The Experiment

Christmas Is A Good Time

Zoey's POV

TO: Noble_Vixen@Washington_University.edu

From: 3rd_1stDaughter@White_House.gov

Subject: Week December 20, ****

        Well, you know what happened earlier this week. But let's recap from Tuesday.

December 22: Today was one of those 'interesting' kinds of days. My dorm-mate, Nariel, has a little boy named, Noah, who I'll admit, I adore. You'll understand in a second.

        I was out shopping earlier and she sees me and stops to talk to me. Well, apparently, Nariel, has a 'thing' to do and needs someone to watch Noah. Guess who she asked to do it. That's right. Me. Now, I had no real problem with that. I adore Noah. He's a perfectly sweet and mild mannered baby-boy, but he gets confused about who his mother is sometimes, and that could lead to problems.

        Of course, I said yes, as if I was really given a choice in the matter and the next thing I know I'm riding back to the Residence as 'BOOK BAG' with 'PRECIOUS CARGO' on board.

        That was yesterday, this is today.

December 23: At the end of that moment in the Oval, I couldn't speak to my mother to answer her question. I just looked at Noah.

        Eventually, with Dad's help, I got out of the Oval, no questions asked, at least not to me.

        Dad came by my room later that evening. He looked really tired. He'd been fighting with Mom, though he wouldn't admit it. He didn’t have to. They could be heard all over the mansion. I didn't want this to happen. I thought this would just make his administration look funny, I didn't want to hurt my parent's marriage.

        I told him about Noah. I'm sorry, I have to go off on a rant for a moment. Wouldn't you know that conveniently right after the scene in the Oval, Nariel came by and took Noah home? Her timing more impeccable than you guys' [the professors]. Okay, off rant, back to Daddy…

        He just nodded. He really did look tired. It was just one of those moments that no one else can understand. He didn't tell Mom. He said that wasn’t his place, but mine. He got hell for it too. He's sleeping in one of the guest rooms.

        He won't tell, ya know? I can trust him. It's killing him, literally, to keep this from her, but he won’t tell.

        This has turned into the Bartlet Civil War. Liz and Ellie on Mom's side, naturally, and me on Dad's. I can't keep this up much longer. My Dad's got enough to do without this. Dr. Noble…he looks so tired. And that just can't be right. He's too tired. But he's not the only one. My head hurts and I'm constantly nauseous. After my 'moment' with Noah, I felt so drained I could barely stand. Dad had to catch me while Mom took Noah.

        A possibility I don't particularly want to consider is that maybe something isn't quite right with me. Maybe, I'm not acting anymore. I don't know what I'll do if that's the case.

        Dr. , If my parents can't resolve this without my intervening, I will. I'll tell them everything. I'll end this. Even if it does mean graduating late. That will simply mean you get to enjoy my sweet company a bit longer. There's no grade worth my parents' love for each other. Though I doubt this will kill their incredible love for each other; it can't exactly facilitate it's intensity. They've gone through enough this past year.

        I've got to go now; I'm tired again. God, am I tired. Damn it, here they come. I think they're going at it again.

        I don't know, Dr. Noble, I don't know.

        December24: I lay awake for hours tonight going over the kind of day it's been. What kind of day has it been? Some kind of day.

        My parents made up at some point, today or last night. I walked into the family room to find them wrapped around each other in, dare I say, a sensual embrace. I didn't want to interrupt, so I backed right out of there. Dad saw me anyway, but Mom didn't. My leaving was appreciated. I guess I won't have to tell after all. How do I know he saw me? He winked at me over Mom's head. I don't like how that came out. ; ) Assume what you will. *wink, wink*

        With a pep in my step, I had a picnic lunch with Charlie. Well, I tried to have lunch with Charlie, but that ended with me, Charlie, and my head in a hedge on the East Lawn. He's coming to Christmas dinner with us tonight. He's bringing Deena. I think he just wants to keep an eye on me. It seems like everyone wants to keep an eye on me, these days. Hell, I'm trying to keep an eye on me.

        Oh, yeah, and there's a Christmas party. That means a carefully planned outfit. Can't be too obvious, can we?

        December25: CHRISTMAS!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS, PROFESSOR NOBLE!

        I'm disappointed in myself to say that I wasn't up nearly as early as I normally am on Christmas morning. But I made it down to the tree eventually. Courtesy of Charlie, naturally.

        Charlie and Deena stayed the night in the Residence with us. Mom and Dad had all of their gifts brought here during the night. Deena was ecstatic. Charlie waited on me hand and foot. He's such a sweetie. God, I love him…Wow, I love him. Well, this is a revelation. Okay, not really, but I'm finally admitting this to another human being. (Teddy bears don't count.) Nor do, you know, daddies.

        I guess I should tell Charlie now though. Is this a good time though? I really need your advice here Professor. Help!

        I guess I should go into a little detail, huh? Yeah, I thought you'd agree. Well, it started Christmas morning, no…wait. It started the night before, right before the Christmas party. That's when I came fully to this realization…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 24 - Christmas Eve

Three Hours Before the Christmas Party

Zoey's POV

        Washington, no, World…We have a yuuuuuge problem. Not huge, yuuuuuge. I haven't a thing to wear in this damned closet that isn't going to make me look just as pregnant as I feel.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* I look up from my seemingly barren closet.

        "Who is it?"

        "It's me…Charlie." Thank God, maybe he can help.

        "Thank God, come in."

        "It's locked." I roll my eyes and hurry over to unlock the door.

        "Hurry, get in here." I rush him in and close the door behind him.

        "Zoey, what? What's wrong?" I turn to him, my back facing the door.

        "I have nothing to wear for tonight. This is an emergency." He blinks. *Growl* Men can never understand. "There will be press there, Charlie. I look like I could be the White House. I'm yuuuuuge. Not huge, but yuuuuuge. I'm pasty, fat, and white. I could be the White House. And don't you dare laugh at that. It's not funny." He had so better not even think of laughing at my more than obvious plight. I see a flash of teeth. He is not laughing…at…me. I look away from him. If he loved me as much as he says he does he wouldn't laugh at me like that. I will not cry in front of this jackass. I *sniffle, sniffle* a bit. He realizes he's hurting me.

        "Zoey, honey, I'm not laughing at you. You know I was just having a thought. Do you wanna know what it is?" No, but his tone is pleading, so I guess I can be accommodating. I *shrug*. Why do I care? "It just so happens, I was thinking…We are so meant for each other. I had a feeling that you were going to have this problem so I brought Deena up and we went shop to shop until we found the perfect dress for you for tonight." He pulls a Girardi Store bag from behind his back. Where'd that come from?

        "There's no way. How did you know?" Translation: Have you been reading my mind again?

        "'Cause, we're soul mates. It's as simple as that." I grin at him. It is, isn't it?

        "Yeah…It is, isn't?" I move to stand in front of him. I take the bag from him and sneak a quick peek before setting it down on some chair, I forget where in the room.

        He looks slightly apprehensive. "What? You don't like the dress. I can take it back and get something different--" He's babbling. Wow, that's absolutely the cutest thing I think I've seen lately. He looks like a babbling idiot, but it really is cute. Yeah, I am sick. Time to put a stop to this. With a step into his personal space, I take his face into my hands give him a soft, teasing kiss. I pull at his bottom lip and nip at it a bit. I've decided that I like that little sound he's making at the back of his throat.

        I pull away and smile at him. " I like, no, I love the dress; I just love you so much more. The dress will still be there in an hour, but will you?" He's blinking in thought. He doesn't know. Neither do I. As they say: Live in the day. Carpe Diem. Yes, I'm aware that it actually translates to seize the day, but I do what I want. So there.

        "I don't know. But from here, things are looking good." I kiss him again, and them I start pressing kisses all over his face and neck.

        "Maybe, if you play your cards right they'll look even better." I wink at him and give him the same smile I've seen Mom give Dad before a long night of insomnia for all of us. He gets the idea.

        I take his hand and pull him towards the bed. He looks back to the door warily. Giving him a slightly exasperated look, I drop his hand, and move to firmly lock the door. I jiggle the doorknob so that he can hear it. He's convinced and coaxes me over with a look. I sidle his way and walk right past him. He slides an arm around me and pulls me to him. I look up at him innocently. What could he possibly be thinking?

        "Watcha thinkin' about?" The look on his face is the only answer. I bite my lip and grin saucily back. I lay back on the bed and put out an inviting hand. He takes it and eases himself over me…

*Clears throat* I think you know what happened after that. Anyway, we eventually got to me trying on the dress. It fit. He knows my body well, or shall I say Deena knows my body well. He is after all, only a man. But what a man, what a man he is.

        Now, on to the Christmas party…

~~~~~~~~~~~ Three Hours Later

The Christmas party

        We were standing out in the hall outside of the ballroom, where the party was to be held, and we were checking each other over for 'possible wardrobe malfunctions.'

        Charlie looked, dare I say and I do, quite dashing in his simple tux. And I guess I didn't look too bad. According to Charlie I looked like a blossoming dove that fell in a vat of blue dye.

        I'm still not sure how I feel about that, but moving inside the party…

        As we entered behind Mom and Dad, Liz and Doug, and Ellie and Rick, Ellie's flavor of the moment, Charlie commented that I was going to take everyone's breath away. I gave him a big kiss for that. Can you feel me falling for him all over again here? Well, in case you can't, I am.

        Once we were inside, we said hi to Mom and Dad, who had been sequestered in their bedroom for the better part of the previous evening. I'm not sure they heard us though; they were pretty enthralled in each other. They were literally centimeters away from all-out making out. Of course, they didn’t at that moment, because that would have been rude. No, they waited all of half an hour before they proceeded to devour one another whole. They could have at least left the room instead of retiring to a couch in the corner of the room like no one was going to notice the President and the First Lady making out back there. But I guess their reasoning was that he's the POTUS, she's the FLOTUS; who's gonna tell them what they can and can't do in their ballroom? I certainly wasn't going to.

        Anyway, Charlie and I danced and drank punch…Charlie wouldn't let me have eggnog. We kept getting caught under the mistletoe. Well, when Mom and Dad weren't under it. The photographers must have a hundred pictures of those two kissing and not doing much else. Hell, they didn't do much else. Not to call them bad hosts, of course. They did the appropriate toasts and all before Dad chased my giggling mother, yes giggling, out of the ballroom and up to the Residence, or to their bedroom, more specifically. Yeah, thanks goodness for the slightly soundproofed walls. It helped, not like it mattered. I couldn't have heard it anyway. I was causing a bit of insomnia myself and that's all I'm saying…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 25 - Christmas Morning

        Like I said, Charlie waited on me hand and foot today. Mom gave us looks and tipped her head with thought, but didn't say anything. She was distracted by Dad, who could not keep his hands off of her. I swear, they're like teenagers…They're worse than me and Charlie. Okay, so we were basically making out under the Christmas tree, but that was later. Mom and Dad were all over each other, first thing in the morning! The funny part was when Liz put her hand over Gus's eyes, and then Annie's. The thing was that Liz was facing the other direction and she heard Mom squeal…yes, squeal, and she just knew it was something she didn't want her children seeing quite yet.

        Eventually, Ellie goes, "Don't make me have to hose you two down over there. This is not sex education class. Hey, hey! There are minors present. Dad, get your hands off of that. You too, Mom. " You should have seen them, just sitting there looking duly chastised. Eventually, they remembered who the parents were and who the children were. They very quietly and inconspicuously snuck out the door. (Please know that I am being truly sarcastic.) It's not like I actually saw them go. I was a bit preoccupied with Charlie and Gus. They get along like ketchup and fries. Wow, that's a massive craving. Of course, we get along like barbecue and barbecue sauce. Guess, who's the sauce. *wriggling eyebrows**giggle*

        Now, on a more serious note; Charlie's seriously worried about me. I know I'm stubborn, but I can't keep worrying him like this. I've decided that I'm going to take a home-pregnancy test, if I can just find the time. Now, who am I going to get to go buy this for me? *I look, affectionately to Ellie.* Could I? I couldn't. Would I?…I probably would. But will she? We shall see.

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