Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I am sad now. Cry.

Author's note: I am sorry if you thought the triplets were cliché. I thought it was too. So so cliché. But it made me laugh. So I love it. This is weird. But oh so good.

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She paced back and forth. They had come in early. They had organized their plan the night before.

Donna had abandoned him as soon as they arrived. She had felt too sick to face them. She had barely slept for almost a month now. It was hard for her to imagine she'd been pregnant that long. Now the pressure was starting to way lay her, emotionally and physically.

She could barely look Josh in the eyes without spewing nonsense. She didn't know what to do. She felt nervous, more nervous than she had ever imagined.

All she could hear were Josh's words. "It would be amazing." And but for the silent horror that was tightening her chest, and the terror of facing the lies they'd made, she was pretty sure herself, it will be amazing.

Donna sat in C.J.'s office after lunch. She had been waiting coolly for fifteen minutes. Numbing her mind for the right words, trying her best to think of what to say.

"Donna?" C.J. said when she saw her sitting.

Donna quickly rose up. "Hi C.J."

"Can I help you?" C.J. asked. "Josh doesn't have you looking into Carole Young does he? We've got it covered. I just wanted to keep him in the loop. He shouldn't..."

"No it's not that," Donna told her. She stared out down the hall. "Josh said he would be here..." she told C.J. waving to his office.

"He's in a meeting I think," C.J. answered her. "What's going on?" C.J. said with wavering concern. She circled around to her desk and sat down.

Donna promptly followed her taking a seat across from her. "It's just," she began but fell short. "I..."

C.J. looked at her for a moment. Donna's eyes had waded into space, and the room was silent.

"Donna!" C.J. cried.

Donna looked at her. "C.J. I'm pregnant," she said with courage before trailing off again. "Well I guess we're pregnant... but... well... I shouldn't be... but then I am... so..."

C.J. sat for a moment a little awed. "Donna that's amazing."

Donna looked at her again. "No it's not. Why are you all so crazy? It's terrible. That's why I... we were coming to you... It's huge... catastrophic... disastrous... horrific..."

"Donna!" C.J. said with utter disbelief at Donna's words.

"See it's not just mine."

"I assumed as much," C.J. said with a smile.

"It's just... well..." Donna's eyes treaded off into space once more.

C.J. still wasn't exactly sure what was going on.

"Donna I..."

"Two months ago Josh and I started a serious relationship," Donna swung back to reality. "Josh likes to say six months but it's only been two... and a week... and three days," Donna spattered. "We... I... weellll..." Donna said throwing her hands up in the hopes C.J. would understand.

C.J. sat still trying her best not to see it as a P.R. disaster. Donna rose from her chair and began to pace the room. She was shaking her hands and nodding her head as though justifying what she might next say.

"Does..."

"No one knows," Donna assured her. "We were very private. We... well we lied to everyone. We thought it would be better if no one knew. Total deniability... we... just... I..."

She continued to pace the room.

"How long..."

"We've known for a week," Donna told her. "Well no I guess it's been longer... but we've been sure for a week... we... I... don't..."

She sat down and stared silently.

"So the working...?"

Donna only gave a vague nod.

"Donna I love you, and I love Josh but this could have come at a better time," C.J. tried to explain. "The President is facing so much in the..."

"I know," Donna told her.

The two women sat in silence, both their glares fading into different places of space.

"You didn't wait to tell her?" Josh asked standing in the doorway. Donna turned around and looked at him. "After all the fuss you made, you told her without me?"

C.J. rose from her desk. She still wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"Congratulations," she mumbled and gave Josh a quick embrace.

"See I told you so," Josh said while C.J.'s arms rested around him.

Then she smacked him on the back of the head.

"Owow," Josh yelped. "What the hell?"

Donna was ready to leave. Josh stopped her and held her by the arm. She stood beside him, waiting and wanting to escape.

"When were you going to tell everyone?" C.J. asked.

Josh smiled. "Today, sometime."

Donna still dazed responded. "We just told you first... You know C.J.'s first... That's what I said... yep..."

Both Josh and C.J. stared at her.

Josh looked back at C.J. "Don't worry she's been like this all day."

C.J. gave a slight smile but she was genuinely worried.

"I'm going back to my desk now," Donna told Josh gaping at him, dazed.

"Okay," Josh told her letting her go.

Their eyes followed her out of the room before C.J.'s rested on Josh.

"Is she okay?" C.J. asked him.

Josh shrugged not exactly sure. "She's been scared to say anything all week."

"She didn't seem scared... she was more shell shocked," C.J. told him. There was a pause wherein C.J. circled back to her desk. "Josh how could you be so stupid?"

The question held in the air for a moment.

"C.J. we... I..." Josh stuttered. "After everything there... we... why exactly do you think I'm stupid?"

C.J. stared at him with anger. "You slept with your assistant," her voice was calm and she withheld her anger from her tone.

Josh's look became serious. "I didn't just sleep with her. God, it's about more than that. It's been six months, C.J.!"

"Donna said two."

"Two months ago was the first time that we had sex," Josh clarified.

"Whoa," C.J. said throwing a hand as though to stop further information.

"But it's been going on for longer than six months. I say six months because that's the first time I took her to an actual dinner, that was the first time I kissed her. Donna says two months because she doesn't want it to seem like we've had an ongoing relationship for a great length of time. I say six months because I've loved her for so much longer..."

"Josh," C.J. sighed.

"C.J.," he tried to begin.

"Why'd you keep it from us? From everyone?" C.J. said raising her voice.

"Yes well," Josh began. His words became nervous and swift. "You see we didn't want it to be a thing. Because it isn't a thing. If it is a thing it's a great thing... What's wrong with you two? It's great... It's amazing."

C.J. stood frozen. Then she realized how angry she really wasn't. She smiled softly. "Josh, go back to work."

"Okay" Josh said and turned to exit.

"And Josh?" she said sitting down in her chair.

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations."

Josh stared at Donna. "Are you alright?" he asked seeing her stare at her computer screen barely moving.

"I'm fine," she told him looking at him in the eyes.

He sighed and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I have to go now."

She waited a second and held his gaze. "I know."

For a moment they held each other, staring, waiting and helplessly wishing to be alone. They had barely been alone all week.

Josh suddenly removed his hand and the spell broke. "I'll see you later," he mumbled quietly.

She watched him walk through the doors. She turned her eyes back to her desk, before fading them back into space.

There was a late senior staff meeting in Leo's Office. She unconsciously pulled into the room after Josh. She stood behind him. She had yet to tell him how she felt, and why telling everyone was so hard for her. She cowered behind him.

"Donna did you need something?" Leo mumbled when he finally saw her.

Josh turned around and glanced at her. "She's actually here for a thing."

Everyone stared at them but neither moved.

"I'll come back," Donna said and ran out the door before Josh could grab her.

"What the hell was that?" Toby asked.

Josh meet C.J.'s eyes. He really wasn't sure what to do.

The room fell silent.

"Josh!" Leo commanded. "Are you going to say something or can we get some work done?"

Somehow Josh let the meeting progress. He let them talk about Carole Young, about the trip to Manchester. He watched as the world slipped away from him, and he felt more and more cornered by reality.

"Is that all?" Leo asked.

"Josh has a thing," C.J. said with a grin trying to help him along.

Josh glared at her before looking up at all of them. "Well you see... I don't know how to say this...I... we..." He began to pace the room. "You see... it's just... and we... well... let me just say..."

"Oh for Gods sake," C.J. said throwing her hands into the air and sitting down. Leo, Toby, and Sam looked over at her.

"You know what he's talking about?" Leo asked in a humorous tone.

"Right well here goes," Josh began. Everyone was hanging on the edge of his next words. They didn't come.

"Josh?" Toby began.

Josh stared at them silently.

"You haven't said anything," Sam mocked waiting for some kind of response. Josh only stared at the room, mouth open words waiting to flow out.

"Josh you know we have work..." Leo was cut off.

"Donna's pregnant," Josh uttered. Everyone but C.J. jumped in their seats. "And see the thing is..." he stopped.

"The thing is?" Sam retorted.

"The thing is I'm the father," Josh said less gracefully then he had hoped for. For the life of him he wanted Donna in the room with him.

Silence followed. Their glances fell into the spaces of their minds.

"We... well I guess we started dating two months ago," Josh told them. "But it wasn't really dating but we've been a relationship. And well... I... we... didn't... I know it was probably horrifically stupid to not say anything but... we well… and now..."

No one spoke.

"I just... we weren't exactly sure... but Donna went to the doctor... and well... we wanted to tell you at the right time... and..."

Josh stared at the room. Their faces were filled with their thoughts.

"With the week going like it was," Josh told them. "We didn't have much time to stop and think... we just..."

C.J. stared at him with an encouraging smile. She hadn't expected them to make the announcement like this, with a crowd, where they would be ganged up on. The idea might have seemed superb for that brief instant before Donna fled the room.

"Congratulations," Sam said getting up and giving him a friendly embrace.

"Mazel Tov," Toby said offering him an extended hand.

Leo waited silently. "Not for nothing Josh, but congratulations."

Josh stood wide-eyed and glowing. He had never expected it to go so well. He had expected yelling, and cursing, and P.R. planning, and being fired. He stood in the room warmed over with a sense of success and pride. Suddenly they all came at him at once. Sam, Toby and Leo were talking with raised voices.

"I know you're stupid Josh but..."

"Can't you see how terrible this will be...?"

"Are you trying to lose your job...?"

Josh wanted to run from the room. Run as far away from the White House as he could possibly manage. If Donna had been there they would have held back. No one yells at Donna, well no one except him.

"Guys," C.J. chimed in. "Give it a rest."

All three stared at her at once.

"You knew about this," Leo demanded. "And you didn't stop him?"

"I found out about it this morning," C.J. told him, not liking his accusation. "Josh knew he was stupid," she told them looking at Josh who shuttered. "But he's happy. I'm pretty sure he's in love. And he's going to be a father."

Silence followed. Leo sat down in his chair.

"Anything else?" Leo asked in a tone indicating that there obviously was.

Suddenly realizing that all eyes were turned on him Josh began to stutter, "Well I... what... I..." He figured he would wait to have Donna in the room before he told them they were having triplets. That felt like a good thing. Something they should share together.

"So what is it? Is Donna afraid of us?" Leo asked him.

"Two months?" Came the sudden question from Sam. His eyes were bright warning Josh that he was technically off the hook. His voice stood stern.

"Well it's been more like six months. After Roslyn we were close and then well... and then we... but we knew we shouldn't but then... It just happened," Josh began. He really couldn't explain it in much more detail. They hadn't sat down to have a conversation about whether it was right, well not until long afterward, about a week ago. Things had just unfolded but it had happened in an instant where everything felt right. For two months it had felt right... now they knew it was.

"Josh," Leo sighed.

"I know," Josh said hanging his head in half shame. "But if it really matters that much now, well I'd quit politics before I'd leave Donna. I'd do anything for her. And now..."

"Now you're having children together?" Sam asked with a jesting tone, but truly felt hurt.

Josh nodded and sighed. Then he looked up at them all. Even C.J. had faded into that space where only her own thoughts existed.

"I'm going to go check on Donna," Josh began backing out of the room before anyone of them could object.

He found her sitting in his office, bracing herself on his desk. Trying to control her breathing, hopelessly crying.

"Donna?" he muttered as he entered. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at his her eyes swelling red. "No."

He walked over to her gently. "What's wrong?"

She didn't want to tell him. She didn't feel as though he would understand. But she needed him too.

"I'm scared Josh," she whimpered slowly.

"Scared to tell them?"

"No," she said calmly. "I'm scared of this..."

Josh looked at her with utter confusion but he was trying harder than he had ever done in his life to understand.

"Donna?" Josh told her. Her eyes stared straight into his heart. "We're in this together. I won't let you be alone."

She wasn't sure if it was true but for the moment that was enough.

She slowly wiped her eyes, and took a tissue and blew her nose. Then she turned to Josh with a smile. Offering her his arm, she took it, and together they marched through the West Wing to Leo's office, to their awaiting fate.