Clues And Other Revelations (part 11/?)
Margaret was still hovering over Leo when the kidnappers came back into the room. They grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up to her feet. "We need to make another tape, so I guess you'll have to do". They roughly pulled her out of the room and down the hall to the first area they had been brought to late last night.
The leader spoke up. "Since Mr. McGarry is unable to make this tape, you will. And if you don't cooperate, I'll have Buddy spend some more time with him".
"I'll make the tape. Just, please leave Leo alone".
"Sit down and read what I have written"
Margaret goes over to the chair and sits down. She realizes this might be the last words her friends hear her speak. She also has another thought. Is there anyway that she could help them with some clues about their location and she needs to convey the urgent need to get Leo out of there. Then it hits her. She knows exactly what to say.
Jed was about to unload on Jenny for her despicable outburst about Leo and Margaret when Ron comes into the room.
"Mr. President, we've received another tape from the kidnappers."
"Good, now we can at least see what condition Leo is in".
"Sir, Leo isn't on the tape. Margaret is. I only watched the first few seconds to verify its authenticity."
"Lets see it" For the first time in hours Jed has some hope about the situation.
Ron puts the tape in the VCR and soon it starts. Margaret is sitting in the chair that Leo had once occupied. She doesn't appear to be restrained. Her face is bruised and swollen and her blouse is torn and tattered. She starts to speak. "Mr. President you now only have 48 hours to comply with their demands. I have been told to reiterate that they are very seriously about the demands, they want me to mention that you know of their past history and know they mean business. They await they comrades release. The sooner you release them, the quicker we will be able to come home." Margaret grits her teeth and now puts her plan into action. "Please tell Leo's Three Industrious children not to Abandon hope. But, Time is running out for those Chiefly involved ." The tape stop abruptly.
"Sir, I believe Margaret has just given us a hint about their location" Ron rewinds the tape and watches it again. Certain words stick out in his mind. Three, Industrious, Abandon. "Sir, I'm sure of it. I believe they are in an abandoned Industrial site within 3 hours of here". Ron grabs he cell phone and relays the new information. Then he looks at the President. "Sir, we're putting together a list of sites and will cross check their owners and look for those who might have affiliations with the group."
Jed nods his head in agreement. Then I hits him. "Ron Lets watch it again". The tape plays again and it very obvious this time to everyone that Margaret puts emphasis on the following words: three, industrious and abandon. Jed has also picked up on another hidden message from Margaret. "Margaret has also given us another very important message. Time is running out for those chiefly involved. She's telling us that time is running out for Leo! Ron, we need to find them now!"
A sob comes from Mallory. Jed moves her side and tries to comfort her. "Mallory we now have some solid leads to follow. I have every faith in the Secret Service. We will find them soon"
"Well Jed, that's so nice that you have faith in YOUR Secret Service, but I want to know where were they the night that Leo was kidnapped." Jenny has moved and is now standing directly in front of Jed. "Where was his protection!"
Jed turned to Ron and gave him a questioning look. "Ron, doesn't Leo customarily have a car with a couple of agents follow him home at night?"
"Yes Sir, normally he does."
"What happened that night Ron?"
Ron looked down at the ground and then back up at the President. He really didn't want to tell him what happened. He had been curious himself and had found out yesterday what the break down in procedure had been. "Sir, standard procedure is that Margaret calls and lets us know when Leo is ready to leave. That night she didn't call. And I guess that Eric didn't realize they weren't with them. Eric was a good Secret Service agent. I'm not sure what distracted him from his duties."
"That bitch! Not only does she steal my husband, her forgetfulness might have
cost him his life." Jenny is livid and shows no sign of calming down anytime
soon.
"Jenny, Margaret would never do anything to harm Leo" Abbey has decided not to be quite anymore. "Her past 13 years have been spent taking care of him! She would rather die than cause trouble or hurt Leo"
"Well, she may get her chance!" Jenny has turned towards Abbey and is not
about to back down.
"Jenny for Mallory's sake you need to calm down. Your distraught and you're not thinking rationally!" Abbey has moved right into Jenny's face. She is not about to back down from this fight. The two of them stand and stare at each other while different thoughts run through each of their minds.
Abbey has suspected for some time now that Margaret is in love with Leo. She has witnessed their interaction these past few months and can't believe that the whole White House hasn't figured it out yet. She knows for a fact how Leo feels, because she cornered him a couple of nights ago.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It had been late at night and Abbey was looking for Jed. He wasn't in the Oval so she walked through the connecting doors between Jed and Leo's offices. She stopped and hovered at the door into Leo's office when she heard Leo and Margaret talking. She hadn't been there very long at all when Margaret walked back into her office. Leo watched Margaret walk out with a wishful look on his face.
"Leo, honey" Abbey making her presence know. She had been looking for an opportunity to talk to him about Margaret and this seemed like the perfect time. "Why don't you go ahead and tell her you love her".
Leo whipped around at the intruder at his door "WHAT the hell are talking about!" He quickly walked over and shut the door leading to Margaret's office.
"Leo, I've known for some time now, why don't you just admit it" Abbey gives Leo one of those 'you can't hide anything from me' looks.
"Abbey have you gone daft!" Leo has that 'deer in the headlight' looks.
"Leo, you can deny it all you want. I see how you watch her. How you try and take care of her without her knowing. Besides, she feels the same way" Abbey says with a grin.
"What do you mean she feels the same way? I mean ah .." Leo has just succeeded in letting the cat out to the bag.
"See, I told ya! You love her don't you!" Abbey thinks this is working out better than she had imagined.
"Will you stop saying that! I .. How. Oh crap!" Leo hangs his head and
whispers. "Yes, I love her".
"Well then, you need to tell her".
"How.., she is so young and beautiful, what would she want with me?" Leo faces conveys so much insecurities that it makes Abbey almost want to cry.
Abbey walks over to Leo and puts her hand on his shoulder. 'Leo, you need to give yourself a chance. You are a great catch and I'm sure that Margaret loves you. I see it everyday and I think that down deep inside you know it too". She leans up and kisses his cheek. "Leo you deserve some happiness in your life. You need to tell her. You need to take the chance. And don't worry, I won't say anything to Jed about our little talk". And with that she turned and walked out of his office. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abbey's mind comes back to the present. She only hopes that now that Leo has finally admitted to himself how he feels about Margaret, that he gets a chance act on it. She also suspects that something dreadful has happened to Margaret. She looked bad on the tape and was very rigid, too much in control of her emotions. And by the look of her clothes and her demeanor, Abbey was pretty certain of what had happened to her.
Jenny continued to stare at Abbey while her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking back to another night. The night that she had told Leo that she couldn't do this anymore and had walked out the door. She was determined to make Leo feel guilty about her leaving, so she wasn't going to give him reason to turn the table and get mad at her. What she really wanted to do was accuse him and Margaret of having an affair. They had argued about this subject before during these past 3 years, but that night she had kept quite about the subject and had pulled all of Leo's strings that would made him suffer the most. She wanted him to guilt-ridden. Even a little part of her had wanted him to crawl back into the bottle. See wanted the world to see that the great Leo McGarry couldn't survive without his wife. But, damn it, he had endured. And then the missing him had set in. Not so much missing him, but missing a husband to have on her arm. Someone who was influential, someone who got invited to important events and someone who lavished her with expensive gifts. Someone like Leo. She knew that she could get him back under her spell. All she needed to do was show him that he needed her back and that Margaret had been the cause of all his pain and suffering.
Jenny got a little smile on her lips. She knew exactly what she had to do and now was time to put her plan into action. "Oh, Abbey. You're right. I'm so sorry. I'm just so worried about Leo. I love him so. I've missed him so much. I don't know what came over me. We all know that Margaret would never do anything to harm him. I'm just so upset". And then she turned on the water works. She could sob with the best of him.
Abbey was a little taken back by Jenny change of tune and emotions. But, then again the brutal kidnapping had been quite a blow. Maybe Jenny does still care for Leo. She wasn't too sure how she felt about that. Jenny and Leo had been married for a long time. Did they really have a chance again. She wasn't sure what was best for Leo. All she knew was that Leo had seemed happier lately and she knew that had been because of Margaret. And Jenny had seemed so vengeful earlier. But right now, all she cared about was getting Leo and Margaret back. The rest would work itself after they were safely home. For now she would try to be there for Mallory and Jenny.
Abbey reached out and touched Jenny's arm in comfort. "Jenny, its ok. Its understandable that you have been upset. I'm here for you. Mallory could you come here and sit with your Mom. I need to speak with Jed."
Abbey walked over to Jed and pulls him into the Oval Office. "Jed, Margaret was so unlike herself on the video. I realize that in her situation you are going to act different but there were tell tale signs of something else"
"Abbey, what are your trying to tell me?" Jed is afraid of where this is heading.
"I think she has been raped"
"Oh my god! Are you sure?"
"She was exhibiting symptoms of someone who has been sexually assaulted" Abbey wonders if she should voice all of her concerns about the situation. But before she can speak.
"Abbey, if they did this in front of Leo, he would of done anything to stop it. He wouldn't have stopped until he was .." Jed can't finish his sentence. Tears come to his eyes. "How much more can they endure?"
"Jed, They need to be found now. I can only imagine what can of shape Leo is in and Margaret too." Abbey now has tears in her eyes too.
As they are taking Margaret back to the room, she is almost afraid to renter it. She's anxious of what she might find. She's terrified that he might have died. She rushes over to his side and finds him breathing. Relief immediately flows through her body. She lays down beside him and holds his hand. All she can do now is wait. Hopefully they understood her message. She soon drifts off to sleep.
Margaret is awoken by Leo's moans. His starts to thrash around and Margaret tries to calm him. His face is filled with pain. After a few seconds his eyes flutter open. He tries to talk. "Mar .. Garet'".
"Shh.., Leo please don't talk. I'm right here. Please lie still". Margaret has tears in her eyes.
"You..Ok?"
"Leo, please don't talk. I'm fine. Please.."
"I'm sor..ry, I ."
"Leo, honey I'll be fine. Please don't worry about me"
"But, I do. That bastard . I cou ..ldn't even Help you!" Leo is trying to reach up and touch her face.
"Leo, I can't make it without you, would you please listen to me and lie still!" She caress his face and leans in to give him a gentle kiss.
Leo calms somewhat. He is now drifting in and out on her. During this time his mind wanders back to a couple of nights ago.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Abbey had just left his office. He had finally admitted the truth to himself and to Abbey. He had even spoken the words out loud. He loved Margaret. He sat down behind his desk and tired to figure out how he was going to tell Margaret about his feeling.
One thing was for certain. He had to approach this subject with Margaret in a place that she felt comfortable. So that meant that the White House was unquestionably off limits. Her apartment would probably be the best location. There shouldn't be a lot of people around when he put his plan into action. So that meant he had to lose the Secret Service agents too. Knowing Margaret, he didn't think she would be very relaxed with a Secret Service agent outside her door and them taking about such private matters. Having them around at work was one thing. But he felt it would be another thing to have them outside while he confessed his love to her. So now all he had to do was wait for a late night at work and insist that he take her home.
Leo couldn't believe his luck. The very next night had given him the perfect opportunity to put his plan into action.
"Come on Margaret lets go" Leo has his coat on and standing by her desk.
"Leo, I need to call the secret service and let them know you're leaving"
"Margaret, not tonight. Its late. They don't need to follow me everywhere. Besides I've have Eric with me, you do remember that he is an agent too".
Margaret was just to tired to argue with him. "Ok, but I'm not taking the President's wrath when he finds out you ditched your agents again". She puts the phone down and heads out the door.
"He's more upset with the fact that I can and he can't lose his agents!" Leo grumbles as he follows Margaret. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Leo is still not fully conscious. He is struggling with guilt from putting Margaret in this situation. Its his fault that she was kidnapped. His fault that she was ra.. attacked. How was he ever going to forgive himself. He starts thrashing again, the guilt he feels is crushing him.
"Leo, you need to stop it. You're going to kill yourself!" Margaret is sobbing.
Leo is awake enough to hear her. He thinks that its not such a bad idea if he did. He deserves it after all that has happened.
"Leo I need you ." She is sobbing uncontrollably. "Please don't leave me alone here".
He settles down. He's caused her enough pain right now. He doesn't want her to suffer anymore because of him. If only he could hold her. If only he could make all her pain go away. He struggles to open his eyes and tell her it will be ok. That Jed will find them. His eyes open and they fill with tears when he sees Margaret's emotional state.
Margaret realizes that he's conscious again. "Oh Leo, please don't leave me here all alone".
"I won't" He whispers.
"You promise"
He responds with a slight nod with his head and then murmurs. "I promise".
Margaret starts running her fingers through his sandy blond hair. Then she leans over and seals his promise with a kiss. A kiss of love and of aspiration.
Margaret was still hovering over Leo when the kidnappers came back into the room. They grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up to her feet. "We need to make another tape, so I guess you'll have to do". They roughly pulled her out of the room and down the hall to the first area they had been brought to late last night.
The leader spoke up. "Since Mr. McGarry is unable to make this tape, you will. And if you don't cooperate, I'll have Buddy spend some more time with him".
"I'll make the tape. Just, please leave Leo alone".
"Sit down and read what I have written"
Margaret goes over to the chair and sits down. She realizes this might be the last words her friends hear her speak. She also has another thought. Is there anyway that she could help them with some clues about their location and she needs to convey the urgent need to get Leo out of there. Then it hits her. She knows exactly what to say.
Jed was about to unload on Jenny for her despicable outburst about Leo and Margaret when Ron comes into the room.
"Mr. President, we've received another tape from the kidnappers."
"Good, now we can at least see what condition Leo is in".
"Sir, Leo isn't on the tape. Margaret is. I only watched the first few seconds to verify its authenticity."
"Lets see it" For the first time in hours Jed has some hope about the situation.
Ron puts the tape in the VCR and soon it starts. Margaret is sitting in the chair that Leo had once occupied. She doesn't appear to be restrained. Her face is bruised and swollen and her blouse is torn and tattered. She starts to speak. "Mr. President you now only have 48 hours to comply with their demands. I have been told to reiterate that they are very seriously about the demands, they want me to mention that you know of their past history and know they mean business. They await they comrades release. The sooner you release them, the quicker we will be able to come home." Margaret grits her teeth and now puts her plan into action. "Please tell Leo's Three Industrious children not to Abandon hope. But, Time is running out for those Chiefly involved ." The tape stop abruptly.
"Sir, I believe Margaret has just given us a hint about their location" Ron rewinds the tape and watches it again. Certain words stick out in his mind. Three, Industrious, Abandon. "Sir, I'm sure of it. I believe they are in an abandoned Industrial site within 3 hours of here". Ron grabs he cell phone and relays the new information. Then he looks at the President. "Sir, we're putting together a list of sites and will cross check their owners and look for those who might have affiliations with the group."
Jed nods his head in agreement. Then I hits him. "Ron Lets watch it again". The tape plays again and it very obvious this time to everyone that Margaret puts emphasis on the following words: three, industrious and abandon. Jed has also picked up on another hidden message from Margaret. "Margaret has also given us another very important message. Time is running out for those chiefly involved. She's telling us that time is running out for Leo! Ron, we need to find them now!"
A sob comes from Mallory. Jed moves her side and tries to comfort her. "Mallory we now have some solid leads to follow. I have every faith in the Secret Service. We will find them soon"
"Well Jed, that's so nice that you have faith in YOUR Secret Service, but I want to know where were they the night that Leo was kidnapped." Jenny has moved and is now standing directly in front of Jed. "Where was his protection!"
Jed turned to Ron and gave him a questioning look. "Ron, doesn't Leo customarily have a car with a couple of agents follow him home at night?"
"Yes Sir, normally he does."
"What happened that night Ron?"
Ron looked down at the ground and then back up at the President. He really didn't want to tell him what happened. He had been curious himself and had found out yesterday what the break down in procedure had been. "Sir, standard procedure is that Margaret calls and lets us know when Leo is ready to leave. That night she didn't call. And I guess that Eric didn't realize they weren't with them. Eric was a good Secret Service agent. I'm not sure what distracted him from his duties."
"That bitch! Not only does she steal my husband, her forgetfulness might have
cost him his life." Jenny is livid and shows no sign of calming down anytime
soon.
"Jenny, Margaret would never do anything to harm Leo" Abbey has decided not to be quite anymore. "Her past 13 years have been spent taking care of him! She would rather die than cause trouble or hurt Leo"
"Well, she may get her chance!" Jenny has turned towards Abbey and is not
about to back down.
"Jenny for Mallory's sake you need to calm down. Your distraught and you're not thinking rationally!" Abbey has moved right into Jenny's face. She is not about to back down from this fight. The two of them stand and stare at each other while different thoughts run through each of their minds.
Abbey has suspected for some time now that Margaret is in love with Leo. She has witnessed their interaction these past few months and can't believe that the whole White House hasn't figured it out yet. She knows for a fact how Leo feels, because she cornered him a couple of nights ago.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It had been late at night and Abbey was looking for Jed. He wasn't in the Oval so she walked through the connecting doors between Jed and Leo's offices. She stopped and hovered at the door into Leo's office when she heard Leo and Margaret talking. She hadn't been there very long at all when Margaret walked back into her office. Leo watched Margaret walk out with a wishful look on his face.
"Leo, honey" Abbey making her presence know. She had been looking for an opportunity to talk to him about Margaret and this seemed like the perfect time. "Why don't you go ahead and tell her you love her".
Leo whipped around at the intruder at his door "WHAT the hell are talking about!" He quickly walked over and shut the door leading to Margaret's office.
"Leo, I've known for some time now, why don't you just admit it" Abbey gives Leo one of those 'you can't hide anything from me' looks.
"Abbey have you gone daft!" Leo has that 'deer in the headlight' looks.
"Leo, you can deny it all you want. I see how you watch her. How you try and take care of her without her knowing. Besides, she feels the same way" Abbey says with a grin.
"What do you mean she feels the same way? I mean ah .." Leo has just succeeded in letting the cat out to the bag.
"See, I told ya! You love her don't you!" Abbey thinks this is working out better than she had imagined.
"Will you stop saying that! I .. How. Oh crap!" Leo hangs his head and
whispers. "Yes, I love her".
"Well then, you need to tell her".
"How.., she is so young and beautiful, what would she want with me?" Leo faces conveys so much insecurities that it makes Abbey almost want to cry.
Abbey walks over to Leo and puts her hand on his shoulder. 'Leo, you need to give yourself a chance. You are a great catch and I'm sure that Margaret loves you. I see it everyday and I think that down deep inside you know it too". She leans up and kisses his cheek. "Leo you deserve some happiness in your life. You need to tell her. You need to take the chance. And don't worry, I won't say anything to Jed about our little talk". And with that she turned and walked out of his office. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Abbey's mind comes back to the present. She only hopes that now that Leo has finally admitted to himself how he feels about Margaret, that he gets a chance act on it. She also suspects that something dreadful has happened to Margaret. She looked bad on the tape and was very rigid, too much in control of her emotions. And by the look of her clothes and her demeanor, Abbey was pretty certain of what had happened to her.
Jenny continued to stare at Abbey while her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking back to another night. The night that she had told Leo that she couldn't do this anymore and had walked out the door. She was determined to make Leo feel guilty about her leaving, so she wasn't going to give him reason to turn the table and get mad at her. What she really wanted to do was accuse him and Margaret of having an affair. They had argued about this subject before during these past 3 years, but that night she had kept quite about the subject and had pulled all of Leo's strings that would made him suffer the most. She wanted him to guilt-ridden. Even a little part of her had wanted him to crawl back into the bottle. See wanted the world to see that the great Leo McGarry couldn't survive without his wife. But, damn it, he had endured. And then the missing him had set in. Not so much missing him, but missing a husband to have on her arm. Someone who was influential, someone who got invited to important events and someone who lavished her with expensive gifts. Someone like Leo. She knew that she could get him back under her spell. All she needed to do was show him that he needed her back and that Margaret had been the cause of all his pain and suffering.
Jenny got a little smile on her lips. She knew exactly what she had to do and now was time to put her plan into action. "Oh, Abbey. You're right. I'm so sorry. I'm just so worried about Leo. I love him so. I've missed him so much. I don't know what came over me. We all know that Margaret would never do anything to harm him. I'm just so upset". And then she turned on the water works. She could sob with the best of him.
Abbey was a little taken back by Jenny change of tune and emotions. But, then again the brutal kidnapping had been quite a blow. Maybe Jenny does still care for Leo. She wasn't too sure how she felt about that. Jenny and Leo had been married for a long time. Did they really have a chance again. She wasn't sure what was best for Leo. All she knew was that Leo had seemed happier lately and she knew that had been because of Margaret. And Jenny had seemed so vengeful earlier. But right now, all she cared about was getting Leo and Margaret back. The rest would work itself after they were safely home. For now she would try to be there for Mallory and Jenny.
Abbey reached out and touched Jenny's arm in comfort. "Jenny, its ok. Its understandable that you have been upset. I'm here for you. Mallory could you come here and sit with your Mom. I need to speak with Jed."
Abbey walked over to Jed and pulls him into the Oval Office. "Jed, Margaret was so unlike herself on the video. I realize that in her situation you are going to act different but there were tell tale signs of something else"
"Abbey, what are your trying to tell me?" Jed is afraid of where this is heading.
"I think she has been raped"
"Oh my god! Are you sure?"
"She was exhibiting symptoms of someone who has been sexually assaulted" Abbey wonders if she should voice all of her concerns about the situation. But before she can speak.
"Abbey, if they did this in front of Leo, he would of done anything to stop it. He wouldn't have stopped until he was .." Jed can't finish his sentence. Tears come to his eyes. "How much more can they endure?"
"Jed, They need to be found now. I can only imagine what can of shape Leo is in and Margaret too." Abbey now has tears in her eyes too.
As they are taking Margaret back to the room, she is almost afraid to renter it. She's anxious of what she might find. She's terrified that he might have died. She rushes over to his side and finds him breathing. Relief immediately flows through her body. She lays down beside him and holds his hand. All she can do now is wait. Hopefully they understood her message. She soon drifts off to sleep.
Margaret is awoken by Leo's moans. His starts to thrash around and Margaret tries to calm him. His face is filled with pain. After a few seconds his eyes flutter open. He tries to talk. "Mar .. Garet'".
"Shh.., Leo please don't talk. I'm right here. Please lie still". Margaret has tears in her eyes.
"You..Ok?"
"Leo, please don't talk. I'm fine. Please.."
"I'm sor..ry, I ."
"Leo, honey I'll be fine. Please don't worry about me"
"But, I do. That bastard . I cou ..ldn't even Help you!" Leo is trying to reach up and touch her face.
"Leo, I can't make it without you, would you please listen to me and lie still!" She caress his face and leans in to give him a gentle kiss.
Leo calms somewhat. He is now drifting in and out on her. During this time his mind wanders back to a couple of nights ago.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Abbey had just left his office. He had finally admitted the truth to himself and to Abbey. He had even spoken the words out loud. He loved Margaret. He sat down behind his desk and tired to figure out how he was going to tell Margaret about his feeling.
One thing was for certain. He had to approach this subject with Margaret in a place that she felt comfortable. So that meant that the White House was unquestionably off limits. Her apartment would probably be the best location. There shouldn't be a lot of people around when he put his plan into action. So that meant he had to lose the Secret Service agents too. Knowing Margaret, he didn't think she would be very relaxed with a Secret Service agent outside her door and them taking about such private matters. Having them around at work was one thing. But he felt it would be another thing to have them outside while he confessed his love to her. So now all he had to do was wait for a late night at work and insist that he take her home.
Leo couldn't believe his luck. The very next night had given him the perfect opportunity to put his plan into action.
"Come on Margaret lets go" Leo has his coat on and standing by her desk.
"Leo, I need to call the secret service and let them know you're leaving"
"Margaret, not tonight. Its late. They don't need to follow me everywhere. Besides I've have Eric with me, you do remember that he is an agent too".
Margaret was just to tired to argue with him. "Ok, but I'm not taking the President's wrath when he finds out you ditched your agents again". She puts the phone down and heads out the door.
"He's more upset with the fact that I can and he can't lose his agents!" Leo grumbles as he follows Margaret. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Leo is still not fully conscious. He is struggling with guilt from putting Margaret in this situation. Its his fault that she was kidnapped. His fault that she was ra.. attacked. How was he ever going to forgive himself. He starts thrashing again, the guilt he feels is crushing him.
"Leo, you need to stop it. You're going to kill yourself!" Margaret is sobbing.
Leo is awake enough to hear her. He thinks that its not such a bad idea if he did. He deserves it after all that has happened.
"Leo I need you ." She is sobbing uncontrollably. "Please don't leave me alone here".
He settles down. He's caused her enough pain right now. He doesn't want her to suffer anymore because of him. If only he could hold her. If only he could make all her pain go away. He struggles to open his eyes and tell her it will be ok. That Jed will find them. His eyes open and they fill with tears when he sees Margaret's emotional state.
Margaret realizes that he's conscious again. "Oh Leo, please don't leave me here all alone".
"I won't" He whispers.
"You promise"
He responds with a slight nod with his head and then murmurs. "I promise".
Margaret starts running her fingers through his sandy blond hair. Then she leans over and seals his promise with a kiss. A kiss of love and of aspiration.