To Be or Not To Be
by AJ
When Zoey left Abbey's office, she ran outside, and sat down on the grass in
front of a big fountain. Her entire life had been a lie. . .
A lie. . .
She wasn't a Bartlet. . .
She wasn't. . .
She didn't know what she was. . .
Just as the tears began to slip from her eyes, she heard a soft voice behind
her, "Mind if I sit down?" the voice asked.
Zoey turned around to find Josh. Quickly, she wiped the tears from her eyes
and said, "Go ahead."
Josh sat down next to her on the grass and watched the water flow out from
the top of the fountain and trickle down to the bottom of it. "How are you
doing?" he asked.
Zoey shrugged. "I just. . . they just told me. . . I was adopted. . ."
"I know," Josh said quietly.
"What?" her head snapped in his direction. "What did you say?"
"We've all known. . . We found out working on the campaign. . . A few of us
wanted to use it to sell your father as that much better a man, but he
wouldn't let us," Josh explained quietly.
Zoey kept her eye on Josh, the expression of her face very confused, and
angry at the same time.
Josh continued, "He said you were his child. The three of you, Elizabeth,
Vikki, and you, you were all his children. And he refused to let anyone
exploit that for his benefit."
"They never told me," Zoey whispered.
"No, they didn't," Josh agreed. "But they loved you. They have loved you,
and provided for you. And they have been great parents for you."
Zoey turned back to the fountain, "Yeah. . ."
"Yeah," Josh said as he found Zoey's head leaning against his shoulder. He
put an arm around her and sat in peace with her for a good bit of time.
Finally, she stood and looked down at Josh, "Thanks," she whispered and then
disappeared.
TBC. . .