All notes and disclaimers are in the previous sixteen parts. If you
want it, you can archive it, just let me know you're doing it.

**

"Leo," the President asked after he finally managed to corner Leo
after dinner that night. "Why is everyone avoiding each other?"

Leo sighed and privately cursed Jed's intuition. He looked around for
some sort of escape route, but Abbey was in the middle of what looked
to be a very serious conversation with Sam. Zoey and Charlie had been
glued to each other's sides since Zoey had arrived.

The day had only gotten worse after Josh and Sam had confronted Toby
about the infamous election reform memo. Josh, on Leo's behalf (or so
the Deputy Chief of Staff had convinced himself), had chewed CJ out
about the ten days she had spent in Raleigh. She had fought back and
now they were barely speaking to each other. Sam was still angry over
what Josh had said to him after Toby had stormed out of his office.
Toby was angry (though Leo thought he was more hurt than angry) over
the memo and the so-called "Ainsley Hayes affair." And Leo had heard
from Cathy and Margaret that Sam was angry with him over sending
Ainsley to Raleigh.

"It's just been a bad day all around, Jed." he replied, trying to
shake off some of the tension he had been carrying around all day.

"Tell me about it." Jed sighed. "Mrs. Landingham was trying to feed
me tofu for lunch."

Leo snorted in spite of himself. "If that was your major crisis of
the day, then I know I've been doing my job."

**

"Mick asked me to marry him." Ginger said.

Bonnie, Margaret, Donna, and Carol all squealed with delight.

"When did this happen?" Donna asked.

"This afternoon, over the phone." Ginger said, looking somewhat
subdued for a woman who'd gotten a marriage proposal that afternoon.

"And exactly when were you going to tell us?" Bonnie
exclaimed. "Shame on you, girl!"

"What?" Ginger laughed. "I'm telling you airheads now!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Margaret held up one hand. "Nobody's an airhead
here. Well, except maybe me."

"And me." Bonnie affirmed.

"Yeah, me too." Donna said.

"Okay, enough self-degradation." Carol commanded. "Ginger, what did
you say?"

"Did you say yes?" Donna asked.

"Not yet." Ginger replied. "No. It's a lot to consider. And taking
into account some of the other relationships I've been in and how
they ended, I can't take this lightly."

"I'll drink to that." Margaret said. Leo had confided Toby's, and now
his, fears to her and had asked her to keep a sharp eye on Ginger for
him. "You definitely shouldn't go into this too fast."

"What did he say when you told him you'd think about it?" Donna
finally asked.

"He was upset, but he understood."

"Speaking of being upset, I thought the shouting would never end
today." Carol remarked. "Back and forth. Back and forth. CJ versus
Josh, CJ versus Toby, even CJ versus Sam when she found out what Sam
said to Toby. I thought the day would never be over."

"Well, you weren't around when Sam and Toby began screaming at each
other." Bonnie said. "I don't know what it was about, but it sounded
serious."

"Sam accused Toby of doing something Toby would never do." Ginger
sniffed contemptously. "He's had a chip on his shoulder the size of
Texas since the GDC dinner."

"What happened?" Carol asked. "What did Sam accuse Toby of?"

"Someone wrote a memo a few months back killing the election reform
bill and it just got back to the White House when Josh began making
some phone calls, trying to revive it." Ginger replied.

"Naw, Toby wouldn't do that." Margaret said.

"But Mandy Hampton would." Carol said. "Did Sam look into that
possibility before he steamrollered Toby?"

"I called Peter and he came by, trying to straighten the whole mess
out. He's the one who brought the memo to me in the first place. He
got it from Mandy, who said it was faxed to her office from Air Force
One, but he can't prove she was lying, so it just made things worse."

"No one faxed anything from Air Force One while we were in Portland."
Carol said. "Nobody could."

"Why not?" Ginger asked.

"The fax machines were broken. The President was complaining because
Mrs. Bartlet was on the phone and he wanted to fax her and tell her
to get off the phone so he could call her. Besides, the press was
complaining." Carol replied. "I was wondering why Peter dropped by.
He looked pretty serious."

"Because he knows Mandy set Toby up." Ginger said.

"Hey, Leo looks like he needs some help." Margaret remarked. "I'll be
back in a little while." she left the group.

"Hey, do you guys think there's something going on between Margaret
and Leo?" Donna asked.

Ginger shrugged. "If there is, they're being very discreet about it."

"Yeah." Carol replied distantly.

"Do you think I should marry Mick?" Ginger asked.

"Do you love him?" Carol said pointedly.

"I don't know."

"Well, don't give him an answer before you do know." Carol
advised. "If he loves you, he'll give you all the time you need."

**

"So, let me get this straight." Jed said. "First, you go in and yell
at the entire staff, then threaten to sic Tribbey on them."

"Right." Leo replied as Margaret approached.

"Then Josh and Toby lay into Sam about Ainsley Hayes."

"Yes."

"Okay, got that. Then Josh yells at CJ for being in Raleigh for the
past nine days."

"Ten."

"Whatever." Jed waved it off. "Then Josh is rude to Donna and *THEN*
Sam all but calls Toby a liar."

"That's all true." Leo replied.

"Leo, you call that a bad day?" Jed asked, dismayed. "I call it a
terrible day!"

"Jed--"

"Exactly what would you consider a terrible day?"

"Mr. President--"

"Good evening, Mr. President." Margaret suddenly appeared at Leo's
side. "Good evening, Leo."

"Hey, Margaret." Jed replied warmly. "What do you think constitutes a
bad day?"

"Sir?" Margaret asked blankly.

"Never mind." Leo said hastily.

"Mick asked Ginger to marry him." Margaret informed them.

"Who's Mick?" Jed asked.

"Ginger's boyfriend." Leo replied sourly. "And if you ask who Ginger
is, you're on your own."

"I know who Ginger is, Leo." Jed retorted. "She's Toby's assistant
and the girl who's been in love with him for the past two years."

Both Margaret and Leo choked on their drinks. Leo recovered fairly
quickly and began pounding on Margaret's back to help her, all the
while giving Jed the most evil look he could muster up. "Are you
crazy?"

"Maybe so. I let you talk me into running for President." Jed
replied. "But I'm not blind."

Leo turned back to Margaret, shaking his head, while she
recovered. "What did Ginger say?"

"She said she told him that she needs time to think about it. She
hasn't had all that much luck in the past." Margaret said. "He was
okay with it."

"I'll bet." Leo muttered under his breath. "Look, Toby's been alone
all evening. Do you think I can leave you with Margaret and you won't
try to kill her again, Jed?"

Jed waved him off. "No, that was a one-time thing."

"Excuse me." Leo winked at Margaret, then left them.

TBC

Part 18

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