"Hey, Mr. Ziegler. Listen, I forgot to give this to you yesterday. KD
told me to get it . . . to . . . Mr. Ziegler?" David stopped talking as he
saw the blank look on the communication director's face. "Toby?" He asked a
little louder. Toby woke up from his thoughts and glanced at the young man.

"Hey, David. What's up?" He asked softly.

"KD told me to give you this lineup for the Environmental pitch. We start
campaigning when she gets back and she wanted to make sure you were up to
date." David repeated as he eased into the room and closed the door. "You
okay, Mr. Ziegler?" He asked softly.

"Call me Toby, David. I'm fine, just a little . . . pensive." Toby
murmured. David nodded slowly and moved forward to hand Toby the small file
that he was supposed to have delivered the day before.

"You, uh, need to talk about anything?" The young man asked. Toby
chuckled at the gesture.

"You know KD pretty well, I guess, huh?" He asked suddenly. David
shrugged.

"About as well as you, I suppose. Well, not as well as you, but I've
known her for about the same amount of time. I'm only up to tolerance on the
star chart." He added randomly. Toby indicated a chair and David sat down in
it, clearly a little nervous.

"I just wonder how well I know her, how well I'll ever know her." Toby
admitted aloud. David shrugged.

"Depends on how much you push her and how hard. I mean, if you push her
gently to tell you more, she just might." David retorted absentmindedly. He
wasn't sure where the advice came from.

"I just feel like I shouldn't have to push her." Toby replied.

"Maybe you shouldn't, but until she feels safe enough, you might have to.
Why don't you just ask her why she doesn't tell you everything?" David
suggested suddenly. Toby stared at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man and
thought over the words.

"How much would I have to pay to be as sensible as that?" He murmured.
David smiled weakly and shrugged.

"It only cost my soul and forty two gold stars." He replied. Toby laughed
and nodded. David smiled and stood up to leave. Toby watched David as he
walked out of the room.

"Forty two gold stars. Maybe I should put her on the damn star system."
He muttered after a brief silence. Then he leaned towards the phone, grabbed
the receiver and began to dial.

"Hey. We need to talk."

"Hey, welcome to the residence." Abbey exclaimed playfully as Leo moved
in through the door. He laughed and glanced around. Abbey nudged him
carefully and then walked forward to the table.

"Nice lighting. Should I be suspicious?" Leo asked as he noticed the
lighting was less than normal. It wasn't candlelight, but it definitely
wasn't the normal venue of a room.

"Of course not. I just had a long day as the First Lady, and my eyes
hurt, to be perfectly honest." Abbey exclaimed, being in fact, very honest.
Leo nodded in agreement.

"I know how that is." He replied.

"You hungry?" She asked. He nodded and rubbed his stomach.

"Absolutely."

"So that's how it happened." Jed said softly. KD shrugged, a dark
expression on her face, and moved to the liquor cabinet. "Don't tease me,
Katy." The President added as she reached for a bottle of scotch. She smiled
and let her hand drift away from the cabinet without picking out a drink. She
walked back over to the couch and collapsed on it.

"The Bureau has a temper, what can I say? I did what I was supposed to
do." KD retorted. Jed nodded and shrugged, leaning forward. He stared across
the room at her, thinking about many things. She wasn't looking at him but
rather admiring the fancy hotel room he'd gotten.

"There's something I've been wondering for years about you, kid. If you
could change one thing about your life, just one, what would it be?" He asked
quietly. KD looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"That's a strange question, Joss." She replied softly.

"Does that mean you won't answer it?" He asked.

"No, it means I don't know how to answer it. There are too many obvious
answers, but how am I supposed to choose what's the best one?" She replied
with a weak smile. "Everything has its own consequences. If everything that
ever happened to me in life hadn't happened, I wouldn't be who I am today,
nor would I be where I am." She added.

"I often wonder . . . where would we be . . . Where would we be if you
were as drunk as I was that night?" Jed found himself saying words he didn't
want to. KD frowned and looked away.

"We'd probably be in a lot of trouble, and you definitely wouldn't be
President." She replied honestly. "Abbey would have been broken-hearted and
we would have been wrong." There was a tone of bitterness in her voice, and
Jed winced to hear it.

"I was wrong, but -"

"No buts about it."

"What if, Katy."

"What if you weren't married, you weren't a governor?"

"Or President." He asked softly. KD paled and looked at him with a frown.
Then she slowly got up and walked over to the liquor cabinet. He watched as
she slowly grabbed a glass and filled it a quarter way with scotch and
another quarter with water. She brought the glass back, set it on the table
and then lay down across the couch.

"That's a damn stupid thing to say." She murmured.

"I'm not asking. I'm just curious. What if?" He tried to defend himself.

"You said it before. I only pick intelligent men." She exclaimed as she
grabbed the glass and stared at it darkly.

"I said eloquent."

"Same difference."

"Hey, you." Danny exclaimed as CJ opened the door. She smiled and
welcomed him in. The small suite was quaint, but at least the front room and
the bedroom were separate. She could entertain guests if she wanted to.

"Hey. Ready to call room service?" She exclaimed with a grin. Danny
chuckled and nodded.

"Nice and relaxed after a hard day, are you kidding? Direct me to the
phone." He replied. CJ smiled and closed the door. When she turned around she
found Danny leaning in close with a gentle kiss and a warm embrace. She
slipped her arms around him and returned the gesture. After a moment of
standing there like this, Danny parted from her and leaned his forehead
against hers.

"You hungry at all?" He asked playfully. CJ smiled and nudged him.

"Come on, Danny. Let's eat." She whispered. He laughed and nodded. CJ
moved out of his arms and to the table. She grabbed the menu and tossed it to
him. He caught it with a chuckle and began flipping through the pages until
he could get a good look at the entrees.

"Mmm. Chicken. I've always wondered what that tasted like." He joked
lightly. CJ laughed.

"It tastes like chicken. I hear the picatta is particular wonderful in
this branch of hotel." She added with a grin. Danny chuckled and nodded as he
moved over by her side and slipped an arm around her waist. She leaned her
head into his shoulder and read the menu by his side.

To Be Continued . . . .