Title: Legacy
Author: Cathy Miller (www.cathyswestwing.com)
Genre: Future Fic
A/N: I really have NO IDEA what could have inspired this fic! It just…came to me.
“Get the Texas 8th office on the line.”
“But we already-“
Billy Fernandez cut off the intern with a sharp response. “Now.”
“Yes, sir.” The intern replied and picked up the phone.
“Sir? How come you never called me ‘sir’?” Josh Lyman asked his protégé. Billy
whirled around in surprise and delight.
“How come you never called me Billy?” The younger man shot back and enveloped
his former boss in a hug. Joshua Lyman’s age was showing. Donna had confided in
Billy that Josh’s heart problems has been causing more concerns but Billy hadn’t
seen his mentor in person for few months and he was shocked by the physical
difference.
“Cause your name is Fred.” Josh insisted smiling.
“Dan Jamison from the Texas 8th on line 2, sir.” The intern reported and Josh
inclined his head in the direction of the phone.
“Just one minute.” Billy requested of Josh and picked up the phone and barked out a
few orders before unceremoniously hanging up.
“What are you doing?” Josh asked causing Billy to pause.
“Ramping up the GOTV in the Texas 8th.” Billy explained.
“They’re going to be calling the race any minute. If the Networks weren’t run by such
wusses, they would have called it 30 minutes ago when you took Ohio.” Josh
editorialized. “What the hell are you calling the Texas 8th for?”
“There are down ticket races and building up the popular vote is going to help with a
mandate so we can-“
“358 Electoral Votes and 5 percentage points in the popular vote. She’s a Democrat;
you’re not going to get everyone to vote for her, right?” Josh teased.
“I’m not trying to-“
“You should be down there with the Senator.” Josh advised.
“I’ll go down once they call it.” Billy shrugged and turned back to the latest batch of
exits that had been dropped loudly in front of him.
“You did great, Fred.” Josh said quietly and waited for his friend to meet his eyes. “I’
m proud of you.”
“I didn’t have to do the hard stuff.” Billy smirked.
“I think we both know that’s a lie.” Josh said in a low voice and sat on the edge of Billy’
s desk. “You aren’t out front but you’re the guy the guy counts on and that comes
with a lot of pressure and a lot of scrutiny; I ought to know.”
“She’s a good woman…the real thing.” Billy said unnecessarily.
“I never doubted it for a second, but even the real thing needs a steady hand and a
strong heart to help them through this gauntlet.” Josh pointed out. “The first
woman…damn, I envy you this one, kid.” Josh shook his head.
“Your advice was invaluable.” Billy assured him.
“A very small piece of the puzzle…as Donna takes pains to remind me.” Josh smiled.
“You should be down there now.”
Billy looked around the war room at all the hustle and activity around him; the
culmination of years of hard work. He wasn’t ready to go downstairs. He wasn’t ready
for what was next.
“You’re going to be an awesome Chief of Staff, Fred.” Billy shouldn’t have been
surprised at how easily Josh could read him, but he was.
“It doesn’t feel like it.” Billy admitted.
Josh laughed. “It never does! God, when Santos won? And suddenly I was without
Leo? I thought about jumping off a bridge.”
“So what happened?”
“It’s the White House…you get used to that feeling.” Josh smiled again and bumped
shoulders with Billy. “Where are Jenny and the kids?”
“Jenny’s waiting for me downstairs. The kids are staying with Jen’s mom through the
rest of the week.” Billy reported.
“Then my advice to you, son, is to go downstairs, take your bows, then get your wife
drunk and enjoy your alone time. It’s likely to be the last you’ll have for awhile.” Josh
clapped him on the shoulder and stood up to leave. “I’m going to try to locate my wife
and see if I can find an alternative way to work off my debt.”
“Your debt?”
“I lost a little money on some of the Congressional races tonight.” Josh shrugged.
“A little?” Billy repeated. “How much is a little?”
“None of your damn business.” Josh snapped good naturedly. “The woman’s a witch I
swear. Either that or she cheated. Probably had exits sent to her from all over the
country. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had precinct captains on speed dial just to get
one up on me.” Josh opined and then noticed Billy’s blooming smile. “She’s right
behind me, isn’t she?” Billy nodded, then crossed the room to kiss Donna’s cheek.
“You look more beautiful than ever. Dump this ingrate and I’ll make you the toast of D.
C.” Billy promised.
“Been there, done that.” Donna quipped. “Besides, this one would be lost without
me.”
“That’s true enough.” Josh agreed.
“Sucking up now isn’t going to save you. Witch? Cheating?” Donna turned on him.
“I was just repeating what Fred was saying about Jenny. You should never talk about
your wife like that, kid, or you’ll never end up happily married after 20 years like us.”
Josh turned on Billy in a heartbeat.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Billy played along, but Donna wasn’t buying any of it.
“Uh-huh.” Donna’s lips twitched. “Jenny’s looking for you downstairs. What are you
still holed up here for?”
“I’ve got to-“
“No, you don’t.” Josh corrected him. “They’re about to crown your candidate the first
woman President of the United States. Get down there and enjoy it with Jenny. This
moment only comes once in a lifetime. Don’t miss it.”
Billy looked from Josh to Donna and back to Josh again. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am…Sheesh!” Josh held out a hand. “Congratulations.”
Billy took the hand and then pulled Josh into a hug. “Thanks boss.” He said quietly
before kissing Donna again and heading off at a brisk pace to find his wife and his
‘guy’.
“Sometimes they come twice in a lifetime.” Donna noted.
“Sometimes, but you can’t take that for granted and you shouldn’t be greedy.” Josh
explained.
“Fair point.” Donna looked around the war room too. “This brings back ulcers.”
“I think you mean, ‘fond memories’.” Josh corrected her.
“Uh-huh.” Donna smiled reluctantly. “We should congratulate the new President Elect
and then get to our hotel.”
“I can’t tell you what it means to me that after 20 years of marriage you still can’t wait
to get me to the nearest hotel.” Josh smirked and pulled his wife into an embrace.
“You’re incorrigible.” She complained.
“Wait for it….Now!” Josh predicted and the crowd went wild as CNN called the
election for the first female President of the United States. “Look at that Donnatella.
Someone has cleared the way for our daughters to become President.”
“It’s historic.” Donna noted.
“It certainly is.” Josh agreed.
“You put the first Latino in the Oval office. You didn’t think Fred was going to pass up
the chance to make some history himself did you? He’s always been very competitive
with you.”
“I guess this is what I get for teaching the kid everything I know.”
“Well, that was clearly a strategic error. Never teach the younger guy EVERYTHING
you know.” Donna shook her head sadly. “Let’s make our goodnights downstairs and
go back to the hotel.”
“Jeez, Donna, are you insatiable or what?” Josh teased.
“Joshua…”
“Donna, I’m fine.” Josh said seriously. He knew she was worried about him. This heart
business scared him too, but he wasn’t going to stop living before he…stopped
living. No way. “I’m fine.”
Donna’s eyes filled with tears. “Your doctor said not to overdo things and to get more
rest.”
“I’m standing in the middle of a room, Donna. I’m not running laps or lifting weights. I’
m just standing here remembering all the election night battles. There are some
amazing memories.”
“You should do the book.” Donna suggested. He’d been approached a handful of
times to write about his political experiences over the last 40 years but he’d always
brushed it off.
“I don’t have the patience for that.” He did it again.
“But I do, and we could write it together.” She coaxed him. “It would be fun.”
“I highly doubt it.” Josh groused.
“Are you saying that writing with me would not be fun?” She confirmed.
“Uh…no?” Josh guessed. “Everything with you is fun. It’s just putting it all down on
paper…It feels like I’d be saying there’s nothing more to the story. Nothing more to
write. Here’s my legacy, I’m done now.”
“It’s quite an impressive legacy.” Donna told him. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t
more to come. It’s more like…an end of the chapter, not the end of the book.”
Josh mulled this over. “I could think it over….maybe we could negotiate the details?”
Josh wiggled his eyebrows up and down in a way that made him look much younger.
“You know how I love to negotiate.” Donna pointed out. “Look, there’s Fred.” She
pointed to one of the dozens of television screens in the war room and the Lyman’s
walked closer to hear what was being said.
“A lot is being said of your strategy to re-draw the electoral map tonight. For many
months you’ve endured criticism about ignoring your base and playing to traditionally
red states. You must feel vindicated tonight as you’ve watched those very states turn
blue.” A reporter was stating.
“I feel vindicated in my opinion that Senator Donnelly would make a great President
since so many Americans have cast their ballots to agree with me.” Billy smiled
broadly with his arm around Jenny’s shoulder.
“But where did you get the idea that Senator Donnelly, excuse me, President Elect
Donnelly, could be competitive in places like Indiana and North Carolina?” The
reporter asked.
“I learned at the knee of the Presidential campaign strategy master, Jack; Josh
Lyman.” Billy proclaimed. “The very first thing he taught me was how to analyze the
demographic numbers in key precincts. President Elect Donnelly owes her win
tonight in no small measure to him and what he taught me.”
“So what’s next for you now?” Jack closed the interview.
“I’m going to continue to follow the advice of my mentor. He advised me to take this
night to celebrate with my wife. So that’s just what I’m going to do. Please excuse us.”
A very happy couple walked off camera and out of the room.
“That was nice.” Donna said quietly.
“Yeah, it was.”
“He’s your legacy too. Just like you’ve been part of Leo’s.”
Josh had apparently had enough sentimentality and took his wife by the hand. “Let’s
go congratulate the next President.”
“Yes. Apparently, she owes you a debt of thanks.” Donna smiled. “And you owe me
$3,240.00 on the Congressional races.”
“Betting is illegal Donnatella.”
“Funny how you only bring that up when you’ve lost.” Donna drawled.
“I’m a brilliant strategist. I’ll introduce you to tons of people downstairs who will swear
to it.”
Donna rolled her eyes. “And then we’re going back to the hotel.”
“This insistence is really quite unladylike.” Josh teased. “You should bring it up
several times downstairs; you know, how you can’t wait to get me back to our hotel
room…stuff like that.”
“Then THAT could be your legacy.” Donna chuckled.
“What man wouldn’t enjoy that?” Josh replied and left the Presidential campaign war
room with one final glance.
The End.
