Chapter 1: Inauguration Day (January 21, 2019)

It was a brisk, but sunny day on the steps of the Capitol in Washington DC. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the area around the Capitol, waiting with excitement to see the next President of the United States be inaugurated. He had technically taken the oath of office the day before, as this year January 20 fell on a Sunday. But today, he would take the Oath of Office once more in front of the public-and, more importantly, in front of his former friends and co-workers, all of whom had shown out in full force.

"Welcome to this blistery Monday morning, as we witness a precious moment in history.", reporter Gail Redmond said from the newstand set up strategically near the Capitol. "Today, Congressman Samuel Seaborn will take the Oath of Office to become the 45th President of the United States. We can see the crowd now building with excitement as the dignitaries begin to make their way on the stage."

The crowd roared with appreciation, as the former Presidents had indeed begun making their way onto the stage, as well as those on Sam's Senior Staff who had already been hired. First came the last sitting President, Ray Sullivan, the Republican known for booting the Democrats out of office. Then came Former President Matthew Santos, who waved to the crowd along with his wife Helen. Neither, it appeared, had aged a day from when they left office four years earlier. There was also Former President GlenAllen Walken, who had been president for all of 72 hours back in 2003.

Finally, the crowd watched and cheered as an aging Jed Bartlet was wheeled out onto the dais. His body had been weakened severely by MS, but shockingly, his mind was still sharp as a tack. His wife Abbey walked beside him and waved to the public, many of whom had actually been stunned into silence by the apparently haggard appearance of the former President.

However, the silence did not last long, as the crowd cheered wildly as Sam and Ainsley Seaborn made their way onto the dais, followed closely by Sam's Chief of Staff.

However, none were as excited as the former Bartlet Senior Staff, all who had prominent spots in the front row of the floor. As they looked around at one another, they couldn't believe that one of their own had finally been elected to the highest office in the country. Especially after all they had been through since their last meeting in the Bartlet Presidential Library.

C.J. Cregg-Concannon looked proudly up at Sam and Ainsley, then over at her husband and pre-teen daughter. After spending the last 12 years at the Hollis Foundation, she had worked her way up to the CEO position. After 6 months of dating, Danny had popped the question suddenly as they returned from Josh and Donna's rehearsal dinner (A/N: for mention of that, please see my previous story). CJ was shocked, but shocked herself even more by immediately saying yes. Realizing they wanted to be married as soon as humanly possible, the couple had married on the Santa Monica beach that August, among about 30 close family and friends. Danny's brother Rob was his best man, and Donna CJ's matron of honor. As CJ's father was by then too far gone to make the trip, Jed had had the honor of walking his surrogate daughter down the aisle. After 8 months of marriage and coming to the realization that a biological child was probably out of the question, they decided to adopt internationally. They had fallen hard for Tiana Grace Concannon as soon as they saw her 6 month old photo on an international adoption site for a Ugandan orphanage. She eventually came home at 9 months. Now, Tiana was a bright, athletic 11 year old with her mother's mind and her father's spunk. CJ couldn't imagine how she had lived without this life, but she wasn't going to miss a moment of it now.

Next to where Danny was standing, Will Bailey was having similar thoughts as he held his four-year old son Joshua on his shoulders so he could see better. He looked around at his wife Kate, who was similarly holding 8 year old Daisy in front of her. After the Bartlet Administration was over, Will and Kate had spent exactly 2 years dancing around their feelings for one another before finally giving in and getting married at a courthouse in Portland. The press had had a field day, but neither one cared. Like CJ, they had come to the realization after 2 years of trying that it was probably not meant to be, and had decided to adopt domestically. Both of their children had come into their lives via placements by unwed teenage parents: Daisy, by a 15 year old from Seattle, and Joshua by a 19 year old from Portland. They enjoyed their little family and blossoming careers (Will had become a political analyst after retiring from Congress, and Kate had found work at a security firm) and could not imagine anything different.

Annabeth Schott and Toby Ziegler both stood near each other, acknowledging one another but too wrapped up in the event to converse. Annabeth had found herself at loose ends after the end of the Santos Administration. She picked up roots and moved to New York, where she quickly found work at a media relations firm. In 2017, she took a gamble and accepted an offer to join the PR relations team at Today, arriving just as Matt Lauer's highly publicized ouster from NBC News made headlines. Things had settled down considerably, but Annabeth knew she had made the right choice.

Toby, after his own publicized ouster from the White House and subsequent federal pardon, had accepted a job as a professor of government at Columbia University. While still gruff by nature, he had mellowed some, pouring his love of communication into lecturing students every day, occasionally peppering his lectures with colorful anecdotes from his Bartlet days. He had also become a better father, taking Huck and Molly every other weekend. Both were now teenagers, and both had a good relationship with him.

Finally, Josh Lyman stood at the head of the crowd, talking to CJ, his arms wrapped protectively around his children. After their wedding, Josh and Donna had become something of a power couple in DC. They worked side-by-side as Chiefs of Staff in the Santos administration. But the far more rewarding aspect of their lives was their family. Although they were shocked when Donna learned she was pregnant with twins in December of 2007, they welcomed the news with open arms. Abigail Helen and Annabeth Jean Lyman (named for both First Ladies, Annabeth, and CJ, respectively) were born on July 5, 2008. Their younger brother, Matthew Noah, affectionately called "Matty", was born Memorial Day weekend 2010, and Leo Josiah completed the family on Election Day 2014 (when Sam was elected into Congress). Donna and Josh faced an unexpected hurdle when they learned he would be born with Down syndrome, but Leo had been born healthy and, aside from small developmental delays, was a cheerful and smart little boy. Following the end of Santos' time in office, Josh accepted a job at the DNC, and Donna decided to leave the workforce to be the stay-at-home parent she'd never had the luxury of being before.

Josh was proud of his small family, who were each unique and special in their own way. But the person in his family that made him proud as a peacock was not standing in the crowd that day. She was on the dais, seated next to the soon-to-be inaugurated POTUS as President-Elect Seaborn's newly-appointed Chief of Staff.

"Hi, Mommy!", Leo yelled out, waving like a madman despite his father's attempts to shush him while Elton John was singing "God Bless America".

Donna looked up from her program. A smile spread across her face as she gave a tiny wave to her four-year-old son, who Josh had now corralled. She couldn't believe she was up here yet again, this time surrounded by Sam's staff (her staff, she had to remind herself).

She hadn't planned on working for the White House again, but Sam's offer had been too difficult to resist. Encouragement from Josh and CJ had helped too, and both assured her she was completely up for the job.

As the crowd roared appreciatively for Elton John, Donna found her mind wandering, to the day when Sam had asked her into the Transition office and made an offer to change her life.

One month earlier, mid-December 2018, Seaborn for America Transition Office:

Donna walked into the Transition office for the Presidency. She looked around, feeling herself transported back 12 years to the bare beginnings of the Santos Administration. She didn't know exactly why she was here: Bonnie, Sam's personal secretary and assistant during the Bartlet years, had called her up and told her that "the President-Elect would like to see you at his office this morning." She assumed it was something to do with staffing: for the past month since Election Day, she had been an unofficial sounding board for both Sam and Ainsley as they were building the kind of administration they wanted to have.

Bonnie gave her a smile as she approached the large office. "Hi, Donna! Go right in, he's expecting you." She approached the door and knocked.

"Come in!"

Donna opened the door. "Mr. President-Elect."

Sam stood up. "Donna, hey." He came around the desk and gave her a quick hug. He then settled back behind his desk, and Donna sat in the chair opposite him. "Can I have Bonnie get you anything? Tea, coffee?"

"No, thanks." Donna replied. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sam straightened up a little. Donna was quick to cut to the chase.

"So, I've been thinking about staffing." Sam said. "I finally hired Scott Larvell for Communications Director."

"Good!" Donna said. "I like the work that he's done for MSNBC. And Annabeth knows him a little from the morning show circuit, she speaks pretty highly of him."

"In fact," Sam continued. "I think I've filled nearly every spot on the Senior Staff except for one critical job."

Donna nodded for him to continue. "What?"

"Chief of Staff.", he said. "I want someone I trust, not some kid I hired off the street to work on the campaign. And Ainsley ran my campaign, so I can't exactly give her the job. I'd ask Josh, but he's done the Chief of Staff job for so long that I think he's happy right where he is."

"That's for sure.", Donna agreed. Although her husband had loved working for Santos, she could already tell he was much happier and relaxed at the DNC.

"CJ's out in Santa Monica, Will's out in Oregon, Toby-well, you know why I can't ask Toby. And then a name came to my head. I've been bouncing it around, and I think this person would be perfect."

"What's the name?"

"Yours."

Donna was stunned. If she had been standing up, she would've fallen over. "Mine? You want me to be your Chief of Staff?"

Sam nodded.

"But I don't have any experience."

"You ran Helen Santos' office for eight years. That's enough experience for me."

Donna swallowed. "Sam, I'm flattered that you asked, it's just that we're comfortable with our lives now. The kids are finally getting used to having me home all the time. This is going to be a huge transition for them."

"So, you ease into the job. Inauguration Day's not for a few more weeks."

Donna opened her mouth to talk, but Sam cut in. "Do me a favor. Don't give me an answer right away. Go home, talk it over with Josh and the kids. I just wanted to formally offer you the job, and ask you to seriously consider it." He paused. "Look, Donna. Do you remember what Leo said a Chief of Staff should be?"

"Someone who'd be willing to jump off a cliff for you.", Donna said, remembering what he'd said after his first heart attack.

"Well," Sam said. "I'm about to plunge off a cliff here. And if you'll do it, I want you to take the plunge with me."

Donna nodded. "I'll think about it and have an answer for you in the next couple of days."

…

"So, how'd your meeting with Sam go?" Josh asked that night. The family had just finished dinner, the kids had gone into their rooms to do their homework, and Josh was just starting to load the dishwasher.

"He offered me the Chief of Staff job." Donna blurted out.

Josh paused mid-scrub. He dropped the plastic plate in the sink and spun around. "What? Oh my God, baby, that's incredible!" He crossed the kitchen and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you."

"I never said I was gonna take it." Donna said quietly.

"Why not? You'd have to be crazy to turn him down."

"Josh, I don't know if I can do it. Disrupt the kids' lives, go back to a demanding job, and I don't feel like I have enough experience."

Josh cupped her chin so she could look at him. "Donna, this is huge. Sam wouldn't have asked you if he didn't think you were 100% capable."

"You really think I can do this?" Donna asked him. "And I want your opinion not as my husband, but as a former Chief of Staff. Do you honestly think I have what it takes to do this?"

Josh moved back on his heels so he could look his wife squarely in the eyes. "Yes. Professionally, I say you have more than earned this, and I think you absolutely have what it takes." He kissed her on the forehead.

Later that evening, after calling CJ in California (who gave a very similar answer to Josh), she picked up the phone and called Sam's cell phone.

He picked up on the first ring. "President-Elect Seaborn."

"Sam? It's Donna."

"Donna, hi." He sounded surprised. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a couple of days."

"Well, I've talked it over with Josh, and I think I have an answer to your question."

"Yeah?"

"How soon after Inauguration Day do we hit the ground running?"

Although Donna couldn't see it, on the other end of the phone, Sam grinned. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah, it is. I'll be honored to serve at the pleasure of the President."

The next day, 2 hours after Donna formally began her job at the Transition office, Sam held a press conference in which he announced that he was formally appointing Donnatella Lyman, former Chief of Staff to Helen Santos, to be Chief of Staff to the President of the United States.

Donna was jolted from her memories by a shift next to her. She looked at her watch. 11:55. She stood with Sam and Ainsley and headed to the front.

It was just like it had been the day before. After a formal blessing on the future President, Chief Justice Evelyn Baker Lang approached the podium. Donna moved to stand behind the President-Elect, directly behind the future First Children: eight-year-old Connor and four-year-old Ava. The new Vice-President and his wife moved to Donna's other side. Ainsley moved to take hold of the George Washington Bible. Sam placed his left hand on the Bible and his right in the air.

"You, Samuel Norman Seaborn, do solemnly swear…"

"I, Samuel Norman Seaborn, do solemnly swear…"

"That you will faithfully execute…"

"That I will faithfully execute.."

"The Office of President of the United States,"

"The Office of President of the United States,"

"And will, to the best of your ability,"

"And will, to the best of my ability,"

"Preserve, protect, and defend…"

"Preserve, protect, and defend…"

"The Constitution of the United States,"

"The Constitution of the United States,"

"So help you God."

"So help me God."

A large cheer went up from the crowd for the new President. There was an immediate 21-gun salute, for which Connor and Ava quickly clapped their hands over their ears. The US Marine Band played "Hail to the Chief" as Sam made his way around the dais to be congratulated by the honored guests.

As Sam approached President Bartlet, Jed took his feet off of the footrests, waved off his wife, and with some effort, stood on his own, much to the surprise of those around him.

"Mr. President.", Sam said as he shook his hand.

"Mr. President.", Jed said in return. He leaned in and whispered, "Go get 'em."

Sam grinned.

Jed shook Ainsley's hand warmly. As Donna approached, he kissed her on the cheek, took her hand in his and said, "You've come a long way, Donnatella."

"Thank you, Mr. President.", Donna said, smiling. She returned the kiss and continued down the line.

Sam approached the podium where he would give his Inaugural Address. While the speechwriters had proofread and given him pointers, he had insisted on writing the speech himself. He launched into a 20 minute speech, rallying Americans to "better the economy, better the environment, and better the country." After the speech, the crowd roared again as the new President and First Lady made their way off the dais to head to the motorcade for the Inaugural Parade.

As soon as Donna had stepped off the dais, she heard a small voice yell, "Mommy!" She turned around to see Leo running towards her. She knelt down and caught him as he crashed against her.

"Hi, baby!", she said, pressing a kiss to his blond hair. "Did you enjoy the ceremony?"

"Of course he enjoyed it, his mom was on TV." Josh said as he approached. The twins and Matty ran ahead to smother their mom with hugs.

"Uncle Sam gave a great speech, didn't he, Mom?" 10 year old Abigail "Abby" Lyman asked.

"Of course it was good." her identical twin Anna admonished. "Grandpa Jed used to pay him to write speeches."

"Guys, I'm sure the President had someone else write the Inaugural Address." Josh said to his daughters, in an attempt to stop them from making a scene in front of the passing dignitaries.

"Well, actually…", Donna said.

"No way. He wrote it himself?" Josh asked, incredulous.

Donna nodded. Just then, there was a voice behind her. "Mrs. Lyman?" She turned to see the head of her new Secret Service detail, yet another White House fact of life she would have to reacquaint herself with. "The President and First Lady are waiting for you in the motorcade."

"I'll be right there.", Donna assured him. She turned to Josh looking apologetic. "Duty calls."

"Are you going to be home late?" Josh asked her as he kissed her.

"Not terribly, but I'll only be home for a bit before I have to start getting ready for the Ball." She hesitated. "You know, it might be easier if you brought my dress to the White House so I could just get ready there. You're still going to meet me there, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world.", Josh reassured her. "Why don't I bring the kids up so they can hang out with Connor and Ava? I'll bet that by this evening, they're going to want some familiar faces around."

"That's a good idea." Donna said. "All right, kids, I'll see you later tonight, all right?" She kissed each child in turn, gave Josh one last kiss, and ran to catch up with her new agent who would lead her to the motorcade.

Josh and the kids returned to the Bartlet crowd, who had now been joined by Jed and Abbey.

"So, what's on everyone's agenda for tonight?" Josh asked.

"We're thinking we might take the Bartlets out for dinner. Just an evening of reminiscing.", CJ responded. "Will you be at the Inaugural Ball?"

"Part of it. Donna wants me to come so she'll have someone to dance with."

"Well, if we don't see you before, we're heading back to Santa Monica in the morning, so…" CJ gave Josh a quick hug. "It was great to see you, mi amor."

"You, too." Josh agreed. He made the rounds, saying a quick goodbye to all his former colleagues who had shown up. The kids said polite goodbyes, too.

Then, Josh turned to the Bartlets. "Abbey, always wonderful to see you.", he said to Abbey.

"You too, Joshua." Abbey said. As she turned to her honorary grandchildren for mushy goodbyes, Josh turned to Jed.

"Mr. President, always a pleasure."

Jed snorted. "When am I going to finally get you and that wife of yours to finally call me Jed?"

"Maybe a long time, Mr. President." He turned to CJ. "Hey, if nobody's doing anything, why don't we do lunch instead of dinner? Kids are probably starving, and it's not like we have anything better to do."

"Sounds good to me." CJ agreed.

"Anything works for us, Josh." Abbey chimed in.

And so, the former Bartlet staff headed to a modest Italian restaurant. They traded stories and laughter about their lives, genuinely enjoying each other's company. As they headed off into the afternoon, however, they had no way of knowing that tragic news would strike the makeshift family in just two months.