Connected

Part 1 - Not How It Looks

CJ looked around the rapidly emptying bar and finished her drink. "I guess we should go home then?"

"Yeah," Will agreed. "Shouldn't we all be a lot happier than this?" he asked. "I mean it's over. Zoey's home, the President's back in the Oval Office. Everything's back to normal."

Toby finished his whiskey and shook his head. "It was like this after Rosslyn. Even once Josh was back at work it was..... different."

"It'll never be quite the same again," CJ added.

"Well now I'm depressed," Josh sighed.

"That's 'cos Donna didn't come with us," CJ teased as she stood up and put her jacket on. "Where is she anyway?"

Josh shrugged, "Something to do with her roommate's aunt."

"You mean you weren't listening," CJ guessed, as they walk out of the bar.

"I always listen."

"You never listen to her. It's a wonder she sticks around."

"Do you listen to Carol?"

"Of course I listen to Carol, and anyway that's completely different."

Toby and Will exchanged glances but both decided to stay out of any Josh/Donna conversation. "Come on," Toby told CJ, as he held a cab door open for her. "We'll see you two on Monday."

As Josh and Will climbed in another cab, Josh was still protesting, "I do listen."

Will gave the driver Josh's address and wondered, not for the first time, whether it was true that Josh and Donna were the only ones who didn't seem to notice what going on between them. He first realized when they drove across Washington to take her to the inaugural balls, and he'd only known them a month. As the cab turned into the next street he saw a familiar figure walking in the rain without a coat. "Isn't that Amy?"

"Pull over," Josh told the driver. As the cab slowed, he lowered the window and leant his head out. "You need a ride?" he called.

Amy smiled slightly, she'd recognize that voice anywhere. "No, J. I enjoy walking in the rain."

"Akay." Josh started to roll the window back up.

"Wait," Amy called, glaring at Josh as the cab stopped and she got in.

The driver turned to look at his passengers. "We still going the same place?"

Josh shook his head. "Nah, we'll go to Will's first."

"Which is where?" the driver asked indulgently. He'd driven a cab in Washington for nearly 30 years and knew that drunken government employees could be a little strange. Will gave him the address and they set off.

At 9 the following morning Josh came out of the bathroom to find Amy sat on the sofa watching C-Span. He walked over to her and changed the channel to CNN. "So why were you walking in the rain last night?" he asked.

Amy looked up at him and decided he really did look cute, first thing in the morning, in boxers and a t-shirt. "I wanted a walk."

"At midnight, in the rain? Where's Jeremy?"

"Julian," Amy corrected. "And I don't care."

Josh grinned, "You two fight?"

"You really think I'm going to tell you, my ex, about any fights I have with my boyfriend?"

"Okay," Josh shrugged. "I was just making conversation."

"No you weren't, you were fishing."

"Possibly," Josh smiled.

"He's a jerk, we argued, I got out of the car, he got in and drove off." 

"Which has made you pretty mad."

"It's my car," Amy replied angrily.

"Ah. Call the cops, report it stolen," Josh grinned.

"Yeah. Hey that's a good idea, where's your phone? Why do you never put the handset back on the charger?"

"I was kidding."

"I'm not," Amy replied as she dialed her cell phone. "If he thinks he can get away with treating me like this, he's got another thing coming."

Josh had forgotten quite how scary 'angry Amy' can be. He left her to it and went to make some toast and coffee. "What did they say?" he asked when Amy joined him in the kitchen.

"They're on to it." Amy took the toast off him.

"I'm glad I never pissed you off that much," Josh grinned.

"Oh you did."

"But I wasn't worth the effort?"

"Quite the opposite." Amy sat down at the table, ate some of the toast and drank her coffee, before looking back at Josh. " I miss you, you know."

"Amy, don't do this."

"Why? I've broke up with Julian, you're not seeing anyone. Are you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"I almost came to your room last night. But I figured one rejection off you was enough," Amy reluctantly admitted. "Do you know how much of an insult that is by the way?"

"What is?"

"That a very drunk guy didn't want to sleep with me."

"I could be a compliment," Josh told her. 

Amy laughed humorlessly. "What?" she snorted. "You respect me to much for a drunken screw?"

"Yeah. I meant what I said when we broke up. I like you, as a friend. But we're never going to work as a couple. You know that as well as I do."

By mid-day Josh was watching TV and reading the Sunday papers alone, when Donna arrived with lunch. "Morning," he smiled as he let her into the apartment. "Nice night?"

"Yeah, she took us to Portofino's."

Josh followed her into the kitchen. "How come you got to tag along to a swanky restaurant for Sasha's aunt's birthday?"

"Because I'm a nice person, Josh," Donna replied, putting the groceries on the counter. "What did you do?"

"We went out and drank."

"Well, you made it back here so that's a good sign, but please tell me you didn't do anything stupid, " Donna asked as she poured herself a coffee. 

"We were very well behaved. Although I may only be here because I shared a cab with Will."

"You see, helping him find an apartment in Georgetown was a good idea. I'll get that," she said, as the door buzzer rang, "you make the food." Donna pressed the intercom button and was about to speak when she was cut off by Amy.

"Hey, J. I left my cell phone this morning."

"Amy," Donna answered, glancing toward Josh. "Come in." Donna walked back into the apartment. "It's for you."

"It's not how it looks."

"It's none of my business."

As Josh opened his front door he already knew how this scene was going play out. "Hey, Amy. I haven't seen it." 

"I threw it somewhere after I called the cops," Amy told him as she hunted around in the living room, while Josh watched from the hall doorway. "Found it." She walked to the dining area and smiled sweetly at Donna. "Hey, Donna, I stayed over last night," she helpfully informed her.

Donna was determined not to let any feelings show. She mustered a smile, which she hoped looked more convincing than it felt, and joked, "God, you didn't tour the bars of Georgetown with them did you? I was wondering how he found his way back here."

"No, we met up later." Amy turned back to Josh. "I have to go to a meeting, but thanks for last night, J, it was fun."

"Yeah," Josh muttered, glancing from Amy to Donna and wondering what had happened to his pleasant Sunday lunch. After Amy had gone he turned to face Donna. "It really isn't how it looks. She...... "

"And it really isn't any of my business," Donna interrupted. "I think I'll have lunch at home."

"But you've bought food," Josh pleaded.

"Enjoy it."

After sitting and brooding on the morning's events for forty minutes, Josh decided he needed to clear his head. It was still raining, but the best way he knew to clear out the cobwebs and think, especially with a Sunday morning hangover, was to go for a run. He had been running for about half an hour when he heard a familiar voice shout his name. He slowed to let CJ catch him up.

"Didn't think you liked running in the rain," she asked.

"I don't," he agreed.

"Hangover?" CJ guessed.

"A slight headache," he smiled.

CJ glanced at him as they ran. "You're an idiot, you know that don't you?"

"More than likely, but why this time?" Josh asked warily.

"I phoned Donna, to see if she wanted to go to the gym. She didn't, which is why I'm out running instead."

"You can't go to the gym on your own?" Josh asked.

"Yes, but I...... never mind that. You're an idiot."

"So you said," Josh replied over his shoulder, as he picked the pace up to a sprint. If CJ had spoken to Donna, then he had a fair idea why he was an idiot.

CJ caught up with him without too much effort. "You know I can run faster than you, so don't think you can escape. You spent the night with Amy?" she asked.

"Is this any of your business?"

"Yes. You're my friend, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Josh slowed down and stopped, leaning forward with his hands on his thighs while he caught his breath. "She stayed in the guest room," he breathlessly told CJ.

"The guest room?"

"Yes." Josh stood up and looked at CJ. "She's a friend, it was raining, she didn't have her car or her apartment keys, so I let her stay the night. The same as I would for any friend."

"Donna seemed under the impression........ "

"Yeah, I know. Donna came round for lunch," he saw CJ expression change to questioning."What? She sometimes does on a Sunday. Anyway, Amy had forgotten her cell phone and came back for it."

"That was convenient," CJ commented.

Josh ignored the sarcasm and carried on, "And she kinda implied to Donna...... "

"You know, I'm not sure she's that good a friend."

"Maybe. She has this thing about me and Donna."

"Come on," CJ set off jogging again. "I think it's called jealously, mi amour."

Josh jogged in silence for a few minutes and then asked, "You think I should go and see Donna and explain?"

"In the interest of a harmonious working environment, yes, I think you probably should."

"You a bit drier now?" Donna asked. Josh nodded and took a mug of coffee off her. "You know you didn't need to come over here and explain."

"Yeah I did," Josh replied. "Amy made it sound...... well you know how she made it sound."

"Yes. But when I got home and thought about it, it seemed false somehow. Like she was playing a game."

"That's Amy all over isn't it?" Josh asked. Now he was sober and his hangover had gone, Amy didn't seem like much of friend after all.

"You had anything to eat?" Donna asked, knowing Josh most likely hasn't. 

"No."

"Toasted sandwich?"

"Please," he followed her into the kitchen. "She was being spiteful you know."

"I figured." Donna looked at Josh. He was stood in her kitchen in the old sweat pants and Harvard t-shirt he kept in her closet for drunken nights when he couldn't remember how to get home. It had never appeared odd to her before that her boss kept a change of clothing at her apartment, or even that he can find her apartment when he can't find his own. But she was suddenly very sure that Toby and Will don't keep clothes at Bonny and Ginger's places.

Josh interrupted her thoughts. "Where's Sasha?"

"Her and her Flori, her aunt, have gone sight seeing."

"It's raining," Josh pointed out.

"This from the man who went running in the rain and then came round here without getting changed first?"

"Good point," Josh grinned.

Part 2 - Slow Dance.........