Title: Manchester, New Hampshire 1953

Author: Elizabeth Bennet-Darcy

Disclaimer: They are not mine for keeps. I'll just borrow them, play very carefully and put them back unharmed (relatively).

Summary: The senior staff, plus two, on the day before their tenth birthdays. Mainly focuses on their relationships, or lack thereof, with their fathers.

Spoilers: Various episodes, but nothing too telling.

Rating: PG13 for language and some mild child abuse (is there such a thing?)

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE 1953

"...And so Paul Revere was able to wake the people of Lexington and Concord so the Minute Men would be ready to meet the British forces. That's why he's one of our greatest patriots and a hero," Jed heard his father tell his younger brother.

"Actually," Jed piped up, "Paul Revere was captured by the British. The other man who rode, Charles Dawes, was able to reach many more towns and many more people, he should be a hero, too."

Jed stilled has his father turned to look at him with cold blue eyes. Jed wasn't sure why he expected to see some sort of pride on the man's face; he never had before. "What have I told you, time and again, about correcting me?"

"I wasn't correcting you, I was adding..."

Jed heard the crack of his father's slap almost before he felt it. His hand came up to touch his numb cheek. "What have I told you," his father repeated through clenched teeth, "about correcting me?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Jed said, turning to leave the room. He tucked the large book he'd been reading under his arm and started toward the door.

"What are you reading?" his father demanded grabbing the book from Jed.

"It's..."

"Is this Latin?"

"Yes, sir," Jed whispered.

"Is this one of my Latin books?"

"Yes, sir," Jed said louder.

"You think you can read Latin?"

"Yes, sir, I can," Jed said strongly.

"And you think you can just take my books?"

"You can't read it, sir, so why shouldn't I?" Jed almost shouted. He heard his mother gasp just as he felt the immense volume hit his left shoulder blade. His arm tingled as he felt the book hit the middle of his back and then his backside, twice, hard.

His father grabbed him by the back of the neck with one hand and flipped the book open with his other. He put the volume on the table and shoved Jed's face onto the page. "Well, read, you're so smart, read!" His father's voice was shrill and angry.

Jed took a deep breath and although tears were streaming down his cheeks he steadied his voice and began to read the Latin verse.

"Shut up," his father screamed at him. Edward Bartlet began pulling thick books off the shelves. He dropped them onto Jed's hand that rested on the table. Jed winced but didn't take his eyes off his father. "If you're so brilliant, read these, read until you know everything in them!"

Jed picked the books up off the table and ran to his room. He would read them. He would read until he knew them cover to cover. Tomorrow Jed would know everything his father did and everything he didn't, because tomorrow Jed would turn ten.