Up Against The Wall

by: Brandy
Character(s): Josh, Donna
Pairing(s): Josh/Donna
Category(s): Post-Episode/Romance
Rating: TEEN
Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm just running with the story and filling in the blanks for the summer. This officially lives in Speculationville.
Summary/Spoiler: Small spoilers for '25', otherwise, wild speculation.
Author's Note: This one goes out to Sharon, who very nicely demanded it- :) and for everyone else who said, "No!!! You can't leave it there!!!"

The following quotes apply to this story in one way or another in various places, for various reasons, and were and have been insiprational to me. I ll let you guys figure out where and why.

The next seventy-two hours were the longest any of us had endured since Rosslyn. It was with the same kind of breathless anxiety and fervent pleas to God that we waited to find out Zoey's fate. Finally, when it looked as though despair would overcome us all, there was word that the FBI had a strong lead. Information that might take them to the place that Zoey was being held.

It was six excruciating hours from the time that the FBI informed President Bartlet about the tip until final confirmation was made.

It was successful.

Zoey was found in a long abandoned warehouse in some obscure little town in north-western Virginia. She had been bound, gagged and blind-folded, and kept in a room barely larger than a closet. But she was alive. Bruised, dehydrated, physically shaken and emotionally terrified, but blessedly alive Her captors where gone, and obviously had been for some time.

While crime scene units descended on the warehouse, combing it over with pain-staking, meticulous detail, Zoey was bundled into a helicopter and flown home.

I will never forget the moment the call came from Leo. Josh and I had been waiting in his office, knowing that word would come soon, and unable to even go through the motions of trying to concentrate on anything else. We had, by unspoken agreement, decided to wait together. When the phone rang, we both leapt for it, but Josh got there first, and unable to stay where I was, I rounded the desk to stand beside him. My eyes never left his face for the few moments it took for Leo to pass on the information, and for a terrifying split second I feared the worst, as I saw tears fill Josh's eyes. The only thing Josh said before hanging up the phone was 'Thank you, Leo."

Barely able to speak past the lump in my throat, I whispered Josh's name. That one word was question and plea, all rolled into one. He turned to face me, and I saw that, although tears were brimming in his eyes, they were shining, and a slow grin was turning up the corners of his mouth.

"She's alive. They've got her."

Then, as if speaking the words made it even more real, he vaulted out of his chair and grabbed me up into his arms, holding me tight.

"Zoey's alive!!! She's coming home!!" he shouted, twirling me around in his arms, laughing and crying as he did.

Soon the reality of what he was saying became my own reality and I was laughing and crying right along with him, returning his embrace. Joy, relief and exaltation tripped over each other in their demand to be released.

Some part of my mind registered hearing the cheers and babble of relieved voices growing out in the bullpen as the wonderful news rippled beyond us like joyous waves. The door to Josh's office was open, and I knew this moment of private celebration between us couldn't last forever, but some part of me wanted it to. I looked into Josh's shining eyes and saw that his joy wasn't merely contained to Zoey's safe return to us, but more than that, a victorious exhilaration that 'they' didn't get another one. This time the scales tipped in Josh's favor. He didn't have to face the loss of someone else he loved. In this, I completely shared his joy

As I knew it would, our private celebration ended long before I wished it would, but the way it ended was not something I had foreseen. Although, given what had happened a few nights before, it shouldn't have surprised me.

"Josh, did you hear about Zoey?!" Amy exclaimed as she rushed through his open office door. At the sight of us in each other's arms, she stopped short " Oh...I guess you already did."

I could feel the heat burning my cheeks at Amy's scrutiny. She was leaning in the doorway and the look on her face as she took in the sight of Josh and I, still in each other's arms, spoke volumes. I made an effort to move out of Josh's embrace, but he held me close. Whether it was by conscious design or impulse , I didn't know. I do know that Amy noticed his action. I glanced at his expression then, and noticed something quite astounding. He didn't appear uncomfortable, or even slightly guilty. His happiness was not diminished one little bit. His grin was wide and full when he glanced at her and said, " Yeah. It's great isn't it?"

"Yeah," she replied. Then she turned her gaze from Josh to me, and with a rueful grin and a slight shake of her head, she said, " Donna, you remember that thing I asked you the other night?"

At my slight nod, she continued.

"Yeah, well- I don't need that information anymore. I figured it out all by myself. Good luck. You're going to need it."

With that she was gone.

I could feel Josh's attention centered solely on me again, and turning to look into his eyes, I saw amusement and lingering joy, mingled with a trace of confusion.

"What was she talking about?"

"How about I tell you later. We've got some things to do first."

"Okay... Does it have anything to do with that thing you were thinking about the other night?"

"Sort of," I replied, somewhat shocked that he even remembered that conversation.

"Okay- but you know, at this rate we're going to be doing a lot of talking, Josh observed with a teasing grin.

"At the very least. It's about time, don't you think?" I asked, wondering if he realized that we were both speaking in some sort of elaborate code that only we knew, and what's more that we were both speaking it at the same time for once.

"Yeah, I do. Past time if you ask me. But unfortunately-"

"Work first," I said, completing his thought.

"Yeah. But this is the fun part."

"Not quite- but it's getting there," I commented with a wide grin.

We both laughed and then without missing a beat we made the almost imperceptible transition from being Josh and Donna to Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy-Deputy Chief of Staff. Phone calls started flooding in and CJ, Toby and Will made fleeting appearances in Josh's doorway with questions and comments. Everybody had ridiculously happy grins on their faces. Everything was once again falling back into its proper place, and the view ahead looked very rosy.

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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