author: Cindy Brewer

email: cindybre74@aol.com

Disclaimer: I don't own them

Summary: song fic, pre west wing

author's notes: I've been dying to use this song in a fic since I
first heard it. But I couldn't fit it into any of my current fics so
I had to write this one.:) For timeline purposes I guestimated that
Dr. Free Ride left Donna in the summer of 96. The song used in this
fic is 'There is No Arizona' By Jamie O'Neil. no copyright
infrigement is intended.

Also I made up the name of Dr. Free Ride since I don't believe its
been mentioned yet.:)

Memorial Day weekend
1996
off campus housing, University of Wisconsin at Madison


Donna Moss sat curled up on the far corner of a blue
sofa staring out the window. A two-page letter was
crumpled in her hands.

/He promised her a new and better life, out in
Arizona.
Underneath the blue, never ending sky, swore that he
was gonna....
Get things in order, he'd send for her.
When he left her behind it never crossed her mind

There is no Arizona, no Painted Desert, no Sedona.
If there was a Grand Canyon she could fill it up with
the lies he told her.
But they don't exist, these dreams he's sold her,
She'll wake up and find there is no Arizona./

She had come home the night before from her second job
around midnight. Instead of finding Calvin asleep on
the sofa with the tv on like she had so many nights
before she had found the apartment they shared dark
and empty.

/She got a postcard with no return address, postmarked
Tombstone.
That said, "I don't know where I'm going next, when I
do I'll let you know."
May, June, July....she won-ders why,
She's still waiting, she keeps waiting

There is no Arizona, no Painted Desert, no Sedona.
If there was a Grand Canyon she could fill it up with
the lies he told her.
But they don't exist, these dreams he's sold her,
She'll wake up and find there is no Arizona./

Donna looked away from the window and down at the
paper crumpled between her hands. The paper was
tearstained in spots, her tears not his. She thought
she had found her knight in shining armor. She thought
she had found her true love. The one she would spend
the rest of her happily ever life with.

Exhausted from the events of the day Donna laid her
head against the arm of the sofa and fell asleep.

/Each day the sun sets into the west, her heart
sinks lower in her chest.
And friends keep asking when she's going
Finally she tells them, " Don't you know/

Two days later Donna had packed the last box. Or at
least the last box she could shove into her tiny car.
Her neighbor Amanda Grey placed a hand on her shoulder
as Donna shut the trunk.

"Donna, this is....."

Donna smiled bitter sweetly as she looked past her
friend to the apartment building. "Crazy, I know."

"You can stay with me as long as you need to, you know
that."Amanda replied as they walked around to the
driver's door.

"He tossed it all away, Amanda.....like it meant
nothing. I have to do something for myself."

"I can understand that."The brown haired girl replied
quietly. "But New Hampshire? There's nothing there."

Donna squared her shoulders as she opened the car
door. "There's the 'Bartlet for America' campaign
office."

"Donna, you don't even know if they'll hire you...."

"I have to take a chance on something."Donna replied
softly fighting to keep the tears at bay.

"You're determined to do this aren't you?"Amanda asked
with a shake of her head.

"I have to, there's nothing left for me here. Calvin
took it all."Donna whispered as she took a last look
back at the campus. To think she had dropped out of
college for him.

"Call me if you need anything no matter what
time."Amanda pleaded as Donna closed the car door and
started the engine.

"I will. "Donna promised as she threw the car into
drive.

/There is no Arizona, no Painted Desert, no Sedona.
If there was a Grand Canyon she could fill it up with
the lies he told her.
But they don't exist, these dreams he's sold her,
She'll wake up and find there is no Arizona./
He promised her a new and better life...........out in
Arizona./

As Donna hung up the phone she turned and saw a brown
haired man standing in the office doorway.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Donna Moss, who are you?"

"I'm Josh Lyman."

"Ah."

"Yes."

"I'm your new assistant."

"Did I have an old assistant?"

end