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Analecta
by: N. Y. Smith
Disclaimer: Not Mine
Category: AU (very), Josh/Donna Romance, Josh POV, Angst,
Spoilers: Through Season Three
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Contains references to 9/11/2001. Amy-free universe.
"The church is packed," I marveled, peering from the Acolytes' Changing Room of St. Patrick's church.
"It's become a circus," Sam complained, adjusting his tie with quaking hands. "Between Leo's political cronies,
Jenny's society doyennes, my dad's business associates, my mom's charity sisters, Mallory's students and the
White House list, I thought we were gonna need to rent out Redskins Stadium. You got off lucky." He held out
his hands helplessly.
"It didn't feel like it at the time," I stepped over and fumbled with the cravat. "Even our small White House
wedding had its own peculiar charms: having to vet every single guest, trimming the guest list to bare essentials,
finding a rabbi who didn't mind the setting and the goy bride, ordering the ketubah with special wording,
listening to her family kvetch when we told them we'd be raising our kids Jewish. But our little nuptials were
nothing compared with the O'Brien-Seaborn Follies of 2002."
"It's garish, isn't it?" he wriggled like a six-year-old, eyes not quite tracking together as his gaze flitted about the
room. "The wedding. It's taken on a life its own."
"When Donna and I married, the memories of September 11 were just too fresh. But it's April 2, Sam, and
we've been through Congressional censure, most of the primaries, the anthrax letters, the countless months of
fruitless cave searches, and now the Passover attacks; we need a break."
I finished with the tie and he peeked out the door. "Is that what your phone call from State was about earlier?
More Passover violence?"
"No," I answered, dragging my hand down my face. "Just something for Leo."
"Is he really taking the day off?" Sam continued surveying the church.
"By Executive Order," I grinned. "As are you."
Music swelled from the chapel. "I guess that means it's time," he whispered, turning and leaning back against
the closed door. "Is it? Is it really time for me?"
"Do you love her?"
He swallowed hard. "In what way? The Greeks had many words for love-one for each of the facets of it. How
do I know that what I'm feeling isn't the marrying kind, but some other, temporary or even permanent kind of
affection or possibly friendship that..."
"Sam," I interrupted and he stared, fish-eyed, "when you were waking up in the hospital, before you opened your
eyes, whose face did you want to see?"
His face brightened after a long moment. "Mallory."
"Then I guess it's time," I replied, following him to our places at the altar. I don't remember much about what
followed, actually (thank goodness for videotape), except for the vision of my beautiful, radiant, pregnant, now-voluptuous Donna following the nearly-as-beautiful CJ down the aisle to a little gilt chair that Sam had insisted
on. I remember Leo's sad smile when he gave Mallory to Sam and the look of pride mixed with awe as Sam took
her arm. I don't really remember much after that until the reception when it came my turn to toast the
newlyweds.
I stood, timidly, feeling surprisingly awkward amidst the grandeur of The Willard Hotel's ballroom. "Toby
wrote an exquisite toast for the occasion and the smart thing for me to do would be to read it but..." The crowd
laughed. "As I was leaving this morning I passed by, as I do every morning, my-Donna's and my-marriage
covenant. For some reason, as I do many mornings, I paused to read it-I guess to make sure I'm living up to my
end of the contract," I glanced nervously at Donna, who smiled back. "So anyway, I was reading the covenant
and realized..."
"In this lifetime, Josh," Toby exhorted.
"... And realized it said..."
"Today, Josh," CJ encouraged.
"I realized it said everything I wish-Donna and I wish--for our friends." I took a deep breath and smiled at
Donna before continuing. "Sam and Mallory, may you desire for your lives to be intertwined forever and for
your love to be eternal. May you treasure, respect and honor each other. May you support each other in
achieving intellectual, emotional and spiritual fulfillment. May you promise to be full and equal partners in life
and to do everything within your power to permit each of you to become the persons you are yet to be. May you
create a home that is rich with wisdom and caring, built on your faith and acts of lovingkindness, a home filled
with love, learning and generosity. May you celebrate the flow of the seasons and the passages of life with joy
and reverence. May your lives together be illuminated by your people's heritages. May you enter into this
covenant with love, companionship, peace and friendship. Sam, Mallory," I raised my glass, "from this day
forward may you be as one."(1)
They left shortly after that. I latched onto my wife's hand and then sought out the also-engaged CJ who was
chatting with Jenny O'Brien about the horrors of finding adequate caterers in the hinterlands of the Napa Valley.
"Ride back to the White House with us, CJ?"
"No, Joshua," she whined then bit a maraschino cherry from its stem.
"Everyone's entitled to a day off, Josh," Jenny O'Brien said caustically.
"Yes, they are, Jenny," I agreed, "just not today."
"Something's come up," CJ followed us to the limousine. "What?" she asked when we'd pulled off.
"Not until we get back," I warned and Donna squeezed my hand.
CJ settled back for the remainder of the ride, then followed us directly to the Oval Office.
"What is it?" she asked after Toby had closed the door. "Is it Palestine?" The President sat in his occasional
chair and motioned her to the couch. Donna sat next to her and Toby across from her. The First Lady sat on the
opposite couch next to the President. "What?" she asked suspiciously. Leo and I stood behind the President.
"You're scaring me, guys."
The President leaned forward and took her hand. "The bodies of three American journalists were found this
morning outside Kabul." CJ tried to pull back but the President held on. "They've been identified as Jake
Wester of AP, Kantinlinyiere Williams of Scripps and Will Sawyer. They had been murdered."
She blinked erratically, then licked her lips. "No," she rasped. "He was getting on a plane today. He was
coming home for a whole month before the wedding."
"He never made the flight, CJ," Leo said gently.
"No," she disagreed. "I talked to him last night. He was driving twenty kilometers to the airport, getting on a
plane and coming home to me."
Toby studied his hands. "They were ambushed about five kilometers from the airport."
She shook her head. "I talked to him last night and he was coming home." She covered her mouth. "He
promised me he was coming home," her voice quavered and the First Lady, with a pointed glance, dismissed the
men. After thirty minutes or so, Donna and the First Lady walked CJ to her office. From the doorway, I could
see the red rimming her eyes.
"You okay?" I set a sweating can of ginger ale on her desk when we were alone.
She snorted and closed her eyes drawing long, rough breaths. Her eyes met mine. "How did he die?"
I couldn't do this. I couldn't tell her. I had to tell her. "They were," I stumbled over the word, "stabbed to
death."
"Stabbed," she said carefully, "or hacked?"
I couldn't answer.
"Oh, God," she murmured, burying her face in her hands. "When will he," she scrubbed her hands across her
eyes, "his body be home?"
"They'll get into Edwards at midnight tonight."
"Midnight," she blanched a sickly, familiar shade of green and I opened the drink and set it in her shaking hands.
After several careful sips she turned her eyes to me. "How did you know?"
"About the baby?"
She nodded.
"I am extremely familiar," I smiled, "with that particular shade of green."
She sipped a bit more. "We were a tad, um, careless after he surprised me on Valentine's."
"Happens to the best of us," I shrugged. "Did Will know?"
She smiled shyly, "Yes."
I just nodded.
"I should know what to do next..."
"Do you want me to call his parents?"
"I should call his sister," she shook her head, "Then them." She took a few more sips. "How do we get his body
from here to..."
"It's taken care of. Just tell me where."
"Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know if I can do this alone, Joshua." Tears rolled down her face. "Any
of it."
I joined her behind her desk, leaning against it. "You won't have to, Claudia Jean," I folded my arms around
her. "You won't have to."
Chapters -
Prologue | 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | 5 |
6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23
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