Title: Babysitting Rachel Daylight Series 8/?
By: chipmunk
Pairing: Leo/Margaret
Rating: TEEN – P (See Rating Chart Below)
Spoilers: None
This
is not strictly cannon by the show.
Timeline
is near the end of year one, to start with
and
then it goes off to Never, never land.
Doesn't matter the year or the situation.
Beta and
Disclaimer:
Without Prejudice, the names of all characters* contained here-in are the
property of NBC, WB, Bravo, A John Wells Prod., from TV show, The West Wing.
They are the creation of Aaron Sorkin. No infringement of these or any copyrights is intended, and are used here without permission.
No monetary benefit is received or anticipated.They own them; therefore, they do not belong to me. I only borrowed them, with my humble thanks to them. *Any Original Characters developed by me and found in this or any of my fics, belongs solely to me.***
Note: A 'grateful' and 'enormous' thanks, to the actors and actresses,
who portray these characters 'brilliantly'and bring them to life in our heads. *** Feedback: I would love it hear your opinion! PLEASE! It helps to improve my writing!
Archived at: http://www.geocities.com/chipmunkswhimseys/
Summary: Margaret gets volunteered to baby sit for the weekend and Leo comes to her rescue.
Note: This short fic is number eight in the Daylight series. Hope you enjoy!
~ For his wonderful gift to us of Leo, I
humbly dedicate this fic to John Spencer.
~
****
Friday afternoon.
Leo is concentrating on the report he’s reading.
“Leo, you remember that I need this weekend off? You promised!” Margaret reminds Leo that she’s not able to stay late tonight. .
He looks up at her, “Yah, I do. You never told me what you’re doing this weekend. Should I be jealous, Margaret,” he teases her, since no one is around in the office area to hear them.
“Really, Leo, I’m having a friend over this weekend. A ‘female’ friend is visiting, Leo. We’re just staying at the apartment,” she informs him, if he must know.
“Well, unless a ‘real’ emergency comes up, I see no problem. I’ll try to keep the White House standing all by myself.”
She gives him a look, like he’s being real funny.
“I know, I know, Margaret. The rules are, I don’t mess with my schedule and I’m ‘not’ to refile any of the files that I use. Just stack and lock them in the spare drawer. You’ll file them on Monday,” he recites, what she’s been trying for years to get him to follow.
“That’s right, no messing with my files,” she warns him, by shaking her finger at him.
He looks at her finger, then to her face, with a look that says, ‘You know that you’re pointing your finger at me’. “Who’s files, Margaret,” Leo teasingly growls at her, to imply he might need to remind her it’s his office.
“Your files, Leo, but my filing cabinets and my filing system,” she sets him straight on who takes care of those files.
“Ok, ok, I surrender. I’ll be good, Margaret. I’ll leave you a nice ‘tall’ stack of work to do on Monday,” he grins at her, pleased to still get the last word on the files.
“Thanks a lot, Leo,” she know he’s not kidding about a tall stack of files.
“That’s my goal in life, to keep you in work. I’d hate for you to be sitting around with nothing to do,” he gives as his parting comment as she leaves his office.
Answering from her office, “And you do it ‘so’ well, Leo,” she’s being sarcastic now.
****
Later on in the evening
~I’ll just drop by Margaret’s and introduce myself to her friend. Just to make her guest feel welcome and I can tease Margaret in front of her.~ He smiles at the thought of Margaret blushing. ~Better pick-up some of Margaret’s favorite weekend basics, M&M’s and ice cream. I’m sure that they’ll both appreciate them, most females do.~ Leo rationalizes to himself, about his going over to Margaret’s this evening.
Leo makes it to her apartment at
He plans on knocking instead of using his key. ~They could be having a beauty night and they might not be decent. Margaret would really kill me if I embarrassed her guest, by me just walking in.~
He knocks and listens for Margaret to answer the door. ~Wonder what they’re listening to on the TV. I can hear a baby laughing.~ Margaret finally opens the door and she’s looking a little frazzled. The most interesting part is that she’s holding a baby on her hip.
“Well, Margaret, that’s a ‘very’ well kept secret! Where have you had this baby hidden, when I was around, let alone when you were at work? Did you keep it in the filing cabinets?” Leo can’t help asking, to save his soul. It’s just too good an opportunity to get Margaret flustered. The baby’s eyes are bright with laughter and Leo can’t resist tickling the baby under the chin and grinning at the happy baby.
“Leo, this is no time to be cute,” Margaret knows he’s going to enjoy getting a lot of mileage out of this situation.
“I think you’re both cute,” he drops a quick kiss on Margaret’s forehead and one on the top of the baby’s head.
“See, this is exactly why I didn’t tell you what I was doing this weekend. You would just tease me,” Margaret resigns herself to his knowing now.
“You can tell me all about it now, Margaret, while I put this ice cream away. I did come baring gifts and you look like you need them,” he tries to make her feel better about him showing up unannounced.
“Ok, it’s like this, Leo. I somehow got volunteered to sit for my college friend and her husband’s baby, for the weekend, so they could go away for a little while. It’s their fifth anniversary and the mom hasn’t had a break, since before she got pregnant. They just moved to the D.C. area, after Rachel was born. There was no one else to watch her,” Margaret rushed the explanation, so he’d see her total predicament.
“I take it, this is Rachel,” Leo assumes from her explanation. He’s takes the baby from Margaret, since Rachel is reaching for him and grinning at having a new big person to get attention from.
“Leo, be careful and don’t drop her,” Margaret cautions, since she’s new to this, except from what she’s been reading up on babies, once she knew Rachel was coming to spend the weekend with her.
Leo gives her a pointed look, “Margaret, I have a daughter and a few nieces and nephews. I’m part Irish, part Scottish and Catholic. I do babies. I won’t drop her and babies are more durable than they look.” He’s looking at Rachel, as he holds her at eye level “And this one’s a real doll, blonde hair and blue eyes. She seems to be a happy baby.” He lowers her to his chest. Rachel’s grinning and making raspberry sounds. All the while she’s playing with Leo’s collar and patting him on the chest. He moves to the couch, while holding Rachel.
“Yes, Leo, she’s a happy baby. I’m beginning to believe too happy and she seems to be a night owl. Rachel never seems to wear down. She’s not bad, just very active. Dinner was an adventure, but you can’t get mad at her. She just grins at you, with her new little teeth showing and your heart just melts. We’re way off schedule, I still have to get her cornered for her bath,” Margaret reviews the fun times of the evening and slightly despairs of ever catching up.
“Oh good, bath time is fun time,” Leo is talking to Rachel now.
“If you say so, Leo,” Margaret has her doubts about his definition of fun. “Leo, this is serious. She has a certain schedule of things to do before bed and she’s suppose to be in bed right now, but that’s not going to happen. No wonder her parents needed a weekend break,” Margaret has a glimmer of insight.
“They left you a schedule for her,” Leo is a bit surprised to hear. He sets Rachel on the floor by the coffee table, she starts to crawl off, and he quickly grabs her by the seat of her pants, as she really is a fast crawler.
“Well, not really, Leo, but I was advised that babies do better on a schedule,” Margaret confesses.
Leo stands Rachel where she can hang onto the coffee table and she starts walking along it, past him. He keeps one hand on her back, ready to grab Rachel, if she falls.
“Margaret, that lasts about the first two weeks after they’re born.” Pausing, Leo chuckles softly, “After that, they’re in control and the parents spend the rest of their lives trying to get control back,” he says with laughter in his voice. “So, tell me what they said about Rachel, when they dropped her off.”
Leo is now up and walking across the room to retrieve Rachel, since she took off crawling, when she reached the end of the table. He grabs one of her toys off the floor, to keep her entertained with, at the coffee table again.
Margaret tics off on her fingers, as she recalls the important points, “Well, Leo, they did leave me a medical permission paper, with the Doctor’s name and number and it shows that all her baby shots are up to date. They said that she’s now 8 months old. She’s not allergic to anything that they know of. Rachel still likes a bottle at bedtime and uses a sippy cup at meals or uses a straw.”
Margaret grins at Leo dancing the toy along the table edge to tease Rachel. “Oh, as you’ve noticed, she crawls like the wind and she can walk around furniture or you get to walk her. They did warn me she’s very, very active. She also prefers to take short power naps,” Margaret recites the info she knows about Rachel
“My kind of baby, likes power naps. Really, Margaret, you just have to keep them in sight at all times. When they get away or if they get quiet, that’s when trouble starts.”
Leo holds up a finger, as he remembers and looks up at Margaret, “Oh, most important, you have to keep them busy or they keep themselves busy, getting into trouble on their own.” He grins down at Rachel, as he asks Margaret, “You say that the next thing on her schedule is a bath. Uncle Leo can help with that.”
“Are you sure, Leo, this isn’t going to be easy. Rachel was very active in her high chair and I’ll assume that she’s active in the bath, as well,” Margaret just wants to warn Leo ahead of time.
Leo instructs, “Margaret, you run the water in the tub and I’ll get her undressed. We’ll need a large plastic cup to rinse her with. Did they send baby shampoo?” He’s letting Margaret know he’s the one with the plan now.
“Yes, Leo, they did. I’m going now. I’ll turn on the bath water and get the cup. I think they sent a plastic bath toy,” Margaret is agreeable to any plan at this point. Help with babies is always welcome.
“Good, remember we just need to keep her busy, to avoid her making a real mess,” Leo give a final reminder, wishing it’ll be true.
“Come here, Rachel, lets get you out of those clothes and see if we can get Margaret to blush, when she sees you streaking through the apartment,” Leo is wanting to be overheard.
“I heard that from in here, Leo. The tub is about ready for her. We don’t want her to have too much water. We’ll just be wearing the water, instead of it just being on her,” Margaret’s practical side is showing.
“OK, here we come,” Leo comes in holding a bare Rachel, around her ribs, at his side like an airplane and she’s delighted.
“She’s a regular nudist, Margaret, Rachel likes being without clothes. You’re lucky that she’s still too little to get them off by herself, or she’d be nude at the worst possible times. Like when company’s visiting. They all go through that phase. Here, hold her for a minute,” he reveals some of the trials that parents go through.
“Ok, Leo, I got her,” Margaret’s looking puzzled at Leo, “What are you doing?”
“Well, I can tell she’s going to be a splasher, so I’m stripping to the waist to keep my shirt dry. We probably should also place a towel between the tub and my knees,” he anticipates the floor getting wet.
“Good idea, Leo…, I don’t mind the view,” Margaret boldly informs him, with false bravado.
“Margaret, I’m shocked. Are you ogling my bare chest? There’s a baby present,” he tries to sound shocked, but he’s smiling too wide to pull off the act.
“Leo, quit teasing. I’ve seen your ‘nice’ chest before,” Margaret answers with a grin and a slight blush. “Are you ready to put Rachel in the tub?”
Since she’s getting serious again, after his teasing her, Leo gets on with bath time for baby, “Hand her over,” he reaches for Rachel.
Leo blows on Rachel’s tummy, making a raspberry sound, just to hear her squeal in delight. Then he tucks Rachel securely in his arms, “This is one of the best things in the world, Margaret. A bare baby on your bare skin,” Leo declares, as he knees down to lower her into the tub. “Guess that something you don’t realize how wonderful it is, till they’re too big to be carried any more. Here you go, Rachel. Now, Rachel, you can be a duck in a pond.”
Rachel immediately starts to pat the water with her hands, taking joy in splashing both her and Leo.
“Told you she was gonna be a splasher,” he points out that he was right, as Margaret places a towel on the floor, in front of his knees and along the tub. Margaret pulls back, when Rachel gets carried away with her splashing the top of the water.
“Margaret, maybe you should just stand behind me and hand me the things, as I need them. You better run and get another plastic cup, I don’t think she’s giving up the first one,” he deduces, from the fact that Rachel’s trying to fit both of her hands down in the cup and wiggle her fingers in the water at the bottom of it.
Rachel now starts pouring water out of the cup and back into the tub and then she starts to water Leo’s arms, while he’s hanging onto her.
“Oh, you think we both need a bath, do you? If you don’t mind, Sweetheart, I’ll just take mine later, Thank you.” he’s just happily talking nonsense to Rachel.
Margaret returns and hands Leo the other cup. “Thanks, Margaret.” He decides on where to begin, “First, Margaret, we need some of the shampoo on the washcloth, like its baby body soap. At least we know its gentle enough for her.”
Leo takes the cloth from Margaret and sings to Rachel, as he washes her. “Rub-a-dub-dub, we have a Rachel in the tub.”
“Leo, that’s a silly song,” Margaret laughs at him.
Leo is not insulted, “That’s Ok, Rachel likes it, she smiling at me.” He loves Rachel’s baby smile that’s showing a few new teeth, as she beams up at Leo, while he rinses her with water from his cup.
Holding out his dripping right hand, palm up, Leo requests, “Ok, Margaret, back to business again. I now need some shampoo to wash her hair,” he moves on with step two of the bath.
Rachel ignores the hair washing, while she plays with her cup and not the plastic toy, of course, until Leo uses his cup to pour water over her head to rinse.
“Oh, Leo, she’ll get shampoo in her eyes and in her mouth,” Margaret admonishes Leo.
Rachel laughs in the waterfall of bubbles, holding her hands up and out, like she can catch the bubbles.
“See, she likes it,” Leo reassures Margaret, as Rachel now tries to pour water over her own head. Not wanting baby tears to follow, Leo takes Rachel’s cup away, before she bangs her head too hard, while trying, “Ok, Little Mermaid, time to get you out and get you dried off. Auntie Margaret has you a nice fluffy towel.” Leo lifts a dripping Rachel out of the tub and Margaret wraps her in the towel and heads to the bedroom.
“Leo, can you empty the tub, while you dry yourself off,” Margaret requests from the bedroom.
“Sure, I’ll be there in a minute, to see the rodeo.” Leo can tell Margaret is giving him ‘her look’ right through the walls. “Now you can have the fun of getting her diapered and dressed,” letting Margaret know it’s her turn to hang onto the active baby.
After straightening up the bathtub area, Leo walks into the bedroom to observe Margaret trying to wrestle a diapered Rachel into some pink pajamas.
“Leo, why, for goodness sakes, do they have twelve snaps on this one pajama top,” Margaret asks, as she tries to figure out which snap goes to the other, on a wiggling baby.
“Well, there are two rows around, for when they grow longer. Just pick a row,” Leo advises.
“I would, if she’d hold still. Now I know why they say babies are as slippery as eels,” Margaret is sounding a little desperate at this point.
Leo volunteers to help, “Ok, Margaret, I’ll hold her down and you snap her in.”
Leo’s still bare-chested and lies down on the bed with Rachel. “Come here, Kiddo, you’re giving Auntie Margaret a hard time,” he makes that sound like a good thing.
Leo proceeds to tickle Rachel, till she’s giggling and can hardly catch her breath. Every times she moves he tickles her again, till she’s only making soft chuckles and loud happy sighs, as she’s too tired to laugh or move anymore.
“Leo, that’s ‘not’ helping. You’re having as much fun as she is and the pajamas are still not on her.” Margaret tries to sound like she’s scolding, but she’s smiling at the both of them.
“Ok, we’ll quit,” he agrees. Rachel is resting the top half of her body sideways on Leo’s chest, like she pinning him down. She’s still making happy little sighs, as she recuperates.
“You know, Margaret, this might wear her out for the night,” he tries to sound positive.
“Well, if earlier this evening is any indication, Leo, I doubt she’s worn out yet. Rachel is just taking a break, till she gets her second wind,” Margaret’s not sounding like she’s holding out any hope. “You can entertain her in the living room, while I get her sippy cup and some graham crackers for her bedtime snack,” Margaret gladly lets Leo know the next item on the schedule.
“Oh boy, Rachel, graham crackers! Let’s go to the living room and find your toys,” Leo is anticipating more play time.
Margaret smiles and watches Leo. He’s really enjoying interacting with Rachel. She never would have imagined Leo was so baby crazy.
Margaret returns to find Leo lying on the floor with Rachel and her toys. “Leo, those are her toys, you have to share,” she teases. Rachel has been crawling a circle around Leo, looking for her chance to crawl away.
“But, Margaret, they have such neat toys for kids now,” he hands the toy to Rachel, acting like he was just holding it for her. He’s been rolling over on the carpet and grabbing her by the seat of her pajamas when she crawls too far away.
“Leo, you better go and get your shirt on, while I coax Rachel to the coffee table for her snack,” Margaret recommends, so she can get Rachel’s attention long enough to eat her snack.
“What’s the matter, Margaret, is having a baby here and me being bare-chested, starting to give you ideas,” Leo says, with a leering grin.
“Leo, just go get dressed,” Margaret orders, but she’s blushing at the thoughts that Leo just put in her head.
Leo returns after retrieving his shirt and combing his hair, to again look the neat and dapper Leo that most people know at the White House.
“Hey, Rachel, give me a bite,” Leo happily asks. Rachel, being a happy generous soul, gladly gives him a bite of her cracker, and then makes Leo take the remainder of the cracker for himself.
“Thank you, Rachel,” he’s treating the baby like a proper hostess.
She immediately wants to him take another cracker. “That’s your cracker, this is mine,” he takes an exaggerated bite of his cracker and she does the same with hers.
“Leo, you amaze me, there’s a whole ‘other’ Leo to you that the people you work with never even suspect,” Margaret just ‘has’ to voice her discovery of this ‘other’ Leo.
“I told you, Margaret, I do babies. With Mallory, I worked long days and bedtime was my time with her. It gave Jenny time to do something for herself and it was my bonding time with Mallory.” He continued to entertain Rachel with eating his cracker, so she’d eat hers. Rachel is also trying to feed her cracker to her doll baby.
Needless to say, Leo’s cell phone ringing interrupts the fun.
“McGarry! Yes, Sir. They’re still working on that,” Leo questions, as he blows out his breath in exasperation. “I’m at Margaret’s. Well, I can come now, but Margaret’s babysitting a friend’s baby this weekend. Yes, a real live baby. You know, smells like baby power and leaks at both ends. She’s a cutie. Her name is Rachel. Likes to laugh and she crawls. A lot, I might add.” He’s now smiling down at the baby feeding her doll again.
Leo’s happy faces changes to serious, as he walks back through the apartment, while he listens to the phone, “Sir, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He turns around to look back toward the living room, “I ‘do’ know it’s after hours at the White House, Sir. Yes, Sir. Let me see what Margaret thinks. I, myself, will be there shortly. I’ll warn you, Mr. President that I’m dressed in casual clothes. I know, Sir.” Leo is grinning again, “I’ll try not to shock the agents too much, as they won’t recognize me. That’s why I like to wear them. That’s very funny, Sir. I’ll see you in a little while. Thank you, Sir.” Leo closes his cell phone and signs before taking a deep breath, as he knows this may not be easy.
“Margaret,” Leo bellows from the back of the apartment, where he was taking the call.
“Leo, this is not the office. Use your off-hours voice,” she calmly reminds him.
Leo quickly arrives in the living room, “I’m sorry, Margaret. The President needs to see me. Toby and Josh are there and they’ve fine-tuned the wording on Monday’s speech. Just the part, where he touches on the tax cut proposal.”
He pauses momentarily. “On the phone, The President ‘was’ hoping that you could be persuaded to come in and retype that segment for him, but I told him that you had Rachel this weekend.”
Leo pauses again, with a grin on his face and is looking at Margaret out to the corner of his eye, while he observes Rachel dripping milk from her sippy cup onto her cracker. “Now, here’s the fun part, Margaret. He’d like us to still come in and bring Rachel along. He loves babies and is ‘overjoyed’ at the prospect of holding one this evening,” Leo tries to sound like they’re doing the President a favor, by taking Rachel in for a visit.
“Well, well . . .” Margaret is undecided, since the President ‘did’ ask. She looks at Leo with one of her pointed looks. “He just does that to enjoy his power of the Oval Office doesn’t he, Leo?”
“Yah, he feels that it’s one of his better perks,” Leo nods his head once to the side, to agree with her.
“Well, Ok, Rachel’s parents did leave the car seat. I had her dad to install it in my car, in case I needed to take her out with me. We’ll just take her in her pajamas, for her to see the President,” Margaret is sounding like this is a Sunday afternoon outing and not after nine in the evening.
Margaret logically points out, “She’s not in any hurry to go to bed anyway. If Rachel falls asleep, we can pad a place on the carpet of your office for her.” Margaret works out one of the problems that might arise.
“I’ll go and pack her diaper bag. Leo, you keep an eye on her and maybe you can get Rachel into her jacket. You two get along so nicely and you ‘did’ volunteer to take her to the White House. This should be interesting, Leo!” Margaret hurries to the bedroom and kitchen to gather together all the necessary items that a baby could possibly need and still all fit in just one bag.
****
When entering the White House, they look like an average couple walking in to the agent at the desk, till they get near enough for him to recognize them.
Then the surprise sets in. This is very unexpected, the agent admits to himself. ~Mr. McGarry and his assistant are returning tonight to the White House, with a baby, in a carrier. They don’t even look like themselves tonight. They’re both in very casual clothes, jeans, soft shirts and sneakers. I’ve never seen Mr. McGarry without, at least, a jacket of some kind in the White House.~ He gives them and their ID cards a double check, to make sure someone’s not trying to impersonate them. Security ‘is’ his job.
“Mike, that’s real funny.” Leo growls, being sarcastic, “Yes, it’s really us. You can check out the baby, if you want. She’s not hiding any contraband in her dolly.” Leo can’t resist harassing the agent, he’s in a good mood and he knows that none of the security has seen him this casual before.
“Actually, Mr. McGarry, you know that I ‘do’ have to make an initial check of the baby’s carrier, also any bags and packages that enter the White House,” he hates to sound disrespectful to the Chief of Staff.
Leo is grinning now, “I know that, Mike. I just couldn’t resist the look on your face,” he wants to let the agent know that it ‘was’ OK, to do his job. But, he did ‘not’ satisfy the agent’s curiosity about whose baby they were bringing in. He just let him speculate. ~This’ll give the nightshift something to talk about tonight. By morning they’ll have us married, carrying in two babies and another on the way.~ He gives a leering grin to Margaret.
Margaret rolls her eyes at Leo. She knows he’s egging on the security agent. Margaret hands Mike the baby bag, so he can check it first.
Leo is now really getting into feeding hints to Mike. He looks at Margaret and teases, “I’m sure your wallet’s safe in there, while he’s checking the baby bag or did you leave it at home?”
Margaret looks at Leo with one eye closed, like she’s asking him, ‘are you really sure, you want to say this’.
Since Mike is looking in the baby bag, Leo winks at her. He quickly continues, sounding serious, “You really don’t need it tonight anyway, since I drove us here. If we need something on the way back to the apartment, I have my wallet.” Leo is giving the agent an ear full. ~Mike will be beside himself, till his break and he can tell someone what he’s overheard.~ Leo’s really grinning now, at Mike’s dilemma.
“All done, Mr. McGarry. The baby’s a real cutie,” hinting at asking her identity, but also Mike is just glad that his search of the baby’s things is done. He can tell that Mr. McGarry is in a ‘rare’ happy mood this evening. It’s almost scary, as if he’s being tested in some way.
“Thanks, Mike, we think so. We have to get to the Oval office now, as the President’s waiting for us. Have a good evening, Mike.” Leo smiles at him and places a hand on Margaret back, as he moves to pick up Rachel’s carrier.
“Yes, Sir, Mr. McGarry. Thank you. You have a nice evening as well,” the agent breathes a sigh of relief and reflects on all that Mr. McGarry said.
*****
Leo and Margaret walk quickly out of the lobby and into the West Wing. When the door closes behind them, Margaret turns to Leo, as they are walking to his office, “Real subtle there with Mike, Leo.” She calmly predicts, “I hope you ‘do realize’ that we’re now officially a couple, with the whole White House grapevine. Whether we wanted to let the ‘complete’ staff know about us now or not,” Margaret is not really upset at this prospect.
Leo is still grinning, as he leans over the baby carrier between them and gives her a quick kiss on the temple. “Margaret, I’m not going to hide that I have feelings for you. I’m not going to hide it and I’m not going to announce it at a press conference either. Let’s just let the notion grow, on its own, and see how it goes. We might get pleasantly surprised,” Leo states and hopefully predicts.
“Well, you know that you just confirmed Mike’s rumor, with that kiss, Leo, this place has eyes and ears you know,” Margaret adds, about what he’s just put in motion, on their way in.
*****
They proceed to his office to get Rachel out of her jacket and to drop off the baby bag, before entering the Oval Office.
Josh pops his head around into the office doorway, “Hey, Leo, I see you finally got here. The President wanted me to keep an eye out for you.” He steps fully into the office. “Wow, Leo, a baby!” Josh is totally surprised at what he finds in Leo’s office. His face is just full of questions, if he could just choose which one to ask first.
Before, he can decide and voice the first one, Leo glares at him and orders. “Josh, go tell the President that we’re here now!” Leo leans over to lift Rachel out of her carrier, which he’s just set on the floor.
Turning to leave, he pauses before dashing out of the door, “A baby, Leo,” Josh questions, just to make sure he’s really seeing a baby in Leo’s arms and he glances over to notice Margaret by the couch with a baby bag.
“Josh, go now!” Leo orders again, as he places Rachel on Margaret’s lap, now that she’s sitting on the couch and Leo is helping her to get the baby’s arms out of the jacket sleeves.
Josh is soaking all this in and then agrees with a cheerful reply, “Yeah, with pleasure,” With a wide grin he heads out to the hallway, on a mission.
“Well, Leo, you do know that Josh will have the rumor on the grapevine, before poor Mike goes for his break. He was absolutely giddy to leave here,” Margaret is just confirming what Leo already knows.
“I know, Margaret, but we have to give the guy some fun at the White House. He is my deputy after all.” He grins, as he sarcastically adds, sounding like it’s a huge secret, “and he should know first about our ‘love child’. After all, Josh is practically family to me.” Margaret has a shocked look on her face, that Leo just said ‘that’ in the White House. He loves that look!
Margaret then changes gears and glares at him, “Leo, you’ve strung this along, about as far as it will go. OK! Give it a rest. You’ve had your fun,” she’s letting him know that she’s willing to go so far in the teasing, but she has her limits, especially in the White House.
“All right, but I have to have some fun, too. Why should the ‘kids’ that I have for Senior staff have all the fun?” Leo is trying to look hurt at his fun being shut down.
“You had your fun back at the apartment with Rachel,” Margaret reminds him.
“Yeah, that was fun and this is just Friday night. We’ll have the whole weekend to spoil her,” Leo anticipates more time with Rachel and Margaret.
“Great, that’ll make her really easy to take care of. I’m nervous enough now and you’re so casual,” Margaret is being more practical about how spoiling Rachel will result.
“Just don’t sweat the small stuff, Margaret,” Leo advises.
Leo figures that Josh has been doing a mad dash around the bullpens spreading his news and he can just imagine Josh telling Toby that he better hurry with him into the Oval Office, to check it out. ~I plan to be gone, before the small number of staff that’s here, arrives to see if there really is a baby.~ Leo suggests a getaway plan to Margaret. “We’d better clear out and go see the President, before the staff and their assistants come here and corner us to verify Josh’s tale. Donna will be on high alert and looking for you.”
“Good idea, Leo, lets hide in with the President. That just doesn’t sound like a good place to hide in the White House, sort of like out of the frying pan and into the fire,” she agrees, with more than a little reserve.
“Don’t worry, Margaret, this’ll be just fine. I’ll check on the speech’s’ progress, while you’re retyping the tax cut section. Then we’ll go back to your place and curl up on the couch for a quite evening, together,” he’s trying to calm Margaret’s nervousness with a plan. She can handle any crisis with a plan.
“Somehow that doesn’t sound right, for us to be saying that out loud in your office.” She grins at him, “but I can get used to it.” Margaret takes his hand, needing to touch Leo, now that she can in semi-public.
Leo leans down and first gives her a kiss on the mouth, while reaching to take Rachel from her lap.
At that moment the door to the Oval Office swings open and the President walks in, searching for them. “If you two are going to neck in here, I’m taking the baby into my office. She’s too young and impressionable to see you kissing.” He looks at Margaret to see her blushing, “Hello, Margaret, nice to see you this evening.” He looks at Leo, as he straightens up, “you’re right, Margaret does blush nicely.”
Margaret covers her face, mortified that the President is teasing her into blushing. The same teasing that Leo does. Quickly standing up and uncovering her face, as Margaret remembers that she’s in the presence of the President, “Thank you, Sir.” Moving over to Leo, who’s handing Rachel over to the President, Margaret leans close to him and boldly whispers loudly. “You just had to get him started on teasing me too, didn’t you?”
“Sure, Margaret, what are best friends for?” Leo turns his face, to see her reaction and kisses her again, with the President standing right there in front of them.
Margaret could just die, “Leo!”
“I told you two that I’d have to remove the baby,” the President teases again, while acting like he’s covering the baby’s eyes. Rachel thinks this is a new game of Peek-a-boo and laughs at the President. “Oh, Leo, she ‘is’ a happy baby. This is going to be a fun evening.”
Margaret smiles and replies, “Glad we could find you some entertainment for this evening, Sir,” which is the closest that she’s ever come to being sarcastic to the President. The Sisterhood would be proud, that she didn’t let two males tease her, with no rebuttal.
“Leo, you better watch her. Margaret just might live up to her red hair, you know!” He warns, as a parting tease to Margaret and he turns to go back to his office, not giving the baby up. Leo quickly follows him.
*****
Margaret darts out to her office, to grab a notepad and she’s not surprised to find Donna perched on her desk. No doubt, ‘she’ was the first one Josh told his news to.
“Margaret, I know you’re in a hurry to get to the Oval Office, but Josh said you and Leo showed up with a baby and I just heard a baby’s laugh inside Leo’s office. Is it true?” Donna is as bad as Josh, with a list of questions, all trying to get said at once.
“Yes, Donna it’s true,” Margaret grins really big at Donna and whirls around to disappear into Leo’s office, on her way to the Oval Office. Donna is left standing with her mouth open and no real answers. Margaret can have some fun also.
*****
Margaret catches up with Leo in the Oval office and she finds the President sitting with Rachel, on one of the chairs in the middle of the room. She’s blowing bubbles, while making a motor sound. He’s giving her a horsy ride on one knee and patting her hands together. She loves it. At this point, Josh and Toby arrive by way of the outer office and are practically on each other’s heels.
“See, Toby, I told you they had a baby with them, now where’s my ten dollars.” Josh has his ‘no one believed me and I’m right’ smile, fixed on his face, dimples showing.
The President greets the new arrivals, “Hi, boys, come on in. This is Rachel and she’s the entertainment for the evening. You don’t mind if she sits in on our meeting, do you?” The President continues by teasing, “Leo is just adding another member to his ‘kids’ of the White House that he calls his staff. Leo thought he should add another girl, since CJ is the only female in the Senior staff.” The President is using his usual misdirection to stop a load of questions being asked and he’s not about to enlighten the ‘boys’ whose baby it is either.
Since Toby couldn’t remark on the baby, he then directs his dry sarcastic wit at Leo, “Hey, Leo, almost didn’t recognize you in your disguise there, dressed in jeans and sneakers.”
“My disguise, Toby,” Leo acts like he’s offended, looking down at what he’s wearing.
“Yeah, you’re dressed like a regular person tonight. Like one of the guys,” Toby elaborates.
Leo is smiling, instead of the expected scowl, “Toby, I ‘am’ a regular person, after hours, just one of the guys,” Leo gives the dry wit right back at Toby. He now gets more serious, “Maybe we better get to work and let Margaret get started on the typing,” he’s now directing the meeting, like he always does, regardless of how he’s dressed.
“Here, Leo, let me get the draft from my desk,” the President informs Leo and stands with Rachel in his arms.
Leo casually takes Rachel from him, like he’s been handling her since she was born. “Hi, Sweetie,” Leo coos to her, then sets her on his forearm and gives her a kiss on the cheek, as he follows the President to his desk. Both Toby and Josh follow them with their eyes, not missing Leo’s interaction with Rachel.
Josh decides now to have some fun with Margaret, since the President and Leo won’t let them harass them. “Oh, Margaret, when did you two manage to find time for a baby or is it a rent-a-baby? I know you two never leave the office for any personal lives. Did Leo just decide you didn’t have enough to keep you busy here at the office?”
Playing along with their teasing Margaret replies, “What makes you think ‘I’ have anything to do with Rachel? Have you seen me carrying her around and playing with her?” She waves an arm at the men at the President’s desk. “They must have rented her from somewhere. They’re doing just fine taking care of her. They both are fathers, you remember.”
“Yeah, right, Margaret. Touché. But, I just can’t picture Leo carrying around a baby and being such a natural at it. Our Leo! Most people walk wide circles around him in the hallways, for fear he’ll either mow them over or just shred them up. It’s hard to wrap my head around this. Now, the President loves all kids, so he’s a given natural. With Leo, it makes you want to check to see if it’s really him. He even sounds different when he’s in soft clothes and with a baby.”
Toby tries to explain Josh’s comment better, “It kind of blows the images of him, in your head and now you have to work on building a new one and you don’t really know where to start. It’s kind of scary, really.”
Margaret softly answers, “Not to me. I knew Leo had many sides to his personality, but then, he sometimes surprises even me,” Margaret gives them a little glimmer into the person she sees, as Leo.
“He’s the Chief of Staff! Leo is packing a baby around, like I do my book bag.” Josh gestures with his arm at Leo, “I’d hardly know which end was up on a baby.”
While the President gives the changes one last read through, Leo still manages to listen to the commentary at the couches and turns his head to look over his shoulder, “All right guys, you’ve had your fun. Want me to find something to keep you busy all night?”
“Uh, no thanks Leo. We’re perfectly content to sit here and discuss any matter that you may need our input on,” Josh volunteers like this is a normal meeting.
The President and Leo return to the furniture. “Sit down, Gentlemen, while we wait for Margaret to get this typed.” Handing the file to her, The President smiles and says, “Thank you, Margaret. Take your time. We have plenty to keep us occupied,” the President gestures at Rachel, with another file in his hand still.
Margaret is worried that Rachel will be a hand full for them, “Leo, you sure Rachel will be alright in here with you guys, if you still have work to do?”
Leo places his free hand on his chest with fingers spread to show he’s serious, “Margaret, we ‘are’ four grown adults and she’s just one baby.” Leo now points to his friend, “The President has three daughters and one granddaughter.” He places his hand back on his chest. “I have Mallory, remember? I think we can manage, but if it’ll ease your mind, just leave the doors open between here and your office. Then you’ll hear if she cries, but I don’t think she knows how, happy as she is,” Leo suggests to her and smiling at Rachel.
Rachel is, at this time, circling the coffee table in the center the furniture.
Margaret concedes, “OK, I’ll just go and get this typed now. I’m sure Donna will keep me company, while I do it!” Margaret gives Josh a pointed look. He just grins and shrugs his shoulders. She leaves the doors open, as Leo suggested.
Rachel is now by the chair, at the end of the coffee table and at Toby’s knees. She turns to face him and pats Toby on the knee. The President is delighted just to watch the baby work the room.
“What does she want,” Toby asks Leo and the President. Rachel hangs onto his pants leg and pats his knee again.
Leo remarks like even an idiot could figure that one out, “Well, Toby, you’re the only one with a cup of coffee. I would guess she’s thirsty,”
“Well, even I know you don’t give a baby coffee.” Toby looks down at Rachel and addresses her, “Sorry, Honey, but this is coffee, for big people. You’ll get your share of coffee, when you’re grown,” he assures her.
This is not the answer Rachel is looking for. She bounces up and down making bubbles again.
“Go see Leo, Sweetie. That’s a good girl,” Toby is trying to get her moving again and she can blow bubbles at someone else.
“Hey, Toby, I think she likes you. Do all the females want your coffee,” Josh laughingly asks Toby. “Then no wonder you don’t have any dates, if you won’t share with them.” Josh can’t resist getting a dig in at Toby, when he can’t blast him back, in front of the President.
“Very funny, Josh. I haven’t seen you go on a date for a while,” Toby put in a great shot, right back at him.
About this time, Rachel makes a break for it. She drops to all fours and takes off crawling between the furniture. “Grab her! She’s as fast as a race car and she’ll be out of sight in no time,” Leo chuckles, as he warns, not really afraid, agents are at every door.
Josh is the closest and pops up to chase her.
Rachel sees him tailing her and speeds up, baby laughing at the fun.
Josh is, by now, walking almost over top of Rachel, careful to step on both sides of her and she’s enjoying the race.
Leo and the President are enjoying hearing the baby laugh and the sight of Josh chasing a baby across the floor.
Even Toby is grinning at Josh and the baby.
Josh sounds delighted, “Hey, this ‘is’ fun. She’s really fast! Rachel could win at those baby races they have. Donna thinks it’s so cute to watch.”
About that time Josh trips, on his own shadow, and in trying not to step on the baby, ends up falling forward on the floor, blocking her path. “Well, this is one way to stop her.”
Rachel hardly slows down, as she climbs up on his chest, like playing ‘king of the mountain’.
Josh grabs her across the back, to pin her down, before she gets away.
“Joshua, do you know you’re rolling around on the carpet of the Oval Office,” Donna admonishes Josh, from the door to Leo’s Office. “I’m sorry, Sir. Margaret asked me to peek in and see how it was going with Rachel. I guess Josh is the one I need to check on.”
“Come on in, Donna and meet Rachel. Right now she’s winning, but I think Josh wants a rematch,” the President encourages her to enter the room.
Donna goes over and plucks Rachel off Josh’s chest. “Josh, are you having ‘fun’ down there,” she’s still scolding him.
“Uh, Yeah, I really am. She’s a lot of fun,” Josh honestly answers with a grin and a dimple.
Donna smiles, turning her attention to Rachel, while Josh gets up off the floor, “Well hello, Rachel. How are you doing at keeping the men in line? Just as I thought, you had to tackle one already,” Donna talks to Rachel female to female.
Rachel pats Donna cheek, as if she understands the Sisterhood already.
Josh asks the men of the room, “How can they communicate, female to female, at that young age? It just goes to prove they ‘are’ born with it, the power to render men helpless?”
Leo answers him, “She ‘can’ do that! Rachel had me wrapped around her finger after about 10 seconds. We’ve just had a ball, all evening at the apartment. Margaret is amazed at my ability to take care of Rachel,” Leo being in a generous mood, shares some of his happy evening.
Donna informs the men, “Now, unfortunately, I have to get back to my own typing. Here you go, Leo. Here’s the little princess.” Donna grudgingly gives Rachel to him.
Leo takes Rachel and holds her over his face. He lifts her higher in the air and brings her down for a loud kiss on the neck. She scrunches her head to the side and laughs at him.
Leo is sitting on the couch opposite of Josh. Josh is still staring at Leo, fascinated. He’s never seen Leo this relaxed or comfortable.
Rachel sighs, as Leo lays her on his chest.
“She’s seems to be a chest baby there, Leo,” the President observes.
“Yes, Mr. President.” Leo continues, “She’s had me pinned once already this evening, after her bath. I told Margaret that a baby on your bare skin is the most wonderful feeling in the world.”
“Josh, don’t even ask, how Rachel ended up on his bare chest! Don’t go there.” Toby is now warning him, for his own good.
Josh shuts his mouth and glares at Toby.
The President just laughs with Leo, at the look on Josh’s disappointed face.
“Mr. President, do you want a turn with her? I think she might actually be wearing down.” Leo is willing to share her with his best friend.
“Sure, let me have her, Leo. I love to cuddle with babies,” the President watches Leo rise with her. The President’s eyes shine with delight. He definitely wants to hold her.
“Sir, I’ll go to my office and get her bottle,” Leo suggests. “We can see if she’ll drop off to sleep for you,” Leo excuses himself to his office, as they transfer Rachel to the President’s arms.
“That would be great, Leo. I have her here,” as the President turns Rachel around in his arms and he lays her on his broad chest. Rachel curls up on him and tucks her head under his chin.
When Leo reemerges from his door, the President continues, “Leo, you were right, she smells like baby powder and baby shampoo.”
“Well, that’s what I used on her, in her bath,” Leo verifies for the President.
Toby and Josh look at each other. Their eyes have the same question in them. ~Leo,
gave her a bath? ~
As Leo rejoins them with the bottle, the President just holds out his hand for it and then offers it to Rachel.
She immediately pops it in her mouth and snuggles down to get comfortable.
“Makes me wish we still had President Kenney’s rocking chair in here. It’d be real handy now. Oh, Leo. Listen to the sounds of a nursing baby. The cooing they make, as they get half asleep. I’m going to call Annie tomorrow. She’s the last baby I had to fall asleep in my arms.”
“Well, Sir, we let you put us to sleep.” Josh covers his mouth, just as the words slip out. “Sorry, Sir. I was just kidding.”
“You better be, or you get the next diaper detail,” the President warns him.
“Yes, Sir. I hear you, Sir,” Josh is sounding properly chastised.
Rachel is by now asleep. “Sir, maybe I should take her to my office and let her sleep on the padded floor. Margaret can listen for her,” Leo suggests.
“Oh no, she stays right here, Leo. You get to have her at Margaret’s apartment all weekend.” The President wants to get his fair share of baby time.
“Ah, Leo, Maybe this might be a good time for me to put my foot in my mouth and ask for a little clarification,” Toby clears his throat, “on the situation between you and Margaret. Am I reading the writing on the wall, that you two are spending, out of office, quality time together,” Toby asks, trying to be tactful.
“Yes, Toby, since your asking.” Leo confirms, “Margaret and I ‘are’ seeing each other romantically.” Leo is watching their faces to see what their reaction is, to his news. “We’re just taking things nice and slow. We’re not in any rush. We’re not flaunting it, but we’re not hiding it, if someone asks. Just not making a big deal out of it. I’m hoping it’ll just make little ripples.”
“Ok,” Toby is agreeable on the spin. “That might be a nice way to approach it. Just wait and see what ripples it does make. After all that we’ve had in this term of office. This might just seem small potatoes to the rest of the world.”
“That’s exactly the way we feel about it,” Leo lets him know, that there’s no room for discussion.
“I’ll let CJ know your good news, in case it’s brought up at a briefing. That’s if the Sisterhood hasn’t informed her by now.” Toby has a feeling she knows by now.
“The Sisterhood’s getting to be a scary concept. I think their network for information is faster than what is in the Sit. Room. Our days of being in control, may be numbered,” Josh is serious with his remark.
“You may be right, Josh,” Leo thinks of Margaret now. ~She
can make me or break me so easily, but I’m not too worried. ~
“I agree! They’re not even keeping it secret. They flaunt it. It’s a power support group to them. No lines, no boundaries, and no borders. Just to be female and they belong,” Toby tries to define it.
“Its not anything new, guys. They just don’t care anymore, if we know about it now,” the President adds this from his experience in a household of all females.
Leo just looks at him in agreement. Josh and Toby are echoing his agreement on their faces.
Leo continues, “So, guys. You need not be shocked, if you see Margaret and I being a little less than professional with each other, at times, in our private offices. Be assured, we’ll be professional at all other times and places.” He then adds, “Except maybe in the staff mess hall, but no one would notice, with all the other crap that takes place there.”
“We expected no less, Leo,” Toby seriously reassures him. “Leo, the official statement is still, the White House does not comment on the personal lives of its staff.”
**
Margaret enters the Oval Office with the retyped papers and hands them to Leo. She’s looking at Rachel with the President, amazed that she’s asleep.
“Leo, how’d he do that? She’s asleep. I was beginning to think Rachel stays wake 24 hours a day,” Margaret just has to ask, with amazement showing on her face.
“Just talent, Margaret, real talent,” the President boasts.
“I wore her out first,” Josh wants his credit also.
“I heard already, from Donna. Apparently, Rachel won and you want a rematch,” Margaret can’t resist teasing Josh.
“Mr. President, if we have trouble tomorrow night getting her to sleep, we’ll be paying you another visit,” Leo warns, with a smile, knowing that it wouldn’t be a bother to him.
“You do that, Leo. Margaret, I’d be happy to help,” the President happily reassures them both.
“Leo, if we’re all done. We should get Rachel back to the apartment and into a bed,” Margaret advises.
“Yeah, we’re done now and we should get her to bed.” Leo gently retrieves Rachel from the President, who looks like someone just took his new toy away.
They excuse themselves with a “Good night, Mr. President” and depart to Leo’s office, to pack Rachel’s things back into her bag.
Margaret and Leo exit the White House, after briefly stopping to sign out with Mike the lobby guard. Both are glad the visit went as well as it did.
****
Arriving back at the apartment, they’re amazed that Rachel is still asleep.
“It seems that once she’s asleep Rachel stays asleep.” Leo observes, “She’s like a computer. Her power is either on or off. Awake and full force, or asleep like a rock.” He jokingly adds, “We could have the Marine Band in here and she’d sleep right through it!”
“We’ll, it’ll definitely make the rest of the night less hectic, with the little angel asleep,” Margaret sounds hopeful, looking at Rachel in her Port-a-crib.
“Can I stay awhile?” Leo asks hopefully, “I know that I promised you we’d curl up on the couch when we got back here, but if you’re too tired, I understand.”
“It’s still a good idea, Leo.” Margaret is smiling sweetly, as she has an idea, now that Rachel is asleep. “Please stay and can keep an eye on the sleeping beauty, while I take a bath. ‘Calgone, take me away’,” Margaret agrees, revealing her hopeful plan for his help.
“That sounds interesting, Margaret. I’ll just hang around here and think nice thoughts about you in your bubbles.” Leo has a large grin on his face, “I could wash your back.”
“Leo, don’t get your hopes up. I’m bathing alone, in peace and quite,” she’s ‘not’ wanting to encourage him ‘that far’ tonight and Margaret doesn’t want to be tempted either.
“Spoil sport,” he’s sounding so disappointed.
“Just keep those nice thoughts, Leo. I’ll see you after I’m done,” Margaret promises.
“I’ll be waiting on the couch. Just watching the news. With nothing better to do,” he’s trying to gain some sympathy from her.
“Patience, Leo. This is not the White House, where you bellow and get what you want immediately.” Margaret reminds him cheekily.
Leo can tell she’s not buying his pity-party routine.
“Sure would be nice.” He steps to Margaret and cups the back of her neck to give her a passionate kiss. “That should hold us, till you get done with your bath,” Leo grins and heads to the living room, with little swagger.
Margaret is blushing and breathing fast, she’s rooted to the
spot, just watching Leo. ~I’ve have men before, in my life, but I’m
going to have to watch Leo McGarry more closely. He’s been in the Sit. Room too much and he
works in stealth mode. I could willingly
end up doing more than cuddling in bed with Leo. That could be nice, someday. I must remember that we’ve agreed to go
slow. Just enjoy the courtship. Now, I’m really blushing. I can feel it on my face. Better get into the bathroom, before Leo
returns and catches me daydreaming. It’s
written all over my face. ~
Leo relaxes onto the couch, at his end. ~I’m going to really enjoy this next level of romancing Margaret. It’s definitely going to be interesting.~ He can hear Margaret in the bathroom, preparing for her bath. ~I gotta concentrate on something else besides what she’s doing in the bathroom. I promised her we’d go slowly. I don’t want to come on too strong and scare her off, like some dominant male or trying to imitate some young stud in heat. Whoa, McGarry, better not let my mind go there. Where’s the remote? I really need to watch some news.~
Later, Leo checks on Rachel, during the commercials and she’s sleeping like the baby she is.
When the local news goes off, Leo can hear Margaret in her room, after finishing her bath. He goes to the kitchen to make some decaf tea for them both. It’s Margaret favorite flavor, spiced orange. She says it smells as good as it tastes.
He returns to the living room, just as Margaret is arriving and she smiles at the sight of him carrying two mugs.
She accepts the one he holds out to her. “Thank you, Leo. That’s so nice of you. You’re spoiling ‘me’ now.” Margaret has a pleased smile on her face, as she sips her tea.
“I’m just anticipating your needs, Margaret, like you do for me everyday. I learned from the best,” Leo informs her with a matching smile.
“I appreciate it, Leo.” She leans over and kisses him. “Oh, nice, Leo. Warm lips.”
“I warmed them with my tea, with you in mind. I might need to use them later,” he boldly hints at his plans.
“Oh, Leo, you are so bad,” she quietly teases him.
“Not yet, I promised you I’d be good today, remember,” Leo warns that this is his good behavior.
Looking him in the eye, “Well, there’s good and then there’s good,” Margaret boldly indicates she knows the difference in his good and bad behaviors. She’s enjoying the banter that they’re getting so good at.
Leo willingly assures her, “I can demonstrate a number of things that I’m good at,” trying to shock her.
Margaret looks warily at Leo. “Don’t get so good, you need a cold shower, Leo,” she threatens.
“Wouldn’t mind a warm one,” Leo is squinting one eye and looking at her, hinting to Margaret that she ‘would’ be invited.
“Leo.” Now, she’s shocked. Her mug of tea stopped half way to her lips.
“OK, I know, enough. I’m just trying to get you to blush, Margaret,” Leo admits. “You know, I never can get enough of your blushing.” He’s grinning at her over his mug of tea, as he takes another sip.
Margaret decides that retreat is the better form of valor, “Maybe we need to see what’s on the late movie.”
“I hope that they are all boring ones. Then I can keep you entertained.” Leo is sticking to his plan and he’s rubbing, with his free hand, up and down her back, since he knows she loves that. “Let’s move to the couch and get cozy,” he’s moving on to next stage of the evening.
“I agree. Cozy sounds wonderful,” she’s beginning to like his plan.
They move to the couch and Margaret waits for Leo to set his mug on the coffee table. He grabs both throw pillows and puts them at his end of the couch. Leo lays down first, shifting back to give her room to lie down in front of him, wanting to spoon together.
Wrapping an arm around her waist to tuck her snuggly in front of him, Leo sighs and rumbles softly in her ear, “We can cuddle for a little while, Margaret. I know you need to get some sleep tonight. The powernap princess is going to keep you busy tomorrow. I have to go the office during the day tomorrow, but I’ll try to be here to help with her evening schedule,” Leo assures her that he’s willing to help. Leo is also hoping for a repeat of the fun they had earlier this evening.
Margaret now scoots to lie flat on her back, to see Leo’s face better, “That would be nice, Leo. This is my first adventure with a baby, all on my own. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s been wonderful and nerve wracking at the same time, and I’m finding the world of babies, with a glimpse into parenthood so enlightening. I’m just being practical about it. It’s a learning experience for me and I think I’ve coped quite well. I’ll be interested to see how tomorrow goes. I’m not trying to prove anything, so help is appreciated.”
She toys with the first two buttons on his shirt, unbuttoning them. Realizing what she’s doing, she quickly buttons them back, which makes Leo grin down at her hands. She covers by admitting, “I like having you here, Leo. I’ve noticed that on weekends that we don’t have any private time together, I keep catching myself looking for you to show up at the door.” Margaret doesn’t want to rattle on, but she seriously wants him to realize how much he has become a part of her home life. She looks solemnly up at his face.
“I know just what you mean.” Leo gives her with a quick gentle kiss, “That’s one of the reasons why I thought that we’re ready to get closer. I ‘need’ you in my life.”
“I like this closer us. I like being able to touch you,” she’s rubbing her hand along his arm that’s still holding her protectively around the waist. “It’s another way to communicate to you, how close we ‘are’ becoming,” being very honest with Leo. “At the office, I’ve always tried to keep any touching strictly professional,” she assures him.
Following her line of thought, Leo now confesses, “Well, Margaret, I may have spoken out of turn this evening and if I did, I’m sorry.” He has her attention now. “I warned the guys at the meeting this evening that in our offices’ and in the staff mess that they may, at times, see us being more than just professional with each other.” He pauses and grins, “We might actually be affectionate with each other.” He pauses to give her another quick kiss, before adding, “I did assure them that we’d be professional at all other times and places.” He now looks seriously at her. “Does that sound OK to you? We really haven’t talked about how we’ll conduct our relationship, at the White House, but I felt you would agree to these basic limits.“
“Exactly what I think, Leo. Our new motto can be, ‘we don’t hide it and we don’t flaunt it.’ She smiles at him, letting him know that he’s not in trouble by speaking for the both of them.
“Leo, by you mentioning the ‘guys’ at the meeting, you do realize that one of them is the President of the United States. I’m going to take awhile getting used to the fact that I need to be more casual, with your best friend, the President. Let me assure you that I will not be casual in the Oval Office and definitely not out in public,” Margaret states a few limits of her own about the President.
“Any motto you want, Margaret, as long as it’s ‘our’ motto,” Leo’s more than agreeable. “Now, how about you roll over here, cuddle up to me and we can ‘practice’ necking. I’ve been as patient as I can. As a guy, I need to express how I feel for you, with more than just words.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me, Leo.” She does his bidding and also wraps her arm around his waist then surrenders to his eager, but gentle, passionate kisses. She’s so happy, knowing this is ‘not’ a dream, just a dream come true.
Later, when they both are breathless and content to lie in each other’s arms, they hear a soft whimper coming from Margaret’s room. Leo chuckles into Margaret neck commenting, “Sounds like intermission. You want me to check on her or do you want to?”
“I’ll go, Leo, she may just be dreaming,” Margaret needs a breather anyway, as they have been getting a little warm on the couch, practicing.
“OK, I’ll take our cold tea to the kitchen,” he volunteers, just to stretch his legs in this intermission.
By the dim light of the nightlight, Margaret finds Rachel uncovered and restless in the port-a-crib. She lifts the semi-sleeping baby out and snuggles her close. Rachel seems to settle down, as she gets comfortable in Margaret’s arms. Margaret sits on her bed and rubs Rachel’s back. Rachel makes little sucking noises in her sleep. Leo steps into the room wanting to check on Rachel, “Leo, I think she’s wanting her bottle again. She sure sounds like it.”
“Let me look in the crib for it. I found it, but it’s just about empty. I’ll go get her a new one from the fridge.” He starts for the bedroom door. “I’ll just put it in the microwave for a few seconds, to take the chill off it. Don’t want to shock her awake with ice cold milk.” He’s thinking that a sleeping baby is preferable right now.
“No, we really don’t want her awake at this hour,” Margaret remembers Rachel’s parents warning about her being a night owl. She continues to rub Rachel, while Leo fetches the new bottle.
Leo quickly returns with the bottle and hands it to Margaret. She offers it to the lightly sleeping Rachel, who immediately starts to nurse on it. Leo lies down on the bed with the side of his head propped up on his bent arm to watch Margaret and Rachel. He reaches a hand up, to rub on Margaret back. He then gently wraps his fingers around Margaret’s arm and pulls her and Rachel down, to lie on the bed with him. Rachel’s lying between them and Margaret is supporting the bottle. Rachel is slowing down on taking the bottle and quickly going fast asleep again. Leo leans over to kiss Margaret, since he can’t resist. “Margaret, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, when you someday become a mother. You’re a natural. I just hope that I’m there to see you.”
“Thanks, Leo that means a lot to me. But, you know, in our line of work that probably isn’t going to happen for me anytime soon and later on, might be too late. I don’t really think that far ahead in my life. I’m just happy with my life now. I never know what may happen in the future and I don’t want to miss any of this time right now. What we’re doing at work is so important. My life just keeps getting better, Leo.”
Leo is now personally important to her and Margaret feels now is the time to let him know her deepest feelings about her future and her work.
As he listens to Margaret with a soft smile of understanding, Leo has cupped his hand over the top of Rachel’s head and is gently stroking her forehead with the tips of two fingers, savoring the feel of her soft baby skin.
Margaret slowly tests to see if she can remove the bottle from the now sleeping baby. After successfully breaking the suction and removing the bottle, they both grin at Rachel smacking her lips twice with the loss of the nipple. They lay quietly a while longer to see if Rachel wakes and protests or sleeps on.
Margaret gently straightens Rachel’s sleepwear and continues her thoughts, “Leo, I may have a child someday, but I may not. So, like this weekend, I just enjoy the time I have with children and be glad that I can. By the end of this weekend, I’ll probably miss her, but on the other hand, I probably be glad she going back to her parents. So it’s a win, win situation for me, Leo.”
“You’re wonderful, Margaret,” he kisses her leaning over the baby. When he finishes the kiss, he looks at the sleeping baby between them, “Yeah, it has been nice spending time with her, but babies do require a lot of time and devotion. Parents have to work at it.” He’s honestly reflecting on his own baby girl, from years ago and the effort they’ve both just spent, for just one day with Rachel. “Maybe her parents will take another mini vacation and we can watch her again.”
“That would be nice, Leo. We’re having a nice adventure with her and the White House staff’ is having kittens right about now,” Margaret softly laughs at the thought.
Leo then confesses to Margaret, “I also like having you to myself. I can freely express my feelings to you here at the apartment. I can make you blush, kiss you and gently caress you.” Leo demonstrates with a kiss and stroking her arm. “All are things that I catch myself having to curtail at the office lately, but I’ll find ways to work around that,” he now advises her.
“Leo, are you going to be in stealth mode at the office,”
Margaret asks pointedly, like this is going to be a problem, but she’s smiling
at him in the dim light of the room. Thrilled
at the thought. ~Wait till I tell Donna about stealth mode! She’ll be green with envy, but she has a dance
going on with Josh, so that keeps her occupied.~
“Yeah, Margaret, be warned. I’m going to be affectionate with you in every little way that I can get away with,” he’s confessing to her ahead of time.
“Oh, Leo, that sounds intriguing. You know that the staff is going to be watching us like hawks, at first,” Margaret wants him to know she’s willing to be an accomplice, but it’s not going to be easy.
“Yes and every time one of them invades my office unannounced, like they usually do. I’m going to take advantage of it and show them just what they want to see. We should be able to break them of not knocking finally, after us being in office this long,” he sounds like he’s going to enjoy that little punishment for the staff.
“Sounds like fun to me, Leo. Put Rachel back into her bed and then let’s cuddle for the night. We might need to practice some more,” she’s willing to be an accomplice right now!
Leo grins, “I’m all for practicing.”
“I thought you would see it my way.” ~ Score one more for the Sisterhood, ~ is her happy thought, as Leo rejoins her and she wraps her arms around Leo and embraces him for a long practice session.
The end
p.s. till the next adventure
~ In memory of John Spencer ~
~ Thanks for the hugs, John! ~
Betty Lou Riley
22nd May 2003
Fan Reader Rating Chart:
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CHILD - suitable for all ages
YTEEN (younger teens) - some content may not be suitable for children
TEEN - suitable for teens and above
MATURE - suitable for mature readers
ADULT - adults only
P — Profanity
SC — Sexual Content
V — Violence
GV — Graphic Violence
GS - Graphic Sexual Content