Author: Catgurl83

Title: Changes for the Future (2?)

Disclaimer: Characters from the show belong to a whole bunch of people and companies; none of them me.

Rating: G

Spoilers: Through season five.

Characters: Josh, Zoey, Donna

Pairings: Josh Zoey, mentions of Sam Donna

Author's notes: Thanks to my beta reader, Classic She, for all of her help with this series!

In order, the stories are; Unexpected Changes, Continued Changes, Changes Abound, Changes for the Future.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Can you put my hair in a Pollyanna?"

"Of course," Zoey said as she gently ran the brush through Serena's long hair. She secured the little girl's silky soft hair in a Pollyanna and stood, setting the brush on the dresser.

Serena hopped down off of the bed and Zoey smiled at her. "Ready to go downstairs?"

Serena nodded cheerfully as she headed to the door.

Zoey smiled at the little girl as they left the bedroom. She was glad that Serena seemed better today, more like herself than she had the morning before. She didn't know how Josh would take it if Serena got seriously ill again.

When the two stepped into the kitchen, Kate looked up, a smile on her face.

Josh and Jonathon were in the breakfast room, discussing an article in the morning paper. Zoey couldn't tell if it was a friendly argument or if the two men agreed on whatever it was that they were discussing.

Zoey met Josh's eyes through the glass separating the breakfast room from the kitchen. He smiled and she returned it.

"What's for breakfast?" Serena asked Kate cheerfully.

"French toast." Kate smiled," For you, I thought I'd make peanut butter and jelly French toast."

"Peanut butter and jelly French toast?" Serena repeated curiously.

"How do you make that?" Zoey wondered. She'd never heard of peanut butter and jelly French toast before.

"You make the French toast batter like normal and then make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dip both sides of the sandwich in the batter and then fry it." She smiled, "It was my kids favorite when they were little. My grandson loves them."

Serena smiled. "Sounds good."

Zoey didn't agree but didn't say so. She wasn't a huge fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but Serena loved them. She smiled at Kate, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

Kate nodded slowly, still not used to the First Daughter's willingness to help. The more that she was around Zoey, the more pleasantly surprised she was. She flipped a piece of French toast. "You could get the orange juice from the fridge and glasses from the cupboard to your left and pour the juice."

"Sure."

Serena headed into the breakfast room. "Good morning Uncle Josh."

"Morning Angel." He picked the little girl up and settled her on his lap.

Serena looked over at Jonathon and gave him a shy smile. "Morning."

Jonathon returned her smile with one of his own. "Good morning sweetie." He marveled at how different she looked now from the first time that he'd met her. It wasn't just that she was almost three years older now. The first time that he'd met her, she'd looked awful.

He and Kate arrived in DC a couple of days before their daughter's wedding to Sam Seaborn. They stopped by Sam's house on their way to their hotel. Their daughter answered the door and after hugs were exchanged, led them into the family room.

Sam had been half sitting half lying down on the sofa. Jonathon's heart had almost broken as he looked at the tiny little girl nestled against her father's chest, her head facing the door. He knew that the child was two, yet she looked like she was barely a year old. One tiny, flower shaped barrette held a wisp of light brown hair out of the toddler's face. She was so pale, no, ashen. He had spoken to his daughter, knew that Serena was in remission. Yet, if he hadn't known that, from Serena's appearance that day he would have thought that cancer was still ravaging her little body.

Now, sitting on Josh's lap was a beautiful four-year-old girl. She was tiny but not alarmingly so. Her light brown hair reached the middle of her back and shone with health, it was pulled back and secured with a flower shaped clip this morning. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a lavender, lacy blouse with lilac shaped buttons down the front. She looked like a different child.

Zoey stepped into the room with the orange juice. As she gave them each a glass of juice, Josh stood. "Good morning," he said softly as he leaned forward and brushed a light kiss to Zoey's lips.

"Morning," Zoey replied as she reluctantly pulled back. As much as she wanted to deepen the kiss, this wasn't the time or place.

Zoey took the seat next to Josh as Kate stepped into the room with the French toast.

Pouring maple syrup over his French toast, Jonathon glanced around the table. "Have you thought about what you'd like to do today?"

Josh swallowed a sip of orange juice, glanced at Serena before carefully answering. "Not really. We were thinking that we could find a park for Serena."

"Cool," Serena said. When they took her to the park, they usually stopped for ice cream. Ice cream was her favorite food but her Uncle Josh wouldn't let her have as much of it as she'd like.

Kate watched as Zoey picked up a knife and pulled Serena's plate a littler closer. She cut up several bites of the little girl's food before handing Serena's fork back to her. Neither Josh nor Serena seemed surprised, it seemed that this was the norm.

Josh looked down at Serena who was swirling a piece of her French toast in a pool of syrup. The child refused to cover her food in anything. Instead, she chose to dip everything. He had no idea where she had gotten that from, possibly her birth mother or Alana. He met Jonathon's eyes again. "I was also thinking that I'd like to visit the nursing home today."

Jonathon noticed Serena stiffen a bit at the words, her fork frozen over her plate. After a few moments, she picked up another piece of her food and brought it to her mouth. As she chewed, she stared fixedly at her plate.

Serena took another bite before looking up. She looked up at Josh, her face sad. "Are you going to the home to visit Mommy?"

"Yes, I am," he confirmed, his eyes on hers.

"Oh." She was silent for several seconds before looking at Kate. "Is she okay?"

Kate hesitated, unsure of what to say to the little girl, especially after her conversation with Zoey the day before. "Um, she's pretty much the same as she was before she left DC."

At the mention of her mother being moved from DC, Serena's eyes clouded over for a brief instant. "She hasn't woken up?"

"No, she hasn't."

"Oh." She looked back at Josh. "Can I go with you?" Before he could answer, she hurriedly continued. "I don't know if I'll go in the room though."

"That's okay Angel. You and Zoey can come to the nursing home with me and if you want to go in the room it is okay, but you don't have to."

Serena nodded and turned back to her food. She turned a bite of French toast around and around in syrup as she tuned out the adult conversation going on around her.

Did she want to see her mother? That was a hard question. She didn't know the answer. She really didn't know what she felt about her mother. She couldn't remember anything about her mom. Even when she tried to remember, nothing came. She couldn't remember her mom holding her or kissing her goodnight. She couldn't remember her mother playing with her or doing her hair.

Her only memory of her mother was of Donna lying in a hospital bed. It scared her when she looked at her mom like that. She didn't move at all. Even sleeping people moved so looking at her mom was like looking at one of those dolls at the mall. It was hard to imagine her mother laughing or talking.

But people expected her to want to see her mom, to miss her. Sometimes she wanted to ask, how do you miss someone whom you don't know?

She missed having a mother more than she missed her actual mother. She'd watch her friends with their moms, see them hug, hear them say I love you and wished that she had a mother too. Even on TV, most of the cartoon children had mothers.

It had gotten easier since her Uncle Josh had gotten together with Zoey. Zoey spent a lot of time with her and did a lot with her. But it wasn't the same as having a mom. Would she ever have a mother again? Would it be Zoey?

Sometimes, she'd find herself wishing for Zoey to be her mother but she was afraid to wish too hard. As much as she wanted it to happen, it might not.

"Serena?"

She looked up. Everyone else had finished eating. Her own plate was still nearly full.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked, remembering his concern from the day before. "Do you feel sick?"

Serena shook her head. "I'm okay Uncle Josh. I'm not sick."

Josh studied her before nodding. "Okay. Finish up before your food gets cold."

Zoey followed Kate into the kitchen, dishes in her hands. She sat them on the counter as Kate opened the dishwasher.

Rinsing a dish, Kate glanced at Zoey. "Have you and Josh thought about what you'd like to do with Serena while in Wisconsin?"

Zoey dropped a fork into the dishwasher. "Besides visiting Donna? Not really. We thought that we'd play it by ear."

Kate nodded. "While you're here, you really should take Serena to the beach. I'm sure that she'd love it."

Zoey smiled. "I think that she would. She's been begging us to take her to Florida so that she can see the ocean."

"Well, we don't have the ocean but the lakes are beautiful."

"Which one would you recommend?" Zoey asked.

Kate thought for a moment as she started the dishwasher. "Lake Mendota is wonderful and it isn't far from here."

Zoey smiled. "A beach day sounds like fun. I'll talk to Josh about it."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Josh pulled the rental car that Jonathon had taken him to get into a parking space. He climbed out of the car and glanced around.

The parking lot had slots for fifty cars but only about half of the spots were filled. The parking lot led to a sidewalk. The other side of the sidewalk was filled with cheerful greenery.

Josh opened Serena's car door and helped the little girl out of her car seat. The agents who had been in the car following theirs had joined them. Gina, who had been riding with them, had climbed out of the car.

Serena walked between he and Zoey, holding onto their hands. Zoey's agents surrounded them.

The building was smaller than Josh had expected. They stepped through a glass door into a small lobby. There were a few chairs and benches scattered around along with several potted plants.

Josh approached the large desk that took up almost a whole wall. Two women sat behind it. One of the women was speaking on the phone but the other looked up. She smiled but eyed them all curiously, her gaze lingering on the agents. After a few moments, her eyes widened with recognition. "May I help you?" she asked a bit nervously.

Josh smiled, used to reactions like hers by now. "We're here to see a patient."

"What's the patient's name?"

"Donna Moss-Seaborn."

"May I ask your names?" she asked, rather needlessly, but she did as it was policy. She wasn't allowed to let anyone past to see a patient unless they were authorized by the next-of-kin.

Zoey smiled, glad that the woman was so by-the-book. She could very easily just let them past because she knew who Zoey's father was. "Zoey Bartlett." She gestured behind her. "Those are my Secret Service Agents."

"Josh Lyman," Josh answered. He looked down. "And this is Serena Seaborn." After the adoption, he had chosen to leave Serena's last name the same until she could decide if she wanted to change it.

At Serena's name, the nurse's smile widened. "It's nice to finally meet you Serena. There are pictures of you in your mother's room along with some of your drawings."

Serena smiled shyly. "Uncle Josh sends some of my drawings to Grandma Kate so that she can bring them to Mommy."

The nurse typed something into her computer before standing. "You're all on the list. Would you like me to show you where her room is?"

"Please," Zoey said with a smile. The place wasn't huge but it was large enough that they could have some difficulty finding Donna's room.

This place had a friendlier feeling than the hospital had, Josh mused. It didn't smell as strongly of disinfectant. The floor at the hospital had been linoleum; here the floor was carpeted. One of the walls was covered with a huge card, made for all of the patients by the students at a local elementary school. As they walked down the hall, they saw several patients out and about. Some were with visitors, others seemed to be by themselves.

Most of the doors were open and Josh could see that the rooms were bright and cheerful.

The nurse stopped before a room and turned back to them. "Here it is."

Josh gave her a smile as one of Zoey's agents stepped into the room. "Thank you. Is there a waiting area of some sort?"

She saw him discreetly glance down at Serena and knew what he was asking. "There is a small room at the end of this hall. It has some vending machines. There is also a beautiful garden."

Zoey's agent stepped out of the room and gave a nod to let them know that the room was clear.

As the nurse left, Josh knelt down next to Serena. "Do you want to go into the waiting room and get a candy bar?"

Serena peered past him into her mother's room. After thinking for several seconds, she nodded silently.

"I'll be there in a little while," Josh told Zoey.

After Serena, Zoey, and the agents had started down the hall to the waiting room, Josh turned back to Donna's room. After taking a deep breath, he stepped through the open door.

He glanced around the bright room. The blinds at the window had been opened to allow sunlight to filter in.

A white dresser stood against one of the walls. A vase of flowers stood a top the dresser. The flowers lent a sweet fragrance to the room. A few cards also stood on the dresser.

The wall above the dresser was covered in some of Serena's drawings. He recognized a few of the art projects that Serena had made at preschool.

A framed picture of Serena, Donna, and Sam stood on the stand next to the bed. If Donna awoke, this picture would most likely be one of the first things that she saw.

The bedding wasn't stark and plain like the bedding at the hospital had been. The sheets appeared to be a pale yellow and a light multicolored quilt was thrown over Donna.

The room had a more comfortable, permanent feel than the hospital room. In some ways, he was glad. He knew that Donna would like this room better than she had liked the hospital room. Yet, the sense of permanency caused him to swallow hard.

He had accepted that this was probably a permanent arrangement, that she wasn't going to wake up. It was still hard to reconcile himself to the fact.

Knowing that he couldn't put it off any longer, he stepped up closer to the bed. Sitting down in the chair next to the bed, he finally looked at Donna. Her long, white-blond hair was still very short, it didn't even reach her ears. He realized that it would be too difficult to care for long but he knew that she would hate it so short. It looked like she had lost even more weight, her face was so gaunt. When Donna had been removed from life support and had survived, one of the things that her doctors had prepared them for was the weight loss. They had said that it was difficult to control and regulate weight in comatose patients.

"Hey Donnatella, it's me, Josh. I know that it has been awhile since I've visited you. You know what it is like to try to get away from the White House for any length of time."

Josh paused for a few moments, trying to decide what to say. So much had happened since the last time he'd spoken to her. What was important enough for him to tell her?

"Serena is doing well. She is a beautiful, delightful little girl. It is so hard to believe that she will be five next month. It seems like yesterday she was just a toddler."

"You'd be so proud of your little girl. In so many ways she reminds me of Sam. She has his sensitivity, his compassion and she looks a lot like him. She still adores Tuft." He chuckled, "A few days ago, she actually bawled the paper boy out for calling Tuft weird looking. He was too shocked at having a four-year-old scold him to respond."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "Several months ago, I filed papers. They went through a few weeks ago. Serena is now my adopted daughter." He watched her face for a reaction to his words but of course, there was none. "Serena needed the security, the permanency." He felt the need to justify his actions to her, his way of apologizing for taking her daughter.

"Zoey and I are still together. She's here in Wisconsin with me. We've been together just under six months and I already can't imagine my life without her. She has become such an integral part of it." He smiled, "I'm in love with her."

"It's weird," he mused aloud, almost unaware that he was doing so. It seemed so natural to be confiding in Donna like this. It was much easier talking to her about stuff like this than it was his other friends. Maybe it was the fact that she was alive and possibly listening, so he didn't feel like an idiot talking aloud, yet she couldn't offer any advice, probably couldn't form any opinions. He really had no one to talk with concerning his feelings for Zoey.

"Zoey is so different from the other women whom I've dated. She's kind and compassionate, loving. She isn't politically driven. She loves me for me, not for what I can do for her and her career. But you knew that it would be like that, didn't you? You knew that Zoey would be good for me. That's why you told her to make a move, to go for a relationship with me."

"The President and Abbey still aren't thrilled with the relationship but I think that Abbey's pretty much accepted it. The President is still trying to deny it but I think that he knows how much we love each other."

"Toby and CJ both asked me to tell you hi. They still claim that they aren't going to get married until President Bartlett's second term ends."

He stood. "I'd stay longer but Serena is waiting for me. I'll be back before we leave." He leaned forward and dropped a light kiss to her forehead.

Outside of her room, he started down the hallway in the direction that the nurse had indicated. It wasn't difficult to find the waiting area, especially with Zoey's agents outside the door.

Inside, Serena was munching on a Twix bar as she spoke to an elderly lady in a wheelchair. Since the child hadn't noticed him, Josh leaned back against the wall to listen to her. Zoey stood up from her seat and crossed the small room to join him, leaning her head against his shoulder as his arm went around her.

Serena was shaking her head. "This is the first time that I've been to Wisconsin. My mommy is here."

The old woman glanced over at Zoey. She had been very surprised to find men in black standing outside the door, questioning patients before letting them inside, and even more surprised to find the First Daughter inside the room. She turned back to the little girl. "You're from Washington?"

"Yep," Serena said cheerfully. "I live with my Uncle Josh. He works in the White House."

"Do you know the President?" the woman asked curiously. She was enjoying her conversation with this little girl. She really missed her grandchildren.

Serena nodded. "Uncle Jed." She lowered her voice conspiratorially, "He'll probably become my grandpa though as soon as Uncle Josh gets a clue and marries Zoey."

Surprised, the woman burst out laughing, as did Zoey. Josh just stared at Serena with a shocked look on his face. Finally, he stammered, "Serena."

Serena looked up, startled to find him in the room. "Hi, Uncle Josh," she said innocently.

Josh crossed the room and sat down next to Serena. He turned to the lady in the wheelchair, "Hi, I'm Josh Lyman."

The woman gave another laugh. "So I assumed. You should have seen your expression when she said that." She shook her head. "Some of the things that kids say. I have eight of them plus twelve grandkids; I'm used to it. I'm Rose, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Josh said, grateful that the woman was taking Serena's comment lightly. She didn't seem like the type to call up the Inquirer.

"She's a precocious little girl," Rose complimented Josh before turning back to Serena. "It was nice to meet you Serena. I've got to go or they'll start the poker game without me."

"Bye," Serena said.

Once they were alone in the room, Josh turned back to Serena. "Why did you tell her that?"

"Tell her what?"

"That I should get a clue and marry Zoey," Josh reminded patiently.

Serena's eyes filled with worry. "Was that wrong? I didn't know that you would get upset. I didn't mean to say something that I shouldn't."

"I know that Angel but we have to be very careful with what we say to strangers, even nice strangers. Because of my job and my relationship with Zoey, the things that we say can be used in tabloids if we aren't careful."

Serena's eyes widened. "Is that going to be in a tabloid?"

"I don't think so but you need to be more careful."

"Okay."

Zoey sat down on Serena's other side. "Where did you hear that?" It had been plain to her that Serena was parroting someone else's comment. She had learned very quickly to be careful with what she said in the child's hearing.

Serena looked down, not sure if she should say.

"Serena," Josh said warningly.

Serena looked up, she knew that tone. She had to answer him even if she didn't want to. "I wasn't supposed to hear," she admitted. "They thought that I was sleeping."

"Who did?" Zoey asked, even though she was already pretty sure that she knew.

"Aunt Abbey said it to Ellie."

Zoey nodded, she had been right. A few weeks before her sister had visited for a few days. Amy had been sick and Josh had brought Serena to the White House with him. He had had a meeting that he couldn't get out of and hadn't wanted to leave Serena with his latest temp. Abbey had offered to watch the little girl for a few hours. Apparently, her mother and sister had been talking while they thought that Serena was napping in the other room.

"Ellie said that Uncle Jed still hasn't completely accepted your relationship with Uncle Josh," Serena continued. "Aunt Abbey said that he probably wouldn't until Uncle Josh got a clue and married you. Uncle Jed likes Uncle Josh but he is worried that Uncle Josh will end up hurting you." Finished with her synopsis of the conversation, Serena turned to Josh. "You won't, will you? I like Zoey."

"So do I Serena. I don't plan on hurting her."

"Are you going to marry her?"

Josh remembered that Serena had asked him a similar question when he told her that he was going to start dating Zoey. He wasn't any more prepared for the question now. "We aren't planning to get married right now," he finally answered.

"But eventually," Serena asked.

"Maybe eventually," Josh answered.

"Okay," Serena said. She stood up. "I'd like to see Mommy now."

Josh blinked at the rapid change of subject. "Sure." He stood up and Serena took his hand.

"I'll stay here," Zoey offered softly, wanting to give them some privacy for what she knew could be a very difficult visit.

Josh gave her a smile. "We'll be back soon."

As they walked out of the room, Zoey picked up a magazine and started thumbing through it. She remembered the day that Donna was unplugged from life support. After Donna's heart had started again, everyone but Donna's parents, Josh, her own mother, and Leo had left the room.

She had gone back to the waiting room where Charlie was sitting with Serena. She had flipped through a magazine that day too. She had been so insecure. She hadn't actually wanted Donna to die but she had been afraid that if Donna woke up, she'd lose any chance of a romantic relationship with Josh. So much had changed. Now she knew that even if Donna woke up, it wouldn't affect her relationship with Josh. Josh was in love with her, not Donna.

Josh and Serena reached Donna's room. Serena walked through the open door without pausing. She knew that if she paused, she might lose her nerve.

The last time that she had seen her mother, in DC, she had freaked out. It had just been too difficult. She hadn't gone to see her mother again after that because she was afraid that it would happen again. And then, her mother's parents had decided to bring her back to Wisconsin and she hadn't been able to see her again.

Serena approached the bed. Her mother looked so different from the pictures. In the pictures, Donna's hair was long and beautiful. Her eyes were open and usually sparkling with happiness. She was usually laughing or at least smiling. Here she looked lifeless. The light rise and fall of her chest was the only indication of life.

"Hi Mommy." Could she hear her? Serena wondered. Did she even know that she was here? "We're staying with Grandma Kate and Grandpa Jonathon. I really like your skating rink. Uncle Josh is going to go skating in it with me," she said excitedly. "Grandma Kate said that you used to spend as much time downstairs as you could skating or blading."

"Uncle Josh let me get a puppy. Her name is Tuft. She is a Hairless Chinese Crested and is very sweet. She'll never be very big; kind of like a stuffed animal, only alive. Since she's so small, she can go places with us." She glanced up at Josh reproachfully. "Uncle Josh made me leave her with Aunt CJ and Uncle Toby when we came here though. He said it was easier than making arrangements to bring her on the plane. He said that she probably wouldn't like flying."

"I miss you being in DC," Serena continued. "But I know that your mommy and daddy missed you. I hope that you are happier now that they can come and visit everyday. I know you must get lonely. I'll come back and see you when I can," she promised before turning to Josh. "I'm ready to go now.

As they stepped out into the hall, Josh wondered if that was how these visits would always go. Would Serena always be so quick and to the point? Yet, what did he expect? It was hard for him to talk to Donna at times since there was no response. Of course it was hard for a four-year-old.

"Let's get Zoey's and then we can go."

Serena looked up at him. "Can we get pizza on our way to the park? Please?"

Josh shrugged, "Why not. We'll need to call Grandma Kate and Grandpa Jonathon to let them know that we'll be longer than we expected."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"I think this one will work," Zoey announced later that afternoon.

Josh eyed the skate in her hand before reluctantly taking it from her. He still didn't want to do this but he'd promised.

Zoey went back to studying the shelf of skates before sighing. "The pair in Serena's size has laces." She handed the pair to the little girl.

"Is that bad?"

Zoey shrugged. "There are pros and cons to both buckles and laces. I prefer buckles. They're easier and faster to put on."

Josh buckled one of his skates and turned to watch Zoey lace Serena up. It did seem to take longer. But then, Serena was having trouble sitting still, she was so anxious to begin.

Zoey put her own skates on and stood.

"We get to go blading now?" Serena asked.

"Yep," Zoey answered cheerfully.

Kate, who had been watching quietly, stood up. "Do you want me to take Serena while you help Josh?"

Zoey gave her a grateful smile. "Please."

"I don't think that I need help," Josh scoffed. "I'm a smart man, how hard could this be?"

Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Stand up."

Josh stood and immediately lost his balance. He only remained standing because Zoey reached out a hand to steady him. "Thanks," he said with a sheepish smile.

Zoey shrugged. "In-line skating or blading as most people call it, is hard the first time." She lead him out to the rink where Kate was already helping Serena, who seemed to want to have both feet on the ground at all times.

"This would be more fun on the street. Maybe we can do that next time. Stay here."

Josh clung to the rail as Zoey skated out into the rink, gaining speed as she went. She made her way around the rink, turning expertly. He swallowed hard. She was amazing.

She skated out into the center of the rink and stopped. He wondered what she was doing. She waited a few moments as if bracing herself for something and then lifted her arms out to her sides. She turned so her arms and upper body went clockwise then swiftly turned back. She lifted up on the toe of her left foot and the heel of her right foot and tucked her arms around her body, hugging herself.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched her spin around and around, gaining speed as she went. Finally, she extended her arms again and slowed to a stop, dropping her arms back down. Her face was flushed and her eyes shinning, she made her way back to him and leaned against the rail.

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed. "That was cool."

Zoey laughed. "Thank you, Sweetie."

"Can I do that?"

She smiled. "Maybe, eventually, but not for a while. We'll work on some easier moves first."

"Cool!" Serena looked back at Kate, who was still holding on to her, keeping her from falling.

Zoey turned back to Josh. At the look on his face, she burst out laughing again.

Josh tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear. "That was amazing."

She shrugged. "I love doing it. I just don't get to do it as often as I'd like. To be honest, I wasn't even sure that I could still do it. It's been a long time since I've tried."

"It looked difficult. You've done this more than I thought," he commented. He'd known that she could skate but he'd figured it was strictly a hobby. He hadn't been at all prepared to see her do something like that.

"It's called a two-foot spin. Figure skaters do them on the ice. That's how I learned." She laughed. "In my early teens I became very into in-line skating. I spent hours trying to come up with new tricks to freak my parents out."

Josh grinned. "Did it work?"

"At first but then my dad took to learning all that he could about the sport. Whenever I did something that he thought was dangerous, he'd sit me down afterwards and tell me all about the first pair of in-lines made by a Dutchman in the 1700s. Or he'd lecture me about how in-lines are made. I learned quickly to limit the tricks to times when he and mom wouldn't find out."

Josh nodded, not at all surprised. He didn't even want to know what tricks Zoey had done that the President had deemed that dangerous, certainly not what she'd just done.

"So, are you ready to skate?"

He nodded and took her hand, allowing her to lead him away from the security of the rail. He tried to keep his legs moving but it was harder than it looked.

As Josh started to get the hang of it, Zoey glanced over at Serena who was still clinging to her grandmother but seemed to be doing pretty well. With practice, the little girl would be good.

"You're doing great Serena," Kate encouraged, finally letting go.

Zoey held her breath but Serena didn't fall. The look of accomplishment on the little girl's face made her grin proudly.

Serena beamed but said nothing, afraid that even speaking would throw her balance off. She was glad that her grandma was staying close, ready to catch her if she needed help.

"She's loving this," Josh said a few minutes later.

"Yes, she is."

Josh watched Serena happily come to a stop without help, her face shinning with happiness. "I should get her a pair."

"And yourself too, so that you can supervise her."

Josh cringed but nodded.

"Is this really that bad?"

Josh looked down at her hand in his own. "No." Skating would take some getting used to but if it meant more time with Zoey, he'd do it. And she obviously loved this sport. It was something else that they could do together, as a family.

"How was your visit with Donna?" Zoey asked, turning her head to look at him. This was the first chance that she had gotten to talk to him privately.

Josh sighed, "It is hard to see her like that." He paused for a moment before continuing, his eyes on Serena. "I told her that I adopted Serena. I know that she isn't going to wake up, it's been too long. But as I told her that, I couldn't help but study her face. I couldn't stop myself from thinking that her eyes were going to snap open. That she was going to glare at me, her eyes blazing fire, and tell me that Serena already had a parent, her."

Zoey squeezed his hand. She knew how hard this was for him. Donna had been one of his closest friends, the wife of his best friend. He would never stop caring about her, never stop wishing that things were different. Yet, if they were different, he wouldn't have Serena and likely, they wouldn't be together.

"I can't even imagine what it is like for her," Josh went on. "To hear all of us talk to her and not be able to respond. To be alive, yet unable to participate in life."

Zoey had wondered that before. If those in comas could really understand all that was being said to them, if they knew how much time was passing, how could they handle it? How could it not drive them crazy? She chose to hope that it wasn't like that, to think that comatose patients were nearly oblivious to their surroundings. Medical science really couldn't say one way or the other. Some doctors insisted that those in comas knew all that was going on around them and others insisted that they didn't.

"Seeing her there, like that, I finally really understood where her parents were coming from. As hard as it is to say this, they were right about moving her here. If she knows what is going on, I'm sure that she is more comfortable here."

Zoey nodded. From what she'd seen of the home, she thought that it had a homier feel. And having her parents visit everyday had to stave off some of Donna's loneliness.

Josh turned to meet Zoey's eyes. "She looked likes she's lost weight." He sighed, "It's like she is wasting away, a little at a time."

Wasting away? So, now she knew why he'd been so quiet this afternoon. She really didn't know what to say. She wasn't really that surprised but Josh seemed surprised.

After Kate and Jonathon had moved Donna to Wisconsin, Zoey had talked to her mother about Donna's condition. According to her mother, the longer that someone had been in a coma, the less likely that they'd ever wake up. She had said that even the doctors never really knew how long someone would survive in a coma. Comatose patients could live in a coma for decades or they could die within a few years. But usually they died prematurely.

"Kate and Jonathon didn't warn us," Josh said accusingly, leaning against the rail that they stood next to.

"They probably didn't think of it," Zoey reasoned. "They see her everyday. To them it might not be as noticeable."

Josh ran his free hand through his hair. "Yeah."

"Look," Serena said as she skated over to them, Kate a few feet behind her.

"Very good," Josh told her, smiling.

"Can we do this again?"

"I think so."

"Cool," Serena said before skating off.

Zoey laughed at the little girl's enthusiasm. "She certainly is having a good time on this trip."

Josh nodded in agreement.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go to the beach. I think it'd be fun."

An image of Zoey in a bikini flashed before him and he grinned. "Sure."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Josh stared out at Serena who was still skating. He smiled as he watched Zoey playing with the child, slowly chasing her around the rink. He knew that Zoey could go much faster but she was purposefully staying behind Serena.

"They're good together," Kate commented from the spot next to him.

"Yeah, they are."

Zoey finally caught Serena who squealed in glee as Zoey spun her around.

"They spend a lot of time together?"

Josh turned to look at Kate, purposefully keeping his face blank. During the last few months, he'd dealt with many questions like that. Many people had gotten small digs in, or at least tried. He had quickly tired of it. His and Zoey's relationship was no ones' business but there own. "They do. Why?"

Kate held back her blanch at his tone. Had she hit a nerve somehow? "Sorry. I was just making conversation."

Josh ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you."

"You get questioned about your relationship with Zoey a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah. Less than when we first started dating though. Reporters still watch us closely. The press, the public, seem to have problems with the idea that we could really care about each other."

Kate nodded. She was surprised that Josh was talking with her like this. She didn't mind being a sounding board but they'd never been close so she hadn't expected this. He must have been holding all of this in for a while.

"They think that it can't really be serious because I'm so much older than her. She's the First Daughter and I'm her father's Deputy Chief of Staff." He laughed a bit harshly. "Someone actually told me that all that this was about was me going through a mid-life crisis. He suggested that I get a flashy car instead."

Kate shook her head. She wouldn't admit it to him, but at first, she'd thought that too. She'd wondered what he was thinking exposing Serena to his relationship with Zoey under those circumstances. During the last couple of days, she'd watched them together though. Her opinion of them had changed. Jonathon felt the same way. "Does Zoey know about that?"

"No. People are generally smart enough to leave me the hell alone when she or Serena are with me. But we get a lot of strange looks, stares when we're out together." He paused. "The longer we're together the less the general public seems to notice us. But the press is just waiting for us to break up."

"You sound like that isn't going to happen," Kate said carefully.

"I don't plan for it to."

She blinked. "Are you talking about..."

"Not now, but eventually, maybe. Serena can't wait for us to get married."

"She's really suffered hasn't she?" She looked out at the laughing little girl. "I never really gave much consideration to how much she must miss her mother, her father."

"In some ways it's gotten much easier for her. Her memories of them have faded so she doesn't know them enough to miss them."

Kate nodded in understanding. "When Jonathon and I moved Donna, we knew it would likely hurt Serena but we just didn't feel like we could let that into our considerations. I'm glad to see that Serena is doing all right with it now."

"You did the right thing," Josh admitted after several silent minutes spent watching Serena and Zoey play. "Donna is much better off now. And I think that Serena agrees with me even if she doesn't say it."

Kate smiled watching Zoey catch Serena and lift the giggling child up, spinning around slowly. "Serena is a very lucky little girl to have you and Zoey to fulfill the parental roles in her life. You both obviously mean a lot to her and to each other. That's all that matters."

She turned toward the stairs to make dinner, leaving Josh to ponder her words.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"It's beautiful out here," Zoey said, looking up at the light blue sky.

"Mmm hmmm," Josh agreed, running his hand through his girlfriend's damp hair. Zoey turned to press a kiss to Josh's lips, wishing that everyone nearby them on the beach wasn't watching.

"Are you going to come play in the sand? It's fun," Serena called from her spot a few feet from them.

Josh, who was leaning back on a beach towel with Zoey leaning against him, looked over at Serena. Plastic pails, shovels, and sand sifters surrounded the little girl. Her damp bathing suit was splattered with sand but she didn't seem to know or care. She was delightedly scooping sand into a large pile. He looked back at Zoey, wishing that they could stay just as they were. With a reluctant sigh, he shifted.

Zoey stood up and they padded on bare feet over to Serena. "What are you building?" Zoey asked, sinking down next to the child.

"Nothing," Serena said. "I'm just making a really big pile of sand."

"Okay," Josh said, accepting a shovel from her. He scooped up some sand and added it to her pile. He'd never really understood childhood logic.

"So, why are we doing this?" Zoey asked once their pile was pretty big. "Are we going to use this to make a castle?"

"We could," Serena said with a grin.

"But we aren't going to," Josh surmised.

"Nope."

"Then what are we going to do?"

Serena gave him a sweet smile and Zoey burst out laughing, now knowing what the child had planned. "You are going to lay down. Zoey and I are going to bury you."

"I don't think so Serena."

"Come on Uncle Josh. Why not? They do it on TV and in movies."

"This isn't TV or a movie and I don't want to be covered in sand." He shuddered, thinking about the places the sand would end up.

"Please? There's just two of us. We won't be able to cover you up all the way," Serena coaxed.

Josh looked over at Zoey pleadingly. "The sand will be all over me even under my clothes."

Zoey laughed. "You'll wash. Lay down."

With a deep sigh, Josh laid back. He could see the mirth sparkling in Serena's eyes and the happiness on Zoey's face. Even the Secret Service Agents around them looked like they were holding back smiles as Serena dumped a bucketful of sand onto his t-shirt.

Zoey took a toy shovel and gently patted the sand down as Serena added more and more to the heap on top of Josh.

Josh tried to lie still as the itchy sand made contact with his skin. He really couldn't believe that he'd allowed this. A few years ago, there's no way that he would have agreed to this. And even now, for anyone else he wouldn't have. But Zoey and Serena, he had trouble deny them anything. And they knew it.

"You doing okay?" Zoey asked as she poured some sand over his legs.

"I guess," Josh answered. Sand now covered his torso, arms, and part of his legs. They'd been at this for a while but he didn't know quite how long as he couldn't see a clock or watch.

The other people at the beach had been staring at them all day. But now, everyone who walked by stared while chuckling, some right out loud, others trying to hide their reactions. Josh had seen some of those people walk by several times, they were probably just making up reasons to go past.

A camera went off and Josh winced. He knew that a few other pictures had been taken is the last few hours as well. After the first photo, he'd thought about leaving but Serena had been having so much fun that he just hadn't been able to make her leave the beach.

He wasn't sure if the pictures had been taken by professional photographers or by tourists. Neither would surprise him. He wasn't sure which he'd prefer. The idea of strangers having pictures of Zoey and Serena did not appeal to him. Nor did the idea of pictures of their family vacation making it into newspapers.

"I'm getting tired."

Josh hid his smile. "Oh really? You can stop if you want. Maybe spend some time in the water."

"Cool." She dropped her shovel and stood up.

"Whoa. You have to unbury me first."

Serena mock frowned. "Why can't you just stay like that? We can finish after I swim for a while."

"Serena, that's not nice," Zoey said with mock sternness but spoiled the effect by laughing.

Serena pretended to sigh as she started to dig sand off of Josh.

Standing, Josh brushed the rest of the sand away and then headed to the water, Serena running ahead of him gleefully. "Don't go too far," he called after her as she reached the water's edge.

The little girl went in as far as her knees, splashing gleefully.

Zoey followed them with a soft smiling on her face. Josh caught up with Serena and took the child further out. The little girl could swim but not that well. Because of her illness and then the accident, lessons had had to be postponed.

In the water, Zoey waded over to Josh and Serena. "I thought you might want this."

Serena accepted the speckled flotation ring that had a dog head, from Zoey and Josh helped her climb in. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Zoey said. She dipped farther down in the water when she noticed the curious eyes on her. She wished that they could be inconspicuous, have fun without being stared at. Wherever they went, people watched. She'd picked Serena up at school a couple of times and even the teachers stared at her, though they at least had the tact to look away when Zoey noticed them. Not that this was anything new. She hadn't been able to go unnoticed and recognized in public since she was a little girl but now, it was more noticeable. People weren't just excited to spot her, they were curious about her and Josh.

She really wanted to live a quiet life, away from the bustle of Washington DC and the cameras that seemed to be everywhere that she went. She wished that she was free to live like most people did. To go to the grocery store without being recognized. In her heart, she knew that that would probably never happen.

Zoey was pulled from her thoughts by cold water hitting her face. "You think that's funny?" she asked a giggling Serena.

Serena's only answer was to kick her feet again, sending more water toward Zoey.

Zoey used both hands to scoop water and splash it toward the child, who promptly splashed her again. Not able to suppress her smile any longer, Zoey lifted both arms and brought them both down into the water, sending a cascade of water toward Serena.

"Hey," Josh sputtered, wiping his eyes. Until now, he'd stood a foot away from Serena watching the game between the two with amusement.

"Sorry," Zoey said but she spoiled the effect by laughing.

Josh moved toward her slowly, trying to look menacing. He glanced at Serena. "I don't think so, do you?"

"Uh uh."

"Traitor," Zoey told Serena as she backed away from Josh.

Knowing that Zoey wasn't expecting it, Josh quickly dove underwater and grabbed her feet.

Zoey came up sputtering. "That wasn't fair," she accused, hiding her smile.

Holding back laughter, Josh shrugged.

"You know what?" Zoey glanced at Serena. "I think that's it."

"Yep," the child agreed.

"What's it?" Josh asked in confusion.

"Water war," they said simultaneously as they splashed water at Josh.

He barely had time to yell 'hey' before another onslaught of water was directed at him. Grinning, he began splashing wildly, trying to get them back.

After several minutes, Zoey held her hands up. "You win! I give up," she said, laughing.

Josh turned to Serena. "How about you, young lady? Are you ready to agree that I'm the best?"

Serena snorted. "The best? In your dreams. But I'm ready to stop. Can we go get a snack?"

Josh pretended to be insulted but ruined it by grinning. "Sure."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Late that evening, Zoey used the key that Kate had given them to unlock the front door. She, Josh and her agents stepped inside. Most of the lights were out and the house seemed pretty quiet.

Kate came out of the kitchen when she heard the door. She smiled when she saw Josh, Zoey and Serena. The two adults looked as relaxed as she'd ever seen them. They stood together with Serena in Josh's arms asleep. All three of them had damp hair. Zoey wore a sundress and a pair of sandals. Josh seemed comfortable in a pair of faded jeans and a Yale T-shirt. Both Josh and Zoey were smiling contentedly.

"Did you guys have a good time?" Kate asked softly so as to not disturb Serena.

"We had a very good time," Zoey answered.

"Good. I baked some cookies today. Would you like some with coffee?"

"That sounds great," Josh said. "We'll be right down after we've put Serena to bed."

They changed Serena into pajamas and tucked her into bed. In the hallway, Josh turned to look at Zoey. "Since Serena's asleep, do you think tonight would be a good time?"

Zoey saw the uncertainty in her boyfriend's eyes. She knew that it had been difficult for him to even bring the things. The idea of approaching Kate about this frightened and worried him. He didn't want to upset the older woman. "I think tonight would be a great time." She took his hand. "I really don't think she's going to mind."

Josh brushed a light kiss to her lips. "I hope you're right."

When they got downstairs, Kate was already at the table. A plate of cookies sat in the center of the table and cups of coffee waited for them.

Kate looked up when she heard them in the doorway. When she saw the box in Josh's hands, her eyes reflected curiosity. After a few silent moments, her eyes widened in recognition. "Where did you get that?" she asked softly.

Josh moved toward the table. He set the plastic box on the floor and sat down across from Kate. Zoey took the seat next to Josh, laying a comforting hand on his leg under the table. "We found it when we cleaned Sam and Donna's room out a few months ago," Josh answered.

"Did you go through it?" Kate asked

Josh shook his head negatively. "We didn't think that we should. You put this together. We felt that we should talk to you."

Kate spoke through an emotion choked throat. "You wanted my permission?"

Josh hesitated. "Not so much your permission. We... we were hoping that you'd go through it with us."

She nodded. "Of course. Let's take our coffee to the family room."

Once they were settled in the family room, Kate gestured to the box. "Can you open it?"

With a nod Zoey lifted the lid and set it aside. She handed the first item to Kate.

Kate lovingly ran her hand over the diary's cloth cover. She touched the dinky lock that Donna had been so sure would keep people out. "She wrote this when she was nine-years-old. From that time on, she always had a diary."

Josh nodded, thinking about the Cliff Calley incident.

"I... Serena should have this to know her mother by," Kate said finally.

"I was hoping that she could have the things in this box for that purpose," Josh said carefully. If Kate was insistent on having the box herself, he wouldn't argue but he hoped that she agreed.

Kate took her daughter's stuffed puppy out of the box. This was Donna's favorite stuffed animal as a child. For years, she couldn't sleep without it. She knew that Donna had had the toy out of the box during the last several years because when she'd packed these things up, he'd been close to the bottom. Tonight, the toy was on top. She smoothed her hand over the ragged fur as tears began to well in her eyes. She would love to have these things, these memories back. But she had memories. She knew what her daughter had been like, what a special person she had been. What a special person she still was, she corrected herself. "Serena can have these things," she whispered.

"Thank you."

Kate fingered a tiny dress from the box. "I'd like to be the one to go through these things with her."

Josh swallowed. "Of course. I'm sure that she'll love that when she's older."

"I hope so," Kate said. She wanted nothing more than to share her memories of her precious daughter with her granddaughter. "I... if it's okay with you, I'd like to keep these things here."

"Of course," Josh said again, now knowing that he'd done the right thing in bringing the box here to Kate. "Would you like to go through these things alone?"

Kate looked at him, surprise evident on her face. "I thought you wanted me to show you these things."

"I do. But if you'd rather go through them by yourself first, or with Jonathon, I understand. You can show them to Zoey and I another time, when you are ready to."

After a few moments, Kate nodded. "Thank you. I think that would be better."

Josh and Zoey both stood up. "We'll see you in the morning," Zoey said.

"Goodnight," Kate said before allowing her tears to begin to fall.

Josh and Zoey headed upstairs. They stopped outside the guest bedroom where Zoey was staying. Josh leaned forward, meeting her lips with his.

"I wish you could stay," Zoey said softly once they'd broken apart.

"So do I." He was staying in the red and black bedroom that had belonged to Donna's brothers. "We'll be home in a few days."

She nodded. She kissed him once more before going into the bedroom.

With a sigh, Josh walked down the hall, to his room, already missing Zoey.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''