Title: The Road Back
By: Thumper01
Rating: PG
Characters: Leo for right now.
Spoilers: Up to Birnam Wood.
Disclaimer: The show and characters are the property of NBC, WB and Aaron Sorkin. I hold no ownership and this piece was not written for profit.
Feedback is appreciated.
Author's Notes: This is my first story and the first chapter in what will hopefully become a very successful series. All reviews are appreciated, thanks.
The Road Back by Thumper01
Chapter I: Sleep
Ring Ring
It was a sound he was quite familiar with. On many a late night or early morning, it was the clarion call that roused him to duty.
Ring Ring
It represented the tether that kept him connected to his responsibilities. And despite it all, he often found himself welcoming the sound.
Ring Ring
Today, however, it was a nuisince of the worst kind. Because today Leo McGarry wanted nothing more than to sleep.
That damn ringing, he thought. When is that damn ringing gonna stop? The sound of the phone wasn't loud. It was somewhere on the periphery of his consciousness. Leo was in that strange place between unconscious and fully awake, drifting in and out of memories and dreams. Days spent with Jenny or playing with Mallory; late night talks with Josh or Jed. Some were very pleasent but that ringing kept cutting in.
It wasn't simply the fact that the ringing was out of place that scared Leo as much as what he understood the ringing could do. He knew that it would pull him back. Back to the real world and as out of it as he was, Leo knew he didn't want to go there.
In the real world, he wasn't lying on a soft blanket with Jenny at the beach; he was on his back in the Maryland woods cold, in pain and alone. In this world every breath seemed to plunge him into new realm of pain he did not even think possible. In this world, he wasn't playing a late night game of chess with Jed in the Residence. Here, he was watching his friend fly overhead and wondering if he would ever see him again. Wondering what was the point of going on if the one thing that meant anything to him in his life was about to be taken away from him.
Beep Beep
With an effort he didn't realize was still in him Leo managed to roll onto his back and open his eyes slightly. Pain clamped down on his chest and he heard Mal's voice in his ears but softer now, the vision of her playing in the sand floating away. He felt the slight warmth on his face before his eyes registered the sun high in the sky. Oh God, how long have I been here? he wondered. When he had argued with Jed, it had been in the early hours of the morning and now Leo wouldn't be surprised if it was approaching noon.
Jed. God, what had happened to them? They'd had arguments before but usually they could settle things. Even through the pain Leo chucked to himself. Maybe we would've if this hadn't come up. Still, the ease with which the President accepted his offer to resign had hurt him deeply. And it also brought up another unpleasant thought: What if he doesn't need me anymore?
Ring Ring
Another wave of pain tried to overtake him but he fought it. He had to think about Jed.
Try as he might, Leo could never completely keep from hearing the rumors. The one that loved to play him up as "the power behind the throne." After MS came out they took an especially nasty tone. He could still remember pundits who gleefully portrayed the president as a doddering old fool having his strings pulled by Leo. When forced to meet these idiots it took every bit of willpower in him not to punch their lights out. To this day it still frustrates him. Can't they see? he asks himself. Can they truly not see or understand genius without assuming some kind of malicious intent.
Maybe that was the problem. They couldn't see, at least not with Leo in the picture. Maybe Jed knew that. He wasn't naive enough to think that the president hadn't heard the rumors also. But even now, this could be his chance to grow, to become something more than what he was being guided towards by Leo. And truth be told, no matter what happened at Camp David and beyond, Leo had no doubt that Josiah Bartlet would be one of the best presidents this country ever had.
Ring Ring
If this is what it takes to get him to that point, he thought. To get him to grow to his full potential, then I think I can live with that. If Leo was honest with himself, his work at the White House would be the pinnacle of his career. And then what would come after that? He could hit the lecture circuit again, but it would just be treading water. If he died here, he knew that Mallory and Margaret would be upset, but they would get past it. A clean break would be best for everyone. Besides, he was tired and Jenny back on the beach, waiting.
Ring Ring
More pain, but there was a dullness to it. Like it was coming from somewhere far away.
In the real world there was only pain, broken friendships and uncertainty. Was that really what he was fighting so hard to cling to? No, he thought to himself, it's better here with my memories. There was a final clench in his chest but he barely felt it at all. He tried to forget the ringing, the life it was calling him back to. He would go back to this perfect day. He would hold Jenny and tell her he loved her and they would watch Mal play in the sand nearby. He would hold on to this until the end. And for the first time, Leo McGarry closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Ring Ring
Ring Ring
Ring Ring
To Be Continued