Jed and Leo are ending the day.

"It's no good and Jaworski knows it's no good."

"Yeah. He's gonna say the Japanese need to buy more American cars."

"32 billion against the trade surplus, Sir."

"Yeah." The President closes his briefcase and sits it on top of his desk. "Is that it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay, Leo, I'll see you in the morning."

They walk towards the doors leading to the residence.

Jed turns to Leo. "Listen, you headed home or are you sticking around?"

"I've got a few things to finish up."

"Come up to the residence. Abbey's in North Carolina for the car thing."

Leo looks towards his office "I really should…"

"Leo, do I have to make it an order?"

"No, sir."

They walk down the path towards the residence.

"How's Mallory? It was great to see her at my birthday party."

"She's good. I know next to nothing about her life, but I think she's good."

Jed laughs. "I think I want to know about my girls' lives, but then they tell me and I regret the impulse."

"She and Sam went out a few times."

"Sam Seaborn?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, probably better that you stay in the dark."

Secret Service opens the door to the residence and Jed and Leo walk upstairs. Jed drops his briefcase on a table and continues into the kitchen. "I can't remember when the last time I cooked something was." He grabs a beer from the fridge and hands Leo a bottle of water. "Let's sit in the study."

Jed falls into a chair and gestures to a table behind him. "There's glasses on the bar cart over there. I don't want one, but grab one if you do." Leo walks over and tongs ice out of the bucket on the cart. "When's Abbey back?"

"Tomorrow night."

"So this is it, huh? Your bachelor night."

"Yeah."

"You're really living it up."

"Like you were going to paint the town red from the confines of your office."

Leo sits down on the couch across from Jed. "An office, I might add, that is some distance from your girlfriend."

"Can we not use the term 'girlfriend?' It makes me feel like I'm 16 years old."

"What would you prefer?"

"To not talk about my relationship at all."

"Fine."

"Great." Leo sits back against the couch and holds his glass up. "To your bachelor night."

"Cheers." Jed takes a sip of his beer. "Been a long time since I was a bachelor."

"Yep."

"Never regretted a minute of it, though, Leo. I am a lucky man."

"And Abbey is a patient woman."

"If you're suggesting that she's waiting for you, McGarry, I'd remind you that I have the full force and power of the United States military at my command."

Leo laughs. "I don't think you're at much risk of Abbey leaving you for me. Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"She likes smart, hard working men."

"I'll accept hard working."

"Yeah, you are an idiot. That's why I keep you around. Useful to be made to look good in comparison. C'mon, Leo, we both know…"

"I wasn't fishing for a compliment, sir. I accept that I bring things to the table when it comes to this job. I'm just saying I make boneheaded decisions as much as the next guy."

"Like the boneheaded decision to avoid Annabeth by hiding in your office?"

"I thought we agreed…"

"I'm a politician. I lied."

"I'm not avoiding…"

"Bullshit."

"I'm not avoiding her. I am avoiding a fight."

"With her. So, semantics aside, you are avoiding her."

Leo leans forward and puts his glass down on the table. "I accept Annabeth as Annabeth and I stop being me. I demand that Annabeth be less Annabeth so that I can be fully me and it's no better."

"What part of you gets lost?"

"The part that takes charge and fixes things."

"Do you have some other part?"

Leo grimaces. "You see the problem."

"And Annabeth?"

"The part that refuses to back down from a fight - that, in fact, relishes the fight. The part that does what she wants, when she wants, how she wants."

"I see the problem."

"Yeah."

They sit in silence for a moment.

"When we first met she told me the reason I liked her was because I could just be a guy eating pancakes in her kitchen. And she thought she could just be a woman eating pancakes with me."

"I have no idea what that means."

"It means that we started out trying to avoid being the most extreme versions of ourselves. Two people who exist in the world in a certain way, but could maybe find a way to let go of some of that with each other. And it worked for a while."

"And now?"

"I don't know."

"You want to watch whatever the hell sport we can find on TV?"

Leo smiles. "Yes."