DISCLAIMER: I don't own "The West Wing" or any related characters. "Tell Her"
is a song by Lonestar (a group that Dallas introduced me to in her quest to
Country-Musicize me, They rock!) and is not mine. If anyone sues me over
this, it's just a waste of time and legal fees.

NOTES: Thanks people. I got so much feedback from the people on this list, I
just wanted to take a random moment to thank you guys. It's truly wonderful
and it helps me out a lot. I hope you enjoy this one too.

SUMMARY: Leo guides Josh in the right direction, using his past experience to
help pave the way. . .


So you say your love's about to end
You say you can't take no more
She's out the door
And you're looking for a friend

Leo closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. It had been another
long day and even still, he wasn't eager to leave the office and go back to
his empty apartment. He still had his ring on his left hand. The divorce
papers had been signed, the attorneys were hashing it out, and still he had
the ring on his left hand. Now he knew what Toby had gone through so many
years ago. It was hard to just let go of all that time, all the love and the
years spent together.

With a sigh, Leo got to his feet and grabbed copies of the next day's
schedule. It wasn't that he wanted to save Margaret the trouble, it was
simply that he needed something to do. He needed something to keep him in the
office a little while longer. It was nearly nine PM and he just didn't want
to leave. This place was more a home to him than the empty little apartment
on 17th Street. This was the place that had helped break his marriage apart,
and yet he still loved it; he still clung to it as if it were his livelihood.

As he passed CJ's office, Leo heard some shouting down the hall. He
leaned against the corner and traced the sounds back to Josh's office at the
other end of the bullpen. Through the open door, Leo could see Donna standing
in front of Josh's desk in a very nice, figure-fitting black dress, and Josh
was standing behind the desk, his hands resting on the surface, an angry look
on his face.

"You're the one who asked for this job. Now you're yelling at me that
it's too hard?" Josh snapped.

"No, I'm saying that *you're* too hard, Josh. You've got me working
four hours overtime practically every day, you're always yelling at me and
when you don't get what you want, I'm the one you take it out on." Donna
retorted angrily.

"Well, if that's the way you feel, then maybe you should just stop
showing up for work." Josh said in a soft but hostile tone.

"Are you *firing* me, Joshua?" Donna asked, taken aback. Josh sighed
and looked at his desk.

"No, of course not. I'm sorry. I just--" He started.

"Fine then. I'll quit." Donna interrupted and spun out of the room.
Josh stood there with a stunned look on his face. Leo watched Donna stride
quickly down the hallway and then moved into Josh's office. Josh had slumped
into his chair and was holding his face in his hands.

"Hey, Josh." Leo said softly, causing the younger man to look up.


Who am I to tell you why
But I'm just curious, were you furious
Or did you swallow your pride
And look her in the eye

"Listen, Leo, it's no big deal." Josh started as Leo sat down.

"I think it is a big deal." Leo replied.

"She'll be back tomorrow." Josh insisted. Leo shook his head and
looked at his hands. It felt so familiar, and he knew that Josh didn't know
why.

"She won't." Leo replied as he looked up at his deputy again. "I know
it." Josh saw the look in his mentor's eyes and tried to swallow.

"She has to be." Josh insisted.

"Sometimes they don't come back, just when you really need them to,
Josh. You can't just let her walk out, not at this stage." Leo said slowly.
"Not when the two of you feel for each other the way that you do."

"We're just friends, Leo." Josh said softly.

"Is that it?" Leo asked just as softly. "Is that it you want?" There
was a long silence as the two men sat in the dark office, one thinking about
the past and the other thinking about the future.

"You need her, Josh." Leo said softly. "Don't let her walk away angry.
You need to tell her what she needs to hear. You need to tell her what you
need for her to hear."


And
Tell her that you love her
Tell her that you need her
Tell her that you want her to stay
Reassure her with a kiss
She may never know unless you
Show her what your feeling
Tell her you're believing
Even though it's hard to say
'Cause she needs to know you're thinking of her
So open up and tell her that you love her

Josh thought about the words that Leo had said to him. He did need
Donna, but in what way? So much time had passed since they'd first met on the
campaign trail. So much time, so many things. He loved their walking and
talking, their banters about nothing at all, and he loved it when she walked
into the room, a joke on her lips or a factoid ready for him to make fun of.

Had she really quit? Was she really gone? No, it couldn't be.

"Josh." Leo said softly.

"I'm thinking." Josh whispered. "She couldn't have quit."

"She has the right to. Everything she said is true, and we both know
it." Leo replied.

"I always thought that she was okay with it, that as long as I was
there, she had company and we could work together into the night." Josh said
softly.

"Don't let her go, Josh. That's the worst mistake you'll ever make.
Whether it's because she's your valued assistant or because she's something
more, you can't just let her walk out angry."

"What about me? I'm angry too!" Josh snapped.

"Why?" Leo asked. "Why are you angry?" There was another silence.

"Because she left." Josh admitted.


Brother I've been right where you are now
And my heart was broke
'Cause I never spoke
Those healing words out loud

"Josh, it was almost a year ago that my wife told me that she was
leaving. Do you know how much it hurt to see her walk away?" Leo asked
softly. "Jenny and I had thirty years together, thirty wonderful years. We
had life, love, happiness, and so much more. And then I blew it all away
because I didn't make enough time for her. I didn't tell her what she needed
to hear. I didn't tell her the truth, what was inside my heart. I'm telling
you, don't make the same mistake I did."

"Leo, what are you telling me?" Josh asked softly. "Even if I did have
feelings for Donna, there's no way that she shares them."

"You really are blind as a bat, aren't you?" Leo retorted.

"Leo!" Josh exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter!" Leo cried as he got to his feet. "Nothing else
matters in the world but the feeling you get when the woman you love is near.
Josh, you're like a son to me, so I say this with much affection. Get off
your ass and get out of here. Forget anything else. Just apologize to her."

"Can't I just call her?" Josh asked weakly.

"Not if you want results." Leo retorted.

"Leo, if I do this, what my heart tells me to do, won't we get in
trouble? Aren't there laws or rules or something?" Josh asked.

"Are you making excuses, Josh?" Leo asked softly. "Because excuses
don't do a damn thing. We've gotten in trouble before. Right now, it's a
decision about what you want." He added before leaving the room and slowly
heading back to his own office. Josh took a deep breath and looked around,
trying to search his heart like Leo had said he should. Then he grabbed his
jacket and ran for the door.


But I've learned my lesson well
And now every night
Before I close my eyes
I look at my woman and
I ask myself did you

Leo glanced out the window and saw Josh leaving through the gate. Then
he sat down again and stared at the wall. He missed Jenny. He missed coming
home to her. He really had made so many mistakes, and the biggest one was not
telling her how much she meant to him. He knew that part of it was that she
didn't understand him, she didn't understand how important his job was to him
and to the country, and maybe a little bit that she didn't want to understand
or didn't try. But in the long run, he had forgotten to tell her what he
felt.

Did he ever tell her that he loved her? He tried to get her to stay.
He tried to get her to stay with him and to help him through the hard times.
She had helped him through much worse things, but apparently this job was the
straw that broke the camel's back. And now he missed her.

Closing his eyes again, Leo thought about Josh and Donna. They'd been
working together for two years and it was clear that they were in love. There
was the possibility that Josh had pointed out about trouble arising should
they have a relationship, but Leo was tired of seeing love struck down
because of this office, because of this job. When Josh had been shot, Donna
was there for him every step of the way, taking care of him and worrying
about him. Whenever Donna had her heart broken by another loser, Josh was
there with a random compliment to make her feel better.

It was time for them to take the next step, rather than lose it all.
Leo did not want to see another romance lose it all merely because of the
large building known as the White House.


Tell her that you love her
Tell her that you need her
Tell her that you want her to stay
Reassure her with a kiss
She may never know unless you
Show her what your feeling
Tell her you're believing
Even though it's hard to say
'Cause she needs to know you're thinking of her
So open up and tell her that you love her

Donna sat on the couch, holding her face in her hands trying not to
cry. She'd never yelled at Josh so angrily before. She'd never felt so
horrible, so angry with him. She had quit. She had walked out of his office
with the intention never to return. He didn't follow her. Now she was on her
own. It scared her, and more than that, there was something inside her that
was hurting.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Donna sighed and got up to
open it. She tried to control her reaction when she saw Josh standing at her
door frame. He had a look of utter sorrow in his eyes, and more than that,
she could see the desperation.

"Donna, I'm sorry." He whispered. "Please, don't leave." Donna
couldn't believe it. Here he was, on her doorstep, practically begging her
not to leave him. She hoped that he couldn't see that she was on the verge of
crying. Again.

"Josh, you make it so hard." She said softly.

"I know. I know I do." Josh admitted. There was a brief pause and then
he took a deep breath. "But I love you, Donna. If you left, I don't know what
I'd do. I need you. I need you to stay." It was the hardest thing he'd ever
had to say and yet when he saw the tears form in her eyes, he knew that it
wasn't the worst thing he'd ever done, nothing like he'd feared.

"Josh . . ." Donna whispered, her heart on the edge of exploding. Josh
paused and then stepped forward, kissing her gently. Donna slipped her arms
around his neck as she found herself kissing back. When they broke apart,
Donna saw that there were tears in Josh's eyes.

"Don't leave me. Please?" He begged softly. Donna shook her head.

"No, Josh. I won't leave." She whispered. He smiled, the smile that he
gave every so often when he was genuinely happy with life. She had never
known whether or not her feelings were returned by him, and she never had
believed they could be. But now, as he held her in his arms and gently kissed
her again, she realized that he really did love her.


Tell her that you love her
Tell her that you need her
Tell her that you want her to stay
Reassure her with a kiss
She may never know unless you
Show her what your feeling
Tell her you're believing
Even though it's hard to say
'Cause she needs to know you're thinking of her
So open up and tell her that you love her

Leo opened his eyes to see Margaret staring into his face. He smiled
weakly and got ready for the 'you slept in the office again?' speech that
she'd given him at least three times that week. He waved her off and headed
for the bathroom to give his face a cold splash. When he looked in the
mirror, he saw more lines than he used to, and he could only smile grimly.

When he strolled back down the hallway, he saw Donna at her desk typing, and
Josh was in the doorway of his office, watching her silently. Leo walked up
to the younger man and put a hand on his shoulder.

"So she came back." He said with a weak smile. Josh grinned.

"Yeah, she did." He replied. "Thanks, Leo."

"Just do it right, Josh." Leo said softly. "Just do it right." Josh
smiled weakly and nodded.

"I will, Leo. I have to." He answered softly. Leo smiled and nodded
before going back to his own office and kicking Margaret out of it. When he
sat down again in his chair, he stopped and he thought about the past.


Tell her that you love her

If only he had told her that he loved her.

THE END