Donna had stared at the ceiling for the better part of two hours trying to fall asleep. He had finally reappeared in their lives, but Donna had more questions than answers. They didn't really matter though, she told herself. As long as he was home, safe and sound, the rest of the details would work themselves out. He'd come to her when he was ready.

She could hear him on the couch, tossing and turning in the silent cabin. She contemplated several times getting up to join him, but talked herself out of it, not wishing to overwhelm him.

Eventually she fell asleep, knowing that they'd have a long day ahead of them the next morning. But Donna hadn't been resting long when she was startled out of bed by Audrey's wail. She was up the stairs in a flash.

"What's wrong, Sweet Pea?" Donna moved over to sit on Audrey's bed but the little girl offered no specific indication regarding her cries. Donna wiped the tears on her red face as Audrey continued to sob wordlessly. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Audrey nodded slightly and leaned into Donna.

"Well, it was just a dream," Donna softly assured. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I couldn't find you," Audrey whispered, holding onto Donna's shirt. "And I was all alone."

Josh, hanging back just outside of Audrey's bedroom door, felt his chest tighten. He'd never, in a million years, wanted things to end up this way. He leaned against the wall and listened closely, not wishing to overwhelm Audrey or upset her more with his presence. She'd been less than eager to interact with him when he'd arrived at the cabin, and though he had to fight every urge he had as a parent not to comfort her in that moment, he held back. She was responding to Donna and the tears were disappearing.

"You're never going to be alone, Audrey," Donna stated confidently. "I promise you that. Daddy and I will always make sure that you're not left alone, okay?"

"But… but… I was scared." Audrey sniffled a bit, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

"I know you were," Donna assured. "And it's okay to be scared sometimes. But you don't need to worry about being left alone, sweetheart." Donna brushed Audrey's curls out of her face, giving her a smile. "And you've got Walter and Lucy up here to keep the bad dreams away."

Audrey held her stuffed bunny close as Lucy wagged her tail at the sound of her name, her front paws perched on Audrey's bed. She too had woken to the cries and had rushed to Audrey's side.

"Come on, Luce." Donna pat the top of Audrey's bedspread and the dog jumped up, sniffing Audrey closely to ensure she was okay before curling into a ball at the foot of the bed.

"Let's lay down," Donna offered, tucking Audrey's covers in gently around her before laying down next to her. She knew Audrey would fall back to sleep fairly quickly, but she also knew that the little girl had a lot on her mind.

"Will you stay here?" Audrey asked softly.

"I'll lay here until you fall asleep and then I'll be downstairs in my bedroom. Okay?"

"Kay."

"And Daddy will be downstairs, too," Donna added, carefully broaching the subject she knew was at the core of Audrey's fears.

Audrey looked up at her with wide eyes. "Promise?"

"I promise," Donna assured. "I know that you were surprised to see him today. I was too."

"You were?"

"Yes. But it was a wonderful surprise."

Audrey said nothing, but she listened intently.

"I was so happy to see him," Donna continued. "I missed him. And I know that you did too."

"Yes." Audrey admitted softly.

"And I know Daddy missed you and was so happy to see you today," Donna continued. "And if you're ever feeling scared or sad or confused you can always talk to him. Or you can talk to me, or Bubbe. Okay?"

Audrey nodded her head.

"Okay." Donna gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Now let's close our eyes and think happy thoughts. And we'll wake up ready to have a lot of fun tomorrow and I'll make pancakes for breakfast. How about that?"

"Okay!" Audrey grinned and the two settled into the silence of the middle of the night.

It was only a few moments before Audrey spoke again, her voice so soft it was very audible.

"Please don't go away," Audrey snuggled in to Donna, holding onto the fabric of her shirt.

"I won't, baby girl." Donna assured once again, pulling her close.

Outside of the room, Josh inhaled a deep, shaky breath and leaned his head against the wall.

He'd remained quiet, waiting patiently to hear Audrey's steading breathing.

Donna moved slowly off of the bed, quietly making her way out the door.

She didn't startle when she saw him, assuming all along that he was nearby as soon as she heard Audrey's cries.

"I, uh, didn't want to scare her." He admitted, staring at the floor.

"She's not scared of you, Josh. She's just a little overwhelmed."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "She's not the only one," he admitted with a self deprecating chuckle.

"Josh?" She was instantly concerned.

"Is she asleep?" He peered through the door, choosing to ignore Donna's implication.

"Mhmmm. Out like a light."

"Do you think she'll wake up again?" He was straining to see Audrey, trying to make a determination.

"I don't know," Donna stood next to him, watching Josh as closely as Audrey. "We can sit on the top step and listen for her a few minutes?"

"Yeah." Josh agreed but didn't immediately move. "She's grown so much," he remarked.

"She has," Donna agreed. "And she really has your passion. I see so much of you in her."

Josh smiled at Donna's words. After a few moments they moved to the top of the stairwell, sitting down next to each other.

"Has she been waking up with nightmares often?" Josh was afraid of the answer.

"Not really, no." Donna hedged. "She's slept through the night consistently for the last 6 or so months."

"And before that?"

Donna was silent for a moment, unsure of how to begin.

"Yeah." He concluded all he needed to know from Donna's silence, and it broke his heart.

"She really missed you, Josh. It was hard for her to settle in. And a big part of that is my fault. I uprooted her just as her life was already drastically changing, and brought her to a new home. It was a lot for her to handle. But, I just… I was afraid of what would happen if we stayed in DC. I was afraid there'd be press outside her school, and that she wouldn't be able to play outside or that everywhere we went people would talk about what was happening to you in front of her. I was scared, Josh. Of things being posted in chat rooms, and lies about you on tv. It was the only way I knew how to protect her and now I'm so worried that I just ended up hurting her more."

"You did the right thing." Josh didn't hesitate. If there was anything in this world that he knew to be certain it was that Donna always had Audrey's best intentions at heart. "You've done an amazing job with her. But you always have."

She smiled softly and turned the palm of her hand up extending it towards him.

"I guess we still make a pretty good team," she offered.

He clasped his hand with hers, feeling her warmth immediately radiate through his body.

"Yeah. I guess we do."

Donna sighed and leaned over on his shoulder, and Josh found himself gently kissing the top of her head. And while he couldn't really wrap his mind around what had happened when she'd greeted him earlier that night, he wasn't going to ignore the fact that it felt completely right to him, either.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the dark house illuminated only by the moonlight shining in through the windows.

"I'm out on parole," he finally spoke, his voice soft and unsure in the silent cabin.

"What?" She slowly turned to look at him.

"I was paroled," he repeated. "For good behavior."

"They didn't drop the charges?" She could was shocked. She assumed that when Sam had arrived with him it meant that they'd made some headway in Josh's case.

"No. I plead guilty and was sentenced. No chance of reducing the charges. After that the only thing was pardon or parole or serving my sentence."

"And you weren't pardoned?"

"No, Donna. I wasn't. Just as I asked not to be."

Donna's mind was racing but she stopped herself before her thoughts spun out of control, trying simply to focus on the good in the situation.

"Well, you're home. That's all that matters."

"Donna?" Josh ventured a glance over to her. "Talk to me."

"I just…" she searched for the right words. "I don't understand," she admitted softly. "Why this all happened to you."

Josh sighed. "I'm sorry, Donna. I am. You have to believe me. I've regretted every moment I've spent away from you and Audrey."

"Josh, that's not what I meant. We've missed you just as much, of course. But I don't understand why this hasn't been resolved. You didn't do anything wrong! I thought Sam was there because he'd…. he'd… I don't know! Found something to prove your innocence, I guess."

"No," Josh swallowed. "It, uhh, all happened pretty quickly. I wasn't scheduled to go in front of the parole board until next month and even then I wasn't sure what would happen. That's why I didn't say anything. I didn't want to get our hopes up over nothing. But Sam and Toby heard some rumblings in DC about getting me released this week. I think the republicans want to dredge this up again and dominate the news cycle the week of the election. Leo put Sam on a plane to Denver this morning just in case and he arrived to see me around 2. And they were right on the money because I was released around 3:45. I have to check in with my parole officer in Denver every week and I can't leave the state without permission. I'm sorry I didn't call, Donna. But I had no idea what to say."

Donna nodded her head, wiping the rapidly falling tears.

"Please don't cry," he practically pleaded, desperate to stop her tears.

She leaned into him, desperate to simply be close to him, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Josh wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"God, I missed you so much," he admitted.

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "We missed you too."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, but when Audrey didn't wake up again, Josh and Donna quietly made their way downstairs and retreated to their separate areas.

Morning came quickly and Donna was relieved that she was scheduled to be off work for two days. She'd splashed some water on her face and brushed her teeth before peeking out into the living room. She didn't want to disturb Josh if he was asleep on the couch.

But there he was, dressed in the same ill fitting clothes he'd worn home the day before, sitting at the kitchen table reading the local paper with a warm mug of coffee.

She wandered towards him, noting that the couch was made up with the blanket he'd used folded neatly on the end cushion.

"Good morning," she gave him a bright smile, and then stifled a yawn.

"Morning." He beamed, thinking she looked particularly adorable in her pajama shorts and oversized sweatshirt. "I made coffee," he offered. "Hope that's alright."

"Of course." She let her hand rest on his shoulder and leaned down to give him a quick kiss before continuing to casually wander by.

"So, uh, we're doing that now?" He asked nervously, watching her move around the kitchen.

She froze. "Well…"

He stood, making his way quickly to her leaning his hip against the counter where she stared out the window above the kitchen sink.

"I just… I don't know." And she didn't. She honestly hadn't thought about it before she'd acted, merely kissing him without thinking of it first. She needed to be near him and for once, she hadn't played through every possible ramification in her head. She was sure of her feelings for Josh but she was terrified of the thought of making a wrong move, and Josh's nervous response made her feel flustered, too.

"It was nice." Josh spoke softly, padding gently into the unfamiliar territory. He was uncertain of almost all aspects of his life at that moment, but not a day had gone by in which he hadn't thought about her, and he was absolutely certain that he wanted his relationship with Donna to grow into more.

She hesitantly glanced over at him, almost afraid to meet his gaze. They locked eyes, his normal intensity clouded by the fear that had built inside of him over the better part of the last year. Both stood, silent, for more than a moment. Eventually Josh worked up enough courage to reach out and lightly touch her hand.

She glanced down to see his fingers intertwining with hers, and before she knew it, her body was moving closer to him, hovering only inches away. She was sure he could feel her pulse quicken with anticipation, but she waited patiently wanting him to take the lead on this.

"I'm afraid," he admitted, his voice low and raspy as he spoke, only inches away from her lips. "I'm afraid of what this means or doesn't mean to you. I'm afraid of what the future is going to hold for me. I don't know anything about where my life is going next, and right now I'm scared that I'm going to ruin things with you. Donna, the last thing I want is to hurt you even more. And when I think about Audrey and I not having you in our lives I just…" He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence at the thought of losing her.

"Shh," She soothed. "That's not going to happen. I promise."

"I just feel so lost right now, and I know I'm going to screw this up. I don't want my instability and my insecurities to ruin what I hope we could have together before it even begins. But I'm not willing to continue to act as though I don't feel anything for you. I don't know what to do next, Donna. And it terrifies me."

She placed her lips softly against his, Josh's eyes falling closed at her touch. "You're not going to ruin anything, Josh," she told him softly. "I'm not going anywhere. I just want you to know that. I realize that you need some time to get settled in, and I didn't mean to rush you. We can table this for now, but if in the future you'd like to revisit the conversation just remember that you don't have to carry the weight, okay? It's something we could explore together."

He rest his forehead against hers. Somehow, she always knew what to say. "I'd like that," he admitted.

"When you're ready," Donna reassured, cupping his face. "When the time is right, I'll be here."

Josh didn't move away from her, instead circling his arms around her. It felt so good just to be close to her again. Though they'd never had sex, Josh couldn't deny the physical aspect of his relationship with Donna. Over the last months, he'd clung to the memory of simple moments with her. Soft touches on the arm or her fingers gently entwining themselves in the curls at the nape of his neck. On more than one occasion in the last 4 and a half years, she'd fallen asleep next to him and they'd gravitated to one another. He's always been a tactile person, but with Donna it was something different entirely. It was all he had. Those tender moments when they could communicate without words were all that he had of her for years, and they'd come to a crashing halt the prior January. He'd worked hard to try and ignore how much he'd missed them.

The two glanced up towards the ceiling when they heard the sound of two tiny feet hit the floor and head towards the landing, with four paws following closely behind.

Donna felt Josh tense a bit, and she gave him a comforting squeeze on the arm as they parted. She wished that she could reassure him somehow that everyone would go back to normal but with Audrey's reaction to Josh's sudden reappearance the night before. Donna just wasn't sure how true it would be. All she could do was look and hope that everything else would sort itself out.

Josh settled back into his place at the kitchen table while Donna poured herself a cup of coffee. They could hear Audrey plodding around upstairs for a few moments, and her muffled voice as she spoke to Lucy.

As she descended the stairs, Donna could see Josh tense a bit while he pretended to scan the paper. She knew he was worried about what Audrey's reaction would be.

Donna held her breath for a moment when Audrey reached the bottom of the landing, stopping at the end of the banister and lingering a moment as she fidgeted, looking at Josh.

"Good Morning, Audrey." Josh remained where he was, nervously waiting for a response.

Audrey continued to stare at him for a moment, and Donna could easily see that her mind was kicking into overdrive.

"Daddy?" She questioned softly.

"Yes, baby girl. I'm right here." Josh leaned forward in his chair and opened his arms ever so slightly.

As though something clicked in her mind and she was now understanding this wasn't a dream, a huge smile grew on Audrey's face.

"Daddy…" she whispered again, taking off towards him at a run and practically flinging herself into Josh's waiting arms.

Josh scooped her up and pulled her close, clinging tightly to her. He was immediately overcome with emotion, unable to find any words as he closed his eyes but didn't attempt to fight back the tears, gently rubbing Audrey's back and lovingly resting his hand on the back of her head.

"I missed you so much, Daddy," Audrey whispered.

Donna let out a little sob at the tearful reunion, but remained where she was standing and allowing Josh and Audrey to have a moment of privacy. Her hand gravitated to cover her mouth and stifle any additional cries threatening to break free.

Though Josh would have been content to simply hold her close for hours, Audrey eventually began to squirm and Josh loosened his hold a bit, sitting Audrey on his knee.

"I'm hungry," Audrey told him, glancing at the local paper spread out on the kitchen table as Josh gently pulled the sports section over the front page. "Donna makes me dippy eggs on Saturdays but last night she said I could have pancakes for breakfast."

"That I did," Donna conceded the point. "I'll start breakfast. You feed Lucy."

Audrey hopped up and grabbed Josh's hand. "Come on, Daddy. I'll show you how. You have to give her a scoop of food in her bowl," Audrey explained as she pulled him towards the garage with enthusiasm.

Donna smiled at Josh over her mug as she took a long drink. Josh glanced back and met her gaze, shooting her a full dimpled grin.

Maybe everything would be okay after all.