Margaret finished preparing the last set of correspondence from the
notes Leo had dropped on her desk two hours ago. After collating the
letters with their envelopes, she walked into Leo's office and placed
them in the middle of his blotter. `At least I know he'll take care
of those first thing in the morning.' Margaret thought as she
glanced at the watch adorning her right wrist. `Who am I kidding,
it's *already* morning.' Continuing her internal monologue, the tall
redhead noted that Leo had taken his briefcase and coat with him into
the Oval Office for his last meeting with the President. Retreating
to her office and shutting down her computer, Margaret retrieved her
briefcase, black leather purse, and trench coat. Flipping the light
switches by the door, she walked purposefully toward the staff
entrance.
Three minutes later, Margaret was striding down the drive and toward
the main entrance. A tall young man stood next to the black wrought
iron gates. Drawing closer, Margaret smiled at the White House
guard. "Hello Derek, how are you tonight?"
"I'm great Miss Rigby, thanks for asking. You folks burning the
midnight oil again?" Derek asked, nodding his head toward the West
Wing.
"Always." Margaret replied with a rueful smile. "Please tell me my
boss has already vacated the premises."
"I know Mark called down a couple of minutes ago for Mr. McGarry's
driver, so he should be on his way."
"Thanks Derek, I'll see you in a few hours." Margaret reached the
sidewalk and turned left. It was well after midnight, almost 1:30
a.m., truth be told. The Metro had stopped running hours ago. Taxis
were scarce at this hour. Nothing for it but to walk home. Once
again, Margaret was grateful for finding an apartment within a couple
miles of the White House. The long hours, combined with being on
call 24/7 had more to do with Margaret's decision to live close to
work than the neighborhood. The neighborhood wasn't a bad one, not
by any means. But Margaret longed for a place with more greenspace.
Somewhere she could plant flowers in a yard, as opposed to a
collection of terracotta pots on her deck.
Margaret moved along briskly, her mind occupied by a running replay
of the day's events. She knew the Senior Staff was considering
replacing Hoynes on the ticket. She'd overheard Josh say something
about Bartlet-McGarry. Sam was talking about sumo wrestlers, and CJ
had some sort of an itch to resurrect Ulysses S. Grant. `Surely Leo
wouldn't consider being on the ticket. If he thought Congressman
Bruno and the committee was bad, the scrutiny of a presidential
campaign would be exponentially worse. Every last secret and scrap
of innuendo would be fair game. The press would have a field day.'
Waiting for the traffic signal to change at the far corner of
Lafayette Park, Margaret continued to think about the discussion
regarding a new running mate. The light tuned green and she started
across the street, making a mental note to ask Leo about that
conversation in the morning.
Margaret adjusted her briefcase on her shoulder and looked around,
alert for muggers or purse-snatchers. She kept pepper spray in her
purse and remembered all the moves she'd learned in the self-defense
course she'd taken during the Transition period before President
Bartlet took office. Mrs. Landingham had found out about a free
course offered by the Metropolitan Police and strong-armed all of the
assistants into signing up. Mrs. Landingham herself had participated
and had been the proudest of them all when her turn came and she
successfully tripped and flipped the "mugger".
Returning to her mental review of the last 24 hours, Margaret winced
as she thought back to the moment when Leo told her to go home. "I go
home when you go home." Margaret repeated under her breath, her lips
barely moving. "Like that's ever made an impression on him. He
*expects* me to keep the same hours he does. Always has, always
will." Margaret stopped to wait for another traffic signal; her
rapidly tapping left foot a signal of her impatience. As she started
into the crosswalk, Margaret continued to think about her working
relationship with her boss. A therapist would probably have a heyday
with the fact that Margaret was hopelessly gone on a man who worked
18-hour days in an effort to exorcise the demons of his past:
alcohol, Valium, and Jenny. Margaret wasn't fooling herself, she was
just as bad; she worked those same hellish hours in hopes of
banishing her feelings to Siberia. It didn't help, it never had.
"Margaret."
The sound of her name caused her to stop and turn toward the street.
There, twelve feet away, was a black government sedan with the rear
passenger window rolled down. Her boss' head and shoulders were
visible in the light from nearby street lamps.
"Leo, what *are* you doing?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I'm going home, it's what people do at the end of the work day."
"Margaret, it's the middle of the night. Why are you walking home?"
"Because the Metro is down until sun-up. Besides, it's a nice night
for a walk."
"Get in the car. I'll have Eddie take you home."
"Leo, it's only a couple more blocks. Besides, it's a nice night for
a walk."
"Margaret, this isn't exactly the best time of day for a
constitutional."
"Really?"
"Funny, Margaret. C'mon, let Eddie give you a lift home."
"Leo, I'm fine. I'll see you later." Margaret turned away and began
walking with renewed purpose. A few seconds later, she saw Leo's car
speed past her, turning the corner at the next intersection. The
tall redhead smiled and her thoughts turned to the mental list of
things she needed to accomplish at work.
"Margaret."
This time, the sound of her name caused Margaret to jump slightly and
spin around, her breath hitching in her chest.
"For crying out loud Leo, what the hell are you trying to do, scare
me into an early grave?" she said, staring down at her boss, who was
three feet away from her on the sidewalk.
Leo grinned at his assistant. "Actually, I'm trying to make sure you
get home safely."
"And the best way for you to accomplish that is for you to have Eddie
circle the block and drop you off so you could sneak up on me?"
"Something like that."
Margaret shook her head. "You're a strange little man."
"Most people would call it chivalrous."
Margaret rolled her eyes as Leo fell into step with her, walking
nearest the curb because that's what a man was supposed to do. They
walked in silence for a time; each occupied with their own thoughts.
"So, Ulysses S. Grant?" Margaret asked, casting a glance at her boss.
"Don't you think he'd be a nice addition to the ticket?" Leo asked.
"I'm not sure he's a better bet than Hoynes." Margaret replied with
a smile.
"Yeah, the President seems to feel the same way."
"Bartlet-Hoynes 2002." Margaret said, trying the slogan on for
size. Slowing down, she allowed Leo to walk ahead of her, as she
appeared to study a spot somewhere in the distance.
Noticing his assistant was no longer beside him, Leo stopped and
looked over his shoulder to find her standing a few yards away, her
arms folded across her chest and a worried look creasing her brow.
"Problem, Margaret?" he called.
Walking toward him, Margaret nodded her head. "Leo, when was the
last time you had a full night's sleep?"
"Couldn't tell you and where'd that come from?"
"Your limp."
"Excuse me?"
"When you're overly tired, your limp is more pronounced than usual.
Which it is tonight." Margaret said, toying with the belt of her
coat.
"It's that obvious."
"Probably just to me."
"And you noticed it because . . ."
"I've worked for you almost eleven years. It's one of those things I
picked up on."
"It's okay. Nothing for you to worry about."
"But I do." Margaret said in a whisper.
"What was that?"
Leo's assistant look up, thankful her blush wasn't visible in the
dark. She hated appearing vulnerable in front of Leo. It wouldn't
do for him to know how she felt. "Um, here we are, this is my
place." Margaret said in a rush, never so thankful to see the front
stoop of her apartment building. Eddie was parked out front, the
engine idling, waiting for Leo.
"So it is. You're home safe and sound." Leo said, leaning against
the mailbox on the curb.
"Yeah, thanks for walking me the rest of the way." Margaret tipped
her head back and gazed at the sky, allowing the breeze to wash
across her face. "You can actually see a few stars tonight."
Leo leaned back and stared into the inky blackness as well. "How
about that? I haven't seen stars since . . ."
"Since when?"
"Since Rosslyn."
Margaret didn't answer, she had no words to ease whatever pain he
still carried from that night.
Leo watched his assistant gauging her reaction to his statement.
Feeling more than hearing her silence, he continued. "I never told
you this, and if you ever tell anyone I did I'll categorically deny
it, but I was so glad you weren't with us that night."
"Leo . . ."
"If anything had happened to you, Margaret . . . well let's not talk
about that." Leo stepped away from the mailbox and turned toward his
car. "I'll see you at the office."
"Right." Margaret turned and climbed the stairs to the front door.
Slipping her key into the security lock, she stepped through the door
and turned to wave at Eddie and Leo as they pulled away from the curb.
Fin
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