As I race into Ron Butterfield's office, his secretary smiles and waives me in. I slide into a chair in front of him. Donna is already there. I look down at my watch. 3:05. Damn.

"You're late." She sings. I know payback when I hear it. Ron just shakes his head at us.

"Hello, dear." I'm not even going to try to win this one. I am late.

"I'm surprised because you control your own schedule." She continues the banter. Well, I wasn't going to do this in front of Ron, but if she really wants to play. I look right into her eyes, and I use my sexiest voice-

"But you know how much I like it when you take charge."

Ron interrupts before we can really get started. "Well the two of you have always made this job just a bit more interesting. Haven't you?"

I'm not really sure what he means by that. But he starts on his agenda for this meeting so I let it go.

"Okay, let's talk some basic secret service protocol for the First Family. I have gone over this with them but as their Chiefs of Staff, you need to be aware as well. Let's start with Secret Service Code Names. Generally, everyone in the same family has a name that starts with the same letter. The President chose his air force call sign: Badger. Mrs. Santos is Bluebonnet. Peter is Beluga."

"That's unusual." I interject. I wonder if he'll like that.

"Well since November he's been spouting off whale trivia just about non-stop to the agents. I understand we have you to thank for that book." Ron looks at Donna who blushes but looks pleased. Ron continues.

"Josh, you should really like Miranda's. Her code name is Ballerina." Donna snickers.

"Is there anyone who hasn't heard that story? I was four!" Ron's lips quirk up in a small smile, but he just goes on with the briefing.

"O.k. even when in the residence, all the members of the First Family will have a shadow agent with them at all times. Outside the residence but within the White House itself, the President will have two shadow agents. And they will each have a full detail when they are away from this building."

"The security measures for the children attending school are in place. Kevin and Linda will attend class with Peter and Miranda, and they will each have an additional guard outside the door to their classroom and there will be a guard at each entrance to the building while the children are present. The children will arrive and depart one hour earlier than the other children. The school staff has been fully vetted and obviously any new hires must be approved through my office. They are set to begin on Monday."

I don't really like the idea of them attending public school. Matt and Helen made this decision while Donna and I were in Hawaii. While it fits nicely with their populist message and his Education Reform agenda- I wouldn't have advised it. It seems like a big risk. There are several private schools in the District that already have the children of dignitaries attending and have excellent security measures that we could enhance. Prep school didn't hurt me any.

"Ron, how do you feel about the situation?"

"It wouldn't have been my first choice, but we have it under control." He turns to Donna.

"I've been over this with Mrs. Santos and the children, but given the amount of time the children will be in public, I really need to make sure you all understand this. You must all be very vigilant in reporting any unusual activity, email, communication, contact. Even if something's not a threat, if it gives you any pause, bring it to us. Let us determine if it's important. If it's nothing we'll dismiss it, but you never know how the pieces fit together unless you can see all the pieces. Please make your staff aware of this as well. If something seems weird. Let us know."

Donna has been listening and taking notes. At the word "weird" her head pops up. She blushes a little but she nods. I'm going to have to ask her about that later.

"Okay," Ron says "moving on to staff protection protocol. Returning staff will keep their previous code names."

"Ah man! I wanted something tougher this time!" Ron looks at me with a smile.

"Josh, do you still have it?"

"Yes."

"Did you carry it into the building today?" I'm sure he already knows the answer to these questions.

"Yes."

"Then your code name is still Backpack. Get over it. Donna's keeping her name too."

"Wait a minute," Donna interjects, "I wasn't senior staff. I didn't have a code name."

I take her hand. "Yes, you did." I shutter, remembering a letter where a lunatic said he was collecting guns and each one had a bullet with Donna's name on it. The Secret Service had intercepted the letter and determined it not to be a credible threat because the writer was already incarcerated. Ron brought it to my attention and left it to my discretion whether or not to tell her. I hadn't told her about it. I didn't want her to live in fear.

"You got your code name after Rosslyn." Ron states. What? I didn't know that. I thought she got it when they opened that letter.

"The only person who spent more time at GW after Rosslyn, other than the secret service, was you, Donna. You knew all the agents by name. They gave you a nickname of their own. Mrs. Bartlet ordered an extra agent on Josh's temporary detail, specifically assigned to watch out for you."

Ron turns to back to me, "Mrs. Bartlet was concerned that at some point Donna was just going to drop, you didn't see what it was like, we were all very worried. But she just kept going." Ron smiles fondly at Donna. "And her rules after you were released really made the agents' jobs a lot easier!"

"So what's my code name?" Donna asks.

"Bulldog!" I tell her excitedly. She's got an awesome name. Really, it should be mine. But she looks disappointedly at Ron.

"Oh, that doesn't sound very nice. Why did they call me that?" She asks. Ron actually blushes a little.

"Well, the nickname the agents gave you was 'The Bulldog's Babe.' We just shortened it. Like I said, you two have always made this job a bit more interesting."

I'd never heard that before. Did everyone know about us but us? Anyway, if I can't be Bulldog I'm glad Donna is. Ron and I both look at her to see what she thinks.

"Well, okay, then I guess that's alright."

"Okay." Ron says "let's talk about your protection detail."

"Donna and I have talked about this. We don't know if we really want a detail. I know that sometimes CJ used one and sometimes she didn't."

"Given your histories, and the current situation in Kazakhstan, I'd prefer that you have a full detail. Generally, when there is a military action occurring, the Chief of Staff has increased protection. But at minimum, I'd like you to have a car and driver, plus one agent for each of you when you are traveling to and from the White House. Of course we will re-evaluate if there is any new information or things in Kazakhstan escalate."

"What do you mean 'our histories'?" I ask Ron. He's blunt in his reply.

"You both survived assassination attempts. Sometimes that prompts the crazies to think they should finish the job." I get a chill. I'm reconsidering whether to minimize Donna's protection.

"What do you mean new information?" Donna asks, "Like if we get actual threats?" Something about the way she says the word "actual" sets off my spidey-senses and Ron looks like he just went on high alert too.

"Donna," he says carefully "everything I said about "weird" contact applies to you two as well."

"Oh." She says blushing again. I know that look and that tone, it unusually means she has more information than she's shared.

"Donna, what haven't you told us?" I ask sternly.

"Well, it's kind of funny. I actually have an electronic folder labeled "weird" for emails that just seem a bit odd."

"Have you received any emails that you thought were a bit odd?" Ron asks.

"Yes, but not about the first family."

"Okay," Ron says, picking a pencil to take notes, "Who is the email addressed to and what did it say?"

"It's addressed to me and it says "I hope you wear a red dress to the Ball." What the. . .

"When did it arrive?"

"Oh, the first one came the Friday after Thanksgiving." The first one?!

"Have there been others?"

"Yes, I get the same email every Friday." Oh. my. god. I don't like the sound of this at all.

Ron looks carefully at Donna. "This is exactly the type of thing we want to monitor. Do you still have the emails?"

"Yes, they are transferring all my transition email over to my new computer." While Ron picks up the phone to call systems to send him the email, I squeeze Donna's hand.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal. It's a little weird that someone wants me to wear a red dress but its not threatening, and it's not about the first family. I figured they'd stop after tonight, right?"

"Donna, what color is your dress for tonight?" Ron asks.

"Black." She answers. "Why is that bad?"

"I don't know." Ron responds.

"We'll take the full protection detail." I tell him. Donna starts to protest but I silence her with a look. No. We aren't playing around with this. I hope its nothing, but until we know for sure, I'm not taking any chances.