Spoilers: This continues to feed off "The Portland Trip."

Archive: Sure, let me know where and keep my name
attached.

Thanks: Stacy is to blame for my obsession.

Summary: Sequel to "Done."


All Done

Sam closed the door behind him. He stood for a moment with his hand
on the doorknob, thinking about trying to listen in. He tried. He
couldn't hear anything.

"Whatcha' doing Sam?" CJ asked as she passed without stopping.

Sam snapped out of his fog and jogged after her. "You won't believe
what just happened." He followed her into her office and sat down on
her couch. "You won't believe it."

CJ didn't look up and didn't respond.

"I said, you won't believe what just happened," he repeated.

"Oh for the love of Mike, fine, Sam. What just happened?"

"Josh just said he loves Donna."

CJ stopped thumbing through files. "To Donna or to you?" she asked.

"Well, to me. But Donna was there! She heard him."

Sam suddenly had CJ's undivided attention. "What happened next?"

He paused. "They kind of chased me out of the room."

"And you let them?" she yelled. "What good are you? Do you know how
long I've been waiting for this?" CJ stormed out of her office. Sam
sat and stared at her desk. She returned, grabbed Sam by the necktie
and dragged him behind her to Toby's office. "Toby!"

"What did you do now, Sam?"

"Tell him," CJ demanded, relinquishing her hold on Sam's tie.

"CJ..."

"Tell him."

"I don't..."

"Tell me or leave!" Toby yelled.

"It's just..."

CJ grabbed his tie again.

It finally poured out. "Josh said he loved Donna. He said it to
me. But Donna was there. But he didn't know Donna was there. But
she was. And then they chased me out of the room."

Toby let out a low whistle and his eyebrows arched. "So I guess the
pool is done. Who won?" he asked CJ.

"Don't know. We'll have to check with Margaret."

"Pool, what pool?" Sam asked.

"The When-Will-Josh-and-Donna-Finally-Get-Together pool," Toby said.

"I wasn't in any pool."

CJ patted him on the head. "That's because you're the only one that
didn't see this coming." She left the office quickly and then
returned. "Come on. They're leaving. You know we've got to follow
them."

CJ led them out of the office. "Here." Toby put his coat around her
shoulders. "It's chilly out and we don't want to lose them."

"Thanks, Toby."

"Guys, where are we going?" Sam asked.

"About half a block behind Donna and Josh," CJ responded.

They watched Josh and Donna walk out the entrance with about two feet
of room between them. As soon as they made it through the front
gate, Josh cautiously took Donna's right hand in his left. When she
didn't withdraw it, he pulled her closer. After a few minutes, he
released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her
closer still. Then he reached down and put her arm around his waist,
before replacing his arm across her shoulders.

"Don't blow it, Joshua," CJ muttered.

"Too fast?" Toby asked.

"She was awfully mad at him this afternoon. You say to me the things
he's been saying to and about her, and you wouldn't touch me for a
week. See?" Donna's arm dropped and she stepped away from
Josh. "He's done."

"Come on, Josh," Toby encouraged. "The hand thing was working.
Girls like that."

CJ smacked his arm. "When are you men going to stop referring to us
as girls? That's all I heard when Ainsley hired in. 'That
Republican girl.' And now Donna's a girl. What am I? 'That girl
that talks to the press?'"

"I don't think of you as a girl, CJ," Sam said.

"Thank you, Sam."

"You're too scary to be a girl."

Toby laughed.

"Shhh, they'll hear us," CJ scolded. "Look!"

Josh had taken Donna's hand again. "Score one for the home team,"
Sam said. CJ just looked at him. "It's the best I could come up
with. Where are they going? It's freezing."

Toby rubbed his hands together. "They won't stay out too much
longer. There. That bar, I bet." He pointed to the establishment
on the corner.

"God I hope not," CJ said. "Noisy and smoky? Bad choice."

Josh pulled Donna to a stop. CJ, Toby and Sam stopped half a block
behind them and tried to blend in. The couple looked at the bar,
then Donna dropped Josh's hand and began to walk away.

"What now?" Toby asked.

"Did I mention noisy and smoky?" CJ asked.

"Move, Josh," Sam encouraged.

Josh jogged to catch up with Donna. He didn't touch her, just walked
beside her with his hands shoved in his coat pockets.

"How about that place?" Sam asked, pointing to a small restaurant on
the other side of the street.

"Ooo, that place would be good," CJ said. "I know the maitre d'
there. We could get a table and spy."

Toby looked at her quizzically. "Spy?"

"Hey, you're out here without your coat on, buddy. So don't try to
tell me you're above spying. You're too far in already."

"Look!" Sam said.

Josh was brushing snow out of Donna's hair. His hand hovered at her
cheek and CJ thought she could she Donna close her eyes and lean
towards him.

"She's leaning," Toby said.

"I agree," CJ said.

"Leaning?" Sam asked.

"It often precedes hugging or kissing," CJ explained. "Unless of
course it's a call girl. Then leaning is not required." Sam blushed
and CJ felt she'd gone too far. She'd have to apologize. But later
because the leaning was mutual. "Under the street lamp," she
said. "How romantic."

"I never pictured you as a romantic," Toby said. She swatted his arm
again. "And you can stop hitting me any time. Look."

The leaning had lead to kissing. Heavy kissing. Kissing that ended
up with Josh leaning against the light pole. This time when Josh put
his arm around her shoulders, Donna didn't pull away. They crossed
the street and walked in to the restaurant.

"Following?" Toby asked.

"I don't think I can watch any more," Sam answered. "This is too
weird. I feel like I was watching my big brother neck with his
girlfriend in the garage or something. I'm out of here. See you
tomorrow." He turned and headed back the way they'd come.

"Well, I..." CJ began.

"Come on. I'll buy you dinner and we can see what happens," Toby
said.

"Um..."

"Everybody's got to eat."

She shrugged. "I guess."

The maitre d' sat them in the back. They were only a few tables away
from Donna and Josh, but it wouldn't be obvious to the couple. "They
wouldn't notice us anyway," CJ said. "Look at that."

Josh pushed the candle to the side of the table so he could kiss
Donna's hands. She looked slightly uncomfortable, but relaxed after
he said something.

"Whatever it was, it was the right thing to say," Toby said. "I
can't believe we're doing this."

"We could go join them," CJ said, watching for Toby's reaction.

"Even I am not that cruel. I think Donna would die on the spot."

"I think you're probably right. Look."

Josh poured a glass of wine from the bottle on the table and toasted
Donna. They could see her blush. He took her hand again and spoke.
Whatever he said, opened the floodgates for Donna. She began to
speak, so animatedly that she required both of her hands for
gesturing. Josh leaned back in his chair, watching and smiling.

"I need someone to look at me like that," CJ said.

"Ditto."

"Well, I'm depressed, and this isn't going to get any better if we
follow them home. I'm out of here."

"I'll get the bill and we can grab a cab back," Toby said. He threw
some bills down on the table.

"Now what did he say?" CJ asked.

Toby turned back to Josh and Donna. Donna's hands were resting in
her lap and she was staring at her plate. Josh had a horrified look
on his face.

"Oh, for God's sake. I can't take this." CJ stood, pulled Toby's
coat tightly around her, and stalked over to Josh and Donna. "Josh,
what have you done now?"

He jumped up. "CJ...I...um...well..."

"Sit down, Joshua. And stop blushing, Donna. Whatever he's said, if
it was stupid, he wasn't thinking." She smacked Josh upside the back
of his head...hard. "Let's see if that rattles some things back in
to place."

Donna continued to stammer and blush.

"Donna, there are three things you must always remember about Joshua
Lyman. One: He loves you. Two: He'd be lost without you. Three:
He's an idiot when it comes to women." She turned to Toby, who was
still standing by their table. "That's women, Toby. Not girls."
She turned back to Donna. "Remember those three things and nothing
else matters. Okay?"

"Okay," Donna said quietly.

"Okay." CJ repeated. She picked up one of Donna's hands and one of
Josh's hands and put them together. "Stick with the hand, Josh.
Women like holding hands in the snow. And don't screw this up." She
turned back to Donna. "And Donna?"

"Yeah, CJ?"

"When he does screw this up--which I predict he'll do at least twice
more tonight--just remember the three things."

"Okay, CJ."

Toby was behind her. "Are you done?" he asked.

She looked from Josh to Donna and back again before answering.

"All done."

And they left Josh and Donna, holding hands across the table.

-END-