Donna stood under the stream of hot water, scrubbing the foamy shampoo lather aggressively into her hair. It was her last day in St. Thomas and no matter how hard she'd tried, she'd started to fall for Josh Lyman. She couldn't help it, there was just something about him- something between them- that she couldn't ignore.

But she had to. She squeezed her eyes closed, scrubbing her scalp harder and harder, forcing herself not to become overly emotional.

'He's probably not even that into you.'

She scrubbed the lather in with all of her might, lost in her thoughts and backing off only when she began to feel pain.

'It was just a hook up for him. He'd never even notice you if you crossed paths in his daily life.'

Maybe Paul was right, she thought. Maybe she wasn't marriage material.

Josh was handsome and funny and clearly very smart- and if Paul had dumped her after she'd dropped out of school to pay his tuition why would Josh be any more interested in her? He could probably have any woman he wanted...

Every possible insecurity rang through her head until Donna was defeated, letting her arms fall as she stood under the water, letting the few tears she could no longer keep at bay rinse away in the shower.

Turning the knob to shut off the water, she reached out and wrapped herself in a large fluffy towel, quietly opening the door and peering around for Josh. When she didn't see him in the bedroom she softly shut the door, picking up the phone to call her sister. She needed some advice. After all, her track record with men lately wasn't exactly something to brag about.

OooooooO

Josh leaned back in the chair on their private balcony. He'd had breakfast delivered while Donna showered, taking receipt of the necklace couriered over from the jeweler at the same time.

He'd flipped the box open and admired his choice, sure that she'd love it too.

It was no secret that he wasn't great with women. He'd always been focused on other things- school or his career- but even when he did become ensorcelled with a woman he usually managed to screw it up somehow. This seemed different to him, though. That somehow this... this thing with Donna was real. It was genuine- she was genuine. She wanted him for him and for the first time, maybe ever, Josh could be himself around her. There was no keeping up appearances or alternate motives on either of their parts. They were just... themselves.

He'd never purchased a diamond for a woman before in any capacity. He was always afraid that even a pair of earrings would somehow convey the wrong message- that he wanted to settle down or get serious. And the thought of any kind of commitment to a woman usually sent him running for the hills. But not this time. It was a necklace, not an formal engagement ring, but Josh knew that the necklace held the promise for what he already saw in her- in them.

He just hoped he wouldn't fail. She deserved everything good that the world had to offer- and Josh was afraid that he would fail miserably at that.

Josh heard the shower turn off and quickly snapped the velvet jewelry case closed, tucking it back into the pocket of his shorts and trying to act casual.

OoooooooO

"It's just- I don't know. He's so... different. He's different than any man I've ever met." Donna but her lip and waited for her sisters response, unconsciously picking at her manicure in the process.

"Well, that's... good." She didn't sound convinced. Long aware of Donna's history with Paul and people generally taking advantage of her good nature, her sister was hesitant to endorse any rash move that would leave Donna once again heartbroken and feeling slighted. "He sounds very sweet, actually. But Donna..." she trailed off.

"I know," Donna said timidly, able to sense the not unjustified skepticism seeping though the phone line. "I just wanted it to be different."

"Well, maybe this is just what you needed. The start of something new. You're a strong, independent woman about to make a fresh start on life. You needed to do something to shift the focus back you and your needs and it sounds like you have. Do something that doesn't revolve around a man, Donna."

"Yeah," Donna replied weakly. An uneasy feeling was beginning to grow in the back of her stomach. She'd wanted for so long to be just like her older sister- beautiful, strong, successful. And this was her chance to really take that to heart and prove to her that she, little Donna, could be a strong woman too. She cleared her throat, giving her voice a false bravado she was surprised she was able to summon. "Yeah. It was sex... it's nothing. It was nothing. A vacation fling."

"Okay. Well I'm glad you had fun. I want all the juicy details. But call me when you get home so we can talk about a few other things too. Love you, Baby Sister."

"Love you, too."

OoooooooO

As he finished his first cup of coffee Josh couldn't help but to wonder what was keeping Donna. He was anxious to spend their last few hours on the island together and to talk about what came next. He stood and stretched, wandering back inside to find the woman he cojuldn't keep off of his mind.

He quietly made his way inside, walking up to the doorframe, where she sat with her back to him, hair still damp, wrapped in a towel on the phone.

He paused for a moment, not meaning to listen in, but he didn't want to interrupt either. What he heard stopped him in his tracks.

"Yeah. It was sex... it's nothing. It was nothing. A vacation fling."

A fling? It was nothing to her? He felt a pinch in his chest, the sting of her words hitting him. Slowly, silently, he backed away, turning and retreating from where she sat before he was noticed.

OoooooooooO

They'd both been abnormally quiet all morning, the constant banter that flowed between them all week coming to a hasty stop as they both moped around the hotel suite gathering their things. Josh had, at one point, decided that he'd had enough of that and that he'd rather enjoy their time together and remember the good about the most amazing week with this incredible woman.

So when they ended up in a sweaty pile of sheets for the second time that morning, all he wanted to do was to please her. Their limbs remained tangled together as he lightly placed kisses along her collar bone. This may have just been casual to her, just a vacation fling as she'd put it, but he still wanted to make sure she knew he already worshiped her. He was sure that she'd have her pick of men- to him, she was flawless, but she seemed somewhat timid and he wanted to make sure that she felt her true value.

"You're incredible," he told her, working his way up her neck and along her jawbone. "You're beautiful, and smart, and amazing. I hope you know that."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, so sweet and gentle. She'd never had a man worship her like this.

"You deserve someone incredible, Donna. Someone who can give you everything you want." He propped himself up on his elbow and studied her face, watching her smile back at him. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Look, I know this probably isn't the week you were planning when you booked this trip, but I can't imagine having a better stay even if everything had gone according to plan. So it my not be the piece of jewelry you were hoping for but I wanted to make sure you left the island with something sparkly nonetheless." He reached over, pulling the box out and handing it to her.

Donna stared at him. "You don't have to..."

He nuzzled into her neck. "Just open it."

She complied and gave him a wide smile. "It's beautiful," she told him honestly, leaning up to kiss him. "You're an amazing man," she stroked the side of his face.

He shifted somewhat nervously under her attention. "May I?" He reached for the necklace and, when Donna nodded her consent, clasp it around her neck. The look on her face was worth every cent he paid for it. He curled up beside her again, holding her close until the last possible second.

Eventually they had to get dressed again, rolling their luggage to the door and loading into the cab, Donna sliding into the middle and resting her head on his shoulder as she nervously chatted all the way to the airport, the tropical landscape whizzing by them one last time. Josh paid the fare and tipped the driver, never letting go of Donna's hand as their bags were turned over to the skycap.

They walked inside, through security and as far as they could before they had to split off.

"Well, here we are," he announced, kicking himself for how lame it sounded. "Nonstop to Chicago is that way. And my gate is over here."

"Yeah," she agreed, looking at her shoes. "So I guess this is it."

He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair to take in her scent one last time. He pulled back every so slightly and cupped her face, pulling her into a passionate kiss and not caring who saw them. "Always remember, Donnatella," he told her in a whisper, "how immeasurably valuable you truly are. And that no matter what happens or where life takes you, there will always be at least one person in this world who loves you." He kissed her softly again, and by the time he pulled away the mask of a master political operative was firmly in place, showing no emotion.

She blinked the tears from her eyes. Did he just say love? Surely he didn't mean it like that, she thought. Donna couldn't tell up from down at the moment.

"I think they're calling our flights," he told her, listening to the announcements rattling through the speakers.

She cleared her throat, trying to pull herself together so that the last thing he saw didn't include her sobbing over him. "Right. Well, we better be off, then," she plastered on a fake smile.

"We'll always have Charlotte Amalie," he joked, making a bad rendition of the famous line and shooting her a full dimpled grin. She couldn't resist it.

"Yes, Rick, we will," she laughed softly.

"Goodbye, Donnatella." He was serious again, finally having no choice but to let go of her hand.

"Goodbye, Joshua."

OooooooooO

She'd promised herself that she wouldn't do this. That she wouldn't get caught up in another man. That she wouldn't fall for him. But what in the hell had he just meant by all of that? She lightly clutched the necklace he did given her. She'd been so shocked by the gift when he'd presented it to her, taken anaconda by the jewelry box she'd smiled when she'd opened it, though, relaxing when she saw the size of the stone and knowing it must have been a fake. She'd never been given jewelry by a man before, and even if it was just some kind of lab made crystal, it was perfect she loved it because it was from him.

Donna leaned her head back on the seat of the aircraft as the flight attendant assisted the man sitting next to her with his carry on luggage, the passengers around her moving about happily while Donna wallowed in her current state of misery.

If only, she thought. If only she'd had the nerve to tell him how she felt. Maybe things would have been different with this guy.

She sighed. But then again, maybe not. Maybe he wasn't really interested in her. Okay, even she knew that wasn't true. There was just something about him. So confident yet so insecure. So full of himself but deep down he was so vulnerable.

She closed her eyes, telling herself not to dwell on the past. And, unfortunately, she reminded herself, her week with Josh Lyman was in the past.

OoooooO

As the other passengers piled onto the aircraft and it became real to him- real that he was headed back to DC without her. He hated it, mentally kicking himself for not being brave enough to tell her how he really felt. He was trying desperately to convince himself everything would be okay. That once he was back in his apartment, thinking clearly, he'd analyze this situation up and down and call her. Tomorrow, perhaps, when they'd both had some time to rest.

He'd just pick up the phone and call information, easy as that. They'd ask for the city, and he'd tell them Madison, Wisconsin, and that he needed a number for a Donnatella...

He furrowed his brow. Donnatella... "Oh, God," he yelped. He'd spent the last day's teasingly calling her Mrs. Lyman and it only now occurred to him... he didn't even know her last name.

He swore he felt a physical jolt in his chest at that realization. He'd never see her again. This was it. His one and only chance. Before Josh could even formulate a cohesive plan his fingers were fumbling with the metal buckle on his seatbelt as he shot up, grabbing his backpack and moving frantically against the flow of traffic in the narrow aisle of the aircraft.

"Sir, you'll have to take your seat," came the annoyed instructions from a flight attendant.

Josh barely heard what she said. He had to get off of this flight. His life was waiting for him at gate 16.

"Sir!" The flight attendant was getting increasingly concerned.

"I- I have something important to do. I- cancel my ticket." Josh maneuvered through the the tightly packed people as though he was swimming upstream, eventually breaking free at the cabin doorway and then taking off at a dead sprint up the jetway, pausing only briefly when he entered the concourse to get his bearings about him before running towards her gate.

"Wait," he yelled in the general direction of the flight bound for Chicago, not caring about the attention he was drawing from strangers, now staring at the desperate man running through the concourse on a mission.

"I have to get on this flight," he painted to the ticket agent.

"I'm sorry, sir, it's too late. It's been cleared for departure."

Josh pleaded with the woman but it was no use, the aircraft had already backed away from the gate. Josh stood at the window and watched the aircraft pick up speed and climb into the clouds, taking her away from him. He muttered a final desperate plea that fate would intervene, but as the aircraft turned into a small speck on the horizon he knew she was gone. Josh felt his heart shatter into a million tiny pieces.

XxxxxxxxxxX

THE END

You guys, I had so much fun with this one. What did you think? I'd love to hear from you! Comments/ are amazing! They keep me going!

Also, sorry for the delay in this chapter. I meant to publish a while ago but the holidays put a cramp in my style when it comes to writing. Hah In this new year I'm resolving to write more. It's such fun and really quite a good stress reliever- so yay for that!

And, for those of you who are totally hating the ending, remember, this is story 1 of 4. So... don't hate me too much. There will be a follow up one shot (more like an interlude) coming this week and then story 2 following quickly! Hope you'll watch for it if you enjoyed this work!