"Ginger, what time is it?" Toby asked as he leaned out of the door of his
office. His assistant sighed, not looking back at him.

"About ten minutes later than the last time you asked me." She retorted.

"That's what you said the last time I asked you." He insisted.

"No, last time I said it was five minutes later than the last time you
asked me." She corrected.

"Well, at least I'm getting better." He muttered and moved back into his
office. Carefully he sat back down in his chair and glanced at his watch.

"Don't tell me the busy Mr. Ziegler has nothing to do but watch the
time." A familiar female voice rang. Toby looked to the door in surprise.

"Andy. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Hey, Toby. Good to see you too." His ex-wife replied with a grin as she
moved into the room. He stood and shrugged.

"Hi. Um, good to see you." He said apologetically.

"I may not have an appointment, but Ginger says you don't have one for
twenty minutes anyway." She replied, closing the door behind her.

"Well, what can I do for you, Andy?" He asked softly as he watched her
move to a chair and sit down.

"I heard the President is on his way to Seattle?" She said, seeming to
avoid the question. He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, it's all over the news. He's going to talk to the state senate.
They're debating some gun control laws. He's actually going to Olympia, but
that's beside the point. What do you need, Andrea?" He retorted as he sat
down in his own comfortable leather chair.

"Next month the campaign for Nuclear testing bans begins. Where's the
president going to stand on it?" She asked.

"We're not even starting to think about that yet. We're pile driving the
legislature for environmental recessions for the next two months, and we've
been doing a lot of work on the distribution of funds for medical research.
Nuclear testing comes with environment, sure, but we're only beginning to
test the waters." He explained, almost a little harshly.

"Okay, I got it." She replied with a smile. "God, Toby, I was just
asking."

"You came all the way to the West Wing just to ask me where the President
is going to stand on legislature that is at least six months from hitting the
headlines?" Toby inquired. "That's what phones are for."

"No, I came to ask you if you would do me a favor and be my escort to a
small party dinner tomorrow night." She retorted. He paled and frowned.

"Did you just ask me out on a date?" He exclaimed. She shrugged.

"Maybe I did. In the long run, it doesn't matter. I could just be asking
you if you want to go to a nice dinner." She replied quietly. He stared at
her incredulously. She sighed and looked at him. "Don't stare at me like
that." She insisted. He raised his eyebrows and redirected his gaze.

"I can't. I have stuff to do." He said finally.

"I see you finally took the ring off." She noted softly, staring at his
vacant ring finger. He glanced at his hand and nodded.

"Things change. I finally moved on, I guess. I thought you had too." He
replied, looking back at her.

"My mother is dying." She said suddenly. He frowned.

"Jill? I'm sorry."

"I thought you'd like to know. She was your mother-in-law once."

"I remember. She was a very nice woman. Send her my regards."

"You have to eat dinner one way or another, you know?"

"Why do you want this, Andy? Things have been okay, and you more than
likely know that I have a girlfriend now. I have for nearly six months. What
are you doing here, asking me out on a date?" He asked directly, tired of her
beating around the bush. She sighed.

"Yes, I did know that you have a girlfriend. It got me thinking. I never
knew how I would feel about it. It was so long before you even took off your
ring, I'm just . . . I'm just curious as to why things ended between us, why
things couldn't start again in some way." She replied honestly.

"You're kidding." He affirmed.

"No, I'm not."

"We got a divorce, Andy. Those kinds of things aren't exactly reversible.
It was the right decision and this hardly the best time to come out of the
blue with stuff like this."

"Tell me you're not curious to give us another chance." She insisted. He
looked her in the eye and sighed.

"I love Katy. That's her name, by the way." He added sharply. "And even
though you and I will always be friends, I hope, there is no us anymore. I'm
not curious. Not even a bit."

"So is that a no to the dinner?" Andy asked weakly after a short pause.
Toby rolled his eyes.

"It's an 'I have to work now'. Leave it at that." He retorted softly. She
nodded and stood up.

"Call me if you change your mind." She murmured before stepping out the
door. He watched her go, many thoughts racing through his head. One thought
was to go and call her back, say that he was curious and that he would go.
Another thought drifted to the memory of watching KD get in the car that
morning, seeing her laugh and smile while she waved goodbye. Then his mind
seemed to focus on one more particular moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

KD pumped her legs gently as she skated around the edge of Franklin Park.
It was a brisk early morning, the crisp air more than willing to bite at her
face and skin while she got her small workout. One of the things that she
loved about her apartment was that it was right on the edge of the park,
allowing her the freedom to blading whenever she needed to. She'd been living
in the city less than a week, and she needed to. As she moved around the
corner, she slowed to a halt as not to crash right into Toby Ziegler who was
standing in front of her place. She smiled and stopped in front of him.

"Hello. Fancy meeting you here." She said softly. He smiled weakly and
nodded in the nervous manner that he sometimes adopted.

"I was just in the neighborhood on my way to the office. I wanted to stop
by and ask you something." He exclaimed quietly as he glanced from her face
to his feet and back. She nodded, trying to stay stable on the roller-blades.
The last time she'd seen him was the night before when they'd 'discussed'
their feelings outside the White House poker room. Their version of
discussion was not opening their mouths to speak, but rather touching their
lips to connect. They'd parted company later, and now he stood before her.

"What'd you want to ask?" She inquired playfully.

"Do you, maybe, want to go, well, heh, out to dinner? Tonight? Um, with
me?" He clarified looking at her directly. Her smile spread and she moved a
little closer.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Ziegler?" She whispered coyly. He
smiled and nodded, a little sparkle in his eye. She kissed him gently on the
lips and then nuzzled his ear. "Sounds good to me." She added before moving
up the stairs towards her door. He looked after her, his face a slightly dark
shade of red and a small smile plastered on his face.

"So I'll pick you up here at seven?" He asked. She turned from the
keyhole to look at him once more and nodded.

"I'll be waiting." She replied and then disappeared through the front
door. Toby turned and started walking towards the corner to hail a cab.

"All right. Okay. This is good." He murmured to himself before waving
down a taxi, climbing in and riding it to the White House with a satisfied
grin on his face, one that almost scared the taxi driver.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kathy, what have I got left to do today?" Sam asked as he leaned out of
the door of his office.

"Nothing. The plane lands soon. Go home. Have some fun and relax. I'll
see you tomorrow." Kathy exclaimed as she shut down her computer and began to
gather things into her small briefcase. Sam smiled and started moving away
with his own.

"One step ahead of you." He called as he disappeared down the hallway.
Kathy smiled, shook her head, locked his office door and then moved off
towards her own destination. As she walked by Leo McGarry's office, she
noticed that Margaret was gone for the evening, but the chief of staff's
light was still on. She decided it was none of her business what he did and
kept walking until she reached a door and then she disappeared into the
parking garage.

Behind her, Leo crumpled up another piece of paper and tossed it towards
the wastebasket. He sighed when it missed and then got up to walk towards the
coat rack. He grabbed his gray jacket and pulled it over his arms with a soft
groan. Behind him, Abbey Bartlet moved in the door and watched him with a
friendly smile.

"You're getting old, Leo." She said. He nearly jumped out of his skin and
turned to face her.

"Yeah, I am. Don't sneak up on me like that. You'll give me a heart
attack." He retorted as he moved towards his briefcase.

"No. You've been a politician too long. Your heart can withstand anything
by now." She replied with a grin. He smiled and looked at her.

"Miss him, huh?" He asked.

"We've been apart before. Zoe is out with Charlie right now. Liz is on
vacation with her family. I'm lonely, yes, but that doesn't mean I 'miss him'
per se." She replied slowly. He grinned.

"You miss him, huh?" He repeated.

"Ah, hell, I miss em all." She replied with a frustrated grin.

"Is it that, or is it that you're worried about Jed and KD being alone
together for the first time in a long while? You have to admit that it has
crossed your mind." Leo exclaimed as he grabbed the handles of the case.
Abbey watched him solemnly.

"They are not alone. They have nearly two hundred people following them
everywhere they go." She replied softly. Leo nodded and faced her, a
sympathetic gaze on his face.

"I know. I was just reading your mind again. You know how I like to do
that at random." He replied as he headed for the light switch.

"You seeing Jenny tonight?" Abbey asked as she moved out of his way. He
nodded and switched off the light, moving with her into the outer office and
stopping to lock his door.

"Yeah, we're going to dinner. We're talking about making things official
between us again, officially back together." He replied. Abbey smiled and
patted him on the back as they moved out into the hallway. Leo glanced at the
secret services agents that were walking behind them as they moved towards
the exit. Leo was flattered that she was walking him to his car, but he
realized that it was simply for lack of something better to do.

"So are you seeing her for dinner tomorrow?" She asked as they reached
the elevator. Leo shook his head.

"No, she has a conference dinner tomorrow. Plus, I have some extra work
to do, so I probably am not even going to leave the house until seven." He
replied as he tapped the button.

"Why don't you eat with me? We can talk about old times and keep each
other company in the absence of our loved ones." Abbey exclaimed as she
stopped on the edge of the hallway. He smiled and looked back at her.

"Sounds great." He replied. "After I'm done with work, I'll be there."

"At seven, or be square." She retorted with a smile and then walked away.
Leo watched her go a second and then climbed into the elevator and rode it
down to the parking garage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm home!" Danny cried as he stepped into the small apartment. He heard
a shout of acknowledgement from the room, muffled though it was, and then the
silence of an apartment shared by two hardworking people. "Dr. Brody, paging
Dr. Brody." He added as he moved through the hallways to find her on her
typerwriter, typing away at her thesis. She murmured something that was again
muffled, for she was eating her first meal of the day.

"Hey, babe." She said through a bite of bagel. He leaned over and kissed
her on the head, then glanced at her computer screen.

"You know, for someone who's gonna be a doctor, you don't eat nearly
enough to maintain your health." He exclaimed as he peered more closely at
the screen. "And as much as your professors probably would love to hear about
yet another riot regarding the war, you've got to finish that thesis." He
added as he sat down in the chair next to her.

"If I don't write an article, I don't make any money." She retorted with
a smile. "If I don't make any money, I'll be in debt forever with med school
payments." She added.

"Well, if you're going to distract yourself anyway, come have dinner with
me. How long have you been eating this stale old thing?" He asked as he
picked up the remaining three quarters of her bagel. She shrugged and
swallowed the bite.

"Only about an hour." She admitted with a grin. He laughed and pulled her
to her feet and lifted her up.

"Allow me to escort you to the kitchen then." He exclaimed. She giggled
and slipped her arms around his neck.

"Do I actually have to eat anything? Can't I say I'm fasting in honor of
the people overseas? Brave men and women who are fighting for their country,
you know, that sort of thing? Could make the front page." She mused as he
eased back on to the couch with her in his arms.

"Absolutely. I always told you that you were going to amount to
something. I just hope it's something more than the Anorexic Headliner. Maybe
Pulitzer winning political lobbyist or something like that, huh?" He replied
playfully and began to tickle her. She laughed and swatted his hands away. He
laughed too before they settled down again and she snuggled into his
shoulder.

"The war is going to be over soon anyway. I'll have to write something
else soon anyway." She mused aloud.

"It's been going on since August." Danny replied.

"Not even six months, Danny. In the long run, too many people die." She
exclaimed. He sighed and kissed her forehead.

"You've been watching too much M*A*S*H." He said softly. "Your anti-war
campaigns might get you in trouble. Thank god you were barely conscious in
the sixties and most of the seventies."

"Well, if I had been, those riots would have been a step livelier." She
replied with a grin as she looked up into his eyes. He laughed and diverted
his eyes to look into hers.

"That's something of an understatement." He replied as he began to tickle
her again. She laughed as he leaned over her and tickled her some more. She
pleaded for mercy as he laughed with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Danny?" A voice exclaimed. Danny opened his eyes and glanced around, a
little startled by the interruption of his dream. He looked up and saw his
colleague Jack peering at him.

"What is it, Jack?" He asked weakly as he rubbed the sleep out of his
eyes. Jack smiled and pointed to the clock in the small hotel room. Danny
glanced at it and saw that it was nearly eight o'clock. "Thanks, Jack.
Wouldn't want to be late. Guess there is an upside to having a roommate on
these damn trips." He added as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Well, just imagine. You had the chance to get your own room, Danny, but
you said you needed an alarm clock." Jack reminded his friend as he walked
away to the small chair that was in the corner. "I may as well be your
assistant, I'm always helping you out."

"If I could afford you, I wouldn't be working." Danny retorted as he
grabbed his coat and moved out of the hotel room. Jack laughed and picked up
the copy of the Times he'd been perusing.

"Now, now. Take your time, Wyatt." Jed exclaimed to his secret service
agent. The man in black was obviously not thinking about the trivia question
that the President had posed for him, and instead he just stared at the space
ahead of him. Jed laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Very funny, Wyatt.
It is Wyatt, isn't it?" He asked.

"Actually, it's Matt, sir, and I know nothing about African swallows." He
replied in his deep officially strong voice. Jed laughed again and nodded.
Suddenly a knock came at the door. Matt checked his earpiece and whispered
slightly.

"What? Who's there?" Jed asked.

"Troublemaker." Matt replied. The president grinned.

"Send her on in. She can tell you all about African swallows." He
exclaimed before standing up and looking towards the door. A moment later,
the door flew open and KD strode through.

"You've still got them calling me troublemaker? Couldn't you think of
anything with more syllables?" She exclaimed with a harsh grin as Matt left
the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, we figured we could give Prodigy to someone more deserving. Like
David, or Toby." Jed replied as he hugged her hello. She hugged back and then
moved away from him to plop down on the couch that was in the room. He smiled
and moved to the liquor cabinet. "Get you a drink?" He asked as he peered
into the available bottles.

"You're an addict. You take your pills yet? Water only for you, or
perhaps you would like me to order some grapefruit juice? Get away from the
damn cabinet." She retorted, looking over her shoulder at him. He groaned and
shut the doors as she told him to. He moved back over to the chair and sat
down, facing her with a smile.

"What do I owe this pleasure anyway? What is it, almost ten o'clock?" He
asked, glancing around for a clock.

"You're waking up at seven tomorrow. I figured you wanted as little sleep
as possible." She retorted. "Besides, I'm bored and lonely."

"Sounds like me. Guess you finally know what it was like all those years
for Abbey and me. You always did say you couldn't understand how love could
be so strong." Jed reminded her.

"God, I was wondering when you were going to bring that up. You never
fail to pick on a chance to make me out as a hypocrite." She retorted with a
laugh. He laughed too and nodded.

"Anything to talk about, or just basking in my presence so that you're no
longer bored or lonely?" He exclaimed. She grinned and nodded back.

"That and I wanted to see how much better your room was than mine. I've
always wanted to know what kind of treatment the President gets over his
staffers." She retorted as she stroked the couch. Jed laughed and snuggled
into the armchair.

"Say, do you happen to know what the average rate of heartbeats per
minute for an African swallow?" He asked, looking at her. She raised an
eyebrow and shrugged.

"Is it carrying anything?" She asked.

To Be Continued . . . .