Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Author's Note: This Chap moves a little bit slow. But enjoy.
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Three days after they had told the senior staff, they were going to tell the President.
The senior staff had bounced from their own worlds when Donna appeared. But there was a glint in their eyes, and some tone missing from their voices that Donna could not ignore. She felt she had faded in their respect. She was trying her best to not imagine how the President would react.
Donna barely slept all week. The anxiety and the shock of the situation had kept her pacing Josh's bedroom. She had caught a few hours on the couch after work, but only a few. Josh would have slept soundly but he felt her body missing from his side. He felt he should stay awake with her. Now all he wanted was to understand how she was feeling, he wanted to do everything possible to keep her calm.
They stayed up most nights, talking, sometimes even working. Donna began to feel calm, dozing off as the early hours of morning approached. But when they arrived at work all her anxiety returned. She felt her chest swell up with fear, and her heart skip a beat as she looked at the grand building. The place that had given her so much, she felt like she was losing the respect needed to walk inside.
Josh had kept up with work as best as he could manage. He also didn't want to be on Leo's bad side. Not any more than he already was. He was prompt for meetings, on time with his schedule, but he only worked as late as he had too. He was acting like a father now. He would have to make sacrifices. He could work from home, or you know leave the office before nine.
There was a silence between him and the senior staff. The situation had barely become a reality to them. It would be much longer before it would become a reality to the world. They tried to talk to Donna, but she was too embarrassed or scared to formulate a response. No one had seen her that way, no one could believe she was the same person. She was withdrawn, scared.
Even when Josh had been in surgery after the shooting she had been calm, alone but alive. Here in the halls of the West Wing she rested on a life of insanity, a world of lesser peoples, of lesser grace. The only one who saw her smile was Josh, and then it only came in the waking hours of the morning when the love of a greater life outweighed the lifelessness of guilt.
The day arrived, the day they had set their promise to.
Josh woke and saw her sleeping quietly beside him. Her soft breath was shallow but sweet to his ears. He laid next to her a moment his head turned to see her face. She was angelic. All airs vanishing from her in the hours between sleep and wake.
"Josh?" she whispered.
"Shhh," he replied and softly kissed her temple. "Sleep."
"Josh," she said opening her eyes upon his own. She smiled. "Good morning."
He smiled widely. "Good morning."
"What time is it?" she asked stretching and lifting herself into a sitting position.
He rose and looked at her. "Six thirty," he mumbled wiping his eyes, and yawning. "We should probably get going."
"Six thirty?" she asked passively.
"Yeah."
"You're kidding?" her voice asked suddenly becoming awake.
"No," he asked looking at her with a vague recollection of why she might seem panicked.
"Josh!" she shouted suddenly leaping from the bed. "I have to be there in half an hour."
Josh only stared at her, not moving himself from the bed. "Donna will you calm down."
She roared around the room in search of clothes and ran back to the mantel and put on her watch. "Come on we have to leave."
"What are you talking about?" Josh asked still half-asleep.
Donna looked at him in rampant anger. "We're supposed to meet the President and First Lady in half an hour."
His eyes popped open when he realized the time and the date. "Damn it!"
They both rose and silently, in a more than panicked fashion stormed the apartment in search of their things. They found each other a few minutes later as they put on coats and filed outside to the car.
"Are you ready?" Josh asked her before turning the key in the ignition.
"No," Donna told him truthfully. "You?"
He turned his head to see her. "I've never been more scared in my life."
They both sighed.
"It shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't be this hard."
"No," Josh told her. "But it is. We are who we are, and there is no escaping that."
She smiled, and put her hand gently on his arm. "Let's go."
He pulled out and began the drive that seemed longer than usual to the White House, where President Bartlet currently resided.
"Josh?" her voice was small and insecure. "I don't know if I can do this."
"It's alright Donna," he told her gently, holding her hand. "Charlie said they would be having breakfast by now. Don't worry," he lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. "It will be fine."
"I know," she answered him. "I don't know if I can eat breakfast."
He laughed quietly. "You have to eat something."
She smiled and followed him through the Lobby. "We're really doing this?"
"Yes!" he yelled a little surprised that she was still talking about backing out.
When they arrived Charlie was standing outside waiting for them. He smiled when he saw them. Josh had filled him in the night before.
"Hello," Charlie said. "Just a sec." He went into the Residents. "Sorry sir, Josh to see you." He turned around to them. "You can go in."
Donna squeezed Josh's hand for support. He smiled but kept his eyes looking forward, squeezing her hand in return. Terrified, there was no other way to describe it.
"Hello Mr. President, Mrs. Bartlet," Josh said as he entered the room.
"Hello Josh," the President replied without looking at him. He was reading the paper and eating some watermelon. "Charlie put you on the schedule late last night, said you had something important to tell me and my wife." When he turned around he threw his arms into the air. And Donna. Good morning."
The Bartlets were sitting down for breakfast. "To what do we owe the honor?" Dr. Bartlet asked, with a smiled as she ravaged through the fruit bowl.
"We...ummm..." Josh stuttered.
Suddenly two sets of eyes were upon them. "Am I mistaken," the President began. "Or are you holding Donna's hand?"
Quickly Donna and Josh moved away from each other, a little embarrassed but mostly horrified. "I..." Josh began but fell short, mouth falling open.
Dr. Bartlet smiled. "About time."
Her husband turned to smile at her, while Josh and Donna stared blankly mouths wide.
"I'm sorry M'am?" Donna managed to ask.
The President laughed as he turned to see the looks on their faces. "Is this really what you came to tell us?"
Before either could answer, "Sit and eat," came the less than subtle order from the First Lady.
Josh and Donna pulled away from each other and joined them at the little table set in their bedroom. Both felt awkward, they'd never felt that awkward in their lives.
"No sir," Josh began as he took his seat. "We didn't come to tell you that exactly."
"So there really is a that?" the First Lady asked.
Donna smiled. "Yes M'am."
"Well details, details," the President began to order.
Both of them were taken a little a back by the warm reception. First of all it had never occurred to them that details might be in order, they hadn't thought the President would want to know. Secondly everyone in the White House who knew, even Charlie hadn't stopped to ask for details. They were to busy trying to think of how they could protect the President. Josh and Donna hadn't blamed them; they were just doing their jobs. They hadn't expected the President, the very person everyone was trying to shield from harm, to be a friend first.
One of them had to finish the story before the First Couple got to carried away. They'd be planning their wedding before finding out the current situation. They sat talking back and forth while Josh and Donna stared at each other to shocked to begin. The words passing from First Lady to President were lost to them, if they had heard them they would have felt the reverent touch that only true friendship could bring.
"Well sir," Josh tried interrupted. He readjusted in his seat before trying again. "I...we... that is Donna and I... you see the thing is..."
Donna reached out and grabbed his hand across the table. "Sir. M'am." she addressed the Bartlets. "Over the years, Josh and I have had a developing relationship. We are extremely close and very much in love." Her tone was commanding, straightforward and a little abrupt.
"That's..." the President began.
"Please let me finish," Donna said determined, to Josh's horror and pride. At that moment both Bartlets sat straight up in their seats, paying close attention. "We never planned to start a relationship while you were in office sir," she continued without missing a beat. "We feel terrible for keeping it a secret but we thought it was best. But now sir..." she stopped to breathe.
"Now we are expecting," Josh told them giving Donna's hand a press.
"Oh," the President said taken aback himself. "Expecting what exactly?"
"Jed!" Came the First Lady's cry.
"What?" then he saw the look in his wife's eye. "Oh...Really?"
"Yes sir," Donna replied staring down at the table, hiding her eyes.
Dr. Bartlet placed her hand on Donna's arms. "How far along are you?" she asked cheerfully, though still slightly taken aback.
Donna looked up and smiled. Somehow knowing that she had the support of the Bartlets was enough to sustain her beliefs in not only the White House but in herself.
"It's only been four weeks," Donna told her. "We weren't sure if we should say anything for a while but we just knew it was time to out the secret."
"What I don't understand?"
"You usually don't say anything for the first few months sir," Josh told him with a wide smile.
"Why?"
"That's when most things go wrong," Dr. Bartlet told him while giving Josh a smile.
"Oh," was all the reply he managed. "Women."
Josh and Donna looked at each other and let each other go. They sailed back into their chairs, smiling. A sense of grace had been given back to them. That was enough to last a lifetime, and to experience a new life.
They began to rise from their seats, a second later.
"Where are you going?" came Abbey's call.
"We wouldn't want to impose," Donna told her, heading towards the door.
"Sit," the President ordered in a begrudgingly charmed tone.
They returned to the seats and held them. They sat and talked quietly. Together like four friends who hadn't seen each other for a while. Warm and gentle but above all things filled with love and memories.