For Toby, the day was not going well. He knew that Josh and Sam were
unusually happy due to the seeming resolution to all their Russian woes over
the last two months. Seeing things come to an end, or rather a new
beginning, is the good part of the job. Doing the hard work-making
contacts, having meetings, and just plain working-was the annoying part, and
the seemingly common part.

After his meeting with the President, Toby decided to make immediately
contact Lilly Mays. Trying to make bills pass was often a futile job, but
something which they had to do. When he got there, he found the door open,
and Lilly talking on the phone. He knocked softly. She looked at him, and
held up her finger, indicating that it would be just a minute. Toby came
inside, looking miserable. Lilly hung up and smile at Toby. "Hello, Toby,
what brings you to this part of the White House?" Lilly asked warmly.

"Just talked with the President. Seems he wants to help you get the child
labor bill passed."

"Really, I was hoping that we would get some help," Lilly admitted. "It's
not that we can't be persuasive, but we just don't have the same resources
that you do, or the same level of importance."

"That's what the President said, and why he sent me down to let you know
I'm here to assist you."

"Wonderful," Lilly said excitedly. "With a rough count, we need about 15
votes to make this thing fly by the Senate. And this is before we've
bartered with anyone."

"Do you have any ideas as to where you're going to find these votes?" Toby
asked.

"We're still doing some research, but I've got a list of possibilities
right now. In fact, I just got off the phone with Senator Kleinfelder from
Wisconsin. He's meeting with me this afternoon about two. Can you make
it?"

Toby thought for a moment, then said, "I wouldn't miss it for anything in
the world."

"Great. If you can, get here a half hour early so I can brief you on the
main points and reasons why this is a good bill. Then we can discuss
strategy."

"Okay," Toby said, unenthusiastically.

Lilly ignored his apparent apathy. "Okay."

*********************

When the car pulled up to the White House, Becca was having a difficult
time keeping Christie contained. Although the little girl had been to the
White House several times before, it had been five months since their last
visit, and she was positively giddy.

"Mommy, Mommy, we're at Grandma and Grandpa's house!" Christie exclaimed,
leaning over her sister to touch the window.

"Mom," Maddie whined. "Get her off of me." The more excited Christie got,
Maddie balanced out by being more pessimistic.

"Christina, sit back like you're supposed to," Becca ordered. Christie
reluctantly sat back down.

"Grandma, how do you clean that whole big house?" Christie wondered aloud.

Abbey laughed. "Well, dear, I don't clean it all. After all, your
grandfather and I only live in part of it. The rest is where your
grandfather works."

"Oh," Christie said. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, but at times I feel like I get lost in my own house!"

Christie laughed. "Grandma, you're silly!"

"You have no idea," Zoey interjected.

The casual banter continued, but Becca found her mind miles away. This
whole day seemed surreal to her. It was her new start, her and her
daughters. But the house in front of her was a symbol of the changes she
was trying to forget.

When her father decided to run for office, she had been married with
children. So when her father got wrapped up in the race, she hadn't been
forced to deal with his absence. She instead buried herself in her husband
and children, allowing her father to be a part of her life only distantly.
It could have gone on like that, but then Eric had died. It only took one
car accident and one election to send her into a world of loneliness, with
no one to turn to. Her husband was gone, her sisters were gone, and her
parents were inevitably preoccupied.

For awhile, she tried to cling to Eric and their life, using that to propel
her through each day. But each day the memory became less vivid and more
distant. And slowly, she became more destitute than when he'd first passed
away. Finally, she knew that it wasn't fair for her daughters to live
beneath her depression, so she took her courage, and made the effort to move
on.

Her parents immediate reaction was completely supportive. They helped
arrange a job for her, and found her a home to live in. For brief moments,
it was almost like their lives hadn't become intertwined in the headlines.
So she moved her children across the country from their home and friends to
be closer to the family. But despite her parent's assurances that they
would always be there for them, Becca knew the truth.

No matter how they tried, her mother and father could never completely
fulfill that promise. As long as they lived in the White House, they
wouldn't be just her parents, they would belong to the country as well. But
as she gazed at her two daughters, what those two girls could gain here was
more than they could gain alone back home.

Trying to remain upbeat, Becca returned her attention to Christie's
cheerful babble. The car was parked, and the family poured on out. Once
they were past security and into the Residence, Christie was roaming. She
seemed awestruck by everything that she saw. Though she was young, she knew
the importance of the building she was standing in. She remember how the
other kids had envied her, and how they had asked so many questions. Their
excitement made her realize how special her experience was. Now, she was
cherishing it for everything that it was worth and more.

"Are you sure we can stay the night?" Becca asked, as she looked around.
"We can go to a hotel."

"Nonsense," Abbey insisted. "It's not like we don't have any room.
Besides I'm dying to spend some time with you and my two granddaughters."

Becca looked doubtful. "We can go to a hotel and then move in to our house
tomorrow."

"Rebecca, I am your mother. This is my house. You will stay with me until
your house is ready. Don't try to get out of it, you're stuck with me."

Becca smiled. "Okay."

The noise of a door opening made them turn around. Zoey walked in. Abbey
looked concerned at her. "Are you feeling well?" she asked.

Shaking her head, Zoey said, "I don't know. I feel a little nauseous."

"Really. Did you eat anything strange?"

"No," Zoey said.

"Well, why don't you go lie down for awhile," Abbey recommended.

"Better yet, I think I'll just go home. Tell Charlie where I went and that
he can stop by after work if he wants," Zoey said.

"Sure."

"Thanks. Sorry for being such bad company, Becca."

"Hey, no problem," Becca said, hugging her little sister. "It's not like
we won't be seeing each other now that we live in the same town again."

"Yeah," Zoey agreed. Then after saying goodbye to her nieces, Zoey left.
Becca sighed, watching to make sure that Christie wasn't getting into
mischief then asked her mother, "Am I going to get to see Dad soon? The
girls are really anxious."

"Yes, I do believe your father is meeting us here for lunch," Abbey said.

"So, soon right? I'm starved."

Glancing at her watch, Abbey said, "I'm sure he'll be here any second."

**************************

"Is this really important, Leo?" Jed asked.

Leo remained adamant. "Unfortunately, Mr. President, even the thing that
really aren't that important are important just because of the fact that you
are the President of the United States."

Jed rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. So what gigantic problem needs
my attention now?"

"The Ambassador to Ecuador has been caught embezzling funds. Ecuador wants
to put him on trial."

"The Ambassador to Ecuador? Who is he anyway?"

"Francis Gerard."

"Did he do it?"

"Yes."

"So then why shouldn't they have the right to punish him?"

"We need to apologize, fire him and get a new guy in there."

"So do it."

"We're working on finding the right candidate to take over and we're
preparing a statement for you to give to Ecuador."

"Great. See, the problems of the world really aren't all that important.
They can all be solved with a simple wave of my hand."

"For you maybe, but then I have to go make sure that wave is actually
enacted."

"That's why I love you, Leo," Jed said. "But now, I need to go. Abbey is
waiting for me in the Residence."

"Right, Becca flew in today didn't she?"

"Yes, Becca and Madeline and Christina."

"How's Becca doing?" Leo asked, knowing the circumstances of her return.

"Hard to say. I never get to talk to her anymore. I never talk to any of
them anymore. I mean, I see Zoey from time to time, but I never know what
she's talking about. Elizabeth lives in a different time zone, so whenever
I have the chance to call her, she's sound asleep. Ria's too busy with
school, and sometimes I swear I don't even want to know what she does in her
free time. She caused me enough headaches throughout high school-"

"She was a bit on the wild side, wasn't she," Leo recalled.

"Just a bit. It took everything Abbey and I had to keep her from winding
up in the middle of parties and drug busts. She hated us for it too," Jed
said.

"She'll thank you someday."

"Not any day soon. And Rebecca. Becca was the one who I thought I
understood. She had my mind and my sense of humor and ideas. She used to
tell me everything. But now I don't even know where she's been working."

"You're doing a wonderful job with those girls, Mr. President, considering
the circumstances," Leo said.

"Yeah, considering the circumstances. Tell that to my wife. So I better
go before I'm too late," Jed said. "You stay on top of that whole Ecuador
thing."

"Yes sir," Leo said, following his boss out the door. He watched as he
disappeared down the hall, and then made his way to his office.

TBC