Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press

A/N: Well here it is, Ladies and Gentlemen of the audience…the end of the line. It's been such a wonderful ride though, and I really can't express how much I appreciate everyone for following this fic! Good news on two fronts…I have a schizophrenic sequel in the works (right now it's like clips of scenes that haven't been developed, but yeah) and on the other … Jen is posting her first chapter of the Josh/Donna side of things tonight alongside this. It should appear right above this fic, titled "Ladies and Gentlemen of the West Wing." I've read the first chapter, and I have to tell you, it's so great! I hope all of you follow her story!

Erinbridges: Thanks for the joining the fray. I appreciate your comments about my characterization; I like to think it's my strong suit. Thanks so much for reading! Sadly this is the end, but does anything really end? Probably not. Lol.

Therese: Hopefully this one'll be even better than seven. J

Kursk: Wait no more! The big finale is here!

Caia: Well there was a little J/D to be fair ;) but I'm glad I could turn you into a CJ/Danny shipper for the entirety of a fic. J

GoddessAnjanee, scififreakmi, AEM1, Kelly, Netcord, Lu78, Jazz, Addezia, Mara152, Westwingfan, Marykate113, Melissa and Whitecamellia, Thanks so much for all of your reviews. They were so greatly appreciated, and thanks to everyone for reading!

Okay, I'm done now, I swear. Lol. wipes tear

"Your Actions Speak Otherwise"

CJ smiled at her daughter. For all that she'd been through, she knew it was worth it, just to be with Danny. Now that she had Colleen serving as a physical tie to him forever, she couldn't be more content.

The girls fawned over the baby as expected when she reached Toby and Sam's offices.

"Hey, you wanna let someone else get a chance to see?" Toby snapped at the secretaries. "Stop hogging the kid already."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, and Ginger sighed. "Weren't you there when she was born?"

Toby looked at her, as if to say 'shut up.' "So what? That was three days ago!"

CJ laughed. Toby had a very bizarre way of showing his affection.

"Is that her?" Sam asked stupidly, as if there were another baby she'd be carting around three days after giving birth.

"That's her, the one and only, Colleen Concannon." She watched Toby freeze for a half a second at the sound of the name, and Sam's mouth twitch, before they ignored it. They would have to get used to it; it was on the birth certificate.

Sam rushed off to work on a new draft of something, but Toby asked to hold the baby.

"Don't, CJ, he'd probably drop her," Ginger warned.

"Or scare her," Bonnie added.

"You two?" Toby snarled. "Leave!"

"We work here," Ginger defended herself.

"Fine," Toby snapped, walking into his office. CJ followed and shut the door. "Can you believe those two?"

"They were just teasing you, Toby," she told him softly. "Besides, she likes you."

"How can you tell? She's asleep."

CJ smiled. "If she isn't crying, then she likes you…asleep or not."

Toby looked down at the small bundle in his arms and melted. Okay, Toby Ziegler didn't melt, but he thawed a little.

"You know, I thought that that feeling was only for your own kids…I'd never felt anything for a baby in my life until Huck and Molly were born, but this…she…" Toby licked the corner of his lip. "I'm just so proud, CJ. I feel like she's my own kid."

"We're practically family, Toby," she told him, touched at his words. "Grandfather is taken already, but I'm sure you could be an uncle."

Toby smiled. "Uncle Toby…I hate the sound of it already."

"Get used to it," CJ said, laughing.

"Josh said you're going into the pressroom?" Toby asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm just going to introduce her to a few of my older reporters and make a quick exit before the briefing."

"Kind of wish you'd do the briefing," Toby grumbled. "That woman they hired has absolutely no humor, the press hates her, and she isn't half as good looking as you are."
CJ laughed. "Give me back my baby, I need to go if I want to make it over there."

"Just be careful of the tabloid types…don't take questions. For the day you're just a mom and not the Press Secretary, so you don't have to brief them on anything," Toby called after her as she left. "Especially your personal life!" He yelled.

CJ entered the pressroom the only way she was ever accustomed to; from the stage. As soon as she stepped out and saw the familiar podium and the faces in the crowd, she felt at home. Everyone in the room grew quiet as she appeared, and though she had intended to mingle quietly with a few, she found herself presenting Colleen to the entire press corps ala briefing style.

Her eyes avoided Danny's as she looked over the crowd.

"I really wasn't expecting this big a reception, but I was kind of hoping there'd be cake," she kidded. Everyone laughed, even though it wasn't that funny. They missed her, and they missed her humor.

"Anyway, as you all know I've been MIA the last three days, because I was giving birth to this lovely little girl. Her name's Colleen," she announced, leaving off the last name. She caught Danny out of the corner of her eye, but he dutifully didn't react.

The flashes that went off didn't surprised her completely, but CJ had hoped there wouldn't be pictures.

"So anyway, I just…" She squinted as the room became a little hazy around her. It must be the lights, she thought, as she slipped from consciousness and fell backward onto the stage.

The room went crazy and Danny bolted to the stage, along with Carol and Josh who'd been in the wings.

Carol picked up Colleen, who was screaming with the shock of the fall, though CJ had protected her by hugging her close and falling on her back.

"Carol, get help," Josh yelled, propping CJ's head under his arm and checking to see that she was breathing. "CJ? CJ, can you hear me?"

Carol looked from Josh up to Danny and handed Colleen over to her father.

Danny had reached the stage faster than what seemed possible, and was at CJ's side when Carol handed him Colleen. He realized that she'd just had the life scared out of her, and rocked her gently to try and soothe her tears. He looked worriedly at CJ and Josh, not knowing what to do besides comfort his daughter.

"What happened?" he asked Josh. "What's wrong? What can I do?"

Josh shook his head, and was about to say something when CJ woke up.

"Ow," she muttered, pulling her hand to the back of her head where she'd hit the stage.

"Goddamnit, CJ, if you ever scare us like that again," Josh warned.

CJ looked confused. "What happened? I just remember the lights…"

Danny knelt down to the floor. "You passed out."

CJ's face twisted with fear and grief when she realized that Colleen was crying. "Oh God," she breathed. "Did I….is she okay?"

"Little Leena's," Josh assured her. "You protected her from the fall, she's just a little shaken up, that's all."

CJ breathed a sigh of relief. "Leena?" She asked him quizzically.

Josh grinned. "I decided to give her a nickname. I've gotta have some way to stand out from the other twenty uncles she's got."

CJ chuckled at him, turning her attention to the press. She realized suddenly that the entire pressroom was silent. Ordinarily the reporters would have been clamoring for the story or at least to see that she was okay. Looking out at them, she realized that they weren't watching her so much as they were watching Danny.

Every pair of eyes in the room had fallen on the sight of the beautiful, red-haired little baby resting in Danny's arms. They saw him hold her as if he were meant to hold her. They saw Colleen respond to his familiarity. They saw his concern for CJ, and his love for this child, and they knew. This was his baby.

CJ stood up, and they applauded. "Thank you," she said, trying to get them to stop. "I just figured since my entrance wasn't that dramatic…"

None of the reporters asked the question she knew was on all of their minds. They didn't have to though. Danny stood there next to CJ with the baby, and they saw in them the love that had been there all those years.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press…one last thing," CJ stated, two years later. She looked out into the crowd of the room and caught sight of two familiar redheads. Danny held two-year-old Colleen in his arms as he struggled to take notes during the briefing.

The press looked at her, waiting for her to continue, but CJ felt none of the discomfort that she had before. CJ smiled sweetly at them, looking up proudly. "I'm pregnant."

Members of the press shouted their congratulations, and CJ smiled, pushing back her hair with her left hand. She had a dainty wedding ring on her ring finger; it had been a little more than a year. Proudly, she gathered her notes and waited to see her husband and their toddler.

Back in the wings, Josh and Donna watched CJ's briefing. They'd known what she was going to say, but they still felt compelled to watch.

"Josh," Donna began, but he was entranced by the glowing screen. "Josh," she called again, eliciting a response. "When can we have a baby?"

Josh grinned at Donna, and clasped her hand, intertwining his with hers. He could feel the ring there, on her hand. "How about we get married first," he teased her. "I didn't buy you that ring for nothing."

Donna looked down at the ruby-stoned ring. "Well can we at least tell people that we're engaged?"

Josh shook his head. "Not today…today is CJ's day."

He looked up from the screen and saw Danny chasing CJ with Colleen in one arm, a notebook in his other hand.

Donna smiled. "I guess they deserve a moment like that, after all they went through."

"Yeah, they do." Josh grinned. "We'll tell everyone tomorrow."

"Okay," Donna said, moving to go back to work.

"Donna," Josh said, stopping her. "We'll have plenty of moments too."

She smiled. "I think this was one of them."

"The first of many," Josh grinned. She looked so beautiful.

"I love you, Josh Lyman," she whispered.

"I love you too."

The End!

(Little red curtain pulls closed)

However I'll try really hard and get more of their little un-fairy-tale together for everyone to read. And in the meantime, read Ladies and Gents of the West Wing!