Down the Road: A Happy Ending
by Paris
"I promised myself I wouldn't cry," Josiah Bartlet said at the formal banquet he was having for his staff on their last night in the White House. "None of you should be crying either. We've been running this country for eight years. Eight wonderful, peaceful years for this country. We've maintained a high approval rating since our second year in office, and four years ago you all got me reelected."
Everyone cheered for the man that had aged from his administration; but then again they had all collected a few gray hairs from running the nation.
"The unfortunate thing is that we can't party all night," there was a sigh in the room. "The new guy comes in at noon tomorrow. The President in his tuxedo with tails took hold of a champagne glass. "I would like to make a toast. To my staff who has become some of the closest people in my life. To fighting the hard battles whether we won them or not." The President looked around the room, "To my best friend, Leo McGarry, for when I said I want to be President, he said, "all right lets go." For his fighting spirit, despite the bumps in down his road." Leo smiled and squeezed the hand of his wife, Jenny. "Leo, who got his marriage back in the swing of things, who overcame his drug problems and then overcame them again when they came out in the public. And to Leo, who in the same year I did, did not lose a daughter, but gained a son." Josiah Bartlet smiled at Charlie Young, who had married Zoey two years before, and then to Sam Seaborn, who had married Leo's daughter Mallory. "Leo I did get the better deal. No offense, Sam."
"None taken, Sir," Sam Seaborn smiled.
"To my family," President Bartlet said to Abbey and Zoey. "To Charlie and Zoey who blessed me with a grandson earlier this year. To Abbey, who gave me permission to become the President of the United States."
Josiah Bartlet scanned the room again. His staff was dressed in their finest. The men in tuxedos with tails and the women in beautiful gowns, as if it were a State Dinner.
"To Josh Lyman, who," the President laughed as he looked to Josh's direction. Josh's arms were around his attractive wife, the former Donnatella Moss. "Who has had his fair share of failed relationships. Then there were the ones with Mandy Hampton and Joey Lucas, who both fled form the administration after our good old Josh was with them. To Josh who was always ready to join or start a fight in defending Leo or myself or anyone else in the West Wing that needed it. To Josh's loyalty. Josh, may you and Donna and baby Noah live happily ever after."
"Thank you sir," Josh said in return. "It has truly been an honor to serve at the pleasure of the President."
"To Toby Ziegler," Josiah Bartlet looked at the bearded man. "Who put words my mouth almost every time I got up for a speech, or oversaw what words Sam put in my mouth. Toby, I think I say this for all of us when I say that I wish we could have gotten to know the real Toby Ziegler a little better."
Toby nodded in appreciation of the President's kind words. He had kept his life away from everyone, and now he regretted it somewhat. Toby had been afraid to let people into his life after his divorce, which happened right before the President's first campaign.
"To Sam Seaborn," the President raised his glass again. "Who proved to us all he wasn't the world's biggest screw up. Marrying Mallory helped that. To Josh's other half, who was ready to fight the fights with Josh. Oh and by the way," the President recalled the early days of the administration when Sam was screwing up left and right. "Let's never accidentally sleep with a call girl. Good luck! May you and Mallory be blessed."
"Thank you, sir," Sam smiled.
President Bartlet scanned the room again. "To Mrs. Landingham," the loyal woman looked divine in a dove colored full dress with lace and beads on the bodice, "Who has not missed a day of work in eight years. To Mrs. Landingham's cookies, which kept both our spirits and our blood sugar up. To Mrs. Landingham's feistiness which I will truly miss."
"Aww, Mr. President," Mrs. Landingham said with tears in her eyes. "It has absolutely been a joy to work with you all. You have all helped fill a void in my heart that I have had since my boys have died. I love you all."
Last, but certainly not least," Josiah Bartlet looked at CJ Cregg, who was holding the hand of tuxedo, clad Danny Concanon. Everyone knew that the Press Secretary had been in a relationship with the redheaded reporter, yet the President had only been told that morning exactly how serious the two were. They worked very hard to keep what they had a secret so that there would be no scandal for President Bartlet. "To CJ, who is really the brains of the operation. One of the strongest women I know. I was talking to CJ earlier today and found out and interesting fact or two." The President smiled slyly, because he was the first to find something out. "The last year or so CJ has been as quiet as Toby, when it comes to personal things. We all knew that she and Danny were dating, but I am proud to be the first to announce their engagement."
Danny and CJ blushed as everyone cheered.
"They wanted to keep this quiet so there wouldn't be a scandal," President Bartlet explained. "Like everything else CJ does, she did a magnificent job at keeping quiet. So I toast CJ and Danny to a long and happy life, and of course to the last time CJ does the 'The Jackal' in the White House."
Everyone cheered as CJ Cregg went up to the microphone. She smiled to the people that meant so much to her. "This is for the Bartlet Administration, where I have been honored to work with for eight years." She tapped her foot preparing for the beat that would come. As the music started her foot stopped and she missed the introduction. With one hand she grabbed her stomach and the other she placed over her mouth and ran out of the room.
"You know," President Bartlet said, "That's the second time she did that this week, she missed the first press conference in years, because she was throwing up. I hope she is okay. The last time she had missed a conference it was because of a root canal."
"That's right," Josh laughed recalling the horror of his first and last press conference.
Danny left the room to find CJ. He knocked on the door to the ladies' room. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah," CJ said weakly from the floor of an opened stall. Danny started to squat down on the floor next to her. "No Danny," CJ said before he was on the floor. "You're all dressed up. Don't get your tux dirty."
"CJ, look at you," Danny said to her. She was wearing a floor length navy gown and even sick she was the most beautiful woman Danny had ever seen. He knelt down next to her, and wiped her face with his handkerchief. CJ sat cradled in Danny's arms.
"I think we should tell them," Danny suggested to CJ.
"No, Danny," CJ said. "It wouldn't be good PR."
"CJ," Danny said, "They will end up finding this out. We can't keep it a secret forever.
"Our engagement was enough," CJ told him.
"They all care about you so much, CJ. They are worried and scared. This is not the woman that they know. Come on, they are your family, maybe not by blood but they are. If they didn't mean the world to you, you wouldn't have asked President Bartlet to give you away when we get married." Danny said as he stroked CJ's silky hair.
It was true. Since CJ had to the East Coast, her actual family was so distant. She had adopted the staff of the West Wing, well; they had adopted each other as a strong and caring family. More meaningful than many of their own blood families.
"All right," CJ agreed. "Danny, I'd kiss you, but I don't want to disgust you."
"It's okay," Danny kissed CJ's forehead instead. "Let's get you cleaned up. Are you feeling up to 'The Jackal'?"
"I can't let them down," CJ told him. "The sickness has passed now."
Danny helped CJ up. She rinsed her face with cold water and Danny offered her a stick of gum to chew. He took her hand and they walked back to the party.
"I am really sorry," CJ said at the mike once again, "I am ready if you are."
"CJ," Abbey Bartlet said with concern, "Are you sure you're okay? Jed told us this happened earlier in the week. The flu is pretty bad this year, have you checked in with a doctor?"
"Actually," CJ said looking at Danny who urged her on with a nod of his head. "The doctor said it will get worse before it gets better."
"It's nothing serious, is it?" Josh asked with worry.
"No," CJ answered. She felt as if she was being grilled by the press, "But I am sure the rest of my life will change. Before I tell you this, I need you all to understand that for the better part of five years, Danny and I have been together. If we were in any other situation, we would have been married years ago. Neither of us thought it was fair for the other to leave his or her job."
"So is it stress?" Toby asked annoyed at the long-winded explanation, especially since it came to CJ's health. He cared for her deeply. He had come to care about these people more than he ever thought he could care about anyone. At first he thought it was a weakness to have a group of people mean so much to him. He had since come to realize that it was not a weakness, but rather a blessing that so many people cared for him and he them.
"Actually," CJ had not been that nervous since her first day in the pressroom eight years ago, "Danny and I are having a baby."
"Oh, CJ," Abbey Bartlet sighed with happiness.
"Congratulations," Sam said to Danny, who was sitting next to him.
"You know, Joshua is a good, strong name," Josh told CJ.
"Over my dead body," Sam yelled, "Samuel Norman is a much better name."
"Wait!" CJ cried. "What if Samuel Norman or Joshua is a girl?"
"Well, Samantha Norma works," Sam Seaborn smiled at Josh. "You're name can't do that!"
"How about CJ and I come up with our own names for Samuel Norman or Joshua?" Danny asked already excited about his upcoming fatherhood.
"Are you up for 'The Jackal,' CJ?" Toby asked, anxiously awaiting the tradition that they were lucky enough to see often.
CJ started tapping her foot once again. 'The Jackal' started playing. When the last measures of the song ended, everyone cheered. There was a bittersweet feeling in the room. Despite the laughter tears rolled down the faces of President Bartlet and Leo and Sam along with Josh and Donna, Toby who swore to himself he would not cry gave into his emotions for the first time in perhaps his entire life, and CJ was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Oh come on," Josiah Bartlet said in his presidential voice. "Smile. We knew this day would come. We did our job, and we get to go home know. Thank you all."
"Thank you, President Bartlet for letting me work at the pleasure of the President!" Sam Seaborn smiled through the tears.
"Thank you, Mr. President, for letting me serve at the pleasure of the President," Leo McGarry shook his best friend's hand.
"Thank you, sir," Toby Ziegler said to President Bartlet, "I proudly served at the pleasure of the President of the United States of America."
"Thank you for giving me the honor of serving at the pleasure of the President," Josh Lyman said as he hugged his boss and Leader of the Free World.
"Thank you, sir, for letting me not only serve at the pleasure of the President, but also joining the family," Charlie Young said to his father-in-law.
"President Bartlet, I'd like to thank you for giving me the opportunity of serving at the pleasure of the President," CJ Cregg embraced Josiah Bartlet and kissed him on the cheek.