Story [The West Wing] Descendants (Bri and Mav's TWW future 'verse)|

Title of the Series: Descendants
Author: mavjade
Fandom: The West Wing
Timeframe: Post-The West Wing as of yet, far future. But I'm not going to leave out the possibility of near-future.

Notes: This is going to be a series of short stories that take place in Bri and Mav's The West Wing future 'verse. The idea was stolen from @Briannakin and her series of stories: Dynasty. Most of the stories will center around the children of those who were in The West Wing: Leo, Abi and Noah are all children of Josh Lyman and Donna Moss; Josie and Imogene are children of Sam Seaborn and Ainsley Hayes. Elvie is the youngest child of Matt and Helen Santos. Imogene and Elvie are Bri's OC's and the idea for the twins (Abi and Noah) was also hers. We've crossed each other's ideas so much I'm starting to not remember who came up with what!

I have a few ideas, but I have no clue how cooperative the muse will be, so the stories may be sporatic.


Thread Index
2017
A Long Way to Go - Lyman siblings ~ slightly angsty, family
Namesake- Josh/Donna ~ fluff
Inflation Plan - Leo Lyman, various staffers ~ humor
Be Lion Mettled Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 - Leo/Marc, Elvie/Rose, Josh/Donna ~ humor, teenage angst
Eight Nights Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | - Lyman family through the years. ~ Fluff, tragedy

2018
First Dates and Ugly Sweaters - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 - Fic-gift for Briannakin ~ Leo/Marc, Elvie/Rose, Donna - Fluff, backstory
Miri and Abba - Leo/Marc, Miri Lyman ~ Fluffy angst
The Sound of Love - Leo/Marc, Josie, Lyman Family ~ Angst, tragedy, happy ending
Knowing Who You Are - Leo/Marc ~ Angst, a bit of schmoop. For the Underrepresented Challenge
Unplanned Visits - Marc, Elvie ~ a conversation between friends
Friends, Family, Love - Marc introspection with Leo and Josie


2019
Mayor Lyman in Bar Fight, Two Arrested - Leo/Marc ~ Drama, fluff. For the OTP 'Date Nite Gon Rong' challenge.

_________________________________________________________​

Title: A Long Way to Go
Author: mavjade
Fandom: The West Wing - Bri and Mav’s future ‘verse
Characters: OC’s: Leo Lyman, Abi Lyman, and Noah Lyman with mentions of Imogene and others
Wordcount: ~1,200

~*~*~​

The Lyman siblings were always telling each other the big things before they told anyone else. When Abi was sixteen and decided to shave her head, she called Leo at one in the morning and begged him to come home right away to help soften the blow with their parents. When Noah decided he wanted to join the Peace Corps right out of undergrad and help to build water systems in Africa, he told Leo before he told his twin sister because he knew it was going to be a huge issue for her, and their parents who would be proud but worried.

The first time Leo went out with a guy, Noah and Abi were the first to hear about it, the first to know that Leo was bi. He hadn’t been afraid to tell their parents, he knew they would love him no less -they had fought for marriage equality themselves- but it was easier to talk to Noah and Abi, and he wanted them at his side when it became known.

So it only made sense that when Leo made such a big decision, that his siblings were, while not the first -he did have to discuss something so life-changing with his husband first or he feared he’d no longer have one- but they knew pretty soon after.

The three were on videochat, something they tried to do as often as possible, but with Noah traveling so much for his work and the demand for Abi’s skills, it didn’t always happen.

“So what’s going on?” Abi asked as she flipped her long blue-streaked hair behind her ears. “You seem nervous.”

Leo chuckled. He looked nervous because he was. It was no secret that he had been the one in the family to fall in love with politics like their father. Leo had initially wanted to stay local, where the “real action” took place. And then he was on the front lines of pushing for the 51st state of the United States into a reality and became the very first senator for Washington D.C. It was there he got a taste of what good national politics could actually accomplish, and he found he enjoyed it.

But yes, he was nervous about this news because he knew his baby brother and sister would think he was crazy. They, like Leo, grew up around national politics and while they didn’t hate it, they hadn’t loved it either. Abi blamed politics for their dad’s death, and she couldn’t get over it.

“He could have lived years longer if the stress had been less,” she’d always say. She couldn’t know that for sure, of course, but it was something for her to blame.

Leo took a deep breath and readied himself to tell his brother and sister the news. “I’m going to run for President,” he blurted out. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and waited for the onslaught to begin, but nothing happened. The two people on the screen, his brother and sister, just stared. “Guys?”

“You’re joking, right?” Abi finally asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. “I was just waiting for the punch line.”

Abi had always been the more outspoken of the twins, really of them all. While Leo took after their dad in his love for politics, Abi took after him the most in temperament. “Two peas in a pod” their mom, Donna, always called their dad and Abi. They’d fight like cats and dogs, but Abi was a daddy’s girl at heart.

“No, I’m not. I’m going to run for President.”

“Does Marc know?” Noah asked.

Leo laughed, “Of course he does! We’ve discussed it at length.”

“And..” Abi prompted waiting for the rest.

“And what?” Leo asked. He wasn’t quite sure where they were going. Did they really think he’d run for such an office without his husband’s blessing?

“And how does he feel about it? What about the kids?” Noah jumped in before his sister said something she'd regret.

“He has reservations, of course. So do I, but I don’t think you can fully consider such a thing and not have them,” Leo answered honestly. “I didn’t just decide this on a whim. We decided. And what about the kids?”

Abi rolled her eyes. She loved her brother, but he could be dense at times. “You know it will affect them, and not for the better.”

Leo reared back as though he’d been hit. He had no clue his sister felt that way. “We grew up around it, and we turned out fine. Miranda and Peter Santos were about the same age, Elvie was born into it. Josie and Imogene, we know so many people…”

“Yeah, and Imogene was miserable and hated every minute,” Abi interrupted. “It pretty much destroyed her relationship with her parents, at least for quite a long time. Time they’ll never get back! Do you really want that for your kids?”

This conversation was becoming harder than Leo thought it would be. He knew they’d be shocked, but this reaction was unexpected. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it. “No, I don’t. Of course I don’t, but we’ll do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Leo rubbed his hand down his face and sighed. He really didn’t want to continue down this discussion path. “Look guys, why don’t we talk about this some other time, okay?”

“Good,” Abi said. “You should think about it more.”

“That’s... that's not what I meant.”

“I know, but I think you should.”

“Okay,” Leo agreed just to stop the conversation. “Love you baby sis.”

Abi smiled, “Love you, big brother.” She clicked off, and her image went away leaving the two brothers together on the call.

“I’m proud of you Leo,” Noah said after they just looked at each other for a moment. He knew this couldn't be easy for his brother and he wanted to be supportive even if he wasn't sure about the idea. “And I know dad would be too.”

Leo ducked his head, and couldn’t help the small smile that started at the corner of his lips. “Thank you, Noah. That means a lot to me.”

“She’ll come around. I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks. I’m going to need you both when I talk to mom.”

Noah’s eyes widened almost comically. “You know, I think I’ll be out of the country then.”

A burst of laughter erupted from Leo, “I’ll wait.”

“It’s going to be a long trip, months, maybe years,” Noah continued to joke. After laughing for a few moments, he turned more serious, “I’ll be there. Any time, any place.”

“Thanks," Simply said. There wasn't much more to say. "Love you, Noah.”

“Love you too. Send Marc and the kids my love.”

“Will do,” Leo replied, happy his brother seemed to be taking things better than their sister.

“My brother, the President,” Noah said mostly to himself with beaming pride.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself; there’s still a long way to go. A long way.”

“It may be a long journey, but I’m not getting ahead. You’ll make it there, and you’ll be amazing.”

Leo nodded too choked up to say anything else. Noah clicked off, and the screen went black.

“I hope so baby brother,” Leo said to the blank screen. “I hope so.”

 

HOW DID I MISS THIS FOR FOUR WHOLE DAYS! The tag must not have had worked but still, I feel bad. PLEASE TAG ME (or quote me so I am notified) WHEN YOU UPDATE.

AH! I love it so much! seriously, I THINK I may have freaked my housemates out by squealing so much

It's all canon, so it doesn't matter who came up with what

I relate to this so hard, it isn't even funny. Abi is like my spirit animal.

YES! Noah in the Peace Corps. Perfectly fitting for the son of Donna Moss.

Smart man.

HAHA! "Staying Local" always goes as planned [/sarcasm]. But I love that Leo was the first senator for Washington (an issue I actually kinda know about!).

This got me because I understand it so intimately. When you lose a parent to the abuse they willingly put on their body, you blame anything you can, anything but them. You refuse to accept your father was mortal and made flawed decisions (and here come the plot bunnies).

You merely adopted the darkness White House. I was born in it; moulded by it.

Sorry. It's like almost 2am here and I'm in a mood.

I loved all the mentions of the kids - they all really were a brood. It only makes sense that some loved politics, and some hated.

Eeeek. Yeah. This hurts.

She really is her father's daughter, isn't she?

BAHAHAHAHHAHA! I change my mind - Noah is my spirit Lyman-sibling.

I just loved the relationship between the three of them - the love, the honesty, and the years between them.

I'm eagerly waiting for more!!! May these vignettes eat at your brain as they have eaten at mine.

 

Ahh.. why am I so bad about remembering to comment on comments?!?
Anyway--

YAY! I think we've both scared other people with our reactions. I take this as a good thing!

Totally canon. And I'm starting to think we're going to have to make a master post of dates, timelines, characters etc. because I'm starting to get forgetful about things!

Abi is who I wanted to be growing up. I wasn't that brave and totally a goody-goody, but I always wanted to have that daring nature to shave my head or do something 'crazy'.

Noah is who I had the most trouble with, but once the Peace Corps came to me, I knew it was the perfect fit. He is certainly the most Donna like of all the kids.

I thought about Leo talking to Abi and Noah first, before Marc, but then I realized Leo is waaay smarter than that. He can have his idiot moments, but that would have been a big one. Marc for all his loving nature and willingness to let Leo be Leo (ha!) that might have been a step too far.

I wanted Leo to stay in D.C., but I also wanted him to be a senator so that created a quandary. I'm all about D.C. becoming a state, I think it's existence as not a state goes against a major principle that the U.S. was founded on (taxation without representation). Yes, technically they have representation in all of congress, but all of congress doesn't have only D.C. interest at heart, they have their own constituents to keep happy. Anyway, I don't think it's something that will happen any time soon, but maybe in the future, so I figured, why not Leo?!

I'm sorry that you know this feeling, it's terrible thing to bear. My parents are both still alive, but many of my dad's health issues are because he smoked for so many years, even after two heart attacks. It's hard to be the person standing by and watching when there is something they could do to help themselves, even if it's something very difficult. It's hard not to blame them and be angry about it.

Ha! Yes!! That is perfect!

Yeah. I almost took it out because I don't know if that's the kind of relationship you were going for with Imogene, but that's the feeling I got from reading about her. It's so heartbreaking but unfortunately unavoidable.

She is! Can you imagine Josh Lyman with a teenage, female version of himself?!

Thank you! I've always enjoyed sibling relationships that are really close. I love my siblings and would do anything for them any time, but we don't talk often or get together often (all three of us live in different cities and both my brother and sister travel a lot for work). I know I should work harder at it because I'll regret not doing so one day, but I haven't. Maybe writing the Lyman siblings who are very close will help!

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I too hope there are many more bunnies because I love writing everyone in this 'verse.

- -

TOTALLY Josh's daughter! There's no mistaking that, but also daddy's little girl. I'm glad you enjoy her, she's a lot of fun to write. Like I told Bri, she's kinda who I always wanted to be as a kid, but never had the guts.

Yeah, it's one of those things that you can see from all points of view and that makes it hard. There are no right or wrong answers and everyone is going to have an opinion. I wanted to make sure that all their personalities shined through and you could see them as individuals. Yeah, Noah is the sweet heart that you just want to hug all the time.

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you are enjoying our 'verse of OCs. They are so much fun to write and I'm having a blast playing off what Bri writes as well.

 

Title: Namesake
Author: mavjade
Fandom: The West Wing
Characters: Josh Lyman, Donna Moss
Timeline: A few years into the Santos administration.
Notes: When I’m thinking about baby names sometimes (what, it’s a thing people think about!) and I see a friend use a name I might have used, I strike it off my mental list. While working on our dairies Bri and I independently decided to name our OC’s Leo. She made a bit of a change (I think) so it wouldn’t be too weird, but I wondered if it would still be odd between people who know each other so well. That wondering brought out this story.

Tagging Briannakin (and we'll see if it actually works this time)

~*~*~

“Josh, the Santos’s just named their son Leo, we can name our child that as well,” Donna said as she gently sat down on the couch in their home, sighing as she leaned back her hand absently rubbing her very pregnant belly.

Josh sat down beside his wife, leaning over to take her shoes off of her feet. “Why not?”

Donna turned her head without it leaving the back of the couch. “Why not? Seriously?”

“Yes, why not? Is there some law against it I’m unaware of? I can’t recall the one that says two kids can’t have the same name. I’m pretty sure there were at least four Joshua’s in my school.”

“I’m sure there were, but how many of them were close to your parents?”

Josh sat back on the couch and pulled Donna’s feet in his lap and began to rub. “Umm..”

“I rest my case.” Donna laughed to herself knowing it wouldn't be the end of the discussion, but she was enjoying the feeling of her swollen feet being massaged, and she found she didn't really care.

“But just because my parents didn’t do it doesn’t mean we can’t,” Josh continued his argument.

“It’s just not something you do, Josh. It’s good manners.”

“Well, then wouldn’t it have been good manners not to name their son something that we’d name our kid?”

Donna shook her head. She loved her husband, but for all of his Ivy League education and years at top level politics, his mind was sometimes irrational and confusing to outsiders, even his wife. “That— Josh, that makes no sense. Leo meant a lot to them as well. And besides, you didn’t even know I was pregnant until Elvie was born.”

“There, Elvie, see, he goes by Elvie so we can name our son Leo.”

“That’s a nickname, do you really think the kid will want to go by Elvie his entire life?”

“His God-mother and former First Lady gave him that name, of course he will.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but that doesn’t change the fact that his name is Leo-Vincent,” Donna pointed out.

Josh dropped his head and stared at his wife's feet that were now just sitting in his lap. He knew he was being very stubborn, but this was something he knew he really wanted to do. “Leo is the reason this baby exists,” he practically whispered.

Donna laughed and poked Josh with one of her toes. “Um, I’m pretty sure Leo has nothing to do with how this baby came to be. I know I have pregnancy brain and forgetting a lot of things, but I’m pretty sure I’m remembering this correctly.”

“I’m serious, Donna. Leo is the whole reason I went into politics. When I was little, he’d come over to the house, and he and dad would sit and argue politics. Well, not argue like people argue about it today, more like debate. There were things they agreed on, and things they disagreed. They’d try to outmaneuver each other. Leo would always say my dad should have gone into politics, but dad said he loved talking about it, but the world was too cutthroat for him.

“Anyway, as I got older and learned more about the world, I’d join in their debates, and I’d soak up everything I could. Leo never treated me like a naive kid —which I was— but as though my thoughts and ideas had merit. His passion and love for making laws and helping people with those laws always made him seem like he was Superman to me. By the time I was ready to go to college, I knew that was the life I wanted. He helped me write my law school entry essay. He got me my first interview on the hill.

“He’s the reason I left the shoe-in for the Democratic nominee —a job that probably would have gotten me Chief of Staff even though I was nowhere near ready for it— for an unknown governor of New Hampshire. Without Leo’s multiple interventions we would have never met.”

He took Donna’s hand, “Leo is responsible for us and therefore responsible for this child." He paused for a moment and then added, I guess Dr. Freeride is responsible as well, but I’m certainly not going to name our child after him.”

Donna laughed and wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. She’d seen Josh passionate many, many times. He was quite a passionate man and would get worked up about quite a few things in life, but the feeling that he invoked when he was talking about how much Leo meant to him were on a whole different level.

“You’re right,” Donna finally said when she regained control over her emotions. “He does deserve Leo’s name, and Leo deserves that place of honor in our lives. Let’s name him Leo.”

Josh smiled, “Thank you, Donatella. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I think I do, Josh. You just showed me.”

“Wait a minute, did you just say I was right?”

“Aaand we’re right back to good ‘ol Josh Lyman.”

“You know you love him.”

“God help me, I do.”

Josh leaned over and put his face right beside his wife’s stomach. “I can’t wait to meet you, Leo Lyman.”

 

LOL! Might not be a bad idea. I have a rough timeline of all the Presidents from Bartlet to Lyman (because I really suck at remembering that you people elect a guy one year but he doesn't actually become president till the next), but yeah, a master list of everything might be useful. Also, because I want to use more of Leo/Marc but I don't want to step on any of your head-canon. Our own West Wing Wiki

No, I'm glad you left it because it totally is. She has her own 3-parter coming up and it's... hard.

Yes I can and I am having so much evil fun doing so!

ANYWAYS

YAAAAAAASSSSS! NEW FICCCC!

Actually, Leo-Vincente always had the "Vincente" (because I love the name), but the nickname did come about because of your Leo, but I'm not mad. Elvie is just soooo Elvie

But I totally get the awkwardness of people who are close wanting to name their kids the same thing (my aunt felt the need to slightly alter her youngest's name because my cousin- her nephew - ended up using the name she wanted for his kid). I kinda get it, and I have kinda laid my claim to the name "Leo" with all my siblings (not that any of them wanted it, nor am I ever going to use it probably), but at the same time, I know a billion Davids, so I don't think it is a huge deal depending on your relationships. IDK.

My brother Josh can attest to that

First, I just love the visual of Josh knowingly rubbing Donna's feet! He knows what she wants so he's not completely dense, but he's still pretty dense. But we love him in all his genius irrationality.

Lol! So this totally ties into a vignette I haven't posted yet with Rose telling Marc how late she discovered Elvie's true identity because of him going by Elvie his entire life.

I both laughed and 'awww'ed at this moment because Josh is just so stubborn, but he really wants it.

BAHAHAHA! That is just such a Donna moment.

But I loved Josh recounting how close he was to Leo even in the pre-Bartlet days We got to see how close they were right from the Pilot ("As long as I got a job, you got a job"), but I really enjoyed reading the backstory.

Awww. I just love this little moment.

BAHAHAHA! And we are back to Josh being Josh. I love how, like the show, you can have me going from a heartfelt tender moment to laughing in a moment.


I seriously loved this so much. Josh is just so determined and he wants to do the right thing by Leo, even if it isn't "socially correct". I think the Santoses probably felt awkward for taking the name "Leo", and were more than happy that their sons got to share the name. I think it is just so fitting for Leo McGarry to end up having two children (both of who would go on to working in the west wing) named after him. And it lead to the Leo/Leo Legacy ticket, which is just all sorts of awesomeness.

 

Oh good, that makes me feel a little better! I can't remember if I told you this or not, but had I been a boy my middle name was going to be Vincente because it was my grandfather's name. And I agree, Elvie is so Elvie, and I love him so!

That's why I loved having an uncommon name, there was never any confusion!

He's totally dense, but he does learn eventually. He's figured out how to keep pregnant Donna happy and he's going to do his best because he knows he'll be miserable otherwise.

It totally did and I love it! As someone who got a nickname when I was a baby and it stuck, at least with family and family friends, I know those kinds of things happen. And mine was from my brother, not a First Lady.

Yeah, that was one that I could hear clearly in her voice. Donna isn't going to let anyone take credit for this baby except them. I also feel like she wouldn't all the 'we're pregnant' thing. They are having a baby but she's the one who is pregnant.

I always loved the little bits we got of the full relationship between Josh and Leo. It was always clear that Leo was important to Josh, but none more so than the end of season 7. I just feel like this would be important to Josh, and Donna once she thought about it.

Josh can't go long without reverting to himself, and it's so much fun to write. One of my favorite lines is in the 'I wouldn't stop for red lights' scene where Donna says, "I'm going to need you not to be... you for just a minute." It's so them, and so sweet at the same time.

Thank you! I love writing Josh when he's determined to do something that is the right thing, especially when sweet Josh can show up for a moment. He can be a doofus, but he's so loveable and smart. And I agree Leo McGarry deserves having those kids named after him and it's fitting that they end up so high in politics. The Leo/Leo Legacy ticket is the best!

 

Title: Inflation Plan
Author: mavjade
Fandom: The West Wing
Timeline: Part of the Bri and Mav’s future ‘verse. January 2055
Characters: Leo Lyman, various staffers, and Donna Moss-Lyman... sort of
Notes: I wrote this on the way to Puerto Rico in the middle of the night after having been up since 6 that morning. I’ve since edited it (of course), but I blame being on the clock for 23 hours for this.

~*~*~

Leo sat down behind the Resolute Desk to start his first full day in office. It wasn't the first time he'd sat behind the desk as President, he’d sat in the same place yesterday afternoon with his best friend and Chief of Staff, Josie Seaborn, along with one of his oldest friends and Vice President Elvie Santos. He had wanted to start the administration off with the two of them at his side, so he refused to go into the office until they could all do it together. At that time the desk had been completely clear, the table behind him empty. The room was decorated with a beige carpet with the seal of the president in the middle in only a slightly darker color and beige couches. It had lacked any physical character.

The office itself had plenty, Leo couldn’t help but think about the men and women who had occupied the position before him and all of the people who helped those presidents get where they were. They felt like giants to him, and he hoped he could live up to the legacy that had been left for him.

Now as he sat alone waiting for his advisors, the room had much more personality. Overnight the pictures of his husband and children had appeared on the desk. A picture of his parents at a former presidential inaugural ball, all dressed up and smiling at each other sat on the table behind, along with a picture of his entry family. The carpet was a deep blue with the presidential seal in the middle in full color. Around the outside were the words of former president Josiah Bartlet “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”. Leo had chosen those words because he felt that President Bartlet -his Grandpa Jed- was the reason Leo was currently occupying the office. It had been his campaign where his parents met and his administration where they'd fallen in love, even if it took them many years to figure it out.

Two plush couches sat on either side of the fireplace with a portrait of George Washington hanging over it. The couches were a deep grey with blue and red pillows. The table in between the couches held a bowl of apples and pears.

It was as he’d always dreamed; it mirrored the Oval Office that he remembered and loved from his childhood when he would run into the room -from his dad’s office right next door- to talk to his President Uncle Sam, but also had touches that were all his own.

There was a knock at the door pulling him out of his thoughts about the past when the staff began to enter the room. “Good morning Mr. President,” they all said.

Leo replied, “Good morning” to each of them and wondered when he would stop wanting to turn around and look for someone else when they addressed him.

The door from the Chief of Staff’s office opened and Josie strolled in with a satisfied smirk on her face. “Good morning Mr. President,” she said as she handed him a blue file folder. “I was asked to make sure you received that first thing this morning.”

A blue file meant what was in the folder was not top secret, and he was free to look at its contents with his staff around. Leo opened the folder, the top sheet appeared to be the standard bill introduction, but once he read what it actually said, he began to laugh.

“For immediate consideration, Office of the President of the United States. A Secret Plan to Fight Inflation”​

There was a yellow post-it note at the bottom which read, “Read the rest after the meeting.” He recognized his mother’s familiar scrawl and knew the note was from her.

“It seems,” Leo said to his staff who were looking at him curiously after his outburst of laughter, “that our first task is on the economy…”

“Sir,” his Deputy Chief of Staff interjected, “I thought we were going to begin with immigration and a national safety net?”

“This won’t take long.” Leo hoped this little bit of levity would help his staff relax. They’d all been friendly and jovial until he’d been elected and now they were a bit more tense. The office only seemed to add to that atmosphere. “The first thing we’re working on is a secret plan to fight inflation.”

Leo had no idea if any of his staff would understand the joke. It was something from long before he was born, but it was famous in his extended family. He just hoped his team knew he was, in fact, joking.

“Wait, I think I’ve seen this,” his Press Secretary said. “It’s something that they show as a what not to do in front of the press.” She pulled out her phone and quickly typed in ‘secret inflation plan.' Instantly she had the video and projected it onto the wall so everyone could see it.

A somewhat grainy image of a man standing behind the podium at a press briefing appeared. There was some discussion back and forth between the man and various reporters when one of the reporters said, “Is the reason you won’t tell us about it is because it’s a secret?”

The man at the podium smiled and said “Yeah Danny, we have a secret inflation plan.”

The entire Oval Office erupted in laughter, including Leo who had seen the clip many times. They laughed and joked about it for a few moments until one of them noticed the name at the bottom of the screen. “Wait, that says Joshua Lyman. Is that…”

“My dad?” Leo interrupted. “Yes. When he was Deputy Chief of Staff for President Bartlet.”

“Wow, that really is what not to do,” the same staffer replied.

“Yep, and my dad never lived it down, at least not in our family. But it just goes to show you that we will make mistakes and things won’t always go our way. But we can move on and do our best for the people of this country. We can have fun, this is a serious job, and there isn’t anything I take more seriously, but we don’t always have to take ourselves seriously. If you don’t have fun sometimes, you aren’t going to last long. So relax, be silly, have fun. Just please don’t do it in front of the press.”

The staff smiled and nodded their heads. They seemed to be more relaxed and more like themselves, which Leo counted as a win. “Now, in the immortal words of my Grandpa Jed, ‘What’s Next?’”

- - - -

At the end of a long first day, Leo sat alone in his office and his mind turned to the folder he’d been given that morning. He sat down at his desk and opened the folder, chuckling at the top sheet once again before setting it aside. Below was a letter handwritten by his mother:

My dearest Leo,

I could not be more proud of the man you’ve become and the President I know you’ll be. You are kind, caring, but also strong and determined. I think more than your brother and sister you are an equal mix of your father and me (someone had to get the trivia gene after all) and I hope that those traits will serve you well.

I’ve watched many people occupy the office you now have, so I know there will be times that the fight seems too difficult and the cost too high. You’ll have to make decisions that I could never dream of making and I know you’ll bear the burdens with a heavy heart. Rely on your staff because they are there to help you make the hard choices, but especially rely on Josie and Elvie as friends will often be hard to come by. Let them take some of the burden for you. Let them share not just in the triumphs but in the setbacks and failures as well.

Let your father’s secret plan to fight inflation remind you that mistakes happen and you learn from them. Let it remind you to have humor in the things that might otherwise make you angry. But let it also remind you every day that your father would be so proud of you. It was the joy of his life that you loved politics just as much as he did, that you wanted to serve the people of this country. But as much as he loved politics, he loved you and Abi and Noah more.

There will be times when your job is more critical than dinner or bedtime, but don’t forget that everything isn’t that important. Make time for yourself. Make time for Marc and the kids. Make time for your friends. Forgive yourself the mistakes you’ll make, forgive others for theirs.

But above all stay true to who you are and you’ll serve the people well. And remember that you may be President of the United States, but you are still my baby boy.

Love always,


Mom ​

 

No, you haven't, but that's neat! I'm kinda "meh" on Vincent, but for some reason I really like the name Vincente. Also, I don't know if I have told you this but Noah is actually my other brother's (not Josh's) second name and was going to be my "third" name if I had been a boy. For that reason, Noah is actually on my "if pigs ever fly and I have kids" list.


Anyways, so I actually started reading this when I was visiting my mom's and I just started to laugh so loud just from the title my step-father thought I was going nuts

AWWW. I just love this image of the three of them going in together (and now we need to cast Josie!).

Awwww!!!! This is exactly how I managed Leo's desk.

YES! Jed (and Leo McGarry) truly started the whole thing.

Yes! I love that Donna is still very much a part of the West Wing, even if she isn't working there.

And this is the part where I started laughing hysterically. Josh TOTALLY would be that example!

I loved the whole fic but this bit is just soooo... Leo. So much confidence and wisdom are in these words. He's putting everyone at ease in what is a very tense time, but he isn't making light of the job or the office. I just love it.... And the fact that Josh never lived it down!

And the letter Not just the words but the fact that she would write her son such a letter on his first full day in office just shows not only the love she has for him, but also that she knows the road that lies ahead of him. She might not be able to give her advice on particular decisions he will need to make, but she knows what he needs to be able to live, thrive and do good in such a role.

Awwww! He really did and that says everything about Josh's character arc.

I am goo. A big pile of mushy love goo. Leo will always be Donna's baby boy.


This is exactly what I needed after the day I had yesterday.

 

YEEESSSS!!!!

... I'm sorry, did I just type that out??

Leo knows he didn't get there on his own, so I think he'd want his friends that helped him get there with him. I just loved the idea of all of them going in together and taking it all in. And yes, we need to cast Josie, but I have no clue who!

Yeah, as soon as I started imagining it, I knew he'd have lots of pictures of family. And after this story, I imagine the top sheet of the secret plan to fight inflation might make it there too.

Yeah, after writing the story about Josh and Donna talking about how Leo was responsible, I wanted to get Jed in there somewhere too. And I could see Leo wanting a bit of him there in the Oval with him.

I just imagine that is the go to of how not to deal with the press that everyone gets. I just imagine all the PoliSci students watching it and writing papers on it. LOL.

Yeah, I wanted him to have a close relationship with his staff, I mean it clearly worked for his 'family'. But I'm sure that would be hard to do and you'd want to set the tone right from the start. It's okay to have fun, just know the time and the place. I think that can be hard to learn sometimes, but it's important.

Exactly! I imagine that no mother wants their children to have to make those kinds of decisions, but Donna isn't going to stop him. She wants him to know that she understands what he will face and she's seen enough that she can help make the other parts easier.

It really does. Even on the show when he was being... him, we saw glimpses of it. I think kids has just made that come through even more.

Yay! Yep, it doesn't matter if he were king of the universe, he'd still be her baby.
I'm glad it was helpful!!

 

Title: Be Lion Mettled
Author: mavjade
Fandom: The West Wing
Characters: OCs: Leo Lyman, Elvie Santos, Josie Seaborn, as well as Josh Lyman, Donna Moss-Lyman because they wanted to participate too.
Timeline: Starts in 2024
Notes: I don’t remember exactly what made this bunny pop in my head, but I know it was when I was reading either a story or comment by Bri, so I blame her.

This will be in three parts, they are all written, the other two just need final edits.



Part 1

Leo wasn’t entirely sure when it happened. He and Elvie had been friends since, pretty much always. Elvie was a little older, but they’d both been born when their parents worked in the White House, and neither one remembered a time when the other wasn't a part of their lives. Elvie’s dad was the President, and Leo’s dad was his Chief of Staff. Leo's mom was Elvie’s mom’s Chief of Staff. Their parents joked that they were kids that were destined to be best friends or hate each other entirely having been born into the pressure cooker that is the White House.

Typically, the child of the Chief of Staff didn’t warrant any attention from the media, but since the press had taken a keen interest in Leo’s parent’s love story, their child was also a story. Elvie, who was the first child born into the White House in over 40 years, was a major story, especially given that he was born in the middle of a terrorist attack while his parents were on a campaign trip. Despite all of the coverage of their births, Elvie and Leo’s parents did their very best to protect their children from the public eye and would refuse White House access to anyone who didn’t comply.

After the Santos administration was over, the two friends didn’t see each other all that often. Leo still lived in Washington DC where his dad was now Chief of Staff for President Seaborn, and Elvie lived with his family in Texas. They would occasionally spend a few weeks in the summer in the same place, but otherwise, they had Snapchat, Twitter, FaceTime, and other means of communicating across the country.

The 20th anniversary of the Bartlet Peace Accord fell in the summer of 2024 and a summit to further the peace between Israel and Palatine was commenced at Camp David. Many of the former White House staff who had initially helped to foster peace between the nations were in attendance alongside the current staff. President Seaborn, President Santos, and President Bartlet, along with Josh Lyman who had served all three Presidents were in attendance and hoped to show that the United States was committed to the peace. Since the summit was in the summer, most of those attending brought their families along to the Camp.

Leo, Elvie and Josie Seaborn were probably the happiest about the gathering; it was the first time they’d all been together -the three musketeers as their parents called them- in quite a long time. They, along with the other teenagers got almost free reign of Camp David to explore, hang out, and find mischief to get into.

Leo was expecting that they would get up to all sorts of craziness, mostly at Josie and Elvie’s insistence. He was usually a little more timid when it came to doing things he knew his parents wouldn’t approve of, but the other two were always game to push the limits. “Forgiveness is easier than permission” was their motto.

But something Leo wasn’t expecting happened soon after they arrived.

~*~*~

Leo was sitting on his bed in the cabin he and his family had been assigned. It had two sides that did not connect, essentially making two cabins under one roof, but kept them all close together. One of the sides had two bedrooms and a small living room. This is where his parents were staying, along with his sister and Josie -who didn't want to stay in the Presidential cabin- taking the other room. Leo was staying on the other side of the cabin which had one large room with a set of bunk beds and a single bed. Leo's little brother and Elvie were assigned to stay with him.

Noah, Leo’s younger brother, was out exploring with their sister while Leo was waiting to see Elvie. He was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. Finally, he heard the door slam open and saw the back of a dark head dragging a duffle bag into the cabin.

“Ugh, how do you continue to deal with all of this? They searched my stuff,” Elvie said continuing to back into the room. “Really. What do they think I’m gonna do?”

Leo laughed, he started to reply that they knew him well so they were worried he’d be up to something, but then Elvie turned around, and all he could manage to squeak out was, “Hi.”

“Hey,” Elvie said as he heaved his stuff onto the single bed.

Leo couldn’t move. He knew exactly what had just come over him, but he wasn’t sure where it came from. Be cool, he thought to himself. Be cool. He’d known he was attracted to guys and girls for a while now, it wasn’t a big shock to him, but it was a shock that he felt attracted to Elvie. They’d talked online just a few weeks ago, and he’d just felt like a friend. Now, looking at Elvie’s face that mostly resembled his father and the clear signs that he'd started going to the gym, Leo couldn’t help how he felt.

“So what are we getting up to this weekend? Josie is here too, right?” Elvie asked.

“Um, yeah,” Leo mumbled. “I forgot I told mom I’d do… something for her. I’ll be back.” Leo went out the door as fast as he could while trying to keep calm. As soon as he got outside, he ran down the little stairs, around the cabin, and up the stairs, through the door, past his mom and through the door of the room where Josie was staying with his little sister.

“Leo, what’s wrong,” he heard his mother ask as he shut the door.

“Nothing,” he said as calmly as he could manage. His mother had a knack for knowing exactly when all of her children were lying, and if she thought something was wrong, she’d manage to make him tell her. This was something he did NOT want her to know about right at the moment.

“Okay,” he could hear her answer somewhat skeptically, but he heard her walk away from the door.

Leo let out a breath and still facing the door he let his head fall against it.

“Ooookaaayyy…” Josie said. “What was that about?”

“I’m in love with Elvie,” Leo mumbled. He couldn’t bring himself to say it entirely out loud even to his best friend.

“I have no idea what you just said; it sounded like ‘ermmen voveovie.’”

Leo turned around and put his back to the door, “I think I’m in love with Elvie.” He looked up at Josie who was sitting on her bed. “Help.”

 

OH MY GOD!!! I've had a crappy past few days, and today I fell in my garage, into a glob of muddy snow off of my roommates' car, and messed up my knee and elbow. But this is just all I need right now, because I'm sitting in bed, positively laughing SOOOO hard. Just know that this is everything and I love it.

But first:

OMG. I made Josie a Poli-sci major (not sure if I have posted that one yet) and now I can just see her having to write papers on ALL the stuff her parents and extended family did.

Anyways, now to this. I can sum my reaction in one gif:

Then I know it's either going to be really good, or really sad and I'll love it either way (and oh man, it was good and I loved it.

This is very true, but I'm glad Leo, Josie and Elvie all turned out to be life-long friends (though I'm sure there were times when they fought like siblings with each other).

Oh god. I can just see those three together with Josh; Santos and Bartlet giving the current administration a hard time. This gif of former presidents comes to mind.

I love this and the imagery of them getting together when circumstances allowed it just makes for the greatest of friendships.
And yeah, Josie and Elvie would totally drag Leo into trouble at Camp David. I can just see it happening.

I can totally see this being Josie and Elvie's model because it would totally apply to their busy parents. I might have to steal this for the vignette I'm currently working on.

Who can't help but be attracted to a face that grow up into this? Plus he has the heart and the brain


But seriously, I feel so bad for poor Leo (but I'm still laughing at his misery). I remember being that age and just being an awkward ball of raging hormones. Plus the poor kid is a Lyman

The whole awkward interaction was just SOOO Sorkin-like. I loved it, even if I was cringing for Leo.

Oh Donna. She is just so Donna and Leo is lucky to have a mom like her... just not in this moment.

Oh my goodness. This whole thing had me cracking up, but I just lost it (in a good way) at this point. It is so bad, but I also love it so much.

Edit: I forgot to add, as awkward as teenage Leo is, he's also just adorable in his love for Elvie, whatever that love may actually be.

I can not wait till parts 2 and 3 of this.

 

Ouch!! I hope you weren't hurt! And I'm so glad this made your crappy days better!

Oh man, and trying to hide the fact that she knows any of them! LOL! And no, I don't think you've posted that one!

YAY!! Toby laughing is the best laughing!

Thank you! I wish I could remember what it was, but I just remember getting hit by the idea of Leo in love with Elvie and it was too good to pass up!

OH. MY. GOD. I'd not seen that GIF! I laughed sooo hard. And then my boyfriend and I laughed about it for at least five minutes. That is exactly what the three of them would be like! And that mental image is so great!

I do too. It makes it hard when I was pretty sure Elvie would be pretty far away, but I just love the idea that they still get to hang out as friends from time to time. And good friends always pick up just like they'd seen each other recently, even if it has been a while.

Oh please steal away!

EXACTLY!! Poor Leo had no chance! And I'm pretty sure I stared at that gif for way too long.

Yeah, I remember it too. It's a really hard age to be. But yeah, poor Leo is a Lyman and therefore is doubly awkward. But it is funny to watch other people feel so awkward!!

I took that trait from my mom. Even now, she call tell on the phone from hundreds of miles away when something's wrong, even if I'm trying to hide it. When I was a teenager, it was quite frustrating.

I'm so glad you liked it! I was a little nervous at first that it would be a awkward in a bad way rather than a cute way.

 

Note: When I decided to make this a reunion of the peace negotiations, Josh and Donna decided they wanted to be a part of it too. I told them this was supposed to be a story about awkward teenagers, but they didn't listen. And then they were cute so I decided to let them stay. As if I ever have control over what characters do.



Part Two


Josh walked back into his cabin and smiled seeing his wife sitting on their bed, her glasses perched on her noes reading a stack of papers. He thought she’d never looked more beautiful. He loved seeing her in evening gowns with her hair perfect and makeup just right, but watching her concentrate on something when she thought no one was looking was his favorite time to just look at her. She would bite her lip when something was confusing and run her hand through her long blond hair when she was frustrated; it was something Josh could watch all day. He knew it was cliche, but it was true. All the frustration and sadness he’d felt when he walked into the room blurred into the background, and he smiled as he watched.

After a few moments when he felt it was starting to border on creepy, Josh spoke up. “I thought the rule was no work in bed?”

“Josh!” Donna jumped scattering some papers that were surrounding her. “You scared me!”

“Payback for all those times you snuck up on me. I’ve learned a lot from you over the years, Donatella.”

“Have you been keeping this ninja ability a secret for awhile or did you just discover it?”

“Oh, I’ve been practicing for years, waiting to lure you into a false sense of security.”

“And now is when you’ve chosen to unleash it on me, your unsuspecting wife who bore you three children?”

“Uhhh…”

“And two of them were twins I might remind you,” Donna said with a serious look on her face.

Josh shrugged knowing whatever would come out of his next would be very him and make matters worse.

Donna laughed having only been teasing, “Don’t look so worried, just use your secret powers on our children next time, and all will be right in the world.”

“Deal.” Josh smiled at his wife. Everyone thought she was the sweet one, but she could be just a devious as anyone.

“And speaking of your children, something’s going on with Leo.”

“Leo? Leo as in our firstborn, the most even-tempered child that ever existed? Are you sure it wasn’t Abi dressed up as Leo?”

“I’m serious Josh," Donna said having lost all humor she'd had from a moment before. "He came running in here, into the room with Josie and slammed the door. I haven’t heard a peep from them since.”

“He’s a teenager, I’m sure he’s fine,” Josh tried to reassure Donna and himself at the same time. The truth was that Leo was a teenager, but for the most part, they’d been spared the temper tantrums, the huffing and puffing, and the angst tied with raging hormones. “Let’s give them a little bit and see if he comes around on his own. He'll tell us if it's something important.”

Donna smiled. She’d never doubted that Josh would be a good dad, but there were many who weren’t so sure. When she’d been pregnant with Leo, people had jokingly asked her if she was sure she wanted to attempt to raise a child with Josh Lyman. To raise Josh Lyman’s child with Josh Lyman. They’d wonder about how high strung he is and how relentless he could be when he would dig his teeth into a piece of legislation or a congressman. But they didn’t get see the sweet side of Josh Lyman who was way more in touch with his feelings than most people would give him credit for. They hadn’t seen how much he loved his mother, how much he still missed his father and sister. They didn’t hear the stories from when Josh was a child, and his grandfather was his hero. While he didn’t have much of it, family was important to Josh Lyman, maybe more so because he didn’t have much of it, and she knew he’d always dreamed of having his own.

So when Josh said something like he’d just said, that they’d give their teenage son space, but be open if he came to them, she wasn’t shocked. It was just who he was. “So how are things going?”

Josh sat down on the bed with an exhale. “Better than I expected, but still…”

Donna scooted over to him and put her hand on his back.

“This is one of the times I wish Leo were here," he continued, leaning into her touch. "I’m trying to be the representative of two former presidents while firmly staying on the side of The President’s agenda while walking the tightrope of keeping things even between Israel and Palestine. I feel like if I slip, everything we’ve worked for all these years will fall with me. Leo would know how to navigate all of this.”

Donna shook her head. She, of course, missed Leo McGarry as well. They named their son after the man, and he had been a big influence in their lives. But when things were difficult, Josh always held himself to an impossible standard, one that even Leo McGarry couldn’t uphold. “Josh, you’ve been Deputy Chief of Staff, and Chief of Staff for two presidents, no one has more experience than you. Not even Leo had this kind of experience; he wouldn’t know better than you. It’s okay to miss him, miss his presence, but I think even Leo would agree you’ve surpassed him. You know, the whole student surpassing the master thing? He'd be proud.”

Josh chuckled and laid his head on her shoulder, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, and your wisdom.”

“I’m pretty sure you’d be a mess, that’s for sure.”

“I was,” Josh said as he buried his face in his wife’s neck and kissed her lightly.

“I don’t understand.”

“The last time we were here. You were in Germany, and I was here. I couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t concentrate…”

Donna hadn’t even thought about why she hadn’t been here the last time, it didn’t even occur to her to think about it. She hadn’t forgotten about her time in the Middle East, but it wasn’t something that affected her life any longer. But Josh -like most things where someone he loves was in danger- couldn’t totally let it go. She should have predicted this would be a difficult weekend. “But I’m here now. You helped do something good then, and you are now. Don’t dwell in the past, Josh.”

He sighed, “I know. I’ll try not to.”

“Good,” Donna smiled at him and kissed his forehead. “Do you think we should check and see what our teenage son and the First Daughter doing in that room, alone, with the door closed?”

“Don’t worry, Leo’s probably just trying to talk Josie out of something crazy.”

“Are you sure? They are teenagers.”

Suddenly Josh wasn’t sure, “Leo! Josie! Time to go to dinner!”



~*~*~

Josie sat down hard on her bed, “Um…what?”

“Don’t make me repeat it,” Leo begged. He slid down the door to the floor and hid his face in his knees that were pulled up close to his chest.

“When did this happen?!”

“I don’t know! It just did.”

“It doesn’t work like that, you don’t just suddenly fall in love with one of your oldest friends,”

Leo looked up, “Well it did.”

“Ooookay…”

“Josie!”

“Oh no, don’t start that thing your dad does. He can get away with it, you can’t.” She got up and sat down beside her friend. “We can't stay in here all week, so you better start talking soon.”

“I… just… I…” Leo didn’t know what to say. He really didn’t know when it happened or how. It had taken him completely by surprise. “This can’t be happening.”

Josie bumped her shoulder into Leo’s, “It’s kinda cute, really.”

“It really isn’t.”

“I don’t know, you guys have been friends as long as you can remember. You both are pretty cute in your own ways. I could see it. I’d ship it.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means I think you guys would be cute together.”

“This isn’t helping. You’re my best friend, why aren’t you helping?!”

Josie did her best not to roll her eyes. Leo was usually a pretty calm guy, but he was acting like it was the end of the world. “Maybe you should just tell him?”

“What?! No! Why would I do that?” Leo couldn’t believe that had even come out of his friend’s mouth. He folded his legs underneath himself to sit on his knees and turned to face his best friend. “He can’t ever know, Josie. Ever.”

“Okay, I just think—“

“Ever. Promise me.”

Josie nodded. She didn’t think it would be a big deal to tell him, Elvie wouldn’t think anything of it, but she wouldn't go behind Leo’s back. It was a secret she’d keep as long as Leo wanted.

“Leo! Josie!” Leo’s dad’s voice suddenly came through the walls. “It’s time to go to dinner.”

“Oh God,” Leo said. “He’ll be there.”

“Yep,” Josie said standing and holding her hand out to her friend. “He’ll be here all week, maybe two. And don’t forget you are rooming together.”

“I’m never going to make it.”

“Come on, your name is Leo. Use it.”

“Huh?”

“You know, like the lion. Leo’s are lions. And don’t be the cowardly one. Be brave. Be Proud.”

“I can’t.”

“Don’t make me make you roar.”

“I don’t even know what you are talking about anymore. It’s like another language.”

"Look, the way I see it is you have two choices. You can do something about it, or you can ignore it."

"And if I can't ignore it?"

"Well, then you should just kiss him!"

Leo's face turned bright red. "I... wha... No."

Josie couldn't help but laugh. Leo couldn't help but give himself away. "Take a breath. It seems you've lost the ability to talk in complete words."

"I'm not going to kiss him! Are you crazy?!"

"Hmm... probably," She answered his rhetorical question. "But not about this."

"No, just no."

"Okay, well then you are just going to have to ignore it. Don't worry," she bumped her shoulder into his. "We'll stick together, and we'll figure it all out."

Leo sighed, "Okay. Thanks, Jos."

"You're welcome. Now let's go before your parents think we're up to something in here."

 

I loved it so much. Leo is just so adorable.

Yup. I totally understand But Josh and Donna are just as adorable as their kids!

BAHAHAHA. This is so Josh, but at least he has learned to keep his mouth shut.

I love this. It says so much about Leo... and about Abi

Bah! I have a feeling that this came back up to bite Josh and Donna when Abi became a teenager

I love this so much and all of it really is just so true of Josh. With all that he lost and how long it took him to find Donna, I can see him loving his wife and kids fiercely.

I can see this and I relate to it so well. Even with all of Josh's experience, he still feels like he is just trying to figure it all out, because he works with HUGE issues and with many of them, there is no right answer. So of course he feels like Leo would have been able to do it better, even if, as Donna points out, Josh has leaps and bounds more experience in these matters.

This who exchange is just so them and really tells of where they were and how far they've come.

I totally get this too. Josh has a monomaniacal brain when something goes wrong with a person he loves. But I love that Donna is there and she can let go for him.

BAHAHA! I love how much this tells of Josh and Donna knowing these kids all too well, and yet simultaneously also having NO IDEA what is going on.

I really loved the Josh and Donna scene. They were really just so them and yet I could tell that there were now years of open love between them.

Oh, Josie just takes so much after her dad and Josh in just this one word.

I love how she already doesn't let Leo get away with anything!

BAHAHAHAHA I love it so much. I'd ship it too (except, maybe not because I love Marc and Rose too much and now this is just getting weird so I'm going to stop now).

But my friends and I always do the whole "I'd ship it" thing (in those exact words) to other friends

She isn't helping because she's Leo's best friend I know I hate seeing my friends suffer... my best friends however, I laugh at their suffering, and I think this is exactly what Josie is doing.

I knew this was the secret she had to keep! You are right, she is a good secret keeper (and considering she grows up to have top codeword clearance, this is probably a good thing). Though I can't wait to see if she uses this like she used the toad secret

HEHEHEHEHEHE! I just love this so much!!!!!!

Josie just loves woking Leo up until he becomes his father

AHAHAHAHAHA! This goes back to my "I could kiss you" line in The Debate and I LOVE IT!


Sorry if this was kinda an odd review with a lot of one liners. I love it so much and I can't wait for part 3! But my brain is just having a total brainfart day.

 

The man may be dense, but he does learn... eventually!

Poor Abi probably gets everything blamed on her! Granted, most of the time it's probably true!

Oh yes, I think it did!! Good thing Noah is more like Donna and Leo than Abi.

I've always thought there was a lot of depth to Josh, he lost it a bit after Sorkin left. The line that really makes me feel that way is when Leo says to him in Bartlet for America: "You're walking around with so much guilt about everyone you love dying that you're a compulsive fixer." He'd do anything for the people he loves. (Have I said that before, because I've been talking about this moment for a few weeks and I can't remember who all I said it to. )

I imagine in that type of job, if you aren't questioning what you are doing constantly, you aren't doing a good job. Like you said, huge issues that don't always have right answers. And as someone who never thinks I'm doing a good job with anything, I can relate to Josh's need to be perfect.

Married Josh and Donna are so much fun to write. They are still them, but more comfortable in their feelings for each other.

Yep, and goes back to the Bartlet for America quote from above. But Donna does temper that a bit, otherwise he'd always be going off the rales.

Thank you! At first I didn't want them to but into the story, but then they were so cute and fun, I had to include them.

On TWWW they talk early on about how many times 'okay' is used in the show (well I guess they always do with the 'Okay, Okay, What's Next' at the end.). It doesn't always write very well, but on occasion I think you can just hear it, even in the voices of their children.

Nope! And she never will!

I know, right?! If I didn't love Marc and Rose so much, I'd totally be on the Elvie/Leo ship!
And yeah, I say that all the time. We'll be watching a TV show and two characters will be on screen together and I'll say 'I ship it!'. It's gotten to the point that my boyfriend will just say "I know!" before I even have the chance most of the time. My shipping knows no bounds.

What are best friends for if not reveling in your suffering. They are kinda like siblings in that way!

That was kinda a last minute addition. After I came up with the title I wanted to add more to the lion section and that seemed like something she would say.

Hahaha... she does, she totally does.

Yep!

No, I love it! I do those often as well. I love knowing what lines were fun, especially in something as silly as this!

- - -

No worries! Thank you for reading!

There's never any worry about derailing a thread. It's always nice to have comments about previously posted stories! I think that is one of my favorites as well. We get to see Josh having really grown up and showing his emotions. Leo was such an influence in their lives and I think Josh would be passionate about naming his son after him.

Just a note that Josie isn't Leo's sister, she's his best friend. She's Sam and Ainsley's oldest daughter. But they certainly act like siblings! I realize I probably didn't make that very clear with the confusing sleeping arrangements. I'll go back and edit it to make it more clear.

Yeah, poor Leo is just doomed. Being a teenager is so awkward and uncomfortable normally, but to be a Lyman and all of that... there's just no winning.

I love how deep Josh is written. He's clearly got a lot below the surface that we get to see glimpses of behind the cocky know-it-all. I love getting to write him as a father because I think that would bring it out of him and let that side be seen more.

Right?! He's perfect and that made me love Elvie even more!

 

Notes- Sorry it took longer than I mean to post the final part. I decided to change the middle because it was a bit more angsty than I thought it should be for having been 30 years later.


Part Three

30 Years Later

It was the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bartlet Peace Accords, and while there had been setbacks and near misses over the years, peace still reigned between the nations of Israel and Palestine. Most of the people who attended the original summit were gone, but members of the governments still met to celebrate fifty years of peace.

Technically it had been 51 years since the original meeting between the Bartlet Administration and the governments of Palestine and Israel. The previous year had been a difficult one with a problematic relationship between the former President of the United States and the Palestinian President. For a few tense months, many thought the two countries would come to conflict and Israel would be forced to choose between peace with its neighbor or siding with its longtime ally of the U.S.

With the changing of the U.S. government, the countries all decided to come together to celebrate the milestone of peace and to discuss how to avoid further conflict. There had been some tense discussions, but everyone was walking away feeling more secure than they'd been in previous years.

President Leo Lyman walked into the living room of the main cabin of Camp David and found Marc, Josie, Elvie, and Rose sitting around talking quietly, each with a drink in their hands. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to relaxing with his friends and not having to worry about every word he spoke. “Plotting a coup right in front of me?” Leo said as he plopped down onto the couch beside his husband. “My oldest friends and my husband, plotting my downfall. What a shame. Well, at least I’ll still have my mom on my side.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Elvie said. “I’m pretty sure she likes Marc better.”

Leo laughed, “That’s probably true, she’s always had a soft spot for him. So what were you guys talking about so quietly?”


“That summer we were all here for the anniversary of the Peace Accords,” Elvie said. “Josie was just telling us—“

“You didn’t?” Leo interrupted looking at his best friend and Chief of Staff.

Josie put on her sweetest looking smile that had a hint of admonishment. They'd not had major issues with having been best friends and now President and Chief of Staff, but they would occasionally have 'growing pains,' as Leo's mom called it. Drastic changes in their relationship would sometimes lead to misunderstandings, and they were learning to navigate them. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr. President. I would never tell your secrets.”

Leo laughed at how sarcastic she was being. Of all the secrets she carried, some that could literally mean life and death for Americans, this secret was nothing. She frequently read codeword clearance information and would never think of giving even a hint about it any of it. But she also wouldn't say anything about this secret she'd carried for 30 years. It wasn’t really that big of a deal any longer, hadn’t been for quite a long time. He could remember his teenage self, making her promise to never tell a soul, and he was pretty sure she hadn’t. Maybe it was time to let her get this one off her chest. “So you haven’t yet, but why do I get the feeling you really want to.”

“Oh I do,” she replied. “I really do.”

Leo got up from the couch and poured himself a scotch. He lifted the glass as to offer one to the others, but they all shook their heads. He turned around at looked at his friends, his family. “Okay, fine,” he relented knowing everyone would get a kick out of it. "I guess this office doesn't come with immunity from embarrassing teenage stories.'

"Nope!" Elvie and Josie said with glee.

“That summer we were all here together, Leo was convinced he was in love with Elvie," Josie said. "He was very angsty about it. He came running into my room freaking out looking for advice.”

“He was the first real guy I had a crush on and he was one of my best friends,” Leo defended with a smile and a shrug. He walked back over to the couch and sat down. “Forgive me for having a moment of teenage angst.”

“Is that why you were avoiding me the entire time we were here?!” Elvie began to laugh. “It makes so much sense now.”

“What do you mean?” Leo asked. He didn't remember avoiding Elvie specifically, but he did remember trying to stay with Josie the entire time.

“You were avoiding being alone with me like I’d done something wrong. I’d come into the room, and you’d find a reason to leave. And they weren't good reasons. It was things like your mom wanted you to fold some clothes, or you had to help do the dishes. At Camp David. I was surprised you didn't say you had to do your taxes or something equally ridiculous for a teenager to be doing. Your parents thought something was wrong too. They asked me if everything was okay between us. Now that I think about it, I think they might have had the correct suspicions.”

“Are you serious?!” Leo tried his best not to hide his face which he knew was turning bright red from embarrassment.

“Yes, they said you were acting strange and wanted to know if I knew why. I didn’t tell them anything, not that I knew anything to tell them. I can’t believe that’s what it was.”

"So what kind of advice did you give him," Marc asked Josie. He loved hearing stories about the three friends when they were little. Hearing about a teenage Leo with his first crush on a boy was too good to pass up.

"I told Leo just to kiss him!" Josie said. Everyone looked a bit startled, everyone except Leo. "What? I was a teenager too. And just look at them, I thought it was a perfect solution."

They all laughed. "Leo didn't think it was a good solution, obviously," she continued. "I'm glad he's since learned to take my advice. Granted, I guess I've gotten a bit better about it."

"Well..." Leo joked.

“I had the biggest crush on Dr. Graham,” Rose said, adding her own story of an early crush. “He was my dentist. Most kids hated going, but I was always so excited. I’d get to see Dr. Graham for a few minutes every six months, and I’d be on cloud nine. A few other girls at school went to him too, and we’d all giggle about for days.”

“Jack,” Marc said. “He was the star quarterback for the football team. Straight as could be, and would have killed me if he’d have known. Cliche’, I know. But he was hot, what can I say.”

“I didn’t know you went for the buff types,” Leo said. “Is this something I should work on? Have you wished for a buff husband all these years? I mean, I’m President, so that’s gotta be worth something…”

“Nope,” Marc said as he put his arm around Leo. “It was a teenage phase. I realized I like the pale, nerdy types better.”

“I feel as though I should be offended, but I think I resemble those remarks.”

“Yep,” “Yes,” “You do,” everyone else replied.

“The Secret Service works for me. I just want you all to remember that.”

“Yes, sir,” Josie said, the sarcasm evident in her voice. “I’m sure we’ll all keep that in mind.”

“So what else happened that summer,” Rose asked.

“Oh man, no one is getting out of this unembarrassed are they?” Josie asked.

Elvie and Leo looked at each other and smiled, “Nope!”


~end

- - - - -

Spoiler: note on the title

So the episode in TWW that has the peace negotiations is The Birnam Wood. When I was trying to come up with a title for the story and drawing a blank, I went to that part of Macbeth that mentions Birnam Wood:
"Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are.
Macbeth shall never vanquished be until
Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him."

With Leo in the zodiac being a lion, I thought it was perfect and added some stuff about Josie trying to get Leo to be more lion like and make the title Be Lion Mettled. It might not make the most sense, but I thought it was kinda fun.

 

And now I am flashing back to the recent episode of Brooklyn 99 with Whitford and Smits I MIGHT have to write an AU Crackfic, just full of Dad awkwardness (oh god, here comes the plot bunny - it's mildly frightening).

And don't worry, my shipping (clearly) knows no bounds either. When we watched TFA in theatres, my friend (now housemate) leaned over to me when Poe and Finn hugged and we both just nodded And now we do it whenever we do move nights.


HEHEHEHE! I LOVE THESE FIVE ALL TOGETHER, ALL GROWN UP AS FRIENDS!!

Headcanon accepted. The former president, in my mind, is a bit off a poo and will be a bit of a bully, so I might use this as a detail in next year's diary.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are many days when Donna likes Marc better


I love how Leo pretty much outs himself by thinking that Josie would even dare tell his secret (so much like his father, that Leo is). I also love where he knows she wants to, he knows it isn't going to be a big deal now that 30 years has passed, so he lets her.

Nope! And I am so glad it doesn't.

I love how well Elvie takes it. I mean, of course he would, but it just shows how quickly he remembers that summer and being that age and how it really is a non issue in so many ways.

BAHAHA. Poor teenage Leo and his inability to lie!

BAHAHAHAHAHA Poor President Leo! Oh, I just love their friendship so much and their ability to tease each other about things that happened when they were teenagers. They know each other so well and they also knew each-other's parents.

I loved this little tidbit! Goes back to Marc meeting Josie for the first time and her telling him about the "Elvie to the 'rescue'" story.

I also loved Marc's and Rose's first crushes - they are SOOO much more relatable and normal as kids in comparison to the other three (Josie's first crush was probably some prince of Sweden or something).

Ha! Marc and his snark! I love it!

Oh goodness! The embarrassing stories these three have on each other is probably endless!

And the title was fun (I know because I'm really bad at titles).


I loved this 3-parter about Josie's secret. I can't wait to read what your muse decides on next.

 

I already had that part of my fic-gift request when you posted this, so I just had to laugh! That's what kinda tipped me over the edge to want to request it.

I did the same thing!

Right?! I love it! The three musketeers have a history, but the don't leave Rose and Marc out, those two slot right in!

Perfect!

Of course! He's such a sweetheart and Leo is such a Lyman!

She never would tell, but yeah since that's what he's thinking about, he can't help but project. The first end I wrote was much angstier and Leo was much more upset about it. But after writing it, it didn't feel right. He knows Elvie well enough and has moved on enough that it could be funny to him, not angsty.

How else are you going to keep the President down to Earth?!

That's part of the reason I changed the ending, because I always knew Elvie would take it well, and that Leo would know that too. So why would Leo freak out about it? Well, he shouldn't.

Thankfully he's gotten a little better about it, otherwise him knowing all those state secrets might be a problem! This was kinda based on me, and something I thought would fit Leo well. I'm a terrible liar, though I don't think I'm quite that bad.

I do love that they all know each other's parents so well, kinda like they are another set of parents. They really are like a big family.

Yep!

I could totally see that from Josie.
Both of them are kinda based on real life. One of my best friends in high school had a crush on a football player who was very, very straight. And Rose's based on two adults I had teenage crushes on jammed into one. Mr. Graham was my band director and my dentist was really hot! And yes, those of us who went to that dentist would brag when we went.

He has to be snarky or he'd never survive that family!

Oh I can't even imagine!

Thanks! I've got a few stories almost done, and several others brewing! I'm having so much fun with our verse!

 

Title: Eight Nights
Author: mavjade
Fandom: The West Wing
Timeline: Takes place in the Bri-and-Mav ‘verse, various times in chronological order.
Characters: Lyman family
Notes: This started out as a fluffy, fun holiday series, and while most of it is, there are some more... emotional parts.
Most of these are pretty short, but I’ll be posting them one at a time, but in quick succession.

There are eight parts to the story: Night 1 | Night 2 | Night 3 | Night 4 | Night 5 | Night 6 | Night 7 | Night 8



December 6th, 2015 - 1st night


“Dad, Dad!” Leo called as he ran to his father who was walking in the door.

“Hey!” Josh replied as he dropped his backpack and scooped his son up into his arms. “What’s up buddy?”

“We get to light the candles tonight, right?”

Josh smiled. He loved that his son was so excited for a holiday that wasn't all about presents. Yes, there would be small ones, but he seemed to be really excited about the traditions of Hanukkah, even with evidence of Christmas all around. They already had a Christmas tree up strung with lights and ornaments from Donna's childhood, and crafts Leo had made in school. There were a few presents under the tree and stockings hung by the fireplace, just waiting for Santa.

But tonight was the first night of Hanukkah, and Leo was going to be allowed to help light the candles for the first time. He’d been talking about it for days, asking if it was time yet, and telling his friends at his kindergarten that he’d be allowed to do so. Most kids didn’t seem to understand that his family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah but Leo didn’t seem to mind. He was excited despite his classmates not understanding.


“Yep, and it’s almost sundown so why don’t you see if mom wants to come, but if she’s sleeping don’t wake her, okay?” Donna was pregnant with twins whose due date was fast approaching, and while Josh knew she’d be upset if they didn’t wake her, he also wanted her to get sleep when she could.

Josh set Leo down and watched as his son ran off, “Mooomm… are you awake?! It’s time!”

Laughing at his son’s excitement that he couldn’t seem to contain, Josh went to put the first candle in the menorah.

Soon, Donna and Leo returned to the room, and Josh smiled at his wife. “Hi, beautiful.” He leaned in for a kiss.

“Daaaad!”

“Okay, okay.” Josh picked up the matches and lit the shamash, the helper candle from the middle of the menorah. He then picked Leo up, and put it in his hand, with Josh’s larger hand covering his son’s smaller one. Together they reached to light the first candle, and Josh began to sing…


Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam…

 

Well, be careful what you wish for . I'm writing you two very different fic-gifts for a good reason!

YAAAY!

I know we use this gif a lot, but it is so fitting because I am having so much fun too!

Awww! I love Dad!Josh and how excited Leo is for Hanukkah!

Oh poor, poor Donna. Josh is smart in letting her rest, but Leo is so excited, it's too cute!

Heheehe. Oh Josh can't help but call Donna beautiful, even when she's probably just cranky at this point.

this is just so precious of an image of Josh and Leo

I love it and can't wait for more!

 

It's just a perfect gif! The look on her face and the clapping just says so much!

Dad!Josh is the best! I just tried to think about how I'd be as a 5 year old, and I'd have loved lighting the candles and singing, so Leo does too.

I almost forgot Donna would be pregnant with twins, and about to pop at that!

Oh yeah, I almost wrote something with Donna snarking back, but then it would have gotten out of hand, so I just let it go. Josh knows what's good for him!

I did love the mental image of it! Josh passing on tradition to Leo, and helping him with it, makes me warm and fuzzy!

 

December 10th, 2020 - 2nd night

“I’m sorry we’re late, Miriam,” Donna said to her mother-in-law as she shuffled her kids into the woman’s home in Palm Beach. It was edging close to sundown, and they had planned to be there long before.

“It’s okay, dear, I had young kids once too,” Miriam said kissing Donna’s cheek and opening her arms to hugs from Leo, Abi, and Noah.

“In this case, it was your son, who wouldn’t get off the video conference with his staff,” Donna answered.

Miriam laughed, “Well, in that case, I once had to wrangle my son as well. He gets his workaholic tendencies from his father.”

“Hi mom,” Josh said as he walked in the door having missed the previous conversation, and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Sorry we’re late, I had to take care of a few things.”

“Donna already said you were working. You know, Joshua, you wouldn’t be late if you’d stayed here instead of a hotel.”

“We have three kids, two of which are four years old and rambunctious.”

“Almost five!” Abi yelled from across the room.

“Two, almost five-year-olds,” Josh corrected. “You don’t need all of that in your home.”

Miriam took her son’s face in his hands, “What I wouldn’t give to have the rambunctiousness of several children in my home more often. I didn’t get it long when you were a child; I’d love to have it now.”

Josh gave his mother a sad smile. He’d always felt bad that he didn’t get to see her very often due to his job, but that feeling became ten-fold after he and Donna had kids. “I know, mom.”


“Do I get to light men-or- ah tonight?” Noah’s voice broke into the moment.

Josh looked down at his youngest son, who was now standing at his side. “You do, Noah. Tonight is your night! Let’s go get it set up, okay?”

Noah smiled and nodded his head. The previous night Abi had gotten her first chance to light the menorah. They’d decided to take turns with the kids once Abi and Noah were old enough, it avoided fights about who got to do what. If Josh and Donna took a turn, then each kid got two turns every year.

Josh turned back to his mom, “How about we leave the hotel come stay with you for the weekend before we head back?” He then turned to look at Donna to see if that would work for her. She gave him a loving smile and nodded yes.

“I would love that,” Miriam answered, her eyes welling with tears.

Josh enveloped her in a hug.”Okay.”

“Dad, the kiddos are getting restless,” Leo called from where he was standing by the menorah with Abi and Leo.

Josh walked over and picked up Noah. He allowed Leo to light the shamash on his own, then he and Noah picked it up and lit the first two candles together, Josh’s larger hand over Noah’s smaller one.

Together, they all sang the prayer.

 

Oh, you have no idea

YAAAAY! GRANDMA LYMAN MAKES AN APPEARANCE! And I loved that you used the name Miriam!

Oh Josh. It's a good thing both your wife and mother get and understand who you are.

And they are Lymans on top of it

This is exactly how I imagined Miriam. It is so sad, but its fitting for her. I am glad Josh gave her a brood of grand babies (finally )


Oh but little Noah and Abi are sooo adorable!

Ah, yes, I remember these days well (maybe because the twins still fight over stuff like this).

​

AH! DADDY JOSH MELTS MY HEART EVERY SINGLE TIME! I THINK I know what is coming (eventually) and I don't know if I'll be able to handle it. ​

I love these so much and I hope you and your boyfriend are having a happy Hanukkah so far (I forgot to post that yesterday).​