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Josh arrived at the party a good thirty minutes before Donna. She didn't want to sit around and awkwardly try to rekindle conversation with the friends she no longer talked to. She didn't want to try and make words with the unfriendly and suddenly unfamiliar people she had once considered close. She told Josh she would arrive after him. They could make their announcement and then she would try her best to escape. Josh didn't fully agree but he wanted to keep her happy.

"Hello there," came a comforting voice. "Now where is that lovely lady of yours?"

Josh smiled and looked at the President. "She said she had something to do..."

He could see the skeptical look arising. He knew that he wasn't very good at lying, let alone trying to make up excuses.

"Really Josh you have to get her to come up and enjoy the party," the President told him.

"She'll be here soon," Josh assured him.

"Josh I can only imagine what you've been going through..."

"No sir, with all due respect you can't," Josh cut him off. "Of all the people we've told you have been the most supportive and understanding. But there is no way you can imagine such a wonderful joy, such a gift. Then watching while it is trampled and destroyed by..." He didn't know what to call it.

The President nodded, and looked away with a depressed and thoughtful glance. "How's Donna been taking it?"

Josh didn't know what to tell him. "She's alone sir." That seemed the best way to put it. "She's not depressed, but for some reason beyond my understanding she can't get angry." He paused. "Do you know what her parents told her? They told her that they couldn't support her. What the hell does that mean? They said that they didn't want to help her. What does that mean? Are they disowning her? Are they saying they won't love her or her children? It drives me insane. But she just won't get mad."

There was a quiet lull.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry," the President told him. Josh was amazed, bewildered.

"Sir there's no reason..."

"Josh for once in your life don't take the high road," the President told him giving him a pat on the back.

"I never thought I had," Josh said with a laugh. The President began to back away. "If you don't mind sir," Josh said regaining his attention. "If you have a moment tonight there is something Donna and I would like to tell you."

He nodded and walked off.

Suddenly Josh saw Donna out of the corner of his eye. He began to walk over to her with a brilliant smile. He walked over to her, noticing very well all the eyes that followed him. He went and took her hand, and very carefully gave her a kiss on the check.

"You ready?" he paused to ask.

"Here goes nothing," she told him.

He took her hand and they walked over to the President. He was talking with Leo, and they paused as the two of them approached.

"Do you have a moment?" Josh asked both men.

"Of course," the President responded. Leo nodded in assurance.

"Well we just thought this would be a good time," Josh began. "A good time to tell everyone, some good news."

Leo nearly frowned. He'd had enough of Josh's good news for a while.

"We didn't tell anyone before because well at the time it just seemed easier not to say anything," Josh continued. Donna gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "We want you to be the first to know..."

He looked at Donna, brought her hand to his face and kissed it. "We're having triplets."

Both men stared in awe and joy. Their faces grew bright and joyfully smiles escaped their faces. "I don't know what to say. Congratulations!" They quickly received embraces from both men. They laughed themselves, and Donna surprised herself again by letting a few tears drop from her eyes.

"I just hope everyone else feels that way".

It didn't take long for them to notice that the entire room had grown quiet, and that all eyes were suddenly upon them. Donna hated this feeling, that whatever she did would be the center of attention and the gossip of the town. Donna caught the look in Josh's eye and somehow she knew exactly what he was thinking. Donna gave a soft laugh and Josh smiled.

"As good a time as any," Donna mumbled.

Josh laughed and they turned to face the room of hoarding eyes and colleagues.

"Excuse me," Josh said only to allude to the fact that he was about to make a short speech. "If we might bother you for a moment." It was the we that caused all unturned heads to suddenly look up. "As most of you already know, Donna and I are expecting." Josh thought about pausing but knew it was best to finish as quickly as possible. "We would just like to announce to you now..." he stopped and looked at Donna. She was smiling; he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "That we are expecting triplets."

There was a roar of "Congrats!" and "Wows!" that erupted in the room. They were crowded quickly with affection, and with joyfully handshakes and words. Three companions stood to the side and waited for the crowd to subside.

When the excitement had finished and they could see Donna and Josh clearly once more Sam, C.J., and Toby joined them. C.J. gave them quick hugs, only slightly awkward. Sam smiled sincerely and gave Josh a jock-hug and Donna a kiss on the check. Toby looked more sober. Still the twinkle in his eye was a key sign of his feelings. He slowly gave Josh a handshake. Then he stared at Donna, who he had grown closer with in the past months.

"Congratulations!" he told her calmly.

Donna was too surprised to react when she suddenly found that Toby was giving her a hug. She returned it, and looked at Josh who was letting dimples escape his visage. She smiled to and gave Toby a kiss on his beard.

"Thank you," she told him.

She wanted things to feel the same way they did before. Easy, not strained. Then again this was a different feeling, sometimes worse but defiantly better in its unique ways. She wasn't alone, she never would be. She missed different people, and different feelings. But then there were new people, and amazing feelings. Feelings she never thought she would be able to experience. So as much as Donna wished things could go back to the way they were she was glad things had changed.

"I'm going to go," she told Josh about half an hour after that.

Josh turned and looked at her, having only heard her whisper in his ear. "Why? We haven't even eaten yet."

She smiled, there were few foods she could tolerate. She was relatively sure anything that involved meat wouldn't last long. "I know. But I should get home."

She didn't know for sure why she wanted to go. She had planned to leave, on account of feeling awkward. But she hadn't felt like she had expected. She had felt wonderful, she had been embraced.

"I guess I'm just tired," she lied.

"You just took two nausea pills; you won't be asleep for at least eight hours," he retorted.

"Please Josh," she began again. "I just want to get out of here. I want to go home and lie down on the couch, and hope my head doesn't swell to the size of my ankles, which by the way I can no longer see. I want to go home and go to bed."

Josh nodded. "Okay. I'll go with you."

"No," she told him. "Stay, I'll be grumpy but I'll be fine."

He didn't want to stay. He knew she was lying. He had an eerie sense that she was feeling some desperation and anxiety she had felt weeks before. He felt that he shouldn't leave her alone.

"No, it's fine."

"Josh!" she said firmly. "You are staying." It was an order. "I'll go say a quick goodbye and then you can walk me out."

He nodded, not knowing what to add. Before he could say much Donna had left and he found himself talking with the people around him alone half aware that he was actually talking at all.

Donna was glad to be away from that place. She was glad everything had gone so well. Still she didn't know where her emotions were taking her. She thought about Josh. She thought of his smile, the way he made her laugh. She knew she loved him more than she had ever thought possible. She wanted to marry him; she wanted to grow old with him; she wanted him to be her Josh forever.

She paused as she found herself on the couch eating the foods she could manage to smell. What did Josh want? He hadn't really said anything about getting married. He joked about it, but he didn't like to talk about it. She fell asleep thinking about Josh, all the good things and the bad. She fell asleep wondering if all this could just end. Could she wake up and realize the fairy tale was just a dream?

Josh found her there, sleeping on the couch. He looked at her and smiled. She was beautiful, She was Donna. He kissed her forehead and suddenly knew for sure. He was going to be with her forever and he was going to be happy as long as he could love her.