Donna stood at the stove, gently stirring the soup that had been simmering for the past several hours. It was close to ready, she thought as she added just a pinch of salt.

The temperature had dropped into the single digits as the sun set over the mountains and a light dusting of snow covered practically everything. They were expecting a few inches that evening, along with some heavy winds. She'd spent the afternoon making sure the cabin was truly ready for winter and started a fire in the hearth to warm the cabin.

Donna placed the spoon on the rest near the stove and checked on the fresh bread baking in the oven when a pair of headlights in the driveway caught her attention.

She saw a small SUV hesitate near the top of the road before making the turn and slowly approaching the house. Knowing that Edith would still be another hour before she was due home, Donna wasn't sure what to think about the unexpected visitor. Glad that Audrey was upstairs playing in her room, she watched carefully out the window.

When the vehicle slowed to a cautious stop at the front of the drive and passenger door opened Donna was sure that her heart skipped a beat.

"Josh," she whispered to the empty room, hardly believing her eyes. She didn't know how this could even be possible! Last week Sam had reminded her not to lose hope but hadn't given her any more information, and certainly hadn't even hinted that it was even in the realm of possibility that Josh would be released soon. It took a few moments before Donna could find her footing and move to the door, and she felt conflicting emotions course through her veins.

Donna was a bit surprised by the sudden burst of anger she felt when she saw them. How dare he leave them for so long! The last 10 months without him had hurt her more than she'd ever let anyone know.

She stepped out to the porch not even realizing she'd left the door open and the snow flurrying into the kitchen. She didn't even seem to notice as the chill seeped through her sweater. All she could see was Josh.

She thought she'd have more warning than this. That she'd be ready to see him and know exactly what to say. But instead, he'd reappeared just as quickly as he'd left.

He met her gaze across the distance and slowed his pace, saying nothing as he hesitantly made his way to stand in front of her, stopping as though he was waiting for her permission.

"Don't you EVER-" she began, fully intending to let him know how gutted she'd felt without him for the last months after his sudden disappearance. But when he shifted slightly and she saw his face in the light, completely broken and so much older than the last time she saw him, her words died on her tongue. Donna stepped closer and slowly reached up, causing Josh to flinch slightly and close his eyes. But when her hands tenderly cupped his face and her thumbs softly caressed the stubble on his cheeks, his eyes fluttered back open to looked at her once again.

She choked back a sob she'd been holding in for ten months and she knew- she couldn't wait for it anymore. Donna didn't hesitate. She moved forward and kissed him, their lips meeting tenderly as Donna took the lead, trying to tell him everything she'd ever felt for him with just one action. Josh hesitated briefly, mostly out of shock, before tilting his head and leaning into her, taking control as his arms wrapped around her.

Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss, moving slowly and with purpose, further into unfamiliar territory. She sighed gently into him, her body relaxing into his as the rest of the world faded to gray around them.

His movements eventually slowed and their lips separated ever so slightly, but Josh didn't move, lingering next to her, drinking in her very being.

He trailed his lips gently across hers once again, shifting slightly, his arms still encircled around her waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply and letting out a slow, shaky breath. She could feel the dampness of his slowly escaping tears on her skin and couldn't hold back any longer. She let out a soft sob tightening her hold on him.

"Shhh," he soothed her in a muted tone. "Shhh, it's okay. Don't cry."

She didn't verbally respond, her hand finding the disheveled hair at the nape of his neck as she entwined her fingers in his curls.

"It's all over now," he continued to assure her, his thumb gently grazing across the small of her back. "I'm here now."

And though he'd never been there before, Josh Lyman knew he was home.

*To Be Continued*