Part Two
"Good morning, Leo," Donna says, as she enters Leo's office through the hallway door.
"Good morning, Donna," Leo evenly grumbles peering up at her with bleary tired eyes.
"I saw Margaret go down to the Mess, so I thought I'd stop by to see… well to see if you've figured out what you're going to do about… you know who," she whispers the last part.
"No, and I thought about it all last night," he sighs, as he stands, looks out towards Margaret's area and motions for Donna to follow him into the Oval office. He's not about to tell her how he dreamed about Margaret all last night. He wills those stimulating images of Margaret and him to leave his head, as he walks between the connecting doors.
"I bet you did," Donna gives him a knowing smile.
"I don't want Margaret to catch us talking," he finally says, after they have sat down on opposite ends of the President's gold couch. "She'll immediately suspect that something's being conspired. She has a sixth sense when it comes to that."
"Yeah, she does." Donna agrees. "Leo… I have an idea that might make this a little easier on you."
"Okay."
"Now, I'm sure you're going to find it foolish, but if you give it a chance, I think it might work."
"Okay, I'm listening."
"Last night, Margaret got an email from her Aunt Tillie. Do you know who she is?"
"Yeah, her aunt is something else," Leo smirks. He's been subjected to many an Aunt Tillie stories over the past fourteen years. He has only met Margaret's aunt a couple of times, but that was all it took to see where Margaret gets her unique personality traits from.
"Well… her aunt sent her a recipe for a… love potion… and I was teasing her about using it on you." Donna inwardly cringes, waiting for Leo to explode.
"Yeah," Leo nods his head. "I overheard most of that."
"So… I was thinking that… you could mention something about craving some hot chocolate, and that would give Margaret the opportunity to slip you the potion."
"Do you really think she would?"
"Yeah, I would bet real money on it."
"This seems like something you might read about in a cheap Harlequin romance novel."
"And how would you know?" Donna raises her eyebrows.
"I was married for thirty some odd years, you know."
"Oh, yeah right."
"What's in this… potion?" He can't bring himself to refer to it as a love potion.
"It has chocolate, star anise, vanilla, cinnamon and a dash of clove."
"It doesn't sound like it has anything in it that would cause someone to fall in love with another person."
"Ah… Leo," Donna purses her lips together and shakes her head. "I don't think it's… that type of a love potion, based on its name." Donna was curious about the potion and looked it up online. She quickly discovered that Margaret's crafty aunt switched the names of the potion. She had emailed her niece much more than just your basic 'fall in love' potion.
"Oh gawd," Leo groans. "I know I'm going to regret this, but just what the hell is this potion called?" He asks, as he scratches the spot behind his right ear that bothers him when he knows he's not going to like the answer to a question.
"Kama Sutra Hot Chocolate," she blushes.
"You're kidding." Leo takes off his glasses and rubs his face. After his arousing dreams last night, he doesn't think he'll need any help in that department.
"Nope, that's what it's called. But, Margaret doesn't know the correct name. She thinks it's just a love potion. Her aunt changed the name."
"Now that really does sound like her Aunt Tillie."
"Yeah."
"So… how is your plan supposed to work?"
"You find a way to ask for some hot chocolate, and I bet that Margaret will offer to make you some. Then, after you drink it, you can start by being nicer to her."
"Nicer?"
"Yeah, less like a boss and more like a friend, maybe even… like a boyfriend."
"Okay, okay… I get the picture, but where is this all heading?"
"You'll need to make a big deal about the hot chocolate being good, and then knowing Margaret she'll probably offer you hot chocolate each day. So by Friday you should be real touchy with her, maybe even give her a kiss on the cheek."
"Kiss Margaret here at work?" Leo looks somewhat panicked.
"Well, maybe you're not ready for that."
"Ya think?" Leo says sarcastically.
"Leo, relax."
"Okay, okay. But what happens after I drink the potion this week and I treat her nicely?"
"I'll make plans to go to dinner with her on Valentine's Day, but you call her late Saturday afternoon and tell her that you need her to come over to your hotel, and help with some work. Once she gets there, the rest is up to you," she explains.
"You know it's a crazy plan and I'm probably going to regret trying it… but… it just might work." Leo thinks about what he'll have planned for her at his hotel. He'll order a nice dinner for them and hopefully spend the evening getting to know each other better. Maybe even hold her hand while they sit on his couch and watch a movie together. Leo smiles when he thinks about the possibility of a goodnight kiss.
"Thanks, I think." Donna smiles.
"I'll order a nice candle lit dinner."
"That sounds very romantic."
"Donna, I still might need your help. I want to get Margaret something special for Valentine's Day, but I'm not sure what would be appropriate or what she might like."
"You can't go wrong with diamonds, and if you put one in a ring…"
"Oh holy hell, we've not even had our first date and you want me to propose." Leo jumps up from the couch.
"Leo, calm down, I was just teasing you. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. It's just… I'm not good at this sorta thing and… it's been years since... I've tried to… woo someone."
"You're doing fine, and I find it hard to believe that you would have any trouble in that department. Especially, since you could easily have the pick of any available lady in the White House or DC for that matter."
"Whatdaya mean?" Leo requests, as he sits back down and rests his hands on his knees.
"Leo," she smiles. "You're probably one of the most sought after eligible bachelors in the DC area."
"That's only because there's a rumor going around that I'm worth millions." Leo grins. "The President loves to tell people that. I have no where near the money he suggests."
"Leo, we've all read the disclosure reports and you're listed in the Millionaire's Who's Who. But, your money is not the reason." Donna shakes her head.
"It's not?" Leo seems surprised.
"Leo, you have no idea the affect you have on women, do you?"
"I'm nothing special," Leo shifts uncomfortably on the couch.
"Leo, you're one of the sexist men I've ever met, and if it hadn't been for my best friend being head over hills in love with you, I might have gone after you, myself."
"Now, you're just teasing me again." Leo ears are tinged with red.
"No… I'm not. You're charming, handsome, intelligence, great dancer, and let's not forget how impressive you look in a tux. All of which make you a very desirable man."
"I have been compared to Fred Astaire." Leo says, trying to make light of Donna's comments.
"You know," Donna continues on. "I think the thing I find the sexiest about you is your full watt smile. You can light up a room with it." Donna boldly states and then blushes.
"Donna, I don't know what to say… other than I think you're delusional… plus you forgot to mention all my bad traits. Workaholic, alcoholic, drug addict, failed marriage and too many more to mention." Leo counts off on a hand.
"But Leo, those things are all part of what makes you… Leo McGarry. Besides, Margaret knows all of that and she loves you for who you are and that's all that really matters."
"I guess."
"No guessing about it. Margaret loves you. You're a lucky man."
"I don't know why she loves me, but I'm glad she does," Leo impishly grins.
"I'm so happy for you both."
"Thanks."
"Well, I'd better get back to work before Josh has a cow." Donna says, after a few moments of silence between them.
"Yeah, let's not have that. It was bad enough we had a goat in here the other day."
"I'll check back later this week with you to see how things are progressing."
"Okay, thanks again for all your help."
"You're welcome. You'd better get back to your office before Margaret comes looking for you."
"Yeah," Leo says, as he heads for the connecting doors.
"Don't forget to ask for hot chocolate today."
"Right and I think I've figured out how I am going to do it, too."
"Good luck," Donna calls after him, as he leaves the Oval Office.
"Man its cold out there," Leo says to the White House guard, as he walks into the lobby, rubbing his hands together.
"I told you to wear your gloves," Margaret announces as she appears from out of sight.
"Jesus, Margaret. Are you trying to scare me to death," a startled Leo growls. "Where the hell did you come from?"
"Iowa, but originally I was born in…"
"Margaret," Leo interrupts. "I meant… oh never mind." Leo throws his arms up in the air and starts off towards his office. He has long since given up on trying to understand her. He shakes his head and a smile grows on his face. Margaret's quirkiness is one of the things he loves about her.
Unaffected by his comment, Margaret falls in step with her boss, "You have a meeting at one with Senator Stein, at two Josh needs to speak with you about the Appropriations Bill and then at…"
"Does Josh have new numbers?" Leo interjects.
Margaret quickly flips through her notes. "He didn't say."
"Okay, so what else do I have this afternoon?" Leo asks, as he opens the French doors of the Roosevelt Room, so they can cut through the room.
"Congressman Holt at three."
"Is this about that thing?" Leo says with distaste and then abruptly stops, as his temper quickly starts to escalate.
"Yeah," Margaret makes a squinty face waiting for Leo to blow his top.
"Great, just great," Leo rolls his eyes and then yanks his coat and scarf off. "That's all I need today to make my life complete. I swear one of these days I'm gonna call in sick, and stay in bed all day long and just let the country run amuck."
"Right… and I'm the Queen of England," Margaret smirks, as she rolls her eyes.
"I will one of these days. You just wait and see if I don't," Leo points at her as they step out of the Roosevelt Room and into the hallway next to his office. "Oh and I've met the Queen of England… she's much shorter than you."
"Your last scheduled appointment today is at five with the Secretary of Transportation." Margaret continues on, choosing to ignore Leo's last comment.
"Was this pushed from the President's schedule?" Leo stops by her desk.
"Yeah, it was moved to you after his schedule was changed, so he could go to Camp David for a few days."
"Yeah, I bet he did this to me on purpose. He detests meeting with anyone from the Transportation Department."
"Leo… speaking of transportation."
"Yeah." Leo suspects that he's going to regret this by the tone of her voice.
"I want you to ask him why there are so many squares, circles and triangles in the District."
"Okay." Leo lays his coat on her desk and folds his arms.
"And while you're at it. Ask him why most of the squares in this city are really not squares. Take McPherson Square, for example, it's not a square. It's a rectangle."
"I think it's more of a loosely used term than an actual description of the area, Margaret."
"Well, that's just stupid. A square has four equal sides and all of them are right angles."
"Are we really discussing this?"
"And, take the Federal Triangle, since when does a triangle have four sides. Yeah, part of it resembles a triangle but then there's that extra side on it."
"Margaret," Leo warns.
"I'm just saying that this whole city is a geometric nightmare."
"And what do you propose to do about it?" He asks, not sure that he really wants to hear her answer.
"Well, I'm starting an email campaign. I emailed some of my friends as a test and requested that they stop referring to a list of places that are inappropriately named. For example, to start calling McPherson Square, which… it is not, to McPherson or McPherson Station if they are referring to the Metro stop that's located there."
"Well, you should be happy cause it's already working."
"It is?"
"Yeah, last night when I was talking with Janeane, she said she was headed to McPherson Station to catch a train."
"Really, you're just not messing with me?"
"She really did. Scout's honor." Leo raises his right hand.
"That's great. See… I knew I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Now, I'll email all the assistants in the White House, the OEOB and the…"
"Margaret," Leo interrupts. "I have just two words to say to ya."
"What?"
"Raisin muffin," Leo pronounces every syalble slowly.
"That was not my fault, if Jolene Millman hadn't…"
"You're gonna bring the White House email system down again, aren't ya?"
"No I'm not." Margaret stands there with her hands on her hips. "That was a fluke the last time."
"Fluke or not, I held the FBI off you last time, but I'm not so sure I can again." He teases, as he starts for his office.
"Oh, don't even get me started on how the government goes overboard on using acronyms and abbreviations for everything."
"You're an aberration." Leo smiles.
"I heard that." She calls after him.
"Good, you were supposed to." Leo smirks. "So can we now get back to business and leave your issue for my next Big Block of Cheese Day."
"Oh Leo, this would be perfect for that. Could this please be my assignment next time you have BBCD."
It takes Leo a couple of seconds to decipher her acronym. "Hey, I thought you didn't like using abbreviations or acronyms?"
"Well, sometimes it's better, especially when it's a ridiculous title like Big Block of Cheese Day." Margaret grins.
"Just for that, I'm going to give you the assignment I had planned for Josh," Leo smirks.
"Okay, okay, I give. Call off the dogs."
"I thought you'd see it my way. So are you finally ready to get back to the business of running this country?"
"Yeah, okay. So, I left your phone messages on your desk."
"Anything pressing?" Leo throws his winter wool coat and brown houndstooth silk scarf, that Margaret gave him this past Christmas, over the back of a chair at his table.
"No," Margaret follows Leo into his office, picks up his discarded coat and scarf, walks over to his coat tree and hangs them up. "Are you still cold?" Margaret asks, after she notices Leo shiver a little.
"Yeah."
"Do you want some coffee?"
"Ya know what I'd really like."
"What?" Margaret hesitates to ask. She's sure he's going to make some comment about her picking up after him.
"Some hot chocolate." Leo says with a straight face.
"Really." Margaret's mouth falls open.
"Yeah. When I was in an elevator over on the Hill, someone in it had a cup and it smelled really good." Leo sits down behind his desk. "It reminded me of when I was a kid and my mom would make Liz, Josie and me some on cold winter days."
"You want… hot chocolate," Margaret stammers out in disbelief.
"Yeah, do ya have any?"
"No, but I think the Mess has some." Margaret mentally kicks herself for not having brought into work the ingredients for the potion. She had even stopped on the way home from work last night and bought some star anise.
Leo tries hard not to smile at the slight frown on Margaret's face. "Would ya go get me some?"
"Yeah," Margaret turns and leaves his office.
Leo sits down at his desk and can't help but smile as Donna's plan is put into gear.
Later that afternoon, Margaret enters Leo's office, "Congressman Holt's office just called and canceled."
"Fine, I didn't want to have to get into that today, anyway.
"Didn't you like your hot chocolate?" Margaret asks, after noticing that he barely drank any of it.
"It didn't taste like I remembered it," he utters wishfully.
"Probably because this was instant," Margaret picks up the cup.
"Yeah." Leo acts like he's working on his notes.
"Leo," she softly clears her throat. "If you want… I could make you some the old fashioned way and bring it in from home tomorrow."
"Nah, you don't have to go to that much trouble," Leo feigns disinterest as he continues to pretend to look at his notes.
"It's no trouble at all. I'd be happy to do it."
"Alright, but don't worry about it if you don't have time to do it."
"Leo, it's just warming up some milk and chocolate. How long can that take?" She quickly heads for the door, before he can change his mind.
"Yeah," he smiles to himself as he goes back to work.
"Morning, Margaret." Leo grabs his copy of the New York Times from her desk.
"You're late," she promptly informs him, as she pops up from her desk and follows him into his office with his morning schedule.
"Traffic," he offers, as he takes his coat and scarf off and throws it over a chair.
"That's never a problem for me, since I ride the Metro," Margaret points out.
"I thought you were boycotting the Metro?"
"No, I just refuse to call certain geometrically misnamed stations by their inappropriate given name."
"Okay, so do you have a problem with Foggy Bottom?"
"No, should I?" She tilts her head.
"No reason that I can think of."
"It's not a geometrical shape," Margaret says matter-of-factly, as she picks up his coat and hangs it up on the coat tree.
Leo shakes his head at her compulsion for neatness. "Hey, I'm gonna need that later when I go over to the OEOB this morning." He points towards his coat.
"And… it will be right where it should be when you need it." She answers like she has so many times before. "Besides, if you take the connecting tunnel, you won't need your coat."
"Aren't you the one who's always telling me that I don't get enough fresh air," he throws back at her.
"Yeah, but it's so cold out today and it'll affect your…" she suddenly stops. She was about to say that it will affect his bad leg and cause him to limp even more. "It'll affect your mood." She quickly recovers. She's probably one of the few people who's realized that this colder than normal winter has made it harder for Leo to disguise his limp.
"My mood, as you put it, has already been affected by the fact that I don't have any coffee on my desk, waiting for me."
"I… umm… brought hot chocolate and… I didn't know if you wanted that or coffee this morning."
"Hot chocolate is fine," Leo replies, thankful for his hindsight that this might happen. He made his driver stop at Starbucks on the way into work this morning and then had him take the long way into work, so he could enjoy his morning coffee without Margaret knowing.
"Okay," Margaret bobs her head and scurries out of the room. She gets her pink Breast Cancer awareness thermos, that she bought at Starbucks last month, and pours him a cup of potion. She had made a batch last night and tested it on herself. She was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, but was disappointed and worried that it didn't seem to have any affect on her, but she reasoned that it was because she's already in love with Leo.
"Do you want to go over your morning schedule now?" Margaret tries to act causal as she walks back into Leo's office with his cup of hot chocolate.
"Do I have anything within the next hour?"
"No."
"Then let's wait a bit and let me read the paper."
"You mean… work on the crossword puzzle," she smiles.
"Ya know, I keep meaning to fire you." Leo looks over his glasses at her as he accepts the cup of hot chocolate.
"Right." Margaret rolls her eyes and turns to leave his office. "You'd be lost without me." She mutters as she walks out his door.
"That's for sure," Leo says silently to himself as he takes a sip of hot chocolate.
"Margaret," Leo bellows from the couch in his office.
Margaret quickly appears in his office with his schedule in hand, "You have staff at nine, then at…"
"Margaret," he melodiously says her name. "Do you have more of that hot chocolate?" He raises his empty cup. "It was very good." He was astonished by how much he enjoyed it.
"Yeah," she smiles, taking his cup and then disappearing into her area. She can't help but wonder if the potion is working yet. He seemed very congenial and his voice was softer than normal or was she just reading more into it.
"Thank you," he takes the cup from her hand. "Sit down and let's go over the schedule." He motions to the chair adjacent to the couch.
The rest of the morning and afternoon Leo is very pleasant and even walks out to her area to request some things instead of hollering for her. At lunch time he offers to go down to the Mess and bring them back some food, which she gladly accepts. She can't help but think that the potion is having an affect on him and feels slightly guilty about giving it to him.
That evening when Leo tells her it's time to go home, he helps her on with her coat and demands that she let his driver take her home. She finally accepts and is only slightly disappointed that Leo reads the paper on the way to her apartment. She knows that he doesn't get much time to relax, so she just sits back and enjoys the fragrance of his cologne, and daydreams that they are coming back from a date.
"Thanks for the ride," Margaret says, as the black service car stops in front of her building. Eddie gets out and walks around the car to her door.
"We're here already," Leo seems surprised, putting the paper down. He hadn't meant to read it the whole time; he had wanted to read a particular article and then got caught up in the paper.
"Yeah, traffic is pretty light this late at night."
"Sorry about keeping you so late."
"I wasn't complaining." Margaret gets out the opened door.
"Still…" Leo leans across the seat and looks up at her.
"Leo, its fine."
"I'll walk you up," he starts to slide across the seat.
"No, the door's not more than twenty feet away and besides it's cold out here."
"Are you sure?"
"Leo, I could already be inside by now."
"Okay, night."
"Good night, and thanks again for the ride." She waves as the driver closes the door.
"Eddie wait, I want to make sure she gets inside okay," Leo informs his driver, after he gets back in the car.
"Yes, Sir."
"Okay, we can go, now." Leo directs, after Margaret enters her apartment building and closes the door. Leo leans back in the seat and thinks about how he will continue the plan tomorrow.
Leo's not at all surprised when Margaret brings him a cup of hot chocolate Thursday morning. He tries hard during the day to show her that he appreciates her, but he still can't help but feel that it's more like he's being a friendly boss. So he decides to step it up a little bit. At lunch time he offers to get her food and then when he gets back he invites her into his office to eat with him. They enjoy a nice lunch and Leo tries hard to keep the conversation off work. Most of the afternoon, he is at a meeting on the Hill.
Margaret spends the majority of the afternoon reliving their lunch and wondering if maybe Leo might be under a spell from the potion. She starts to worry if the combination of ingredients might be giving him a slight high. She gets on the internet and thoroughly researches the spices. She finally comes to the conclusion that they are innocuous spices, but she still can't help but wonder if mixed together they might cause some sort of harmless euphoria. Margaret decides to cut the spices in half for the next batch of hot chocolate.
Around five in the afternoon, Leo walks out into her area, "Margaret, you can go home now."
"But… it's not even five, yet," she says, after looking at the clock on the wall.
"I know how to tell time," he smiles, as he walks over to her desk and leans against it.
"Are you leaving?" She looks up to him. Surprised by his closeness and the ease of stance.
"No, I still have some reading to do and," Leo holds up a hand at her, "I don't want to hear that 'I go when you go' routine."
"But…"
"Margaret, close down the office, get your coat and go home. Enjoy an early evening for a change."
"Are you feeling okay?"
Leo rests a hand on her shoulder, "I'm fine." He leans over closer to her. "Now please go home." He pleads with his honey hazeled colored eyes.
"Okay," she slowly breathes out. There for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her.
"Okay, I'll see ya tomorrow." He stands and heads for his office.
Ten minutes later, Margaret walks into his office with her coat on, "Are you sure you don't need me anymore today?"
"Nope, go enjoy yourself." Leo wants to tell her he needs her in his life.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Night."
"Hey Leo," Donna says, as she lightly knocks on Leo's open door.
"Donna, come on in," Leo calls from the couch. He's got his suit coat off and his tie loosened. Leo motions for her to sit down.
"Just thought I'd drop by and see how it was going." She sits in the chair adjacent the couch.
Leo moves to the edge of the couch, so he's closer to Donna. "Well… I think or at least I hope things are coming along. Margaret seems to be enjoying the attention I've been giving her," he softly says. He doesn't want anyone to overhear their conversation.
"Good."
"Did you make plans with Margaret for Saturday night?"
"Yeah, we're supposed to have takeout at her place and watch movies."
"Great."
"Well, I need to get back to work. Josh is driving me crazy with this Appropriations Bill."
"Donna, thanks for… helping me." He reaches out and touches her arm.
"Leo, I'm glad to help."
"So do you have plans for Valentines Day?" He asks, in a more normal tone.
"Leo," she blushes.
"What?" He smiles. "Am I being too forward?"
"No," she blushes.
"No you don't have any plans or no I'm not being too forward?"
"No to both and some people who work in this building don't seem to have a clue."
"Yeah, well… sometimes it's takes a while for people to see what they have right in front of them."
"Well, at least Margaret's dream is about to come true."
"I hope so. I'm staring to wonder if going along with this potion thing was a good idea. I hate misleading her."
"I don't think you are. I think it's just helping you two get past this working relationship barrier that you have."
"Still, I plan on telling her the truth about it all on Saturday night."
"That's probably for the best."
"Yeah, I think so too."
"Well, I'll let you get back to your reading." Donna gets up.
"Yeah and Josh is probably looking for ya."
"You know him too well. Night." She says as she heads for the door.
"Night."
Margaret is walking through Lafayette Park on her way to the Metro, when she realizes she left her pink thermos on her desk. She stops, debating whether to go back to get it or not. She's not even sure if the potion is really working, but this evening it did seem like Leo was close to kissing her or was it just her over active imagination. She decides not to trust fate and turns back towards the White House.
Margaret enters her area and thinks she hears Leo talking to someone. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she peeks around the halfway closed door and sees Donna talking with Leo. She is surprised at how close Leo is to Donna and to find him touching her. At first he's talking too softly for her to make out what he's saying, but then his voice rises slightly. Margaret almost forgets how to breathe when she hears Leo ask Donna out for Valentines Day. She feels lightheaded as she backs away from the door. She quickly turns and leaves her office, without remembering the thermos. She has tears in her eyes when she reaches the exit. She can't believe it, the potion really is working, but Leo asked Donna out instead of her.
Margaret makes her way home in a daze. She is sobbing by the time she unlocks her apartment door. She heads for her bedroom, falls on the bed and continues to cry. She lays on her bed thinking about what she saw and heard. She tells herself she deserves this after messing with fate. She should have never given Leo the potion. What was she thinking? Why did she ever think that it would make him love her? She's so plain and quirky. Leo deserves someone who is pretty and smart and that he can show off in public, like Donna. Someone who isn't, at least three inches, taller than him. She lays there for a long time berating herself. Eventually, sleep over takes her.