five votes - a west wing collection

xvii

there's something in the way you roll your eyes
takes me back to a better time

Their eyes met across the crowded room, for what must have been the millionth time that hour. Josh considered himself lucky that Lou had gone to get coffee, because if she had been in the room, he was sure she would have smacked him and told him to get working. Speaking of which...

Josh looked back at the papers in his hands, giving himself a moment to focus before he began barking out orders to the already overworked staff. "Ronna! I need you to get the congressman on the phone! And where's Annabeth?" He looked around, then pointed at someone- an intern, maybe. "You! Yeah, you. I need you to find Annabeth Schott. The small, little- yeah." He waved the kid away, then whirled around, nearly crashing into someone.

"Donna." The name came out as a soft puff of air, of surprise and relief and something more. Their games collided again, and Josh felt his heart lurch.

"Joshua." Her response was quick, questioning. But before Josh could think of a word to say, she had brushed past him. He found himself staring after her retreating figure, until a rolled-up stack of papers smacked the back of his head.

"Get a move on." Lou's voice broke into Josh's thoughts, and he shook his head returning to the task at hand.

"Ronna! Do you have the congressman yet?"

* * *

Josh looked up as a soft noise sounded through the room. He had been hoping to get some extra work done, without people hurrying everywhere, and until that moment, he'd been under the impression that he was alone. The surprise at hearing another sound caused him to freeze for a moment, before finally uttering a soft "Hello?"

Wide blue eyes peered at him over a stack of papers, and Josh frowned. "Donna?"

"Josh." The word was short, quick, and wrong coming out of her mouth that way. It suddenly drew the changes of the last year to light, and Josh hated it.

In an effort to diffuse the tension that suddenly filled the room, Josh gave a small, slightly confused smile. "What are you doing here? You know you're not expected to work twenty-hour days anymore, right?"

He'd meant it as a sort of a joke, but, somehow, he felt worse after saying it. The nervous wobble of Donna's smile didn't help any, either.

"I was just... organizing." Donna waved her hand vaguely toward the papers scattered around the room.

Josh frowned. "That's not your job anymore."

A flas of hurt broke into Donna's expression, and Josh silently cursed himself. "That's- that wasn't what I meant," he fumbled, trying to correct himself. A part of him wanted to reach out and touch her, reassure her, but instead he ran his hand through his hair, making it stand up even more than usual. "It's just- you don't have to do that," he finished lamely, staring at the ground.

Josh heard a soft mumble, and his head jerked up almost involuntarily. "What?"

"I said," Donna yawned. "It's not like I have anything better to do." She yawned again, and suddenly Josh realized how late it was.

"You should probably get some sleep," Josh suggested, and Donna's quiet nod proved to him just how tired she was. Making a split-second decision, Josh grabbed his jacket. "Let me walk you."

Donna gave him a tired, confused smile. "I'm just down the street," she protested, "there's no need."

"Let me walk you," Josh stubbornly insisted, tugging on his jacket. "It's dark outside."

Donna rolled her eyes, but a soft, hopeful smile curved across her face. "Fine. But if you get lost in the way back-"

"It's not your fault, I know," Josh finished, then paused. He glanced at Donna, and they shared a small smile.

"Been a while since that happened," He commented lightly, and Donna nodded, grabbing her folder and tucking it under her arm.

"You coming?" She held the door open, letting in a cold gust of wind. Josh nodded, nearly falling over his desk in his tired state. Laughing slightly, Donna closed the door and fell into step next to him.

And when Donna shivered, Josh tentatively wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling brighter than she had in months.