Title: Descanso
Classification: Political, Ensemble
Spoilers: Up to "Jefferson Lives"
Notes are at the end of part 4.
DESCANSO
September 2003
Friday Night
Sometimes, when there weren't a million things happening at once, Leo liked to
take a late-night walk through the West Wing. The half-lit offices, the low hum
of earnest voices, and the sense that the heart of the administration beat
steadily throughout the night - he loved it all.
He enjoyed saying good-night to the staffers who were still on the job, the ones
who were packing up for the night, and especially the ones who didn't have an
urgent task but stayed anyway because the amazement of working in the White
House was still fresh. He smiled when he saw Donna tidying Josh's desk - her own
was already immaculate - and setting out his agenda for the weekend. "Hi, Leo."
"How come you're still here?" Leo asked as he stood in the doorway. "Josh has
been off the clock for two hours."
"He gave me the weekend off, so I wanted to make sure--" She waved her hand over
the assorted binders and messages.
"Donna, it's a terrific thought, but honestly it's not gonna work."
She leaned against the desk, one hand atop a stack of briefing memos. "I know,"
she said, a quirky smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "But you can't
blame me for trying."
That smile was so infectious that he couldn't help smiling back at her. "Want me
to arrange for your cell phone to be lost?"
"Thanks, but no. He'd just turn up on my doorstep. It's safer to let him bellow
at me over the phone."
Leo chuckled. "You're probably right. Anyway, good night, and I hope you have a
few minutes of peace this weekend."
"Thanks, Leo. Same to you." She returned to her task and Leo returned to his
stroll.
CJ's office was empty. Toby's was not, although the one lamp that was on barely
gave enough light for any practical purpose. Leo paused in the doorway. "What's
going on?" he asked.
Toby blinked up at him in response. "Nothing. Just...gathering my thoughts."
Whatever was on Toby's mind tonight, it obviously wasn't his job. Leo tried
another tack. "Got any new pictures of the kids?"
Slowly, Toby nodded and reached into his pocket for his wallet. He flinched when
Leo turned on the overhead lights. "We got those taken a couple weeks ago, for
Andi's mom's birthday."
With a pang, Leo remembered all the times he'd fumbled for a picture of Mallory,
back in those sodden, wasted days. He forced back the flood of memories. "Those
are good-looking babies."
"They are," Toby replied. Then as if to apologize for his paternal bias, he
coughed and said, "They have their mother's--well, everything."
Leo looked from the photo to Toby and back again, thinking that if they had
their father's heart then they'd have everything they needed. Of course, he
couldn't tell him that, not in so many words. He settled for patting Toby on the
shoulder. Before he had a chance to change the subject, he heard a muffled thud
coming from the next office. "What the hell was that?"
"Trash can," Toby sighed. "He's flattened half a dozen since he came back this
afternoon."
Inclining his head toward the window, Leo asked, "Have you seen him, or just
heard him?"
"He hasn't come out since he got back from...the thing."
And Toby hadn't left the Communications area since then, either. Toby, quietly
brooding along with his deputy, would chew off his own arm before admitting that
he was concerned. And to think they almost hadn't hired this man. Unfathomable.
"I'll go talk to him," Leo said softly. He glanced back up at Toby, who was
staring down at the picture of his children. "Go home, wouldya please?"
"Yeah." Toby said slowly as he ran his hand through his beard. "When you're
done."
It was the best deal Leo could reach, so he nodded his agreement and walked to
the door of Will's office. He knocked sharply.
"Go away," Will growled. Leo, taken aback, tried the doorknob. Locked. He heard
Will's voice rise in annoyance. "I'm not in the mood for this, Toby, so just cut
it out."
"It's not Toby," Leo replied mildly. There was a thump and a muffled curse, and
seconds later Will was at the door, tie askew, glasses off, looking harried and
upset and a million other things.
"Leo. I'm sorry. I thought it was--"
"Yeah." Leo nodded at him. "I'm just gonna be a minute."
"I'm sorry," Will said again. "Please come in."
Leo lowered himself slowly into one of the chairs and Will perched on the edge
of his desk. "I heard you went to and from Virginia today," Leo said without
preamble, "and that you've been holed up in here since you got back."
"It was...difficult."
"Funerals always are." Leo said it as softly and carefully as possible.
"Especially when it's someone so young."
"Who died so pointlessly." Will's eyes were dark and empty. "I wanted to think
when I came back. I'm still sorting out some things." He looked away from Leo,
who followed his sight line to a newspaper on top of his desk.
"That's her?" Leo asked, pointing to the newspaper.
"Yeah. Her senior picture." Will picked it up and handed it to Leo, looking away
from the photograph. "She'd just had it taken. She hadn't even seen it yet - it
arrived the morning after she died."
She had not been a particularly pretty girl, Leo mused, but there was something
compelling about her, even in black and white, even knowing she was gone.
Something clever in her eyes, something friendly and honest in her smile. He
shuddered a little, recalling the photo he'd just admired in Toby's office and
the ones in his own, of living, thriving children. "Were there brothers or
sisters?" he asked.
"Two brothers, younger."
Leo recalled with sorrow another friend's photograph, one child here and one
gone. Leaning forward, he let his hand rest briefly on Will's knee. "They said
you spoke beautifully at the service." What he'd actually heard was that Will
had been breathtakingly, hauntingly eloquent and that the President had
immediately asked for a transcript. "I'd like to read it."
Two beats of silence, then Will finally responded. "I'll get it to you."
"I mean," Leo clarified, keeping his voice low and level, "that I'd like to read
it tonight."
"Someone typed it up when I got back, but I don't know where it is. All I have
are my notes."
"I'd like to look at your notes, then."
Will shook his head. "They're pretty hard to read - I wrote in the car. I was
tired...and then the reading and writing in the car made me a little..."
"Will. The President already has it. He thought it might help Zoey a little. So,
I'd like to take a look at it, see for myself."
At the mention of Zoey's name, Will straightened his shoulders and opened a
leather binder. His long fingers flipped through several pages until he found
the ones he was looking for. He removed them, glancing briefly at the words, and
folded the notes in half before handing them to Leo.
Leo nodded. Toby had originated this signal - handing someone a folded
paper was an unspoken request that it not be read while the writer was still
in the room. His fingers slipped into the fold of the paper just long enough to
see two words.
"Never again."
***
To 1b/4
Classification: Political, Ensemble
Spoilers: Up to "Jefferson Lives"
Notes are at the end of part 4.
DESCANSO
September 2003
Friday Night
Sometimes, when there weren't a million things happening at once, Leo liked to
take a late-night walk through the West Wing. The half-lit offices, the low hum
of earnest voices, and the sense that the heart of the administration beat
steadily throughout the night - he loved it all.
He enjoyed saying good-night to the staffers who were still on the job, the ones
who were packing up for the night, and especially the ones who didn't have an
urgent task but stayed anyway because the amazement of working in the White
House was still fresh. He smiled when he saw Donna tidying Josh's desk - her own
was already immaculate - and setting out his agenda for the weekend. "Hi, Leo."
"How come you're still here?" Leo asked as he stood in the doorway. "Josh has
been off the clock for two hours."
"He gave me the weekend off, so I wanted to make sure--" She waved her hand over
the assorted binders and messages.
"Donna, it's a terrific thought, but honestly it's not gonna work."
She leaned against the desk, one hand atop a stack of briefing memos. "I know,"
she said, a quirky smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "But you can't
blame me for trying."
That smile was so infectious that he couldn't help smiling back at her. "Want me
to arrange for your cell phone to be lost?"
"Thanks, but no. He'd just turn up on my doorstep. It's safer to let him bellow
at me over the phone."
Leo chuckled. "You're probably right. Anyway, good night, and I hope you have a
few minutes of peace this weekend."
"Thanks, Leo. Same to you." She returned to her task and Leo returned to his
stroll.
CJ's office was empty. Toby's was not, although the one lamp that was on barely
gave enough light for any practical purpose. Leo paused in the doorway. "What's
going on?" he asked.
Toby blinked up at him in response. "Nothing. Just...gathering my thoughts."
Whatever was on Toby's mind tonight, it obviously wasn't his job. Leo tried
another tack. "Got any new pictures of the kids?"
Slowly, Toby nodded and reached into his pocket for his wallet. He flinched when
Leo turned on the overhead lights. "We got those taken a couple weeks ago, for
Andi's mom's birthday."
With a pang, Leo remembered all the times he'd fumbled for a picture of Mallory,
back in those sodden, wasted days. He forced back the flood of memories. "Those
are good-looking babies."
"They are," Toby replied. Then as if to apologize for his paternal bias, he
coughed and said, "They have their mother's--well, everything."
Leo looked from the photo to Toby and back again, thinking that if they had
their father's heart then they'd have everything they needed. Of course, he
couldn't tell him that, not in so many words. He settled for patting Toby on the
shoulder. Before he had a chance to change the subject, he heard a muffled thud
coming from the next office. "What the hell was that?"
"Trash can," Toby sighed. "He's flattened half a dozen since he came back this
afternoon."
Inclining his head toward the window, Leo asked, "Have you seen him, or just
heard him?"
"He hasn't come out since he got back from...the thing."
And Toby hadn't left the Communications area since then, either. Toby, quietly
brooding along with his deputy, would chew off his own arm before admitting that
he was concerned. And to think they almost hadn't hired this man. Unfathomable.
"I'll go talk to him," Leo said softly. He glanced back up at Toby, who was
staring down at the picture of his children. "Go home, wouldya please?"
"Yeah." Toby said slowly as he ran his hand through his beard. "When you're
done."
It was the best deal Leo could reach, so he nodded his agreement and walked to
the door of Will's office. He knocked sharply.
"Go away," Will growled. Leo, taken aback, tried the doorknob. Locked. He heard
Will's voice rise in annoyance. "I'm not in the mood for this, Toby, so just cut
it out."
"It's not Toby," Leo replied mildly. There was a thump and a muffled curse, and
seconds later Will was at the door, tie askew, glasses off, looking harried and
upset and a million other things.
"Leo. I'm sorry. I thought it was--"
"Yeah." Leo nodded at him. "I'm just gonna be a minute."
"I'm sorry," Will said again. "Please come in."
Leo lowered himself slowly into one of the chairs and Will perched on the edge
of his desk. "I heard you went to and from Virginia today," Leo said without
preamble, "and that you've been holed up in here since you got back."
"It was...difficult."
"Funerals always are." Leo said it as softly and carefully as possible.
"Especially when it's someone so young."
"Who died so pointlessly." Will's eyes were dark and empty. "I wanted to think
when I came back. I'm still sorting out some things." He looked away from Leo,
who followed his sight line to a newspaper on top of his desk.
"That's her?" Leo asked, pointing to the newspaper.
"Yeah. Her senior picture." Will picked it up and handed it to Leo, looking away
from the photograph. "She'd just had it taken. She hadn't even seen it yet - it
arrived the morning after she died."
She had not been a particularly pretty girl, Leo mused, but there was something
compelling about her, even in black and white, even knowing she was gone.
Something clever in her eyes, something friendly and honest in her smile. He
shuddered a little, recalling the photo he'd just admired in Toby's office and
the ones in his own, of living, thriving children. "Were there brothers or
sisters?" he asked.
"Two brothers, younger."
Leo recalled with sorrow another friend's photograph, one child here and one
gone. Leaning forward, he let his hand rest briefly on Will's knee. "They said
you spoke beautifully at the service." What he'd actually heard was that Will
had been breathtakingly, hauntingly eloquent and that the President had
immediately asked for a transcript. "I'd like to read it."
Two beats of silence, then Will finally responded. "I'll get it to you."
"I mean," Leo clarified, keeping his voice low and level, "that I'd like to read
it tonight."
"Someone typed it up when I got back, but I don't know where it is. All I have
are my notes."
"I'd like to look at your notes, then."
Will shook his head. "They're pretty hard to read - I wrote in the car. I was
tired...and then the reading and writing in the car made me a little..."
"Will. The President already has it. He thought it might help Zoey a little. So,
I'd like to take a look at it, see for myself."
At the mention of Zoey's name, Will straightened his shoulders and opened a
leather binder. His long fingers flipped through several pages until he found
the ones he was looking for. He removed them, glancing briefly at the words, and
folded the notes in half before handing them to Leo.
Leo nodded. Toby had originated this signal - handing someone a folded
paper was an unspoken request that it not be read while the writer was still
in the room. His fingers slipped into the fold of the paper just long enough to
see two words.
"Never again."
***
To 1b/4