To Serve Family
Russell carried a basket of rolls and a bottle of wine to the table, stretching to place them in the middle before standing behind his chair at the head, smiling across to Carol in her seat before speaking. "I know, that my relationship with all of you, has often been adversarial. And I know, that State has never been my territory. Your boss made sure I knew that." His eyes drifted along the guests on one side of the table, smirking when he landed on Elizabeth. "But now, I will be passing the keys on to Jay, to all of you. I've seen what you can do as a team, so I know the country's in good hands. I thought it would be nice to invite you over, serve you in a manner befitting the level of service you all have given. Even when I perhaps gave you reasons to not want to give it." He smiled when they all chuckled.
"You all are more than coworkers. You're more than Bess's staff. You're family. And in Washington, that can be a dangerous thing, but somehow you all make it work to your benefit. Now that I'm retired, I can get all soft and say that I've admired the loyalty you all show one another, even when it means putting each other, or the greater good, before yourselves." Russell raised his glass. "To the passing of the keys to people I know will be impressively successful White House staffers. To keeping your delightful, difficult, boss on track." They all laughed again. "To not wrecking the damned bus. Now let's eat."