A/N: One of our goals in this story to show the greater impact that the shooting has on everyone in the Felicity universe and what happens politically and personally. Alex is the type of person who knows everyone in a room but would never be one to brag, making her the person to help bring this part of the story to a close. After a fraught recovery, Felicity is on the mend, but her journey is just beginning!

Happy Reading!

At Children's National, Abbey held Jed's hand tightly in her own as they watched the team of doctors and nurses extubate Felicity three and a half days after being put back on the vent. They removed the vent tube and put her on high flow oxygen via nasal cannula. All Felicity could do was whimper. The team did their best to try to make Felicity comfortable. But she flailed around in the crib, confused and agitated.

"I need to hold her," Abbey said, after watching them work for a few minutes.

"Felicity still has many tubes and lines in," The hospitalist said.

"Her heart rate is going to stay up," Abbey pointed out. "Until I hold her."

After a minute more of arguing back and forth, the medical team relented. Abbey and Jed settled into chairs beside the crib, and she stripped down to do skin-to-skin with Felicity. The nurses transferred the baby and put her on Abbey's chest as before. Jed draped a blanket over the two of them for warmth before kissing the top of Felicity's head.

"Hey, lovebug," He whispered. "Welcome home."

The act reminded him of the scene in their bedroom nearly nine months to the day earlier as they sat together admiring their newly born daughter as she lay on her mother's chest as if she always belonged there. She still did.

Felicity whimpered again and Abbey held her close, "It's okay, lovebug, you're safe. I'm right here."

She squirmed feebly again and again until Abbey understood what Felicity was looking for. Together, Abbey and Jed carefully turned Felicity so that she could nurse. Just like on the day she was born, Felicity went to her mother's breast without a problem. Abbey felt her rapid intake of breath, not as bad as before, but she imagined every breath was painful. Felicity didn't seem to care.

Jed smiled as he watched his daughter squeeze one of his good fingers, "Would you look at that?"

"She's a fighter, that's for sure," The nurse commented.

"So, the immune cells worked?" Abbey asked, looking up from her eagerly feeding daughter.

"It may still take a couple of days to get the confirmatory results," The nurse said. "But it seems to me like she's heading in the right direction."

Jed looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes. "Thank you, God," he whispered.

Abbey felt tears well up in her eyes, "We did it, Jed," She said, looking at her husband.

"This is mostly you, Sweet Knees," he said before leaning over to kiss her sweetly. "I just helped a little." He looked down at their daughter, who was still nursing with her eyes closed because she was only half-awake.

"You did more than help," Abbey said, looking at him. "She's here because of us, Jed."

"I know. But this is all you."

Abbey watched Felicity and with a mixture of love and a little sadness, she realized Felicity was about to fall asleep.

"Felicity might take another 12 to 24 hours to come around completely," One of the other nurses said. "We'll leave her NG tube in and give her feedings until she can eat comfortably on her own."

"Why don't you plan on going home for the evening?" Another nurse suggested. "Felicity will likely sleep the rest of the night."

Abbey looked at Jed. "What do you think?"

"Your call, Abbey," Jed told her.

Abbey looked back at Felicity, who had fallen asleep and off her latch. "You'll call if there are any changes, no matter how minor?"

"You have our word, ma'am," The nurse told her.

Abbey took a few more minutes to snuggle with her daughter before letting the nurses take Felicity back to her crib. She slept unbothered as her nurses covered Felicity with the blanket they used. Abbey quickly re-dressed. Once she was satisfied that there was plenty of milk for Felicity if she needed it, they left the hospital for the first time in days.

It was close to nine at night by the time Abbey and Jed entered the residence. Jed splintered off to go make a call. Abbey walked up the hall, intending to take a bath. But she stopped as she passed the den. Zoey and Alex were curled up on one couch. Lorelei and Rory were on another watching the news.

"What are you ladies watching?" Abbey asked in lieu of a greeting.

"Cable news." Both answered at the same time.

"Make them stop," Alex mumbled.

Abbey chuckled at her niece.

"Aunt Abbey, how's Felicity?" Rory asked. Lorelei muted the TV in anticipation.

"She's extubated, she woke up, and she nursed without any visible distress."

Lorelei grinned. "That's amazing!"

Zoey woke up. "How's Fizzy?"

Abbey filled her in quickly, and Zoey threw her arms around her mother.

"This is the best news, ever!" Zoey exclaimed. "Ellie will be so happy."

"I already called her," Abbey said. "She's coming down from Baltimore tomorrow morning to check the results herself."

"Typical Ellie. Did you see Alex's speech yet?"

"Yes, I did. Courtesy of Logan and a videotape that I don't even want to know how he got ahold of."

Zoey laughed.

"Are you still mad at me?" Alex asked quietly.

Abbey looked at her niece with sympathy. "Come here."

Alex stood up and went over to Abbey, who wrapped her up in a tight hug, "I was never mad at you, Alex. Worried. But I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Aunt Abbey."

"You're actually in good company. I was arrested at a protest when I was your age."

"No way," All four Bartlet-Gilmore cousins said.

"It's the truth," Abbey replied, wrapping an arm around Alex as they looked at the rest of the room. "Your mother was scandalized, so I would avoid getting arrested if I were you. But we come from a long line of people who stand up for what they believe in."

Alex nodded, thinking of both her grandmothers and all that came before her. "Will Uncle Jed forgive me?"

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Abbey said.

Alex looked around her sister, cousin, and niece. "I'll be back, guys."

Jed was still in the Oval Office when Mrs. Landingham poked her head in. "Alexandra was wondering if she could have a moment."

"I'll bet she does," Jed replied. "Send her in."

Mrs. Landingham disappeared and Alex walked into the Oval. Even though it had been more than a year since Jed took office, it still struck her as strange to see him behind the Resolute Desk.

"Aunt Abbey said that Felicity's awake," She offered by way of a greeting.

"Yes, she is. She'll be sleeping for the rest of the night. But things are looking up. I talked to your parents earlier. Both of them were more upset at your school than at you."

"Yeah, I thought it would be the opposite. But when I talked about what happened when the shooting started, they were surprisingly understanding."

Jed nodded. "Your parents went through the same thing you did that night. And I can understand. You were with Zoey all day." He took a breath. "It could've just as easily been you that was fired at."

Alex approached the desk, "I'm truly sorry, Uncle Jed," "And I'll do whatever smoothing over I need to do with your staff. But I'm not sorry I said what I said. Since the shooting, I've listened to cable news pundits say over and over again how this was a high-profile shooting. It would have never happened otherwise. All I could think was, what about everyone else? Gun violence happens every day. What's the excuse, then?"

"You know, you're more like your aunt than you realize. Maybe that's why I'm so upset."

"I guess I am. But I'd like to think I'm a little like you too," Alex pointed out. "I don't think I would have won my Constitutional debate sophomore year without you. And I don't know if I would have had the courage to speak up if I didn't know you couldn't."

"And how do you know that?" Jed asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You said it yourself, you don't have the political capital. Even if you did, you're the President. For as much power as you have, you would need willing participants in the legislative process, and that's not a guarantee. So, I made certain it would be."

"Sam told me he spoke to Senator Holbrook today. He's quite familiar with your Second Amendment argument because he was a judge on your final. He said he would consider using your theory if he ever crafted legislation on gun control. You called him out."

"In my own way."

"Senator Holbrook's a powerful man. He knows what he's doing. But you-you could be a Senator one day."

"Really?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. The cards haven't lined up yet, but they will. And maybe when they do, you'll be the one to push them through."

Alex threw her arms around her uncle, not caring that she was in the Oval Office.

Jed smiled then and hugged her back, "You did good, Alex. Better than I ever anticipated."

"Thanks, Uncle Jed," Alex replied.

"As for your school, CJ seems to think they'll bow to the media pressure and release your diploma any day now."

Alex stepped back and smiled, "I figured."

"How did you get to be so smart again?"

"I spent far too much time around you and Aunt Abbey as a child."

Jed chuckled. "You know, one of the things I've learned about being President is this. Don't listen to yourself being played again and again on the news. We'll deal with CJ and the others in the morning. Why don't you go up and see if your cousins want to watch a movie or something?"

Alex nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Uncle Jed. I'll see you later."

Donna hung up the phone and turned to Josh, laid out on the couch. "That was good news."

"What is it?" Josh asked.

"Felicity is off the vent and awake. The immune cells are working."

"Hey, that is good news!" Josh exclaimed. He outstretched his arm towards Donna. "Come here."

Donna smiled and dropped down next to Josh on the couch. "You have no idea how relieved I am."

"That makes two of us," Josh said. "The poor kid has been through hell. The President and the First Lady must be so happy."

"It sounded like they are. I still can't believe it worked."

"Maybe the President has more pull with the guy upstairs than he thought." Josh leaned over and kissed Donna's temple. "This last week has certainly got me thinking."

"About what?"

"Not taking things for granted. I know we still have a lot to figure out. But I never want to take our relationship for granted."

"Me neither," Donna replied. "I know that I'm gonna spend a lot more time with Felicity than I used to."

"Got that right." Josh agreed. "You know, I've been thinking about leaving the White House."

Donna picked her head up. "Really?"

"Just a pipe dream," Josh reassured her. "But I do want to cut back my hours. Spend more time at home, with you."

"I like the sound of that. Since I am going to be spending more time with Felicity, we might need to find ways to spend time together at work. It won't be easy. But I think it's the most realistic plan. Felicity is going to need a lot of support now and when she's allowed to go home."

"I suppose you're right. You'll be traveling again soon, too."

"For now, Dr. Bartlet has nothing on her calendar. The girls have offered to step in, just like during her pregnancy. Alex will help too now that she's moving here."

Josh considered this, "Maybe it's time I do my part too. You've always told me that the President needs more family time. So, I'll do what I can to make sure that happens. And in the process, we'll have more time to spend together."

Donna smiled at Josh. "Sounds like a plan."

Josh looked at her. "So, when are the doctors looking at discharge?"

"Assuming things stay stable…sometime next week."

"Here's hoping, the entire world will be relieved when she does."

"The hospital will too, I'm sure. The Secret Service presence is very heavy. For good reason."

"Hey, have you talked to Sam and Toby lately? They mentioned they were working on something related to the shooting."

"Not today. I wonder if Alex's graduation speech is going to help or hurt what they're trying to do."

Josh grinned, "I would have liked to have seen the President's reaction to that."

Sam went searching for CJ and Toby the next morning. He was stunned, but for the best reason. He found Toby talking with CJ in her office.

"Hey Sam," CJ said. "What's up?"

"I just got off the phone with Senator Holbrook's office. They want to schedule a meeting to discuss gun control legislation."

"Alex," CJ muttered. "She must've gotten to him."

"Do you really think you can make this happen?" Toby said.

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "But we're sure going to try."

"You'll talk to Josh?" CJ confirmed.

"I'll go talk to him right now."

Donna opened the apartment door. "Oh, hey, Sam."

"Hey, Donna. Can I talk to him for a minute?"

"Sure," Donna said and stepped aside to let him in. "Josh," she called. "Sam is here to see you."

Donna closed the door and led Sam down the hall to the living room, where Josh was sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Sam. What's up?"

"I got a call from Senator Holbrook's office. He wants to meet to discuss gun control."

"No way. Evan Holbrook is one of the most pro-gun sitting Senators. He's practically the poster boy for the NRA."

"His son also graduated from the same school as Alex."

Josh looked at her. "So he heard the speech."

"Heard it? Half the speech was directed at him."

"So, what? Now we've got Republicans eating out of our hands because the President's daughter was shot? When did this become about family values?"

"It's not about family values," Sam argued. "It's about saving lives."

"By taking away guns? Come on, Sam. Holbrook's gotta have something up his sleeve."

"I'm sure he does. But the Senator also believes strongly in responsible gun ownership, and that's what he wants to write the legislation around."

"But what's the incentive?"

"Apparently, Alex argued something similar during her American Constitution class. He was present for the debate they held and thought she made some good points. After this shooting, it would make him look good."

Josh looked to be considering this for a moment. "What do we need to be prepared for?"

"Well, I think the Republicans are gonna want us to make a lot of concessions to make this work."

"Don't they always?"

"Yes. But I'm sure this will be harder than most, considering this is something we're for."

"So this is where you're thinking Holbrook is going to stick it to us?"

"Probably. He didn't specify what he promised Alex he would do."

Josh sighed, "In other words, this bill is going to be for show."

"We don't know that until Holbrook shows up."

Josh rubbed his hands together. He could feel Donna watching him from the doorway. "Set up the meeting."

Sam perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah. With one addition to the guest list."

"Who's that?"

"Alex."

"You want to put a 17-year-old in the room with a Senate power player?"

"Yeah. She'll keep him honest. Plus, she's the one who made the arguments for this, to begin with."

"Ok, when are you cleared to come back?"

"Next week."

"I'll set it for then."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan." Sam smiled knowingly. "So, how are things going with you and Donna?"

Josh smiled, making brief eye contact with Donna before turning back to Sam. "Things are great. I really think this is going to work out."

Sam grinned. "That's amazing, buddy. I'm so happy for you."

"We are too," Donna added. "But until Josh's back, he's under strict orders to rest. That means no work."

The following morning, Felicity was giving the nurses a very hard time. It was still early. But Abbey, Jed, and the rest of the staff had yet to arrive at the hospital. She laid in her crib with hot tears rolling down her cheeks, clutching a small lovey in her good hand.

"It's all right, Felicity, your mommy and daddy will be here really soon," One of the nurses said gently.

It was only just before six and out of compassion for her parents, the nurses wanted to give them time to rest and recharge.

"Mama," Felicity cried, taking shallow breaths. She was in no shape to scream as she would have otherwise. "Dada. Want my bed…"

"I know you do, sweetheart."

Just down the hall, the door to the unit opened and Charlie entered. He stopped by to start setting up things for the day ahead and quickened his pace when he heard the crying.

"Hey Felicity," He said, entering the room and coming around the bed.

"Charlie," Felicity sniffled. "Help…"

"It's okay, Felicity," Charlie said. "Look what I brought for you." He held up a beautifully quilted blanket. "My sister made this for you."

Felicity continued to whimper. Charlie touched her leg and began to hum one of the old songs he had learned from the President.

A half-hour later, Abbey and Jed entered the unit and found Charlie sitting by Felicity's crib, reading Felicity a book.

"Look, Felicity," Charlie said. "Your mama and dada are here."

"Charlie, I didn't expect to see you here this early," Jed said.

"I wanted to get an early start before I went back to the White House. Felicity woke up early."

"Mama!" Felicity whispered, reaching out her arms.

Abbey grasped Felicity's fingers. "Hi, lovebug! I missed you!" She laid eyes on the blanket Deana had lovingly knitted. It was blue and purple. "Oh, how pretty! Did Charlie give this to you?"

"Deana made it," Charlie answered.

"It's lovely, Charlie. Please be sure to thank her for us," Jed said, and that's when he saw the tear tracks on Felicity's face.

"I will, sir," He confirmed. "The nurses were relieved to see me."

"Oh, sweetheart," Abbey breathed. She picked up Felicity slowly, being mindful of the wires, before taking the baby back to the nearby chair with the new blanket. "Thank you for coming, Charlie. Felicity must have been so scared."

"I think she was upset and scared, sir," Charlie replied. "Felicity's starting to get impatient here in the hospital."

"Oh, I bet you are," Jed said tenderly, grasping Felicity's good hand. Her arm was now encased in a lime green cast.

"Sir?" Charlie asked. "How's Alex?"

"She's fine, Charlie. We had a little talk last night in the Oval, and I think the legislation she wants might just pass if all the cards line up."

"Really? That's great news."

"It certainly is," Abbey agreed as she let Felicity snuggle into her. "Alex and Zoey will be visiting in one of the other units in a little while."

Jed's phone rang. He groaned in frustration, knowing that it must be important, or they wouldn't be interrupting.

"Hello? Yeah, Leo… He what… They are…She's WHAT?!"

Abbey's head snapped up at the suddenly irate tone.

"You just don't let them hurt her, Leo, you understand? Bye." Jed hung up and turned to face his wife. "Holbrook's asked for a meeting, and they're using our niece as political bait."

"Hmm. Interesting," Abbey said with a little smile, calmly rubbing Felicity's back.

"That's all you have to say? Alex is 17 years old. She doesn't belong in that meeting."

"Says the man who has spent the better part of the best decade dressing from a closet said niece organized for him by outfit."

"What's your point?"

"You first got the country's attention by making the best-dressed list. After that, people started to hear what you had to say. I think Alex will be just fine."

"Dressing me and taking on Republican gun enthusiasts are two different things, Abbey. Alex is going to be crushed when this bill gets hollowed out to nothing."

"Maybe you'll be surprised."

The next week, Alex walked into Josh's office. He was on his second day back from convalescent leave.

"Hey, Josh," Alex greeted. "How're you feeling?"

"A lot better, thanks. You look ready for this. That outfit looks great!"

"Thank you," She replied. Her eyes sparkled with something approaching glee. "Do you know who else will be in the meeting with us?"

"Senator Holbrook, Senator Cass, Senator Feller, and possibly a few representatives from the house. Not sure who. The other side is tight-lipped about whose coming along. You'll be sitting in on the meeting and observing."

"Absolutely," She replied with a polite nod.

"Josh?" Ginger poked her head in. "The Senators are out front."

Josh took a breath and looked at Alex. "Are you ready?"

Alex nodded. "More than ready."

The pair walked out of the office, and they went to the Roosevelt Room, where everyone was just getting settled around the table.

"Hello Josh," Evan Holbrook said, putting out his hand to shake each of theirs.

"Hello Senator," Josh said and shook his hand. "We have a guest joining us."

Alex stepped forward, "Hello, Senator Holbrook."

"Ms. Gilmore. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh, I'm just observing," She said, giving him a polite smile that suggested she would be doing anything but merely observing.

Meanwhile, Senator Cass was looking her up and down. Alex really didn't like how he was looking at her.

"I didn't know they taught politics in debutante school." He muttered so that Alex couldn't hear him. But she heard anyway.

Alex smiled her sweetest smile. "It comes with the pearls, Senator."

The senator nodded.

Josh clapped his hands. "Shall we get started?"

"Yes, let's," Alex agreed and took her observer's seat.

Over the next few hours, the group debated gun legislation. As they all feared, the other side tried to negotiate a bill that looked good on paper but lacked substantial action. Every time they tried to pull a fast one, Alex called them out with fact after fact, statistic after statistic. By the time the meeting was over, every single lawmaker in the room was forced to make concessions that would result in actual change. And just to make sure none of the men in that room reneged on their agreements, Alex would spend her summer popping by congressional offices just to see how things were going.