Work Text:
April 4, 2021
Josh slips in the door just after midnight, quietly dropping his carry-on bag to the floor as he enters. He knows he’ll have to pick it up and unpack later, but he notices that the lamp in the living room is still on, so he’s got other priorities.
He kicks off his shoes and hangs up his coat before he hears the sound of nails scratching excitedly against the hardwood floor in the hallway. A gangly Irish Setter mix bounds into the room and spins in circles before jumping up and putting her front paws on his leg to greet him. He sits down on the bottom stair, whispering an excited hello to the six-month-old puppy who Josh notices has definitely not grown into her paws while he was gone. She nudges Josh’s hands, sticking her nose underneath them to insist that he pet her.
“I’m not sure who missed you more, me or Sadie,” Donna says, coming in through the doorway from the living room and taking a seat next to him on the stairs. “She howled for you when you left, so I let her sleep with me.”
“So much for the ‘no dogs in the bed’ rule, huh?” Josh laughs as Sadie rolls over on her back, begging for belly rubs. Josh obliges, rubbing the small white patch on her chest before moving down to the chestnut-colored fur of her belly.
Donna pouts. “Well, there was too much space, and it’s still a little cold outside. And besides, I made the rule. I can break it if I want to.”
He grabs the flowers that he had gently placed on top of his bag and hands them to her, probably a little unceremoniously, all things considered. “I didn’t want to wait until morning and make you think I’d forgotten,” he says. “You’ll still get the nicer ones tomorrow. I missed you, too, by the way.”
Josh picked up the flowers before he went through security on a whim; he’d already scheduled a delivery to be sent to her office the next day. But when he got the notification that his flight out of California was delayed, he grabbed a small bouquet - he didn’t want to show up after midnight empty-handed. They have a real anniversary now; it’s in October. What was once the only way he knew he could say ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m so glad you’re here’ without crossing a line has evolved into something bigger and better than he ever would have imagined was possible. But he still likes acknowledging the day she came back to him, the day she told him exactly where he stood in her life, the day that he allowed himself to realize what she meant to him for the first time.
The flowers are wilting a little, and a few of them have lost some of their petals in their cross-country journey. Donna inspects them for a moment, and Josh can’t help but feel a little nervous about her reaction, even though they’ve been doing this dance for more than twenty years and she’s assured him that despite her protests, it really does make her happy. When she looks at him and kisses him before breaking into a trademark Donna smile, he knows he made the right call. “I’ll still argue with you about it tomorrow,” she says.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Are you hungry?” She pats his knee and stands up, starting to walk toward the kitchen. “I made veggie lasagna tonight.”
Josh shakes his head as he follows. “No, thanks. I ate before I got on the plane. How was your day? You sent me that cryptic text about the principal’s office.”
“Ah, yes. Your daughter called another student a fascist at school today,” Donna says as she searches the kitchen cabinets for a vase to display the flowers in.
Josh raises an eyebrow. “Well, was the kid a fascist?”
Donna gives him a pointed look. “Josh.”
“What? That changes whether I’m upset about it or not,” Josh laughs. “And, hang on, back up. My daughter? You used to say how cute it was that she was just like me.”
“It was very cute that she was just like you. And then she turned ten.”
“I should be offended by that,” Josh muses, taking a seat at the kitchen table, Sadie perching herself at his feet. “But somehow I’m not.”
They have three amazing, fantastic, intelligent, wonderfully witty daughters. Josh and Donna have always been a little hesitant when they’ve received comparisons to the Bartlets, but Jed and Abbey become more and more amused by it with each blog post or Twitter thread Zoey sends them comparing the two families.
Caroline, at twelve, becomes more like her mother every day. Her kind and generous heart coupled with her blonde hair and famous Donna Moss pout used to make Josh wonder if she inherited any traits from him at all, but her perpetually messy bedroom and her tendency to shout at family members from afar remind him and Donna that it’s not all about genetics. Caroline’s ‘the nicest kid in school’, according to several of her classmates and a few of her teachers, a label that more than a few former associates of his have asked him about. When they do, Josh points them straight to Donna.
Josh’s faith in his genes and his paternal influence was restored when Nora came along; there’s not a person in D.C. who can’t tell just by looking at her that Nora is Josh’s daughter through and through. She’s also always the first to speak her mind (as evidenced by the fascism accusations), and she can argue her way out of anything. But Donna passed on her unfailing patience to Nora, which Josh swears will make her an excellent politician one day - she’s willing to play the long game. She’s also incredibly nurturing; Nora was the mastermind behind the plan to bring a dog into the fold, and it only took her a few days to wear her parents down.
Josh and Donna often debate about who Leah, their youngest, is most like. She’s a Josh Lyman clone from her dark, curly hair down to her dimples, and her favorite hobby is watching Mets games with her dad. But sometimes her mannerisms and the way she speaks make Josh do a double-take to make sure he’s talking to his almost eight-year-old and not his wife. Leah, much like her mother, absorbs new information like a sponge and loves to try new things. She is the only one of their daughters who doesn’t have to be reminded to pretend to be interested in Jed Bartlet’s long lectures; the man is absolutely her favorite grandparent.
Donna’s given him nearly fourteen years of marriage, and a family he’d honestly never thought he’d have - in return, he’s given her flowers. Nothing he can give her seems like enough. But he’ll spend the rest of his life and a few more forevers trying.
“How’s Sam? Did you two have a good time?” Donna asks, changing the subject.
Sam had invited Josh out to California for a few days on a whim under the guise of ‘catching up’, and Donna accurately predicted that it was to discuss Sam’s next political move. Sam told Josh on the first day that he was considering a bid for the Presidency. Josh’s trip was filled with strategy talks, a little opposition research, and a lot of reminiscing - by the time Josh was set to return to D.C., Sam had made up his mind.
“He’s good,” Josh says. “It was good to see him.”
“Did he make a decision?” Donna takes a seat next to him at the table.
“He’s running,” Josh confirms. “No one else knows, though.”
Donna smiles. “Good for him. I’ll call him once he announces and tell him that I’ll be proud to vote for him. What about you?”
Josh takes her hand. “What do you mean?”
“He asked you to run his campaign, didn’t he?”
Sam didn’t ask Josh to run his campaign. He told Josh he’d thought about it, but he had someone else in mind. Josh was glad; his exit from politics had been a welcome one, and while he misses the action sometimes, he doesn’t miss the late nights and early mornings that required time away from his family.
Caroline was born toward the end of the second year of the Santos administration, and when they found out that Donna was pregnant, they agreed that Josh would stay on as Chief of Staff through the midterms and the end of Donna’s maternity leave. Donna would go back to work and Josh would be the primary caregiver for a little while. Although it took some time to get used to the fact that his world didn’t revolve around politics anymore, it was the right move for him and for their family.
When their second (and surprise third) girls came along, Josh considered getting back into politics. But between the nasty partisan rhetoric stalling any real progress and Donna’s career taking off like a rocket after Santos lost the 2010 election, he decided to accept an offer to teach at Georgetown instead. It surprised him how much he liked teaching; it gave him hope that some of his students could find their way into the system and help shape it into something better than what it was when he left it.
When Sam told Josh who he planned to ask to run his campaign, he made Josh promise to help do the convincing. Josh agreed. It was time to pass the metaphorical torch.
Josh considers how to answer Donna’s question. “He actually didn’t. He and I have worked together for so long that he probably needs another perspective anyway. He’s got someone else in mind.”
“I’m a little surprised he didn’t ask you. There aren’t that many people who could run his campaign right now,” Donna says. “But if he's thought of someone else that makes a little more sense. Do you know who it is?”
Josh rubs his thumb across her knuckles. “Yeah. I think it’s a good choice. Been a part of three winning Presidential campaigns, lots of experience in politics at the state and federal level. Never run for office before, or run a campaign solo, but this will be a nice stepping stone for that sort of thing.”
“Do you think he’ll say yes?”
“I promised Sam I’d help convince her. Sam seems to think she’ll be a tough sell, so he sent in the best. He made me promise before I left that I’d get her to agree to it.”
“Her? I’m trying to think of a woman who would fit that description. Is it Joey Lucas?”
Josh laughs. “No, it’s not Joey Lucas.”
“Oh, right. You said she’s never run for office before, so that should have been my first clue. Who is it?”
Josh gives her hand a squeeze. He thinks for a moment about letting her guess, about the look on her face when she finally realizes, but he wants to be the one to tell her. So he does. “You.”
Donna’s eyes go wide. “Me? Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Josh, he can’t be serious.”
“Of course he’s serious, Donna. You’re an obvious choice. Every campaign you’ve been a part of after 2010 has been a winning one. Most of them have been landslide victories.”
Donna still looks shocked. Josh can’t understand why. Donna is an incredible political force. Her time as the First Lady’s Chief of Staff led her to explore other opportunities helping shape state and federal policy. She’s a highly sought-after campaign consultant, and some of Josh’s old enemies on the Hill are now more scared of her than they ever were of him.
He hasn’t convinced her to run for office yet, but he’s hoping this will make her a shoo-in for when he eventually wears her down. He’s thinking she can run for Congress in 2024 - she could run away with it for 2022, but Josh knows he can convince her to run Sam’s campaign more easily than he can convince her to campaign for herself. They’ll get there.
She sighs. “Everything’s so… vitriolic now. It’s not like when we worked in the White House the first time, Josh. Not even like when we worked for Matt and Helen. It’s so partisan.”
“I know.”
“And after how things went in 2010…”
“I know. That one still stings. But you and I both know twelve straight years of Democratic leadership was rare in and of itself. I still hate the guy as much as you do, but I hate the Republican options for this election even more. Hell, I hate some of the Democratic options just about as much,” Josh insists.
“I don’t know if I want to be away from the girls,” Donna hedges.
“And I’ll tell you the same thing you told me last week when you were assuming Sam would ask me to do it. We’ll make it work. If it’s what you want to do, we’ll figure it out.”
“Can I think about it?” she asks. “It’s just… it’s a big decision.”
Josh nods. “Okay. I’m sure you’ll have a ton of questions for Sam, too. Call him tomorrow and ask them all.”
She stands up from the table and starts to pace the kitchen floor. “I mean… he could do it. He would run away with the Democratic nomination.”
“He would.”
“I mean, even President Bingo Bob’s little four-year blip of… nothing was kind of a nightmare,” Donna continues. “People like Sam. Sam could actually get something done.”
“He could,” Josh affirms, standing up and pushing in his chair.
“We would need someone who really knows foreign policy,” Donna insists. “I mean, I’ve learned a lot, but it’s not my area of expertise.”
Josh takes her hand, stopping her in her tracks and pulling her close. “Wasn’t mine, either.”
She laughs, burying her face into his shoulder. “I’m not going to be his Chief of Staff, Josh.”
“You don’t have to be,” he promises. “In fact, I would probably put my foot down on that one. It took a lot out of me and I only did it for two years.” There’s an unspoken acknowledgment of what being Chief of Staff did to Leo; he can’t bring himself to say it but he knows she’s thinking it, too.
Donna pulls back and runs a hand through Josh’s white hair. “I know. It’s part of the reason that this happened,” she says, raising her eyebrows.
“Donna,” he whines.
“You look distinguished, Josh,” she reassures him.
“Can we focus, please?”
“I just… are you sure about this? It’s a lot of work.”
“No doubt in my mind. Or Sam’s, for that matter.”
“If I come back through D.C. to find that the girls are completely running this house…”
“You know they do anyway. All four of them, if you count Sadie.” Josh pauses for a minute. “You’re gonna do it?”
Donna nods. “Yeah. I am.”
He’s been proud of Donna what feels like hundreds of thousands of times before, but the pride he feels in her right now is almost unmatched. She’s going to run a Presidential campaign. And she’s going to win. Josh is still ridiculously, impossibly in love with Donna, and he falls more in love with her every day - but this? It feels like falling in love with her for the first time all over again. “Donna, I --”
She pulls him by the belt loops and presses a soft, gentle kiss to his lips. “You look tired,” she whispers before moving her fingers from his belt loops to his belt buckle. “We can talk about this tomorrow.”
“I must not look too tired, because it isn’t stopping you from coming on to me in the middle of our kitchen,” he says, watching as she pulls the belt off and places it on the counter behind her.
“We were doing too much talking,” Donna says. “I stayed up to wait for you, but you sprung all this on me. I was hoping we’d save the talking for tomorrow.”
“I suppose I could be convinced. You are an incredibly beautiful and soon-to-be very powerful woman.”
“I’ve always been powerful,” she insists.
“Is that so?”
“Twenty-three years ago in February, I hired myself to be your assistant,” Donna declares, unbuttoning Josh’s shirt. “I think that’s pretty damn powerful.”
Josh skims his hands up her sides. “Well, it was twenty-three years ago today that you came back to me.”
Donna moves to kiss him again, this time more urgently than the last. When she breaks the kiss, she smiles at him. “As I said earlier, we’ll argue about this tomorrow.”
“Uh huh,” he says. “You gonna take me to bed now? Have your way with me?”
“I don’t have to convince you?”
“I’ll say it again - you’re incredibly beautiful. And I think you can show me how powerful you are once we get upstairs; I could always use more convincing in that department.”
Donna reaches for the belt that she left on the counter a few minutes earlier. “Pick up your bag on the way up.” She pulls away from him and starts up the stairs.
He knows better than to argue.
