Josh came barreling through the doors of the West Wing bellowing Donna's name. His meeting on the Hill had taken a lot longer than he'd expected, and if his watch was anywhere close to being accurate, he was over thirty minutes late for his next meeting.

He had tried to call Donna to ask her to re-schedule, but the foul weather that had been threatening all morning was wreaking havoc on his cell phone's reception. After three attempts, he'd finally managed to connect, but he couldn't determine if the person he had spoken with actually was Donna and he certainly couldn't tell if she'd understood his explanation of how he had been detained. With a snort of disgust, he had tossed the phone back into his bag and continued to the exit.

Once there, he'd seen that the rain had started in earnest. Briefly, he'd wondered if he would be able to hail a cab, but a quick glance up and down the street revealed none.

He stared out at the pouring rain and weighed his options. He could stay and wait out the storm, causing his next meeting to wait even longer, or he could brave the rain and walk back.

In the end, he had decided he really didn't have a choice.

Turning up the collar of his jacket, he had dashed out into the elements. Within seconds he'd been drenched, the cold rain penetrating all the way through to his skin.

Now he was standing in the marbled lobby of the White House, dripping wet and watching Donna dash through the wide double doors, a concerned look on her face. She took his bag and he pulled his sodden clothes away from his skin. "McCarrick is waiting in the Roosevelt room. What took you so long?"

Removing his jacket, he answered, "The Majority Whip had a problem with the tax plan. It was a lot harder to talk him around than I expected."

"Why didn�t you call?"

"I tried. The storm interfered with my cell reception."

He tossed the discarded jacket in her direction and she caught it with a look of disgust, holding the dripping garment between a thumb and forefinger. "Ew� Josh, this is soaking wet. In fact, everything you're wearing is soaking wet. You can't meet with McCarrick like this."

"Yeah." As he strode swiftly down the hall and through the bullpen, he loosened his wet tie and handed it to Donna, who was following close on his heels. "Do I have a change of clothes in my office?"

"I don't know," she answered as she gingerly took the additional item from him.

"Well, if there's not, I'm going to need you to find me something else to wear," he said as they reached his office. She followed him in and closed the door behind them.

While Josh started unfastening his soggy shirt, Donna grabbed a fresh suit, still in the dry cleaners wrapper, off the back of the door.

She laid it on top of the desk, then leaned back against the edge and started to brief him on his upcoming meeting. Her attention faltered, though, as he stripped his shirt from his shoulders and yanked his damp t-shirt over his head.

At the sudden silence in the room, Josh looked up and noticed her fascination with his chest. Hiding a smirk, he encouraged her to continue with the briefing. "And he's asking for what in return?"

Shaking herself out of her momentary stupor, she continued her recitation about wildlife preservation in the National Parks until he kicked of his shoes and started unfastening his pants.

"Josh!"

"What?" he asked.

"You can�t undress here," she protested.

"Why not? It's my office. I'm soaking wet. I need to get changed. Ergo, I must undress."

"But� I� you�"

He looked at her expectantly. "Donna?"

"You can't strip while I'm in here," she insisted, her voice stern.

He paused in unzipping his pants and just looked at her. "I can't?"

"No. As often as I've dreamed of you stripped naked -" She stopped abruptly, but couldn't hide the deep flush that stained her cheeks.

Josh stared at her in shock, letting his pants fall to his ankles. This was something new. He'd meant to fluster her a bit, make her blush and then scamper from the room. He hadn't expected her to actually respond in any way. From the look on her face, she was just as surprised as he was by her outburst.

He'd fantasized about making love to Donna in any number of ways in his office, but he'd never dreamed that she would have similar ideas about him. Just knowing that made him start to get hard and he prayed that she wouldn't immediately notice his growing erection. At least not until he had a chance to tell her he'd thought about her too.

His voice, when he finally mustered the courage to speak, was unusually high. "You've thought about me naked?"

"I� No," she answered briskly. "I didn't mean anything by that. Just forget I said it."

"No, I won't just forget it," he said stubbornly. Hell, he thought, he was standing in front of her in a pair of damp boxers with a growing erection that was going to be embarrassing for both of them really soon. If now wasn't the time to let her know how he felt, he didn't know when would be. "Would it help you to know that I've thought about you naked in my office too?"

Her eyes flew to his. "You have?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"Oh."

"That's all? Just 'oh'?" he questioned, amazed that she was taking this so calmly. He felt like his world was tilting on its axis and she just stood calmly before him saying 'oh'?

"Well what else do you want me to say?" she asked.

He leaned forward, his hands landing on either side of her on the desk, boxing her in. His voice dropped to a husky timbre. "How about 'I want to see you naked, Joshua. I want to kiss you. I want to make love to you.'"

Heat radiated from her body and his breath hitched in his chest as he leaned even closer. She looked so beautiful and she'd just admitted to wanting him, albeit in a roundabout way. He needed to kiss her, needed to show her how much he wanted her too.

His mouth was mere inches from hers when there was a brief rap on the door and Ryan popped his head inside. "Uh, Margaret called-"

They turned to him in unison.

"Go away," Josh commanded.

With a nod, Ryan quickly withdrew, slamming the door closed as he went.

Josh turned back to Donna. "Now where were we?"

She lifted one of his arms and ducked beneath it, moving away from him and the desk. "About half a second from making a major mistake."

"You think kissing would be a mistake?" he sputtered as he turned to face her. In all his fantasies, her turning him down had never entered into the equation.

She straightened her shoulders and stared directly at him. "Yes."

"Don-naaa..."

She ignored him and continued to speak. "You've done this before -- showed some sort of interest in me and then turned around and ignored it."

"I have *never* ignored you--"

"You have. It's been six years - six years, Josh! -- and we keep dancing around this... this... thing."

"And I'm trying to fix that right now!" he protested.

"No, you're not," she disagreed. "You're going for the cheap thrill. If you want something more than friendship from me, you're going to have to work at it. It won't be as easy as a seductive kiss in your office. You're going to have to woo me."

"Donna, I didn't intend just to stop at one kiss."

She cut him off. "What was Amy to you?"

He stared at her in confusion, not sure where this apparent non-sequitur had come from. "She was my girlfriend," he answered cautiously.

She nodded in agreement, but he could tell by the determined glint in her eye that she was aiming for something more, something he wasn't sure he wanted to discuss. "Yes, she was your girlfriend. The *first* time. What was she the second time?"

"The second time?" This was dangerous territory. His renewed relationship with Amy hadn't really meant anything. It had been an outlet for his frustration, a way to connect with someone, however briefly. But when push had come to shove, he'd realized that it wasn't really a relationship; it was a convenience.

The relationship he had always craved was one with Donna, but he'd been sure that he would never have that. Until a moment ago when she had dropped the bombshell about fantasizing about him naked in his office and all he'd thought he knew had flown out the window.

He wondered if Donna knew she was more than a distraction. If she didn't, he'd have to make her understand somehow. But first, he had to clear up the issue of Amy. "We were � we *are* -- friends."

She frowned. "Josh, you wore the same suit twice in a row. You lost ties. You came in tired from something other than lack of sleep. You were more than just friends. What was she to you?" she persisted.

"She wasn't anything," he blurted, cursing himself for his inability to properly articulate the situation with Amy. "We were just� it was nothing. It didn't mean anything."

"Exactly," she agreed with a sad smile. "I don't want to be that, Josh. I don't want to be nothing to you."

He reached out and took her by the shoulders. "Donna, you could *never* be nothing to me."

She pulled away from his grasp. "How can I know that, Josh?"

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You just have to trust me."

"I *do* trust you, Josh. I trust you with my life. But when it comes to relationships�" She sighed. "Josh, you suck at relationships. And if we� started something, I don't want it to crash and burn like every other relationship you've had. Or worse, end up a one time deal to help you cope with stress."

His eyes flew to hers. Apparently she understood more than he thought she did about him and Amy. He didn't know whether to be impressed that she understood him so well or saddened that he was so transparent.

"Donna, it wouldn't be like that. Do you really think that I could use you that way?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

He scrubbed a hand down his face and started to pace. "Donna, there's nothing I can say that will convince you that it would be different with you. You just have to trust me on this one."

"I want to."

"Then do it!" he yelled in frustration, continuing to pace back and forth in front of her. "Do you know how much it kills me to see you get all dressed up to go out with those gomers? Or how frustrating it is when you go away for a romantic weekend? It's not just because I'm being selfish, it's because I wish it was me. *I* want to be the one who gets to kiss you goodnight. I want to be the one who gets to watch you wake up in the morning." He paused in his pacing and turned to look her in the eye. "And more than anything, I want you to be with me -- as my friend, my lover, my other half."

He watched as her stunned expression turned into one of amusement. "What?"

"You did that whole thing in your boxers and socks," she told him with a grin.

He looked down and realized she was right. He'd been so intent on convincing her that he had real feelings for her that he hadn't even remembered that he was still undressed. "I should get dressed."

She came over and put her hands on his shoulders. "You should," she agreed.

He looked at her in confusion, his eyes narrowing. "What's going on now?"

"You told me to trust you. You told me, in your own unique way, that you want this, that it's not just a temporary thing. So I'm doing as you asked," she said as she smiled at him. "Any man who could forget he was pacing around in his boxers has to be sincere. So I'm taking a leap of faith and trusting you."

He returned her smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He gathered her close and his lips descended to hers. They were soft and warm, and she parted them to allow his questing tongue deeper access. He felt an erection start to rise once more and he pulled her in to him, rocking his hips against hers so that she could feel his arousal. She whimpered in response and he deepened the kiss even more. When they finally separated, they were both breathless.

He was about to kiss her again, when he was interrupted by another knock on the door. Ryan gingerly opened it and, keeping his eyes averted, said, "Guys? I told Margaret you'd been� delayed� but she's being really persistent. I don't know how long it'll be before she comes down here personally to find out what's going on."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be out in a minute," Josh told him, letting go of Donna so that he could take two steps to the door and slam it shut in Ryan's face.

He turned back to Donna. "Are we ok now?"

She smiled at him. "Yes."

"Good." He leaned in and gently kissed her again.

When they parted, she looked at him wryly. "You do realize that Ryan's going to tell someone about this, right? We won't be able to keep this thing quiet."

"Yeah, but we're in this together so I know we'll work it out," he assured her with a confident smile.

"You're right." She kissed him again, this time a bit more ardently, then pulled away, pressing the fresh suit from earlier into his arms. "You need to get dressed and go to your meeting."

Reluctantly, he agreed and took the dry clothing from her. Quickly dressing, he grabbed the relevant files off the desk and headed for the door. He stopped at the threshold and turned back to Donna to give her another breathtaking kiss. She returned it eagerly before playfully pushing him away and swiping a smudge of lipstick from his mouth.

"You have a meeting," she reminded him, smiling as urged him out the door. "Do good."

"I always do," he smirked as he left and hurried toward the Roosevelt Room. Despite the bad beginning, this was turning into an excellent day.

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