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Sarabande Jane Harper RATING: R for language SYNOPSIS: The morning after the night before. Occurs several weeks after "Tentative Duet". ARCHIVE: Help yourself. HTML version available on request. DISCLAIMER: This world belongs to Aaron Sorkin; I am merely a textual poacher.
At six o'clock, Leo and Sarah were curled up under both of her quilts. She was half-asleep, her head buried in his shoulder, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair. He let out a long, slow sigh. "That goes double for me," she said. "But tonight'll be fun." "Not as much fun as this was." "You go ahead and hit the shower." She pushed him gently away. "Uh-uh. If I come out of the bathroom and you're still here like this I'll only want to get all sweaty again." He grinned that mischievous Irish grin at her. By seven they were on their way in Leo's car, and they got to the Residence by exactly seven-thirty. Zoey met them at the door, and was greeted with hugs, kisses, and two boxes, one very large, and one very small. "Happy birthday, sweetheart," Leo whispered to her. "Thanks, you guys," she answered as her parents strode over to greet the newcomers. It was only the five of them for a casual family dinner. "Please tell me we're not having chili," Leo said as he sat down in the family room. "We're not having chili," Abbey said. "The kitchen is off limits to our chili chef until he learns that pain pills and sharp knives don't mix." "Dad!" Zoey laughed. "So _that's_ what the bandage on your finger is about!" "I'm in trouble now," the President said. "The word is out. But I'm fine, an alert Secret Service agent wrestled the onion to the ground." "We won't tell, sir," Sarah responded, trying to keep a straight face. "So," Abbey started, "did you close on the house in Alexandria?" "No," Leo answered. "We went out there this afternoon, but Sarah convinced me it was too much house for right now. I'm going to find a place in town for the time being." "Well I'm just glad you're getting out of that hotel. Aside from it costing an arm and a leg, I'm sure your lipids will thank you for leaving. Two hundred forty and change isn't healthy for a man your age." "Leo!" Sarah exclaimed. "Two hundred and forty? Abbey, please tell me you put him on something." "Yes, she did," Leo shot back. "She put me on an omelet-free diet." "And you've got to get more exercise," Abbey added. "Or maybe Sarah can take care of that... " She smiled over her wine glass at them. "What about his triglycerides?" Sarah asked. "Not bad, a hundred and eighty. HDL's low, though." Leo turned to the President with a look of resignation. "How do you put up with it?" "Hang in there," Bartlet answered. "After awhile it gets vaguely erotic..." Dinner arrived in time to keep him from having to respond. After dinner, Zoey opened her gifts, then Charlie arrived to take her out to a show. Sarah sat down next to Abbey on the long sofa. "I don't know whether it's appropriate for me to say this now, Abbey, but I think I'm going to have to resign." The First Lady nodded slowly. "I wondered if you would." "Well, we haven't really talked about it, but if Leo and I are going to be seeing one another, it would at least _look_ questionable for me to be on the payroll." "She's right, Leo," the President chimed in. "But don't worry," he added, to Sarah. "I'll hook you up with a couple of people who can help you find something." "Besides," Abbey added, "it's not like we'll never see you." "Unless Mallory runs her down again," Leo said sadly. "We had another fight today. When Sarah and I went out to the house, Mallory was already there. She assumed, Abbey, that when you and I decided not to go out looking for furniture she could just invite herself along." "It's got to be hard for her," Sarah responded. "It'll just take time." At around eleven, the couples went their separate ways. Leo helped Sarah out of the car and into her chair, then walked with her to her door. "Want to come in?" She smiled up at him. "I'd better not. I won't want to leave." He bent down and locked the wheels of her chair, then put one arm around her shoulders and another around her waist and pulled her to her feet. Clutching her to him, he kissed her long and hard, then gently released her back into the seat. Grinning at her flushed face, he said, "Hold that thought," and unlocked the door for her. * * * * * * Monday morning Sarah gave the First Lady her notice at eight-thirty. By nine o'clock, word had gotten to the West Wing. By eleven o'clock Thursday night, everyone at the "card game" had heard as well. After the meeting broke up, the Vice President fell in beside Sarah as she rolled down the OEOB hallway. "I understand you're leaving the White House," Hoynes said casually. "Yes sir," she responded. "Want to come work for me?" he asked. Sarah came to a screeching halt. "I'm sorry, sir, say again?" "The President has asked me to work with DVA on coordinating their technology efforts. I need someone who knows health care, knows computers, and can be relied upon to tell me when they're bullshitting me. Your credentials are an excellent match." "Which ones, sir? Health care, computers, or bullshit?" Hoynes laughed. "You have graduate degrees in each of the first two, and I'm sure in the past few months next door you've honed a fine sense for the latter..." "As you well know, sir, my mother was a pillhead. I developed a reliable bullshit detector almost before I could talk." "I suspect you did. Anyway, it's there if you want it, just let me know." He turned on his heel and started up the stairs, protection in tow. "Don't you even _think_ about it," Sarah heard coming from behind her. She spun around to see Leo trotting in her direction. "What did you say?" "Can I drop you? I've got my guy, and somebody said your van was in the shop-" "I'm getting the clock fixed," she said. "I had intended to take a cab-" "Ride with me, and I'll explain the facts of life on the way." "It's a little late for that, don't you think?" His only answer was a smirk. "You know when you do that you look like a middle-aged leprechaun?" That made him laugh out loud. "Well, considering that most leprechauns are wrinkly old guys, I guess a _middle-aged_ leprechaun is just a pup. So thank you!" Sarah swung herself from her chair to the limo. After the driver had stowed the chair and Leo had settled himself, she leaned toward him. "You were going to explain the birds and the bees?" "No, I'm going to explain the West Wing and the OEOB. Hoynes is playing you." "He's a good man and you know it. He started that meeting, keeps it safe ..." "I know he's a good man. He's also a world-class player. You don't survive umpteen terms in the House and two in the Senate without knowing how to make the right friends who have the right friends... Sarah, he's playing you. He thinks if he gives you a job, you might _accidentally_ hand him some pillow talk, an ace he can play when he needs to." "Oh, so he couldn't possibly be offering me a job because I _deserve_ one, it has to be because I'm sleeping with _you_?" "Dammit, Sarah, this isn't the People's Republic of Berkeley, it's the District of Columbia! You're not being asked to sign off a few charts for patients you never saw in your life in exchange for a parking permit-" "How did you know about that????" "Sarah, the FBI works for _me_." "You had me investigated?????" She could feel the flush rising in her face and took a long, slow breath to keep from hyperventilating. "This is mishuggas." "Pardon me?" "Crazy. This is crazy." Her eyes were big as saucers, staring out through the windows into the cold night. She folded her hands in her lap so Leo wouldn't see them shaking. The limo stopped in front of her building. "I knew everything about you before I even told you where the meeting was last summer. I had to find out if it was safe." "Safe for what?" "Well, at first, safe to let you come to the meeting. That was before my interest got... personal." "I'm so pleased that I measured up to your standards." Sarah turned toward the driver. "Mike, can you get my chair please?" "Mike, don't you dare move," Leo contravened. "You want to see just how far I can walk?" She reached for the door handle. "No, goddammit, I want you to shut up and listen!" He grabbed Sarah's shoulders and gently but firmly held her still. "You are a brilliant and beautiful woman. You are strong and you are stubborn and sometimes you take my breath away. You did an _incredible_ job keeping the staff from self-destructing after Rosslyn. But believe me when I tell you that you are _'way_ out of your league here. Don't put yourself between John Hoynes and Jed Bartlet, Sarah. I'd hate to see you run over." "You'd do that?" She started to blink back tears. "I'd have no choice," he answered. "Then I guess there's nothing more to say. Mike, please?" This time Leo didn't stop him.
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