A/N: This chapter contains lyrics from the opera Rusalka in English. To hear what it sounds like search for a performance of the song in Czech by Soprano, Patricia Janekova on YouTube.

Happy reading!


Chapter Text

Abbey and Jed were in his study early on the afternoon of the State Dinner with the Czech Republic in early October. Their family lawyer, Pat Carr, sat on the other side of the desk from them. He produced a file folder from his briefcase and opened it to reveal a petition for guardianship with the name Logan Huntzberger written on the front in the opening paragraph. The lawyer flipped to the middle of the petition and set it down in front of the couple.

"There are three places to sign in this petition. The first states that the Huntzbergers will forward a monthly allowance to your business manager for Logan's expenses and confirms that his school and gym tuition have already been paid in full for this year. The overall arrangement will continue so long as Logan remains in your custody. Sign here."

Jed signed where the lawyer indicated and Abbey followed suit, signing just above the Huntzbergers' signatures.

"They didn't object?" Jed asked.

"There were no legal objections, no," Pat confirmed and turned to the next section. "Abbey, this is the stipulation you requested. The Huntzbergers agreed to let you access Logan's full medical history and both of you have the authority to make medical decisions for him."

Abbey read over the section briefly. Once she was satisfied, she signed and so did Jed. The Huntzbergers' signatures were already there.

"And finally," Pat said turning to the last signature page, "Your signatures on this page say that you accept full legal responsibility of Logan Elias Huntzberger and will ensure his physical and emotional wellbeing for as long as you remain his guardians. The guardianship may be dissolved upon mutual agreement or upon Logan's 18th birthday."

Abbey looked to Jed, "We can agree to that."

Jed nodded. He was worried about Logan and Alex being under the same roof, but he would learn to deal with it. Logan needed them.

Abbey reached for the paper and signed, followed by Jed.

"Very well," Pat replied. He took the paperwork back and put it in his briefcase. "I'll file this with the Family Court here in Washington and have a copy put on file with the Family Court in Manchester. Do you have any questions for me?"

"No, Pat, you've answered all of our questions. Thank you," Jed said.

After they said their goodbyes and Pat left, Abbey took his seat across from Jed.

"It only took nearly three months, but at least we got them to sign. I feel better now that we have legal custody of Logan while he's living with us."

"I still don't like this," Jed grumbled. "We're asking for trouble having Alex and Logan under the same roof."

"I know. But he needs us and we can set rules."

"I guess that's true. If we didn't take him in, God only knows what type of living situation the Huntzbergers would have found acceptable."

"So, shall we go tell Logan?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They made their way to the West Sitting Hall, where Alex and Logan were doing their homework. They looked up.

"Hitting the books I see," Jed said.

"Yes, sir," Logan said.

"We have something to tell you," Abbey said as she and Jed sat down across from them.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"We just finished signing the guardianship paperwork," Jed replied. "Logan, you're officially under our care."

Logan smiled bashfully. "Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"It's our pleasure," Abbey said. "You will be expected to follow our rules though."

"Of course," Logan said. "That won't be a problem."

"The same goes for you Alexandra Grace," Jed said, looking at his youngest. "We expect you to help Logan adhere to the rules."

Alex nodded, " I will."

Jed nodded. "Good."

Even as Logan and Alex promised to adhere to the rules, Jed didn't feel remotely reassured that they would stick to them.


"The First Lady will be wearing a Badgley Mischka silk Shantung gown with a beaded bodice," CJ announced to the press briefing room that night.

"Shoes?" One reporter asked.

"I believe she will be wearing shoes, yes."

"CJ..."

"Black suede and velvet with a Manolo Blahnik slides with a rhinestone and mother of pearl toe buckle. The girls will be wearing similarly-designed Vera Wang dresses Elizabeth in purple, Eleanor in sky-blue, Zoey in pink, and Alexandra in ivory. She will also be performing at the dinner."

"I didn't know gymnastics is standard fare for a State Dinner," Another reporter said.

"It's not," CJ said with a little smile. "As you may or may not know, the President and the First Lady share a love of opera. Alex does as well and she has a lovely voice that she hasn't gotten to share very often. Alex will sing a piece from Rusalka by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák called Song to the Moon. It's a favorite of President Havel's."

Upstairs in the Residence, Abbey and Jed were in the Master Suite getting ready. Or more accurately, Jed was sitting in his tux in a chair while Abbey got ready.

"I bet the girls will be ready before you are…"

"Just a minute, Jed," Abbey sighed. "I've got to live up to all the expectations that CJ put on me in that briefing."

"Abbey, you could walk down those stairs in a silk bathrobe and still look good."

Abbey laughed. "That'll be the day." She put her earrings on. "All right. I'm ready. What do you think?"

Jed smiled as he stood. "Beautiful. As always."

"Thank you," Abbey said and kissed him. "Here's hoping all goes well tonight."

"With you by my side, it's guaranteed to go well," He said, returning her kiss.

They opened the door to their bedroom and saw Ellie, Zoey, and Liz standing in the sitting area, staring over at Alex. Logan was standing behind her, putting on a beautiful diamond bib-style necklace around her neck.

"What's that?" Jed asked, even though he already had an idea. It must be the gift Logan bought for Alex.

"Logan gave it to me, Dad," Alex replied.

"Well, that was very generous of you, Logan," Abbey commented.

"I'll say," Liz muttered.

"Maybe you can borrow it, Lizzie," Alex offered. Her eyes danced with happiness.

"For tonight, it's all yours," Logan said before giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Since we're on the subject," Jed said. He produced a box from his jacket and handed it to Abbey, "For you, Sweet Knees."

Abbey took the box and opened it to find a beautiful ruby and blue sapphire bracelet inside.

"Oh, Jed. It's absolutely gorgeous."

"A gorgeous bracelet for my gorgeous wife," He smiled and helped her put it on.

Part of him was more than a little annoyed that Logan ruined his moment and that he spoiled Alex with something so inappropriately grand. But he had to let it pass for the moment.

Just then, Donna knocked at the door. She was wearing a dark green off-the-shoulder maternity dress.

"Excuse me, ma'am, Mr. President. They're ready for you downstairs."

"Thank you, Donna," Abbey replied. She turned to her family. "Shall we?"

"Let's go," Jed smiled. Offering her his arm, the family left together.


The lights in the East Room were low. A gentle spotlight was pointed toward the low temporary stage with a large projector screen hanging from the ceiling. It showed Alex with English subtitles at the bottom of it. She was wearing a beautiful silk ivory ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and she looked out just above the audience at an imaginary moon as she sang "Song to the Moon" in Czech.

Moon, high and deep in the sky
Your light sees far,
You travel around the wide world,
and see into people's homes.

Moon, stand still a while
and tell me where is my dear.
Tell him, silvery moon,
that I am embracing him.

For at least momentarily
let him recall of dreaming of me.
Illuminate him far away,
and tell him, tell him who is waiting for him!

If his human soul is, in fact, dreaming of me,
may the memory awaken him!
Moonlight, don't disappear, disappear!

There was a moment of silence, then thunderous applause. The entire Bartlet family and Senior Staff gave her a standing ovation, as did the Czech President and his wife.

The President stepped forward, along with a translator.

"Good evening." The translator began. "I would like to thank Alexandra Bartlet once again for sharing her wonderful talents with us. Rusalka is one of our favorite operas, and I think we all appreciated you sharing your golden voice with us."

Everyone applauded once again.

"I would also like to thank President and Mrs. Bartlet for their enormous generosity. I hope that we will continue our country's meaningful relationship for many years to come."

Jed stepped forward and joined President Havel, "Thank you, Mr. President. I look forward to continuing our countries' relationship as well."

After a few more remarks, everyone left the stage and the dancing portion of the evening began. Jed and Abbey circulated through the room while the staff and their children talked amongst themselves. In the case of the staff, there were also deals being struck.

Josh was talking to Congressman John Tandy about a bill in the works when he spotted his wife standing and talking to a Czech diplomat. He smiled and walked over.

"Hi!" Donna greeted him as he came over. "Mrs. Buchtel was just telling me how much she enjoyed hearing Alex sing."

"She has a lovely voice." The woman said in near-perfect but accented English.

"She does." Josh agreed.

"I also congratulate you on your soon-to-be happy arrival."

"Thank you," Donna said politely. "We're excited about the future."

"President Bartlet just passed a new paternity bill, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," Josh replied. "We'll both be able to stay home with our baby for the first four months."

"How nice for you both. It is so important for the baby to bond with both of you."

"I couldn't agree more," Josh said with his arm around Donna.

Just then, someone called over to Mrs. Buchtel.

"Excuse me," She said politely. "It was so nice meeting you."

"You as well," Donna replied.

As soon as the diplomat left, Josh let his hand slip onto Donna's belly, as it often did these days.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Good," Donna replied smiling at him, "Baby is behaving him or herself tonight. But I won't lie. I'm looking forward to the end of the night."

"So am I. You've worked hard on this State Dinner."

"I will be so glad not to deal with Czech culture or customs for the foreseeable future."

"Well, from what I see, everyone is having a good time."

"Yeah." Donna kissed his cheek.

Across the room, Liz was adjusting Toby's bow tie.

"Lizzie…you really don't have to do that."

"Of course I do," Liz replied. "It's falling apart. Didn't your mother teach you how to tie a bow tie?"

"Well, no," Toby admitted. "I'm assuming yours did."

Liz smiled, "It's sort of a tradition in our family. My mom and my aunt learned from my grandmother to tie them for their father. When I was old enough, my mom taught me how to do it for my dad. My sisters were taught the same way."

"You've got a special family, you know that?"

"I know," She said and finished adjusting the tie. "There you go. It's perfect."


After the performance was over, Alex and Logan made the rounds and spoke with other guests. Then after a while, they made a discreet exit and took a quiet walk down through the Visitor's Foyer and out to the East Portico, towards the Rose Garden beyond.

"That was quite the performance you gave," Logan said as they walked into the crisp fall air outside. "I had no idea that you could sing like that."

"I'm full of surprises," Alex said with a small smile. "Thank you for this necklace, by the way. I don't think I've ever owned anything this beautiful before."

"I saw it in a jewelry store in Virginia and it reminded me of you."

"How so?"

"It reminds me of the glint in your eyes. The spark."

Alex grinned, "I can't believe your parents actually signed the paperwork my parents had drawn up. I thought for sure they would never go for it."

"I knew my dad would eventually. My mom was probably the holdout."

She nodded slowly, "I'm not getting in the way of your relationship with them, am I?"

"No, minxie," Logan said, calling her by his private nickname for her. "You're not. It's better for me to be here with you and your family than at home with my parents. If they didn't agree, they wouldn't have signed to make your parents my guardians."

"I don't think I've ever thanked you."

"For what?"

"For coming here. I know it wasn't easy to leave your gym, your school, and your friends."

"Alex, you don't need to thank me. I want to be here. You know how hard it was to leave each other even when we lived two hours apart."

The two of them walked out under the West Colonnade and into the crisp fall night air. They stopped walking and Alex gently pushed Logan up against one of the tall white columns and kissed him sweetly. The moment their lips met, Alex felt a sense of peace and happiness that alluded her since she moved home to Washington.

"I love you, orsacchiotto," Alex whispered.

"I love you too," Logan said and gave her a soft smile. He liked being called her teddy bear.

They kissed again and Logan wrapped his arms around her waist and spun Alex around so that her back was against the column. Alex moaned softly and Logan felt a rush of desire travel down into his groin. It was enough to send all rational thoughts out of their minds. The only thing Logan wanted was Alex and to prove how much he loved her. He lifted her up against the column and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His body pressed into hers instinctively and groaned audibly as one hand disappeared under her dress. The other hand remained on Alex's side to keep her steady.

Just then, the door opened, and the diplomat that Josh and Donna had just been speaking to-Mrs. Buchtel-walked outside. "Oh! Excuse me!"

Alex and Logan broke apart in surprise, both breathing heavily. It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was and what they had been doing. Logan let Alex down gently.

"You. You're the littlest Bartlet girl, aren't you?"

Alex swallowed. "Y-yes, ma'am."

Just as Mrs. Buchtel was about to say something, Donna appeared accompanied by Josh. The other woman turned to her, "Mrs. Lyman, I think I should speak with the President."

Alex's eyes widened and she looked at Donna panicked.

"I'll take care of it, Mrs. Buchtel," Donna assured her.

"Will you? Because I highly doubt the President would approve of his daughter's behavior."

"He probably won't, but I will let the Bartlets deal with it as they see fit."

Just then, Josh came outside. "What's going on out here?"

"What's going on," Mrs. Buchtel said in a barely civil tone, "is that I just caught Alexandra and who I assume to be her boyfriend in a very…compromising position."

Josh turned to look at Donna.

"It's true," Donna replied.

Josh walked straight over to Logan. "How dare you?"

Alex went over to them, "Stop it," She said

Logan put a hand on Alex's shoulder and felt her shaking, "Lex it's okay."

"No, it's not," Josh interjected.

"Josh," Donna said calmly. She had already smoothed things over with Mrs. Buchtel, at least for now, and the woman had gone back inside.

"What?" He asked in a barely restrained voice.

"This is between Alex, Logan, and her parents. I'm going to take them upstairs. Can you find Dr. Bartlet for me while I do that?"

Josh nodded. "Sure."

As Donna herded Alex and Logan up to the Residence, Josh went into the ballroom to find Abbey speaking with the wife of the Czech prime minister.

"Dr. Bartlet?"

Abbey turned. "Hi, Josh. Is everything all right?"

"Actually, can you come with me? Donna needs to talk to you about Alex."

"Excuse me, Prime Minister," Abbey said with a smile and walked away with Josh.

"What happened? Is Alex hurt?"

"No," Josh said and it was only then that he realized that Dr. Bartlet had reason to think Alex was injured, "She's not hurt. Donna needs to talk to you about Logan and Alex."

"God help me," She murmured before they left the East Room and went up to the Residence where Donna had put the kids in Jed's study.

"I'm sorry," Alex said to Logan. Her voice was barely above a whisper. She was devastated. That very afternoon, she promised to follow her parents' rules and hours later they were both in serious trouble.

"It's okay," Logan reassured her. "It was both our faults."

"Yeah, but I let it get as far as it did," Alex replied.

Logan was about to say something else, but then they heard Abbey say very clearly through the closed door, "They were WHAT?"

Alex let out a soft whimper. She knew that tone. Her mom was mad. Jed's temper was world-famous. But as it went, the Bartlet children generally tried not to anger their mother because if they did, they would have no ally when it came to their father. And If both of their parents were angry, they were punished thoroughly. It didn't happen often. But Alex had faced her share of punishments from her parents and they always left her feeling very sorry for what she did.

She stared at the floor, knowing deep in her gut that this was all her fault.

Abbey walked into the room and she looked furious and also concerned.

"It's all my fault," Alex said instantly.

"Really?"

"Well, Logan started it, but I kind of led him on."

Abbey turned to him, "And just what do you think you were doing?"

"We…weren't thinking."

"And in front of the Prime Minister's personal aide no less," Abbey huffed. "I expected better behavior from both of you. Just because the two of you are living here together does not mean you should be having sex."

"I know," Alex said, looking up at her mother.

"Yes, you do," Abbey said firmly. "Your father and I have always had very strong feelings about sex before marriage. It's not something that should ever be taken lightly even in a serious, committed relationship."

"It wasn't our intention," Alex said.

Abbey sighed, "Alexandra Grace, you have a lot of growing up to do. As do you, Logan. I'm not saying that you're too young or that you might not be together in a few years. But tonight is a prime example of why we aren't thrilled that the two of you are in a relationship like this."

Alex nodded. "Yes, Mom."

"Yes, Dr. Bartlet," Logan chimed in.

"Now, Alex, go to your room."

Alex nodded and stood up. She took one last look at Logan and then left the room.

"If you've changed your mind about the guardianship, I understand."

"You and Alex made a mistake. I wouldn't dissolve your guardianship over it. But I expect you both to know the difference between public and private spaces."

"Of course. I'll do better in the future, I promise."

"I expect that you will. Alex will receive a similar talk from me, later."

Logan nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed? It's late."

He hesitated and then decided to come clean, "Dr. Bartlet…Alex has been sleeping with me at night. I know we're not supposed to. But Alex does sleep better when I'm there."

"Thank you for telling me," Abbey said and then paused. "Logan, is there something I should know about Alex? Is there something bothering her?"

"She feels a lot of pressure about doing well in school, especially after what happened."

"I can understand that," Abbey admitted. "Anything else?"

Logan shook his head. "No, Dr. Bartlet."

"All right. Good night, Logan."

"Good night."

She left the room, and Logan put his head in his hands and sighed. If only she knew.


Abbey went back to the Master Suite after she talked to Alex and made sure that Logan went off to bed. There was no point going back to the party. She needed time to think about what to tell Jed anyway. Not that Abbey would outright lie to her husband. But the subject of their daughters and boys was always a sensitive one.

As she closed her bedroom door, a small part of her ached for her twin girls. Not so long ago, the two of them were practically inseparable at home. But the move to Washington had pushed Zoey and Alex further apart. Until tonight, Abbey thought her girls had grown out of sneaking into each other's beds. Clearly, Alex hadn't grown out of it so much as she found someone else. Zoey had Charlie after all so she couldn't very well deny Alex from spending time with Logan just because they were together.

She sighed and started the process of taking off her dress before putting on her robe and removing her makeup.

Jed entered the room, "Hey, where did you go? I looked around and you were gone."

Abbey turned and sighed. "Jed, I think you better sit down."

He did. "What is it?"

"Alex and Logan were caught together at the State Dinner."

Jed groaned. Logan hadn't even been here for four months and it was about to affect his work.

"Let me guess, someone, caught them having sex."

"They were interrupted before anything went that far."

"Small favors," He grumbled. "Who caught them?"

"The Prime Minister's assistant. Donna happened to find them all around the same time so she smoothed it over."

"Good. Now make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Jed!"

"I don't want what happened to Julia to happen to them."

"What happened to Julia happened because your father disapproved!"

"Abbey, I swear to God, I will put Logan in the basement if I have to. Alex is only 13 years old. Logan isn't much older than her. Neither of them should be doing anything resembling that."

"Babe, they already have. Alex and Logan had their first time at Worlds."

"WHAT!" He exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down!" Abbey hissed. "She told me when we went home to meet with the principal."

"Why am I only finding out about this now?"

"Because I knew you would behave like this."

"We did not raise Alex to sleep with the first boy she ever dated," Jed replied getting up and pacing the room.

"You know that out of all our children, Alex is the most independent. We've let her travel to dozens of competitions across the country with Clare and we couldn't always be there. Hell, we don't even understand half of what goes on at these competitions anyway. Logan and Alex at least have each other."

"Yes, they do. But I'm going to say it again. They are too young to be in a relationship like this. For all we know, Logan could dump her tomorrow."

Abbey sighed, "Jed, it's not going to happen. You wouldn't have signed the guardianship paperwork if they weren't serious. And while I wish they would have waited, Alex and Logan are of the mind that they are in a committed relationship."

"Committed relationship," He grumbled. "The last time we had trouble with a boy, Annie came along."

"Alex is keenly aware of that fact, boyfriend. She asked me to make an appointment to get birth control as soon as she told me and I obliged."

Jed finally stopped pacing. "You'll keep an eye on them?"

"Yes," Abbey replied.

"Then I guess it's okay."

"For what it's worth, the two of them were properly embarrassed. While it might not stop them completely, it may make them think twice before being that impulsive again."

"Good, maybe I'll just post agents outside their doors."

"Jed…"

"I'm only joking sweet knees. I'm only joking," He said.

But they both knew he was partly serious.