A/N: First off, let me apologize for the extremely long delay. There's actually a nice little story behind my not updating. See, I updated, and then I went on vacation to South Carolina (it was v. nice). Then I got back, just in time for school to start again. But there was more badness to come. The night before I had to go back to school, I was on the computer doing some last minute work that I needed to do (oops, forgot to do that one) and my computer wouldn't start up. So I have to use my laptop to type, and then use the library's internet access to upload. Whew. There's my long story, which is more of an excuse than anything else.

Nonnie: Wow, thank you for all your reviews! I feel loved. Rob Lowe has never had an ugly day in his life. The man was born with perfect hair. I love Josh's victory smirk! For some unknown reason, whenever Josh says something bigoted, elitist, and arrogant, I want to hug him. I should probably have that looked into.

Shadowesque13: Dannie's chapter just didn't turn out right. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I eventually ended up pulling a Sam, complete with fist-banging.

Lisa-You just gave me several ideas. Several ideas...The author seizes paper and writes furiously for a few seconds. A few ideas...all right, time to stop repeating myself.

Disclaimer: I have to endure so many disappointments at such an early age. The West Wing does not belong to me.

Charlie Young's POV

I was left behind. For the first time since I became Personal Aide to the President, I was left behind. And it felt a little weird. After almost a year of riding with the President it made me feel lost and forgotten to see the motorcade pulling out without me.

Something had struck me as very wrong when we stood beside the car. Gina seemed nervous. I had an idea that if crept around behind her and shouted out "Boo!" then she would shoot my head off. Zoey ignored Gina's mood, but it registered with me. Maybe because I work 15 feet away from the Oval Office, and I know what people look like when they're trying to hide the fact that they're nervous. Something was wrong with Gina. I was only half listening to Zoey as I watched the Secret Service agent pace around.

"I saw something!" she shouted out. She focused on a member of the crowd, and then turned around. I turned with her to see what she was looking at. An office window had its light on. Two people were silhouetted in the lights. They leveled their arms at us with careful precision. It took me a second to realize what it was, then all my watching of action movies kicked in. "Gun!" Gina screamed.

The first shot blasted through the plaza. Gina tackled me to the ground. I hit the ground hard on my elbow. I cried out loud in pain and screamed out a curse that was lost in the cries and gun blasts. I looked around to see where Zoey had gone. All I saw was a closing door and Gina crawling towards me. "Zoey's secure!" she screamed to me. We were protected by the car, and I just prayed that the car wouldn't pull away.

The gunshots sounded like miniature cannon blasts going off. They hurt my head, and I half-expected blood to start pouring out of my ears. I tightly closed my eyes so that I wouldn't have to see the crowd members panicking. An innocent Town Hall meeting had turned into murderous pandemonium. I clenched my fist so tightly that my fingernails dug groove marks that were a centimeter deep into my palm.

The gunshots tapered off. I stayed squatted down for a few seconds. I still felt vulnerable, and staying down seemed like a good idea. The Secret Service fights back. Civilians stay on the ground and hide behind cars, and hope to God that we don't die. With all my limbs shaking, I stood up. Spots flew in front of my eyes and I had to lean against eh the car to keep from passing out. When the light headedness had passed, I gazed at the scene with blurry vision.

People were screaming for help, and basically just screaming. The barriers were shoved down and were lying askew all over the ground. A woman ran up to me and grabbed my suit lapels. "I need some help," she pleaded to me. Tears were coming out of her eyes, and her face was contorted in terror, anguish, and agony. "Please help me!" There was a deep cut on her forehead. Blood was pouring down her face, and it matted her blonde hair. Her green eyes stared at me with a wild desperation.

"I...I can't do anything right now," I stammered, stumbling away from her. Her eyes had unsettled me almost as much as the shooting had. It was my fear reflected back to me. I walked into a Secret Service agent. He gently pushed me back, and ignored my mumbled apology.

"Charlie, you need to stay back," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. He moved forward, speaking into a small radio on his wrist. I had no idea what was happening until the first police car drove past me. The motorcade was pulling out, and I wasn't with it.

It made me feel frightened, and I suddenly felt completely helpless and worthless. I'm Personal Aide to the President, and I've had my job for almost a year. I was with the President for India and Pakistan, the flu, and every disaster, from mild to minor for the last ten months. To not be able to be with him now was almost like being told about Mom again.

Mom...the gunshots went through my head again. Were those god-awful explosions the last things she ever heard? My mind flashed back to the worst night of my life. I'd asked Mom to take the 10:00 p.m. shift so she could be home to meet Deanna's new boyfriend. I got the call at 12:43 a.m. And then I had to wake up Deanna and tell her...the gun-blasts burst in my head again. I violently shook my head and opened my eyes. I came out of an absolute nightmare to something that wasn't a hell of a lot better.

"Charlie!" someone called out to me. I turned around and saw Leo jogging towards me. "Charlie, you okay?"

"Yeah," I said automatically, my mind someone else entirely. Then I was startled into obedience. "Do you want a car?"

"If you could get one, then I'd like that," Leo said. I walked off to find a car. There were plenty of cars around; the trick was just getting one of the Secret Service agents to let a car get out of this madhouse. I spied the most likely candidate standing beside a black car.

"Hey Donnie," I said, standing in front of the impassive agent. "I need a car for Leo McGarry. Can I get one?"

"You're in luck," he said. "I've got a car ready to go. Someone's already in it. I think they said it was Josh." I thanked him and walked back to Leo. I told him that the car was ready. He thanked me and got into the car. I watched him leave, and walked to where most of the ambulances were gathered. Someone stumbled into me. I turned around and saw an obviously dazed CJ. I held out an arm to steady her.

"CJ, are you all right?" I asked in concern. She seemed like she had just been hit over the head with a large metal crowbar. She was stumbling and weaving. She had a massive head wound, was drunk, or was simply in shock. Possibly all of the above.

"Um, yeah, yeah I am," she said thickly. It sounded like she was in a lot of pain, and when I looked at her head I could see why. She had a large cut on her head. Blood was steadily dripping out of the wound.

"Are you sure? Because it looks like you're bleeding." CJ seemed genuinely surprised to see the blood on her fingertips. "Here. There are some EMTs over there; they'll get you fixed up." I led her over to the paramedics and then walked over to the gate. I tried to help the people. The serious wounds had been taken care of. Now it was just the cuts, sprains, and panic that was the main problem.

I felt better when I was doing something. It helped to keep my mind off of worry for Zoey and the President. I couldn't think. I couldn't let my mind embrace the fact that the President or Zoey might be shot, might be dying. I felt the desperation rising in my throat.

Toby came up to me. He had been calling out Josh's name for a few minutes. "Charlie, are you all right?" I nodded, but Toby didn't let me say anything. It's a strategy that he has perfected throughout the years. "Listen, have you seen Josh?"

"He got into the car with Leo," I told him, thinking back on the events of the night. Josh had gotten in the car with Leo. I was positively sure of it. Or at least 72% sure of it.

"No, no he didn't," Toby said with his mind somewhere else altogether. I wanted to help him, but a woman called me away to help her. Her husband had a medium-sized cut on his forearm. I got a paramedic over there and then I heard Toby's panicked shout. "I need help!"

I whirled around to see Josh's head hit the pavement. I followed the paramedics, who were following Sam and CJ up the stairs. I couldn't see a lot. I could see a huge bloody mess on Josh's chest, and that was about it. Sam, Toby, and CJ were pushed aside by the paramedics, but they were either ignoring, or didn't see Danny Concanon, who was also standing behind the paramedics.

"We're going to have to get him to GW," I heard one of the paramedics say another. I darted down the stairs to where I thought that I could get a car. I had to get the to the hospital and be with Josh. All the rest of the senior staff would be there, and so would the President and Zoey, once they heard that Josh was shot. Or they could be there already, with Zoey under surgery to remove a bullet in her stomach...I shook my head to remove the visions that the thought brought up. Zoey covered with blood, and unconscious, just like Josh...I shook my head again.

"Mike, listen, I need a car," I told one of the Secret Service agents who were standing around the cars. He looked curiously at me. "Don't ask questions right now. I just need a car." I looked over my shoulder. They were putting Josh onto a stretcher and strapping him down. I turned back. Something in my eyes must have convinced Mike to let me have the car. He nodded and I jumped in.

"I need to get to GW," I said to the driver. We pulled out of the plaza. Soon after, we were on the highway. We heard the recognizable wail of an ambulance siren behind us. We pulled over to the side and let the ambulance blaze past us. There was a black car closely following the ambulance, almost on its bumper. We pulled into line right behind the car and stayed there until the ambulance pulled in at George Washington.

I jumped out of the car to see Josh being pulled out of the back of the ambulance. CJ and Toby piled out of their car, and Sam jumped out of the ambulance behind Josh. We all ran behind the nurses as they wheeled Josh into the Emergency Room. Leo came down the hallway and did a double take when he saw the delirious Josh on the stretcher.

"What happened?" he snapped as he watched Josh try to take off the oxygen mask. I was more concerned about why Leo was already at the hospital. He couldn't have gotten the news about Josh and gotten to the hospital before us. There was another reason that Leo was here.

Josh cried out a few more things that no one but Sam understood. He leaned over the hospital bed until a nurse pulled him away. They gently ushered us out of the room and closed the door. Leo let us look in on Josh as they were prepping him for surgery. We watched until Josh was wheeled into the O.R. Leo took us into a private room where Zoey and a few Secret Service agents were waiting. Zoey and Leo shared a meaningful look.

"Guys, there's something that I need to tell you," he said, looking at all of us with a single glance. "I think you should sit down."