First Day in Office
Do you, Jennifer Charlotte Edwards Hart promise to faithfully execute the Office of the Presidency to the best of your ability, protect and preserve the Constitution of the United States?
"I, Jennifer Charlotte Edwards Hart do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
"Congratulations, you are now the first woman President of the United States" The Judge pronounced Jennifer
"Thank you" She whispered and lowered her hand
The whole thing had come together in a matter of hours and in just a few moments, she'd be giving her first press conference, she'd never been this nervous before, sitting in the oval office in Jonathan's Chair, she felt very much like Alice in Wonderland.
Jennifer understood why Jonathan was so stressed out, all the paperwork on her desk and calls to return as well as the amount of meetings crammed into a day was overwhelming, She'd been rushed into hair and makeup quickly as well as dressed in her best Christian Rinaldo dress, they didn't even leave the room so she could change, she didn't even have time to check on the babies.
Or Tell Jonathan that she was about to take over the one thing in the world that mattered most to him
"Ma'am" Charlie shook her out of her daydream "CJ said there's been a 10 minute delay"
"Alright Thanks Charlie" She was so scared, she found the bottle of scotch under Jonathan's desk drawer and poured a drink to calm her nerves
Charlie had gone back to his desk and returned a few minutes later
"Ma'am, you have a visitor,"
"I do, who?!" Jennifer was surprised
Charlie paused then said "Sally Langford"
Jennifer made a face then put the glass down "Five Minutes then I don't care if you have to get the Secret Service in here"
"Yes Ma'am"
Jennifer took a deep breath and put down the scotch, standing up she made sure her dress was pulled down enough and put on her game face
"Mrs. Hart" Sally Langford rushed in past Charlie who rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him "I heard about the President, Is he alright?" and grabbed her in a hug
Jennifer smiled at the mock insincerity, pulling back "It's going to be a long road but I have no doubt in my mind, he'll be back in office before the Mid-term elections in four months"
"I'm sure when he does come back, he'll be able to resume immediately but until then with Bob Mackenzie gone then I guess I'll be stepping up to take over, Don't worry you and your lovely little daughters can stay in the residence" Sally Langford wasn't one to mince words
"Well, actually I've been asked to take over while my Husband recovers" Jennifer braced herself for the backfire
"Excuse me" Sally acted as if she'd been slapped "How is that possible"
"Well My staffers found a loophole that allows to me run the country in Jonathan's absence"
"But Darlin, Don't you think your time can be spent doing something much more productive"
Jennifer had sat down in Jonathan desk chair and began to stare down the Speaker of the House "Such as"
"Such as continuing your duties as a wife and mother to those three innocent children"
"Two, I have two daughters"
"Anyway, your focus should be on them and the recovery of the President,"
"I'll thank to stay out of my family's personal business, In the meantime, I'm the interim President for the time being."
"I just believe that someone with experience should be in the Office"
"Someone like.. you?"
"Well, Yes I do have extensive experience"
"Sally, I have a conference in about two minutes and as much as I'd like to get into a pissing match over this, I'm just going to leave it at this. I am now the President, If your so concerned about family dynamics, take a look at your own before you go criticizing mine."
"Excuse me" Sally stood up
"Let's just say..Your Husband's late night meetings with a certain member of the Press Core haven't gone unnoticed by anyone"
"What my husband does is our business and what skeletons he does have in our mutual closet at least don't have little bastards running around"
"Sally, I suggest you stop while you still have a breath in your body" Jennifer was angry, she couldn't believe that Sally was stooping that low
"And You, Jennifer need to learn how to step aside when told to" Sally turned and marched out the door
"Oh go hop back on your broomstick" Jennifer yelled just as Charlie appeared
"Ma'am, it's time"
"Charlie, when we're done with the Press Conference, I want to see Ron Butterfield, Mike and Sam"
"Yes, Ma'am" Charlie nodded "Is there going to be some sort of trouble"
"Not yet but it's on the horizon, my instincts tell me" Jennifer nodded and left for the Briefing room
Jennifer paced outside the briefing room, the butterflies building in her stomach "Oh my, what am I doing? This is crazy! I can't do this"
"Yes, You can" A voice called, a familiar gruff voice that sounded like Max's but had more of a polished twinge
"Leo!" Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief "I thought you were getting into town tomorrow"
"Well I had to stop and see an old friend and I figured while I was in town early, I would come sooner and I guess I arrived in the nick of time"
Jennifer smiled "I'm so lost here"
"Well I have a message for you from someone who loves you" Leo pulled out his phone and glasses "I never know how this damn thing works"
She rolled her eyes and took the phone from him, opening his saved videos and seeing it was Jonathan who had sent it to her, she thought she'd had enough time to finish the conference and go back to the hospital in time to be there when he woke up
"Hi Darling, Leo told me what's going on and I gotta say I can't think of a better person to fill in for me. You are a born leader and I'm so proud of you. I know Leo and the rest of the staff will be on hand to help you and when it's over, I'll show you who's the real commander in Chief" he wiggled his eye-brows but obviously to do that was causing him pain because he flinched at the movement
It hadn't occurred to her how much she had been missing him until that moment but somehow, knowing that Jonathan was throwing his support to her made Jennifer feel more confident.
"Thanks, Leo" She hugged Leo
"Well that's the sort of things old friends do for each other, Now when you are done here, I'll be back down in the Sit room with the Joint Chiefs and we'll go over some security plans"
"You're such a good friend" She hugged him one final time before Carol, CJ's assistant waved to her it was time.
Jennifer walked away; She didn't hear Leo mutter "I'm more than just a friend, Kiddo"
"Ma'am, are you ready?" Carol asked noticing how pale Jennifer was
"No but I guess I can't turn back now" She took a deep breath and stopped up to the podium
"Ladies and Gentleman, the President of the United States, Jennifer Charlotte Edwards Hart!" CJ announced
Jennifer was blinded by the flashbulbs and bumped into the podium, "Good afternoon, I just wanted to make the announcement that in my husband's absence and recovery, I will be stepping in his place and I will do everything in my power to the job that my husband was elected to do. This will be most important job I will ever have aside from being a wife and a mother"
"We'll just a take a few questions" CJ announced
"Have you spoken to your husband about taking his job?!" one reporter shouted
"No because He's been under medication for his injuries but I do know that he is very supportive"
"Who'll be watching the girls while you are running the country?"
"They are still small that I can cart them around the White House and I do have help and without my beloved Nanny, I couldn't even begin to do a decent job"
"Don't you feel you'll be abandoning them because your attention will be divided?"
"No this is a job like any other mother would have to balance and I chose to do both"
"What will happen when President Hart Returns?"
"I will gladly step aside and allow my husband to return to his post"
"Why do you think you were chosen over Sally Langford"
"I think because I understand a life beyond Washington Politics, I've been both the socialite and a civilian, I believe I can identify with the people better"
"Ma'am" CJ nudged her
Jennifer instantly knew she must have done something wrong but CJ instead handed her a slip of paper
"I have an announcement, Nikki Stephanos has passed away from her illness , the President and I convey our deepest to her son August and as soon as we know more, so will you..Thank you" She stepped off the podium and nearly ran out of the briefing room
"Ma'am, what are you going to do about Nikki Stephano's son?" CJ asked
"As soon as they bury her, make arrangements for him to come to Washington .."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, If he is indeed my husband's son, I want him here so we can establish a relationship plus I have a feeling if we don't do something, Sally will use that as leverage to push us out of the White House" Jennifer decided
TWO WEEKS LATER
Jennifer had been in the White House for only a few weeks but it seemed like a lifetime, Balancing the girls and the job had been difficult and there were days when she barely saw, which filled her with regret that their childhood was passing without either of them being there but Jonathan would be home soon, the doctors had said, although he had limited movement he could still progress enough to make the transition to the White House under strict supervision but under no circumstances could he return to the job.
It could be months or even years before He'd be back in Office.
His return would boost her moral so much; she hadn't realized how empty she felt and how much she'd depended on him.
She didn't care where he was as long as he was back in her arms soon.
But before he came home, there would be a new member of their family joining them.
August Stephanos would be arriving from Greece to his possible father's residence, she hadn't made contact with him as August had to deal with the burial of his mother and settling her estate but as soon as he could, he would be arriving and her nerves were growing every second.
"Ma'am," Margaret called "Mike just called, their coming through the gate right now"
"Thank you Margaret" Jennifer suddenly felt like a kid on her first date, she made sure her hair and skirt were smooth and that the room was straightened up
"Charlie, can you call Hannah and tell her to bring down Sophie and Tess"
"Of course Ma'am"
The minutes seemed to crawl by and suddenly she could hear a crush of whispers outside the Oval.
She couldn't take it anymore and stepped out into the Office and came face to face with what Jonathan Charles Hart must have looked like at 15, the same face, eyes, the dimple, even his widow's peak was identical.
"Jonathan" She whispered
"No Ma'am, August" He even sounded like Jonathan,
No DNA test needed.
"I'm sorry, Welcome to Washington" She spoke as if he didn't understand a word she was saying
"Ma'am I may have been born in Greece but I was educated in Chicago" August smiled
And she resisted every urge she had to scream "Please I know you're not my husband but just hug me"
"I'm sorry, I just can't get over how much you resemble my husband" She shook her head
"Speaking of your husband, is it possible we could see him soon, I've heard my mother speak so much of him and I'll like to get to know my father before I return to Greece"
"You're not going to be staying indefinitely with us?" She had to admit, She was disappointed, maybe she was that lonely
"My country needs a strong leader now that my mother is gone and I need to go back to ensure it continues to thrive"
"Yes, your mother.. I was so sorry to hear of her demise"
"Thank you"
They were interrupted by a baby crying
"Excuse me" Jennifer got up and let Hannah in with the girls, who looked like she was at her wit's end
"I'm sorry Ma'am, but Sophie's beginning to have a tooth poke through and nothing seems to console her"
"It's alright, Come here Sophie Girl," Jennifer took her which only made Sophie scream harder
"Can I try" August said and took the baby, he pulled something out of his bag and rubbed on her gums, instantly she settled down and smiled
"Wow, what did you give her?" Jennifer was impressed
"Old Grecian recipe" August smiled and Jennifer felt her heart move.
"Mrs. Hart, We have the car ready" Mike came in and stopped short seeing at the carbon copy of Jonathan Hart "Whoa"
"Mike, this is August" Jennifer introduced her Agent to August
"Nice to meet you" August had obviously been trained well in manners, a clear trait of Jonathan Hart.
After Mike recovered, They were soon on their way to the Hospital, it must have been a sight, The new President, her twin daughters, the possible illegimate son of the former President and the British Nanny plus three agents.
After they arrived at the Hospital, Jennifer went into Jonathan's room first to speak to him first, he was medicated and asleep, He suddenly looked as if he'd aged twenty years.
"Don't think about it" He said as if he could read her mind with his eyes closed
"Think about what?" She wiped her face, she didn't realize she'd been crying.
"I promise I'm going to walk the hell out of here, go back to the residence and make love to you like we did before we came to Washington"
"I know you will" She didn't care about that as long as he was able to walk, that's all that mattered
"In the meantime, why don't you crawl into bed with Daddy" he smiled through his closed eyes
"Speaking of Daddy, There's some people here who'd like to see you" Jennifer stood up but not before his arm suddenly shot out and pulled her forward.
"We can't, not here" She whispered although that the moment she didn't care if the entire ICU came in, she was thrilled that he was beginning to feel like himself.
"We've never had any problem doing it in a public place, Remember the Magic Kingdom?"
"Oh yeah" She remembered how they were walking through Cinderella's castle and He'd suddenly grabbed her, looking around, he dragged her to the top of the castle, nearly out of sight but definitely not out of sound and that he was so eager to make her scream that he ripped her bra and was fumbling with her panties when two of Cinderella's guards caught them and as they were struggling to get dressed, Cinderella herself came to the castle and personally yelled at them.
"Ma'am?" Mike poked his head into the hospital but backed off when he saw Jennifer on top of Jonathan "I'm sorry but Hannah says that the girls are getting fussier"
"Alright Mike, send them in" Jennifer reluctantly climbed off of Jonathan and went to the door to help Hannah, who was struggling with both babies, She took Tess and the others followed behind, what she wasn't ready for was how emotional Jonathan would get seeing his daughters "Darling, are you alright?"
"I can't believe how big they've gotten" He was angry at himself for missing so much of their baby days
"They've missed you too, please don't be upset" She brought the babies over to the bed and sat them on the edge just out of the reach of the IVs they could possibly pull out with their little hands
"Darling, there's someone else who's here to see you"
"Who's that" He studied his babies faces, they had more hair than he remembered and he didn't realize that even though they were so young, they would begin to get taller and how mobile they'd become
August came in and stood quietly in front of the man he'd envisioned his entire life, the very man his mother had set the standards for raising him and for him to idolize. Everything He knew about being a man was because of Jonathan Hart.
"Hi Dad" August smiled
"Darling, this is your son" Jennifer said
THE END
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