for us to do while we wait.” He hangs up.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I’m really worried about Josh. This kind of stress could put anyone over the edge but he’s got health issues
that complicate things and we still have another 60 minutes before we reach our destination…wherever the
hell that is. I offered to drive about an hour ago and he almost took my head off. We’ve been maintaining
silence since then.
I open my cell phone to call into Butterfield. “We’re an hour out according to the GPS, you got any possible
locations for us?”
“We’re about 20 minutes behind you but there’s still too much ground to cover to whittle down possible
locations.” Ron reports.
The cell phone Jack left for us rings and I quickly hang up mine. Josh puts it on speaker.
“I’m driving as fast as I can.” He answers.
“You’re going to need to pull over now and stop the car.” Reese tells him.
“Why?” Josh asks suspiciously.
“So you can let your F.B.I. friend out of the car.” Jack chuckles. Fuck. “I let you have company for over half
the trip. You’re going to have to make the last leg on your own.”
I motion for Josh to pull over. We’ve still got the tracking devices and the rest of the team is only 30 minutes
behind us. We can’t take a risk this close to Donna.
I open the car door and give him one final warning, “Be careful.”
He nods and pulls away.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I should be scared out of my mind right now but the closer I get to Donna, the calmer I feel. Somehow, I
think that if I can just reach Donna, everything else will be okay.
I make the rest of the drive in 46 minutes since I’m breaking every speed limit in the land and finally pull into
a turn road that leads to a dilapidated cabin. The cell phone remains silent so I turn off the car and slowly
exit the vehicle. That’s when I hear him.
“Keep your hands where I can see them and walk slowly towards the door.” He calls out from inside the
cabin.
I do what he says and when I get to the door he tells me to open it and walk inside. I see her the minute I
cross over the threshold and I start to run to her but Jack’s order stops me in my tracks. “Stop or she’s
dead.” Donna’s eyes go wide in panic. Her mouth is gagged and her arms and legs are bound. He’s hit her;
repeatedly. I can see the bruises and some dried blood on her face. I swear on my father’s grave Reese is
going to pay for that.
“Now strip.” Jack orders. I look at him incredulously. “There’s a sweat suit on the table next to you. Take off
your clothes and put the sweat suit on. Then we’ll be ready for our road trip.” He announces.
“Take the gag off first.” I demand but he doesn’t move a muscle. “Take it off. I want to hear her say she’s
okay.” I keep eye contact with Donna.
“No.” He refuses so I simply sit down on the floor. I know help isn’t too far behind me. I’m content to wait him
out. Apparently, that thought has occurred to him too. He walks slowly toward Donna, keeping the gun on
me and yanks the gag out of her mouth.
“I’m okay.” She says shakily.
“Now strip or she won’t be okay much longer.” He turns the gun on her and points it directly at her ear. She’
s trembling, but she nods at me to go ahead. I toss my suit on the floor and change into the lovely sweat
suit I’ve been provided with.
“We really need to talk about where you do your shopping, Jack.” I tell him. “Surely someone who’s lived in
Italy should know better than to buy such inferior clothing.”
“You’re going to be buried in it, Lyman, so learn to live with it.” Jack sneers. “If only you could live through
this. Then maybe you could do something about how damn easy it is to sneak in this country illegally. The
Bartlet administration has really fallen down on that whole thing. Now come get your beloved ASSISTANT,
who you have no problem whoring out for political purposes and carry her out to the car in back.” He tells
me. I ignore his commentary and gladly take Donna carefully in my arms.
“It’s going to be okay, Donna.” I tell her quietly. “I’m going to protect you.”
“It’s another lie, Donna.” Jack laughs. “You aren’t going to be alive much longer to listen to them though, so
there’s some mercy in that.”
“I love you.” I refuse to acknowledge Jack’s presence and concentrate on Donna. Tears are running quickly
down her face.
“How touching.” Jack says sarcastically. “Put her in the back seat, then get in the driver’s seat. I have a nice
quiet spot for us to conclude our business all picked out.”
I gently place her in the backseat and fasten a seatbelt around her. I know it seems ridiculous when a
lunatic is pointing a gun at our heads, but it’s the only way I can keep her safe at the moment. I kiss her
forehead and get behind the wheel. “Where to now, Jack?”
“We’re going out the back way to avoid our Federal friends. Turn right at the end of the dirt road. I hope
you got some sleep on the plane because we have bit of a drive ahead of us yet.”