With her hair still damp from her morning shower, Mallory walks through the quiet corridors of the West Wing knowing full well her father will be at work already despite the fact that no one else is. It's comforting to know that even though she couldn't make it last night he'll be in this morning...might as well have been here the whole night she thinks to herself.
Discovering Margaret's office empty, she knocks timidly on her father's door, pushing it open only when she gets no reply. Her eyes scan the room finding his desk empty but the couch occupied with her sleeping father whose legs are propped up on the table.
Shocked she finds Margaret curled around him a blanket covering her shoulders, her right arm behind his back, her left leg thrown over his right like it is the most natural thing in the world, her head resting snugly in the nape of his neck, her fathers arms wrapped around her affectionately and an impressive diamond on the hand of her ring finger which rests on his chest.
Stunned Mallory inches closer to the pair who are wrapped up in an intimate sleeping position, wanting to get a closer look at the ring. She gasps recognizing the unique nature of the diamond setting, realizing there aren't to many men who can afford such a piece of jewelry, the fact her father can is not lost on her.
She turns confused and disbelief of the new information she's just acquired. Her assumptions most likely to be correct, Mallory stumbles into the shin height table protesting in pain then cursing the bruise she's going to have as she hobbles for the door out of her fathers office.
With one hand on the door handle she hears him stir, Mallory turns watching as he smiles feeling Margaret wrapped around him, his eyes not yet open. Slowly they open as he presses a kiss to Margaret's forehead still unaware she's in the room.
The door creaks as Mallory opens it and for the first time he sees her, surprise writes itself across his face, disorientation from being half asleep still present. Gently he extracts Margaret from around himself, positioning her in the safety of the oversized cushions that stuff the couch.
Opening the door slowly so not as to wake Margaret, Leo looks left down the corridor for Mallory, he looks right and his eyes meet directly with hers.
"Mal." He says softly closing the door after him.
"Don't...I'm too...I don't think I can put together a coherent sentence." Mallory stumbles.
"I know it's a shock." Leo says softly taking another step closer to his daughter.
"Why didn't you tell me, it started after the transplant right?" Mallory manages and it's Leo who can't find anything to say now.
"As long as you know what you're doing." Mallory concludes lifting her bag higher on her shoulder and turning to leave.
"I love her, Mallory." Leo says to Mallory's back, it stops her for a moment, turning briefly she nods and disappears around the corner.
Leo steps quietly back into his office.
*
The busy day left no opportunity to discuss the morning events and when Leo arrives at Margaret's apartment that night after saying goodbye to her not ten minutes ago to find it empty, he wonders if this morning was more damaging than he'd thought.
Not seeing her car anywhere, he sighs sliding the card in his room door. He spots her on the terrace, her winter coat wrapped around her to ward of the night chill. Her keys are on the table in the foyer and he drops his things next to hers making his way out onto the terrace.
"Here you are." He says sliding the door closed behind him, she cranes her neck over her shoulder smiling at him.
"Where else would I be?" She questions.
"I went to your place." He informs her studying her face. "This things with Mallory is bothering you isn't it."
"We should have told her before now." Margaret says regretfully.
"I know, but you wanted to wait." Leo reminds her. "And I respected that."
"I wanted to be sure, I mean I was, but..." She looks down at the shiny ring on her finger.
Leo smiles resting his fingers over hers. "She understands and if it wasn't Mallory it would have been someone else who found us this morning."
"She deserves to have been told by both of us up front." Margaret continues.
"I know, but it didn't happen that way." Leo compensates and encourages her to come inside.
"Did you talk?" Margaret asks falling into the couch.
"She was a little lost for words." Leo replies as a knock comes from his door.
He looks back at her and Margaret looks up at him, neither expecting any visitors at this late hour.
"Mallory." Leo says opening the door to find his daughter waiting patiently.
She steps forward throwing her arms around her father, her face buried in his shoulder. "I just want you to be happy." Her muffled voice says.
Letting go of her father she marches over to the couch enveloping a surprised Margaret in a similar embrace. When she's let Margaret go, Mallory stands in the middle of the room with the full attention of Leo and Margaret. "I'm very happy for you both." She says and Margaret thinks she sees a tiny tear building.
"You want to stay for dinner Mal?" Leo asks bewildered by his daughter's behavior.
"No I've gotta be some place." She declines looking at her watch. Softening for a moment she hugs her father again, pulling him tighter and closer to her. "Love you dad."
Margaret comes over and gets another hug from Mallory. "I know you love him and he loves you and you'll take good care of him...he's my dad, the only one I've got." she says softly before saying goodbye and disappearing behind the closed daughter.
"Where is your daughter and what has who done with her?" Margaret asks smiling, wrapping her arms around a confused Leo and kissing him on the cheek.
Leo remains stuck in the one spot despite Margaret pulling him towards the couch.
"She loves you so much to accept me." Margaret says softly one hand pressed gently against his cheek.
"We both love you." Leo says quietly, earning a soft kiss from Margaret.
*