Disclaimer – I do not own these characters – they are the property of NBC, John Wells and the fabulous Aaron Sorkin. I do own Emma Lyman and any other characters I invent, but please feel free to borrow them. Just let me know what you're doing with them!
Rating – PG-13
Spoilers – this is a sequel to That Which Time Cannot Erase
Pairings – Sam/Donna, Josh/Ellie
Summary – Sam and Donna's wedding goes off without a hitch – yeah right, come on, how much fun would THAT be????
Josh Lyman leaned against the table in the downtown bar were Sam's bachelor party was being held, steadying himself with his hands as he began to speak with a slightly drunken slur.
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears," he said jokingly, raising his beer stein to the assembled group of men. "We come here to bury Sam Seaborn, not to praise him."
"Hear, Hear!" Larry and Ed said in unison. Sam pointed his finger at them and raised an eyebrow in warning.
"The evil that men do lives after them, thanks to the White House Press Corps," Josh continued, pointing his mug at Danny Concannon, who laughed heartily, "and the good is often interred with their bones. But we don't want that to be with Sam here, which is why we have gathered here tonight to celebrate this man."
He slapped his hand down on Sam's shoulder. "The noble Donna hath already told us, time and time and..." he sighed, "time again, that Sam is a good lover. And since it is so, although I don't know this personally, we can say it is a grievous fault. And unfortunately, Sam hath answered the charge.
"Here, under leave of Donna and the rest of the women, come I to speak at Sam's bachelor party." Josh pressed his hand over his heart and looked down at Sam. "He is my friend, faithful and just to me. But Donna says he is a good lover; and Donna is an honorable woman. Sam hath made so many mistakes of the heart – among them both Laurie and Mallory..."
"Watch it," Leo warned with a stern glare.
"Whose lives he did fill with...something I don't really care to know about... Does this is Sam seem a good lover?" Josh continued to the collective laughter, "When those poor women have cried, Sam hath wept; a good lover should be made of sterner stuff. Yet, Donna says he is a good lover, and Donna is a noble woman. You all did see that in that great white building, I thrice threatened Sam's life, which thrice he did acknowledge he'd kill himself before hurting Donna – is this the mark of a good lover?
"Yet Donna says that he is a good lover, and, sure, she is an honorable woman. I speak not to disprove what Donna spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know. We all love this big goof, and not without cause; which gives us no cause not to roast him a little more," he said, lightly shaking Sam by the shoulder. "O Beer! Thou art going straight to our heads, and these men have lost their reason.... Bear with me, my heart will be on the altar with you, my friend, and I must pause till it comes back to me."
Josh took a bow as applause erupted around him and he leaned down to hug Sam. "I wrote that all by myself," Josh said proudly, taking his seat at the table again.
"That my friend," Sam answered with a laugh, "is obvious."
"Hey!" Josh whined, a pout quickly forming on his face.
Toby stood next, and raised his mug. "While I don't have a famous speech to brutally butcher, I do have these words to offer." He waved his mug around the room. "Learn from our mistakes, my friend. Never let a day go by without telling her that you love her. Never go to bed angry – not that we sleep much in this town anyway. And never, ever forget that we like Donna more than we like you – so don't screw this up."
"Amen to that," Josh replied, lifting his mug and taking a long swig.
Leo stood and crossed over to where Sam sat. "Sam and Josh and Toby – are like sons to me. Being included in their lives has made the loss of my son more bearable. I don't want to get all sappy," Leo said, noticing the suddenly sullen expressions around the room. "I only mention it to say, that I love these boys. They are my family and I couldn't be prouder of Sam if he was my very own son."
Sam stood and enveloped Leo in a hug. "Thanks, Leo."
Leo took a step away and patted Sam on the cheek. "I agree with Toby, though, don't screw this up."
"Never," Sam answered emphatically.
The doors to the pub swung open and several Secret Service agents entered, followed closely by the President.
"You made it!" Sam exclaimed, hugging Jed Bartlet tightly.
"You missed my speech," Josh complained with a frown.
"Well, then I timed that perfectly," Jed replied, accepting a beer mug from Ed. "I can't stay but a minute," he explained. "Since my daughter and son- in-law are both engaging in drunken disorder tonight, they have quite intelligently left their daughter with Abbey and I. And no offense, but Emma's a hell of a lot cuter than any of you."
He placed his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Donna is a wonderful woman, but I know you already know that. You two are a good fit – you'll do well together. I have a sixth sense about these things."
"He also said that Ellie and I wouldn't last a year," Josh interjected.
"He keeps forgetting that I have Secret Service agents just dying to shoot him," Jed replied, nodding in Josh's direction and grinning.
"Stay and have a couple of beers with us," Sam encouraged. "It's already ten o'clock, Emma's probably asleep."
"Yeah," Jed replied with a nod, "She was when I left her, but I like to watch her sleep. It's a grandfather thing, you'll understand someday."
"I hope so, Mr. President," Sam answered with a grin.
"Besides, I'd just be a drag. Nobody would want to get rip-roaring drunk around me. It's like a priest being around or something," he replied, downing the rest of the beer in his mug and setting in on the table.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. President," Sam said, hugging the older man again. "It means a lot to me."
"You all mean a lot to me," Jed countered, grinning at Sam.
"Even me?" Josh teased.
"Even you – but only because I'm getting two grandchildren out of you," he responded with a mock glare.
"Good to know where I stand," Josh nodded approvingly.
The President waved his goodbye and made his way out of the bar, leaving the assembled men to continue their roasting of the soon-to-be groom.
Hours later, Sam stumbled up the stairs to the condo he'd purchased with Donna, waving goodbye to the taxi still containing a hammered Josh and Toby. He watched the cab pull away and stuck his key into the lock, turning it and entering his house.
He tried desperately to be quiet, not wanting to wake Donna, but only succeeded in missing the entry table and dropping his keys onto the hardwood floor with a loud clink. He padded down the hall to their bedroom, opening the door and sticking his head inside. Light from the hall flooded the room, illuminating Donna's sleeping form. He watched the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, mesmerized once again by her beauty.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, opening the closet and kicking off his shoes.
"You forgot to turn off the light in the hall," Donna said, startling Sam, who jumped nearly a foot in the air and pressed his hand over his racing heart.
She flipped on the light on the nightstand and grinned. "Well, that was fun," she said with a laugh. "Have you ever noticed how jumpy you are when you've been drinking?"
"That...is...not...nice," he stammered. "I'm not as young as I used to be. You could have given me a coronary."
"Are you kidding me?" she scoffed, waving her hand in dismissal. "I'm going to at least wait until you've rewritten your will."
"Very funny," he said sarcastically, unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it into the dirty clothes pile. He stripped off his undershirt and reached into the drawer for a clean one.
"I thought it was," she answered with a smile, bringing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "How was the party?"
"It was great," he said enthusiastically, "Josh gave a really bad speech – he rewrote Marc Antony's speech from Julius Ceasar."
Donna cringed. "He was supposed to let Toby write something for him."
"He meant well," Sam shrugged. "How was your party?" he asked, climbing into bed beside her.
"It was nice," she answered quickly.
Sam eyed her suspiciously. "You had a stripper, didn't you?"
"I claim no responsibility whatsoever," she replied with a giggle. "After all, C.J. and Ellie were in charge."
"That's a yes," he groaned, snuggling closer to her under the comforter. "Turn off the light. I'll be mad about some hot stud having his hands all over my fiancée tomorrow."
"Okay," she yawned, switching off the lamp and scooting into his embrace.
TBC....