Austin, Texas- capital city of Texas, it had emerged from the stereotype of Texas as a home of cattle barons and cowboys by entering the technology scene with wide success. It had even gained the nickname Silicon Hills because so many businesses had found success here. Knowing that and seeing the variety of towering blocks that formed the modern city didn't lift Jed's hopes much or dispel the notion for Josh that their Texas trip was going to be one big country fest of humouring gun nut hicks.

When they arrived at the prestigious and Romanesque Driskill Hotel, shortly after midnight, it bolstered hopes a little. It wasn't the stereotypical timber cabin themed hotel Josh had been expecting and Cadence had been secretly hoping for. The hotel was stately, light brown and white in the daylight, the night cast it in shades of grey that made it almost castle like with its European styled arches and points, although the white balconies and columns added an element of Southern country estate to its style.

The hotel manager was waiting by the open doors and the Secret Service team had done the once over and were now standing at post as the President stepped out to enter first.

The press did their bit of taking photographs, all the while knowing nothing ever looked great at night no matter how well the supporting light. Everyone was tired, including the journalists, and relieved when the President didn't dally too long with greetings, although he was appropriately warm and cheerful to their host.

Danny felt a sense of intrigue as he readied for the Vice President's party. The red haired correspondent figured it was probably the first time in a while that Hoynes' group had interested him. He stepped forward, ahead of the press pool as the senior White House correspondent, putting himself in a good position to ask questions, just in case.

He had left it to a lesser journalist to ask President Bartlet if he was happy to be in Texas, knowing the response would be blunt, brief and entirely staged. Of course he wasn't, he hated Texas, and everyone knew it. Hoynes however was a native and Danny was eager to see if the VP was going to use this opportunity to seize some support for himself or if he was going to behave and earn some gold stars for his boss.

More importantly, Danny wanted to see Hoynes' new employee first hand. Word had spread down the plane that the VP's newbie had a fear of flying. Some slightly loose lips on Hoynes' team had also let it slip to the press how unimpressive and little liked she was thought of by them. Danny had ignored that, she was Leo McGarry's daughter, of course no one was going to want her on board initially.

Danny hadn't done much research on her, her post was minor and probably down to nepotism. The redhead figured she wouldn't do much or be allowed to do much for that matter except exist in a good job in a token gesture to Leo. Now the reporter wondered if she was what they were trying to cover up when boarding the plane, had her phobia caused her to make a fuss?

John Hoynes was walking forward, appearing in a brighter mood than he had been boarding despite the lateness of the hour.

Danny manoeuvred himself before the VP. "What's it like to back in Texas Mr. Vice President?" Danny queried.

"Any state of America is a visit to pleasure Danny," John retorted neutrally.

"But you grew up here, no special attachment?"

"I lived in Abilene," John corrected him, "and whilst they are both cities in Texas that begin with A, I wouldn't say that's the same thing. Texas cities and towns are all full of their own character," he added with a bright gaze. "Austin is full of culture, make sure you take it in while you are with us."

Danny gave a small smile at this, it looked harmless but it was a way of Danny showing his annoyance without actually showing it. Overall he was a laid back person, he had learned the age old practice of catching more flies with honey than vinegar. Only C.J could bring his real anger out of him and that was generally for personal reasons not professional.

"Okay," Danny said cheerfully.

Danny glanced back to John's party, he spied Cadence grouped to the back, the unwanted runt of the herd left for the scavengers to prey on.

If the woman minded the rejection from her own team she wasn't showing it. She walked briskly, wide eyes spying out the streets of Austin with a sense of wonder to them. She looked tired but happy, swinging her arms and bouncing her feet as if she was about to break into skipping at any moment.

"Miss McGarry," Danny called to her. "This is your first trip out of state on your new job, what are your thoughts on Austin so far?"

Danny gave her an encouraging smile, it was a smile that had often presented him as ally to the less suspicious and more gullible members of the White House.

Cadence blinked over at him in confusion, thrown by the title of 'Miss McGarry', she was getting it more often these days but it was still an adjustment.

"I couldn't form a judgement on it with hardly having seen it," she retorted happily. She kept walking as she talked, matching the others' brisk pace as they prepared to enter the hotel. "The buildings are very tall and the hotel looks like a chocolate cake," she added with a grin.

Danny laughed but even he wasn't sure how sincere his response was as he wondered at the sincerity of hers.

The meet and greets were brief before everyone was separated and led off to their hotel rooms.

Before Cadence could disappear into hers for a much needed sleep, she was stopped by her father who had followed after her.

Leo took his daughter by the arm, turning her back from her hotel room door.

"Cadence are you alright?" Leo queried with a worried look. "You didn't do very well when the plane was landing, I heard you were screaming."

Cadence frowned, wondering which of John's team had spread that story. "Not exactly screaming, that's a bit exaggerative," she grumbled. "You know, some loud whimpering maybe."

"Cady," Leo said as he continued to stare at her with concern.

"We landed dad and we're off the plane so I'm good," she reassured with a smile. "Just let me go to bed and I'll be grand in the morning, promise." She widened her smile to ease his woes.

Leo nodded and released her arm. "Alright, well look I'm only um...well I'm across at the other side of the hotel and one floor up but it's not far. Room 57, you can ring anytime."

"In case I have a nightmare?" she quipped teasingly. "Dad, I'm not six years old anymore, I'm okay."

"You're my little girl no matter what age you are," Leo insisted, "you and Mallory both. You need me, you call," he added firmly.

Cadence resisted the urge to scorn her father's concern, she couldn't fault him for making an effort to be a good father and it wasn't like he was undermining her job, there was no else in the corridor to hear him.

"Night dad," she said gently.

"Night Cady."

Leo departed, heading for the long hallway that would take him through the hotel to his side of the building.

Breakfast had begun at seven o'clock sharp in a fine dining area that was usually reserved for dinners but had been opened up for its esteemed political guests. Designed as an evening room, it had darker tones with wooden panelling on the walls and ceiling and rich maroon carpet patterned with the gold stars of Texas.

C.J, good at being a morning person because her job demanded it but not an early eater, was unimpressed by the hoard of food Sam and Josh brought to their shared table. Their table, designed for fine wine glasses and perfectly portioned dishes looked dangerously overloaded when Sam and Josh unloaded their breakfast onto it.

They sat together with Toby who wasn't a morning person but made it hard to tell as he bore the same frown he had on throughout most of the day. Sometimes C.J wondered if Toby simply wasn't a day or night person but perhaps only welcomed joy at one selective point of the day for a brief five minutes before his natural setting of cynical misery took over again.

"Are you boys hungry?" C.J queried mockingly as she eyed up the offering of breakfast delights they had taken from the buffet.

For them, the lesser staff, it was a buffet, for the President, the Vice President, Leo and Cal, it was table service.

Josh toyed with a bagel thoughtfully before he grinned in Cadence's direction. His adversary was seated with her co-workers and yet somehow she was very much alone, still the outsider on Hoynes' team. Three co-workers talked happily amongst themselves whilst she sat on the edge of their table in silence. She seemed unperturbed by it as she studied a collection of notes and sipped calmly at a cup of coffee.

"You know what I heard," Josh said excitedly. "Sandra, Hoynes' speechwriter, says a few of Hoynes' team put in calls to have room service wake Cadence at two in the morning, then three, then four." He laughed. "They really don't like her."

"Well that's mature," Toby scorned as he eyed up a fried egg with displeasure. It was a little too runny for his liking. "It's not like Sandra knows much anyway, Hoynes usually writes his own speeches. I'm fairly certain she was hired for her looks."

"Just like Sam," C.J joked. "But isn't arranging prank calls hazing?" she quipped as she glanced to Josh. "Also, Josh, Cadence seems fine as a person. I mean I don't really know her-"

"Don't really know her?" Josh echoed with disbelief as he took a seat. "Guys you met her when Leo courted Hoynes, right as that thesis story broke."

C.J shrugged and gave Josh a serious stare across the table. "You know what Josh, I'm going to say it, she seemed alright then too. Why hold one mistake like that against her?" she demanded in a serious tone. "We have all made mistakes, even here in our current roles. It's called being human and it's nice to see another woman break into this man's world of politics," she added scornfully.

"It's not a man's world," Toby grumbled, "just a world for the more educated of people."

"Toby I swear to God, I'm not going to have my intelligence patronised before noon," C.J warned him. "We employ roughly fifty women you know, to about a thousand men, do the maths there Mr. Educated."

Josh smiled before turning his attention to his food. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you about Benedict Arnold though."

"Warn us about what?" C.J sneered. "Her master plan to put Hoynes on the throne? Josh come on, you're just sore because this plan was hers and it's good."

"Tell me that when we visit the ranch," Josh retorted moodily.

Sam glanced over at the young woman. He felt sorry for sitting aloof to her colleagues but admired the dignity she bore it with. She seemed genuinely deep in her studies and he pondered the possibility that maybe she wanted the solitude.

"You would think at least one member of Hoynes' team could extend the olive branch," Sam murmured. "I mean they have decent people, Jeremy and Gavin are good fun and Tanya."

"Tanya?" Josh scoffed. "Sam you're only saying that because you fancy her." Josh snickered as he pointed towards the right.

The table was occupied by two members of Hoynes' team, including a statuesque woman who, although tall, was still shorter than C.J, and had a spill of inky black hair pooling over her shoulders.

"There she is, go tell her how nice she is Sam," Josh teased.

"She can be," Sam said stubbornly, "at least to me. She agrees with my viewpoints on the budget and she praised my last speech."

"Sam, don't make me lose my appetite already," Toby remarked in a dry manner as he gave his subordinate a wilting look.

Seeing the President stand, they all prepared to stand as well but he waved them back down. "At ease people," he commanded. "I just wanted to say good morning to you and ask if you know a little bit about the history of where you are dining right now."

Josh let out a groan. "Not another history lesson," he lamented.

"I want to have a little fun with this," Jed continued with a smile, "since it's not often the Vice President and I travel together. So I'm going to educate you with a questions and answers session, let's see who knows more about this fine establishment, my team or the Vice President's." He gave them a friendly wave. "All in good fun of course but I will be disappointed if the Vice President's team don't impress me given their boss is from Texas."

Jed gave a sideways glance down to John as he added, "I'll wonder if he hasn't been teaching you guys anything."

John smiled at the jibe. He had already mentally prepared himself last night to put on the mask of friendship with the President.

Toby sat upright in his seat with a serious stare. "And suddenly I'm interested," he said confidently.

"Alright, an easy one to start," Jed began, "who founded this lovely hotel here? Come on now, just shout it out, clue's in the name."

"Oh I read this in the hotel booklet last night," C.J said enthusiastically.

"You read the booklet?" Sam queried in disbelief as he and Josh both regarded her like she had two heads.

"I couldn't sleep," she protested as she gave Sam a defensive look. "Oh. Colonel Jesse Driskill Mr. President!" she cried out enthusiastically as she turned to face her boss' table.

Jed smiled with pride. "Very good C.J and for a bonus point, what was his profession?"

"Uh a colonel?" C.J queried doubtfully.

Jed laughed. "Not quite."

"Cattle baron sir," Sam called out, "I saw something about it in the lobby."

"And you made fun of me for reading before bed?" C.J snapped at him with an accusing stare.

"I wasn't in bed when I read it!" Sam retaliated.

"Very good Sam, that's two for my side John, keep count," Jed teased the VP as he gave him a smile.

Leo was silent, trying to resist the urge to burrow his head in his hands at the display. Jed would call it 'team building' but Leo called it 'antagonising'.

"Here's a fun question," Jed continued enthusiastically, "why did the women have a special entrance when the hotel was built?"

"To avoid the men?" Gavin Drake, the Deputy Chief of Staff on Hoynes' team, queried humorously with a smile.

There was a murmur of laughter before Jed shook his head.

"No I'm not giving you that one, you're not quite there."

"To avoid the vulgar talk of the men," Sandra piped up with a smile.

Jed pointed in her direction. "Bingo! To avoid the talking of cattle specifically, I tell you, you can modernise Texas but the cattle stories will endure."

"Sir," Leo protested quietly. He was all too aware of the hotel staff listening in and was wary of Jed letting his personal feelings on Texas out in the open again.

"Which President enjoyed staying here?" Jed ignored Leo and moved to the next question.

"Oh I read about this!" Sam said eagerly. He snapped his fingers and frowned as he tried to remember it.

C.J looked at him across the table with an expression of disgust. "You're a bookworm," she scorned him.

"Oh I know this one. Lyndon B Johnson sir!" Toby called loudly with enthusiasm.

"A Texan, of course," Josh groaned as he slid his hands up into his brown curls.

"That's right Toby." Jed glanced down at John. "Your people aren't doing very well, one more question to give them a chance?"

"Sure sir," John retorted amicably.

"Alright, let's finish with a hard one," Jed suggested as faced the group again. "It's three to one but I'll make this question worth two points so there's a chance to finish on a tie. How did Colonel Driskill lose this hotel?"

There was a moment of murmurings but no one seemed quite ready to settle on an answer.

Josh looked up from the table and surveyed the room briefly to see if anyone else was going to try for an answer. "That's a trick question sir," he answered calmly. "The rumour says he lost it in a poker game to his brother-in-law Doc Day but actually he was forced to sell it to him because he lost his fortune after a severe drought and bad winter cost him over three thousand of his cattle."

"Brilliant Josh!" Jed remarked cheerfully. "You got yourself both points. I'm sad to say that means our Vice President's team has lost but I'm hopeful you all learned a little bit of history today."

John masked his disappointment well as he smiled agreeably at the group.

Leo couldn't quite hide his frown from the President, knowing the sting of his words was deliberate.

Two people at Cadence's table eyed her up with stares of irritation. One of them complained loudly to her, "wasn't this trip your idea, didn't you do some research for it?"

Cadence ignored the jibe and continued perusing her notes.

Leo stood up from the table at last. "Anyway, we all have a lot of work to do," he announced loudly. "Those of you who are joining us to meet with Senator Whyte, please have yourselves ready and waiting at the cars."

It took just ten minutes for everyone to be out and ready to go visit the senator. They were all dismayed to see the heavy, dark grey clouds that were rolling in overhead.

"Well this is ominous," Josh murmured as he gazed upwards. He felt a prickle of annoyance that Sam and Toby were getting to sit this one out to prepare for the speeches that would be required tonight when they attended a ball in the hotel with the governor and his people.

"Could be worse," C.J retorted.

"How?"

"I don't know, could be hailstones or a tornado, just be positive Josh."

Josh gazed at her and frowned. "You know if it hails I'm going to blame you."

"Right."

Leo glanced at his watch. It was just after three in the afternoon and already the day was a perfect disaster. Senator Matt Whyte was every bit the cliché Jed had expected- a no-nonsense, stubborn, tight ass. If they had shared the same beliefs they might have been friends but Whyte was an extremist apparently and worse, a man without etiquette having happily called Jed a liberal blowhard to his face.

They were touring the senator's ranch as a goodwill gesture, a sign of friendship but all it had managed to bring, was the hilarious image of educated suits stumbling through mud, manure and puddles as the heavens opened upon them. More than that, the senator had a sick sense of humour and in the interest of embracing the Texan culture he had produced a few of the cowboy hats Jed had openly criticised, offering them as 'gifts' to his visitors.

Since the President wasn't going to go native, Josh had to take one for the team. Of course this had only been after C.J had told him very quietly and softly in a tone that he knew promised pain 'no way'. C.J hadn't needed to add a curse, the threat was clear in her gaze as she used her height to intimidate Josh. As Josh's counterpart, Gavin was forced to don the other one.

Leo knew showing the President and his party up as city folk who didn't understand their rural voters was exactly what Whyte wanted and he was fearful of the President losing his temper any minute now. Their only salvation was John who hadn't bristled at the insults shared his way or made much of a comment as his shined shoes were sullied with mud but even the Vice President was struggling to negotiate anything with the stubborn senator.

They were all just grateful that the press wasn't privy to this meeting. The photo display would come later in the evening when the senator and his companions joined them at the hotel for a ball.

"Can we go somewhere dry?" Jed demanded.

Although Charlie was keeping him dry with a large umbrella, it wasn't doing much for the smell of animal faeces that surrounded them or the bedraggled, drenched staff who weren't so privileged as to have someone shelter them with an umbrella.

Charlie was a little more interested in the ranch than the others. Although the stench was just as unpleasant to him he considered how fortunate an opportunity it was to escape the White House and see another state, and it was all paid for.

"Sure Mr. President, I forgot you weren't used to this kind of rain up in Washington, or rather you're not used to being out in it," Matt retorted with a taunting grin.

Matt Whyte was even dressed as the stereotype, he wore a form of a suit, pale grey with a white shirt but he had also added a brown cowboy hat and brown cowboy boots to his attire as well as two prominently displayed pistols, which shone a polished silver even in the dimness of the day.

John, recalling Whyte from when he had lived in Texas, was more than a little suspicious that the man was dressed this way to yank the President's chain. He knew the man actually spent most of his time in the city and usually dressed as a businessman without the ranch attire. He was trying to get a reaction, something public and embarrassing that would set the Texan people gnashing their teeth at their leader yet again.

"Matt," John addressed him calmly, "we are used to all kinds of weather, not just in Washington but all round the world. The President was in South American suffering monsoons just two weeks ago."

Jed raised his eyebrows slightly as he shot John a questioning look that went unnoticed. He was surprised for the save and gratified for it.

Matt nodded as he bit back a frown. "Alright, we'll talk in the house then."

They headed for the house eagerly. Despite having the longest legs and being the most desperate for shelter, C.J hung back, knowing she couldn't very well charge in before the President and Vice President.

"Hey John Wayne," she remarked to Josh sardonically, "how do you think this is going?"

"Well C.J if that's the best you can come up with not well," Josh retorted wearily. He tipped his tan hat up to her and smiled.

The press secretary smiled back. "I'm going to enjoy telling Toby and Sam how adorable you looked playing Lone Ranger."

"At least it's keeping my hair dry," Josh retorted stubbornly. He eyed C.J's damp locks pointedly.

The woman's hair was plastered close to her soaked cheeks and she had long since given up trying to push it off.

They stepped into the house, pausing to wipe their shoes on the mat, although it was pointless given the small size of it and the amount of mud they had to trek in.

The senator led them through to a private sitting area that had only a single door of entry and no windows.

C.J held back a frown as she took in the room's idea of décor. Stuffed animals lined the fireplace whilst a few furry heads were mounted on the walls. There was also a collection of mounted guns, some looking older than the Union. Adding to the testosterone the room screamed with was a crystal decanter of brandy and glasses.

With the President, the Vice President, the senator, Leo, Cal, Josh, Gavin, C.J, Jeremy and the Secret Service, the room was entirely too small looking. Only two Secret Service agents had come into it whilst the rest waited outside, with Charlie, and some were on patrol outside the building.

Senator Whyte offered the head of the table to the President.

"Can I offer you anything?" the senator quipped as he sat.

"How about terms?" Jed was straight to the point. "You know I can't do a U-turn on gun control and I don't want to."

"Well that's a restriction on the Second Amendment," the senator retaliated calmly. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

"That is bull, you guys always hide behind that amendment when it comes to guns," Jed grumbled. "You want everyone to have a gun and that's ludicrous, not everyone is sensible enough to have one."

"Oh that's right," the senator sneered with a wide, bitter smile that stretched across his wrinkled face, "we're all too stupid here for guns, idiot hicks, isn't that what you think Mr. President?"

"Now senator don't go putting words in the President's mouth," Leo warned. "We have come here on good terms, let's not go down this road. Let's meet in the middle."

The senator shook his head. "I have no reason to, you're talking about people's rights here, the right to choose to buy a gun, the right to protect themselves, the right-"

"To sell guns," John interrupted coolly.

The Vice President was seated to Jed's left, on the opposite side of Leo. He had kept a calm, quiet appearance as the others bickered, watching them with a keen blue stare as if waiting on something.

Leo wondered if this was what John had been waiting for and he worried.

"Yes," Senator Whyte retorted.

Josh gave him a sharp look, catching the slight unease the senator had let slip into his voice.

"Specifically that's what you are talking about," John continued, "and why you aren't going to win this."

"What are you talking about?" the senator growled back as his dark eyes narrowed in anger.

"What are you talking about Mr. Vice President," John retorted icily, "don't forget when you address me you address the office of the Vice President."

C.J tensed at those words and resisted an urge to roll her eyes at John's arrogance. He had used the same phrasing on her before. She saw it as an egotistical desperation by the man not to be ignored or displaced because he wasn't number one, he needed the world to know that number two still mattered.

John kept a frosty blue stare on the senator as he continued, his voice tranquil as he uttered a condemning accusation. "You have shares in Bryant & Co, one of the top producers and sellers of automatic weapons in the United States, a company that took some damage when the bill to restrict the sales of automatic weapons was passed because automatics are their speciality."

Josh filled with shock as he tensed in his seat. His dark gaze shot over to C.J with alarm.

C.J looked back to Josh with equal surprise. They were both wondering the same thing, how the hell did John know this, what proof did he have, and why hadn't it been run by them first?

"You have created this fiasco not for public welfare but for profit and I imagine the people of Texas would take a very dim view to their human rights being exploited as a pawn for money," John concluded.

"Do you have any proof of this nonsense?" the senator retorted. He had turned an odd shade of grey and his hands had curled into trembling fists on the table top.

"Your face lends a certain degree of evidence to things," Jed responded carefully. He and Leo were both keeping their surprise from their faces. John had dumped them in it and now they had to stand by his accusation so they didn't look foolish.

"This is the White House you are addressing Senator Whyte," John reminded him, "we have access to all the evidence that will be required to expose this."

"We still have a ball to conclude," Leo reminded all of them.

"Senator why don't we end things amicably," Jed suggested. "You drop this gun rights nonsense and we won't expose our beliefs that your shares in automatic weapons may possibly be connected to your belief in the rights to buy and, more specifically, sell guns to whoever in the hell you seem to feel like it." Jed's voice rose an octave as he lost his composure slightly and his rage slipped into it.

Jed wasn't just angry with the senator, he was raging with John for using evidence he hadn't discussed with Jed first. He fumed to himself that once again John was trying to look like the better man.

"I think you could maybe re-consider how good it is to better vet who you sell to as well," Jed suggested with a smile.

Josh stood up from his seat quickly. "May I go to the toilet," he said hastily.

The senator waved him off with one hand. "Sure, out, left and then second on the right," he murmured without looking at him. He was still grey and trembling.

Josh bolted off, ignoring C.J's questioning look as he did. It was time for damage control.

Instead of looking for a toilet, Josh manoeuvred to the phone he had spied sitting in an alcove beside a grotesque stuffed hare. Josh took a seat on the low chair beside the phone, plucked off his cowboy hat and discarded it on the hare.

Josh dialled the hotel and asked the receptionist for Sam or Toby.

"Hey Josh," Toby's montone voice greeted him, "how's the weather?"

"Swell Toby, how do you think?" Josh retorted in annoyance. "Where's Sam?"

"You asked for either of us," Toby retorted defensively.

"I know but where is he?"

"Talking with Tanya."

Josh pressed hand to his brow and dragged it slowly down his face. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that, we must have a bad connection."

"You heard Josh," Toby responded wearily. "Anyway, how is it going?"

"It's not going well," Josh confessed moodily in a hushed tone, "the weather, the President, this Whyte guy, it's a mess."

"Well we knew that," Toby responded calmly.

"No Toby, this guy only agreed to this so he could have the President in his home territory to humiliate him. It's worse though or maybe better, I don't know, Hoynes just accused him of wanting slack gun laws because he has shares in a company called Bryant & Co, apparently a big seller of automatic arms."

"What?! Josh what are you talking about?" Toby snapped. "I never about any of this."

"No us either, it doesn't really add up even for Hoynes, it's only a sly move with an audience but he's not going to get credit for this unless the President goes public and honestly, he's not hiding how pissed he is at Hoynes for this. I mean, if it's true it's great but this still should have been run by us first."

"If?" Josh could hear Toby suppressing the coronary. "What do you mean if Josh?"

"Well Toby I don't know who Hoynes' source is on this, so I really need you and Sam to put a rush on this so we don't end up with egg on our face because someone didn't fact check correctly, the same someone who obviously didn't think the White House's communication team needed this run by them first."

"Right, we're on it Sam."

"See you soon Toby."

Josh hung the phone. He escaped the alcove and frowned at the hat wearing hare before reluctantly plucking the accessory up again. It was damp in his hand and he couldn't face putting it on again so he carried it in his right hand as he moved slowly back the way he retreated, wincing at the noise of the rain on the rooftop.

It was just after six when the source of Hoynes' revelation was revealed. John gamely gave up the name before he entered his car to return to the hotel, he assumed protocol had been followed. No one bothered to correct him, instead Josh and C.J hastened to their vehicle without a word, knowing who was going to deal with it now.

The President simply growled to Leo, "make sure it was the truth Leo and get her taught on how do things around here."

Leo, who was wearing the perfect face of fury, just nodded before he got into the car.

Closer to seven they arrived back to the hotel where Leo immediately summoned Cadence, Josh, Sam, Toby and C.J into a board room on the ground floor. He left one Secret Service agent outside to prevent them from being interrupted.

Leo stood at the top of the table but didn't make any move to sit or suggest they sat. His face was drawn, and his grey eyes were hard with rage.

Josh, C.J, Sam and Toby were all finding it very hard not to look at Cadence. They stood in one corner of the room near the door and she in the other. Sam and Toby had guessed from her mere presence amongst them that she had to be the source.

"Cadence," Leo addressed her sharply, "at our meeting today something very dangerous and risky happened. The Vice President made one hell of an accusation to Senator Whyte, a suggestion that his only interest in gun control was profit. What do you know about that?" he snapped.

Cadence looked surprised before she spoke.

"Dad," Cadence began.

"When we are work, I am Mr. McGarry to you!" Leo shouted it as he felt his own temper finally giving way.

C.J flinched back slightly, she had seen Leo mad but she didn't think she had heard him shout like that. When someone needed to shout it was usually Toby.

Cadence to her credit flinched just briefly before drawing herself upright and fixing a cool expression to her face. It was difficult for her to hide the sheen in her eyes however.

"Mr. McGarry," Cadence began stiffly, "it is the truth. Senator Whyte's name is attached to many shares in Bryant & Co, more than that, he has been seen doing site visits to their Texas branch, he has an investment in there too."

"That may be Cadence but when you have something like that you don't take it directly to Hoynes," Leo snapped as he gestured to the others, "you take it to these people here. They run the White House and it is up to them to confirm this information before we run with it and risk humiliation or worse, litigation if it's inaccurate! More than that, the President should have the say in who presents this sensitive information and when and how."

Leo frowned at his daughter with displeasure. "Cadence you are on Hoynes' team but you serve at the pleasure of the President. Now I must say, I'm very let down by your lack of protocol with this. Your information may have been good and served a purpose but this was not how it should have been dealt with. Do you know how difficult it was for the President to conceal his surprise? You had it look like Hoynes knew something he didn't, that's not a good show to present to the senator, especially not when our goal is expressing unity."

Cadence nodded quietly along.

"Right well, you need to go now," Leo dismissed her.

Cadence turned and hastened from the room without a word.

Josh wanted to smile at her but he couldn't and when his mocking stare flickered in Leo's direction a glower from his boss let him know that a humorous quip would not be tolerated.

"Right, you four, the President wants to talk about this," Leo said. "Is it good information?"

"It is," Sam said, "and Leo, I know it's a little out of turn to say but was it so bad coming from Hoynes? If the President had done that wouldn't it seem like he was purposely trying to find fault with the senator simply because he doesn't like Texans who like guns? At least with Hoynes, as a Texan, we could put it across that he's trying to root corruption out of Texas, maybe express that he is more laid back with the views of gun control."

Leo frowned but nodded anyway. "I'll get the President, you four wait here."

Leo departed from the room.

I've never been to Texas but I would love to, this is very much a fictional West Wing version with help from google.

Am I getting these characters right?

Is anyone reading this? Is it being enjoyed? Well I'm certainly enjoying writing it, it's addictive :-)