A/N: Well, here we are-we've finally reached the day of the funeral, but we won't get to the funeral itself for at least another chapter. Please read and review!

Chapter 6: Air Force One

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Donna rolled over in bed and shut off her alarm. She felt around for Josh before she remembered he wasn't there-he had been in Manchester for the past two nights. She blinked and looked around at her clock-4:00 am. Enough time for her to shower and then get over to the Residence so they could make the drive over to Andrews together.

She sighed. After dreading it for two days, the day of Jed Bartlet's funeral had finally arrived. Today was going to be hard, but she would try to hold it together, if only to get through her eulogy, which she hadn't started writing yet.

Ten minutes later, she got out of the shower and put on her best funeral outfit-a conservative black dress with a high neckline and short sleeves. As she looked at herself in the mirror, it struck her that the last funeral she had attended outside of family had been Leo's. Has it really been 12 years since we lost him?, she asked herself. She shook it off and headed down to meet her detail and head over to the White House.

The car had barely turned the corner when her cellphone rang. She fished it out of her pocket and her heart nearly stopped when she saw it was Josh calling. She answered quickly trying not to panic.

"Josh?" she asked.

"Hey, baby." Josh said on the other end. "I'm sorry to call, I didn't mean to worry you. I just knew you'd be up and I thought you might want to talk."

Donna relaxed and smiled softly. Josh was so thoughtful. "I have a few minutes on my way to the Residence, how's everything going up there?"

Josh sighed. "Everyone's trying so hard to hold it together for the kids. I just-I just have a feeling that people are going to fall apart today."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. Have you written your mini-eulogy yet?" The Bartlet team had agreed via text after Abbey asked, that they would each take turns reading a special memory and talking briefly about what Jed meant to them.

"I wrote out a draft last night. I just hope it's good enough."

"It will be." Donna assured him.

"How about you?"

"I'm gonna write it on Air Force One. I'm not sure what to write about though."

"Well," Josh said, "When I think of you and Bartlet, I think of that time he called up your high school English teacher from the Oval Office. What was her name again?"

"Mrs. Morello." She smiled, savoring the memory. "I'm definitely going to write about that. That and how he came all the way from New Hampshire to officiate at our wedding."

"See?" Josh said, smiling. "You've got it written already."

She paused, unsure of how to ask the next question. "Have you been sleeping OK?"

Josh hesitated. "Probably not as well as I should be."

"Honey, you need sleep." Donna sighed worriedly.

"I know." he said. "And I am. It's just these last couple of nights that have been really hard."

"I know." she said finally, not wanting to pick a fight on what would already be a stressful day.

She looked out the window to see the car pulling into the White House gates. "Josh, I'm here at the Residence. I should probably let you go so you can try and sleep some more. I'll see you at 1, all right?"

"All right. I love you."

"Love you too." Donna said before hanging up.

At about 4:30, the car pulled up in front of the Residence, and Donna got out. She approached the door and gently knocked. She knew everyone was probably awake, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

The door was opened almost immediately by Ainsley.

"Hey, Donna." she said, greeting her with a hug.

"Hey. We should probably get on the road if we're going to make wheels up." Donna said as they headed into the common area.

"I know. Sam's upstairs trying to get Connor up and going. I think we're just going to let Ava sleep on Air Force One, then get her ready later."

"Is she here yet?" Donna heard Sam yell from upstairs.

"Yeah. Bags are all packed?" Ainsley called upstairs.

"We're just getting everything together."

Donna heard footsteps, and suddenly Sam was in the common room, holding a sleeping Ava with one arm and an armload of suitcases with the other.

"Hey, Donna." Sam acknowledged. He turned to Ainsley, "These are all going in the trunk of the motorcade, right?"

Ainsley nodded. "Why don't you go have Will take them out, and I'll take Ava?"

Sam shifted Ava to her mother's arms, and went off in search of their main Secret Service agent. Ava woke up a little during the transfer and whimpered, but a quick reassurance from Ainsley made her fall right back to sleep.

Eight-year-old Connor bounded down the steps, dressed in a suit and bow tie.

"Are we leaving yet, Mom?" he asked.

"As soon as we can get the car packed." Ainsley replied. "Can you say hi to Aunt Donna?"

"Hi." Connor said.

"Hi, Connor." Donna waved. She turned to Ainsley. "We should get going."

"Okay." Ainsley agreed. She headed outside with Ava in her arms, Donna and Connor close on her heels, and the agents bringing up the rear.

"Princeton, Pinafore, Penzance, Patty-Cake, and Madison on the move." a Secret Service agent radioed into his wrist. "En route to Andrews."

"All right." Sam said soberly. "Let's get this over with."

…

Exactly twenty minutes later, they had pulled into Andrews and boarded Air Force One for takeoff. It was quiet, mainly because there were no reporters on this flight, unlike a few days earlier. Had it really only been a few days since they had landed from the Midwest tour?

At exactly 5:00, the plane took off and headed for the 167th Airlift Wing in West Virginia to pick up Former President Ray Sullivan. They landed in West Virginia at 6am.

"President Seaborn." Sullivan greeted Sam as he, Ainsley, and Donna met him outside the plane. "I'm terribly sorry about all this. Jed Bartlet was a fine man."

"Thank you, sir." Sam said graciously.

After he greeted Ainsley and Donna, he boarded the plane and headed to a seat near the middle that happened to be right behind where Ava was spread out, sound asleep.

"So," Sullivan said after they had been the air heading towards Houston for awhile, "I hear your ratings are through the roof. Well done."

"Thank you." Sam acknowledged. "We're trying our hardest, although I have to say that none of it would be possible without the real brains of the operation-my Chief of Staff."

Donna's head snapped up from where she had been trying to take advantage of having a couple uninterrupted hours of sleep.

"Well, still, being a woman and a working mother, she's probably not half as good as Leo McGarry was, or even that husband of hers. I hope she learned from him that flying off the handle all the time wasn't the way to get anything done."

Sam's jaw was set. His eyes flashed briefly to meet Donna's, who appeared to be just as shocked that a former President would even say a thing like that-especially today of all days. Sam felt a hand on his arm. Turning briefly to meet his wife's eyes, he remembered where he was. He took a deep breath.

"President Sullivan, all due respect, Donna Lyman has not only lived up to the reputations of Leo McGarry and her husband Joshua Lyman, but has exceeded them. I wouldn't have brought her onboard if she wasn't fully capable of balancing her duty to this country to being a wife and mother. As a matter of fact, I think she's brilliant at it. So maybe next time, you can think about judging people's better qualities before you start rambling about things you know nothing about."

Ray Sullivan shut his mouth. "I apologize. That was spoken out of turn." He turned to Donna. "Mrs. Lyman, your husband did fine work as Chief of Staff, and you're doing a fine job following in his footsteps."

"Thank you, sir." Donna said quietly.

The plane fell into silence, then Connor asked if he could have some breakfast. Ainsley said she would see what she could find.

Connor (and Ava, who had woken up at 7:30) had just finished eating breakfast when the pilot announced touchdown into Houston. Donna's stomach flip-flopped in nervous excitement. Seeing the Santos family, as well as the rest of her friends, was the only part about this trip she was happy about.

They touched down at Ellington Field, and as they had in West Virginia, all four adults and the two kids got off the plane to greet the three members of the Santos family making their way across the tarmac.

"Mr. President." Matt called as soon he was within earshot.

"President Santos." Sam replied, sticking out his hand.

"Are you doing all right?" the former President asked him.

"I'm doing my best, sir. You'll remember Ainsley and our two children?"

"Of course!" Matt said, crouching down to the kids' level. "Ava, you were just a baby the last time I saw you!"

Ava gave a shy smile before hiding her face in Ainsley's skirt.

"A shy girl for sure." Helen remarked as she walked up with Miranda. "Sam, how are you holding up?"

"It's tough, ma'am. But we're getting through it."

Helen nodded as she politely greeted Ainsley and former President Sullivan before walking over to Donna.

"You doing OK?" she said, warmly hugging her former Chief of Staff.

"Hanging in. I think spending time with the kids today will help."

"For sure." Helen agreed. "Speaking of the kids, we have got to catch up, you and I." The two began walking back to the plane behind the others.

As Donna loosened up a little and began lightly talking about her children, she couldn't help but be transported back in time to the last time she had seen the Santos family.

Inauguration Day 2015:

It was the end of an era, Donna thought as she began to pack up her office, pausing only to watch Ray Sullivan be sworn in. In a matter of seconds, it would all be over. The Democrats would be pushed out after 16 years for a Republican President with very different ideals.

Donna couldn't help but think that her and Josh's 16 year odyssey in the White House had ended rather anti-climatically. While the Senior Staff had until noon before they truly had to vacate their offices, once noon came everyone would simply scatter. There would be no time for long good-byes, only hurried ones as the mass changeover would begin.

Donna sighed. Most of her friends over at the West Wing had already left (Lou for a lucrative job at CNN headquarters, Bram for a nonprofit, etc.), and her replacement in the East Wing had already announced that she would be arriving shortly past noon, giving Donna almost no time to reflect. Even Annabeth had left early that morning for Manhattan, promising to keep in touch and asking Donna to keep her updated on the kids.

Donna took a deep breath, looking at her desk. It was the one thing she hadn't packed up yet. She picked up the stack of framed pictures, looking at them as she placed them in the box.

A double picture of her and Josh on their wedding day, next to a photo of them taken just last year at a state dinner.

A framed birth announcement for Anna and Abby. Donna smiled, remembering how the Senior Staff had all gone nuts for the twins after they were born, even if Lou never had learned to tell them apart.

Pictures of each twin holding their new little brother Matty, Josh's arm wrapped protectively around them.

A sweet picture of Matt and Helen holding the twins the day after they were born, followed separately by pictures of them with Matty and with the now three-month-old Leo. Donna still couldn't believe that Leo had actually been born on election night, five weeks before he was supposed to.

A picture of Josh and Donna with both Matt and Helen the day of their wedding, followed by a picture of them with Jed and Abbey. Donna was secretly glad she had invested in so many double photo frames: they came in handy.

There were two more pictures. Donna sighed as she picked up a photo of the Santos Senior Staff taken at the reelection four years ago. Josh and Donna were at one end, smiling broadly next to Lou, Bram, Sam and Ainsley (at Sam's request), Edie(Deputy Communications Director), Annabeth, and Carolina, her deputy COS.

The last picture she placed in the box, she stopped and looked at it longingly. It was of the Bartlet senior staff, also at the second inauguration in 2003, the night the President had hired Will. She paused, looking at the smiling faces of CJ, Charlie, Toby, Josh, Leo, Jed, Abbey, Will, and of course, her own. They were all scattered now, but she saw them all as a second family.

Just as she was putting the last picture in the box and taping it up, there was a knock at her door.

"Come in." she said, knowing she no longer had an assistant to wave anyone through. Ryan had left several hours before, whisking his now-fiancee Carolina off on a whirlwind vacation to Mexico. Donna had cheered them on, remembering her own impromptu vacation with Josh that had kickstarted their relationship.

Josh opened the door. "If we want to be at Andrews to see the family off, we should probably get a move on."

Donna nodded. "I'll be right there." she promised. She picked up the boxes that were left, took one last look around the expansive office that had so amazed her on her first day but had become a second home to her, and walked out.

Josh draped an arm around her shoulder as they strolled out of the White House for what they figured would be the last time. Josh's mom Rachel was watching the kids at home so that they could have the morning to themselves. The previous evening, before the staff had their own farewell shindig, they had dined one last time at the Residence so the kids could say their goodbyes to Miranda and Peter, the latter being one of their most frequent and favorite babysitters.

They headed to Andrews, getting there just as the Santos' limo was arriving and they were preparing to board Air Force One for Houston.

"There they are!" Matt said as the Lymans walked toward them. "Come to see us off?"

"Yeah." Josh replied. "Did you expect anything else?"

Matt shook his head. Suddenly, they fell into an awkward silence for the first time in their professional and personal relationships.

Then, 14 year old Miranda broke the ice by stepping forward to throw her arms around Donna. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Lyman." She had grown close to her mom's Chief of Staff.

"I'm gonna miss you, Miranda." Donna said sincerely. "You keep in touch, OK?"

"Same goes for me, too." Josh said as Miranda hugged him.

Peter was a little more shy, but gave both of them quick hugs. "I guess I'll see you in April?"

"Looking forward to it." Josh said as he and Peter pulled apart. When Peter had begun attending Georgetown University last semester, he had done so after making a deal with his parents that he had to come home every summer and at Christmas. As far as school breaks went, Josh and Donna had gone above and beyond by offering to open their home to Peter during some school breaks when the campus would be closed. Matt and Helen were relieved to hear that their son would be taken care of.

Now, it was Matt and Helen's turn.

"I-I don't even know what to say, mi compadre." Matt said to Josh. "What do you say to someone who completely changed your life?" He paused for a second, then said, "Josh, thanks for knocking on my door and taking me on the wildest, most rewarding journey of my life."

"Matt," Josh replied. "The pleasure was all mine. I was honored to serve at the pleasure of the President."

"Donna," Helen said, her eyes glistening. "You-you've always been more than a Chief of Staff to me, you know that, right?"

"Of course." Donna said, not even trying to hold back her tears. The two embraced, as Matt and Josh were, then they switched. When Matt and Donna hugged, he whispered in her ear, "Thanks for making sure my wife didn't go off the deep end all those years."

Donna laughed lightly. The joke was all that was needed to break the tension.

"Now," Helen said, "if you're ever in Houston, don't be strangers, you hear?"

"We promise." Josh said.

"And Donna, you kiss that baby for us when he wakes up."

"I will." Donna said softly.

"Christmas cards every year." Matt said.

"Got it." Josh agreed.

With that, there was nothing more left to say, and the four left to board Air Force One, to the rest of their lives.

Josh and Donna watched, waving, as the plane roared off into the clear Washington sky.

As they walked back to their car, Josh kissed Donna's temple. "Are you OK?"

"Feels like the end of an era." Donna said, blinking back tears.

"Nah." Josh said as they climbed into their own car without being accompanied by a Secret Service detail for the first time in their married lives. "It's only just beginning."

With that, the Lyman family drove home, back to their kids and their new beginning.

…

As Matt and Helen found their seats on the plane, they took off for Missouri, where they would make one final stop before heading to New Hampshire for the main event of the day.

Donna spent much of the way to Missouri chatting with Helen and Miranda about their lives since they had last seen one another.

"So, drama, huh?" Donna asked Miranda. "That's pretty exciting."

"Yeah, it is." Miranda grinned.

"Did you know I majored in drama back at University of Wisconsin?"

Miranda's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Sam cut in. "Yeah, that and about six other things, if I remember correctly."

"You changed your major seven times?" Helen asked. "I never knew that!"

"Well, five majors and two minors." Donna said.

"What else did you major in?"

"Political science, biology, psychology, and government." Donna counted off on her fingers.

"I thought it was great that you finally went back to school." Miranda said.

"Yes, it was." Helen agreed. It had been the delight of the Senior Staff and the First Family, as well as Donna's own family, to watch Donna graduate with a Bachelor's in Political Science from Georgetown University six years earlier.

Miranda hesitated. "Mrs. Lyman?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that I was really sorry about President Bartlet. I only met him a few times, but I really liked him."

"Thank you." Donna said, hugging the teenage girl. They were interrupted by a message from the pilot announcing that they were touching down at Whiteman Air Force Base.

After exchanging pleasantries with former President Walken, they reboarded the plane and took off for Manchester.

The former Presidents sat in two rows and started talking about education and environmental reform. They knew an opportunity to talk shop when they saw it.

Donna, meanwhile, excused herself to the back of the plane so she could write her eulogy in peace. She sat down with a pad of paper and started thinking about how she would phrase it. How could she write about a man who had been a second father to her, a grandfather to her kids?

Without warning she felt tears come to her eyes as memories began to wash over her.

The first time they had spoken at length on a campaign trip, and President Bartlet had told her he had finally found someone that bested him at obscure trivia.

When she found out the real reason why Stackhouse was filibustering.

The President's phone call to her teacher, Mrs. Morello.

The President revealing to her that, after Gaza, he had taken the time to call her parents personally to let them know she was alive.

The pride evident in his voice when he pronounced her and Josh husband and wife.

The excitement in his eyes when he saw and held the twins for the first time.

The last time they had seen one another at Sam's inauguration, when he had whispered in her ear, "You've come a long way, Donnatella."

That last memory did it for her. The dam burst and she broke down.

Ainsley had been attempting to keep Connor and Ava occupied when she heard a sob from near the back of the plane. She jumped up, satisfied that the kids would be entertained, and hurried to the other section of the plane to find Donna sobbing, the unfinished words on the page running together. She only had to read the words "President Bartlet" and she could guess what had happened.

"Donna?" Ainsley rushed to her friend. Screwing protocol, she sat down next to her friend and threw her arms around her as she cried into her shoulder, letting her own tears fall.

"It's all right." she whispered in a soothing voice usually reserved for her kids. "Just let it out."

A/N: Tough ending, I know. But I wanted to sort of build up to the funeral, and honestly, having Ainsley there to comfort her seemed like the best way to handle it if I was going to have Josh in Manchester already.