Title: Caught Up in His Shirt Tale (2/?)
By: adoreleo
Rating: PG13 - Contains some language and sexual innuendo.
Characters: Leo, Margaret, Jed and Josh
Spoilers: Anything up to and including An Kne.
Disclaimer: The characters are from the NBC, WB, TV show The West Wing; they do
not belong to me.
Beta & Additional Ideas By: Lynn, who always goes above and beyond the call.
THANKS!!!!
Feedback: I would love it hear your opinion! Suggestions are welcome too!
Summary: Leo receives some disturbing news and it causes him to confront some
old demons with a little help from his friends.
"Ron?" Margaret says, brow raised as she opens her apartment door and motions for the agent to enter. She's a little surprised that the President sent over the head of his security detail to watch Leo while she goes to his hotel and packs a bag.
"Margaret," he simply replies as he steps into her living room. He can tell that Margaret is somewhat taken back by his presence, and he tries to put her mind at ease quickly. "The President asked me to send over an agent. Since your apartment is on my way home, I decided it might as well be me." He failed to mention that he, too, was worried about Leo and that this isn't the first time that the President asked Ron check on Leo in the past few months. One thing the President doesn't know is that Ron has always chosen to handle it on his own. Ron's very aware that Leo hasn't been himself in months.
"Okay, I um... I won't be long," Margaret says, as she bobs her head and walks to her hall closet to get her coat. She thinks of something to tell Ron, turns quickly and catches him discreetly searching her apartment with his eyes. "He's asleep in my... bed," she shyly admits, as she turns her head so that Ron can't see that she's blushing. "There's soda in the refrigerator. Please, help yourself." She calls to him over her shoulder, and then she grabs her coat. "I hope he doesn't wake up and find you here." She blurts out, as she nervously puts on her coat and moves to the door. She stands there for a second, then turns and faces Ron, hands fidgeting.
"Margaret," Ron's voice is steady and soft as he walks over to Margaret and places a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't worry about it." Ron is bothered by the look of despair on Margaret's face. She's obviously been through the wringer tonight. "If he does, I'll handle it."
Margaret can't help but frown at Ron's worried statement. She's heard Leo say those extract same words a thousand times. 'Too many times, for so many different reasons and most of them not good,' she thinks to herself. "Okay," she replies as she reaches for the doorknob. "It's just that... he's been through so much tonight and these past few months... years even." Margaret glances up at the ceiling, trying to hold in her tears, and then looks back at Ron though watery eyes. "I'd hate it if he needed me... and I wasn't here for him." She sadly relents, as the tears overflow and make their path down Margaret's face.
Ron's never witnessed Margaret crying before and it concerns him. She's such a strong woman, the steadfast backbone of the Chief of Staff's office, who's always there for Leo. Ron looks into her eyes and senses that something has changed between Leo and her. "Margaret..." he struggles to find the appropriate words. "It'll be okay. Go... do what you need to do. I'll deal with Leo if he wakes up. Okay?" He states, as he opens her door and places a hand to the small of her back to guide her out of her apartment.
"Okay. I won't be long," she returns, as she bobs her head and heads off down the hallway.
Ron watches Margaret descend the stairs, and then slowly closes her door. He walks over to her bedroom and looks at Leo lying in her bed. The room is dark, but there is just enough street light for Ron to make out Leo's troubled face. He stands there for a couple of seconds watching the second most powerful man in the country, fail at trying to find peace in his sleep. He walks over to the couch, sits down and hopes that Leo doesn't wake while Margaret is away. Leo is sometimes not the easiest man to deal with or protect, especially when it comes to the welfare of the President. Ron envies their great friendship immensely. He knows that either man would gladly give up their life for the other. He suspects that Leo feels that he's not worth the sacrifice and that the President is the only one who is truly worth it. Ron has witnessed as Leo put himself between the President and harm's way several times, it didn't matter if the threat was physical or political. Leo has never hesitated.
The first time it happened was at Rosslyn. As soon as the bullets rang out, Leo stepped in front of the President and shielded him with his body before the Secret Service Agents propelled the President into his armored car. Leo's agents had to physically restrain him to keep him down that is after they finally got him down on the ground.
Ron's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the covers rustling from Margaret's bedroom. "Oh great, this should be interesting," Ron murmurs under his breath as he prepares himself to deal with an obstinate Leo McGarry.
Leo wakes with a start and bolts upright in bed. At first, he thinks he's in his hotel room, but he quickly dismisses that notion. He sits there for a couple of seconds rubbing his eyes, struggling to focus and figure out where he is. It all comes back to him in a rush. He's in Margaret's bed. He looks over and finds her missing. At first he thinks that its morning, but he looks at her alarm clock and discovers it is only ten thirty.
Leo moves to the edge of the bed and puts his feet down on the floor. His body aches all over from spending so much time out in the cold today. His clothes are drenched in sweat and clinging to his body. He shivers from the cold air hitting his wet clothes. He knows he needs to get out of them. 'Modesty, be damned,' he thinks to himself as he stands, unbuttons his shirt and throws it on the floor next to the bed. He unfastens his pants, steps out of them and throws them on top of his shirt. He stands there for a few moments dressed only in his t-shirt and boxers, deciding if he should go look for Margaret or crawl back into bed.
Leo's curiosity gets the better of him, and he walks out into living room and finds a Secret Service agent sitting on Margaret's couch.
"Ron?" Leo says, arching an eyebrow.
"Leo," Ron replies as he gets up from the couch.
"Little late for a visit," Leo says, looking around the room for Margaret. "Isn't it?"
"Umm... I..." Ron stutters. He's about to say, more but an impatient Leo interrupts him.
"Where's Margaret?"
"She umm... needed to pick something up... at," Ron tries to explain, but Leo stops him again.
"Pick what up, where?" Leo demands, as he moves over closer to Ron.
"She went to your hotel... to get you some clothes." Ron back peddles as he mentally cusses himself for getting into this situation.
"Okay... that sounds like Margaret." Leo's starting to get a little upset with the vagueness of this conversation. "But, why are you here?"
"Well..." Ron clears his throat, and then continues. "Margaret was umm... talking to the President earlier and he..."
Leo cuts off Ron before he can finish his sentence. "What was Margaret doing talking to the President?" Leo is about one step away from being livid.
"Leo, if you'd calm down and let me finish my sentence. I'll tell you," Ron implores. He knows that Leo's had a bad night, but he's about had it with him.
"Okay," Leo reluctantly concedes.
"I don't know who called whom," Ron lies. He doesn't want to get Margaret into even more trouble with her boss. "But, the result of the conversation was that the President asked me to send someone over here, while Margaret went to your hotel. Her apartment is on my way home, so I decided to handle it myself."
"So," Leo smirks as he gestures at him. "Now you're a baby sitter?"
"Only if you're a baby," Ron replies back in the same tone as Leo.
Anger quickly flashes over Leo's face, but is soon replaced with a smile. He knows that he has not been acting very pleasant and probably deserved that last comment. He's about to apologize, but Ron speaks up.
"Leo, don't be too hard on Margaret. She's... just.. well she's..."
"I know Ron, she just... well she worries about me," Leo says as shakes his head in wonder at his dedicated assistant who has slowly become even more precious to him.
"Yes, she does," Ron whole heartily concurs. "You're a lucky man, Leo."
"Yes, yes I am, Ron." Leo says as he lowers his head. When he lowers his head he realizes that he's standing in front of Ron in only his boxers and t-shirt in the middle of Margaret's living room. He visibly flinches and jerks his head back up at Ron. "Ron." He says as his face flushes.
"Leo?"
"Umm... Ron, this isn't what it looks like," Leo says as he waves his hand at his boxers.
"You mean, you're not standing in your assistant's apartment in your boxers," Ron smirks.
"It's, well I got sweaty... and my clothes... I mean we're not... you know... I mean... we haven't... ya know ...umm.... ah hell... I don't know what I mean!" Leo shakes his head in disgust at the fact that he's not able to manage a complete sentence. "It's new, okay?" Leo blurts out.
"Okay," Ron nods his head.
"We really haven't talked about us... much, it's... just... well I came over tonight because I needed to make sure she was okay."
"And, was she?" Ron smirks.
"Yeah, she was," Leo pauses when he sees the corners of Ron's mouth turn upward. "No, not like that!" Leo rubs his forehead and then sighs, "I was... worried about her."
"Worried?" Ron slowly asks, as he realizes that his earlier thought tonight was correct. Something has changed between Leo and Margaret.
"She umm," Leo breathes out a sigh. "She ran from the White House tonight and... well... I was worried."
"I thought Margaret had the market cornered on worrying." Ron suggests as he sits back down on the couch.
"Yeah," Leo rubs his eyes and yawns. "Yeah, she does, but... I love her and..." Leo lowers his eyes. He can't believe that he just said that out loud for the first time, and she wasn't even here to hear it.
"Leo, why don't you go back to bed before Margaret gets back. That way she'll never know we talked." Ron realizes that Leo must be exhausted to have admitted that he loves Margaret.
"Yeah, I think I will. I'm really tired. I'm going to go back to bed and hope that this whole conversation was just a bad dream, and hopefully I'll have forgotten it in the morning." Leo smirks as he turns and heads for Margaret's bedroom. "Goodnight," Leo throws back over his shoulder.
"Goodnight, Leo." Ron replies. 'I hope you forget about this, too,' Ron says under his breath as Leo disappears into the bedroom. Ron lays his head back on the couch and exhales a heavy breath. He's glad Margaret didn't come back while Leo was standing there in his boxers. He's not sure who would have been more embarrassed. Ron allows a small smile to cross his lips at this last thought.
Leo's been back asleep for about a half an hour and Ron's reading the paper when he hears the key in the lock. He gets up off the couch and quickly goes to the door to help Margaret.
"Did he wake up while I was gone?" A worried Margaret asks as soon as she gets in the door.
"He seemed to be dreaming there for a while, but he's sound asleep again, now." Ron sidesteps her question. He's had years of practice at not answering questions by using this method.
"Okay, thanks for coming over," she says as she sets down Leo's suitcase in the hallway. "I figured he would sleep the whole time, but I didn't want to take a chance and leave him here by himself."
"You're welcome. Margaret why don't you try to get some sleep? You look exhausted." Ron informs her as he heads for the door.
"I will and thanks again, Ron."
"Goodnight, Margaret." Ron says as he opens the door.
"Night," She returns as he leaves her apartment.
Margaret walks to her bedroom, looks in on Leo and finds that he's still sound asleep. She heads back to her hallway door, she had stopped and picked up a few groceries on the way home, so that she could make him breakfast in the morning. She slowly opens the door and heads for her car.
She's back in just a few minutes; she unloads the items in her kitchen, puts away the perishables and then heads for her bedroom. She is really dragging after all that she has been through tonight. She wonders just how exhausted Leo must be, too. He had spent a lot of time out in the cold today, and she is worried that it will make him sick. Maybe she shouldn't be making him go away to the mountains this weekend, but she knows that he needs to rest and he'll never get it here in DC. She walks into her bathroom and quietly closes the door.
Leo rouses when he hears the soft click of the bathroom door. He sees the light coming from underneath the door and knows that Margaret's back. He softly smiles and tries to stay awake until she comes back to bed, but his eyes are so heavy, and soon he is back asleep despite his best efforts to stay awake.
Margaret comes out of the bathroom dressed in her sweats and t-shirt from earlier. She didn't want to wake Leo by rummaging through her closet looking for her pajamas. She slowly slips into bed, next to Leo. Even in his sleep Leo feels her presence, he rolls over and wraps a protective arm around her. Margaret sighs and is soon fast asleep in the arms of the man she loves.
Leo gradually wakes; forcing his weary eyes open. The first thing that comes into focus is Margaret's face, draped with her beautiful red hair. He sighs when he sees how innocent and young she looks in her sleep. He reaches out to brush the hair off of her face, as she lies on her side. He gently touches her face, making sure that this is not a dream. Her skin is so soft and smooth under his fingertips. Margaret stirs at Leo's touch and shifts closer to him. She contentedly sighs as she rests a hand against his chest and lays her arm over his body, pulling him into a light embrace. He shifts closer to her, and then slowly wraps an arm around her, pulling her tighter against him. A smile flashes across his face as he wonders how he got so lucky to be in her bed. He closes his eyes and wills this moment to last a while longer.
After lying there for several minutes, Leo lifts his head and looks at Margaret's alarm clock. He can't believe it's already seven-thirty. He should be at work by now, but he has no desire to get up and out of Margaret's arms. Finally, his head wins out over his heart and he slowly pulls from her loving arms.
Margaret wakes, opens her sleepy eyes while he's quietly trying to get out of bed. She reaches out with her hand and touches his arm. "Morning," she softly breathes out.
"Morning," Leo mumbles back, as he takes her hand, giving it a gentle kiss as he moves back closer to her. "Sorry I woke ya," he sighs, as he holds her hand against his chest.
"That's... okay," she yawns as she shifts closer to his body. She feels the warmth of his body and his beating heart underneath her hand that's lying against his t-shirt covered chest. "You okay?" She asks quietly as she wonders where his dress shirt got to.
"Yeah," he mutters back, lightly kissing her forehead while resting on his elbow next to her. "I'm... okay. You?"
"Yeah," she answers back.
"Margaret," he softly whispers as he lies down by her side. "I... want to thank you for being there for me last night. I don't... think I would have made..." He pauses as he lowers his head. "Its just... that there hasn't been someone there for me... for a while... like this."
"Shhh..." she tells him, feeling the quickness of his heart under her hand. She brushes a light kiss on his lips to reassure him that she meant what she said last night. "Leo, I love you and I will always be here for you." She promises as she presses another kiss on his lips.
"Margaret," Leo breathes out as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to him. "I love you, too."
Margaret relaxes in his arms. It feels so good to be held by someone, especially when that someone is the one you have loved and wanted for years. But, she's still worried about Leo and can't resist making sure that he's really okay. "Are you sure you're feeling better this morning?" She asks as she nuzzles her face into his neck.
"I'm fine," he sighs back at her concerns. This breathtaking woman lying in his arms has worried about him for years and with great reason, too. He's given her plenty to be troubled about over the years that she's faithfully worked for and supported him. She has never wavered from his side and has put up with a lot crap from him over the years. Him showing up high, drunk or both at work. Showing up at her old apartment too drunk or afraid to go home to Jenny. She's always cleaned up his messes.
"Really?" She softly questions as she kisses his neck.
"I'm not one hundred percent," Leo relents with a sigh. "But, I'm getting there." He tells her as he pulls her face up to his and places a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Okay," she replies, as she snuggles up closer to him.
They lay there in each other's arms for a while. Neither one of them really wanting to talk. So much had been said last night. Leo would rather concentrate on what Margaret told him this morning. He just wants to forget about his problems. But, he knows he can't run away from them. Reality is finally setting in. He hates to do this, but he needs to get to work. The country doesn't stop, just because he's had a bad couple of days. Leo looks over Margaret's shoulder at her alarm clock and discovers it's now eight o'clock.
"Margaret," he reluctantly whispers. "I really don't want to leave your arms, but I need to get up and head for the White House. The President is probably already looking for me. I'm surprised he hasn't called my cell phone."
Margaret just nods her head. She doesn't relish the idea of telling him that they are not allowed back into the West Wing until Wednesday. So she decides to put it off a while longer. "Leo, you should shower before we leave."
"Okay," he replies, as he smiles as he slowly pulls from her arms. He instantly feels the loss of having her body next to his. "Umm... Margaret, I just want to warn ya before I get out of bed. I was really sweaty from all the emotions from last night, so I took off my clothes in the middle of the night."
"All of them?" She smirks as she looks away from him, searching for his clothes.
"No," he growls, resting on his elbow. "I still have on my boxers and t- shirt." He gestures with his hand to his body.
"Okay," she says, as her eyes find his again. "I promise I won't peek," she teases, as a slight blush moves over her face, she ducks to hide it, resting her head on his shoulder.
Leo takes her chin in his hand and lifts up her face. He places a kiss on her nose and starts to get out of bed. Margaret immediately places her head face first down into her pillow. Leo chuckles at her and heads for her bathroom. He has no doubt that when he comes back out that she'll have a suit laying on the bed for him. She probably picked up his new gray double- breasted suite with lavender tie that she commented about last week.
He comes out of the shower, wrapped only in a towel. He spots his clothes on her bed, but they're not what he was expecting. "Margaret," he bellows just like he does in the office.
Margaret scurries into the room and stops dead in her tracks when she sees Leo in a towel, still damp from his shower and looking incredibly sexy.
"What are these?" Leo angrily asks as he waves at his clothes lying on her bed.
"They're your clothes, Leo." Margaret smirks, as she stares at his bare chest.
"I know that," he angrily growls back at her. "I can't go to work in those. Where's my suit?"
"You mean the suit I found wadded up in a pile on my floor? It needs to go to the dry cleaners before you can wear it again." She replies with a flushed face. She can't keep her eyes from roaming downward on his toweled body. Margaret takes a deep breath, rallies her courage and continues, "Besides... you aren't going to the office today anyway," she informs him, as she looks him directly in the eye.
"What do you mean I'm not going to the office today?" He angrily asks, as he takes a step closer to her.
Margaret holds her ground. "Leo, you've been through so much these past few months and you haven't had any time off in over a year. You need to take some time for yourself for a change."
"I don't *need* any time off," he heatedly snaps. "Damnit, there's too much going on for me to take the day off. I have meetings that I *need* to get to." He turns his back to her and stares at his clothes lying on the bed. He'll have to put them on and then change into his spare suit when he gets to work. He only hopes he doesn't run into any of the senior staff before he changes. He doesn't need any of their smart lip today about how he's dressed. He reaches to pick up his t-shirt.
"Leo," she hesitantly calls. "Your schedule... has been umm... rearranged and you won't be going into the office today or any other day until next Wednesday. We've both been banned from the West Wing until then." She braces herself for the outburst that she knows is coming.
"What the hell are talking about?" He angrily retorts. He quickly turns around to face her, and his towel slips off his hips. He hastily grabs for it, but misses it.
"Oh my God," Margaret grasps, as her hand quickly flies to her mouth. She immediately turns and offers her back to him, her face burning in embarrassment. She's never seen his bare chest until a few moments ago, and now she's just caught a quick glimpse of the rest of him.
Leo hurriedly bends over, picks up the towel and wraps it around himself and then sits down on the bed. His anger is immediately replaced with embarrassment. Leo looks at Margaret, who's still facing the other direction. "Well I guess that takes some of the mystery out of our relationship," he says sadly.
Margaret can hear the despondency in his voice as she turns to take a peek to see that he is covered. She moves over to him and sits on the bed beside him. "Well, I hope there is still some mystery in our relationship. I know there is." She places her hands on either side of his face and leans in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. She pulls back and looks into his eyes and sees something other than just sadness. She sees something more, and she leans in to kiss him again and he responds this time and kisses her with more passion than she has expected from him at this point. He opens his mouth, and they explore each other's mouths fully as they fall back onto the bed and he moves over her and they continue to enjoy each other at this moment in time.
His mind is so caught up in her that at first he doesn't hear the phone, and she doesn't respond to it either but he finally pulls back and places light kisses on her forehead and says, "Margaret... the phone's ringing."
She lies on the bed and looks at him with a confused look on her face, and her head begins to clear as she recovers from their kiss and she reaches for the phone and says, "Hello?"
"Mr. President!" She says, as she pushes Leo off her and jumps to her feet. She is immediately nervous now that she is talking to the President. "Yes, Sir...he is fine, Sir. Yes, Sir, he slept through the night ...he is right here. Yes, Sir... I will, Sir. We'll see you on Wednesday, Sir. Good bye, Sir."
Margaret hands the phone over to Leo and leaves him alone to take the call from his President and his friend. She hears some yelling from her bedroom, while she is making breakfast and she knows he is not happy, but he needs this and so does she.
Leo comes out of the bedroom reluctantly dressed in the causal clothes that Margaret has laid out for him on her bed. "Well, it looks like I've been kicked out of the White House for the next few days," he loudly grumbles as he gradually makes his way across her living room towards the kitchen table. "I can't believe he's doing this. There's too much going on for me to take any time off." He conveys, as he sits down at the table, grabs a napkin and places it in his lap.
"Leo," Margaret sighs, rolling her eyes. "The country will be fine without you. Besides, you need the time away," she says as she walks over to the table and sets down a glass of tomato juice in front of him. "We both do," she says over her shoulder as she goes over to the stove to fix his plate.
"Margaret, why do I get the feeling that you had something to do with this?" Leo accuses with a raised eyebrow.
"The weather man said it might snow today," she relays, ignoring his question, as she walks over and places a plate down in front of him.
"Margaret, do you really expect me to eat all of this?" He asks as he stares then gestures at the plate full of food.
"Would you stop complaining and just enjoy your breakfast?" Margaret requests as she goes back over to the stove to fix her plate of food. "It'll get cold if you don't eat it right away," she informs him as she joins him at the table.
"What am I, three?" He asks, reaching for his tomato juice and taking a sip of it. "Margaret... I'm sorry," he sighs, putting down his glass. "It's just... I really don't think that sitting around my damn hotel room until next Wednesday, doing nothing, sounds like a very productive use of my time. Not to mention being boring as hell, too," he growls as he picks at his scrambled eggs.
Margaret figures it's now or never. She puts down her fork, gathers her courage and takes a deep breath. "Um... Leo," she says as she picks up her napkin with a fidgety hand and wipes her mouth. "You won't be sitting around at your hotel... I... I mean... we'll be going away on a little trip." She braces herself in preparation for Leo's outburst that she's sure will follow her statement.
"Trip?" He questions with a smirk. "You and me?" He continues, as he waves his hand between the two of them. Leo can't help but notice that Margaret is squirming in her chair. His bad mood starts to lighten at the thought of spending some time alone with Margaret.
"Yes Leo, you and me, on a trip," she breathes out in relief, since he hasn't blown his top so far. She lays down the napkin that she has been wringing in her hands.
"Where?" He softly asks, reaching across the table to take a hold of one of her nervous hands and then gently squeezes it.
"The Smoky Mountains," she tells him as she turns over her hand and curls her fingers into his. "Our flight leaves at one o'clock out of Dulles. We have a SUV rental waiting for us. Our chalet is about a one hour drive from the airport."
"What's in the Smoky Mountains?" Leo asks.
"Well, for one thing you and me," Margaret smirks. "For another, there's a ton of things to do there." She says releasing his hand. "I've always wanted to go there. I had a roommate in collage that lived there, and she used to talk about the area all the time."
Leo sadly stares at Margaret and then slowly lowers his eyes as he wordlessly berates himself for not really knowing anything about her past. He doesn't even know what college she went to or what she got her degree in. He's not even sure where she's originally from.
As usual, Margaret reads his mind. "Leo, I know what you're thinking and stop it. There was a lot going on in your life when I started working for you." She says as she gets up and moves behind him, draping her arms around him. "You need to stop worrying about the past and think about the future and what it might hold for us now." She places a kiss on top of his head.
Leo turns in his chair and raises his eyes to meet hers. He sees the love she has for him, and it makes him want to only think about their future. He quickly tries to lighten the mood. "I bet the President found this very funny." Leo softly smirks. "Me at a national park. I'll never be able to live this down." He says as he shakes his head.
"I didn't tell him where we're going, but he'll find out eventually I'm sure."
Leo stands, wraps an arm around Margaret's waist as he lifts a hand to caress her face. "Margaret, I plan on finding out a lot about you this weekend. You know so much about me, and I know so little about you. I want to know more." He places a kiss on her lips. "Okay?" He says as he pulls his lips from hers.
"Yeah," Margaret says as she bobs her head. They stand there in the kitchen in a tight embrace for several moments, just enjoying holding on to one another and thinking about their future.
The trip to the airport goes without incident. Leo is not very happy that they're not flying first-class, but he holds his tongue, since Margaret paid for the airfare. He is silently plotting on how he can pay her back for this trip. He already offered to pay for the whole trip on their ride to the airport, but Margaret was adamant about that the chalet and airfare were on her. He knows she doesn't make enough to afford to do this, but he also knows that she's very frugal and has the money, but he will find a way to pay her back. Then it hits him; he'll pay her rent for the next few months. He'll pay the landlord when they get back.
The flight to Knoxville is smooth and on time. They have no trouble getting their luggage or picking up the rental car. Margaret volunteers to drive, and Leo sits back and enjoys the view.
"Leo," Margaret says, pulling her eyes from the road for just a second. "I'm a little hungry. Flying always makes me so hungry. Do you mind if we stop and get a quick bite to eat before we find the rental office and the chalet?"
"I'm a little hungry, too," Leo admits. "Can we get some fast food somewhere? I haven't had fast food since the campaign."
"Sure, most of them carry salads, nowadays." Margaret informs him as she locates a chain restaurant up ahead and then pulls into the parking lot.
Margaret orders a salad with low fat dressing. Leo shakes his head at it. He orders a hamburger and a large fry. He catches Margaret eyeing his fries when they are placed on the tray. They find an empty table and sit down.
"How's your salad," Leo asks with his mouth full of fries.
"You're not funny," Margaret informs him.
"What did I say?" Leo smirks.
"Shudup and eat your fries," Margaret smirks back.
Leo gives her smile, picks up his sandwich and takes a big bite, turns and stares out the window at the mountains in the distance. Margaret reaches across the table and steals a few fries. Leo turns around just in time to catch her. He reaches out and grabs her hand.
"Hey, aren't those my fries?" He torments her.
"What fries?" She innocently coos.
Leo brings her hand, which contains the evidence, up to his mouth and he eats the fries out of her hand. He holds onto her hand after he finishes the fries that she has tried to pilfer. Margaret blushes as his tongue moves out to sensuously lick the salt off of her fingers, and then kisses her hand. He smiles brazenly at her, and then lets go of her hand. She smiles intently back at him; thinking that he gets to her so easily. She sighs as she watches him enjoy his meal and then he holds up his last fry and offers it to her. She takes his hand and moves it closer so she can take it in her mouth and enjoy the satisfying taste of it. She is not brave enough yet to lick his fingers but she smiles a thanks as she kisses his fingers. They finish their meal and then head off to the rental office.
It takes almost an hour to get to the rental office. Everything is set and they head off for the chalet. It's about fifteen minute drive up in the mountains.
Margaret pulls the SUV into the parking spot next to their chalet. They sit there in the vehicle just looking at the house they are going to be sharing for the next few days. It's beautiful; it looks just like the photo on the Internet. They get out and grab their bags and head for the door.
"Margaret," Leo complains. "Let me help you with your bags."
"Leo, I'm fine. I can carry my own bags." Margaret informs him.
"Okay, suit yourself." Leo relents. "But don't complain to me when you'll get a sore back. Just how much stuff did you pack?" Leo smirks, as he watches Margaret struggle with her two suitcases.
"Well, you never know what the weather is going to be like this time of year here in the mountains, at least that what the Internet said." Margaret breathes out as she drags the suitcase up the steps.
Leo unlocks the door, and they enter the chalet. They both stop and drop their bags. The living room is very nicely decorated, and there is a huge fireplace at the end of the room. Leo walks to the kitchen and checks it out.
"Hey, you didn't say that this was just like a house."
"Well, sorry. I was a little busy this morning dealing with an obstinate boss." Margaret smirks.
Leo turns around and gives her a look. "Yeah, I hear he can be such a pain in the ass." He agrees.
"Sometimes, but the good definitely out weighs the bad." She tells him as she moves to him and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug. "Leo, lets get unpacked and then go get some groceries. I thought you might like to cook a couple of meals while we're here."
"Yeah... that would be nice." Leo says as he presses a kiss on her neck.
Shivers run down Margaret's spine from the kiss that Leo just gave her. She tries to pull from his arms, but he's not letting go as he continues to work his way up her neck and towards her mouth. She gives in the second his lips touch hers and she willingly opens her mouth and invites him to continue. He explores her mouth fully. After a few moments, they break for air.
"Leo, we really should get a move on." She tells him. She can feel his desire and would love nothing better than to lose herself with him, but it's still so early in their relationship, and she is afraid to show him just how much she loves him. She's still concerned that Leo is too upset from recent events to really know for sure what he really wants. That's what this long weekend is all about. Making sure and getting to know each other better. "I don't want to be driving back up the mountains in the dark until I'm used to the roads around here a little."
"Yeah," Leo heavily breathes out. "Sorry," he tells her as he tries to regain control and pulls from her arms. His face is a little flushed. He hadn't planned on letting things get that far, but parts of his body seem to have a mind of their own, apparently. He walks over to his bags and pulls them towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.
Margaret follows Leo's lead and gets her suitcases. Leo stops at the first door and looks in. This appears to be the master suite. It has a king size bed in it. He walks into the room. Margaret heads for the bedroom across from the master suite. Leo's voice stops her from getting very far into the room.
"Margaret," Leo glances back at her. "What are you doing?" He softly asks as he sets his bags down.
"I umm... I was going to umm... unpack my stuff." She shyly returns, putting down her bags.
"Aren't you going to stay with me?" He asks in a voice of despair, his eyes pleading with her.
"Leo," she whispers as she glances downward and then back up at him. "Are you sure we should?" She asks arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah," he responds, lowering his eyes. "I need you." He says in a voice that is close to begging.
"Leo?" She says, as she walks towards him.
"Besides," he smirks. "You've already seen ALL there is to see."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to sleep you as in SLEEP with you," she blushes, stopping in the bedroom doorway too shy to go any further into his bedroom.
"I didn't mean it that way!" He growls, rolling his eyes. He quickly calms, walks over to her and takes her hand in his. "I... I just need you beside me." He tells her as he rubs her knuckles with his thumb. "I need ya." He whispers again.
"Okay, but I'm dressing and using the bathroom in the second bedroom." She smiles as she curls her fingers into his.
Leo looks up into her eyes and sees the love that she holds for him. Leo cups her chin with his free hand, "Thank you for this and everything else that you have done for me and have always done for me on a daily basis." He pauses, brushes his lips against hers. "I've always noticed, but... was afraid to acknowledge it."
"Why?" A puzzled Margaret asks.
"Because, I... was afraid that... it would give away... my feelings for you," he shyly admits. "And I... didn't think you'd be interested," he slowly adds, dropping his hand from her chin.
"Oh, Leo," Margaret whispers, reaching out and pulling him into a hug. They stand there, not talking for a few moments. Finally, Margaret breaks the silence. "Let's get unpacked. We need to get going, before it's too late." She pulls from his strong arms and walks over to where she left her bags. She gathers them up and moves them into the master suite. "I saw one of the super one stop shopping stores in Pigeon Forge. We can pick up everything we need there. You need to get a pair of swimming trunks," she tells him, pressing a finger into his chest, as she walks by him.
"Swimming trunks. What do I need those for?" Leo quips, grabbing her hand that is touching him. He just can't get enough contact with her.
"There's a hot tub outside and there's also supposed to a Jacuzzi around here somewhere." She says, pulling from his hand and moving toward her suitcases.
"What type of suit do you have?" Leo retorts, raising an eyebrow at the thought of Margaret in a swimsuit and wet from the water.
"You'll just have to wait and see," she teases, opening up her suitcase. She starts to put away her clothes.
Leo tries to get a peek into her suitcase. "Nice," he comments when he sees her unmentionables and then lightly swats her on the behind.
"Leo," she blushes as she jumps a little. His pat took her by surprise.
"What?" Leo feigns raising his hands in the air, moving over to his suitcases.
"You're so bad." She laughs at his playfulness. She hopes that there's a lot more laughter this weekend. They both need it.
A couple hours later they find themselves wandering around the super store in search of some swim trunks for Leo. They find an employee who points them to the right direction. Even though it's the off-season, they carry a few of them.
Leo looks at the small selection and only finds one pair of mediums. He holds them up and sneers at them. "They're a little too bright for me," he comments.
"Are they the only mediums," she asks as she starts to go through the rack herself.
"Yeah," he answers, hanging them back on the rack. "Other than those Speedos and I refuse to even go there," he smirks.
"Well, we can stop somewhere else. I saw a couple of small shops that had swimwear hanging in the window."
"Nah, I'll just take these," he concedes, as he grabs the bright colored flowery trunks off the rack again. "No reason wasting any more time," he says as he throws them into the grocery cart.
"I think they're cute," Margaret informs him as she puts her arm through his.
"You would," he quips. "They're all girly," he tells her, as he begins to push the cart toward the grocery section of the store.
"They're men's swim trunks. How can you say they're girly?" Margaret teases.
"Well, I'll tell ya one thing. They're NOT going back home with me," he enlightens her. "I have a nice pair of plain black ones back at my hotel that I use in the hot tub there."
"I couldn't find any when I packed your clothes and since when have you had anytime to soak in the hot tub?"
"I've made it to the hot tub a couple of times," he informs her. "And my trunks are... well they're... ah hell... they're there somewhere."
"Leo, you've lived in the hotel for over 4 years now and you've only been in the hot tub a couple of times? You'd find me in it all the time, if I lived there." Margaret quickly blushes at her statement.
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Leo manages to breathe out, as he makes a mental note about Margaret and a hot tub. Maybe she can come over to his hotel after they get back. But, she probably wouldn't like that. Maybe he needs to finally move out of the hotel and buy a place with one. A smile crosses Leo's face at the thought of Margaret lounging in a hot at his place.
"Leo, what are you smiling about?"
"Nothing, um... nothing."
"Okay..." she replies, not really believing him. "Lets get some food for breakfast and maybe a couple of meals. I don't want to eat out every night and besides; I want you to fix me a meal." She pauses and leans close to his ear. "I'll like to see if you've learned anything from your soft porn cooking show," she smirks.
"Margaret," Leo growls. "Would you please stop referring to it THAT way?"
"What way?" Margaret feigns, gesturing with her arms.
Soon, they are in the grocery section going up and down the aisles searching for what they need. Margaret has been busy filling the cart with healthy foods. She's placed several items in the cart that he doesn't particular care for, but he's used to eating whatever she puts down in front of him. A couple of times, he's sighed, without realizing it, when she's put something into the cart that he really doesn't like.
Margaret grabs a bottle of French dressing, adding it to the other items in the cart. She distinctly hears a sigh from Leo, she thought she'd heard him before, but this time she's sure of it. "Leo," she turns and stares at him. "I know I heard something this time. What wrong?"
"Nothing," he lies.
"Leo," she pauses. "How many times do I have to tell you that I can tell when you're lying to me?"
Leo shrugs his shoulders and gives her a smirk.
"Please, tell me. We have to be honest with each other."
"Um... I don't like French salad dressing," he finally gives up.
"Leo! I've always gotten you French dressing at work for years. I thought it was your favorite," she says in an exasperated voice.
Leo shakes his head. "Well, half the time I don't even realize what I'm eating." He informs her. "And, you went to all the trouble to force me to eat... that... well it just didn't seem that important."
Margaret is mortified by Leo's confession. "Are there any other things that I bring you that you don't care for?" She questions, with a squinty look.
"Umm... well I prefer my eggs sunny side up with some shredded cheese on top," he shyly relents.
"I've bought you scrambled eggs for years. Why didn't you tell me?" She remembers back to this morning. "Is that why you picked at your eggs this morning?"
Leo nods his head. "Jenny always liked them that way, so I would eat them too, so Ruth wouldn't have to make them two different ways." As soon as he says Jenny's name, he flinches. He lowers his eyes and inwardly berates himself for mentioning his ex-wife.
"Leo," she sweetly says, as she moves closer to him and touches his arm. "It's okay to talk about Jenny. Really, it doesn't bother me."
Leo looks up at her with relieved eyes. "Margaret, I just want you to know that I've been over her for a long time now and its you that I want and need. If I were truly honest with myself, I've probably felt this way for years."
Margaret quickly touches her lips to his; turns and then heads back to the cart. "Leo, is there anything else in here that I need to put back? I know I heard you sigh a couple of other times, too."
"Well, I told you about the dressing, but if you like it, we should still get it. I prefer ranch." He smiles as he tells her this.
"I like ranch too. There's no reason for us to buy two types for just the next few days." She says, as she puts back the French dressing and grabs a bottle of ranch off the shelf and puts it in the cart.
"And... I really don't like carrot sticks," he gestures at them.
Margaret snickers a little. "To be totally honest with you I don't like them either. I only eat them so you will too."
"Well then, I'm putting these back," he says, reaching for them, he heads back to the vegetable section.
Margaret is in the snack aisle when Leo catches back up with her. He grabs a couple of bags of his favorite snacks and drops them in the cart. Margaret smiles at the fact that Leo is getting brave with her.
"Leo, you do like the broccoli I got, don't you?" Margaret asks.
"Yes, I love broccoli with cheese sauce."
"Do you like cheese on everything," she smirks.
"No, but lets not go there yet," he smirks back at her.
"Leo," she protests and then quickly changes the subject. "Did we forget anything?" She asks as starts to push the cart down the aisle.
"Hey, where do they keep the whipped cream around here at?" He wonders.
Margaret stops abruptly and gives him an eye. "Leo?"
"No, Margaret," he says as he shakes his head. "I love it on my ice cream, but I hardly ever get it at the hotel."
"I think it's over there," she tells him as she points to a section with her finger.
Leo wanders off in search of whipped cream and ice cream. He is soon back with it and some soda, too. He puts the items in the cart. Margaret gives him a look. "Hey, I'm on vacation, plus I got diet soda," he retorts, flashing her his best impish grin. He notices that Margaret has picked up some tomato juice and he decides to have some fun with her. "Yuck, tomato juice," he quips as he turns up his nose at it.
Margaret is shocked by his comment. "Leo, I thought you loved it. I've heard you say it's your favorite several times. I don't know how many times you've asked me to bring you back some from the mess. They never use to even carry it until you requested it."
Leo can't help himself and laughs out loud. "Yeah, I love it. I was just kidding." He tells her as he holds his side.
"Leo," she laughs, as she reaches out and playfully swats him on the arm. She loves that he's starting to relax. "Okay, I think we're done enough shopping. Lets get out of here. I think we should stop and pick up some fast food for lunch on the way back to the chalet. We can have a quick lunch and then go out exploring some," she informs him as she heads off for the check out lanes.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Leo says, as he has to hurry to keep up with her long strides.
They get back at the chalet around five o'clock and put away the groceries. Leo comes up behind Margaret and puts his arms around her waist, moves her hair out of the way with his face and kisses the side of her neck.
"Where'd you want to go for dinner tonight," he whispers against her ear.
Leo's voice vibrating in her ear sends shivers down her spine; she's having trouble thinking about food when he's holding her like this. "Hum... I don't know... you sure you don't want to stay in tonight?" She softly breathes out.
"Nah, this is our vacation, I want to take you out tonight, and we have plenty of time to eat here over the next few days." He continues kissing her neck.
"Leo, I can't think when you're doing that," she confides, as she turns in his arms and hugs him back.
"Good to know," he smirked, applying a kiss to her lips and then trailing kisses down the front of her neck.
"Leo, stop it," she playfully tells, him as she tries to pull from his arms. "The lady at the rental office gave us a list of restaurants in the area. What did you do with it?" She manages to break free from his arms and starts to search for the list.
Leo stands there, arms crossed watching her floating around the living room looking for the list. He can't keep a smile from his face. He shakes his head, walks over to the kitchen table and picks up the list. "Margaret," he says holding the list up in the air. "Is this what you're looking for?"
"Yes, were you hiding it?" She accuses, as she walks over to him.
"No," he says as he puts the list behind his back. "That comment, will cost ya a kiss," he says as he puckers up.
Margaret can't believe the change in Leo's demeanor. He is being so playful. She decides to play along and she steps up to his face and leans in and gives him a kiss that puts all of her other kisses to shame. She finishes and steps back with a smirk on her face. Leo has a glassy eyed look as he hands over the names to the local restaurants. "Here," he manages to get out.
"Ya know what I'm hungry for?" She says, as she scans the list.
"I'm not even going to try and guess," he says with a chuckle.
"Well, I am on vacation, so... I want something that I normally wouldn't eat, like some steak or maybe even barbequed ribs."
"Both sound good to me." Leo agrees.
"There are a couple of places, fairly close to each other, listed here that serve both. Why don't we head there and see which one looks the best?" She says as she picks up her coat off the back of the couch.
"You're the boss," Leo grins, as he helps her on with her coat.
"Now, ya tell me," Margaret laughs. "Does that mean you'll bring me coffee this weekend?"
"Absolutely," Leo says with a big smile as they head out the door.
**Note** I will be on vacation in DC for the next week and a half (hopefully getting lots of inspiration for more Leo and Margaret stories!). So, I won't be replying to feedback until I get back on the 16th of Apr. Thanks!
By: adoreleo
Rating: PG13 - Contains some language and sexual innuendo.
Characters: Leo, Margaret, Jed and Josh
Spoilers: Anything up to and including An Kne.
Disclaimer: The characters are from the NBC, WB, TV show The West Wing; they do
not belong to me.
Beta & Additional Ideas By: Lynn, who always goes above and beyond the call.
THANKS!!!!
Feedback: I would love it hear your opinion! Suggestions are welcome too!
Summary: Leo receives some disturbing news and it causes him to confront some
old demons with a little help from his friends.
"Ron?" Margaret says, brow raised as she opens her apartment door and motions for the agent to enter. She's a little surprised that the President sent over the head of his security detail to watch Leo while she goes to his hotel and packs a bag.
"Margaret," he simply replies as he steps into her living room. He can tell that Margaret is somewhat taken back by his presence, and he tries to put her mind at ease quickly. "The President asked me to send over an agent. Since your apartment is on my way home, I decided it might as well be me." He failed to mention that he, too, was worried about Leo and that this isn't the first time that the President asked Ron check on Leo in the past few months. One thing the President doesn't know is that Ron has always chosen to handle it on his own. Ron's very aware that Leo hasn't been himself in months.
"Okay, I um... I won't be long," Margaret says, as she bobs her head and walks to her hall closet to get her coat. She thinks of something to tell Ron, turns quickly and catches him discreetly searching her apartment with his eyes. "He's asleep in my... bed," she shyly admits, as she turns her head so that Ron can't see that she's blushing. "There's soda in the refrigerator. Please, help yourself." She calls to him over her shoulder, and then she grabs her coat. "I hope he doesn't wake up and find you here." She blurts out, as she nervously puts on her coat and moves to the door. She stands there for a second, then turns and faces Ron, hands fidgeting.
"Margaret," Ron's voice is steady and soft as he walks over to Margaret and places a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't worry about it." Ron is bothered by the look of despair on Margaret's face. She's obviously been through the wringer tonight. "If he does, I'll handle it."
Margaret can't help but frown at Ron's worried statement. She's heard Leo say those extract same words a thousand times. 'Too many times, for so many different reasons and most of them not good,' she thinks to herself. "Okay," she replies as she reaches for the doorknob. "It's just that... he's been through so much tonight and these past few months... years even." Margaret glances up at the ceiling, trying to hold in her tears, and then looks back at Ron though watery eyes. "I'd hate it if he needed me... and I wasn't here for him." She sadly relents, as the tears overflow and make their path down Margaret's face.
Ron's never witnessed Margaret crying before and it concerns him. She's such a strong woman, the steadfast backbone of the Chief of Staff's office, who's always there for Leo. Ron looks into her eyes and senses that something has changed between Leo and her. "Margaret..." he struggles to find the appropriate words. "It'll be okay. Go... do what you need to do. I'll deal with Leo if he wakes up. Okay?" He states, as he opens her door and places a hand to the small of her back to guide her out of her apartment.
"Okay. I won't be long," she returns, as she bobs her head and heads off down the hallway.
Ron watches Margaret descend the stairs, and then slowly closes her door. He walks over to her bedroom and looks at Leo lying in her bed. The room is dark, but there is just enough street light for Ron to make out Leo's troubled face. He stands there for a couple of seconds watching the second most powerful man in the country, fail at trying to find peace in his sleep. He walks over to the couch, sits down and hopes that Leo doesn't wake while Margaret is away. Leo is sometimes not the easiest man to deal with or protect, especially when it comes to the welfare of the President. Ron envies their great friendship immensely. He knows that either man would gladly give up their life for the other. He suspects that Leo feels that he's not worth the sacrifice and that the President is the only one who is truly worth it. Ron has witnessed as Leo put himself between the President and harm's way several times, it didn't matter if the threat was physical or political. Leo has never hesitated.
The first time it happened was at Rosslyn. As soon as the bullets rang out, Leo stepped in front of the President and shielded him with his body before the Secret Service Agents propelled the President into his armored car. Leo's agents had to physically restrain him to keep him down that is after they finally got him down on the ground.
Ron's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the covers rustling from Margaret's bedroom. "Oh great, this should be interesting," Ron murmurs under his breath as he prepares himself to deal with an obstinate Leo McGarry.
Leo wakes with a start and bolts upright in bed. At first, he thinks he's in his hotel room, but he quickly dismisses that notion. He sits there for a couple of seconds rubbing his eyes, struggling to focus and figure out where he is. It all comes back to him in a rush. He's in Margaret's bed. He looks over and finds her missing. At first he thinks that its morning, but he looks at her alarm clock and discovers it is only ten thirty.
Leo moves to the edge of the bed and puts his feet down on the floor. His body aches all over from spending so much time out in the cold today. His clothes are drenched in sweat and clinging to his body. He shivers from the cold air hitting his wet clothes. He knows he needs to get out of them. 'Modesty, be damned,' he thinks to himself as he stands, unbuttons his shirt and throws it on the floor next to the bed. He unfastens his pants, steps out of them and throws them on top of his shirt. He stands there for a few moments dressed only in his t-shirt and boxers, deciding if he should go look for Margaret or crawl back into bed.
Leo's curiosity gets the better of him, and he walks out into living room and finds a Secret Service agent sitting on Margaret's couch.
"Ron?" Leo says, arching an eyebrow.
"Leo," Ron replies as he gets up from the couch.
"Little late for a visit," Leo says, looking around the room for Margaret. "Isn't it?"
"Umm... I..." Ron stutters. He's about to say, more but an impatient Leo interrupts him.
"Where's Margaret?"
"She umm... needed to pick something up... at," Ron tries to explain, but Leo stops him again.
"Pick what up, where?" Leo demands, as he moves over closer to Ron.
"She went to your hotel... to get you some clothes." Ron back peddles as he mentally cusses himself for getting into this situation.
"Okay... that sounds like Margaret." Leo's starting to get a little upset with the vagueness of this conversation. "But, why are you here?"
"Well..." Ron clears his throat, and then continues. "Margaret was umm... talking to the President earlier and he..."
Leo cuts off Ron before he can finish his sentence. "What was Margaret doing talking to the President?" Leo is about one step away from being livid.
"Leo, if you'd calm down and let me finish my sentence. I'll tell you," Ron implores. He knows that Leo's had a bad night, but he's about had it with him.
"Okay," Leo reluctantly concedes.
"I don't know who called whom," Ron lies. He doesn't want to get Margaret into even more trouble with her boss. "But, the result of the conversation was that the President asked me to send someone over here, while Margaret went to your hotel. Her apartment is on my way home, so I decided to handle it myself."
"So," Leo smirks as he gestures at him. "Now you're a baby sitter?"
"Only if you're a baby," Ron replies back in the same tone as Leo.
Anger quickly flashes over Leo's face, but is soon replaced with a smile. He knows that he has not been acting very pleasant and probably deserved that last comment. He's about to apologize, but Ron speaks up.
"Leo, don't be too hard on Margaret. She's... just.. well she's..."
"I know Ron, she just... well she worries about me," Leo says as shakes his head in wonder at his dedicated assistant who has slowly become even more precious to him.
"Yes, she does," Ron whole heartily concurs. "You're a lucky man, Leo."
"Yes, yes I am, Ron." Leo says as he lowers his head. When he lowers his head he realizes that he's standing in front of Ron in only his boxers and t-shirt in the middle of Margaret's living room. He visibly flinches and jerks his head back up at Ron. "Ron." He says as his face flushes.
"Leo?"
"Umm... Ron, this isn't what it looks like," Leo says as he waves his hand at his boxers.
"You mean, you're not standing in your assistant's apartment in your boxers," Ron smirks.
"It's, well I got sweaty... and my clothes... I mean we're not... you know... I mean... we haven't... ya know ...umm.... ah hell... I don't know what I mean!" Leo shakes his head in disgust at the fact that he's not able to manage a complete sentence. "It's new, okay?" Leo blurts out.
"Okay," Ron nods his head.
"We really haven't talked about us... much, it's... just... well I came over tonight because I needed to make sure she was okay."
"And, was she?" Ron smirks.
"Yeah, she was," Leo pauses when he sees the corners of Ron's mouth turn upward. "No, not like that!" Leo rubs his forehead and then sighs, "I was... worried about her."
"Worried?" Ron slowly asks, as he realizes that his earlier thought tonight was correct. Something has changed between Leo and Margaret.
"She umm," Leo breathes out a sigh. "She ran from the White House tonight and... well... I was worried."
"I thought Margaret had the market cornered on worrying." Ron suggests as he sits back down on the couch.
"Yeah," Leo rubs his eyes and yawns. "Yeah, she does, but... I love her and..." Leo lowers his eyes. He can't believe that he just said that out loud for the first time, and she wasn't even here to hear it.
"Leo, why don't you go back to bed before Margaret gets back. That way she'll never know we talked." Ron realizes that Leo must be exhausted to have admitted that he loves Margaret.
"Yeah, I think I will. I'm really tired. I'm going to go back to bed and hope that this whole conversation was just a bad dream, and hopefully I'll have forgotten it in the morning." Leo smirks as he turns and heads for Margaret's bedroom. "Goodnight," Leo throws back over his shoulder.
"Goodnight, Leo." Ron replies. 'I hope you forget about this, too,' Ron says under his breath as Leo disappears into the bedroom. Ron lays his head back on the couch and exhales a heavy breath. He's glad Margaret didn't come back while Leo was standing there in his boxers. He's not sure who would have been more embarrassed. Ron allows a small smile to cross his lips at this last thought.
Leo's been back asleep for about a half an hour and Ron's reading the paper when he hears the key in the lock. He gets up off the couch and quickly goes to the door to help Margaret.
"Did he wake up while I was gone?" A worried Margaret asks as soon as she gets in the door.
"He seemed to be dreaming there for a while, but he's sound asleep again, now." Ron sidesteps her question. He's had years of practice at not answering questions by using this method.
"Okay, thanks for coming over," she says as she sets down Leo's suitcase in the hallway. "I figured he would sleep the whole time, but I didn't want to take a chance and leave him here by himself."
"You're welcome. Margaret why don't you try to get some sleep? You look exhausted." Ron informs her as he heads for the door.
"I will and thanks again, Ron."
"Goodnight, Margaret." Ron says as he opens the door.
"Night," She returns as he leaves her apartment.
Margaret walks to her bedroom, looks in on Leo and finds that he's still sound asleep. She heads back to her hallway door, she had stopped and picked up a few groceries on the way home, so that she could make him breakfast in the morning. She slowly opens the door and heads for her car.
She's back in just a few minutes; she unloads the items in her kitchen, puts away the perishables and then heads for her bedroom. She is really dragging after all that she has been through tonight. She wonders just how exhausted Leo must be, too. He had spent a lot of time out in the cold today, and she is worried that it will make him sick. Maybe she shouldn't be making him go away to the mountains this weekend, but she knows that he needs to rest and he'll never get it here in DC. She walks into her bathroom and quietly closes the door.
Leo rouses when he hears the soft click of the bathroom door. He sees the light coming from underneath the door and knows that Margaret's back. He softly smiles and tries to stay awake until she comes back to bed, but his eyes are so heavy, and soon he is back asleep despite his best efforts to stay awake.
Margaret comes out of the bathroom dressed in her sweats and t-shirt from earlier. She didn't want to wake Leo by rummaging through her closet looking for her pajamas. She slowly slips into bed, next to Leo. Even in his sleep Leo feels her presence, he rolls over and wraps a protective arm around her. Margaret sighs and is soon fast asleep in the arms of the man she loves.
Leo gradually wakes; forcing his weary eyes open. The first thing that comes into focus is Margaret's face, draped with her beautiful red hair. He sighs when he sees how innocent and young she looks in her sleep. He reaches out to brush the hair off of her face, as she lies on her side. He gently touches her face, making sure that this is not a dream. Her skin is so soft and smooth under his fingertips. Margaret stirs at Leo's touch and shifts closer to him. She contentedly sighs as she rests a hand against his chest and lays her arm over his body, pulling him into a light embrace. He shifts closer to her, and then slowly wraps an arm around her, pulling her tighter against him. A smile flashes across his face as he wonders how he got so lucky to be in her bed. He closes his eyes and wills this moment to last a while longer.
After lying there for several minutes, Leo lifts his head and looks at Margaret's alarm clock. He can't believe it's already seven-thirty. He should be at work by now, but he has no desire to get up and out of Margaret's arms. Finally, his head wins out over his heart and he slowly pulls from her loving arms.
Margaret wakes, opens her sleepy eyes while he's quietly trying to get out of bed. She reaches out with her hand and touches his arm. "Morning," she softly breathes out.
"Morning," Leo mumbles back, as he takes her hand, giving it a gentle kiss as he moves back closer to her. "Sorry I woke ya," he sighs, as he holds her hand against his chest.
"That's... okay," she yawns as she shifts closer to his body. She feels the warmth of his body and his beating heart underneath her hand that's lying against his t-shirt covered chest. "You okay?" She asks quietly as she wonders where his dress shirt got to.
"Yeah," he mutters back, lightly kissing her forehead while resting on his elbow next to her. "I'm... okay. You?"
"Yeah," she answers back.
"Margaret," he softly whispers as he lies down by her side. "I... want to thank you for being there for me last night. I don't... think I would have made..." He pauses as he lowers his head. "Its just... that there hasn't been someone there for me... for a while... like this."
"Shhh..." she tells him, feeling the quickness of his heart under her hand. She brushes a light kiss on his lips to reassure him that she meant what she said last night. "Leo, I love you and I will always be here for you." She promises as she presses another kiss on his lips.
"Margaret," Leo breathes out as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to him. "I love you, too."
Margaret relaxes in his arms. It feels so good to be held by someone, especially when that someone is the one you have loved and wanted for years. But, she's still worried about Leo and can't resist making sure that he's really okay. "Are you sure you're feeling better this morning?" She asks as she nuzzles her face into his neck.
"I'm fine," he sighs back at her concerns. This breathtaking woman lying in his arms has worried about him for years and with great reason, too. He's given her plenty to be troubled about over the years that she's faithfully worked for and supported him. She has never wavered from his side and has put up with a lot crap from him over the years. Him showing up high, drunk or both at work. Showing up at her old apartment too drunk or afraid to go home to Jenny. She's always cleaned up his messes.
"Really?" She softly questions as she kisses his neck.
"I'm not one hundred percent," Leo relents with a sigh. "But, I'm getting there." He tells her as he pulls her face up to his and places a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Okay," she replies, as she snuggles up closer to him.
They lay there in each other's arms for a while. Neither one of them really wanting to talk. So much had been said last night. Leo would rather concentrate on what Margaret told him this morning. He just wants to forget about his problems. But, he knows he can't run away from them. Reality is finally setting in. He hates to do this, but he needs to get to work. The country doesn't stop, just because he's had a bad couple of days. Leo looks over Margaret's shoulder at her alarm clock and discovers it's now eight o'clock.
"Margaret," he reluctantly whispers. "I really don't want to leave your arms, but I need to get up and head for the White House. The President is probably already looking for me. I'm surprised he hasn't called my cell phone."
Margaret just nods her head. She doesn't relish the idea of telling him that they are not allowed back into the West Wing until Wednesday. So she decides to put it off a while longer. "Leo, you should shower before we leave."
"Okay," he replies, as he smiles as he slowly pulls from her arms. He instantly feels the loss of having her body next to his. "Umm... Margaret, I just want to warn ya before I get out of bed. I was really sweaty from all the emotions from last night, so I took off my clothes in the middle of the night."
"All of them?" She smirks as she looks away from him, searching for his clothes.
"No," he growls, resting on his elbow. "I still have on my boxers and t- shirt." He gestures with his hand to his body.
"Okay," she says, as her eyes find his again. "I promise I won't peek," she teases, as a slight blush moves over her face, she ducks to hide it, resting her head on his shoulder.
Leo takes her chin in his hand and lifts up her face. He places a kiss on her nose and starts to get out of bed. Margaret immediately places her head face first down into her pillow. Leo chuckles at her and heads for her bathroom. He has no doubt that when he comes back out that she'll have a suit laying on the bed for him. She probably picked up his new gray double- breasted suite with lavender tie that she commented about last week.
He comes out of the shower, wrapped only in a towel. He spots his clothes on her bed, but they're not what he was expecting. "Margaret," he bellows just like he does in the office.
Margaret scurries into the room and stops dead in her tracks when she sees Leo in a towel, still damp from his shower and looking incredibly sexy.
"What are these?" Leo angrily asks as he waves at his clothes lying on her bed.
"They're your clothes, Leo." Margaret smirks, as she stares at his bare chest.
"I know that," he angrily growls back at her. "I can't go to work in those. Where's my suit?"
"You mean the suit I found wadded up in a pile on my floor? It needs to go to the dry cleaners before you can wear it again." She replies with a flushed face. She can't keep her eyes from roaming downward on his toweled body. Margaret takes a deep breath, rallies her courage and continues, "Besides... you aren't going to the office today anyway," she informs him, as she looks him directly in the eye.
"What do you mean I'm not going to the office today?" He angrily asks, as he takes a step closer to her.
Margaret holds her ground. "Leo, you've been through so much these past few months and you haven't had any time off in over a year. You need to take some time for yourself for a change."
"I don't *need* any time off," he heatedly snaps. "Damnit, there's too much going on for me to take the day off. I have meetings that I *need* to get to." He turns his back to her and stares at his clothes lying on the bed. He'll have to put them on and then change into his spare suit when he gets to work. He only hopes he doesn't run into any of the senior staff before he changes. He doesn't need any of their smart lip today about how he's dressed. He reaches to pick up his t-shirt.
"Leo," she hesitantly calls. "Your schedule... has been umm... rearranged and you won't be going into the office today or any other day until next Wednesday. We've both been banned from the West Wing until then." She braces herself for the outburst that she knows is coming.
"What the hell are talking about?" He angrily retorts. He quickly turns around to face her, and his towel slips off his hips. He hastily grabs for it, but misses it.
"Oh my God," Margaret grasps, as her hand quickly flies to her mouth. She immediately turns and offers her back to him, her face burning in embarrassment. She's never seen his bare chest until a few moments ago, and now she's just caught a quick glimpse of the rest of him.
Leo hurriedly bends over, picks up the towel and wraps it around himself and then sits down on the bed. His anger is immediately replaced with embarrassment. Leo looks at Margaret, who's still facing the other direction. "Well I guess that takes some of the mystery out of our relationship," he says sadly.
Margaret can hear the despondency in his voice as she turns to take a peek to see that he is covered. She moves over to him and sits on the bed beside him. "Well, I hope there is still some mystery in our relationship. I know there is." She places her hands on either side of his face and leans in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. She pulls back and looks into his eyes and sees something other than just sadness. She sees something more, and she leans in to kiss him again and he responds this time and kisses her with more passion than she has expected from him at this point. He opens his mouth, and they explore each other's mouths fully as they fall back onto the bed and he moves over her and they continue to enjoy each other at this moment in time.
His mind is so caught up in her that at first he doesn't hear the phone, and she doesn't respond to it either but he finally pulls back and places light kisses on her forehead and says, "Margaret... the phone's ringing."
She lies on the bed and looks at him with a confused look on her face, and her head begins to clear as she recovers from their kiss and she reaches for the phone and says, "Hello?"
"Mr. President!" She says, as she pushes Leo off her and jumps to her feet. She is immediately nervous now that she is talking to the President. "Yes, Sir...he is fine, Sir. Yes, Sir, he slept through the night ...he is right here. Yes, Sir... I will, Sir. We'll see you on Wednesday, Sir. Good bye, Sir."
Margaret hands the phone over to Leo and leaves him alone to take the call from his President and his friend. She hears some yelling from her bedroom, while she is making breakfast and she knows he is not happy, but he needs this and so does she.
Leo comes out of the bedroom reluctantly dressed in the causal clothes that Margaret has laid out for him on her bed. "Well, it looks like I've been kicked out of the White House for the next few days," he loudly grumbles as he gradually makes his way across her living room towards the kitchen table. "I can't believe he's doing this. There's too much going on for me to take any time off." He conveys, as he sits down at the table, grabs a napkin and places it in his lap.
"Leo," Margaret sighs, rolling her eyes. "The country will be fine without you. Besides, you need the time away," she says as she walks over to the table and sets down a glass of tomato juice in front of him. "We both do," she says over her shoulder as she goes over to the stove to fix his plate.
"Margaret, why do I get the feeling that you had something to do with this?" Leo accuses with a raised eyebrow.
"The weather man said it might snow today," she relays, ignoring his question, as she walks over and places a plate down in front of him.
"Margaret, do you really expect me to eat all of this?" He asks as he stares then gestures at the plate full of food.
"Would you stop complaining and just enjoy your breakfast?" Margaret requests as she goes back over to the stove to fix her plate of food. "It'll get cold if you don't eat it right away," she informs him as she joins him at the table.
"What am I, three?" He asks, reaching for his tomato juice and taking a sip of it. "Margaret... I'm sorry," he sighs, putting down his glass. "It's just... I really don't think that sitting around my damn hotel room until next Wednesday, doing nothing, sounds like a very productive use of my time. Not to mention being boring as hell, too," he growls as he picks at his scrambled eggs.
Margaret figures it's now or never. She puts down her fork, gathers her courage and takes a deep breath. "Um... Leo," she says as she picks up her napkin with a fidgety hand and wipes her mouth. "You won't be sitting around at your hotel... I... I mean... we'll be going away on a little trip." She braces herself in preparation for Leo's outburst that she's sure will follow her statement.
"Trip?" He questions with a smirk. "You and me?" He continues, as he waves his hand between the two of them. Leo can't help but notice that Margaret is squirming in her chair. His bad mood starts to lighten at the thought of spending some time alone with Margaret.
"Yes Leo, you and me, on a trip," she breathes out in relief, since he hasn't blown his top so far. She lays down the napkin that she has been wringing in her hands.
"Where?" He softly asks, reaching across the table to take a hold of one of her nervous hands and then gently squeezes it.
"The Smoky Mountains," she tells him as she turns over her hand and curls her fingers into his. "Our flight leaves at one o'clock out of Dulles. We have a SUV rental waiting for us. Our chalet is about a one hour drive from the airport."
"What's in the Smoky Mountains?" Leo asks.
"Well, for one thing you and me," Margaret smirks. "For another, there's a ton of things to do there." She says releasing his hand. "I've always wanted to go there. I had a roommate in collage that lived there, and she used to talk about the area all the time."
Leo sadly stares at Margaret and then slowly lowers his eyes as he wordlessly berates himself for not really knowing anything about her past. He doesn't even know what college she went to or what she got her degree in. He's not even sure where she's originally from.
As usual, Margaret reads his mind. "Leo, I know what you're thinking and stop it. There was a lot going on in your life when I started working for you." She says as she gets up and moves behind him, draping her arms around him. "You need to stop worrying about the past and think about the future and what it might hold for us now." She places a kiss on top of his head.
Leo turns in his chair and raises his eyes to meet hers. He sees the love she has for him, and it makes him want to only think about their future. He quickly tries to lighten the mood. "I bet the President found this very funny." Leo softly smirks. "Me at a national park. I'll never be able to live this down." He says as he shakes his head.
"I didn't tell him where we're going, but he'll find out eventually I'm sure."
Leo stands, wraps an arm around Margaret's waist as he lifts a hand to caress her face. "Margaret, I plan on finding out a lot about you this weekend. You know so much about me, and I know so little about you. I want to know more." He places a kiss on her lips. "Okay?" He says as he pulls his lips from hers.
"Yeah," Margaret says as she bobs her head. They stand there in the kitchen in a tight embrace for several moments, just enjoying holding on to one another and thinking about their future.
The trip to the airport goes without incident. Leo is not very happy that they're not flying first-class, but he holds his tongue, since Margaret paid for the airfare. He is silently plotting on how he can pay her back for this trip. He already offered to pay for the whole trip on their ride to the airport, but Margaret was adamant about that the chalet and airfare were on her. He knows she doesn't make enough to afford to do this, but he also knows that she's very frugal and has the money, but he will find a way to pay her back. Then it hits him; he'll pay her rent for the next few months. He'll pay the landlord when they get back.
The flight to Knoxville is smooth and on time. They have no trouble getting their luggage or picking up the rental car. Margaret volunteers to drive, and Leo sits back and enjoys the view.
"Leo," Margaret says, pulling her eyes from the road for just a second. "I'm a little hungry. Flying always makes me so hungry. Do you mind if we stop and get a quick bite to eat before we find the rental office and the chalet?"
"I'm a little hungry, too," Leo admits. "Can we get some fast food somewhere? I haven't had fast food since the campaign."
"Sure, most of them carry salads, nowadays." Margaret informs him as she locates a chain restaurant up ahead and then pulls into the parking lot.
Margaret orders a salad with low fat dressing. Leo shakes his head at it. He orders a hamburger and a large fry. He catches Margaret eyeing his fries when they are placed on the tray. They find an empty table and sit down.
"How's your salad," Leo asks with his mouth full of fries.
"You're not funny," Margaret informs him.
"What did I say?" Leo smirks.
"Shudup and eat your fries," Margaret smirks back.
Leo gives her smile, picks up his sandwich and takes a big bite, turns and stares out the window at the mountains in the distance. Margaret reaches across the table and steals a few fries. Leo turns around just in time to catch her. He reaches out and grabs her hand.
"Hey, aren't those my fries?" He torments her.
"What fries?" She innocently coos.
Leo brings her hand, which contains the evidence, up to his mouth and he eats the fries out of her hand. He holds onto her hand after he finishes the fries that she has tried to pilfer. Margaret blushes as his tongue moves out to sensuously lick the salt off of her fingers, and then kisses her hand. He smiles brazenly at her, and then lets go of her hand. She smiles intently back at him; thinking that he gets to her so easily. She sighs as she watches him enjoy his meal and then he holds up his last fry and offers it to her. She takes his hand and moves it closer so she can take it in her mouth and enjoy the satisfying taste of it. She is not brave enough yet to lick his fingers but she smiles a thanks as she kisses his fingers. They finish their meal and then head off to the rental office.
It takes almost an hour to get to the rental office. Everything is set and they head off for the chalet. It's about fifteen minute drive up in the mountains.
Margaret pulls the SUV into the parking spot next to their chalet. They sit there in the vehicle just looking at the house they are going to be sharing for the next few days. It's beautiful; it looks just like the photo on the Internet. They get out and grab their bags and head for the door.
"Margaret," Leo complains. "Let me help you with your bags."
"Leo, I'm fine. I can carry my own bags." Margaret informs him.
"Okay, suit yourself." Leo relents. "But don't complain to me when you'll get a sore back. Just how much stuff did you pack?" Leo smirks, as he watches Margaret struggle with her two suitcases.
"Well, you never know what the weather is going to be like this time of year here in the mountains, at least that what the Internet said." Margaret breathes out as she drags the suitcase up the steps.
Leo unlocks the door, and they enter the chalet. They both stop and drop their bags. The living room is very nicely decorated, and there is a huge fireplace at the end of the room. Leo walks to the kitchen and checks it out.
"Hey, you didn't say that this was just like a house."
"Well, sorry. I was a little busy this morning dealing with an obstinate boss." Margaret smirks.
Leo turns around and gives her a look. "Yeah, I hear he can be such a pain in the ass." He agrees.
"Sometimes, but the good definitely out weighs the bad." She tells him as she moves to him and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug. "Leo, lets get unpacked and then go get some groceries. I thought you might like to cook a couple of meals while we're here."
"Yeah... that would be nice." Leo says as he presses a kiss on her neck.
Shivers run down Margaret's spine from the kiss that Leo just gave her. She tries to pull from his arms, but he's not letting go as he continues to work his way up her neck and towards her mouth. She gives in the second his lips touch hers and she willingly opens her mouth and invites him to continue. He explores her mouth fully. After a few moments, they break for air.
"Leo, we really should get a move on." She tells him. She can feel his desire and would love nothing better than to lose herself with him, but it's still so early in their relationship, and she is afraid to show him just how much she loves him. She's still concerned that Leo is too upset from recent events to really know for sure what he really wants. That's what this long weekend is all about. Making sure and getting to know each other better. "I don't want to be driving back up the mountains in the dark until I'm used to the roads around here a little."
"Yeah," Leo heavily breathes out. "Sorry," he tells her as he tries to regain control and pulls from her arms. His face is a little flushed. He hadn't planned on letting things get that far, but parts of his body seem to have a mind of their own, apparently. He walks over to his bags and pulls them towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.
Margaret follows Leo's lead and gets her suitcases. Leo stops at the first door and looks in. This appears to be the master suite. It has a king size bed in it. He walks into the room. Margaret heads for the bedroom across from the master suite. Leo's voice stops her from getting very far into the room.
"Margaret," Leo glances back at her. "What are you doing?" He softly asks as he sets his bags down.
"I umm... I was going to umm... unpack my stuff." She shyly returns, putting down her bags.
"Aren't you going to stay with me?" He asks in a voice of despair, his eyes pleading with her.
"Leo," she whispers as she glances downward and then back up at him. "Are you sure we should?" She asks arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah," he responds, lowering his eyes. "I need you." He says in a voice that is close to begging.
"Leo?" She says, as she walks towards him.
"Besides," he smirks. "You've already seen ALL there is to see."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to sleep you as in SLEEP with you," she blushes, stopping in the bedroom doorway too shy to go any further into his bedroom.
"I didn't mean it that way!" He growls, rolling his eyes. He quickly calms, walks over to her and takes her hand in his. "I... I just need you beside me." He tells her as he rubs her knuckles with his thumb. "I need ya." He whispers again.
"Okay, but I'm dressing and using the bathroom in the second bedroom." She smiles as she curls her fingers into his.
Leo looks up into her eyes and sees the love that she holds for him. Leo cups her chin with his free hand, "Thank you for this and everything else that you have done for me and have always done for me on a daily basis." He pauses, brushes his lips against hers. "I've always noticed, but... was afraid to acknowledge it."
"Why?" A puzzled Margaret asks.
"Because, I... was afraid that... it would give away... my feelings for you," he shyly admits. "And I... didn't think you'd be interested," he slowly adds, dropping his hand from her chin.
"Oh, Leo," Margaret whispers, reaching out and pulling him into a hug. They stand there, not talking for a few moments. Finally, Margaret breaks the silence. "Let's get unpacked. We need to get going, before it's too late." She pulls from his strong arms and walks over to where she left her bags. She gathers them up and moves them into the master suite. "I saw one of the super one stop shopping stores in Pigeon Forge. We can pick up everything we need there. You need to get a pair of swimming trunks," she tells him, pressing a finger into his chest, as she walks by him.
"Swimming trunks. What do I need those for?" Leo quips, grabbing her hand that is touching him. He just can't get enough contact with her.
"There's a hot tub outside and there's also supposed to a Jacuzzi around here somewhere." She says, pulling from his hand and moving toward her suitcases.
"What type of suit do you have?" Leo retorts, raising an eyebrow at the thought of Margaret in a swimsuit and wet from the water.
"You'll just have to wait and see," she teases, opening up her suitcase. She starts to put away her clothes.
Leo tries to get a peek into her suitcase. "Nice," he comments when he sees her unmentionables and then lightly swats her on the behind.
"Leo," she blushes as she jumps a little. His pat took her by surprise.
"What?" Leo feigns raising his hands in the air, moving over to his suitcases.
"You're so bad." She laughs at his playfulness. She hopes that there's a lot more laughter this weekend. They both need it.
A couple hours later they find themselves wandering around the super store in search of some swim trunks for Leo. They find an employee who points them to the right direction. Even though it's the off-season, they carry a few of them.
Leo looks at the small selection and only finds one pair of mediums. He holds them up and sneers at them. "They're a little too bright for me," he comments.
"Are they the only mediums," she asks as she starts to go through the rack herself.
"Yeah," he answers, hanging them back on the rack. "Other than those Speedos and I refuse to even go there," he smirks.
"Well, we can stop somewhere else. I saw a couple of small shops that had swimwear hanging in the window."
"Nah, I'll just take these," he concedes, as he grabs the bright colored flowery trunks off the rack again. "No reason wasting any more time," he says as he throws them into the grocery cart.
"I think they're cute," Margaret informs him as she puts her arm through his.
"You would," he quips. "They're all girly," he tells her, as he begins to push the cart toward the grocery section of the store.
"They're men's swim trunks. How can you say they're girly?" Margaret teases.
"Well, I'll tell ya one thing. They're NOT going back home with me," he enlightens her. "I have a nice pair of plain black ones back at my hotel that I use in the hot tub there."
"I couldn't find any when I packed your clothes and since when have you had anytime to soak in the hot tub?"
"I've made it to the hot tub a couple of times," he informs her. "And my trunks are... well they're... ah hell... they're there somewhere."
"Leo, you've lived in the hotel for over 4 years now and you've only been in the hot tub a couple of times? You'd find me in it all the time, if I lived there." Margaret quickly blushes at her statement.
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Leo manages to breathe out, as he makes a mental note about Margaret and a hot tub. Maybe she can come over to his hotel after they get back. But, she probably wouldn't like that. Maybe he needs to finally move out of the hotel and buy a place with one. A smile crosses Leo's face at the thought of Margaret lounging in a hot at his place.
"Leo, what are you smiling about?"
"Nothing, um... nothing."
"Okay..." she replies, not really believing him. "Lets get some food for breakfast and maybe a couple of meals. I don't want to eat out every night and besides; I want you to fix me a meal." She pauses and leans close to his ear. "I'll like to see if you've learned anything from your soft porn cooking show," she smirks.
"Margaret," Leo growls. "Would you please stop referring to it THAT way?"
"What way?" Margaret feigns, gesturing with her arms.
Soon, they are in the grocery section going up and down the aisles searching for what they need. Margaret has been busy filling the cart with healthy foods. She's placed several items in the cart that he doesn't particular care for, but he's used to eating whatever she puts down in front of him. A couple of times, he's sighed, without realizing it, when she's put something into the cart that he really doesn't like.
Margaret grabs a bottle of French dressing, adding it to the other items in the cart. She distinctly hears a sigh from Leo, she thought she'd heard him before, but this time she's sure of it. "Leo," she turns and stares at him. "I know I heard something this time. What wrong?"
"Nothing," he lies.
"Leo," she pauses. "How many times do I have to tell you that I can tell when you're lying to me?"
Leo shrugs his shoulders and gives her a smirk.
"Please, tell me. We have to be honest with each other."
"Um... I don't like French salad dressing," he finally gives up.
"Leo! I've always gotten you French dressing at work for years. I thought it was your favorite," she says in an exasperated voice.
Leo shakes his head. "Well, half the time I don't even realize what I'm eating." He informs her. "And, you went to all the trouble to force me to eat... that... well it just didn't seem that important."
Margaret is mortified by Leo's confession. "Are there any other things that I bring you that you don't care for?" She questions, with a squinty look.
"Umm... well I prefer my eggs sunny side up with some shredded cheese on top," he shyly relents.
"I've bought you scrambled eggs for years. Why didn't you tell me?" She remembers back to this morning. "Is that why you picked at your eggs this morning?"
Leo nods his head. "Jenny always liked them that way, so I would eat them too, so Ruth wouldn't have to make them two different ways." As soon as he says Jenny's name, he flinches. He lowers his eyes and inwardly berates himself for mentioning his ex-wife.
"Leo," she sweetly says, as she moves closer to him and touches his arm. "It's okay to talk about Jenny. Really, it doesn't bother me."
Leo looks up at her with relieved eyes. "Margaret, I just want you to know that I've been over her for a long time now and its you that I want and need. If I were truly honest with myself, I've probably felt this way for years."
Margaret quickly touches her lips to his; turns and then heads back to the cart. "Leo, is there anything else in here that I need to put back? I know I heard you sigh a couple of other times, too."
"Well, I told you about the dressing, but if you like it, we should still get it. I prefer ranch." He smiles as he tells her this.
"I like ranch too. There's no reason for us to buy two types for just the next few days." She says, as she puts back the French dressing and grabs a bottle of ranch off the shelf and puts it in the cart.
"And... I really don't like carrot sticks," he gestures at them.
Margaret snickers a little. "To be totally honest with you I don't like them either. I only eat them so you will too."
"Well then, I'm putting these back," he says, reaching for them, he heads back to the vegetable section.
Margaret is in the snack aisle when Leo catches back up with her. He grabs a couple of bags of his favorite snacks and drops them in the cart. Margaret smiles at the fact that Leo is getting brave with her.
"Leo, you do like the broccoli I got, don't you?" Margaret asks.
"Yes, I love broccoli with cheese sauce."
"Do you like cheese on everything," she smirks.
"No, but lets not go there yet," he smirks back at her.
"Leo," she protests and then quickly changes the subject. "Did we forget anything?" She asks as starts to push the cart down the aisle.
"Hey, where do they keep the whipped cream around here at?" He wonders.
Margaret stops abruptly and gives him an eye. "Leo?"
"No, Margaret," he says as he shakes his head. "I love it on my ice cream, but I hardly ever get it at the hotel."
"I think it's over there," she tells him as she points to a section with her finger.
Leo wanders off in search of whipped cream and ice cream. He is soon back with it and some soda, too. He puts the items in the cart. Margaret gives him a look. "Hey, I'm on vacation, plus I got diet soda," he retorts, flashing her his best impish grin. He notices that Margaret has picked up some tomato juice and he decides to have some fun with her. "Yuck, tomato juice," he quips as he turns up his nose at it.
Margaret is shocked by his comment. "Leo, I thought you loved it. I've heard you say it's your favorite several times. I don't know how many times you've asked me to bring you back some from the mess. They never use to even carry it until you requested it."
Leo can't help himself and laughs out loud. "Yeah, I love it. I was just kidding." He tells her as he holds his side.
"Leo," she laughs, as she reaches out and playfully swats him on the arm. She loves that he's starting to relax. "Okay, I think we're done enough shopping. Lets get out of here. I think we should stop and pick up some fast food for lunch on the way back to the chalet. We can have a quick lunch and then go out exploring some," she informs him as she heads off for the check out lanes.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Leo says, as he has to hurry to keep up with her long strides.
They get back at the chalet around five o'clock and put away the groceries. Leo comes up behind Margaret and puts his arms around her waist, moves her hair out of the way with his face and kisses the side of her neck.
"Where'd you want to go for dinner tonight," he whispers against her ear.
Leo's voice vibrating in her ear sends shivers down her spine; she's having trouble thinking about food when he's holding her like this. "Hum... I don't know... you sure you don't want to stay in tonight?" She softly breathes out.
"Nah, this is our vacation, I want to take you out tonight, and we have plenty of time to eat here over the next few days." He continues kissing her neck.
"Leo, I can't think when you're doing that," she confides, as she turns in his arms and hugs him back.
"Good to know," he smirked, applying a kiss to her lips and then trailing kisses down the front of her neck.
"Leo, stop it," she playfully tells, him as she tries to pull from his arms. "The lady at the rental office gave us a list of restaurants in the area. What did you do with it?" She manages to break free from his arms and starts to search for the list.
Leo stands there, arms crossed watching her floating around the living room looking for the list. He can't keep a smile from his face. He shakes his head, walks over to the kitchen table and picks up the list. "Margaret," he says holding the list up in the air. "Is this what you're looking for?"
"Yes, were you hiding it?" She accuses, as she walks over to him.
"No," he says as he puts the list behind his back. "That comment, will cost ya a kiss," he says as he puckers up.
Margaret can't believe the change in Leo's demeanor. He is being so playful. She decides to play along and she steps up to his face and leans in and gives him a kiss that puts all of her other kisses to shame. She finishes and steps back with a smirk on her face. Leo has a glassy eyed look as he hands over the names to the local restaurants. "Here," he manages to get out.
"Ya know what I'm hungry for?" She says, as she scans the list.
"I'm not even going to try and guess," he says with a chuckle.
"Well, I am on vacation, so... I want something that I normally wouldn't eat, like some steak or maybe even barbequed ribs."
"Both sound good to me." Leo agrees.
"There are a couple of places, fairly close to each other, listed here that serve both. Why don't we head there and see which one looks the best?" She says as she picks up her coat off the back of the couch.
"You're the boss," Leo grins, as he helps her on with her coat.
"Now, ya tell me," Margaret laughs. "Does that mean you'll bring me coffee this weekend?"
"Absolutely," Leo says with a big smile as they head out the door.
**Note** I will be on vacation in DC for the next week and a half (hopefully getting lots of inspiration for more Leo and Margaret stories!). So, I won't be replying to feedback until I get back on the 16th of Apr. Thanks!