A Lesson in Vengeance Chapter 22, a west wing fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Three

Washington, D.C.- Leo McGarry's Office

"Lawrence doesn't take no for an answer," Josh answered.

"He doesn't have a choice."

"Leo…"

"Make your point and then get out, Josh."

"Yeah. Okay. I'm going."

Josh stood from his chair, moved toward the door and jumped back when it swung open and hitting him in the head. Margaret poked her head in, embarassed.

"Sorry about that."

"Yeah, it's okay. Just…almost killed me, but we're good now," Josh said.

"That's a shame. Leo."

"What's up, Margaret?"

"The Surgeon General is here," Margaret said.

"She's back from London?"

"She got in this morning."

"Send her in," Leo said.

"Okay, now I'm really leaving," Josh said, hurriedly.

"Coward."

"Adios."

On his way out, Josh ran right into Millie.

"Dr. Griffith!"

"Joshua."

"You're looking well."

"You look like you just ran into a door," Millie said, with a smirk.

"I didn't run into…oh, forget it. I'm leaving."

"Godspeed."

"Yeah, yeah."

Millie smiled and rolled her eyes, then walked into Leo's office.

"Welcome back," Leo said.

"Thank you," Millie replied, sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"How was London?"

"It was…British."

"Yeah, I've heard that."

"How's the President?" Millie asked.

"Much better. He's back on his feet."

"I'll check in with his doctor before I leave."

"Okay. Listen…how's Abbey?"

"How do you think she is, Leo?"

"That bad, huh?" Leo said.

"I don't know. She goes from weak and vulnerable to angry and vindictive. One minute she's wallowing in self-pity and the next minute she's muttering obscenities under her breath."

"The President's the same way. In your opinion, what's her next move?"

"Abbey's?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't think she was too happy about showing him her concern and then being brushed off. He really hurt her when he asked to speak to me," Millie said.

"Yeah, well, she really hurt him when she, ya know, sent him separation papers."

"Judging by her actions of late, I'd say she's not quite finished yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you she's been feeling…vindictive. For lack of a better word, as that does sound relatively harsh. She's probably going to want to get back at him for that."

"For what?" Leo asked.

"For brushing her off in her moment of weakness."

"Hasn't she done enough?"

"I think so, you think so, anyone with half a brain thinks so, but…if you ask me, this is just gonna keep going on. Back and forth. This is war, Leo. And we're the POWs."

"Great," Leo replied, unenthusiasically.

"We have to do something."

"We're already tried, Millie. And I got bitched at because of it."

"It's obvious they both want to be together, they're just too damn stubborn to be honest with each other," Millie said.

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Well…"

"There's nothing we can do now."

"You're giving up?"

"I'm giving in," Leo said. "They have to find their way to each other, by themselves. Plus, neither one of us is an expert on marriage."

"Mere skeletons in the closet, Leo."

"I think it's more than that, Millie."

"Between both of our marriages, we've got about sixty-five years of holy matrimony behind us," Millie pointed out.

"Yeah…that's not the same thing."

"Sixty-five years of marriage, Leo."

"And six years of divorce."

"Don't be a Negative Nancy."

Leo tried to suppress his laughter, unsucessfully.

"A Negative Nancy?"

"Yeah. Negative Nancy, Debbie Downer…you know."

"Notice they're both women," Leo pointed out.

"Oh, bite me, would you?"

"Since you bring that up…"

"What?" Millie asked.

"I wanted to ask you, and you're under no obligation to say yes, but…how would you feel about…going to dinner sometime?"

Millie burst out laughing, instantly deflating Leo's ego.

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"I said bite me and you thought 'hey, let's go out to dinner'!"

"Well, I figured it was a long shot, but…"

"I'd love to," Millie said.

"What?"

"I'd love to have dinner with you."

"You would," Leo said, more a queston than a statement.

"Well, let's not make a talk show out of it!"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't think you'd say yes."

"Why!"

"Because…you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I've never hated you. I just enjoy arguing with you."

"Oh."

"And then there was the thing where you forgot your anniversary and caused one of my closet friends to divorce you. And out of loyalty, I resented you. That's the way it works."

"Well…"

"You did the same thing to me when Scott and I called it quits."

"That was different," Leo said.

"Why?"

"You cheated on him!"

"Because he cheated on me!" Millie exclaimed.

"You can't prove that. It was just a suspicion which, by the way, was never confirmed."

"Oh, bullshit, Leo."

"So. How's tonight at eight?"

London, England

"How are you?" Sir Anthony Prescott asked. "I haven't spoken to you since you met with my lawyer."

"Yeah. I'm sorry about that. Things got a little complicated. My best friend flew in, unexpected," Abbey answered.

"I read in the paper that the Surgeon General was in London as well."

Abbey smiled at his naivete.

"The Surgeon General is my best friend."

"Oh. Well, that makes perfect sense then."

"She left yesterday."

"Oliver mentioned he hadn't seen much of Zoey either," Tony said.

"The three of us have spent a lot of time together over the past week. Millie's like family," Abbey explained.

Tony nodded.

"So. How has the President reacted to the papers? I haven't read a thing about it."

"I don't know. He had an episode a few days ago…"

"The MS?"

"Yes. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was the separation papers that brought it on, and I've been feeling horribly guilty."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about. You couldn't have known."

"I don't know," Abbey said, softly. "Maybe you're right."

"Has he signed them?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Is he planning to?" Tony questioned.

"I don't know that either."

"Then I don't suppose you want to attend a major function with me, hmm?"

"Depends," Abbey replied, coyly. "Which major function would that be?"

"A garden party at Buckingham Palace."

"Would this include, say, a conversation with the Queen?"

"You could say that. A few conversations possibly."

"Oooh. Well, that is intriguing."

"What do you say?" Tony asked.

"Will there be photographers and friends of my husband's attending this party?"

"It's very likely," he said, honestly, expecting her to decline him.

"Then I'm in."

Washington, D.C.- the Oval Office

"Mr. President."

Jed placed his hand over the phone to keep the man on the other line from hearing him.

"Debbie, I'm on with the Secretary of Agriculture."

"I know, sir, and I'm sorry to bother you, but this is important," Debbie said.
"What is it?" Jed asked, concerned.

"Annie and Gus are here."

"Really. Elizabeth didn't mention she was coming to DC."

"She didn't. She's not with them."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not with them. I mean, she's not here. And before you ask, neither is Doug. In fact, the kids are…unaccompanied."

"Good Lord," Jed whispered, then removed his hand from the phone. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Secretary, but I'm going to have to call you back. Something's come up. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Goodbye."

He placed the phone down on the receiver and stood up.

"Bring 'em in, Debbie."

"Yes, sir."

Jed tried to relax himself before seeing his grandchildren, as he always did. He wanted them to think of him more as their grandfather than as their president. Annie and Gus followed Debbie into the office.

"Hi, Grandpa," they both said at once.

"I'll be just outside if you need me, sir," Debbie said, excusing herself.

"Thank you, Debbie."

He approached his grandchildrenslowly, studying their expressions.

"Please tell me that someone is here with you. Some responsible adult who accompanied you here with your mother's permission."

"Don't be mad, Grandpa. It was really important that we see you, and Mom said she couldn't take us and…" Annie tried to explain.

"Save it, Annie. We'll talk about this in a minute. Sit down on the couch while I call your mother and let her know you're all right. She's probably going out of her mind."

"But…"

"On the couch, Anne. Now."

"Josh, just don't make it a bigger deal than it is. When you meet with Congressman Lawrence today, explain the situation and let him know the White House isn't prepared to negotiate about this," Leo advised. "Lawrence doesn't take no for an answer," Josh answered.
"He doesn't have a choice"
"Leo"
"Make your point and then get out, Josh"
"Yeah. Okay. I'm going"
Josh stood from his chair, moved toward the door and jumped back when it swung open and hitting him in the head. Margaret poked her head in, embarassed.
"Sorry about that"
"Yeah, it's okay. Just…almost killed me, but we're good now," Josh said. "That's a shame. Leo"
"What's up, Margaret"
"The Surgeon General is here," Margaret said.
"She's back from London"
"She got in this morning"
"Send her in," Leo said.
"Okay, now I'm really leaving," Josh said, hurriedly.
"Coward"
"Adios"
On his way out, Josh ran right into Millie.
"Dr. Griffith"
"Joshua"
"You're looking well"
"You look like you just ran into a door," Millie said, with a smirk.
"I didn't run into…oh, forget it. I'm leaving"
"Godspeed"
"Yeah, yeah"
Millie smiled and rolled her eyes, then walked into Leo's office.
"Welcome back," Leo said.
"Thank you," Millie replied, sitting in the chair in front of his desk.
"How was London"
"It was…British"
"Yeah, I've heard that"
"How's the President?" Millie asked.
"Much better. He's back on his feet"
"I'll check in with his doctor before I leave"
"Okay. Listen…how's Abbey"
"How do you think she is, Leo"
"That bad, huh?" Leo said.
"I don't know. She goes from weak and vulnerable to angry and vindictive. One minute she's wallowing in self-pity and the next minute she's muttering obscenities under her breath"
"The President's the same way. In your opinion, what's her next move"
"Abbey's"
"Yeah"
"Well, I don't think she was too happy about showing him her concern and then being brushed off. He really hurt her when he asked to speak to me," Millie said.
"Yeah, well, she really hurt him when she, ya know, sent him separation papers"
"Judging by her actions of late, I'd say she's not quite finished yet"
"What do you mean"
"I told you she's been feeling…vindictive. For lack of a better word, as that does sound relatively harsh. She's probably going to want to get back at him for that"
"For what?" Leo asked.
"For brushing her off in her moment of weakness"
"Hasn't she done enough"
"I think so, you think so, anyone with half a brain thinks so, but…if you ask me, this is just gonna keep going on. Back and forth. This is war, Leo. And we're the POWs"
"Great," Leo replied, unenthusiasically.
"We have to do something"
"We're already tried, Millie. And I got bitched at because of it"
"It's obvious they both want to be together, they're just too damn stubborn to be honest with each other," Millie said.
"Don't you think I know that"
"Well"
"There's nothing we can do now"
"You're giving up"
"I'm giving in," Leo said. "They have to find their way to each other, by themselves. Plus, neither one of us is an expert on marriage"
"Mere skeletons in the closet, Leo"
"I think it's more than that, Millie"
"Between both of our marriages, we've got about sixty-five years of holy matrimony behind us," Millie pointed out.
"Yeah…that's not the same thing"
"Sixty-five years of marriage, Leo"
"And six years of divorce"
"Don't be a Negative Nancy"
Leo tried to suppress his laughter, unsucessfully.
"A Negative Nancy"
"Yeah. Negative Nancy, Debbie Downer…you know"
"Notice they're both women," Leo pointed out.
"Oh, bite me, would you"
"Since you bring that up"
"What?" Millie asked.
"I wanted to ask you, and you're under no obligation to say yes, but…how would you feel about…going to dinner sometime"
Millie burst out laughing, instantly deflating Leo's ego.
"Why are you laughing at me"
"I said bite me and you thought 'hey, let's go out to dinner"
"Well, I figured it was a long shot, but"
"I'd love to," Millie said.
"What"
"I'd love to have dinner with you." "You would," Leo said, more a queston than a statement.
"Well, let's not make a talk show out of it"
"I'm sorry, I just didn't think you'd say yes"
"Why"
"Because…you hate me"
"I don't hate you. I've never hated you. I just enjoy arguing with you"
"Oh"
"And then there was the thing where you forgot your anniversary and caused one of my closet friends to divorce you. And out of loyalty, I resented you. That's the way it works"
"Well"
"You did the same thing to me when Scott and I called it quits"
"That was different," Leo said.
"Why"
"You cheated on him!" "Because he cheated on me!" Millie exclaimed. "You can't prove that. It was just a suspicion which, by the way, was never confirmed"
"Oh, bullshit, Leo." "So. How's tonight at eight"

London, England

"How are you?" Sir Anthony Prescott asked. "I haven't spoken to you since you met with my lawyer"
"Yeah. I'm sorry about that. Things got a little complicated. My best friend flew in, unexpected," Abbey answered.
"I read in the paper that the Surgeon General was in London as well"
Abbey smiled at his naivete.
"The Surgeon General is my best friend"
"Oh. Well, that makes perfect sense then"
"She left yesterday"
"Oliver mentioned he hadn't seen much of Zoey either," Tony said. "The three of us have spent a lot of time together over the past week. Millie's like family," Abbey explained.
Tony nodded. "So. How has the President reacted to the papers? I haven't read a thing about it"
"I don't know. He had an episode a few days ago"
"The MS"
"Yes. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was the separation papers that brought it on, and I've been feeling horribly guilty"
"You have nothing to feel guilty about. You couldn't have known"
"I don't know," Abbey said, softly. "Maybe you're right"
"Has he signed them"
"No"
"No"
"No." "Is he planning to?" Tony questioned.
"I don't know that either"
"Then I don't suppose you want to attend a major function with me, hmm"
"Depends," Abbey replied, coyly. "Which major function would that be"
"A garden party at Buckingham Palace"
"Would this include, say, a conversation with the Queen"
"You could say that. A few conversations possibly"
"Oooh. Well, that is intriguing"
"What do you say?" Tony asked.
"Will there be photographers and friends of my husband's attending this party"
"It's very likely," he said, honestly, expecting her to decline him. "Then I'm in"

Washington, D.C.- the Oval Office

President Bartlet sat at his desk, holding the phone to his ear, and doodling on a post-it. The Secretary of Agriculture had been rambling for about ten minutes. The last thing Jed remember hearing was the word 'corn,' at which point he picked up his pen and began drawing various shapes on paper. He looked up when his secretary entered the Oval Office without knocking- something she rarely did.
"Mr. President"
Jed placed his hand over the phone to keep the man on the other line from hearing him.
"Debbie, I'm on with the Secretary of Agriculture"
"I know, sir, and I'm sorry to bother you, but this is important," Debbie said.
"What is it?" Jed asked, concerned.
"Annie and Gus are here." "Really. Elizabeth didn't mention she was coming to DC"
"She didn't. She's not with them"
"What do you mean"
"She's not with them. I mean, she's not here. And before you ask, neither is Doug. In fact, the kids are…unaccompanied." "Good Lord," Jed whispered, then removed his hand from the phone. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Secretary, but I'm going to have to call you back. Something's come up. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Goodbye"
He placed the phone down on the receiver and stood up.
"Bring 'em in, Debbie"
"Yes, sir"
Jed tried to relax himself before seeing his grandchildren, as he always did. He wanted them to think of him more as their grandfather than as their president. Annie and Gus followed Debbie into the office.
"Hi, Grandpa," they both said at once.
"I'll be just outside if you need me, sir," Debbie said, excusing herself.
"Thank you, Debbie"
He approached his grandchild slowly, studying their expressions. "Please tell me that someone is here with you. Some responsible adult who accompanied you here with your mother's permission"
"Don't be mad, Grandpa. It was really important that we see you, and Mom said she couldn't take us and…" Annie tried to explain.
"Save it, Annie. We'll talk about this in a minute. Sit down on the couch while I call your mother and let her know you're all right. She's probably going out of her mind"
"But…" "On the couch, Anne. Now"

Chapter Twenty-Three

Washington, D.C.- Leo McGarry's Office

London, England

Washington, D.C.- the Oval Office