Still Standing

by: Allison

Character(s): Josh, Donna
Pairing(s): Josh/Donna
Category(s): Romance
Rating: TEEN
Summary: Sequel to Great Expectations

"You're bringing me coffee?" He looked up from his laptop in total confusion.

Donna grinned. "Don't get excited; I have an ulterior motive." She sank into his extra chair and leaned over the desk. "Did you know that Josh thinks we're dating?"

Sam nearly spit out the coffee he'd just drunk. "Are you kidding?"

"No."

"Are you kidding?"

"Sam! No, I'm not kidding."

He carefully set the cup down on his desk. "Josh thinks you and I are dating."

"Yes."

"You? And me? Is he on crack?"

A touch of irony crept into her smile. "Wow, thanks, Sam."

"You know what I mean." He closed the laptop, his attention completely drawn away from work. "He thinks we're dating because of the other night?"

"I guess." She frowned seriously. "He's kind of freaking out."

His expression matched hers. "Freaking out?"

"Yeah. He gave me this whole speech about watching myself, and then he -" Suddenly she wondered whether it might be best to keep some of that conversation to herself. "He seemed to be concerned that he was supposed to be doing something that he wasn't doing. For me. Which is weird, because -"

"- Usually he wouldn't know that somebody wanted something from him unless they chiseled it on his forehead," Sam finished. "But do you?"

"Do I what? Chisel things on his forehead?"

"Want something from him."

"Other than a raise?" Her smile faded. "What would I want from him?" Her heart pounded so loudly in her chest that she was afraid Sam might actually be able to see her chest moving.

He only looked at her and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sam!" she exclaimed in horror. *Please, please don't let him ask.*

He laughed. "Okay. You know I just like to mess with you."

"Right." The thing was, she knew that, but she knew something else too. She knew that Sam saw - something - in the way she talked to, and about, Josh. She knew he understood more than he maybe thought he did. And she knew it wasn't really just teasing when he kidded her about Josh. She suspected that Sam was trying to trick something out of her.

Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. After all, she knew about his feelings for Mallory. Sam was a good friend. Maybe he could -

Sam had the biggest mouth in the White House. Maybe after Margaret. Discussing this with him would not be a good idea. He would freak out at having his suspicions actually confirmed, and in his panic he would run immediately to Josh and tell him everything. Not a good plan.

Maybe she could tell Sam and then - what? Kill him? Also not a good plan.

She sighed heavily. What to do, what to do...

"Donna?"

"I'm in love." She froze and all the color drained from her face as she realized she'd spoken aloud.

Sam positively beamed at her from across the desk. "That's great! I was worried that - well, never mind. Who is it?"

"Um..." Her hands were cold. In a second she'd start to shake. She did not handle direct confrontation well. She was also, as Josh had divined almost immediately, a terrible liar.

"Donna?" Sam just looked concerned now. "You did just say you were in love, right?"

She nodded weakly. "But it's - not good." She meant, this is not good, but he heard only what she had spoken.

"Not good? What, is he married?"

"No," she murmured without any increase in either strength or conviction.

"He's a Republican?"

She almost laughed. "No, it's not a -" She didn't bother to finish the sentence, but as usual Sam misunderstood what it was that her crush was not. His horrified look almost matched hers earlier.

"Oh my God, you're in love with C.J."

"What!" she exploded. That did produce a laugh. "No, I am not in love with C.J. Don't worry, she actually isn't my type."

"Well, I didn't think so, but..." There really was no good way to finish that sentence.

"No, it's just - can we not talk about this right now, please?"

Sam gave her a sympathetic look. "Okay. Sure. Just, you know, if you want."

"Sure." She stood slowly and tried to give him a smile. "I better go find Josh."

He met her eyes and she didn't look away fast enough. "Oh, Donna." The pity in his voice told her all she needed to know.

"It's not a big deal," she said, shaking her head.

"Not a big deal?" He'd risen from a tenor to a soprano, which would have been funny if she weren't so terrified of exposure. "Not a big deal?"

"It really - just - please, Sam. Just please don't say, or do, anything. To anyone. Please?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Josh," she said, fortifying herself for the encounter as she opened the door and slipped through it.

He wasn't in his office. She was just settling in his chair to sort through the papers on the desk when she heard someone coming and looked up. "Sam," she said, surprised. "I thought you'd be Josh."

"I thought you'd be," he replied. "I just wanted to..." His face was red.

"Sam," Donna said, drawing it out into several syllables, "you weren't coming to talk to Josh about anything in particular, were you?"

"No," he gulped unconvincingly. Sam was almost as bad a liar as Donna.

"You remember what I said I'd do if I ever saw my college boyfriend again?"

Now he paled. "I think I should - go - now."

"I think you should," she replied smoothly. Now that she had him properly terrified she was less worried. "He'll be back any minute and I highly recommend you're not here when that happens. I know where you live."

"Right." He brushed a section of hair off his forehead and tried to look calm. "I'm gonna go."

At the door he stopped. "Donna."

She only glared menacingly.

"It's not about that," he assured her. "It's - you know how we said - um - never mind."

She stood up and came around the desk. "No, what?"

He glanced nervously over his shoulder at the halfway open door and dropped his voice. "I called her."

"You called Mallory?" she repeated incredulously. "I never thought you actually would. What happened?"

"He wasn't there."

"Well, that's positive," she replied encouragingly. "What did she say? No, wait - what did you say?"

"I said I wanted to apologize again for not calling her after - you know. And for having to ditch her at the concert to, you know -"

"Run the country?" Donna supplied.

"Yeah."

They shared a smile. "So?" she prompted.

"She accepted my apology."

"That's what she said?"

"She said, 'I accept your apology, Sam.'"

"Okay."

"I asked her about Richard."

"Okay," she said again, waiting.

"They're still together."

"Did you think they wouldn't be?" she asked gently.

He shrugged, looking completely dejected. "No. It's just that - well - when we were talking, at the concert, before C.J. interrupted us, she seemed - she seemed like she might be hitting on me."

"Well," Donna said, trying to sound helpful, "maybe she's just waiting to see how you feel before she does anything drastic."

"Sorry?"

She tried again patiently. "Maybe she's not willing to give up what she has until she's sure that you want something."

"Do women do that?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes at his naivete. "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

The look that came over her face was teasing and sad all at the same time. "Positive."

"Sorry," he said, catching on at once. She waved off his concern, but he stepped forward without even a glance at the bullpen and caught her up in his arms. "Thank you for listening," he whispered into her shoulder, "and about the other thing - I'm sure it'll work out eventually."

"You think?" she asked, not entirely either serious or sarcastic.

"I do," he said, laughing a little for no real reason and rubbing her back affectionately. "I really do."

She pulled back, still with her hands on his upper arms and his on hers, and said, "It's just - it's been a long time, you know?"

He understood what she meant, even though she hadn't been specific. "Yeah. I know. Me too." She quirked her eyebrow at him and he clarified, "Anybody serious, I mean."

"Okay," she said with a small smile. "I'll accept that."

"No, you know what I'm saying," he said, absently taking her chin between his fingers as he would his little sister, "It's different with somebody you're really - invested in."

"True," she nodded. "Definitely true."

"And it's hard - I mean -" He shook his head a little. "You're the only person who wouldn't laugh at me for talking about this, you know? It's hard to go for a long time without being really close to somebody. You miss it."

"I really know what you mean," she said sincerely.

"I should say stuff like this to Mallory, huh?"

"You really should," she agreed. "It would probably work better than 'like there are no pictures of you with a call girl.'"

He laughed and smacked her playfully. "Shut up." Then he stopped laughing, still with a broad smile, and looked at her for a moment. "Donna? Can I -"

He didn't finish the question, but she understood what he was asking and the sentiment behind it. Her fingers tightened on his arms. "Sure."

He bent forward a fraction of an inch, and she offered him an encouraging smile. He returned it and leaned in the rest of the way, closing his eyes and pressing his lips gently to hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his slid down to her waist as they both remembered how good it felt just to be close. The kiss deepened more than either had intended, but still stayed on the cautious side of actual passion. He reveled in the feel of her lips on his, her hair under his fingers, but it was never so much sexual as intimate, an expression of love that was not necessarily romantic. When they pulled away both were flushed, but their smiles were affectionate and friendly and not shaded with even the hint of desire. "Thank you," Sam whispered, sliding his hand down to take hold of hers. "I needed that."

"Me too," she replied honestly. Then she grinned. "Call her."

He laughed. "Yeah." Then he looked up and the expression on his face took a huge turn for the worse.

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

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