A/N: Here's the next chapter! In this one, Ellie's downward spiral comes to a head. Hope you enjoy, please read and review!
Chapter 14: Commencement; Yankee Doodle Dandy
It had been three months since Amy had left Scott and Justin in the lurch. At first, Scott had thought that Amy might come back still even with signing the divorce papers. But it soon became clear, when Amy sent papers relinquishing her parental rights, that she was never coming back. It was probably just as well, Scott thought. After all, she had abandoned Josh and Ellie under very much the same circumstances.
But if what had happened to him so far in Liberty was any indication, then Scott knew that just like Josh, he would have a village-both literally and figuratively-to help.
He now had a steady job as a building inspector for the town. It didn't bring in a ton of work, but it allowed him to pay the bills. He also commuted into Hanover to work on any and all construction jobs that came out of his firm. He also saved up enough of his savings to make a down payment on an apartment in Liberty-a small timeshare-like apartment above the mayor's office. It was small, but Scott felt it would be worth it if Justin, now two and a half, could grow up in a happy environment where he would hopefully grow up with kids his age.
It was now late spring, and things were hopping in Liberty. Ellie was finishing up her sophomore year and was still dating Leighton. Josh didn't like Leighton much, but shrugged off his feelings, figuring that it was just him being in overprotective father mode. Zoey had gone back to Georgetown to attend graduate school, and the Bartlets had adjusted to their empty-nest syndrome.
But the big event of May was still to come, and it would be a huge milestone for two of Liberty's residents. In the last week of May, Donna would complete her senior year of college and graduate summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire.
The week before Donna's graduation, CJ was working in the diner and watching Abbie Jean, who had turned 4 two months earlier, while Donna attended a graduation rehearsal at the college.
CJ smiled at the little girl, who was flipping through a picture book at the counter, her blonde hair falling in waves on her shoulders. She couldn't believe that Abbie Jean was already four: it seemed like just yesterday that she had been born.
Abbie Jean looked up at her, curious. "What are you looking at, Aunt CJ?"
CJ chuckled, then grinned. "You, you silly goose. I can't believe how big you are."
The little girl lit up. "I'm a big girl now!"
"Yes, you most certainly are!" CJ laughed. "Come here, little miss."
Abbie Jean obediently trotted over, and CJ hugged her close. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"And I don't know what I'd do without you, Aunt CJ."
Just then, Donna came through the door. "Hey, guys."
"Mommy!" Abbie Jean cried, leaping into her mother's arms for a hug.
"Hey, sweetheart!" Donna said, lifting her daughter up and swinging her around. "Did you have fun with Aunt CJ?"
"Yeah! How was rehearsal?"
"It went well." Donna moved to sit down on a stool, balancing a garment bag that she laid next to her. "Thank you for asking."
Her daughter poked at the bag. "What's this?"
"This," Donna said, holding out the bag for Abbie Jean to see, "is what I'm going to wear tomorrow."
CJ gasped in astonished delight. "You got it?"
"Yep," Donna replied.
"Can I see it?" Abbie Jean asked excitedly.
Donna nodded. Pulling out the black cap and gown, as well as her gold stole signifying that she was graduating with honors, she slipped on the gown and put the cap on her head. "What do you think?"
Both squealed with glee.
"My friend, the scholar!" CJ exclaimed, wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you." Donna replied gratefully. "I'm not sure I ever could've done this without you, so thank you."
She started to say something, then hesitated. "Um...you know, we're gonna have to start thinking seriously about what we talked about before."
CJ nodded silently. "Yeah, I know."
Donna had come to her about two weeks earlier and told her that she had made the decision that when she graduated college, the time had come for her and Abbie Jean to move to a place more substantial. There was a small house for sale, just a hop, skip, and jump away from the area where Josh, Ellie, and the Bartlets lived. Donna had scraped together the money to put down a down payment (though Jed had told her she could have the place for half price), and they would be moving the next week.
Donna sighed, then smiled slightly. "I'm gonna miss you like crazy. And I know Abbie Jean will, too." At the sound of her name, Abbie Jean perked up her ears. "But...it's time. She's getting older, she's going to need space to run around, to have her own room. I'd rather do it now, than wait until she's older."
"And you want space for Josh when he stays over, too?" CJ asked knowingly.
"Well…" Donna trailed off. "That'll be a nice bonus."
CJ smiled back. "I'm gonna miss you too, Donna. More than you will ever know. But I get it. It's time." She came around the counter and wrapped Donna in a hug. "You're gonna do great, though. I believe in you."
Donna just held on to her friend, tears brimming in her eyes. "Thanks."
Thoughts were beginning to percolate in CJ's mind. After all, Donna hadn't said she was finding a new job yet, but she couldn't stay a waitress all her life. Maybe it was time to give Donna a promotion…
…
Several days later, it was graduation day for the University of New Hampshire's Class of 2004, including one Donna Moss.
Donna had gotten eight tickets for her graduation, so she invited her parents, Abbie Jean, Josh, CJ, Ellie, Jed, and Abbey. They all sat in a row on the left side of the folding chairs facing the dais, reading their glossy programs and chatting excitedly.
They all quieted down as a recording of "Pomp and Circumstance" began to play from somewhere in the venue. A sea of black gowns began to file in, and the Liberty crew began to look eagerly for Donna.
Abbie Jean saw her first. "Mommy! Mommy!"
CJ grinned and clicked her camera wildly as Donna looked back and gave them a small wave. Her parents were tearing up, watching the day they thought would never come. Ellie was smiling proudly, but inside, she was nervous. She had a big announcement to make to her father later, and she wasn't sure at all how he would take it. And Josh was watching with pride in his eyes as his girlfriend took the first step in the rest of her life.
The commencement ceremony got underway, and CJ found her mind wandering. She remembered first meeting Donna at the diner when she came in-four months pregnant and running from, as it turned out, her abusive ex-boyfriend who wanted nothing more than to track her down and make her pay for leaving him. She remembered standing up for Donna in the town square when Toby was confronting her and giving her a job. And then, of course, she thought about Abbie Jean.
Watching from behind Donna as she came into the world, knowing that she had even a small part in helping to bring her there.
Holding her in her arms, barely a day old and already so much a part of her life.
Making sure that even at four months and with her mother facing prison time, that she would have a good life.
Watching her take her first shaky steps on the floor of the diner, as the customers watched adoringly.
Her first words in the loft.
And of course, the spunky, smart, beautiful little girl she had grown into today, that now sat on her lap watching her mother take a step that had taken her years to accomplish.
Finally, the President of the college announced the degrees for the Bachelor of Science candidates. As he announced the candidates for Business Administration, everyone cheered loudly. Donna and her classmates all stood and moved their tassels, before the President announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the University of New Hampshire's Class of 2004!"
Everyone cheered again as everyone's caps, including Donna's, went up into the air.
"Yay, Mommy!" Abbie Jean yelled, though she knew her mother couldn't hear her.
And after the ceremony had ended, Abbie Jean was the first to find her mom. "Mommy, you did it!"
"She sure did, kiddo," Josh said, wrapping them both up in a hug and his eyes sparkling with excitement. "She sure did."
…
An hour later, Donna's graduation party was underway at the diner. Everyone in town, it seemed, wanted to talk to the new graduate and find out what her plan was.
"You know there's always a spot for you in the Mayor's office, Donna," Jed told her as they sat at a table in the diner. "We could use a good financial manager to keep an eye on our budget."
"That's very kind, sir, but...I don't want to leave CJ in the lurch." Donna explained.
Jed raised his hands. "It's not a one-time offer. Just think about it."
Donna nodded. "I will."
CJ, sitting nearby, was again struck by the thought she had had a few days previously. And today, she decided to do something about it.
"You know, Donna, I've been thinking about you and your future at the diner. I know that after getting a Bachelor's degree, the last thing you probably want to do is to keep being a waitress." She reached for her hand. "If you want to move on professionally, too, I'll understand."
Donna smiled gratefully. "Thank you for that, CJ. But I don't want to just leave, either. I love working at the diner. I'm already moving out of the loft. I'm not ready to move on professionally. At least not yet."
"I know." CJ replied. "Which is why I have a suggestion to make."
"What's that?"
"I'm prepared to offer you a promotion. Assistant Manager."
"Really?" Donna asked. "What would I be doing?"
"You'd be helping me more with the business end of things-you know, orders and finances, that kind of thing. But you'll also still be serving every now and then."
"You'll have to find a new waitress."
"I would've had to do that, anyway." CJ pointed out. "So what do you say?"
"I say...I'd love to!" Donna told her excitedly. She stood up and pulled CJ in a hug. "That sounds perfect. Thank you."
Meanwhile, across the diner, Ellie was working up the courage to tell her dad what she had decided a week earlier. It had been a long road since finding out Amy had once again abandoned her and her little brother. She had done some soul-searching, and now she realized that it was time to make a big life choice. Now, to tell her dad.
"Dad, can I see you outside for a minute?"
Josh looked confused, but nodded. "Sure, kid." They walked outside into the warm spring night and sat down on a bench. "What's up?" he asked quietly.
"Dad, I've been doing a lot of thinking since Amy left. And I realized that I don't really know who I am anymore. I'm just this figment of who everyone wants me to be."
"What are you talking about?" Josh asked, perplexed. "I know who you are. You're the girl who got into six Ivy League schools, and has an A average at one of the top colleges in the country." He paused. "Is this coming from Leighton?"
"Well, maybe. I really like him, Dad. He thinks that maybe I should take some time off school, find out what I want to do."
Josh couldn't believe his ears. Ellie, dropping out of school? That was so unlike her. But then again, he hadn't really understood any decision she had made since March. He just knew that she would regret this. "You're not dropping out of school."
"Um, not to disrespect you, Dad, but yes, I am."
"No, no, you don't understand. I am not expressing disbelief. I just gave you an order. You are not dropping out of school."
"Dad, I'm 20 years old. I can make my own decisions."
"Not when I'm helping to pay for your education, you don't." Josh shot back, rising from his seat on the bench in anger. His raised volume had caused CJ, Donna, and the Bartlets to peek out the diner door in interest and file quietly onto the sidewalk.
"This is my decision. I'm gonna get a job, and then, I'm gonna move in with Leighton. We decided."
"You decided?" Josh yelled. "And when was I going to find out about this?"
"I'm telling you now." Suddenly, there was a honk from the street. Leighton was pulling up in a red sports car.
"Ellie, don't do this." Josh practically begged.
"Dad, I've already signed the papers to withdraw next semester. It's done. I want to live my own life, away from all the bad things."
"Bad things? Ellie, look at what you're giving up."
"Then that's the cost of all this, I guess," Ellie said. "I've made my decision, Dad. And you'll just have to live with it."
"If you walk out now," Josh said in a raised voice, "don't bother coming back!" He tried his best to ignore the gasps that came from the small audience on the curb.
Ellie froze as she opened Leighton's door. "Are you in or are you out, El?" Leighton asked impatiently.
She stole a glance back at her father. "Yeah." She said. "I'm in."
And with that, she jumped in Leighton's car, and they drove away.
Josh sat down on the curb, his head in his hands. He felt like he had just lost his daughter. And he knew that on some level, he had.
He felt someone sit next to him. He turned to find Donna with a concerned look on her face.
"I'm so sorry." She said.
Josh just looked at her. And suddenly, he knew what he wanted to do next in his life.
"Donna, will you marry me?" he asked, his voice full of care.
Donna did a double-take. "What?"
"I don't know a lot right now, but I know that I don't want to live a second longer without you in my life. Will you marry me?"
She smiled softly and hesitated, but when it came, her answer was just as swift.
"Okay."
…
The next six weeks passed in an uncomfortable silence between father and daughter. Ellie, as it turned out, had been serious about dropping out of Dartmouth and moving in with Leighton. Apparently, she now had a job in Hanover. Josh didn't know this firsthand; Donna saw her often on supply runs for the diner and reported that though she was doing well, there was something different about her. This new version of Ellie was much different than the one they all knew. But the one thing that all the members of Liberty had agreed on was that it was high-time for Josh and Ellie to talk things out.
Luckily, the annual Fourth of July parade and barbeque in Liberty provided an ample opportunity for lively chatter. The Fourth of July had always been Jed's favorite holiday, and it was celebrated with gusto. A parade involving the whole town, a barbeque catered by CJ and Abbey, and fireworks out by the inn were on the program for the day.
Donna was getting Abbie Jean dressed in her bedroom of their new house. It was smaller than she anticipated, but her daughter had her own room, and that was enough. Abbie Jean would be walking in the parade with the other young children in and around Liberty, and she had requested a red and blue outfit with sparkles.
"Okay, sweetheart." She told Abbie Jean. "I think you're all set."
"Do I look pretty, Mommy?"
"Very pretty!" Donna said with a smile. She pulled her daughter to her and kissed her cheek. "Ready for today?"
"Yeah!" She exclaimed as she ran out to the living room.
Donna stood up, laughing over the spirit of her little girl and yet also wondering how today would go down. After all, if things went as planned, this would be Josh and Ellie's first time in the same room since their fight.
Ellie drove to town, apprehensive but still excited. She never missed the Fourth of July, and especially this year with all the kids involved. But she still didn't know what she would say to her dad if she saw him. She was fully invested in her new life, but Leighton had suggested they not live together just yet. So, she was back where she started-looking for someplace to start over.
She parked her car on the square and got out to walk to the parade route. They always started out near the inn, but Ellie wasn't quite ready to go to the inn. She had almost reached the mayor's office-a safe spot where she could watch the parade without having to interact with many people-when she heard someone call her name.
"Ellie?" She turned to see Sam and Ainsley making their way towards her. Holly was perched on her father's shoulders, and the Seaborns' newest addition, six-week-old Bradley Samuel, was asleep in his stroller.
"Hi, Sam. Hi, Ainsley." Ellie said awkwardly. She peered in at baby Bradley. "He is really cute. Congratulations."
"Thanks." Ainsley replied, smiling softly as she caught a hint of the old Ellie coming through.
"Did-did you guys get to have the home birth you wanted?" Ellie asked, remembering conversations from when she was home-arguments over whether they should go to the hospital (Sam's idea) or have the baby at home (Ainsley's suggestion that she wanted to experience).
"We did, and it went perfectly!" Ainsley gushed. "I got to labor in the comfort of my own home, and Sam was right there beside me, cheering me on. And after five hours of labor, he just...came out, beautiful and healthy."
"And I caught him!" Sam stated proudly. Ellie grinned for her dad's best friend. That did sound really cool.
"I'm really happy for you guys." Ellie said sincerely. "Um...I'm gonna get my seat for the parade."
Sam nodded. "Okay. Do you want me to tell your dad you're here?"
Ellie shook her head. "No. I'll, um...I'll find him when I'm ready."
"All right. Sounds reasonable." With that, Sam hugged her awkwardly, and he and Ainsley moved on down the street. Ellie settled into her beach chair, and that's when she saw him.
He was standing at the corner near the diner, watching to see that the parade route went the way it was supposed to. That had been Abbey's suggestion (though her ulterior motive was that if Josh had to be in the town square, sooner or later he would run into Ellie). Just then, he looked slightly to the right and caught Ellie's eye.
Ellie held her breath and waved to her father. It was an olive branch, to be sure. But nothing about Ellie's decisions had changed. Would her father accept that?
…
The next time Josh saw his daughter was at the annual barbeque held at the inn. He watched her from a distance as she talked quietly to CJ. Suddenly, Abbey appeared at his elbow.
"You know, nothing's going to change unless you go over there and talk to her."
Josh looked over at Abbey. "I'm not sure if she's ready yet."
"That may be so," Abbey told him, "but you won't know unless you try, now will you?"
Josh nodded, ready to at least try. "You're right. I'll try." Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Ellie and CJ, who were obviously in the middle of a conversation.
Ellie looked over, surprised. "Hi."
"Hi." Josh returned. He turned to CJ. "CJ, can you excuse us?"
"Sure thing, pal of mine," CJ said. AS she turned to leave, Ellie said, "Thanks again for letting me stay with you."
Josh looked confused. This was news to him. "Wait, you're staying with CJ?"
"Yeah. Leighton doesn't think we should live together yet, and it's not like I'll be living on campus, so…"
"I don't believe it," Josh stated. "You haven't changed your mind."
"No. And I thought maybe you were ready to accept my decision. Now I see I was wrong."
"I accept that you want to live with CJ. I refuse to accept that you want to throw your entire life away over some misguided attempt at bottling up your anger and trying to discover who you are!"
"Dad, maybe I'm not who you want me to be. But this is me."
"No, it's not," Josh said, shaking his head. "I know you can't see it right now, but when you come to your senses, let me know."
"I'm moving back to town. I have a job. What else do you want me to do?"
"I want my daughter back!" Josh exploded. "I want my little girl back."
Ellie's lower lip quivered, but her resolve held strong. She still believed she was doing the best thing to preserve herself and her self-worth. She called out haltingly, "I heard you and Donna are getting married. Congratulations."
Josh watched helplessly as Ellie headed away from the inn. Abbey and the others also watched, concerned over what had just happened.
Obviously, Ellie would not be able to come to the conclusions they had come to on their own. But was it already too late?
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Don't worry too much; I plan to have this plot resolved in the next couple of chapters. Please let me know what you thought!