Title: A Mentor for Joanie Part 3/?

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Joanie hangs out at the Bartlet campaign before heading back to Harvard to chat with a friend. Pre-going back to talk to Bartlet. I promise it'll happen next chapter!

Note: I got some e mails asking whether Josh or Donna was running for President. Hee hee...read and find out!

A Mentor for Joanie: Primary Meetings

"So you're meeting with him next Tuesday?"I look up from my cup of coffee to my parents. We've been in my father's office for what seems like hours while I played back to them the happenings that fall upon me when I was at Notre Dame.

"Yes," I say, smiling. "I have to tell you I'm a little nervous."

"You shouldn't be," Mom says, trying to reassure me. "The man has known you since you were a baby."

"I know, that doesn't help, mom, but thanks," I roll my eyes.

"How did he look?" Dad asks.

"He looked fine, the MS has been in remission for so long, but I think it's left him weakened. He carries a cane, I saw it on his desk," I explain. I suddenly remember my parents were there when the President's MS came out to the public. It must have been horrifying.

"We were so afraid he would go after Leo," Mom says solemnly, clutching my father's hand suddenly. "The two were so close, like your father and Sam."

I nod, even though I don't really know what they're talking about. For me Leo will always be Leo Seaborn, and to them it will always be Leo McGarry. I don't really remember much of him; I didn't attend the funereal although my parents did. He died when I was still in High School and I saw how heart broken they were after it happened. My mom explained to me that after my real grandfather died, Leo McGarry was like a fill in for my father.

I clear my throat, trying to clear the uncomfortable air.

"So how goes it here in Connecticut, Jed told me the primary's in January."

"Yeah," my father suddenly perked up again, recognizing his familiar lot in life: politics. "We expect to win here, it is our home state, and then we have to move on to Rhode Island."

"Isn't Chittick from Rhode Island?" I ask of one of the other presidential hope fulls.

"Yes, but we have sources saying he'll drop if he doesn't come in at least second in the Connecticut," Mom interrupts.

"That'll be good," I say, wide eyed. "Then I think you may have a shot at Rhode Island."

"Well we're going to try," Dad says and I recognize that familiar gleam in his eye when he sees a challenge.

I smile and take another sip of my coffee and there's a knock on the door.

"Josh! Margaret said you were at the dentist! Did you honestly think I would take that crap twice! OPEN this door--

My father opened the door and left CJ standing, surprised at how easy it had happened.

"Yes Claudia Jean?" Dad asks, grinning.

CJ took a breath and straitened up before getting her usual determined look back on her face. "Did you forget about the meeting you had scheduled with Sam and I to go over the Press conference next Tuesday?"

"No, CJ, I didn't forget, I was just caught up in listening to my daughter," he gestures towards where I'm sitting in my chair, looking at CJ.

"Joanie! Come here!" CJ smiled instantly and started moving towards me, but not before saying over her shoulder to my father, "Don't think this gets you off the hook Lyman."

"Oh heaven forbid," he mutters.

"Hi CJ," I smile and hug her tightly. "How you doing?"

"Fine, fine, I'm more interested in how you're doing," CJ says, eyes sparkling. "How about we go to dinner tonight? The whole crowd."

"What about the meeting?" my mom asked, amused.

"Screw the meeting. Josh can cancel it, he's the one running for President."

My dad got a wide smile on his face and nodded, "Consider it canceled. CJ round up Sam, Charlie and Toby. Donna, call home and tell Jed to get here so we can go. Tell him to bring the van."

"Got it, away I go," my mother walked out the door with CJ.

"And you," my dad said, turning to me.

"Yeah?" I ask, amused by all this.

"Get Lori and pick a restaurant you feel everyone will like."

"Hmm...a difficult mission, should I choose to accept it."

"You don't have a choice, it's an order."
ëYou're not President yet, Dad."

"But I'm still your father, now go," he points out the door and I smile before hopping on my way.

I forgot how much fun it is to go out with my Dad's friends, really my extended family. I forgot how Sam drove too fast, that Toby never passes up a chance for dry sarcasm, that my Mom and my dad argue about driving direction the whole way up to anywhere...those kinds of things. I get stuck in a car with Lori, Toby, CJ, and Sam. It really was fun. We were all crammed into Sam's old BMW and I buckled myself in tight, just hoping I didn't throw up. I have to remind Sam next time I get into a car that I'm a little motion sickness.

"Where are we going again?" Toby asks from the front seat.

"Buca De Pepo," Lori says.

"Sounds Italian."

"It is Italian."

"I've been there before, really cheesy decorations," Sam says, making a face. "And really big portions."

"Well I think CJ could eat a whole plate of pasta herself," Toby snickers.

I obviously missed something cause CJ blushes and kicks Toby's chair.

"It's your fault you pain in the ass," she grumbles.

"My fault?" he argues.

"Do I really need to go through the basics with you?"

"Please mom, not with me in the car," Lori moans and puts her head in her hands.

"Did I miss something?" I ask, feeling out of place.

"Not much," Lori rolls her eyes. "Mom's pregnant."

"You are?" I gape at CJ.

"Yes," CJ says slowly, going slightly pink again. "Believe me that was his reaction." She points harshly to her husband in the front seat.

"Well I can assume it wasn't planned," I say, whistling.

"Not exactly, no."

"But after years of begging I'll finally have a little brother or sister," Lori says sweetly, batting her eyes. She's obviously being sarcastic, Lori's loved being an only child.

"At least you won't be living under the same roof," I say, remembering from my child hood how much trouble Noah and I used to get into. Throw Jed in the mix and we were way too much trouble for even my parents to handle.

"True," Lori nods.

"Aren't you worried about complications, CJ?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"I think she means that at your age..." Sam starts but trails off at the glare he's receiving from CJ.

"Don't piss off a pregnant woman, Sam, you should know that, you had two kids," Toby grumbles, smiling that this time he's not on the receiving end of that look.

"I'm getting a bit of a glare," Sam admits.

"I married that glare."

Once again Toby receives a kick from CJ and I start laughing. I missed being around these people.

We drive for a moment in silence before Sam mutters, "What the hell is he doing?"

"Who?" CJ asks.

"Josh," Sam says. "He was going to turn right, then left and now he's going strait. I don't know how to get to this damn place, and following him's not going to do much good if he keeps swerving everywhere."

"I'll call him," I say and take my cell phone out of my pocket. Noah had gotten cute and given me a cover last year that was the American flag. He got one for everyone in the family and painted on the side Lyman for America. Noah's got too much time on his hands running that damn zoo in DC.

"You've got a cell phone?" Lori looks at it. "Dad why don't I have a cell phone."

"If you can pay for it you can buy it."

"Gee thanks."

"I'm still paying Berkley, Lori."

The phone rings twice, three times, before my mother answers it.

"Hello?" she grumbles.

"Mom?"

"Hey Joan."

"Listen Mom, what is Dad doing? Sam says he's diving like a maniac."

"That's because your father doesn't like the directions we gave him."

My mother obviously is using the speaker version of her phone cause I can hear my father say, "It's not that I don't like them, its that they're wrong!"

"Oh god Josh how do you know that?" my mother sighs. "You just missed the last turn off! What now?"

"I'm improvising."

"Joshua."

"I'm using my keen sense of direction."

"This form the man who can't find his way out of a paper bag."

"I resent that."

I roll my eyes, as entertaining as this little banter fest is, I don't know what's going on with my parents.

"Dad, want me to drive?" Jed asks form the back.

"No," they say in unison.

"Guys why don't we just turn around?" Charlie asks in a soft voice.

"Cause they're both too stubborn," I mutter before I can think twice about it.

"Joanie, you're grounded," my dad grumbles.

"I'm in college Dad, how many times do I have to tell you that's not going to work anymore?"

"I'll build a dungeon..."

Suddenly I hear Lori yelling, " There it is! There's the restaurant, quick Joan tell your Dad to turn in."

"Dad," I say into the phone.

"I know, I got it," my dad says. "See Donna? We didn't get lost."

"Shut up."

"Bye guys," I roll my eyes and press the off button.

"So I can assume the phone call got little accomplished?" Toby asks.

"My parents were arguing about directions," I explain.

"Why does it not surprise me," CJ says, smiling.

Sam pulls in to a parking space and we all pile out of the car and walk towards where Charlie, Jed and my parents are getting out of the van.

"Josh you're running for President," CJ says. "Could you please make sure when you get elected we still have a First Lady?"

"As if I would ever let her go, Claudia Jean," my father grins. I think it was also the comment of not ëif' he gets elected but rather ëwhen'. No one here's a pessimist, gotta give ëem that.

I start walking towards the restaurant and fall in to place next to Charlie.

"So Charlie, where's that fiancée of yours?" I ask smoothly.

"Up visiting her father," Charlie says. "Which form what I heard is what you'll be doing next Tuesday."

"Yup," I grin. "I get to interview Josiah Bartlet."

"Congratulations," Charlie smiles. "He's a great man...the best."

"I know," I answer truthfully.

And I follow my friends and family into the restaurant where for once we're going to have dinner together.

I wonder if the Rose Garden of the White House actually looks like this. I peer up at the small television screen and the ceremony playing out in front of me. A small group of peopleówell, smaller then mostóare sitting in front of a large rose awning where my parents stand below. I see Sam in his tux next to my dad, Toby next to him and Leo and Bartlet off to the side. My mom's in a long white gown, CJ and Margaret in deep red bridesmaids gowns.

I wonder if I'll get married in the Rose Garden, if my father wins the election that is. I still remember when he told all of us. He had some how managed to gather Noah Jed and I in the same place at the same time and he told us he was running. I wasn't that surprised, and I guess that surprised me. My father always said he loved the years he spent in the White House, it seems only naturally that he wants to go back. So he'd try...I think he'll make it.

I pause the video on the screen and sigh at the perfect picture of my parents.

"Ugh, so cute you could throw up, right?"

I don't need to turn around, I know that voice, it's been my echo for the past twenty-three years.

"If I remember correctly, your parents were just as bad," I sneer before turning around. Leo Seaborn is leaning against the doorway to the living room in my parent's Connecticut house. He has dark almost black hair with stunningly pale blue eyes. His silver glasses are perched on his nose and he grins down at me.

"Yeah, which is why I don't watch their wedding tapes," he sticks out his tongue.

"So what finally managed to pry you away from Harvard?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "When I left last week I asked if you wanted to come with me and youó

"Declined, I know," Leo shrugs. "I changed my mind."

"Wow, world stop, Leo Tobias Seaborn changed his mind."

"You are so not funny Joanie."

"Yes I am," I giggle. "It hurts that you say otherwise, Leo."

"Oh stop, you don't give a damn hat I say, you never have," he laughs. True, I haven't. I'm very thick skinned and it comes in handy.

"Why aren't you at your parent's house bothering them at midnight?" I ask.

"Cause I felt like bothering you," he sneers. "And you told me you never get to sleep till at least one in the morning after plane rides."

"You know me so well."

"Like an open book."

I laugh and then remember something, "Hey, how did you get in here? You didn't bust the lock or anything, did you?"

"No, I'm only a little above breaking and entering," he opens his hand and I see a small silver key. "Your Dad gave it to me. He said I was as much as son to him as Noah and Jed so I might as well."

I nod. I sigh and look up at him, "Wanna go for a walk?"

The streets of Connecticut are deserted cause it's almost one o clock and all the sane people are asleep, comfortable in their beds. My parents are too, but they're definitely not sane.

Meanwhile, I'm walking down the street in a loose New York Mets tee shirt and jeans next to Leo.

"So Lori told me about next Tuesday," Leo says.

"So before you came to bother me you bothered Lori."

"Had too, it was like reliving our kindergarten years."

"Ah," I smile.

"You excited?" he asks, and I know what he's talking about.

"Yeah...and a little nervous," I admit.

"That's perfectly understandable, Joanie," Leo smiles. "All our lives all we've heard from our parents is how wonderful that man was...is...you know what I mean."

"Yeah," I sigh.

"You'll do fine," Leo says and punches me in the shoulder jokingly.

"I hope so," I say. "Hey, we should head back we've walked five blocks."

"We may as well walk to my house," Leo laughs.

"Nah. Let's go back. You can sleep in Noah's room."

"Noah won't mind?"

"He's in DC, stupid, playing in the cheetah cage," I laugh. "When are you heading back to Harvard?"

"When you do," he shrugs. "Nothing else to do."

"Law school doesn't count?"

"Not now."

"I think you just gave me a heart attack."

"Joanie," Leo rolls his eyes as I burst out laughing. Leo is usually all work, so believe me this is a big surprise.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, really," I stand up tall for maybe a second before laughing again.

"I swear to god, Joanie."

"I'm sorry!' I laugh and keep laughing when we reach the front door to my house. We walk in and strait up the stairs towards the bedrooms. My parent's house is really big. On the second floor are the kid bedrooms, Noah's Jed's and mine, plus the game room, the library and the drawing room. The on the third floor is the porch, my parent's room and a study.

I stop at my door and Leo will sleep in Noah's room next door.

"Night, see you in the morning," I say and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Night," Leo says and retreats into Noah's room while I go into my own. I need my sleep; I have next Tuesday to get ready for.