The Tuesday before Thanksgiving Amy and Donna were in their office conference room going over schedules for the following week when they returned from their respective Thanksgivings. Originally, Donna intended for this to be her last day. But she wanted to make sure that Amy didn't get bogged down in the details right after the holiday.
Donna was going over Alex's schedule when she suddenly closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
Amy cocked her head. "You okay, Donna?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some Braxton Hicks contractions," She breathed and waited until they passed.
"Ok, let me ask you something," Amy said, watching her friend and colleague closely. "If you went into labor today, how prepared would you be to go on leave?"
"I'm almost ready. Besides, this baby isn't due for another two and a half weeks."
"Babies don't operate on schedules, Donna."
"I know. But I'm almost ready. I am not going to leave the First Lady or the family in a lurch."
Amy sighed, "Donna, you do realize that I grew up around the Bartlets, right? I know how the girls can be even at their worst."
"Yeah," Donna said and stood up from her desk while bracing her lower back. She was feeling every bit of it. She repositioned herself in the chair and sat back down. "I just need to be sure."
"How's Josh doing with this whole parenthood thing?"
"He's excited. We both are. But…I think I'd be lying if I said he wasn't nervous."
"Josh? Nervous?" Amy laughed. She had known Josh Lyman for almost two decades, and nervous was one thing she had never known him to be.
"Yes, he's nervous. Nervous that he won't be able to keep his job and be a good father at the same time."
"He'll figure it out," Amy said. "Josh always does. But I suppose I understand. The only people in this building who have children are the President and Leo."
"Both of them have told Josh he needs to get ready. It's not a good look if the first White House recipient of paid paternity leave can't take it."
"You two certainly timed it well with the bill passing last year."
"Tell me about it. The prospect of going through this with Josh at work is daunting just to think about."
"Well, don't worry about it too much. If I know Josh, and I do, nothing short of a Constitutional crisis will keep him out of that delivery room."
Donna smiled. "I hope you're right."
Downstairs in the West Wing, Liz brought Annie into the communications wing to see Toby.
"Toby!" Annie exclaimed.
"Hi Annie," Toby said looking up from his computer.
"Look what I made you," She said, holding out a handprint turkey.
Toby looked at it. "What is this?"
"It's a turkey! I made it at school."
"She worked very hard on it, didn't you, sweetie?"
Toby accepted it, then smiled. "Thanks, Annie. You have the makings of a young artist."
"Thank you," Annie said with a proud smile. "Toby, are you coming to our house for Thanksgiving?"
"Ah," he said looking at Liz. "Of course I am. But your mom and I need to talk."
"Yes, we do." Liz agreed. "Annie, do you want to go see Mrs. Landingham for a minute?"
"Yeah!" Annie said and ran off to see if she could get a cookie from Mrs. Landingham.
Liz smiled. "You've come a long way with her."
"No," Toby said. "She's had me pegged since the beginning."
November 1997:
Liz and Toby were at a pond near the Bartlet farm, watching as Annie played near the water's edge.
"Should you be worried about that?" Toby said, gesturing to the pond.
"No." Liz assessed. "It's not that deep."
"How do you know that?"
Liz smiled, "My parents took my sisters and me here a lot."
"Toby, Toby!" Annie called. "I see a fish."
Toby went over to join Annie at the edge of the pond. He saw a fish swimming near the surface. "Look at that," He smiled. "Have you gone fishing before?"
"With my Grandpa."
"We'll have to go fishing too."
"Really?" Annie replied.
Toby nodded. "I didn't go fishing a lot when I was a kid, but in the summers we'd get up to Lake Cayuga, and my brother and I would go fishing all the time."
"I didn't know you had a brother, Toby," Liz spoke up.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."
"Apparently not," Liz smiled as she watched Toby show Annie some of the turtles nearby.
"You'll learn," He said with a little smile.
Annie picked a flower and brought it to her mother.
"Do you like spending time with Toby?"
"Yeah."
"How would you feel if we spent more time with him in the future?" Liz said to Annie, but keeping her eyes on Toby.
"I'd love that, Mommy!" Annie said. She ran over to Toby. "I have to tell you something."
"And what's that?"
"I like you a lot."
"I like you too," Toby said with a smile and then smiled up at Liz. He looked touched.
"Well, it looks like we'll be seeing more of you Toby," Liz said.
"Yes, it does. I'm not disappointed."
"That makes two of us."
"So, I should ask," Liz spoke up. "Are we going to Manchester for Thanksgiving or would you rather we go see David?"
Toby shrugged, "I don't know if that's a good idea. I barely know his family anyway and Annie is used to being with your family."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. My mom's gone, my dad and I don't speak, and my siblings are all scattered."
"Are you ready for your first Bartlet family Thanksgiving?
"As ready as I'll ever be," Toby said. "What's Thanksgiving like at your house?"
"Big and full of people. I think my Aunt Emily and Uncle Richard are coming with my cousins Lorelai and Rory. Charlie will be there too."
"Do you think your parents will mind?"
"Toby, you are my fiance. I think family holidays are a given at this point."
The day before Thanksgiving, Abbey and Jed took Ellie, Alex, Zoey plus Charlie, and Logan into downtown Manchester to prepare for the holiday. Ellie, Zoey, and Charlie were sent to the grocery store to pick up a few items on Abbey's list while Logan and Alex were sent to the bakery across the street to pick up the pies Abbey ordered long in advance. Abbey and Jed headed to the linen store down the street to pick up new towels, napkins, and other stuff that was missing from the farm since a lot of their things went to DC.
All in all, it was a fairly normal outing for the family, if one ignored the swarms of Secret Service guarding the children and the fact that the entire linen store was cleared out so Abbey and Jed could shop in peace.
"This is nice," Abbey said as they shopped. "Like normal."
"It is" Jed agreed.
They finished their shopping and exited the store framed by the Secret Service when they heard their names.
"Mr. President, Dr. Bartlet!"
"Aaron!" Jed said warmly. "I didn't expect to see you here!"
"I came back from Texas for Thanksgiving," He explained, shaking Jed's outstretched hand. "It's been ages since I've seen you both."
"Yes, it has," Abbey agreed. "How is your family?"
"They're doing great. And how is yours?"
"They're well," Abbey replied politely.
"How's Alex?"
"She's in DC with us now," Jed explained.
"Isn't that nice?" Aaron said, smiling a little. "I always say family is the most important thing."
Alex and Logan were just coming out of the bakery when they saw Jed and Abbey speaking to someone. Alex reached for his hand and Logan took it before squeezing it tight.
"I'm not going anywhere, ok?" He said quietly.
Alex nodded mutely.
"It certainly is," Abbey agreed.
"Please tell Alex I said hello. So many of the girls I've talked to miss her. It's a shame that she quit. If she ever decides to come back, the US National Team would love to have her. She'd win everything for the next quad."
"We will. She'll be happy to know she's missed," Jed assured him.
"Nice to see you both." And then he was gone.
"He's always been a nice man," Jed commented.
"I don't know," Abbey replied as they got into the motorcade. "Something about him always rubbed me the wrong way."
Josh, Rachel, and Daniel entered the Lymans' apartment with their suitcases. Their parents were spending Thanksgiving in DC since Donna was so close to her due date.
"Donna? We're back." Josh called out. "Can I get you guys something to drink?" He asked his mother and father-in-law.
"I'm fine, Joshua," Rachel replied.
"I'm good," Daniel added.
Just then, Donna came to the doorway. "Hi!"
Daniel turned and grinned. "There she is." He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "You look wonderful."
"Thank you, Dad," Donna replied. "I don't feel wonderful these days. But the baby should be here any day now."
"I remember. Those last few weeks seem like they'll never end," Rachel said sympathetically as she came over and gave Donna a gentle hug. "You're on leave, I hope?"
"My last day was Tuesday. I wanted to make sure Amy didn't get thrown a curve ball coming home from Thanksgiving."
"You two are in for a big adjustment in the next four months."
"We know, mom," said Josh.
"Well," Rachel asked, "hall I fix some dinner?"
"That would be lovely, Mom. Thank you." Donna replied. She smiled, trying to hide the twinge of pain that suddenly crossed her face.
But Josh noticed. Coming over as Daniel and Rachel busied themselves with dinner prep, he placed a hand on her back.
"You okay?" He whispered.
Donna nodded. "Fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "I'll be right back."
Donna walked to the bathroom for the 20th time today or at least that's what it felt like. As she stood up from the toilet, she noticed the pain again. It felt like cramping in her stomach area. Not too painful exactly. But it was definitely there.
Abbey was relaxing downstairs in her office while Jed was working in the study. The kids were out in the family room watching a movie with Lorelei and Rory who had arrived with Emily and Richard a little while ago. Jed's brother John was currently giving Richard a tour of new things that were added to the farm.
"I thought I would find you in here," Emily said, slipping into her office.
"Just taking a break," Abbey said. "I spent most of the last week doing Thanksgiving preparation."
"Well, I'm sure it will be a nice dinner."
"Yes. It will."
"Logan Huntzberger seems to be getting close to the family."
"In a manner of speaking. His parents signed the guardianship papers we had drawn up."
"My, my. I didn't think introducing Alex and Logan would lead to you and Jed becoming his guardians."
Abbey smiled, "Neither did I. But I suppose I should have seen it coming. He was spending every spare moment he could here before we brought Alex to Washington."
"You're keeping an eye on them, I hope?"
"Yes, I am. They have a long way to go. But Logan is crazy about Alex."
"How is he doing in school?"
"Very well actually, all things considered. Socially is another story."
"I got the impression he's always been well-liked."
"He is. But the fact that Logan is spoken for has created some issues. Hopefully, they'll be resolved with time."
"I see. Well, Logan's always had awkward social experiences."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You don't know what his family life's like. He's always been a source of rumors."
"What sort of rumors?"
Emily took a seat in the chair opposite Abbey's desk.
"Mitchum is a serial philander. Not surprising. But he's not exactly discreet. Shira's weight fluctuates every other month and I wouldn't be surprised if she has an issue with prescription medications."
Abbey sighed, "Jed and I got the impression that they're not exactly hands-on parents. He's taken a bit of a kinder approach with Logan than he has with Liz and Ellie's boyfriends."
"And that's to say nothing of his sister Honor."
"What about her?"
"She was raped at a high school party a few years ago. The family had the charges dropped. Apparently, they're even more well-connected than we are."
Abbey let out a soft gasp, "Oh, that poor family. It explains a lot though."
"Does it?"
"Logan is very protective of Alex. Did he ever get any help for it like counseling?"
"I don't think so. Honor did go into a treatment program. She goes to Yale now."
"Hmm. Maybe that's something to consider."
Emily smiled. "You're doing a wonderful thing, Abigail."
"Thank you."
The heavy barn door rolled open and the light switch clicked, lighting up the expansive barn space. All four women's artistic gymnastic apparatuses were set up around it. A 60-foot trampoline tumbling track took up the length of the barn on one side surrounded by proper matting. Competition-grade uneven bars, a vault with a runway and matting, as well as a four-foot high competition beam, a low beam, and a laser beam were all set up around the floor. In the middle of it, all was a competition gymnastics floor. Pictures of famous gymnasts lined the walls of the barn, interspersed with photos of Alex taken by Liz. Competition metals hung with them.
Logan and Alex walked inside and he pulled the door closed before reaching over to turn the heat on. They had just come back from town and Alex had an intense urge to get away from everyone for a while.
"We should put a pommel horse, parallel bars, rings, and high bar in here," Alex said as they walked over to a pair of chairs and a small table her mom usually liked to work at on the sidelines when Alex wanted to practice up here.
"That would be good. That way, I can practice with you." Logan paused. "Are you okay?"
"Okay? Of course, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be after running into my worst nightmare?"
"Alex…"
"No, Logan. I can't talk about this yet."
"All right," Logan replied and sat down in one of the chairs.
Alex sat in his lap almost immediately and he pulled her up into his arms. She didn't say anything for a long moment. Instead, Alex rested her head on his chest and Logan felt her relax into him after a few minutes.
"Why do you always smell so good?"
He chuckled, "Because I have this girl in my life who loves to steal my shirts to sleep in and snuggle with me. So I have to smell nice. I think it's how I landed her to begin with."
"I do like to smell like you," Alex admitted. "Take that London Fox."
London was one of their classmates and she had yet to accept that Logan and Alex were together. Alex found it difficult not to want to claw her eyes out. But it helped that Logan did his level best to ignore the other girl's attempts to flirt with him.
Logan kissed her hair, "My dad also taught me that a man should always pick a cologne based on how it would smell on his girlfriend or his wife. If you don't enjoy the scent on her, she probably won't either."
"Good advice."
"Especially for him," he quipped darkly.
Alex nodded, "Is it bad that I just want to stay like this forever?"
"No, of course not. In fact…" Logan came to a sudden realization. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Alex. And he didn't care if they were too young.
Alex was confused by Logan's sudden silence. "Logan?"
"Alex, will you marry me?"
Alex sat up and looked at him, "What?"
"Alex," He repeated, a smile tugging at his lips as he realized that this was exactly what he wanted. And Logan didn't need anyone's permission to get a "yes" from Alex. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," Alex said without hesitation and kissed him. "Yes, Logan, I'll marry you."
He laughed then and kissed her passionately. When they pulled apart, he had visions of them going ring shopping in his head.
"I'm gonna get you a ring for every day of the week," He said, looking at her with pure joy in his eyes.
"You don't have to do that. One ring and a couple of fake ones for working out or something will do just fine."
"How do you know about fake engagement rings?"
"I might have looked at engagement rings and those silicone bands some athletes wear in place of their wedding rings once or twice," Alex replied, biting her lip.
Logan grinned, "Now you can start officially looking, future Mrs. Huntzberger. I don't care if we have to wait four years. I'm putting a ring on your finger."
Alex leaned in and kissed him sweetly, "That's Mrs. Bartlet-Huntzberger to you."
"I love you," He said, returning the kiss.
"I love you too."
