"You're too damn hard to get in touch with," Toby grumbled. "I had to get through three different sets of agents and publicists and this is just your first book."
Mark laughed, "I don't even think I have three people working for me right now, Toby. What's new?"
"You ask me what's new?" he exclaimed. "You crack the best seller list and you ask me what's new?"
"I thought that the best seller list is just a pop culture gauge, not a device for literary criticism," Mark retorted happily.
"You can't pin that one on me. I just goaded Alex into saying it."
They sat in the study, sometimes talking quietly, other times lost deep within their own thoughts. Silence would reign for a few moments after each of the members of the blood family filed into the library. What Jack had called the family by fire was left alone.
"It's so hard to believe," someone said softly, staring out at the snow swirling outside.
A harsh gust of wind rattled the windowpanes. "Do not go gentle into that good night," Sam quoted even more quietly. It was a measure of how still the room was that anyone heard him.
"What are you talking about?" Josh asked, desperately trying to break the ominous hush inside while outside the blizzard raged.
"Dylan Thomas," Toby answered shortly, effectively cutting off the conversation.
"This is the way the world ends," Sarah said tightly after another period of uneasy silence, "not with a bang but a whimper."
"T.S. Eliot," Toby snapped. He paused for a second, staring at them all. "What are we playing at here?" No one attempted an answer as they sank back into their reflections.
The people at the window saw the headlights of the vehicle coming through the snow and those on the other side of the room heard the motor through the whistling of the wind around the chimney. The vehicle, a dark spot against the furious white, came to a stop in front of the house and the rear door opened.
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Caught in the wind, the door slammed closed.
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"Thank God you're finally here," Donna exclaimed, rushing in to give her a hug. "There have been blizzard warnings out for hours and they've been advising essential travel only."
Alex looked absolutely exhausted. "I know why," she responded. "If the Secret Service SUV hadn't been four-wheel drive, we never would have made it through." She pulled off her wet overcoat, revealing a once crisp russet suit that was more suited to a business meeting. Or to a thesis defence.
"We've been worried about you," CJ said, coming to greet Alex. "Did you even bother to change at all?" she asked in disbelief as she watched the younger woman kick off her shoes.
"Alex, I'm glad you're here," Zoey said, hurrying into the foyer and briefly embracing the haggard girl. "Dad's been asking for you."
The two girls headed towards the library. Abbey was just on her way out; she took one look at Alex and stated, "Annie just went in now. We'll get you freshened up a bit before we send you in." She wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders and guided her up the stairs. "I don't suppose that you took the time to pack anything."
"The airline lost it with all of the transfers and weather delays."
"Well, then we'll just have to see what we can scrounge up," Abbey said, slipping back into mother role. It was easier than trying to face everything that was going on. It was easier to be strong if she didn't have to think about it.
"How is he?" she asked anxiously, grateful to be back.
Abbey sighed and turned to look at her husband's former student. "He's ready to say goodbye, but I don't know if he's really ready to go. I know that we're not ready to let him," she stated, her voice starting to quaver ever so slightly.
Alex bit her lower lip and nodded. "Are you okay? I mean…"
"I know what you mean," Abbey supplied, leading her into the bedroom that she and Jed had shared. She stopped short, staring at the big bed. "He hasn't slept in this bed for months," she confided softly, "but it's still ours. I'm not ready to wake up alone." Her eyes filled with tears again, but she blinked them away, starting to root through one of the dresser drawers.
"If there's anything that I can do," Alex began quietly.
"You can tell me what everyone wants to know," she answered firmly, determined to force her mind away from herself for at least this one moment.
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"Are we calling you Doctor Cunningham yet?"
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She nodded, unable to conceal her elation despite the solemn situation and the sadness on her face. "I'm pretty sure the evaluators had never seen anything like it before," she said, reaching out to trail her fingers over one of Jed's frail hands, craving the contact. "One of my friends was on a cell phone with the airline, pleading for a flight. I didn't even really hear whether nor not I had passed; my tutor gave me a lift to the airport and she had to tell me again."
He chuckled, squeezing her hand. "I didn't mean to alarm you," he said, a tired smile playing across his face. It had been a day of far more activity than he was used to and the exertion suddenly caught up to him; he was exhausted.
"I just got a message passed to me," she explained, "telling me that you had asked for us all to come. Donna said that she thought I should get home as quickly as possible, but there wasn't much information and I couldn't get through to anyone until I was half-way across." She laughed half-heartedly, "Would you believe that these people actually turned their cell phones off?"
"I'm glad that you made it, Alli, more glad than you'll know," he said, using the endearment that she allowed very few people to use in that manner. "Would you ask Abbey to come in? There's something that I need to tell her."
"Of course," Alex answered as she rose. He kept his weak hold on her hand as she bent to kiss his forehead. "Is there anything else?" she whispered quietly.
"Remember what we did in the time when our eyes looked toward the heavens, and, with outstretched fingers, we touched the face of God," Jed breathed, so softly that she could barely make out his words.
"I won't forget," she answered gently, reaching out to brush a lock of hair tenderly away from his face.
She had to bend even closer to hear what he said next. "Remember that when you get to the Oval Office."
She hesitated for a long moment before she responded. "I give you my word."