You've got the Sorkin touch my friend (and not the addition to coke kind of touch)! If only we could get the cast back together (including Leo!) to enact these...

"Well, your mother's home, and I guess he wanted to-" Zoey quickly clapped her hands over her ears. "Trauma! Trauma! Childhood trauma. Go no further into this conversation!" - LOL

Lucky Steve (since I think Sam is totally sexy), but if the press gets word of this, the healthcare fiasko is going to be the least of the Bartlet administration's problems.

"Guess I'll have to go find Toby." That did make Sam laugh, though it was more a snort of amused disbelief than anything else. "You expect to get Toby to dance with you in front of people?" he asked. "No, but I'm gonna ask and watch him squirm." "Okay." Apparently Sam didn't see the beauty in this form of entertainment. But then, when it came to making Toby squirm, there were very few people who could master it well enough to call it an art form. And since Andy Wyatt wasn't here and the First Lady was busy with her husband, she considered it pretty much her sacred duty." - He deserves to squirm, the nasty man!

"Because if I do, your father's leaping in the nearest helicopter and coming here especially to kick my ass." Zoey couldn't help grinning at that - probably not exaggerated - mental picture. "Yeah. You think they could land it on top of the building? That would be pretty cool." - LOL

"I want us to be married, I want us to live together, I want..." Zoey froze suddenly, and pulled back to give him a suspicious look. "Charlie... is it me, or did you just propose?" Charlie blinked, and looked surprised. "You know what? I think I just did." Zoey couldn't help it. She burst into gales of laughter, and hugged him again. "You know, hysterical laughter is the exact reaction that every boy dreams of to that suggestion," he said wryly." - LOL

AW, Zoey and Charlie were totally sweet in this chapter.

"Maybe he's been abducted by aliens," she mused. Sam snorted, a little more bitterly than he might have done at one time. "Boy, that's gonna mess up their impressions of humanity." - LOL

"gave him a quick kiss. Fairly chaste; she wasn't positive, but she thought there was possibly a rule against First Ladies jumping their husbands in front of witnesses. Unfortunately." - LOL, president Bartlet can stop wondering where Zoey gets it from.

"Oh, man," Leo groaned. Jed gave him a sharp look. "What was that 'oh man' about?" he demanded. "Why did you just 'oh man' me?" "I can't commiserate with you about being apart from your wife?" his Chief of Staff said innocently. Jed continued to glare. "That and the fact you get totally cranky when she's not here. He was scandalised. "I do not get cranky!" "Sure you don't." "I am bright and cheerful and a joy to be around." "Yeah, you're a real treasure," said Leo dryly." - LOL

Obviously that oily little oik Jean-Paul has not shown up yet in the timeline of this fic, or president Bartlet would be far happier with Charlie's presence in Zoey's life.

"I think she already knows." "Let me guess. There was shouting?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "Also hugging. Possibly some tap-dancing." "Get out," he advised. Josh positively bounced out of the room." - LOL

"The president turned back to his old friend. "We should seriously consider giving Donna a pay raise," he said dryly. "I'll say." Leo rolled his eyes. "He's gonna be unbearable for the rest of the week." - LOL

"In the name of decorum, he left the victory leap until he was safely outside the front of the building." - LOL, since it is not often that Josh even considers decorum, I do not think.

"Say, these Republican Wisconsin gomers your mother's trying to get you to marry. Are any of them-?" "I'm not marrying anybody from Congress to get you your last vote, Josh." "Yeah, okay. I think I would," he admitted, and Donna smiled. "So tell me, Josh, who's on the list of possible future Mr. Lymans?" - LOL

"I honestly don't know why he's got such a bug up his ass about this." "Because he's Toby?" she suggested, not entirely joking." - LOL at Donna's insight.

"Well, Chris, we've been pimping this bill for the whole of the time it's been in development, but now that it looks like it's in trouble, we're gonna pretend we don't care?" "The 'pimping' was a particularly nice touch," Toby observed," - LOL, you WOULD think that about the pimping, Tobias Zachary Ziegler!

LOL at the Josh/Donna conversation.

"It's a good bill, Leo," Josh emphasised, frustrated. "And if we were running it by the Department of Common Sense, that might mean something," Leo shot back. "Unfortunately, we're trying to get it through the United States Congress, so let's not hold our breath, okay?" - LOL

"The president doesn't do Alan Tavestock's accounts for him, Derrick, so I'm not entirely sure what you're expecting him to bring to the table here. Although I'm sure if you asked nicely, he'd be willing to go over the numbers with you and explain it all in detail." A rumble of amusement through the pressroom. Most of them had come face to face with the president's geekish love of all things connected to such thrilling fields as economics, finances and accountancy." - LOL

"CJ's letting the press know Zoey'll be here for the thing on Thursday." Predictably, the mention of his youngest daughter brightened the president's mood and brought a twinkle to his eye. "My baby girl's finishing college," he said, in tones of barely restrained amazement. "Time flies when you're having fun," said Leo sardonically. The president glared at him accusingly. "That was a moving moment of fatherly wonder you just trampled on, there." "Sorry. I'm sure there'll be others." "Yes, but you've spoiled them for me now. I'll never be able to savour another one in peace." "I guess the weight of that knowledge is a pain I'll have to live with, sir." "Get out." Leo grinned and withdrew." - LOL

You were doing a good job until you took Sam so far out of character. Too bad, this story had promise

Okay, see, looking back? Reading this series again? So makes me miss Sam. I mean, Will's cool and all, but... waah! Oh, well...

Wow. That was long. And complex. And very good. I talk in sentence fragments.

What can I say? This was great, especially in keeping everyone in character. Anyway, I'm going to go read the next part.

Brilliant. I saw that number six was up, I think, and I decided to read the first one. I'm very glad I did, it's wonderful. I haven't seen the West Wing in months, and this is doing very well to fill the gap.

The characterisation is wonderful, very soothing. I was very pleased with Sam, and with Toby being worried about what someone said. I'm glad they got out of the slump, I think it worked very well with all the characters and their thoughts.

And thank you for the word 'avuncular.'

Cheers,

Rose.