Title: The Last Act
Pairing: CJ/Jed, CJ/Leo, Toby/Carol, Josh/Donna, Josh/Amy
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to and including Abu El Banat
Summary: They had all come. Now they struggled to find space
in the confines of the property.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CJ pulled the sash window shut and drew the curtains, effectively blocking out the storm that had been raging for the last two hours. The light rain that signalled spring had turned to a torrent, hitting the window pane with such force as to rock the frame. Thunder and lightening now captured the sky.

It simplified the atmosphere in the house.

They had all come. Now they struggled to find space in the confines of the property.

She had watched Josh leave the house a little while ago, fleeing the scene when he realized what was about to happen. Donna trailed in his wake, waiting for him to break, ready as ever to pick up the pieces. It seemed normal, even inevitable that she would be the one he phoned, the woman to accompany him to New Hampshire, rather than his girlfriend.

Toby and Leo were downstairs in the dining room, arguing. They had been randomly picking subjects to disagree on since they had arrived. Today it was the new foreign policy. At least they had ensconced themselves in the opposite wing of the house.

The only other adult in the house was Carol. No doubt in the kitchen cleaning up after everyone else.

They all their roles to play, they all stuck to them. That left only CJ to pick up the pieces, just as Abbey had predicted.

The room's only other occupant rolled over in bed, dragging the covers with him. He was sleeping through the storm, his pain briefly in respite, and for that CJ was thankful. The last year had been a roller coaster for him. First Abbey`s death then his Multiple Sclerosis taking a downward turn.

"CJ?" came a voice in the darkness.

She stopped staring at the storm and turned to look at the bed. "I'm here."

He wanted to be able to walk over to her, to put his arms around her and tell her everything he had kept hidden in his heart, words that should have been said months before. Instead he was forced to pat the bed and wait for her to cross the room.

"Do you need something?"

"You should be having dinner with the others." He had no idea what the time was only that it was raining and dark outside.

CJ shook her head. "I've eaten. Are you hungry?"

It was Jed's turn to shake his head. Food held little appeal anymore, and after every meal CJ forced him to drink rebuild shakes. They were, he admitted, the worse things he had ever tasted, but because it was CJ, and because he loved her he drank them without complaint. "I need to talk to you."

"Would you rather I got Leo?" Part of her hoped he'd say no. They didn't have much longer and she wanted to make the most of the time they had left.

Jed involuntarily cringed. He couldn't help himself. CJ was married to his best friend, and he didn't begrudge either of them the happiness it had brought. It was just complicated. If anything he envied his best friend. There was a time when he had a crush on the tall red head, when as much as he loved his wife he'd had feelings for CJ. Then she had married Leo and he had watched the two of them acting like school kids.

"Please sit down." He patted the mattress beside him.

CJ perched on the edge of the bed, turning her body to face him and automatically taking his hand.

Faced with actually telling her and asking for her help, Jed found himself at a loss for words. He had never wanted this. He had once told Abbey no, that it would get ugly, and he wouldn`t let her do this one final act for him. She had died before him, which wasn't how it was supposed to be, and now he was about to ask the impossible from someone who owed him nothing but who had been there for him every day for the last few weeks.

"Jed?" she prompted softly, her thumbs gently caressing his knuckles. "What's wrong?" Her mind raced through the possibilities, the recent doctor's visit, the anniversary of Abbey's death pending.

"I don't know how much more . . ." he faltered, swallowing hard. "The pain is. . ."

"Do you want your meds?"

With as much strength as he could muster, Jed leaned forward. "I don't want to carry on like this."

CJ stared back at him with so much concern that he almost changed his mind.

She had watched him over the past few days, steadily getting worse, no longer able to get out of bed. His muscles were weak, that much she knew from the exercises she helped him with. His mind was still active, at least during the brief hours he was conscious.

Now came the hard part.

"I need your help," he said quietly.

~~~~~~

CJ opened the front door and stepped out onto the veranda.

The rain was coming down in sheets, warm spring rain clearing out the winter blues. It didn't matter. She needed to get out of the house, away from Jed, and the others.

Her hair stuck to her scalp, her shoes splashing mud onto her cotton pant legs as she walked over the property, with no destination in mind.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she tried to blot out what he had asked. Assisted suicide. And she knew she couldn't discuss it with anyone. Things were starting to make sense amidst the confusion. Jed's sudden invitation, his insistence that his daughters take their planned trip to the Far East. He had planned it all, despite his weakened body. Life ebbing away each day yet his brain remained active. He had played her, knowing her mind, and her, as he did.

She had watched her father die painfully, months of losing the man she loved. It was a vision she never wanted to experience again.

Now Jed was dying before her very eyes. A man she loved, half been in love with for nearly seven years. Those feelings no longer existed. He was her husband's best friend, her friend. Fresh tears cascaded over her cheeks, merging with the rain, as an image of Jed floated through her mind.

Leo, she knew, would be angry at Jed for even asking, angrier than he was that his best friend was dying. She couldn't tell him, it wasn't the time to drag up the past, instead she would have to figure it out by herself.

Leo stood on the porch watching his wife disappear into the distance. He knew what taking care of Jed was doing to her. He could see it each night when she climbed into bed exhausted, a little more of her spark eroded, just a little more needy. But she had chosen to do it and he couldn't fault her. He loved her. It had taken him long enough to realize it, even longer to admit it to her. Now he couldn't imagine his life without her.

CJ stood in the field, unaware of the rain, of the flimsiness of her top, of Leo until his hand reached for hers.

"Honey."

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Leo?"

"We need to get you back inside," he offered gently, his other hand moving to rest on her hip bone. The last thing he wanted was for her to get a cold, or something worse. He couldn't bear to watch another person he cared about get sick. There had been too many already. "Claudia, honey, come on."

They walked in silence until they reached the porch, CJ's mind in overdrive, still not sure what she was going to do. If she had been given the option with her father she would probably have done it. If Abbey had survived the cancer she would have been the one holding the syringe. She would have been there. But she wasn't and CJ had been put in an impossible situation.

"I love you, Leo," she barely whispered, slipping from his touch, wanting to separate her husband from the thoughts running through her mind.

"But you want to be alone . . ." He knew her too well, could judge her moods better than his own at times.

She nodded, the question of what she would do if it was Leo lying upstairs foremost in her thoughts. "I'm going to take a bath."

It was pointless to ask her to talk to him, he knew. Given time she would come to him. "I'll be with Jed." It was his turn to sit with his friend. They all knew it was a matter of weeks, that time was precious. Leo wanted to make sure he left nothing left unsaid.

CJ gave him a smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes, but gave Leo a hint of reassurance before she wearily climbed the stairs.

~~~~~~

"Coffee's on," Carol announced as CJ walked into the kitchen the next morning.

She hadn't expected anyone else to be up. It was still dark outside and she had crept out of bed, careful not to wake Leo. How he had managed to sleep while she was tossing and turning all night she wasn't sure, but she was thankful.

"CJ?" Carol called, resting her hand on her former boss' arm. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "I couldn't sleep."

Carol nodded. They'd spent eight years not sleeping. It was still a bane for them to live with. "I'm going to take the President his breakfast and I'll be back." Picking up the tray she headed
upstairs.

CJ poured herself a coffee and took a chair. She had finally come to a decision. The answer was no, she couldn't do it. Telling Jed was going to be the hard part.


~~~~~~

"I thought you might like some coffee," Carol said softly, stepping
out onto the veranda.

Josh looked up at her and gave her a smile, his dimples as ever evident. "No one ever brings me coffee."

Carol glanced back at the window and watched the figure disappear. "By the looks of you, no one washes your shirts either . . . Isn't that the shirt you wore yesterday?"

He shrugged, taking the steaming hot mug from her. "Have you noticed how a storm always announces death in this family?"

Tears pricked at her eyes as she was transported back through the years. . . Mrs Landingham, Margaret, Abbey and now the President. "They're random acts, Josh. Lily was born in a storm, CJ and Leo. . .," she let the thought trail, knowing more than she needed to.

"Amy loves storms."

Carol bit her tongue, as they had all been doing since Josh arrived. It wasn't that they disliked Amy, well actually they did, it was more that they didn't really know her. She always managed to be absent from family events until there had come a point when no one asked where she was. "Lily hates them. Right now she's probably curled up in Toby's arms."

For the briefest of moments, Josh's eyes lit up. He, like everyone else, loved the only offspring the family had been blessed with. CJ had been too old to conceive, Toby had been reluctant to try for more children after Huck and Molly, and himself and Amy hadn't exactly had the most stable of relationships. The two years they had managed to tolerate each other this time was a record. Each time they bordered on moving in together one or other had gotten cold feet. The President's pending death, he thought would probably end it for good.

It was better not to love anyone he had decided when the call came. It stopped him getting hurt when they died. Amy had offered to accompany him but he had declined. She really didn't get him, which should have told him something the first time they got together. The second time had been after Zoey disappeared. Working together had proved to be a major obstacle in their relationship, although he had to admit the sex had been good. At the end of the administration at a loss of what to do they had set up a consultancy firm. This time things had been better.

"Josh?"

For a few minutes his face had been etched with deep pain and Carol was starting to worry.

"Sorry?"

"Do you want me to get Donna?"

Josh shook his head. The last thing he wanted was Donna hovering again. She had been at his side since she climbed into the taxi in DC, tending to his every need and waiting for him to break. He had once asked her who she turned to when she was at the point of breaking, and she had refused to answer. He could only hope she had someone this time.

"Why don't you come and have breakfast with CJ and I?" Carol asked, unwilling to leave him alone. "I'm cooking." It was well known that CJ didn't cook, she'd tried once on Leo's birthday and they'd ended up eating take out.

"Okay." All he really wanted to do was be alone, but there was something about these women that told him they wouldn't give up until he'd eaten something and they'd been allowed to fuss over him.

By the time they reached the kitchen Toby was making pancakes with Lily and CJ was in the middle of making a fresh pot of coffee.

"Morning Josh," she said with as much false cheeriness as she could muster. "Top up?"

"Uncle Josh!" Lily jumped off her chair and practically ran across the room, throwing herself around his legs, oblivious to the floury mess on her hands.

In one swift move he lifted her into his arms and kissed the top of her curly red hair. In that moment he remembered why he loved seeing them all, and how when things got bad they made it through.

"What do you say, Lily, pizza?"

Lily bobbed her head and smiled.

Carol shook her head and appeared at his side with a cloth in her hands. "You are not feeding my daughter pizza for breakfast." She wiped Lily's hands clean and lifted her out of Josh's arms. "We're going to have a proper family breakfast."

He shrugged nonchalantly. Later when Carol wasn't looking he'd teach his little friend the finer points of junk food.

~~~~~

Carol and CJ had long gone to bed, the rest of the house in silence as the four men gathered in the master bedroom.

Jed sat upright in bed, pillows propping him up as the others settled themselves on chairs from the hallway. As much as he enjoyed their company he missed his chats with CJ. They hadn't been alone since he'd asked for her help the night before. Today she had arrived with Lily, her eyes giving him his answer.

"Are the girls enjoying Thailand?" Leo asked, leaning forward in his chair in order to see his friend better in the dim light of the room.

Jed gave him a rare smile. "They're hardly girls anymore, Leo."

"Fine looking women." Josh gave them a smug look.

"Joshua, that's my daughters you're talking about."

There was a second's laughter in the room.

"I remember you saying something similar about my wife," Leo commented wryly.

There was no answer to that Jed decided. The first time he had met CJ all he saw was a tall, gangly woman with glasses and hair that didn't suit her. As they spared and her perm grew out he had found himself developing a deep respect for her, not to mention slightly lustful feelings. Of course Abbey had liked to tease him about it.

"She still is, Leo."

Leo knew that. He wondered every day how she fell for him, why she fell for him. Of course he'd had a crush on her practically since their first year in administration. Their romance had come much later, an innocent Christmas kiss that had led to so many others.

"That's it, we've lost him again," Toby growled. "He's got that look in his eye."

Jed knew that his oldest friend was thinking back to that first night with CJ. Damn, he'd known him over forty years and could read him like a book. Which is why he had been so against their relationship to begin with, or that was the reason he'd given Abbey. He was jealous. He loved Abbey with every bone in his body and in his coherent moments he looked forward to holding her again, but he had feelings for CJ.

"Yeah. Like you don't get all doe-eyed when Carol's around," Leo chuckled. "And yeah, I know, doe-eyed and Toby were two words I never thought I'd put in a sentence either."

"At least Carol and I didn't elope on the spur of the moment," Toby griped back, the slightest of tinges appearing on his cheeks. He adored his wife, their past problems only strengthening their relationship.

That had been CJ's idea they all knew. She considered herself too old for the big white wedding and she didn't much fancy the press speculation. Instead they had gone to visit her father and tied the knot by his bedside. Jed had only given his blessing much later, when he had finally forgiven them both.

Leo shrugged. It was an age old source of humor amongst them.

Jed closed his eyes as they continued to tease each other. So many familiar names. He would miss this, miss them. At the sound of Toby's chuckle he opened his eyes and locked eyes with his former staffer.

Toby rolled his eyes and nodded.

". . .let me see. There was Mandy, too many incidents there to mention. Joey and the mug. And Amy. . . The fish in your office." Leo could go on all day with the numerous stories he had memorized over the years but Josh was laughing heartily and that was enough. Josh was the one they all worried about, the one who they would watch over when the time came.

"You need to keep the noise down," CJ grumbled, appearing in the doorway wearing sweat pants and a tank top. "You'll wake Lily."

None of them looked in the least bit contrite as they mumbled apologies.

"I'm going back to bed. Leo, you're supposed to be the responsible one."

"Yeah?"

Lightly she kissed the top of his head and squeezed his shoulder. "Yeah."

The others all looked at her expectantly.

She threw her hands in the air. "Alright." Moving around the bed she kissed each of them, lingering with Jed. "I'll see you all in the morning."

"One fine looking woman," Josh offered with a grin. "Ouch." he rubbed the back of his head where Toby had slapped him. "What are you. . . Channeling Donna now?"

They laughed together, lowering their voices in fear CJ might come back.

~~~~~~

After two days, the storm had finally abated and Leo awoke to sun streaming through the curtains. Quietly, he slipped out of bed.

CJ was still asleep. It had been late when she had climbed into bed but she had slept peacefully. He didn't want to wake her when she was finally getting some real rest.

Pulling on his robe, he headed down the corridor to Jed's room. After lightly knocking he pushed open the door.

There was an eerie silence and his stomach twisted into a knot. He didn't need to stand over the bed to realize that Jed had passed away. As he checked for a pulse and noted the icy pallor, tears fell onto his cheeks. He struggled to find his voice. "CJ!"

It seemed hours before he heard heavy footfalls on the carpet, then Toby and Josh were running into the room.

~~~~~~

Carol lifted the tiny child onto her lap and held her tightly against her chest. The house was full of her family trying desperate to keep their grief in check and she didn't want her daughter to witness any of it. The child had been through too much already.

"Mommy?"

"It's okay, sweetie," Carol whispered, wishing she didn't have to be the bearer of bad news again. Toby always disappeared at these moments, too weak to handle it she supposed. Carol took a deep breath. "Honey, I've got something to tell you. Uncle Jed died in his sleep."

Lily looked up at her, her eyes wide and bright. "Does that mean he's with Aunt Abbey and Mommy in heaven."

Carol swallowed hard.

Toby stood outside the door. He loved Carol, loved their adoptive daughter with all his heart yet today he couldn't face them. He couldn't witness their pain and however simple it was for Lily he knew she would be hurting too. She had been too young the first time she had lost someone.

It had been the last day of the administration. They all had offers on the table and a party planned. Instead of out celebrating they had found themselves sitting in a hospital corridor.

Leo had been pacing up and down while Toby had clutched Carol's hand in his, listening as she sobbed continuously.

Every time she looked at Leo, or when Toby tried to hold her closer, the tears would start all over again.

"Carol," Leo had started softly. "They want to know what her wishes were."

All Carol had wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. The reality had come rushing back and there was nothing Toby could do to make it better. Her best friend was dead. What should have been the happiest day of her life had ended in tragedy.

Carol had shaken her head. Margaret, being Margaret, had everything planned out. Her wishes were carefully contained in a folder in a drawer in her apartment. What Toby hadn't known until that day was that Margaret had taken Carol to one side when she had become pregnant and calmly said, "Carol, if anything should. . ." Carol had shaken her head and refused to acknowledge what could happen. Margaret had placed her hand in Carol's and made her look at her.

It was very straightforward for her. Carol was her closest friend. Leo was her boss, her mentor and the person who had put his faith in her. Her family dead, she had decided that they should raise her child if the unthinkable happened. The baby's father - and the man she thought would love her forever - had walked out the second she announced she was pregnant.

Leo was talking or rather mumbling about making arrangements.

In the haze of his thoughts Toby heard the words "Margaret's family" and "adoption."

Carol was staring at him and he knew it was down to him. "No," he shouted firmly. "It isn't what she wanted." Not that Margaret's wishes were exactly practical. Leo was on the verge of marrying his best friend, Carol and Toby were struggling to make a go of their marriage. How they were going to raise a child between them was a mystery.

"Then what?" Leo had sounded strangely detached from everything. The only sign that anything was wrong was the less than crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the purple bruise on his hand where it collided with the wall.

Which of course transported Toby back to a Christmas long ago when Josh had come into work, his hand wrapped in a makeshift bandage.
When the family were touched by tragedy they hit out first, grieved later.

"She wanted me. . ." Carol choked out. It must have then occured to her that in the twenty five minutes since the doctor had given them
the news no one had said her name. It was like some unspoken agreement.

She swallowed and looked up at him. "Margaret wanted us to take care of the baby."

Leo came to a standstill, his fingers brushing his forehead as the statement sunk in. "Well, of course we'll take care of everything while we. . ."

Toby knew what he was going to say and he realized he didn't understand.

"Leo, she granted us custody. Her solicitor drew up the papers."

That didn't surprise him. Margaret was a stickler for organization, the chances of leaving her daughter's welfare to just anyone too
slim.

"Oh?"

And he had thought Carol was the one with a perchant for understatement.

"Her will is in the second drawer of her bureau, and the documents regarding Lily, and knowing Margaret, her funeral wishes."

It was only then that he had noticed the red-rimmed eyes and the fact Leo was having problems focusing. Toby had never really understood the Leo/Margaret dynamic. He was her boss and she the ever loyal assistant, there was mutual respect, but he often wondered if Margaret was half way in love with him. Of course there may have been the wrong time right person thing going on or the we're better off as friends. The one thing he did know looking at Leo that night was that he cared about her more than his gruff façade ever let show.

Toby had shakily risen to his feet then and moved towards Leo. Awkwardly, he had wrapped his arms around his friend, allowing him to grieve freely, in the middle of the hospital corridor.

It was days later that the three of them had sat down and discussed Lily's future. Months before Toby and Carol had legally adopted her.

Now he was her father as much as he was Molly and Huck's. Except he couldn't go in there, just as he hadn't been able to when Abbey had
slipped away in her sleep.

~~~~~

Donna returned the phone to its cradle and ran her fingers threw her hair. It had been a long morning and she still hadn't dealt with Josh. Her first call had been to Debbie, then Charlie and finally to Amy when it had become apparent Josh wouldn't be able to. She knew CJ was somewhere else in the house talking to the Bartlet daughters and making calls to the major media outlets. She wasn't sure who was having the worst time.

Donna gazed back over her shoulder to check on Josh. He was still sitting on the bench, where she had left him two hours before. Of course he was blaming himself for Jed's death. That was Josh's way. They all knew of his past. With a sigh, Donna made her way out to join him.

She settled herself on the bench beside him and waited.

"I should have stayed with him last night," Josh announced suddenly, his eyes focusing on a point in the distance.

"It wouldn't have changed anything."

"It might have. . ." He had slipped into Bartlet's room after midnight fully intending to stay all night. The former President had drifted in and out of consciousness, barely aware that he had company. It had been too much for Josh to watch and he had left. Instead he had spent the night tossing and turning, hearing soft strands of music that weren't there.

Donna slipped off the bench and crouched before him. "Stop this." Without realizing what she was doing, Donna placed a hand on either side of Josh's face and leaned in close. "He called you here because he knew his time was coming. He wanted to say goodbye, Josh."

Josh leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. "Donna?"

"Ssh." She wanted to tell him that it was going to be okay but she knew Josh well enough to know this was just the start of it. Once he had worked through his guilt, there would be anger and at some point he would allow himself to shed a tear.

Tenderly, Josh tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He then kissed her lightly on the nose. She was always there for him, his guardian angel but then she was family, and that's what family did.

Donna closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly towards him. Her stomach did the weird flip it always did when he was close just as he moved to kiss her again.

It was over almost immediately. The gentlest, tenderest of kisses, his lips barely brushing hers.

Her eyes flew open and she jerked away. "We should join the others," she stumbled. "I told Amy you would call her."

"Donna?" The hurt was evident in his voice, tinged with confusion. He had kissed Donna. Now he wasn't sure what that meant. After all they were friends. He loved Amy.

Donna rose to her feet, backing away like a caged animal. "I should find CJ. Calls need to be made." It was going to be fine. It had been a emotionally charged moment and now they would get on with what needed to be done.

"I'll come with you."

They headed back into the house, Josh following three steps behind.

~~~~~~

The funeral had been a solemn affair, too many people crammed into the cathedral, to mark the passing of a good man.

The graveside service by comparison had been quiet. A few choice family and friends the only ones' present.

The family were all still milling around, not wanting to return the house, and needing to leave the daughters alone.

Amy tossed her hair over her shoulder and took a step closer to Josh. He had hardly said a word since her plane landed. She knew he was hurting but she wished he wasn't shutting her out.

Donna hovered to the other side of Josh. Since the kiss they had been dancing around each other, never far from the other's side, but never discussing what had happened. The funeral didn't seem like the place to bring it up either. Instead they stood in silence.

The others were clustered near by. Carol and CJ holding Lily's hands between them. No one was really saying anything, Toby and Leo having
put their disagreement on hold for a few days.

Toby extracted himself from the group and made his way back to the graveside.

Jed had requested that he be buried besides his wife. His daughters had honoured the request and now the former First Couple would spend
eternity together.

Toby squatted at Abbey's headstone, his fingers lightly brushing the stone. He hadn't come to apologize. He hoped she understood his actions.

"He asked me and I couldn't do it," CJ offered flatly from behind him. She had watched him walk away, his head lowered, shoulders slumped and she had followed him.

His heart skipped a beat and he counted to ten before he cleared his throat. "What?"

It had taken her less an hour to come to the conclusion that Jed's death had not been as natural as everyone else thought. Then it was a process of elimination. "Jed asked me to help him. I couldn't." She turned to walk away, not sure where she wanted the conversation to go.

"I would hope not. It's illegal in New Hampshire." And pretty much every other state. A long time ago he had been against it himself, but the years had changed things, made him realize that death could be more painful than he ever imagined.

There had been a discussion, with Jed, regarding assisted suicide in Oregan and he had been less than respectful. Back then he hadn't realized the full extent of MS, the effect it could have on a person's body, how long the suffering would be. He had wondered then if Abbey would help her husband, and he had hidden his suspicions in a diatribe. Well Abbey hadn't chickened out, but Jed had asked for Toby's help.

CJ wasn't sure what she had wanted when she came over. His admission or denial. Now she didn't want to know for sure. "We're heading back
to the house now."

Toby nodded. Rising to his feet he reached for CJ's hand with his unbandaged one and walked with her back to the family.

It was time to go. He would never return to New Hampshire and he would never discuss what had happened that night in Jed's room. It was the final act of a friend so that a good man could die in honor.


The End.

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