Archive: Ask permission first. Unless you already have my standing permission

Rating: PG

Synopsis: A slight miscommunication between Josh and Donna.

Series: This story is thirteenth in the 'Rocky Path' series. .

Series So Far:

The Fool's Route 1/3

By Lacy

Donna breezes into my office and drops an overflowing folder on top of the papers I'm reading.

"What's this?" I ask.

"It's the file for Barbara Gregersen," she answers, as though I should already know.

"What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Leo wants you to vet her some more."

"I've already vetted her."

"I know, but Leo wants you to look deeper into her college days. He said something about campus protests. He wants to know what they were about."

"Ah," I respond. "It always comes down to college."

"People get a little rowdy. Did you get rowdy?"

"I got rowdy. In between all the studying and student government."

"Okay. Also, Leo said something about adding someone new to the short list, so you should be prepared to vet someone else." I drop my head to my desk. I really hate prepping for Senate confirmation hearings.

Six weeks ago, Paul Patridge, the Secretary of the Interior, had a massive heart attack that nearly killed him. On the advice of his doctor, he decided to retire from political service and public life. That's why I'm currently in confirmation hell. We have only a few short weeks before Patridge's official retirement and we have to find a replacement for him before that day.

"Thanks, Donna," I smile weakly.

"Sure," she says, and breezes back out of my office.

I watch her go. It's Saturday afternoon so she's dressed casually, although not in her usual blue jeans and v-neck sweater.

Last weekend she went shopping. She said she needed to blow off a little steam after a hectic week of announcing our relationship to the general public, and doing an exclusive interview with the primetime queen herself, Bristol Wallace.

I love it when she goes shopping, especially when she brings home clothes like she's wearing today. Black leather pants. Not the kind you would wear out to a club, but just the everyday kind of black leather pants. She's also wearing a red button up shirt that she's left un-tucked, and high heeled black ankle boots. I should also mention that her hair is done up in one of the knots that only women understand.

How do women do that, by the way? They twist their hair up in to some elaborate knot and stick a pencil in it, and it manages to stay. It's an enigma to me.

Anyway, have I mentioned that my girlfriend is really hot?

I have to shake my head to clear the thoughts running through my head. Unseemly thoughts, they are. Especially, when you take into consideration the place in which I work.

I redirect my gaze back to folder on my desk and flip it open. Page after page of information floats in front of my eyes, and yet none of it seems to stick. I need to take a break.

"I'll be in Sam's office," I tell Donna as I pass by her desk.

"Okay."

Sam is laboring over a speech President Bartlet is supposed to give for the Organization of Forensic Scientists on Thursday. The words he types on his laptop are reflecting back on to his glasses.

"Hey," he says, when he happens to glance up.

"Hey." I sink into the chair opposite his desk, my head rolling back so that I can stare up at the ceiling.

"How's the vetting?" he asks.

"Never ending. How's the speech?"

"Going in circles," he responds. "He tilts his head to the side as he scrutinizes me. "You look tired. Donna keeping you up?"

"You just had to razz me about Donna, didn't you?"

"I didn't razz," he declares. "There was no razzing."

"Why is this subject so interesting to you?"

"You're my best friend, Josh--"

"For now," I interject. He raises an eyebrow before he continues.

"You're my best friend, Josh. I've known you since we were interns."

"So?"

"I always thought I would be the first one to settle down."

"Just a tip, Sam. When looking for women to settle down with, you might want to avoid call girls entirely."

"Now you're razzing me about Laurie?"

"One good razz deserves another," I shrug.

"You've completely sidetracked me now."

"Never a difficult task."

"Josh," he tries again. "I've known you forever, and I've known Donna for as long as you have. I see two great friends of mine get together and I want to know if it's everything I believed it would be. Is that so unusual?"

"No," I admit.

"Well, is it?"

"I said 'no'."

"No, I mean, is it everything I thought it would be?"

"And more," I respond.

"Are you two spending twenty-four hours a day together?"

"Just about."

"She's staying over at your place?"

"Yes."

"What's it like to be that deep into someone else's life?" He asks the question more to himself than to me.

"We've always been deep," I answer. "What's this really about, Sam? Are you lonely?"

"Well, I--"

"Because I'm sure I can set you up with someone."

"I don't need a blind date, Josh. I have no trouble getting dates." I open my mouth to hurl a witty response, but he holds up a hand. "Don't even say it." He pauses for a moment, tilting his head again. "I don't remember you ever being this happy before."

I shrug, because I don't know how to answer this. "My life is changing more than I expected," I say instead. "She's brought most of her things over to my townhouse. The whole place is cluttered with her things. There's no room in the closet anymore. Her books fill the bookcases, and there are pictures of her parents on the fireplace mantel. Everywhere I look, she's there, " I say. "It's terrifying, to give yourself up to something like that. To wonder if you'll remember what it's like to be alone." Sam looks at me intently as I impart this new information.

Silence hangs in the air for a moment, before Sam speaks. "You love it."

"Yeah, I do," I whisper. "I don't want to go back to being alone. That terrifies me even more. I guess we're going to have to get a bigger place."

"Josh?" Ginger leans into the room.

"Yeah?"

"Donna was just here looking for you."

"What did she want?"

"She didn't say. She just stood at the door for a moment and then ran off. She mumbled something about feeling sick. Do you want me to go check on her?"

She was standing at the door? "I'm so stupid. No thanks, Ginger. I'll go find her."

"What is it Josh?" Sam asks.

"She was standing at the door when I was telling you about how her stuff clutters up my place."

"Oh," his eyes widened, "Oh!"

"I've got to--"

"Go," he says

I rush out of the Communications bullpen and down the hall to my office, but Donna is nowhere to be seen. Oh, God, what if she is sick? I run to the ladies' room and open the door a crack.

"Donna?" I call. "Are you in there?" But I can hear nothing in the bathroom. No response.

Maybe she went to talk to Margaret. I head down to Leo's office.

"Margaret?"

"Hi, Josh," she replies. "Did you know that the Army's recruitment--?"

"I don't have time right now, Margaret. Have you seen, Donna?"

"I saw her this morning."

"I mean, recently. Like in the last ten minutes."

"No, I haven't." Margaret smiles one of her goofy smiles. "Have you lost your assistant, Josh?"

"I hope not," I pray, as I try to think of someplace else I can look. CJ's office -- I think. Of course, I should have tried there first. It's closer anyway.

TBC

****