DISCLAIMER: Same as before, all non-West Wing characters are mine, and obviously the rest belongs to Sorkin.

NOTES: I want to take this time to remember John Spencer (12-20-1946 to 12-16-2005). Hollywood and The West Wing lost a great actor and friend to a heart attack recently. I'm sure he will be sorely missed by the cast and fans alike as well as his family. It's sad to think that the show will end without such a prominent presence, but it's comforting to think how much he contributed to the success of the series. Thank you John Spencer and God rest.

Here he was again.

Josh had been laying on the couch since CJ left. Though he was tired no sleep would come. Granted, he no longer had to say in bed; Josh found that one thing had not changed with the scenery: he was still bored. Tired of being bored and there wasn't much that could be done about it. Sure, there were the conference calls with other West Wing staff but they weren't about anything serious. There was a strict rule of little stress being enforced by the hospital doctors as well as stern warnings from Doctor Abbey Bartlet.

It seemed that the only thing Josh could do at the moment was lay there on the couch and brood. Donna had blocked out most of the news channels, like CNN and MSNBC. She had told him it was for his own good. Josh thought it didn't do him any good.

Turning on the TV, he began to flip through the channels trying to find anything of remote interest. Nothing looked to be very captivating and half of the channels were airing commercials.

"First thing I'm going to do when I get back is write a law banning commercials…" he grumbled, going past yet another TV ad.

The sleek black car pulled up next to the curb in front of a row of small houses and apartments. Opening the back door, Colonel McCallister stepped out onto the pavement. Looking up she skimmed the building numbers looking for the address that was written down in the file she held in her hand. After a moment her eyes fell on the door just off to her right. Andree shut the folder, turned, and walked to the passenger door of the car. Leaning down toward the open window she spoke to the driver.

"I should be ready in about two hours." The man nodded and drove away as McCallister made her way to the front stoop where her charge lived.

Andy walked up the steps, all the while thinking that she wasn't very far from her own apartment. Shrugging it off she stepped inside and proceeded to find the correct door. Once there she took a deep breath, smoothed down her uniform, and knocked on the heavy oak.

Josh looked over at his apartment door as a knock came from outside. Setting down the remote he slowly got off the couch and walked over to answer it. He was surprised to see a woman standing there in a Marine uniform and began to wonder what exactly was going on.

"Can I help you?" he stood there looking at her, his hand still on the door knob.

"Are you Joshua Lyman?" Andree made eye contact, trying to read the man's face.

"Who's asking?"

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Andree McCallister, United States Marine Corps. I was sent here by Director Steven Sloan, a liaison to the Secret Service."

Josh just stood there in mild shock. She had been sent by a liaison, not the Secret Service, and she was a member of the military. He was confused.

"Sir," he blinked a few times, looking at her more clearly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you Joshua Lyman?" This guy was starting to bug her. There was a picture of Joshua Lyman in the file, but regulations forced her to ask the question regardless.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah that's me." Josh shook his head slightly, closing his eyes. Opening them again he saw she was still there. 'So this isn't a dream and I'm not hallucinating,' he thought to himself.

"May I come in, Mr. Lyman? I'd rather not continue this conversation in the hallway." Andy lowered her voice a bit and leaned forward. She never broke eye contact with Josh.

He jumped, finally remembering his manners, "Sure, please come in." Josh opened the door wider and stepped aside. He watched as the woman passed by him, and shut the door once she was inside.

McCallister eyed the room carefully as she set her things down in a chair near the door. The place was a bit untidy but that was to be expected from someone who has spent the last three months living every moment of their lives in the same apartment without leaving. Still taking in her surroundings, Andree turned slowly back toward Josh.

"I'm sure you're curious as to why I'm here," she began.

"The thought did cross my mind, yeah."

She shot him a look as if to say she wasn't here to mess around. "Yes." She took a short pause before continuing.

"Mr. Lyman, I have been assigned as your personal protection. My orders parallel those of any Secret Service agent's, but with some added details." Though she was warned about the health of her charge, Andree wasn't going to tip toe around the facts.

"Hold up. Personal protection? Like a body guard?" he had moved from near the door by this time and was now standing next to the couch. Her sudden announcement caught him by surprise and he nearly tripped backward over the arm.

"My position is not to be confused with that of a bouncer. I'm simply an added source of protection. Highly trained and specifically briefed for this assignment. May I?" Andy motioned toward a chair just behind her. Taking the hint that she wanted to sit, Josh quickly nodded and finally collapsed onto the couch behind him.

"What organization are you from?" she gave him a confused look, "I mean, I understand you're a member of the military, but who sent you on this assignment?" Josh was beginning to regain full control of his mind and was asking questions that had been forming in his mind since first seeing this woman at his door.

"As I told you before, I was sent by Director Steven Sloan, liaison between the military and the Secret Service. Sloan is in charge of a group of highly trained military personnel. Myself and seven others are members of a team known as Task Force Zero. Our missions are extremely sensitive and therefore require intense training and preparation, both mentally and physically. It is because of this that I haven't been assigned to you earlier." She let that information sink in, watching Josh's reaction.

"I'm still a bit in the dark here. Why exactly are you here? What's the reason for all the extra protection and why me? What about the President, the Vice President, even Leo McGarry? Are they getting the same attention?" All of these questions came pouring out of Josh's mouth.

"TF Zero was brought in due to the extra pressure placed on the administration following the incident at Rosslyn. And to answer your other questions, several members of the senior White House staff as well as the President and Vice President have all been assigned to a member of the team." Again she watched for his reaction. It was a lot of information for one person to digest.

"I see." He was calm; taking in everything he had just been told. "Why did they wait so long, again?" Josh's voice was quiet.

Andree's face softened slightly as she felt his emotions begin to stir. Sloan as well as Lyman's doctors had warned her of his weakened state of mind. Easing up, she slowly began to explain everything in detail.

"Both the Secret Service and Director Sloan felt it necessary to allow for a period of adjustment. Let the staff get back into a normal routine. They wanted things to calm down after the incident before bringing us in."

"It was a shooting," Josh's voice elevated somewhat, his eyes closed in quiet desperation. The sudden display caught McCallister off guard and she just stared.

"I'm sorry?"

"Please, stop calling what happened at Rosslyn an incident. It was a shooting, plain and simple. Two kids opened fire and tried killing the aide to the President. People were shot including me. So I'd appreciate it if you addressed what happened in Rosslyn as it was. A shooting. It was…a shooting." He stopped, breathing heavily. The outburst had taken a lot of energy out of him and Josh was suddenly feeling very tired.

Andy didn't know what to say. Her whole purpose there instantly seemed futile. This man was obviously still troubled by what had happened months ago. It was beginning to appear pointless, her task there today. Standing she moved toward the door and picked up the briefcase she had brought with her. She pulled out a piece of paper and walked back to the couch, setting it on the table in front of him.

"Here's a list of numbers you can contact me at. Feel free to contact me at any time. I'll call to arrange a meeting at another time." McCallister looked for any sign of acknowledgement from him and when she didn't get one, just stood and went back to the door. Before leaving, she spoke again.

"I apologize for laying all this information on you at once. It was imperative that you understand what was going on." She paused a moment, taking a breath. She was about to say something, then stopped. Looking at Josh, Andree decided to leave it at that. Opening the door she said a quick good-bye and left. Standing outside the door she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Andree collected her thoughts for a moment before heading outside into the open air. The cool breeze was a welcome changed and helped calm her emotions. Josh Lyman was proving to be much different then what she had expected and quite frankly, Andy wasn't prepared for it.

Pulling out her cell phone she began dialing the number given to her by the driver. In a moment of decisiveness she closed the phone and tucked it back into her pocket. From what she could tell by the drive over here, the White House wasn't very far and well within walking distance. Wanting to clear her head more before reporting back to Sloan and the President, Andree crossed the street and headed in the direction of Pennsylvania Avenue.