Bartlet for America Campaign Headquarters, April 12th, 1998

She practiced what she was going to say on the long drive back to the east coast.

She was going to explain the taped ankle by telling him there was a late frost and she'd slipped on the ice coating her parents' driveway. She was going to pretend that she had merely taken a leave of absence and any belief he may have had that she wasn't coming back must have been a misunderstanding. She was going to offer to organize all the files he was sure to have messed up by now. She was going to remind him that she had indeed been a valuable asset and could be one again.

And if all else failed, she was going to beg as long and as hard as she needed to until he relented.

But none of her carefully rehearsed speeches or explanations prepared her for the reaction she got when she hobbled back into his cramped office.

"Thank God,� he said, glancing at her as he grabbed a doughnut of dubious age from a grease-soaked box and tucked a file under his arm. "There's a pile of stuff on the desk. I have a meeting with Leo. I'll be back in an hour."

And then he was gone and she was left staring at his retreating back, all her excuses, her begging, her carefully thought out words laid to waste.

~~~

April 12th, 1999

"Deirdre, where did these come from?"

"Hmm?"

"The flowers," Donna asked, "Who delivered them?"

"Flowers Express. The guy said they were supposed to go to you. What does the card say?"

"There isn't one," she said, frowning in consternation as she checked among the blooms again. But there was nothing � no card, no note, no token � to give her any clue as to who had sent them.

"Well, whoever they're from," Deirdre said, "they're beautiful."

"Yeah." Donna turned away from the bouquet, wondering if anyone else in the bullpen might know who they were from. And that's when she noticed Josh, standing in the doorway to his office, a small, almost shy smile on his face.

"You like them?"

"They're beautiful," she said, glancing back down at the riot of colors. "But who� you?"

He nodded.

She shook her head, not quite understanding. It wasn't her birthday, it wasn't Secretary's Day, it wasn't any occasion that she could think of. And Josh wouldn't have given her flowers on impulse. The fries from his lunch or a program from a recent presidential visit to the symphony, yes, but not a huge bouquet of hothouse flowers. "Why?"

"It's our anniversary," he said, his dimples appearing as his smile got wider.

She frowned. "Our� what?"

"Anniversary."

Their anniversary? That didn't make any sense. They didn't have an anniversary. And if they did, it would have been two months ago in February, a year from when she'd arrived in Nashua and hired herself as his assistant. Unless�

Of course. Today was April 12th, the day she'd come hobbling back into Bartlet for America headquarters, prepared to beg for her job back. The day that Josh had greeted her as if she had never left; the day he hadn't even bothered to ask why she'd returned or if she'd be staying this time.

The day he'd silently supported her and her decision and hadn't made a big deal of it. And now he was publicly celebrating it and reminding the whole office of how she'd left him.

Not that he knew how embarrassed and ashamed she had felt on the day she'd returned, but still�

"Flowers for our anniversary. From you," she clarified, an irrational anger at him rising. How dare he remind everyone of that day?

"Yeah," he replied blithely.

She opened her mouth, about to tell him exactly what he could do with his flowers, when Sam came flying by, grabbing Josh's attention. "Hey, Josh! What're the parameters we're using for the social security thing?"

"Uh, I think they were �" He scratched his head and turned to Donna. "Do you have the stuff on social security?"

Glad to have something else to focus on for a moment, something that didn't include a reminder of that day last year, Donna nodded and handed a folder to Josh. "The main points are marked with pink post-its and all the stats you need are highlighted."

"Thanks," he said, suddenly all business as he took the folder and headed back into his office, Sam in tow.

Donna watched them retreat, but once the door was shut, she couldn't help looking at the huge floral arrangement again. Josh had sent her flowers for an imaginary anniversary celebrating one of the most embarrassing days in her life.

A grim look on her face, she hefted the vase and dumped the entire thing into the trash.

~~~

April 12th, 2000

This time, she was there when the flowers were delivered. She signed the clipboard the deliveryman handed her, smiled her thanks at him through gritted teeth, then marched into Josh's office, the heavy crystal vase clutched between her hands.

"It's not our anniversary," she informed him as she set the bouquet down on his credenza.

He looked up from the binder he was studying, his eyebrows shooting together in confusion. "It's not? 'Cause last time I checked the calendar, it said April 12th and �"

She stubbornly stood her ground. "February, Josh. I started in February."

"Donna, I don't have time for this right now," he complained, scrubbing a hand through his hair and staring down in frustration at the briefing book in front of him again. "I have the thing for the FEC to prepare, the other thing for Toby and� just take the flowers, ok?"

She didn't. She left them in his office. By the next morning they were gone, and she was left wondering if every April would be this way.

~~~

April 12th, 2001

"Hey, Donna. Where's Josh? I need him for a few comments on the �" Sam stopped talking, and Donna followed his wide-eyed gaze to the huge floral arrangement sitting on top of her filing cabinet. "Wow. Those are nice flowers."

She shrugged and resumed her typing. "I suppose."

"You don't like them?" he asked incredulously.

"The flowers are beautiful. It's the sentiment that's lacking."

Sam looked confused for a moment and then his expression cleared. "Ah. It's April."

"Yes."

"These are your April flowers."

"Yes."

"But they're�"

"I don't want to talk about it, Sam."

"Still �"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"But �"

"Sam!"

"Okay." He started to leave but took barely three steps before turning back. "If you see Josh�"

"I'll tell him you were looking for him," she said.

"Thanks, Donna."

"If I don't kill him first," she muttered under her breath.

Sam looked startled for a moment, but quickly recovered. "You know� Never mind. They're nice flowers."

"I know," she mumbled, her gaze going back to the bouquet for the tenth time that morning.

~~~

April 12th, 2002

He'd gotten her flowers again.

She'd been surprised at first, thinking he would abandon the tradition this year, especially after her explanation last year about her return. But he hadn't. In fact, this year's bouquet seemed to be the biggest bunch she'd received yet.

Of course, this one had also come with a very particular card, one that she'd already secreted away in the bottom drawer of her desk, to be added to the collection of treasured mementos she kept stored in a box under her bed.

"Thank you for making me your last choice."

Not the White House. Not the administration. Him.

She smiled, remembering the look on his face when he'd said something similar last year. Remembering how she'd felt, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she meant more to him than any ordinary assistant.

Of course, that had been before the MS scandal. Before Cliff and Amy and, well, a lot of things. But especially before Amy, with whom he seemed so taken. And with whom he was currently in his office arguing about God knew what.

"It should be six months, J, and you know it. And I'm gonna do everything in my power to make that happen," Amy said, her voice getting louder as she emerged from the inner sanctum of Josh's office.

"Don't I know it," Josh sighed, appearing behind her. "Just make sure you remember you're supposed to be on our side."

"I've got my own side," she retorted with a playful grin.

"Yeah, I noticed," he said, smirking back at her.

Donna watched the exchange, amusement and jealousy warring within her, and almost missed Amy's admiring comment. "Nice flowers, Donna."

Donna smiled up at her. "Thanks."

She turned back to Josh. "I'll see you later, J?"

"Yeah." He followed her with his eyes for a moment as she walked away, then turned to Donna, a teasing grin on his face. "Amy's right. Those are nice flowers. Who got them for you again?"

"Mean man who can't read a calendar," she quipped, getting up and heading to the file cabinet.

"Damned straight." He stayed where he was, standing next to her desk, and tapped a finger against one of the tulips in the bouquet. "I'm gonna finish up the thing for Leo. You okay getting home?"

Surprised, she spun around to face him. "I can go home?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "You deserve a break. Especially on such an auspicious occasion as our anniversary," he added, with a small, soft smile.

She returned the smile with one of her own. "Thank you."

Maybe their anniversary didn't really mean what she'd hoped it meant, but if it was accompanied by such sweet gestures like an early night, she wasn't going to argue.

~~~

April 12th, 2003

When she got back from the mess, Joe was standing by her desk, a quizzical expression on his face as he stared at the flowers sitting there.

"I didn't know you were married," he said, flicking a finger at the card.

She smiled and set her salad on the desk. "I'm not."

His brows snapped together. "But� it says�"

Donna shook her head. "They're from Josh."

He looked surprised. "I didn't know you and Josh �"

Ducking her head a bit to hide the blush that crept into her cheeks, she told him, "It's not� we�re not� it's a work anniversary."

For some reason, he looked disappointed. "Oh. I thought-"

"It's an easy misconception."

"Okay. Well�"

"Did you need something?" she asked, hoping to put the anniversary discussion behind them.

"Yes, actually. Ainsley Hayes said you were the person I should talk to about getting the most up to date figures on DOT safety training," he said.

"Ainsley Hayes was right. I've got them right here."

~~~

April 12th, 2004

"Hey, Donna."

Donna paused in the middle of the page she was reading, her finger marking her place, and smiled up at CJ. "Hi, CJ."

Tapping her fingers against the top of Donna's monitor, CJ said, "I was wondering if you were interested in lunch today."

"I�m always interested in lunch," Donna answered. "The place down the street?"

"Yeah. Around two?"

"Sure."

CJ nodded and was about to go when Donna noticed her eye light on the bouquet of mixed flowers. "Wait� are those� they're not from a new boyfriend, are they?"

Snorting softly, Donna looked up at her in amused puzzlement. "CJ, why would you think they were from a boyfriend? I haven't even been seeing anyone. Not since� well, not for a very long time."

"I just� I don't know," CJ said slowly as she continued staring at the bouquet.

When her gaze shifted from the flowers to Donna and the long, silent seconds continued to tick by, Donna began to squirm uncomfortably. "CJ?"

CJ shook herself out of her reverie and pasted on a wide smile, the kind she regularly used in front of the press. "You're absolutely right, Donna. It was a ridiculous thought. So they're the April flowers? From Josh?"

"Yup."

"They're nice." Frowning, Donna wondered what, if anything, she wasn't saying. "That's all?"

"Yup. That's all," CJ replied, still smiling that certain smile. "Getting flowers - it's nice."

~~~

April 12th, 2005

She hoped there would be something. Not a gargantuan bouquet, like in years past, but something. A single daisy, a card, a note -- something. Something to indicate that, while not a romantic thing, their whole anniversary celebration wasn't just about her being his assistant. That it actually meant something. That she meant something.

But there wasn't anything waiting when she got back to her hotel. Her room was as bare as it had been that morning when she'd first checked in, dumped her luggage in the corner, and rushed down to the caf� for a meeting with Will.

Clinging to one last hope, she picked up the phone and dialed the concierge.

"Hi. This is Donna Moss in 554. I was wondering if you had any packages on hold for me?"

"Wait one moment, Ms. Moss."

On pins and needles she waited, her fingers drumming against her knee. When she realized that it was Josh who used to do that -- Josh, who hated waiting with the heat of a thousand suns -- she willed her fingers to stop. She wasn't going to be like him. She couldn't be.

The concierge's nasal tones came back on the line, informing her that there was something. Would she like someone to bring it up?

"No," she answered breathlessly. "No, thank you. I'll be right down."

Hope surging in her heart, she rushed from her room, only remembering her key at the very last moment. With the thin plastic card clutched in her fist, she hurried to the elevator and waited endless seconds for it to arrive. A loud ding announced its arrival and she stepped in, jabbing the button for the ground floor. Slowly, slowly, the numbers above the metallic doors ticked down, and when the doors opened, she practically ran to the desk, smiling nervously at the woman there and giving her name.

The woman smiled back and handed her a large manila envelope. Donna took it with trembling fingers, turning it over so that she could read the front. Donna Moss, Bob Russell Campaign Staff was typed on a label affixed to the center of the envelope. A scrawled note along the edge read, "Look these over before you give the briefing Monday morning."

With a desperate tone in her voice that she hated hearing, she asked the concierge if there was anything else. When the woman shook her head, Donna nodded and headed back towards the elevator bank, head held high as she fought off tears of loneliness.

~~~

April 12th, 2006

She was tired. Bone tired. Months of being on the road had taken their toll and nowadays all she wanted to do at the end of the day was crawl into bed and sleep.

This night was no different, until she looked down as she was unlocking her door and saw it. A straggly bundle of flowers that looked like they'd been plucked from one of the large urns in the hotel lobby. Daisies, freesias, lilies - some still fresh, others looking as if they were moments away from landing in the trash.

But nothing at all that could be construed as having romantic significance, she was quick to note, a small smile tugging at her lips. Definitely not carnations or roses. Not on this occasion.

Lifting the bundle to her nose, she inhaled the soft scents of the flowers. The blooms smelled heavenly, reminding her that it was finally spring. Things were blooming outdoors; everything was taking on new life�

That's when she noticed the note, written on a hastily torn sheet of notebook paper, the edge ragged and uneven. In his tight, precise handwriting, "Happy not anniversary. Not anymore. Maybe not ever. But I didn't want another year to go by without marking the occasion."

Her smile widening, she inhaled the flowers' scent again and entered her room, not quite as exhausted as before.

~~~

April 12th, 2007

Donna'd just waved Annabeth off with an update on the First Lady's schedule, when her assistant tapped on her open office door, her face almost completely obscured by a large bouquet of red roses.

"I really hope these are from Josh," her assistant quipped, craning her neck to be seen around the flowers. "Otherwise there might be a few wagging tongues around the Beltway later today."

"They're from Josh," Donna told her, a hint of laughter in her voice. "It's our anniversary. Our not anniversary."

When Maggie looked at her, perplexed, Donna added, "To remind me of where we've been and of where we're going."

Maggie opened her mouth, as if to ask something else, when the phone rang and Maggie picked it up, answering in a brusque, business-like manner. "Donna Moss' office." She listened for half a second before handing the receiver over to Donna. "The man himself," she mouthed, smiling.

Donna grabbed the phone and waited until Maggie had left the office before speaking. "Hi."

She could hear the smile in his voice as he returned her greeting. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Can we get past the greetings and move on to the good stuff?"

She laughed. "There's good stuff?"

"I hope so. If not, I paid a floral delivery service a hell of a lot of money to time this just right for nothing."

"Oh, were there supposed to be flowers?" she asked, assuming her best disappointed tone of voice.

"Dammit." There was a thump as the phone hit his desk, followed by a hushed shout for Margaret.

"Josh!"

"What happened to the flowers that I asked to have delivered?" she heard him demand. Margaret's no nonsense voice could be heard in the background as she answered him.

"Josh!" she yelled again, hoping to get his attention. It seemed to work, because seconds later there was a rustling noise as he picked the up the phone again.

"Hold on a second, Donna," he said, and then she heard some more hushed exchanges between him and Margaret.

Finally, she interjected, "Joshua Lyman, if you don't stop yelling at Margaret right now I am personally coming down there to do you bodily harm." In much softer tones, she added, "I got the flowers. They're beautiful."

"They're really there?"

"Yes."

"And you like them?"

She could definitely hear the smile in his voice this time. "Yeah."

"Did you read the card?"

"Not yet."

"Read the card," he demanded impatiently and she could just about picture him bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

"Ok." Setting the phone down, she slid the white envelope from between the leaves and slit it open with a fingernail."Let's make it official for next year."

"Maggie!"

Her assistant poked her head around the corner. "Yes?"

"What does my schedule look like this afternoon?"

"You're attending the Women in Education luncheon with the First Lady at noon, there's a meeting with the DAR at three, and Josh has requested a block of time starting at four."

Her grin got impossibly wider and she picked up the phone again, asking, "This meeting at four � does it involve a candlelit dinner or dancing anywhere?"

"This is my life from now on, isn't it? Negotiating for any number of things above and beyond the initial offer," he grumbled good-naturedly.

"Yes, yes it is," she told him, laughing.

"I thought so," he said. "No, the meeting at four does not involve candlelight or dancing. It involves you, me and a judge in Virginia. It might � possibly � include some takeout eaten in the comfort of our own home. But that's it."

"Take out?"

"Take out."

"Kung Pao chicken?" she asked.

"And those little dumpling things," he offered.

"I like the little dumpling things."

"I know." There was a silence for a minute and then, "Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really kinda waiting here and you haven't answered my question yet."

"There was a question?" she teased. "I recall that there was a suggestion, and then an offer of Chinese food, but I don't actually remember a question."

"There was definitely a question."

"About making it official for next year?"

"Yes."

"And you're sure there's no candlelit dinner or dancing to go along with that?"

"Absolutely sure," he said, and she could hear just the slightest bit of laughter in his voice as he caught on to her game. "Just the Kung Pao."

"And the dumplings," she reminded him.

"And the dumplings," he agreed.

"Just so we're clear."

"Very," he assured her. "So� the trip to Virginia followed by take out and our own private celebration. Take it or leave it?"

"I'll take it."

~The End~