FicWad

I don’t own any The West Wing character, well Dr. Jane Anderson is mine entirely, but the others surely belong to the people at NBC.

Here we go…

--TWW--J/D--TWW--

Therapy

A large number of therapists had been attached to the White House, since the amount of work pressure could have someone losing it at some point. Those therapists needed to have a clearance level, so they were allowed to listen to most of what was going on the White House, and that also meant that if an assistant had a problem with his or her boss or the job pressure, they could turn to one of these. It was here that Donna found herself, all tensed up, one afternoon after a series of events that had finally forced her to see Dr. Jane Anderson. She was now sitting in the waiting area when Dr. Anderson came out.

"Donna Moss?" Dr. Anderson asked as she approached Donna.

"Yes I'm she," Donna said getting up from the chair.

"Jane Anderson. Please come in," Jane said in a friendly way.

They shook hands and entered a nice quiet and comfy room. Obviously designed to calm people down, and make them at ease while sitting in there. Donna sat down in this soft stuffed chair and the therapist took one facing her.

"So what brought you here?" Jane said, starting out softly.

"I need to find out why I have been so tensed up lately," Donna answered. "I tried to analyse why myself, but failed so I decided to come here."

"Well let's find out, Donna," Jane said as she began to scribble on a legal pad. "You could start with telling me a little about your job."

"Okay," Donna said. "I'm the senior assistant to Josh Lyman, that's the Deputy Chief of Staff. You couldn't ask for a better boss," she said as Jane scribbled away. "It's a tough and demanding job, but that's why I love it as much as I do. So that can't really be the reason to that I am so tense."

"So it goes deeper," Jane said as Donna nodded. "How is the work environment?"

"The best. The people there have become like a second family to me and I have made the greatest friends. That’s most likely because they all know how it is to work at the White House, and they understand all about why work is so important. Outsiders don't. So it can’t be about them either," Donna said as she was thinking. "And the greatest thing of it all is that I’m able to be around my best friend in the world for maybe eighteen hours a day."

"So who’s your best friend?" Jane asked scribbling away.

"My best friend is Josh. It might seem weird, to outsiders, having your boss as your best friend, but he has done an awful lot for me and we’ve been through a lot together," Donna said.

"So how is he to have as a friend?" Jane asked.

"He is without a doubt the most honest person that you could ever have for a best friend. Even though he might seem self-centered, hot-headed, provocative, charismatic, messy and other things to a lot of people, who don't know him deep inside, and is therefore a challenge to have as a friend," she said without having to think about the answer, "He is underneath all of that, he is soft, tender, loving, caring, stress-free, gentle, a charmer, a flirter, a humorist and more in that direction. You melt in his presence when you know him like that. And you really have to know him completely, before he let’s his true colours show. And most of all, you have to know how to handle him and luckily I know how to do that."

"Are you able talk to him about everything?" Jane asked.

"Surprisingly yes and he's the first guy, or man if you will, that I have ever accomplished that with. I never have to be embarrassed when it comes to personal 'girlie stuff' as he puts it. It has been like that since five minutes after we met. We just got along like a house on fire even though there is an age difference, which is a twelve-year gap. So I was twenty-four and he was thirty six when I came to work for him, and I knew from our first conversation, that Josh would become very special to me and we would become friends in that instant. In other words: I was in for a Hell of a ride having him as my friend." She stopped after her rant to breathe.

"You may have what is called an old soul, since you and he clicked in that instant," Jane said and Donna agreed by nodding.

"I do have an old soul. They even told me that in school, and told me that my intelligence was beyond my age," Donna said.

"I have always loved to seek knowledge and Josh knows that. So however how busy he is, he will always make a stop to listen to my questions, and then make the time to answer them for me. He also likes to explain things thoroughly to me and I always let him. Inever cut him off mid sentence. Amy does not let him explain things and she always cuts him off."

"And who is Amy?" Jane said realizing it could have something to do with her.

"She is his 'feminist girlfriend'," Donna said trying not to sound too disgusted, making quote marks in the air around the word 'feminist'. "And pardon me for saying so, but I have never liked her. I could call her a certain B Word, but that is way below my standard of appearance. She is not a 'feminist' in the right word. She is in the category of women who will do anything, and use a person like Josh, in the third highest-ranking position in the US, in her cause to accomplish what she wants. Which includes putting Josh down and hurting him and calling him a Jackass. She came to congratulate him on election night and I saw them walking into his office. This is suitably sick, but I could not help but stalking them. So I stood there lurking out there in the dark bullpen, listening to their conversation. And sure enough she cut him off, never letting him drive his point home," Donna said as she finally began to realize herself that her problem evolved around the Amy subject. The proverbial light bulb must have been switched on over her head because Jane noticed that too and she nodded. "I suddenly know what it is that has me so tensed up. Or who, to be more correct..." Donna said. "It's Amy. I am tensed up by the thought of Amy."

"I had my suspicions there," Jane said. "So you have never discussed this with Josh I presume?" Jane asked.

"No I haven't. Well I have thought about it a lot of times," Donna began. "But I never get around to it. In all probability because I'm afraid that he'll get angry with me for telling him the die-hard truth about her. He can be dense about relationships. And having him angry with me... I couldn’t bear it. It has been building up inside of me, all that anger I have towards Amy, but I had no place to unload it. And Josh is usually the person I do that with," she said in the light of recognition. "And I can't talk to him about this. But on the other hand I really need to have that talk with him or I am going to burst. He doesn't even know that I came here today, and I always tell him where I go, so that's how bad it has become."

"Could that talk be done here?" Jane asked her. "So you can have a safe surroundings and me as a support if needed be?"

"Can I?" Donna asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

"Yes you can," Jane said as she grabbed her schedule book. "Is there a time that's most appropriate?"

"Let me see..." Donna said as she went through Josh’s schedule in her head. "I guess any time after three pm the next two days," she finally answered.

"Let's see..." Jane said as she went through the next two days in her own schedule. "How about tomorrow at four pm, unless you can call him right now and ask him to come right over. It seems highly important to me that you get this off your chest as soon as possible. My schedule is clear for the rest of this afternoon."

"This is so very important," Donna said as she once again ran over the schedule in her head. But it was now for that day and found nothing on the said schedule. "I can call him right now."

"You can use my phone for privacy," Jane said as she got up. "I will be back in five minutes."

When Jane had left her office, Donna nervously picked up the phone on the desk and dialled the direct number to Josh’s office. It was picked up after the second ring.

"Josh Lyman," the beloved voice of him said in the other end.

"It's me," Donna said in her end.

"Hey Donna!" Josh said. "Where are you? I need you here."

"That’s just it." Donna began. "I am going to talk right now without any interruptions. So when I'm done, just get to where I am, without asking questions, because it is very important that you hear me out. Okay Josh?"

"You are starting to worry me now Donna," Donna could hear the evidence in his voice indicating that he was now worried. "But okay, speak."

"Get over to Dr. Jane Anderson's office. Right now!" Donna ordered.

"Walking out the door right now." Josh said and disconnected the phone at his end.

"Josh is on his way over," Donna informed the therapist as Jane stepped back into her office a few minutes later.

"I have told my secretary to send him right in when he arrives," Jane said.

Not ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. Through it Josh stepped in and as his gaze locked onto Donna, she could detect the worry in his eyes that she had heard in his voice over the phone.

"You okay?" Josh asked her, concerned.

"Reasonably okay," Donna answered him.

"Hi I'm Jane Anderson. You must be Josh," Jane said, as a way of introducing herself.

"Yes I am," Josh said and shook hands with her. Bewildered, he asked, "Excuse me, but why am I here?"

"Donna needs to talk to you about something," Jane said as she pulled another chair up to the one that Donna was sitting in.

"Now you really have me worried, " Josh said as he sat down. He turned the chair so he was facing Donna completely.

"I know you are," Donna said with bowed head. "I know because I can feel it."

"What is it?" Josh asked as he took her hand in his. "You’re not sick are you?" he asked her with a sinking heart, squeezing her hand in the process.

"I am not sick or anything in that nature. I would tell you that," Donna answered. "This thing is precarious. So precarious that I have been afraid of confronting you on the matter regarding it," Donna said as tears welled up in her eyes. "So scared that the matter could cost me your friendship," she said as a lone tear fell from her eye and onto her lap. "And I know I wouldn't be able to handle the fact of losing you."

"Donna?" Josh said. "Look at me. Please look at me," he pleaded and she did as she was told. Josh looked directly into her tearful eyes. "You know that you can talk to me about absolutely anything. You have always known that. And there is not a chance in Hell that you will ever lose me or my friendship." He whisked her long blond hair away from her face, and tugged it behind her left ear. "Please tell me what this precarious matter is," he pleaded, still looking into her eyes.

"It’sAmy," Donna said quietly as she looked into his eyes. She searched them for anger but found nothing but full seriousness in them. She sighed inwardly. "It is all about Amy."

"Amy? What has Amy done to upset you?" Josh asked her. "I swear if she has said something to you..."

"No she has not done anything to me," Donna cut him off in mid tirade; a bit stunned over the fact that he was protecting her. "It is actually about what she is doing to you that is upsetting me all the time."

"What is she doing to me that is upsetting you so much?" Josh asked her.

"She is always putting you down, Josh," Donna spilled. "She is always hurting you and constantly calls you a Jackass. She cuts you off, never letting you finish what you are saying. She never ever listens to you, and uses you in her cause to accomplish her own goal and agenda," she said. "To tell you the truth, Josh, I have never liked her. Why do you think that I was lurking outside your office on election night? It was to hear if she did it again and surely she did," she then said and began to cry. "That is not how you want to be treated. You want to be listened to. You want to be the lecturer and not the lectured. That is what I love about you. You always drop what you have in your hands, important or not, when I have a question about anything, to give me the 101 on the matter. You are the greatest teacher, and I would not have learned half as much in college. You are so great at that and it bothers me that Amy won’t let you speak." She then looked down again, sniffling heavy. Tears fell on her knees.

"Donnatella?" Josh said gently, using her full name. It always broke his heart to see her cry. It was not often that she cried, but when she did, it wreaked havoc inside of him. She was his very best friend, for crying out loud. Getting emotional himself over the fact that she cried, he found himself getting misty too. He reached out to tug the former errant strand of hair that had fallen back down, softly behind her ear again. "Look at me," he urged softly. She looked up and when her eyes found his, she looked a bit surprised to find tears in his eyes as well.

"What?" she asked him quietly. Tears were still evident in her voice and one trailed down her cheek.

"You are the closest friend I have ever had in my entire life," he began as he dried her cheek off with his thumb.

"Is Sam not your best friend?" Donna asked, puzzled. Sam Seaborn was the former Deputy Communications Director, but had decided to run for governor in California. Sam had been a friend of Josh for years, before taking over the White House as members of the Bartlet Administration and before Josh and Donna had even met.

"No, Sam is more like a brother to me now," he answered. "I knew the second I laid eyes on you, and we talked all those years ago, that you would be more than an assistant to me. I knew that you would become my best friend along the way. As for Amy, she was about to leave the scene anyway. I know I always wait for them to break up with me, but seeing you like this has made me realize that I have to take the ultimate step myself this time."

He squeezed her hand and then pulled her into a loving embrace. He felt her melt into his arms as they closed around her. He then took a deep breath and said quietly, "You are so much to me and you have done more for me than anyone else in this world." He then pushed her a little away from him, cupped her head between his hands and looked straight into her big blue, still misty eyes. "And lately I have realized that I love you. The kind of love you feel beyond friendship. Donnatella, I love you, I am in love with you." At first he felt her freeze, then pale into a paler than usual complexion, then he saw her face split as she produced her beautiful 1000-watt smile. It was the one that showed every tooth and he felt his own face crack into a smile of his own.

"You are in love with me, Joshua?" It was more a statement than a question. But by this moment the therapist was all but forgotten for both Josh and she. Jane was sitting quietly, observing the situation as it evolved before her eyes.

"Yes I am," Josh answered as he stroked her cheek with both his thumbs. "I realized that I have loved you ever since our first meeting, when this Commander Wonderful happened, and I was barely able to contain my jealousy then. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. On both the inside as well as the outside, and you have helped me, and stuck by me, more than it was required of you as my assistant." He was referring to the three months after he was shot, walking out from the Newseum in Rosslyn. President Bartlet had been speaking there, and as the Presidential party was about to enter the motorcade some radical group called the West Virginia White Pride, had opened fire. The President had been hit but not as much as Josh had been. He had been shot in his heart, nearly died and Donna had put a hold on her life, for three months over that summer, to nurse Josh back to health, and get him back on is feet. It was during these three months, when Donna lived with him in his place, they had formed the ultimate bond, and that was one particularly strong bonding that could not ever be broken. They called each other to say goodnight, as they were the last person they heard before falling asleep. And the first thing they heard in the morning, was in all equality each others voices when she called him for his wake up call. Even if they were away from each other, even if it was just a few days, they always called each other to talk.

"Why did you not say anything then?" Donna said. She had never ever loved this Lt. Cmdr. Jack Reese, nor been in love with him, simply because of Josh. Really liked him, yes. But never ever loved him, because she couldn't. Her heart already belonged to someone else.

"Because you seemed happy with him and I didn't want to ruin it. For once I wanted you to have a decent relationship, where I wasn't calling him a 'local gomer' and ruining it," he relented. "Or I think it was because I felt that if I butted in on this one, and you had gotten angry, I would have lost you for good."

"I really wish you had ruined it," she admitted. "Then the whole mess around the inauguration wouldn't have happened." Donna had covered for Jack over a comment he had made to a reporter.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I never loved him. I was already in love with someone else and that had been for several years in fact," she said and looked directly into his eyes and blue locked onto brown eyes. "You see, I made the object of myaffection hire me as his assistant all those years ago." She had just walked into the campaign headquarter in Nashua, and talked him into hiring her as his assistant. They always found that rather amusing as they bantered over it. They always bantered about almost everything but mostly over coffee, to which Donna refused to bring him any cups of to the greater annoyance for Josh. She saw a light of recognition in his eyes and then his smile grew to the extent so that his dimples came out in full force.

"I only need to do one thing before I can do what I want to do," he then said before fishing his cell out of his pocket and turning it on. He had shut it off to avoid the interruptions it could cause. Donna had been the most important on his agenda after receiving her phone call. He had indeed been walking out the door as he had told her, coat over his arm and his trademark backpack slung over his shoulder.

"What's that?" she asked, curious.

"I need to call Amy and break up with her, before I can ask you out the proper way, out on the most important date of my life," he said to Donna, receiving a perfect smile from her. "I will be just outside in the outer office," he said to both Donna and Dr. Anderson and finally acknowledged her presence in the room again. Before leaving he dropped a kiss on Donna’s forehead and squeezed her shoulder.

Once he had left, Donna sighed in contentment and leaned back in the chair. She seemed to have totally forgotten about Dr. Jane Anderson, who had been silently observing the pair from her chair, and now cleared her throat.

"Oh!" Donna exclaimed, turning her head towards the therapist. "I am so sorry for shutting you out," she said, a little embarrassed. "We always seem to do that to other people when we are deep in conversation."

"That is okay," Jane, said, "it went rather well."

"Yes it did," Donna chuckled. "What on earth was I so afraid of?" she asked, mostly herself. "He loves me too."

"It may be a stupid question. But how do you feel inside?" Jane asked her.

"Wonderful," Donna smiled when grabbing a Kleenex to wipe her eyes. "Simply wonderful." She sighed as Josh returned and now with a not so pleased look on his face. "I take it she didn't receive the news well?" she said after only having to glance one time on his face.

"Oh no," Josh answered. "I had an earful of not so pleasant words, but I don't really care."

"That was what was to be expected from her mouth," Donna said and to that Josh nodded. Then he broke into her his dimples-in-full-force smile.

"So is a date in order, Donnatella?" Josh asked her.

"By all means, Joshua." Donna said.

"I believe the session is done," Jane said, and it was more a statement than a question.

"Yes!" Donna said.

"And it will be on me," Josh said. "So bill me."

"I can't let you pay for that," Donna protested.

"I want to because I kinda caused this one, so it is only fair that I pay for it," Josh said looking into Donna’s eyes. "Please let me do this for you," he pleaded.

"You’re on..." she stopped a beat while she had a mischievous gleam in her eyes, like if they had a secret, or something intern thing, going on,"Wild Thing!"

Jane observed his surprised facial expression before both broke into laughter, and smiled to herself, as the two of them left her office. She could hear their merry laughter rapidly disappear down the hall.

Those two would be okay.

THE END

--TWW--J/D--TWW--

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