Title: Another Nine-Point Plan
Date Completed: May 27, 2008
Author: Jennie
Email: jllamb1118@aol.com
Website: Dimples and Distinctive Penmanship Style
Pariing: Josh/Donna
Spoilers: AU... Not really any... maybe end of season 7
Rating: Pre-Teen (romance)
Disclaimer: I don't own these people or this universe. Aaron Sorkin does. Can I work out a time-share agreement on Josh though...
Author's Notes: Written for the Sorkin Fest fic-a-thon on LiveJournal. The prompt was "Josh/Donna - Josh's nine-point plan to win Donna." Thanks to ethospahtos for the down and dirty beta!
Summary: Josh writes Donna a note.

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The first thing Donna felt as she came awake was the warm sun on her face and the breeze stirring from the ceiling fan above the bed. She smiled and stretched lazily, remembering where she was and why she was there. When she opened her eyes though her smile fell, as she realized that the other occupant of the bed was missing.

Instead she found on his pillow a cream colored sheet of the exclusive resort's stationery and this letter in his distinctive scrawl:

Donna,

I am such an inept fool when it comes to the ways of love. You should know this by now. I really don't know what to say to you when we have this "talk" and the very prospect of the "talk" itself is freaking me out.

So, in order to make this vacation as restful as possible and to preserve what very little is left of my sanity, I propose a nine-point plan. I know I'm a chicken for doing it in writing, but I was inspired while watching you sleep this morning and I had to get it on paper.

1) Feed you breakfast.
When you finish reading this... I'll be out on the lanai with breakfast, I even ordered fruit!

2) Tell you I love you.
Part of my feels that this should be obvious to you. I think that it probably is. But I respect that it is a nice thing to hear out loud, and as soon as you wake up I intend to tell you. I hope you reciprocate.

3) Tell you I don't want to live without you.
Basically, I want you to be in my life. I may not know all the specifics yet but I know that much and that should count for something. I've lived with you and I've lived without you before. I am a much happier, calmer, saner version of myself when you are with me than when you are not.

4) Tell you that we need to acknowledge that it will be hard.
When has it ever been easy? I know, never. But it is about to get worse. I think we can do it.... I know we can. But I just think we need to at least say it up front. I mean with our jobs, and everything... yeah. Maybe we need some "rules." I'll leave that part up to you. You bring the details better than I do anyway.

5) Tell you how proud I am of you.
I want you to know unequivocally how very proud I am of you and what you have done with your career. I want you to know it with every fiber of your being. And then, I want us to not worry anymore about how the professional always kept the personal at bay. Cause it'll be laid to rest. Finally.

6) Ask you to live with me.
My bed is bigger. My place is bigger. The twitchy chick from treasury is still at your place. And although my decor decidedly needs a lot of help, I believe you are the one to fix it.

7) We need to decide who to tell and how we tell them that this is... that we are a thing.
Mom. Your Parents. Matt and Helen. The Bartlets. Sam, Cj, Toby. And you know a whole lot of other people. Would renting a billboard be inappropriate? How about an ad in The Washington Post?

8) Tell you I want to be the father of your children.
I didn't know if I'd ever want to do that. But I do... because I want to do it with you.

9) Ask you to marry me.
I've got an antique ring that my grandmother left me. And not that your left hand needs any help, but I think it would look even more stunning with my ring on the fourth finger.

--Josh

The smile returned to Donna's face and she looked out onto the lanai at the man sitting in the chair facing the water reading the newspaper. He appeared calm and relaxed, but she could tell he was anything but. Years of practice. She got up, folded the letter and put it in her suitcase and headed outside.

He looked up at her as she kissed his temple and the she sat down to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"So," she said, "Thank you for breakfast. You have some things you wanted tell me?"