Disclaimer: Not mine... well, except for that one character... Danny's mine... *smack* alright, alright, I mean that other character, you'll know who it is when you see her!!

Summary: At the end of an administration, many things can happen.

Note: I'm going to apologize right now for this story. I don't know who took over my keyboard this time. If anyone wants, I can *try* to rewrite it... no promises. But please, no threats of violence! ;-)

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"Last press briefing, Joshua!!" CJ grabbed him and twirled him in the hallway on her way to the press room. He took charge and dipped her, causing her to giggle.

"Knock 'em dead, Claudia Jean." He danced her the last three steps to the doorway and released her. "Be firm with them, this is their last briefing with you."

"Oh, yeah, like I'm going to take advice from you about my press room!"

"Six years." he whined. "Can't you let anything go?"

CJ kissed him on the cheek. "Go away, I have to go say good-bye to some friends."

Josh smiled sadly. "I know, as exciting as this new change is..."

CJ nodded, realizing that her resignation took effect in just a few hours, at midnight. Things would never be the same again. She pushed her depressing thoughts away and forced a smile on her face. "I'm happy though. We made it, we did great things, and we're all going on to do more great things. New adventures, right?" Without waiting for an answer, she pushed open the door and muttered to herself, "Right."

Bulbs flashed as she approached the podium, noticing there were quite a few items already there. "Well, well, should I ask what these are?"

"No questions until after you go through the briefing, isn't that your rule?"

"Thank you, Chris." CJ smiled at the woman. "But..."

The press laughed. "Let's just get through this, guys, it's a light day," more than a few imitated her.

She laughed with them. "Well, that one came back to bite me in the butt, now didn't it? Alright, let's get this over quick so we can get to the important stuff."

In the back of the room, Josh slipped in unnoticed. He had received word from a source that he didn't want to miss this briefing.

"Any questions?" CJ barely paused. "Alright, good then, we can discuss these things on my podium and why they're here. Chris?"

"I didn't have a question." she protested.

"Funny. C'mon, guys, what's going on?"

Katie relented first. "They're for you, CJ. Our last briefing, we're all going to miss you." A few nods and murmured words agreed with Katie.

CJ blushed and bent her head. "You guys are sweet, but I can't-"

"Don't worry." Chris cut her off. "They're just little tokens, nothing expensive that you'll have to explain."

CJ laughed. "Oh, alright, thank you guys. Should I open them now?"

"I vote yes." CJ looked at Danny and wondered if he had gotten her anything. Since the rest of the room seemed to agree with Danny, she began opening. A few pens from various magazines and newspapers, framed articles and photos that had shown her in a good light, even a flashlight with 'New York Times Magazine' written on it. "To find whatever you're looking for, like how to spin your next story!" came the explanation.

Finally, just one gift remained. CJ had purposely left it for last, even though she wouldn't even had admitted it to herself right then. She opened the small box from Danny and gasped.

"Oh my." She looked up and her eyes caught and held Danny's. He smiled at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Danny?" she finally found her voice. "Care to explain?"

The rest of the press room, being the intrepid reporters that they were, had already realized something was going on and a few had leaned forward to catch a glimpse of a ring.

The rest of the room faded away as Danny's smile slipped away. He became serious as he answered her. "Marry me."

"Is that a question?"

Never losing contact with her eyes, he shook his head. "Well, unless you'll take orders from me?"

"Danny." CJ remembered where they were. "You can't give me this. Not now, not yet."

Danny chuckled. "It's fake, CJ. You can pick out your own, I bought that one for under $10 at the discount store down the street. I want you to say yes to me now, with all these witnesses and the tape, so you can't back out later."

"I won't back out later, Danny."

Danny's eyes grew wide and he jumped up. "Does that mean...?"

She nodded as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Finally!" Josh yelled, and the press room broke out in applause as CJ met Danny on the bottom of the podium stairs and they wrapped their arms around each other.

He took the box from her and slipped the ring onto her finger, then held her tightly. "We'll go tomorrow to look for a real one."

"And did she get a really pretty one?" CJ shook herself as the small voice broke into her musings. "Mommy? Was the new one pretty?"

"She didn't get a new one, sweetie. She told him the one he picked out was perfect." CJ looked at her hand, at the ring she still wore. "And it is."

Her daughter smiled. "That's a pretty story Mommy. What happened next? Did they live happily ever after?"

CJ smiled back. "We got married that night, at 12:01 at the White House. All of your aunts and uncles from here in Washington were there."

"Was I there?"

CJ stifled a laugh. "No, honey. You hadn't been born yet. You weren't born until a few years later, our miracle baby."

"You didn't think I would come, but I knew I would come to you." CJ wondered at the profound little girl in front of her, so grown up at just eight years old. "And now Daddy is watching out for us, making sure everything is good for us."

"Yes he is, honey. He loved you so much, always remember that."

"And we'll see him when we go to Heaven, too, right?"

CJ blinked rapidly as her eyes filled with tears. "Yeah, honey. He's waiting for us."

"And when I'm old enough, I get to read the letters he left for me before he went away." CJ watched as her daughter settled in, clearly only staying awake through sheer determination.

"Your father was a great writer, and he loved you so much. His letters to you are something to cherish, you'll be able to read some of them soon." CJ remembered Danny writing the letters to both of them in the months he had known he wasn't going to make it, even when she couldn't face the truth.

"When, Mommy?" the sleepy voice asked, but even before CJ could answer the oft-repeated question, she was asleep.

"Sweet dreams, darling." she whispered as she kissed her daughter's forehead and crept out of the room. As she shut the door, she heard the phone ringing in her bedroom down the hall.

On the eight ring, she answered without looking at the caller ID. "Hi, Toby."

"How're you doing?"

"You get right to it there, don't you?"

"CJ, cut it out. How are you two doing? I just want to know how my best friend and my goddaughter are doing today."

CJ sighed and laid down on her bed, closing her eyes to ward off the suddenly too-bright light. "Is it possible this day gets harder every year?" Toby simply listened and waited. "She asks more questions every year, Toby. It's so hard. I miss him so much, shouldn't this be getting easier." She laughed harshly. "It's been six years, Toby."

Toby closed his eyes and willed the right words to come. For a writer, he knew how bad he could be with words. "I know, Claudia. I know."

CJ interrupted him. "And we could have had more. What if I had just said 'Screw the administration' and been with him before?"

"CJ, stop. You can't do this to yourself. You did your job and I know that if you had to do it over again you would do the same thing. You had seven years with him, with your true love. Seven wonderful years, some people don't even get that."

"I know. It's just... I can't help but wonder."

Toby sighed. "Did you want to talk to Andy, she's probably better at this than me?"

CJ smiled sadly at his obvious distress over her. "Tell her thanks, Toby. I have your perspective, that's enough for me right now. I just need to go to sleep now, I've been running on adrenaline all day. Tomorrow will be better, it won't be today. Tell Andy I'll call her in a few days."

Toby shook his head at the woman standing next to him, who nodded at him with sad eyes and left the room. "Alright. Today is almost over. Tomorrow you'll be back to the same CJ you were yesterday, the tough, professional, amazing woman that you are. And CJ, if you need anything."

"Thanks, Toby." She hung up the phone and curled up on her bed, crying silently as she fell asleep.

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