𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒕

He couldn't help the way his head started to shake and he shifted against the chair he was in. He pulled a hand from his pocket and reached across as she trailed off with her confession. His hand finds her knee and he rests it there with affirmation and comfort in his actions, "Donna, you deserve to be happy, okay? You have nothing to feel guilty about. You have tried and tried again to find your happiness, but it sounds like it isn't happening. I don't think you're giving up, in fact I think it's very brave of you to want to find your way forward from something as long as ten years."

Maybe parts of him that were speaking were selfish, but he truly meant it. He wanted Donna to succeed and to find herself, be happy and truly feel she could do what she wanted. If that meant with Lewis... it would've happened by now, right? So why couldn't she do it alone or with--

He looks down at where his hand is against her leggings over her knee and he gives a short squeeze, small smile touching as his lips as he adds softly, "You tried and you have to try again, but not with this. You do not have to stay if you think you'll be happier somewhere else."

Dan was someone that Donna could easily drop the mask for. She was thankful for those few people in her life, but especially so for Dan because he understood what it meant to be a television personality. These moments where they could just be themselves? They were her favorite. It wasn't always life altering talks, no. It'd be singing at the top of their lungs in their dressing room. It'd be him leaving her in tear-filled stitches as they joked with each other. It was in those moments that she had fallen in love with Dan Reynolds so easily. She, like many, had been initially attracted to Dan Reynolds, the anchor, but over time, she had fallen in love with Dan Reynolds, the person.

As his hand rested on her leg, her gaze fell down to it before slowly flicking back up to meet his gaze. In this moment, she knew she had everything in the palm of her hand. Their friendship, their onscreen chemistry. Two incredibly critical things were at stake with just a few simple words. She wasn't a gambler, but she knew that these were dangerous odds.

"What if it's with someone else?" she asked gently, giving a quiet, guilty swallow. "Would you think less of me if I confessed that I have fallen ou of love with my fiance and have gained feelings for someone else?"

while far from his least favorite place in hatchetfield , solomon still has a deep disdain for whenever he has to make a stop at the news station. it reminds him of all the quote unquote emergencies he's had to deal with , only for them to be forgotten days later. almost as though they never were. funny , how that seemed to happen. funnier , that it almost always aligned with his election campaigns. this time , however , he is here of his own accord. usually , he makes dan do the trip to town hall , or they meet for coffee at beanies if it's a slow enough news week. but since he was in the neighborhood already , solomon made the unfortunate decision to stop by his employee's place of work , instead. alas , this just doesn't seem to be his week. and instead of the news anchor he wants to see , he's greeted by the grating chiperness of his co-anchor.

With any guest of the studio, Donna made it a point to do her part in making them feel welcomed. When she couldn't play hostess, she had her production assistant make sure the guest was completely spoiled. Mayor Lauter was no exception. There was something about him that had her feel a little on edge, but she supposed it was that politician charm in general, but she wanted to make sure that Solomon wasn't anything less than extremely comfortable in the studio.

"Black coffee. Easy enough," she assured with a soft laugh as she stepped over to the coffee machine to produce a to-go cup to start filling with the substance. As he filled the conversation, a soft smile tugged her lips as she glanced over her shoulder. "Unfortunately, it's the slow post-holiday and election season rush," she confessed with a light laugh, placing a lid on the drink before carrying it over. "I'm sure you're happy to be over that hill too. Did you and your daughter have a good holiday?

She starts quietly, speaking earnestly in a way he knew to come from somewhere deep within her. Donna's on screen persona was as surface level as his-- sure they carried some of those traits with them in their day to day, but there was softer tones when it came to being away from cameras and microphones. So he knew as she spoke this wasn't something to act about. She meant every word and the weight of it. He did his best not to react openly, holding a calm expression and curling his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He used the curl and press of his short nails against his palms to react, tensing when she mentions how she's fallen out of love with Lewis.

He has to work really hard to hide the way he wants to frown and make a face at the mention of Lewis wanting to insist on therapy. He has to stop himself from snorting and rolling his eyes bitterly about what he would say. Dan knew Donna. She wasn't overworking, she wasn't burnt out. She didn't need a vacation. She was doing well and doing amazing. What it sounds like, to Dan, is that she needs time away from Lewis. She needs to be herself, be who she wants to be. Does the thought make him wonder on a personal level? Yes, but he's not putting that on her. He would never suddenly dump his feelings onto her. Especially as she was sorting through her own.

His brow finally furrows a little after she pauses, releasing his stoic and neutral expression in order to show sympathy, "Donna, you shouldn't let yourself be trapped in something when you know how you feel. He may try to fight it, but you deserve to be happy. You deserve to live the life you want to live."

Donna sat and processed every word Dan had to offer. Sure, he was a volunteer counselor. Knowing the right things to say in order to give support were a given for him. But that wasn't what this was about. This was kindness coming straight from Dan's heart. An honesty that had warmth wrapping around her beyond what her coat could provide.

And what if that life's with you?

The thought had her blinking a couple of times as she exhaled a breath, a puff of steam forming in front of painted lips. No. No, she couldn't throw a grenade into two relationships. Plus, how would that look? Dan was not a rebound. He was not a second pick. He had never been a second pick, and she never wanted him to ever feel like one. Dan Reynolds was... the most incredible and brilliant man she had ever met.

"I know," she agreed quietly, pursing her lips and lowering her gaze slightly in reflective thought. "I just... feel guilty? Like maybe I should try to fight harder. Maybe therapy is an option rather than just giving up on a decade of a relationship, but I just... I'm not happy. And I haven't been for a very long time, if I'm being completely honest with myself..."

Life without Jane was hard. Hard doesn't even seem like a big enough word, something that holds the weight of losing the person you're meant to spend the rest of your life with. He was lost, swimming in a sea of sudden debt, mountains of unfinished things, and every single family responsibility falling into his lap. Sure, his parents helped where they could, but it wasn't their job. It was his job to put his family back together, as impossible as it sounded.

Thank God for Donna Daggit. She and Jane had become fast, close friends when Donna moved to town. Often, they'd go out for meals together -- Jane, Tom, Donna, and... Lewis. (Tom could really do without Lewis, if he was honest, but it was never his call to make. Plus, Donna was too kind to let suffer at the hands of her idiot partner. Jane and Tom would always be there, happy to cut the tension.)

He's in the kitchen, hands scrubbing at a mountain of dishes, when the doorbell goes off. He's about to get it when Tim scampers in front of him, eagerly ripping the door open. "Hey -- what did I say about answerin' the door without me?" Tom calls over his shoulder, though the familiar voice of Donna sets his nerves at ease. (Kid got lucky.)

Turning, he towels his hands dry, and Tom greets her with a one armed hug. His eyes drop down to the bags, stomach grumbling at the scent of the food she got. "All this for us?" He asks, giving her a small squeeze on her forearm. "You're an angel, Daggit. I mean it. C'mon -- over here," he moves aside, letting her use the clear counter space for their feast.

"What brought you over to our neck of the woods tonight?"

There was a quite laugh at Tom's scolding of his son opening the door, the preteen boy insisting that it was just Donna and that he looked out the window first. This was good. Mild, casual bickering was good. Normal. Everyone was moving and going, and that was to be expected over a year later, but grief was a finicky beast. Some days were easier than others, and she could only imagine how it was for Jane's husband and son, of all people.

She carried the sacks over the counter and hoisted them on top of it before she started removing items. "Just a kebab dinner from Mr. Kebab's. They've got a great feast meal, so I figured why not," she chuckled. "It's been a while since I've been here. I know I've been slacking, but with work and marathon prepping and Lewis -- "

i don't want to marry lewis . . .

The repeated statement makes Dan tense a little as if he'd heard her wrong the first time. He knew he hadn't and he had to do his damn best to not think about it while he was on the air. He had to lock that away and come back to it when he was ready... and hearing it once more? He wasn't sure he was. Hell, how does anyone prepare to hear that someone isn't looking to marry their partner after a long engagement. Some might say it's not surprising, but Dan... maybe oblivious to some degree, always thought Lewis and Donna were alright. He always assumed they were fine and that what would happen would happen in due time.

Dan takes the words in and lets the air settle between them, dark eyes looking over the expression she's wearing and trying to decide what she's thinking. He knows he can ask her, but he's almost worried too. He can't explain it, but he's almost nervous to hear her reasoning. Part of him wondered if he should be excited by it-- like it was a way of saying he had a chance. But that was a wrong thought to have. Donna deserved better than that. So he settles on asking gently, "Do you want to talk about how that came to be?"

donna knew that it was a surprise. she had been with lewis for over a decade now and engaged to him for almost nine years. at some point, he had been her entire world, right? things had been good. not that things were bad, but they were just . . . stagnant. she had grown, he had grown, but neither had said out loud that it had been separately.

she cleared her throat quietly before she began. " i don't know. it's just . . . it's been years without any movement towards a wedding. our schedules are opposite, and i just . . . i feel like we live two individual lives now, " she explained with a quiet sigh, one that brought a puff of steam in front of her lips. " i've been chasing what i want. what my dreams are. he's been chasing his. both are great things, but i just . . . i don't know if he'll ever see the problem. that somewhere along the way, i've fallen out of love with him . . . "

she paused for a moment, painted lips twisting a little in thought as dark eyes became distant. within her head. " he'll insist on going to therapy or that i'm overworking myself and burning out -- that we should take off work and use our vacation time together -- before he listens to what i'm trying to say . . . "

She assures him with a squeeze to his arm that the roof sounds great and he smiles gently, eyes watching as she turns back to begin fixing her makeup again. His gaze stays on her a moment longer before he's turning back to look at his reflection, hands lifting to fix up his tie as someone knocks on the door. He hears the call, but lets Donna acknowledge it. Time moves after that-- almost far too quickly. Those fifteen minutes speed by and the next thing Dan knows he's sat at the anchor desk with Donna, smile spreading wide across his face as he greets the camera with a bright good morning, hatchetfield!

The two of them relay the morning news and whatever important pieces needed to be shared, riffing and playing off of one another as they always do. It goes off without a hitch and he knows part of that is because of the promise they'll talk after it's done, but another part of him knows it has to do with the fact they haven't a choice. They're pillars in the community and have appearances to uphold... no matter what is going on in their personal lives. It didn't matter that Dan was taking hush money from Solomon Lauter... didn't matter that Linda had things over his head to keep his mouth running about the Boating Society. What mattered was how they appeared and how they delivered the news.

However, once it was done with their slot. Their smiling faces faded slightly... Dan's with concern. He and Donna retired to their dressing room where he allowed her to change first before slipping into the bathroom to do the same. He peeled out of his finer clothing and slipped into a pair of sweats with a plain blue t-shirt, his jacket to protect him from the cold hung on a rack in the main room. He moved back out into the dressing room for said jacket and pulled it on, asking quietly if Donna was ready. When she confirmed she was he stepped out, leading the way down the hall to the stairwell that would lead to the roof of the news station.

It was certainly cold out, but not miserably so. The wind was nonexistent today and the sun was high leaving it to feel a little warm despite the snow on the ground as they walked over to some chairs under an overhang tent that was usually found at festivals. He didn't necessarily know who set the place up to be enjoyed for everyone, but he certainly had to thank them at some point. Dan liked coming up here to think, liked coming up here to escape the persona he played downstairs. He offered Donna to sit first, allowing her to pick which chair she wanted before he took up the one near her. He turned it to face her a bit more head on and settled, hands in the pockets of his jacket and small smile on his face, "Whenever you're ready."

donna put on her usual on-air persona during the show. it was easy to be energetic and bubbly while playing off of dan. they had incredible chemistry. it's what got her hired in the first place so many years ago. but to shed that and just be them? it was something that was reserved mainly for their dressing room. out in public? they were still dan reynolds and donna daggit at events, but she . . . maybe she wanted to change some of that. maybe she wanted to see just dan more often. maybe that was what she was working towards now.

after the show, she changed out of her dress and heels and into the fleece lined leggings and sweater she had come in with, tugging on her coat before she followed dan up to the rooftop. her boots made for a much easier climb to the roof than heels, and the chill of the michigan air had her shivering slightly but overlooking the town they loved covered in a blanket of snow? it was gorgeous.

she crunched through the snow before they found salvation under the tent, her hands shoved into the pockets of her long, puffy coat as he spoke. " i'm not sure where to begin, " she confessed with a quiet laugh, licking her lips. " i guess where i left off . . . i don't want to marry lewis . . . "

Her hand comes across to rest over his blazer and on his forearm. He looks down at the hand then brings his expression back up to her. Words fall from her perfect assuring smile and he has to do everything in his power not to melt right there. Instead he gives a slow nod and finds himself answering without much thought, expressing himself in a friendly manner, "I've found myself going to the roof here at times to think between hours of being on camera. Not much going on up there, but someone has placed chairs of varying types up there and ashtrays. I assume someone spends breaks there, but it's usually never when I go up there." A slight ramble for him to just follow up with, "Or we can try to find somewhere that's more ground level." A small laugh.

The spot she's touching is warm despite the clothing between her palm and his arm. He can feel it blossoming from the area and crawling across his skin. He hadn't realized how cold he was feeling until that moment, but now a rush of air was passing through him assuring him there was more to come from whatever was happening. He didn't know what to expect with the conversation... but he wanted to be there for Donna.

her expression softened as she listened to him suggest the roof. the ramble he fell into it? it warmed through her chest and eased some of the tension he was feeling. he was normally so put together, so suave. it was effortless. so to see him vulnerable to some degree? to see him rambling and a little flustered? it only made her feel stronger for him. she liked seeing dan reynolds behind the camera. he was a stunner in front of it, of course, but he was just as brilliant behind it too.

" the roof sounds great, " she assured with a soft laugh, giving his arm one last squeeze before she moved back to finishing her make up.

a knock at the door sounded. fifteen minutes!

" thank you, fifteen! "

for you i have all the time, were the words that wanted to leave Dan's lips. He doesn't let them though. He's afraid to be that open about it and to suggest something beyond being friendly. Donna was talking about ending her relationship and that didn't mean he had a free ticket to admit his feelings. It wouldn't be right or fair to her. So he gives a nod of his head, hand on the vanity curling and other rubbing lightly against the pants against his thigh, "Yeah, I have time. What did you have in mind?"

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to go through the next few hours of their morning show braving a grin, but he knew he would have to try. If he was anything less than shining it'd be noticeable and it'd impact more than the views.

" i just dropped some big news on you and dodged around it when i remembered the time crunch, " she pointed out with a quiet, apologetic laugh as she gave her nose a little scrunch. she sat there for a moment in it, trying to come up with the right thing to say. the thing that wouldn't leave them in some sort of weird limbo for the next few hours.

a soft smile tugged at a corner of her lips as she set her eyeshadow brush down to let her hand reach over and give his forearm a squeeze. " i have more than i want to say going into what i told you, but i want to be able to give it and you the proper attention, " she confessed, thumb stroking against his sleeve. " so, we can find somewhere quiet when we have the time, yeah? is that okay? "

He watches as she pushes around his question, focusing instead on how they have only fifteen minutes before they're expected for mics. He glances at the clock then back to her, frown now fully formed on his face despite having tried to push it back previously. He wants to shake his head and tell her that she shouldn't push the topic away, but she's apologizing and saying how she shouldn't have dropped that right now. How it was a big discussion and she running behind. It snaps something inside of him and he feels that light at the end of the tunnel shrinking in size, dimming quickly by the seconds that pass.

He looks away, eyes dropping to his side of the two mirrored vanity then lifting to his reflection. He stares at himself briefly, a war waging within his gaze on what to do from here. Part of him wants to tell her not to let it go, not to stop talking-- and another part knows he shouldn't push. They were friends, best ones he'd consider, but did she want to confess all that to him. Maybe he was hopeful it meant he could tell her how he felt, but that was wrong. Who tells someone they're in love with them after that person announces their feelings about a partner? He had no right to place his own thoughts on her. So he shuts his eyes and exhales, shoulders deflating. A pause then he brings his gaze up, eyes finding Donna's side profile, "You can talk to me, Donna. Maybe not right now, but whenever..."

she was mentally kicking herself for being in this state. she needed to be with it and alert for the morning show. she was about to have to be on camera her usual bubbly self for hours, and the last thing she needed was to be whatever this was. tired. burnt out. ugh, she needed to figure herself out.

she paused for a moment in applying a quick sweep of some eyeshadow in the creases of her eyes when dan spoke, a light frown tugging at her lips as she turned her gaze to him.

" you have free time after the show? " she asked with a small, sheepish smile. " or when we get out of here today? "

i don't want to marry lewis.

Dan's composure fell, shock lining his features with widened brown hues and mouth falling open slightly. He wanted to ask if he'd heard her right, but instead he quickly shuts his mouth and swallows back a breath as she continues. it's been eight years. No wedding planned. And she's fallen out of love with him. That terms have been drawing together in her head over it. He doesn't know what to say. Doesn't know how to respond for a moment as the air settles around them. He knows he's meant to say something-- anything, but what? How does someone respond to that? He was so certain she was comfortable and happy in that relationship... that she wanted Lewis. And Dan has known her for eight years as an engaged woman. He knew day one she was off limits and had settled easy into being her cohost, but after four years of being her friend and work partner... he'd fallen for her. Still, he respected everything about it because Donna seemed happy. Donna seemed content. After all... she'd never called off the engagement.

But hearing what she was saying now. Hearing that she was feeling out of love and no longer wanting to marry him... Dan saw a light. He saw something there at the end of the tunnel and he had to be quick not to jump at it. He had to breathe, had to relax and find the proper words to speak. But he hesitates for too long and a knock sounds at the door, but it doesn't open, twenty minutes until showtime! There's a pause and then the knock comes again, Dan? Donna?

"Yeah!" Dan calls back, but his eyes stay on Donna, "Twenty, got it!" He pauses for the confirmation he was heard before breathing shakily and speaking quietly towards the woman, "How long have you felt like this, Donna?"

donna could hear her heart thudding in the silence that fell between them. one that was broken by the knock on the door and the call out from their producer. and she jumped and grimaced as she let dan handle it. shit, she still had so much to do in order to get ready. she needed to finish her make up and do something with her hair. why had she chosen now to have some sort of life altering talk? to have some big and grand admission at the tip of her tongue? what was she thinking?

" we have fifteen before we need to get mic'd up, a - and i'm no where near ready, " she swallowed hard as she quickly shook her head, releasing a shaky breath as her hands came forward to grab for her eyeshadow palette and a brush. " i - i'm sorry. i shouldn't have dropped something like that right now. that's . . . that's a big discussion and i'm running behind -- "

Dan didn't catch the mumbled apology, instead eyes falling back to his own reflection so he could glance himself over. He had to fight the frown of misery which wants to settle on his face. His hands move to do up the final buttons of his shirt and he's about to work on his tie when Donna asks him her question. He turns his head, eyes falling onto her again and lips fighting the frown of concern that wants to touch them. All he's wanted to do today is frown... but he can't. He's Dan Reynolds, Hatchetfield's winning smile. So he puts a small one on his face, genuine and soft for her, "You can tell me anything, Donna."

And he means that. He does, truly. Donna is his best friend... his cohost... the woman he would give anything to be with. He knows that the latter isn't a possibility and maybe knows it also feeds into his reasons to why he continues to fall into with with Linda. It wasn't just the blackmail, of course. No. Who didn't crave touch and desire? Who didn't want to feel like they were on top of the world coming undone and unraveled? Dan wasn't a fool. He knew what he was doing.

it was the first time that donna would be admitting this out loud. it had been a thought residing in her head for quite some time now, one that she didn't even speak to her closest friends about. definitely not her parents. she didn't want them worrying about her or putting some idea out there that maybe she should come back home to cincinnati. no, no. she couldn't leave hatchetfield. she couldn't leave the man that was sitting next to her. shit.

" i don't want to marry lewis, " she confessed quietly, the veil down of her anchorwoman persona that she was going to half to put back on in just a few minutes when they walked through the door together. she swallowed and lowered her gaze to the make up laid out in front of her. " it's been eight years, and we haven't even attempted to plan a wedding. and i've just . . . over time, i've fallen out of love with him . . . and i've been coming to terms with that -- "

Dan watches her, eyes following her hands and their struggle before she's cussing out of frustration and the item pops open. He winces a little at the abrasiveness that came with it and can't stop the small frown that wears across his features. She asks her question and he glances to the clock on the wall rather than his watch, studying it momentarily then looking back to her, "We still have about thirty minutes until we're needed." Short, soft pause as he adds gently, "You don't need to rush, Donna." He's heard her swear before, he's heard her say plenty of things, but seeing her frazzled would always throw him off some. She was so naturally put together and rarely did it seem otherwise-- he was trying not to read into that. Clearly it had to do with the makeup apparatus and nothing else. He couldn't think on it too long because whatever was perhaps bothering her... was it really his business?

The truth was, Donna is the first woman Dan has ever come to feel this strongly about. He's been in relationships before, he's had several women as partners or lovers... but Donna? The way he felt for her was something he couldn't put into words and he knew that was dangerous. It's why Linda had weight on him, it's why he spoke so often about Lewis-- as if to remind himself there was this man in her life. It's why... it's why he never put his emotion more than he needed to in their conversations. He cared, but he couldn't care too deeply. Pining after a woman well into her engagement? How wrong was that.

you don't need to rush, donna.

she swallowed hard and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath through her nose and exhaling it through her lips. she knew that she probably looked like a basket case right now. she felt like a basket case. why was she unraveling? not now. not fucking now before she had to spend the next five hours on camera.

" i - i'm sorry, " she mumbled with a shaky of her head, getting more frustrated that her eyes were starting to water and she hadn't even attempted eyeliner or mascara yet. she gave a hard swallow as she swirled her brush in the pink blush and swiped it across her cheeks. she set the two down on the vanity top after and released a shaky breath, fingers flexing and clenching into anxious fists.

" can i tell you something in confidence? " she asked quietly, eyes flicking over to the man next to her. " you know how we made a big deal of new years' resolutions on air the other day? i couldn't talk about my real one . . . "

he was asleep when i got home.

The words struck a slight nerve in Dan out of frustration. He and Donna had talked briefly about how she was looking forward to a quiet evening (with Lewis, Dan assumed) before the turn of the year. It made him frown, but before he could say anything she was disappearing into the bathroom attached to their dressing room. His eyebrows drew together slightly, concern touching his forehead as he wanted to ask her if she was okay. Something about it didn't sit right, but... was it his business to ask about it? His features relax before she returns, knowing if he's wearing anything obvious it would be too bias in response. He could care, but he couldn't care too deeply. Why did he have to feel so... caught on her? She wasn't available, she wasn't close to being his-- they were friends and though he could be concerned, he couldn't be overbearingly so.

When she steps out and settles at the vanity he looks at her, fighting the way his frown wants to dip further. He catches it from doing so and instead listens, trying not to huff a sound when she said he still cashed in on one. In Dan's head he was convinced she deserved better, but Lewis was what she was comfortable and settled into. She loved the man, obviously... if she didn't, why would she be with him? Dan wasn't even on her radar while she wore that engagement ring.

"Mm, I guess so," he hums out in response, turning his eyes back to his own reflection so he could look himself over. His tie had yet to be tied and the final buttons yet to be done up near his neck. He shifts to sit up a bit straighter and leans closer to the image of himself, right hand reaching to grab a comb that was nearby so he could brush it against his mustache. He sets the item back down and brings his hand back up, gently pushing at the front of his hair then turning his head slightly to check the side of it. He flicks his eyes towards Donna as he does so, watching her apply makeup expertly and carefully. He stares and he knows he is, but he can't help it. Donna is truly the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on.

the ring felt like a weight on donna's left hand. she wanted so badly to not wear it these days, but being a public figure? she was constantly on camera to some degree, and surely someone who knew her or lewis would notice. they would see her without her ring and speculate, ask big questions, and it could create a conversation that donna dreaded having. not because she wanted things to work. lewis was just . . . he was so passive. he wasn't a bad guy, by any means, but she could already predict how he'd talk around her. not at her. but around. he'd want to go to therapy. he'd want to work things out, no matter if she told him flat out that she didn't love him anymore. he wouldn't believe her, and she felt so immensely trapped.

she focused on making her appearance perfect, as if the anchorwoman didn't have a worry in the world. she could highlight this and brighten that and with her smile? no one would ever have a clue was all was running through her head. wanting to end a relationship, knowing she wasn't getting any younger, being in love with her best friend and coanchor and having to just pretend like none of that existed.

she picked up her blush and fought to get it open with how flustered she felt. " shit! " she cursed under her breath, something she rarely did in public to maintain her image. she popped it open and her thumbnail dug into the pink pigment in doing so, huffing out of frustration as she reached over to snatch a few tissues. " how much time do we have? "

Dan was back at work, the same as Donna. He had worked late into New Year's Eve with the woman before parting ways to go to their own homes. She to spend what hour remained with her fiancé and Dan... well, Dan wasn't spending his night alone either. He'd returned to his townhome and got as far as taking off his blazer when his phone buzzed with a text giving him a No Tell Motel room number. He had started at it for longer than he cared to admit and the sender took notice: now. He wanted to text back a condescending mention of not seeing a please, but rather than fight it he just undid his tie to toss it over a hook on the wall. He undid the first couple buttons of his shirt then grabbed up an actual jacket, slipping into it then getting out the door to go back to his car. It had taken him only about ten minutes to get to the motel and the room, but it took far less than that for him to be dragged in and removed of his clothing.

be good for mommy, dan...

Falling into bed with Linda was never about romance or even affection. It was about physical release, sexual desires, and living out whatever fucked up needs they had. He knew he wasn't her only lover, if you will, but he was definitely one of her more unfortunate ones. Granted Dan didn't know who her other loves were, but he knew he was in a situation he didn't care to be in. He wouldn't say he didn't enjoy the sex. Who didn't enjoy good sex? But he certainly hadn't been intending to repeat something that happened twice after yachting events. Both events he'd covered and given raving commentary about that made the whole thing glisten and shine even more. When the third came around and Linda was looking for another time piece on the station channel... Dan hadn't had the desire to do so. Or care. Linda offered herself as a way to convince him, but he'd told her no. He wasn't interested. There was a pause as they spoke, privacy given to them by being where she'd cornered him behind Rasentin. She hummed then pulled her phone out, not a word between them as she pulled something up and played it for his ears. He couldn't see if there was video to the audio that played, but it was enough to get him to be silent. He agreed with a murmur after she asked if they had a deal. There'd been intermittent moments since where they wound up in a bed together. And there was never a time where she didn't remind him of the power mommy had over him.

now, one may not consider calling a woman mommy in the heat of the moment all that scandalous, but Dan projecting it onto the likes of Linda and only moments after moaning the name of a woman also taken... well. One and one made two, and two made it obvious he wasn't as put together as he made the rest of the town believe. It didn't need to get out that Dan Reynold's not only had mommy issues, but that he was visualizing fucking his co-anchor. A woman that was very much taken and sure Linda was taken too, but if she were to share whatever audio files she had... she'd make sure it wasn't known it was being said to her. Dan was smart, but he wasn't smart enough to figure out how to get out of being a plaything for the likes of Linda. Not that it was truly awful. She was a good outlet for whatever was pent up in him, but he didn't like making a habit out of it. He knew he couldn't necessarily deny her, but... he never sought her out. New Year's Eve she'd been drawing circles against his chest telling him that there was a Boating Society event coming up. One that could really use the coverage to bring in the money moguls. How if he were to whisper his sweet voice into his producer's ear, she was sure he'd be able to provide ample footage of what grand event was coming up.

So, here was Dan, two days later at work thinking about it with a furrow of his brow that he barely registered Donna entering the room. It wasn't until she set something down near him and asked a question that he fully snapped out of his thoughts, expression relaxing and head turning to look at her. His breath caught-- it always had for the last few years since realizing how he felt about her. She was truly the most beautiful woman to live in Hatchetfield and she was completely untouchable. He shifted in the chair he was sat in and straightened, offering her a soft grin, "It was good and fine," he didn't do anything beyond debate his next moves for getting what coverage Linda properly wanted and where. He'd texted their producers and was set to speak to them after their coverage this morning, "How was yours and Lewis'?"

donna's relationship was . . . complex. she loved lewis, sure. at least, she had for a long period of time. but things had fizzled out. they were strangers more than they were lovers, and donna could see that. but could lewis? he was overly optimistic. he insisted things were fine, as always. he settled and, in return, she felt like she was settling. and sure, she had feelings for dan . . . but that didn't mean anything. she couldn't just bank on going from lewis to dan. she didn't even know if dan felt that way about her, and it . . . it was just too much to try to wrap her head around.

still, there was a pang of guilt at the way her shoulders naturally fell a little any time that dan asked about lewis. " he was asleep when i got home, " she confessed with a little, slightly tense smile, leaving it simply at that before she took her dress and disappeared quietly into the connected bathroom for a moment to change out of her street clothes and into it.

when she emerged a few moments later, she took a seat at her vanity, starting to pluck the steps of her make up routine to become camera ready. " he said he tried to stay up, but he's not quite the night owl. said he still cashed in on a new year's kiss, even if it was seven or eight hours later, " she teased with a small laugh. " still new year's day, i suppose. "