Freedonia Sunriseby Allison K. East
Based on the episode 'Freedonia' (6.15). Title is a play on the episode title and the Aerosmith song 'Sedona Sunrise'. Story contains mention of scenes in 'Oppositon Research' (6.11) and 'King Corn' (6.13).
Donna pondered over Will Bailey's dinner invitation while she carried out the numerous things she had to get done that day. The idea of the two of them having dinner was not that startling—they had eaten dinner together four nights that week already, as she had pointed out to him; being the only two single people of a similar age on the campaign, eating together was inevitable if one did not want to eat alone. No, it was the fact that he asked her to dinner that made her pause. And he had asked her again, after she pointed out they'd eaten together four times that week without him feeling the need to ask her out, and who else was she going to have dinner with? (The latter was probably not polite or tactful of her). It was the way he asked her that made her think later. It was almost as if he was asking her on a date, just in what was supposed to be a casual manner. That thought really made her pause. She had never really thought about Will except as a collegue and, now, her boss on the campaign. He was nice enough, she had to admit, and certainly not bad looking; but, for some reason, the thought of dating him never crossed her mind. Even now, with his invitation ringing in her ears, the thought seemed alien to her. And she had no idea why. There was nothing wrong with Will, and he was type of person that she had been known to date in the past. Better, in fact, as Josh had a tendency to call the guys she had previously dated 'Republican gomers', and Will was most decidedly a Democrat (although, to be honest, if she did date Will, Josh would still most likely call him a 'gomer', Democrat or not). Donna sighed. Josh Lyman. He was the reason the thought of dating anyone else now seemed alien to her. She had fallen hopelessly in love with him while working as his assistant when he was Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House, when dating him would have been wildly inappropriate. Hence the procession of 'gomers' she had dated to distance herself from her boss. When she left her job at the White House she had hopes that she and Josh could start dating, but it was clearly not to be. Her phone had resolutely remained silent in the days after she left (at least in regards to Josh's number), and when she ran into him in New Hampshire while on their respective campaign trails, none of their usual camaraderie was present. And when they encountered each other again at the hotel in Iowa, things were downright awkward between them. Their rooms were opposite one another, yet nary a word exchanged save a polite greeting. She saw him through the peephole, looking as though he was posed to knock on her door, but no knock came. Clearly, the betrayal of her leaving him at the White House was too much for any feelings he may have had for her to overcome. If those feelings ever existed at all—she had gotten her hopes up when he dropped everything to fly to Germany after she'd been injured in the CODEL bombing in Gaza, but maybe that had been in vain. If nothing was going to happen between her and Josh, and it certainly appeared that way, why shouldn't she go out with someone else? Certainly there was nothing stopping her. But the truth was, once that she had worked out she was in love with her boss, she had no desire to date anyone else, to 'settle' for anyone else. And she hadn't, save for her non-serious fling with Colin in Gaza. Even now, when it seemed certain that a relationship with Josh was out of the question, she still felt no desire to date anyone else. She just did not feel anything more for Will than friendship, and to encourage more would hurt him in the long run. She would have to find a way to maintain her friendship with Will while discouraging anything further without hurting him.
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