Author's Note: To everyone who reviewed this story, thank you! To everyone who read it and didn't review, I hope you also enjoyed it.
And so it goes…
In a post-administration interview former President Josiah Bartlet was quoted as saying that he was intelligent enough to know that in order to have a successful presidency that he needed to surround himself with extraordinary people. Leo McGarry, of course, was the man that President Bartlet credited with his success.
A week after the original senior staff congregated on CJ's stoop they were together again on much less auspicious occasion. They came together to bury their mentor and friend, Leo McGarry. Following the impromptu gathering at CJ's apartment Leo boarded a plane to visit Jed in New Hampshire. The two men reminisced about the old days before the election. They talked of their failures and successes and Abbey teased them for staying up until all hours of night gossiping like teenaged girls, though she loved seeing them together again.
Leo confided to Jed that losing the election might have been the best thing to ever happen to him. He felt freer and happier than he had in years now that he had no real commitment to politics. He was going to spend more time with Mallory and get started on his memoirs, for which Random House had paid him a sizable advance. That was why it came as such as shock when Abbey found him three days later not breathing in the guest room. She told them once that he looked so content and peaceful that she just knew the moment she entered the room that he was gone. She said that if she didn't know better she would have said that he almost had a smile on his face.
Jed was never the same after Leo's passing. He eventually became the Jed they all knew as he filled his days with family and speaking engagements and official business, but he still thought of Leo. They were supposed to grow old and get through the MS together. The plan was always for him to go first and for Leo to look after his family once he was gone. He was supposed to be Abbey's rock after Jed had passed and now she would have no one but the girls to look after her when then bitter end came. But, in those last days Jed saw Leo more relaxed and content than ever. He almost wondered if his dear friend knew the end was near.
Toby and Jed reconciled at the funeral. Each finally realized that life was too short and fragile to waste on anger and hurt feelings. They locked themselves away for an hour after the funeral and pored out their regrets to each other like fathers and sons who finally grow up and realize who they've really become. The masks were off and they had no more grand illusions about who they were and that was okay because they appreciated each other and their differing points of view. Jed and Toby kept in contact through e-mail and phone calls over the years and Jed was at peace with the resolution to their dramatic relationship.
As the years went by Jed thought of Mrs. Landingham, Admiral Fitzwallace and Leo every day and he was honored to have known them for as long as he had, but the world continued to rotate and life went on until the bitter end. It was just Jed and Abbey alone in a dark room when it came. Ironically or not, the end for Jed Bartlet came exactly ten years to the day of Leo's passing. It seemed they were destined to recreate another pattern of many prominent leaders by passing away on the same day, though years apart. Jed and Abbey had expected it wouldn't end well, but she was by his side in sickness and health, for better or worse and she didn't regret one day of the life she shared with Jed Bartlet.
The rest of the merry crew went on with their lives, but they made it a point to get together more often than before. It was hard that first year. They got together for Leo's funeral, CJ's wedding to Danny and Sam's inauguration as governor of California. The following year saw Charlie and Zoey's wedding, a surprise child for CJ and Danny and Will's election to Congress. It wasn't until the next Presidential election that they all had a reason to gather again. Sam was putting together a team that started with Josh Lyman.
"Hey Donna," Josh spoke into his cell phone as he walked up a tree-lined street.
"Hi Josh," she said as she stirred a cup of tea.
"Are you at home now?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" she asked. Before he answered she heard her doorbell ring and she answered it.
"Pressing business?" she asked.
"How much do you make a year lobbying for the environment?" he asked.
"That's a personal question," she replied.
"How much Donna?"
"$550,000 a year," she said.
"How'd you like to make $700 a week, no holiday pay, work the weekends and get virtually no time off?"
"Sam's running?" she asked excitedly.
"Sam's running," Josh nodded. "And we want you to be Press Secretary."
"What?" Donna asked.
"I'm thinking you in a short skirt, hidden by the podium of course, and the Presidential seal behind you."
"Are you sure?" Donna asked.
"As sure as I am that Andrew Jackson had a big block of cheese in the lobby of his White House," Josh replied.
"Yes," Donna screeched as she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes, yes."
"You know I always had a different vision of how you screaming that word would play out," he said wryly, which got him a playful smack on the shoulder.
"Wait," Donna said. "What about CJ?"
"What about her?"
"I kind of thought she'd come back as Press Secretary."
"Don't worry," Josh grinned. "We've got plans for CJ. You want to come with me to tell her?"
"Sure," Donna said grabbing her coat and following Josh out of the house. "What plans do you have for her?"
"She polls well," Josh smiled.
"You want her to be the First Lady? I think Danny might have a problem with that," Donna teased him.
"No," Josh smiled.
"Communications Director?" Donna guessed.
"Nope," Josh said happily.
"Well you're going to be the Chief of Staff," Donna said. "Is she gonna be Sam's body man?"
"As confident as I am that Sam would love the idea of CJ waiting on him hand and foot, the answer is no."
"Wait a minute," Donna said stopping in her tracks. "There's only one thing left."
"Yep," Josh nodded.
"She's never held an elected office," Donna said.
"But she was the second most visible person in the Bartlet administration, she was the Chief of Staff and she is a woman, giving her, in my opinion, the hat trick," Josh said.
"She'll say no," Donna informed him.
"It's her duty to serve," Josh reminded her.
"She has a child," Donna reminded him.
"Who is in school all day," Josh countered.
"Shouldn't Sam ask her?" Donna asked.
"He's on his way there now," Josh said as he hailed a cab.
"So why are going?" Donna asked as they got into the taxi.
"Backup," Josh smiled.
Sam Seaborn was sworn in on a sunny January afternoon. He looked up and thanked Leo for supplying the beautiful weather, for only Leo would have the ear of God to arrange for such a pleasant day. Never in a million years did Sam think he would rise to the top of the Democratic Party. All those years at Gage Whitney and he never would have imagined how far he would come. Some people always had that faith in him, but he wasn't one of them. Josh once asked him why he thought the campaign was different from the one he ran for Santos. Sam looked him the eye and told him a story President Bartlet had shared with him.
"President Bartlet once asked me if I had a best friend," Sam explained to Josh. "I told him it was you. He asked if you were smarter than me. I didn't have to have think very long because you are. He told me that's how I would know my Chief of Staff. That's why it's different this time Josh. Santos wasn't your best friend."
"Thanks Sam," he said almost embarrassed.
As time passed many people would write about similarities between Sam and Jed and Leo and Josh. Both Sam and Josh felt humbled to be mentioned in the same sentence as their great mentors.
CJ Cregg became the first female Vice President of the United States. As shocking as it was for some, CJ had the skills of two different positions in the White House and although she'd never held an elected office the people seemed tas aken with her as they had in the past. The personal relationship between Sam and CJ made for very happy relations between the office of the President and Vice President, which was something of a shock for the group as President Bartlet had never had very good relations with either of his Vice Presidents.
Danny, seeing the conflict of interests in his covering the White House while CJ was Vice President, decided to focus on a novel. Barlet Being Bartlet was the only biography written about Jed Bartlet in which the author had direct contact with the former president. Jed had always thought it would be Danny to write his biography. It just seemed fitting. He'd been there and he'd seen and heard things that made it a more personal account of his life. After the success of his first book Danny decided to stick with novels and he became a best-selling author.
CJ, with no real aspirations to rise above the position of Vice President, resigned after President Seaborn's first term to make room for another contender in the Democratic Party. CJ, Danny and their daughter decided to stay in Washington to be close to their friend, who they considered closer than family, and CJ became a familiar political commentator.
Donna took to the position of Press Secretary like a duck to water and she surprised the reporters with her poise and uncanny ability to dodge undesirable questions. She always said she learned from the best, but CJ knew that Donna had skills that she never quite grasped. She worked closely with Josh, but they didn't fall back into their usual roles. Donna was forceful and vocal when she disagreed with Josh and she gave as good as she got. She became His Girl Friday and the Press Corp teased her when Josh would send her flowers in February to celebrate their anniversary. The question about their relationship always lingered, but in their current roles a relationship was impossible and forbidden.
Josh toiled away as Chief of Staff and he suddenly realized why Leo had not recommended him for the job after his heart attack years earlier. He wasn't ready. He obviously had an idea of the job responsibilities, but the actual execution was exhausting. He was grateful that he was surrounded by his friends on certain days. His friends included Toby, who Sam instructed Josh to keep in the loop. Although he couldn't officially work for the White House after all that had happened he became an important advisor to both Josh and Sam during the presidency.
Most of all, Josh was happy to be working under the same roof as Donna. She amazed him more each day with her ability to keep up and handle the pressures of her job. He didn't think it was possible but he loved her more for it. He eventually told Donna that he loved her. He said it out loud on her fortieth birthday when he bought her skis, goggles, ski polls and new ski jacket. She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips and that was all that was said. In their roles it was a forbidden romance, which it had always seemed to be anyway. It was as if the stars were aligned against them, but, even without words, they knew that they loved each other.
When CJ resigned as Vice President Josh was asked to fill the vacancy. The Democratic Party, once put off by his vigor and stubbornness, was impressed by his ability to lead and coordinate the White House. They had high ambitions for his future in the party. Josh happily accepted and today he's considering a run for president. The Democratic leaders have some reservations about him because he's a single man. If that's there only concern they should be able to put it to rest after tonight. Josh is meeting Donna for dinner and he has a ring in his pocket.
The End.