"How about our exclusion from the debates. Let's try that."

"So, what do we do? Film chicken coops and say they're too chicken to debate us?"

"I want two volunteers. I want them in giant chicken suits. I want them in my office first thing in the morning."
~~~~~

"CJ wants to know why I didn't teach you not to engage chickens in fights on national television," Josh said with a laugh when Donna answered her phone.

"Oh god," she groaned. "It was reflex! I can't believe you pulled such a stunt."

"Hey, I'm doing everything I can to get my guy into the debate. If a chicken is what it takes, I'm gonna do it. I can't help it you were fool enough to fall for it."

"Josh! Stop laughing. It was embarrassing!"

"Donna, you engaged a chicken in a chicken fight! You think I'm not gonna laugh?"

"I think you're going to want sex again at some point and that it might not be wise for you to laugh so much about this," she retorted.

He immediately bit back his next joke. "Ahkay."

"Thank you."

There was a moment of silence as Josh wondered if now was a good time to mention that he'd talked with Amy. Deciding that sooner was better than later, he hesitantly said, "So… Santos hired Amy."

"I hope he knows she's been consulting with all the candidates and not just him," she said. He immediately noticed the change in her tone. It was a small change, from scolding to something else that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Not angry, but not entirely happy either.

"Yeah, he knows. Said that's why he wanted to hire her." He paused. "It doesn't bother you?"

"What do you mean?"

"That she's here, consulting for Santos."

"No. Why should it? That material is just as available to us as it is to you. Besides, you think Bob Russell doesn't already have a dozen different consultants on the issues?"

"No, not that Amy's… That's she's here and that I've been talking to her," he corrected. If she was going to get upset about the situation, he wanted to know up front.

He heard her laugh and his forehead crinkled in confusion.

"You mean while I'm not there to mark my territory?" Donna asked.

"Uh… yes?" She was still laughing and Josh's confusion grew. If the situations were reversed, he'd be ready to hop on the next plane and make sure every man within a fifty mile radius of Donna knew that she was his.

"She's not the devil, coming to tempt you away for nefarious purposes, Josh," Donna said. "She's a consultant. A very smart, very driven consultant. One who might actually be able to help pull Matt Santos' numbers out of the gutter."

"Hey. I thought we agreed to not make digs at each other's candidates?"

"We did. That was just a little payback for the chicken thing."

Josh could hear the smile in her voice, and he grimaced. "Fine, I get it. But the thing with Amy. You're really ok with it?"

"Are you having sex with her?" Her tone remained light and playful and he relaxed just a little bit.

"Well, there was a thing with some ice cream and duct tape," he started leadingly, before wondering if teasing her about it was wise. His thing with Amy was long over, and Donna knew that, but joking about it probably wasn't the greatest idea. Her sigh seemed to confirm that.

"Josh, are you jealous when Will Bailey asks me to dinner?"

He sat up straighter and glared at the phone. "Hell yes!"

He could imagine the way her face was scrunching up. "Ok, maybe that wasn't the best example. The thing is… Washington is a small place. We're bound to run into our exes every once and a while. We might even have to work with them occasionally.

And Amy's good at what she does." She paused for a moment and then added, "I trust you. So no, it doesn't bother me."

Josh immediately felt chastised. "Ok. Although if you have something you need to tell me about Will…"

She laughed again, then patiently explained, "We're friends. And just about the only full-time campaign workers over thirty."

"Ok." He paused. "You know it works both ways, right? I trust you, too."

"I know. Which is why I didn't hesitate to mention Will or dinner."

"I wish I could be the one taking you to some crappy Italian place for overcooked pasta and really bad Alfredo sauce."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "I know that, too."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"Goodnight, Josh."

"Goodnight, Donnatella. I'll see you soon."

"Soon." And then she hung up, leaving him staring at the phone and wishing they weren't quite so far away each other.
~~~~~

"Does it bother you that someone's stealing your stuff? Does that trouble you at all?"

"It doesn't."

"It would. You're not a good sharer. The only way it doesn't bother you is if you handed it to him yourself."
~~~~~

"The White House is no fun anymore," Josh complained when Donna finally found him sitting at a table in the corner. The party was still in full swing, but Josh was sitting here alone, two empty beer bottles in front of him and a glass of amber liquid in his hand. Setting her own glass of wine down, Donna slid into a seat next to him. "No one had time for me, except Debbie who told me all about her back pain and how she was treating it. And Margaret! She's turned into some sort of pregnant Attila the Hun… I wonder if that's CJ's fault. The, ya know, Hun thing, not the pregnancy thing because I think that would be physically impossible. And Calley's getting vetted to take my job."

She looked at him with worried eyes. She'd heard the rumors, but had been hesitant to believe them. Josh's present forlorn condition told her that they probably weren't all that wrong.

Laying her hand against his bruised jaw, she turned his face towards her. "What happened with Toby, Josh?" she asked gently.

He jerked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Josh…"

Glaring at her, he took a hefty sip of his scotch. "What happened with Toby? You mean the bastard who leaked information from Governor Jed Bartlet's original health care plan to an upstart Senator? That Toby?"

She frowned. Was that what they'd fought about? But Toby wasn't… He couldn't be. Not Toby. He was too idealistic, too moral, too…

Too disillusioned, she realized, as she belatedly recalled what CJ had told her about David. And too hurt that both his brothers had deserted him in a time of need.

And now Josh was hurting too, feeling betrayed by the man he had considered part of his family. "Oh, Josh."

"I don't want to talk about it," he repeated, taking another drink, and focusing his gaze on the glass.

She resisted the urge to snatch the glass out of his hand. Just because he was acting like a child didn't mean she should treat him like one. Besides, it looked like he could use some compassion and understanding right now. "You can't just ignore it."

He turned to glare at her. "Why not?"

"Because ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away. I thought we both learned that the hard way," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder in silent comfort. He shrugged it away.

"Yeah, well… he started it," Josh grumbled stubbornly, returning his attention to his drink. "He's gonna have to apologize to me first."

She sighed and leaned against him, refusing to be pushed away again. "He's hurting, Josh. And still grieving. Maybe he was just striking out because of that."

"You're defending him?"

"I’m trying to understand why he might have acted the way he did."

"Because he's a self-centered, petty son of a bitch," Josh growled, downing some more of his drink.

"Josh. You know he's not."

"He is, Donnatella. Always has been. And now that we're not here anymore, he's selling us out."

She flinched at the word 'us.' She and Josh weren't a political team anymore. The Rafferty thing hadn't changed that. But she pushed the thought from her head. Right now, she needed to concentrate on Josh and how he was hurting. "He made a bad call, I'll grant you that. But Josh, you might have done the same thing in his position."

He took a moment to mull that over. "Maybe."

"I'm sure the situation with David has been hard on him. Try to understand."

"Yeah." Josh took another sip. "You know, it's not just Toby who's having a hard time. Santos is doing poorly in the polls. We're hemorrhaging money. The White House is leaking information. And I can't get a damn person in this place to even /talk/ to me. And without that kind of support, I don't know if I can do this," he muttered.

She frowned. "Josh, you shouldn't be telling me any of this."

His head remained bowed. "Have to. There's no one else, Donna. You're the only one who listens, the only one who understands."

"Still… I work for Russell, Josh. And you know I won't share any information you might share, but it's not right. You can't –"

He finally turned to look at her. Weariness radiated from every fiber of his being. "I know. I'm sorry."

Her heart nearly broke. This isn't how it was supposed to be. They were a family – her, Josh, Toby, CJ. They weren't supposed to be fighting. They weren't supposed to be keeping secrets and pledging allegiances to other people. They weren't supposed to be so alone.

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Josh said suddenly.

She blinked at him. "I don't think that's such a good idea right now."

He gazed at her blearily. "Why not?"

"Because you're about half a glass away from dead drunk and I think both of you are too raw right now to deal with this rationally," Donna said, taking Josh's glass and setting it firmly on the table. "C'mon. We're going home."

"But… I should talk to Toby. Soon. So he doesn't think I'm still mad," Josh insisted.

"You will. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow I'll be in Chicago. Or is it Cincinnati?"

"Probably Chicago," she said, standing and taking his hand to pull him from his seat. "And you can call him. But I don't think it's wise that you talk to him tonight."

"But Donna –"

"No buts. I'm taking you home and putting you to bed. Tomorrow you'll call Toby and apologize."

"'K." He was a little unsteady on his feet, but Donna managed to get him out the door and onto the Portico with a minimum of problems. "Donna?"

"Yes?"

"Don't… Even if I screw up again, or have another fight with Toby. Don't leave me, ok? Please?"

She hugged him close to her. "I won't, Josh. I promise."
~~~~~

"This is lose-lose. As long as you stay, Haffley won't call the vote. As soon as you leave he will. There's no way to change that."

"There is one way. If you'd just hear me out.... But I am going to need you to iron out some crucial details with Cliff."
~~~~~

"Cliff asked me to dinner."

Josh took a step further into Donna's office and fingered the strap on his backpack. "Are you going?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that the thing in Hartford is back on, I'm going to have to cancel our plans for tonight, and that I won't see you again until Cleveland."

Her head jerked up in surprise. "You're canceling?"

"There's a… plan… in place so that we can get the vote called. I'm going up to Connecticut to act as decoy."

"Oh."

He couldn't tell if she was disappointed or merely curious, so he cocked his head and asked, "Thinking you might want to trade me in for the new Deputy Chief of Staff? He's a Republican; you like those."

"I like the over-worked, over-stressed Democrat I've got. Even if he is canceling on me tonight. Because he's going to make it up to me in Cleveland, with peach candy and a bubble bath," Donna said with a smile.

He returned her smile, as he felt some of the tension in his shoulders fade away. "Yeah?"

"Yes." Her face lit up in a toothy grin. "I've got a weakness for tall men with receding hairlines, killer dimples, and argumentative natures."

Josh snorted back a small laugh. Only Donna could enumerate his failings and compliment him at the same time. "Seriously, what'd you tell Calley?"

"I told him I'd talk to him after Super Tuesday. I figured now wasn't the time to bring up our relationship and start a pissing match between you two."

"Too late," Josh informed her with a half-smile. "We already had one over who has rights to my old office."

"Who won?"

"The jury's still out on that one."

"It wasn't at all determined by the fact that he's the one working there and you're not?"

"Nah. Once you get a White House office, it's yours for life."

"I'll remember that."

"You should. It's an important yet little known fact. White House tour guides should be mentioning that to all the visitors."

Donna laughed. "And what is it with everyone asking me to dinner during this campaign anyway? It's like my name and number are up on a bathroom wall somewhere," she grumbled.

"You caught me. I've penciled it in on every bathroom wall between here and Los Angeles," Josh quipped.

"Funny man," she replied. "I think I'm at least deserving of ink."

"I'll remember that the next time I'm defacing public property on your behalf." Glancing quickly at his watch, he realized he had to leave now if he was going to make his flight. Leaning over the desk, he kissed her. It was meant to be a short goodbye kiss, but as was often the case with Donna, it turned into something slow and lingering. Reluctantly, he pulled back. "I need to go." He kissed her again, swiftly this time. "I'll call you when I get in."

Offering him a small smile, she nodded. "Ok."

"Cleveland. We have a date in Cleveland," he promised her as he slapped the doorframe on his way out. He heard her call out a reminder about the peach things and he chuckled. Five days was going to feel like forever, but it would be worth it.
~~~~~

"You're Russell's chicken fighter?"

"Donna Moss, pleased to meet you."
~~~~~

“Does Matt Santos know about us?” Donna asked as soon as Josh picked up his phone.

"No?"

"Will he be upset when he finds out?"

"No. Maybe? I don't know." She could picture his forehead crinkling in confusion and she felt a moment of guilt for calling him so early in the morning. "I don't think he cares much about my love life," Josh added.

"So you're saying he hasn't noticed the smirk or the self-satisfied swagger on those days when we're in the same city?" she asked, ignoring the look the girl behind the bakery counter was giving her.

"Oh, he's noticed. I just don't think he wonders about it much beyond being amazed that any woman in her right mind would be willing to sleep with me."

Shifting the phone to her other ear, she nodded her thanks to the girl, grabbed the box of doughnuts from the counter, and headed out. "It's a chore, but I endure it."

"I noticed. That three orgasm per night average must be hard on you," he commented dryly.

"Horrendous, really." She crossed the street and headed back towards the OEOB.

"Why all the questions about Matt Santos?"

"We sort of met by accident last night."

"How exactly do you meet a Congressman 'by accident'?"

"He sat on me," Donna said plainly.

"He /sat/ on you? How the hell --"

"I fell asleep on the sofa in Russell's office, he came in because of the vote thing, it was dark, he sat on me."

"You know, Donna, I remember many a lecture about sleeping at the office and how bad it was for me. Am I going to have to give those lectures myself?"

"I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was catching up on some memos and I didn't want to head home to an empty bed…" She paused then continued, "Falling asleep at the office was not my intention."

Josh seemed to be absorbing that little bit of information. She was about to ask what he was thinking when he finally said, "So, what did you think?"

"About Santos?"

"Yeah."

"He's a good man. Idealistic, passionate, determined."

"So you liked him?"

"I liked his conviction," she corrected. "He really wants this stem cell bill passed, and he's willing to do what it takes to make sure it gets done."

"You like him," Josh crowed.

Even though he couldn't see her, she made a face into the phone. "Yes, I like him," she admitted grudgingly.

"Then leave Bob Russell and come work for Santos. Help me make sure he gets the nomination."

He sounded eager and excited and Donna hated to crush his exuberance. "I can't. Not now, Josh. We've gone over this."

"Because you're convinced you can't grow if you worked for him? For me?"

"Partly. Josh… I left because I needed to do things on my own, separate from you. I needed to learn how to get things done by myself. And I'm doing that with Russell. If I came and worked for Santos – maybe I wouldn't be your assistant, Josh, but I'd still be seen that way. I'd always be stuck in the position of aide," she explained with a small sigh. "I need more than that."

"I still don't like it."

" I know you don't. But thank you, for letting me do this on my terms."

"Yeah." He sounded resigned. "Hey, have they set the schedule for today yet?"

"Not yet. I'm just getting back with some doughnuts. A dozen members of Congress camped out in a cramped office all night? They're going to need sustenance."

"Yeah. Call me when they set the agenda. Let me know what happens."

"Ok. I'll talk to you later."

"Ok. Bye."

She clicked the phone shut and tucked it back into her pocket, then headed inside. It was going to be a long day.
~~~~~

"I love what I'm doing master of all tasks... I just wondered if I might be more useful doing something more specific... I've learned these issues clockwise and sidewise..."

"Can I have a pool over here please? Donna Moss has a statement."
~~~~~

Josh hung back when everyone else left to continue the celebration in the hotel bar. It wasn't because he wasn't thrilled by the win in California -- he was. But there was that voice in the back of his head, the one that kept telling him it was a hollow victory. Sure it was great, /if/ they could keep the momentum, /if/ they managed to win Texas, /if/ they raised more funds, if… there were too many if's to count.

Then there was the thing with Hoynes. John Hoynes wasn't a bad man, or even a bad candidate. It was just that he kept fucking up. And he lacked that crucial, intangible thing that made him 'the one.' Josh had known it nine years ago when he'd defected to Bartlet's campaign, had known it again when he'd turned down Hoynes' job offer this time around.

So he should have been glad that Hoynes had been knocked out of the race. Especially when it hadn't required any effort on his part.

Except that Donna'd been the one to break the story.

Donna. She'd been perfect during that press briefing – poised, confident, intelligent -- everything Josh already knew she was. And now everyone else could see those qualities too, as she spun rhetoric for Bingo Bob's lackluster campaign and made it sparkle with wit and interest.

Josh was proud of her, proud that she was doing something more, proud that she was growing and fulfilling her potential. But as his mind continued to manically enumerate all the /if/s, he couldn't be completely happy for her.

She was the face of Russell's campaign now. On the record. He couldn’t continue trying to woo her to Santos' campaign and she couldn't join it, even if she suddenly decided that was what she wanted. It pained him to realize that.

Four – hopefully eight -- years in the White House (if he managed to pull off a miracle) and she wouldn't be there to share it with him. Sure, she'd be with him at home, but it wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't be sharing the daily grind with him, wouldn't be there to inspire him and remind him of what was important. And eventually, she'd get tired of his long, impossible hours, would resent the fact that he was never home, and then she wouldn't even be there.

The realization was devastating to Josh, and he slumped against the hallway wall, waiting for the suddenly nauseous feeling he had to pass.

When it did, he was lit with an inner fire. Maybe there was nothing he could do for the campaign. Maybe he couldn't prevent Donna from leaving him. But he could horde the time he had with her now. Bank it for when she wouldn't be there anymore, so he would at least have something to look back on.

The ride across town to the Marriott wasn't long, but Josh was bristling with impatience by the time the cab pulled up. Flicking off a few bills to pay the driver, he strode inside and immediately spotted her, standing by the elevator banks with Will.

Will was smiling at her and Josh could hear her laughing, but he couldn't see her face. Then she turned and any negative thoughts he had about either of their campaigns – hell, about campaigning at all -- faded away. She was beautiful, her face flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkling.

And when she finally saw him, her expression transformed from something beautiful into something truly breathtaking. It was more than just the laughing grin from a moment ago. There was an inner brightness, a confidence and happiness, that made her glow, and Josh suddenly knew that he couldn't do or say anything to take that look away. It didn't matter if he felt like his world was falling down around his ears. Hers wasn't, and he didn't want anything to spoil that, to make her look any less happy then she did at this exact moment.

"Hey," he said breathed, approaching her.

"Hey," she answered just as softly.

They stared at one another for endless moments until he heard a small cough.

Pulling his gaze away from Donna's, Josh held out his hand in greeting. "Hey, Will. How are you?"

Will clasped his hand briefly. "Josh. Good to see you. Congratulations on California."

"Thanks."

"Getting ready for Texas?"

"Looks that way," he answered, tensing again and glancing sideways at Donna. Smiling tightly, he blew out a breath and tried to relax a little. "Texas and New York."

There was an awkward pause and then Will turned to Donna. "Don't worry about the thing tonight. We'll see you tomorrow for the breakfast meeting," he said.

Donna nibbled her lip and glanced between the two of them. "You're sure?"

Will nodded. "Yeah. There's nothing urgent right now. Go," he urged, leaning in close and lowering his voice. "Before Russell sees you two together and wonders which campaign you're really working for," he finished with just a trace of amusement.

Donna beamed at him. "Thank you. I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning. I promise."

He nodded. "Sure. Trust me, I do understand. Thwarted lovers and all that. If it comes down to it, I'll even play the role of Yente." He entered the elevator and left the two of them alone together on the ground floor.

Grinning, she pulled Josh into huge hug. "You're here."

He held on for a little longer than was necessary before letting go, and tried for some nonchalance, though he wasn't sure he completely succeeded. "I happened to be in the area and noticed the Vice Presidential entourage. Thought I'd stop by.”

"You just happened to be here? It isn't possible you stopped by to congratulate me?"

"Why? Did you do something particularly noteworthy that I'd want to congratulate you for?" he asked with a small smile.

She shrugged, feigning an indifference that was belied by the sparkle in her eyes. "Not unless you count being promoted to campaign spokesperson an accomplishment."

"Oh! That. Yeah. I thought I thought that was you I saw on my television screen," he teased.

"Josh! I can't believe… I wasn't even expecting it," Donna bubbled, her entire being radiating excitement. "I know Will valued my input on things, but changing my role in the campaign wasn't something we had ever discussed. At least not until I asked why Hoynes was still in New York. Then he just handed me the statement and said 'Go.' And I know our positions on the issues backwards and forwards, but it was still a little daunting to be in front of the press answering questions. Campaign spokesperson!"

"Yeah. You did great," Josh told her. "Really. You were… amazing."

"God, I was so nervous," she admitted with a shaky laugh. "CJ always made it look so easy. But knowing something is so different than spinning it to the press. Do you think the reporters noticed how nervous I was?"

"Nah. If they had, they would have gone for blood," Josh assured her, taking her elbow and guiding her into an elevator. He looked at the floor buttons. "Which one?"

"Six," she answered automatically before going back to the subject at hand. "You think they'd offer me that? Press Secretary? I mean, I know I'm good, but I just started. Analysis and strategy have always been my forte until now."

Josh shrugged. "I don't know. If he makes it that far… why not?"

She beamed. "Really? You think so?"

"Really," Josh confirmed, smiling and pulling her in for another hug. Twining his hands through her hair to caress her neck, he kissed her thoroughly and deeply. When the elevator finally arrived at her floor, they were both breathing heavily and grinning at each other like idiots.

"C'mon," Donna urged, smiling, tugging on his hand.

Josh raised an eyebrow, but willingly followed her down the hallway. "Why Donna, are you inviting me into your hotel room for some indecent purpose?"

"Yes, because other than that brief display in the elevator, you appear to be immune to my obvious charm and sparkling wit," she complained good-naturedly as she unlocked her door and led him inside.

"I’m never immune to you," he admitted with complete sincerity.

"I'm not immune to you either," she confided in a low sultry voice, as she shut and locked the door behind them. "Which is why I wanted to feel your hands on me as soon as I saw you downstairs."

"Donna!"

She licked her lips. "What? You didn't want to touch me? I wanted to touch you."

"We were in a hotel lobby and your – Will was right there. You wanted me to throw you down on the concierge desk and have my way with you?"

"Would you have?" she asked with a teasing glint in her eyes.

She was driving him crazy. Grasping the lapels of her jacket, he hauled her up against him. "You have to ask?"

"It's nice to have confirmation."

"I wouldn't have even made it as far the concierge. The wall, Donna. That's about as far as I would have made it," he growled. Slipping his hand beneath her jacket, he palmed her breast, pleased to note that her nipple was already hard. He pinched it lightly and was rewarded with a small whimper.

"Conveniently, we have a bed now," she whispered huskily, her mouth mere centimeters from his.

"I know," he whispered back. Then he was kissing her, his mouth slanting across hers, tasting and teasing, making both of them moan. They worked at each others clothes and then tumbled to the bed.

Josh wanted to memorize everything about her –the softness of her skin, the muskiness of her scent. The feel of her lips against his throat. The sound of her moan as she arched against him.

But it was all too much. He'd missed her so much the past few days that now he couldn't wait, couldn't hold back. Slipping his hand between her legs to part them, he positioned himself above her, looking down into her flushed and radiant face.

God, she was so beautiful.

Then he slid into her and all rational thought ceased.

Soft. Warm. Wet. The sensations converged and he plunged into her over and over again, calling out her name as he felt her shudder around him, finally letting go and pouring all of himself into her.

Panting, he collapsed against her briefly before rolling to lie on his back. She wiggled closer and rested her head against his chest, her hand skimming lightly across his sweat dampened skin.

"Now that we've celebrated my promotion…"

Josh wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Don't do it, his head warned. Don't think about the promotion. Don't think about what happens because the field's been narrowed down to two candidates. Don’t think about what it means for you and her. Just… don't think. Be happy for her.

"Is that what this was?" he finally asked, turning his head towards hers. "Because if I had known this was a celebration, I could have done better."

"You mean that wasn't your best?"

"I – uh…" he stuttered, floundering a bit.

She grinned, leaning up on an elbow to give him a quick, smacking kiss. "I love making you speechless."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"But back to the topic. Now that we're done celebrating me –"

"I always celebrate you," he interjected, leaning in to nuzzle her neck.

She swatted at his shoulder. "Josh!"

"What?" he asked, shifting away from her and rubbing at the abused area. "I'm trying to be, you know, romantic. And celebratory. And you –" He paused and ran his hand down her side to caress her hip, "-- are being less than enthusiastic."

"You're trying to distract me," she corrected.

"I am not."

"You are. I know you, Josh."

"What would I be distracting you from?" he asked, hating that she could read him so well.

"You are distracting me from getting to my point, which is that something was making you tense earlier."

He sighed. "I wasn't tense."

"Yes, you were. You had a win today. Normally you'd be dancing around and gloating to everyone around you."

"I do not dance."

"Swagger, strut, parade –"

"Nor do I gloat," he interrupted.

"Revel, celebrate –"

"I want it on the record that I do none of those things," he said.

She pinned him with a look. "Josh. You're distracting again."

"On the record, Donna," he repeated stubbornly.

"Fine. It's on the record. You do not dance or gloat. Even though you really do." She paused. "So what happened?"

"Nothing," he said. "We're celebrating your thing."

"We did celebrate my thing. With gusto. Now it's time to discuss your thing."

"Donna… there is no 'my' thing." She shifted to get a better look at his face, and he squirmed under her scrutiny. He didn't want to discuss it. He just wanted to spend some time with her, without thinking about their jobs or what those jobs would mean to their relationship in the long run. "Donna, stop. It's nothing."

Of course, she ignored him. "It's not nothing. You were happy to see me. Then Will congratulated you on California and mentioned…" She paused to think and he couldn't restrain a wince. "He said something about Texas. What happened?" she asked, concern lacing her words.

It was her eyes that made him blurt it out. They got to him every time and made him admit things he knew he shouldn't. But there was no way to avoid them or her. He sighed heavily. "Today I told Santos he should quit."

She sat up suddenly, the sheet pooling around her waist. "What? Why?" she asked.

Josh turned his face to the window so that he wouldn't have to look at her. "See? This is why I didn't want to talk about it. We're supposed to be celebrating your promotion. You're finally getting what you were hoping for – more responsibility, a chance to grow. And what are we doing instead? Talking about me and my campaign."

"I want to talk about your campaign. You've been the good boyfriend and now it's time for me to be the supportive girlfriend," Donna said. "Why did you tell Santos to quit?"

There was no way she was going to let him off the hook now that he'd said it out loud. But he was determined not to compound that mistake by dimming her excitement about her promotion in any way.

"We didn't have the support or the money to keep up with Russell or Hoynes," he said, hoping that was enough to satisfy her.

"But it's more than that," she guessed.

"Donna…"

"Josh. Talk to me."

He sighed. "I talked to Helen Santos, told her it was hopeless, that they'd have to mortgage their house, use their savings… And in the end they went ahead with it anyhow. Then you managed to annihilate Hoynes single-handedly --" He stopped and threw a pillow over his head. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't tell her that her promotion would mean disaster if Santos somehow managed to pull off the nomination. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

She peeled the pillow away from his face and peered down at him. "Yes, you do."

"I don't," he repeated, frowning in annoyance and wishing she'd just let the subject alone. "Even with all the luck in the world…"

"You can do this, Josh. I know you can."

He gave a humorless laugh. "You always did have some unexplained faith in me."

"It's not blind or unsubstantiated faith. It's based on everything I know about you. Just because I'm not supporting your candidate doesn't mean I don't support you. You're doing a good job, Josh. You got a relative unknown into the spotlight." She leaned down to kiss him lightly. "You got him to third place in a presidential primary."

"Second," Josh corrected, his ego refusing to let that one little detail go.

"Second," she agreed, smiling. "With a little help from your smart, wily girlfriend."

"Yeah." he said, pulling her into a hug. "My very smart, very wily, very sexy girlfriend."

"Mmmhmm. So you should listen to me," she said, yawning.

"Yeah. I should," he agreed, pulling her even closer. She snuggled into him and he pulled the blankets over their bodies. "Go to sleep."

"Ok," she said, smothering another yawn and blinking up at him. "Josh? We both did good today."

"We did," he agreed. "Sleep, Donna."

"Mmm'k."

Within a few minutes, her breath evened out and Josh smoothed her hair from her face.

"I love you," he whispered to her sleeping form, knowing that sleep was still a long way off for him. "I don't know how we're going to do this, but I love you."
~~~~~