A/N: This chapter contains a few lines of dialogue in the Town Hall from 1x22, "What Kind of Day Has it Been?" We are just borrowing it for context. That being said, things happen in this chapter that took many seasons to occur on The West Wing. Also, Felicity is nine months-old in this story.

Proper credit goes to Aaron Sorkin as the writer of the episodes in this story. All rights belong to their respective rights holders.

Happy Reading!

It was 5:00 in the evening. The flashing lights of the motorcade pulled up to the North Portico. As the motorcade came to a stop, Donna was standing outside.

"Good evening, ma'am." Donna greeted as the Secret Service agent opened the door and helped her out.

"Good evening, Donna!" Abbey replied. "Did my husband tell you that you've been drafted for Felicity duty tonight?"

"Yes, ma'am. The President said you were coming."

"Yes," Abbey told her. "I need some time with my girls. Now, where's my baby?"

"Up in the Residence, ma'am. The President has her."

"Small favors. Do me a favor and let the staff know it's family time until we leave?"

There were code words for most things in the President's schedule. But family time was exactly that. Since Felicity's birth, the staff came to know the term to mean that unless the world was coming to an end or there was a crisis that absolutely could not wait, there were to be no interruptions. It was also known colloquially as "Felicity Time".

"Yes, ma'am," Donna replied and went off to do as Abbey had asked.

Abbey went inside and took the elevator upstairs to the residence. When the elevator doors opened, she heard Jed and Zoey arguing good-naturedly. Abbey followed their voices into the living room, where she found them sitting on the sofa. The 9-month-old sat on Jed's lap.

"…Dad, come on. We do not need to have visiting hours for boys," Zoey said, talking about her impending move into a house with her cousin, Alex, the following month. "Our detail agents won't enforce it either."

"You're only 18, Zoey!"

"Exactly, I'm 18. I can have my own life."

"You're too young for your own life."

"Besides, Alex will be there."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Abbey decided to step in. "Jed, she's right."

Felicity scrambled around fast when she heard the familiar voice. "MAMA!"

"Hey, baby girl!" Abbey grinned, crossing the room in two strides and sweeping her up. "I missed you so much!"

"Mama," Felicity said again in amazement.

Abbey felt tears in her eyes. This was what she had been wanting all day long. She hugged Felicity close, and her little girl sighed with happiness and probably a little relief. Abbey brought Felicity with her to every engagement, starting on their first foreign tour as a family of three. Being around other people, seeing new places, and doing different activities proved stimulating and entertaining for Felicity. She was almost always charming, sweet, and interested in what was going on. Not having the little girl with her felt odd.

"I missed you so much, lovebug," Abbey whispered to her daughter.

Abbey rubbed her back gently and sat down beside her husband. As she listened to Jed and Zoey debate what appropriate rules were, she settled back into the sofa and let Felicity nurse before they had to get ready to leave.

"Alex is the most organized and responsible person I know, bordering on anal-retentive. She bought the house with her own money. How many adults do you know who did that at 18?"

"Not many," Jed admitted. "But let me remind you that we will be covering your share of the bills, Zoey. That has to come with some sort of agreement."

"Within reason, Jed. We cannot control who visits Zoey or Alex. The Secret Service will have their own space on the lower floors. That will have to be enough."

Zoey looked at her mother and smiled when she saw how relaxed her sister seemed, "You have no idea how much she missed you, mom. Fizzy acted like you left forever."

Jed looked at Abbey, then Zoey. He sighed.

"All right." Jed agreed. "But if anything happens..."

"The Secret Service will know about it. I promise, Dad. You won't regret this!"

"Well, now that that's settled," Abbey spoke up, "I believe we have a Town Hall to get ready for."

Jed smiled. "Yes, we do."

Over the next hour, everyone changed their clothes for the town hall. Abbey changed into a burgundy business suit and dressed Felicity in a sky-blue formal dress with an indigo sash.

Donna walked in wearing a black business suit with a lilac blouse. "That looks lovely, ma'am. Both you and Felicity look great."

"Thank you, Donna," Abbey replied as she packed a few last items in the large leather tote that served as Felicity's diaper bag. This included several wraps that Alex made, sized for her, Donna, and Jed, a spare set of clothes, and a few emergency supplies for the adults that Abbey always carried just in case an accident occurred. "That should do it."

"Are you sure you have everything?" Jed asked. The question was rhetorical, of course; Abbey always had everything.

"Yes. Did you see those briefs Charlie put in your bag?"

"The college student statistics?" Jed asked. He had been impressed by the statistics and surprised when Zoey told him Charlie had given them to her. "They're quite impressive. I might just use them."

"Oh, Jed! Charlie would be flattered!"

"He deserves it." Jed nodded. "He's whip-smart."

"I agree with you," Abbey replied.

"Would you like me to take Felicity to the car?" Donna asked.

"No, we can take her ourselves, Donna. Thank you."

"Of course," Donna said.

Abbey and Jed walked out of the Master Suite with Felicity in Jed's arms.

"Are you really going to use the stats Charlie gave you, dad?" Zoey asked, joining them in the hall. Donna brought up the rear along with the Secret Service detail.

"I think I just might," Jed replied. "He did a good job in finding those. I heard you were quite persuasive, too."

"I tried to be. But it wasn't easy getting Charlie to believe you were interested in his opinion."

"He's still learning, Zoey. Give him time."

The group walked down to the waiting motorcade. Charlie joined them just as they were walking out to the North Portico.

"Good evening, Mr. President. Dr. Bartlet." Charlie said, falling into step with them.

"Hi, Charlie." Abbey greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm well, Dr. Bartlet. If I may say something?"

"Of course." Abbey nodded toward him.

"I just wanted to say that Felicity seems a lot happier now that you're home."

As if to prove his point, Felicity squealed with delight from Jed's arms.

"I've got you, lovebug." Jed cooed. He held her close as they slid into the car.

As soon as the door shut, Jed reached for Abbey's hand. "I'm really glad you came home."

"So am I," Abbey agreed. She squeezed his hand briefly before helping him strap Felicity into her car seat.

The motorcade started to move as soon as they were all buckled in.

"I think lovebug was lonely without you," he said. "Staying home with me isn't nearly as fun as it was when the girls were little."

"I don't doubt it. We have lots of fun on our trips, don't we, baby girl?"

"Yeah!" Felicity agreed happily.

"Maybe we need to schedule a joint trip somewhere again," she suggested. "It's not the most ideal way to spend family time. But Felicity really does love going to the events on my schedule."

"Name the time and place," Jed told her.

"You like the idea?"

"Are you kidding? I think the reason lovebug loves your events so much is that they're slow-paced. We can schedule something like that. Maybe this summer, before the midterms. We can go up to Boston, Connecticut, see Emily and Richard and your mom. How does that sound?"

Abbey smiled at Jed. "Sounds like a date."

Jed glanced over at Felicity. Finally content in the presence of both her parents, she drifted off to sleep. Hopefully, she would be out for the rest of the evening.

"I'm glad I packed the wraps," Abbey said, following his gaze.

"Are you going to wear Felicity for the entire Town Hall?"

"I think so. I'll hand lovebug off to Donna if you need me for something."

Abbey retrieved her wrap carrier from Felicity's bag and started to put it on as they approached the Newseum. When they pulled up, she finished putting it on and carefully extracted Felicity from her car seat, and put her into the wrap so that she was secure and comfortable resting against her chest.

The car doors opened, and they got out, joining the rest of the senior staff as they walked into the Newseum together, flanked by dozens of Secret Service.

In the auditorium, the audience chatted as they took their seats. Jed and Abbey stood in the wings just offstage, Jed prepared to go on.

"Knock 'em dead, babe," Abbey said.

"Thank you, Sweet Knees," Jed replied.

They kissed, and Jed reached into the wrap to kiss a sleeping Felicity. "Bye, lovebug. Sleep well."

Just then, Ron Butterfield approached. "Sir, they're ready for you."

Jed flashed Abbey a grin, then walked in as the announcer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States!"

Abbey made her way to the house side of the auditorium and joined Zoey and Donna in the private box they were sitting in for the Town Hall. She sat down next to her daughter and squeezed her shoulder.

"Thank you for coming tonight, honey."

"I wouldn't miss it, mom," Zoey replied, flashing her a smile.

Felicity shifted in the wrap and Abbey looked down at her. The baby was still asleep. She pulled back the fabric covering part of Felicity's head on the front and back of the wrap. Then she gingerly lifted the baby's face to undo a few buttons of the blouse she wore underneath her suit jacket. Then she let Felicity's cheek rest against the exposed skin. During their first foreign tour, Abbey discovered that this small measure of skin-to-skin contact comforted her baby as she slept in a wrap on the move. Felicity cried less often in public while being worn, and it was infinitely easier to feed her discreetly as well.

"There you go, lovebug," she whispered, kissing her head.

"Did you do that with me?" Zoey whispered, now that her father had started talking on stage.

"When you were very little, yes. But by the time you were this age, you were crawling all the time. And you fought your naps hard. I found you asleep in the oddest places," Abbey smiled.

"Well, maybe Felicity's turning into a mini-me. She'll be running around the farm before long." Zoey told her mother.

"I like that thought," Abbey said, reaching over to stroke Zoey's cheek.

They watched as one by one, college students stood up to ask Jed questions. After about 20 minutes, Felicity began to whimper. Mother's instinct told Abbey she wanted to eat again. After their day apart, Abbey obliged. She excused herself and went to a quiet spot in the lobby.

As Felicity was discreetly feeding in the wrap, Abbey heard footsteps. She looked up to see Donna walking towards her.

"Pardon me, ma'am," Donna said softly. "I just saw you slip out, and I wanted to make sure everything was all right."

"Everything is more than fine, Donna," She replied, feeling more relaxed than she had since leaving that morning.

"Felicity is just making up for lost time."

Donna smiled softly, "I would expect nothing less."

"If all goes well with the rest of the town hall, I want you to go home and get home relatively early. You did a wonderful job balancing Felicity with the demands of your work. I know she didn't make it easy for you."

" No, she didn't. But you were right. All Felicity wants when she's overtired is to be held. She had no fight left and fell asleep in my arms."

Donna sat down next to Abbey. "You know, sometimes when I'm holding Felicity, I start thinking about having one of my own one day."

Abbey looked over at her. "You want kids?"

"Someday," Donna answered. "When the time is right."

"Felicity must be good practice, then."

"She's not just practice, ma'am," Donna told her. "I really care about her."

"Donna, seeing you with Felicity... I can just tell that you will be an amazing mother."

"Thank you," Donna said softly.

"And Josh will be an amazing father."

Donna did a double-take. "Ma'am?"

"You two have something. I don't know what it is, but it's something. I wouldn't be surprised if when you have kids, they'll have...oh, unruly brown curls?"

"I—haven't really thought about that," She said, feeling slightly flustered. "We're friends. To be honest, things between us haven't been the same since I came to work for you. Josh still hasn't found a permanent assistant, either. He cycles through one every couple of months."

"You still feel guilty," Abbey said, looking at her. "And you shouldn't. Being Josh's assistant was a good start. But working in my office will take you wherever you want to go after this."

"I know, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. It's just—"

"Josh will find his way eventually in terms of a new assistant. You and he, however, should figure out whatever it is."

"I think I'm beginning to understand why Alex hates being asked about her relationship," Donna said, looking at her boss.

Abbey laughed, gaining the attention of a now-full Felicity, who grinned at her mother. "Well, it's a mother's prerogative. Get used to it." She looked meaningfully at the younger woman. "Donna, take it from a woman who stumbled into the man she loved at 19. Don't be afraid to admit that the man you love has been standing right in front of you the whole time." She let that hang in the air, then turned to the sound of applause in the audience. "Well, Felicity's finished. Why don't we rejoin the audience?"

"I think that's a great idea," Donna agreed and stood up.

Abbey fastened her blouse, leaving it open just enough for Felicity to snuggle into, and then shifted her upright in the wrap again with a practiced ease. The baby sighed happily and settled back into position. They headed back inside to take their seats.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Zoey were standing just outside the box, watching as Jed went back and forth with the students.

"He's gonna tell that stupid politician joke again, isn't he?" Zoey muttered.

Sure enough, the crowd ate it up as Jed told the joke. "One of them stands up and says, 'You're lying!' The other guy says, 'Yes, I am, but hear me out!'"

Zoey groaned. "It's not even that funny!"

"Let it go, Zo," Charlie said distractedly as he listened to Jed answer the moderator.

"You haven't been through these things a million times like I have," She replied, looking over at him. "He thinks he's funny, but he really isn't."

"...There's a guy on my staff named Charlie Young who showed me a report from the Center for Policy Alternatives that said 61% of your generation agree with the statement "Politicians and political officials have failed my generation…"

"Did the President just—?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, he did, Charlie," Zoey smiled proudly. "See, I told you my dad would listen to you. He might be President of the United States. But he's still a professor at heart."

Charlie turned to Zoey and kissed her deeply. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Zoey replied.

"Well, I didn't think I would be saying this, but I'm glad you pushed me."

"Well, you needed it."

Charlie drew her to him and kissed her forehead.

Zoey hugged him back and enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing how happy he was.

"Are you going to watch the softball game with your parents?"

"I thought about it. But they're probably going to be on Felicity time after this. So, I could be convinced to do something else. What do you have in mind?"

"You, me, and a quiet movie in your dorm…or something," Charlie said with a sly grin.

Zoey grinned. "I like the way you think."

They kissed again, then Zoey looked down at her father just in time to hear him say, "This is the part where Zoey tries to crawl under a seat to hide. Don't worry about it, sweetie, I'll bring out the baby pictures any second now."

Zoey shook her head and stepped out into the box where her mother and Felicity sat. "You have plenty of pictures of Felicity," She said to her father. "There's no need to show any of me."

Jed grinned, "You are right about that."

Abbey couldn't help but smile. Felicity's head popped up from inside the wrap, looking confused before she settled back down again.

"Well, they're telling me that we're out of time," Jed said.

Abbey and Zoey watched with pride as Jed wrapped up his speech by talking about his favorite subject-his family history going back to 1776. It was a story that Abbey knew he would try to impress Felicity with one day. But for now, their youngest daughter slept soundly close to her mother's chest, paying no attention at all to her father's speech.

The audience dispersed. Abbey, Zoey, Charlie, Donna, and a sleeping Felicity headed down to meet Jed and the rest of the staff downstairs.

"Hey Donna," Josh said, falling into step beside her as the group came down into the lobby. Abbey and Felicity went off to greet Jed as he came off-stage. "I see you didn't get roped into Felicity duty."

"Yeah," Donna replied. "The First Lady and I had an interesting chat, though."

"Oh, yeah? What about?"

"You, actually," Donna told him. While the First Lady was her boss, she also had given her much food for thought after their little chat in the lobby.

"What about me?" Josh asked, puzzled. The truth was, deep down, he thought he knew what this conversation was going to be about.

He was in love with her. He had known that since before she left to work for the First Lady. So, why was he so scared?

"Mostly…how now that I'm not working for you anymore, we can figure out what's going on between us?"

"What's going on between us?" Josh repeated.

"Josh, are you going to repeat everything I say?"

"Do you think there's something going on?" He asked quietly.

"I do know things haven't been the same. And I would like to stop feeling guilty about quitting to work for the First Lady. I love my job and Felicity. But it shouldn't have come at the expense of our friendship," She said with a touch of defensiveness in her voice.

"Donna, I never wanted us to stop being friends," Josh told her. "The truth is, I was just…nervous you would think you were too good for me now."

"What?" Donna asked in disbelief. "Josh, I could never think that."

"Why not?" Josh asked.

"Because you taught me everything I know," Donna told him. "And…I'm on the other side of the building."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Josh asked.

"So I can do something that I've wanted to do for two years." She said.

Josh was puzzled until she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

He found himself kissing her back before they remembered they were in a room full of people.

As they pulled apart, they heard a distinctive clearing of the throat. They turned to see Abbey holding Felicity with a smile on her face.

"Well, that didn't take long, did it?" She said. "The President wants to do the rope line, and I'm going to accompany him. Would you mind taking Felicity until we're finished? It will take a little time."

"Of course, ma'am," Donna said, composing herself. Abbey handed Felicity to her along with the leather tote.

"Mama," Felicity frowned.

"You're going to stay with Donna for a bit, lovebug. I'll be right back," She said before looking at Josh and Donna. "Behave yourselves," She said with a little smile before going back to Jed.

"You seem awfully satisfied about something," Jed observed when Abbey came back over to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Abbey replied. "Donna and I had a nice chat when I came out into the lobby with Felicity earlier."

"Oh, so you were the little bird in Donna's ear, then." He saw the kiss from across the room and concluded they must have been influenced somewhat. Jed leaned in and kissed his wife softly on the lips. "Be careful there, Madam Matchmaker."

"I am," she assured him. "Now come on. Let's go do the rope line, so you can unwind with your softball game."

Abbey took Jed's arm and followed the rest of the staff as they all walked out of the museum.

Gina Toscano and Ron Butterfield were just ahead of the group and securing the line to the waiting cars parked at the curb. Gina looked around. Something tipped her off. But she couldn't figure out where it was. She just saw it. Where was it? The group of senior staffers, the President, the First Lady, and Zoey were walking toward them. The President and the First Lady moved in the direction of the rope line.

"Ron, something isn't right," she shouted over the cheering crowd.

Gina looked around again, desperately trying to find what set off her sense of danger. That's when she saw him. The man. In the baseball cap. He looked up at something and turned to leave. Someone knocked his hat off. It was him. He was a threat. Gina followed the trail of his gaze and that's when she saw the gun barrel pointing out the window of the upper floor in the building across the way.

"GUN!" She yelled as loud as her lungs would let her. "GUN!"

Everyone reacted, diving down in fear as the first shots rang out.

"Felicity!" Abbey screamed as she attempted to run towards Donna and her youngest daughter. But the Secret Service descended on Abbey and Jed, pushing them both into the limousine and slamming the door.

Charlie covered Zoey with his body, but Gina grabbed them both and shoved them into Zoey's limousine. "In the car, NOW!"

As Zoey sat up in the car, dazed but unhurt, she turned to Charlie. "Fizzy! Charlie, where's Felicity?!"

The object of everyone's greatest fears was screaming and wailing in fear as chaos erupted around her. Donna held her close as multiple agents appeared at her elbow.

"Ms. Moss, we need to go now!" One of the agents on Felicity's detail said.

"But what about-"

"There's no time!" The agent barked as they threw Donna and Felicity into a car.

Meanwhile, Josh was running around frantically looking for Donna and Felicity

"Donna!" He screamed, launching himself against the iron gate in an attempt to get through it. "Donna!"

Just then, searing pain shot through his entire body. He felt his shirt blindly and came away with blood on his hand.

The shots stopped just as the limos carrying the President and First Lady followed by the one with Zoey peeled away from the curb and raced off. A black SUV carrying Donna and Felicity took off after them shortly after. The shooting began and ended in a matter of seconds. It left a chaotic scene full of injured and shaken senior staff members and members of the public behind.

Sirens wailed in the distance. What was supposed to be just another day would end in fear, uncertainty, and devastating consequences.