"Where have you been?" I demand irritably when Donna breezes in at half past one.

"Hello to you too, Joshua," she says, depositing her purse on the guest chair.

"I needed you to go to the Hill for me," I grouse. "Never mind, you can go now."

"Don't I even get a kiss hello before you send me back out into the wilds of DC?" she pouts.

"Sure, all right, but then I need you to leave. I told them you'd be there a half hour ago." I lean forward to give her a perfunctory kiss, but when I try to break away she grabs me by the tie and pulls me towards her to deepen the kiss.

When she finally releases me, I look at her appraisingly. "What's going on?" I ask suspiciously.

"What makes you think something's going on?" she asks innocently.

"That wasn't a 'hello' kiss," I inform her. "That was some other, extra-amazing, kind of kiss."

"Extra-amazing?" she teases, looking entirely too satisfied with herself.

"Yeah. What's going on?"

She picks up her things. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Why don't you tell me about it now? You can be a little later to the hearing. There's probably nothing happening right now anyway."

She purses her lips. "I think I'd better wait til tonight. You're liable to overreact."

Of course, this doesn't have the most soothing effect on me. "What?! You're making me wait until tonight to hear about something that's going to make me overreact? That's a terrible idea! Tell me now! Where were you?"

She sighs. "I went to the doctor."

I blanch. "Oh my God. Are you all right?" I ask, gripping her arm and scanning her up and down for evidence of injury or imminent illness.

"I'm fine, Josh," she says impatiently.

"Were you feeling sick? Why didn't you tell me?" I ask anxiously.

"I wasn't feeling sick."

"Then why did you go to the doctor?" I demand.

"I had to ask him a question," she says.

"Well, what did he say?" I ask impatiently.

"He actually wanted me to tell you something," she says, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Me?" I say stupidly. "What did he want you to tell me?"

"He wanted me to tell you that you're going to be a father," she announces gleefully.

My eyes widen and my hand drops from her arm. I swallow convulsively and stare at her. I take a couple of faltering steps backwards, at which point the edges of my vision darken and my legs fold beneath me, the ground jumping up and smacking me on the ass the next instant.

I blink dazedly and I hear Donna's voice saying, "Josh, are you all right?" I become dimly aware of her hand on my arm and the other hand cupping my cheek while she mutters to herself, "Jeez, it's not like he's the one who actually has to give birth. Josh! Come back to the world of the living."

I grab her arm again. "Donna! B-b-baby?"

She grins. "Yup."

I scramble to my feet with the assistance of my beautiful wife and I grip her shoulders as I stare at her. "You're going to have a baby?"

She nods. "Yes."

"I'm going to be a father?" I ask, a slow, wondering smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Yes."

"There's a baby inside you, right now?" She nods, looking almost as amazed as I feel.

A huge grin breaks out over my face. "You're having a baby!" I pick her up by the waist and swing her around in jubilation.

She looks down at me from where I have her raised above me and laughs. "Well, we'd better hope our child gets its brains from me, because you're a little slow on the uptake."

I slowly let her down and hold her close to me. "Donna... you are incredible," I say softly, taking her face in my hands.

She kisses me gently. "Josh, you and I made a person," she whispers wonderingly. "A new, tiny person. Just you and me together. A whole new person."

I kiss her back. "I can already see her."

Donna frowns. "Him."

"She has long blonde hair," I say, not listening to her.

"He has curly brown hair," she corrects me.

"She has long blonde hair and blue eyes," I insist.

"Brown eyes!"

I frown. "Blue eyes."

"Josh! Brown eyes," she pouts.

I shake my head. "No, Donna. She definitely has blue eyes. I know, because they're going to be so amazing that whenever I look into them, I'm not going to be able to deny her anything."

"Except for the fact that he has brown eyes," she mutters.

"Donna, we are so having a girl," I inform her.

She pouts. "Can she have dimples, at least?"

I grin. "Well, sure. I mean, the kid's gonna get her good looks from me, so the dimples are part of the package."

She swats me on the arm. "Jerk." She pauses. "I suppose we don't really have any control over all that at this point, anyway."

I ignore her. "Kiss me, I'm the father of your child," I command.

For once in her life, she actually complies with my order and kisses me enthusiastically. I'll have to remember that 'I'm the father of your child' line for later.

There's a knock on the door and Toby comes in. He grunts. "Josh, would you please detach yourself from your wife's face for a minute? I want to talk to you about something."

"Toby!" I cry, disconnecting myself from Donna and throwing my arms around him.

He stiffens. "Donna, why is your husband touching me right now?"

Donna opens her mouth but I cut her off. "We're having a baby!" I exclaim joyfully.

"And how do you propose we do that?" he says dryly.

"Donna's pregnant!"

He raises an eyebrow and glances at Donna. "You do realize this means that you're enabling him to reproduce?"

She nods happily. "Uh-huh."

"Ah. Well, then," he says gruffly, smiling at Donna. He kisses her on the cheek. "Congratulations."

She gives him a hug, which he is much more receptive to than my embrace. He even smiles.

He's actually grinning when he reaches over to shake my hand. "Well done," he says. "You want a cigar?" he asks, producing one from his coat pocket.

I grab it from his hand and stuff it in the garbage can. "Not while I'm within a thousand yards of Donna, I don't."

I run my hand over my hair, and glance out into the bullpen. I go to the doorway and look around. Everyone's working. None of them have any idea that Donna and I are bringing a new person into the world. Donna and Toby follow me out as I walk into the bullpen. This is a situation that absolutely must be rectified.

I leap onto Donna's desk and shout, "I'm having a baby!"

The room bursts into applause and shouts of congratulations. Everyone starts talking at once, calling out good wishes, jokes, and advice amidst a lot of laughter and chatter.

"What is it?" someone yells.

"I don't know," I cry, "but it's a person!"

Everyone laughs and claps even harder at this. I stand on the top of the desk, beaming, basking in the glow of their approval. I frown. Something's missing. I look down to see Donna gazing up at me with mixture of amusement and adoration that I find absolutely intoxicating. "Donna!" I cry. "Get up here!" I haul her up on the desk with me and take her hand in mine before turning back to the bullpen. "This is my wife!" I announce loudly. "She's pregnant!" I add, grinning foolishly.

Everyone claps even harder for her, of course. I jump off the desk so everyone can see her. "Isn't she beautiful?" I burst out, gazing up at her adoringly.

This comment is greeted by exclamations of agreement and several wolf whistles. Donna curtsies and blows kisses to her admiring public. I look out at the crowd and see that many of the male staffers are being a little too enthusiastic in their appreciation of her beauty for my taste. I glare at them challengingly, but they all ignore me and don't take the bait. The one unfortunate intern foolish enough to meet my gaze swallows convulsively when he sees me looking at him. He slowly stops clapping and starts to fidget nervously. "Don't look at my wife like that," I snap. "She's pregnant."

He nods. "Yes, she is."

I frown. I turn back to Donna on top of the desk and a horrible new thought occurs to me. "Oh my God, Donna! Get down from there!" I cry. "You could hurt yourself!"

She rolls her eyes but allows me to gingerly lift her down from the desk, holding her close to me once she's back on firm ground.

"Hey, let's see a kiss from the parents to be!" someone calls out.

"A kiss?" I shout. "You want to see a kiss?"

"Yes!" everyone shouts.

"Well, I'll show you a kiss! Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see kissing as it was meant to be done! Cause that's how we do it in the Lyman household," I cry, and am about to explain further, when Donna grabs me by the tie again and pretty much kisses the life out of me in the middle of the bullpen.

More appreciative whistles and cheers. When she lets me go, I stare dazedly out at the crowd. "Is that how they do it in the Lyman household?" someone yells. I blink a couple of times. "Uh... yeah." I point at Donna. "That's Donna Moss." That's not what I meant to say. "She's the Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff." Everyone laughs and I smile confusedly. "I'm her husband," I clarify.

Just about every woman on the support staff chooses this moment to descend upon Donna, squealing and generally behaving in a girlish fashion. People clap me on the back and shake my hand and offer their congratulations. I soak it all in, grinning like the schmuck that I am, until it occurs to me that someone is missing. Someone important.

"Where's CJ?" I ask.

"She's in the briefing room," Toby says. "But– "

I don't hear him. I've already taken off down the hall. I see Carol standing in front of the door and she greets me by saying, "Hi, Josh. You need CJ? She'll be free in a couple of minutes. She's in the middle of– "

I barge past her and burst into the briefing room, where CJ is addressing the White House Press Corps about some inane and trivial topic none of them really care about.

"–the Secretary of State is hopeful that the ongoing talks between Israeli and Palestinean leaders will soon yield an agreement for a lasting peace. He'll be back– "

"CJ!" I exclaim, rushing over to the podium.

"What is it?" she asks, alarmed.

I elbow her out of the way and she stumbles inelegantly off the podium. I turn to face the reporters and the cameras in the back of the room. Here I have the chance to literally tell the world about my incipient fatherhood. How many fathers get an opportunity like this? No way am I going to waste it. "I'm having a baby!" I announce gleefully.

The room goes wild. Ha! That's what I'm talking about! No one was clapping and hollering like this when CJ made her statement. Clearly, these are truly the finest minds in the nation. Who cares about peace in the Middle East when there's a little baby made out of me and Donna growing inside of her right now?

CJ recovers a bit and rejoins me on the podium. "Ladies and gentleman, I give you Josh Lyman: medical marvel and Deputy Chief of Staff."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" someone calls out.

"I have no idea," I say triumphantly, "but it's the future leader of the free world!"

"For those of you who don't know him, Josh is the Deputy Chief of Staff, and I'm assuming he just found out his wife, Donna Moss, is expecting their first child," CJ adds. She turns to me and kisses me on the cheek. "Congratulations," she whispers, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Josh, when is the baby due?" someone asks.

I turn back to the room, my eyes as huge as saucers. "I don't know!" I say, dumbstruck. I run out of the room, only to crash straight into Leo and the President walking down the hall. They both stumble sideways a bit when I make impact, but otherwise take my intrusion in stride, so to speak.

Two Secret Service agents grab me before I can blink and I struggle for a moment, trying to extricate myself from their grip. I have to find Donna. That's going to be a little difficult, pinned up against the wall as I am.

"Let him go," the President says dryly. The agents release me and I straighten up.

"Mr. President," I say, trying to remain calm like the cool professional that I am.

The President winces. "There's no need to shout, Josh. I can hear you perfectly well."

"Sorry, sir," I apologize, bouncing on my heels.

"I hear Donna's on the nest," he says.

"Yes, sir," I say eagerly.

"Congratulations, son," says the President. "I have some advice for you. People– and by people, I mean your wife– are going to tell you that your children love you because you're their father. It's possible that's true, but you never want to take any chances. Don't be proud, Josh. Bribery is an excellent means of securing their affection."

"Thank you, sir." I glance at Leo.

"Congratulations, Josh," he says, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "You're gonna be a great father."

"Thanks, Leo," I say, ducking my head a bit.

"You're going to love it," says the President. "It's the best job in the world. It's also the hardest job in the world. About ten times harder than this one," he adds with a nod. "But much more fulfilling."

My eyes go wide and I lean against the wall, suddenly feeling the need for some support. "Oh my God. I'm going to be a father. What do I do?" I ask, panicked.

The President and Leo glance at each other. "Listen to Donna," they say together.

"Donna!" I exclaim. "I have to find Donna! Good-bye, Mr. President! See you later, Leo!"

"No, Josh, there's nothing you can do for me," the President calls after me as I sprint down the hall. "You can go ahead. You have Presidential permission."

I wave at him in acknowledgment without turning around. I careen into the bullpen, and as I scan the area anxiously for my wife, a low voice in my ear startles me.

"Josh," says Donna. "You have a meeting with Senator Brandt in ten minutes."

I jump, and then relax. I found her. "Oh, who cares about him?" I say.

She raises an eyebrow. "Josh, you had me rearrange your entire schedule so you could talk to him."

"Whatever," I say dismissively, placing my hand at the small of her back and guiding her into my office.

I shut the door behind her and lead her to the guest chair. She sits down and I lean against my desk. "So," I say excitedly. "What should I get you?"

Her brow furrows. "Get me?" she echoes.

"Yes!" I say. "You're having my baby, I want to buy you something."

"Like what?" she says.

I shrug. "I don't know. How about one of those Harry Winston necklaces you and CJ are always talking about?"

Her eyebrows shoot up. "You want to buy me a Harry Winston necklace for being pregnant? Do you have any idea how much those things cost?"

"Sure," I say. "Remember when Leo got one? Although, that didn't really work out so well for him," I say with a frown. "Maybe we should get something from Tiffany's instead."

"Josh, don't be ridiculous. You can't buy me a piece of jewelry that's going to set you back three months salary."

"Why not?" I say, baffled.

"It's not very practical, for one thing," she says.

"You'd rather have something practical?" I say. "How about a car?"

She groans. "Josh."

"I hear the new Lexus is really nice. Very safe, too," I add.

She stands up and takes my face in her hands. "Josh, I want you to listen to me very carefully, all right? We are going to have a child. A child that eats, sleeps, breathes, and requires all sorts of specialized food, clothing, and equipment. You can't spend all your money on a whim."

"It's not a whim," I protest. "I just want to do something for you, to show you how incredible I think you are."

She gives me a soft little kiss. "If you really want to do something for me, you can get the college fund started now."

"Okay, but just so you know, our kid is going to be so smart the Ivy Leagues are going to be clamoring over who gets to give her the biggest scholarship."

"Well, I still have my doubts about this whole 'girl' thing, but I certainly hope you're right about the scholarships."

I snake my arms around her and hold her close to me. "Donna," I whisper. "We're going to have a baby."

She sighs contentedly as I kiss her neck. "Yes, we are."

"When?"

"When, what?" she mumbles into my shoulder.

"When is she getting here?" I say, nibbling her ear.

"Mmm. It's due February 3rd."

I pull back a little bit. "That's so far away," I complain. "Do you think it might come earlier?" I ask hopefully.

"No," Donna says with conviction.

"How do you know? I thought first babies were always early."

She frowns. "I think first babies are supposed to be always late, actually, but that's not the reason I know it's not coming early."

"What is the reason?" I ask curiously, running my hand through her hair.

"If it came early, it would be born in January," she explains.

"So?"

"It's not going to be born in January," she says.

"Why not?"

"Because all the significant events in my life happen in February," she says with certainty.

"Like what?" I ask.

She looks at me. "Like meeting you," she says softly.

My eyes widen. My wife is so sweet. And she has my baby inside her. I kiss her again, and another thought occurs to me. "Hey, shouldn't we talk about names?"

"No," she says.

My brow furrows. "Do you want to wait? Talk about them later?"

"No," she says again.

"Well, what are we going to do? Wait and see how many kids we have, and number them?" I ask incredulously.

"Don't be silly. Of course we're not going to number our children," she admonishes.

"Well then, we should talk about names," I insist.

"We don't need to," she informs me.

I scrunch up my face in confusion. "We don't? Why not?"

"I've already chosen the names," she says calmly.

"What? You already chose the names?"

"Yup."

"Without consulting me?"

"That's right."

"What if I don't like them?"

"Too bad."

"I don't even get a veto power?"

"Nope."

"Donna," I whine. "That's not fair."

"Life isn't always fair, Joshua."

"Fine," I pout. "Are you at least going to tell me what they are? Or should I just wait until they're teenagers and I can sneak a peek at their driver's licenses?"

"I suppose I could tell you."

I look at her expectantly. "Well? What are they?"

She smiles at me, and I almost forget what we're talking about, it's that beautiful. "Grace Joan for a girl and Noah for a boy."

I'm speechless. "Grace Joan? And Noah?" She's named them after my family. Every one I've lost, I'll be getting back again. She nods. That's it, I have to kiss her again.

"What do you think?" she asks.

"I think you're wonderful," I tell her. "What's Noah's middle name?"

She frowns. "I can't decide. Originally I wanted to name him after Leo, but Noah Leo, sounds funny. But now I'm leaning back towards Leo, because Noah Samuel and Noah Josiah both sound funny to me, too."

"What about Noah William?" I suggest. "After your father."

Now she looks stunned. Finally, she gives me a small smile. "Noah William has a nice ring to it," she says breathlessly, moving closer to me.

I move closer to her. "Grace is a good name for a girl," I say into her ear. "I think every girl should have a part of her mother in her name."

She melts. "Josh, sometimes you say the sweetest– "

I grin. "Yeah, yeah. I know– I'm Josh Lyman, ladykiller."

"And... then you say something like that, and ruin the moment," she finishes.

"Donna, nothing can ruin this moment," I say with certainty, kissing her on the nose.

"I suppose not," she sighs.

I squeeze her hand. "So, when do we find out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"A few weeks."

I stare at her. "Amazing."

"It is, isn't it?"

"I was talking about you," I say softly. I wrap my arms around her and she reciprocates. I bury my head in her neck. "I love you so much," I whisper hoarsely.

She strokes the back of my head with a patient calm. "I love you, too."

I pick my head up. "I don't say that enough."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't."

"Well... maybe not," she allows. "But you think it so loud sometimes that I can feel it."

"It should be more than sometimes."

She squeezes my hand. "Josh. You breathe it. I feel it all the time. I'd much rather have that knowledge in my heart than the words in my ear." She pauses. "Besides, I don't say it often enough, either."

"You don't have to. I see it." I finger the locket around her neck. "I see it in the fact that you wear this every single day, no matter what you're wearing, or if you're wearing nothing else. That you sleep with it on every night, and that you won't even take it off when we make love. That the only time you ever take it off is when you get in the shower, and that you only take it off then because you're afraid it might be damaged."

She closes her eyes and brings her hand up to rest gently on mine as I trace her collarbone with my fingertip and bring my touch back to the necklace. "You know, if we do have a girl, I want to give her this," she says, stilling my hand on the locket.

I frown. "I'm not sure a locket is the best present for a baby. What if she chokes on the chain?"

"I wouldn't give it to her when she's a baby, silly. I would give it to her when she's old enough to understand."

"Old enough to understand a necklace?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Josh. It's not a necklace. It's a symbol."

"A symbol of what?"

She thinks a minute. "It's a symbol of a lot of things."

"Such as?"

"It's a symbol of hope." She touches it again. "It's a symbol about... history. That those who come before us shape us in more ways than we'll ever know. That we can feel their love in the everyday gifts they've given us even after they've gone. It's a symbol representing the strength of a promise. But most of all, it's a symbol of enduring love."

I kiss her. "Are you sure you want to give it away?"

"Yes. Our daughter should have all those things."

"You should have them, too."

"I already have them, Josh."

"After all this time, I feel like it's also a symbol of who we are to each other. I don't think I'd like seeing you without it."

"Maybe when the time comes, you could get me a new one," she suggests. "If we have a daughter... we could have a picture of her... with her little brother. And on the other side, we could have a picture of you."

I ponder this. "Our new family."

"Yes. A new promise. Built on the foundation of the one held in here," she says, tapping the locket.

I press my fingertips to the flesh above her heart. "And here?"

She lays her hand over my heart. "And here."

I smile at her. "I can work with that."

The End