Toby and C.J returned to the dining room for the fifth time this evening. C.J gave a small, apologetic smile to the table as she returned to her seat. "Oh good, it's still warm this time," she jested as she tidied the folds of her dress about the cream cushion of the Queen Anne styled chair and felt the warmth of her own body from the cushion.

Toby continued to wear his familiar scowl of the evening as he returned to his own seat. "This is a never ending dinner," he grumbled.

The Communications Director ignored the looks of ire he received from Sam, Mallory and Charlie. He had a point, it was already past midnight and they were still waiting for their fourth course, which wasn't to be served until the president rejoined them. Numerous events had seen the small party moving back and forth from the dining room to attend to matters of the nation. Mundane bathroom breaks had also played a part ensuring that even those who weren't working tonight had their turn at departing from the room.

Tom glanced about the room and figuring that the president wasn't about to return anytime soon he stood up for another toilet break.

"Who's coming with me this time?" the congressman quipped sardonically as he glanced about the males.

Only Toby was too shameless to wilt slightly against the table at Tom's biting query. Every time the congressman had needed a bathroom break one of the others had felt a need to coincidentally accompany him. Having a companion for each of them had drawn attention to how many breaks there were and whilst two of them had been to attend his nose bleeds, Tom still felt a certain embarrassment at the volume of them and was unwilling to admit that the seasoning on the chicken combined with a mild hint of nerves was the cause for the others. Sure there was also the volume of drink and food consumed over four hours now which had led to three breaks for Mallory and four for Zoey but Tom knew the source of his was less to do with consumption and more to do with unease.

The first break had been easy to cover, Josh had gone to lead the congressman to the bathrooms but the route he had taken felt a little long to Tom who had queried curiously if there weren't any bathrooms closer to the dining room and if the inconvenience wasn't a little embarrassing when they had foreign delegates visiting.

Cadence had grown a little irritated when the third time Tom had needed to go Charlie had jumped up as if animated by a spring, insisting that the corridors were a little tricky to navigate and he would go with Tom just in case despite Charlie having gone only ten minutes prior to this.

When pressed for an explanation the men had ducked from the issue, offering some feigned explanations of over politeness. Zoey had giggled and scorned the explanations whilst Mallory, now in a settled state of calm anger for Sam, had merely rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and murmured that the attitude fit in well with the theme of the evening.

Cadence had started to snap about mistrust and insults the last time but Tom had interrupted with one of his gentle smiles for her before commenting kindly that perhaps people were just using it as an excuse to stretch their legs. Josh muttering aloud before he could help himself that that would have been a better excuse hadn't helped.

Josh glanced up at the congressman with a small smile that held a slight apology to it. "I'll go." He offered a wider smile as he started to stand. "Why start going solo now?" he queried mockingly.

Tom tapped him lightly on his right shoulder. "Tag you're it," he teased.

Josh tensed slightly at the light touch before he let out a soft laugh.

The pair retreated from the room briskly and only when they were gone did Mallory speak.

"Okay, what is this really?" she snapped as her dark eyes darted across the table accusingly. "Since when do you play whose turn is it to escort guests to the bathroom?"

Abbey smiled at the question and stayed silent as she waited for the men to come up with a better explanation than 'politeness'.

"They're still terrified Tom will go and raid all their top secret documents if he's not under their careful eye," Cadence chimed up sarcastically. She gave Toby a pointed look of scorn. "He's not a Bond villain you know."

"He certainly dresses like one," Toby muttered.

"Actually Toby, James Bond has worn several white dinner suits in the movies," Sam piped up with a smile. He dared to glance at Mallory in the hopes that he might have earned some form of reward from her for his supportive comment but she was frowning at Toby now.

Toby ignored Sam's response as he fidgeted with unused cutlery. "He's got an angle," he insisted, "he must taking all those toilet breaks."

"He had a nosebleed," Charlie reminded him gently.

Cadence sighed as the far doors opened and the president finally returned to them. Like Toby she was feeling the length of their evening and was all too eager for it to come to an end. The only things that had kept her from misery tonight were Tom's gentle, lopsided smiles and the slight teasing glint in his pale blue eyes as he focused them on her.

Jed looked a little flustered as he moved back to the table with ire on his face and his brow wrinkled slightly in scorn. "Why can't the Palestinians wait for a more sociable hour for their minor incursions?" he grumbled aloud.

"Is it too much to ask that we finish this dinner before it's time for breakfast?" Abbey queried in a tone that sounded sweet on the surface but had a hint of sternness underneath it.

"Well I don't know my dearest," Jed retorted sardonically as he took his seat at the head of the table, "would you like me to call India and ask if they could save their problems with China until it's their bedtime because it's disturbing our dinner time? And shall I ask Senator Donner to stop using Christmas as an excuse to portray my party as un-Christian because some people would rather say Happy Holidays? Never mind that some people would also rather wish you a hopeful Solstice and sacrifice cattle so the sun comes back," he sneered. "The fact that the man shares his name with a reindeer is insufferable."

Jed gave Abbey a biting smile to match his frustrations.

Abbey waved her hand out at him in scorn. "Jed these sound like problems that could wait until tomorrow," she remarked as she raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Yes, well..." Jed trailed off as he surveyed the table of tired diners. "Leo didn't think so," he concluded quietly.

"You know if we'd gone where I wanted tonight not only would dinner be finished but we would have had time for dancing and talking to Tom without the third degree and bizarre bathroom breaks," Mallory lamented. She paused and plucked up her wine glass, twisting its stem in her hand slowly. "And we'd be in bed by now," she concluded wistfully.

"We?" Sam spluttered as he looked across the table at her sheepishly.

Mallory fixed a stern stare on Sam. "We," she repeated firmly before she took a sip from her glass. "Bo point on thinking about what could have been," she commented dismissively as she set the glass back down.

In one of the White House's many bathrooms, Josh felt more than a little awkward as he stood to one side whilst Tom hummed a merry tune as he washed his hands. Josh was baffled by Tom's happy mood, quite certain if their roles had been reversed his patience would have long vanished, hell he probably would have vanished too. Surely no woman was worth all this scrutiny and abuse?

"Tom I'm sorry," he apologised as the man shook his hands dry before reaching up to straighten his bowtie.

Tom paused and glanced over to Josh questioningly with a lopsided, self-mocking smile. "Why? Because you all keep accompanying to the toilet like a child?" He let out a laugh to ease the sting of his words although there was a slight edge to it hinting that his merriment was starting to give way to irritation. "It is annoying but it is still an improvement on first course's fiascos."

"Oh geez," Josh palmed his forehead slightly, "is that how we're going to remember this dinner? In terms of course incidents."

Tom shrugged and resumed fixing his bowtie. "Well we have two courses left so there's still time for your friend Toby to ask if I sacrifice children," he remarked cheerfully, "and C.J to continue not so subtly probing me for some scandal in the Republican party that she can leak to the press in time for Christmas, and for the First Lady to try and find some decent Landis I'm related to so she can tell Cady's mother that it's okay I'm a Republican because I come from a good family after all."

Josh lowered his hand as he gave a slightly uncomfortable chuckle. "I guess there's a certain irony here that as the people who help run one of the largest free nations in the world we should have a little more tact than this."

Josh looked at Tom sheepishly as he considered what he wanted to say next.

"Can I be honest with you though Tom," Josh decided the congressman deserved some sort of sincere explanation for the toilet trips, "these er...accompaniments to the bathroom," he paused awkwardly as he felt a faint heat at his face and knew that he was starting to blush, "they are well..." He waved his hand as he attempted to find the words. "Well only slightly out of paranoia that you go wandering and the wrong people see you, leaks are easy sprung but not so easily stopped." Josh gave an embarrassed smile that wavered slightly at Tom's unimpressed expression.

"Mainly however," Josh continued more firmly as he met Tom's slightly disapproving blue gaze, "we've just being trying to avoid a run in with Leo."

"Leo," Tom repeated carefully as he headed to the linen towel waiting on the rack and dried his hands properly, "Leo McGarry."

"Yes, he knew we'd have to have bathroom breaks," Josh admitted. "He's been around all night trying to get an opportunity."

Tom tuned to face Josh with a curious gaze. "An opportunity for what? To talk to me? Threaten me? Lecture me about dating his daughter?" Tom folded his arms and smiled as he shook his head. "Let him, we will have to talk sooner or later."

"Well make it later Tom," Josh implored. "Cadence is mad with him and I think this dinner has been ...challenging enough without her having to concern herself with Leo starting an argument with you or Cadence starting one with him, publicly, in a room with witnesses," Josh added with a confident nod, "because that is what she tends to do."

Tom's grin widened and his gaze filled with a bright spark of humour. "Josh what it is between you and Cady? You call her Cadence but you obviously care about her. I know you both worked together on Hoynes' campaign so you have known each other for a while. Did you date or something?"

Josh's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly as he blanched at the thought. "Nn...no!" He tried and failed not to yell out his response. "Never! I wouldn't date her!" He pulled a face of revulsion before remembering who he was talking to.

Tom seemed to find the humour in Josh's response and let out a chuckle. "Josh there is some truth to he that doth protest too much," he teased.

"Tom no," Josh insisted with a wave of his hand, "Cadence and I have never dated. I just, every so often, remember that she is a human and capable of feelings and sometimes against my better judgement I do think she should be cut some slack." Josh sighed in frustration knowing that he wasn't coming across well.

Tom nodded empathetically. "I know what you mean even if you refuse to say it Josh," he said, still with a slight tease to his voice. "She has a lot of pain in her past, that much I've gathered, and you care about her and don't want anymore pain for her or Leo because you care a lot about him too," he added.

Josh was surprised by Tom's insightfulness and wondered if it was just written across his face or if Tom had a knack for seeing these things in people. He thought about his numerous meetings with Tom and wondered how often Cadence and Leo had been mentioned in them. He figured if it was that Tom just had a knack then Toby was right to be wary of him, for such perceptiveness could be a dangerous trait to possess.

Josh turned away from Tom and headed for the bathroom door. "I think the president was with Leo," he murmured, "hopefully they're done but then again if they are it means Leo's running loose."

Tom let out an amused snort at this. "Poor Leo, talked about like a bull," he joked. "He is her father, he has a right to wonder and worry about who his daughter is with, both of his daughters."

"You don't agree with shutting him out," Josh realised as they started walking.

"No I don't but I only know a little about the anger between him and Cady," Tom admitted. "She doesn't like to talk about any of it. I understand things happened in Colombia that the media and the public don't get to know about and that Leo and the president put a heavy burden on her to try and fix a mess she didn't want to create. She paid a large price for peace but isn't that the way of the Democrats, to think of the safety and well-being of the many rather than the individual?" he quipped bitterly.

Josh was again surprised, thinking that Tom knew more than he would've thought. "Cadence could have let us know about her first field trip to Colombia," Josh remarked defensively, "at least she could have told the president and Leo."

"Would anyone have believed her?" Tom queried curiously.

"I'm sure they would have," Josh retorted firmly.

They returned to the dining room and both of them were relieved to see that their fourth course, dessert, had just been served.

Dessert was two scoops of crème fraîche vanilla ice-cream served with a wafer slice and a drizzle of golden-brown honey in a glass ice-cream bowl.

Cadence was looking at her two scoops with a frown that puzzled Tom.

"Are you not a fan of ice-cream?" Tom asked as he occupied his seat once more and reached for a napkin that wasn't there. His blue gaze sparkled with mirth as he realised it was in Cadence's hands as she fidgeted with it on the table.

Cadence glanced over at Tom before turning a look of annoyance up the table to the president who was ignorant to it as he discussed basketball with Toby and Charlie.

"This is one of my favourites," Cadence admitted as she looked back at Tom with a wistful stare. "Ice-cream with honey, we used to have it as a treat when we went to New Hampshire, there was a parlour there that got the honey from their own hives."

Cadence trailed off and stared down at her latest origami napkin formed creature. It was a blob that looked potentially cat like. Before C.J was a better creature formed in between the second and third course, a bird complete with a hooked nose and long legs. C.J had accepted it with a joyous laugh.

Cadence squished this latest creation as her frown deepened into a scowl.

Mallory watched her sister with worry, knowing some of the memories the dessert might conjure for her sibling. For Mallory the nostalgic dessert had her thinking of walks in the fall carrying cones as she linked arms with Liz Bartlet and talked about college and boys whilst Cadence and Ellie followed behind with a very young Zoey behind them. Zoey usually grumbled about being tired because everyone walked too fast and was always upset for being the youngest without another female to balance with until Cadence procured her sprinkles for her ice-crea for being the youngest and proclaimed proudly that she was their third musketeer.

Zoey too seemed a little uneasy as she looked at the two scoops of ice-cream in her glass bowl. At first the sight of the honey glazing on the creamy scoops had made her smile as it brought back the smell of the country air of New Hampshire and thoughts of her childhood farm home with fondness. Many a warm summer's afternoon had been spent devouring rapidly melting vanilla ice-cream scoops in the fields as she, Cady and Ellie hid from chores and tried to see who could eat their ice-cream the fastest without getting a brain freeze.

Zoey knew that Cadence's memories of New Hampshire wouldn't be so simple or nostalgic. Ice-cream had always been the treat that signified her and Mallory's visits. Bustled off to the ice-cream parlour, it had been a means of getting them out of the way whilst Leo and Jed discussed politics and business as the would be shapers of the world even all those years ago. The journey to the ice-cream parlour had sometimes involved a bus trip and a long walk when they couldn't get a lift, when they were young it was a worthwhile adventure but as they got older they began to realise it was just a means of their parents keeping them away for longer. Soon it became a chore too with a unsatisfactory reward until Robbie Donovan had come to learn of it and scolded them and proclaimed that ice-cream could never be seen in such a manner.

Robbie had resurrected the tradition, offering lifts in a banged up red car he had considered his pride and joy. On one memorable visit on a wet, wintry evening he had surprised them all by arriving at the Bartlet house with the ice-cream already in hand, packaged up in tubs with pots of honey, ready to be made up in the kitchen because, as he had said, he couldn't have his girls out in weather like that but his girls couldn't miss out on the McGartlet ice-cream either. Robbie was also the one who had coined the term 'McGartlet ice-cream'.

"What's wrong?" Charlie queried quietly as he saw Zoey's smile fade and her bright eyes fill with a troubled gaze. "I know you love ice-cream." He had been eating his quite happily until he had noticed that Zoey had yet to touch hers.

Zoey pushed back a stray strand of dark hair before she gave him a reassuring smile. "Nothing, I guess I only like ice-cream this late if I'm already in bed with a movie on," she mused.

Cadence was still staring at her ice-cream, watching as it melted and wondering who had picked it and why- Abbey or Jed? She was upset either way.

"Mmm it's good," C.J enthused as she scooped at hers eagerly.

"Not sure about the honey," Josh complained as he pulled a face as he got a mouth of the sticky sugar substitute. It was sweet but stronger than expected.

"The honey was his favourite part," Cadence murmured quietly. She reached for her wine glass, drained it, pushed back from the table and stood up. "I think I need a bathroom break now," she said irately.

Tom stood up as well.

Toby, unaware of the issues over the ice-cream, snapped, "is your bladder the size of a pea?"

"Toby Ziegler it is not good manners to ask people about their bladder size," Abbey scolded him calmly. She smoothed out the napkin on her lap before cocking her head in Cadence's direction. "Cady darling the dessert was my idea, I thought it appropriate with having you, Mallory and Zoey all here and that truly is all I meant by it. Perhaps it would have been better if Liz and Ellie were present too. Certainly, I can understand why you might view it as a poor choice and for that I do apologise," she said sincerely in a calm, clear voice that held no embarrassment to it. "My intention was to conjure up only happy memories."

"Why do you apologise to her so easily?" Jed snapped as he gestured up to Cadence with one hand. "You commit any offence towards me and somehow I end up apologising for it," he grumbled.

"My dear that is because you are wrong to take the offence in the first place," Abbey answered with a small smile as she continued to look to Cadence apologetically.

Tom moved round the table to stand near Cadence, offering her a supportive stare despite being more than a little confused about the issue over the ice-cream.

Cadence pushed a hand through her loose hair and sighed. "This really is a never ending dinner," she repeated Toby's words. "There's no offence taken Abbey, it's just...it's not easy. I think I still need the bathroom," she mumbled.

"Well I'll escort you," Tom offered as he held out his arm to her, "I know the way off by heart now I think."

"Be sure to go hunting through Toby's drawers for his secrets," Josh called to him loudly with a smirk, "otherwise you'll be letting us down and giving us the wrong idea about you Republicans."

Tom shook his head even as he smiled too.

As they walked through the quiet corridors to the bathrooms, Cadence attempted to apologise to Tom again.

"I'm sorry Tom, I really don't even know what else can go wrong," she murmured irately. "Maybe dad will finally burst through the doors and cause a scene."

"Well hopefully there won't be any cutlery on the table for that," Tom jested.

Cadence glanced up at him mournfully as they reached the bathrooms. "Tom this cannot have been fun for you and I haven't helped any. There's a lot to explain," she sighed and fiddled with the skirt of her dress, "about me and things in my past."

Tom slipped a hand under her chin and gently tilted her head back up to face him. "We all have a past Cady," he said calmly. "You and I have lots of time to get to know each other and share with each other, it's doesn't all have to be forced out now."

"Well I should tell you about the ice-cream," she murmured. "It was a treat we had when Mallory and I visited the Bartlets in New Hampshire, really going to get it was just a way of Jed and dad getting rid of us all for a while." She smiled faintly at the memories just at the edge of her mind. It hadn't always been happy, they were young girls after all, and her smile faded as she remembered Ellie throwing her takeaway pot of ice-cream at Cadence in a fit of anger, tears streaking down her cheeks as she had screamed accusations at her about having spied Cadence and Robbie hand holding by the trees.

"And you had good days and bad days with the ice-cream," Tom murmured as he watched the emotions flicker across Cadence's face, "because it's not about the ice-cream, is it? It's about things that happened in New Hampshire."

His hand slipped away as Cadence nodded and closed her eyes in an attempt to banish the memories. She tensed as while her eyes were closed she was surprised by the feel of Tom's warm mouth pressing against hers.

Cadence stretched up her arms to wrap about Tom's shoulders and pull him closer to her. She realised she was afraid to let him go, scared that after everything that had happened this evening he would run and never look back.

Tom placed a hand about Cadence's waist whilst his other pressed up against her cheek and stroked it gently. He pulled back from her slightly and gave a beguiling smile. "It's alright," he assured. "You'll tell me another day and I'll tell you things too. I think that I'll pick the venue for our next date," he added humorously.

Cadence smiled at this. "Then there's going to be a next date?" she queried mockingly.

Tom nodded happily. "Oh yes, definitely, now if we're being fair I should subject you to dinner in the Senate with the Speaker present but I'm nice so I think we'll find something else to do without work colleagues."

Cadence let out a giggle at this. "Hmm I think I'd like that."

"Now, do you still need the bathroom?" he queried. "Because that Toby is going to think I have a bladder infection if we don't return soon and the president is probably going to make implications to your father that I'd prefer he wouldn't."

Cadence nodded. "I get it, just give me a minute then."

Cadence was as good as her word and it wasn't long before she and Tom were returning to the dining room. As they reached the doors and braced themselves for the final course of the evening, Cadence suddenly pulled Tom to a halt.

The congressman looked at the young woman quizzically until she stretched up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Remember that when everyone starts up again," she said quietly. "I'm going to owe you for this dinner."

Tom touched a finger lightly to his mouth where a trace of Cadence McGarry remained, a taste that was all just her as she wore no lipstick or gloss. He could smell her vanilla perfume, faded as the evening had drifted by but still intoxicating to him as its sweet odour had carried to him with her kiss. He still hadn't figured out what it was about this woman that had him so ensnared and putting up with humiliation and making moves that could frankly be considered career suicide if they were ever leaked but here he was anyway, feeling the happiest he had been all night because he had made Cadence smile again and gotten a kiss for his efforts.

"Hmm, it may all be worth it then," he joked gently as he opened the door and ushered her in.

"Tom thank goodness, I was worried you had spirited our lovely Cady off for something nefarious," Jed addressed them loudly in a sardonic jibe.

"Oh lord," Abbey lamented with a roll of her eyes, "why don't you just bring Leo in here and be done with it? You're obviously trying to express parental overprotection on his behalf, badly I might add," she scolded him. "Tom, Cady, take a seat," she addressed the pair with a smile, "our final course is here."

"Hurray," C.J chimed up before she could help it.

The waitresses and waiters who had been waiting patiently at the side for Tom and Cadence's return, stepped in quickly to serve out tea and cookies. Of course it was no ordinary serving of tea and cookies but instead freshly made, still warm shortbread with chocolate chips melting in the sugar powdered biscuit and tea brewed from a vibrant selection of tea leaves. There were several pots along with offerings of cream and sugar.

"Hey Tom, did you know the Greeks and Romans had this concept of hospitality," Jed began in an informative voice. "They had this idea that you had to perform the rites of hospitality for your guests and to do different was to risk the wrath of the gods. Certainly it was a good way for a guest to ensure the protection of his host rather say his hostility."

"Jed you are as subtle as a priest with a collection plate," Abbey scorned him.

Josh chortled at this and glanced to the congressman who was showing an admirable expression of calm. "Poor Tom, the way everyone here is getting on you'd think you'd stormed the gates," he sympathised.

Tom glanced over at Cadence and winked before grinning. "I'll just remember the good things," he mused.