Sam Seaborn could not think of one good reason why he was here.

Sam smiled at Jenny McGarry as she pointed to the room across the hall.

"Mal?" He called her name into the dark family room.

"Sam?" He could hear the fresh tears in her voice and he wanted to leave. He should not be here comforting her. He should not be here. His internal mantra disappeared when he saw her tear stained face appear in the doorway. She rushed into his arms before he could say a word. "Sam, I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too, Mal." There were two women Sam Seaborn had loved in his life, and he was holding one of them in his arms. "When's John getting back?"

He had to ask CJ her husbands name. He realized on the way here that he should know it, and the baby's name.

"Tomorrow before the funeral." She released him. She shook her head. "Congressman Seaborn, huh?" His stomach had flipped when she said congressman. That was Ainsley's little game. Her pet name for him. He should not have come here.

"That's what they tell me." He wondered if he sounded smug. He had been trying to watch that. "Mal, I'm so sorry about Leo." That's it, good! Cut to the chase, give comfort then retreat before he could do something stupid. "If there's anything I can do, just let me know." Something stupid like make promises he can't really keep. "Ainsley and I are available if you need any legal advice or if you have any questions." He dropped her name in there for good measure. It made him feel better.

"You're still with Ainsley Hayes?" Sam wondered why she sounded surprised.

"Yes." Sam watched a slow grin spread across Mallory's face.

"Sam, that's wonderful." She now sounded more shocked then surprised. "I'm really happy for you." Sam took a deep breath to fill up the awkward pause.

"So, where's Jenna? I was hoping to meet her." He looked around for the baby, as if Mallory may have just set her somewhere. "Leo talked about her all the time." Sam lied.

"Here she is right here!" A woman's voice cooed carrying the infant into the room. Sam got to his feet and looked at the baby.

"Sam this is Rita Sebastian." Mallory was saying. "John's mother. Sam?"

Sam was starring at the baby, tears came to his eyes.

"Sam? Are you alright?"

"She… looks just like…" He couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't look away from the baby. He felt Mallory's hand on his arm.

"Like Dad. I know. She looks just like my dad." Her voice was soft and comforting, Seaborn felt like a fool. He'd come here to comfort her only to be reduced to tears by a baby sized version of Leo. "Do you want to hold her?"

Sam felt himself nod, not sure why he wanted to hold Mallory's baby. He took the little girl in his arms and brushed back wispy hairs from her head. He realized that Mrs. Sebastian had gone with out so much as a hello from him.

"I'm sorry, that was rude.." He started to say to Mal, gesturing towards the direction her mother-in-law had gone. He never took his eyes off the baby.

"It's okay. Really Sam, it's okay." The baby was smiling at him. Pulling and flipping his tie around in her small grasp. "Her names Jenna Lee, after my parents. I know it's corny, but-."

"It's lovely." Sam interrupted. "Really Mal, she's.. lovely." She was. Sam found that strange how she could be so lovely and at the same time be a dead ringer for Leo McGarry. His eyes, his nose, his smile, all of the best of Leo miniaturized on a baby's face. Sam brought a hand up and wiped a tear away. This was all that was left of Leo McGarry. She would never even know him. Sam felt another tear form. The baby leaned forward onto his shoulder and he rocked her slowly back and forth. When he turned to Mallory she was crying too. "I'm really going to miss him Mallory."

She nodded and Sam stuck out his free arm to her pulling her into the other shoulder. He felt a strange ache. This could have been his family, this could have been his life if he had stayed in DC. He patted Mallory's back and pulled away. He took another look at Jenna before offering her back to her mother.

"I need to go." He told the 'baby Leo' softly. He looked at Mallory. "I'll be there tomorrow." He started stiffly towards the door, as she muttered goodbye and thanked him for coming. "Really if you need anything…"

"I'll call, Sam. Thank you." She said pressing her face against Jenna's head. He walked back the front door, saying goodbye to Leo's ex-wife, and slipping out of the door and into the rain.

From the car he called Ainsley.

"Sam? Are you alright?" He put his head back on the head rest and smiled.

"I love you, Ainse." He wiped the tears from his face and ran his hand under his nose like a child.

"And I love you. Sam what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything's right. Will you call the office and have someone overnight me the box in my middle drawer? Winn, will know what I need."

"You don't just want me to bring it tomorrow?"

"Nah, I want Winn to ship it. You won't have time to get it anyway, you leave too early."

"Sam, it's four pm here. I could go get it right now."

"Honey, just have Winn send it okay?"

"Okay." She was scared now, he could tell.

"I love you, Ainsley." He repeated softly.

"You're scaring me, Sam." She told him.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay." She sounded uneasy. "Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"I will be in the morning when I can hold you in my arms again." He sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He sniffed. "Goodnight Counselor."

"Goodnight, Congressman."

Sam closed his phone and cried for his dead friend and the granddaughter he'd never really get to know.

Toby Ziegler felt like an ass.

His attorney had called this morning to tell him that he could attend the funeral of Leo McGarry. He could not greet or speak to anyone involved in the scandal. He could not respond if spoken to by anyone involved. He was to sit with his attorney, who he hated. It was the only way, and that was thanks to a feisty republican political attorney from southern California. Who his own lawyer mentioned would not take no for an answer. He made a mental note to tell Sam to thank Ainsley. He ran his fingers over his scalp and looked at the phone. He checked the final draft of the piece he and Sam had been working on, then looked at the phone had to do it and he knew he had to do it. He dialed the numbers.

"Josh Lyman's residence." Her voice took him by surprise, but only for a second. Sam had been right.

"Donna."

"Toby."

"Can I talk to him."

"I don't know, are you going to be nice?" Shit. It was her 'rules' voice.

"Well since I'm calling to apologize.."

"Hold on." She said shortly, he heard her put the phone down and call Josh. She never answered when he asked who it was. He figured she'd thought he wouldn't take the call, and he though she was probably right.

"Josh Lyman."

"Josh."

"Toby."

"I'm an ass."

"Everyone knows that."

"I'm trying to apologize." He paused, Josh remained silent, so he continued. "For being an ass."

"Okay."

"Okay." This is why Toby loved Josh. He understood him.

"I can't sit with you guys today, but I'll wave or something." Josh stopped breathing when he said this.

"You shouldn't wave." Toby knew that of course, but Josh had said it with all seriousness.

"Did you warn her that I was coming?"

"Sam told her."

"Good."

"Seriously, don't wave."

"I'm not gonna.. " His voice rose into a yell before he caught himself calmed down. "I'm not gonna wave."

"You said you were gonna-."

"Josh?"

"Yeah."

"Are you finally going to marry, Donna?"

"Yeah I think so." Josh croaked out after an minute of silence.

"Good." Toby answered flatly, like Josh had said he was going to by milk. "I'll see you the next time your in DC?"

"Yeah." Toby hung up the phone, knowing Josh didn't need the formalities of a goodbye. He starred back down at the black suite he had arranged on the bed. Swallowing hard, he began to dress

Zoë Bartlett hated funerals.

As the first daughter, she'd been to quiet a few. The saddest ones had been for Mrs. Lanningham and for her own secret service agent, Molly, who had died trying to save her. Zoë had insisted on going to her funeral, despite everyone's recommendations that she rest after 'her ordeal.' All she could think was, what about Molly's ordeal?

For this funeral, she would not feel guilty, but she knew it would be the worst of them. Leo McGarry was a second father to her. He'd known her since she was born, he'd been there for every major event in her life.

He wouldn't be there when she married Charlie next spring. She wondered now who her father would have 'the conversation' with now. She had overheard 'the conversation' at Ellie's wedding. Standing behind them, they never knew she heard a word of it.

"Well two down, one to go." Leo's eyes shone proudly as he watched Ellie dance with her new husband.

Jed Bartlett looked up at his best friend wearily. His dance with Ellie had taken it all out of him.

"Leo, I have to ask you something. Something important and I have to do it now while I feel like this."

"Jed?"

"I may not be able to stand by next year, Leo." The President leaned into his friend. "I may not be alive next year, Leo."

"Come on, don't say something like that! Look at me, last year I had a heart attack, this year I'm running for VP." Leo had protested in a sharp whisper.

"Leo, If I can't, for what ever reason, walk Zoë down the isle-."

"I'll be there." Leo had said quickly, before the President had to continue.

"Thank you, Leo."

Now Zoë wondered who it would be. If not her father, if not Leo, then who?

"Zoë?" Charlie's voice broke her out of the memory. "You ready?" She looked up at the building and nodded.

The decision on where to honor Leo had been debated thoroughly in the east wing of the White House. With Jenny and Leo's sister on dueling speaker phones and Mallory, crying, tucked under Zoë's mother's arm. They had ruled out temples, most state buildings, and the capital building. In the end, it was Leo's sister who had made the decision. Charlie took her hand and lead her in after her family.

CJ Craig had known the next time she saw him it would be in a court house.

She hadn't figured that it would be for Leo McGarry's funeral. She'd watched her best friend come in with Babish and his attorney, Danny had squeezed her hand tighter and turned her towards the President, the rest of the original and current Sr. Staff, and Leo's small family. Other heads of state and globally relevant people took their honored places as the secret service looked on intently.

CJ knew they hated these things, so many critical people together in the same room. It was almost like the State of the Union nights. Except for this time, Bingo Bob was sitting back at the White House manning the button instead of here where they could all keep an eye on him. She shook her head again at the idea that man almost won the nomination.

"Did you see him." She whispered to Danny after they had settled into their seats.

"Toby?"

"Yes of course… him." She couldn't bring herself to say his name. It hurt her throat to say it. Honestly, it hurt her head to hear it. Basically, Toby Ziegler had hurt her.

"CJ."

"Danny, I'm just saying that.."

"CJ." He turned her around again and pointed to the casket in the front of the room. She froze for a moment before turning back to him with glasses eyes. "For half a day CJ, lets take a moment and say goodbye." She nodded, sitting down next to him.

She glanced over her shoulder at Josh and Donna, their fingers entwined, her whispering softly to him, smoothing his hair back with her free hand. Ainsley had arrived that morning, not looking at all jet lagged from her red eye flight. She was leaning over Sam to talk to Will, probably about his sister that Sam refused to call by name. (He called her Winn or Winnie because he said she looked like that girl from the wonder years.) Truthfully CJ didn't even remember her name. She was going to ask Sam until she really looked at his glazed over face. Ainsley took his face and turned it towards hers and started to say something, CJ looked away.

Jenny had grabbed onto Margaret at some point and the two were talking tearfully by the side of the room. The President was holding baby Jenna, not even attempting to hide the tears on his cheeks. Abby had her arms around Mallory, who was weeping next to her husband. He looked lost.

She couldn't help look back to the south corner. He was looking at her, his eyes wrinkled straining to tell her something. She'd gotten Josh's message. She'd heard Sam's brief report on his mental status. She wanted to tell him thank you for bringing her here. Thank him for standing by her and believing in her. She wanted to tell him 'screw you' for leaving her. Screw him or hurting Jed Bartlett. Screw him for turning his back on everything they had all put their lives on hold for.

All she could do was cry. She watched his face break, he licked his lip in a futile attempt to stop the tears that fell down his face. He looked down and she looked away. They were all gone now. She and Jed Bartlett would see this presidency through on their own. No longer were they Leo's group of genius misfits, some how, repeatedly doing the impossible. Now it was just her, throwing herself in front of metaphorical bullets for Jed Bartlett.

CJ Craig was the last line of defense for the ailing president.