A/N: Last chapter! What a ride! This has been a project 6 months in the making, and it's finally finished. Thank you to everyone for your comments, kudos, and support! I hope you enjoy the conclusion of this story.

With the holidays here, I'm going to take a break from writing for a few days, then see where the muse takes me. Happy Holidays everyone!

Chapter Thirteen

Saturday, February 21

Leo walked up to the front door of Observatory Circle for the second time that week and knocked firmly on the door. He glanced around as he waited, ostensibly looking for Secret Service agents, but he knew he wouldn't find many. Though he had no doubt they knew he was there, he knew most of them would be keeping a low profile.

The door opened, revealing the vice president. "Leo," Hoynes greeted, stepping to one side to let Leo enter. "The Secret Service said you were here, but I wasn't sure I believed them."

Leo stepped inside. "I'm sorry to drop by unannounced.

Hoynes closed the door and gestured for Leo to follow him. "If you're looking for Sam, I'm afraid he's not here. Suzanne took the boys to Arlington."

The two moved into the sitting room. "Arlington?" Leo asked, surprised. "The suburbs?"

"The cemetery." Hoynes gestured for Leo to take a seat, then sat beside him. "Suzanne wanted to take him; her grandfather is buried there, you know."

Leo nodded. "Actually, I'm here to see you. Sam being out might make this conversation easier."

Hoynes grimaced slightly. "I take it you head about yesterday?"

"You could say that," Leo replied, a faint hint of amusement tingeing his tone. "Toby came by my office last night and made it clear in no uncertain terms that this feud over 286 needs to stop." He smiled ruefully. "Good thing Margaret had already gone home for the day, or it'd be all over the West Wing by now."

Hoynes snorted in amusement. "You know, you wouldn't know it to look at him, but Toby's been a damn good friend to Sam. Better than anyone, to be honest."

Leo nodded in agreement. "I want you to know that I never told Sam to go to you. Hell, I didn't even know he'd gone to your office until Toby filled me in. No one did; he did that on his own."

Hoynes looked down at his hands. "I know that now. He'd said as much at the time, but I didn't listen."

An uneasy silence settled over them, each man reflecting over past actions.

Leo let out a low breath. "I'm sorry, John."

Hoynes' head snapped to him in surprise.

I never tried to understand where you were coming from on 286," Leo explained. "We might have avoided a lot of problems if I'd tried listening first."

Hoynes felt his shoulders sag as tension seeped out of them. "I'm not sure I would have been open to talking about it," he admitted. "I'm not the most approachable person when it comes to 286."

The two exchanged amused smiles, silence once more taking over.

"Sam was right about it from the start, you know," Leo suddenly said.

"Right about what?" Hoynes asked.

"He's been advocating for both of our offices to sit together and hash all this out," Leo told him. "He even made the point during one of our meetings that you weren't the enemy."

Hoynes was abashed. "I should have listened to him."

"We both should have," Leo corrected. "For a kid, he's awfully smart."

Hoynes gave Leo a curious look. "What brings you by, Leo?"

Leo smiled. "It's short notice, but how do you feel about your staff and mind sitting down together to talk about how we can get 286 through Congress?"

"You don't think we're just beating a dead horse by this point?" Hoynes asked.

"I think it's more like a case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing," Leo stated. "It's like we keep having two different conversations about 286."

Hoynes leaned back in his chair. "I don't know, Leo . . ."

"What could it hurt to hear each other out?" Leo pressed.

Hoynes met Leo's gaze and read the sincerity he found there. He nodded in acquiescence.

Leo stood. "Great," he said. "I'll have Margaret get in touch with the details. I know it doesn't always seem like it, John, but I want 286 to succeed, too. Who knows? Maybe we can put our heads together and make it happen."

Hoynes stood and walked with Leo back to the door. "From your lips to God's ears." They paused at the exit. "Thanks for stopping by, Leo."

Leo nodded. "Do me a favor," he said. "Tell Sam . . . tell Sam he was right all along. We . . . I should have listened to him."

"I'll do that," Hoynes promised.

Leo opened the door. "See you Monday, John."

"Have a good night, Leo," Hoynes replied.

Leo stepped outside, closing the door behind him with a firm click.

Monday, February 23

The door slammed shut behind Toby, rattling the frames on the wall. "You're an ass!"

Josh glanced up from where he had been shoving folders into his backpack. "As much as I enjoy our witty repartee, I need to get to the Hill. Hoynes canceled his appointments up there today for some reason. I want to try and squeeze a couple more votes for our side before he has the chance to undercut me again."

"You're staying put," Toby stated.

"You know, despite all appearances, you're not actually the boss of me," Josh shot back. He closed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. "Why don't you go find Sam? I'm sure he's waiting in your office to tell you about his uncle, the Prime Minister of England or something."

Toby rolled his eyes. "Jealousy doesn't suit you. And I might not be your boss, but Leo is. And Leo is the one who scheduled a meeting between our staff and Hoynes' this afternoon."

Josh's backpack slid down his arm and landed on the floor at his feet with a loud thunk. "What?" he cried.

Toby nodded. "Hoynes canceled his appointments on the Hill for this meeting," he told Josh. "He's willing to sit and talk about what it would take to pass 286."

Josh shook his head. "That sounds like something Sam would say," he said bitterly.

"Just what the hell is your problem?" Toby demanded.

"My problem?" Josh echoed, his voice rising. "I don't have a problem! I'm working my ass off doing my job while everyone else has been busy with Sam's new family!"

"Is that it?" Toby pressed. "You're feeling left out?"

"I'm supposed to be his best friend!" Josh yelled.

"So, what, he should have told you first?" Toby asked.

"You're damn right he should have told me first!" Josh cried. "Why the hell didn't he?"

"Well, I don't know," Toby snapped. "Could it be because ten seconds after you found out, you made it all about you? Could it be that he needed someone who could be objective about the fact that his entire life is in an uproar, and his best friend and his father are at each other's throats?"

Josh blinked in shock at Toby, the truth of his words taking the wind right out of his sails.

"Do I think he should have told you first?" Toby ranted. "Yeah, I do! But you were so busy trying to figure out just how far up your ass you could stick your head that he came to me! Maybe if you take a step back and think about what Sam's going through instead of yourself, you'd figure it out!"

He turned and wrenched the door open. "Oh, and that meeting with Leo and Hoynes? You're going too. One o'clock. Don't be late."

Toby stormed out. Josh stared dumbly after Toby for a long moment, then glanced down at his backpack. Looking over at his computer screen, he took a deep breath.

"DONNA!"

It was a curious and intrigued group of people that slowly filtered into the Roosevelt room that afternoon, eyes automatically cataloguing the faces of those already there before breaking off to join friends at the large table. Sam couldn't blame them; he could only recall one other time when the president's staff and vice president's staff had met together, both groups preferring to do their jobs with minimal contact from the other.

A low murmuring filled the room, too low for anyone to make out their neighbor's conversations, but the same general question seemed to be on everyone's lips. Sam wondered how everyone would react once the purpose for their meeting was revealed. He knew this meeting was long overdue and desperately needed, but the events of the previous Friday were too fresh for him to feel confident in his opinion.

He fidgeted nervously in his seat, accidentally bumping Toby beside him. Toby looked over at him.

"Calm down," he said. "This was your idea."

"It was also my idea to talk to my dad last Friday," Sam immediately countered. "We saw how that turned out."

"You seem back to your usual idealistic self as of this morning, so it seemed to have worked out okay," Toby stated.

Several more people walked into the room. Josh was among them, his expression downcast as he moved to claim a chair further down the table. Sam frowned in concern at him.

"What's wrong with Josh?" he asked.

"What makes you think anything's wrong?" Toby asked.

Sam shook his head, still watching his friend. "I know Josh. Something's up."

Toby grunted. "We had some words earlier. Maybe he's finally decided to remove his head from his ass."

Sam turned to him in surprise. "What did you say?"

"Mostly, 'take your head out of your ass'," Toby quipped.

The vice president chose that moment to arrive. Everyone rose to their feet, Sam still trying to wrap his head around what Toby had said.

Hoynes nodded at the staffers, waving them back to their seats. He greeted a few of his own staff by name, thanking them for rearranging their schedules. The smile he gave Sam sent the tension melting out of his frame.

"I'm glad to see I'm not too late," Hoynes stated. He glanced at his Chief of Staff, who had just joined him. "Mark. Good." He looked around. "Who are we still missing?"

"Steve was meeting with CJ during lunch," Mark told him. "They should both be here any minute but that's our staff."

"The president had a meeting that couldn't be rescheduled, and Leo's with him," Toby added. "They'll be here soon."

Hoynes nodded and moved to sit across from Sam at the table. "How's the speech coming?" he asked Sam and Toby. "From what Sam tells me, it's almost done."

Toby nodded. "Thankfully, that's true. And if we've learned anything from this, it's that planning the State of the Union Address for next year will begin on Wednesday."

Hoynes chuckled as Steve and CJ walked into the room, still deep in discussion as they took a couple of chairs near Josh.

Barely another minute passed when the door opened again and Bartlet strode in with Leo at his side. Everyone in the room stood again as Bartlet said, "Good afternoon! How is everyone doing?"

Several variations of 'doing well' answered him. Bartlet nodded and sat at the head of the table. Leo took the chair next to him as everyone settled back down.

Bartlet's eyes sought out Hoynes. "John, thank you for agreeing to meet with us, especially with just a couple day's notice."

"Of course, sir," Hoynes replied. "I'm looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish here."

Bartlet cast his gaze around the table. "I'm sure some of you are wondering why we called this meeting." He looked at his Chief of Staff. "Leo?"

Leo nodded and took over. "It's no secret to anyone here that the president's staff has been working towards moving an amended version of the vice president's bill 286 to the floor for a vote. We called this meeting to find a way to come together and modify 286 in a way that we could all see as effective so it can pass and help its intended recipients."

Sam noted the disbelief passing over several faces.

"John, why don't you share some background on 286 with us?" Leo suggested.

Hoynes met the eyes shifting to him with practiced confidence. "I became aware of a serious achievement gap between students in affluent schools and students of poverty. Research at the time reported a number of factors, including homel life, education level of parents, teacher qualifications, and so on. One major trend that I believed the government could help fix was access to resources. Now, when I wrote 286, technology was still being developed and costs were quite high. The internet was also nowhere near what it is now, but over the years, it's become given that students with access to a global community can learn and grow and be more prepared to compete in the job market after they graduate. Right now, there is a wide and increasing gap between our minority populations, and it's our responsibility as their leaders to do what we must to see them succeed."

Hoynes' passion and belief swept the room, injecting a similar fervor into those in attendance.

Bartlet nodded. "Well said," he replied. "And I agree with you. We need to find a way to reach those schools and students who need our help."

Hoynes smiled ruefully. "Unfortunately, Congress disagrees. To reach this goal, it's going to cost the taxpayers a significant amount of money. If we can get around the cost, we won't have a problem passing 286."

"Which is why my staff has proposed we expand 'computers' to 'devices' to allow for more cost-efficient options," Bartlet stated.

Hoynes nodded. "Which is a good idea."

"And we drop the section on providing internet access," Bartlet finished.

A scowl tugged down Hoynes' smile. "Which, as I've stated before, makes 286 pointless. What good are computers and tablets if students can't access the internet with them?"

"What are students supposed to do with internet if we don't give them computers to connect it to?" Josh pointed out.

A speechwriter from Hoynes' staff that Sam knew vaguely as Rick spoke up. "Is there no way to fund both?"

Hoynes shook his head. "We narrowed the scope down to low-income/high-need schools only in one of 286's amendments, but the cost for both was still too high. Funding for that smaller population would still require a tax hike to cover it, and there's no way it would make it out of the House."

"Couldn't schools pay for one or the other?" CJ suggested.

"Not the schools that would qualify for this," Sam spoke up. "Their funding is scaled back enough as it is. They wouldn't be able to cover either one."

"Why not work out a deal with companies to donate devices to us?" Steve said. "That would free us up to pay for the internet access."

"Those companies would lose millions of dollars," Josh said. "They might be able to swing a couple, but a couple million?"

"Besides, a monthly cost for internet access would make the government pay far more than anything we would pay for devices," Leo added.

"And we're right back where we started," said CJ. "Pay for devices and not the internet."

"Not necessarily," Rick said. "Lots of families nowadays have smartphones and cheaper tablets. If we provide wifi to them, it would help cut cellular costs."

"Using that logic, we could provide devices and send them to businesses that provide free wifi," Josh countered. "A lot more businesses are doing that now."

Through the discussion, Hoynes was painfully aware of how silent Sam was. He watched his son carefully, his weeks of engaging in debates over breakfast helping him to recognize the signs of Sam biting back his arguments.

"Sam?" Hoynes quietly prompted.

Sam looked at him. "Sir?"

Hoynes tilted his head slightly. "What do you think?"

Sam glanced around, finding everyone's attention shifted to him. He turned back to Hoynes, shaking his head. "Nothing, sir."

Hoynes knew better by now than to take Sam's response at face value. "So you agree that providing internet access is our best option?"

Sam looked up and down the table again before meeting Hoynes' expectant look. "I . . . no, sir."

Josh's expression turned smug. "So we go with devices."

Sam shook his head again. "Sorry, Josh, but that's not going to work, either. The vice president is right; schools need the internet access in order to show any significant growth in achievement. Just having computers won't be enough." He turned to Hoynes. "The president is right, too. Having the internet access with nothing to connect it to is about as effective as buying a leash and not adopting the dog. The only way 286 will work is if we find a way to provide both."

"So 286 goes back into a drawer," Mark stated in dismay.

"I don't accept that," Bartlet disagreed. "This is a good bill. It's going to do a lot of good for the students in this country."

Sam's mind whirred with possible solutions, one germ of an idea beginning to take root.

"Sure, but unless someone agrees to foot the bill, there's nothing we can do," Josh pointed out. "I mean, we were close to a solution with Winters, but that didn't exactly work out."

Hoynes' attention was back on Sam, watching patiently as one thought after another chased across his face. Sam's eyes lifted, meeting Hoynes'. Hoynes quirked an eyebrow.

"Subsidies." The word seemed to fall off of Sam's lips.

Everyone stopped and looked at Sam. "What?" Leo asked.

Sam zeroed in on Bartlet. "Sir, what if we offer subsidies to telecommunications companies that agree to build new internet towers and donate access to their network to low-income schools at a reduced cost without raising fees for internet plans?"

A stunned silence filled the room as everyone worked to process Sam's words.

"And you think those companies will just go for that?" Rick finally asked.

"Why not?" Sam said. "We offer subsidies in agriculture, for dairy farmers, for energy companies. It works for them."

Josh's smile suggested he wasn't entirely certain if Sam was serious. "Well, yeah, but those all provide products that we need."

"What, we don't need this?" Sam countered. "Think about it; every year since its inception, computers, phones, tablets, all of this has grown more and more in demand. The internet is expanding with new information, new ways to communicate and collaborate, and with new uses we're still coming up with. Why can't we use subsidies for these companies?"

"What about the hit to their profit margins?" Steve asked. "They'd be providing internet access to families who couldn't afford it anyway."

"Look, these companies are looking to build new towers anyway to meet the growing demand for internet access and speed," Sam stated. "And they're building them on land they don't own, which of course, they'd have to pay for. They could even work out a deal with the schools we'd be asking them to help; instead of paying with money, they pay with internet access at a significantly reduced cost. They aren't losing current customers, and are actually adding on a new bracket of clients."

"Clients who still might not be able to afford the monthly fees," Hoynes reminded him.

"The cost of which could be covered by the subsidies," Sam insisted.

A low thrum of excitement began to build in the room.

Josh held up a finger. "Why not just raise taxes on the construction of towers?" he suggested.

"At the end of the day, these companies are still trying to turn a profit," Toby spoke up. "If we raise taxes, they raise their fees. We might actually lose money going that route."

"So if companies get a tax break, they can afford to build more towers," Hoynes summed up, turning the idea over in his head. "More towers, more access."

Sam nodded earnestly. "And that would free up funds from Appropriations for the devices. We might not be able to get enough for every single student right now, but we could help schools get there."

Hoynes looked over at Bartlet. Bartlet raised his eyebrows at Hoynes.

"Well, John?" Bartlet asked. "What do you think?"

Hoynes glanced at Sam, who was watching in avid anticipation. He turned back to the president.

"I think we're going to need some help to pull this off, but I think we're finally on the right track," Hoynes declared.

The excitement rose several notches.

"Agreed," Bartlet stated. "Would you like to take the lead on the committee? It's only fitting, after all."

"If I can borrow some of your people?" Hoynes asked with a small smile.

"Only borrow," Bartlet agreed, pointing at Hoynes and smiling. "Not keep." He clapped his hands together. "Excellent work, everyone. I look forward to seeing this come together."

The president stood, bringing everyone to their feet. As soon as he had left the room, Leo on his heels, everyone turned to Hoynes.

"If you'd like to volunteer for the committee, please see Mark," Hoynes announced. "He'll be in touch with you after a few days. Great work, everyone."

At the dismissal, everyone broke off into groups. Several left right away while a few more lingered. Sam started to walk to the door with Toby, needing to revise the administration goals speech, when Hoynes intercepted him and caught his elbow.

"Thank you, Sam," he said.

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "But . . . I didn't really do anything."

"You made it possible for me to keep a promise to your mother," Hoynes told him. "I'm proud of you."

Sam blushed at the praise. He gave his father a shy smile.

"Sam!"

Hoynes and Sam turned to where Toby was hovering in the doorway.

"We have a speech to revise!" Toby barked. "Are you planning on coming or not?"

Sam let out a huff of laughter. "I better go," he told Hoynes.

Hoynes nodded. "Me too. Still on for dinner tonight?"

"That's the plan," Sam replied. "I'll text if I'm running late."

As he headed to join Toby, Sam caught Josh's eyes. For the first time since the truth of his family had come to light, Sam could find no sign of anger or hostility.

Following Toby out of the room, Sam allowed himself to feel a spark of hope for salvaging their friendship.

Tuesday, February 24

The sun was not yet up as Sam walked through the West Wing towards his office. The lights were still dimmed in deference to the early hour, and aside from the security staff and custodians, it felt as though Sam had the wing all to himself.

With the address that evening, Sam wanted to get a head start on his inbox before Hoynes arrived for breakfast. As Elliot preceded him into the office, Sam reflected on the difference it made to have a family to balance out his work life. Before, he would have simplys stayed overnight to get work done.

Sam had just set his briefcase on his desk and was shaking off his winter coat when he suddenly caught sight of a figure sitting nearby in the corner of his eye. He jerked in surprise, arms still tangled up in his sleeves.

Josh gave him a small wave. "Morning, Sam."

"Josh?" Sam finished removing his coat. "What the hell? Why are you sitting in the dark? In my office?" He turned to Elliot, who had a long-suffering expression on his face. "Did you know he was in here?"

"I did," Elliot replied. "I saw him when I walked in. Clearly we still need to work on your situational awareness."

Sam glared at him.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Josh said. "The lamp was on. I thought you might be here."

Sam glanced at his desk lamp. Sure enough, it was switched on. He frowned at Josh. "You wanted to see me? Does Elliot need to stay to referee?"

To Sam's surprise, Josh's expression became abashed. He shook his head. "No, I . . . I wanted to apologize."

Sam stared at Josh, stunned. Looking over at Elliot, he nodded. Elliot nodded back and quietly left the office, but left the door open behind him.

Sam turned back to Josh. "Apologize?"

Josh leaned forward in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Turns out, I've been acting like an ass the last few weeks instead of a friend. You've had your whole life upended, and I certainly didn't make things easier for you."

Sam didn't disagree. He nodded mutely and looked away.

"I'm sorry, man," Josh said softly. "I wish I could go back and do it right. Be a better friend."

The two lapsed into silence for a few minutes.

"How, um . . . how are you?" Josh tried. "How is it being Hoynes' son?"

Sam lowered his chin, giving Josh a doubtful look. "You really want to know?"

Josh nodded emphatically.

A faint smile appeared on Sam's lips. "It's good," he answered. "Great. He's a great dad. He helped me a lot this last month."

Josh nodded again, this time thoughtfully. "That's good. That's really good." He glanced around the office. "I, um . . . I kind of expected you to have stayed overnight again. What with the administration goals speech tonight."

Sam shrugged. "I probably would have, but Mom wanted me to come home for dinner last night. Especially since Dad and I are going to be out late tonight with the speech."

"Right." Josh fell silent again.

Sam took pity on Josh, seeing him make the effort to try and reconnect. "I'm still me, Josh. I'm still the same guy you met back when we were congressional aides together. The same guy you came and got in New York. Hoynes being my father didn't change anything about that."

Josh snorted. "Right, yeah. I know. It's just . . . I can't quite imagine Hoynes as a dad."

Sam chuckled. "It was hard for me at first, too, but you get used to it."

Josh laughed with him. He glanced at his watch and stood. "Well . . . I better let you get to it. You've got a big night tonight."

He started to leave. Sam was suddenly hit with a flash of inspiration. "Josh?"

Josh paused and looked back.

"I'm meeting up with Jake and Jamie for lunch today," he told Josh. "Would you like to join us?"

Surprise and uncertainty flickered across Josh's face. "Oh, I don't want to intrude on your time with your brothers."

Sam felt encouraged by the utter lack of disdain this time. "You're my brother too, Josh. You could never be intruding."

Josh began to smile. "Okay. Sure. Sounds like fun. See you then?"

Sam nodded. "We'll swing by your office."

Josh nodded and left, a light bounce to his step.

Smiling, Sam settled behind his desk and booted up his computer. He pulled folders from his inbox in front of him, settling into his work with a lighter heart than he'd had in a long time.

END