A/N: Finished…for now. I'm working on a sequel, which isn't named yet. It'll follow Alex through her first year of college. I hope you liked this one and give me some ideas for the next one! Thanks for sticking with this!
By the time the White House Christmas party was scheduled, Jed was up and feeling better. He had returned to working in the office and Abbey and Alex had returned to finishing shopping for Alex's college dorm room. To everyone, it seemed that things were back to normal.
Alex adjusted the deep green dress she wore and looked herself over in the mirror. She had received the dress for the Christmas party that evening. Her hair fell in curls around her shoulders and down her back. She had gained one dress size; bringing her closer to Zoey's weight. Her cheeks had more blush to them and her face was slightly fuller, erasing the gaunt look in her cheeks.
"Come in," she called, hearing a knock at her door.
"Hey, you ready," Zoey asked, walking in. She wore a light gold dress, similar in style to Alex's.
"Yeah," Alex said, applying her lipstick.
"Mom and Dad already head down?" She grabbed the light wrap she would be wearing and threw it over her shoulders.
"Yeah," Zoey said, "Apparently, there are photographers that want to take our picture."
"Good thing I dressed up," Alex said, turning the lights off.
They walked down the stairs slowly, careful not to trip over the hem of their dresses. Flashes went off the minute they walked through the door, leading to the ballroom. Alex and Zoey, well versed in what to do, smiled and waved. Finally, the photographers wandered off, leaving Alex and Zoey to mingle with the guests. "Well, don't you two look so innocent?" The twins turned and saw Liz smiling at them.
"Liz," Zoey exclaimed, hugging her sister. "I didn't know you were coming."
"My schedule opened up at the last minute," Liz said, hugging Alex. "Annie and Gus both weren't feeling well, so Doug is staying with them."
"I hope they feel better," Alex said. "Are you staying over night?"
"Yeah," Liz said, "But, I have to head back tomorrow."
"Great," Zoey said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Charlie's over there." Alex watched her go with a smile and a shake of her head.
"She and Charlie seem to be getting along well," Liz said, walking with Alex to the punch bowl.
"Yeah. She was a little afraid to be seen with him after the shooting, but those inhibitions are long gone," Alex said, pouring herself some punch. She looked up as their mother approached.
"Liz, when did you get here," Abbey asked, hugging her oldest daughter.
"About half an hour ago," Liz said, "Where's Dad?"
"Oh, talking to some senator about something," Abbey said, brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes. "Where are the kids?"
"Gus and Annie weren't feeling well, so Doug stayed with them. They should be better by Christmas. We'll be going to the cabin the day after tomorrow," Liz explained.
"Well, I hope so," Abbey said, "Be sure to give them my love."
"I will. They're both excited," Liz said. "I see Dad's giving the signal to be saved." Abbey, Liz and Alex looked over and saw Jed rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, his hands in his pockets; it was a common thing he did when he tired of a conversation.
"Well, better go save him, then," Abbey said. Liz rolled her eyes and sat down her punch to talk with their father.
"The party seems to be going well," Alex said, smiling as a photographer shot a picture of the First Lady and Alex.
"Christmas it's self is much less of an affair," Abbey said, once the photographers left.
"Will the cabin be buried underneath snow," Alex asked.
"Probably," Abbey replied.
"Sounds great," Alex said. "My first Christmas with the family."
"Yes, it will be," Abbey said, smiling. She reached out and touched a soft curl of Alex's hair, noticing the way the green dress brought out the soft green flecks in Alex's eyes; Zoey's were a solid brown color. "Have you packed yet? We'll leave tomorrow morning."
"I was going to pack after the party," Alex said.
"Alright," Abbey said, "We have pictures, as a family, in ten minutes. If you have any lipstick or anything to touch up, now would be the time."
"Okay," Alex said. Abbey kissed her gently on the cheek, then swiped it away with her thumb before going off to gather Jed for the pictures.
Alex walked with Zoey to the foyer, where the large Christmas tree stood. Their father was already taking pictures with the children's choir that had been singing at the Christmas party. They hung back and smiled, watching as he bent down to talk with one of the little boys.
Finally, the choir was taken back to the party and chairs were arranged for the First Family. Alex smiled as Ellie stepped from the shadows, wearing a deep red dress that went well with her pale skin. Based on the flush in her cheeks, she had just arrived. She watched as her mother hugged Ellie, then their father hugged her. Even from a distance, Alex could see what looked like disapproval in her father's eyes. Ellie had arrived late, again.
She stood behind her parents, Ellie to her left and Zoey to her right. On Zoey's other side, stood Liz. Their parents sat in front of them. Photographers began to take their picture and Alex fought to keep tears from rising in her eyes. This was her first family portrait.
After the family pictures, pictures were shot of Abbey and Jed together and all of the girls. Abbey hugged her husband's arm close as she saw the four of the girls together at the same time.
Liz, their eldest, already had a family of her own. She still had the determined look in her eyes she had had as a child. Then Eleanor, for so long, the middle child. Ellie's blonde hair, blue eyes and fair complexion had always set her apart from the family, just like her strength and tendency to be quiet. Zoey, the oldest of the twins, with bright brown eyes and an intelligent fire about her. She had always been her father's daughter, from the day she was born. And last came Alexandria, the youngest of their children by four minutes and seventeen years. Her eyes, bright and beautiful, were filled with an age beyond her years. But, her smile held the hope for her years to come
"We did good, huh," Jed said, leaning over to whisper into his wife's ear.
"We certainly did," Abbey said softly. She squeezed his arm and watched as the flash reflected against the four Bartlet girls features.
Alex slid out of her dress and hung it up on her closet frame. She put her shoes with the collection that was steadily growing in her closet. Her suitcase was out on her bed and various clothes she had pulled out lay across the bed. She pulled on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a Yale t-shirt Sam had given her and began to fold everything into her bag.
She heard a knock on the door and turned to see Ellie enter. "Hey," Alex said, folding a sweater into her bag. "You heading back?"
"Yeah," Ellie said, "I'm sorry I missed the party."
"You just missed some mingling. Nothing special," Alex said, shrugging.
"Dad wasn't too happy," Ellie stated.
"He'll get over it," Alex said. "When are you coming to the cabin?"
"Two days," Ellie said, "Christmas Eve."
"You should come up early," Alex said, "It'd be a nice surprise."
"I'll see what I can do," Ellie said. "Mom said they told you about the MS."
"Yeah," Alex said, "Kind of a shock."
"It was a shock for us to," Ellie said. "Did you…know anyone that had it?"
"Yeah," Alex said, looking up at her. "They…died in the last stages." Ellie could see the pain in her sister's eyes and knew she had seen more than she could ever imagine, even as a doctor.
"I'm sorry," Ellie said, looking down. "I know you've been through a lot.
"Yeah, well that's all behind me now, and I have this to look forward to," Alex said, motioning around her.
"Yeah…you do," Ellie said, smiling, "Anyways, the snow's picked up and I should get back before it gets much worse."
"See you at the cabin tomorrow," Alex asked, with a slight smile.
"I'll see what I can do," Ellie said. She hugged Alex, then left the room, shutting the door behind her.
They arrived at the cabin after lunch, and Alex and Zoey ran upstairs to unpack their things. A Christmas tree, not yet decorated, had been placed in the living room. A fire sparked in the fireplace, nine stockings hung from the mantel. Abbey and Jed had worked with CJ to make arrangements for everything before leaving the White House for Christmas.
After lunch, Abbey made cider from apples that had been picked in the orchard while Zoey and Jed went to check on the horses. She heard a noise and walked into the living room to see Alex fingering the stocking with her name on it. "I made it, when you were born," Abbey said, walking up behind her. The stocking was a deep velvety blue color, with little stars sown into it. Her name, Alexandria, was stitched across the top.
"I love it," Alex said, "I've never had one before." She let it go, to fall across the mantle with the rest and turned to look at the tree.
"We thought that you and Zoey might like to help decorate it," Abbey said, "Tonight…after dinner."
"Sounds great," Alex said, "Is the cider ready?"
"Yeah," Abbey said. "Want some?"
"We do the lights first," Jed said, pulling out a bundle of lights. Alex raised her eyebrow at the tangle of lights in his hand.
"This oughta take awhile," Zoey muttered under her breath. Fifteen minutes and three replacement bulbs later, the lights were on the tree. Alex stood back as her father light the tree and Abbey pulled out the box of ornaments. She and Zoey began to take some out and slowly hung them on the tree. Alex examined each ornament before hanging them up. Behind her, their father was talking about the origin of the Christmas tree. Through the branches, she could see Zoey trying her best not to laugh.
"Hey Alex, come look at this one," she heard Abbey say from across the living room. Alex walked over to her mother and knelt on the floor next to her. "This is your baby ornament." Alex took the pair of pink baby boots in her hand and looked at them. They were connected by a pink satin string. Her initials, A.G.B., written in a lacy script, decorated the top of one of the boots. "We have ornaments for all of you. Zoey, Liz and Ellie's are on the tree already."
"Did you put this out every Christmas," Alex asked.
"No," Abbey said. She saw the hurt in Alex's eyes for a moment and reached out to lift her chin up, "Alex, you have to understand. It was too painful. We never threw it away, because we wanted to remember you. But, we'll have it on the tree for every Christmas from now on. Okay?" Alex nodded with a smile and hung her ornament on the tree.
Abbey felt Jed's hand on her shoulder and smiled softly at her husband. He kissed the back of her head and went back to hanging ornaments.
That night, Alex and Zoey stayed up, watching scary movies.
"This is great," Alex said, sitting down with the popcorn. It was still snowing outside and had grown dark.
"Nothing better to watch scary movies in," Zoey said, popping a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"I just got off the phone with Ellie," Alex said, sitting down. "She's coming in tomorrow."
"What? She's not coming until Thursday," Zoey said.
"She managed to get off early," Alex said, "She should be here around ten. Marine One's going to fly her in." Zoey raised her eyebrow and turned to her sister.
"You noticed the tension between her and Dad, then," Zoey stated.
"Yeah," Alex said, "I thought if she was here early, for once, that it might smooth things over. You know…start out with so much tension."
"Good luck," Zoey said, turning to face the screen. "There's always been tension between them. Ellie's just so…I don't know, different from the rest of us. Liz's always had this driven determination to be the best and I've always been a Daddy's girl and El's…she's always so quiet and doesn't have quite the same fire the rest of us have. She became a doctor because she thought it might help her fit in more. She's Mom's daughter though…Liz and I have always known that." Zoey snorted and looked down at her hands.
"What," Alex asked, shifting in her seat to face Zoey.
"I was just…I was remembering when Liz and Dad got in this huge fight," Zoey said, "Liz decided to become a teacher and Mom made this comment that made Liz so mad."
"What'd she say," Alex asked.
"She told Liz that of the three of us…at the time, that she expected Liz to be the one to go into politics," Zoey said. "Then…they found you."
"What does that mean," Alex asked in surprise.
"Alex, since you've been back, this family has come back to life," Zoey explained, "You fight with Dad on things we never had the courage to and Mom…she adores you. We can't hold a candle to things you've done in the past five months. Coming to the White House changed this family…Ellie and Dad fought more, Mom and Dad fought more and you got shot at for me dating a black guy. Alex, we didn't know how empty this was until you came into it." Alex sat silently, listening to everything her sister said. "And…I'm glad you came back. I love you, sis." Alex smiled and hugged her, holding her twin close.
"I love you too," Alex whispered. She pulled away and smiled, then pressed play on the movie.
Alex woke up to the downstairs door opening and the creak of someone walking across the floor boards. She climbed out of bed and pulled on her sweatshirt. The house was drafty from the wind blowing outside.
She walked down the stairs, grinning as she saw Ellie pull her hat off and run her hands through her long blonde hair. "Hey El," Alex said, grinning. "Have a good trip?"
"Yeah," Ellie said, pulling her jacket off and hanging it up. "Where's Mom and Dad?"
"Dunno," Alex said, heading for the kitchen. She reached for two coffee mugs and poured two cups of coffee. She pushed Ellie hers and poured cream and sugar into her own. "Thanks for coming up early."
"Sorry I couldn't make it yesterday," Ellie said, pouring cream and sugar into her own cup, "Something came up at the lab."
"Not a big deal. We just decorated the tree," Alex said with a shrug. "I know mom and dad'll just be happy you made it." She squeezed her sister's hand, then turned as she heard the front door open.
"In the kitchen," Alex called from the kitchen. Abbey and Jed entered the kitchen, surprised to see Ellie in the kitchen with Alex.
"Ellie, when did you get here," Abbey asked in surprise, hugging her middle daughter tight.
"Just a few minutes ago. I managed to get away early," Ellie said.
"That's great," Jed said, hugging her. Alex watched with a soft smile; her father looked genuinely happy to see their middle child home early. "Liz and Doug'll be here this afternoon."
"Wow. I beat them home for once," Ellie said, sipping her coffee. "How are the horses?"
"They're fine," Jed said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Anyone want breakfast," Abbey asked, pulling out a pan to fix eggs.
Liz and her family arrived around five that night, just in time for the dinner Abbey had prepared. The next day was Christmas Day and Alex and Zoey had been roped into helping their mother fix everything for the next day.
After they had eaten, Gus was put to bed and the girls stayed up, playing board games. Finally, they put the fire out and headed up to their bedrooms.
"Aunt Alex! Wake up! It's Christmas!" She woke up to someone bouncing up and down on her bed and opened her eyes to see Gus jumping up and down at the foot of her bed.
"Hey buddy," Alex said, pushing herself up in bed, "What's going on?" She pushed the hair out of her eyes and saw early morning light pouring through the blades of her curtains.
"It's Christmas and it's time to open presents," Gus stated, climbing off the bed, "So, let's go!"
"Tell 'ya what," Alex said, "You go on downstairs and I'll be there in a minute. Okay?"
"Okay," Gus said. He gave her a toothy grin and ran down the stairs, his socked feet muffling the sound.
Alex groaned and fell against her pillows. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was only eight in the morning. "I guess he gave you the same wake up call," she heard Zoey say.
She pushed herself up on elbows and saw Zoey leaning against her doorway, arms crossed and wearing her pajamas. "You too, huh," Alex asked, throwing back the covers. She pulled on the thick socks she had been wearing the night before and tugged on a Yale sweatshirt over the long sleeved shirt she had worn to bed. "May as well get the show on the road." She pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and wandered downstairs with Zoey.
"Merry Christmas," Abbey said, greeting both of them with coffee and a kiss on the cheek. "Gus has already been playing elf and has been dividing up the presents. Alex, your pile's over there and Zoey, you're next to her." Both girls looked over and saw the small piles of presents on the couch. They looked at each other with a grin, then went to go sit down among their presents.
Rather than opening her presents, Alex sat and watched her family around her. She saw her parents watching over Ellie and Zoey as they opened their presents, while Liz watched over her own family. Gus had received a new fire truck, which he had carefully set aside before moving on to his next present. She looked at her own pile and felt a smile slowly spread across her face. She had never had so many things to open at once.
She picked up the first one and began to tear at the paper. It was a necklace, with her initial hanging from it. She smiled and clasped it around her neck before moving on. She was a third of the way through her pile when she felt Zoey elbow her and looked up. Their mother had the gift from her and Zoey in her hands and was beginning to unwrap it. Both girls stopped as their mother unwrapped.
"Oh…my," Abbey gasped, running her fingers over the silver frame. It had been a simple gift; Alex and Zoey had gotten their pictures taken and put them in a tri-fold frame. The center picture was of both of them, done in black and white, with Alex hugging Zoey. On both sides were individual pictures, with their initials engraved at the bottom.
Alex felt tears rise to her eyes as she saw tears in her mothers. "Alex…Zoey, thank you so much. I can't think of a better gift," Abbey said. She stood and hugged both of them, kissing their cheeks. "I love both of you so much." She handed the picture to Jed, who had just finished un-wrapping the same picture. He hugged both girls, then sat back to watch the others unwrap their gifts.
As they sat at the dinner table, Alex couldn't help but watch her family. She smiled to herself and accepted the ham their mother had made, thankful for everything she had been given in the past few months.