FF: Three Things (A Thanksgiving Story) (1/5)
Title: Three Things (A Thanksgiving Story), Chapter 1
Disclaimer: Alas, these characters are not mine.
Rating: G.
Pairing: Josh/Donna
Category: Holiday, romance, AU.
Feedback: Always appreciated.
Archiving: Please ask.
Timeline: Thanksgiving right after the first election, before they're actually in the White House.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Rick, as always.
Note: Josh might be still with Mandy at this point in the official timeline, but in this story, they have already broken up.
Josh Lyman strode purposefully through the transition offices until he found Donna Moss working at a desk in the Communications area. He couldn't help thinking that he had liked it a lot better when she was always working wherever he was, but now that they had won the election, she wasn't technically his assistant anymore. No one had been officially hired for the new administration yet, so people were helping out with whatever the senior staff asked them to do.
"Hey, you busy?" he asked.
She didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. Of course she was busy.
"Okay, I know you're busy, but can I talk to you for a second?" he tried again.
"Go ahead." Donna found herself smiling. She couldn't help it.
"Mom said that you haven't exactly accepted her Thanksgiving invitation. Do you have other plans? You'd said you couldn't afford a ticket home right now . . ."
"No," Donna said slightly defensively. "I mean, I can't, and I don't."
"But you don't want to come to Connecticut?" Josh looked confused and a little hurt. "It's a nice place to spend Thanksgiving. I mean, there might even be snow."
"I'm sure it's a lovely place to spend Thanksgiving," Donna said gently. "But I didn't want to invite myself along on your vacation. You take so little time off as it is . . ."
"You wouldn't be inviting yourself! Mom invited you." Josh was still completely confused. What was the issue here?
"Well, but I wasn't sure if you wanted me there," Donna admitted. "I figured your mom invited me to be nice when I mentioned that I couldn't go home, but I don't want to ruin your family holiday. I know it's the first big holiday without your father, and I didn't know if you wanted to spend time alone with your mother, or . . ."
Josh just looked at her for a moment. "Please come. For me? I - I'd really love it if you'd come."
"Of course," said Donna, startled. "Wait, are you going to make me work over the holiday? Do you always make your assistants spend holidays with you?" She honestly wasn't sure whether she was teasing.
"No," Josh said. "You're not my assistant anymore, for one thing. I'm not going to make you work. And I've never brought anyone from work home for a holiday."
"Oh," Donna said softly. "Okay."
"I will admit that it may not be the most fun place to go. I'm sure things will be a little weird without Dad. But that's part of the reason why I want you to come," Josh explained. "Mom really likes you, and - well, you'll make it more fun for me too."
Donna smiled at him. "I'll try."
"You will," Josh said. "So, what does Sam have you working on there?"
Disclaimer: Alas, these characters are not mine.
Rating: G.
Pairing: Josh/Donna
Category: Holiday, romance, AU.
Feedback: Always appreciated.
Archiving: Please ask.
Timeline: Thanksgiving right after the first election, before they're actually in the White House.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Rick, as always.
Note: Josh might be still with Mandy at this point in the official timeline, but in this story, they have already broken up.
Josh Lyman strode purposefully through the transition offices until he found Donna Moss working at a desk in the Communications area. He couldn't help thinking that he had liked it a lot better when she was always working wherever he was, but now that they had won the election, she wasn't technically his assistant anymore. No one had been officially hired for the new administration yet, so people were helping out with whatever the senior staff asked them to do.
"Hey, you busy?" he asked.
She didn't even bother dignifying that with a response. Of course she was busy.
"Okay, I know you're busy, but can I talk to you for a second?" he tried again.
"Go ahead." Donna found herself smiling. She couldn't help it.
"Mom said that you haven't exactly accepted her Thanksgiving invitation. Do you have other plans? You'd said you couldn't afford a ticket home right now . . ."
"No," Donna said slightly defensively. "I mean, I can't, and I don't."
"But you don't want to come to Connecticut?" Josh looked confused and a little hurt. "It's a nice place to spend Thanksgiving. I mean, there might even be snow."
"I'm sure it's a lovely place to spend Thanksgiving," Donna said gently. "But I didn't want to invite myself along on your vacation. You take so little time off as it is . . ."
"You wouldn't be inviting yourself! Mom invited you." Josh was still completely confused. What was the issue here?
"Well, but I wasn't sure if you wanted me there," Donna admitted. "I figured your mom invited me to be nice when I mentioned that I couldn't go home, but I don't want to ruin your family holiday. I know it's the first big holiday without your father, and I didn't know if you wanted to spend time alone with your mother, or . . ."
Josh just looked at her for a moment. "Please come. For me? I - I'd really love it if you'd come."
"Of course," said Donna, startled. "Wait, are you going to make me work over the holiday? Do you always make your assistants spend holidays with you?" She honestly wasn't sure whether she was teasing.
"No," Josh said. "You're not my assistant anymore, for one thing. I'm not going to make you work. And I've never brought anyone from work home for a holiday."
"Oh," Donna said softly. "Okay."
"I will admit that it may not be the most fun place to go. I'm sure things will be a little weird without Dad. But that's part of the reason why I want you to come," Josh explained. "Mom really likes you, and - well, you'll make it more fun for me too."
Donna smiled at him. "I'll try."
"You will," Josh said. "So, what does Sam have you working on there?"