Land of Milk and Honey

Land of Milk and Honey Land of Milk and Honey
by Kristen & Lin

In the living room, they sat waiting for the news that would forever change their lives.

They had gathered at the house in Manchester to await the news of the Presidential election of 2010. It had been a long day coming and somehow, it was here. Josh waited on the couch, his eyes glued to the television. Donna sat across from him, her husband, Adam, half-standing, half-sitting on the arm of the chair beside her. Jed and Abbey sat beside Josh on the couch silently praying for a good outcome to almost a year of surprises and changes. Leo sat near them in a chair by the couch. Toby sat in the back of the room, pensive but tired from the last few weeks. Sam sat cat-a-corner and slightly in front of Toby. His knees supported his elbows while his head rested in his hands. The Bartlet children, grandchildren, and Charlie was upstairs. CJ was nowhere to be seen.

The last few weeks had been tough on them all. Not sure of what was going to happen, as campaign staffs frequently were, tempers had flared among the tight-knit group. Finally, CJ sensing dissent among the masses, decided to put her foot down. She made them separate for one night so everyone could clear their heads. The next night, instead of working, much to Toby's chagrin, she and Josh took everyone out to dinner.

Only five months earlier, CJ and Josh had been married in this very house. They were both determined to have a quiet, intimate wedding with only their closest friends and family attending. Josh could still remember how his heart began to pound in his chair when he got his first glimpse of CJ walking towards him. The wedding party was so small, they all gathered in a loose circle around the bride and groom and priest as the ceremony began. Both forsaking ties to their religion for this one instance, they decided to have a non-denominational ceremony.

As they said their 'I do's,' Josh's heart swelled with pride and happiness as he realized every dream he had was coming true all at once. Not only was he the Democratic Party's candidate, he was marrying the woman he loved, surrounded by everyone he held dear to him. Ever since, they were rarely seen publicly or privately without the other. Three weeks after the ceremony and a small honeymoon in California as the campaign progressed, the nuptials were announced to the press. They were afraid of how the public would take the news. They needn't have worried because the public responded enthusiastically to them and had continued to do so up until this night.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to NBC's live coverage of the 2010 Presidential Election. I'm Alex Cibenko," the smiling reporter informed his viewers for the billionth time that evening and now morning. "If you're just joining us, you've been missing quite an exciting night. As you know, this election has been interesting from the start. When Joshua Lyman beat incumbent President Hoynes for the Democratic Party's nomination, it marked the first time in history that a President seeking reelection was denied it by his party."

"Yes, we know," Josh Lyman informed Alex from the familiar surroundings of the Bartlet's living room. "Anytime you would like to give us the numbers, feel free."

"I heard that there may be a threat of power outages," Donna Moss teased her boss.

Josh leaned forward on the couch without looking back at her. "Don't play with me tonight, Donnatella. Not tonight."

The room's attention went back to Alex as he continued, "Mr. Lyman was ahead of his opponent, Governor Marcus Valerian of Nevada, going into today and so far, he's held onto his lead. The Independent candidate, John Cameron, is bringing up the rear with only a fraction of the votes Josh Lyman has captured. While we're waiting for the new numbers to come in, let's talk a little bit about Josh Lyman and his rise to the top. This is quite a story, isn't it, Veronica?"

The screen switched to a woman back in the NBC studio nodding and smiling. "Yes it is, Alex. Josh Lyman began his foray in politics as an aide to President Hoynes while the President served as a Senator to Texas. When President Bartlet started his campaign, Lyman left President Hoynes campaign to work for him. He then served as Deputy Chief of Staff for eight years on President Bartlet's staff along with his wife, Claudia Jean Cregg, now Lyman, as Press Secretary. But that's where things get interesting, don't they Alex?"

"They sure do," the reporter answered the anchor. "They both served under President Hoynes, Josh Lyman as Chief of Staff and CJ Lyman as Press Secretary, until their third year. There was major buzz around D.C. about why they had left the staff. Only a month later, we all got our answer. Which brings us to tonight."

"But let's not forget the beginning of their campaign. Only a few months in, their marriage was announced to the public," Veronica interrupted.

"Who could have seen that one coming?" Alex smiled. "An engagement at Disney World and a quiet wedding ceremony quickly endeared them to the public which believe me, isn't hurting either one tonight."

Josh nodded approvingly and took a sip of his water. Furrowing his brow, he looked at his watch and said,"And any time my wife would like to get back here, I think I'd like that, too."

Donna, who was seated across the room from Josh with her husband, Adam, bit her lip to keep from smiling. Married only about five months, Josh and CJ Lyman's lives were so closely intertwined, one had a hard time functioning without the other. "Josh, the hotel's only fifteen minutes away. She'll be here soon. Calm down."

"I'm just saying that I'd like to be able to kiss her when they announce the first official numbers," Josh whined and directed his focus back to the TV.

"Well, I'd rather you strip me naked and have your way with me, but there are reporters outside and children upstairs," CJ smirked from her place at the door.

Josh rose from his seat and met his wife. Placing an arm around her and bringing her close for a kiss, the rest of the people in the room could see how much in love they were. It was mind-boggling that 'they' had almost not happened. If it hadn't been for the egging of a few old friends, a Presidential election, and three years of hell under Hoynes, they might have never happened. After a strategically planned kick-off to their campaign at Disney World, CJ and Josh found themselves in love and engaged. Less than six months later, they found themselves married.

Winning the DNC had been a shock. None of them really expected to win against an incumbent, maybe the next go around, but changes were coming. The Democrats, sensing dissent amongst the public when it came to their President, decided to take a leap of faith and put their weight behind an unknown former Chief of Staff from Connecticut. It didn't hurt that he had served faithfully under former President Bartlet for eight years and had one of the most successful and experienced Staffs serving under him. Suddenly, they found themselves, months later, waiting for the results of the 2010 Presidential elections unsure of what would happen but knowing that win or lose, their lives were forever altered.

"You missed me?" CJ murmured against his lips.

"Like you have no idea," Josh answered truthfully.

She eyed the other people in the room. "Has he been bothering you?"

"We were waiting for you to get back here," Donna answered for them all. "Of course, if you hadn't gotten here when you did, we might have had to get rid of him ourselves."

CJ turned back to her husband. "You're being a pest, aren't you?"

Josh squirmed. "I was just wondering when you were going to get back."

"Well, I'm back now. Come on," she took his hand and dragged him back to his former spot on the couch. "Let's watch together." CJ looked over at Donna and Adam, Sam, Toby, Leo, and Jed and Abbey crammed in the Bartlet's living room. She had left the rest of their staff at the hotel fielding phone calls and had finally finished calming down Samantha. It had been months since Samantha had started doing the press conferences, but every now and again, she would panic and CJ would be required to talk her down. Despite the small handicap, Samantha was enormously talented. They couldn't have asked for a better Press Secretary, except for the maybe future First Lady.

"Hello, this is Alex Cibenko in New Hampshire, outside of former President Bartlet's house in Manchester. Inside, Presidential hopeful Joshua Lyman, his wife, staff, and of course President Bartlet and his wife, all sit, waiting to hear the results of the 2010 election. It's past 2 AM and over 85% of the country is reporting, as well as all of the major states," the reporter buzzed from the television screen. "We are about to pronounce a winner for the 2010 election." He paused for a moment while a map of the United States came on the screen. The states were colored differently according to who had won what state; Josh being blue, Valerian being red, and Cameron being green. The white patches on the map representing undecided and non-reporting states were few and far between, only three being left.

Everyone's breath hitched as they saw that the map was mostly covered in blue. Smiles began showing on faces as they saw that Florida was colored blue as well as California, New York, and Texas. The electoral votes for each candidate popped up on the screen in a small box:

Lyman (D): 275
Valerian (R): 218
Cameron (I): 45

For a moment, no one moved. All eyes were glued to the television screen, unsure of what they were seeing was real. CJ's hand moved towards the map to make sure it wasn't going to disappear in front of their eyes the minute they began to breathe.

Her voice was low as she began to speak, "We did it. You're President."

No one in the room dared move. CJ repeated herself louder, "We won. You're the President."

Josh shook his head slowly as if he was waking from a long dream. "No, not really." He looked at his wife. "Come on. I mean - no, not really."

CJ nodded her head at him. "Yes, really. You are."

Toby finally let out the breath he had been holding and stood. "We did it."

Sam followed. "Yep. We did it." He clapped his hands together in anticipation. "For the third time, we pulled it off."

Screams came from the people upstairs. "Oh my God! Josh! Did you just see that? Mom, Dad, were you guys just watching?" Ellie and Zoey raced downstairs with Charlie and Annie in tow. "Oh my God, can you believe this?" Zoey continued to scream.

Josh just looked at CJ with shock in his eyes. "We really did it, didn't we?"

Tears were starting to stream down her face. "Yeah." She held out her arms to sweep him into her embrace. She pulled back far enough so she could whisper in his ear. "You're going to make a wonderful President."

"And you're going to be the best damned First Lady, ever." He turned to give Abbey a sheepish grin. "Along with you, of course."

"Don't worry about me, Josh. I think you have a whole audience standing outside that door who is waiting to hear from you."

"Don't we have to wait for Valerian's concession speech?" CJ queried.

"Yeah, but you might as well take advantage of this small moment because it is the last time you will voluntarily meet the media," Leo responded.

CJ hit herself on the head. "Oh, that reminds me. We need to get over to the hotel, don't we? Emily and Samantha must be having a fit right about now."

Donna smirked. "If they have to deal with Patrick, Bailey, and the Press all at the same time - oh, yeah."

"Just give me a moment," Josh sunk down into the couch and held up his hand, quieting the commotion bustling around him. "What do I...how can I...what the hell just happened? I didn't actually think they would elect me, I just wanted it so badly."

"Well, once again, we question the judgement of the American people," Toby commented. CJ, Donna and Abbey all promptly smacked him.

CJ quietly sat down next to her husband, "Joshua, it's time. We get two months to enjoy this and then it goes back to being hell. So, let's have fun tonight, ok? Let's go thank the people that believed in you and remind them what an amazing leader you are."

"Josh," Jed spoke up from the corner, "it's not going to make sense until Inaguaration, so stop trying. Take CJ's advice, just have fun tonight. Let John Hoynes screw the world for two more months and let yourself enjoy it."

"What do I do? Where do I go? What do I say?" Josh's hurried questions came out in a frantic rush and CJ could see that his head was swimming.

"Collect your wits and follow me so that we can go to the hotel and thank your constituents and just say whatever Toby and Sam wrote for you," CJ began to rub Josh's back as she cast a grin at the 'Batman and Robin of speechwriting.'

"No, I mean to you guys. Cause, I mean I owe you guys everything."

"Yes, and we'll be reminding you of that when you hate us," Donna remarked, sinking back into Adam's embrace.

Josh could only smile at his friends. "Who would have thought we really would have been sitting here tonight? And that we would have won this election? It's unbelievable."

"No, it's totally believable because you deserved this one, Josh," CJ told her husband.

"No, I don't think I even deserve you. This is surreal."

"No," Jed responded. "This is as real as it gets. And Josh, we will have your thanks when you go out there and do the best job you know how to do. We've trained you and the rest we'll leave up to your good instincts. And anyway, we trust your wife there to keep you straightened out."

Josh laughed at this. "Yeah. Let's hope." He looked at all of the occupants in the room who were all either laughing, smiling, crying, or a combination of the three. "Okay, before I talk to anyone else, I want to say this to you guys. Over the years, you have seen me screw up many times. You have always been there when I needed you and believe me, the last year has been one of the times when I have needed you the most. I just want to say, thank you for sticking with me, believing in me, and telling me not to give up this crazy pipe dream. If you all weren't standing behind me, I doubt that I would have made it to the Primaries, much less this far. All that being said, I hope none of this takes this as your cue to abandon me because I still need you all there with me. I could never say thank you enough. And lastly, to my wife, thank you for standing beside me, pushing me in the right direction, telling me to get off my ass and do something, and most of all, for saying yes." Everyone in the room began to laugh.

"What else was I supposed to do? I'd been waiting so long for you at that point that I was getting too old for anyone else to want me!" CJ teased him. As he pulled her into an embrace, she continued into his ear, "You are my everything, you know that, right?"

Nodding, he slowly pressed his lips to hers. When gagging noises could be heard from the peanut gallery,he took her hand and led her to the door, "America is talking, Claudia Jean."

"Well, let's go talk back."

~*~

�Is that so hard for them to understand?� President-elect Josh Lyman stormed around his office.

�Josh � � CJ started, but Leo�s hand on her arm stopped her.

�Sir,� Leo began.

�No, Leo, I will not have you call me �sir.� Absolutely not,� Josh made eye contact with his mentor, making it very clear that he was serious.

�Joshua, in four days you�re going to be the President of the United States. I will absolutely call you sir.�

�That�s right, Leo, in four days. For the next four days, please call me Josh, because for the next eight years, no one else will, � Josh rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. �I have my Senior Staff in place and four more assistants to hire. My Cabinet is almost full and Inauguration is four days away. I�m so sick of Congress that I could vomit.�

�Well, *Josh*,� Leo stressed his given name, �I�m no so sure that that�s the greatest way to start off your presidency.�

�Leo, I really don�t remember it ever being this hard with Bartlet, either time,� Josh commented.

Leo shrugged, �You�re a whole different person, Josh, with a whole different Congress. You�re coming in with a mandate that Jed didn�t have the first time, but you�re also a whole lot more inexperienced.� Josh opened his mouth to interrupt, but Leo continued, �I know you know more about running a White House than just about anyone else, but you�ve never been elected to anything before. It�s a little abnormal for the president of this country to never serve as a legislator. You�ve gone from being the hired help to the king, Josh, and I think that Congress has a right to be a little wary of you.�

�Especially since you spent your eleven years in the White House scarring the hell out of Congressmen,� CJ smirked.

�I just wish they would trust me,� Josh frowned.

Leo chuckled, �I guess you don�t know as much as I thought.�

Donna stuck her head in the door, �Josh, Sam�s on the phone.�

Nodding, Josh picked up his phone, �Yeah?�

�Josh, we�re in.�

�Seriously?�

�Yup. Confirmation�s done.�

�You on your way back?�

�Yeah.�

�Ok,� Josh hung up and grinned, �We�re in.�

CJ�s eyes got wide, �Seriously?�

�Yeah.�

�Great job, kid,� Leo patted Josh on the back and made his way out the door.

As soon as Leo was gone, Josh pulled his wife into a short kiss, and then bellowed for Donna.

�Seriously, Josh, we�ve been over this,� Donna replied as she swung open the door.

�Yeah, I know, no yelling. I learn how to use the intercom, I promise,� he grinned with his arm around CJ.

�No, you won�t, but that�s ok. What�s up?�

�Donna, I need you to tell Samantha that Ellie�s in.�

Letting out a small yelp, Donna nodded, �Absolutely, Mr. President.�

So, Donna told Samantha and Samantha told the press. It was finally official. President Lyman�s cabinet was full with the appointment of Dr. Eleanor Bartlet as Surgeon General.

~*~

��I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will try to the best of my ability, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States so help me God.�� Josh proclaimed to the nation, left hand raised and right hand placed securely on the Bible.

When the oath was spoken, the camera switched back to the reporters seated at their booth. �And with those historic words, spoken just moments ago, Joshua Lyman became the 45th President of the United States, today, January 21, 2011. I�m Mark Turner, alongside Julia Adams. Welcome back to NBC�s coverage of the 2011 Presidential Inauguration.� The smiling anchor gestured to the woman beside him, and then turned his attention back to the monitor. �Today is indeed a historic day, right Julia?�

The woman smiled back at him, a glossy smiled pasted on her overly made up face, �That�s right Mark. It all started when President Lyman shocked Washington Insiders by resigning his position as � �

John Hoynes shut the TV off in disgust, �Everyone knows what he did. And he didn�t shock anyone. It seems everyone knew why he did it, except for me!� He paced around the room; disgusted with the display he just viewed on the television set. "We lost focus, sir. We want a fresh new start sir," he mimicked. "And now look, they have my job! It should be me standing up there. Not him!"

Throwing the remote control at the television, he meandered into the kitchen to make himself a snack.

*^*^*^*

Winifred Hooper-Caulfield checked her watch. �Shit, I�ve missed most of it. � Racing to her television, she flipped to her favorite news channel to catch the last few moments of Josh�s first speech as President.

A smile curled on her lips.

President.

Who would have thought that that same group of politicians would be back in the White House?

Winifred herself couldn't believe it on Election night when the electoral votes came up on the screen. Joshua Lyman, once the loose cannon in the Bartlet White House was now running the House himself.

She couldn't think of one person who would be better suited to the job.

Well, maybe Sam Seaborn but that was another story. She turned her attention back to the screen as Josh began to speak.

"This is a time for serious people. We, as a people, have serious problems that need solving. Time is being wasted every day as we try to come up with settlements to these problems. It is time to stand up for what we believe in. The standards that our forefathers set for us have been compromised. The standard that says that) everyone has a right to a high-quality education; regardless of his or her income or social status. That all Americans are included in the Bill of Rights; regardless of his or her age, sex, religion or race.

We have all become so concerned with pleasing everyone that it seems we have neglected to please anyone. We have spent so much time shuffling our feet in order to avoid making any waves that we have forgotten how to swim in rough waters.

The early immigrants that endured the hard journey to America were told that if they survived the journey, they would live in a land flowing with milk and honey. That everyone would have an opportunity to be someone and go somewhere and make a difference.

I swore that I would uphold the Office of the President of the United States. To me, that means allowing our country to live up to the hopes and expectations of the immigrants. When other countries think of America, let them know that this is a land where the streets are made of gold and the land is flowing with milk and honey. Let them know that there is plenty for everyone, regardless if they live on our shores or not. Let them know that we are a people of compassion and justice, of freedom and liberty and of prosperity and joy.

Let this be our shining example. Let us exist as the City Upon a Hill. And as we exist as the City Upon a Hill, let us remember that the world has its eyes on us as they have always. We must take up our role as a leader in the world and stand proud and tall as citizens of the United States of America. But remember, as we stand as leaders, we must know that we are always growing. America exists as a work in progress. This is our legacy. We must continue to grow and learn from our past mistakes. Today we start anew.

I have laboriously selected the members of my administration and I assure you that their highest calling is to serve the American people. Our commitment to you is one of leadership and service and our fathers all taught us not to back down from a commitment.

I eagerly anticipate the challenges and victories that we, as a nation, will face over the next four years and I promise to uphold the character and honor that come with the oath I just made.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor and my privilege to serve as your President. May God bless you and God bless America.�

Satisfied, Winifred sat back in her chair and smiled. It was good to know that when she reported to work on Monday, her boss was a man of his word.

~*~

He circled the room, fascinated with the new furniture. He still remembered the first time he walked into this room and knew it was his. At least that he belonged in this place. He had had eight long years beforehand to revel in the knowledge that this would be his home soon enough but now it was over almost as soon as it began. All because of one person...

Former President John Hoynes stood in the center of the room he had once called his living room. His wife had decorated the area in navy blues and rich burgundies, trying to feed off of the dark furniture everywhere. But that was not to be anymore. Now, everything was decorated in light blues and yellows as if they were trying to bring springtime into the living space. No, this room now belonged to someone who had stole everything he had dreamed of in one moment.

President Joshua Lyman. Why didn't that roll trippingly off the tongue? What was he supposed to do now? He had been tripped up without ever knowing it. He should have known that day in his office when they both wanted to see him. He should have stopped it then. How? Was he supposed to have called them out? But this was no time for should-haves or could-haves. He would have to live with the consequences, no matter how annoying they were.

His feet shuffled silently along the beige carpet, scorning its very presence. He still remembered that day when Former President Bartlet stood in the middle of this room and welcomed him in.

"Hello, John."

"Mr. President."

"No, I think that title is reserved for you now. You made it."

"Yes, sir."

"You wanted it. Now, you have it. You would have had it before if Josh Lyman hadn't defected to my side."

"Maybe."

"He's on your side now. Remember that."

"Always, sir."

But he hadn't remembered what Bartlet had said to him. The excitement of the day was still ringing in his ears. What did he care about the advice of someone he respected but disliked immensely? He wondered now if Bartlet was tacitly trying to tell him to treat Josh right or that he would leave him like the first time.

He had certainly thought about it quite often in the past few months, though. Bartlet's words came back to haunt him as he read their resignations. Something inside him knew that he would never win a fight against Josh. Especially not if he had CJ. He hadn't even tried to fight them. Joshua and Claudia Jean Lyman were both officially admitted to the most exclusive union in the world.

"Sir, the President and First Lady are here."

Hoynes turned around to find his assistant, Grace, standing in the doorway. "Yes, Grace. Thank you very much. I'll be out in a moment." She nodded and walked away.

He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked towards the window. The sun was brilliant today as was the sky. ::sigh:: It was time to face the music but first, he wanted answers.

~*~

Josh and CJ stood in the hallway, admiring the paintings adorning the walls.

It was hard to believe that everything they dreamed about was finally theirs. Not only was it unbelievable but it also hadn't sunk in very far.

"They already moved everything in?"

Josh nodded. "Yeah. And we have the Balls to get ready for." He put his arms around CJ's waist and brought her closer. "When am I going to see this showstopper of a dress that cost me more than our children's college education?"

"Cost you?" CJ addressed him with a raised eyebrow. "And we're having children now?"

"We weren't before?"

"I'm not entirely sure you want a pregnant wife and a country to take care of all at the same time," CJ replied. "And, for your information, I bought the dress with my own money."

"Then how did Donna find it on my credit card account?" Josh retorted.

"We have joint checking, dear," CJ replied as she wandered down to another painting. "I wonder if Marie will let me keep this one."

"So, back to the original point. In Style's been drooling to see a picture of it for weeks now. You know the photographers will be all over you the minute you make your entrance. Can't I exercise some executive privilege or something? Doesn't your adoring husband deserve you see you in this amazing dress before the press wolves do?"

"Wolves, Joshua?" CJ met his eyes with a smirk. "You didn't just call my press gaggle wolves, did you?"

"I'm not seeing the dress, am I?"

"Excuse me, Mr. President?" CJ and Josh turned as one of Hoynes' aides approached them. "Mr. Hoynes will be with you in a moment." They nodded at the efficient woman as she scurried away down the hall.

"This must be hard for him," CJ murmured.

Josh nodded. "Leaving all of this would have to be."

"We're just getting started so we don't have to worry about that yet."

"Josh!" They heard a voice call out. Hoynes walked towards them, a smile flickering between grimness and hospitality on his lips. "Welcome home," He shook both Josh's and CJ's hand.

"Thank you, sir. We were just admiring the paintings out here."

Hoynes looked around, noticing for the paintings for the first time in a while. "It's your home now. It will take some getting used to as do the," Hoynes looked behind him, "Secret Service. But you learn to take it in stride. My wife is waiting in the West Wing. Would you mind walking over there?" They shook their heads no and followed the man they had once called sir to their former workplace.

The bullpens stood deserted. Work areas had been cleaned out and only bare desks stood in their wake. The only people, the Former First Lady and her detail.

"There you are, John," a striking woman with dark brown hair and light green eyes walked towards them. "Hello, Josh. CJ." She hugged both of them.

"Hello, Marie," they returned.

"Is he giving you the tour?"

"Uh, no, Marie," Hoynes interrupted. "They already know their way around here."

"Of course they do, dear," she replied, flustered. It was obvious to both Josh and CJ that it was an especially hard day for Marie Hoynes.

"Would you mind taking CJ around then?"

"Sure." She smiled warmly at CJ. "Come with me. I don't know how much Abbey told you..." her voice trailed off as the women rounded the corner.

Hoynes waited until the two women were out of eyesight before turning back to Josh. "Let's go into the Oval. It's much quieter in there." Josh followed Hoynes into the room and watched as he dropped onto one of the couches. Josh stood uncomfortably as Hoynes turned to look at him with an unmistakable glint of malice in his eyes.

"I remember a time when you came into my office and told me you were quitting."

"I was, sir."

"That didn't last very long," he said bitterly. "Look, Josh. I'm not trying to bully you. The battle's over and you won." He smiled wanly. "You know, I never believed you would pull it off but you did. You, your wife, and your staff. Have you picked out your Senior Staff yet because as you know, they are extremely important. You wouldn't want any of them to resign and then take your job." A still silence hung in the air between the two men.

"Sir," Josh began. "It wasn't like that at all."

"Well, tell me how you came to the conclusion that you were going to hand in your resignation and then run for the Presidency. It still hasn't sunk into my head."

"I was unhappy here and I knew I could do things better than you."

Hoynes stared at him, startled by his blatant honesty. "You're probably right about that."

"Sir, I don't want this to be some long running feud between us that clouds this Presidency. It was time to focus on the issues and no one ever seemed ready to do that."

"I was ready to work on the issues. Always. But no one ever brought them to me."

"No, sir. That's not how it was and you know it. We were always working to get re-elected. It was always about the polls and what the public thought."

"But that's what this country is about. We work for the people. We do what's best for them."

"No, we abandoned that a long time ago. The credo of every administration during the first term is about getting to the second term. We stopped serving the American public long ago. I'm ready to give that back to them."

Hoynes sat back, stunned. "You think it's going to be that easy. Do you have any ideas how many people you have to stand behind, give a pat on the back, give money to, take money from, just to do the simple things?"

"That's the problem, sir. I'm not for soft money or big companies. I'm for the people only."

Hoynes stood in front of Josh with an incredulous look on his face. "Josh, if anyone knows about dealing with the American people and the horrors that that brings, it's you! You've seen more shit pass through this building than anyone else. Even your wife. You've sat in the Situation Room. You've guided me through political blunders -"

Josh cut him off, "Sir, you never had a political blunder. In the eyes of the public, you were the golden President. I'm sure that the majority of Americans were shocked when my name went on the ticket. You never made a political error, sir. You just didn't do anything! We spent three years treading water! And it was just unacceptable to me."

"That's why you left," Hoynes murmured, stating the obvious. He walked quietly over to the window and stood in silence for a few moments before turning back to Josh. "Mr. President," he began.

"Sir," Josh tried to cut him off.

"No," Hoynes shook his head. "This is way it works. I'm John and you're Mr. President." He paused, took a deep breath and started over, "Mr. President, you all spent eight years calling Bartlet 'the real thing.' Sam Seaborn left a decent job because Bartlet was 'the real thing.' I never understood that. He treaded water, too. I never understood why he wanted to run again or why you all wanted him to. Maybe you just wanted to avoid me."

"John," Josh began.

Hoynes held up his hand, "I've got one more thing and then you better find your wife and get her in that dress we've all be hearing so much about." Both men smiled as Hoynes continued, "Mr. President, I hated you for screwing me over the way you did. And I've been trying to find a reason to hate you for winning, but I can't. I can't find a reason because I'm glad. Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you to call Leo McGarry after you gave me your resignation?"

"Ten hours."

Hoynes nodded, "Ten hours. Anyway, you are the real thing, President Lyman. I've never been more sure of something. I've known you for over ten years now and I'm positive that you're the real thing. I look forward to the success and prosperity that you're going to bring the people of this nation, sir, and I would be honored to be counted among your friends." He stuck out his hand and smiled.

Josh grasped his hand and shook it for several seconds, "Always, John. Always."

~*~

The living room was filled with people, all chattering happily about something that happened in their day. They were gathered in corners, around chairs, tables, and on sofas, all glad to be gathered in each other's company one more time.

On one side of the room stood a former President speaking with his best friend and former Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry. Though they had aged since last working together, they were still as tenacious as ever. They still made the circuits in the political world, busy as ever.

In another corner, Sam Seaborn stood over Winifred Hooper-Caulfield as she sat on the couch as he tried to explain Toby's work ethic. He was well aware how frustrating it could be working with someone like Toby but he also knew the learning experience was invaluable. Toby never treated his colleagues with anything less than respect, no matter how frustrated he was at the moment. Though, there were times it was hard to see in the heat of the moment.

Donna Moss-Kane laughed at a joke her husband Adam shared with the group they were standing in. For the first time in four years, the former Senior Staff assistants were gathered together. They were all leading happy lives, some coming back to the White House to work and others just to enjoy the night.

Toby Ziegler stared pensively at the crowd around him, not noticing the young red-head with wavy hair who had just been named Surgeon General approach. She slapped his arms with a smile on her face, silently admonishing him for not participating in the ongoing conversations throughout the room. She had all of the spunk and tenacity of her parents, Toby recognized. Ellie led him off to join Sam and Winifired.

Zoey and Charlie stood with Abbey discussing Zoey's future now that she had won a role at a local playhouse. She loved learning her lines and acting even though she held down a full-time job.

There they were, all together in the most famous residence in the world. Some were once again working in the one place they never thought they would set foot inside again. And some were new visitors who wanted to check out the new administration and to wish it well.

Some of the new employees remembered when they were called in by their new President as he offered them a job in his Cabinet or in his Senior Staff.

"Sam, I want you to be my Chief of Staff."

"No."

"Yes."

"Are you sure about this?"

"My wife put me up to it."

"Well, if CJ has faith in me..."

"Cut it out, Sam. I want you to be there with me."

"You know I am. I wouldn't have gone this far if I wasn't."

"What do you think Toby will say when I ask him to be my Communications Director?"

"Ask him."

"And I want someone else?"

"Who?"

"Winifred Hooper-Caulfield. I heard she's married."

"Are you kidding? If you would have asked me that nine years ago, I would have said you were crazy."

"Good idea?"

"Very."

"Samantha's already being groomed as Press Secretary by CJ."

"What about Patrick and Bailey?"

"Your deputies."

"It looks like everything's all systems go, Josh."

"You don't have any objections."

"I think you'll be getting plenty of objections during the rest of the confirmation hearings."

"Don't remind me."

They all knew they stood on the edge of something new and magnificent. They weren't sure what it meant in the long run or even if it was a good thing but the night was young and they had faith in the ability of this man they stood behind.

He stood in the middle of the room, now surrounded by his friends and co-workers; his wife by his side. His presence was as strong and magnetic as his predecessors. His hand lingered in his wife's as he joked with the group of people.

The dream had finally come true. The frustrations and joys they had poured into every inch of the campaign was being made into reality. They wanted to make a difference in the world.

But it was only the beginning. Tomorrow was still a few hours away.

~*~

The End

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