"There you are!" Toby growled when Sam, Josh and Donna arrived at the church. "You're cutting it fine, aren't you?"
"My fault, I forgot the rings," Josh admitted.
"And this was your choice in best man," Toby marvelled with a shake of his head as he ushered them into the church.
"Shut it," Josh muttered as they passed each other.
"You wrote the speech?" Toby asked him.
"Bit late to ask now. But yes, and it's a very good speech."
"And I assume by that you mean it has lots of jokes, embarrassing stories and everything Sam doesn't want in a speech."
Josh was silent for a moment. "Think we have enough time to rewrite it?"
Toby nodded, "Be back in a couple of minutes," he said over his shoulder to Sam and Donna.
- - - -
"Everything alright?" CJ asked Donna, they and all of the Bartlett ladies were chatting on two rows in the large hall.
"Yeah, it's all fine, I'll just be glad to get back to work, you know? A week away and I already don't know what to do with myself."
"Tell the truth now," CJ sang playfully. "You're with the sisterhood now."
"Everything's great. I got past the Kevin thing to find Josh doesn't love me, why shouldn't I be great?"
"What are you talking about?" Zoey asked.
"He told me before but it's alright. I'm just going to spend the next four years, maybe eight, working with him. I can cope," she gave them a pained smile.
CJ looked at Abbey, who looked at Zoey, who turned to her sister Liz, who faced their other sister Ellie, who looked back at CJ. They all knew the tales, all sensed things before Josh and Donna had even admitted it to themselves let alone each other, all knew what was destined to be. But mostly, they were all getting sick of how long this whole thing was getting dragged out for.
"Let's hope so," Abbey muttered.
- - - -
"Josh, I can't believe you wrote this thing," Toby announced in awe from a room off the side of the hall.
"I know it's a little…" Josh trailed off, unable to find the words to describe how bad he believed this version of the speech to be.
"It's fantastic. Ainsley will love it, so will Sam."
"Yeah, well you helped write it," Josh pointed out.
Toby shook his head. "I only fixed your spelling and punctuation. This," he waved the paper at Josh. "This is something to be proud of, remember that, Josh."
Josh smiled and nodded. "I will, thank you, Toby."
The two shared a moment that they hadn't felt for a long time now and with it came a feeling that everything would be ok.
- - - -
"Oh, I'm so nervous," Ainsley practically skipped around the room in her anxiety. "I don't think I can eat that muffin." Danielle and Ainsley's mother stared at her in shock but Ainsley was busy staring at the muffin she couldn't eat. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm never that nervous." She reached out and took a bite.
Danielle smiled while Mrs Hayes tutted as she fussed around her daughter.
"You should have gone for the trim," she admonished her daughter.
"Mom, stop it, this is perfect."
A knock sounded at the door and Jessica popped her head in. "You ready yet? Mom told me to tell you they're ready for you. Oh, can I finish that muffin?"
"Jessie, come here," Mrs Hayes said. "Let me get a look at you."
Jessica slowly made her way over to her grandmother. She was dressed in her bridesmaid gown, a knee-length silver dress, with her hair up in an elaborate fashion.
"You look so much better than your aunt," the old woman chided.
"Mom!" Ainsley glared. "We're going now. Come on."
- - - -
"You did actually pick up the rings the second time, right?" Sam asked urgently with just minutes before the ceremony was due to start.
"Yes," Josh rolled his eyes.
"All of them?"
Josh smiled and patted his pocket. "All of them."
Sam smiled back.
The Bridal March began putting an end to all the conversations in the Hall. Danielle came first in the line; she was wearing the same style silver dress as the bridesmaids but an inch or so shorter. Next were Ainsley and her father. The man, dressed in a typical black suit, led his daughter beside him. Her dress was a shimmering white that flowed delicately to her ankles. It had little detail but that that it did was in the form of little beads attached with silver thread. Her simple veil held the same sort of beads down the back, covering her long blonde hair that was mostly down and curled but which had a small section that had been scooped up and fastened rather loosely but not so loose that it would fall out. Her two teenage bridesmaids brought up the rear in their matching silver dresses and hairstyles. The sight was a beautiful one to see, particularly for Sam who was waiting for his bride to arrive at his side.
"You look fantastic," he whispered to her when they reached the altar.
"You don't look so bad yourself," she told him back.
The ceremony was simple yet traditional and so absolutely perfect that no one could have asked for it to go better. They used the typical marriage vows and recited them word-for-word perfect, Josh remembered to get the rings out at the right time and managed to stop himself from tripping in his eagerness to present them. The kiss was a wonderful kiss, one that showed just how much Sam and Ainsley had been through, how much dedication they had for each other and how much they truly loved each other. It was breathtaking to witness.
Donna watched, captivated, and then turned her attentions to Josh. She watched him as he watched the happy couple, saw something unreadable cross his face, saw the emotions that flickered through his eyes were great and varied. An odd feeling washed over Donna as she watched him and she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. She was watching the man she loved in turmoil watching two of his best friends as they expressed their love to the people that mattered the most to them and it left her wondering what exactly he was in turmoil about.
As Josh watched Sam and Ainsley seal the whole marriage deal, he could feel Donna's eyes burning into him. He knew they were Donna's for two reasons, the obvious being that the couple everyone had come to see get married were at the most crucial point of the ceremony, why would anyone be looking at him? The other reason was that whenever Donna looked or touched, or was even in the same general area as Josh, he felt something in his stomach. A fluttering. It was the same feeling he was experiencing right now. Thinking about this, watching them, Josh began to feel a great sense of wanting. How stupid was he? At that minute he made a decision. He was going to have this and he was going to have it today.
The happy couple made their way down the aisle together and then outside to pose for the cameras. Josh tried to get close to Donna, to talk to her, but the massive congregation of well-wishers made it difficult to move let alone speak. He ended up posing and smiling and greeting and being pleasant to everyone he came in contact with. Everyone who attended the wedding it seemed. Everyone but Donna. Finally the photo-session was over.
"Hey, everyone?" Ainsley called silencing the group. "I don't know about everyone else but I could do with something to eat! You ready for the reception?"
There were cheers and laughter and everyone set off for the function room that had been hired for the wedding reception.
- - - -
It was speech time, this meant Josh had to get up in front of everyone and do what he did best. Talk. But this time it was different because this time he couldn't screw it up.
Josh tapped his glass and stood up, waiting for silence to descend. "Don't worry, I'm keeping this short because I'm sure Ainsley, if not the rest of you, is waiting for the cake to come out."
There was a ripple of laughter that Josh let pass before he continued.
"I know a lot of people, a lot of couples, but none of them have ever shown the amount of love for each other that I see when I look at Sam and Ainsley. I only hope that one day we all experience that same feeling if only for a fleeting moment because it's better to live with that memory than not at all.
"These two," he turned and waved his hand at Sam and Ainsley, smiling at them. "They're lucky to have found each other and be spending the rest of their lives together. How many of us can honestly say that when they found what these two have they didn't mess it up in some way? I did, even Sam did, but they got through it and that's what matters. It shows the strength these two have to stick together through it all." He smiled at Sam and Ainsley once more before picking up his champagne glass and raising it. "To Mr and Mrs Sam Seaborn."
"Mr and Mrs Seaborn!" The room chorused.
Josh sat back down to be patted on the back by Sam. "Thank you," Sam told him, Josh nodded graciously but looked past him to see Ainsley close to tears.
"I think you should concentrate on your wife."
Sam smiled and turned away from Josh.
- - - -
Donna grabbed another glass off the tray of a passing waiter and downed it in one go.
"I hate weddings," she murmured quietly to herself but someone overheard.
"And why's that?" Jed asked her.
She jumped, startled. "Oh, Mr President, you scared me."
"Jed, please," he said, waving his arm airily. "So tell me, why do you hate weddings?"
"Because weddings are funny things," Donna said, she wasn't drunk but she did sound a little tipsy. "You can see all the love around you, feel it, but if you're alone it just makes the loneliness worse. I don't want to be alone anymore, sir."
"So go tell Josh that," Jed said.
Donna stared at him a second but didn't ask how he knew about Josh; this was a question best left unasked. "I did, did Abbey not tell you? He told me he's not in love with me."
"I'm sure you misunderstood," Jed tried to soothe.
"No, trust me," she said as she grabbed another champagne glass. "I didn't."
- - - -
There was a burning question Toby wanted answering and now, after the first dance, seemed like the perfect opportunity to get it answered.
"Can I cut in?" He asked Sam and Ainsley.
"Oh yeah, sure," Sam said, handing his new bride over to his friend.
As Toby led Ainsley around the dance floor he was distantly aware of a pair of eyes watching him but he switched off the feeling.
"So I really have to ask," he said quietly. "What did Mallory say to you for you to take Sam back?"
Ainsley's face darkened for a moment and then brightened. "Sam didn't tell you?"
Toby shook his head. "You know, I knew he was lying when he said he didn't know. What did she say?"
"She said that I was very lucky woman and when I asked her why she said it was because I had something that she could only dream about. Something she was fairly certain no woman had ever had before and that I was an idiot if I was going to let a little mistake ruin it. She asked him that night if he loved me, do you know that?" Toby nodded. "He didn't answer her but she told me that when she kissed him there was no spark that they used to have and she could see in her eyes that whatever he'd felt for her was completely gone. He was in love with me and she was leaving and I shouldn't hold it against him. So I didn't."
Toby smiled. "That's beautiful."
Ainsley laughed. "Why Toby, I didn't know you were such an old romantic," she teased.
Toby looked at her bashfully. "Don't let it known, alright? CJ would never let me live it down."
"I think she would," Ainsley said, nodding her head in the direction of CJ who was watching her and Toby closely. "If you showed it to her."
Toby frowned, "What do you mean?"
Ainsley, intoxicated by her happiness, laughed as the song came to an end. "Smartest minds in the country and the men of the Bartlett Administration can't see what's under their nose!" She exclaimed as Sam came back over and Toby headed off.
"I saw," Sam pointed out.
"Yeah," Ainsley agreed, poking his nose. "And it took a kiss with your ex to make you see."
"At least I got there in the end."
"Yeah," Ainsley said again, a hint of sadness in her voice now as she watched Josh, Toby, CJ and Donna all sat at different points in the room as far away from each other as they could be. "Wonder if they ever will though."
- - - -
"Donna," Josh spoke softly, tapping the woman on the shoulder.
"Josh," she said without turning around.
"You know that you're the best friend I have, right? And a best friend deserves a dance."
Donna sighed. "Alright," she stood up and let him lead her to the dance floor.
A slow song came on just as they reached it. They stood, holding onto one another, barely moving, just swaying to the music. Her baby pink dress swished at the bottom as they rocked from side to side.
"I didn't tell you this morning, you look beautiful," Josh whispered into her ear.
It sent shivers through her, being this close to him again. What was she going to do? She couldn't spend the next few years being so close to him and so far away, just like now. She tried to get away but he brought her tighter to him.
"Thanks," she muttered quietly.
"And there's something I wanted to ask you." He continued.
"Mmm," she hummed quietly.
She felt something press into her hand and she backed away a bit to look at it. Her mouth opened in shock as she saw the silver diamond ring flanked by two emeralds. She gasped.
"If it weren't for this wedding we wouldn't be standing here today, we wouldn't have done some of the things we did and I need to know now before anything else happens; will you marry me?"
'Is he serious?' Donna thought, opening her mouth a couple of times trying to get the word out. "No," it came out finally.
A/N: And that's the end, it's just the epilogue left and I promise that as much as you hate me right now for doing that, the epilogue will make you feel a whole lot better.