A/N: Hey guys! For Christmas, I'm giving you... Exactly what none of you asked for! It's another story. Don't worry, though, this one won't be "unfinished." Each chapter is its own independent fic, much like A Collection.

However, this story is a little different. Each chapter is an AU situation in which our favorite pair (or mine, anyway), Josh and Donna, meets for the first time. If, by the end of the chapter, you're rather invested in that AU, you can leave a review and if there are enough of you that agree, or if I too am rather invested, I'll transfer the chapter and develop the exposition into its own little story.

Should be fun, though! Can't wait to put those two into all kinds of weird and wonderful situations.

I hope you guys enjoy it. Happy Holidays, I love you all!

Rating: Probably T. There's a tad bit of profanity.

Disclaimer: Alas. They're only mine in my dreams.

Reviews: *Intense Snape stare* Always.

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As he drove, Josh Lyman allowed his mind to wander. It had been a long week, you might say.

First, of course, his boss had won the Illinois primary. And then, moments later, he'd learned of his father's death. He'd spent some time with his mother, helping to put his father's affairs in order and organize the funeral. In truth, he was dying to get back to work. Not because he'd been unaffected by his father's death, but because this was how he grieved. He worked. He did things. He helped people and he threw himself into a cause.

No, it was the resting that killed him. Ironically, it made him restless. He simply couldn't bear to be alone with his grief - or to be alone with himself, quite frankly.

And yet, upon calling Leo and practically begging to come back to work, he'd been given some bullshit side job. Leo tried to make it out as important, that he was going to court a significant donor, but he could tell it was just his way of keeping him out of the office. He didn't feel he was ready.

And so he'd sent him to Wisconsin, the hell hole of all hell holes.

Okay, it wasn't that bad. In the summer, that is. He had been assured that they had perfectly fine cheese. But as for now, in March, at nine o'clock at night with freezing rain coming down in droves, Josh wasn't feeling too much love for the state. He could hardly see the bloody roads, which were hard enough to navigate what with the poorly marked street names and inaccurate map he'd been given at a visitor's center.

God. It'd been a rough week.

Ah, fuck, was that a stop sign?

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As for her part, Donna Moss wasn't exactly in great spirits either. Which was particularly sad given that it was her birthday.

Of course, her boyfriend had forgotten it. However, that wasn't exactly the root of her foul mood. Rather it was the fact that she wasn't surprised by this at all. She'd grown accustomed to his disregard for her, and this dull blow only served to drive the point home.

She wasn't happy anymore.

Given, she'd felt this way before. Two months ago, she's nearly done it. She'd packed her things and almost up and abandoned him altogether. She'd planned to join the Bartlet for America campaign, which had captured her attention and her sense of idealism. But he'd found her out.

Amid tear-filled declarations of love, of need, and of promises to change, she just couldn't do it. She'd stayed. And of course, all of his promises had come to shit. Nothing had changed.

She went to work that day tired. Her twelve hour shift had only added to her hatred for the world. She'd been yelled at twice, snubbed for a tip once, and hit on three times.

And now, it was raining. Perfect.

She gets in her car and embarks on her drive home, secretly hoping that no one would be there to greet her when she arrived.

Crash.

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Upon extricating herself from her likely totaled car, the first thing Donna hears is: "Fuck, fuck, fuck... Oh, Christ, fuck, what have I... Fuck..."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, what? Oh, oh my god, are you okay?"

"You're the idiot who blew through a stop sign?"

"You're... You're okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay, you moron. What's the matter with you?"

"I am so sorry, I couldn't see, I just, oh fuck..."

Donna examines the man before her, a thirty something in a suit who obviously didn't belong here. He continually runs his hand through his hair, distressed.

"Look, I'm fine, can you just... Calm down?" She says irritably. She would normally feel bad for the guy, but he had just T-boned her car.

"I'm sorry, I'm just... Are you limping?" His eyes widen with concern as Donna approaches him, wincing as weight falls on her left leg.

She grits her teeth. "I'm fine."

"You're not."

"I am."

"I think I should call 911."

"I think that's a bad idea."

"You're hurt."

"I'm really not."

"You're lying."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'll call."

"Don't do it."

"If you're not hurt, come over here and grab my phone from me."

"What is wrong with you?"

"I'm just sayin'-"

"All I want is to go home, okay? So just give me your information, I'll call a tow truck, and we'll be on our way."

"Look, lady-"

"Lady?"

"You're being a bit ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous?"

"Yes, hello, operator. There's been a car accident here at... Umm..."

He glances around, and failing to see street signs, looks to Donna for help.

She purses her lips, weighing her options. Looking into his pleading eyes, she relents. "Sycamore and Barden."

"...Sycamore and Barden. Yeah, and a woman is hurt. Not badly, but... Yeah. Thank you. Okay, we'll be here."

In an awkward silence, the man snaps his phone shut and looks around. "So I guess, we'll just, umm, wait."

"I guess we will." She says shortly.

"I... I really am sorry. I didn't see the stop sign."

"So I gathered."

"Right."

"Yeah."

"Umm, we could, sit down?"

"Where?"

"Preferably, inside."

Donna shoots him a look through the pouring rain. "Brilliant idea."

"So, yeah, um..."

"There's a bus stop over there. It's covered."

"Right." He hesitates, reaching out toward her.

She stares at him for a moment, disgruntled. "Fine, fine. I may need a little help."

"Yeah." He smirks slightly, taking her arm and helping her to hobble to the bus stop bench.

Once there, Donna flicks her wet hair out of her face and gives the man seated beside her a look.

"I'm Donna, by the way."

He looks up, surprised. "I'm Josh."

"Josh. Okay. Thank you for helping me." She says, not looking at him.

"Yeah, of course."

"Sorry I was being a bit... Terse. Imaginably, I'm not in a great mood."

He chuckles. "No shit."

"What?"

"What?"

"Did you say something?"

"Nope."

"Okay." She says dubiously. They sit in silence for a moment. "So you're obviously not from around here."

"Was it the rental car that tipped you off?"

"That and the scared, lost expression on your face."

He smiles. "Yeah, no, I don't live here."

"I do."

"I gathered."

She smiles slightly. "What brings you into town? Work?"

"Yeah. I have a meeting with a donor tomorrow morning, if I can find the damn place..."

"A donor?"

"Oh, yeah. A campaign donor. I work for the Bartlet for America campaign."

Her eyes widen. "You do?"

"Yeah." He turns quizzically at her tone. "Why?"

She glances down at her hands, smiling shyly. "Well, I'm kind of a fan."

"You are?"

"Oh my god, yes. I've been following you since October. His speech in Toleto? I read the entire text, and I nearly cried. Okay, I actually cried. Seeing you guys take Illinois was amazing, by the way, congratulations."

Seeing her eyes light up, he can't help but smile. "Thank you."

"He's got what it takes, you guys will sweep this thing. He's got to. We need him."

"Thanks for saying that, but I don't know how much of the country agrees with you."

"Well, you'll have my vote."

He grins, shaking his head slightly. "Wow."

"What?"

"It's just I've never met one of my fans before," he lies. He had. The lemon-Lyman girls could be a bit of a handful. He'd never met one this intelligent, however. Or this attractive, for that matter - not that he'd noticed.

"I'm not your fan, you know. I'm his. I'm sure I've never even heard of you before, Mr..."

"Lyman. But you can call me Josh."

"Right. Josh Lyman. Never heard of you."

"That's a shame. I am pretty important."

"I'm sure that you are." She says placatingly, patting his hand. This only causes him to smile more. She can't help but notice that he's actually pretty cute, when he smiles. Perhaps it was the dimples.

"Thanks for that."

"You bet."

"So... You live around here?"

"Yeah."

"What do you do?"

She looks down again, the sparkle dying from her eyes. She answers quietly. "I'm a waitress."

"Oh. Oh, well, hey, I like... Food."

She sends him a look. "I was in school, you know, studying political science... Among other things, but I had to drop out."

"Why?"

"What makes you think you can ask me that?"

He holds up his hands. "Hey, I was just wondering."

She softens. "No, it's okay. I brought it up. I had to drop out for money reasons."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

"I know that." She says, bristling again. She wasn't ashamed of what she told him. She was ashamed of what she hadn't - that it had all been for one guy. One awful guy.

"Okay." He swallows uncomfortably, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, you're shivering."

"It happens to be rather cold out."

"I'd give you my coat, but..."

"It's sopping wet?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks anyway."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"I think the ambulance is here."

"Thank god. Let's go."

He helps her up and they make their way to the sight of the crash. "Do you have someone to pick you up from the hospital?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably."

"Hello, ma'am, let me help you up. Sir, are you hurt as well?"

"No, I'm-"

"Yeah, his wrist hurts."

He looks at her in shock. How had she known that?

She smirks at him. "Revenge. I saw you wincing and trying to move it."

"Hop in, sir, we'll take you to the hospital as well."

He glares. "Fine."

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"Your full name is Donnatella?"

Donna looks up from her clipboard with a start. "Were you spying on me?"

"No. I just happened to look over and notice-"

"These are confidential medical documents, you know."

"-that your name is Donnatella."

"Yes, it is. So what?"

"Nothing. It's just kind of funny."

"You think my name is funny?"

"Like, in a cute way." He risks saying. She doesn't seem to mind.

"Whatever. Anyway, I can just look over and see that your name is... Joshua."

"...It's pretty predictable, really."

"Yes, I've since realized that." She snaps.

He smirks, looking back down at his paperwork. "Hey, who am I supposed to put for an emergency contact? Like, someone I see often, or-"

She smacks a hand to her forehead suddenly. "Oh! That reminds me."

"...Of what?"

"I need to call my boyfriend."

Watching her dig through her coat pockets, Josh feels a slight sinking feeling. "Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I'll need someone to pick me up from here, ya know."

"Right." Feeling a bit less cheerful than before, he returns to his forms.

"Hey, Roy... Listen, I'm going to need you to pick me up. Where are you right now? It's really loud... Okay, well anyway, I got in a car accident. What? Well, yeah, my car is pretty damaged. We can talk about the costs later, okay? Yeah, we can... I'm in the hospital, Roy. Yes, the hospital... Why yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

She's turned away from him to make the call, but he can't help overhearing.

"Yes, so, can you come get me? I can wait about half an hour, I guess, because they haven't seen me yet. Okay. I'll see you then. Bye." She snaps her phone shut, sighing.

"He sounds pleasant."

Donna looks up, surprised. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"I'm sitting next to you."

"He's... It's a long story."

"Is it?"

"Not really."

"So tell it to me."

"What do you care?"

"I dunno. Nothing better to do."

"He was a med student, I was in undergrad, I dropped out to help pay his tuition, we're still together however many months or years later, and..."

"And he's still a jackass?"

"And I'm tired, is what I was going to say."

"So dump him."

"It's not that easy."

"Sure it is."

"He's not a bad guy."

"He asked about the costs of the accident before he asked if you were okay."

"You're a bit full of yourself, you know."

"I do know."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"Do you have a girlfriend... Or a boyfriend?"

He gives her a look. "What do you care?"

"I don't."

He smiles. "No... No, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Sad."

"Not really. The last one was a real piece of work."

"I'd imagine she'd have to be."

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't say anything."

"I think you did."

"I think you're hearing things."

He smiles. "Maybe."

"Ms. Moss? Come on back, we'll take a look at your ankle."

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There was something about her, he decided. As no one could see him about his wrist yet, he'd accompanied Donna to a small room in which doctors prodded and eventually set her ankle.

Maybe it was in the way she talked.

He asked her questions to distract her from any pain she might be feeling, and she spoke on all manner of things with equal passion. From her republican family to healthcare to her favorite movie (which required a heated defense, given Josh's noticeable scoff), her knowledge and contemplation of the subject matter was entirely endearing. And refreshing.

It was funny, the way he felt around this small-town Wisconsin woman. It was as though in his bubble of Washington hot-shots and political calculations, he was just now being reintroduced to the real world. To something human. And he was simply enthralled.

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There was something about him, she decided. As there was still no sign of Roy, she'd stuck around to sit with Josh as his wrist was wrapped. It was the least she could do, given that he'd stayed to listen to her nervously prattle on as her own injury was taken care of.

Maybe it was in the way he talked.

She listened in awe as he explained to her (and the nurse) every detail of Bartlet's platform, and later, his agenda. It was obvious how deeply he thought about these things; as he spoke, his eyes would drift in and out of focus, his mind working a mile a minute. Each time she raised a question or qualm, he'd talk it through with her as if she was his equal - not an irrelevant waitress. He seemed to genuinely care about her opinion.

It was funny, the way she felt around this Washington hot shot. It was as though he was from another world. He offered a glimpse into all that was out there for her to know and discover - all of the things she had never allowed herself before. And when he met her eyes, she could feel it tugging something deep inside of her.

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"Babe! You're okay."

"...yes. I am."

Josh watches the man across the lobby. He's tall, stocky, and appears to be a bit tipsy. God, the asshole was drunk? Josh narrows his eyes to see how the scene plays out.

"Come on, I'll.. I'll take you home."

"Roy, are you... Are you okay?"

"What? What, yeah. Yeah. What?"

Donna looks up at her boyfriend in astonishment. "Are you.. Drunk?"

"No, no. No. I just stopped and had a couple beers, I'm not drunk."

"You stopped on the way to the hospital for a beer?" Even Josh can hear the warning in her tone, but Roy doesn't seem to be getting it.

"Babe, you said you wouldn't be done for a while-"

"That doesn't mean I wasn't alone in a hospital with a sprained ankle! God, Roy-"

Josh is a little annoyed that she'd said she was "alone" but is moreover quite pleased that she is standing up for herself.

"Babe, we can talk about this at home."

"No, we can't."

"What do you mean?"

"And stop calling me babe. You can drive yourself home, though I strongly reccommend calling a cab, and I'll be there tomorrow. To pick up my things."

"Donna, what are you-"

"Go. This is over."

"Donna, you can't be serious."

"I am."

"You can't do this to me."

"Something tells me you'll live."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Go."

"Fine." Roy looks around, aimlessly, his cheeks flushed. "Fine, bitch."

At this, Josh seems unable to stay seated. Donna glances at him briefly.

"Sit down, Josh. It doesn't matter."

Roy turns to look at him as well. "Who's he?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Are you-"

"Go."

At this, Roy finally heeds his orders. Casting one last mutinous glance behind him, he staggers out of the hospital.

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"...Are you okay?"

Donna looks up slowly, blinking a couple times. "Yeah... I think I am."

She sits in her chair, slightly shell-shocked. She had just completely altered the course of her life, ending her only long term relationship, with one brash decision. But she thinks that it had been a long time coming. The expanse of directionless freedom before her was entirely overwhelming.

Josh narrows his eyes in concern. "You sure?"

"It's just that... I've got nowhere to go, tonight."

"You can't stay at a friend's place or something?"

"I could, it's just... I don't feel like explaining myself to anyone right now."

He shifts awkwardly on his feet. "Oh... Okay."

He tries hard not to convey how happy he was with the night's developments. He reminds himself that he hardly knows the woman, and he has no reason to be invested in her personal life. But he is.

She stares up at him with her large blue eyes. "I imagine you're staying in a hotel tonight?"

"I am."

"Is it far?"

"I don't think so."

She stands. "Come on. We'll split a cab. We can check in on our cars at the tow lot in the morning."

He looks at her in surprise. "You're coming... To my hotel?"

"Yes."

"Well, okay."

She furrows her brow. "Not to sleep with you, you know. I didn't mean to imply that. I'll be getting my own room."

He smirks, following her to the lobby. "Yeah, Donna. I got it."

"Good." She turns to smile at him over her shoulder. "Though, maybe we could have breakfast together, in the morning."

"Yeah. I'd like that."

And just like that, something had begun.

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Alright, what'd you guys think? Thanks for reading!