Rated PG
Post Ep fic for Stirred.

“Have a good evening, Mrs. Morrello.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. I hope to hear from you again, Donna.”

“Yes, ma’am. Goodbye, Mrs. Morrello.” Donna stared at the speakerphone a moment before turning her teary eyes to President Bartlet. She took a step toward him and raised her arms. He watched with a smile on his face as she hesitated. He stood from his chair and opened his arms, inviting her for a hug. Donna released the breath she had been holding and fell into his fatherly arms. He rubbed his hand down her back when he felt her shoulders shake.

“Shhhh. You’re a good girl, Donna. Mrs. Morrello isn’t the only one that’s proud of you.” His smile widened when she responded with a meek and muffled, “Thank you, Mr. President.”

“Come on now. Dry those eyes. You’re gonna get my shirt all soggy.” He said playfully. Donna took a step back and wiped at her eyes.  Jed produced a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her with a wink.

“That was a very nice thing for you to do, Mr. President. She’s very special to me and I know that meant so much to her. It means so much to me. Thank you.”

“Yeah, well. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to be the Magic Man.” Donna laughed as the President placed his hand on her back and guided her to the front of the desk.  He picked up the memo Josh had written and handed it to her.  She rubbed her fingers lightly over the hastily written words as she stared at the piece of paper. Jed cocked his head at the look on Donna’s face.

“He’s proud of you too, Donna. You mean the world to him.” Donna shook her head. It was almost unnoticeable. Jed leaned back on the desk and regarded her for a moment.

“He’s a good friend.” She stated quietly.

“He’s a good man. Contrary to what most of the greater DC area thinks.”

“Yes sir.” She agreed with a smile.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a nice hug as well.” Donna met the eyes of the President and smiled when she saw the mischievous twinkle in his smiling eyes.

“Yes sir, Mr. President. Thank you.” She turned to leave, but before she could get to the door, Jed spoke again.

“You’re important to us, Donnatella. You’re important to me. You’re important to Josh. Don’t ever forget that.”

Her voice caught in her throat as the tears fell down her cheeks again. She nodded her head and managed to strangle out her thank you. Jed smiled as he slipped on his reading glasses and pretended to read a briefing.

~~

Josh wiped his hand across his neck as he walked back to his office. He looked at his watch and wondered why Donna wasn’t at her desk. He stepped into his dark office and heard the sound of someone softly crying.

“Donna?” He asked, his voice full of concern. She turned around slowly in his chair and faced him. Josh looked from her tear-streaked face to the memo in her hands. She opened her mouth to speak but the words were indecipherable through her tears. Josh stepped closer and knelt down before her. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he never liked the idea of Donna crying.

“Donnatella, what’s wrong?” He asked while wiping a tear from her cheek.

“He called her. He called her from the Oval Office, Josh.” Donna finally managed to speak. A warm smile spread across her face as she looked at Josh. Seeing that nothing was wrong, he allowed a shy smile of his own.

“I’m glad.”

“Thank you.” Before he could react, she launched herself into his arms. He was still kneeling on the floor and if it hadn’t been for the back of his desk, she would have knocked both of them to the floor. Recovering, Josh wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. He could feel the dampness of her tears on his skin.

“Shhhhh, what’s all the waterworks for Donna? You’re not normally so….so….girly.”

“Shut up.” She mumbled into his neck. He laughed as her shoulders shook as she giggled. She had slid from his chair and was currently sitting on his left thigh as he rested their weight on his heels and against the desk. He knew if anyone walked in right now they’d have his ass, but he didn’t care. He shifted Donna’s weight slightly so he could see her face. He brushed the hair from her eyes and smiled.

“Tell me what happened? What did he do?"

Donna slid her arms down to his chest before pulling one hand away to wipe at her eyes; the memo still clutched securely in her other hand.

“You wrote a memo.”

“Did he call you to the Oval?” Donna nodded her head and sniffed a few tears away. Josh smiled as Donna recounted her phone call. He wasn’t sure when they had slipped into the position they were in now. He was sitting flat on the floor with Donna sitting between his legs, leaning back against his chest. She had her feet propped up on the wall and he lightly rubbed her shoulders.

“He asked her about Twelfth Night. They talked for nearly twenty minutes. I could tell she was thrilled.”

“What about you? Did you get to tell her how much she meant to you?” Donna leaned her head back on his shoulder and looked reflectively at the ceiling.

“I didn’t know what to say at first. I couldn’t come up with the right words. Then the President told me to tell her where I was.”

“Did you?” He asked as he rested his head against her cheek.

“I told her I was standing in the Oval Office with the President of the United States and it was because of her.”

“That was nice. I’m sure she appreciated it.”

“She told me she was proud of me, Josh. And then……”  Josh tightened his arms around her waist when he heard the emotion catch in her voice.

“And then, what?”

“When we hung up the phone, he…..he told me he was proud of me, too. He said I was important to him.”  Her voice dropped to a whisper as she tried not to cry again.

“You are important Donna. To him, to all of us.” Josh placed a soft kiss on her cheek before he continued. “To me.”

 ~~

The West Wing was deserted so no one was there to notice the Secret Service detail standing outside of the Deputy Chief of Staff’s office. President Bartlet leaned against the doorframe unnoticed while he listened to their hushed voices as they sat on the floor in the dark.  He smiled when he saw Josh pull Donna a little closer. He watched for a few moments more before slipping quietly back to the Oval Office. As he picked up another stack of memos, he sung quietly to himself. It felt good to be the Magic Man.

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