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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Story [The West Wing] Dynasty (Vignettes in the Mav-and-Bri-verse)

Discussion in 'Non Star Wars Fan Fiction' started by Briannakin , Jul 26, 2017.

  1. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: Red Light
    Timeframe: Early December 2015
    Characters: Josh, Donna, and Leo Lyman
    AN: I’ve never been pregnant with twins, but from what I remember from when my mom was pregnant with my brothers, it’s pretty bad.


    “Is Mom going to be okay?” Leo asked as his father tucked him into bed. Josh and Donna had just returned from a DNC fundraiser, but only Josh was putting their son to bed. Leo understood why, but was still concerned about his mother who had returned in tears.

    Josh kissed the 5-year-old’s forehead. “Yeah,” he assured his son. “She’s just really tired. The twins in her belly are getting really big.”

    “They are going to come soon, right?”

    “Yeah, about another month.” Donna’s due date was another two months away, but it was unlikely she’d make it to 40 weeks with twins. Her doctor told them that 38 weeks was much more reasonable, putting - if everything went according to Josh’s plan - the twins here on January 7th.

    “That long?” Leo sounded disappointed.

    “Yeah, I know, we just want to make sure they are big and healthy.”

    “Mom’s already as big as Jabba the Hutt! How much bigger do they need to be?”

    Josh tried to suppress his laughs by pinching the bride of his nose, but failed. “Don’t ever tell her that, okay?”

    “Okay, Daddy,” Leo’s tone was way too mischievous for Josh’s liking.

    Josh placed a stuffed Chewbacca beside Leo. “Sleep,” he commanded, before getting up and turning out the light. “I love you, Leo Lyman.”

    “Love you too, Daddy Lyman!”

    Josh chuckled, then slowly made his way down the hallway, pulling off his bowtie. He reached the master bedroom. “Did you make it, Donna?” he called as he shrugged off his suit jacket.

    The only response from the master bathroom was sobbing. The insomnia was starting to take its toll.

    “No? Do I have a puddle to clean up?” he was now unbuttoning his shirt. “Because I ran that red light so that I wouldn’t have to clean up any messes. We might have well have just gotten Leo a dog if I have to put puppy pads everywhere for you.”

    There was only more crying.

    “Donna, that one was funny,” he said, making his way to her. He leaned against the bathroom doorframe and sighed at the sight. Donna was on the toilet, but she had discarded her dress and bra. She was heaving in sobs and sweating. With stretch marks everywhere, it was not a pretty sight. “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

    “You ran a red light!” she bawled; eyes red; hair a mess.

    “No one else was at the intersection,” Josh sighed as he picked up the dress, which definitely had a blotch of urine on it and placed it by the hamper. “You kept screaming at me that you were going to pee yourself.”

    “No!” she said as she began to flail her arms. “I was going to have an accident and you didn’t stop for red lights.” Donna, to the best of her ability, slumped and began to sob again. “That’s my line.”

    Josh got it. He understood the reference. But his wife was 34 weeks pregnant with twins; annoying her was much more fun than sex at this point. He stood in from of her, got her to put her head on his stomach and began rubbing her back. “We are okay. There was no one coming. There’s no camera at that intersection anyways. You can stop crying.”

    “Stop being you for just five seconds!” she railed, pushing him away. “I’m crying because I’m huge, I can’t control my bladder, I hurt, and I’m so tired, and you go and enact our vows and don’t even know it.”

    Josh bent over and embraced her. “I know what I did.” He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “I wouldn’t stop for a beer; you wouldn’t stop for red lights; I wouldn’t stop for oceans.”

    She only cried harder. She hadn’t cried this hard since they had watched The Lion King with Leo last week.

    “I paid the babysitter, she’s gone, and Leo is in bed. You want to have a bath with me?”

    Donna sniffled and nodded. As Josh undressed, she wiped her eyes with toilet paper. “I’m going to get you back for the puppy pad comment.”

    He nodded, now completely nude. He began to run the bath. “It is a good idea though.”

    She rolled her eyes as he helped her up. He sat down in the water and she sat between his legs. She leaned back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her middle and turned the water off with his foot. “This is going to sound kinky, but what do you want to try in bed tonight?” Donna wasn’t getting sleep because she couldn’t breath in most sleeping positions, let alone get comfortable. Josh wasn’t sleeping because Donna wasn’t.

    “I could honestly fall asleep here,” she said with a yawn.

    “Okay,” he said, guiding her head to fall on his shoulder.

    “But the water will get cold.”

    “Pretty sure your bladder will wake you up before then. But if it gets you two hours of sleep, it will be worth it.” Josh shifted his wife so most of her body was under the water.

    Her eyes were already closed and she softly moaned in pleasure.

    He held her as she slept, for 90 minutes anyways.

     
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  2. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: Unconditionally.
    Timeframe: Sometime when Leo is Senator
    Characters: Leo and Marc Lyman
    AN: You asked for the vomit story. I give you the vomit story.


    “Leo, love, you really do look ill,” Marc said with a sigh. They were currently at a DNC banquet and Leo was set to make a speech as the first senator from DC. The lights were dim as they sat at their table. Leo’s food was mostly untouched, as if the pale, sweaty figure sitting beside Marc wasn’t proof enough of Leo’s stomach bug.

    Leo dabbed at his face with a napkin. “I’ll be fine,” he insisted. “Pale is my usual state any ways. No sense denying my white-ness. This venue is pretty dark always. No one will see.”

    “I’m not worried about your complexion or people seeing you sick.” Marc was now getting annoyed with his husband’s stubbornness. “You should be at home, resting.”

    “I swear, as soon as I give my speech, we can leave.” Leo reached for his water and sipped at it.

    Marc reached up and loosened Leo’s black tie. “And here I thought the days of you pushing yourself to the point of illness were gone when you got elected Senator. I just don’t like seeing you suffer.”

    “Then give me your jacket. I’m freezing.”

    Marc sighed as he unbuttoned his black suit jacket and handed it over.

    Leo put it over his front. “My childhood friend became Governor of the biggest in the lower 48. And he crashed a plane. I can give a speech with the stomach flu.”

    “I’ve only met the woman a handful of times, but I wonder how much Rosamie Santos wants to kill her husband somedays. I think she and I should start a club.”

    A waiter came by the table. “Champagne?”

    Just the thought of alcohol turned Leo’s stomach. “Oh god,” he murmured. He didn’t have time to rush to a bathroom. Instead he leaned forward, opened the pocket of Marc’s jacket, and used that as a puke bag.

    “Oh, god, Leo!” Marc said, grabbing for napkins.

    Leo sat back up and wiped his mouth. He then took a swig of water and leaned back in the chair. “I feel a lot better now.”

    He did look much better. “Well, that’s good. Too bad you had to sacrifice my suit jacket.” And it had been Marc’s favourite suit too. Leo had bought it for him their 7th wedding anniversary - had it been custom tailored and everything.

    “I’m sorry,” Leo said, placing the jacket gently on the floor. “I’ll take care of it.” The MC then announced Leo and he got up. “That’s my cue.”

    Marc sighed, shaking his head.

    * * *

    That night, Marc entered the living room and simply smiled. Leo looked amazing in a suit, but there was something about seeing his husband in a sweatshirt and pyjama pants that made Marc’s heart beat faster - even if there was a barf-bucket at Leo’s side.

    “What you lookin’ at?” Leo asked from his spot lounging on the couch.

    Marc grinned, walking into the room. “My handsome husband.”

    Leo sheepishly grinned. “My man.” He sat up, Marc sat down, then Leo laid back down, on top of Marc. “So you aren’t mad about the jacket?”

    “I’m not mad,” Marc said, patting Leo’s stomach. “A whole lot disgusted though.”

    “But you still love me.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact.

    Marc leaned down and rubbed his nose against Leo’s. “Unconditionally.”
     
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  3. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Edit: Because I forgot:
    I was going to say the other mom but then that means we both have to be responsible and that's no fun! But also, it makes it a little weird for me to be so excited about Marc and Leo, so maybe I should just drop the metaphor all together! :p Lets just go with I love these guys and I feel proud and happy for them all!

    I'm going to selfishly say I need this in my life, but I understand if you don't want to do another WW diary. But it would be awesome! ;)

    Red Light
    Awwww..... [face_love] Cute little Leo! Concerned Josh! I'm a gooey blob again!

    Bah hahah... Little kids are so great because they have no filter! I love that Josh tries not to laugh but can't help it. Though he's a smart man in telling Leo not to ever say that to Donna!

    Daawwwww.... The Chewie! The little thing that is clearly their ritual. I just want to hug them both and never let go!

    Poor, poor Donna. That sounds absolutely awful. :( But I love Josh's attempt to make her laugh with the pee-pee pad comment, and when it does't work, he tell her she's beautiful.

    I adore the interpretation of this! Accident has a different connotation, but is absolutely within the idea of it. And Donna is so... pregnant, it makes her cry. It's adorable.

    I just love that he wants to do whatever it takes to make her more comfortable, even if it probably means being uncomfortable on his part. When sweet Josh makes an appearance -and I feel like being a parent has made sweet Josh more abundant- he really is very sweet.


    Unconditionally
    Yay! The vomit story!! :D (I'm pretty sure that's the most excited I've ever been and will ever be for a vomit story.) Oh man, that was hilarious!
    Oh stubborn Leo. *shakes head* I love how Marc, while quite certain Leo shouldn't be there, he's still supportive.

    This mental image was so great! It's a nice little twist on the typical girl in the dress wearing the jacket.

    Ha! If only he knew! But I really like the symmetry in that Leo uses Elvie as an excuse to push himself and Elvie in a previous story using Leo and not wanting to lt him down. You obviously don't get to a high office in politics without pushing and being stubborn (and it certainly takes a certain personality) and I like how you've shown this in each of them.

    [face_sick] [face_laugh] Poor Marc's jacket, sacrificed for the greater good. And then Leo just goes and gives his speech. :oops: Well I guess that goes to show he'd be a good president, able to do things when he feels like crap. :p

    [face_love] Yep! It's always the most relaxed that makes people you love the most attractive. This whole scene was perfect and I loved it.


    *happy sigh*
     
  4. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I love them all too!


    I think I'm going to do it. Because I REALLY want to. Marc's backstory has taken shape and Rosamie's is starting to as well. I need to stop worrying about fics I should be doing (*pushes all her SW fics/challenges under the fridge*), or worrying about what my muse might want 6 months from now, and just do the fics I want to do (I think that is going to be my resolution for 2018). Plus I'm getting really good (or possibly really bad, depending on your POV) ideas from TWWW and I have a bunch of ideas written down.



    I love their ability to make us into blobs of goo.


    Josh's kids are especially great because he has no filter. Though he is getting smarter, thanks to Donna.


    I love them so much and Josh would totally have little rituals with his kids.


    I only really have one memory of my mom when she was pregnant with my brothers (probably because I was still being a vagabond child and at that point I was living with family friends) but it was at Christmas, so she would have been about 6 months pregnant and she was just so miserable (understandably so). She was pretty much just a blob in the corner.

    But Josh just wants to make her less miserable.


    I think Donna would still love the sentiment, even if the "accident" wasn't quite the same kind.


    Josh would say he just wanted her to shut up, but deep down, he's the sweetest.


    You were very excited for a vomit story :p


    I think Marc just knows that he can't control Leo once his mind is made up.


    Thanks. They are so cute.

    Yeah, I think, as smart as Leo and Elvie are (and they are totally feminists and totally don't put up with stereotypical gender norms in my mind), they still have a bit of machismo deep down, so there's a bit of "if he can do it, so can I" (insert Marc and Rose eye-roll here). But it just shows how long they have been friends that they push each other.


    I just had that image in my head after you casted them and I just loved it and knew I had to include it.

    Thanks for reading.

    Now, I know I'm not going to get my backlog posted before my holiday extravaganza (because that has now spilled over into American Thanksgiving - I may have written 1600 words last night on that alone [face_whistling]), so I'm going to try to post the few vignettes my holiday fics may go off of/reference. Which means my Imogene 3-parter needs to be pushed back, again (which really is a metaphor for that entire character). BUUUUUT you get adorable JJ instead.
     
  5. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: JJ
    Timeframe: Mid-November 2054
    Characters: Leo Lyman, Marc Lyman, JJ Lyman
    AN: Short and cute, just like JJ. I just love little moments with these two and needed to introduce one of their kids.



    “Abba?” A tearful voice called out from the distance, waking Marc up. “Daddy?”

    Before he could fully wake up, a sharp elbow poked Marc under the blue sheets. “Our son needs you,” Leo grunted and then rolled back over.

    “He said your name first,” Marc pointed out, not moving. He was so tired. After months of campaigning, his husband had won the 2054 presidential election, but that night his husband’s best friend’s mother died so Marc - followed by the rest of his family - had flown from DC to California to help with and attend the funeral. They had just gotten back to DC. He knew Leo was more tired than he - Leo was dealing with the transition of presidential power - but still, Marc had dealt with their two kids largely by himself for almost a year.

    “Did he? I didn’t hear. I was asleep,” Leo mumbled.

    “Abba! Daddy!” the shouts came again, desperate, closer. He was in the hallway.

    “So was I,” Marc whispered. He opened his eyes, but still didn’t get up. “Are we horrible fathers if we just ignore him?”

    “Pretty sure my dad would have said it is necessary for our sanity,” Leo yawned, reaching for Marc’s hand. He found it, interlaced their fingers, and then kissed Marc’s hand. “Maybe if we keep real quiet, he will go back to his room.” Leo inched closer. “And we can have some fun.”

    Marc then bolted upright in bed. “But it isn’t his room.”

    To anyone else, this would have been gibberish, but Leo knew exactly what Marc meant. They weren’t at home. The Lyman family was staying at Blair House, one of the presidential guest houses, for the transition. Their current home in DC was in the suburbs and they hadn’t decided if they were going to go through the logistical nightmare of trying to make it secure enough for them to use as First Family, or simply sell it. Which meant, their son probably didn’t remember where the stairs were in this new place.

    Josiah-Joshua Lyman was the result of genetic engineering, mid-21st century science, and 9 months of love from his Auntie Josie. They had always said that they wanted children, whether through adoption, surrogacy, or advancing science. After waiting several years and exploring options, the possibility biological children was made reality. JJ Lyman was healthy, if tiny for his age at 5 years old. Unfortunately he had inherited his daddy’s poor eyesight (which could be corrected with laser surgery once he stopped growing) and his abba’s clumsiness (Leo denied this).

    “Josiah-Joshua!” Leo yelled, trying to get out of bed while simultaneously flipping the blankets off of him. He ended on the floor.

    Marc, in his plaid pyjama pants and grey t-shirt, was already half way out of the main bedroom calling, “JJ! Don’t move JJ!”

    JJ had already had experienced a mishap with a set of stairs in the dark earlier in the year. Leo had been campaigning in Michigan and the Lymans had been given a presidential suite at the hotel - basically a small house, which included a set of stairs. JJ had been woken up by his abba entering the suite and had excitedly gotten up to greet him, without putting his glasses on. JJ had been okay - it had just been a rough face-plant - but had nearly given his fathers heart attacks.

    Marc rushed out to the hallway; Leo was right behind him in his sweatpants and sweater. They found their son looking lost and frightened in his orange Star Wars X-wing pyjamas.

    “JJ,” Marc sighed, approaching the kid and holding out his hand. “What did your abba and I tell you about wandering around without your glasses in the dark?”

    “Not to. But- but I was scared and you didn’t come and I couldn’t remember where your bedroom is and-and-and-I know you told me not to but-” JJ said in one breath. His breath then hitched and he then had a full on meltdown.

    Leo then scooped JJ up and kissed his little boy. “It’s alright, it’s alright. Why don’t you come cuddle with Aboo-boo, and Daddy will go get your glasses.”

    JJ nodded and Leo took him back into the bedroom.

    * * *

    Leo’s number one concern when he had made the decision to run for president had been his two children. Thankfully, knew and grew up with several kids who had been born into or raised in the White House (and, of course, he had been raised in that culture too). He had asked Elvie, Miranda, Peter, Josie, and Imogene what he could do to best support his kids and what JJ they were going through. The number one they said was that the transitions were the scariest- from normal kid to campaign kid, from campaign kid to First Kid. Kids are fine once they have some sense of normalcy so getting them into the sense of a regular schedule was key.

    They also said, during the scariest moments, they safest they always felt was in their father’s arms. As Josie had said, “He was always in control and in charge. I felt like nothing could hurt me when he held me.”

    So Leo held JJ, rocking him gently in a rocking chair, wiping away his tears. “Shhhhhh. Hush now. Abba is here. I’m here, JJ.”

    Eventually Marc returned, placed JJ’s glasses on his face and placed his stuffed lion in his arms. Marc crouched down with a goofy smile. “Now that you can actually see, can you tell us what’s wrong?”

    “Had a bad dream,” JJ sniffed.

    “About what? Because if it’s about spiders then Abba can’t help you,” Marc said.

    JJ chuckled a little. “You know how Agent Jack told me strangers might want to talk to me about Abba? I had a dream about that and it was scary. I don’t like talking to people I don’t know.”

    Leo nodded. JJ had gotten the “Secret Service” talk this afternoon. No wonder the kid was freaked out. Thankfully, JJ was shy. Leo didn’t have to worry about JJ running off and talking to people he didn’t know (JJ’s sister was a different story). “That’s not going to happen,” Leo said as he prayed his words would be the truth. “Because you are going to listen to Abba, Daddy, Grandma, and all of the agents. If you listen to us, one of us will always be with you and you won’t have to deal with it.”

    JJ rested his head against his abba’s chest. “When’s Grandma going to move in with us?”

    “When we move into the White House after Christmas and Hanukkah. Is there anything you want special this year?” Marc asked.

    JJ shrugged. “More books. Maybe a really big bean bag chair like that one in Imogene’s house that we cuddled in when we were in California?”

    Marc laughed. “Yeah, that was pretty cool, wasn’t it?”

    “Maybe I can read to Abba in it like I read to you.”

    Leo smiled and kissed JJ’s hair. “Yeah that sounds like fun.” He then signed. He hated to get back onto the topic, but felt that he needed to. “Listen, JJ, I know things might seem scary, but you are always safe. I may not be able to comfort and snuggle with you right away, but I will always make sure you are safe. I love my little boy. I love you, JJ.”

    “I know, Aboo-boo.” JJ then yawned. “I love you and Daddy too.”

    Marc kissed JJ. “Love you too, JJ.” He then picked his son up so Leo could stand.

    Together, they got into bed, placing JJ in the middle. It didn’t take long for him to fall back to sleep, curled up against Marc.

    “I’m thinking,” Marc said, absently, “We should probably install baby gates on the stairs in the residence.”

    Leo, who was propped up on his side smiling down, nodded. “Probably a good idea for the first few weeks until he gets his bearings in the dark, though I think I want his bedroom to be the West Bedroom - it’s right down the hall from the master bedroom, so he shouldn’t have to navigate the stairs at night if we put Mom in the Queen’s Bedroom. He’ll be able to get to us or her. And his sister will be right beside him in the East Bedroom.”

    “That’s all nice,” Marc said, “But I wasn’t talking about for JJ. I’m talking about for you. Maybe we should get rails on our new bed as well. You took quite the fall getting out of bed. I don’t want my old man breaking a hip or something.”

    Leo let out a humf as he fell back onto the bed. “You are so mean to me.”

    “I know, I’m the only person who can be now and you love me for it.”
     
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  6. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I think that's a good philosophy. You can't really force the muse when it wants to do something else. Yay for a bunch of ideas!! :D

    Woot! Holiday fics! Adorable JJ! But poor Imogene! :(


    I love this because it's so real. I mean, I've never been a parent, but I can totally see this happening.


    It would be hard not to be a little resentful of that. Sure Leo is tired, but no one forced him to run for President. Not that I think Marc is resentful, because I don't, but in the middle of the night when you are so tired, I can understand that feeling.


    I can so see this in my mind... half asleep, wanting to let the kid soothe himself, having time for each other and then the sudden panic.


    Bah hahaha.... Oh Leo. And poor JJ had no chance with all those genes. :p As someone who can't see a damn thing without my glasses, I understand JJ's plight as that would totally be me. He's so cute in his little X-wing pajamas and getting lost in a new place. [face_love]


    I swear I'm not making this up, but I've got a similar scene in a story but with a daughter that I'm almost finished with. I wrote the scene last night. (I had her as 6 with an older brother around this same time period, but it won't be hard to change to her being slightly younger. I'm mostly hung up on her name, I've changed it three or four times.)



    Awww... poor kid. That would be pretty scary at any age, but especially at that age. When I was 8 I had to go to a stage gun safety class for a musical I was in. So the first time I had to get 'shot' at a rehearsal, I was terrified and started crying. I remember people laughing at me, but all I heard from the class was 'They are blanks, but you could still get hurt' which I translated as shot. So I have a soft spot for kids getting scared like this. :)


    Ahhh.... he is just so cute I can't stand it!! I want to cuddle in the bean bag chair and have him read to me! I also love the Aboo-boo thing. So, so cute!


    [face_laugh] That's probably for the best! I love snarky Marc!

    I adored this! JJ is so cute, Marc and Leo are such good parents!
     
  7. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I learned long ago that I really shouldn't force my muse to do anything it doesn't want to do, but sometimes I forgot this lesson.


    I hope you like them. The muse went a little crazy. I'm actually almost finished posting my backlog, but I didn't want to have to break up a serious 3-parter with holiday fluff. It would have taken away from the holiday fluff.

    I'm pretty sure my parents did this to us all the time.

    No, I don't think Marc is resentful either. He's just REALLY tired. And I'm really excited to get into this more in the diary (SO MANY PLOT BUNNIES!!)

    Oh yeah. I think Leo and Marc would let their kids be a bit independent in a good way, but they would know when their kids actually needed them


    Leo, unfortunately takes after Josh. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to use one of my favourite Leo McGarry quotes ("He's a klutz, Mrs. Landingham. Your president is a geek").

    As for JJ, I was really unsure if he was going to be adopted or their bio son (because such things are being developed now, so I can totally see it being a normal thing 30 years from now). I don't think it would matter to Marc and Leo, and, if this were real life, given the population crisis we are likely to be facing, they would have probably adopted, BUUUUUTTT THIS ISN'T REAL LIFE so I wanted to poke fun at Leo and Marc (and at Josh) and their genes, and make poor JJ just adorable. Plus I got this idea of Marc and Leo waiting on a pregnant Josie hand and foot and it just warmed my heart.



    Hehehe. I can't wait. I forgot about JJ when we were doing dates, but I'm fine with changing his age/the birth order. But, yeah, I totally understand the name indecision. I was going to name their daughter, then I decided to leave it up to you because I couldn't decide. Plus JJ was actually Joshua-Josiah up until like 5 minutes before I posted [face_blush]. But then I changed it around because I could see him just going by Josiah or Jo later in life.

    Ahaahaha. Sorry. That is hilarious and cute.

    HE IS SO ADORABLE!!!! THE LITTLE NERD!!

    And I wasn't sure what I wanted their kids to call Leo. If you have something in mind, I'll totally change it. But I really wanted Marc to be Dad, and Leo just didn't seem like a "Papa", so I made him Abba (or Aboo-boo) because I called my grandfather Baba or Booboo so it brings up such warm, loving memories for me.

    Snarky Marc is just the best.

    And thank you![/quote]
     
  8. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: Momma Abbey
    Timeframe: September 2033
    Characters: Leo Lyman, Marc Johnson, Abbey Bartlet
    A/N: This should be the last one referenced in my
    Thanksgiving/holiday fics. It is fairly short, so I’ll post another short one that has been waiting around for while.


    Leo knew he shouldn’t answer his cell phone. This was only his third date with Marc and Leo really liked him, but as soon as Leo glanced down at his cell and saw the caller ID, he knew he’d just be distracted for the rest of their dinner. They had just ordered their food.

    Leo winced. “Would it be completely rude of me if I quickly take this? It’s my Mamma Abbey. She’s 91 and like a grandmother to me.”

    “Oh, go ahead,” Marc said with a shrug.

    Leo smiled. “Thank you.” He answered the cellphone but didn’t get up from the table. “Hello, Grandmama Abbey. How’s my sexy lady.” Leo winked and Marc chuckled at this.

    “Hello Leo. Your sexy lady is fine. But I have a favour to ask of you. When is the next time you are going down to DC?” Abbey Bartlet still lived by herself in New Hampshire, but often needed help traveling to DC - sometimes for business, sometimes for personal reasons. Since Leo lived in Boston and also traveled to DC often as well, he’d sometimes make the hour trip up to get her and help her take the train to DC.

    “Whenever you need me to. Why? What’s up? Who do you want to beat up?”

    “I need to visit Elvie. He’s still in the hospital there and I’ve wanted to visit him since his accident.”

    Leo let out a slight sigh. “Of course. I’ve been meaning to visit him too. He needs a good beating from his godmother for scaring us like that.”

    “Oh I am going to yell at him so much. I also might as well yell at your father and Uncle Sam while I’m at it.”

    “Okay. As much as I want to know what those two idiots did this time, I’m actually on a date right now.”

    “Oh! Is it a beautiful lady or a handsome man?”

    Leo looked up at Marc. “He’s a man.”

    “That wasn't what I was asking. Is he cute?

    Leo laughed and dropped his phone down to his shoulder and addressed Marc. “She wants to know if you are cute.” He put his phone back to his ear. “Yeah, he’s pretty cute. I like him a lot. So, why don’t I come up Thursday night, then we can take the early Friday train down and we can spend three days beating idiots up, okay?”

    “Okay. Thank you Leo. I love you. And kiss the cute boy!”

    Leo shook his head. “I love you too, Momma Abbey.” He then hung up and looked up. “I am so sorry about that.”

    Marc smiled kindly. “She sounds like a hoot. What did she need?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested.

    “Um,” Leo thought about his next words carefully. He didn’t want to scare Marc off just yet by letting him know about his… unique extended family. “I have a friend - her godson - who was in the Air Force. He was in a horrible crash on a training run a few weeks back and he isn’t doing too well. He’s still in the hospital in DC and she wants to visit him. She lives just an hour north, so I’m going to go up and help her travel down. So I won’t be around this weekend. Sorry.”

    “Don’t worry about me,” Marc said. “That’s really sweet of you to spend the weekend to help her travel down.”

    Leo shrugged. “I love spending time with her, plus we will stay with my parents and siblings. And I’ve been feeling bad about not visiting Elvie since his crash. I’ll probably visit my best friend Josie too - her, Elvie and I have been friends since we were babies. We are all like family.”

    “You guys sound like quite the gang.”

    “Oh you don’t know the half of it. There’s Imo, who is Josie’s younger sister. She’s my sister’s best friend.”

    “Abi, right?” Marc asked. “Wait. Is she named after your Momma Abbey?”

    Leo smiled. Marc was starting to make connections, but clearly still had no idea. Leo wondered how long it would take and how far he could go. “Yeah! And Josie is actually named after Momma Abbey’s late husband. And Elvie’s real name is actually Leo too. We were named after the same man. But Momma Abbey gave him his nickname.”

    “Wow,” Marc said. “I’m going to need a diagram if I ever meet these people.”

    “Don’t worry. They are all very unique people. But I really hope you get to meet them all.”

    “Yeah. They all clearly mean a lot to you.”

    Leo smiled. “Yeah. Everyone who I love I consider my family.”
     
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  9. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: The Pick
    Timeframe: 2018 (Seaborn For America presidential campaign)
    Characters: Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman, Charlie Young, and Joey Lucas
    AN: Joey Lucas as Sam’s VP just came to me back when I was writing one of the early vignettes of this series. Originally I just imagined Will Bailey because that would just be the poor guy’s fate, but the more I envisioned Joey as VP, the more I LOVED IT. I wanted to write her into one of these vignettes but I didn’t know if the muse was really going to bite, but I was watching 100,000 Airlplanes (Bartlet’s State of the Union address in S3), and there quite a few Joey and Sam scenes where they just have this great working relationship with both respect and honesty, but there also a friendship where they both get a bit sassy when they get annoyed at each other, and I wanted to capture that. I think this intro is longer than the fic (the muse just was not biting, but I still wanted to post what I had).



    Joshua Lyman frowned as he sat in the Seaborn For America campaign headquarters in Los Angeles, California. “What do you think, Charlie?”

    “I think she’s great - honest, straightforward, and never intimidated,” Charlie Young said with a shrug. “I never thought of her, but the more I think of it, the more I like it. She fits.”

    “I still don’t know,” Josh said.

    Sam, behind his desk, now chimed in, “Is it because you used to have a crush on her?”

    Josh scowled. “No. She knew Donna and I were going to be a thing before I did. She’s smart like that.”

    “Or is it because you first met her when you were hungover and wearing a pair of bright yellow hip-waders?” Charlie asked.

    “How do you know that?” Josh snapped.

    “Your wife,” Charlie said as if it was obvious.

    “What is your hesitation with Joey, Josh?” Sam asked, getting back onto the topic of who would be asked to join him as his vice president on his ticket. He had one the Democratic nomination and now came the time to ask a running mate.

    Josh paused. “I mean, she’s certainly qualified - she ran how many campaigns? She was a brilliant pollster and has been a congresswoman for ten years. But you both are from California - she doesn’t exactly add regional diversity.”

    “And Congressman Bailey would?” Charlie countered, bringing up the other name the three men were tossing around. Congressman Bailey might have been from Pennsylvania originally, but had represented Oregon in the US Congress for the past ten years. “And I thought President Walken had a vanilla ticket.”

    “It will be a fight,” Josh said.

    “Would we have it any other way?” Sam asked.

    * * *
    One week later.

    Joey Lucas smiled as soon as Sam and Josh entered her office. “Governor,” she exclaimed in ASL as she stood, “Josh.” Kenny was up from his desk in the corner to stand at the end of her desk. He was already translating for her. “What can I do for you?”

    “I need help,” Sam both said and signed, hoping he got the ASL grammar correct. “With my campaign.”

    “Of course, anything,” she replied.

    “I need a running mate,” Sam stated.

    “VP picks? Who are you considering? Not Josh, I hope.” Joey smirked.

    Both Josh and Sam signed, “No,” and then wordlessly pointed to her.

    She looked at the two men in shock. “Are you two insane?” She said that out-loud herself before she had Kenny take over translating again. “No, don’t answer that. I already know the answer. You need someone from the East or South if you are going to have a hope against President Walken. What about Senator Baria from Florida, or Congresswoman…”

    Josh waved his hands in the air to get her to stop. “No one will care about the bottom of the ticket. It’s Sam on top,” Josh explained. Kenny had to translate for him.

    “Well that totally makes me want the job.” The sarcasm came across clearly by the way she rolled her eyes.

    “I want you, Joey,” Sam said, pouring out his honesty. “If I’m going to do this - if I’m going to win this - I want you. I want your council and if - God forbid - something were to happen to me, I want you to take my place.”

    She hid her mouth in her hand as she thought for a moment. She then looked back at them. “It will be a fight.”

    “Would we have it any other way?” Sam asked.
     
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  10. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Don't be sorry, it's pretty funny.

    I love it. I had been debating on what to do about the kids situation when you said Leo could be Abba and it felt perfect. It's one of like three hebrew words I know, and I like that it gives a nod to Leo being half Jewish. And I love how it lengthens out to Aboo-boo because names always have a way of doing that. I grew up being called a nickname, but there were at least 3 or 4 iterations of it.


    Momma Abbey
    Ahhhhhh.......!!!!!!! [face_love]
    Okay, I'm okay. That was just so cute! I love Leo and Abbey's relationship. It's so clear that there is so much love between them. That Leo doesn't even think anything about adding hours to his trip and making an unscheduled trip when he's in college really says it all.


    Hahahaa... I love that he calls her his sexy lady. That's so cute!


    Oh man, I don't know what they did, but I'm sure they are going to get it if she feels like it will be better done in person! And I love how Leo knows for sure that they deserve it, whatever it is.

    And then how Abbey digs for information, but subtly. Love it! And Leo handles it perfectly.


    Oh Marc, you don't even know! Poor guy!
    But I love how Leo puts all the information out there, but leaves out just enough detail for Marc to be able to come to the right conclusions.


    The Pick
    I hadn't thought about Joey Lucas either, but she is perfect! I always loved her so much and I think she'd make a great VP.



    Bah ha ha... this whole exchange had me cracking up! That is one of my favorite scenes of TWW, so I'm always going to love a call back to it.
    [​IMG]



    Ha! I love how she smirks because she knows that's never going to happen.


    Before I even got to the next line I knew she said that outloud because you wrote her so well it just popped into my head in her voice even though most everything else was in Kenny's.

    I love how both Josh and Sam sign some things and I'm sure Joey would too.
    But what I really adore is how Josh and Joey had the same concerns. They both wanted Sam to know what challenges they'd face, making sure he understood that it would be a battle. The symmetry between the two scenes was perfect.

    These both were awesome!!
     
  11. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Thanks. It was like one of three hebrew words I know as well. I looked at other forms of Dad, but Abba just fit so well.

    And, yeah, I grew up being called 3 nicknames (one by each side of the family) and each of those had 2-4 iterations. It's at that point now where I just answer to anything 8-}



    There is just so much love. As soon as I looked up the distance between Boston and areas of New Hampshire (shut up, I don't know American geography that well) and saw it was totally feasible for him to help her travel, I just had to.


    My sister calls our grandmother's best friend "sexy lady" and it just makes her day, so that is where I got it from


    I don't know what they did either, but yeah, they deserve it :p


    My grandmother does this to my cousin and it is so painful obvious, but still kinda sweet, so Abbey is a bit better at it.

    Leo just knows exactly what he is doing.


    I think she'd make an awesome VP for Sam.



    It's one of my favourite scenes of the show too, so whenever I can reference it, I will. I just relate to it on so many levels.

    She knows because she can't imagine Josh in the White House with nothing to do. THAT would be a disaster.


    As I was writing it, everything was in Kenny's voice except for that. I wish more plot bunnies with her would bite me because she is really fun to write.


    Thanks!
     
  12. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: His Unusually Normal Family
    Timeframe: November 2033
    Characters: Marc, the Lymans and the Seaborns
    A/N: I know kinda told this story through Marc, but I wanted to expand on it because while I might hate Canadian Thanksgiving, no show does comedy and heartfelt quite like the WW Thanksgiving episodes. And it’s Thanksgiving in ‘Murica, so that’s my excuse, and it is a bit of a prologue to my Holiday series. And I just love Leo torturing Marc. I hope Marc doesn’t come off as too… emotional, but I think if something like this happened to me, I’d react the same way.


    It had all been going fine up until this point. Marc Johnson had woke up this morning, had a very steamy shower with his incredibly hot boyfriend, dressed in a nice pair of black slacks and a light blue button down shirt with a grey sweater, and had gotten to ride the train to DC, holding his boyfriend’s hand.

    Marc was smitten with Leo Lyman. There was no denying it. Leo was intelligent and handsome, and he knew it (which could make him mildly infuriating at times, but it only made Marc infatuated with him more), but whenever Leo touched or even looked at Marc (which Leo did a lot), Marc felt like the only human in the world. Leo cared for Marc deeply. He never expected to feel this way about someone at only 22.

    Which was why, when four hours ago when Marc met Joshua and Donna Lyman, Leo’s parents, Marc was thrilled when they seemingly took a liking to him. He had also met Abi and Noah Lyman, Leo’s nearly 18-year-old siblings. They were hilarious. Marc felt confident (for once in his life) that he had made a good first impression.

    But all that was now crumbling down as he sat in the back of the Lyman’s minivan, sucking in air as he clutched at a casserole dish of dill carrots. He had been told that they were going to eat Thanksgiving at Leo’s “Uncle Sam and Aunt Ains’” house. What no one thought to mention was that Sam and Ainsley lived in the White House!

    And they were now in the garage. The White House garage, surrounded by limos and black SUVs. Josh was going on about how the current president of the United States was a better cook than the former president of the United States. Donna was groaning something about sexism, Abi and Noah were grumbling about being hungry, and Leo was laughing.

    “Come on you three,” Donna eventually said. “Let’s take the food in and leave these two alone.”

    “But I want to see if Marc’s head explodes,” Josh whined.

    Come on, Josh,” Donna said, shoving him.

    Noah grabbed the dish from Marc and whispered, “Sorry,” before heading out the van door behind his twin.

    “Oh my god,” Leo chuckled when they were finally alone. “I can’t believe I actually got away with this. No wonder Elvie and Josie love doing stuff like this.”

    “Leo,” Marc huffed. He was pretty sure he was going to vomit. A million thoughts sped through his head. He was about to meet the first female president of the US and he was completely unprepared. “This was really mean.”

    “Calm down. I didn’t think you would be this freaked out to meet my family.”

    Marc wasn’t a violent person, but he nearly lunged at his boyfriend. He didn’t like surprises, and certainly not ones like this. “You! How dare you spring something like this on me! I am going to kill you. Your Aunt Ainsley is the President! Her husband is Samuel Seaborn.”

    “Uh, yeah. I thought it was obvious. I told you my dad made Sam Seaborn president. By the way, encase you don’t figure it out, Josie, my best friend, is Josie Seaborn, their daughter. My sister Abi, is named for former First Lady Abigail Bartlet. You know her. I call her my sexy lady. Who else have I named dropped?”

    Marc looked away in shame as his panic took over his mind and emotions. He didn’t want Leo to see tears forming. When Marc got angry, he cried. It was something people had always teased him about. “I am so stupid. So, so stupid. I can’t meet these people. I can’t talk to them. I couldn’t talk with your dad - I know nothing of law or government or sports. I’m an idiot.”

    Leo began rubbing Marc’s leg. “No, you’re not, Marc.”

    “Yes, yes, I am.” He bit his lip to try to stop tears from falling. He was feeling so overwhelmed.

    Leo sighed and took Marc’s hand. He gently rubbed circles on the back of Marc’s hand with his thumb. “Marc, please stop. You need to breathe. They are going to love you because I love you.”

    Marc’s head completely stopped. Leo loved him? Leo loved him. Leo loved him! Marc was now feeling a thousand different emotions as Leo wrapped his arms around Marc.

    Marc let out five deep breaths and looked up at Leo, heart pounding even harder. He didn’t want to screw this up, because he felt it too. “I love you too.”

    “Then breathe and don’t worry, because this is going to be the best Thanksgiving, because I’m with you. Even if I have to go steal some food and bring it back here.”

    “Leo. You traveled all this way. You should eat with your family. I’ll be fine here.” Marc had his phone. He could kill a few hours in a van.

    We traveled all this way. I’m going to have Thanksgiving with you. Now, if you think you can make it, I know Sam, Ainsley and Josie all really want to meet you. Imogene is going to love having someone normal around. And my parents and the twins really like you.”

    Marc took more deep breaths. “Just give me a few minutes. Maybe if my heart stops beating out of my chest.”

    “Okay,” Leo said. The two cuddled in the back of the van while Leo aimlessly babbled. “I practically grew up here, you know. I have some great memories in the White House.”

    “Really?”

    Leo nodded. “Practically spent the first four years of my life in the East Wing when my mom was Chief of Staff to Helen Santos. Then my Uncle Sam became president when I was 9 and I spent the next 8 years in the place again.”

    A knock on the van window and Marc’s resulting jump interrupted Leo. The door opened and a woman their age, with her straight brown hair down, wearing a pair of nice jeans and a black blouse, climbed in onto the middle seat. She began wailing on Leo, punching him in the arm. “Leo! Your mom told me what you did, you jackass!” Marc chuckled at this and she smiled at him. “Hi, I’m Josie,” she said, extending her hand.

    “Hi, I’m Marc,” he said, shaking her hand and completely forgetting who she was… until Leo brought it up.

    “See. You can talk to a Seaborn just fine. Can we go in now? I’m hungry,” Leo whined.

    “You, shut up,” Josie said, pointing at Leo. “You aren’t allowed to talk. I’m vetting your new boyfriend and I already like him more than you right now.”

    “Why do I get the feeling that will be the common reaction if I ever get him inside?”

    “Because your a jackass,” Josie retorted.

    “Pretty much,” Marc agreed.

    “See? I already love him. So, Marc, you want to sit outside with me and swap embarrassing stories about Leo with me?”

    Marc smiled. He knew Josie was Leo’s best friend and getting along with her would mean the world to Leo. “Sure,” he said, climbing out of the car.

    * * *

    Marc leaned against the van tire while Josie recounted the story of how Leo and her were left behind by her father’s motorcade during a campaign stop outside of Austin, Texas. Leo was beside him and Josie sat cross-legged in front of him.

    “It was completely ridiculous and unbelievable something like it would happen but it was all Leo’s fault,” Josie said.

    “I really had to pee!” Leo defended himself. “And I thought if you were with me, then I wouldn’t get left behind.”

    “But we still did. But it was fine. We were what, 12? I had my two Secret service Agents with me, but we were on a wind farm in the middle of nowhere, so of course there was no way to get a car to get back to the plane in time, and for some reason the schedule and staffing was just so tight that the solution was to get outside help.”

    Leo chuckled. “I’m not sure you can classify him as help. Pretty sure he ended up getting us into more trouble.”

    “Who?” Marc asked, actually invested in this tale.

    “So we are sitting there in the Texas summer heat for like 2 hours when a black SUV pulled up. Of course it’s for us. But who jumps out? Elvie. Not his parents or siblings; just him and his Secret Service agent who was, obviously just there to drive.”

    “Friggin Elvie,” Leo groaned. “Should have been the first sign of trouble.”

    Marc looked at Leo. “Elvie? Your friend who was in the Air Force and got badly hurt? Why did he have a Secret Service agent?”

    Leo sighed. He loved being jokingly deprecating to Elvie, but this was something even Leo took seriously, because of what happened to his own father years before he was born, and the memory of Charlie Young. “Because someone tried to assassinate him before he was even born. His real name his Leo-Vincente Santos; he’s the son of former president Matt Santos,” Leo said, finally coming clean. “He was getting death threats even after his dad left office, so they made him follow the law for former presidents’ children and he had a very lonely detail up until he turned 16.”

    “Awe, man,” Josie said. “I’m glad he’s out of the hospital and back in Texas in rehab, but we could have totally taken Marc to meet Elvie if you guys had come like a month ago.” She then looked at Marc. “I think meeting his parents would have been an easer step before meeting mine.”

    Marc didn’t want to talk about that. He wanted the rest of the story. “So what happened? How did you guys get back to DC?”

    “They didn’t,” an approaching voice said. Marc looked up to see Sam Seaborn, former president, walking down the pavement, hands in the pockets of his grey suit pants. “They ended up going to Galveston.” Marc was being to feel overwhelmed again.

    “We went to the beach and swam in the gulf,” Josie smirked. “It was a great time before Elvie’s dad came and hauled us back to Houston, but we got to spend three days there before my dad had a campaign stop in New Orleans and picked us up. We didn’t even get in that much trouble.”

    “What was their motto again?” Sam asked Leo. Sam then kneeled next to Josie.

    Leo sighed. “Forgiveness is easier than permission. Josie and Elvie practically made me spend the entire trip from Austin to Galveston reciting it.” He then turned to Marc. “Hon, this is my Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam, this is my boyfriend, Marc.”

    Sam extended his hand. “Hello, Marc, great to meet you. We are so glad you are here.”

    Trembling, Marc shook his hand. “How are you, Sir?”

    “Well, I’d be better if you called me Sam.” His smile was so genuine and comforting. “Please come inside. Leo’s dad is already drunk and driving my wife insane. She’s probably going to give Josh a verbal smackdown. It will be really funny and you really don’t want to miss it.”

    “Josh is drunk already?” Josie asked. “Why am I not surprised? Come on Marc, all you’ll have to do is sit in the corner and be entertained.”

    “Please come meet the rest of my family,” Leo practically begged. “They are unusually normal.”

    “Okay, okay,” Marc said, shifting his legs.

    Leo slipped in a quick kiss on Marc’s cheek before helping him up.

    Josie helped her father up and the three of them joked and eased Marc’s mind as they made their way to the White House Residence.
     
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  13. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    *runs and scoops Marc into a giant hug*

    I'm so happy you expanded on this! The story was pretty funny when Marc was telling it in the future, because time had dulled the hurt, but from the present, it's not so funny to be poor Marc.


    Yeeeessssss!!!! :D [face_love]



    I loved this little family interaction. How Josh thinks it's funny like Leo, but Donna and Noah know Leo screwed up and that this could make problems for him.


    This is one of those things that you could do to someone if you really know how they'll respond to big surprises. I'm not quite sure if this is Leo just doesn't know Marc well enough yet, or if he's dense like his father (or a bit of both!). But I'm totally with Marc as I too hate surprises and tend to flip out about them. I had a close friend in high school who I loved but she just never understood that about me because she LOVED surprises and I ended up crying at more than one birthday because she'd do something.


    I also feel Marc here because I do the exact same thing and I hate it. But poor Marc is being so hard on himself here. While it makes me upset for him, I love it as a bit of character development. Also I can't imagine how scary that would be! I think anyone would feel that way.



    Go Josie! She knows her best friend, and doesn't hesitate to call him on his crap. I think that's something that will serve her well in the future. ;) I also love how she does her best to set Marc at ease.


    [face_laugh] That was such a great story! And of course the two of them would get left by the motorcade! Leo is his father's child! His mother's influence can only do so much.



    Yes! And I just had a need to make this motto come back up once Leo is president. I don't know how yet, but it needs to happen!

    I adore Sam coming out and being all Sam-like. At least that gets some of the meeting people out of the way and it takes a bit of the pressure off.

    I don't think Marc's reaction is too emotional, as I said, I think it just depends on your personality and I can see and understand where Marc is coming from.
     
  14. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Oh, I just love Marc so much (even if I also love torturing him like this :p )

    Thanks. It's one of those stories a person can look back on and laugh at, but at the time it's just like "WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN TO ME?" (which Marc asks himself a lot, and the answer is often "because Leo")


    They're in loooooove. And just so gosh darn cute!



    Thanks. Leo definitely gets his sense of humour from his father. And Noah is just Donna's son - I don't think Josh was involved in Noah at all :p


    Yeah, I think its a bit of both. I hate surprises too (I like knowing and planning stuff), though my family and friends all REALLY suck at keeping things from me so I don't really have to worry (when your best friend - who is ALWAYS late - gives you an exact time to show up at, you know something is up).


    Oh yeah, I cry whenever I'm really mad too and I hate it. People try to comfort me and I'm like no, kriff off, I'm pissed at you.

    But, yeah, poor Mark, he's hard on himself, but I think almost anyone would be scared and have the same reaction.

    Yeah, I love Josie and her brutal honesty with Leo.

    Thanks. This is actually a 2-part vignette the muse kinda lost interest in (for now) which is a shame because I loved the title (and I normally suck at titling stuff): "Weekend at Elvie's", with their shenanigans after being "rescued" by Elvie, then 10 years later Leo and Josie go back to Texas to try to cheer him up after his accident.

    YES! I need it to happen too!

    I just love "First Lady Sam" and his Sam-ness.

    Thanks. Me too
     
  15. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: Holidays
    Timeframe: Various
    Characters: Mostly the Lymans and Santoses
    A/N: I really wanted to write a holiday fic for our universe, but the muse couldn’t decide on an idea… or really any semblance of a plot (until we changed Abi’s and Noah’s birth to late Dec 2015). So you get these short little drabblettes (not quite vignettes, not really drabbles, but ~500 words each and fairly plotless) meant to turn you into goo.

    I think I’m going to post a few every week(ish - I have 4 groups of these) leading up to Christmas, kinda by decade/era but my muse might have other plans.


    Music - 2000 - (after the last scene of Noël)

    “It’s because of Joanie, isn’t it?” Leo McGarry asked as he sat across the table in Josh’s apartment. Leo had been there when Donna had dropped Josh off from taking him to the emergency room to get his hand looked at.

    He pretended not to know what Leo was talking about. “What?” Josh asked, looking up from his dinner of Chinese food. Leo had ordered it. Josh didn’t mind the selection of chow-mien and steamed vegetables, but it wasn’t much of a Christmas Eve for Leo.

    “Why you hear sirens when you hear music.”

    “No, Leo, it’s because I was shot.”

    “Josh, I’ve been in this hole with you since you were seven-years-old.”

    “Yeah, and now look at you. Eating Chinese food with a Jew on Christmas Eve.”

    “I just expect you to name your child after me.”

    “Yeah, sure, Leo Lyman. If I ever have a child, and it will probably be when pigs fly, I will name it Leo. I just hope it isn’t a girl.”



    Figure It Out - 2006

    Though it was going to be another month before they would assume their roles as White House Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff, Ainsley Hayes and Sam Seaborn had been invited to President Bartlet’s final Christmas party at the White House. They had gone as each-other’s dates. This had been their first formal announcement to all their former co-workers (and many would become their co-workers as many were staying on for Santos). Though Josh and Donna didn’t know yet and were spending the final few days of Hanukkah with his mother.

    Sam wore a black suite and Ainsley wore a black evening gown with her long hair down. Sam could barely keep his hands off of her, despite her constantly telling him to “be good”.

    CJ Cregg was the first to notice them. “Sammie, Sammie, Sammie, what have you done?”

    Sam grinned and hugged her. “Josh doesn’t know yet.”

    “We are taking bets on how long it will take him to figure it out,” Ainsley said.

    CJ laughed. “Then put my money on after you two have a kid.”

    Sam nodded. “With how smitten he now is with Donna, I wouldn’t doubt it.”

    “And it only took him eight years to figure that one out.”



    Beginnings - 2007

    “Are you sure it isn’t too much?” Donna asked Josh as she hung another ornament on the Christmas tree in their living room. This was going to be their first Christmas together. Last year didn’t exactly count between the presidential transition and them still trying to figure out their new relationship. But this year they were engaged and in their own home. Hanukkah had been quite early in December this year, so they had visited his mother for a few days over a weekend, and Donna had convinced her parents that she and Josh wanted to figure out how they would navigate two different traditions with just the two of them this year. Neither of them was particularly religious, so that wasn’t a huge deal. But Donna loved Christmas. It was simply a magical time to look forward to at the end of a long year. It broke up - what at times was - a stressful life, and a great reason to spend time with the people - or person - she loved the most. Still, she didn’t know how Josh felt about it. She knew all the music could be difficult for him.

    “It’s not,” Josh insisted with a chuckle as he hung his first stocking on the fireplace. “You know, Donna, I’m not Toby. I don’t hate Christmas. I might get all your weird pagan traditions, but it’s an excuse to get you to buy me more presents.”

    Donna rolled her eyes. “So your not disappointed about not getting into whatever shenanigans you normally would be getting into on Christmas.”

    “Yes, I am disappointed that I am now under a ball-and-chain….”

    She glared and he swooped down and kissed her left hand. “Get back to work,” she said, pointing to the box of ornaments.

    He did as he was told. “But I don’t know what this whole concept of Jews not liking Christmas is. I know growing up we used to go to this Chinese food place with a bunch of other families from our synagogue. That was fun. And the first year of President Bartlet’s first term, Toby and I went out and got really drunk.”

    “I know,” Donna groaned. “You two were more unbearable than usual the day after.”

    “When I worked on the hill, Leo and Jenny would always have me over for Christmas dinner. It was always nice. After Jenny and he divorced, I used to spend Christmas with Leo - when it didn’t overlap with Hanukkah or me finding the next president. I think it helped him a lot. Probably also put President Bartlet’s mind at ease knowing Leo was with me.”

    Donna smiled as Josh talked about their old friend. “What did you guys do?”

    Josh shrugged. “Nothing that special. I’d go over there after work Christmas Eve, or he’d come over. A couple times Mrs. Bartlet dragged us to mass and we’d have Christmas Eve dinner with them. Christmas Day we’d visit Mallory then any staffers we knew was alone. One year we got Toby, Ed and Larry to come out for dinner with us then the five of us played poker till God knows what time.” He sighed. “Really pathetic bachelor stuff.”

    “Sounds like fun.”

    He smiled. “Yeah. It really was.” He then wrapped his arms around her. “But I’m looking forward to Christmas with you.” He started swaying with her. “Maybe we can start some traditions?”

    She put her head on his chest. “Okay, but just remember, blowing off my parents won’t be one of them.”

    “Darn it,” he mumbled.


    Quiet - 2009

    One of Josh’s favourite things about now celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas was the few days of quiet in between the two holidays (when Hanukkah allowed it). This year, Josh got nearly a week of quiet (or as much quiet as Chief of Staff got) in between visiting his mother in Florida and having to visit his in-laws in Wisconsin.

    He got a week of Donna all to himself and he secretly loved it. They came home in the evening, ate dinner, he turned on the fireplace and they cuddled on the couch.

    Donna was watching some old Christmas movie. Josh wasn’t really paying attention. He was absentmindedly drawing on her stomach with his finger.

    He never knew he wanted to be a dad until she told him she was pregnant. But now, he wanted to shout for joy every time he saw that ultrasound picture. He had cried in happiness when he heard their child’s heartbeat and knew he was going to be a complete mess in about 6 months.

    But, for now, he just got to hold Donna in the quiet, in the dim glow of candles and under a warm blanket.

    “Josh?” his name and her poking him in the ribs brought him out of his thoughts. “You know that bath set your mom gave me? I think there was some stretch mark lotion in there. You wanna get it? Mrs. Santos said something today about starting early with trying to prevent stretch marks.”

    Josh nodded and rushed to get up. President Santos had told him this was one of the fun things he would get to do to his pregnant wife.


    Anniversaries - 2009

    It had been December 17, 1988 when she had met the love of her life. Helen chose not to think about what had happened the day before or the exact circumstances of their meeting, though, 21 years later, they could now laugh about him unknowingly crawling into bed with an injured, very drugged up her. She thought about their first real conversation on the back steps of his parents’ house. He had wanted to make sure she was okay for like the third time that day.

    Three years - to the day - later, they were wed. Helen always knew it was going to be an adventure with Matt, but she hadn’t expected for it to lead to them celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary cuddling on a couch in the White House, their 6-week-old son having a third dinner in her arms.

    “Is he about done?” Matt asked.

    “He’s your son,” she countered.

    He chuckled.

    When Elvie was finally finished, his parents put him to bed and gave the baby monitor to his older brother.

    Matt then dragged Helen through the White House, which was decorated for Christmas. With three kids - including a newborn - and a country, it hadn’t exactly been the most romantic wedding anniversary but when Matt brought her into the Rose Garden, her heart melted. It had been decorated with twinkling lights and there was the thinest dusting of snow across the grass.

    “It’s not quite a Canadian Christmas, but I hope you like it.”

    She hugged him. “I love it. I love you.”

    He leaned down to gently kiss her as music began to play. “I love you too. I’m so glad you gave me another chance after I crawled into that bed, not knowing it was you there.”

    “Me too. Most days.”

    He laughed. They danced and despite the frost, they were warm.
     
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  16. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    hahah... so true. I think since he and Abi are twins, all the Josh went into Abi and all the Donna into Noah.

    Well these did their job, I'm a complete puddle of goo! [face_love]
    I had an idea to do a short holiday series the other day but I didn't know how to work it out, but after reading yours, I had an idea. We'll see if the muse cooperates with what I want to do.


    Music- Aaawww.... *sob*
    This was so sweet, and a bit heart breaking. I think Leo is onto something. And I love that he was there for Josh after Donna took him to the hospital.

    Oh Josh, your self-deprecating sarcasm. But I love the foreshadowing!

    Figure It Out - Hahah.. they are so right, Josh is way too oblivious to figure it out himself. Even if others tell him about the party and how Sam and Ainsley weren't being subtle, I doubt he'd believe them. Ainsley is a REPUBLICAN! :p

    [face_laugh]

    Beginnings- While I loved every single one of these, I think this was my favorite! I love the stories about how Josh, Toby, Leo, and the Bartletts would do over the different years.

    This is the story of pretty much every Jew I know, Chinese Food and then the movies on Christmas. I love it!


    Hahah.. Good try, Josh. Good try!

    Quiet - Awwww....

    I love this, that he wants to jump up and down and tell everyone. He watched Toby go through the same thing, but he didn't think it would happen to him. Just wait until he learns baby's come with hats. :p


    I love the thought that the President is giving Josh pregnant wife/new dad advice and that he's so excited for this part!


    Anniversaries- I just love their relationship!

    This might be more romantic than anything, because he made due with what they had to work with. And I mean, it's the Rose Garden!


    [face_laugh]


    I can't wait to read more of these lovely holiday themed stories!
     
  17. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Let's see if this works this time.

    This is definitely true [face_laugh]


    Good! And these weren't even the goo-ie-est ones!



    I'm so glad your muse cooperated because I love yours so much!


    I think I have to break your heart just a little bit with these to make up for ALL the crying I'm doing over your's :p

    Leo McGarry knows all and I loved how supportive of Josh he was.



    I love Josh's self-deprecating sarcasm, and foreshadowing all our OCs


    Hahahaha. This is so true.



    Thanks!


    This is funny because I knew the movie part from my one (kinda) Jewish friend, but the Chinese Food bit is actually from all my Sikh friends!


    Yeah, he would try :p


    Yeah, Josh pretty much wants to brag to everyone that he got Donna preggers. And now I want to write Josh learning that babies come with hats!



    Since Santos just went through all this, my head-canon was that he was a great help to Josh.


    I do too!



    Yeah, all these guys might not have all the time to devote to their significant others, but when they try, they really try hard.

    Helen is still Helen :p


    Thanks, these were so much fun to write.
     
  18. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    AN: This one kinda makes my other “Abi and Noah are born” fic AU, but I don’t care.

    Presents - 2015

    Donna wasn’t one for regrets. As her life had proved, everything happens for a reason. However, as she lounged in the recliner in the living room - which was decorated for both Hanukkah (which had been earlier this month) and Christmas - with lights, a tree and a menorah - and currently an absolute mess from Leo’s toys received from Josh’s mom and showing clear evidence that Christmas eve was two days away - there were several things that Donna regretted.

    First, she regretted inviting her parents and mother-in-law to their home for the holidays. The rational had been that, since Donna was unable to travel, they would all travel to DC for once. Miriam Lyman got along with Celia and Kevin Moss just fine. Her parents probably liked Miriam more than they did Josh. But it was a lot and they were ALL planning on staying to help out for a few weeks and Donna didn’t know if she could take the yelling at Josh. Only she was allowed to tell him what to do.

    Miriam and Celia were currently trying to get Josh to get a bag of potatoes from the basement.

    “JOSH! GET THE SPUDS!” her mother shouted.

    “WHAT?” Josh called from the floor of the living room where he had been playing with Leo (the son had disappeared when Donna wasn’t paying attention, yet Josh was still fiddling around with Leo’s Star Wars figures). “WHY DO YOU WANT SUDS?” He was mocking his mother-in-law’s Wisconsin accent.

    “NOT SUDS! SPUDS, JOSHUA! POTATOES!” his mother shouted.

    Donna rubbed her temple. The last thing she needed right now was a headache.

    The second thing Donna was regretting was taking her son to see the new Star Wars movie. He was already obsessed with the older ones.

    Leo came out of the bathroom, running in his overalls. He picked up his new toy lightsaber and pretty much clobbered his father from behind. “Is it done yet, Daddy? Are we all set up for the battle of Starkiller Base?”

    Josh grabbed his son from behind him, flipped Leo over his shoulder and held him. “Who said I was setting this up for you?”

    “But Daddy!” An evil grin crossed Leo’s lips. “I’m Finn, you’re Han Solo and Mommy is…” The rest of his remarks were drowned by sheiks fits of laughter caused by Josh’s tickles.

    And the third thing Donna was regretting was becoming pregnant 36 weeks ago. She wasn’t regretting getting pregnant; after seeing Josh with their son Leo, Donna knew she wanted to give him more kids. She wanted more kids. She just regretted the timing. The doctors had always said in-vitro could take a few times for it to work, so she didn’t think it would work the first time. And certainly - although she was aware of the increase chance of multiples - not this well.

    Everything was harder when you were pregnant with twins, and damn near impossible at 36 weeks. Even breathing was hard. She was positioned in Josh’s recliner with her feet up, 3 pillows at her disposal, and a throw blanket covering her. She felt more like an object in the corner than an actual human. Her family wasn’t ignoring her, but she desperately wanted to be on the floor playing with Leo, cuddling with Josh, or helping their mothers with dinner.

    Instead she focused on the twins, rubbing her huge belly under her sweater. Then, it happened… again.

    “Josh?” Donna asked quietly, nudging his shoulder with her socked foot - God her ankles were swollen. “Josh?”

    “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get the ‘spuds’ for our mothers,” he said, letting Leo roll out of his arms. Josh began to get up.

    She grabbed his forearm as he tried giving her a kiss as he walked by.

    “No, Josh.” She took a deep breath. 36 weeks was early, even if doctors had told her to expect this. She had hoped she had dozed off or had lost track of time. She felt fairly stupid from the lack of oxygen and sleep these days. “What time is it?”

    “Like ten minutes since you last asked me that,” he replied, brushing her off. He got two steps away before he paused got out an “Oh, God.”

    Leo perked up. “Daddy?”

    Josh, despite the blood draining from his face, looked at his son as he leaned down to pull the lever on the recliner, putting down Donna’s feet. He maneuvered his wife and her huge stomach into a standing position. “Looks like we are getting two more gifts this year, Leo.”



    Freaking Out - 3 hours later

    Josh was verifiably freaking out as he sat in his sweater on one of the chairs in the hallway. He tried to remember to breathe. He tried to focus on the white wall. He tried to remember that Leo was with Kevin at home and that his mom and Celia were in the waiting room.

    Then he remembered that Leo’s birth hadn’t been like this. Josh had been allowed to be at Donna’s side throughout that whole ordeal. There had been fighting and Donna screaming and sobbing and her reminding him to breathe.

    Josh got up and began to pace, replaying and reanalyzing everything he had been told in the past 3 hours: 36 weeks was considered premature, but the twins were going to be healthy; they were worried about the position of the second twin - the boy - something about Twin A being in vertex but Twin B being transverse and not having room to turn so they were going to deliver both via C-section; he was going to be allowed in the operating room.

    Before they had taken her into pre-op, Donna had warned him to “be good.”

    “Mr. Lyman?”

    Josh jumped out of his skin. He was glad he was in a hospital because he nearly had a heart attack. He turned around to see a nurse, who led him to be dressed in a gown, hat, and mask.

    Josh was then let into the operating room, where Donna was laying on the table. A curtain had been set up so she couldn’t see past her chest. Josh repressed so many horrible, scary memories of almost losing her in that hospital in Germany as he walked to her side.

    “Nice hat,” she said, softly, and all the memories came flooding back. She had been blown up. Had been seriously hurt. Had developed a pulmonary embolism - what had killed his father.

    “Yeah,” he choked out. “Stylish, huh?” He then touched her cheek with his fingertips. Her skin was so soft, warm, and full of life. He focused on her breathing, on her swallowing, on her blinking. Her eyelashes were so delicate, just like the rest of her.

    “I’m okay, thanks for asking by the way,” she said, breaking him out of his thoughtless concentration.

    “Yeah?”

    “How are you doing?”

    “Fine, just fine,” he said, his breath tight.

    “You’re freaking out, Josh.”

    “No.”

    “We are almost ready, Donna,” a doctor announced.

    “Breathe, Josh,” she reminded him. “And for all our sakes, don’t look on the other side of that curtain.” She knew he couldn’t handle blood.

    “What do you want me to do?”

    “I just need you to talk to me.”



    Forty - 4 hours later

    On December 23rd, at 1:31 and 1:32 am, Abi and Noah Lyman were born.

    It was now a few hours later. Donna was asleep, getting what she desperately needed. She had said it was the one thing she wanted for Christmas… well, she was getting it early instead. Josh knew he should be sleep too, but he was mesmerized. He had said he wanted forty things this holiday season.

    Forty fingers and toes.

    It had been a lot of counting, but Abi and Noah were now swaddled and in white blankets and in his arms. They were both awake, like live bombs. Josh was in gliding chair, afraid to stop rocking or else they’d scream and wake Donna.

    “I’m outnumbered,” he chuckled softly. He craned down to kiss the blue hat atop Noah’s head, then the pink hat atop Abi’s head (because babies come with hats, as he learned with Leo). “Daddy is outnumbered and it isn’t fair, so you two have to agree to some things. First, you have to always be on my side. Second, you two are Democrats. Third, the Yankees suck and we always cheer for the Mets. Finally, I don’t care if you break the first three agreements, just so long as you always have forty fingers and toes.”

    He stopped talking, purely out of exhaustion, but both twins began fussing, looking up at him with displeasure. “Do I have to count toe-toes again?” His voice seemed to lull them, so he continued talking to them, long into the night. “Your older brother is going to get a kick out of you two, even if we didn’t name you Luke and Leia. Noah, you are named after my daddy. He was a very quiet man, but he was the smartest and the most loving person. He would have loved you and bragged about you so much. Abi, you are going to get to meet the sassy, smart woman you are named for – Grandma Miriam isn’t going to be happy about that, but Mommy named you and Mom is always right. Don’t tell her I said that, but Mommy is always right.”

    Josh sighed and shifted. “I’m only going to tell you this once, and I am telling you now so that you guys can’t talk back. But your dear old dad is fairly old. But it just means I’m smarter than all the other dads and I have to get all the love in while I can, which means if Mom says no, I’ll probably say yes. And lots of cuddles and kisses.”




    Home - Three Days Later

    Abi, Noah, and Donna were released from the hospital two days later: early Christmas morning. Josh drove them home and placed Donna back in the recliner, twins in her arms. He then headed up to Leo’s room and sat on the edge of the bed, stroking Leo’s hair.

    Leo grunted.

    “Hey kid,” Josh said with a smile.

    “Daddy?”

    “Mom and I have some presents for you.”

    Leo gasped, then grinned. Josh took Leo’s hand and guided him out of bed and down the stairs. Despite he gifts under the tree (between Hanukkah and Christmas, Leo got spoiled every December), Leo was transfixed on the figures gently rocking in the corner.

    “Come here, Leo,” Donna said softly.

    Dragging Josh behind him, Leo curiously made his way to his mother’s side, wiggling his bum with excitement.


    “Leo, this is Noah and Abi, your little brother and sister,” Donna explained. She and Josh then watched with smiles plastered on their faces, as Leo kissed Noah and Abi’s chubby cheeks.
     
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  19. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Awwwww..... Eeeeeee...... [face_love][face_love]
    Okay, you were right, I'm an even bigger pile of goo right now! I'm just completely melted!


    Oh man, yeah. That's one of those things that sounds like a good idea when it's still just an idea. But in actuality when she's 36 weeks pregnant with twins, has a 5 year old and has a Josh, I can see that just being too much!


    Of course she's the only one! But I could totally see Donna's parents maybe not thinking the most of Josh. This plays into something in one of my upcoming ficlets just a little bit! :D


    [face_laugh] But also :oops: Don't antagonize the mother-in-law, Josh! I love that he was playing with the toys even though Leo had already left. My parents always said that's one of the best parts about buying gifts for little kids is you get to play with them too!


    Daddy!Josh!!! [face_love] So, so cute!


    Donna loves Daddy!Josh too! I mean, of course she does, but I love seeing that! And I don't blame her about the timing, and I love that you wrote this. There's a stigma that women have to love absolutely everything about being pregnant and having kids, or they are bad moms. That's a hard standard to hold up to, and an unfair one.



    I love how throughout this, Josh is cataloguing things, trying to find things he knows are under control, or other things he can focus him mind on other than panic. I think this is a great nod to his PTSD, while still keeping the story about the babies and I love that detail. I specifically loved once he gets into the operating room an focusing on Donna's all the way to her eye lashes. It's felt so loving, but still him trying to control his reactions.


    I love that Donna knows he doesn't do well in this type of situation, and she keeps it normal. The crack about how she's fine, and then this. I'm sure there is a bit of 'Hey, I'm the one getting cut open!' behind it, but she knows him and loves him anyway. And then he knows enough to ask what he can do. [face_love]


    LOVE!!


    BABIES COME WITH HATS!!!


    This. THIS. It's so Josh and so Daddy!Josh and so, so adorable and so full of love. That he'll love them no matter what! And now I'm crying!


    I love how your descriptions of the people they are named for also describe them when they are older!


    Oh... oh that kills me. :_| That he knows he's older and probably not treated his body the best, but he's going to give it his everything.



    I love that Leo is so excited that the gifts don't even phase him! He's so curious and excited for his babies. Then him giving them a kiss at the end.. heart melted!


    Hehehe... that mental image was just too cute!

    I LOVED these so much! They make such an adorbs family!
     
  20. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Oh, yeah, that was probably the gooey-est week, but there is more goo (and a little bit of PG smutt :p )


    Yeah, my mother may have made this mistake when she was pregnant with me. It probably saved her a huge headache with my sister while she and I were in two different hospitals (in two different cities) but post-partum, parents, and in-laws do not mix.

    Also, I lol'ed at "has a Josh." Donna definitely "has a Josh."

    Yeah, I totally agree with what you said about Donna's parents not quite agreeing with Donna marrying her workaholic former-boss.


    The spuds and suds joke is actually based on a true story: grandmother asked for spuds, but with her accent, it sounded like suds, so she was brought a pail of laundry soap. We have never let our cousin live it down.

    And I totally agree! My mom says the exact same thing! I miss the days of Lego with my little brothers Christmas afternoon!


    He is so cute!!


    First off, with the timing, my head-canon is that Leo was a pleasant surprise with them trying on their own, but after they didn't get pregnant again, they said if it didn't get preggers by the time Santos' 2nd term was up, they'd try help, and well help worked a little too well :p

    And yeah, I wanted to go into postpartum depression a bit in my diary and it unfortunately got cut, but I do like addressing the realities of some women's experiences with not having a good time being a hutt pregnant.


    Thanks. I wanted to keep it light while also addressing that Josh would not be handling the situation well. I mean, of course he's excited, but he doesn't have good memories of hospitals.


    Yeah, she knows him and knows he wants to be there for her and for the kids and is willing to deal with him, even though she's the one being cut open, because she loves him.

    I just had this image of Josh counting TINY fingers and toes and just about died from the cuteness.


    And all this is making me want to write Leo's "babies come with hats" moment.

    Josh being outnumbered just cracked me up so much, but he would love them even if they didn't have 40 fingers and toes.


    Haha! It totally does and I didn't even realize it!

    Yeah, sorry, I had to put that in there.


    Who needs toys when you got babies!!!!!

    Leo in his excitement is just adorable!!



    Thanks! They are all just adorable!


    Posting the next set because I realized Christmas is coming up and both my fic-gifts to you are semi-holiday related, so I hope you are ready for a whole lot of fluff!!
     
  21. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Welcome - 2033

    Even though Thanksgiving with the Lymans had resulted in Marc having a panic attack in the garage of the White House, he returned for Christmas in DC (Leo promised no funny business, and even if there was some, it would be okay - Leo had gone back to DC earlier this month for a long weekend over Hanukkah and Marc had missed Leo terribly). Marc followed Leo - who had a backpack swung over his back - into his family’s home. Once Marc was through the door, festively decorated with a wreath, he was hit with the full force of the holiday. A real Christmas tree was set up and decorated, twinkling lights were everywhere, and everything was blue and white. The scent of pine, candles and cookies mixed in an aroma which would forever be stained in his mind.

    Noah and Abi were on the grey couch, pushed aside to make room for the mountain of gifts. Noah paused the video game he was playing with his sister and leaned over the back of the sofa. “Hey, Marc, welcome to the craziness. Mom went a little overboard this year when she heard you were coming.” He turned back to the TV. “HEY! You cheater!”

    Abi had un-paused the game to start beating her twin, cackling as she did.

    Donna then entered from the kitchen. She had her hair up and an apron covered in flour on. “Leo! Marc! How was the trip?” she asked hugging Leo, and then Marc.

    “Fine Mom,” Leo said, taking Marc’s weekend bag.

    “Um, I didn’t really know how many gifts to get everyone,” Marc said, gesturing to the tote bag he still held full of wrapped presents. “And Leo really was no help.”

    Donna glared at her oldest son, then smiled at Marc as she took the bag from him. “It’s not a big deal. Typically we give eight really small gifts for Hanukkah and we give one or two bigger presents for Christmas, but, you shouldn’t have worried.”

    “And you give Abi and Noah gifts FOR THEIR BIRTHDAYS!” Abi shouted.

    “That’s one thing Leo did tell me,” Marc assured him with a chuckle.

    Then there were footsteps coming up from the basement. Josh appeared in jeans and a sweater. “Who invited him?” he asked, tone of indignation. “Doesn’t he have a family to spend the holidays with?”

    Marc tried not to take it too personally. It was Josh after all. But Marc thought Leo had told had told his parents the brief overview of Marc’s family: his mother loved him, but she reminded him of the mistakes of her past, plus she had her new husband and his little half-sisters to focus on. Marc knew he could have spent the holidays with her, but he much preferred to spend it with Leo. Then there was Marc father and well… Marc would rather spend Christmas alone in a snowbank.

    Leo’s and Donna’s reaction told him that Leo had told them.

    Marc bit his lip and wondered if he could make it out without crying in front of his boyfriend’s parents when Leo dropped the bags. “Dad!” he gasped, moving to comfort Marc, but Donna already had him in her arms.

    “Josh!” she said in shock as she stroked Marc’s hair. “Don’t listen to him Marc. He’s a grumpy old man. You are welcome here whenever.”

    “It’s fine, Donna,” Marc said, trying to get out of her hold. He was more embarrassed by her reaction.

    “I wasn’t talking about Marc,” Josh said, gesticulating. “I was talking about Leo.”

    “Like it or not, Dad, I’m yours,” Leo said, finally hugging his dad.

    “Ah, bite me,” Josh mumbled, pushing Leo off. Leo then tried to bite his father’s shoulder.

    Donna sighed. “Come on, Marc, I’d like your help constructing the gingerbread house.”



    The Father And Son - 2033

    After nearly six months of living in hospitals and rehab facilities (plus a living on an Air Force base before that), Elvie was glad to be back in his parent’s home, even if it was only for a few short days before he had to return to rehab. He was getting to spend Christmas with his family; it was all he wanted.

    He didn’t mind that his “bedroom” was a double bed in the corner of the living room. His childhood bedroom was upstairs and, given his injuries, he’d never be spending the night in there again. His parents were in the process of moving his mother’s sewing room to the basement and renovating that room into a bedroom for him (their first focus had been making one of the main floor bathrooms work for him), which meant he got to fall asleep next to a warm electric fireplace, in the light of soft yellow lights on the Christmas tree. He got to joke around with his nieces and nephews about Santa knowing to be quiet when delivering presents and he got to bug his dad about drinking a bit too much eggnog while his mother, sister, brother and their husband and wife filled stockings.

    What he did mind was the fact that he didn’t need a full time respite nurse (he didn’t want to take one of the few people willing to work the holiday season away from someone who truly needed the care, though someone would come for a few hours over the next few days to help him bathe), so his family had offered to be the ones to help him out. Elvie was thankful and felt so loved, but it also filled him with shame and humiliation everytime his sister or brother had to help him go to the bathroom (though his stem cell treatments had given him some control over that whole situation, thank the Lord), or when his mother dressed him, or when his brother-in-law and sister-in-law got him into or out of bed.

    Or when his 72 year-old father had to change his sleeping position at 4 am to prevent pressure sores.

    “Sorry Elvie,” Matt grunted as he finished rolling his son over on Elvie’s other side. Matt began reorganizing Elvie’s pillows. “I know you are used to people who can do this while you sleep.”

    “It’s fine, Dad. I gotta get used to it if I’m going to be doing it by myself eventually. Plus, your grandkids will be up in and hour or so anyways.”

    Matt chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked down at Elvie with a huge smile. “I’m pretty sure your nieces and nephews get that from you. You know, it wasn’t that long ago when you were waking your mom and I at 5 am on Christmas morning.”

    Elvie laughed. “Pretty sure that was last year.” He then reached and patted his dad’s knee. “Go on. Get back to bed, Grandpappie.”

    Matt shook his head. “Can I get you anything? Water? Another quilt?”

    Elvie knew his dad just wanted to help. “Can you put my phone where I can grab it? Just incase I can’t get back to sleep.”

    Matt grabbed Elvie’s phone off the nightstand and put it beside his pillow. “Hey,” his dad said. “My old bible.” Elvie had his father’s bible - a plain black hardcover New International Version in Spanish. No commentary, just the word of God. Matt grabbed it. “Why don’t I read to you until your fall back to sleep?”

    Resistance was futile. And, frankly, Elvie wanted his dad to read to him. “Sure.”

    His father smiled and got into the bed. Elvie snuggled up to his dad as Matt opened the bible and began to read.



    Audience - 2034

    The priest had an audience, as to be expected at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for midnight mass on Christmas. An audience of over 2500, including the former President of the United States and his family. The audience could be captivated, but instead the priest was blowing it.

    Being the former First Family came with perks, including their own pew, which was now - thanks to Elvie’s accident (and he was so thankful for being in a wheelchair at this current moment) - was on the 2nd mezzanine, at the very back, right by the door. It meant that no one noticed that Peter Santos’ children, and Miranda Santos-Gault’s daughter were sound asleep - along with their grandfather. Helen Santos occasionally jabbed her elbow into her husband’s ribs whenever he began to snore, then fixed her shawl over her dress. Rosamie, who had decided to join her boyfriend’s family, was braiding Miranda’s hair, along with Peter’s wife.

    Even Elvie, who was usually a night-owl and good at paying attention through painfully boring sermons was looking for any other form of entertainment. He would occasionally tip himself back in his wheelchair, tap his head against the wood paneling on the wall, then let himself fall forward. He then tried to see how long he could hold a wheelie.

    Rose leaned over. “You’re going to lose your balance and fall and bash your head.”

    “Who said that isn’t my goal?” he whispered back, getting a look from his mother. He stretched. “I think I have to use the bathroom. Rose? Wanna come?”

    Peter instantly got up as he whispered. “I can help you.”

    Elvie gave his brother an annoyed look. “I can do it by myself now, thanks.”

    “So you don’t want me to join you?” Rose teased.

    “No— I— UGH!” he groaned, spinning around and leaving the sanctuary, disappointed that his brother ruined his plans to have fun with Rose in the bathroom.


    Snuggle - 2034

    Leo missed DC, that he knew for sure, but there was something about Boston that he loved (and no, it wasn’t just Marc, though he was the only reason why Leo hadn’t jetted back to his parents in DC the moment his winter vacation started). Leo hated the cold (though Boston wasn’t that much colder than DC… not like when he had to spend Christmases in Wisconsin with his mother’s family) but there was something about coming home and snuggling on the couch, under a homemade quilt, as it tried to snow outside.

    Marc, of course, was spooned under Leo’s arm, against his body, sound asleep and had been that way for four hours. It was now close to 8PM. Marc had his last final exam today (one that had required him to drink an unhealthy amount of coffee - and that was by Leo’s, son of Josh Lyman, standards). They were driving down to DC tomorrow morning (in about 11 hours actually) and they still had a million things to do: the apartment cleaned, presents wrapped, laundry done, and everything they would need packed. They were going to be spending Hanukkah and Christmas in DC this year, which meant being gone for over two weeks.

    If Marc were awake, he’d be panicking, which why Leo let him sleep, though now, letting him sleep longer was probably just going to matters worse, so Leo started to gently rub Marc’s chest and stomach, noticing a bit more flab there than normal - no doubt the result of final exam stress. Leo chuckled.

    “Wha?” Marc sleepily moaned, rolling over on his back, yet somehow remaining on the couch.

    Leo propped himself up onto his elbow. “Nothing,” he said with a smile.

    “Gah, what time is it?” Marc asked with a yawn, reaching for his phone on the coffee table.

    Leo captured Marc’s mouth in a long, slow kiss. An appreciative moan came from the back of Marc’s throat as he rubbed Leo’s hip. It had been far too long and they had been too stressed.

    Marc broke away. “Seriously, what time is it?” He looked at his phone. “Leo!” he gasped and not because Leo was kissing his ear. “You let me sleep for four hours?” Marc tried to sit up.

    “You needed it,” Leo said, pulling at the buttons on Marc’s blue shirt and nibbling at his collar. “And I need this.”

    “Please,” Marc weakly, murmured, nudging Leo who was now on top of him. “We gotta wrap… do laundry… clean….” With each item on the list, Leo popped another button, slowly descending under the blankets. “Here, I’ll order a pizza for dinner,” Marc said in desperation, turning on his phone.

    “I don’t think you need a pizza.” Leo undid the button on Marc’s jeans.

    Marc scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

    Leo laid his head on Marc’s thigh. “It means there will be plenty of food at my parents’ house and not a lot of privacy. So, can we please have what I want for dinner?”

    Marc sighed. “Put in a load of laundry, put on some soup - I need actual sustenance - then maybe we can continue with what you want.”

    Leo narrowed his eyes. “You are going to bribe me with sex to do that whole list.”

    Marc nodded, biting his lip. “Call it motivation. Let me order a pizza and that will be one less thing you have to do.”

    “Fine,” Leo muttered, rolling off of Marc, taking the blanket with him and getting up. Leo then swiftly pulled Marc’s pants off. “If we are doing this in your order, I get to at least look at your legs.”
     
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  22. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I tried to post this so many times, I finally gave up, saved it and decided to try again later. Will it happen this time??

    YEEESSSSS!!!!!

    ALL THE FLUFF!! I need it all! :D :D (Especially since my muse wanted to be depressing for the holidays!)


    This says so much about how Marc grew up and his life before he met the Lymans. It makes me sad for him, but so, so happy he found them. (And there I go again talking about them like they are real people. :p )



    [face_laugh] That's totally something my brother would have done to me! Who am I kidding, he'd still do it.
    I love seeing their dynamic!



    I was thinking about this when I wrote that Abi loved to rub it in other kids faces that they got Hanukkah and Christmas. Their birthdays being so close to the others, or even overlapping occasionally with Hanukkah kinda sucks for them. My mom has always hated having a birthday two weeks before Christmas.
    But Abi just shouting it out cracked me up!


    I had the same reaction as the others... JOSH! But a split second later I wondered what he was up to because saying that to Marc wouldn't be like him, especially because he doesn't know him all that well. I laughed when it turned out he was talking to Leo. THAT made a lot more sense.
    I loved the little details about Marc's family!


    Hahaha!! I love that he actually tried to bite him! That's such a great showing of their relationship and personalities.



    Aaawww.... Elvie!! [:D] [:D]
    I'm sure that would be such a wonderful feeling to get to feel a little more normal for a few days, even if almost everything has changed.


    The mental image of Matt drinking too much eggnog and Elvie teasing him about it made me smile so hard! And Elvie being good with his nieces and nephews [face_love]




    I can completely understand this feeling, though not from Elvie's point of view. My grandfather had an above the knee amputation (waayy above the knee) when he was 80, and after he came home from the hospital my mom and I took turns staying with him and helping him because he was very deconditioned. I was so happy to help, but there were more than a few times that I was uncomfortable, he was uncomfortable, but things needed to be done. Anyway, long personal story not so short, some of my favorite memories of him come from that time because we got so much closer despite the awkwardness and I'm sure the humiliation he felt.


    This and the whole conversation between Matt and Elvie was so sweet and beautiful. There is so much love and it clearly shows in their interaction and how Matt wants to take away any burden from his son that he can.

    Audience- Hahaha... I loved all of them trying to prevent boredom, or maybe not being able to since Matt kept falling asleep! I've certainly been there!


    [face_laugh] Elvie getting blocked by his brother who, poor guy, probably just wants to leave the boring sermon and is willing to use any excuse. But Rose... ROSE who really kinda messed up his plans! I LOVE IT!

    Snuggle- Awwww!! Leo is so cute, wanting to let Marc sleep because he needs it but also to keep him from freaking out! And I agree with him, there's not much better than snuggling under a blanket when it's cold out!

    And then it goes from Awww... to Yeeaaahhhh.... :D :D :D



    I love seeing this side of them! It's hot and adorable at the same time!
    And I need the non-boards version of where this goes!! [face_batting] [face_whistling]




    [face_laugh] I think that's a fair trade! I like the way you think, Leo!


    I loved every single one of these!!
     
  23. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Ugh, I have learned to copy pretty much anything I've been trying to post.


    I think it needs to happen.


    Good. Because both your fic-gifts are semi-holiday related (and both are 2-parters because the muse decided to). I know I won't get the sillier one posted in time, but I want to try to post the more holiday themed one in time for Christmas.


    I'm so happy he found Leo too!


    I grew up doing this to my siblings and cousins. I may have done it to my brother last week [face_devil]


    Yeah, my step-dad has his birthday ~2 weeks before Christmas, my grandfather's birthday is the day after and growing up, the poor neighbour kid had his birthday ON CHRISTMAS, so I felt kinda bad doing it to Abi and Noah (as if they are real people :p ), but I think Donna and Josh would be good about having some sort of party like a week before and getting them specific birthday gifts. Plus I don't think Abi would let anyone forget her birthday :p


    Yeah, I don't think Josh quite thought that joke through (but it is Josh :p ).

    I kinda based Marc's holiday plans off of my sister's BF: he could spend it with his father, but things are kinda awkward with the step-siblings, and he'd rather spend it alone than with his mom, so since they've started dating, he has always spent it with us so he's just one of us now.


    In my family, you do NOT invite people to bite you, because we will, so I just think Leo would be like that too.


    This is kinda based on some real life stuff. A teacher at my school had a son who was in a really bad motorcycle accident and had to be flown down to the mainland (her and I ended up getting really close - I think she just wanted assurance that her son could live a good life, which he is now). For that first Christmas we had a huge fundraiser to send her and her husband down to be with him and she said it was the best thing they have ever gotten for Christmas.


    Elvie is the cool young uncle (and still a pain in the butt to his dad :p ).


    Yeah, I'm kinda on the other side of this. I - thankfully- don't need quite that level of intimate care, but I can imagine how humiliating it is for a guy to suddenly need this level of help. I mean, I'm stubbornly independent but there are still times at like camp or traveling where I don't have access to my normal cutlery or the meal is something I can't feed myself and I've had to ask my friends to help me. I know they are so willing and happy to help, but it doesn't make it less humiliating (which is stupid, I know).



    Thanks. I think Elvie was clearly Matt's whole world post-Presidency (Elvie certainly kept him occupied), and I think it shows in their relationship.



    Oh yeah, all these things are totally based on personal experiences in trying to prevent boredom (or failing and falling asleep :p).



    Yeah, this is pretty much what happened. Peter just saw an acceptable excuse to break up the monotony. But Rose is not letting Elvie be a bad influence on her!


    Oh yes, that nap after that last exam was THE BEST.

    Yeah, it went from cute to smutty in my brain and then I started yelling at Leo as if he were real :p


    While I don't have a PM continuation of this yet... I have been tempted to go a little more... mature with content [I'd totally would write where this one leads to and I have an idea, but I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done in the coming 2 weeks (especially that kind), then it will be a new year and diary stuff, but I am willing!].


    Leo just wants to get closer to his end of the bargain!


    Thank you!
     
  24. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Snacks - 2045

    Over a decade after his accident, Congressman Elvie Santos was normally pretty proficient at shifting his position in bed at night without waking his wife. Sometimes he was able to do it without fully waking up himself. But that was when he was at home in his own king-size bed… and when his wife wasn’t 6 months pregnant with their first child. They were currently staying at his parents’ ranch for Christmas and this double bed without a headboard wasn’t working.

    “Ugh,” Rosamie grumbled in the darkness. “Elvie,” she said, throwing a pillow at him.

    “Sorry,” he said as he continued to shimmy, trying to get comfortable again.

    She reached and tapped on the light. She grunted and sat up.

    Elvie grabbed at the sheets and sat up with her. “Is there anything I can get you?” he asked, rubbing her back.

    “Food. Steal Santa’s cookies if you have to,” she ordered, climbing out of the bed. “I gotta pee.”

    By the time she waddled back from the bathroom, Elvie had gotten out of bed, gotten a plate of cheese, meat, crackers, and Christmas cookies, along with two cups of warm milk, all on a platter. He was back, seated in the bed, leaning up against the wall.

    “If you get any crumbs in bed…” he began to warn her.

    “Oh like it’s going to make this night any more uncomfortable,” she snapped at him, lacking any real malice. She sat next to him and started building a sandwich using sugar-cookies and cheese. Elvie didn’t judge her at this point.

    “Hey, I’m not the one who is like Princess and the Pea in this bed. Though you are more like Princess and the Melon right now.” He looked pointedly at her stomach.

    She shut him up by shoving a piece of cheese in his mouth.



    Kids - 2047

    Leo watched with a smile as Marc tickled their 2-year-old niece Joanie - Noah’s daughter with the most bouncy, golden blonde curls - on the floor of the living room. The girl, currently the only grandchild of Donna Lyman, was screaming and laughing with delight in a little red and white dress on.

    “Is Santa going to come and spoil you silly?” Marc asked in an high pitched voice, making Joanie laugh even more. “Not that you haven’t already been spoiled by your uncles for Hanukkah.”

    Leo hid his sadness by taking a sip of wine as he sat on the couch. It was all his fault that Marc wasn’t a “Daddy” yet. After they had gotten married, they put themselves on a bunch of adoption and foster-parent lists, knowing the wait-times could be considerable. But after Leo’s dad had passed away a year later, Leo had been… a mess. He had demanded that they be removed from all the potential parent lists, a move that had nearly ended their marriage, but Leo just knew hadn’t been able to be a father at that point in his life. Its had taken awhile for Leo to repair his relationship with Marc and to get to the point where they both felt they could be fathers and loving parents.

    But, of course, in the mean time, birth rates around the world had continued to fall drastically due to new birth control methods. It was a good thing, of course, globally, that there were so few kids who needed loving homes. But it meant that for Leo and Marc, adoption would take many years if they decided it was even worth it to look into again. Of course there were egg donors, but there were also new sciences being developed that were revolutionary that meant they could have a biological child and that was just so cool to Leo. He loved medical advancements and wanted to help progress fields like that. Genetic engineering could advance stem cell treatments and help people like Elvie improve their quality of life.

    But that meant, Leo had asked Marc to wait just a bit longer for what they both wanted the most in their lives. Was that fair?

    Josie flopped down next to Leo on the couch. Marc and Leo, along with the rest of the Lymans, were spending Christmas at the Seaborn estate in California. They were, after all, one family at this point.

    Her smile quickly turned to a frown. “What’s wrong?”

    Leo looked at her, trying to look confused. “Nothing.”

    “Leee-ohh.” She said his name in two distinct syllables.

    “Alcohol and jet-lag?” he suggested, getting up and leaving the room. Josie followed him onto the patio. He had forgotten how warm it was here, even in December. “I swear, Jose, I’m just tired.”

    “Really?” she asked, doubtfulness thick. He leaned on the railing and she put her hands on her hips.

    “You’re short, you know that?”

    “You can’t deflect me, Leo Lyman. You were about to start crying back there. You can’t go being sad by yourself on Christmas eve, so tell me what’s up?”

    Leo turned around, looking at the landscape instead of her. It took a few moments, then he confessed. “I want to make Marc a dad.”

    “Oh,” she said, simply, stepping next to him.

    “He loves kids. I love kids. We should be parents. Instead, we’ve been married 10 years now and I am making him live this selfish life of just me that I know he’s getting tired of.” He brushed away a tear.

    Josie quickly glanced behind her, then squeezed his hand and said, “You know my uterus is here if and when you need it. Rent free for 9 months at a time.”

    Leo chuckled. “Thanks.”

    “And remember, both our dads were in their late 40s by the time they had us. I know you miss your dad, but don’t beat yourself up because you are 37 and don’t have kids yet. If our parents taught us anything it’s that these things happen on their own schedule and when their supposed to. Oh, and to never tell the press you have a secret plan to fight inflation.”

    He laughed along with her.

    “But I think I’m going to let your husband deal with the rest of this early mid-life crisis.” Josie stepped back and Marc stepped in, hugging Leo’s arm.

    “Josie, can you get the envelope off the tree for me?” Marc asked Josie before she left. She nodded.

    “How long have you been listening?”

    Marc leaned down and rested his chin on Leo’s shoulder. “Since ‘I want to make Marc a dad’.”

    “Well I do.” His tone was both stubborn and loving.

    “And you are. We are ready now and that’s all I want. But I know you want to help the world out wherever you can. I love that about you.”

    “But, we’ve talked about this and I’ve researched it endlessly and what I want - what we want - just isn’t done in the US yet.” Genetic Engineering had so many ethical issues the US had yet to work through.

    “Which is why,” Marc looked up at Josie who was leaving the decorated living room. He took the brown envelope she had retrieved. “The three of us will be going to Canada in the new year.”

    Leo gasped and opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers. On top was flight itineraries and underneath were information packets.

    “We have a consultation appointment with Dr. Saint-Claire. He’s been doing what we want for a few years now.”

    Leo threw his arms around Marc.

    Marc stroked Leo’s back. “It might take a bit, but we are going to be fathers. Merry Christmas, Leo Love.”

    Leo kissed Marc through tears. “Our kids are going to be Canadian,” Leo laughed.

    “Which will at least give them a fighting chance between our genes.”


    Early - 2054

    Christmas mornings came way too early. They came too early when you spent the last few months campaigning as Vice President and then directing the transition of power. They came to early when this was your family’s last Christmas in Texas for the foreseeable future. And they came too early when you had a eight-year-old, a six-year-old, and a four-year-old.

    Elvie heard his three kids bounding down the hallway. He nudged his wife next to him in the large bed. “Quick. Lock the door,” he yawned, covering his face with a pillow.

    She laughed tiredly as the door burst open. Three small humans in pyjamas bounded onto the bed screaming, “Get up!” “It’s Christmas!” and “MOMMY! DADDY!”

    Elvie got a stray knee to the stomach as someone climbed onto his chest. “UMF!” he grunted, trying to lay very still while he heard Rose sit up.

    “Yes, yes, I’m up,” she was saying.

    “Daddy! I know you’re awake!” said the voice on his chest as she lifted the pillow. It was their youngest, Ella.

    “Nope,” he said, not moving, not even opening his eyes. “Sorry Donnatella Santos,” he said, using her full name. “Daddy is dead.”

    Ella laughed, pulling at his cheeks. “No, you’re not.”

    He then heard his wife get off the bed. “Let me use the bathroom. Get your dad up.”

    Now he opened his eyes. “Traitor,” he called to his wife as he was attacked by his two sons, Matthew and Emilio.

    “Get up Dad!” they insisted, trying to pull him up.

    Elvie let his body go limp. “I can’t.”

    There was a chorus of, “Daaa—aad,” as the Emilio and Ella pulled at his arms while Matthew got behind him.

    “I’m serious guys. Just leave me in bed. I can’t walk.”

    “Well it’s a good thing we have a wheelchair right there,” Matthew smirked.

    Elvie scowled. “Smarty-pants.” He then began grabbing his children and tickling them.


    Family - 2054

    JJ Lyman was now paying for having his Abba and Daddy up at 5 AM. It was now 7 in the morning and the living room at Blair House looked like a tornado had hit a wrapping paper factory (Leo and Marc may have spoiled their children this year for Hanukkah and Christmas). JJ had gotten what he had asked for: a huge bean-bag chair and a pile of books. He and his Abba were currently lounging in the chair (Leo was pretty sure he was now stuck), cuddling with quilts, while JJ read one of his new books. However, every second sentence seemed to be a huge yawn from the little boy.

    “And then an all-all-alli-allig-al-ahhhhhhh.” JJ’s attempt at sounding out ‘alligator’ had devolved into another yawn. His mouth opened wide as his eyes clenched shut, his head shaking as if he was roaring. It was too adorable.

    “Okay,” Leo chuckled, placing the book on a nearby side-table. “I think it might be time for a nap.” He glanced over to the couch where Marc was lying on his back, snoring, their 3-year-old daughter, Miri, fast asleep on his chest. Both their mouths gaped open in the exact same way.

    “But I told you I was going to read to you for Christmas.” JJ pushed his glasses up with a fist and rubbed his eyes.

    Leo took his son’s glasses off his face and tucked them so they hung on the collar of Leo’s grey sweatshirt. “You can read to me after. Right now, Abba wants a kiss.”

    JJ shifted to kiss his father’s cheek, then settled in Leo’s arms, his head on Leo’s chest. It wasn’t long before JJ was asleep.

    Leo breathed in the peace and the love of his family.
     
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  25. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Oh how I loved every word of these!! [face_love]


    Oh man, I feel like I won't be able to sleep after reading that!


    Oh I agree, Elvie! No crumbs in the bed!


    [face_sick] But I don't judge a pregnant woman, either! Elvie knows what's good for him and just gets her food and then lets it go. Rose was cracking me up!


    [face_laugh]



    Awww.... yea! Noah's baby!! <3 I love how good Marc is with her! Of course she'd be spoiled for the holidays!!


    :_| But it makes perfect sense! Leo is a Lyman and thus is a bit dramatic. I mean, I completely understand him not feeling like they could have kids at that moment, but removing them from lists is, well, something that Josh would have done.



    I love how well she knows him, and knows not to let it go. He'll just continue to stew in it rather than address it if she doesn't push.
    Their whole conversation =(([face_love] Leo's so heart broken that he feels like he's messed up Marc's life, and you can tell how much he loves him by how guilty he feels about it. But I love that Josie reminds him their parents were older when they had kids and it was fine. The time hasn't passed yet. I really like this explanation as to why they waited to have kids. Not that they necessarily needed one, people wait sometimes, but I like that you explored that.


    [face_laugh] Oh Josie, I love you.


    This whole part was so beautiful. Marc is so understanding, and loving. He knows his husband, and he loves him because of who he is. And I love that he already knew that Leo was upset about this and had worked to fix it.


    OH MY GOD! This is hilarious! And yeah, may give their kids a fighting chance! LOL!


    Awwww.... I just love this mental image. As annoying as I'm sure it is to be a parent with little kids at Christmas, it's sooo cute!


    Ohhh... they named her Donnatella!! [face_love] Ella! I love it.


    Also, lol at Daddy is dead and how she pulls at his face! So, so cute!



    [face_rofl] I almost spit out my coffee I laughed so hard. I was already laughing at Elvie calling Rose a traitor and then this came. I decided to just put the liquid down until I was done reading because I feared for the life of my laptop!


    I adore this! My boyfriend might hate that I'm reading this because dad's and babies are just about the cutest thing ever and it makes me want that right now! :p
    I love the call back to your earlier story where this is what JJ wanted, and now he got it, and it's everything! His trying to read while yawning is one of those things that kids do that is so adorbs.


    And now my ovaries may be exploding! [face_love] (I need another emoticon like this so I don't keep using the same one over and over!)

    I loved the detail about Leo taking JJ's glasses off and hanging them on his sweatshirt. Sometimes those little things really make the image and this was one of those. And of course how JJ snuggles in and falls asleep.

    *happy sigh*