Josh just looks at me sheepishly as he pops another blueberry puff into his mouth. I have no idea why he likes those things so much. And Toby's just as bad, encouraging him like that. But when Josh looks at me like this I really can't be mad. God help me when Jonah perfects the puppy dog eyes.

When the doorbell rings, Josh sees his opportunity to escape and shoves the tube of puffs into Toby's hands on his way past me.

"I'll get it."

I turn my evil eye towards Toby, but he's impervious. He just shrugs. Then his face lights up as we hear the patter of little feet running our way. A second later Bartlet slides into the kitchen.

"Have a cookie?" He asks practically before he stops moving.

"Hiya, Bart." Toby greets him holding his arms out to the little boy.

"Unca Tob!" Bartlet cheers, throwing himself into Toby, who picks him up with a slight oof. "I have cookie." He repeats slowly, really more of a demand than a question.

Toby moves towards the cookie tray and Bartlet is reaching for them when Sam and Ainsley walk into the kitchen.

"Bartlet!" Sam calls out a little sharply, causing his son to freeze. Ainsley sighs before giving Sam a little glare. "One cookie." Sam tells his son in a resigned voice before turning to his wife. "He needs to eat something healthy, Ains."

"He will, Sam." She retorts.

"I've got a veggie tray and some cold cuts in the fridge. Shall I put them out now?" I inquire, hoping to stave off a domestic quibble.

"Please." Sam answers, "You know how it is with my bottomless pits." He wraps his arm around Ainsley's waist and gives her a squeeze. She smiles up at him, in an attempt to disarm his malcontent, before leaning over and snagging a cookie for herself.

Josh chuckles as I pull the deli trays out. The food feud between Sam and Ainsley isn't really new and no one in the room is phased by it, least of all Bartlet, who is happily depositing crumbs on Toby's sweater.

"Et tu, Josh?" Sam mutters.

"Hey, we've got a veggie tray for you. Loosen up. Have a beer."

"Good idea." Toby agrees, "I'll have another."

While I'm setting out the food, Josh retrieves the bottles from the fridge and hands them out, giving Sam a firm little pat on the shoulder after he takes his.

The irony of the exchange is not lost on me. For a long time Sam was the one looking out for Josh's state of mind. The one telling him to breathe. To take a vacation.

But with the change in titles, the roles have changed as well. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, I guess. And while anyone not working in the White House would think that's the President, the rest of us know that it's the COS that bears that weight.

And now it's my job to help Sam carry the load.

The beer and the reminder, and Ainsley's smile seem to have relaxed Sam. By the time we all have our plates, he's back to his chipper self, teasing Ainsley about the definition of "health food" while beaming at Bartlet as he finishes the carrots and cucumbers that Toby put on his plate.

"So, where are the rest of the kids?" Ainsley asks Bartlet climbs off his seat.

"They're up in Lulu's room. Molly and Miranda are in charge up there, lots of imaginative play with the dollhouse going on. But we still have the toy box in the family room that might be more Bartlet's speed."

"Lulu!" Bartlet demands. Now that his stomach is full, he's aware that she's not in the room.

"Let's go find them." Josh offers, popping out of his seat. I hope he remembers the last time Bartlet was over. He and Lulu generally play well together but not with the dollhouse. He's just too little to appreciate her stories and he finds it more interesting to swipe the pieces off and watch them fall. Needless to say, Lulu isn't a fan of his approach.

Josh scoops Bartlet up and carries him out of the room. Ainsley and Sam just watch him go, also knowing that Josh can handle the kids. Toby gets a little smirk.

"Life is just full of surprises." He mutters with a little head shake.

"Not if you've been paying attention." Ainsley retorts, standing up and moving back over to the buffet to grab a few more carrots before she sits back down at the table.

"So, Ginger, huh?" Ainsley prompts, popping a carrot into her mouth. She must have heard about our little altercation today. Ugh. The West Wing gossip mill is still a problem. I need to try to put a kibosh on that.

"What about Ginger?" Toby asks, his face scrunching up a little. I need to tread lightly I suppose. Toby's always had a soft spot for Ginger, Probably because they are both rough around the edges.

"Well, we decided not to shuffle the assistants around. Margaret is staying on with Sam, and Karen is staying in Helen's office. So I guess technically, Ginger is my Senior Assistant."

"Not technically." Toby replies matter of factly. "She is."

"Yeah, well . . ."

"Ah." He responds, nodding a little as an understanding settles over him. "There's a power struggle?" Toby's tone indicates that it's not really a question.

"It's only been a couple days. And it's the holidays."

Toby doesn't say anything and neither does Sam. I'm torn on whether to tell them what happened and getting advice and keeping it to myself. It really wasn't THAT big of a deal, and it is possible that it was my fault anyway.

Toby stares at me for a minute, stroking his beard as he weighs his thoughts. "Well, you probably understand the nature of the relationship between boss and assistant better than any of us."

Sam & Ainsley's eyebrows shoot up simultaneously, but Toby's dry comment just makes me chuckle. I don't think he meant it as a call out about Josh and I.

Toby's jaw snaps shut and he side-eyes Sam. "Not like that." He rasps before looking back at me. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah."

"Here's a thought, though. You know what it's like being an assistant, and you know what it's like being the boss."

"Yeah."

"But do you know what it's like doing the same job for different bosses?"

That makes me pause a minute. Toby's got a point here. I know how Josh ran the DCOS office and Ginger knows how Sam ran the DCOS office, but neither of us really know how I'm going to run the DCOS office. Ginger knows what the job is like but she doesn't really know what working for me is like.

"Ginger can be a little blunt, but she's a good assistant," Toby continues after giving me a moment to consider his comment. "But don't forget, you are the boss and she needs to adapt to you." Sam nods his agreement without saying anything.

Ainsley just smirks a little before giving me an out.

"Enough work talk!" She announces, standing up again and walking over to the sink where she grabs a washcloth, then opening the kitchen drawer to grab a deck of cards. "Let's play Euchre." She announces as she walks back over and wipes the table down.

Toby groans but she ignores him, handing him the deck, which he starts to shuffle. "We could play Poker." He counters.

Sam looks hopeful, but Ainsley wrinkles her nose. I have no doubt about what we'll be playing.

She doesn't say anything as she wipes Jonah's hands and face off and pulls him from his high chair. Having friends that feel completely at home is a really great thing. Ten years ago I had no idea that Ainsley would become one of my best friends. Who knows, maybe Ginger and I will work out our differences and end up in a better place too. It's not like we hate each other, we just have to figure out this new dynamic.

Toby's still shuffling when Ainsley sits back down with Jonah on her lap.

"Deal." She instructs Toby.

"What are we playing?"

"That's a Euchre deck."

Toby laughs as he realizes he never had a chance and deals out the cards.

Ainsley and I are winning, 6-4 when Josh returns with all the children in tow. He reminds me of the pied piper. He's leading them in a Sesame Street song.

"C is for cookie, that's good enough for me. C is for cookie, that's good enough for me. C is for cookie, that's good enough for me. Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C."

Toby laughs. "Nice. But mine have to eat dinner first."

"I know." Josh acknowledges.

"Cupcake starts with C too." Lulu tells Toby. "I want a cupcake."

"You have to eat dinner first too. And I don't think we even have cupcakes," I attempt to talk her down, but Ainsley interrupts,

"Oh, I brought cupcakes. They're over there." She points at the side bar.

Josh laughs, "yes, I know. Bartlet made sure we all knew there's cake."

"C is for cupcake," Miranda and Molly sing, still enjoying the silliness.

"Okay, you houligans," Josh grins at them, "make some sandwiches first before you get me in trouble with your Dad."

"C is for chocolate," Molly improvises, "and that's good enough for me."

Toby chuckles again, watching as Josh handles the kids, helping Lulu pick out some dinner in between doing a little jig everytime the older kids sing a new verse.

"It's your turn," Sam reminds him.

Toby leads an ace of spades and Ainsley whoops a little as she puts trump on it. Josh grins as Ainsley and I win the hand. When the kids have their plates he takes Jonah from Ainsley and leads the kids to the dining room.

The game ends around the same time as the kids are finishing their food. Josh, Toby, and Sam herd the kids downstairs while Ainsley and I put the food away. I'm sure we'll end up getting it out again, after the kids go to bed but I hate it when the cheese gets soft. And Josh worries about the lunch meat spoiling.

"Sorry if I opened a can of worms on Ginger." Ainsley offers half-heartedly.

"No you're not." I quip back, making her laugh.

"You're right, I'm not." She agrees. But I wanted Sam to know and I didn't think you'd tell him.

"So you didn't hear it from Sam?"

"No, I heard it from my secretary. She and Ginger are friends."

"So it's not being widely gossiped about?"

"I don't think so. What happened?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I couldn't find Sam's notes from the meeting he had with Senator Rafferty before Christmas, and Ginger was annoyed that I was going through "HER" filing cabinets. She made a snarky comment about what was the point of her coming in over the holidays if I wasn't going to let her do her job."

"And what did you say?"

"I was kind of stunned. I just snapped at her that I wanted the report and turned and walked away."

"And what did she do?"

"She brought me the report a few minutes later. Sort of slapped it down on my desk and walked out without a word. Then I sent her home at noon even though I worked longer. It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, Josh and I had far more intense moments, but most of the time we got over it very quickly. In fact, he usually apologized if he snapped at me. So maybe I need to apologize to Ginger."

"Maybe." Ainsley responds, but it doesn't really sound like an agreement.

"What?"

'Well. You can apologize for snapping, just make sure it's not an apology for being her boss. I know that you guys were co-workers for a long time, but you are her supervisor now and she's going to have to get used to that. She's not doing you a favor by doing her job."

"Still. I don't want to be a bitchy boss."

Ainsley laughs. "I don't even think that's possible." She chortles.

"Maybe I'll bring in some Starbucks as a peace offer on Monday and we can sit down and discuss expectations."

"That sounds like a good idea." Ainsley responds. "But for now, let's forget about work."

"Okay."

AInsley bounces towards the stairs and I follow along. She's right. I really do need to put work out of my mind for a little while. The last five days really have been intense. I need to work this out with GInger. I'm going to need a good assistant.

When we get downstairs, the kids are having a mini-dance party with the Dads. Toby and Sam are mostly standing there. Occasionally doing a disco fever move with their arms or wiggling their hips. But Josh is going all in– swiveling his hips and waving his arms in the air. The kids are all circling him, copying his moves and egging him on. Fifteen years ago I wouldn't have imagined this. Sure, there were times I imagined having Josh's baby, but it never really went beyond seeing a curly-haired toddler. I never really thought about what he'd be like as a Dad. I guess I really should have known he'd pass the funny dance moves.

Even though they aren't all in, Toby and Sam are enjoying themselves, watching their kids goofing off, laughing and having a grand old time with Uncle Josh. When Josh sees me he throws a grin in my direction that fills me with joy. What a great life I have.

The evening goes by far too quickly. Pretty soon Sam and Ainsley pack Bartlet up and head for home, not willing to sacrifice his sleep schedule just to hang out and watch the ball drop.

Josh takes Jonah up to get him ready for bed and by the time he comes back, Lulu has passed out on my lap on the couch.

Toby is intently engaged in a game of Monopoly Junior with the other three, so Josh plops down next to me on the couch and wraps his arm around me.

"Quite the hot party we've got going on." He jests, dimples popping.

"It's the place to be. Probably front page above the fold tomorrow." I quip back.

Josh grins as he nods in agreement. "So, are you missing the excitement?" He asks in a slightly serious tone, even though his eyes are twinkling.

"Not really. Borning is kind of nice for a change." I reassure him.

"I agree." He leans over and places a gentle kiss on my lips. "Happy New Year."

A/N–

Well, some of you probably wondered if I was going to finish this one. I knew that I'd get here eventually. I will never intentionally leave one undone. This one has been an interesting ride– I started out planning just to have a little bit of random holiday fluff but I was inspired to move the overall plot of Transitions forward. The next story in this series will have some really important plot development, so I've decided not to start publishing until it's complete. I'm not sure how long that will take so the best way to get notification is to either subscribe to the Transitions Series or to me as an author. Thanks to everyone who reads, leaves kudos, or comments, those things really do help keep the muse flowing.