TITLE: "As Time Goes By"

RATING: PG-13 (I think)

DISCLAIMERS: Apparently some guy called Sorkin owns 'em. My bank manager says I'm worth nothing (or did he say I was worthless?) so there's no point in suing me!

SUMMARY: It's Josh and Donna's Six Month Anniversary – Sequel to 'A Friend In Need'

SPOILERS: Everything through Season 2

NOTES: This is a follow-up to my first fic called 'A Friend In Need'. There are references to that in this one so you should probably read it first. Thank you to all of you who gave me feedback on AFIN and requested a sequel; hope this is satisfactory!

THANK-YOU's: A big thanks to Abby, Sharon and Jillian for beta reading and ideas.

FEEDBACK: Sure, I love to see my inbox fill up!

Part 1 of 8

**

"What are you looking so pleased about?" Sam asked an obviously happy Josh as they left a meeting in the Roosevelt Room.

"Huh?"

"Josh, we just had a really bad meeting and yet you're still grinning, what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Josh." Sam's tone showed that he didn't believe him. They had been talking and walking and had now reached the outside of Josh's office. Josh entered his office and Sam followed, still awaiting a proper answer to his question. "Come on, Josh, you're grinning like the cat who ate the canary, and have been all morning; are you gonna let me in on it?" Josh let out a sigh and moved to close the door to his office while Sam sat down in the visitor's chair.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to swear to keep this to yourself." Sam looked bemused. "I mean it, Sam, I don't want this getting around the office."

"Josh, what's going on?" Sam would have been worried if it wasn't for the sparkle in Josh's eyes – usually when Josh wanted something to be kept quiet it was a major issue.

"It's six months today since Donna and I started dating," Josh stated simply, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk, but the smile on his face, reflected in his eyes, showed how excited he was.

"Really? That's got to be some kind of record for you, hasn't it?" Sam was smirking and Josh shot him a mock-glare.

"Actually, it probably is," Josh relented.

"So, why don't you want this getting around the office? I mean, everyone knows you're dating, what's the big deal?"

"I don't know…I just want to keep it quiet."

"Ah, does Donna not know you've remembered? Are you planning on surprising her?"

"No, she knows I've remembered, I didn't actually get a lot of choice." Sam raised his eyebrows. "She reminded me last week." A chuckle could be heard coming from Sam. "She didn't need to remind me though, I was already remembering."

"Sure you were, Josh," Sam laughed.

"I was!" he defended.

"Right, so you booked a restaurant for tonight before she reminded you then?"

"I haven't booked a restaurant at all."

"What? Josh, are you crazy? You'll never be able to get anywhere decent leaving it to the last minute."

"I'm not leaving anything to the last minute, we're not going out to dinner."

"Huh? Why not?"

"I want us to spend a quiet night in."

"Okay, I really don't want to be hearing about that."

"Sam. We don't get to spend that much time together, away from here, so when we do finally manage to get away, I like it to be just the two of us, rather than in a crowded restaurant."

"Okay, I guess I can understand that, I just hope Donna does though."

Josh smiled. "She will."

"So, why do you want to keep quiet about your anniversary?"

"Because, if CJ finds out and hears that we're not going out to dinner or anything, she'll start calling me an idiot and yelling at me," Josh replied, actually sounding slightly scared.

"Yeah, but if you tell her what you just told me…about your reason for not going out, she'll back off; in fact she'll probably think it's sweet."

"That's the problem."

"Huh? Okay, you're totally losing me here, buddy."

"I mean, she will think it's sweet and, before I can blink, it'll be all round the West Wing that I'm a romantic." Josh screwed up his face in disgust as he said the last word.

"It's not a bad word, Josh, and it's not bad to be a romantic either."

"Sam, I have a reputation to think of."

"But, isn't Donna going to mention it to people anyway?"

"No, we both want to keep quiet. We don't like broadcasting our relationship."

"Yeah, I've noticed; why is that?"

"What?"

"Well, we all know you're dating, but you don't mention it much. It's all I can do to get you to tell me when you've actually been out on a date with Donna."

"Our private life is just that, private."

"I'm supposed to be your friend though, Josh. We're supposed to share these things."

"I know, it's just…" Josh let out a long sigh. "It sounds crazy, but I keep thinking that if I talk about it…you know, our relationship, that somehow I'm gonna jinx it." Josh's eyes dropped to his desk as he spoke.

"Josh, you really are crazy sometimes, you know that?"

"I know."

"So, if you're not taking her out tonight, did you at least get her a gift?"

"Of course." He looked up at Sam again and smiled. "But, if you think I'm gonna tell you what it is, you can think again."

"Aww, come on, Josh."

Josh shook his head and laughed. "No way, now get out, I have work to do."

"You know I'll just ask Donna tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, but I also know she won't tell you."

"You sure about that?"

"Yep, 'cos I'll ask her not to tell you and, to be honest, I don't think she'll want to tell anyone anyway. We like to keep some things just between us." Josh smiled again, remembering the birthday gift he had given Donna six months previously. Although people had remarked on the beautiful locket she had started wearing, most people had assumed it was a gift from her parents. No-one had directly asked her who it was from and she had not volunteered the information that it was from Josh. When he asked her about it, she said that, since he had given it to her in private, she wanted it to remain just between them, something for them to share. This had touched Josh more than he ever thought was possible and he had vowed to give her more of those 'just between them' moments.

"Hey, Josh, you still with me here?" Sam smirked as he noticed the wistful look on Josh's face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, just tuned out for a second there."

"No kidding. Don't worry, in this instance I won't be offended."

"Why are you still here? I do have actual work to do." Josh was grinning as he spoke and Sam knew he was just trying to end the conversation about him and Donna.

"Okay, I'm going. I just wanted to know how you guys are doing together, you know, since I kinda helped get you together in the first place."

"What? How did you help?" Josh replaced his feet on the floor and was now leaning on his desk looking at Sam.

"Well, remember, we went out to a bar and I convinced you to make a move."

"Okay, see, that's not really the way I remember it." Josh was smirking again.

"Why am I not surprised? I assume this is another example of you taking the credit when something goes right, but if it had gone wrong you would have blamed me, as usual."

"No. Actually, I guess you were kinda responsible. After all, you were the one who gave me the monster truck that Donna tripped over. You were the one ultimately responsible for the pain she was in; in fact, I don't think she ever punished you for that."

"Hey, I might have loaned you the truck, but how was I supposed to know you'd leave it in the middle of the floor?"

"Because you know me." They both grinned and Sam shook his head, laughing.

"Okay, well I'm outta here before you start trying to convince Donna to punish me." He reached for the door handle, but turned back to Josh before opening the door. "Seriously though, Josh, I'm really glad things are going well between you. It's good to see you this happy."

Josh smiled as Sam left the office.

*

"Hey."

Josh looked up when he heard Donna's voice in his office and smiled at her. "Hi."

"What time are you coming over tonight?" Her voice held a different tone from her normal one. Josh had come to recognize it as the tone she used when talking about them as a couple, rather than about work-related matters.

"Huh?" His brow creased in confusion. "I thought you were coming to my place."

"Oh. Well, I guess I could. I just thought, when you said you wanted a night in and a home-cooked meal, that it would be in my apartment." Josh motioned for her to close the door. She did so and then sat down in the visitor's chair.

"Well, what I actually meant was that you would come to my place, I'd cook and we could spend the night watching a movie or something."

"Okay. I guess I'd better call my roommate and tell her she doesn't need to stay out of the apartment tonight then."

"Yeah. You're gonna stay tonight, aren't you?" His voice betrayed his uncertainty and Donna smiled warmly at him.

"Of course I am. Since you were kind enough to give me closet and drawer space to keep some of my stuff in, I like to use them often," she grinned.

"It wasn't that big of a deal, I just let you leave some stuff in my guest room after you moved back to your own apartment," Josh said nonchalantly.

"I know, but that's like a huge commitment for you, Josh," she smirked and he couldn't help but give her a fully-dimpled grin. "So, what time should I come over?"

"Well, we should be able to get out of here by 6, as long as my last meeting doesn't overrun. I'll need some time to prepare the meal and shower, etc. so, maybe about 8?"

"Okay. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Just yourself," he said, looking deeply into her eyes, "although, if you want to bring me a gift of some kind, I'm okay with that." The grin was back.

"Don't hold your breath, Josh." She rose from her chair and left the office, leaving the door open behind her. Josh watched her until he could no longer see her through the doorway and then let a slow smile cross his face before returning to his work.

*

"You wanted to see me, Leo?" Josh said as he entered Leo's office late that afternoon.

"Yes. I need you to sit in on Toby's meeting tonight."

Josh's shoulders slumped. "I can't, Leo."

Leo looked up at him, surprised. "What do you mean you can't? I checked your schedule and you have nothing past 6."

"I know, but there's a reason for that." At Leo's inquiring look he continued, "I'm having dinner with Donna."

"The meeting shouldn't finish too late, you can probably still be out of here by 8."

"I need to leave earlier than that though, I'm cooking dinner for us."

"And you can't cancel? You've had to rearrange things before, what's the problem?"

"It's a special occasion," Josh replied quietly while Leo looked at him intently.

"Like what?"

"It's our six month anniversary. I know it sounds dumb, but I really want to celebrate it, it means a lot to me. Can't Toby fly solo on this one?" Josh sounded a little petulant.

"I told you when you and Donna started dating that I didn't have a problem with it as long as it didn't interfere with work," Leo's tone wasn't stern, but it was serious.

"I know, and normally I would cancel but, as I said, tonight is special. If I really have to be at the meeting I will be, but I think Toby can handle it on his own."

A small smile appeared on Leo's face. "Okay," he said with a nod, clearly understanding how much this meant to Josh. He knew that Josh and Donna didn't really get much time together outside of work, and also, that they never complained about this fact, at least not to him. They deserved the night off. "I'll talk to Toby. If he wants someone with him, I'll do it," Leo said with a small smile, effectively dismissing Josh.

"Thanks, Leo," Josh said with a grateful smile as he turned and left Leo's office.

*

Josh appeared in front of Donna's desk at 6pm sharp.

"You ready to go?" he asked, leaning casually against the doorframe to her cubicle. She glanced at her watch before looking up at him.

"You mean we can actually get out of here on time?" she asked disbelievingly. Josh gave her a dimpled smile and grabbed her coat from the rack, holding it out for her while she slipped her arms into it.

"Are you saying you doubted me, Donnatella?" Donna just raised an eyebrow in response. "Okay, well I'm gonna go make dinner for us. I'll see you at 8?"

Donna nodded her head and gave him a warm smile. "You bet. Is this a dress-up occasion or will any old thing do?" she asked him half-jokingly. He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"You know my feelings on what you should wear, or not wear, when in my apartment, but I'll leave the decision up to you tonight." She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed her bag from under her desk. Josh placed a guiding arm on her back, but didn't wrap his arm around her waist until they had reached the parking lot; despite everyone knowing they were a couple they tried to keep things relatively 'normal' at work. Of course, normal for them was totally different than the normal for most bosses and assistants. They were both very tactile people and everyone was used to seeing Josh with his arm at the small of Donna's back, or Donna giving him a brief hug when he'd achieved something unexpected, but they both strived to not 'cross the line' at work - they didn't want to make their colleagues feel uncomfortable and they certainly didn't want to provide any fodder for the press to shoot them down with.

Josh walked Donna to her car and bent his head down to give her a quick kiss once she had settled herself in the driver's seat.

"Josh, what are we eating tonight?"

"It's a surprise," he replied, dipping his head slightly to avoid her gaze.

"Is that Lyman code for 'I have no idea, I'm gonna run by the store on the way home and pick up some pre-prepared TV dinner type thing and then pass it off as my own'?"

Josh shot her an offended look. "No, I have all the ingredients in my apartment as we speak, which is why I didn't want you to come over last night – it would have ruined the surprise." She gave him a disbelieving look, but said no more on the subject. Josh smiled, pushed her door shut and watched her drive away until he could no longer see her car. He then got into his own car and drove home.

*

Josh was smiling to himself as he added the finishing touches to his homemade lasagne. He had decided to go with an Italian theme for the meal, starting with tomato & basil soup, then the lasagne and finishing off with panacotta. The starter and dessert were both store-bought, or rather, bought from a top-class Italian deli, but he had prepared the lasagne completely by himself. He put it into the oven to bake, set the table and headed off for a shower.

By the time he emerged from the shower, shaved and dressed in khakis and a shirt, there was a lovely smell emitting from the kitchen. He had been worried that he would somehow burn the meal and ruin the evening but he pushed those thoughts aside, thinking that he had been worrying about things going wrong between him and Donna all along, and now here they were, six months later, happier than ever. He was just finishing cleaning up the kitchen, and placing the candles on the table, when he heard a knock at his door. Glancing at the clock on his way to the door he noticed it was only 7:45pm and smiled to himself, realizing Donna was either eager to see him or she was trying to catch him out. He didn't mind either way, he liked the thought of getting even just another fifteen minutes alone with her.

*

"Hey," Josh said as he opened his apartment door to find Donna standing in front of him. "Why didn't you just use your key?"

"Well, I did use it to get into the building, but then I thought I should knock; I didn't want to just walk in and make you rush around trying to hide the evidence of the store-bought containers or anything," she replied, grinning at him. Josh gave her a mock-glare but it was quickly wiped off his face as Donna pushed past him to enter the apartment and then grabbed his hand as soon as he had closed the door behind her, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

"I figured you were trying to catch me out," he commented with a smirk once their kiss ended. Donna just gave him an evil smile as she removed her coat and hung it up on the rack by the door.

"What's that smell?" she asked, wiggling her nose about to savor it more.

"Dinner," he replied simply.

"It smells like lasagne," she stated, walking in the direction of the kitchen. Josh caught her arm as she passed him.

"Uh-uh. You can keep out of there, Miss Moss," he told her, turning her around again so she was facing his couch. "Just sit down and I'll let you know when it's ready."

"Ah, so your way of hiding the evidence is to keep me out of the kitchen?"

"No, I just have a lot going on in there and you know the phrase 'too many cooks spoil the broth'." She rolled her eyes at him but took a seat on the couch. Josh disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with two glasses of wine. He handed one to Donna and then took a seat on the couch next to her.

"Is dinner burnt yet, then?" she asked him, her mouth curving into a grin.

"No, it's doing very nicely actually. I'm just heating the soup, it'll only be another couple of minutes." Josh lifted his wine glass from the coffee table and took a sip from it before returning his attention back to Donna. "What are you thinking about?" he asked quietly, noticing that she had been sporting a wistful look. She turned to face him.

"I'm just thinking how right this feels. I can't believe it's been six months and we're still together."

"You didn't think we'd last?" His tone was laced with a little hurt.

"With our track records? No. I hoped we would, but I wasn't sure. I'm glad we took the risk though, I wouldn't change things for the World."

"Neither would I," he replied, leaning towards her for a gentle kiss before rising again from the couch to check on dinner.

Donna took advantage of Josh's absence to rummage through her bag, looking for the gift she'd bought him. She had taken a long time to decide on what she should buy him, wanting it to be something that would be special to them, but not necessarily to anyone else. She treasured the moments between them that no-one else knew about, such as the locket he had given her for her birthday. No-one had yet figured out that Josh had given her it and they had never seen the inscription on its back, nor the miniature photographs she kept inside.

"Dinner's ready," Josh called.

Donna took the gift from her bag and placed it on the coffee table before heading towards the kitchen. Josh appeared in the doorway, stopping her from entering. She gave him a quizzical look and he held out his arm for her to take, escorting her to her seat. The candles were lit, the lights were dimmed and he had already placed their full soup bowls on the table. Once Donna had taken her seat, Josh made a big show of placing her napkin into her lap. Donna laughed at him and he grinned before sitting down himself.

"Did you make this?" Donna asked after she had swallowed the first spoonful of soup. Josh shook his head.

"No, I admit I didn't. I bought the soup and dessert, but I made the main course myself," he smiled smugly, obviously proud of himself. They continued to eat their soup in relative silence, making eye contact as often as possible. When they were both finished, Josh removed the empty bowls and placed an open bottle of wine on the table, retrieving their partly-filled glasses from the living room and setting them on the table. He then placed a bowl of salad on the table, something that surprised Donna greatly.

"You got a salad?"

"Yes." He kept his back to her so that she couldn't see his grin; he had known she would comment on it.

"I didn't think you knew how to buy salads." Although he wasn't looking at her, Josh knew she was smirking.

"Funny, Donnatella. I actually got it for you," he said, now turning to look at her.

"Why?"

"So that you'll fill up on that and leave more lasagne for me." Donna shook her head, rolled her eyes and laughed at him all at once while Josh just grinned. He then placed a large helping of lasagne on each plate and placed them on the table. Donna added some salad to her plate and started to add some to Josh's.

"It's good for you," she said in response to his semi-scowl.

"That's debatable," he replied.

"Be a good boy and eat your salad and I might just reward you later," Donna quipped.

"That's blackmail, Donna."

"So?" She gave him an innocent look and turned her attention to her food.

"Hang on a sec, I want to make a toast." Josh's statement stopped Donna from putting a forkful of food into her mouth. She looked at him, with a glass of wine in his hand, and she dropped her fork and picked up her own glass.

"A toast to what?"

"To us." Donna looked at him intently and Josh looked back at her, directly into her eyes. "Donna, the last six months have been beyond my wildest dreams. If I'd thought that life could be this good, I would have asked you to take a chance on me long before. I'm not gonna get all soppy and stuff, that's not me, but I just want to say that I love you and I am thankful every day for having you in my life."

"Oh Josh, thank you, I love you too," Donna replied, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. Josh smiled as he held up his glass and Donna did the same.

"To us," he said softly.

"To us," she responded in a low, husky voice. They sipped from their wine glasses and then replaced them on the table. Josh stretched his right hand across the table and grabbed Donna's left hand. They intertwined their fingers and used their free hands to start eating.

*

They chatted quietly for the rest of the meal. Usually they always ended up talking about work, simply because so much of their lives were spent there, but this time they stuck to the topics of their friends and colleagues personal lives, rather than political matters.

By the time they had finished dessert Donna was completely full. She offered to help Josh clear away the dishes, but he refused and told her to go and sit in the living room while he filled the dishwasher. She agreed and lifted their wine glasses from the kitchen table, carrying them through and placing them on the coffee table. She had chosen to wear fairly tight pants and a shirt and was kicking herself for doing so, as she now felt uncomfortable since she was so full.

"Josh?" she called through to the kitchen. "I'm just gonna go change into some sweats, I'll be back in a minute." Josh acknowledged this and she headed into the guest room to retrieve the sweats that she kept there. When she had moved out of Josh's, the day after they took the first tentative steps in their new relationship, he suggested that she leave some clothes there. At first, she had been a little taken aback, as she didn't want to rush anything, but he had put her mind at rest by saying that it might be easier in the long run, even if it was only so she could change after work if they were going to eat dinner there. She had finally agreed and left a few business suits there, along with some more casual clothes, such as her sweats.

She was a little surprised to find that her clothes were not in the closet in the guest room where she had left them that weekend. Instead, the closet was filled with some of Josh's clothes. She left the room and crossed to Josh's bedroom, finding her suits hanging in his closet and her sweats lying in a drawer next to his. Puzzled, she changed into her sweats and intended to ask Josh what was going on.

*

Josh finished clearing up in the kitchen while Donna was changing and then made his way into the living room. As soon as he sat down on the couch he spotted a wrapped gift on the coffee table, next to Donna's wine glass.

"What's that?" he asked as soon as Donna re-entered the living room. He pointed to the box on the table and she smiled at him, instantly forgetting that she'd wanted to talk to him about her clothes being moved.

"What does it look like?"

"Well, it looks like a gift of some sort. Is it for me?" he asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

"It might be," she replied, smirking at him, "I told you there would be a reward if you ate all your salad."

"Okay, that's not the kind of reward I had in mind," he said, trying to pout. "You cheated me."

"No, I didn't, you just made the wrong assumption. I can't help the way your mind works," Donna replied, grinning at him this time.

"Hmm, so can I open the gift?"

"Don't you have a gift for me?" she asked teasingly.

"What do you think dinner was?" he replied, trying to sound serious but failing miserably. She shot him a look and he grinned, getting up from the couch and heading to his bookcase. He switched on his cd player while he was there and grabbed a wrapped gift from the bookcase before returning to his seat. "See, I have a gift for you, now can I open mine?" he asked hopefully, placing his gift to Donna on the coffee table. It was large and flat, with the gift-wrap showing loads of little kittens.

"Why should you get to go first?"

"Because I made dinner and bought you a gift, so you owe me."

She swatted him on the arm. "Joshua," she said warningly.

"Okay, look my gift to you might take a while…I'll probably need to explain a few things, so it'd be easier if I open mine first."

Donna eyed him warily. "Hmm, if I find out this is a trick, you're going to be very lonely tonight." Josh just grinned at her and she passed the gift to him. He took it greedily and started ripping off the wrapping paper.

"Donna? You shouldn't have done this," he stated quietly, turning his gaze from the gift in his hands to her.

"I wanted to," she replied just as quietly. Josh looked back at the gift and a slow smile emerged on his face.

"Thank you," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss.

**

TBC