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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
    AN: This is kinda on the shorter side, but there is a PM only part 5, but I don’t have the energy to send it right now, sorry!


    Part 4


    The next evening, Marc made the entire family grilled salmon, home-made whole grain buns, and greek salad for dinner, with a fruit salad for dessert. He wanted a fancy dinner everyone would remember (because they were going to remember it), but something Josh could eat too. Marc prepared the nice meal under the guise of celebrating Josh being home from the hospital and the entire family being together, but everyone - except for Leo - knew what was up.



    Marc was actually feeling okay (the wine he had been sipping on all while making dinner was helping), but the rest of the family was acting weird, all distracting Leo. Lymans all sucked at “acting naturally.” Noah got Leo to help him set the table on the back deck; Abi “accidentally” spilled her ice coffee on him, forcing him to change and suggesting something a bit nicer, so Leo had changed into a white button down shirt he kept here, and jeans. Marc was also in jeans and the grey button down he had been wearing when he originally was going to propose.



    Everytime Leo tried to get close to Marc, or even just help him in the kitchen, Josh would yell from his spot on the couch, “Leo! Leo! I need to go pee!”



    And Donna was just hovering over Marc.



    Finally, Marc sent Noah, Abi, and Donna out with the fish, salad, wine and water. Marc was putting the warm buns in a breadbasket, when he felt Leo behind him. “Nice buns!” Leo exclaimed, squeezing Marc’s butt.



    Marc turned around and threw a bun at Leo. “Go, get Dad and bring him out.”



    Leo went back to the living room and stood over his dad. “You feeling okay enough to eat outside with us?”



    “Well I’m not eating by myself,” Josh said.



    “Okay. Well, we have the umbrella up,” Leo said, stepping into the front entrance. He got a straw fedora. He plunked it on Josh’s head. “But I don’t want you in the sun.”



    * * *



    Dinner and dessert went smoothly. Marc’s stomach was in knots, but it was almost at if everyone forgot Marc was going to propose, until he suggested after dessert, “Leo, I want to show you something in the garden.”



    “Wha?” Leo asked, fishing another blueberry from the fruit salad.



    “Just come on,” Marc said, getting up and pulling Leo along with him. They walked hand-in-hand through the back yard to the bench under the large tree. The flowers were colourful blooms, the grass was green, and the sun was just beginning to set. They sat down and Leo looked up at the deck.



    “Marc, Love,” Leo said. “My entire family is staring at us.”



    And Marc just knew it was time. He was doing this now, before he vomit on Leo and his heart burst from his chest. He was just going to do it. Marc wrapped his arm around Leo’s waist and touched his chin, getting Leo to look at him. “I love you Leo.”



    Leo grinned. “I love you too, Marc!”



    With blood pounding in his ears and sweat seeping from his pores, Marc slid off the bench and knelt on one knee in front of Leo.



    “Marc?” Leo’s breath was shaking. “What are you doing?”



    “Proposing to you,” Marc replied with a smile.



    Leo’s eyes just went huge. “Marc! I wanted to do this!”



    “Well too bad, because I get to do it!” Marc shouted and laughed out of pure nervousness. He had been pretty sure of Leo’s answer (and now he was confident), but he was still wracked with anxiety. “Leo,” he said, taking a huge breath and looking up into Leo’s eyes. Leo was already crying, hand over his mouth in shock. Marc got the ring box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal Elijah Lyman’s wedding band. “I hope this isn’t a bad time with your dad just in the hospital, but I can’t wait any longer. You are the love of my life. You are the first thing I think of when I wake in the morning and the last thing I see at night. You make me laugh… you irritate me to no end… and I want to spend the rest of my life as your husband. Will you -.”



    “Yes! Marc! Yes!” Leo burst and attacked him with a hug. They both tumbled on the grass



    “-Marry me?” Marc finished, simply because he felt he had to as he held, then kissed, Leo back. They heard clapping and cheering from Leo’s family. They got back onto the bench and Marc tried to put the ring onto Leo’s hand, while all Leo wanted to do was kiss and hold-each other more. “Let me put the ring on you!” Marc laughed. “I… I actually got it from your dad. It was your great-grandfather’s. I told Dad I was planning on asking you, and I had even bought you a ring, but he insisted I give you have this.”



    Leo looked carefully at the gold ring. He then examined the box. “No, Marc,” he gasped. “No, no, no.” He recognized the box from his dad’s dresser.



    Marc was taken aback. He was sure Leo would have loved to have been married with his great-grandfather’s ring. He felt disappointed in himself. “I’m sorry. I still have the ring I bought for you, but I thought… I mean, your dad…. I have the other ring in my suitcase.”



    Leo took the ring from the box. “Marc, I love it, but I want you to have it.” He held it out to Marc.



    Marc gasped.



    “Dad?” Leo called toward his family. “Can I give Marc the ring?”



    “You can do whatever you want!” Josh called back, sounding strong and proud.



    Leo turned back to Marc. “You got to do the proposal, so now it’s my turn to make you cry.” Leo didn’t get down on one knee - he just let Marc continue to hold him. “If you will have this ring, it means you will be a part of my life and my family, forever. There’s no one else I want to live my life with. I want to have a family with you. I want to hold your hand, with this ring on it, as we become Dads and grow old together…. Or, we can just get you a new ring.”



    “I want the ring! Of course, I would love to have the ring!” Marc laughed through tears of happiness as he held up his left hand, as Leo slid it onto Marc’s ring finger. Marc held Leo close.



    “I love you,” Leo mumbled into Marc’s shoulder.



    “Love you too.” Marc captured Leo’s mouth in another kiss. It was long, slow, passionate, and full of love.



    Leo then abruptly pulled away. “I want my ring!” He pulled up Marc and back up to the patio. There they were met by hugs and congratulations from Josh, Donna, Abi and Noah.



    “Leo, Marc?” Josh said, looking briefly at Donna, then back to the recently engaged couple. “We would like to give you your wedding present now.”



    Donna grinned. “Dad and I would like to put a down payment on a mortgage for you two so you guys can get a condo or townhouse here in DC for you two.”



    Marc was in shock. This was going to help them financially for the rest of their lives. Leo just lunged and hugged his parents. “Thank you so much!”



    “Thank… thank you so much!” Marc said in awe as he hugged them as well.



    “You’re both so welcome,” Donna beamed. “Just having the two of you close-by will be so wonderful.”



    Eventually, Marc and Leo slipped inside to get Leo’s ring. They made it down into the basement before Leo pushed Marc against the wall, kissing him on the mouth, grinding against Marc.



    Marc gasped. “So this is is why you wanted to come inside,” he laughed as Leo kissed his neck. Leo put his arms around Marc’s shoulders and Marc placed his hands on Leo’s hips. Leo played with the hair at the back of Marc’s neck.



    Marc brought Leo into their bedroom, dug around in his suitcase, then presented Leo with his ring. Marc slipped it onto Leo’s finger and Leo simply beamed with happiness as he admired the rings on his and Marc’s hand.



    “I can’t wait for our future together, married, here in DC.”



    Leo rested his head on Marc’s shoulder as they sat beside each other. “Neither can I. I want to wake up and fall asleep next to you in our beautiful marriage. I love you.”



    “I love you too.”
     
  2. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    [​IMG]
    I love this so, so much!! My boys!!! I just love them so much!

    Whaaa.... but I needs it nows!

    Just kidding. Whenever works for you, works for me. Well, I do need it.

    He's just so sweet!! And that sounds so good, I want that right now!

    [face_laugh] I'm just imagining the whole family trying to act natural, failing at it and Marc getting more and more nervous that someone was going to say something. Oh man, that's such a good mental image.

    hahaha... Oh Leo!

    And poor Marc has gotten to this part twice! That's a lot of time for the nerves to build and build. Even if you are pretty sure you know the answer, that's a lot of nerves!

    Well you waited too long, Leo!! But it's so cute that's what he said!

    [face_love] [:D] That is just the sweetest proposal!! It's similar to my favorite TV proposal on Brothers & Sisters where the one guy says "I even love the things about you that I hate." So when Marc talked about the irritating things, I squeeed! It's realistic. If you can love someone even in the things that drive you nuts, then that's love.

    And this is where I really hit Toby from above. Leo!!!!! That is just the sweetest thing I've ever heard. He wants Marc to have it to have that extra connection to his family. I just... :_|:_|(in a happy way!)

    That's a perfect gift!! Like Marc says, it will set them up for life!

    [face_love][face_love][face_love]

    I'm just so happy and feel so much love!!! This was a perfect proposal for them! Thank you for writing it! =D==D=

    (And I can't wait for the PM chapter!)
     
  3. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    Words and Actions:

    Okay, so I've read some of this WW-verse but I think Elvie and Rose are slightly newer to me. (Though I think I do remember Elvie being one of the gaggle of kids in an earlier installment somewhere.) Anyway, all that is to say that though they're not quite familiar to me these characters were really likeable and each of their oversights/mistakes made so much sense for their personalities.

    Rose and Elvie obviously care really deeply for each other, but that doesn't make every single disagreement that comes up easy. All through the beginning I could really picture the awkwardness and emotional strain of the situation pouring off them. It can be hard to mend things even and sometimes especially when no one involved is 100% wrong.

    They're so in love! [face_love] It's really lovely that Elvie and Rose are both able to offer each other comfort even when they're fighting -- and honestly seems like a good thing to me that they are still fighting in spite of that. There's a kind of balance between making sure that everyone is truly being real and not painting over serious issues, and also still being loving. Which these two are. And wow, I can sympathize so much with Leo's wanting to basically smoosh them together and Fix It Now, but also with Marc's caution and not wanting to make things worse by meddling. (He probably feels bad that he encouraged his friends to release the Fight Kraken at what turned out to be a bad time -- ouch. [face_sigh])

    I liked the little bit of reference back to other stories about Marc, Leo, Elvie and the gang with the next generation of kids going off on their camping adventure. It's really great that their parents remember how important that time was for them and make space for it. (Well, also it gets them out of the adults' hair of course. :p ) Also liked seeing how Marc and Leo are there for each other with flirting and banter but also steady support. They know probably more than anyone the kind of strain that Rose and Elvie have to deal with from being in the public eye.

    I like that we get to see the couple's points of view through their conversations with their friends. Elvie wants to put his job and independence first, which is understandable... just not always practical beyond a point. And Rose sees he's in pain and wanted to help with a solution... that she didn't warn him about. They both failed to communicate well.

    :p As serious as the topic of conversation is, I'm glad Marc still acts like Elvie's childhood friend -- that is, he gives him a bit of grief. I suspect he needed to hear that, along with the rest of it. And Rose's worries, though not the most realistic, are really heartwrenching. It would be pretty near impossible to watch people you loved go through that (and at such a young age) and not come away affected somehow. I'm glad that Leo was able to reassure her of what she probably knows rationally -- that that isn't going to happen with her and Elvie.

    It was really wonderful to see Rose and Elvie talk it out in the end, once they'd gotten their thoughts together and weren't in the worst possible moment for the topic. It helps to not already be under More! Extra! stress when talking about stressful things.

    [face_laugh] Well, I'm glad that Elvie and Rose get to have some much-needed quality time -- though not without getting teased by their friends of course!
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2019
  4. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Goodness, it has been much too long since I last properly read your WW 'verse; I was happy to rectify that here and now. So, let me start by saying that I have the utmost respect for the cast of characters you guys have cultivated and the far reaching story you've plotted out together. It really is a wonderful collection of work! I felt like I was coming back to old friends!

    So, to dive right in on Words and Actions! [face_dancing] :D [face_love]

    Whew! Talk about jumping right into the misunderstanding meat of the story! The tension to begin was palpable enough to leap off the screen; I really felt for both couples. =((

    Yikes! Burn! [face_plain] [face_worried]

    [face_love] =D=

    I feel like these two lines could encompass the whole of the story! This moment was so incredibly touching. No matter their anger, it was actions that spoke louder than words here. Which is a good juxtaposition to the actions without words, and subsequent words spoken in physical pain and emotional turmoil that were probably less than wise later in retrospect.

    I then love how Leo instantly feels like he must FIX EVERYTHING. And Marc being the more cautious of the two, but ultimately just as supportive. Speaking of wonderfully matched couples! I really appreciate how this story was an ode to the friendship between the four as much as it was a tale of two OTPs. [face_love]

    And: locking them in a closet until they make up! Brilliant; I approve! I betcha there are quite a few problems Leo would love to solve that way as president. :p [face_laugh]

    Gah, this gutted me! Every little bit of this conversation I loved; I could have quoted the entire thing. It's more than understandable how their misunderstanding came to pass. I know others have praised how neither couple is right nor wrong, just human, but I have to applaud how deft your storytelling is again here.

    Amen. To. That! o_O [face_waiting] I could have smacked Elvie myself!

    Bwaha! I loved his insistence on informality to let the smack talk begin, as much as it shows how Rose is hurting and Leo wants nothing more than to be there for her. [face_love]

    Gah, THIS!! See aforementioned Leader of the Free World who wishes he could do so much more with the vast powers at his disposal. I too love how ths echoed the best part of Josh's character, and reminded me too of Bartlet settling the trucking union dispute to feel like he was capable of fixing anything. Spot on, A+ work. =D=

    I could have quoted so many passages to pick out how well you handled this subject, again. Both Elvie and Rose want so badly to take care of each other, but pain and frustration and independence vs. actual limitations are hard burdens to fight with for any couple, let alone a partnership with their unique circumstances. It's a testament to how strong their love is that their relationship is thriving instead. [face_love]

    [face_love] =D=

    Perfect misunderstanding cleared up was perfect. Even the silly butt banter was perfect - or maybe the dialogue was all the more so because of that! Humor is a much needed form of healthy decompression for this cast of characters. :p

    "John Adams doesn't have a real job anyway." [face_rofl] ;) :*

    But, in all seriousness: great job with this story! Fantastic framing; fantasic build-up and resolution; fantastic dialogue; fantasic characterizations - just fantastic all around. You don't get much better than this. =D= [face_love]
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2019
    Kahara and Briannakin like this.
  5. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Thank you! I just loved writing this one so much! I'm glad you loved it!
    You survived :p

    Marc is such a sweetheart to Donna and Josh! I love it and I think Leo does too!

    I just loved the idea of Josh, Donna and the twins trying to 'fly casually" and just FAILING miserably, but it doesn't matter because Leo is just so oblivious!
    That's about as naughty as Leo gets around other company :p

    Yes! I feel so bad because I can imagine how nervous it would be (even if you are pretty sure), and yeah, he had to do it twice!
    It's so cute because I think Leo was planning something, but Marc beat him to it!
    Exactly. Marc loves Leo, even when he's driving him nuts (which, lets be honest, is probably a lot [face_laugh])
    HE GAVE HIM THE RING!!!!!!
    Exactly, which I think Josh and Donna would want to do for all of their kids (which includes Marc)
    Thank you! I'm glad you felt the love because I was just so happy with how this turned out! Thank you for reading.

    Thanks for reading and I'm glad you did, even though you aren't familiar with Rose and Elvie. I'm glad you liked them and that you thought their actions made sense for their personalities. I've really worked hard on these personalities so I'm so happy to read this.

    Thanks, Yeah, it's hard to write that dynamic of trying to keep it real - these are serious issues - while also making sure the reader knows these two are still very much in love.

    And LOL! Leo totally just wants to smoosh them together!!

    Yeah, they still want their kids to be kids just like they were... but they also probably just want the kids out of their hair.

    Thanks, I was a it worried about the "telling but not showing" the misunderstanding but I think the fic still worked. And yeah, both sides are understandable, but you can see where they messed up.

    Yeah, this fic kinda shows that sometimes you do 'need to go to bed angry' so-to-speak and just give it time when you aren't trying to work it out while you are tired, stressed, in pain etc.

    Yeah, of course they needed to be teased :p

    Thanks for reading!
    Thanks for coming back and reading! I'm so glad it was like coming back to old friends. The muse really has gotten out of hand, but one of the things I love about this series is that you really don't have to read or remember every single one of the previous stories to understand and enjoy any given one (and plotting? whats that? :p)

    Yup. I think this is one of those situations most people can relate to. Maybe not in a helicopter, but we've been at that party, or restaurant, or in the car when a couple is CLEARLY FIGHTING and just making it so tense for everybody else.

    Thanks. I really wanted the theme of "actions speaking louder than words" to come out here. Though yeah, some words are regretted later.

    Leo is just a fixer and I love it! But yeah, as much as I love the 2 OTPs, I also just love the friendship the four of these guys have

    [face_rofl]I feel like locking them in closets would solve so many of the world's problems!

    Thanks so much. I really just wanted a very "human" misunderstanding.
    LOL. Yeah, he could probably use a good smack upside the head.
    Thanks. I love Leo insisting on being casual and just wanting to be there as a friend.
    Yup!! Leo very much takes after Josh in that regard, but that particular bit was really inspired by Bartlet, especially when he settled the trucking union dispute
    Yeah, context aside, I feel as though this is a relatable and common frustration within relationships.
    Thanks. I love angst, and I LOVE that these guys can transition into fun banter as healthy decompression
    Comparing Elvie to VPs in Hamilton will never not be funny! [face_laugh]

    Thank you so much [:D] and thanks for reading!
     
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  6. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: Breaking Abba’s Heart
    Timeframe:
    Sometime in 2056 (Post-Mav’s “Abba and Miri”)
    Characters: Leo and JJ
    A/N: What is with me and angst? I’m so mean to poor JJ. (Don’t worry, this isn’t the assassination attempt; I’m not THAT mean). Also, I reference “Sound of Love” (in part 2) and “Abba and Miri” in this fic. Also, minor reference to “The Drop-In” with Leo McGarry and his missile shield.


    Part 1


    “Josie, I kinda hate you,” Leo said as he sat in his leather chair behind the Resolute desk. She had just pulled him out of a round-table meeting on Middle-Eastern economics for a conference call between NATO commanders regarding another maritime traffic conflict in the Gulf of Arden. In short, nothing happened. “The situation between Somalia and Yemen will resolve itself once we figure out how to help Somalia grow its own food and build its economy.”



    “Yes, but how long will that take, and will we see the conflict escalate in the meantime?” Josie pointedly asked, tucking an errant piece of brown hair behind her ear. Leo and Josie were still best friends, but they did sometime have professional difference in opinion. Leo was okay with waiting to see what would happen, waiting for a peaceful solution which would solve the long term issue. Josie wanted to be more proactive. “This is exactly like the missile shield all over again,” she said as she made her way to her office.



    “That technology has promise. They just need time to fine-tune the programming.”



    137 miles, Mr. President. Worse than your throwing ability.”



    “I should throw something at you,” Leo rolled his eyes. “What’s next?”



    “You have the NCS Deputy Chief of Staff for the notes on HB 342 at 3, then the HUD Secretary at 3:20 so I’d take this free time I made for you to read over those briefs,” she said, pointing to one pile on his desk, “and you gotta read and sign those appropriations proposals.” She had been nagging him all day about that pile.



    “Don’t tell me what to do,” he sneered, still, he reached for the pile as she reached for the door handle. His expression softened. “Hey, JJ will be coming by in a minute or two.” On days when his schedule would allow it, Leo liked JJ to come visit him in the office after school. It was often for less than 5 minutes, but it was an important bonding moment for Leo to be able to ask JJ about his day at school. “Stick around for some hugs.”



    “I wish I could, but Milo got into a mess last night on Capital Beat.”



    Leo raised an eyebrow. One of Josie’s deputies had a mouth. “Do I want to know?”



    Josie winced. “It involved Christian fundamentalists and the end of the world, so no, you really don’t. I gotta bribe Elvie into doing a ‘Grandpa Jed’ move for me with Reverend Tillhouse. But if JJ will wait like 10 minutes I might be able to walk him back to the residence.” Leo nodded and she left through her door, so Leo went back to work.



    Two minutes later, Leo heard his door-knob turn. Very few people had walk-in privileges to the Oval Office, and only one was so tentative when he opened the door.



    “There’s my big man!” Leo exclaimed as JJ entered. “There’s my JJ.”



    JJ was wearing jeans, a blue shirt, and maroon hoodie. He was dragging his backpack. Something was clearly wrong. Leo might be oblivious when it came to other matters, but he knew his kids. JJ never dragged his backpack. He was pale (well, paler than normal) and shaking.



    “J?” Leo said, getting up and placing a hand in the middle of JJ’s back, guiding him to one of the grey couches. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” The two sat and Leo put his arm around JJ and JJ pretty much collapsed into Leo’s side. JJ tried getting under Leo’s dark grey suite jacket and to snuggle up to the pastel pink shirt.



    “I have a headache. I don’t know why.” He shivered. “I’m cold and dizzy,” he whimpered. “I feel so spin-ny.”



    Leo softly sighed. Marc suffered from migraines and both fathers expected that JJ, with his poor eyesight, probably would too. It was one of the reasons why both Leo and Marc avoided wearing strongly scented cologne or aftershave - they didn’t want to trigger anything. JJ had experienced a few headaches in the past, but Marc had always been good at ‘nipping them in the bud’ - giving JJ a small snack with some water and to bed in a dark, quiet room, snuggling with him if JJ wanted. But Marc was at work now, having gone back to his position in his architecture firm. Leo would be dealing this one on his own. Leo could pass his son off to Donna; she’d have the gentleness to take care of JJ. But something inside Leo just wanted to be with his son through, what Leo could only imagine, was a very scary time. He looked at his desk; everything he had on his agenda for this afternoon could wait a few hours. He’d have to come back to the office this evening and ask Josie and Mrs. Paddington to as well, but both would understand.



    Leo had seen Marc through migraines and Leo always hated to see Marc in so much pain - often for no apparent reason, unable to do anything or even get out of bed. Leo always wanted to help, but knew it was sometimes best to leave Marc to rest, knowing sometimes even another person’s breathing could make the pain worse for Marc. Leo wasn’t sure if he could leave JJ’s side, even if JJ just needed to be alone.



    “Okay,” Leo breathed, taking JJ’s glasses off and putting them on the side table. “Just close your eyes,” he tried to speak as quietly and softly as possible. “I’m going to tell Mrs. Paddington, then we’re going to go back home and cuddle in mine and Daddy’s bed—.”



    Suddenly, Secret Service agents from both Leo’s and JJ’s team burst in wearing surgical masks. “Sir?” one of Leo’s agent’s - Mason Wilson - said, holding out a mask. “Please put this on and follow us.” It wasn’t a request, but an order.



    Leo’s immediate concern was for JJ. After the whole incident with Miri and the Rose Garden a few months ago, procedure had been examined and it was decided that if there was a security concern and JJ or Miri were in the same room as him, the kids would remain in the same room (unless there was an immediate danger), but Leo would have to entrust the agents to hold and care for the kids. Leo wasn’t happy with the compromise, especially at this moment.



    Jackie, one of JJ’s agents, knelt at his side, holding a mask. She began putting its over his mouth and behind his ears. “JJ I need you to keep this on and let Alex carry you.” Leo pulled JJ closer. He knew these people and trusted them, but Leo needed to be Abba right now.



    Leo put his own mask on as the head of the Presidential Detail entered. “Frank, if this is a drill, it’s a really bad time.”



    Frank shook his head, ushering Leo up. “Sorry, Sir. We’ve detected a spike in the environmental pollutants in the Oval Office. The building is now on lock-down and we need you and Josiah-Joshua to be medically evaluated.”



    Leo rolled his eyes. If he had a dollar every time the White House atmospheric sensors went on the fritz for no reason, he’d be a very wealthy man (not that his family was hurting financially). “I know we need to follow procedure, but JJ has a migraine so if we can just -.”



    Frank’s face made Leo freeze. Frank was normally a complete professional, but alarm flashed in his eyes, causing Leo to shut up. He made sure JJ was okay getting onto Alex’s back; JJ was getting a bit old to be carried around - he was 7 - but Alex was a big guy who could carry JJ in an emergency. Leo kept a hand on JJ’s back as they hurried out and down the halls of the West Wing.



    JJ just whimpered and began crying. Leo immediately took off his jacket and put it over JJ’s head. They hurried down a set of stairs and they entered a room Leo had never seen. He was directed to a chair that was already being hovered over by several other agents and people in white lab coats. Leo didn’t want to think something may actually be wrong.



    Leo was forcefully guided onto the chair. He immediately looked around for JJ and - thankfully - Alex set JJ down in Leo’s lap.



    “Sir?” one of the women in white coats said, “My name is Major Benson. We need to do a examination,” she said, shining a light in his eyes. “Are you in any pain or discomfort?”



    “No, no,” he said. “I’m fine.” He wrapped his arms around JJ. “JJ has a migraine, but it’s nothing abnormal.”



    Another doctor began rolling up Leo’s sleeve to take his blood pressure. “Any feeling of pressure in your stomach or lightheadedness?”



    “No, I feel fine.” Leo held JJ closer with one arm, rubbing his forehead gently. “Can we please just cut this drill off so I can get him to bed? He’s not feeling well.”



    If it was a drill, they were being thorough. Another doctor took a cheek swab, nasal swab, and a blood test from Leo. He could hear JJ’s agents being interrogated by Frank; they were insisting nothing out of the ordinary had happened at school. Meanwhile Major Benson was trying to get answers from JJ.



    “Josiah-Joshua? Can you tell me what hurts?” she asked, kneeling in front of him.



    JJ didn’t reply. He had his buried face in Leo’s shirt, crying.



    “He has a migraine,” Leo said softly. “It’s nothing entirely unexpected. He was complaining of a headache, chills, being dizzy. I just need to get him some kids’ Gravol and Tylenol.” Leo then spoke to JJ, “Then we’ll cuddle and snuggle and you’ll feel all better.”



    “We still need to take samples and send them to the lab.” She then put a small band around JJ’s wrist to measure his blood pressure.



    Getting a cheek swab and a nasal swab was pretty easy. The blood sample on the other hand, was a fight. Leo held JJ while another doctor held JJ’s arm and Benson stuck the needle in. “Just a small little ouchie,” Leo said, kissing JJ’s forehead. As hard as it was to hold JJ though his screams, Leo wouldn’t pass him off.



    JJ pulled away from Leo. “Daddy! I want DADDY!” he cried.



    That just shattered Leo’s heart. He knew practically every parent in the history of the world had heard heard their kid scream for the other parent; he knew Marc had told him of times when the kids had wanted their Abba - heck, Leo remembered doing it to his dad on a couple of occasions when his mother had worked for First Lady Helen Santos. Still, it was extremely hard to hear JJ scream for Marc.



    “My Love,” Leo whispered to his son as they continued to draw his blood. “I know your head really hurts and you want Daddy,” he said, placing his hand over JJ’s forehead, hoping maybe the warmth of his palm would help. Leo wanted Marc here too. He wanted to be able to comfort JJ, even if it was by passing him off to Marc. “But I’m scared and we need to make sure you and I aren’t sick. When we are all done, we will help your head, I promise. I love you very much and will take care of you.”



    They finished drawing blood and retracted the needle, placing a cotton ball over the spot of blood.



    “Sir,” Frank said. “We need you and JJ to have a decontamination shower and go into the quarantine room until we get the results back.”



    Alex moved to take JJ, but Leo shook his head. “I’ll care for him.”
     
  7. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I'd be glad to be pulled out of that meeting! I-) :p But yeah, maybe not for that!

    [face_laugh] I love this look at how they navigate their friendship and their job responsibilities. No ones going to do it in the same way and I really like the unique way they've established.

    They have their own Josh!! [face_rofl]
    And the idea of Elvie doing the Grandpa Jed made me laugh so hard!

    This mental image [face_love]
    Even though JJ didn't feel good, it was so sweet! !

    I'm so afraid of this when I have kids. My grandmother had them, my mom has them (so does my uncle), I have them, I think it's pretty much inevitable. [face_sigh]

    Yeah, that would be so hard. I'm sure it's hard to leave an adult alone when you know they are in pain, but it's for the best. But a kid, you really can't and I don't think they would know yet that it feels better that way. But you'd need to be there if they got sick or things got worse, or just for comfort.

    I know you said this wasn't the assassination attempt, but I still couldn't help but think someone got something on JJ and that's why he was feeling bad. But poor JJ. I can't imagine how painful that would all be when you have a migraine! :(

    And I'd hope that if it had been a drill they would have listened to him. Drills shouldn't always be at the most perfect time, but hopefully they wouldn't do it when one of the kids was sick if they knew that.


    The idea of someone 'forcefully' having to guide POTUS into a chair, that's a job I don't want! It's necessary because it could be his life on the line, but stil...

    =(( Even though Leo is right, it's not intentional on JJs part, it still hurts. And poor JJ feels so bad. I just :_|

    I'm excited for the next part!!
     
  8. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Well Leo is the nerdiest of all nerds :p
    Thanks. I felt like I needed to add SOME West Wing work content into this fanfic :p It is a fun look into their friend/employee relationship, that is totally unique to them.

    They totally have their own Josh!
    I have this vision of Elvie going full out "judge not lest ye be judged" but I have no idea how to make it into a plot.
    I feel so bad for poor JJ but he's awfully cute, just wanting to snuggle with his abba
    Yeah. My mom has them, and my dad had them really bad. So it was kinda inevitable for me, but my sister doesn't suffer from them.
    Yeah, plus it's Leo so he just wants to fix everything, but that would be hard to know the best thing to do is to just leave JJ alone, even if he doesn't want that
    I know. That's what I kinda imply is a possibility but it's so mean!
    Yeah, I'm not sure the Secret Service would take that into account when doing drills. I hope they would but something tells me they wouldn't.
    Yeah, it's kinda like Charlie's "waking the president up". Of course this is a much more serious job, but I wouldn't want either.
    I know. I'm so mean! But the next part just makes it all worth it!
     
  9. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    A/N: I have no idea about White House decontamination procedure, and a google search gave me nothing (unsurprisingly). So I’m going off the episode “No-Exit” and a fair bit of creative liberties. You know way more than me, so I am so sorry if you just cringe through the first bit.

    Also, so I had like 3 Elvie/Rose fics all like 90% finished but I couldn't think of an ending for any of them, until like last week when I finished all of them so get ready for some Rovie humour, angst, and mush. By that time I MIGHT be done with the assassination story (mwhahahaha!). Anyway.

    Also, also, I forgot to post this last week: I've now been writing this series for over 2 years and I've posted over 200,000 words!!!! Wow. #noregrets! But seriously, this series has been my creative outlet though some stressful times and I'm so thankful you created these characters, introduced me to the West Wing, and continue to read! I never thought I would love OCs or a NSWFF as much as I love and enjoy this. [:D] I NEVER imagined I'd stick with a "story" this long. Am I going to get to 300k and 3 years? I don't know, but the muse is still giving me stuff, and challenges are still sparking ideas, and I'm still having fun.

    ANYWAY.


    Part 2

    The instructions for the decontamination showers were pretty clear; strip naked, go into the shower, scrub for 5 minutes, exit out the other side. Doing that with a sick kid, however, was more of a challenge.



    Leo made JJ go first, then followed behind his son into the borderline painfully hard spray of water. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t a nice, warm, relaxing shower either. JJ was crying, his eyes shut tightly. “It’s okay. I’m right here,” Leo said, reaching for JJ’s hand and guiding him out into a small dressing room. There was a stack of bleach white towels and folded clothes in baskets.



    Leo wrapped a towel around his waist, then set JJ on a chair and wrapped the shivering kid in the white towels. He turned his back and rifled through the basket of clothes until he found a pair of boxer-briefs, socks, sweat-pants, t-shirt, and hoodie, all in a standard grey. He had the pants on and was pulling on the shirt, when he heard a soft but urgent, “Abba!” before JJ vomited all over himself.



    “It’s alright,” Leo said, thankful all the vomit was on one towel. He placed it in a hamper. JJ seemed to go limp and looked exactly like Marc when he was dealing with the worst of the worse when it came to migraines. Leo quickly dressed JJ in similar clothing.



    JJ didn’t fight much. “I’m so sorry, Abba,” he said tearfully. “I’m so cold.”



    Without thinking, Leo took off his own sweatshirt and put in onto JJ, then picked him up, holding him close in a hug. JJ placed his head on Leo’s shoulder. JJ was getting big but Leo carried him out into a large room. There was a small kitchenette, a table, four sofas facing each-other and a set of shelves with books, boardgames, cards and a few stuffed animals. There was also a bucket of blankets and pillows. Marc had stocked this place to be as comfortable as possible for the kids during a scary time.



    JJ started to get extremely heavy, so Leo placed him on the comfiest looking couch.



    “I’m so sorry, Abba,” JJ continued to sob.



    “It’s okay,” Leo assured him, getting him to lie down. Marc always wanted to be lying down when he had a migraine. “You’re not feeling well and I’m going to take care of you.” He gently caressed JJ’s cheek.



    “I forgot my glasses,” he cried. “I don’t know where they are.”



    Leo knelt down. “Your glasses are in my office, Love.” He kissed JJ’s forehead. “I’m going to get you some water, then I’ll make you up a bed.”



    Leo walked over to the kitchenette and found a bottle of water, a juice-box, raisins, and some crackers. Hopefully none of it was too stale. Most of the snacks here seemed to be loaded with preservatives or sugar and he knew that wouldn’t help a migraine. A few members of the Secret Service began coming in from the showers - it made sense that they would be in quarantine too until they figure out what was going on. “Hey,” Leo said. “JJ has a migraine. Is there any way we can dim the lights? And is there any medicine here? He vomited in the shower.”



    One of the agents turned off most the lights except for the lights by the door and kitchenette. Another agent - Mike - spoke to one of the doctors using an intercom. “Sir?” the agent asked for the doctor. “Was there any blood in the vomit?”



    Leo tried not to be annoyed to the point of anger. If there had been blood in JJ’s up-chuck, Leo would have freaked out, just like any parent. “No,” he simply said. “It was a fairly standard tan.” He still refused to think there was anything wrong, other than a faulty sensor and JJ having a migraine.



    “There’s children’s Tylenol and Gravol in the left cupboard,” Mike said.



    Leo nodded and got both bottles, then returned to JJ’s side. “Hey JJ.” Leo gently sat down. “Wanna sit up and lean on me?”



    JJ shook his head. “I think I’m going to puke again.” He was so miserable, it broke Leo’s heart. They should be cuddled up in bed, not in some random converted office room. “My mouth tastes yucky, Abba.”



    “Okay,” Leo said, getting two pills - thank God they were pills - and the water. “Take these and I’ll get you a bucket if you do puke again.”



    JJ’s agents, who were now hovering close-by, found Leo an empty waste-bin. Leo knew that JJ’s agents did care for him, but he was thankful they kept quiet. JJ had already asked for Marc, Leo could deal with that, but JJ didn’t prefer his agents over his Abba… did he?



    A thought washed over him. Imogene. Imogene Seaborn-Lyman hated the fact that her father… then her mother, had been president. Imogene had never been close to her father growing up. Was JJ Leo’s Imogene?



    JJ took both pills, some water, and nibbled on a cracker, even-though he really didn’t want to. “Abba, no, I can’t.” JJ put the cracker on the side-table.



    “It’s okay.” Leo didn’t want to force JJ to eat, but he knew Marc would try to eat a little something so he wouldn’t have to deal with hunger pains too. Leo wished Marc were here, he’d know exactly what to do and how to make JJ feel better.



    Leo got up, got a sheet, a pillow, and a large quilt. He began making up a bed for JJ on the couch.



    “Abba?” JJ asked in the softest of voices. His hands were hidden in the extra-long sleeves of Leo’s sweatshirt. “Can we cuddle?”



    Leo looked at his son and his heart flooded with love. He always hated not being able to be there for his kids whenever they needed them, but he was here now. “Of course, my Love.” He got JJ up for a minute, spread out the sheet, place the pillow, and then laid down with JJ on his chest and covered them both up with a large, warm quilt. “How’s this?” He kissed his son’s cheek.



    JJ nuzzled Leo’s chest. “Can you put your hand on my forehead again? It made me feel better.”



    Leo gently put his hand on JJ’s forehead, wishing he had a warm compress for the kid. As soon as they got out of here, he’d do anything he could to make sure JJ felt better.



    JJ relaxed and Leo used his free hand to rub JJ’s back. Leo felt guilty for enjoying this bit of snuggle time when JJ was so sick and scared.



    “Abba?” JJ said after awhile, lifting his head to look at Leo. “What’s this sound in your chest?”



    Leo smiled, remembering a moment with his own Abba from a very long time ago. “That’s my heart. It’s a biiiiig, important muscle that pumps blood all through your body. It’s life, and it’s love. It’s the love you, your daddy, your sister, and Grandma has for me.” He then took JJ’s hand in his own and pressed them to JJ’s chest, over his heart. “Your heart beats because I love you, Daddy loves you, Miri loves you, and Grandma loves you.”



    JJ returned the smile weakly, then let out a roaring yawn.



    Leo yawned too as JJ laid his head back down.



    * * *



    An hour later, Leo was woken from his nap, having not realized he had fallen asleep. Someone had tapped Leo on the shoulder. He looked up to see Frank.



    “Sorry Sir,” the agent said.



    “It’s fine,” Leo said, rubbing his eyes with his free hand, while still holding his other arm around JJ. Well, Leo’s other arm was pinned. JJ had shifted in his sleep and the kid was now wedged between the couch and Leo’s side. It reminded Leo of how tight JJ had preferred to be cuddled as a baby. JJ looked completely content as he laid tangled in Leo’s arm.



    “Results came back from the labs. Both you and Josiah Joshua are healthy. No other sensors in the building were triggered, so we want to do more tests in the Oval Office and West Wing, but you can go back to the Residence.”



    Leo nodded. “Thank you.” Sitting up, he got a good hold on JJ and lifted him up and began carrying him. They were half way up the first flight of stairs, when Leo’s back began spasming. It was breaking his heart; his baby boy was too big for him to carry. But Leo went on anyway, wondering how the hell his dad used to carry the twins. His back was killing him. Where the hell was Elvie when you needed a rolling pharmacy?



    He eventually made it back to the residence. His mother gave him a questioning look as he passed. “Stupid sensor went on the fritz,” he said as a way of explanation. “He was in my office and had a migraine. We were rushed into quarantine. They’re testing the sensors so I guess I have the afternoon free. I’m going to go snuggle with him.”



    Donna frowned and kissed the back of JJ’s head. “My poor baby. I’ll keep Miri quiet and occupied.”



    “Can you call Marc? Tell him JJ has a migraine?” Leo asked. He wanted Marc here when JJ woke up. Normally Marc was fine after sleeping - and hoped JJ would be too - but Leo remembered one weekend when Marc had a migraine from 3 days. It had crushed Leo to see Marc in such pain. Leo didn’t like disturbing Marc at work, but Leo had no idea what to do if JJ woke up still sick.



    Plus, JJ had yelled for Marc. The memory still broke Leo but if JJ wanted his Daddy, Leo would get him.



    “Tell him I would like it if he came home a bit early, for JJ.” Leo was dropping JJ, so he hurried into the master bedroom and plunked him in the middle of the bed.



    JJ began giggling as he slowly sank into the mountain of pillows.



    “How long have you been awake?” Leo asked with a laugh as he pressed a button to lower the blinds.



    “A bit. Can we still cuddle?” JJ looked so hopeful.



    “Yes! Of course,” Leo said, crawling into bed with JJ and tucking them both in. “Are you feeling better?”



    JJ nodded and snuggled closer to Leo. “Yeah, but I think I need more cuddles.”



    “Well, Daddy is going to be home soon.”



    JJ looked down and pouted. “Can you stay a bit longer? I want cuddles from you too.



    “That, Abba can do,” Leo said as he kissed JJ’s forehead and held him close.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2019
  10. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    WOW!! That's a lot of words! Thank YOU for continuing to write them and giving them such amazing stories! And for the OCs you've created. I too never thought I love OCs like this. I've like them on occasion, but never like this. I look forward to 300,000 more words! ;)


    That sounds pretty good to me! I mean, not good in the I want to do it, but in the decon sense.

    :( Poor, poor JJ. This must be excruciating. I'll sometimes take a really hot shower, but being cold makes it worse because shivering is awful. (I know I'm preaching to the choir.) And then him apologising for vomiting. =((


    Marc is so thoughtful! That's such a great idea! Because it would be really scary and not a lot of fun for anyone, but especially kids! Marc is like my parent goal!

    :_|=(( That Leo is even thinking these things. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Any parent has doubts, but when he's seen first hand what could happen, it makes those doubts even louder. That would be the most heartbreaking thing!

    Ugh, this is the worst. I have to eat something before I take migraine meds or it will make me even more sick, so when I feel like I dying, I'm nauseated and I have to force myself to eat a few crackers or a piece of bread. It's awful.

    Daawwww.... yay!! I mean, I knew that Leo's fears were probably unfounded, but it still made me happy. And the mental image of JJ in Leo sweat shirt... [face_love]
    [face_love]:* It made me so happy you brought this back, I totally teared up!!

    :( I was doing basically nothing the other day and all of a sudden my back was in so much pain. I texted dp and said "Well, I guess I've reached the age of 'doing something normal, Ow! my back!" But I'm sure adding that to your kid growing and it make for a sad moment.

    [face_love][face_love] YAY!!! Of course he wants Abba cuddles!! I love JJ the cuddle bug!

    I love this so, so much! It's so sweet!!
     
  11. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    It is! I'm actually blown away by myself AND THE IDEAS KEEP COMING!!! I swear I'm going to convert this to some original fiction one day, but for now, I'm just having fun!

    Hahaha. Good, I'm glad I got it somewhat plausible.
    I know! I feel so bad for the kid! Sometimes I'll try to have a hot bath to help but my bathroom is currently painted neon green so I have to bring in a dimmer lamp for light and then you have the cold afterwards so it's a lot of work.

    Marc is such a good dad! He is parenting goals and I love him! He even thinks of the unique (and scary) situations they might be in and how to comfort them even if he's not there.

    And of course Leo would have these doubts because he's his father's son :(

    Yup, sometimes my blood sugar will go low (which makes me feel like crap on top of the migraine) and it's just awful to have to force myself to eat or drink something sweet (usually I have some fruit juice on hand because it works without being sickening) and it just sucks,

    JJ is just so adorable but the image of him in Leo's sweatshirt and wanting cuddles just makes my heart want to burst.
    I loved it when you wrote it and just knew I had to use it for Leo and one of his kiddos!

    "I'm trying to have have sympathy for you, I really am," - Elvie (probably)

    Sorry! My inner Elvie just came out. He's really bad. But yeah, that sucks but realizing your baby is no longer a baby probably really just sucks.
    I love JJ the cuddle bug too!
    I'm glad you loved this! It was just too sweet not to write.
     
  12. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I’m bored and it’s someone’s birthday ;) so a perfect excuse to post a story a bit early. This one is just so fun!

    Title: The Bachelor Party
    Timeframe:
    late 2037
    Characters: Elvie/Rose, Leo/Marc
    A/N: This… I just had to write this. I don’t know who I feel worse for, Elvie or Rose. Not really ‘fluff’ but it isn’t really angsty and it doesn’t deal with difficult subject matter (at least not seriously). It’s just stupidity (when I needed a bit of stupidity in my life). Mentions of recreational drug use.


    Rose was blissfully asleep when she got the call. She loved having the bed to herself; she adored her fiancé, and she did kind of luck out with Elvie: he didn’t move much in his sleep (except for when he changed positions), he didn’t hog the blankets, he didn’t kick her in bed, and most importantly he didn’t complain when she kicked him. Still, she enjoyed the treat of the extra room, wrapped up in blankets after hours of ironing out wedding details.



    So when she grabbed at her ringing phone and saw that it was 2:05 AM, her chest began thumping and it wasn’t a good thumping. She didn’t recognize the number but no call at this hour was a good call. “Hello?” she said, sitting up.



    Rose?” the voice on the other end asked. “It’s Leo. Leo Lyman.”


    Rose sat up straighter as she woke up more. She remembered why she was alone in bed. It was Elvie’s Bachelor party tonight. Her bachelorette party had been last week and she was still dehydrated. She can only imagine what Elvie’s had involved. “Leo? What’s wrong?”



    Its Elvie. We’re in the hospital. Memorial ER. I got your number from Peter.”



    Rose threw off her blankets and hopped out of bed. She put Leo on speakerphone as she grabbed a pair of jeans and sweater. “Talk to me.” She began to get ready. She wanted to know exactly what happened before she got there.



    “Well, we were at the bar. Drinking. And then, in the party bus, I think Elvie had a couple edibles.”


    Rose let out an exasperated sigh. Elvie got so paranoid when he got high.



    “We went out to some gravel pit and Peter was there with some ATVs. There was an accident.”


    “No!” she gasped. Not her Elvie.



    He’s fine! Elvie’s fine… kinda. No. Not really. But it wasn’t a crash, he wasn’t driving but he fell off the back. They don’t think he did much damage beyond bruising, but he’s biting every medical professional who tries to come near him. He even bit me! He’s pretty out of it. We think he might be having flashbacks.”


    She stuffed a few things in a tote bag. “Okay. Tell him I’m on my way.”



    * * *



    Rose heard the remains of the bachelor party first. She had received Elvie’s approximate location in the Emergency Room from a nurse; Elvie’s caterwauling in the otherwise quiet ER had made it easy from there.



    She smelled them next. The smell of dirt, sweat, onion rings, and beer. God, had they dunked Elvie in a vat of foulness.



    When she pulled back the standard blue curtain, she saw them and sighed. All that remained of the bachelor party was Peter - Elvie’s older brother - sitting in Elvie’s wheelchair, slumped over; Leo sitting in a chair, who seemed to be mostly ‘with it’ as he looked up at her with tired eyes. “We sent everyone else home,” he yawned.



    Rose nodded. Her gaze then fell upon the bed. Marc was sitting at the head of the bed with Elvie’s head on his lap. Marc also looked tired, but he was rubbing Elvie’s mud-matted hair. Marc had dried vomit and drool on his dark grey dress shirt in a location that made it unlikely that the bodily fluids were his own.



    Elvie was laying on his side, sobbing. He reached up and tried to pull out his IV. “No! No!” he moaned.



    Oh, and Elvie was buck naked.



    Rose just blinked and placed the tote bag she was carrying on the foot of the bed.



    “Elvie,” Marc was saying with complete patience as he tried to push Elvie’s hand away from the tubing. “Please don’t pull at that. You need all the fluids you can get. Look who’s here for you.”



    Elvie refused to look. “No, I just want Rose. I only want Rose!” he sobbed, nuzzling into Marc’s stomach.



    Leo sighed as he turned back to looking at Rose. “Marc had to hold him like a toddler so the nurses could get the IV in him and he won’t let us put a gown on him. Doctors want to do a CT scan or X-ray - I honestly don’t remember- to make sure he didn’t do any serious damage below where he can feel but he won’t let them.” Leo rubbed his eyes.



    Elvie suddenly starred at Leo. “I told you,” he growled. “I’m not letting them take my liver!” He pouted. “Just let me cuddle with Marc. He’s nice to me.”



    To prevent from bursting out laughing at her fiancé’s paranoia (though she she was failing miserably), she busied herself by unpacking a pair of briefs, pyjama pants and matching top she had brought just incase Elvie had to spend the night. She began dressing his lower half and he continued to be oblivious to her presents. Leo and Peter looked completely amazed by Elvie’s lack of awareness.



    So, Marc grinned. “Elvie, can you tell me what’s so special about Rose? Maybe talking about her will make you feel better.”



    Elvie sighed wistfully. “She’s perfect. She’s so understanding and willing to try new things. She’s like a dream.” He then frowned and grew frantic. “Oh god! I didn’t dream her! No! She’s so real! I want her to be real! She’ll do anything for me. In bed… oh god she’s incredible in bed! She’ll put on-”



    “Hey,” Rose said, finally addressing him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go telling the other guys what I do for you. They’ll get jealous.”



    Elvie just burst into (more) tears as he reached his hands out for her like a toddler wanting to clutch onto a comfort item. She gave him a gentle hug (God he smelled so bad). He was crying, blubbering, and holding onto her. She patted the side of his ribs. His skin was slick with sweat.



    “I love you so much!” he yelled, trying to keep her close. But a nurse entered, drawing Rose’s attention. Elvie began to whimper, so she distracted him by allowing him to hold her hands.



    “How are you feeling, Mr. Santos? I got worried when I couldn’t hear you screaming.” The nurse checked his IV bag. “You must be the lucky fiancee,” she said looking at Rose, amused. “Seems you’re the only one who can calm him down and get pants on him.”



    Elvie giggled. “Normally she’s the one winding me up and taking my pants off.”



    “How’s he doing?” Rose asked as Marc managed to slip out from under Elvie and the nurse began taking his blood pressure.



    “I’m doing juuuust fine,” Elvie blurted. “How you doin’?” They both ignored him.



    “Well, we would have seen signs of internal bleeding by now,” the nurse said. “But we still want to do an X-ray to make sure nothing is fractured or broken.”



    “Also,” Elvie said, raising his finger. “I can’t move my legs. Is that normal?”



    Rose was much to tired to figure out of this was serious question from an altered state or if Elvie was making one of his stupid disabled jokes to lighten the mood. “For you? Yes.”



    Elvie looked down at his legs and pouted.



    “Are you going to let the nursing assistants take you down to the imaging suite, Mr. Santos?” the nurse asked Elvie.



    He looked to Rose, nervously. “Will my Rosie come with me?”



    “Don’t call me that,” she groaned, “but yes, I will come with you.” She began putting on his button-up pyjama top on him. She turned to Peter, Leo, and Marc. “You guys should find rides home. This might take a few hours.” She really hoped Elvie wasn’t going to need to spend the night.



    “You sure?” Marc asked.



    “Yeah, he’s not going to let me go and we all don’t need to be here,” she sighed. “Go sober up and I’ll text you guys in the morning. He’ll probably want to apologize for whatever he’s done.”



    “Rose,” Elvie moaned as he now fought her trying to clothe him. “I don’t want clothes!” he whined. “I want to feel your skin on my skin.” He tried to take off his pants and went to bite her.



    Rose sighed. It was going to be a long night.



    * * *



    Though many threats of leaving him (which instantly shut him up for a few minutes, though he probably thought Rose meant ‘leaving him for good’ and not just ‘leaving him in the hospital overnight to sober up’), Rose got Elvie to the imaging suite and helped the nursing assistants position him for the x-rays.



    Fortunately, waiting on the doctor to examine the images did not take long and - even better - nothing was broken. Elvie was going to be bruised, but as long as he rested for the next few days, he would be fine.



    Rose packed up their things and began pushing him out of the hospital.



    “I can do it,” Elvie slurred as his hands flopped down to his push rims. His push was pathetic.



    “Sweetheart,” she said, trying to sound as loving and as patient as possible. “I know you can do anything, but we’re both really tired. Can I please push you while you carry my bag?”



    He gave her a death glare. “No!”



    “Leo-Vincente,” she sighed, trying to decide between being threatening or bribing. She went with bribery and distraction. “Do you want to get a quick snack?”



    “Nuggets! Can I get chickie nuggies?” he asked, so excited.



    “Yes Dear,” she said, figuring any sustenance would help sober him up.



    * * *



    Elvie was essentially useless by the time Rose got him in the car, got him his snack through a drive-thru (he cried when he spilled the honey mustard pack on himself, but thankfully they were given two), and back to their condo. He was awake… kinda? His eyes were open but he was not moving. Rose parked her car, got out Elvie’s wheelchair with none of his normal protests, and even opened his door for him.



    “You still with me?” she asked with a laugh, patting his knee. She then realized her mistake, blamed it on exhaustion, and patted his arm.



    He reached out for his wheelchair, but it was clear he currently had no energy or depth perception.



    “Are you okay with me doing your transfer?” she asked, praying to God he would.



    He floppily nodded.



    Rose had helped Elvie transfer plenty of times before when he was sick or tired, but he had always been able to balance and to take some of his own weight. However tonight it was clear she was dragging his entire weight from the seat of the car to the wheelchair. She ended up bonking his head against the car door frame, not that he noticed or even cared. “Sorry, Hun,” she said, rubbing his forehead, as if he hadn’t been beaten enough already tonight.



    “I love you,” he slurred as she pushed him.



    Eventually they reached their home. Once inside, Rose had a dilemma. She was exhausted and Elvie was almost asleep, but he smelled so bad. Did she put him right to bed, or did she shower him first? Knowing she’d regret not showering, she headed for the bathroom. Just 20 more minutes awake now would mean getting plenty more restful sleep. “Elvie,” she said. “I’m going to give you a quick shower.”



    “No,” he exclaimed, putting on his brakes, lurching them both forward.



    Rose was losing her patience. She leaned down and released the brakes. “Look, Elvie, I’m really tired, and you really stink. I need to give you a shower.”



    He began crying again. “I’m so sorry…” he blubbered. “I’m sorry I can’t walk. I’m sorry I need help. I’m sorry I stink….”



    They reached the bathroom, she sat on the toilet lid, and hugged him. “I love you. You are drunk and drugged, and had a bad accident.”



    “It wasn’t that bad,” he muttered. “I’ve survived worse.”



    “Even if you were abled bodied, I would still help you. Besides,” she said, rolling him into the roll-in shower. “You are much easier to help, because I can just roll you.” She knew helping a drunk person walk was not easy.



    He beamed at this and continued to do so as she transferred him to the shower chair, stripped him, sprayed him with the hand-held showered, squirted his entire body and hair with shower gel, then sprayed him again, rubbing him down with a washcloth. He smelled better but was nearly unconscious.



    Rose lined his wheelchair with a white towel, transferred him back, put on a catheter, wrapped the towel around his hips, then pushed him into the bedroom and dumped him onto the bed. She didn’t bother dressing him, he was already asleep anyways. So she undressed, climbed in after him, tucked him in, and fell completely unconscious.



    * * *



    The next morning, Elvie was awake, staring at the ceiling, by the time Rose woke. “Hey.” She inhaled his fresh, clean scent and kiss his stubbly cheek. “What’s up? How are you feeling?”



    “Alright,” he said with a yawn, pulling her close. “I’m just trying to figure out what happened last night. I don’t remember much past dinner, but wasn’t I suppose to crash at Peter’s last night?”



    She groaned at his choice of words.



    “Not that I’m complaining about waking up next to you, especially when we’re naked. I’m just confused. And my head really hurts. But I guess nothing too bad could have happened: I’m not in the hospital.”
     
  13. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    bahahaha....

    hahaha...

    hahaha....

    Oh guys!
    Ha! I love her listing these upsides!


    :oops:Oh Leo. You aren't helping any!
    And well... I guess it could have been worse but stupid boys are stupid!

    [face_laugh][face_sick]
    I'm sure the people working at the hospital loved it just as much! But that description was perfect, I could almost smell them myself!

    [face_love] I continue to love getting Elvie trusting/wanting Marc in... situations.

    [face_laugh] High Elvie is hilarious! I've never had well, anything, but I figure this is exactly how I'd be. Paranoid and weepy.

    This nurse is the perfect ER nurse! Understanding that sometimes people do stupid things, but still being a little snarky and having a bit of fun.

    Oops!! But also lol! I'd think it would be pretty hard to do when someone isn't helping!

    [face_laugh] Well that is certainly true!

    [face_rofl] Of Elvie!
    Though I'm sure Rose will certainly tell him about the 'fun' he had!

    I loved this so much! I had to try so hard not to quote the whole thing! I love it when the boys are up to no good!
     
  14. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I hoped you found it funny :p
    Of course! I like to think of Rose as optimistic and looking at the bright side of things!
    Oh Leo. Probably not the best one to make a sensitive call, especially when he's probably a bit drunk. But yeah, it could have been worse, but stupid boys do stupid things!
    Stupid boys are also smelly boys!
    I love it too! Marc has this comforting nature, and poor Elvie just needs it sometimes.

    Yeah... this might be based on... personal experiences (Hey! It's legal in Canada!). Paranoid with a desire to eat anything. (I don't do it too often because I'd gain so much weight!).
    She is. She's professional, but also knows nothing too serious going on.
    Yeah. Poor Rose is probably so tired at this point!
    Perks of being disabled :p
    Oh yes! Probably blackmailed him for years!
    Thanks! I just had so much fun writing brainless stupidity. And yeah, I love it when they are up to no good!

    And now another update, because I need it after my weekend and to survive another week.
     
  15. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: Miss

    Timeframe: December 2043 (Pre-Man-Flu part 3)

    Characters: Elvie/Rose

    A/N: Angst, lots of angst, (trigger warning for miscarriages) but the next story is kinda a companion piece.


    Houston TX - December 3, 2043 - 10:42 PM (CST)

    Rose shifted in the warm bathtub water and sobbed into Elvie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just hate myself right now.” Her tears were hot and the water was red as she curled into a ball.

    He squeezed her tight with both arms, her skin against his, willing his physical strength to flow into both of them. He cried too as he pressed his lips to her skin. “Well, I love you enough for the both of us, always.”


    Washington DC - December 3, 2043 - 5:43PM (EST)

    6 Hours Earlier…


    It was going to be another long night in his Washington office for Congressman Elvie Santos. He was trying to get this bill for early childhood education written before he went back to Houston next week for the Christmas holidays. He had other work to do for his constituents when he was back in Texas, plus, it was his wife’s and his 6th wedding anniversary coming up, and she was three months pregnant with their first child: a little girl. Only his and her parents knew right now, but they were going to tell their whole families at Christmas. Elvie was so excited to be a dad.

    The phone at his desk rang. “Lee-Ann!” He screamed at his secretary, who he knew was sitting outside his office. “I thought I told you to hold all calls! I want to get this done!”

    “It’s your mother!” She appeared at his door. “She said it was urgent.”

    Elvie rolled his eyes and picked up the phone. His mother had a flair for dramatics. “Mom? What’s up?”

    “Elvie?” Her voice was uncharacteristically soft. His thoughts immediately went to his dad, who was getting older and starting to experience some minor health issues. So he did not expect her next sentence. It completely blindsided him. “Rose started to have cramps and bleeding at work. Her coworkers rushed her to the hospital, but I’m sorry, Leo-Vincente. She miscarried the baby.”

    “Can you tell her I’m coming?” Elvie asked, softly. He then covered the phone and yelled, “Lee-Ann! I need to be on the next flight home!”

    * * *

    Houston TX - December 3, 2043 - 4:48PM (CST)

    Rose stared at the white wall behind the doctor who was speaking at her. She wasn’t listening. She wasn’t feeling. She wasn’t thinking. Her father-in-law had his arm around her. She felt so vulnerable and weak, and his embrace felt like it was the only thing holding her together as she sat on the examination table in a thin hospital gown. But she wanted Elvie. She just wanted Elvie. Matt was a nice substitute, she loved him like her own dad, but she wanted Elvie.

    The doctor left and Helen came in, putting her phone in her purse. “Hey Hun,” she said, softly and sympathetically. “Elvie is going to get on the next flight out. He told me to tell you he loves you very much and he’s going to call you before he gets on the plane if he has time.”

    Rose nodded, not sure what to do next.

    “Do you want to come back to the ranch?” Matt asked. “Then one of us can pick up Elvie. Or do you want to go back to your place?”

    “The ranch, if that’s okay,” she said. If Elvie couldn’t come tonight, she didn’t want to be alone in their condo. The cramps were coming in waves and were so bad. “Can you call my parents?” She asked weakly. They were the only other people who knew she was - had been - pregnant. “Tell them what happened….” She couldn’t say it out loud. She couldn’t even think it. She was in shock.

    * * *

    Houston TX - December 3, 2043 - 9:51 PM (CST)

    Tired, and emotionally suppressed, Elvie gently pushed open the door to the spare room on the main floor of his parents’ home. He had tried not to think or feel on the way home, but it had been a difficult task. So, as soon as he saw his beloved wife lying on the queen bed, in the light of the single bedside lamp, covered in one of the quilts his mom had made, he let himself feel. He remembered that quilt having a nice weight, like a comforting hug.

    Elvie put his leather weekend bag on the floor beside the dresser, then rolled to her side to see her pale, tear drawn face and red eyes. She reached out for him and both their dams just broke. They began to cry as he drew her close, shifting her so her head was in his lap. He stroked her hair and back. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, merely kissing her hair. It all seemed like it wasn’t enough.

    She closed her eyes and breathe in his scent as she sobbed. He smelled like clean linen and coffee. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she burst as she continued to wail. She wanted to scream and hit herself. She had gotten to the anger of grief.

    “No, no,” he whispered, tears falling down his face. “This wasn’t anything…” he trailed off, not wanting to even say the words you could have done. He had no idea why this had happened; why they weren’t going to be parents, and wondering such things - knowing full well they would never get answers - wasn’t going to stop the hurt. Sometimes one merely had to accept a higher purpose, even if it was so cruel.

    “But after everything you had to go through to get me pregnant….” She couldn’t even look at him. She was referring to the many awkward hours Elvie had laid in a clinical setting when technicians had to help him with his fertility issues to get a sample so Rose could be fertilized. She had been at his side the entire time, joking with him, but also subtly turning him on.

    “No,” he said. “I told you we weren’t going to speak of that day ever again,” Of course that had been a joke back then, “and it still applies.” He never wanted her to think of that day as embarrassing for him or a task he had to go through for her. They had happily gone through it together so they could become parents. The discomfort of that day was nothing compared to this; loosing a the baby after weeks of morning sickness and excitement and expectation.

    They fell into a silence. It was hard, but they were together.

    Finally she rubbed her eyes and shifted back onto the bed. “You just had a flight. You must be tired. Can I get you anything? Did you eat? Do you want me to drive us back home?”

    Elvie simply leaned forward and kissed her again, this time on the mouth. It was a soft kiss. “Can I please take care of you, just this once? Can I get you anything? Did you eat? Do you want me to drive us back home?” He didn’t banter to be funny, he did it because he wanted some sense of normalcy with his wife.

    “You can’t drive us, you don’t have your car,” she said, sitting up. She winced in pain, clutching her stomach. He then noticed she was still wearing her work clothes and her grey skirt was soaked through in both dried and wet blood.

    He instinctively put his arms on top of hers. On the plane, he had read what a miscarriage at this point would be like for Rose and how to ease her symptoms. “Then neither of us is driving. Let’s get you comfortable here and we can spend the night. Do you want to get changed? I have two clean pairs of my pyjamas in my bag.” He always packed a few things when he flew anywhere, in case he got stuck on a layover. “I’ll make you something to eat and I’ll get you a hot water-bottle.”

    She wasn’t quite listening. She was shifting in the bed and realizing how much blood was on the quilt and the bed. “Oh, oh god. I have to get these in the wash.” She had bled through one of the diaper-like pad the nurses had given her.

    He found her hands. “It’s okay. My mom has gotten blood out of quilts before. I’ll change the sheets. Do you want a bath?”

    Forgetting where they were, she nodded. A bath with Elvie sounded like the one thing she was okay with doing, other than laying in the bed. Though she didn’t want to move, she knew a hot bath would help her cramps and make her feel physically better.

    “Okay,” he said before kissing the back of her left hand. “I’ll get my mom to run you a bath and my dad to help you up the stairs. Take a pair of my pyjamas and you can change into those.”

    Elvie was out of the room before she remembered they were at his parent’s home and there were no bathtubs on the main floor. She didn’t want a bath, she just wanted Elvie.

    * * *

    Elvie watched as his dad came and helped Rose up to the second floor. He couldn’t stand not being with her, not being the one to help her walk. He had planned to change the bedsheets and make the bedroom more comfortable, but he couldn’t be without her. So, after rolling to the base of the staircase, he transferred to the bottom step and began to lift his body up the stairs. He had been taught how to ascend and descend stairs in case of emergency in rehab, but he had never done more than 4-5 steps, but he was going to make it to the top.

    For Rose.

    He was half way up, physically and emotionally tired, but completely focused, when he felt his father’s hand on his shoulder. His dad never questioned Elvie’s insane activity, but merely asked, “Can I bring your wheelchair to the top?”

    Elvie nodded, resting for a moment to wipe a tear.

    His dad went and lifted up the wheelchair and carried it up to the top while Elvie had made it up four more steps. His dad then returned to his side. “Is there anything else I can do?”

    “Can you…” Elvie pulled himself up another step, “Bring me up a change of clothes from my bag? There should be a set of sweats. And ask mom if she can change the sheets and make our room more comfortable for Rose.”

    “Of course.” Matt kissed the top of Elvie’s head.

    His dad left again and by the time he came back, Elvie was at the top and transferring back into his chair. His dad handed him a change of clothes - something comfortable for sleeping. “Mom is changing the bedding. Is there any else we can do?”

    “Did Rose have anything for dinner?”

    “No, we offered but she said she wasn’t hungry. Did you eat dinner?”

    Elvie shook his head. “No, I’m not hungry either.”

    Matt nodded, understanding. “There’s some pasta salad in the fridge and I’ll cut you guys up some fruit or something you can grab if you want it. Just call me if you need anything.” Matt leaned down and hugged Elvie. “I love you, Elvie.”

    He hugged his dad back. He adored these moments when his dad was “just dad” and treated him like a kid, though not in an infantilizing way. “Love you too, Dad.” Elvie rolled down the hallway, realizing he hadn’t been up here in over 10 years. He entered his parent’s bedroom, past the bed he used to crawl into with his parents when he was a little kid. His heart saddened when he thought about him and Rose not getting that. He knew they would eventually have kids but this seemed so devastating. He got to the ensuite and knocked. “Rose?”

    “Elvie?” she replied in confusion.

    He pushed open the door.

    She was laying in a huge jacuzzi tub. He knew his parents had renovated up here, but hadn’t seen the new editions. “How’d you get up here?” she asked, reaching his hand to him.

    He put his change of clothes on the counter, then pushed himself to her, grabbing her hand. “I flew,” he said, sarcastically.

    She rolled her eyes. “Can you get in with me?”

    He nodded, undressed, and slid (more like flopped, causing the water to go everywhere) into the bath with her help. “Is the water helping with the cramps?” he asked as they positioned him behind her and she leaned on him.

    She nodded. “Yeah, thank you,” she said quietly. She began trembling, starting to cry again. Rose shifted in the warm bathtub water and sobbed into Elvie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just hate myself right now.” Her tears were hot and the water was red as she curled into a ball.

    He squeezed her tight with both arms, her skin against his, willing his physical strength to flow into both of them. He cried too as he pressed his lips to her skin. “Well, I love you enough for the both of us, always.”
     
  16. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    :_|:_|
    But in the sadness, it's also lovely in the love they have for each other and how they show it here.

    Oh no... not that it's not sad no matter how far along, but that's far enough to start feeling 'safe', to know the gender. To me, that makes it all the harder.

    I love the mental image of Matt being so comforting when Elvie can't be there. I imagine he's a great hugger. But yeah, I'd think the only person you'd really want is your spouse, and with Elvie being so far away it's hard, for both of them. I imagine not being there would be really, really hard.

    This is one of the parts that I really could feel the love from Elvie's entire family. Just the idea that she's wrapped up in a quilt, knowing that she's going to be bleeding a lot shows a lot of love. And when Elvie thinks nothing of the blood on the quilt and knowing his mom wouldn't be upset. It was just really beautiful to me.

    He's right, there was nothing she could have done to prevent it, but hearing that/knowing that doesn't always help. I think I'd also feel guilty even if there wasn't anything that caused it, I think a lot of women do and I really don't know why. Maybe the not knowing why. And then with how much work they had to go though to get pregnant, I can see how she'd take that on herself too. But it makes me sad she feels that way.

    I LOVED this! That he turned what she'd said right back to her. Neither of them could drive at that time, but the offer is what matters. And of course, the normalcy is important.

    [face_love][face_love] This is so beautiful. He'll do whatever it takes to help his wife and it made me tear up.
    I also loved that Matt offered whatever help was needed, but didn't offer anything specific, like getting Elvie to the top. I feel like he knew Elvie needed to do it for himself.

    So basically me right now: =((@};-[face_love]
     
  17. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I know. Its sad, but I think in the saddest times, love can shine the brightest.
    I agree - it's sad no matter what, but give they knew the "exact" time of conception and it's far enough along to know the gender, plus the further along the less likely something unexplainable will happen, all makes it so much harder.
    I do too. And I can imagine Matt being a great hugger and a great comfort, but I think in that moment, all you really want is one person.
    Yeah. There's something just so comforting about being wrapped in a quilt. And of course his mom wouldn't care. Never mind the fact that Rose is suffering such loss, but Elvie probably bled, puked on, poo'ed on many quilts.
    Yeah, I think I would feel so guilty and we know it's often not anyones fault, but it is understandable why so many women blame themselves. :(
    Sometimes you just have to feel normal; to have that one anchor.
    Thanks. It is so heartbreaking for so many reasons, but theres also the undying love between Elvie and Rose in these horrible circumstances.

    And now for something a bit cheerier (before the assassination story MUAHAHAAHHAHA!).
     
  18. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    AN: I’m not sure if you’ve gotten a new laptop yet Mav. I totally understand if you wait to review this till you have one. My muse has just exploded since finishing my dissertation which is honestly a good thing! Writing (when I’m not cleaning) is helping with the existential crisis I am having.


    Title: Waddle
    Timeframe:
    2046
    Characters: Elvie/Rose
    A/N: I feel so bad for doing this to Rose. I kinda slacked when it when it came to physical descriptions for this one, but this was a fic I worked on when I just needed something mindless, so it’s kinda everywhere. I wanted to add a part with Matt/Hellen, but this was already really long and pointless. Maybe there will be a part 2 eventually.


    Rose waddled down the clinical white hallway, her slippers shuffling on the linoleum. Elvie’s wheelchair tires squeaked on the flooring as Rose pushed him.



    Elvie, wearing jeans and a comfortable sweater, tried to turn around. “How you feeling?” He wasn’t used to anyone pushing his wheelchair, especially indoors for a long stretch, when he was feeling fine… and Rose clearly wasn’t. He felt so useless in this entire situation and just sitting here while Rose pushed him.



    “Just let me… keep leaning on your handles,” she huffed. “It’s so much easier to walk pushing you.” She was wearing a purple halter nightgown and a thin grey robe that was hanging open. Her black hair was up in a messy bun with a wide headband and her face was tired. And her stomach was huge. At 42 weeks pregnant, her doctors had induced labour this morning, about 16 hours ago but things were still going slowly.



    “Is walking helping?” he asked.



    “I have no idea,” she muttered. “But it’s better than just sitting in that bed.” She then halted. “Hand!”



    His hand flew back and she grabbed it. He started the timer on his phone.



    She breathed deeply a few times before sighing. “How long?”



    “Sorry, still only 34 seconds, but your last one was 8 minutes ago so they are getting more frequent.”



    “Yippee,” she replied sarcastically. “We should have just gone home and waited.” They were given the option of going home after they had induced Rose, just for the hours of early labour, but they had decided just to stay at the hospital. Elvie was just a bit freaked out and had worried that he wouldn’t have been able to help Rose on his own if something had gone wrong.



    “Well if I had known it was going to take this long…” Elvie murmured. “I could have gotten some more work on that bill draft done.”



    “Well sorry if my vagina isn’t on Congress’ schedule. Though, yeah, I am super bored.”



    “Oh, who would have known hospitals could be so boring,” Elvie deadpanned. “See? I told you we should have packed video games. We could be playing Mario Kart right now.” He paused. “We could have wheelchair races.”



    She rolled her eyes. “Come on, you can buy me a crossword book from the gift shop if it’s still open.”



    * * *



    They eventually made it to the gift shop, then all the way to the cafeteria - nearly empty because of the late hour - and got some JellO for them both. He held her hand through another contraction, six minutes after the last one. It had looked intense. “You wanna try getting back into the birthing pool? It seemed to help with the pain.”



    “Not really,” Rose sighed, putting her elbows on the table they were sitting at. “I just want to see if I’m far enough along for an epidural. I know I was insistent on trying to do this without drugs, but I’m so tired, this has gone on for way too long and this kid isn’t coming anytime soon. I can deal with the pain but, I need rest,” she began to sob into her hands. She had wanted a natural birth because she wanted to be in complete control throughout the entire process.



    “Hey, hey,” Elvie said as he rubbed her back. “If you want drugs, we are going to get you drugs. There’s nothing wrong with needing rest. It will help you and the baby. Do you want to sit on my lap and I’ll wheel us back to the room?”



    She gave him a faint smile. “Thanks,” she said, gripping his other hand. “I’m tempted, but I think walking is helping things along… slowly… so damn slowly.” She got up and began leaning on his push handles, pushing him as she waddled. And he was back to feeling useless.



    On their way through the maternity ward, they passed by another couple. The wife was waddling along, being helped by her husband who had one arm around her back and his other hand was guiding her. The couple seemed to gawk at Elvie being pushed in his wheelchair by the extremely pregnant Rose.



    “Wow,” the wife said, one she thought they were out of earshot. “I wonder how she’s going to push him and the baby stroller.”



    Before Elvie could stop her (not that he really tried or wanted to… she was pregnant, hormonal, and sleep deprived), Rose whirled around. “God, Congressman Santos, don’t you just hate ignorant people? Everyone knows you wouldn’t be caught dead out in public with your mistress and illegitimate child. What would your wife say?”



    Elvie began to laugh as Rose shoved him into her room. “Oh, god, I’m going to pee my pants,” she giggled as she burst into the small bathroom, leaving the door open.



    “You’re not wearing any pants, or panties for that matter,” he said as he rolled to the doorframe. “I love you, beautiful,” he said in Spanish, before speaking again in English. “I’m going to go get the nurse and tell her you want drugs.”



    “I love you, beautiful!” she called back.



    * * *



    Unfortunately, Rose wasn’t quite dilated enough for the epidural, which she found incredibly frustrating and put her in a bad mood.



    “Mrs. Santos,” the nurse suggested, calmly. “Why don’t I help you into the birthing tub again, just for the next hour or so? It will calm you down and help you relax, and I’m sure that will help advance labour. When you get out, I’m sure you’ll be far enough along for the epidural.”



    “Fine,” Rose muttered, getting off of the bed. “But my husband can help me. He’s the one who got me into this.”



    “No,” Elvie said, getting into position so Rose could lean on his push handles, “You can’t blame this all on me. If I remember correctly, you were the one whispering dirty stuff in my ear at the fertility clinic.”



    “Are you really going to argue with me right now?” she growled.



    “No, Dear.”



    Elvie helped Rose to the birthing bath suite and into the large tub filled with warm water with a bench she could sit on. He dimmed the lights and turned on the mood lighting. “Do you want any music?” he asked, positioning himself so he sat behind her. He began rubbing her shoulders.



    “No,” she pouted. “All I want is to be numb from the waist down. Oh… oh god,” she began puffing and rocking, clutching her lower back.



    Elvie began the stopwatch on his phone, figuring it was time to time another contraction for her. “You’re doing great, Rose,” he said, encouragingly. “Just keep breathing nice, even breaths with me.” He began inhaling and exhaling deeply as they were taught in their birthing classes to do.



    Eventually she relaxed, leaning back against the slanted wall of the tub. She was sobbing.



    “Rose, you’re amazing,” he said, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “You’re at 40 seconds and Nurse Jake said he would measure you again once you hit 45.”



    “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed and blubbered. “I’m so sorry. I just hate myself right now.”



    Elvie continued to hold onto her. “Well.” He kissed her temple. “I love you both enough for all three of us.” He reached down into the water and rubbed her huge, bare, stomach. “Me and Junior love you so very much.” He didn’t want to call the kid Junior, he just loved teasing Rose about it, ever since they had decided on a name they both loved.



    “We are not calling him Junior,” she mumbled, rubbing her stomach. “I don’t care if I’m a total bitch to you.”



    “You’re not a bitch - and watch your mouth around the baby. Why would you call yourself that?”



    “Because of what I just said: all I want is to be numb from the waist down.” She hid her face in her hands. “That was so insensitive to say to you.”



    “I thought it was hilarious!” he laughed. It wasn’t funny that she was in pain, just her choice of words. “Just wait till you are drugged. You’re going to be so funny! I can’t wait.”



    She groaned. “This is why I didn’t want drugs. You’re horrible and I hate you,” she said as she winced and shifted.



    “Well,” Elvie said. “I love me enough for the both of us.”



    He received a death glare for that one.



    * * *



    When Rose was dilated enough for the epidural, she was instantly a happier human, even before it went in. After it was in and it, along with a slew of other drugs, began to make her drowsy. Elvie helped her position in the bed, puffed her pillows, and tucked her in with a quilt he had brought from home. “You want anything else?” he asked. He had turned off the light and set up fake candles. “I have your lavender lotion in the bag.”



    She shook her head and gave his a tired smile. “No thank you. You’ve done everything I needed. I just want to hold your hand as I fall asleep. Are you going to be okay on the cot?” The hospital had allowed them to brig a camp cot for Elvie to sleep on so he could spent time off of his butt and prevent pressure sores. A pressure sore and a newborn did not seem like a fun combination.



    He clasped her hand and kissed it. “I’m going to be fine,” he assured her, before moving to her belly. “Now, you, Mister.” He kissed her stomach. “You let Mommy get some sleep, alright? We’re going to meet you tomorrow - hopefully- and Daddy is going to finally get to hold you and we’re going to cuddle and snuggle.”



    * * *



    Both Elvie and Rose managed to get a few hours of sleep in about 2 hour increments. Nurses kept waking Rose to measure her progress and check the baby’s vitals. Elvie found it hard to sleep after these examinations because he was both worried and excited for Rose and to finally become a dad.



    Early the next morning, Rose had gotten to 8 centimetres, so Elvie helped her brush her teeth and washed her face. He then got into bed with her and braided her hair, which made hard smile so hard, it hurt.



    “Since when have you been able to braid hair?”



    “Since forever?” he replied, confused. “I’m not completely useless. Is there anything else you want or need?”



    “A large iced mocha?”



    He laughed. “If you were allowed coffee, I’d get you one, just because I would love some caffeinated tea right about-.”



    Her gasp interrupted him. Though she couldn’t feel the pain of her contractions, she still felt the pressure and knew when they were happening. He began the timer as she just breathed through the pressure.



    “About a minute and fifteen seconds,” he told her as she leaded against him. The contractions were close together now. His stomach formed knots. “Shall I go get Dr. Chen?”



    “No,” she said, softly, wrapping his arms around her. He rubbed her stomach. “Let’s just enjoy being child-free for another five minutes. I love you.”



    “Love you too,” he said, kissing her.



    * * *



    Two hours later, and after much screaming and threats to Elvie’s life later, Dr. Chen announced from the end of the bed, “He’s crowning, Mrs. Santos! Just another few pushes!”



    Elvie gripped her hand harder and rubbed the back of her shoulder. Her hair was a mess and she was drenched in sweat. “You’re doing great! Almost there! I love you!”



    Rose merely grunted, repositioned, and continued to push.



    A few minutes later, a SCREAMING bundle of flailing arms and legs, along with a huge head of thick black hair, was hefted onto Rose’s bare chest. “Oh, oh my baby,” she cried, holding the purple, pudgy, baby to her. “Mommy loves you.”



    Elvie only had eyes for his son. “Hey there!” he cooed, placing his hand on the baby’s back. “Hi! I’m Daddy. I’m your dad.” He leaned forward, kissing Rose then the baby. “I love you both. Thank you.”



    “Oh, Lord,” Rose laughed, tears still streaming down her face. “He looks exactly like you.”



    Elvie decided now was not the time to joke about Rose being surprised at the paternity of the child. He’d been yelled at enough over the past two hours. “He even has my big head!” Elvie laughed.



    After the umbilical cord was cut, the baby was taken to be weighed and Rose was cleaned and stitched up (apparently down there was a mess and Elvie wasn’t looking to find out, he just knew he had to get Rose ice whenever she wanted it). Elvie waited patiently with his brand new dark red baby sling for the nurse to be finished with his son. “Congratulations Dad,” the nurse said, handing a swaddled - still screaming - bundle of white blankets to him. “Ten pounds, six ounces; twenty-four inches long; and completely healthy baby boy.”



    Elvie, with a huge smile, gently placed the baby in the sling, making sure his head was supported. The baby calmed down as Elvie rolled back to Rose. Every few pushes, Elvie would take a moment to rub his son’s back, which the baby clearly loved.



    Rose was smiling. Now cleaned up, she had changed her nightgown. “And you were worried about him not liking being in a sling when you carried our little Mattie.”



    Elvie looked down and beamed at Matthew Vincente Santos II.



    * * *



    After Mattie’s first meal, Rose took a much deserved nap, while Elvie sat in a recliner, rocking Mattie, who was wearing a white onesie and cuddled in an orange and grey quilt made by Grandma Helen. Mattie was awake, but “milk drunk”. He looked up at his Daddy with the biggest brown eyes, which melted Elvie’s heart.



    “Daddy loves you so much,” Elvie murmured softly. “Mommy does too.” He sighed and caught a glimpse of his wife as she slept peacefully. “She’s going to be an amazing mommy. She already is. And I promise to try my best too, Matthew.” He gently ran his thumb across Mattie’s forehead. “But… there’s going to be some things that I can’t do, and I’m sorry. I won’t be able to teach you how to ride a bike or coach your soccer team. Mommy will do those things, but I never want you to think that Daddy can’t be your Daddy because of that.” Crying silently, he kissed his son’s head. “Because I love you so much.”
     
  19. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    @mavjade Not sure if you saw the above update in the middle of your laptoplessness. But I'm missing writing our boys (and I was in the middle of writing smut and Elvie angst when the elbow thing happened), so I've decided to post this little fic I wrote randomly a few weeks ago!

    Title: Cuddles with Daddy
    Timeframe:
    October 2015, Flashback to ~1968
    Characters: Josh, Leo, Noah Sr. (with appearances from others)
    A/N: I wanted to write some Josh, but had no plotline… but when has that ever stopped me? This is mostly Josh being Josh and little Leo being so frikkin adorkable! BUT I FINALLY GOT NOAH SENIOR INTO A FICCC!!!



    The shouts of “Mommy? Daddy?” and little footsteps in the hallway threatened to wake Josh up. However, it was the jab to the shoulder that startled him to consciousness (or to what resembled consciousness).



    “Josh,” Donna groaned. “Josh.”



    “No,” Josh mumbled, still half asleep and unaware what year it was. “President Bartlet asked us to push forward the meeting on 451, so Leo wants us to meet on the trade deal with Mexico over breakfast….OUCH! DONNA!” He had been pinched in the back of the arm.



    “Deal with your offspring,” she begged. “Please.”



    “Why?” It was more of a whine than a grumble.



    “Mom-my! Dad-dy!” The poor kid was clearly crying as he tried opening his parents’ door. It wasn’t locked, Leo was just 5-years-old and short.



    “Because I’m six months pregnant… with twins!” she answered, stealing his pillow from under his head, causing his hair to go from “wild” to “mad man.” “And if I move from this position, one of them will slam on my bladder and I don’t want to have to get up again,” she said, snuggling with his pillow. “Besides, you were always weak-willed when it came to the whole ‘let them cry and soothe themselves’ tactic.”



    Leo finally got the door open. “Daaadddddyyy!” be blubbered as soon as he saw his dad sitting up.



    “Yup, yup, that’s me,” Josh yawed, slowly moving out of bed. He pulled up his grey pyjama bottoms. He was also wearing an old white t-shirt. Leo tried to get to his daddy but ended up tripping. Now rushing to Leo, Josh pulled him up into his arms, not caring that his back protested every moment of the action. It was worth it for the way Leo burried his face in Josh’s neck, showing absolute trust as he clung onto his daddy. “It’s okay, Leo, it’s okay, Daddy’s got you. I love you,” Josh soothed. “Let’s let Mommy and the babies sleep. We’ll go snuggle in your bed, okay?”



    Josh stopped by the linen closet to get another blanket for Leo’s bed. The nights were getting a bit colder and Josh figured Leo would probably sleep better if he was a bit warmer. The kid’s feet were always like ice cubes!



    They then entered into Leo’s room and Josh set him down on the bed. He turned on the light, found Leo’s favourite stuffed Wookiee, then climbed into the single bed with Leo, tucking them both in. Leo snuggled up to his dad.



    “You had a bad dream?” Josh guessed, getting comfortable. He figured he might as well get comfortable now, Leo was probably going to make him sleep here, which was honestly preferable than trying to steal back his pillow from Donna.



    Leo nodded but puffed out his bottom lip.



    “That’s okay. Daddy used to have bad dreams too,” he sighed, playing with Leo’s hair. “But my daddy - your zayde - used to come into my room, get into bed with me, hold my hand,” he offered Leo his free hand, “and rub my hair. Sometimes we would talk about my dreams - other times we’d just cuddle, and both were okay, both made me feel better. And now I have mommy to snuggle with… when she doesn’t steal my pillow,” Josh grumbled.



    “What did you have nightmares about?”



    “Fire,” Josh replied, getting lost in the past.



    * * *



    Tears blurred Josh’s sight, not that he could see much anyways. The lights were off and it was dark in their new home. “Dad!” seven-year-old Josh cried. “Mom?” He felt the new carpet under his feet. Everything was so unfamiliar.



    “Noah,” he heard his mom softly say. “Do you want me to sleep with him tonight?”



    “No, Dear. I want to. I need to feel like a dad. You get some rest.” A door then opened and his dad emerged in a dark red bathrobe and took his hand. “Come on my Joshua. Let’s get you back into bed.”



    Josh obediently followed. His dad helped him back into bed, got him his stuffed monkey, then got into bed after him.



    “Did you have another nightmare?” Noah asked, giving Josh the monkey.



    Josh nodded.



    “Do you want to talk about it?”



    Josh began to sob and shake his head.



    “Okay. That’s okay, Josh. Just cuddle up with me,” Noah said, pulling Josh closer and smoothing his hair.



    “You and Mom aren’t going to get divorced, are you?” Josh blurted. He began crying again.



    “No! What would ever give you that idea?”



    “Donny Derkin said that parents always divorce after something bad happens…” the rest of Josh’s words were overwhelmed with sobs.



    “Joshua.” Noah hefted his son up onto his chest and began rubbing Josh’s back. “I know things feel sad right now, and Mom and I are sad. But we still love each other very much and we love you. We’re still a family, even though we are missing Joanie, and she’s still a part of us too. It’s hard, but we are going to remain a family because we love each other. I know there’s been a lot of changes and it’s hard, but Mom and I are going to be here to hold you every time you just need to cry… and you better give us lots of hugs when we need them.”



    Josh just held onto his dad.



    * * *



    Josh hadn’t realized it until now that his dad had been crying during that conversation but had smiled when Josh had hugged him. Even now, as a father, Josh could not imagine the pain his parents had lived with after losing Joanie.



    “Can you give Daddy a hug?” Josh asked Leo. Leo was instantly on top of Josh, squeezing him. The kid was so empathetic. “That’s it. That’s exactly what I need right now.”



    “Daddy?” Leo asked. “Are you afraid of fire and that’s why you had nightmares?”



    Josh did not want to have the Joanie conversation right now. “Yeah.”



    “Well… I had nightmares about spiders.”



    Josh tried not to laugh at Leo. The kid was clearly upset and scared, but there was something just so innocent about Leo’s confession. “Gross!” Josh exclaimed. “Spiders are icky! But Daddy will protect you from all the spiders in the world,” he yawned.



    Leo seemed satisfied with this. “Okay. I love cuddling with you Daddy.” Leo nuzzled his face in his daddy’s neck and promptly went back to sleep.



    “Yeah…” Josh said quietly. “Snuggles with daddy are still the best.”
     
  20. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    @mavjade I'm tagging you because I know the notifications for the above two stories got lost in our mess of DRL. BUT IT'S MONDAY MUSH MANIA!!!!

    Title: Meet the Founding Father

    Timeframe: Summer 2034

    Characters: Elvie/Rose, Matt/Helen

    A/N: Written for Monday Mush Mania’s “Meet the Family” challenge.

    The idea for this story comes from my fic Wine in the East Wing. Not much from The West Wing needs to be known to understand this fic (it’s honestly funnier if you haven’t seen the show - you’ll be on the same page as one of the characters), and not much from this fic series needs to be known - most is explained in the first few paragraphs.



    Goodbye. This was goodbye. A standing frame and two boxes of catheters was his parting gift after ten damn months of living in hospitals; first Walter Reed Medical Centre in DC, then here, in DeBakey, in the spinal cord injury rehabilitation unit in Houston. His belongings were in two duffle bags and a backpack, with his pillow from home and a homemade (grey and orange, made by mom) quilt folded on top of the bags. It had been a long 10 months. And, as his physical and psychiatric therapists said, this was only the beginning of recovery. It felt daunting, figuring out where his life was going to go. He had been a pilot in the United States Air Force. Now, he didn’t know what was next.



    Though, writing the bar exam last week was helping calm his anxieties. He was pretty confident he had passed.



    “Elvie?”



    And having an amazing girlfriend. She helped too.



    Elvie turned his wheelchair around to see Rosamie walking into his room. She had offered to help him move back home, which meant she was going to meet his parents this afternoon. Because, unfortunately, he was moving back in with his parents. He loved his parents dearly - his dad was pretty much his best friend - but sometimes it felt like, as hard as he was trying to move forward, life kept kicking him backward. But he knew he needed help, and he didn’t have anywhere else to live now that he was a retired veteran at 25 years old. His parents had wanted to be the ones to help him move back, but quickly relented the responsibility at the chance to meet Elvie’s new girlfriend. His first serious relationship.



    “You all packed?” she asked him. Rosamie - Rose - was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a loose purple t-shirt tied at the bottom to make it more form-fitting. Her black hair was back in a ponytail. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth.



    He kissed her back and nodded. “Yeah. You look cute! How was work?”



    She bushed. “I spilled tomato sauce all over myself.” Rose worked at her parents’ Italian restaurant. She had a lunch shift today and had come directly from the restaurant. “This was all I had in my locker. I think I last wore these shorts in high school. I was going to stop in at my place to change. I don’t want to meet your parents looking like Daisy Duke.”



    “And what if I whine and say I want to go home now?” he pouted as he picked up one of the duffle bags and put it on his lap. He glanced at her bum while doing so.



    “I would say you have an alternate motivation,” she said, putting the backpack on her back and the other duffle bag, the quilt, and pillows on the standing frame. “This thing rolls, right?”



    He nodded and leaned down to release the brakes. They began to head out. He took one last look around the room. He’d be back in the medical centre Monday for physical therapy but it felt nice to be no longer an in-patient. No more hospital food or curfews for when he had to be back in his room. He felt freer than he had in months. He said a quick goodbye to two of his favourite nurses, then he and Rose headed for the parking lot.



    “If you want to stop by your place to change, I can just tell my parents we’ll be half-an-hour late, but you look fine. It’s not like your meeting the queen or anything -.” Okay, maybe not the best choice of words. He suddenly remembered she didn’t know who his parents were. He rarely thought of them as ‘celebrities’, but they were notable people in US history. And, she would know them (she wasn’t an idiot)… Rose just didn’t know they were his parents. But to him, they were just his parents. They wouldn’t need her to dress up for them. “My dad is just making chili for dinner and we’ll probably sit around a fire and roast wieners. Please don’t dress up for a weenie roast. Especially if your just going to steal a pair of my sweatpants for when we are sitting outside.”



    They had left the hospital and were now in the parking lot. He helped her take apart the standing frame and she loaded everything into her truck. “This is a beautiful quilt,” she said, putting it in the back of the cab along with his suitcases and pillows.



    “Thanks. My mom made it for me,” he said, opening the passenger side door and grabbing the thick rope Rose had tied to the roof handle. She helped him transfer from his wheelchair up, into the truck. “Thanks,” he said again.



    She put his wheelchair in the bed of her truck, tied it in with a bungee cord, then got in the driver’s seat. She started the vehicle. “You ready to go home?” She might have not known him when he had his accident, but she was with him now and knew how much getting out of the medical centre meant for him.



    He smiled. “Definitely!”



    As they pulled out of the parking lot - Elvie having given her directions to his parents’ ranch just outside of Houston, she asked. “I feel kinda awkward asking this as we drive to meet them, but we really haven’t talked much about your parents.” It was understandable - this relationship was only two months old and they both had been so focused on the bar exam, plus Rose had work and Elvie had medical appointments. “What are their names again? I’m horrible with names.”



    “Ah, I don’t think I have told you,” Elvie stalled. He knew he should have come clean with this weeks ago. This was mean to spring on a woman he really liked. It was just that, in school, he was always teased about who his father was. He liked being just Elvie with Rose. “Matt and Helen Santos,” he murmured, looking out the window at the passing traffic.



    She laughed. “Matt Santos? As in Mathew Santos?”



    Elvie nodded. Maybe she would just think it was funny that his dad used to be President of the United States.



    “Okay, I won’t forget his name!” she chuckled. “Does he get mistaken for the former President a lot?



    “Well… no.” He risked looking at her. “Because his is former president Matthew Santos. Just call him Matt though. He doesn’t like it when people call him Mr. Santos or anything… Well, he might if you do it, but it’ll go to his head and he’ll be insufferable.”



    “Yeah, okay,” she said, sarcastically. “I might be gullible when I’m sleep deprived but we wrote the bar exam last week. I’ve actually slept. I’ve been in the Matthew Santos Presidential Library enough times to know he doesn’t have a son with a stupid name like Elvie.”



    He debated just letting her eat her words when they arrived at his parents’ ranch in 40 minutes, but he liked her too much to do that to her. “No. I’m sorry I haven’t told you sooner, I just thought everything - the hospital, my dad - would be a lot. But my full name is Leo-Vincente Santos. No one calls me that though, like no one. See? Leo-Vincente.” He held up his fingers in the ASL sign for L, then V. “L.V.. Elvie. Former first lady Abbey Bartlet, my godmother, came up with it just after I was born and it always stuck.”



    “No!” she exclaimed, as if she was trying to convince him he didn’t know who his parents were. “No. I heard all the news stories - I even drove by when they had that midnight prayer session at the library because I worked that night - Santos’ son was in some horrific accident last ye—.” It slowly dawned on her.



    He gestured to his non-functional legs. “America’s baby, at your service,” he said, using the name the media had christened him with before he had even been born.



    She took one hand off the wheel and swatted him, hard. “Leo-Vincente, you’re a jackass! Absolute idiot!”



    “I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, trying to protect himself from her blows. “I should have told you, it’s just a weird thing I’ve never had to bring up in conversations. People usually just know, and it was nice not being Matthew Santos’ son for once in my life.”



    “You’re still a bastard and jackass!” she hit him again as she continued to drive. “Lord! I can’t believe you! I can’t go meet President Santos and his wife! Not looking like this!”



    “Why not? It’s just my dad and mom. And my mom has a name, you know.”



    Lost for words, she simply screamed, “LEO-VINCENTE!”



    “They’re going to love you,” he assured her, grinning. He was absolutely in love with this woman. They had just left the hospital - a somewhat serious, but happy occasion - and here she was, yelling at him, because he totally deserved it.



    * * *



    Rose and Elvie made it to the ranch. She parked in the long driveway behind one of three black SUVs. They hadn’t stopped for Rose to change, mostly because Rose had forgotten in her tirade and Elvie hadn’t bothered to remind her (because she would have taken forever to change outfits and he just wanted to get home and eat chili).



    Since his last time he had visited (for Christmas) his parents had done more renovations for him. There now was a gradual ramp that ran along side the front patio for him, complete with rails. It honestly blended in so seamlessly, one might think it was original.



    Of course, in the distance, one could see the plane hanger with a short runway which his father used to use for his private planes (which were now, oddly, missing). Plus there was the helipad, the guard tower, and other security measures, mostly no longer in use.



    “Where the hell are we? Looks like some military installation.”



    “Please don’t tell my mom that. It was originally set up to keep me safe,” he wanted to brush over the whole assassination attempts thing - he had been a target even after his dad had left office. “Both she and dad wanted this to remain a safe place where current presidents can come if needed. My Uncle Sam stayed was here quite often and comes around now even more that Auntie Ainsley is—.”



    He was interrupted by the front door opening and closing, and his parents, both smiling and excited, holding hands and approaching the truck. His dad was wearing dad-jeans and a t-shirt and his mother was in a sundress.



    Elvie flung his door open. “Mommy! Daddy!” he exclaimed as if he didn’t just see them three days ago.



    While Elvie hugged his parents Rose slipped out of the truck and began quietly getting Elvie’s wheelchair.



    “So this is Rose,” Elvie said, bringing attention to her. “I kinda just dropped the whole ‘Dad used to run the word’ thing so she’s a little shocked, but she took it better than I thought.”



    His mother swatted him while his dad turned, smiled, and held out his hand. “Hi there. I’m Matt and this is Helen. It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Rosamie. Elvie talks about you so much.”



    Rose nervously shook Matt’s hand. “It’s an honour to meet you, Sir,” she stammered out.



    “Oh come on!” Elvie exclaimed. “No it’s not. By the end of the night you’re going to be judging his chili and telling him how to make it better.”



    Rose was clearly mortified at the thought.



    “Come on Rose,” Helen said gently, taking Rose’s hand. “Let me show you around the place and I want to hear all about you while Elvie and Matt unpack.”



    * * *



    “No,” Helen exclaimed with a laugh. After a pleasant dinner, sitting on the back patio, eating chili and cornbread, and Rose getting to know Elvie’s parents, they all now sat in an area of the back yard, in camp chairs, around the fire pit. Everyone was either drinking or roasting marshmallows. Elvie’s parents were, of course, putting Rose at ease… by telling embarrassing stories about Elvie. “I think the worst stage was when he could walk, but he wasn’t potty trained yet.” His mom then took a sip of her wine.



    “Well, if it’s any consolation,” Elvie murmured. He was sitting in a reclining patio chair, a bit more padded and with two pillows propping him up, and a footstool elevating his legs. He was being spoiled by both his parents and Rose, but he deserved it after a long day of physical therapy. He didn’t mind the embarrassing stories as it was getting Rose used to the idea that the family used to live in the White House. Of course his parents knew what they were doing, they had eased his sibling’s spouses into becoming a part of a ‘Former First Family’. “I can’t walk anymore, but I am potty trained.” He didn’t want to add most days.



    He was ignored as his father laughed. “Oh Lord! I remember once,” he said, beginning another tale for Rose’s enjoyment. “Helen was at some luncheon so Josh - our friend - was taking care of Elvie along with his own son.”



    Elvie added commentary. “One of my best friends is also named Leo. He actually goes by ‘Leo’ so it’s not confusing at all.”



    Sure,” Rose said sarcastically. She smiled at Matt, hoping he would continue. She was having fun learning about Elvie’s childhood.



    “So,” Matt went on. “Elvie was like two and a half and we got peeing down, but he had still to work on pooping in the potty.”



    “Da-ad,” Elvie groaned. Once again, he was ignored.



    “I’m in the Yellow Room with the queen -”



    “Of England?” Rose gasped.



    Matt nodded. “Elizabeth herself. And all the press. I guess Elvie must have been sitting on the potty, heard me, and escaped from Josh because Elvie came bursting in, buck naked from the waist down. He was screaming and laughing something half in Spanish, half in English. It’s funnier now than it was then, but it was still pretty funny then.”



    Rose was in fits of giggles. She turned to Elvie. “So you were quite the exhibitionist?”



    Were?” Elvie questioned. “Who says I ever stopped?”



    “Especially when the British Monarchy is involved,” Matt teased both his son and his wife.



    Helen groaned. “Are we really going to get into the mooning at King Charles’ coronation.”



    “Nope!” Elvie said with conviction. “At least not from my prospective. Because I’m tired from physio and moving and I’m going to bed,” he pulled his wheelchair closer. He was slow with his transfer but his parents and Rose let him do it on his own.



    Rose looked at her phone and checked the time. “I should probably get headed back.”



    “Can I get a push back into the house?” Elvie asked quietly. He still didn’t like asking for help, but he was exhausted, and he had a motive. “I wanna kiss you goodnight without an audience,” he whispered.



    “Alright,” she laughed, adjusting the push handles on the back of his wheelchair while Matt and Helen stood up.



    “We’ll let you guys have some privacy, but it was wonderful to meet you, Rose,” Helen was saying.



    “We have family dinners on Sunday,” Matt announced, as if he was telling her, not asking her, to come. “We would be delighted if you could join us.”



    Rose hugged both Matt and Helen. “I will try my best to be here.”



    Rose then pushed Elvie to the house, then onto the porch, arriving at the front door.



    “Is this good?” Rose asked. “Or do you want me to put you to bed and tuck you in?” she teased.



    “Well, I would love it if you got into bed with me and tucked me in…” Elvie laughed. “But I’ll settle for a kiss goodnight at my front door.”



    Rose laughed and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. “Thanks for inviting me to dinner.”



    He kissed her back. “Thanks for coming, the ride home, and for not leaving when you found out I’m basically American Royalty,” he said, with an overdramatic flourish.



    “I am never letting you forget that you hid your identity from me for months.”



    “I’m never letting you forget it took you months to figure out my true identity,” he teased back before another kiss.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
    Findswoman likes this.
  21. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I'm soooooo sorry! Yeah, it all got lost in laptop dying/DRL. Also, I've been wanting to do my normal way of reviewing, but time has been short so I've been waiting. But I didn't want to leave you hanging any more so I'm just going to comment like this for now and hopefully will have time to get back to my normal commenting next time.
    I LOVED all of these!! The stories of these families just never gets old to me!

    Waddle

    Oh poor Rose. 42 weeks pregnant! I know most women at 36 weeks or so start to just say "get out!!" LOL. I loved how Elvie was letting her use his wheelchair to help her walk and then her response to the ignorant crappy people making comments. They were just so cute and Elvie was a great birthing partner. I especially loved how he just laughed at her saying she wanted to be numb from the waist down.

    But this made me laugh so hard!!

    I loved this! So sweet!

    Cuddles with Daddy
    Oh... my heart!! I love this so much!! <3 <3
    I mean, you know I love Daddy!Josh so much, but getting that and to see Noah... [face_love]
    Josh's dream at the beginning cracked me up, and how he was still too asleep to think about how Donna really couldn't go.
    I really loved the flash back even though it was so sad. I always love getting to know more about this part of Josh's life. Little Josh asking if his parents were going to get a divorce. :_| I mean, he's not wrong that it happens quite a lot when something really tragic happens, but a 7 year old shouldn't have to worry about it! But Noah's answer[face_love][face_love]
    And then of course, Josh using that memory to help Leo with his nightmares, even if they aren't from real events like Josh's were. Josh is such a good dad!!

    Meet the Founding Father
    Our boys and their springing their family on their partners right before a meal. I swear, Elvie and Leo and lucky that Rose and Marc are such great people! ;)
    But I loved getting to see how Rose met Matt and Helen! Of course they'd be good at putting her at ease over it all, and embarrassing Elvie stories are a great way to go! The story about him running into the Yellow Room naked while the Queen was there [face_laugh][face_laugh]

    But I laughed so hard at Rose not believing him that his parents were those Santos, even so much as knowing that their son was in a terrible accident and still not putting it together!

    I guess the more I think about it,springing who they are meeting on the unsuspecting partners, while mean, keeps them from over thinking it and freaking out for a long time! So maybe those boys were on to something!
    This was so lovely!!
     
    Briannakin likes this.
  22. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    It's okay. I completely understand when DRL comes and bites you. Though I was getting really worried (AND I REALLY WANTED TO START POSTING THIS NEXT STORY!!) But I am so happy you found some time to review (again, completely understand the shorter comments) and I'm glad these stories haven't gotten old, because I still have a couple ideas ;)

    Lol, yes, I've known many women who have said the same thing around the last month and especially when they go "overtime" so I just felt sooooo bad, but at the same time, it was a chance to have Rose completely unfiltered. I'm surprised Elvie -for all his snarkiness - turned out to be pretty supportive in the fic.

    I don't care if it's plotless or pointless, I just love daddy!Josh. But, yeah, I was so happy the muse finally gave me SOMETHING with his dad, even if it was sad and just too real. And of course Josh would worry and obsess over it, but I'm so happy I could have him open up to his dad. I loved writing this moment with Noah and how it impacted Josh as a dad many years later.

    Leo and Elvie are super lucky the whole "meeting the family" didn't backfire.
    Thanks. I just love the idea of Matt and Helen being those parents who love to embarrass their kids and I'm sure they would have a TON of fodder on Elvie!

    But poor Rose. Can you blame her?

    And, I think, maybe you have a point. [face_thinking] I'm a planner and I overthink and over-obsess, so, while I hate when things get sprung on me, it can be less painful in the long-run and force me to do things I would never normally do.
     
  23. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Title: My Pride in You
    Timeframe:
    2057
    Characters: Leo/Marc, Donna, Elvie
    A/N: Angst warning. Like hardcore. Like this is a multi part and things really go down the pooper. Apologies for any medical mistakes. I know you were thinking about doing an assassination attempt story and I still think you should. This one had be brewing in my mind for a while and as soon as I started to write it, it just kinda took off. Most of it was written before I moved but I didn’t finish it till after, I’m not quite happy with the ending, but the muse decided it wanted to move on to much more fluffier fics. Most of these parts were really long so I restructured the breaks a bit. Honestly, I had so much fun with this, I might do another assassination attempt story (is that bad?). Also I went to post this and realized I never titled it, so I'm not really happy with the title.


    Part 1


    “We should go grab burgers and fries so this night isn’t a complete waste,” Marc suggested with a laugh, whispering into his husband’s ear. Both he and Leo were in white tie tuxedos, emerging from The Kennedy Centre have just survived though an Italian Opera with the Greek President and her husband. The late autumn air was cool with a light breeze. People clambered and shouted.



    Leo paused, causing his entire entourage of about 20 Secret Service to stop as well (they didn’t like it when Leo stopped to flirt with Marc). They were under a series of tents, heading towards the motorcade. Leo fixed Marc’s bowtie. “Well, I wouldn’t say a complete waste,” Leo loved seeing Marc all dressed up, mostly because he got to undress him, “but if you’re going to let me eat a burger…”



    They continued to walk. “Veggie bur—”



    Suddenly, gunshots deafened the entire scene. It wasn’t like it was in the movies, there was no slow motion or any warning. It happened in an instant. Leo was pushed to the ground, his head hitting on the hard concrete. There was an arm under him; the forearm was mangled and bleeding. The person had been shot, yet they were covering Leo’s head with their body and other arm, forcing him to stay down. He must have lost consciousness for a few moments because when he came-to, he was being shoved and pulled into the main limo of the motorcade. As soon as he was in, the car sped off, tires screeching.



    “Marc! Where’s Marc!” Leo screamed, feeling like he was going to be sick. He was so dizzy and his head hurt so much. It felt like all the air had rushed from his lungs and he couldn’t take any back in. He felt surrounded, claustrophobic as so many hands examined him, spoke to him, and looked in his eyes. People shoved him to floorspace in the middle of the elongated car. “Where’s my husband!”



    “I’m right here, Leo!” Marc’s voice came from somewhere behind him.



    Waves of relief rushed over Leo. He tried to get to him. He needed to see and touch Marc! But the agent in front of Leo stopped him and pressed something white to his forehead. “Sir! You have a laceration and we need to examine you.”



    “I’m fine,” Leo protested. But other agents were removing his jacket and tie and unbuttoning his shirt. “Is anyone hurt? Is anyone dead?” he demanded. One of the agents put a blood pressure cuff on his arm and another examined the back of his head, then his chest and abdomen.



    “Sir, you will get a full debriefing once we are back at the White House and know everything, but right now we have to make sure you are okay.”



    “NO!” Leo said, not caring how forcefully he spoke. “We have to go to the hospital.”



    “Sir? Are you feeling okay? We will have a doctor examine you at the White House. It is safer there if you don’t need emergency medical attention. We will take you to a hospital if your doctors deem it necessary.”



    “No! Someone was shot! Whoever pulled me down!” Leo looked around, willing whoever it was to show themselves. “They were shot!”



    “Sir,” another agent said, a bit softer than the agent in front of Leo. “We will take Marc to the hospital after—”



    Those two words: “Marc” and “hospital” made Leo spiral. His heart dropped to the depths of his stomach. He pushed agents out of the way to see Marc, but froze when he saw Marc cradling his right arm, the arm that had been under Leo. Marc was pale; in shock and in pain. His shirt had been half cut off, a tourniquet was just above his elbow, his arm was wrapped in bloody gauze and an agent kept pressure on it. Blood was smeared all over the remains of the white dress shirt. Leo covered his mouth to cover a sob. Realization weighed heavily on Leo; Marc had been to first to grab him and pushed him down. Marc risked his own life to make sure he had been safe.



    Leo didn’t trust himself to speak. He didn’t know if he could speak again. He simply sat next to Marc and hovered his hand over the wound. Leo couldn’t touch him.



    “I’m alright,” Marc assured Leo quietly, yet Marc’s white complexion and shaking did not ease Leo. “How’s your head? You’re bleeding.”



    Leo wanted laugh. Everyone was so concerned about some cut on his forehead when Marc had been shot! Leo turned to his agents. “We are going to the hospital and that is a command,” Leo was surprised by how calm his voice was.



    “Leo,” Marc said as he grabbed some gauze out of the open first aid kit at his side with his good hand. He began dabbing at Leo’s cut. “I don’t think you’re in charge of this situation. We are going back to the White House. You’ll be safe there and that’s all I need right now: for you to be with the kids and safe.”



    Leo struggled to speak. He had thoughts but couldn’t form them into words, like his brain was a screen on mute - everything was working but no sound was coming out. “NO!” he screamed in frustration. He was going to stay with Marc.



    Marc, along with the agents, were completely taken aback by Leo’s outburst.



    The limo went over a huge bump, past gates, and slowed to a stop. Leo looked out the window to see they were at the basement entrance to the West Wing and there were already ambulances waiting.



    “Sir, your doctors are waiting in the Oval Office. Walter Reed has been secured for Mr. Lyman and we have a team ready to escort him.”



    Leo made one last plea. “I want to go with him.”



    “I’m sorry Sir, we can’t risk it…” The agent went on about protection protocol but Leo wasn’t listening.



    Marc was getting paler, shakier, and was struggling to stay alert. “Leo, just do what they say, for me, please. I love you.”



    Leo couldn’t even repeat those words, though he felt them so hard. He hugged Marc close and kissed him on the lips before agents ushered him out of the car and into the building. All the while Leo looked back, catching glimpses of the love of his life getting into an ambulance.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2019
  24. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    You know I love me some angst! Also if my muse ever decides it wants to actually write again (ideas aren't the problem, it's the words at the moment), I've got a pretty angsty one for you.

    I loved this exchange! Leo so excited about a burger he almost ignores the other part. LOL. I also liked that you included the part about the canopies. I doubt anyone forwent them after Bartlet, but especially the Lyman White House.

    This was all so wonderfully written! I could feel Leo's panic and one track mind. Of course that's his first thought and the Secret Service's thoughts are (mostly) on him.

    Oh that was the wrong thing to say! I mean, I know that the Secret Service would absolutely be the most concerned about Leo, but to hear that as a spouce, I can't even imagine. But when I read this, my heart dropped. I didn't even think about Marc being the one that got hit, so I think I felt a bit like Leo!

    This is beautiful imagery, and the contrast with earlier in the story where Leo was admiring Marc in his tux and now it's all cut up and bloody makes for such a striking visual. I feel weird saying it's beautiful, but it is in the writing. It really punched me in the gut.
    And Leo, poor Leo realizing Marc was hurt saving him. He would have been the first to do the same for Marc, but it's really hard to be the one on that side, especially when Marc now has to suffer longer because of him, or rather his job.

    [face_love] Marc
    Even in pain, he's still a comfort to his husband. I love this man so much, despite him being not real.

    Another gut punch. This was just so raw and so real. People really don't know how they'll react in a situation until it happens. Working in health care has shown me that you can be the most composed person in the world and when something tragic happens, you don't know how you'll react. Leo has to be composed almost all the time as people are always watching, so for him to react this way must be very starling to everyone, even him. But it's just so real.

    Oh God. I mean, I know there's no way you are going to kill Marc (right?!!!) but my first thought was, SAY I LOVE YOU!!!!! PLEASE! SAY IT!! YOU DON'T WANT TO REGRET NOT SAYING IT!
    Whew, okay. Sorry about the yelling, but I was practically yelling at my computer.
    Since I was little, the last thing I say to my parents as I left the house was "I love you" in case it was the last time I saw them. Kinda morbid, I know, but it was something I thought about from a pretty young age. I still do it today with dp and when I talk to my parents on the phone. So yeah, I was kinda panicking about this. LOL.
    And I can't imagine how hard that must be to watch Marc go and not be able to go with him. :(

    You can't leave me hanging here for long! I NEED to know what happens!
     
  25. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Yaaay! You know I love me some angst. I can't wait! But I completely understand fickle muses (particularly this week).
    I just love the idea of Leo on a strict diet, but Marc occasionally lets him cheat.
    And yeah, I wanted to include that little detail. It comes up again.
    Thank you. I really wanted to capture Leo's, yeah, panic, and that his thoughts immediately go to Marc.
    Oh yeah. When the plot bunny bit for an assassination attempt, I kept going back and forth between hurting Leo or Marc (because one of them was going to get hurt), but then the rest of this idea formed and the decision was made that it had to be Marc. But part of me still wants to write a "Leo is hurt" fic. Is that too mean of me? I just beat up on these characters
    Oh, man, I totally didn't intend the contrast, but now that I go back, I have to say, I am proud of myself! But also, yeah, another gut punch.
    But, yeah, Leo's guilt at Marc saving him, is going to be a big theme for this fic.
    I love him so much too. He just wants to care for Leo.
    Yeah, I can only imagine what sort of reactions people have, and I totally agree that Leo's reaction is probably a surprise to himself.
    No, as mean as I am, I don't think I could ever kill Marc, or Leo for that matter (I mean, Elvie, maybe but only because I've been so mean to him anyways). I really wish a far-far-future story idea would hit my muse so I can write them as old men.
    You'll see why Leo couldn't say "I love you" but dammit, as I was writing this I was having a split personality disorder and a full on internal argument: "DAMMIT HE HAS TO SAY IT" "NO! THAT RUINS THE WHOLE PLOT!". He almost said it. That part of me almost won, so I understand almost yelling at your computer.
    I did the same thing (my siblings did too)! It was (and still is) "Bye! Love you!" incase someone died. Agreed, kinda morbid but I had a good reason to. So I get the panic!
    1QUOTE="mavjade, post: 56140215, member: 1213679"]You can't leave me hanging here for long! I NEED to know what happens![/QUOTE]
    Don't worry, I've been waiting to post this for so long, so I won't make you wait the full week! Mostly because I want to get to part 3 and "Elvie as the comic relief sub-plot" (seriously, why am I so mean to him?).