Everyone Notices Part 14
Rating: Mature
See part 1 for details.
Part 14
"Who would be calling this early on a Sunday morning?" Margaret asks, as she puts her mug down. She and Leo have been just sitting on the couch, drinking coffee, reading the paper and watching Tommy in his swing. They both love spending Sunday Mornings like this. Leo hasn't worked a single weekend, since Tommy was born.
"It's probably the President," Leo offers, as he reaches for the phone and then hands it to Margaret.
"Do you think something's happened?" Margaret asks in a slightly panicked voice. She's sure that something is going to interfere with their wedding, today.
"Nah, I'm sure he's just calling to harass me," Leo smiles. "But, we won't know unless you answer it." Leo says, after it rings again.
"Hello," Margaret says, after she presses the talk button on the phone.
"Good morning, Margaret."
"Good morning, Ma'am," Margaret stands and then gives Leo a look after he laughs at her, for standing up.
"Margaret, I thought we'd agreed on you calling me Abbey?" The First Lady smiles.
"We did, Ma'am, I'm sorry, I just… umm… forgot." Margaret pushes her bangs out of her face.
"Well we can discuss this later. I just called to make a suggestion. Why don't the three of you come over early before the wedding and use a couple of rooms here in the Residence, to get ready in? That way, you'll have some help with Tommy and with getting you ready for your big day."
Margaret takes only a couple of seconds to think it over and then gives her an answer, "We'd be glad to and thanks for the offer, Mrs… I mean… Abbey." Margaret doesn't think she'll ever get used to calling her that.
"Good, so how's Leo doing this morning?"
"He's fine, but I think… he's a little nervous. He doesn't seem to have much of an appetite this morning," Margaret says and then smiles at Leo who is rolling his eyes at her.
"Has he taken his pulse and blood pressure this morning?" Abbey goes into doctor mode.
"Yeah, his blood pressure is fine but… his pulse is just a little higher than normal." Margaret informs the First Lady with s small frown.
"Will you two stop," Leo says, as he stands and holds his hand out for the phone. "Let me talk to her."
'Okay,' Margaret mouths as she gives the phone to Leo. She knows she's going to hear about this after he gets off the phone.
"Abbey, I'm fine, my blood pressure and…" Leo grumbles into the phone as he shakes his head at Margaret.
"Leo, please don't get upset," Abbey quickly interrupts. "We love you and we're both just worried about you," she explains in a soft voice.
"I'm not upset, I just wish you two would stop… worrying about me all the time. I'm not…" Leo's voice is a little edgy from his nervousness.
"Leo," Margaret whispers as she touches his shoulder.
Leo looks at Margaret and sees only love and concern in her eyes. Leo closes his eyes briefly, takes a deep breath and then nods his head. He takes a hold of Margaret's left hand, squeezes it and then smiles when he feels her engagement ring. "Abbey, I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous, that's all."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Abbey. Look… I know I can't promise the two of you that I'll never have another heart attack, but I'm being careful… I am following doctor's orders and I'm in even better health and shape now than I was before we came to the White House." Leo pulls Margaret close to him and gives her a kiss on the cheek and whispers, "I love you," in her ear.
Margaret bobs her head, "Me, too," she says, as she returns his kiss and then sits back down on the couch.
"I know you're right, Leo. It's just that…" Abbey replies.
"Abbey, it's okay. Just remember… this will all be over soon and then we can all take some time off to relax and visit. Maybe we can all go away someplace, together."
"Leo, I'm gonna make you keep that promise."
"I will, Abbey," he softly laughs. "But, we're going to someplace warm, okay?"
"Yes, Leo we can. I'm going to drag you and Jed off to some island where you two can work on getting a tan on your skinny white legs," she laughs.
"Hey, my legs aren't skinny." Leo protests.
"Leo, I've seen your legs and I hate to be the one to break this to you but… you have skinny legs and I know that Margaret will agree with me on this point."
"For your information she hasn't even seen my legs without pants yet, so…" Leo looks down at Margaret who has a strange look on her face. "I don't see how she could possibly agree with you."
"Ah… okay," Abbey frowns. She realizes that Leo has no idea what she's talking about.
"Yeah," Leo mumbles, knowing that he's right but also knowing that he won't be able to convince Abbey of that.
"Leo, I'm going to let you go, because I'm sure you two probably have things you need to be doing this morning. But before I do, I need to talk with Margaret for just another second." She needs to tell Margaret that she may have inadvertently slipped and told Leo something that she assumed he already knew.
"Okay Abbey, I'll see ya later today. Bye."
"Bye."
"Here, Abbey needs ya for just a second," Leo says, as he holds out the phone to Margaret.
Margaret bobs her head, "I love you," she whispers, as she takes the phone.
"Me too," Leo returns as he brings her hand up to his mouth and places a tender kiss on it. "I'll leave you two to your girl talk." He lets go of her hand and walks into the bedroom to check on Tommy.
----------
Leo is laying out his clothes, for their wedding, on Margaret's bed when she walks into the bedroom. "Leo, Abbey offered us a couple of rooms in the Residence to get ready for the wedding. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah that should make it a lot easier on ya and we can use the help withTommy," Leo smiles.
"I called Mallory and asked her if she wanted to come over earlier to help, too."
"Sweetie, thanks for including her in our special day."
"I wanted to," Margaret smiles. "She's family. You know I've always loved her. She's almost like a little sister to me."
"And soon you're going to be her step-mom," Leo points out with a small grin.
"Yeah, that's going to seem a little strange."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure nothing's going to change between you two."
"I hope you're right."
"Margaret," Leo's tone turns slightly serious as he sits down on bed and pats the spot next to him.
"Yeah," Margaret says, as she walks over and sits down next to Leo. She knew this was coming.
"What did Abbey mean when she said that you've seen… my legs before?" He asks, in an even tone.
Margaret takes a deep breath. She's been thinking about how she was going to tell him about that day, for the past few minutes. There'd been a couple times during the first couple of years that she worked for him at the Labor Department, that she had helped clean up a very drunk or high Leo McGarry, but Abbey didn't know about those times. She did however; know about what happened in St. Louis, during the first campaign.
"Margaret?" Leo asks, after Margaret doesn't answer.
"It happened in… St. Louis. Josh called me after he found you… passed out in your hotel room."
"Josh called you?"
"Yeah, he needed to get back down to prep for the debate and… he didn't know who else to call."
Leo nods his head. He doesn't remember much that happened after Gibson came back for his briefcase. Leo had gotten the call from Josh, Gibson showed up, saw the bottles sawed over the coffee table. After Gibson left, Leo headed straight for the mini bar. He couldn't face Jed after falling off the wagon.
"Josh left your room as soon as I got there. You were in the bedroom, lying on your bed. I went in to check on you and saw that… you were trying to get out of bed. I could tell by the look on your face that… you were going to get sick, so I helped you to the bathroom. But, we didn't make it in time, and you got sick in the doorway. I had no choice, but to strip you down and…"
"Oh Margaret…" Leo closes his eyes briefly and takes a heavy sigh. "I'm so sorry. I don't even remember your being there or…"
"Leo, it doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. I never thought you saw me like that or had to clean me up…" Leo hangs his head.
"Leo, don't," she reaches out and touches his chin, causing him to look at her. "It was a long time ago and…"
"But, still…"
"Shh… all that matters now is that we love each other and that we're getting married today. The past is the past… it doesn't matter." She bends over and sweetly kisses him.
Leo reaches out and pulls her closer to him and revels in the warmth of her body against his. "Margaret, I love you." He whispers in her ear. "I'm so sorry. You should have never had to deal with… that."
"Leo, its all right. I love you too. Let's not worry about the past. We all have things that we regret in our pasts."
"It seems that some of us have more regrets than others…"
"Leo."
"Okay, I'll stop. I do love ya and… I promise you that…"
"Leo, I don't need you to promise me anything other than you'll love me for the rest of my life."
"That I can do that," he places a kiss in her hair.
"Good," she smiles. "Oh, by the way, Abbey's right, you do have skinny legs," she softly laughs.
"Hey," Leo says, as he starts to tickle her. They fall back on the bed and Leo winds up on top of Margaret. He stops, slowly brushes the hair from her face and leans down to kiss her. She closes her eyes and willingly opens her mouth, inviting Leo to deepen the kiss. Leo moves a hand to one of her breasts and starts to gently squeeze it.
"Mmm…" Margaret murmurs, letting Leo know that she loves what he's doing to her. Margaret can feel Leo's desire pressed up against her and she moves her hips upward.
"Oh, Margaret," he moans into her mouth. They continue to kiss and press their bodies against each other until Leo's cell phone, starts to ring.
"Now, who the Hell can that be," Leo grumbles, as he reluctantly rolls off Margaret.
"You don't have to answer it," Margaret whines from the loss of Leo's body from on top of hers.
"It might be important," Leo groans, as he stands up and heads for the living room. He needed to stop anyway. He was getting far to close, again. Leo grabs his phone off the coffee table, "McGarry," he growls into the phone without even checking to see who's calling.
"Hey Leo, did I wake you?"
"Nah, I was already… up," Leo smiles, as he looks down at himself.
"Okay."
"So Josh, what did the Congressman do this time?" Leo asks with a knowing smile.
"Leo, that's not fair. I call for other reasons, too," Josh whines.
"When?" Leo laughs.
"Last week, I called to see how you, Margaret and Tommy were doing?"
"Okay, so maybe once. But, you still asked me about that…"
"Okay, I'm busted," Josh softly laughs. "But, I do care about what's going on in your life."
"I know ya do. I just like giving ya a hard time."
"So, what's new in DC?" Josh asks. He really did just call this time to say hello. He has the day off and is bored.
"Well… there's going to be a wedding at the Residence tonight."
"Really, whose?"
"Mine."
"Yours!"
"Yes, Margaret and I are getting married."
"Leo, congratulations!"
"Thanks. So where are you today?"
"We're in New York City for the next couple of days."
"Are ya doing anything important today?" Leo asks.
"No, actually, I've got the day off."
"Would ya like to come to the wedding?"
"Sure, I'd love to."
"Great. What hotel are ya staying at, so I can send a car for ya to take ya to the airport?"
"Leo I can get to the airport by myself." Josh smiles.
"Josh, let me take care of this. When do you have to be back in New York?"
"Let me check," Josh puts down his phone and quickly grabs his schedule. "I don't have anything until early tomorrow afternoon."
"Great. Let me talk with Margaret and have her work her magic and then I'll give ya a call back."
"Okay, I'll start packing. Bye."
"Bye Josh, and… I'm glad you're going to be here." His voice softens.
"Me too Leo, see you later this afternoon."
"Margaret," Leo bellows as he hangs up.
"You rang," Margaret comes into the living room with Tommy in her arms.
"Hey there little man. Did ya have a nice nap?" Leo walks over and takes him from her arms. "Margaret I need ya to get Josh to DC today. He's coming to the wedding." Leo happily smiles as he kisses his son.
"Where is he now?"
"He's at the Hampton Inn on Thirty-First Street in New York City. He needs to be back tomorrow for an early afternoon appointment. So do ya think you can get him here and back in time?"
"Sure, no problem," Margaret smiles at how happy Leo is that Josh will be here for their wedding.
"Let me get ya my credit card so…"
"Leo that isn't necessary. I have your number memorized." Margaret walks over to the phone, picks it up and calls the ticket service that she always uses to book Leo's personal trips.
Fifteen minutes later, Margaret walks into the bedroom, looking for Leo and Tommy. "It's all set. Do you want me to call Josh and give him the information?"
"Yeah, thanks," Leo looks up from where he's playing with Tommy on the bed. "I can't believe how much he's changing already."
"Yeah, he's getting so big."
"Yeah," Leo smiles back down at his son, who's enjoying kicking his legs, and then back up at Margaret. "I still can't believe… how lucky I am to have the both of you in my life."
"Leo, it's me who's the lucky one." She walks over and sits down next to them on the bed.
"I guess we're both pretty lucky," he says, as he takes her hand.
"Yeah," Margaret bends over and gives Leo a kiss and then one to Tommy, too. "I'd better call Josh. He'll have to hurry, since I already have a car heading to pick him up."
"Yeah, you'd better call." Leo watches as Margaret gets up and walks out of the bedroom.
----------
Leo, Margaret and Tommy arrive at the Residence a little before three-thirty in the afternoon. Abbey and the President immediately greet them, as soon as the step off the elevator. They escort them into the living area and sit and visit for a few minutes, discussing the wedding and reception dinner that is to follow. Abbey informs them that according to CJ everyone they invited was going to be there. Leo informs them that Josh is also going to be able to make it and asks for arrangements be made with security for Josh to enter the Residence and for an extra plate at the dinner table.
"Well Margaret, it's probably time to start getting you ready," Abbey comments as she stands, and takes a contented Tommy from Jed and puts him in his stroller for the move to the bedroom.
"Yes, it is," she replies, after looking at her watch.
"Leo, Jed's gonna to show you to your room and I'll take Margaret and Tommy to theirs."
"Okay," Leo says as he stands, walks over to Margaret and gives her a delicate kiss on the cheek. "See ya in a little while, Sweetie."
Margaret bobs her head as happy tears well up in her eyes.
"I love you," Leo whispers, as he gives her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Me, too," she whispers in return.
----------
Leo looks over at the door, after hearing someone knock. "Yeah, come on in," Leo says as he jerks his tie off in anger. He's having trouble with getting his tie tied. He's been working on it since the President left him to go check to see who had already arrived.
"Hey, Daddy," Mallory says, as she walks into the room.
"Hey, Baby," Leo answers in a strained voice.
"Daddy, what's wrong?"
"I can't get this damn tie tied straight," he lightly huffs, holding it out to her.
"Here, let me see if I can help you." She walks over to her father.
Leo puts the tie around his neck and puts it under his collar, "I've tied ties thousands of times. I don't know what's wrong with this one."
"Could it be… that maybe you're just a little nervous, Daddy?" Mallory smiles as she takes the tie in her hands and starts to tie it. She hasn't done this for her father in a long time.
"I still think the tie is defective," he smirks.
"I guess it could be, but somehow… I doubt it." Mallory smiles as she pulls the tie tighter and straightens it for him. "There, what do you think?"
"And when did you get to be such an expert with ties?" Leo says, after looking in the mirror.
"Daddy, it's something every girl should know how to do," she laughs as she shakes her head.
"Is everyone here yet?" Leo asks.
"I think so. I just talked with the President, and I think he's almost as nervous as you."
"I somehow doubt that," Leo tries to smile.
"Daddy, you'll be fine." She gives him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm gonna to check on Margaret and Tommy."
"Okay."
"Love you."
"I love you too, Baby," Leo gives her a hug and then opens the door for her.
----------
"Hey, Mallory," Josh says, as he almost walks into her.
"Josh," Mallory gives him a huge hug. "I didn't know you were coming."
"I didn't either until this morning," Josh smiles.
"Well, I'd love to talk to ya, but I'm on my way to see Margaret, we'll catch up later," Mallory says.
"I'll see ya after the wedding."
Josh continues on down the hallway and knocks on the door to the room that Leo is getting ready in.
"Josh," Leo says, after he opens the door
"Hey, Leo," Josh says, as he walks into the room.
"I'm so glad you could make it."
"Yeah, me too. So… you're gonna marry Margaret."
"Yeah," Leo smiles.
"How'd you convince her to marry ya?" Josh smiles.
"I think she's after my money," Leo returns.
"Right," Josh laughs.
"Josh, there's something that I've been wanting to talk to you about."
"Okay," Josh's eyes narrow at the tone of Leo's voice. "Are you okay?" Josh asks in a panic.
"Yes," Leo shakes his head. "I'm fine. I just wanted to… tell ya something." Leo hesitates and then takes a step towards Josh. "Josh… I… umm… I… oh hell," Leo says as engulfs the younger man in a hug, "I love ya and I want you to promise me that you'll take care of Margaret and Tommy, if anything should ever happen to me." He says, in a low voice.
"I love ya, too," Josh whispers, as his eyes get moist. "And, I promise I'll always take care of them."
After a couple of seconds, Leo releases him and steps back, "Thanks, Son." Leo's voice is full of emotion.
"Yeah," Josh looks down at his shoes and back at Leo.
Leo looks at his watch, "Well… I guess its time."
"Yeah, you don't want to keep Margaret waiting." Josh smirks.
"Right," Leo says, as he follows Josh out of the room and down the hallway.
----------
From the moment Margaret walked into the room and she and Leo saw each other, smiles emanated from the other guests in the room who were seeing their love for one another for the first time. They were astounded that this relationship developed under their very noses and yet, they had no idea until this very moment how much love there was between them.
The wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. Tommy was the perfect baby settled in his big sister's arms, and he didn't fuss at all during it. They posed for several pictures with family and friends, and then headed down the hallway for an intimate friendly dinner. The dinner was amazing, and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.
After dinner, Leo and Margaret are surprised when the waiters wheeled in a huge wedding cake. They do the traditional feeding each other a piece of cake. Leo is very nice and places a small piece in her mouth, but when it's Margaret's turn, she smears the whole piece of cake all over his face much to the delight of the guests. Most of the them are surprised at the change in Margaret that seems to have taken place since she left on her maternity leave. It's amazing what love for a man and child and can do for someone.
The bride and groom make a point to take the time to visit with each guest before leaving for the night. Margaret is starting to think they may never be able to sneak away. She's eager to get home and give Leo his wedding present. Leo senses that Margaret is anxious to leave, so they make a final round with all of the guests and say their goodnights ending with the President and First Lady… thanking Jed and Abbey for everything they did to make their wedding day so special, before heading home.
----------
It's a little before nine o'clock that night, when Margaret opens the door to her apartment and holds it open for Leo, who's carrying a sleeping Tommy in his infant car seat.
"Well, at least someone got carried over the threshold tonight," Leo smiles, as he walks into the apartment.
"Yeah, this isn't exactly how I envisioned my wedding night," she smiles. "But, I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. I got the man of my dreams, and a son and husband I love more than life itself."
"Me, too, well except I got the woman of my dreams," Leo grins as he takes her hand.
"Let's put Tommy in the port-a-crib out here."
"Okay," Leo says, with a raised eyebrow. He sets the car seat on the couch and carefully unfastens Tommy and then takes him out of the car seat and walks over to the port-a-crib and places him in it.
Margaret follows Leo to the crib, "Now, you be a good boy for Mommy and Daddy," she whispers, as she blows him a kiss.
Leo surprises her from behind as he pulls her against him. He turns her in his arms and gives her a passionate kiss.
"Mmm… you taste like cake," she smirks.
"Hmm… I wonder why?" He replies, with a crooked half grin.
"I have no idea," Margaret laughs.
"I think I still have some in my ear," he says, as he rubs his ear.
"Sorry," she smiles sympathetically, as she takes a hold of Leo's hand and leads him towards the bedroom. She stops in the doorway and wraps her arms around her husband. "I have a very special wedding present for you," she whispers seductively in his ear.
"Really," Leo's voice goes high.
"Yeah, I went to my OB yesterday."
"When?"
"That doesn't really matter, but what 'is' important… is that he's cleared me for certain… nocturnal actives," Margaret melodiously murmurs, as she presses her body against his.
"He did," Leo almost squeals, as Margaret runs both hands under his jacket and slips it off his shoulders and lets it fall to the floor.
"Yeah, my OB heard from a certain little 'Lady' birdie that I was getting married today and that maybe I might like to have a special wedding night gift for my new husband. So… he was happy to make time for me, and he gave me the all clear." She coos, as she runs her hand down his zipper.
"Oh, yeah," Leo moans as he pulls her closer to him and presses his lips to hers. They stand there kissing feverishly for a couple of minutes as their hands wander over each other's bodies. Leo's shirttail is pulled out, and a few buttons on his shirt are undone. Margaret's zipper, on the back of her dress, is undone, and her hair is now hanging down. They eventually break for air, and Leo takes her hand and walks her over to the bed. He takes a hold of her straps of her dress and pulls them down over her shoulders. Her dress drops to the ground and pools at her feet.
"Margaret, you're so beautiful," Leo whispers, as she unbuttons the remaining buttons of Leo's shirt and then pulls his suspenders off his shoulders. Leo takes his shirt off and throws it towards the chair, next to Margaret's bed. Margaret lifts his t-shirt over his head and pulls him into a hug, wanting to feel his skin against hers.
She eventually pulls from his arms, "Someone's still overdressed," she smiles as she tugs at his waistband.
"Yeah," Leo breathes out, as he runs his hands up her back, expertly unfastens her strapless bra and lets it fall.
"Leo, I was talking about you," she laughs, as she undoes the fastener on his pants and then slowly unzips them, brushing sensuously down him as she goes.
"Sorry, my bad," Leo smiles, as he steps out of his pants and kicks them out of the way.
"You're forgiven," Margaret coos, as she rubs the front of his silk boxers.
"That's good to know," Leo says, as he pulls Margaret onto the bed with him. They position themselves in the middle of the bed, lying on their sides and start to kiss again. After a few seconds, Leo pulls from the kiss, moves down a little lower on the bed and takes one of her breasts into his mouth.
"Oh, Leo," Margaret groans, as he starts to nibble.
Leo takes her other breast in his hand and starts to give it some attention, too. Margaret reaches down and starts to rub her hand up and down his growing desire. She smiles, as Leo's hips start to move in rhythm with her. Leo follows her lead and reaches for her center and finds her ready for him. Leo moves back up to capture her lips in a kiss. He rolls her over on her back and looks into her eyes, "Are ya ready, Sweetie?"
"Yes, please, Leo," she begs.
Leo moves on top of her and positions himself close to her center, and then teases her for a bit.
"Leo," she whines, as she thrusts her hips up at him.
"What?" Leo smiles, as he looks down at her.
"I… need you… now."
They both moan as he crosses her threshold and Margaret wraps her long legs around him. Leo looks into her eyes and sees her passion overflowing. He knows this is her first time since the baby is born, so he wants to ensure her comfort before taking this any further. He patiently waits for her to adjust to him then he slowly starts to move. They continue to kiss, and whisper to each other as their rhythm starts to gain momentum. Both know that they are primed and ready from the past few weeks and that this first time isn't going to last long for either of them and soon, they are flying over the edge with each other crying out the other one's name.
Leo collapses on top of Margaret, "Are you Okay? Am I too heavy?" He manages to get out, after he catches his breath.
"No, please stay right where you are," she asks, as she wraps her arms around him. "I love the feeling of you… there."
"Wow that was… beyond words," Leo pants, as he kisses her.
"Yeah," is all that Margaret can manage to say.
"I love you," Leo whispers.
"I love you, too."
"Margaret, I have to tell ya that… well… that it never felt this wonderful, before." He kisses her nose.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She smiles. She's been with a handful of men, but no one has ever made her feel the way that Leo does or made the earth shake like he just did.
"Should I check on Tommy?" Leo asks, after a couple minutes of silence and calming down.
"I'm sure he's fine. He'd let us know if he wasn't. Let's just stay like this for a little while longer."
"Okay, I don't mind a bit. Are you sure I'm not hurting you?" Leo asks.
"No, you're… fine."
Eventually, Margaret drifts off to sleep and Leo gently moves off her. He gets up, pulls on his boxers and walks out into the living room. He stands by the port-a-crib, for several minutes and watches his son sleeping peacefully.
"I love you," he whispers, as he bends over, picks him up and carries him into the bedroom. Leo walks over to Tommy's crib, gives him a soft kiss and then lays him down. Leo stares at him for a few seconds and then walks over to the bed, gently crawls into it, and pulls up the blanket to cover them. He wraps an arm around Margaret and is soon fast asleep.
----------
Leo is laying on his side staring at his beautiful bride. He's been awake for only a few minutes. He's not even sure what time it is, but more importantly, he doesn't care. When he talked with CJ on Saturday, he handed her a leave slip for the next two weeks.
Leo hasn't told Margaret yet, but he made an appointment for them to go look at town homes, today. He's not sure where they may wind up living in the future. But, he knows he wants to keep a place in the District to stay in when he comes back to visit Mallory or if Josh should happen to luck out and get his man into the White House.
Leo closes his eyes and breathes a contented sigh as he thinks about what the future might hold for them. He's just about asleep again, when he feels Margaret stir. He opens his eyes and watches her wake up. "Morning, Mrs. McGarry," Leo whispers after Margaret's eyes flutter open.
"Mmm… morning," she smiles, as she scoots closer to him.
"This is so much better than sleeping on your couch," Leo grins as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her tight against him.
"Yeah, it's a very comfortable bed."
Leo softly chuckles, "Well, it is, but that's not exactly what I meant."
"Oh," she laughs, as she buries her head in his chest.
"I like waking up and finding you next to me."
"That's good, since we're married," she tells him, as she moves to kiss his cheek.
"Yeah, married," Leo smiles as he pulls her face to his and presses his lips against hers. They quickly lose themselves in the moment as the kiss deepens.
"Mmm… I see someone's up," Margaret moans into Leo's mouth.
Leo breaks the kiss, pulls back a little and listens, "I didn't hear him. Are you sure he's awake?"
Margaret laughs, "No, silly." She dips her hand under the waistband of Leo's silk boxers. "I was talking about you."
"Oh," Leo says and then quickly moans as Margaret gently clasps her hand around him and starts to move up and down.
Margaret smiles at the effect she is having on him and leans into kiss him, but suddenly stops and withdraws her hand, "He's up."
"Margaret, don't tease me," Leo softly whines. "I thought we'd already figured that out."
"No, Leo, I mean Tommy's up," she motions with her head towards the crib.
"Oh," Leo says in a disappointed tone as he head falls back the pillow.
Margaret gives Leo a quick kiss and rolls out of bed. "I'll get him and feed him; you go back to sleep."
"Like I could now," Leo smirks as he points to the noticeable rise in the front his boxers.
"Sorry about that. But get used to it Dad. I'm sure this won't be the last time he interrupts us," she smiles.
Leo can't help but smile when she refers to him as dad. "I'll get his bottle ready," he says, as he gets out of bed, adjusting himself as he goes.
"Having a problem there, Honey," Margaret calls after him.
"Shuddup," Leo smirks and feigns a growl.
----------
"Aren't you going to the White House today?" Margaret asks, as she walks into the living room.
"Nah," Leo calls from the kitchen. "I took the day off."
"You're taking another day off? Are you sure your leave balance can stand it?" She smirks.
"I'll have you know that I took off the next two weeks."
"Leo, do you think the country will survive without you?"
"Mama's such the comedian this morning," Leo says, walking over to the couch and sitting down next to Margaret. He sets the bottle down next to him. "Here, I'll feed him," he holds out his hands.
"Okay," she gives him their son and then hands Leo the bottle.
"Someone's hungry," Leo smiles, as Tommy immediately starts to suck on his bottle.
"He hasn't had a bottle since two o'clock this morning. Its eight o'clock, now. That's the longest he's slept through the night," she proudly announces.
"He could have slept another fifteen or so minutes if you ask me," Leo gives Margaret a smirky grin.
"Leo." Margaret lays a loving hand on his thigh and then starts to walk her fingers towards the flap opening in his boxers. "He does take a morning nap, you know." She gives him a seductive grin.
"When's that," Leo jumps, as her hand hits the target.
"I'm not sure, since he slept though his six o'clock feeding."
"Margaret," Leo whines.
"What?"
"I'm trying to feed our son. Are you trying to corrupt him at such an early age?"
"Alright, I'll stop," she pouts as she slowly withdraws her hand. "But, he doesn't have any idea what's going on. You know."
"I know that, but…"
"But what Leo?"
"Well… I can't do anything for you," Leo smiles.
"Leo, you're so sweet."
"Well… let's not let that… get around, okay?"
"Okay, so do you want to watch CNN or FOX news while you're feeding him?"
"Nah, but I do want to watch the ten o'clock press briefing from the White House, this morning."
"Is that when Annabeth is going to make the announcement?"
"Yeah."
"So, what are we going to do until then?"
"Well," Leo's eyes flash to hers. "If this little guy would cooperate and go back to sleep… we could…"
"Leo!"
"What?"
"And you say I'm evil."
"Hey, who was just… just… well you know what you were doing with your hand," Leo blushes.
"You seemed to enjoy it," she smiles.
"Yeah, I did." Leo's impish grin spreads from ear to ear. "I love ya, Sweetie."
"I love you, too." Margaret positions herself next to him, so that she can kiss him without disturbing Tommy.
"So, what are you planning to do for the next two weeks," Margaret asks, as she slides down next to Leo and leans against him.
"Well… today, we have an appointment to go look at townhouses in a couple of different areas of DC."
"Townhouses, Leo… they're so expensive."
"We can afford it, besides, we need a bigger place to raise our son."
"But, Leo, we'll be out of the White House in ten months. I just figured you'd… I mean we'd be moving out of the District."
"To tell ya the truth, I'm not sure what's going to happen or where we might end up living, its something we need to talk about, but I do want to always keep a place here in DC, so we might as well move in now and start to enjoy it."
"Are you planning to retire?"
"I don't think so, but I'm not going to work that much either. I don't want to miss watching Tommy grow up. I am thinking about lecturing again, but only once, or twice a month and I'm hoping that you and Tommy will come with me when I travel."
"Only if the first place we go to is to LA," she smiles.
"Are you ever going to forgive me for that?"
"Not likely, well at least not until you actually take me out there."
"Well, since you are going to be my manager and set my schedule, it's up to you where and when we go somewhere."
"Will I be getting paid for this new position?"
"Depends on how well you perform… your duties," he smirks.
"Somehow I don't think we're both talking about the same thing."
"My last assistant turned out to be very resourceful and extremely useful, but she could be a pain in the ass sometimes," Leo grins.
"Hmm… my last boss could be a huge pain in the ass, too"
"I wonder what CJ would say if she heard you call her that?"
"She… wasn't the boss I was referring about."
"Oh, Margaret… that hurts," he laughs.
"Get over it," she smirks, as she gets up from the couch. "What time is the appointment to look at those overpriced living spaces?"
"At one. Do ya want to take Tommy along with us?"
"What else are we going to do with him?"
"Abbey offered to watch him, after I told her my plans for today."
"What did you tell her?"
"That it was up to you."
"Leo, he's your son, too. You can make decisions that concern him, too."
"Yeah, but you're his Mama."
"What do you want to do?"
"Take him with us," Leo shyly admits.
"So, that's what we'll do."
"I also want to take ya out to dinner tonight. To show you and Tommy off to the world."
"Okay."
"We'll come back here after looking at homes and let Tommy take a nap and then head back out again."
"Okay," Margaret smiles at Leo. She loves how Leo wants Tommy with them all the time.
"Do you think it'll be too much for him?"
"No, I think it'll be fine; besides we can always change our minds if he gets too fussy."
"Yeah. Okay."
"Well, I'm going to go shower. Do you have everything under control, Dad?"
"Yeah, after Tommy finishes his bottle, we're going to fix you some breakfast."
"Great, I won't be long," she says, as she bends over and kisses Tommy and then Leo before heading out off to the bedroom.
----------
"Okay, quiet down everyone," Annabeth screeches. "I want to end the briefing today with an announcement of a personal nature."
The noisy Press Room instantly becomes quiet.
"Thank you," she smiles, knowing that would get their attention.
"It's my pleasure to announce that yesterday a wedding was held in the Residence of the White House, hosted by the President and the First Lady. Margaret Elaine McGuire married Leo Thomas McGarry in a traditional ceremony. A small group of close friends and Mr. McGarry's daughter, Mallory O'Brien witnessed the exchange of vows and rings. Also in attendance, was the couple's one month old son, Thomas Alan McGarry." Annabeth pauses, as several rumblings are heard throughout the room.
Annabeth holds a hand up to quiet the room. "Carol will be passing out a press kit with some particulars of the ceremony and a few photos. Thank you."
Annabeth steps down from the podium and quickly heads for the door in the midst of a bombardment of questions. She stops, and in her loud shrill southern accent she says, "The White House does not comment of the personal lives of the staff. See ya at the two o'clock briefing." She quickly turns and makes her getaway from the pressroom.
----------
"Well… That went well," Leo suggests to his new wife, who's sitting next to him and holding their young son.
"Yeah, Annabeth did a great job."
"So, Mrs. McGarry, CJ wants to know if you're coming back to work for her?"
"Of course I am. I can't let you have all the fun. Besides, it's only ten more months."
"When do you plan on coming back to work?"
"What are we going to do about Tommy?" She frowns. She's torn, she wants to go back to work, but she doesn't want to leave their son.
"Abbey has offered to turn a room in the Residence into a nursery for him. That way, we can each pop up and see him whenever we want to during the day."
"But who's going to watch him?"
"I already have a nanny lined up for him."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I really think you'll like her."
"When did you do that?"
"Umm…"
"Leo."
"I made some inquires right before you had him. I wanted to make sure that you could come back to work and still be close to him."
"Leo, you are the sweetest man."
"Shh… I have an image to uphold."
"I think you already messed that up as soon as you changed Tommy's diaper in front of the President. It had already made its way over to the OEOB by the next day. Lynette called me to confirm the rumor," she smiles.
"Great, you work for years to…"
"To what, Leo?"
Leo smiles, as he leans over and whispers in her ear, "To get a second chance."
"You deserve it," she whispers in reply.
"Margaret, I love you and I love our son so much, and I thank God everyday for this second chance with the two of you," he kisses her and then Tommy
"Our son," she says in a voice full of tears as she snuggles against her husband and silently thanking God for both of them.
The End
Thanks to everyone who took the time from their busy schedules to provide feedback. It's so nice when people let you know how they feel about your stories. Your kind and encouraging words make me want to write even more! ALSO, a huge thanks to my beta (Lynn) who did a great job as usual.
There have been several requests to turn this story into a series. I hope that I can find the time and energy to do that in the future. This has been one of my favorite stories to write. We are leaving tomorrow for our long awaited vacation. My husband, our kids and myself are packed and ready to go. I'm planning on taking my laptop with me and hopefully I will be able to write a new story on the long, long trip to and back from Disney World.
Thanks and see ya!
Bev