The Perfect Plan

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003399" TEXT="#080000" background="03fc8c00erkjxk.jpg"> <div> <B>Response to a 'Proposal Challenge' made by Cindy on the Josh and Donna list.</B></div> <div> <B>Orginally posted January 15,2002- and forgotten about by the author until she was going through stories on 'The National Library' site and found it again. Thanks guys, for keeping it safe for me. :) </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#99CCFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Smiles, Tears, & Happy Endings</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF99" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>  |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Smiles, Tears, Happy Endings"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brandys Stories"><U>Brandy's Stories</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Other Side"><U>The Other Side</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getaway"><U>Getaway</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Deserved Recognition"><U>Deserved Recognition</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The End of These Days"><U>The End of These Days</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moving On"><U>Moving On</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lessons Learned Shared"><U>Lessons- Learned & Shared</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="So, I Had This Dream..."><U>So, I Had This Dream...</U></A>   |   <B>The Perfect Plan</B>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell"><U>The Incredibly Campy Road Trip From Hell</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id216.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Whole New Story"><U>A Whole New Story</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id217.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Are Friends For? 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He had a plan, and it was going to start right here. He walked over to the counter, all ready to put in his order for the perfect bouquet to be delivered to Donna. He had the words he would include on the card memorized. All that was left to do was wait for the lady behind the counter to finish with the man she was waiting on, and he would be able to put phase one of the plan into action.</div> <bR> <div> Josh watched with barely restrained impatience as the man at the counter went through yet another draft of the card that he was including with the flowers he was sending. The lady behind the counter looked in Josh's direction with a welcoming smile.</div> <bR> <div> "I'll be with you in just a minute."</div> <bR> <div> Josh returned her smile and nodded. He was pressed for time, but he was in too good of a mood to let a minor delay bother him. He thought how wonderful it was to finally have everything clear in his mind. To know what he wanted and to be so close to having it all.</div> <bR> <div> He and Donna had weathered so much crap to get to this place- to this point in time, when they could finally begin the next chapter of their lives. They had survived hearings, a tough re-election campaign, Cliff, Amy, and the now the promise of four more years to finish it off right. All that, and everything that had come before. Now the future was shining with promise. Well...almost. If she said yes tonight- then everything would perfect. He sighed, wishing he already had the memory of that one perfect moment. Only the smallest trace of uncertainty remained that she might not be as ready for this as he was.</div> <bR> <div> Hearing Josh's sigh, the man at the counter turned to Josh, and with an apologetic look mumbled, “Sorry, I won't be much longer."</div> <bR> <div> "It's okay. Big occasion, huh?" Josh asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Maybe both of them had landed on the same idea, and this guy hadn't had the foresight to prepare his words ahead of time.</div> <bR> <div> "Well- no. Not really. More like breaking off gently, I guess."</div> <bR> <div> Josh just stood there for a minute as the guy's words sunk in, and then he chuckled disbelievingly.</div> <bR> <div> "Hold on- are you saying that you are sending some woman flowers to break it off with her?"</div> <bR> <div> "Uhmmm- yeah. I guess you could say that."</div> <bR> <div> Josh noticed that the guy at least looked slightly ashamed for doing something that base and cowardly. He even found himself feeling a little sorry for the guy. He could remember a time when he might have done something almost that low. The poor guy was destined to spending a lot of lonely nights until he got some sense knocked into him. God knows he had.</div> <bR> <div> The clerk behind the counter had been following their short conversation, and was looking at the man still trying to compose the card like he had just dropped a load of day old fish in the middle of her flower shop. The man noticed her look, and did his best to hurriedly complete his task. Finally finishing, he pushed the card across the counter and dropped several twenty dollar bills alongside it .</div> <bR> <div> "You'll make sure they get delivered today?"</div> <bR> <div> "Yes sir," the clerk assured him, her tone just barely civil.</div> <bR> <div> The man nodded and left in a rush. The clerk followed the man's departure with a scowl, making a tsking noise as she shook her head, then turned to Josh with a renewed smile.</div> <bR> <div> "How can I help you today, Mr. Lyman?"</div> <bR> <div> "Well, you remember that bouquet you suggested last year?"</div> <bR> <div> "I believe so...the roses and stargazer lilies?" the clerk replied with an amazing display of recall.</div> <bR> <div> "Yeah- that's the one. I want that, and I want to make sure you include this with it," Josh said and handed her the card the had been making out while he had waited for the other man to finish his order.</div> <bR> <div> "Do you want them delivered at any particular time today?"</div> <bR> <div> "Late this afternoon if you can. I don't want to give her too much time to ponder over what the message means," Josh replied, his dimpled smile charming the clerk into assuring him that the flowers would be delivered as late as possible. He paid the bill and exited the store, a noticeable bounce to his customary swagger, and a wide grin of satisfaction on his face. </div> <bR> <div> Donna noticed the date on the calendar and wondered whether she would receive a bouquet this year as she had last year. She hoped Josh knew better than to return to the habit of the April snarking. No- she was pretty confident that they had moved past the passive/aggressive portion of their relationship. Still, it wasn't like Josh to forget entirely, and it was almost five in the afternoon.</div> <bR> <div> Just as she was about to abandon all hope of flowers on their anniversary, she noticed a somewhat frazzled looking delivery person being led into the bullpen. ‘Better late than never', she thought as he made his way to her desk.</div> <bR> <div> "Uh... you're Donna Moss? “</div> <bR> <div> "Yes. Are those for me?"</div> <bR> <div> "Yeah. Here," he said, putting the vase on her desk, and stepping back, looked around with awe. “The White House...cool."</div> <bR> <div> Donna smiled and said, "Yes, that's the word for it."</div> <bR> <div> As he was ushered out by the guard, Donna leaned over the vase, and inhaled the wonderful scent of the flowers. She saw the card tucked down among the flowers and curious as to what Josh had written this time, tore open the envelope and anxiously read what was contained inside.</div> <bR> <div> She stood there, her expression changing from happy anticipation to confusion, then finally disbelief and hurt. Dropping the note, she looked around, feeling shocked and numb. Just then, CJ walked by her desk and was about to remark on the beautiful flowers when she saw the look on Donna's face. Taking her hand in concern, CJ asked. "Donna, what's the matter?"</div> <bR> <div> For a moment, Donna didn't say a word. Finally, she turned to CJ, her eyes glistening and said, “CJ...tell Josh...tell him I had to leave. I just have to go...."</div> <bR> <div> With that, Donna grabbed her coat and purse and hurried out of the bullpen, leaving CJ feeling even more concerned and confused than before.</div> <bR> <div> Once Donna was out of sight, CJ looked down at her desk, and picked up the card. She read it once, then again- not believing it the first time. Sighing deeply, she shook her head- still not wanting to believe that he had actually written those words. Just then, CJ looked up and saw the object of her disbelief walking through the bullpen, cocky swagger and insufferable grin firmly in place. Giving in to her first impulse, CJ pinned Josh with a death glare and yelled, "Joshua Lyman, what the hell is wrong with you?!" </div> <bR> <div> *********************************************************************************</div> <bR> <div> Josh stopped in his tracks at the look on CJ's face, and the words coming out of her mouth. He did an extremely quick mental inventory of any and all possible reasons that CJ could be *that* pissed, and came up blank. Cautiously, he walked the rest of the way across the bullpen, stopping just out of her reach. She had looked pissed from across the bullpen. Now that he was closer, she didn't look pissed- she looked homicidal.</div> <bR> <div> "CJ..."</div> <bR> <div> "Don't. Don't even try to make excuses for whatever dumb-assed, male-driven neurotic impulse prompted you to do this. I have only one question for you-"</div> <bR> <div> "What?"</div> <bR> <div> "Have you lost your mind?!"</div> <bR> <div> Taking note of the fact that they were drawing quite a crowd, Josh threw caution to the wind and grabbing CJ's arm, walked her into his office and closed the door.</div> <bR> <div> He stood against the door for a moment, taking a deep breath, before he said anything.</div> <bR> <div> "I understand that you're pissed about something- not what- but I've gotten the message that you're pissed . Now, would you mind telling me exactly what has you on the brink of a homicidal rampage?"</div> <bR> <div> “You're asking me? I can't believe you're asking me! You do something this low...this rotten....and you have the gall to act like you have no idea what I'm talking about! To say this -that's one thing- but to write it on a card you send with flowers..." CJ trailed off unable to express just how foul an act it was.</div> <bR> <div> "Just what the hell are you talking about?!" Josh yelled.</div> <bR> <div> "This!" CJ yelled back, thrusting the note at him.</div> <bR> <div> Josh snatched the card out of her hand and skimmed it quickly, his eyes widening in disbelief. Without saying a word, he jerked open his door and walked over to Donna's desk. He saw the flowers that he had failed to notice before. They were indeed the flowers he had picked out, but the card in his hand wasn't the one he had written. This was apparently the ‘kiss-off' note that the other guy had written- the one who was in the florist shop at the same time he had been. To make matters worse, the other man had the same first initial he had. He had signed the note simply, J. Josh hardly ever did that, but he could see how Donna wouldn't really notice that minor detail under the circumstances. He walked back into his office and looked at CJ, still standing there, seething.</div> <bR> <div> "Where is she?"</div> <bR> <div> "Where do you think she is after reading something like that? She left! She ran out of here looking like her heart was broken. How could you do that?"</div> <bR> <div> "CJ- I didn't write that. There was this guy in the florist shop the same time... never mind. Did she say where she was going?"</div> <bR> <div> "No. She just told me to tell you she had to leave. You really didn't write that?"</div> <bR> <div> "CJ, I've done some stupid things in my life, but I don't think I've ever been intentionally cruel to anyone. I wouldn't do that to Donna."</div> <bR> <div> "I know. I think that's what made me so mad. It was so unlike you...I'm sorry."</div> <bR> <div> "Don't worry about it. Do me a favor, though. Cover for me. I've got to find Donna and explain this. God only knows what she's thinking..."</div> <bR> <div> CJ assured him that she would do anything she could to help and wished him good luck. The last part was said to his retreating back as he blew out of his office. </div> <bR> <div> Josh felt like he had been all over DC in the space of an hour, and still no sign of Donna. He had gone to her apartment, then his. He had gone to her favorite coffee shop, her favorite bar, and he had been on the phone repeated times calling every friend of hers he could think of. He had the guard at the White House gate under orders to call his cell if Donna came back there. Still nothing. He was just about to go back to the White House, when he remembered something. One place he hadn't tried. It was a long shot, but it was getting dark and it was worth a try, at least. </div> <bR> <div> Donna sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking out at the reflecting pool. It was bitterly cold, but she barely noticed. The only thing she could focus on were the words on that card. She still couldn't believe that Josh would say something like that. It was almost as if ...</div> <bR> <div> "There you are! Don't you know it's freezing out here?"</div> <bR> <div> Donna turned and saw Josh standing there, looking for all the world as though nothing was wrong- looking as though he hadn't just ripped her heart out and torn it into tiny shreds. She turned away from him, returning her gaze to the peaceful beauty of the long pool of water in front of her.</div> <bR> <div> "I hadn't noticed."</div> <bR> <div> He paid no attention to her obvious desire to be left alone, and took a seat on the step alongside her. She shifted a little, so as to widen the space between them and Josh promptly closed it again. She repeated her previous action, and so did he. The third time this particular little dance was repeated, Donna turned to Josh and shot him a fiery glare.</div> <bR> <div> "Will you stop that!"</div> <bR> <div> "I will if you will," Josh countered amiably.</div> <bR> <div> She didn't move away again, but she couldn't have been any more stiff and unwelcoming if she was wearing a coat made out of ice cubes. He sat there beside her for a little while, trying to think of the best way to explain the ridiculous chain of events that had lead them here, when she suddenly turned to him.</div> <bR> <div> "How did you find me?"</div> <bR> <div> "This is where I found you the last time you were monumentally pissed at me," Josh replied, smiling a little at his lame pun.</div> <bR> <div> "I'm not pissed," Donna asserted. Josh knew what she really meant was, ‘I'm not *just* pissed'</div> <bR> <div> "Yeah, about that card with the flowers..." Josh started and Donna turned to him, this time he saw the hurt behind the anger, and even though he hadn't really done anything wrong, he felt like the world's biggest heel.</div> <bR> <div> "You don't need to repeat yourself, Josh. I got the message loud and clear the first time," she said, getting up from her spot on the step. She was walking back and forth on the length of the step below him, bristling with anger. "Let's see if I can recall it exactly... ‘Even though we've been through a lot together in the last few years, I feel the time has come for us to pursue our happiness along separate paths. I wish you every happiness and will remember you fondly forever.' Yeah, I would say that sums things up rather neatly. The flowers were a nice touch- but then you are a man of occasion, after all."</div> <bR> <div> "Wow- all those tries and that's the best he could come up with? I guess she's better off without him."</div> <bR> <div> " What do you mean, ‘the best he could come up with'?" Donna stopped pacing and looked at him with confusion.</div> <bR> <div> "Donna, do you honestly think I would write something like that to you?" Josh asked, standing and taking her hand. She wouldn't look him in the eye, and tried to pull her hand away, but he held on tight.</div> <bR> <div> "Donnatella- look at me."</div> <bR> <div> She finally looked at him, her jaw jutting out stubbornly, unwilling to yield an inch. He could see the tears in her eyes, and how badly she was trying to hold them back. He could see how badly she was trying to hide the hurt she had felt at those words that she had thought came from him.</div> <bR> <div> "Donna. I didn't write what you read. The cards got mixed up. The card intended for you is probably in the hands of the poor girl that the dumb-ass who wrote the one you got sent flowers to."</div> <bR> <div> "You didn't write... well it was signed..." she trailed off, trying to remember exactly how it was signed.</div> <bR> <div> "It was signed 'J'. Now, I ask you- with the exception of the occasional post-it stuck on your computer screen, when have I ever signed anything addressed to you in that way?"</div> <bR> <div> "Well..." Donna began, the light starting to come back into her eyes and her tears fading away.</div> <bR> <div> "Never. That's when. I've never signed a card, or anything like it, in that way, and you know it," Josh said taking her other hand and pulling her close. Their arms went around each other and Donna could feel the sadness and anger drain away. Her head was resting on his chest and with a sigh she let go of the last of the hurt she had been feeling ever since she read those words. A thought occurred to her just then, and she looked up at Josh, a smile lightening her features for the first time that evening.</div> <bR> <div> "If that wasn't my card, then what did mine say?"</div> <bR> <div> "Well... see, I had this whole great plan. Now it's all...damn!" Josh swore in frustration. He couldn't help it- it had all been planned out so well. Trust fate, or his abysmal luck, to step in and have it's own little joke at his expense.</div> <bR> <div> "What plan?" Donna, unperturbed at his frustration, and obviously curious, asked.</div> <bR> <div> "Well, the flowers were phase one. They were supposed to set the stage for the evening. Then you were supposed to arrive at my apartment to find candlelight and champagne. Music would be playing, and then..."</div> <bR> <div> "Then what?" Donna asked, her curiosity peaked beyond all measure.</div> <bR> <div> Josh looked at her, seeing all the things he loved about her in that one moment. It was like a perfect snapshot of a memory, and he knew right then that all the planning in the world couldn't create the perfect moment- they just happened. Most of the time, when you least expected it. Just like love.</div> <bR> <div> "I was going to wait until just the right moment, and I was going to take you in my arms- kind of like we are right now- and I was going to say, ‘Donna Moss, will you marry me?' But it didn't quite work out like I planned."</div> <bR> <div> Donna couldn't move or speak for what seemed like forever, and then finally, like the sun coming out on a dark and gloomy day, her face lit up with the biggest smile and she pulled him even closer, kissing him like it was the first time and the last time, all rolled into one. When she finally drew away, she tilted her head to one side and said, "I don't know- I think it worked out okay in the end."</div> <bR> <div> "Does that mean the answer's yes?"</div> <bR> <div> "I don't recall you asking me a question," she replied saucily.</div> <bR> <div> "I did too. I just asked..."</div> <bR> <div> "No, Joshua- I beg to differ. You only told me you were going to ask. You didn't actually-"</div> <bR> <div> Josh silenced her with a kiss that rivaled the one she had just given him, and when he drew away he said, "I'm asking. Right here, right now. Donna Moss, will you marry me?"</div> <bR> <div> "Yes," she answered softly, nodding at the same time. "Thank God. Can we go home now?"</div> <bR> <div> "Do I still get my champagne and candlelight?"</div> <bR> <div> "Sure. You can't let stuff like that go to waste," he replied as they walked down the steps of the monument.</div> <bR> <div> "Josh?"</div> <bR> <div> “Yeah?"</div> <bR> <div> "What do you suppose happened when the girl got the card you wrote for me?"</div> <bR> <div> "I don't know- but whatever happened, I hope that guy gets what's coming to him."</div> <bR> <div> "That's not very nice, Josh. Maybe he really loved her, but he was just scared..."</div> <bR> <div> "Donna, you read that card- could you love a shmuck that would write something like that?"</div> <bR> <div> "Of course not. I love you.... Josh?"</div> <bR> <div> "Yes, Donna?"</div> <bR> <div> "What did my card say?"</div> <bR> <div> "It said, ‘Please do me the honor of joining me at my apartment at seven- thirty tonight to begin what I hope will be the first step in a magical journey for both of us' ," Josh replied with a smile. He was a little perturbed when she burst out laughing.</div> <bR> <div> "What's so funny?"</div> <bR> <div> "Well, it's 7:28 right now. I'm guessing ‘J' is about to get a really big surprise."</div> <bR> <div> “Serves him right," Josh replied as they walked off together, hand in hand, to begin their magical journey.</div> <bR> <div> The End </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>