***
Chapter 9
***
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, 6:00 AM EST
Josh's mind was racing with possibilities in the second it took him to turn around. How could Donna be calling his name? What was she doing in this diner? And now that he got a good look at her, why was her hair brown?
"Donna?" His voice was so low he barely heard himself say her name. He was more confused now than when he first saw Jeff Breckenridge's obituary. This was Donna standing in front of him, but with the dark hair he practically didn't recognize her.
"Josh, oh my god." She walked toward him and wrapped her arms around him in the next instant. Josh responded by holding her closer and longer than he had ever held her before.
"Donna," he breathed, finally pulling away from her, "where the hell have you been?"
"It's a long story." The man Donna had walked in with coughed loudly to gain their attention. "I'm sorry," she said, flustered, gesturing toward him. "Josh, this is - "
"Mark Bauer. Nice to meet you," the man said, extending his hand. Josh was sure he saw a quizzical look pass across Donna's face, almost as if she wasn't expecting him to introduce himself that way. Whoever he was, Josh decided, he was too tall. And he smiled too much.
"So where have you been this weekend?" Josh asked, holding his arms across his chest. "And what happened with those men in your apartment? And why did you change your hair?"
"Those are all...valid questions," Donna said glancing back and forth between Josh and the other man. "With equally valid answers." She almost seemed to be begging this Mark person to answer the questions for her.
"Miss Moss really isn't at liberty to answer any questions right now," Mark replied.
"Not at liberty?" Josh repeated indignantly. "Look, pal, I don't know who you think you are -"
"Josh," Donna pleaded.
"Needless to say," Mark continued, "in the interest of national security, I think we should leave the subject at that."
Josh wanted to say more, but decided to let it drop. There was something authoritative in this guy's tone that made Josh believe him. "Okay," he finally said.
"Okay?" Donna asked puzzled. "You're okay with leaving it at that?"
"Yeah," Josh nodded.
"I have to go," Mark said. "It was good to see you, Donna."
Donna smiled. "It was good to see you, too...Mark. Please thank Sydney again for me."
"I will. Take care." Mark was out of the diner and walking up the street before she could respond.
Turning to face Josh again, she sighed. "Josh..."
"He's rather a pretty boy with his leather jacket and spiky hair, isn't he?" Josh mused as they walked back to the booth.
"Josh!"
***
Arlington, Virginia
Sunday, 8:47 AM EST
Vaughn found an empty park bench in the shade. He checked his voicemail for the third time since parking the car, just in case he had missed the call. When someone sat down next to him a few minutes later, he didn't need to look to see who it was.
"You're late," he said staring directly in front of him.
"Sorry, getting around the road block took longer than I expected."
"Donna said to say thank you again."
Sydney turned the page of the newspaper she was pretending to read and smiled. "She get home okay?"
"Yeah. Actually her boss ended up being at the same diner we stopped in."
"Her boss, huh?" Sydney repeated, smiling again. "Did he seem happy to see her?"
"Very. And I managed to convince her not to reveal anything so your cover should still be safe." He paused, breathing in the fresh air. "So, you know, you don't have to be back in LA until tomorrow."
"That's right."
"What do you want to do until then?"
"Hmm...there is one thing," Sydney said slowly.
"Yeah?" Vaughn hoped he didn't sound too expectant. "What is it?"
"Well, I have always wanted to see Langley."
"I'd hate to deny you the pleasure. I mean, you are CIA. And every CIA agent deserves to visit Langley. On the other hand, we do still have to maintain your cover."
"What if I just took a peek? From the bushes?"
***
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, 8:21 PM EST
Donna emerged from her bedroom, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. It felt so good to be home and clean and free from worry about armed men breaking down her door. She paused to study her reflection in the mirror. Sydney was right; her hair was already starting to lighten. With a few more washes, she'd be back to her own regular color in no time.
She surprised herself when she jumped at the knock on her door. Her nerves must not have been as back to normal as she had hoped. Making sure to look through the peephole before she opened the door, she instantly relaxed at the sight of the person on the other side.
Josh stood in the doorway. "You know your buzzer's still broken."
"I thought they fixed that."
"What kind of stories have you been telling your landlady about me?"
"Stories, Josh? I only speak the truth."
"Right," he said, closing the door behind him. "Look, we really didn't talk before about what happened."
"That's 'cause we can't talk about what happened," she said.
"I know, and I'm not going to ask you any questions, but I just...I need...you...you're all right, right?"
Donna smiled. "Yeah."
"These past two days have been..."
"Yeah."
"I wanted to say..."
"You wanted to say how relieved you are to know I'll be coming into work on time tomorrow," Donna suggested.
"That's not what I was going to say." Josh took a step closer to Donna.
"It's not?"
"No."
This time Donna took a step closer. "What did you want to say?"
"This." He leaned slowly in until their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.
Donna could barely breathe from the joy she was experiencing. She draped her arms around his neck as the kiss grew deeper, and Josh's hands found their way to the small of her back. Reluctantly, they each pulled back after a few more moments but stayed in the embrace. Donna didn't think she'd ever be able to form words again.
Finally she managed to whisper, "Oh."
"Yeah," Josh said back, his dimples widening with every moment.
"You should say that more often."
***
the end
Chapter 9
***
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, 6:00 AM EST
Josh's mind was racing with possibilities in the second it took him to turn around. How could Donna be calling his name? What was she doing in this diner? And now that he got a good look at her, why was her hair brown?
"Donna?" His voice was so low he barely heard himself say her name. He was more confused now than when he first saw Jeff Breckenridge's obituary. This was Donna standing in front of him, but with the dark hair he practically didn't recognize her.
"Josh, oh my god." She walked toward him and wrapped her arms around him in the next instant. Josh responded by holding her closer and longer than he had ever held her before.
"Donna," he breathed, finally pulling away from her, "where the hell have you been?"
"It's a long story." The man Donna had walked in with coughed loudly to gain their attention. "I'm sorry," she said, flustered, gesturing toward him. "Josh, this is - "
"Mark Bauer. Nice to meet you," the man said, extending his hand. Josh was sure he saw a quizzical look pass across Donna's face, almost as if she wasn't expecting him to introduce himself that way. Whoever he was, Josh decided, he was too tall. And he smiled too much.
"So where have you been this weekend?" Josh asked, holding his arms across his chest. "And what happened with those men in your apartment? And why did you change your hair?"
"Those are all...valid questions," Donna said glancing back and forth between Josh and the other man. "With equally valid answers." She almost seemed to be begging this Mark person to answer the questions for her.
"Miss Moss really isn't at liberty to answer any questions right now," Mark replied.
"Not at liberty?" Josh repeated indignantly. "Look, pal, I don't know who you think you are -"
"Josh," Donna pleaded.
"Needless to say," Mark continued, "in the interest of national security, I think we should leave the subject at that."
Josh wanted to say more, but decided to let it drop. There was something authoritative in this guy's tone that made Josh believe him. "Okay," he finally said.
"Okay?" Donna asked puzzled. "You're okay with leaving it at that?"
"Yeah," Josh nodded.
"I have to go," Mark said. "It was good to see you, Donna."
Donna smiled. "It was good to see you, too...Mark. Please thank Sydney again for me."
"I will. Take care." Mark was out of the diner and walking up the street before she could respond.
Turning to face Josh again, she sighed. "Josh..."
"He's rather a pretty boy with his leather jacket and spiky hair, isn't he?" Josh mused as they walked back to the booth.
"Josh!"
***
Arlington, Virginia
Sunday, 8:47 AM EST
Vaughn found an empty park bench in the shade. He checked his voicemail for the third time since parking the car, just in case he had missed the call. When someone sat down next to him a few minutes later, he didn't need to look to see who it was.
"You're late," he said staring directly in front of him.
"Sorry, getting around the road block took longer than I expected."
"Donna said to say thank you again."
Sydney turned the page of the newspaper she was pretending to read and smiled. "She get home okay?"
"Yeah. Actually her boss ended up being at the same diner we stopped in."
"Her boss, huh?" Sydney repeated, smiling again. "Did he seem happy to see her?"
"Very. And I managed to convince her not to reveal anything so your cover should still be safe." He paused, breathing in the fresh air. "So, you know, you don't have to be back in LA until tomorrow."
"That's right."
"What do you want to do until then?"
"Hmm...there is one thing," Sydney said slowly.
"Yeah?" Vaughn hoped he didn't sound too expectant. "What is it?"
"Well, I have always wanted to see Langley."
"I'd hate to deny you the pleasure. I mean, you are CIA. And every CIA agent deserves to visit Langley. On the other hand, we do still have to maintain your cover."
"What if I just took a peek? From the bushes?"
***
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, 8:21 PM EST
Donna emerged from her bedroom, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. It felt so good to be home and clean and free from worry about armed men breaking down her door. She paused to study her reflection in the mirror. Sydney was right; her hair was already starting to lighten. With a few more washes, she'd be back to her own regular color in no time.
She surprised herself when she jumped at the knock on her door. Her nerves must not have been as back to normal as she had hoped. Making sure to look through the peephole before she opened the door, she instantly relaxed at the sight of the person on the other side.
Josh stood in the doorway. "You know your buzzer's still broken."
"I thought they fixed that."
"What kind of stories have you been telling your landlady about me?"
"Stories, Josh? I only speak the truth."
"Right," he said, closing the door behind him. "Look, we really didn't talk before about what happened."
"That's 'cause we can't talk about what happened," she said.
"I know, and I'm not going to ask you any questions, but I just...I need...you...you're all right, right?"
Donna smiled. "Yeah."
"These past two days have been..."
"Yeah."
"I wanted to say..."
"You wanted to say how relieved you are to know I'll be coming into work on time tomorrow," Donna suggested.
"That's not what I was going to say." Josh took a step closer to Donna.
"It's not?"
"No."
This time Donna took a step closer. "What did you want to say?"
"This." He leaned slowly in until their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.
Donna could barely breathe from the joy she was experiencing. She draped her arms around his neck as the kiss grew deeper, and Josh's hands found their way to the small of her back. Reluctantly, they each pulled back after a few more moments but stayed in the embrace. Donna didn't think she'd ever be able to form words again.
Finally she managed to whisper, "Oh."
"Yeah," Josh said back, his dimples widening with every moment.
"You should say that more often."
***
the end